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Good evening everyone. Um, I'd like to call this meeting of May 6th, 2026 to order. On behalf of the board of education, welcome to tonight's meeting. Thank you for your flexibility as we have moved to be virtual. We welcome all attendees and express our
gratitude for your flexibility. We also wish to express our appreciation to the live simultaneous Spanish interpreters for facilitating access this evening. Please note we will be taking a break at approximately 6:45 this evening. Roll call, please. Miss Harper.
>> Miss Applelegate >> here. >> Dr. Echaria >> here. Mr. Gibbons >> here. >> Miss Kenworthy >> here. >> Miss Moian >> here. >> Thank you. Is there a motion to approve
today's meeting agenda? >> I move to approve today's meeting agenda as presented in board docs. >> Is there a second? >> I second. >> Any discussion? Seeing none, it has been moved and seconded to approve the agenda for today's meeting of May 6th, 2026 as
presented. Roll call, please. Miss Harper. >> Miss Applegate. >> Dr. Etcheria. >> Here. >> Mr. Gibbons. >> Yes. >> Miss Kenworthy. >> Yes. >> Miss Moian. >> Yes.
>> Thank you. Tonight, there is a special public comment session specifically regarding the Mesa K8 Charter School application. The board will hold general public comment at the upcoming regular meeting on Monday, May 11th. as well. Public comment this evening is an opportunity for the community to share
their thoughts relating specifically to the Mesa K8 application with the board. Please note that during public comment, the board does not engage in discussion with or respond to individuals. The speaking order is determined by the order of signup. I will present the
first speaker and call subsequent speakers when it is your turn. We kindly ask that you keep your microphone muted until it is your turn to speak. We listen with respect and ask those who address the board to do the same. There is a threeminut time limit for each individual speaker and a 10-minute time
limit per group. With that, we will begin with presenter one, Trevor Trevan Brandhorst. Are you available? Wonderful. >> Yes, I am. >> Welcome. Please begin. >> Thank you very much. Good evening and
thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Trevan Brandhorst. I'm a father, an educator, and a family and community engagement professional with more than 12 years of experience working alongside families in public education in the Denver metro. I live in southwest Denver along the border near this
proposed school community. So, this matters to me both professionally and personally. I'm here tonight in strong support of Mesa K8 public charter school because I believe families deserve excellent public school options in their own communities. options that combine
strong academics, belonging, and learning that truly engages students. Mesa offers that kind of opportunity. A proposed KA expeditionary learning school, Mesa would bring hands-on realworld learning, strong relationships, and a model that helps
students grow academically, socially, and as leaders. Just as importantly, Mesa responds to a real need. Similar school models are highly sought after and have long wait lists. Through our research and conversations with a local demographer, we also know a majority of families are choosing out of their
remaining neighborhood schools, over 51%. That tells us families are looking for something more. As both a parent and a family and engagement professional, I know how hard it can be when schools families want most feel out of reach. Families have told me how important
things like transportation, before and after care, and taking learning outdoors more often for their kids are. Mesa has embedded these elements in the core student experience. Mesa is a chance to create another highquality public school option that families can believe in,
invest in, and help build. I respectfully ask that you support Mesa's authorization and help bring this meaningful opportunity to students and families in Jeffco. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I hope you all have a lovely evening. Thank you.
>> Thank you so much. Up next, we have Darby West. Hi, Darby. >> Hi. >> Please go ahead. >> Okay. Hi. Um, hi everyone. My name is Darby West and I am the proud founding
principal of Mesa K8 School. I am also the parent of two children. We have lived along the Sheridan corridor for almost 10 years. My son is a fourth grader in the Denver public school system and my daughter will be in pre-k in the Jeffco district. When my wife and I consider a school for her, we want it
to be small and to both provide both a rigorous academic model and the enrichment experiences kids deserve. Mesa is that school. With a combined 22 years of school leadership experience, our executive director and I know that highquality instructional materials
alone are not enough to meet ambitious goals for student growth and achievement. To truly deliver on that promise, we must build strong, coherent systems, systems that ensure effective curriculum implementation, meaningful coaching and development for teachers,
and a school culture where every student can thrive. In my 20 years of education, I have been part of five founding title one schools. Three schools as a teacher, one as a dean of instruction, and one as the principal. All these schools continue to thrive across New York City,
Denver, and Chicago. I am proud that in one year, 20% more fourth graders reached ELA proficiency than the year before. We decreased chronic absenteeism by 10%. We increased enrollment to be overenrolled at 119%.
and we had over 90% staff retention and we're the highest scoring school on our staff culture and climate survey in our region. At Mesa, we are thrilled to ground in the expeditionary learning model along with the University of Connecticut's enrichment for all. We
know me many families want this model and we believe that they should not have to leave their community or sit on a wait list to get it because families deserve access here and now. I respectfully ask you to authorize Mesa K8 School to bring the opportunity families deserve back to the Two Creeks
community. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. Up next, we have number three, Patty Kip. Hi, Patty. >> Yes, >> welcome. And you have three minutes. You're welcome to share your story with
us. >> Thank you. It says that my camera failed, so I'm I'll just speak to you and and hopefully I can get on um in a minute. Um thank you for your time this afternoon. My name is Patty Kip and I am the board chairman for Mesa K8. I'm a
resident of Jefferson County and I've spent over four decades in public education and university teaching. I want to start with just a a very short story about a memorable first day of school. As a principal, my practice was to check on kindergarten dismissal so we
could make sure that every child and parent found each other. On this particular day, I watched a little girl run to her father and say, "Daddy, can I please come back tomorrow? This is so much fun." Um, and that story reminds me of what MESA K8 is going to be all
about. I first want to tell you why I believe in this school, and that's because I le believe deeply in the the founder. Uh, Jen Norris and I have worked side by side for about 10 years, and I've seen her lead with clarity, courage, and an unwavering commitment to
students and their achievement. Um she's had some very challenging to um decisions to make and and um situations that have come up. Um but she's um always delivered outstanding, measurable results. She doesn't just talk about
equity. She builds systems to make it real for every child every day. Jen's the kind of leader who sets a vision and then does the hard work of bringing others along. um she's very committed um and has made
a big impact on many students, families, and commun communities. Second, Mesa is something that is can add meaningfully to the district's tradition of excellence. It offers a high quality research-based educational
model that we know works. Expeditionary learning paired with enrichment for all grades. Classrooms where students are deeply engaged, challenged, and supported to grow. Regardless of learning differences, all student at Mesa will have an enrichment program
daily. Just as important, the founding team knows how to deliver results. They have a track record of strong enrollment, accelerated academic growth, and building school cultures. Mesa is designed to complement what
Jeffco offers by expanding access to an option that many family are actively seeking. An option that combines rigor, revelence, and opportunity. Finally, I want you to know what we've learned from the community. Through extensive outreach and canvasing, we
have had hundreds of conversations with families in and around Two Creeks neighborhood. We heard repeatedly that they were considering leaving public education um for homeschooling, private schools, or other alternatives because they're looking for something different for
their their children. When they heard about Mesa, they really considered changing their mind and opting into this kind of education in the Two Creeks neighborhood. Authorizing Mesa means keeping more families engaged in public education. It
responds to what the community is asking for and it's means trusting a proven leader. Thank you for your time and your thoughtful consideration. We want a school where every student says, "Can I come back tomorrow? This is fun." Um, I respectfully urge you to
authorize Mesa K8. Thank you so much. >> Thank you, Patty. Up next, we have presenter number four, Jennifer Norris. Hi, can you hear me? Okay. >> Yes. >> Okay, thanks. Good afternoon. My name is
Jen Norris. I'm a Jeffco parent and resident and the proud founder of Mesa K8, an expeditionary learning school with enrichment for all programming for all students proposed in the Two Creeks neighborhood of Lakewood. I'll begin with why this work is so personal to me. I've always loved school. It's a place
of possibility in my life. I was raised by teenage parents and attended Title One schools. And while we didn't have much, my parents made sure that I understood what education could provide. Because of that, I pursued every opportunity I could, like going to the United Nations and working in a law office as a teenager. Experiences that
gave me seats at tables that ultimately changed my life trajectory. I was the first person in my family to go to college, earned my degree in elementary education from Kansas State, taught abroad in Guatemala City, and later completed a master's degree in educational leadership from the University of Denver. For the past 15
years, I've served students and families in Title One schools as a teacher, instructional leader, and a principal. I've helped lead three schools with various program models and curriculums out of turnaround status, significantly increase literacy achievement, and built systems where multilingual learners
thrived. I've also witnessed too many brilliant, diverse students be passed over for opportunities because of systems not designed for them. These experiences led me to found Mesa because I know what's possible when all students have access to excellent engaging
learning. Mesa has been built through hundreds of conversations with families in the community from story times to Metro District meetings to doorsteps and our mission and vision statements were refined with stakeholder input. Our model combines expeditionary learning curriculum with the University of Connecticut's enrichment for all
approach which identifies and develops students strengths. The Yukon Mo model has been pro proven to close achievement gaps for diverse student groups. We are intentionally removing barriers for families. Mesa will provide a longer school day and year before and afterare and be the first district-run charter
school with full transportation options for all students. This is supported by $2 million in secured startup funding. Mesa will Mesa students will experience daily arts, PE, and enrichment. and we're communicating we're we're committed to communicating with families
in all home languages and laiva. We will remain a small, safe, and supportive school where every child is known and challenged. These elements will significantly impact enrollment, recruitment, and retention of students. Finally, Mesa is rooted in and
responsive to the community. We have 210 letters of intent to enroll for 96 opening seats along with nearly 600 community signatures and 37 letters of support. Our future students are coming from a variety of places, homeschool, private school, out of district, and district weight lists, meaning Mesa
helps keep students in the Jeff Co system. At its core, Mesa is about expanding opportunity, ensuring all students will have access to an excellent education that prepares them to take their seats at the table to lead. Thank you. And I respectfully ask ask you to authorize my cicate. Thanks.
Thank you, Jen. Up next, we have number five, Mike Chemi. Perfect. We'll come back to that. Thank you, Drew. Um, up next, number six, uh, Miss Cheryl Sakorski. Up next, we have number five, Mike
Chemi. Welcome, Cheryl. >> Perfect. We'll come back to that. Thank you, Drew. Um, up next, number six, Miss Cheryl Sakorski. >> Hi, Cheryl. Can you hear us? >> Hi, I can. Oh, >> no. You're you're good. You're good.
It's turn. It's your turn. >> Okay. Okay. >> Welcome. Welcome. And please go ahead. You have three minutes. >> Thank you. Hello, everyone. My name is Cheryl Sakorski. I am a parent and a SAC chair at a title one school in Jefferson
County. I want to first say thank you to the esteemed board and superintendent Dorland for allowing this opportunity for people to share their um beliefs about Mesa Kaid's application. I am here in opposition of the school. I also want
to say I love hearing about people who are in our community and who want to improve the system for our kiddos. Um, none of what I'm going to say is against the people who are trying to start the school. I think it's very admirable and again none of it is to
speak ill of the model. I actually think the model is really great. My kiddo goes to a um IB school, an international balorate school and it is very similar although it does have differences from the model that is being proposed here
and I do believe in the model so much so I love that it's happening at Stevens Elementary which is just located 3 miles away from where this proposed location is. It is because of that that I think my opposition for this school has
started because it feels duplicative of what Jefferson County is already doing. In order to establish a charter school, the main tenant is that charter schools are there to build up resources that do not exist for the community. The EAL um
curriculum already exists and is already in place and doing well at Stevens Elementary. Um, in addition, the um statute that allows for charter schools to open states very clearly that
it should show that there is enough interest to start attending the school. And while I've heard the other folks on the call say that there is that interest, when I poured over the application and the intent to enroll, I
looked at the birth years and it does not seem like the birth years of those families that are interested align with the timeline of when students would be able to enroll in this school. So while there may be interest, it doesn't feel like it is the people who would enroll.
And I want to highlight that part as of the application because it is strong. If there is community members who are vying for and wanting a new school, I would be interested in that. However, it does not feel like the ages are aligned with who
could enroll in this school. Um, I also believe that with a K8 is a really strong model. Um, and I I um
want to specify that I think it is great when people care about our community. I just want to make sure that any use of resources is going to benefit our students. I think a lot of things are it's not a lack of resources, it's a lack of resourcefulness. And I think
these schools exist and if there are these issues, I would be interested in how we can improve what is already existing rather than start something new. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Up next is number seven, Brian.
>> Resourcefulness and I think these schools exist. >> Hello. Welcome. >> Thank you. Sorry, I was watching the recording and got caught off guard there. >> Quite all right. Welcome. And you have three minutes. >> Great. Well, thank you so much uh for taking the time and making this option
virtual. Uh my name is Brian Hayasaka and I'm a career educator, a former school, a former school founder and leader. I'm also a Jeffco parent and I live in the community. And I'm here tonight because I believe Mesa is exactly the kind of school that Jeffco needs right now.
We're at a moment where I know myself as an educator, but as a parent are asking, what is school actually for? Um the world our kids are entering is changing fast, faster than we can possibly hope to keep up with. and they need to learn how to think, how to collaborate, how to do something meaningful uh with what
they've learned and not just recall it on a test. At the same time, we don't want to pursue innovation just for innovation sake um and and risk lowering the bar, especially for kids who need it most. And I think that's what Mesa is really about is designing around this reality while raising the bar, not
lowering it. I think I've heard enrollment come up a number of times and it's because it's not the elephant in I mean, it is the elephant in the room, but it's the biggest elephant in the room. uh we're experiencing it with my daughter's school right now and I mean obviously demographics are shifting, schools are losing funding and and this
is a huge problem. I would argue though that innovation and learner centered schools like Mesa are part of the solution to that. And I and I know this firsthand because as a school leader we of an in of an innovative middle school, we consistently had more demand than we
had seats for year year in year out. many of whom were coming from Jeffco, DPS, Aurora, just to find a model that they felt met the needs of their of their students. We weren't just retaining them, we were pulling them in. And so I think families like mine, families like the ones that I was
serving, they're craving this model. And uh they're looking for a school that isn't afraid of the future. They're looking, frankly, for a district that isn't afraid of the future. And sometimes I do question that with my own child's school, as happy as I am with it. So you know what I really obviously believe in is Mesa. I've known Jen for a
while. Um, long enough to know that this is the person that you can absolutely trust. Uh, and and I do believe that this community deserves a school that prepares kids for the future they'll actually face and gives families a reason to stay. Um, and so while I do hear that there are many great schools
in Jeffco, including Green Gables, where my daughter uh attends and and which I'm very very happy with, it's so crystal clear to me from my background as an educator, as a parent, as a school founder, that we need more options like Mesa uh and and we need to open the
door. So, I do implore you all to please approve Mesa's charter application. And again, I want to thank you so much for your time and consideration. >> Thank you, Brian. Up next we have presenter number eight Katie Zbeck.
>> Hi Katie. >> Hello. >> Welcome. The time is yours. >> Great. Thanks so much. Um good evening and thank you for the convers continued conversation on this topic. My name is Katie Zbeck. I'm a parent at Stevens
Elementary and Everett Middle School and I serve on both of our school accountability committees and the district's accountability committee. I'm here to follow up on my earlier testimony and briefly reflect on the DAC process. I'm really thankful for my colleagues on the DAC. We truly had a
meaningful conversation that incorporated district data, community context, and lived experience from the region in the decisions. I learned a lot from the individual perspectives and believe the group landed on a decision that centered students and the insight from the community. It reflects the
difference between the application on paper and what is actually in the best interest of students, schools, and our community. And now both the DAC and the superintendent have reached the same conclusion. First, need and demand. The data does not support growth. Enrollment
is declining. The schools are already working to remain stable. Adding another school in this region doesn't expand opportunity. It risks destabilizing existing schools and accelerating closures. The schools are the students are not there and recent history in this
exact location shows they will not come. Second, duplication not innovation. Expeditionary learning already exists and it is being implemented well and we have room for new students. So, I invite you to come check out Stevens
Elementary. The proposal does not fill a gap. It duplicates what's already working. As the DAC named, it's become a zero sum game, risking fewer resources, reduced programs, and the potential of closures for students who are already being served.
Third, who will the school will serve? Intent is not the same as impact. Without a clear credible plan to recruit and retain underserved students, there's a real risk that this school will draw families with greater access to resources and further concentrate as
need elsewhere. As the superintendent noted, the application projects significantly lower rates of multilingual language learners and students with disabilities than surrounding schools, raising real concerns about access and equity.
Taken together, this is why both the DAC and the superintendent concluded that the proposal is not the in the best interest of students, the district or the community. This isn't about opposing charters. Jeffco has a strong charter portfolio because it makes deci disciplined
decisions. Right now, the responsible decision is to prioritize stability, equity, and the voices of the community. I urge you to follow the recommendation in front of you and to deny this application. Thank you so much.
>> Thank you, Katie. Up next, we have presenter number nine, uh, Michael Moody. >> Hi, Michael. Welcome. >> Hi. Uh, Chase, sorry, for some reason. Okay. Uh, is it my turn to speak?
>> It is. >> Okay. Sorry about that. >> All right. Uh my name is Michael Moody and my family is part of the Stevens Elementary and Edgewater communities and I'm here this afternoon to ask you to carefully consider whether the proposed Mesa K through8 charter school truly
meets a demonstrated community need or whether risk further destabilizing existing neighborhood schools that are still recovering from years of enrollment decline. Since 2019, Jefferson County School District has closed 22 schools. That number should
weigh heavily on this decision. The district's own enrollment projections point in the wrong direction for adding capacity. The FCB dashboard projects an 8% decrease in two years and a 15% decrease in five years. The regional
enrollment analysis from November 2025 board meeting showed a 3.5% decrease from 2025 to 2026 in the central articulation areas of Alama, Edwater, Lakewood, and Wheat Ridge. And the current regional
utilization rate is only 70.9%. Meaning we we already have room for students. And boundary studies also show this region has declined from roughly 13,000 students in 2018 to close to 10,000 students today in our aging
school district. In this context, adding another school is unlikely to create new demand and more likely it will redistribute students from existing schools affecting the programs as Katie mentioned staffing and opportunities available to children already enrolled
in our neighborhood schools. Uh Mesa is not bringing EL to Jeffco for the first time to be cleared and Stevens Elementary is already the district's only EL credential school. Peak is another nearby EL option. Mesa's primary distinction is not EL itself. It is the
K through8 package. And this region already offers diverse programming as mentioned. Stevens offers EL, Rosstein offers IB, Edgewater offers two-way dual language. Uh, Ivor and Lumbberg offer one-way dual language and Belmar School of Arts offers integrated arts
programming. Existing schools like Stevens also already supports working families with practical schedules, afterchool enrichment and afterare and scholarship assistance for both. They do work in offer for the working families.
I recognize the difficulty in this decision. I I support divorce uh excuse me, diverse school options, including charter schools when the need is clear. My son formerly did go to a charter school, but based on the data in this application and the district's own
enrollment trends, the case for a new school has not been made. And at this moment, our community does not need more fragmentation. We need investment in the schools we already have. We need to strengthen existing programs, stabilize enrollment, and once again make our neighborhood schools the center of our
communities. So, thank you for your time and consideration. >> Thank you, Michael. >> Next, we have presenter number 10, Cinden Porter. >> Need investment in the schools we already have. We need to strengthen
existing programs, stabilize enrollment. >> Welcome, Cinden. >> Hi. Hello. Um, great. Thanks for having me. Uh, >> my name is Cinden Porter. I'm a Jeffco
resident. Um, I'm a mom and my I've got two kiddos. The older one is in preK3. The younger one is still in daycare. Um, I'm here tonight cuz I care about what Jeff Code looks like as a place to raise kiddos who learn differently. Um, and I
already know just from watching my own two children that differently is the norm and not the exception. They focus differently. They move differently through the world. They light up in completely different situations. Um, and they are likely not going to be served well by the same school. Uh, and I'm
okay with that. What's not okay is that it's really challenging to find options and it shouldn't be so difficult and it shouldn't be something that only certain families are able to do. Um, right now navigating Jeffco's op options takes a
lot of I would call it like insider knowledge. Knowing what to look for, who to ask, knowing how to navigate and work within the system. Um, and even then, myself included, families end up on wait lists for endless amounts of time for
the model that they think will work best for their kid or you end up paying for private alternatives. um that barrier doesn't fall equally and it falls hardest on the families who are already stretched thin um just from a capacity
and a financial perspective. Uh our my hope is that Mesa and other school options will address that. It's a small community rooted K8 school. Um, I realize there are other expeditionary learning models in Jeffco, but
I I don't really see why there's an issue to have more options for families if that's what's being demanded. Um, and it's designed for kids who learn through doing, through projects, through real world connections. Um, and the demand is
real. Uh lots of families have raised their hands to say that they want this. And what I want for my kids and for every kid in the district is a system that identifies and acknowledges that it shouldn't be so challenging to find the
right fit um for your kid. Uh where you don't have to be a specialist in education policy or make financial sacrifices just to get your kid into an environment that works for them. Um, I think authorizing MESA is a step towards that. It's one more real option and one
more door that opens. Uh, so I urge you all to say yes and not just for the families already waiting, but for lots of Jako families who deserve a school that sees their child for who they are and who they have the potential to be. Thanks so much for taking the time to listen tonight.
>> Thank you very much. Um, I'm gonna go back. Did um Mike Cameeri ever join us? True. Okay. Um, assuming I didn't miss anyone, that would bring us to the end of this special session public comment. Thank
you to those who participated. We will briefly pause for you to exit this portion of the room of the meeting. As a reminder, you are welcome to continue watching our meeting on the live stream on YouTube and we will also have public comment at our full board meeting on Monday evening. Heat.
For our first item of study this evening, the board will hear an update from the Jeffco Student Leadership Board on their work during the 2526 school year. There are multiple presenters this evening. We ask that you please introduce yourself as you begin. We have allotted 30 minutes for this update. Please do reserve time for board
questions following your remarks. Before I turn it over to our presenters, Superintendent Dorland, is there anything you would like to add? Thank you, President Applegate. Good evening, board members. I'm very excited to welcome our our
students. Are they Are they here? >> They are starting to join right now. >> Okay, great. I kind of want to welcome them when they can hear me. Welcome them. Hi, Miss Pñena. >> Are they here? >> Make sure you're muted.
>> They are starting to join right now. >> Okay, great. Great. A reminder to please turn off the live stream also. Sorry, I was watching the live stream. It's okay. We appreciate everyone joining this way.
Let's do that, Drew. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. I don't dream sometimes. >> Welcome to our JCO student leadership
board. We're very excited to have you all here tonight this evening. Um, Miss Pena who has the best job in the district getting to work with our JSLB students. Um, best best opportunity I think of all cabinet members. Um, we
have Miss Pena here who's our uh chief of family community um partnerships. We also have Santana, Jaden, Alexa, and Zylaceia here to talk with our board about their experiences as students in Jeffco and engage in a dialogue uh
representing student voice. So, thank you so much for being here. Um, and we're very excited for you to be able to have this time with our board of education members. Miss Pena, I'll let you get us kicked off. >> Absolutely. Um, thank you,
Superintendent Dorland and board of directors. Um, I'm Tara Pena, chief of family community partnerships and um, it's always an honor to spend time with you and um, yes, Superintendent Dorland have to agree have the best job on cabinet and I do um, tease my cabinet members um, we all have really fantastic
jobs serving students and just the proximity in which I get to serve alongside these leaders um, out in our community is is truly a blessing. So feel really fortunate and um one of the perks of being on JSLB is they get snow day news early. Um so once the
announcement was made, they got um they got um a message last night that it was going to be a snow day. So they knew before any other students in our county and as they should, they serve as leaders in our community. So it's always fun to be able to give them some of the inside scoop. Um and they've had
wonderful snow days and uh today and um are ready to go. So, we're going to get started. I'm going to share my screen here. All right. So, I can't see all of you, but can you see my screen? No, not yet. Not yet. Okay. Let me see.
Let's go here. Let's try it again. Do you need to make Tara a presenter? Let's see. Let me try again. There we go. Got it. Thanks. Wonderful.
All right. All right. Um well, good evening. I um already introduced myself, so I'm just going to keep us moving along here. Um, so JSLB exists um to elevate and amplify student voice by creating meaningful
opportunities for students to share their perspectives and help inform the decisions, policies, and practices that shape their educational experience here in Jeffco. To kick things off, I'd like to introduce some of these incredible student leaders who have been instrumental in shaping JSLB's work this
year. All of the students presenting this evening are seniors and are incredibly and we are incredibly proud of each of them and the contributions they've made. They've left a lasting impact through their work within JSLB, in their schools, and in our communities, and they will truly be missed. As they introduce themselves,
they'll share their name, their school, and their plans after high school. We're thrilled to be here and can't wait to share some of our reflections and accomplishments. Um, uh, Alexa, why don't you get us started? Um, I'm Alexa humanist. I'm a current
senior at Wedri High School and I plan on going to Metro to major in international business and minor in Spanish. >> Thank you. And Jaden. >> Hi, my name is Jaden Repeiz and I am a senior at Coline High School. After I
graduate, I plan on going to CU Boulder to major in Spanish and track in either pre-law or translations. >> Wonderful. And Santana. >> Hi, my name is Santana Pñena. I'm a
senior at Arato West High School and my plans are to attend um Indiana Westland and to play. So, thank Miss Pena, you're muted. >> Oh, thank you. We'll we'll get our sound
figured out here in a moment. Thank you. Um, and last but not least, Alicia. Hi, my name is Alicia Gamrell. I'm a senior at High School and I'm going to UNCC to do a double major in engineering and pre-law.
I will talk about um JSLB has three key objectives. One of them being amplifying student voices, promoting collaboration and connection between students, schools and district leaders, fostering student engagement and leadership. For me, the
biggest impact in my leadership journey has been around amplifying student voices and promoting the idea of collaboration because you can't have one without another. Through JSLB, I have had a better understanding on how decisions are made in the district
level. But being a part of while also being a part of those conversations over the past 2 years, I've had opportunities on to share my perspective and the perspective of my peers directly
with directly leaders like Superintendent Dorland. What has been the most meaningful is not just sharing my opinions but learning how to explain why. What was the reason behind the dis
Is Eatia frozen for others? >> I think she might be. Guess. >> Okay, we'll give her a second. Thank you. We're out of practice with this, aren't we? I I'll speak for myself. All right, we're gonna keep going and
then we'll let her jump back in if we need to come back to this slide. Perfect. Um, it's safe to say that this year has been so packed and we had so many different opportunities to put our leadership into action and honestly, we tried to say yes to as much as we could.
On the screen, you'll see a few snapshots of myself and my fellow GSOB members stepping into those opportunities. One experience that just really stands out to me is attending the state of the district where Superintendent Dorland share updates on Jeffco and where we are
as a district. During the presentation, we also took part in a Q&A where we share our experiences as students in Jeffco. And it was just a moment where the student voice was centered in the conversation. And what made it the experience especially is meaningful for me was that we had the chance to connect
with leaders from across the county and state. It was just a really good it was just a really cool opportunity to practice networking, meet so many different people in leadership roles, and just step into the spaces that I don't normally get to be in. It pushed me to be more confident in introducing
myself, starting conversations, and just learning from the people in the room in a more personal way. Um, here's a quick recap of different opportunities we had as board this school year. We work with district leaders to get feedback on the
district's social media policy and attended the youth celebrate diversity conference which is a statewide student leadership experience that left us inspired. One of the biggest highlights every year is our winter service project. We organized a district-wide clothing drive and collected a large
amount of donations from almost all high schools. Even the Jeffco action center contributed after hearing Superintendent Dorland recognize our efforts during a board meeting which was really which was a really cool moment and it was just meaningful not only to donate to Jeffco
serving kids but also to donate to also volunteer alongside them and just see the impact firsthand. This year, we also hosted a studentled a student-ledd board candidate forum where we all had the opportunity to meet you and other candidates and ask them
questions that matter to students. Other experiences included participating in the studentled board for candidate forum as well as touring different departments like student services, IT, communications, and HR. Those visits
really shaped my pers really shifted my perspective. There's so much that goes into making a district this size run so smoothly. Each of these experiences helped make leadership feel more real and personal for us and we are excited
to keep building on that moving forward. This year was another huge milestone for us. We welcomed over 170 students from across Jeffco to Jefferson Junior Senior High School for a day centered around our theme from voice to impact. One of
our biggest priorities this year was making breakout sessions more interactive. Something that's really important for us as students and we're proud to say that we really saw that come to life. Our sessions f our sessions focus on four main areas.
college and career pathways, sustainability, mental health and well-being, and student advocacy. Each session gave students practical tools they could use to take back and apply their own and apply in their own schools the right way. We also partnered with
Jeffco student and parent climate action to offer three sustainability focused sessions. Our keynote speaker, Michelle Culver from the Rhythm Project, spoke about how the rapid growth of AI and how it can sometimes impact human
connection. Her message was really engaging and left a lot of us thinking about how we use these tools and how we stay connected to each other. I really enjoyed her motif about ocean waves and the connection between wave movement and society with technology.
This year's resource fair include over 30 partners from colleges and universities to local organizations. There was truly something for everyone. My favorite part of the day was the fire drill. I know it definitely was not an expected event, but it highlighted
student leadership. I think for JSLB specifically, it got to highlight our adaptability. We were able to adapt and still continue with probably the most important breakout session, our schools, our voice, our impact, where we got to talk about our own to our own high
schools and others about how JSOB can better represent Jeffco's high schools. I believe that we were able to show our leadership skills in the face of adversity. For me, the overall energy of the conference just really stood out. It was just so amazing to see so many students
show up and just be so engaged throughout the day. Everyone felt really open to just participating, talking with each other, and just being part of everything that was happening. Jefferson is a smaller school, so I feel like it also helped create a more connected feeling. And I think that really made it
easier for students to interact and just build moments with with one another. During our opening ceremony, we created a moment for connection and reflection. As students were seated, we asked them to respond to two questions. First, we invited them to choose a Disney character that represented their leadership style just to bring some
energy and personality into the space. For me, that was Princess Anna from Frozen. Then, we asked more meaningful questions. What matters most to students right now? Some of the most common responses beyond grades and sports including feeling heard and included building strong friendships and community, mental health, and safety. It
was a powerful moment where students were able to share openly and see that they're not alone in what they value. In addition, JSLB students facilitated a 30-inut session titled Our School, our voice, our impact. In small groups made up of students from different schools, we guided conversations around four key
areas: school pride, safety, belonging, and student voice. We did experience an unexpected interruption, a fire alarm as we were transitioning from first round of our breakout sessions into our JSLB le session, but we were still able to continue to the conversation and gather
meaningful input. Jackson Pru from Jston Valley and I had our group start outside and when they cleared the building, we moved our conversation back inside to our classroom. However, many schools decided to enjoy the sun and finish the session outside. Across all groups, students shared a clear message. They want schools where communication is
stronger, connections are deeper, and students input lead to visible action. Whether discussing safety, belonging, voice, or pride, students consistently emphasize the importance of trust, follow through, and feeling like their presence and perspectives genuinely mattered.
On behalf of JS, all of us, I want to take a moment to say thank you to the board of directors for three of incredible years. I've been a part of JSLB for all three years, and it's truly been a life-changing experience. Through JSLB, I've met lifelong friends and had the opportunity to grow in my confidence
and learn how to use my voice to create real change. While I won't be here to continue this work, I'm confident the rest of JSLB members will continue to make a huge impact across JCO. Thank you again for believing in us and for giving JSLB a real sea at the table.
>> Now, before we officially close, we want to give a huge thank you to Terrapa and to all the district sponsors who made JSLP possible. Their support and encouragement and guidance means so much to us, but none of the work that we've shared tonight would have been possible
without them. Thank you for believing in students voices and always showing your showing your support towards us. We grow as leaders and we're truly grateful. As we wrap up, we're so excited to share that we are currently accepting new
applicants for open spots on JSLB. If you or any students are interested in joining, please check out our our website and apply today. Thank you all so very much. Um, this is always one of our most favorite groups to have come speak
with us, so I really appreciate it. Um, directors, do you have any questions for our incredible students? Director Meian, >> I just want to thank the student leaders for coming and taking the time to join us via Teams this afternoon. I
appreciate the flexibility as we're working through all the technical difficulties and I just want to thank them for their service on this leadership board and congratulate the seniors uh as we're approaching graduation. So, thank you again for your service and for all of the feedback that
you have shared with the board. >> Thank you. any others? >> Um, I wanted to thank you all so much for presenting tonight. Um, what an amazing job you've done this year in elevating student voice um, in our work
for the district. My question is um, what are you looking forward to next year and does JSLB have any plans for new ideas, new events, new projects? Yeah. So, I think um ladies, if there's anything that you want to share about
what you're looking forward to in your post secondary plans as you think about life beyond Jeff Co and JSLB um and then we can talk about um just some of our plans um for JSLB for next year. Alexa,
>> um I feel like something I hope for next year is just to like take everything I learned on GSLV and just keep on growing as a leader in different spaces. >> Another question.
>> Thank you, Alexa. >> I feel like she pretty much summed it up. Um, I've learned so much from JSLB and to see myself put that into fruition, honestly, I'm quite excited to
do. So, as you should be, Jaden. >> Yeah. I think honestly what I've taken out of being a part of JSLB is student advocacy. I loved that I got the opportunity to grow and learn and learn
how to advocate for students, especially for students at Coline. I think that's something I definitely want to take as I go to college and I figure out what I want to do in the future. I also think for JSLB, I would love for it to be more
like energetic and more lively, and I think we definitely have seen that this past year. And I hope that students at Coline have seen the impact that I as a J as Coline's JSLB representative has done for them.
>> Perfect, Santana. And then I think Satisha, did you have your hand back up? No. Okay. >> Yeah. I just agree with um Jaden just about like how much I've grown and I think just being able to get out of my comfort zones and all the new experiences and opportunities that we've
had has definitely been really important to me. >> Thank you guys. Director Kenworthy. >> Well, thanks. I'm very excited um to hear from Jaden in particular that you're thinking about ways to continue
to engage in leadership and advocacy even after you've left the JSLB. Um I think ultimately that's something that we want to look for. We're developing um leaders here in the county, but we're hoping that they also step out into the larger world and continue on leadership journeys. Um so I'm really grateful to
hear that that's um in your sphere of thinking about what's happening next. Um my question is going to be about um conversations that you've had maybe with um underassmen. I'm really excited to hear that the application process is
already open before the end of the school year this year. I think that's fantastic. um so that there can be conversation between interested students who are not currently on JSLB with students who are currently serving in that time period before um they're
they're not available anymore if they're graduating. So um I'm just curious if there have been conversations with underassmen or what's what sorts of recruiting conversations you've been able to have maybe with students who are interested um or are curious about
serving on JSLB? Yeah, Jaden and Zisha. >> Yeah. So, specifically for me, I have talked my ear off, like Coline's ear off about JSLB. I have been on our Rebel
News Network, which is our studentled classes where we make news announcements. So, they've been on there about once a week. I have posted it on social media a couple times. I've talked to the various organizations that I'm a part of. So, unity and action, speech
and debate. I've talked to students in it as well. And all of them, I've had multiple people just come up to me in person, be like, "Hi, like what's JSLB? Like, how can I sign up?" And I just show them the link and I talk about what we do. I've talked about my favorite
parts of it, what ways I've grown as a person, specifically in advocacy and how just the connections that I've made with other JSLB members, like how well we are as friends and how we've been able to grow together and foster this change
that incorporates the district, schools, and students. Um, well, I've had a many conversations like here and there. Basically, somebody be like, "Oh my gosh, what is JSLV?" And I'll be like, "Well, you're going to find out." And then I'll
go into this whole 5 minute elevator pitch talking about something you need to join right now. You need to join right now. It's like the best thing you could ever do. and just like small little things like that, but also talking to clubs and being like, "Hey, like I know you want your voice to be
heard. Here's a great way to get started." And doing like small things like that. And it's just basically how I've been getting the word out. Thank you, Zicia and Jaden. Alexa, >> um I agree with Jaden and Silicia. I
like have spread the word as much as I could and I felt like just the conference was something that just really helped because it like put us as an example to students that are wondering and want to apply. Um just to see like like it gave them like a little
insight of what GSLB and being a member of GSOB is like um I'm like I have heard a lot of people from Wheatridge at least that like they are excited and they have applied. So just like the conference
being what like motivated them to apply is like really good >> Erin. Uh this is this is good stuff to hear. I want to follow that question up with um what would the impact be if the district
or um a part of the district invited student voice to a conversation um and then disregarded or didn't listen to um student perspective? What would the what would the outcome of that be? What would
the long-term outcome of that be? >> Hi, go ahead. Um, I don't want to be the one to say this, but um, you put yourself in a position of your students not wanting to be a part of the district, them not
wanting to be engaged, not wanting to show up anymore, feeling very small. So, I would avoid not not listening to them at all cost, especially because there's a lot of people now who want their voice
to go out. So if they're not being heard, everybody's going to know that they're not being heard and it's going to be a chain link. >> Thank you. Zisha, Alexa, and Shaden, do you have your hands up from now or before? >> For now. >> Okay, go ahead. Um, I feel like the
long-term effect from that is that like students will start realizing that we keep on like doing all of these like events to elevate student voice, but at the end there's nothing being done about it. And I feel like there's like a already a lot of students who have an
opinion that they want to share, but they're just like scared or like they just don't put themselves out there. So just like not actively listening to them would just like affect of like the student involvement in the district long term.
>> Absolutely. And Jaden, >> yeah, I think to add on to that, I said this at the district's good news breakfast when they asked us questions and I think we are students not just in academics but of the world and we learn
from what you guys teach us and you guys teach us about advocacy and being involved and being heavily incorporated and just being a part of the community. And I think us as high school students, we especially just want to get our feet
wet into that community and be a part of that. And we don't want to be stripped away of any opportunities that surround us and that you guys have told us that we'll be here for our future and that we really do want to be a part of the community that brings change. And we'd
hope that you guys continue to let us be a part of that with our student voice and perspective. Yeah, I I want to be um real clear about why I asked the question um in that we've done a lot of work in the last several years to elevate student voice
to include student um participation in some of our higher level decisions and um I I get concerned at times that there may be adults who are not intending to disenfranchise student voice in
conversations that impact our entire community and I want to be real clear that that would be a detriment not just the students who've been in you know whatever their most recent conversation is but also to the involvement the engagement of students into the future. Um, and so I I really appreciate that
you were able to speak to that and you were able to name the ways that it would impact the community even if that is something that occurs after you've left or you know se a couple years from now is that when we engage in uplifting student voice and having organizations like JSLB, it is an also an important
part um of our of the adults in the district to support that by listening and engaging and actually honoring the feedback that's been given by our students. And so I just really wanted to lift that up and thank all of you for the various ways that you've shown up um at different events, talking to
different um elected leaders um at the Good News Breakfast, at the legislative barbecue, some of the other places that JSLB has um showed up and spoken. And I I just I want to see us really um support and continue to elevate student
voice in the decisions that we have facing the district as we move forward. Thank you all. you have laid an amazing foundation and done some incredible work. Um, and I know that we have students who are coming along behind you who have seen you and what you've modeled and they're um going to step up to the to the job because they saw you
do it so well. So, thank you so much for your leadership this year. >> Thank you, Director Kinworthy. Director Gibbons, anything you'd like to add? >> Yeah, first I just I appreciate appreciate all the students that have participated. I know from the campaign,
the JSLB le candidate forum was my highlight and I can say in all sincerity that the questions we received from students were consistently the best and most difficult questions compared to all the other forums. Um, which says a lot about you and something about the other
forums as well. I'm just I just really appreciated it. Um, I would like to know what what you think the district where where you think the district is doing a good job of considering student voice and where you think the district could do a better job of considering student voice.
>> Santana, then Jaden, then Zelia. Sorry, Tara took over. >> Yeah. Um, I think just like opportunities just like this, just giving us a chance to come here and talk to you and kind of give us um, being able to give you feedback of what we saw
um, with students. I think that's really important. Um, I think that's just a great way for kids to get their ideas out there. >> Jaden. Yeah, I think honestly kind of picking back on what Santana was saying, I think
having us here for district meetings just like this and having us be there more often, I think would be really good and just listening to our student voice. I think additionally adding on to that, it would probably be visiting JSLB more if you're specifically looking for high
school. Um, I think talking to us more often and seeing the work that we're doing and being involved in what we're doing, such as the conference that we just hosted, would be very beneficial to be to hear our student voice and hear
what we need. I think something that would also just be beneficial is just not to sugarcoat things with us. Like yes, we are children, but we are here to learn and we are here to be the next generation of leaders and we hope that
you guys wouldn't sugarcoat anything about cell phone policies or the budgets or whatever other policies that you guys are looking at that you need input. I think it's better to over ask and have us overexlain than to just ask once and
then just hope that it's the answer that you guys would need. Thank you, Silia. >> I think um a glow would be exactly like what JSLB is. Um we have the opportunity to talk to you guys and
you guys be able to hear student voices. So having more programs like this um I think is amazing. And but a grow that I think we should really work on is maybe including
students in on hiring process. I know that's been like a huge issue, especially with me talking to other students in Jeffco. Like they have a lot to say about maybe asking them what they think that an perfect teacher
is or what security should have to go through to be hired there. maybe providing that safety net so that all voices are being heard all over. >> Thank you. That's wonderful feedback.
Um I just want to close us out by sharing just immense gratitude. Um you know I I certainly understand JSLB is a is a wonderful reflection of all of our community, but to see such strong women who I know are going to go off and do amazing things in our world, it um it
really does my heart good. and you couldn't see the crazy five-year-old girl that was running around in here behind the camera. Um, but I hope that she has role models like you all to look up to because that's really what you guys are setting the stage for is that next generation. They aren't going to look to me, they're going to look to
y'all. So, um, that means a lot to me as a mom. It also means a lot, I think, to the future of this district. And Miss Pena, would you like to wrap us up? >> Yes, I'd be honored to. Um I just want to echo um some of the same sentiments and just want to truly and sincerely
congratulate this group of of seniors but all of our seniors on JSLB. Most of these students have served for multiple years and came in quite unsure of what's JSLB, what is my role and what will my impact be and as you can see here um you know they've really assumed their role
um and the opportunity with tremendous um responsibility and have reflected the voices um of their constituents but also brought tremendous um visibility to students across the district and so so so incredibly proud of them and I'm going to miss them. They leave really big shoes and as you already heard
they're already recruiting and finding the just right replacement to ensure that their um schools and their classmates um have voice at the table with you all. And then finally just want to extend gratitude to all of you for your support in JSLB. um you know um
want to just thank um Superintendent Darlin um for her, you know, her tremendous support and always being visible um and and coming to connect with kids and be playful um but also engage in really meaningful conversation where we've actually seen um impact from
voice to impact happen and I'm just tremendously grateful. So, thank you all ladies for coming today and uh and uh going through this process with us virtually and um just appreciate all of you. So, thank you. >> Good luck. We're so proud of you.
>> Yes, we are. >> Thank you for coming. >> Thank you. >> Thank you so much. >> You'll be seeing many of them at graduation in a couple weeks. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Have a wonderful evening. >> All right, guys. I'm going to move us along. Next, the board will discuss the
proposed cell phone policy and provide some direction to district staff regarding the board's preferred approach. Um, based on this discussion, the board may determine if we are prepared to take a formal vote next week on Monday, May 11th, or if additional time is needed with a vote in June aligned with the statutory requirements.
Um, facilitating us this evening is Lisa Roo. Welcome, Lisa. From district leadership, um, we have allotted 30 minutes for this discussion. Before I turn it over to the board, Superintendent Dorland, is there anything you would like to add? >> Thank you, President Abigate. I'd like
to welcome Miss Ru to the conversation and thank her for her leadership um in this in this area as the board is required by statute to adopt a cell phone policy by the end of this school year. Um end of June is sort of our
target date here. Um and so I'm proud of Lisa. really proud of the team that has spent a really concerted amount of time over multiple years. Um, and I'm proud of all the people and grateful for the stakeholders who have engaged with us.
We've had uh, you know, we had 900 people take this sense maker tool that you have the report for in your board packet. We've had dozens of people who were on our committee lists including uh just you know per our previous agenda
item here very strong commitment from the voices of students on our committee um and the work that's been done. Um there have been many voices and many different perspectives involved. So just really proud of the engagement. Um it is a complicated issue. Uh the perspectives
are varied and diverse. We are a large district with many schools. Um, and you know, this is just I think for the board members to understand this is a really great opportunity for our board to lean into a policy decision and we appreciate
the time the board has given um and committed to studying this issue and this important policy decision over the last year. Um, and again, we need some direction from you tonight so that we can get things ready for you to approve
by the end of June. I also just want to encourage um board members uh to really think about um what I like to call and many who work with me will tell you this, the just right balance. Um, in Jeffco, we are a
very large district with many school sites. And while we are one community, we also have schools that serve unique communities. Um, and we really have tried hard over the last 5 years in Jeffco to find a balance of system
coherence and school-based autonomy. And I think this policy process is a great example of where the committee really grappled with that. What is the just right balance? Um and and how do we
create a policy that's actually doable on the ground in the field? Um and that that just right balance I think has been a a large part of the committee's conversation. Um, and so we need direction from you this evening in order to get this approved by the statutory
deadline, end of June. And I look forward to uh the conversation, Lisa. >> Okay. Can you guys hear me? Okay. Okay. Thank Thank you for having me. Um, and I can't think of a better group to follow than JSLB. Um, and especially seeing
Jaden's face. um she was part of um the cell phone committee and um it was our students who showed up every single committee meeting um and our representatives from JSLB. So I just want to shout them out. Um so first I want to just acknowledge and thank all of the stakeholders who have been
involved in this effort especially those who participated in last month's board study session and made themselves available to answer the board's questions. Uh we h had thoughtful engagement from students, families, educators, school leaders, and community members throughout this process, and I
appreciate the time and care people brought to the conversation. I also want to remind us that tonight we are modifying an existing policy, policy JSA, that was originally written to address personal devices, specifically laptops and tablets. That policy will
continue to apply to laptops and tablets and has now been amended to include cell phones and wearables. As a result, there is language within the policy that intentionally applies to laptops and tablets that that are the personal property of students and is important to
keep in the policy. The current draft policy and regulation language was developed carefully and with a great deal of intention. It went through several iterations and throughout the process, we consistently checked our work with school leaders to ensure that what we were bringing forward was not
only appropriate and aligned with current school-based practice, but also realistic from an enforcement and implementation standpoint. I have presented to the board on this topic several times over the past two years, and all of those presentations are included in tonight's agenda materials.
In your review of those materials, I hope you had an opportunity to spend time with the sensemaker report. There was also a brief presentation including s um that um summarized the findings. In working with board leadership, we determined that the best use of our time tonight was to create a space for public
dialogue on this topic between board members. But I do want to strongly encourage continued review of the sensemaker materials. More than 900 stakeholders across our community contributed to that research and I believe it will be critically important as we think about implementation of any
policy the board ultimately approves. Most importantly, the data about our students from our students cannot be overlooked. One of the things I am most grateful for in this process is the opportunity to better understand our students directly without approaching
this work from a place of assumption or stereotype. They challenged my own thinking in important ways. They are thoughtful, nuanced, and far from one-dimensional. I hope as adults we continue to push ourselves beyond snap judgments and assumptions that can
sometimes stem from our own relationships with devices and technology. The sense maker report gives us important insights into that dynamic and I believe it provides valuable context as we move into implementation discussion.
As I conclude, I want to thank directors Applegate and Kenworthy who will help lead the discussion around the red lines submitted by board members. I will be listening closely and happy to answer any questions throughout this discussion. And as Superintendent Joran shared it shared in her remarks, we will
be listening for majority board direction tonight to help inform our next steps. I will now hand it back over to President Applegate. >> Thank you, Miss Laru, and thank you, Superintendent Dorland. Um, all right guys, here's the skinny. Um, once we got
the red lines, and I really appreciate everyone taking a thorough read through this, it became really clear that we kind of had some conflicting ideas. And so the the challenge of being a policy governance board and the challenge of um being an elected board is that we can't
all just sit down and talk about this. So, what I'd like to do now, and I appreciate Miss Mul Ru's pivoting um because we were going to go through the sense maker, but what what I hope is better is we are going to spend I'm going to ask each of you to give a twominut kind of where you're at, what
you're concerned about, what you're worried about. Um I'm going to keep time because we're already a little behind. um what we need to get to and and then I have some themes and and director Kenworthy has has seen those themes that I think we need to give some direction
on um because Miss Laru cannot present us a policy if she doesn't have clear guidance from us. And so this is not a vote. This is open discussion in a public setting um that I hope will allow us to move forward. But we have a very short amount of time so we're going to be efficient. So um I'm going to get my
timer going. Um 2 minutes. Does anybody want to start? >> Ah, Mr. Gibbons. >> All right. >> So, um, yeah, I've spent a lot of time thinking about this. I reviewed the red lines from both Director Travaria and
Director Moian. Um, I do want to say in in many respects, I understand and appreciate where Direvaria is coming from and in some ways am personally in agreement with it. However, I I do think it is important to consider
kind of stakeholder input and what that's why I'm kind of I think ultimately leaning towards a more of a middle-of the road approach than the red lines I saw from director body. Although personally I'm kind of like to agree with them. Um that said, I I'm largely
in support of what um director Monian um had proposed. I did have a question. Um, when I look at JSAR and I'm looking at page seven of 8, um, I think the language for students, uh,
grades K through 5 makes sense, particularly in in in light of stakeholder input. Same for grades 6 through 8. Um, however, as Director Monian um noted, I think it seems appropriate that striking the language permitting use in accordance with
schools sitebased expectations um makes sense there. Um, but I have question about that language and in particular about that language that appears in grades 9 through 12. um after the first clause, the second clause beginning um in recognition of age
appropriate developmental needs. I kind of read the way I read that language right now is that, you know, the first clause sort of tells schools what to do at the high school level. Um but then the second clause says unless you want to do something else, it I read
it as just kind of rendering the first clause meaningless. Frankly, I don't think it provides um sufficient guidance that students can rely on from school to school in the events that you have students that either switch schools or maybe even find themselves in different
buildings through different programs throughout the year. So I I just would like to get a better idea um as to what the purpose is of that clause and if I'm actually reading it correctly as kind of nullifying the first clause in the event that there's I
don't know again sight specific sitebased expectations. Um that's my first question. Um if there's any feedback on that and then I have followon questions depending on that answer. >> Okay let's pause there. >> Yeah. Um I will just say this the second
part is it really is built in there for flexibility um and sitebased flexibility. We as part of this want our school definitely meant to provide flexibility. So then what makes me wonder though is then
what is the expect I mean I understand it's not meant to nullify but my concern then is that if it's giving that flexibility a student you know a school can read the first clause and say oh we don't like that and then just do something else and and so then it's like okay well what
we're not you know I don't read that then as providing a policy that at least provides at least like a baseline that schools know they need to live up to. Um, and I get then all sorts of other questions of what are we expecting schools to do before they then developed
um different site-based expectations. Um, I just yeah I I to me it would make more sense to um frankly just remove the clause. Um, and
then if there were specific reasons that we could think of or specific ways that schools may need to depart from that policy, setting it apart separately of like, you know, that schools if they have said need, they can do X, Y, and Z and and depart from the policy in that
way. But it it to me it just seems a little too kind of squishy and open right now that that they could just decide they could just decide not to do it. And then at the point it's like, well, what's what's the point of the policy other than meeting a statutory requirement?
>> All right, I'm gonna pause you there, Mr. Gibbons. Um, thank you for that. Is there anyone who would like to go next? >> I'll go next. Um, >> thank you, Director Minian. >> Um, so obviously I'm in support of my
red lines, although I do see where Dr. ETA was going and I do personally agree with where she was going. Um, however, I I just kind of feel like listening to other stakeholders that
were involved in this process, I don't want them to come away feeling as though we did not take what they were saying into consideration. Um, and so I grappled a lot with the question that was posed to us, I think one or two study sessions ago, which was that, hey, as students, we want to know how to
responsibly use this technology. Um, and my best advice is, right, to put it away as much as possible. Um, so I I I just want to piggyback off of what Director Gibbons was saying because I I in reading it a second time, the way that
he pointed it out. I do agree with him that I have concerns that that section kind of nullifies and then opens the door to different schools doing different things and I would like to see something in the spirit of consistency throughout this district. Um, so I would
be comfortable with maybe striking out some of that language and maybe implementing something like uh students 9 through 12 um in recognition of, you know, age appropriate developmental needs and increasing independence at the high school level, you know, can utilize
a cell phone during break times. However, and again, as as one of my red lines states, the recommendation is to keep the phones put away during uh learning hours while you're at school to uh maximize that uh learning opportunities and engagement
opportunities with fellow students. >> Thank you, Director Kenworthy or director. >> I can go. Um I had some questions. Do you want me to like ask the questions later? What would be best? >> Um, go ahead and ask them. We're We're
kind of being fluid. My two minutes didn't really work, so we'll >> Sure. >> We'll stick with it. >> Lisa, on slide 24, I was curious, what assistive technology is available to students during the school day on their phones only?
>> I don't I don't know the answer to that. I'd have to check with our um with our student su Oh, thank you. Matt can answer that. Um, can you hear me? Okay. Um, it depends. Um, so we have a wide
range of assist of technology depending on what the students needs are, but I would say the most common features are things like text to speech, speech to text, even utilizing AI as a form of like generative AI as a form of uh helping students who struggle with
writing get their thoughts out um in a way that makes sense to them. Um, some students are using sort of like the calming app to support some of their social emotional well-being type needs. So, it just varies from student to student, but those are a few things that
uh our kids are using. >> Would you say um that those apps and those um the assisted technology is also available on our computers for students? >> Um to an extent. Yes. Sorry.
maybe. >> Yeah. I think what we hear often from like our older students is it feels more like socially acceptable to use their assisted technology when it's a in a form that all kids have access to like a cell phone.
>> Okay. Thank you. Um and then the other question on that same slide, they were talking about communicating with a person abroad on their phones. How often is that happening during the school day? >> Yeah. No, the the sense maker as I think
that that outlined that it wasn't just about the school day and mostly actually kids told stories um beyond the school day. So that was about um I think like somebody who had a a relative like a grandmother who lived abroad and was
using their phone to communicate. So I I don't I it I I just want to stress and it says in the report that not all the stories were told about during the school day. >> Okay. Thank you. Um and then slide 13 it said there was only there were 56%
who find the current rules effective. Was there any thought on to why that was? I I'd have to I I'd need to look back because I because the sense maker didn't ask about um didn't ask about like
current cell phone policies. So I I need to I I let me get back to you on that one. I'm not sure the answer. >> I just wasn't sure if it meant the rules weren't effective because they were too like too lax or they were too strict. And so there wasn't really a context on why the rules weren't effective.
>> Okay. Let me let me look into that for you. >> Okay. And so same slide um it said only 66% uh enforced. So again same question um why are we only seeing 66% enforcement? Is it because right now
schools are doing their own thing and there's ambiguity in that policy and do we think that that a less ambiguous policy will increase that enforcement? Um, and then the same slide again, that 50% agree that it improves focus and
connection for students. Um, I'm just wondering how that question was asked. If it was asked like on a scale like one through five, does it increase your um, focus and connection or was it like a yes or no? Um, because I'm just trying to gauge like where that 50% comes from.
>> Okay. And I think now you're talking about some slides I presented on the cell phone study. Is that correct? Mhm. >> 13. Okay. Okay. So, what I can tell you is like enfor enforcement um continues to be an issue and it
doesn't matter like our schools and you guys know this too. Our schools each have their own policies and they're they're pretty similar but but vary between schools and no matter what policy they have, the enforcement is a challenge unless the unless there is
intentional work done at the school to um bring every everybody together around enforcement. It takes time. We've we've seen schools do it really well and but it does take significant time um for staffs to get on the same page. So that's and and the enforcement issue
like the variation in enforcement and you see that in I think studies across the board around this. It's challenging and that's one of the things that we're dealing with here which is like we could have a policy all day long. Our schools have had policies. Enforcing them is is challenging and takes time and intentionality and we have to deal with
that. So that's the that was the first part. Tell me say your second part again. >> Um okay sorry the second part was 50% of students agree that it having not having cell phones improves focus and
connection. I wasn't sure if that 50% was like yes or no and it was a true 50% or if it was like on a scale of 1 to five and it was like three and five was yes and two and one was no. You know what I mean? >> Yeah. So let me follow I can follow up there at whatever the first day time
that I presented that we included the list of questions that we asked and so I think that would it would be helpful to you if I sent you the list of questions so you could better interpret that but I don't have it off the top of my head. >> Awesome. Thank you so much. >> Okay. Yeah. Thank you. >> Um okay. So now I'll just say my
thoughts. Um my my biggest concerns or um I guess what I what I'd like to see in the cell phone policy is the focus on um the research and academically looking at the highest ranked schools in the US. We
have Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire. Those states have a bell-to-bell ban um statewide in New Jersey, New Hampshire. Massachusetts and Connecticut passed through the House. They're working on it right now through other um in other areas. So,
we heard over and over again from the teacher perspective that it is causing disruptions in the classroom. So, one of the things that's um pretty important to me is that we're listening to our teachers as well. We're in a really
difficult financial time. The district is putting a lot on classroom teachers right now. um when on the data that I was looking at was one quarter of the teachers are putting a lot of effort into managing phones and um for me as a board member it feels wrong to ask teachers to do one
more thing um like manage the cell phone have this classroom management cell phone thing when we can alleviate that for teachers by creating a board by creating a board policy that is or by creating a policy that is very um
understandable and can be use across the district so that no teacher is questioning what the policy is and how to enforce it. Um I also wanted to address the safety issue. Uh I sent some research to the
board. I'm just going to share publicly what that research said. It was from the National Association of School Resource Officers. Um, and one of the things that that research shows is that during normal and emergency situations,
um, access to cell phones during the school day reduces safety. During normal situations, it reduces safety because it opens up kids to social media, cyber bullying. Um, it makes it easier for kids to actually plan physical altercations. And then during emergency
situations, um the cell phones distract students from focus on life-saving instructions. Uh in school emergency in school emergencies, hiding becomes more difficult because of the light and the noise that the cell phones create in a for an asalent to locate potential
victims. Um also, cell phone networks can become overwhelmed during an emergency situation when all students or parents are trying to text or call in. Um, and then finally, information that
students send to parents can prompt parents to rush to the to the school site, which might create traffic issues for first responders um and put children who need first responders at risk. um or
this um report that I sent to the board also mentioned that it could be parents might be mistaken for a salance if they're trying to get into the school and um that would be a tragedy as well. So I've been putting a lot of thought into this. Um Boulder Valley School
District implemented this in January 2025 a a bell ban or away for the day, whatever you'd like to call it. Um, and there haven't been too many concerns following. Uh, it hasn't been really in the media. Nobody's really heard about
it. Um, and I think sometimes we're so worried about the potential fallout of making this move forward that we're overthinking maybe and overanalyzing the decision. So, for me, um, listening to my community, um, the emails that I've
been receiving, um, the concerned parents, uh, the concerned community members, I'm in support of the away all day policy for all grade levels, recognizing that 10th through 12th graders often have, um, permission to leave school grounds. So, if they're on
not on school grounds, they could do whatever they like with their cell phones. Um, so I would like to see I guess my request is that maybe you can provide us with some examples of what an away all day might look like um, in our
schools. And then I also want to say that I am fully in support of revisiting the policy until we feel, you know, annually or however often we need to until we feel um, comfortable with our policy um, moving forward. So that's all
I have to say. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Etcheria. Director Kenworthy, you're up. >> Cool. Thank you. Um, so I want to say that I think as leaders, it's necessary that we honor um some of the deep concerns that, um, parents and other
community members have reflected to us who see negative impacts of social media and screen time on their children's, you know, academic, mental health, um, and their desire to unplug the school day that comes from a place of fierce protection and love. Um, and we hear
that. I want I just wanted to say that initially. However, I also want to say that we have to acknowledge a fundamental truth and that our children are living in a different version of human history than we did when we were growing up. For those of us who grew up in the analog era, a phone is a tool
that we picked up later in life. For our students, the digital world is a primary environment where they build identity, find community, and access the sum of human knowledge. We have different experiences with technology. generational difference is very real here. If we impose a policy based solely
on our nostalgia for a phone-free childhood, we will fail to equip our kids for their actual future and their actual careers in the in the future. Our goal shouldn't be to force them back into a world we remember, but to help them navigate with agency and discipline the world that they actually inhabit and
the world that they will move into. Um, a couple of notes. I'm not supportive of any B-to-bell ban blanket um across the district because they think it is too restrictive and we have so many different learning environments. In some
cases, we have students who are older than 18 all the way up to 25 in some of our environments. Um and I think about the impacts on them, especially if their learning environment has been designed around the fact that they have full-time jobs and that they're working during the
day and going to school in the evening. you know, we have to consider how this kind of language would cause complications for some of our alternative ed programs. Um, to address some of what we've heard from
our fellow board members, I want to say flexibility um is actually let me um we're not giving in to technology by choosing flexibility, but we're choosing to be active mentors in our students digital lives rather than just bystanders or
wardens. and we're choosing to trust our educators and administrators to lead in their unique environments and to allow our students to grow. Um, speaking to assist of technologies available on phones, there are going to be future developments that don't even exist yet. And so, if we keep rewriting policy to
ex to just exist in the current moment, by the time we enact it, it will be obsolete because technology is constantly moving. And I'm just going to bring up for old heads like myself. I listen to tapes when I was growing up and then we had CDs and then we had MP3s
and now we have streaming music. That stuff changes so fast and if we write policies just to what is available today um I think we set ourselves up for ongoing um being behind the eightball on on the work that we're trying to do. Um,
I also want to say schools are not sole technology educators and responders. And so a lot of the work and the boundaries that our students need to learn don't just come from our schools and from this policy, but also from our community and the adults in their lives who are modeling how to use it and might need to do their own realignment with how they
use technology. So we're going to need family and community support and engagement in helping our students learn how to be responsible with technology. Um, speaking to emergency situations, I'm just going to tell you, I will never tell my kid to wait to use their phone
in an emergency situation if there is a shooting, and there was one earlier this year, um, to to wait for a teacher to tell them it's okay to call me or to text me. I'm just not, you know, and I'm I don't want to set myself up or I don't want to set the district up or families
or students up to have to actively um break policy in a situation like that. So, I'm I'm um reticent. I'm not interested in some of the language that um that were red lines made around usage and emergencies.
And what else? Again, I want to validate. I know parents there's are concerned. I know people have lots of different opinions on this. It's very tricky. I would like for our policy as required now by statute to be the hamburger that all of our schools can
use and they get to put the fixings on it and then they get to serve that to their community as their community needs it to be served. Um, we need to provide a structure and a basic outline. And then I think flexibility is crucial for
our schools, um, and for our administrators so that they have agency over how their school operates. And they certainly, I know several of our schools are probably going to end up with much more um, strict uh, and restrictive language in
their school. I don't think that our our policy at the district level needs to be the most restrictive language. I think it needs to be the structure and then the schools will be able to add the restrictions and and be true to their enforcement policies. That's the other
thing that we will need to ask from our administrators. That's all that I have to say at this moment about this. Also, I would like to ask president Applegate for an extension on time. We were planning to vote on this in May. I would like to ask for an extension to June based on the discussion we've had tonight.
>> Thank you. Um first, thank you for just the very real discussion, right? I think this is a great um microcosm of what we've seen in our community, right? We are we are but five. Jefferson County is hundreds of
thousands. And so, um, it's a it's the right discussion and it's why when we talked with Miss Ru, this was exactly what we felt like we needed tonight. Um, I I'll give my two cents and then I'd like to make a proposal for how we move
forward. Um, I want to be really cognizant that um, there's been a a huge amount of people that have spent two years working on this. Um, and it's not just student voice, right? It's teacher voice, it's community voice, it's parent voice, and
we have gotten emails. And I I want to honor that we have gotten a lot of emails very much in support of b-tobell bands. And we've gotten um I've gotten emails and I've had private conversations with people that are concerned about their kids ability to reach out. Um
I also want to say that we are working on as a district how technology is used in classrooms. We have all heard from communities and we have most of us have read the books around hey maybe technology so early isn't great for our kids and I know TDPAC and I know our
that Miss Jill Ibec is working on what does it look like and what is really the right threshold of technology for our youngest learners our middle learners and our our oldest learners and so that is also work that the district is embarking upon and falls really in
parallel with some of these discussions right technology is not single faceted. It is it is truly multiaceted. Um, one of the things that TDPAC studied is how teachers are actually using cell phones and technology in classrooms and it's fascinating. And so I would want to make
sure that if you have a teacher who does intend to use let kids use their phones in class that they have the ability to do that. Um, I I am not worried about fallout. I and because I know that we will not make everyone happy on this first round, nor do I think we will make people happy on
the second and third iterations of this round. Um, and I am interested in a floor. Um, what does the minimum level look like at all of our schools? Because I do agree that there needs to be some consistency. I think enforcement of our
teachers is a very real concern. Um, and I also don't want to make this a thing of choice. I don't want, oh well, my kid likes this school because their cell phone policy is slightly different or more lenient. So, I think there is a whole host of complicating factors here.
Um, and I would be remiss if I I mean, we all have different and unique views, and we all have different and unique um experience in schools, experience as community members, and experiences as parents.
And I have gotten that call of a weapon at my child's school and was able to text my son. And um it will be very hard for me to not think about that when I'm voting on this policy because he was able to respond and say he was safe. And um not to get emotional, but that day
still really affects me. Um, based on all of this, which is really valuable feedback and um, really important, I am interested in a bell-to-bell or a whale day for elementary and middle school. I I do
think that at that levels um, it would have to be a variance or some reason to what Mr. Polo was speaking about where children have IEPs or they have special access or um, there's a special provision that allows for that type of work. Um, I'm concerned about a beltto-
bell ban at the high school level. I do believe we need to teach our kids how to use technology. Um, because when they go to college, that college sure doesn't have a policy that's going to restrict their cell phones, at least not yet. Um, and they would be 18 at that point. I also had a senior turn 18 his senior
year and um had some strong he had some strong personal feelings on that. So what I am hearing from everybody I think is that we do need more time and um Miss Ru what I would like to do is
maybe we could collaborate um I heard kind of a few themes I was trying to take some notes I mean really I think it's enforcability right um Dr. Dr. Ataria was real clear about how is a teacher going to enforce this and does that idea of a bell tobell across the
board remove some of that enforcement. Um I think we also need to think about the fact that there are identified appropriate and necessary uses what those are. How do we make sure that those are um applicable in the right way as director Kenworthy identified. We
have what I would call um we have schools that are not the norm, right? And so when we have those schools, should they also have these applicabilities? And that's something we need to talk about and address. Our comprehensive high schools are one thing, but we have a lot of other options in Jefferson County. Warren Tech, for example, if a student is
transitioning in between um and might be going there to somewhere else, that's a different concept. We need to think about what the flexibility that is needed to respond to content. Um I I really like that. um a
floor with flexibility on top. Flexibility is not a lack of direction, but I do think we need to be really cautious about where we offer it. Um I think we need to understand the unintended consequences of a strict ban and an the unintended consequences of a
flexible ban. Um and that's just I think really poking holes in that, taking the time to do so. And I've heard it already. I think absolutely this needs to be a policy that we revisit every year. Um technology is changing rapidly. We are going to learn a lot in year one
and so I think at minimum this policy for the interim needs to be revised every year per board policy or per the policy itself. Um with that we'll be able to collect some feedback see what's happened with discipline see what's happened with compliance and school climate and
disruptions. Um, so at this point, uh, Miss Ru, I think maybe you and I could get together or you and Superintendent Dorland could get together. We could make sure you guys all heard the same thing. We could come back to the board with some suggested edits based on what we heard from Dr. Etcharia, Dr. Ronian,
uh, and then um, directors Kenworthy and Gibbons. And I would say that we move this vote to June. I'm seeing head nods. Is everyone okay with that plan? Okay, Miss Ru, is there anything you need from us in addition?
>> I don't think so. Um, it'll be my pleasure to work continue to work with everybody um to to get this. You know, I think um as you put it, no one's going to be uh 100% happy with where where we go. And this also doesn't have to be the only time that the board looks at this
policy. So, um we we will um I'll I'll work with uh Miss Harper to get that scheduled and uh we will be on the timeline that you have uh recommended. >> Thank you. Board members, I know um there was a request from Dr. Ataria for some more data.
What could be helpful for us in understanding this? I know there's a ton of information that was put in our um our meeting notes for today. Do we need more time or time together? Uh, director Marinian, >> I think what would be helpful is to see
any of the changes that are being made via track changes as it was presented in board docs. That would be incredibly helpful for me. And if it can also kind of just be layered on to any other changes that might have been adopted so I can just kind of track where we're
going with this, that would be helpful. >> Absolutely. >> I would second that. Yeah, I do agree um with those sentiments. This is something that we should just plan on revisiting in a year as well and keep in mind we're not
writing it's not set in stone. Um so >> that's a great point. If we recognize something's not right from the get-go, we have the authority and the ability to modify it. It just becomes hard once the school year started. That's my only cognizance of like having something that
can be rolled out in August and held to through May. >> Yeah, I think that's a fair point. Like I think revisiting in a year would be act like literally a year, you know, into the spring >> um to see what changes need to be made if any at that time.
>> Thank you guys. All of your voices are important and for the listening public, please continue to send us information and thoughts. Uh, Director Moian, did you have another thought? >> Just one last thought. Um, so in addition to the track changes, I think having a format like this where we can discuss any of the edits and changes,
any questions or any suggestions that we may have before we we vote on it would be helpful. We may um, depending on how we're feeling and we can have individual conversations. Um, we may want to do a separate and Miss
Harper, I'm just thinking out loud here, the study session because it's usually the week before is not always a ton of time to give Miss Ru time to make edits and get the policy back out to us. So, we may need to think about sneaking in a separate noticed session. Um, it could be virtual
like this where we can just talk through it. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. Let me recommend that Miss Harper join our conversation and then we can um do a plan for the timeline too. >> Perfect. >> Thank you. >> Thank you all.
>> Thank you. I'm Thank you, Mr. Lou for all your effort on this. I know it has been no small task. >> All right, we are going to move on. I know we are running a bit behind. So, I really appreciate the the timeliness and the ability to have that dialogue that we could have spent hours on in a very
short amount of time. Um, next, the board will engage in dialogue with our financial advisory committee, also known as our FAC. Our presenters include Miss Brena Copeland, our chief financial officer, FAC members Gary Colbert and Devon Mills. I will Mr. Drew, I think we can let them
in or um give them the heads up they can join. Um, Miss Copeland, welcome. We have allowed 30 minutes for the update and we would love to include board remarks and comments in that time. Um so we will let our friends join us. Superintendent Dorland, would you like
to wait till our friends join to welcome them? >> I'll go I'll go ahead. I know the board is trying to stay um catch up a little bit here. Uh President Applegate, I just want to um welcome our uh FAC members um
to the uh the meeting and thank them for coming. Uh, I know Mr. Colbert and Mr. Mills are looking forward to to sharing with you um the advice from the FAC and their their latest thinking, which is uh very timely given that we'll be
presenting the proposed budget right after their conversation with the board. I also just want to recognize Mr. Mills as not only an FAC member, but also um a member of our partnership for fiscal sustainability and thank Mr. Mr. Mills
for the leadership role that he's also taken on the executive committee of the partnership. Um you will be seeing Mr. Mills again next week when the partnership comes to uh present its recommendation for a November uh ballot
measure to the board of education. So uh Mr. Colbert and Mr. Mills, thank you so much for being here this evening. It's a pleasure to work with both of you on the financial advisory committee. We very much appreciate your dedication and commitment to that service and uh with that I will hand it over to Miss
Copeland to get us started. >> Great. Good afternoon board members. Um just to orient folks for a brief moment I thought I would highlight the purpose of the financial advisory committee um which is outlined in GPO7 and it really
boils down to about five things. One, to advise you all uh as you fulfill your oversight responsibilities. Two, to be a independent and objective group of citizen volunteers who review district financial reports. Uh three, to
coordinate with our audit committee as they review the results from internal and external audits. Four, to encourage continuous improvement of the district's highle policies, procedures, and practices. and five to meet with you all at least twice annually um generally
alongside staff presentations. So I just wanted to give that background um so you're familiar with who the FAC is and what they do according to your policy. And with that I'm going to turn it over to my two members. I'm also going to
share screen um so folks can see uh the memo that the FAC has put together hot off the press. >> And Devon or Gary, I can't remember who was gone first. I apologize. Uh Gary is
>> Gary. We can't hear you. I'm guessing he's having some technical difficulties. Assuming you guys can hear me just fine, >> we can >> uh I guess I will see. >> Here we go.
Oh, no. I'll try a couple of different settings. >> There we go. We've got you. >> Okay, there we go. Good. Okay. Well, uh good afternoon or evening. Um when uh
when we last uh came to you in November of last year, uh our recommendations included uh continuing efforts um in this uh budget related community
and stakeholder engagement. that whole idea of a participative kind of process as we uh dealt with the challenges that are in front of the district. Uh
and uh building on that and and other analytical kind of work that we uh recommended that the budgets uh that we develop uh work on plans for departmental budget
reductions as well as uh targeted expense reductions at the school budget level. And thirdly, pursuing voterapproved
revenue increases that raise per pupil funding to the Colorado peer median and also considering a separate mill levy to support recurring capital expenditures.
And finally, that uh we that the U board and the district continue to evaluate and update these budget related matters based on emerging data. So with all that in mind and cognizant
of the amount of studying we've done this year on the bud budget reduction in the fall and then looking at what funds are necessary to maintain operations going forward. Uh we've kind of put together a fairly simple recommendation
at this point. Uh and it starts off with the district needing more revenue. Uh we are behind our peer districts on the front range by approximately $2,000 per student. Uh and that is causing the
district to have trouble paying competitive wages. We've been paying out of uh one-time funds for multiple years now as you guys well know. Uh so we recommend raising revenue uh through the partnerships work which I'll be back to
discuss uh here in a week. Um but primarily that involves uh a mill levy override and a special purpose uh mill levy. Uh further uh the district needs to discontinue use of reserves uh
towards continuing expenses. uh primarily and until the mill levy and special mill levy pass. This means presenting a budget uh that is balanced uh and trying to at least through the fall acknowledge
that there is no additional revenue coming and additional cuts will need to be made primarily in the spring but the budget should be balanced in the short term. we're running out of ability to continue spending reserves to fund
operations. Um, that's it. It's fairly simple at this point in time, I feel. Uh, but we're happy to take any questions uh that you guys may have. >> Thank you both um very much for this.
Um, board members, do we have questions for our esteemed guests? I can go. Um, first of all, I want to thank you so much for your time and dedication to this committee. Um, we're super grateful to have experts in the field weigh in on our financial
situation. Um my first question is from your perspective um not where where did you see the greatest area of need in our financial portfolio? >> That is a challenging question. Uh we we
primarily have two large deficits at this point in time. Uh the deferral of transfers from the general fund into the capital budget is not necessarily a a problem today. Uh
our schools aren't failing more than they were last year. Uh that is, you know, the the capital committee can speak more to it, but it it is certainly a large problem that we did not transfer that $15 million. uh and that to the
best of my knowledge there's no ability to transfer 15 million next year and we will be in a situation relatively short term that if a large hail storm comes through there is no ability to repair uh the capital damage
that would occur. Uh that terrifies me financially. Uh the other side of this is we are seeing a problem. Let's call it keeping up with the Joneses. Uh maintaining
effective salaries at the median for our peer districts is higher than our revenue. uh with our per cap or per pupil revenue numbers, we don't have enough funds to spend at pure median and
there's no good way to fix that given the percent of the budget that is dedicated to uh administrative staff as well as teachers and the the paris staff. So that means that basically in
the the short term we can't have both teachers that are being paid an effective wage and pay for anything else. Uh and that's a a giant problem today. Uh and I I don't know which one's
bigger honestly. >> Thank you. I would take a slightly different tact on this that um there are really two aspects to you know we have a fundamental imbalance right between
uh revenue and expenses. The district is uh has gone to uh great efforts at the department and school level to uh reduce expenses going forward has
really uh made substantial impact in that area. Uh and yet we find ourselves uh looking at 2627 with a uh with still a deficit of 1213
million approximately. Uh and so the other side of that is what is the district going to do on the revenue side? And I think that's a fundamental
question for the board to consider. >> Thank you so much. Um I really appreciate the the different perspectives. Um my next question is since you both have
experience outside of maybe um school finances and you maybe've seen things out in the world um were there any out of the box ideas that were brought forward um that haven't been pursued for
some reason um like sharing um you know people between schools or anything that was kind of out of the box that may might not have been considered but that you think from your perspective
not being in the educational field might be something that we want to consider. >> I don't believe so. Uh when I joined the committee in the fall uh all of our discussions were around cutting the budget in order to meet this deficit. uh
and primarily uh when I also joined the the committee for fiscal responsibility uh originally that was primarily for cutting budget. Um, at the time, uh, I asked some questions about, well, you know, there there is a second lever we
can pull, uh, with raising taxes. Uh, and that was not previously being considered. Uh, at least the the conversation that happened in the FAC was, well, we're going to wait till the new board is elected before we have that
conversation. Um I I don't know that the deficit that we are seeing which is truly on the order of more than $und00 million a year uh when we look at the full cap capital uh
maintenance budget uh with you know building classrooms as well as our deficits uh behind compensation for our staff and teachers. Uh there's only so far creativity can get you. uh we're not
going to pull 10% of the budget out of sharing teachers. Uh I think there is room to make improvements, you know, but that's a an edge case. We're talking 1 to 2%. We're not we're not moving this
deficit. Uh with those kind of cases, that's more of an efficiency gain. I think the other aspect of this is the uh the work that's already been done uh that I earlier referenced uh the
participative budgeting activity that happened at the departmental and the school level that this is where uh there was a real opportunity for um
many of the people that were uh stakeholders and close to the uh the problem and the opportunity to look at creative ways to uh step up
and uh change what they were doing. And so uh I think I would uh I would be comfortable uh relying on their work. Thank you. I just have um two more
questions. So you mentioned um discontin discontinuing you were recommending that we discontinue use of reserves. Um and you did speak to the capital asset deferral. Um when you say a balanced budget, are you saying completely
balanced with no pull at all from reserves next year? My understanding is we have a very limited ability to pull from reserves and still meet statutory minimums. Uh I Brena would have to speak to the exact
number. I don't have it in front of me. Uh but it's on the order of $10 million Brena something on that range. Um and so virtual um in either way that's it. Uh
there is no ability to legally go below uh that floor and there are bad things coming uh both from the state level and the federal level. And so my suggestion would be planning a budget with no
ability to know what the future is going to look like from those sources. It has to be completely balanced with no pull from reserves, leaving what's left for whatever bad happens in the next couple of years because we're not building
reserves anytime soon. And I would add to that that the uh the challenge that um it's not simply a problem of balancing the budget. it's that uh what are the um
what are the investments that we're not making uh because of the uh fiscal uh circumstances that we find ourselves in. So I think it's paramount that we do
uh bring ourselves to a balanced budget. Um, but I think that there's um um more to that conversation about what what the district uh can do.
>> Thank you. Um and my last question is when you were looking at the budget for next year, it's two-part question. Um what were the comp estimates used for the budget? And um in your opinion looking at our financial portfolio, do
you believe um or what are the ranges of possible compreh we need to be real careful? Okay. >> If anything we speculate there but the first question is completely valid if I may. Well then, okay then my question is do you believe that we can offer a comp
increase at the at the current situ in the current situation that we're in? >> Uh I believe we have to also be cautious here uh and respectful of the negotiation process. Um but my understanding is there's a
very good chance of furlow days rather or at least matched with any comp increases. uh which would effectively not be an increase. Uh again, there's a whole other side of this that I that we are
cannot speak to. Uh but no, I don't believe there's any flexibility. >> Mr. Mills, would you mind I do think um Dr. Ataria asked a question that I'm curious and what revenue or what um comp increases did you consider when you looked at the budget for next year?
Uh we were looking at uh the step change which is I believe 2% uh I think it's slightly under that across. Yeah. >> Uh and then also looking at doing a cola uh and I believe the cola was somewhere
around 2% as well. Uh honestly I I don't believe either one of those ended up uh being a viable option. Miss Copeland, is there anything you need to clarify or are you okay? >> I I just wanted to note that um in the
FAC's conclusions in their memo um they pointed out that to give just a step without a cola probably puts the district in about a $13 million use of fund balance for the general fund. So um
so again that was the figure FAC discussed when it came to potential um comp increases. >> Thank you Dr. Acharia. Um do you have any additional questions?
>> Thank you. Other directors any questions? I need a yes or a no. I'm sorry. Virtual so much harder. Okay. No. From Director Mon. Director Kinworthy. >> It's not a question. I just really want
to um lift up the concerns about the investments that we're unable to make due to the financial situation that we are in um on an ongoing basis. We are trying to get to a position where we can make some
investments and we have reached a critical point. um and I'm, you know, where we're having to be um incredibly intentional about how we are spending our money and what financial decisions that we are making. I want to thank both
of you for your cander and your um commitment to this ongoing conversation. Thank you. It's not an easy thing to discuss and I appreciate um just your willingness to engage in what's been a really hard ongoing
conversation. Thank you. Director Gibbons, did you have anything you'd like to add? Okay. Um, I want to echo my appreciation. I know these are volunteer gigs and they are a lot of effort and work and we really do your perspective is incredibly valuable as
Dr. identified. Um, it's really meaningful to have folks who are experts in this field take a look at this and give your honest and kind of unfiltered opinion. Um, one of the questions I had in looking at the the document, um, you suggested that the district provides
several budget options, um, when looking at them, um, which I believe the district is, and I think that is a great, um, a great thing and we're going to have public comment around them. So, I I appreciate that. Um, I do want to clarify a little bit or or let Miss
Copeland clarify. There are for our listening public, I know many of you all know this, but it's it's really important that we kind of make sure we're educating while we go through this. Um there are there are two um fund balance requirements, right? We have a Taber fund balance requirement and we
have a board policy fund balance requirement. Um the Taber Brena, you miss Copeland, you will have to help me. Um Taber's 3%. Board policy is four. Yes, got it. Um Taber cannot be waved. board policy can
be waved, but it is highly advisable not to. And so, um, really appreciate also the capital comment. Um, it's something that I know I share concern with Dr. Chvaria, um, and others on the board that we must have the money to maintain
the buildings that we have and the facilities that we have. And, um, it's not all the pretty stuff, right? It's it's heaters and it's roofs and it's boilers and it's things that are required for us to provide safe, dry, and warm facilities. Um, so being able to just understand that that is an
immense amount of capital dollars that we need to deploy every year is um is really serious and can be really dangerous if we get to a position where we couldn't afford to do that. So um I just really appreciate the
recommendation. Um I'm happy to see it and I I know that we we value what you all suggest and we try to follow it. I also very much appreciate the revenue push. Um, you know, it's not often that people like to talk about tax increases, but I really appreciate it when um it
comes from folks that are seeing it and believe that we need it. So, thank you both so very much. Director Kenworthy. Oh, no. Okay, good. All right. Um, thank you all. And with that, um, the board will now take, um, we're scheduled to
take a 15minute break. Um, can we do 10? All right, Mr. Mills, Mr. Colbert, thank you so much for joining us tonight. We appreciate your service to this district. And the board will now go on a 10-minute break. We will see you back here at 7:05.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat. Welcome back. Next, the board will receive an update on the 2026 2027
proposed budget. Presenting this evening are Miss Berna Copeland, our chief financial officer, and Mr. Brian Sammons, our director of budget. We have allotted 60 minutes for this update. Please reserve time for board questions following your remarks. Before I turn it over to our presenters, Superintendent Doran, is there anything
you would like to add? >> Thank you, President Applegate. Uh members of the board, I do want to start tonight by grounding us in um roles and responsibilities related to the annual
approval of the district budget. Approving the district's budget is one of the core responsibilities of a board of education. My role alongside my team is to develop and recommend a budget uh that allows this district to operate
effectively. Uh we provide analysis, options, recommendations, including on compensation, and the board provides direction informed by what it believes it can responsibly approve. This year's budget process has been particularly
difficult. Since August, we have been working to reduce tens of millions of dollars from our budget and align to align with declining and constrained revenue. Uh we just heard about this from our uh the board's uh representation from the financial
advisory committee. Um these are not abstract reductions that have taken place this year. They have resulted in real impacts to people our employees particularly within central services.
Every reduction has been felt across the organization, both by those directly impacted and by their colleagues. Running a district like Jeffco requires balance. There is a necessary and important relationship between
school-based staff and the central teams that support them. The progress we've seen in graduation rates, student achievement and across many other areas is the result of that system working together. While there is often a call to reduce central services and I understand
that uh reducing things as far away from students is important and I believe in that value, but we do have to be clear there is a point at which those reductions begin to undermine the system itself. If we want students to succeed,
the adults in this system must be supported with payroll, benefits, hiring processes, legal services, professional learning, budgeting support, legal advice, and more. These functions are not optional. They are foundational to
our work and to the people who are doing the work with our students every day. Since I arrived in Jeffco in 2021, I have worked with each board to examine our financial reality, particularly the risks of using one-time
funds, including ESSER, to support ongoing costs like salaries. Each year, the board made a decision to invest significantly in compensation, often well beyond what recurring revenue
would support. Those were intentional decisions and they mattered, but they supported our workforce during and immediately after um incredibly challenging times. Uh our board wanted to invest in our employees who had been through so much especially after the
pandemic and those decisions were always made with a clear understanding by our boards that they were not sustainable decisions in the long term. We have said
consistently and publicly year overyear, the cliff is now not a surprise. And now we are facing it. This year, given the stakes, I have worked closely with the board,
particularly the president and vice president, along with other members of this board to navigate the options in front of us. My team presented multiple pathways including a mostly balanced budget.
However, that option, the mostly balanced budget, would not allow for any compensation increase increases for employees this year. And that is a difficult reality to face.
Our employees work incredibly hard. They are delivering real results for students. Every one of us wants to recognize that, including me. But we also have to be honest about what we can afford.
With the board's guidance, the proposed fiscal year 27 budget before you tonight includes a moderate compensation increase. It is important to say plainly, this approach further erodess our fund
balance. It introduces financial risk to the district and that makes me uncomfortable. I believe it's important to say that out loud. This is an instance when two things are
true at the same time. Our staff deserve increases and the district cannot sustainably afford them. I also want to recognize that the intent behind this proposal. I believe this board genuinely wishes to
demonstrate that our employees are valued. And I also know that for many of our employees, this will not feel like enough. Both of those realities exist at the same time. The challenges we are facing are not unique to Jeffco. Across Colorado and
the country, school systems are navigating the same structural financial pressures and declining enrollment impacts on their revenue. And all indicators suggest that these challenges are not temporary, including not temporary for Jeffco.
There is however a path forward. Our community is engaging engaging in meaningful work to consider additional local revenue. That matters because at the end of the day, our schools, our students, our educators, and our staff are one of the most important shared investments we make as a community. And
meeting that responsibility together will require a different level of investment from our community. As we go into this presentation tonight, I want to name the tension that the board is navigating. honoring our employees through compensation,
maintaining fiscal responsibility, and being clear that the direction before them carries real financial risk. I want to close by acknowledging and genuinely thanking our chief financial
officer, Brena Copeland, our budget director, Brian Sammons, and the entire district finance team. The work behind this proposal is thoughtful, detailed, and grounded in a deep understanding of both our financial
position as a district and our operational needs. Thank you, Miss Copeland. Great. Good evening, board members. Um, we are going to move relatively quickly. Brian, do you mind sharing screen on the
presentation? Thank you. Um, but for you and for members of the public, uh, part of the reason we get to move quickly in May is because we've been very diligent in other months of the year. So, I do encourage folks, um, who want to learn more about the district's budget and the
budget we're presenting tonight to go ahead and take a look at the March and April study sessions where we did, um, good deep dives in a couple different areas. I also think the other presentation that might be useful that I know is still available online is the
January revised budget. So again the January, March and April study session presentations on budget really provide um some foundational elements. Next slide. Here are our topics for tonight. A bit of context setting. Um the proposed
budget itself, a multi-year forecast which we are required to present. um and of course would do anyway because it's the right thing to do our other funds budget so not just the general fund. Uh then we're going to do a scenario uh review and then we're going to talk
about fees. Next slide. This is the illustration of the comment I just made around the foundational presentations that have already occurred and that really do help provide additional information about the district's budget. next
context setting next to one of our graduates. I love that picture. All right, so going back a little almost a full year now on June 12th, the board adopted a budget with a $39 million use of fund balance for the current year.
You can see um that would have been the purple and we snapshotted the slide at that time. um and in compliance with Colorado statute, the board passed a resolution that spoke to uh the steps that we would
take in order to adjust that. I'm going to talk about that in just a second. Um one more bit of context. On January 16th, the board approved a revised budget. The revised budget bumped down revenue by 5 million. we had um slightly
overestimated the funded count and it bumped up expense by about 5 million and so that delta the combined delta meant that uh we would be using 49 million of fund balance in the current year. Okay,
next slide. So again, uh, with any use of fund balance in any year, the board's resolution authorizing that use of fund balance must describe steps the district will take to ensure that that use of
fund balance is not recurring or basically to align revenue and expense. Specifically, uh, the things that la the current year's resolution spoke to reducing expenses in future years. That's what launched our budget
reduction blueprint. We previewed that that might include adjusting programming or optional services, reducing staffing services and contracted expenses, and avoiding or limiting future cost increases um
so-called cost avoidance. Uh the resolution also spoke directly to potentially increasing revenue in future years and namely uh considering and/or seeking voter authorization for general
or special purpose mill levy overrides. So that was all in the resolution from June of 25 which then launched the budget reduction blueprint. Uh we came out I think it was September 3rd with this slide uh which
identified what we were going to try to do in the process and it took the what was then a $40 million use of fund balance sort of that lighter blue color plus 5 million in funding that was coming out of grants um that were going
to sunset and we knew that those expenditures would need to continue in the future. So that's that darker blue portion. And then the $15 million which is in orange again in the adopted budget for the current year the dis the
district deferred and you could think of it as reducing its contribution to the capital reserve fund by 15 million. Just so happens that that was a 50% reduction. Uh so the remaining transfer
was 15 million. So again it would have been 30 million. we dropped it down to 15 million. So when you took those three component parts and turned them into what's a plan um to change things that are hopefully within our power to change uh we spoke to identifying at least 15
million in new annual revenue for capital uses within two years and then we spoke to reducing at least 45 million in ongoing recurring expenses within two years. And we did say we wanted the
majority of those reductions to take effect in 2627. Next slide. So this is where um the budget reduction blueprint took us in the form of a kind
of size adjusted uh illustration. So from the furthest left you see again that target of the spending reductions on top and then the new annual revenue on bottom. This breaks out those spending reductions into departmental reductions
of approximately 27 million rounded and school level reductions of approximately 13.5 million. And you see a little tail um there in the flag called unidentified reductions. And those are really reductions uh that would be in the
second year potentially of this work. This uh illustration further breaks out and adjusted a little bit by size um within different programs of the district. Programs are just um in
service of what in terms of how we spend our money. So programs are defined by the state. They include things like um general instructions, bed instruction, instructional support, ops and maintenance, general admin. Um on this
flag illustration you see how much of that program expense was reduced through the budget reduction process. So the way to read this is of the program general admin we've identified reductions of 8.4 million and that represents 15%
of our entire general admin spend. Right? That's what those percentages are. Um, and then it also breaks out the schools by school level with our so-called SBB mod. Um, I sometimes think of that as modern, but it's not. It's
SBB modified. Um, certain schools receive a version of SBB and then some. So again, this is just saying which schools absorbed what amount of a reduction and what did that represent in terms of a percentage reduction.
Next slide. So all of that was context in terms of um where did the original targets come from? What was the direction given by the board? Um where did we land in our planning process? Uh right about the rever
right about the revised budget in January, we got the question, so you guys started with a gap of about 60 million. Um is that still the gap? And the answer today um is no. Um the recurring gap is now
closer to 68 million. And again the balance of this presentation will walk through um what that represents and how that results in an approximately 12 to$13 million uh projected use of fund
balance in this moderate scenario um for next year's general fund. Next. So, here we return to the original target setting slide and I've added a third column called current status um
using versions of the same colors. And uh some of this is material I've already covered in the version of the flag, but it just presents it in a different way for our graphical learners. Um, so tracing all the way back to the recurring needs through the targets and then the status of the 40 million in
identified reduction, five million left to identify in year two, at least 15 million in new revenue towards capital and then a TBD strategy to reduce or address an additional 8 million in recurring need,
pending certain decisions. So those decisions are related to negotiations and compensation. Next slide. With this, um, I'm going to hand off this next section, which I'll walk through in greater detail our proposed
budget, uh, to Mr. Sammons, who I believe is going to pull out his guitar and sing to you about the district revenue. >> All right. I'm not going to sing, but I want to sound check. Can everybody hear me? Okay, great. Thank you so much. Well,
thank you, Brena. Um, as you just mentioned, we're not going to shift to proposed budget itself. Um, this section provides a district-wide overview that consolidates, like we said earlier, the school and department budgets into one single picture for 2627. Mr. Simmons, you muted yourself.
>> Sorry about that one. I was clicking back in to get everything going. Okay, there we go. Um, so a common question is is how much of the general fund staffing in total is actually assigned to schools? 91% of district FTEES are either working
directly in schools or transporting students. You saw a similar slide during the departmental budget presentation last month. Um, but we've now updated it to include all positions within the general fund broken down by work assigned
locations and by program. Starting with the pie chart on the left, about 85% of the district FTEES are located directly within schools. 4% are within transportation, 2% centrally deployed instructional support, and 9% are in the
ed center quell locations. On the right side, the bar chart shows how staff are distributed across program types. As you can see, 99% of the general instruction program staff are located within schools, but there are over 50 FTEEs
that do work at the ed center. Okay, that was a quick little break there for the for our interesting question, but now we're going to go right into um enrollment and general fund revenue, which are closely linked in the school finance formula. The next several slides walk through the enrollment trends, key assumptions, and
how those translate into revenue. The enrollment projections shown here are unchanged from the April presentation. for FI27 actual enrollment is expected to decline by approximately 1,700 students compared to this year. That decline continues at a slower pace
with reductions of about 800 students in each of the following two fiscal years. Okay, so we've been showing this table over the last few years. Um, and it summarizes the detailed assumptions used to build the 2627 revenue budget across
K12 membership. Actual FTE count and the two funded counts. The assumptions reflect year-over-year declines consistent with the projection shown on the prior slide. At risk and ELLL counts are projected to decrease slightly while special education FTEEs increase by 300
students. The table also shows the phase in of the new school finance formula increasing from 15% to 30%. Finally, the bottom row shows an average district total program funding per pupil which is increasing by $378.
That increase is driven by higher new formula implementation percentage and the CPI adjusted apply to the per pupil funding amount. Okay, this slide highlights the other variables that affect overall general fund revenue. Assumptions include a CPI
of 2.4% which has been updated based on recent legislation. Local mill levby overrides are projected to slightly lower year-over-year due to abatement mills while state categoricals, preschool revenue, and miscellaneous fees increase. interest revenues projected to
be lower, reflecting changes in our cash balances and interest rates. Pulling all the project projections and assumptions together, total general fund revenue is projected to decrease by $1 million next year from roughly 978
million to 977 million. The pie chart on the left shows the composition of the revenue sources with total program funding representing about 74% of the general fund. Even with a slight decrease in total revenue, revenue per pupil increases by $443
due to enrollment decreasing faster than total revenue. Is there anything you would like to add here, Brena? >> Yes. Uh so board members, one of the questions that we often get and that you often get is how come the district can't
give me a cost of living increase equivalent to the PPR increase. Right? So on the prior slide, uh Mr. Sammons noted that the CPI increase is 2.4%. Right? And that kind of reflects uh an
actual figure. It doesn't kind of it does reflect an actual figure from January to December of 25 that then is applied to the 2627 state budget. So that is true. We do the the per pupil revenue does increase and uh two slides
ago we documented and shared that we are assuming that per pupil revenue increases uh by $378 for just the total program piece. Um while that is true, our funded count
is going down by 2,200 students um in the new formula and by 1,600 students in the old formula. Please don't ask me to explain why we have two funded counts. Um either way you look at it, that's 16
to$22 million that we no longer receive. And those two things offset. And so when folks say, "How is it possible?" um that you are getting this per pupil increase and you aren't able to offer it as compensation is because it is not actually a revenue increase to the
district. Um with the two things moving in tandem for the past four or five years we've been in um lucky in some sense to have um higher inflationary increases to peril paired with the buy down of the budget stabilization factor.
Those things meant that the per pup people was increasing enough that it offset our funded count declines and we actually had revenue gains and those were all well documented in our budgets that have been adopted over the past four years. This is the first time in 5
years that the district has prepared and presented a budget with an actual revenue decrease. So I just wanted to highlight those pieces. Miss Copeland, C, would you honor a question really fast? >> Yes, director.
>> Thank you so much. It's not so much a question. I just want to I just want to make sure I'm understanding and also for the benefit of our listening public. So even though the um revenue formula is is being updated so that we get about I
think you said it was a 2.3% increase per pupil and that should be more revenue coming in. However, that doesn't offset the the the costs of our of our budget. I'm I'm just trying to
understand if you could repeat one more time why it doesn't. >> Sure. >> Thank you. will you go back uh two two slides? There we go. It's really this fourth row of this slide. So when we say the funded
count um in the new formula is going down by 2,200. These are in thousands to 2,200 fewer students. So even though each student is worth $378 more next year, we have 2,200 fewer
funded students. And so those things almost perfectly offset and and in there's a few other moving pieces here because the formula is a little more complicated than just that. Um but nonetheless, the fundamental dynamic is that our total program is two things.
The count of funded students and the rate per student. And even though the rate is going up, the count is going down and the they are offsetting one another. So both things are true. We don't actually have any new money.
>> So would it be a fair thing to say that they're sort of canceling each other out? >> Yes. >> Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that. >> Thank you, Mr. Sammons. >> Okay. All right. So, we're going to move on to the shifting to the expenditure
side of the general fund. This section walks through the 2627 general fund budget, how it was built, how it changes from prior year, and how spending is distributed across accounts and programs. Since 2425, the district's budget has
been presented as an estimated spend rather than the full value of approved allocations. The visual on the right side shows how appropriation is greater than allocations which is greater than the total approved budget. At the outer level of the board approved appropriation represents the maximum
forecasted spend and includes restricted funds, reserves and contingencies. Inside that total school and department allocations reflect the approved spending at each cost center. And at the center, the total budget reflects estimated expenditures which are lower
after factoring in vacancies, staff turnover savings, and other other spins. The proposed 2627 budget reflects a combination of identified reductions and targeted investments. On a net basis, budgetary allocations increased by 50
decreased decreased by $53 million. The largest component of that reduction is $40 million associated with the budget reduction blueprint actions across schools and departments. Additional decreases reflect enrollment driven
reductions in school allocations, the elimination of the ascent program and free horizon becoming a charter school, which also results in a corresponding revenue decrease and a reduced transfer to the benefit fund. Those reductions are partially offset by targeted
increasing targeted increases totaling approximately $14.6 million. These increases are primarily driven by compensation increases pending negotiations with JCA. There's also alignment of staffing and student success and transportation, temporary
expenses covered by the grant funding, and inflationary pressures on utilities. Including within those targeted investments is additional $300,000 in support of Evergreen High School and the upcoming school year. Again, Miss Copen, is there anything you like to add here on this slide?
>> Yes. So, uh, board members, this summary is probably something you want to have in your back pocket in terms of the full gamut of subtractions to expense or savings or adjustments down of expense
as well as adds to expense because the public is going to focus on the net number, that net 38 number, and because it's close enough to the BRB advertised reduction of 40 million. Um people are
likely to assume that it means that we didn't hit our BRB reduction of 40 million. Um and it's just coincidence that these things are so close. Uh we did hit our $40 million reduction of BRB and in fact um we also had other
reductions to expenses and then there are also ads and you see all those on the right. And so it's really really important um that when members of the press or the public try and simplify all this to a single punchline without telling the whole story that you all
feel equipped um to tell the whole story which is perfectly illustrated on this slide but then we also have a couple more bites of that same apple in the upcoming slides. Thank you Miss Copelan. So here's another bite of the apple per se. Um the
FI26 revised budget totals approximately $1 bill28 million. After applying the net reduction shown here, expenditures decline to about $975 million before the investments.
When those targeted investments are added, the 2627 proposed budget totals $990 million, which represents a net decrease of $38 million compared to the 26 revised budget.
Next, we're going to look at the general fund from two perspectives, account type and program type. Starting with the account view, from an account perspective, salary and benefits continue to make up the majority of the general fund spending, totaling about 85% of the budget. Across all account
types, general fund budget declined again $38 million or 4% compared to the 26 revised budget. The largest percent reductions occurred in non- salary accounts. This reflects the approach taken through the budget reduction blueprint process to prioritize
positions and minimum staffing impacts where possible. Expenditures per pupil also decreased, reflecting that expenditures are declining at a faster rate than enrollment. Transfers from the general fund decrease $3 million, bringing total transfers to
36 million. The reduction is driven primarily by lower transfers to the benefits fund and the food service fund. We will have slides about them later on. The largest components continue to be transfers to the capital reserve fund and the insurance reserve fund. Based on
preliminary board feedback, the proposed budget reflects a more balanced scenario, including a $15 million transfer to capital reserve fund, which is approximately half of the amount that it should be. To help clarify the differences between presenting expenses by account and by
program type, we have again included this slide that defines each. The account type categorizes an expense based on what the expense is, where the program type categorizes the expenses based on what program the expense will support. School districts are required
by CDE to report budgets and actual expenditures by both account type and program type. So here are the general fund expenditures by program type. By program type, general instruction remains the largest component of the general fund
expenditures, representing 46% of the budget. Special education instruction is the only program area showing an increase from 26. That increase reflects current service needs rather than program expansion. General administration shows the largest percent
decrease at 17% year-over-year. Transfers are not a program type but are included here to include the totals aligned with the overall general fund budget shown on prior slides. If a budget is a statement of values, this distribution shows that more than 80% of spending is in program types that are
directly support student learning while general administration represents about 4% of the total expenditures reflecting a lean administrative structure. Even with a $38 million reduction in total expenditures, the majority of program areas remain unchanged as a
share of the total budget year-over-year. That indicates that reductions were applied proportionally to the size of each program area. The primary exceptions are general administration, which decreased by 1%, and special education instruction, which
increased by 1%. All other program areas remained unchanged as a share of the total budget. So I want to spend a moment on this slide walking through what is included in these program groupings. We took all the programs and accounts and put them in one table. So to make it fit on this
slide, we combine some of the programs together. So student programming and school services roll up general instruction, instructional support, special education instruction, and school administration program types. Within that category, salary and
benefits make up about 92% of that budget. Service accounts within the student programming and school services total $38 million and include items such as the out of district placements and contract support tied directly to student needs. Material supplies and
capital outlay include items such as curriculum purchases and onetoone devices. Operation and maintenance include areas such as our custodial department and our security services and that program area. Spending within a service accounts reflects our district-wide cost, most notably
utilities. General administration includes departments such as human resources, finance, and approximately about half of information technology. Within the service account for general administration are items such as our treasury fees, which are collected by
the county for administering and collecting the district's property taxes. This table is helpful because it shows not only how much we spend in each program area, but the nature of those costs. Here's a new slide that my team put together. I'm pretty excited about this.
graphic connects the programbased views of the budget to how the district is organized operationally. While expenditures are reported by program type, those program types ultimately support work across schools and divisions. For example, general instruction spending flows to schools as
well to teaching and learning and to school leadership and athletics. Special education spending flows primarily to special education department within student success. Instructional support and operations are distributed across multiple divisions while transportation and general administration are
concentrated in a smaller number of divisional rollups. The purpose of this visual is to show alignment within the district and that it's not a onetoone mapping between program categories and organizational relationships. So total staff changes from schools and
departments. We showed a similar slide in the school and departmental budget development presentations. Now we have included a overall view of the staffing changes. Budget staffing decreased in total approximately 350 FTEES or 4% compared
to the 26 school year. School budgets account for 249 of those reductions driven by a combination of enrollment declines and actions taken through the budget reduction blueprint. Departmental budgets reflect a net reduction of 101
FTEEs. Those totals include both the budget reduction blueprint reductions and the critical staffing investments in transportation and special education that were presented during the April presentation. When viewed by bargaining unit positions within JCAA show a higher rate of
reduction relative to JCEA and JESPA. So, here's the general fund summary, which shows both revenue and expenditures by account type and provides a comparison between the 26 revised budget, 26 year end forecast, and the 27 proposed budget. For the 26,
the year-end forecast estimates total revenue at approximately $979 million and expenditures at about 1 bill1 bill30 million, resulting in an estimated use of fund balance of $51 million. and an
ending fund balance of roughly $123 million. For FY27, proposed budget includes total general fund revenue of $977 million and total expenditures of $990 million. That difference results in a plan use of fund balance of around $12
million for 27 and a projected ending general fund balance of approximately $111 million. So now I'm going to turn it over to Brena to cover the multi-year forecasting section. Great. And just a reminder, board
members, um we we spend a lot of time talking about our general fund and the use of fund balance in our general fund, but some of our other funds um are also going to be using their fund balance. And so, um, when we get to the end of the presentation, we want to make sure
you understand what's the full difference, uh, between total inflows and outflows, so to speak, andor just how much of each fund balance are we spending. Um, so we will share that figure with you after we go through the other funds. So, next slide, please.
And one more. Okay. So, lot of words. So when we look at these multi-year projections, the reason we list the um assumptions first is that we often find people want to look at the numbers first and then they ask all the questions about the assumptions. So a couple ones I want to
highlight. Um we are increasing per people revenue in each of our outy years. Yes, we are doing that and we are using projected CPI increases as well as existing legislation. So things that we
know um the school finance act from now a year or two ago had this multi-year roll out of a new formula and even though a new school finance act has to be adopted each year nonetheless that provided a roadmap of sorts and so we
are taking into account that roadmap even though um we also take into account each year's school finance act. uh we are not in our outy years including any type of budget stabilization factor and that is something that is possible it might
return but we don't know uh we are not recording any new revenue from a potential mill levy whether that is in Jeffco um we are not recording any new bond revenue we are not recording any ballot
initiatives statewide that might produce new revenue again those things are um too hypothetical for purposes of both the adopted budget and the multi-year. So again, those types of things would change the multi-year that you're about
to see. Um what are we including in terms of expense? This is one of the questions we always get. Um we are assuming steps and lanes each year. We are assuming COLA increases aligned
to any applicable total revenue increase. If there's not a total revenue increase, then there's not a COLA increase, right? There's more than one year here that we're going to be looking at. So, I just wanted to clarify that school-based spending is forecasted to
decrease proportionate to the actual actual enrollment decline. So yes, we are taking into account lower levels of spending based on actual enrollment declines. And finally, excuse me, we do make certain assumptions about what's called
so-called investments. Sometimes these are just cost adjustments as actual costs come in and they may or may not be higher. We've certainly experienced that every year for the last several. Um so we are including about 3 million in program investments and 2 million in
non- salary inflationary increases taken together for about 5 million annually and again that is likely to be absorbed largely by cost increases that come in beyond our control. Okay with all that
next slide. This is both a historic and forwardlooking consumer price index chart for the metropolitan statistical area of Denver/ Lakewood, etc. I can't remember exactly what it's called, but
that's approximately it. And as a reminder, the observed values from January to December of a prior year are what influence the state budget and our revenue for the next fiscal year. So in fiscal year 2627
the 2.4% inflationary adjustment is an observed inflation actual from January to December of 2025. Next slide. All right. Whenever we look at a multi-year um both
historically speaking and forward looking, we want to make sure are we looking at apples to apples? Are we looking at apples to oranges or have we just been hit in the head with a giant grapefruit which is what I feel like at the moment. Um you can see here that there is this moment in time where our
reporting changed and we have an apples to oranges situation and that was in 2324 versus 2425. We did a fund consolidation project. It brought into the general fund IT or
technology, transportation, and the prek program from the child care fund. Now, the childcare fund still exists and it has SAPE, which is also our um school age enrichment programming, sometimes known as before
and afterare, that's still hanging out in its own fund. But preK um which grew substantially with universal prek came into the general fund. Those three things um did create a net increase of
26 million in revenue and 26 million in expense. Almost all of that was prek. Um the rest just reclassified existing expenses. So most of the exist well all pretty much of the existing tech
expenses had been reported as transfers or purchase services and once we consolidated they they were then reported according to the account and program types that Brian alluded to earlier. The account is the what. So it's the salary or the benefits or the
supplies and materials. The program type is the for what purpose and that would be general admin instruction etc. Okay, so I just wanted to highlight that as well. Next,
this is the expenditure side of the revenue slide. The last slide was revenue. This is expense. Again, um highlighting the the consolidation world. So, these are our bar charts, but we also are going to have numbers because people like to see things different ways. So, next slide.
And forgive me for going sort of rapidly. Um you see in the middle the green column the budget. So that's the budget for next year the one that Brian has just presented in greater detail. And then the two out years or or two
forecasted years in 2728 we are forecasting unfortunately a decline in revenue uh by an additional $3 million. And yes, that does reflect an expected increase in per pupil, increase in funding doing to the phased
roll out of the new school finance formula, all those increases. And yet there are decreases, right? And so unfortunately 2728 will be a second year in a row of a expected decrease to total revenue in the general fund.
um you see that expenses are increasing uh only by a modest kind of 93 or sorry three they're going up from 90 to 93 um and that produces a potential use of fund balance in that forecast year of
2728 of about 19 million in the following forecast year so 2829 you do see an uptick an actual uptick in revenue 987 million Um, again, expenditures and transfers have a little
bit of an uptick. And because there's a revenue increase, we can assume that part of the reason expense is going up is that we're passing through a COLA. That's the compensation increase that's assumed in these figures. Um, and that produces a use of fund balance of about
23 million given all the assumptions I walked through several slides ago, which you may have already forgotten. Not to worry, you can always flip back. All right. So what does that do to reserves over time? Um in the budget year that we are contemplating that you are voting on next month,
um the budget, the moderate version budget would leave a fund balance of 111 million. But I think it's really important to remind the board that those TAB reserves are unspendable. Um because they are unspendable, they're not at your disposal, they're not at my
disposal, you can't make any decisions about them. So while it says 111 million um for all practical purposes that is actually 81 million and the 81 million is divided into some assigned reserves
categories such as school carry forward operational reserves multi-year commitments which are dimminimous and then designated for next fiscal year fund use until you get to the unassigned point. Um so for next year by the end of
the year assuming that 2728 looks like it does on this chart uh your unassigned reserves our unassigned reserves sorry um will be down to about 24 million. Now that is below board policy
and again the reason it's below board policy is because that second forecasted year 2728 has another year of spending fund balance that 19 million. If the 19 million assigned reserve wasn't there you you would be very close to the board
reserve of 4% unassigned right um and so forth and you can walk through these. Now um a question I sometimes get is what level of reserves would you act actually like to manage to? Um and my
preference I have a the non-spendable category is does nothing for me as a CFO. Um all the assigned categories are things that we get to make decisions about. Um and the unassigned is obviously available not yet tagged to a
use. Um, I like to have at least 10%. Um, that is within our decision-making purview. Um, so that's just my particular rule of thumb. Okay. Next. So last year, are sorry, were you saying
10% of the total budget? >> Yes. Thank you. >> In unassigned and then in addition the 30 million in taper. Um, I like 10 million in either assigned categories that we can actually control or unassigned. Right.
>> Brenda, can you go back a slide, please? I was going to ask a >> question. >> Yeah. Um, so I think if if I was to label these slightly different, I would bump Taber reserves to its own category right above assigned reserves. And I would call that restricted because I
just can't spend it. And so Taber reserves is the 30. And then below that there are these assigned reserves where we actually pick the use. Right? Your decision making drives their assigned category. Um our policy to have school
carry forward is an assignment. It's a decision that you all make as a board and a firm each year. operational reserves that um given the budget methodology that we use in this district um whereby we are actually approving a
set of activities net of expected vacancy and turnover savings um and those things are unknown to us. Um the operational reserves are essential because our approved set of activities is larger than our estimated budget or
estimated spend. Right? So without that category, we really can't budget in the current methodology. Multi-year commitments is just contracts and then designated for next fiscal year is another decision of sorts based on the following year's use of fund balance. So
what I like to have is 10% excluding taper. So all those figures other than 30. >> So 100 million and in addition the 30 million. >> That's right. That's what I >> Okay.
>> would recommend as a as a um a nice way to operate as a district. >> Thank you. And that just to clarify that 100 million would include 50 50 66 67 85ish
of assigned reserves and then 15 of unres of unassigned. Well, it depends um if we are able to rectify or change or alter our use of out your fund um balance meaning if we
are able to balance our budget >> then that designated for next fiscal year goes away becomes a zero and unassigned reserves gets closer to again the 40-ish million which is the board's target. So I think that let's imagine um
it is just for purposes that 10% is 100. It'd be great if 40 million of that was unassigned per the board policy which I think is the right policy and the other 60 million we would fit into these other categories the school carry forward the
operational reserves and that assumes that we're able to balance the budget in subsequent years which I also think would be a lovely state of affairs. Thank you, Miss Dorland. >> I just want I also want to add Thank you, Brena, for walking through that.
Um, I want to just agree with Brena. I would feel much more comfortable if we could get to a place where on an annual basis we're balance we're uh the board is approving an a balanced budget, dropping that designated for next fiscal
year into unassigned. um keeping that at 40 which is aligned to the board's policy. The board adopted that policy, revisited it and adopted it. I think Erin and Michelle you will remember this a couple of years ago. Um
and the other tail cautionary tale maybe future prediction that is in this slide is that the assumption um if you'll remember Brennan went through all those assumptions on the previous slide. Can
you go back Brena real quick to that? Um on the expense side you see this compensation costs reflect annual step lane movement. Okay. >> So then if you go back to the the table
the because our budget is 85 to 87% salaries. Um the cautionary tale in fiscal year 27, 28, 29 is we don't have money for compensation, right? >> Without revenue,
>> without additional reductions or additional revenue. Um and that's the just the challenge that that designated for next fiscal year 19 million, 23 million, 21 million, those are all really because our so so much of our
budget is compensation. Those are ba that's basically the compensation increases each year on the expense side without our revenue keeping up, right? So we either have to get more revenue in the door or we have to cut more things.
Um so that's the that's another cautionary tale that this this this forecast tells. >> Great. >> Thank you. and and we do we we believe that the district should be modeling out and forecasting with an assumption on
compensation at least steps and lanes, right? Because that's what we've committed to with our employees in terms of just our interest and our value. Um it doesn't necessarily mean that the district's going to be able to do it year-over-year,
but it is assumed. >> Okie do. Uh slide 38 please. Uh again this is just a flowchart uh which says do we or don't we need to develop a highle plan of action and in short um given the budget you are
receiving as a proposed budget we do. So let's go to the subsequent slide. Uh typically by the time we present again in June, we have more details about a high level plan. But for purposes of this evening, uh we did want
to illustrate one scenario um that could be considered a part of a high level plan. And that scenario is what does the general fund look like with an additional um 60 million MLO revenue.
Now, that 60 million figure um is a is probably a little bit different than some of the other conversations we've had, but I do want to just remind folks, our general fund is only the district. We don't report any revenue that we collect and distribute to our charter
schools. So, whatever MLO might or might not pass, um what you're seeing here is just district share uh potentially of something that might pass. If something did pass and we kept our same assumptions, the same ones that um we
went over in our prior slide, uh you can see that there is no longer a recurring use of fund balance. So, um stands to reason that probably we are going to bring you some version of a resolution in June that explains a highle plan that
has to do um potentially with new revenue. Questions? Great. Uh, we are running a little long. I do apologize, President Applegate. Um, for these other funds, we do have an
option um to either just click through the slides without voice over or try and accelerate voice over. What is your preference? Um, I know we're running along, but I think this is really quite important. Um, so can we do a can we do maybe a
hybrid where we still have some voice over and walk through it? Um, recognizing that we're running long, but this is probably one of the most important things we're going to discuss. Okay, great. Well, I think the most important part of the voice over is that
our budget director in training, uh, who currently attends a Jeff Co school is photographed to the right here smiling. Um, I think she's probably smiling and waving at her dad. Brian, >> she is so cute. And those glasses.
Awesome. You still got your mute on, Brian. All right. >> Yeah. Well, put pictures of kids. thought I'd put a picture of the student. It's her first day of fourth grade this year. So, I thought she was she was excited to hear she was in the in the presentation. She she liked it. So,
>> thank you for sharing some happiness. >> It's a nice bright spot. >> Now, Brian, is this me or you? I think it's you. >> I think it's you. You're supposed to cover the Capital Reserve Fund for us. >> Oh my gosh, I am having a senior moment. I'm supposed to cover the Capital
Reserve Fund. I apologize, board members. Um here is both the revised budget for the current year and the projected spend. You see they look very similar slash identical as well as the proposed budget. Um our capital reserve
fund covers regular facility improvements new construction technology and other um those are all colorcoded. You've been receiving regular reports from Miss Rosario about both historical spends future spends etc. The key point
here is that we will um bring a budget forward. The current proposed budget includes 61.1 million which is an inflation adjusted amount comparable to the current year. Um and that does not quite meet the need. The need that we
have spoken to you about is 108 million annually. Uh but this 61 million is at a minimum um kind of the bare bones of those regular maintenance items. is a tiny bit of new construction and some
technology investments we've already committed to. Okay, now I'm handing off. Thank you. >> Okay, I didn't mute myself this time. All right. Um, so I'll be really quick. All these next slides are in the same format, so we can probably go pretty quickly through these, right? So, um,
the food the food nutrition service fund manages all the financial activities associated with the, uh, school breakfast and lunch program. Um, the 26 revised budget is 41.1 million. um with projected spend of 39 million in 26. Um the 27 proposed budget is 41.4 million.
Um so the budget and has a budget of fund use of $1.9 million for next year for food nutrition services. Um the Beth Wallace has continued to target cost reductions and central operations, sitebased kitchens, and a food um cost
savings. She's done a wonderful job doing that work. Um, the employee benefits fund accounts for the district's self-funded insurance program, including medical, dental, vision, and group life. The 26th budget is approximately $40 million with a
projected spin of 34 million. The proposed budget is going to be a total of 35.5 in budget expenses. Medical and presum claims remain the primary cost driver, reflecting higher per employee health cost. The insurance reserve fund maintains an
insurance reserve and captures activity of our insurance line such as property liability and cyber and the claim expense for our self-insured workers compensation program. The 26 revised budget totals $17 million with a projected spin of 17.4 million. The 27
proposed budget increases to 18.1 million. The increase reflects an estimated inflationary adjustment for the insurance premiums and claims along with updated actual recommendations for the outstanding losses. The childcare fund or SAPE um supports
school age enrichment program that provides before and after school care and a fee for service model with parents and state subsidized tuition. The 26 revised budget totals 8.5 million projected spends around 7.7 million. The
27 proposed budget totals 8.3 million. The SAPE team has evaluated staffing and spending needs on a sightby-sight level and adjusted to match the 27 revenue. The activities fund campus activity fund manages revenues related to student activities including fees, fundraisers,
donations, and also the associated expenses with those fees, fundraisers, and donations. The 26 revised budget totals 23.8 million with a projected spend right at the 23.7. Um the 27 proposed budget is the
increase to $25.2 million. The central service fund u provides internal services such as our printing, copier services and mail operations. The revised budget is 3 3.3 million projected spends at 3.3. The 27 proposed budget is increased to 3.5 million.
Revenue and spending are driven uh primarily by billing to schools and departments with the cost related to printing, materials, copier supplies, maintenance and internal district mail services. The property management fund um manages the community use and rental of the
district's buildings, fields, and facilities. The revised budget is 30 or 3.5 million. We rejected cost of 3 million. Um the 27 proposed budget is reduced to 3.4 million. The adjustment aligns the budget more closely to historical spending across maintenance,
custodial services, utilities, and then the related transfers to the general fund. So, those are all of our other funds that we have. We sped through that so we can get to this last few sections that Miss Copen's going to present. >> Okay. So, again, I was trying to do a
tally as we went through each of those funds and the approximate rounded pretty significantly by um math in my brain is approximately 50 million in total. So 12 million out of the general fund,
approximately 35 million out of um capital reserve fund and then a dimminimous amount spread across food nutrition services and a couple other uses of fund balance. So the the the full difference between sources and uses for the district will be about 50
million next year. Okay. Scenarios. We had a request next slide please. um that we at least talk through even though we have to propose a single budget, we talk through um some different scenarios.
A balancedish budget uh which uh would have brought in the general fund sources and uses much closer together um would have involved not providing um a step. That being said, we had already agreed to a step for JESPA, so it also would
have included that. That's part of the ish. Um, but we wouldn't have provided any other cap compensation or capital funding beyond current commitments. Again, the moderate one that we are proposing, um, is everything we've already talked about, including the step and lane
advancement for all employees. scenario C, which is a little bit more of a full need um but I'm going to put full need in air quotes given what I just told you, but a full need budget that reinstated our cap transfer to 30
um would use about 30 million in fund balance out of the general fund. However, again, the cap reserve fund um is budgeted to spend 60 million and its only kind of um independent source of funds for next year is sale proceeds and
a little bit of interest income. And so, um it the real full need budget, so to speak, would probably be higher if we were um more appropriately budgeting and and providing revenue for capital.
So here are these same scenarios illustrated. Revenue on the left, expense on the right. Want to just let you take a gander at that. All right.
Next slide. And so um this is a a kind of switch your view now. Now, we're looking at available year-end fund balance. So, we've been talking a lot about fund balance. What will the fund what would the fund balance look like in these
three different scenarios? So, here we've only listed available to board. So, going back to my comments from an earlier slide, we've taken out Taber or we've shown Taber below the line so to speak. So, those gray boxes um is both Taber and inventory and prepaid. Those
are the other two categories we always have that are non-spendable. Um, but above the line, the purple and the blue represent assigned and unassigned. Um, and the combined total is what's really available to the board to make
decisions about. And so you see that had we adopted or proposed a budget consistent with scenario A, um, we would have 85 million combined between assigned and unassigned. Scenario B is giving us closer to 76.
That was the math we were all trying to do in our head. And then wait, scenario B is the yellow. We have a tiny typo. Scenario C, which is the orange, um, available to board would be 61.
So, okay. And then lastly, yeah, one more way to kind of look at these. Um, this is the multi-year fund use. So rather than just talking about next
year, we're now adding two additional years to our line graph and showing how do things trend out in the three different scenarios. And obviously because all of our assumptions are basically the same. These lines are pretty close to straight. They just
start in different places in terms of the projected um use of fund balance in 2627. That makes sense. >> Yes. Can you can you go back one slide? I just want to illustrate
something for the board that I think is really important given the really difficult work that everybody did this year. um if if we had not gone through the budget reduction blueprint work this year. Um
and I just want to give like lots of credit to every budget manager in the district who who came uh to that process with integrity and commitment. And I want to also just recognize all of the
employees who that process impacted. um and the teams of people who helped budget managers make decisions for their budget, whether it was a school budget, a department budget. Um I so appreciate the incredibly difficult work that
everybody did. If that work had not been done, um, that 85 right there in scenario, well, let's just take the 76 in scenario B would be $40 million less
than what it shows on this slide. And so, um, you know, that's that's a big dang deal. Um, these numbers look a lot better because we reduced $40
million of expenditures which was very difficult work and impacted the lives of many of our employees. Um, and so I just want to express gratitude for that being done and also highlight what the impact on the fund balance is um, because of
that because of that work. >> Thank you. All right, just one more tiny section, proposed fees. So each year, uh, the board has a duty and responsibility to review the maximum fee schedule. Our
maximum fees are, um, represent the highest fee that any given school might charge um, for certain types of supplies and materials. Most of these are student fees that are consumable materials um for optional experiences that are
voluntary, etc. So again, that maximum fee schedule is posted as part of this agenda item. Um it is important that the board takes a look at that. The resolution that adopts the budget approves the fee schedule. That being said, given how our our schools need to
operate and operationalize and let parents know what fees are going to be, um they do start sharing with parents what is a what's called a planned fee prior to the board's formal vote. That planned fee is called exactly that and it's always given a little bit of a
caveat, but that helps parents know what they might need to pay next year for certain types of things. I'm not going to go over the entire fee schedule, but it is posted there. And again, you formally approve and adopt it alongside your bud budget resolution.
And that's it. Oh, next steps. Sorry. You get to see us again. Surprise. Surprise to no one. We'll be back in June. Okay. Questions? board. Do you have any questions?
Um or Miss Brena, Dr. or Director Mormonian, >> thank you. Um if we could go back to slide 29. I just have um a quick question. Okay. So, first off, I just really want
to thank you for this visual representation. It's very helpful for me to see things in this way and I'm seeing all the crisscrossing lines which kind of comes into play when we're talking about the budget like it's not it's not
like oh this area this budget line item or fund goes here directly right we can see general instruction goes to the schools but it also goes to some other places as well um so I was just wondering given all the
the nature of the crisscross crossing lines and maybe you have this number. Maybe you need to get back to me with this number, but I can see on this slide that it says that 529 million goes towards um the schools and so it's directly funding our schools. I'm
wondering with all the other criss-crossing lines that I see here, what is that total um and so that I can understand that ratio um versus what's being spent at the schools.
>> Brian Um, from my understanding, what you're wanting is the school breakdown of the programs. Is that what you're wanting? I just want to make sure we we can come back with we have the information for all. I want to make sure I understand. So, you want the breakdown of like general instruction, school
administration that's in schools. >> Yeah. I just want to understand what that ratio is. So, the it looks like the amount at least based on this slide. So, please feel free to jump in and correct me if my assumption is wrong, but it looks like when I see schools 529, that tells me at least that that is how much
we are spending at the school level in the building with our in front of our students, right? Student facing funds. Um, so I'm just curious >> that's just um school managed funds, right? Because there could be people that are, you know, in student success that are that are sped, you know,
instructions and that are in schools, right? These are just like the school managed funds. I call them like a cost center, right? That's what way we talk in the finance world. So the people who manage the funds there, but there's within it there's people who are directly in schools, teaching and
learning, student success, you know, you know. So that's that's kind of the way this is it's does that make sense? >> Yes, it does. Okay. So my assumption was completely wrong. I understand. All right. Thank you. I'm >> you know, >> go ahead. I was just going to say director Moindian I think this is a good
question and um Mr. salmons. I'm wondering if this label that says schools is like SBBS >> essentially. It's like SBBS. Yes, >> it's the school based budgets. >> That's that's what we had it titled originally, but we try to be as simple as possible with this because it's
essentially what the schools manage in their budgets, what they get within their SBB allocation, which a few other allocations they have. Yes. >> And remember remember we we talk often about when central department staff many of them are also in schools. So like
when you see the sped 116 even though there's not necessarily you know there's a lot of there's a lot of that money that's going into schools to support students directly. Does that help? >> It does help. I think for the I guess my
my ask would be for the future then not necessarily for right now just because I understand the situations we're in. Um I think for the future it would be helpful to un to see something in this format but also to understand like these
different pots of money right general instruction school admin instructional support etc. How much of it is going to the school in this visual way versus you know is just being is just supporting the school in a different way. it might be helpful to see it
rather than uh a line item or like a number on a spreadsheet, but to see it in this format I think is helpful. So just a suggestion >> and I I do want to point out um uh slide 13 um which is total district FTEES by
program um again groups school green work location 85% and then it goes and shows you all the programs that contribute to school FTE. So, um,
slide 13 does a little bit of what you're asking for, and I think there's probably a blended version of that slide and this slide, which would get us the rest of the way. >> Okay. Thank you. >> I do want to note that the total of the
bottom, if my calculator math is accurate, which it is not always, is about 427 million. Just from a block and comparison standpoint. That was interesting to me. That was one of the questions I had. Um,
directors, other questions. I'm gonna hop in. I didn't >> I was going to say I'm not sure if that's a yes or a no. Go ahead, Dr. Kennedy. >> Um, I I just want to really um share my appreciation for slide 21. um Miss Copeland that we should have in
our back pocket about, you know, helping to explain to people who are asking questions. Go back to 21. Yeah, that part I think is incredibly helpful. Um not something I'm going to memorize, but probably something I will screenshot on my phone so that I can pull it up um as
needed. And then um Mr. Sammons, that last the slide that we were just on during director Mullen's question. I I want to say I appreciate the um continuation of a visual um
format that we that we have wandered down. I do think this is incredibly helpful for people to un really understand and see um that this one side equals the other side. It's just your understanding of where the money is going. And um I I think this is
incredibly valuable as a a visual tool as well. So thank you very much for your creativity and in putting this together. >> Any other Okay. Um Oh, go ahead, Director Gibbons.
Yeah, I was looking at slide um 34 um historical and forecasted consumer price index and well I guess first and I I don't know I just I I wanted us to kind of make sure this was clear for the viewing
public you know first in terms of looking at this actual graph it's reflecting cost increases not actual cost in a dollar amount right so the fact that you see this big drop from 23 24 over the next two years. It's not a reflect in cost dropping. It's just the
rate at which cost increases. They're not increasing as much, right? Like it's it's it's slower inflation, but it's not like we're spending less than we were per all the things we buy as we were in 23 24. Um, but then I guess another thing
though that I noticed then as I was re-examining this slide, is this inflationary adjustment lagging what we're actually paying? So, and I'm just wondering then does this turn into yet another scenario where
um, you know, kind of things like cancel cancel themselves out, right? like we're paying this year's inflation. Perhaps it gets tagged on to next year in a per per pupil adjustment, but then when you have then a drop in enrollment, it's kind of another way in which kind of enrollment
problems cancel out budgetary things the legislature might do to increase per people spending. Does that make sense? >> It does. And I think you're combining two important concepts. Um one is in moments when inflation is declining. So,
for example, in the year inflation went from plus 8% to plus 5%. Um, the real price inflation that was impacting the goods and services that our employees were buying um was lower than the wage
increase they received for um that year. Does that make sense? So, they had gotten a wage increase that reflected the 8%, but that was old news. And yet, the the prices they were paying was was the 5.2%. So there's that aspect. It's
great on the way down the slope. It's terrible on the way up the slope, which is to say, you're experiencing the 8% inflation, but your current salary was only increased by 3 and a.5%. Or or something along those lines. Second part of your point which I think is excellent
is um absolutely these inflation increases um particularly in the future um because we're no longer buying down the budget stabilization factor um are going to be largely offset by funding count
declines. Um, and some of that is formulaic, some of that is the changing legislative bit, but um, it's just the reality that our enrollment has continued to drop by more than we thought it would. And, um, those things are offsetting what would otherwise be a
revenue increase to the district based on these 2.3 2.4% which is actually closer to historic average. Yes. Uh, superintendent, >> you're muted. >> You're muted. Thank you. My god, I'm having flashbacks
to co um I just want to add on to what um Brena said. I I I also want to emphasize a couple things. It is um because of how our revenue works, like how the state estimates our increase in revenue on
total program every year. So, you can see these numbers and be like, "Oh, we should have gotten that increase in revenue and then we can just pass it on to our employees." Unfortunately, as we've just talked about, that doesn't always work that way because if we drop an enrollment, we're not realizing that full 2.4 2.5%.
So, there's that. The other thing um that I want to just highlight and it's something that I think is a challenge for all districts and we talk about this as superintendent um but when we were talking earlier around compensation um one of our board members I can't
remember which one maybe it was was you president Applegate had mentioned during the FAC conversation with the FAC members that a step for our educators across the board we have a we have an even step schedule. So no matter which step you're on, if you're going from,
you know, step 8 to step 9, step 10 to step 12, it doesn't matter that it is a 2 and 12% step. And you know, districts, there's different philosophical approaches to this, but some districts have a less expensive step for the district, say
call it 1.4 or 1.8%. um it makes the step more affordable and then it allows the district to sort of also offer a cola uh for example. Um and so we have one of the I would say
probably one of the highest step costs um in in the front range. I I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing inherently. It just because it's you know we want to give people a healthy step. I get that. Um it but it does mean that when we're living at inflationary
rates CPIs of 2.4 2.9 2.3 2.6 it's really hard for us to give the step in a cola. Um, I will say that we were really grateful in that 8% 5% time frame. Um, because not only were we
realizing some of that inflationary um increase even given declining enrollment, but we also had built up our reserves to a point what that were really healthy because of esser funds. So that was the other thing going on in
that 22 to 25 timeline. Thank you, Superintendent Derland. Uh, Director Gibbons, any other questions? >> Uh, no. >> Um, I have I just want to make two quick comments and and one really appreciate
um, you know, Miss Copeland and Mr. Sammons, you have really heard us when we've asked you for visuals and storytelling and you've really responded and I I greatly appreciate that. I can look at the trajectory over the last two years of how these presentations have have evolved and I I do appreciate that.
It is really helpful to understand some pretty complex pieces. Um I want to just make a few comments. I know um we have talked a lot tonight about the the BRB the budget uh blueprint
reduction budget. I'm messing it up. the BRB the reductions that we did this year and um you know I want to again acknowledge that we've made cuts at the central office and I want to acknowledge that we've made cuts at our schools and
those have not been easy and so there's a lot of people that put a lot of work into that and there are people that quite frankly lost their jobs this year and so I just want to lift up that there have been people in our district that have really um borne the
impact of this and just acknowledge that um and that I think our families are feeling it at the schools. I also want to just clarify, Brena, and I know this is not telling anyone here, but for our listening public, if you
could put up that outyear look, um I'm sorry I didn't write down the slide number. I think you know, yes, the multi-year forecasting. Exactly. So um I think it's really important for the public to understand that what we are deciding in June is only 26 27
and while this definitely shows us and is very helpful you know I' I've heard from the public well you're spending all your money down we actually are not in 2627 but we are definitely going to have to make changes in the future if that slide where the revenue comes in doesn't
happen and so what I what I just want um our public to hear is if this is the budget we approve. Um, and if there is no additional revenue, this will be a very, very different discussion next
year. And from my standpoint, I know I'm only one of five. Um, and so I just want to be clear that we ask our district staff to show us this so that we can understand the impact year-over-year. And it's very helpful to understand the impact year. But what we going on in
June will be the green column. And if we don't get revenue, I expect that the cuts will be continued and more severe next year. So, I just feel that it's important for folks listening to understand that. And with that, I just want to say thank you again. Um, thank you guys for
staying late, dialing in virtually, doing all this awkwardness the hard way. Um, but appreciate your time tonight. >> Thank you. All right, next up we have Dr. Drew Coleman, our chief of schools, and Dr. Ty Adiko, our executive director of
charter partnerships who are joining us. Good evening, everyone. Welcome. Um, they will be presenting the superintendent's recommendation regarding the new charter school application for Mesa K8. Um, we have allotted 45 minutes for this presentation and ask that you all please
reserve time for the board to ask questions during that time. Before I turn it over to Dr. Dr. Coleman and Dr. Adiko. Superintendent Dorland, is there anything you'd like to add? >> Thank you, President Applegate. Welcome. Um, Dr. Coleman, Dr. Adiko, it's great
to see you both here this evening. Thank you for joining us. Um, board uh, board of education tonight. You will receive a presentation and engage in discussion regarding a recommendation on MESA KA charter application. Thank you to the
board for hosting a special uh uh public comment uh uh portion of this evening. It's not something the board normally does during study session, but this is an important um issue um and topic for our board to hear from the public on.
So, and thank you to those who joined and and expressed their comments this evening uh related to the Mesa Ka charter application. I want to begin by acknowledging that decisions like this are never easy. Um, and they are among the most important responsibilities we
share in service of our students and communities. This is the very important board responsibility to consider the authorization of a charter school. As you know, Jeffco has a long and strong history as a high quality charter authorizer. We are proud of our
portfolio of charter schools and we remain deeply committed to offering families diverse, excellent educational options. This recommendation is not about whether charter schools have a place in Jeffco.
They do. They absolutely do. um rather it is about whether this specific proposal at this specific time and in this specific context is in the best interest of Jeffco students in our community.
I did not arrive at this recommendation lightly. It is grounded in a comprehensive review that included our application review team, the district accountability committee uh member of whom you heard from this evening, a capacity interview with the applicant
who you also heard from this evening, and community input. It is also grounded in the broader realities we're navigating as a district, which this board knows all too well. Most notably, sustained enrollment decline, which we just talked about at length related to
our financial well-being. Um, we know enrollment directly impacts financial sustainability both for school districts as well as for individual schools and the responsibility we have to ensure that every school we operate
or authorize is set up to thrive. As you listen to the presentation tonight, you'll hear more about the considerations that shape my recommendation. Ultimately, my recommendation tonight um reflects a single guiding question from our policy
is approving this application in the best interest of Jeffco students and the community. Based on the full body of evidence that I have considered, I have concluded that it is not. Uh with that, I'm going to turn it over uh to Dr.
Coleman to start and walk us through the analysis in more detail. Um, I look forward to your questions and the discussion this evening. >> Uh, thank you so much, Superintendent Dorland. Uh, good evening to all of our board uh, board members who are here.
Uh, tonight we are presenting the review of the Mesa K8 charter school application and the superintendent's recommendation regarding that application. As part of our responsibility as a charter authorizer under Colorado law, um the district
conducted a comprehensive uh review process that included staff analysis, district accountability committee review, a capacity interview, community engagement opportunities, and public feedback. As you will see throughout the
presentation, this recommendation uh was grounded in a careful consideration um of multiple factors including the educational model, operational and financial sustainability, enrollment and capacity realities within the Lakewood
area and articulation and the long-term best interest of students, schools, and the broader Jeff Co community. I also want to acknowledge the applicants and uh the community members who engaged thoughtfully throughout this process. Um
our role this evening is to provide the board uh with a clear overview of the review process, the key findings and the rationale support of the superintendent's recommend recommendation. And with that we will begin if you go back to slide number two
tao uh we'll begin with slide number two. Um, but before getting into the details of the application, uh, I I want to briefly ground us in the statutory responsibilities of the board and the district as a charter authorizer. Under
Colorado law, the district is required um to review all complete charter applications that are submitted um that are submitted and the districts are we are not permitted uh to place a moratorum on reviewing these
applications. As part of that process, applications must go through multiple layers um of review, including um by the district accountability committee as well as opportunities for the uh for the public and the community input through
community meetings and feedback processes. Ultimately, the board's decision-making responsibility is to evaluate the application uh through the lens of the charter schools act and determine whether approval is in the best interest of students, the district, and the broader Jeff Coat community.
Next slide, Tao. Um tonight, we will begin by reviewing the superintendent's recommendation related to the Mesa K8 application. From there, we will provide important um district and regional context to help frame uh the discussion and the
decision-making considerations. We will then walk through the application review process, including the steps taken to evaluate the proposal and gather um gather stakeholder input, followed by the key findings that emerge throughout
that review. And finally, we will conclude with next steps in the process before opening um up for any questions and discussion from the board. Next slide, Dr. Do. And if we go to the next slide,
um following um a comprehensive review process that included district staff analysis, community input, uh the district accountability community review, um and and an evaluation of the application materials, um and a capacity
interview. Um our superintendent's recommendation is to deny the MESA K8 application. This recommendation was made after careful consideration of what is in the best interest of Jeffco students, the district, and the broader community. So, I'll now turn it over to
Dr. Adiko to kind of to go through our process um and district context. Dr. Adiko. >> Thank you so much, Dr. Coleman. So, uh, as the superintendent just said, Jeffco has one of the highest performing charter portfolios in Colorado in part
because of our strong authorizing practices. We have 18 charter schools with a number of diverse educational models including core knowledge, classical, steam, Montasauri, public Waldorf and more. Uh also in 2024 and
2025, every charter that received a school performance rating um that received a school performance framework rating received the highest rating of performance. Uh and in 2025, all five of our nonc charter secondary schools had
completion rates over 90%. As a district, we are committed to expanding choice seats in high quality programs. Uh you, the Jeffco board, have approved two new charter schools in the last two years, demonstrating your continued commitment to highquality
school choice. First, in 2024, district leadership collaborated with Jefferson Academy charter schools, one of the state's longest serving charter operators to convert uh the our district managed Cole Creek Canyon into Jefferson Academy Cole Creek Canyon. uh in its
first year as a charter that school maintained its performance rating and increased its overall SPF score by six percentage points. And this August, as you heard in the presentation prior to this, Free Horizon Monttoauri will open
as a charter school in Golden, which will add over 400 charter seats uh to the district. Across the district, we are all aware of the shifting demographics over the past two decades. Factors such as lower birth rates and the rising cost of housing
have fundamentally changed the landscape in our community. So, while Jeffco public schools continues to serve 91% of school age children residing in Jefferson County, our enrollment has faced a steady decline that accelerated significantly during the pandemic,
resulting in a loss of thousands of students over just three years. As we heard earlier this evening, the decline in enrollment has resulted in significant financial pressures for Jeffco and the schools it operates, including both district managed and charter schools.
So the acceleration of district enrollment declines led to the regional opportunities for thriving schools or Roth's strategic project. The uh Roths project utilized consolidation criteria to ensure that all Jeffco students have
access to well-resourced, thriving schools, prioritizing long-term fiscal sustainability, highquality instruction, and the extraordinary student experience. Over the course of the 2021 to 2024 school years, the district's
consolidation efforts resulted in the closure of 21 schools and some boundary changes, which saved the district over $20 million annually, offsetting the deficit due to enrollment declines and most importantly resulting in more robust programming in the schools that
continue to operate in Jeffco. This brings us directly to the regional context of the Lakewood area. The charter applicant, Mesa K8, proposes to open as an expeditionary learning school at approximately Wadssworth and Tenth, placing it right in the heart of some of
Jeffco's steepest declining enrollment figures. The district has had to close several neighborhood schools in this immediate area due to persistent low enrollment, including Molehome Elementary, which just sits uh 1.1 miles from Mesa's
proposed site, as well as Wilmore Davis and Glennon Heights elementary schools. Uh, additionally, the former Wellspring Catholic Academy, which is the very site that the applicant has leased, closed midschool year in 2024 due to financial
challenges and declining enrollment. Our data show that enrollment rates will continue to drop across the board. Enrollment forecasts indicate that nearby elementary schools such as Lmberg and South Lakewood will continue to decline in enrollment over the next
three years. And in fact, we have an expeditionary learning program at Stevens Elementary that's located within 5 miles of this proposed uh school. And Stevens Elementary currently has 140 open seats and no weight list.
So, looking directly at the enrollment and capacity data for nearby schools, the numbers reveal a a stark reality. We are looking at a region with a massive surplus of empty seats. And as you can see, uh, schools from Dean, Rose Stein,
Stevens are all expected to decline in enrollment over the next few years. Um, and we have several schools in the area with expeditionary learning programs such as Stevens and Peak Expeditionary at Pennington. To ensure our assessments were forward-looking, the district partnered
with the Colorado Future Center to provide student enrollment forecasts specifically for the articulation areas touching Lakewood. And the data highlight two critical trends. First, birth rates are universally declining across Lakewood. And second, fewer
Lakewood elementary schools import school age children compared to other parts of Jeffco. So, while Mesa's application states that the school will draw students across the border from Denver public schools, our data don't support this claim. Historically, only
2% of students in the Lakewood area are enrolled from other districts. Furthermore, state demographers project a further decline of over 270 children aged 5 to 9 in this specific area between 2027 and 2030, right when Mesa
plans to scale. In her evaluation, the superintendent also reviewed Jeffco's recent authorizing history as she determined her recommendation, including the collapse of Great Work Montasuri Charter School, which is was just 3 miles from Mesa's proposed location.
So, a little bit more about Great Work. In 2016, the Jeffco board denied Great Works application, citing serious concerns over a lack of fiscal viability and a failure to present a balanced budget. Uh, the applicant appealed that
decision in December 2016 and the state board reversed the decision and remanded the application back to the Jeffco board. So in January 17, the Jeffco board approved the application and the school opened that August and however it
struggled immediately with a number of issues. There were issues with low enrollment and a lack of strategic planning. The school received an office of civil rights complaint due to facility access problems. The tuition fees for the
infant and ECE programs were found to be fiscally unsustainable. The school struggled to identify, hire and retain qualified Montasauri trained educators. And then in the span of three weeks, both the head of school and the entire
great work board resigned from their positions and the school closed its doors in the spring of 2023. Even in the school's final weeks, there were intermittent closures due to extensive staff absences and the district had to send guest teachers to
ensure safe safe staffing numbers for children. So now we'll move into our evaluation of Mesa's application and we'll start with a review of the timeline of our review process this spring. The application was submitted in February and over the last
few months it has undergone an intensive parallel review by both our district accountability committee and our internal charter application review team. Following a capacity interview and a public community forum in April, we are now here today at the May study
session leading up to your final uh vote on May 11th. A little bit about the Jeffco application review team. So our internal application review team or ART is a highly multidisciplinary group compi
composed of district subject matter experts. We it uh the team included specialists in expeditionary learning, special education, culturally and linguistically diverse education, charter finance, risk management, assessment, human resources, charter
school authorizing, and we also had an external consultant. The application uh review team reviewed many inputs including the written application uh the 90minute capacity interview that was co-hosted by the district accountability committee and
Jeffco staff written responses that we had to follow-up questions after the capacity interview the community forum which included a Q&A and a participant survey then the rubric that was completed by the team and public comment
per district policy LBD DR the team evaluated MESA across three core criteria. Does the application fully address state law? Would operating the school violate civil rights or federal state laws? And most critically, would approving the application be in the best
interest of the students, the district, and the community. So, now we'll review the proposal for MESA K8. The applicant proposes opening an expeditionary learning program starting in the fall of 2027 with a cohort of 96 students across
kindergarten and first grade and expan eventually expanding to a full K8 model serving over 400 students. Some of their core programmatic offerings include before and afterare four field trips per year a longer school day and a longer
school year. The proposed site is at 1100 Uppam Street in Lakewood at the former Wall Spring Catholic Academy at approximately 10th and Watsworth. And a little bit uh about the application review team's key findings
and again this this was from a number of inputs including the application, the capacity in view and follow-up responses. The application review team found that the founders presented a clear mission and vision statements that were developed with community input and
supported by letters of intent. The review team did have some questions about the language in what the school characterized as their letters of intent given that the form stated would you consider enrolling your child and ask
for just a birth year to approximate the student's grade in August 2027. The application review team also had some concerns with the founding leadership team's limited experience with the expeditionary learning model.
Furthermore, the application lacked some clarity on how the school will successfully implement multiple overlapping educational programs such as problem based learning, expeditionary learning, curriculum compacting, and
enrichment for all. The financial and operational analysis revealed some vulnerabilities that we believe threatened the school's long-term viability. Uh first, we found that the salary assumptions the school um states in the
application they would like to hire veteran teachers with at least 8 to 10 years of experience. Um however, we didn't find that the salary assumptions in the budget didn't fully account for that number of years of experience. In
addition to the uh 21.4% PAR contribution plus the cost of other benefits such as healthcare, uh there were questions about the budget's ability to sustain core programmatic offerings such as the four field trips per year, the before and
afterare, and uh school resource officer. Uh in the budget, the funds for professional development are low, approximately $1,000 in year one, which we found as a major concern given the complexity of implementing um any
curriculum in general, but especially such a complex uh program such as expeditionary learning. Uh then when we requested a contingency budget after the capacity interview, we wanted to see how the school would survive if enrollment targets or their
projected grants were not um granted. Uh, and we saw that the applicant was able to balance the budget by adding over $100,000 in projected UPK or universal preK revenue, yet failed to include any corresponding expenses for
that program such as mandatory licensing, facility modifications, or uh, staffing. And so we found that the overestimation of revenue and the underestimation of actual expenses created an illusion of balance that we
don't find to be aligned with the realities of running a charter school in JCO. Uh we found some of that extended as well to their facility and special uh student population estimates. So, the school has secured a lease uh for a
38,000 ft² facility, but the rental rates nearly quadruple in year 2 of the school. And under the lease, Mesa is fully responsible for all interior cleaning, repairs, and maintenance of major fixtures and systems. Yet, their
budget allocates $0 for ongoing repairs or maintenance and only 3,500 for cleaning supplies. And to put that in perspective, Jeffco typically budgets um 128 per square foot monthly for maintenance and cleaning exclusive of personnel like a custodian or a janitor.
Uh furthermore, we we believe that the school significantly under projects its special student populations. It assumes a 15% special education population and an 18% multilingual learner population. However, the
neighborhood realities are far different. Uh if you look at nearby schools such as Lmberg, Lmberg is 48% multilingual learner, Iber is 40% um and if you look at special education, schools like Dean and Rose Stein both
exceed 25% special education populations. So if their student demographics align with actual neighborhood realities rather than their what we believe to be under projections, their planned staffing will be
insufficient in order to meet uh federal and state requirements for um serving those populations. uh particularly because the budget as as planned has just a 75 FTE special educator for year
one which is only 30 hours of um special education support. We also had a community forum on April 7th and um we found that uh we had uh over 40 attendees which is great.
Parents, community members, Jeffco staff. Our key findings were that um from the survey that we administered was that there are some concerns over the replication of current district offerings. Uh that there's polarized support for approval and some quality
concerns. And if you would like to see the full summary that is available in the appendix of the superintendent's recommendation memo and here's some some data from that survey. Uh we had folks that were parents of current future Jeffco
students, uh future Jeffco students, some residents, no um students in the district and then a combination and uh we had we gave out a survey at the end and we had over 40 participants and 38 responses and one of the
questions we asked was do you believe Mesa K8 offers a unique educational option for Jeffco and you can see that 50% of the attend attendees uh answered yes and 47% said no. We also asked what interests you the
most about Mesa K8 and you could see uh the expeditionary learning model is of great interest to the folks who participated as well as longer school day before and after care and equity and access for all students. And finally, we asked, should the Jeffco
board of education approve this application? And the options were yes, yes, but I have some questions or concerns, neutral or no. And we actually had an an absolute even split. 50% said yes, 50% said no.
So, uh, after reviewing that body of evidence, some of which we just reviewed here, uh, the superintendent's recommendation is to deny the application for MESA K8 in the best interest of Jefco students, Jeffco public schools, and the JECO community.
Uh we reviewed the unstable enrollment margins, the underbudgeted operational and special education realities, the redundancy in programming already offered in Jeffco and the authorizing lessons learned from Great Work Monator.
So here are some next steps. Uh after today's study session, you will have your um business meeting next Monday on May 11th uh where you will vote on the application. And um that's the end of the presentation. So we can um now open up
for questions. >> Thank you Dr. Adiko. Um Director Gibbons. >> Well, I want to appreciate um the thoroughess of this presentation and also just the materials we had available for our review. And I want to start off
by saying this was an important topic for me because my child was a student at Great Work um when it collapsed and it it was a profoundly negative experience for our family. Um my son
paid um a price. I would say it took him over a year to get back to where he should be. Fortunately, he's young enough and very resilient that he's doing great now, and it's it's been but a blip. But I just don't think that
anybody can overstate the potential negative impact on children when a school collapsed. And then I would just add, I obviously was not on the board when great work was approved, but when it collapsed and I was learning about
its past and that it had been denied and then remanded and then approved, I would gather reluctantly. Um, in some ways, and I say this with, you know, appreciation for how many people have worked hard on this application and certainly don't don't
mean to make light of that, but in some ways, some of these problems look not only similar, but in some ways worse. um particularly on enrollment projections. So um yeah, I just I just wanted to say that having had a front row seat to how how this can impact families when it
when it goes wrong um because it was a disaster um to put it mildly. Um the fact that it was an avoidable one um was incredibly frustrating for me as a parent who was kind of going through it in that moment.
Thank you, Director Gibbons. Oh, go ahead. >> Yeah, that's that's all I've got. So, >> any other board members? Director Kenworthy. >> Yeah, I'd like to thank uh Director Gibbons for that reflection. and I had friends who were also at Great Works and it was difficult watching students go
basically through three different educational institutions from the spring of 2023 um from Great Works to a another local um neighborhood neighborhood schools that accepted the students for the end of the
school year time and then some of those families choiced into yet another school after that. Um and so we did have a lot of um instability for those those students and also impact on our um neighboring schools from that. Um and
it's absolutely a concern given the financial um information that's been shared in this presentation uh regarding um over and underestimations of revenue and costs.
One of my questions is um and just to clarify, the question that was asked was would you consider right um sending your student to this school? Does the charter applicant have any
commitments from families? Um that's and what the number of that might be. Uh yes, the the applicant is counts the would the um every any family that said yes to would you consider as a
letter of intent. >> Okay. Um >> so there's can I just clarify director? So there's nothing that says I am confirmed to show up. >> You you're correct. Um President Upgrade. Yes. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. Sorry, Director Kimly. No, I appreciate the clarification. Um, so I I struggle specifically with that because um consideration is not enrollment um in a school
and that that even further decreases my confidence that they would have enrollment that would be viable for a first year for a charter and um for ongoing operations. So I I am
I think I'm done with my questions. I'll stop there. >> You any other directors? >> I just want to express gratitude to Dr. Do and Dr. Coleman um for the presentation. I um also had my child in
a charter school, a Jaffco charter school, and I appreciate the hard work and dedication you put ahead of approving these schools so that we can make best decisions for our students. So, thank you so much and also um
Superintendent Dorland for putting the work and effort into really reviewing this with a keen eye and bringing that to us so that we can make this decision based on the best information we can get from you. Thank
you so much. >> I want to echo the appreciation for Dr. Adiko and Dr. Coleman um and for our deck who put a lot of hours into this and for everyone who participates in this process. Um I want to reiterate I believe choice is a wonderful thing in
Jeffco and I believe we have strong charter schools that serve our community in really wonderful ways. Um and being on this board for two years I've had the the pleasure of seeing them and getting to know them and serving them from this board just like we serve our
neighborhood schools. Um, and so I I just want to lift that up that it is a tremendous amount of work to both put these applications together and to review them. Um, Miss Tullison, would you like to add anything?
Oh, you're muted. Darn it. After watching everybody else do it, I was so thinking I'd get it right. Um, next week you all will be taking a formal vote and so I just wanted to flag for you that my intention unless I sort of hear differently in this conversation
is to prepare you have to do it by board resolution um that recites kind of a a factual basis and findings for your decision is right now based on the conversation I'm hearing I intend to prepare one for you that maps essentially to the superintendent's
recommendation. So, I just wanted to flag if there's some thought of a different approach than that, um, I welcome your guidance. >> I believe that's the correct approach. If I hear from our board members
otherwise, Miss Tullison, I will reach out to you. Okay. Thank you all for staying with us late. It's greatly appreciated. Take care. All right. So, thank you for our presenters. And as a reminder, as Miss
Tullen um just identified, this will the board will officially vote on this on Monday, May 11th, 2026 in just a few short days. Um next, Superintendent Dorland will provide a preview of the items anticipated to appear on our consent agenda on Monday. Superintendent
Dorland, the time is now yours. >> Great. Thank you, President Applegate. Um board members, you will see this in your board packet. Um it's a preview of your consent agenda items for next week. You'll see at the very top uh some typical things that you see every month.
Employment, administrative appointments, resignations, terminations, supplemental funds, approval of minutes for the board meetings on April 16th, 17th, and this meeting May 6th. um and an updated board
calendar reflecting um next year's plan for the board and your meetings. Um you will have a partial defecence of 2018 general obligation bonds. Um Superintendent Dorland, you became muted
for some reason. >> Are you there? >> Yes. Thank you. I don't know what happened. >> It was very odd. We were on the defecence. >> We were on the defecence. Okay. So, you will see a partial defecence of our 2018
uh geo bonds. You you um you know, you'll note that that's a very large amount. It is a debt. It is paying off a portion of the debt from the 2018 um bond. And I will remind the board that
you all had the opportunity to meet with Hilltop adviserss, representative representatives from the hilltop adviserss, our municipal adviserss to discuss this defecence. Um, and so if you want to read through that uh over the course of the next week and if you have questions, please let me know. Um,
and I will get you the right person to talk with um so that you can feel as informed as you need to feel about the vote uh on that or on any of these things. but in particular that one because we would want to get you hooked up with our um municipal adviserss and Miss Copeland. Um you will also see the
prepayment of 2015 certificates of participation and the amount that you see listed there. Uh this is to prepay a December 15th, 2016 regular payment uh about 6 months early,
6 to 7 months early so that uh the Pyer Elementary School site can move through the process of disposition. Um and so again, if you have questions about that, please let me know and I will find you time with Miss Copeland. um contract renewals. You'll see a
benefits contract renewal for fiscal year 27 and also a large amount of dollar cost. We know as you know we invest a lot in benefits for our employees. Please know that tomorrow and Friday when you all come in for meetings with me that are already scheduled. Part
of the portion part of the time will be a conversation about benefits with our benefits team. So, you'll be able to ask some more questions about this agenda item uh when you meet with me later later in the week. You'll see another contract renewal for our fuel purchases.
Uh this is obviously to fuel our vehicles. Uh a contract amendment for Arbiter officials. Arbiter officials serves as our sporting officials for all of our athletics uh uh activities and events. And so, um, we have we have an
amendment, uh, to go above and beyond where we're at with the current contract on that. We have a district-wide annual bus procurement that you'll typically see this time of year when we invest some funds into uh, bus refresh so that
we can be operating safe uh, safe buses for our students. There's a contract renewal for Infinite Campus. Those of you who are parents know that that is our student information system. Um and so that's an annual renewal um with with
the um the company Infinite Campus. And then you will also see a contract renewal for our property casual workers compensation and other insurance policies. This is our risk insurance uh that we have and um this is a renewal
for that insurance with the company Gallagher. You'll also see that there is a June um preview of your agenda items um on uh you'll see 511 on the bottom. It's kind of out of order in my opinion, but 511
on the bottom, June 3rd on the top uh for your next two meetings and what you can expect uh based on what's been calendared and put on the agenda for those meetings. Thank you, Superintendent Dorland. Any
questions from the board? Okay. Um, we will move into our final item of study this evening, which is our committee reports, individual board reports, where we can share about our work on advisory committees. We have 25 minutes. We can run through this, but
the time is now ours. Is there anyone who would like to start us off? Mike can go real quick. Um, because the CAC meeting, the capital assets advisory committee meeting was on April 16th and that was our last board meeting. I have
not been to a meeting since. So, no new no new news. Um, it's come, our next meeting is May 21st. So, that's coming up. And then the Jeco Schools Foundation had chance to meet with their board on April 17th briefly. Um they are
interviewing this week for their development and marketing specialist position and I am wishing them the best of luck in finding someone. Thanks. >> Thank you Dr. Ataria. Other directors, Director Kenworthy,
I'm switching back and forth between different windows and it's starting to I'm getting a little lost. Anyway, um the DAC had a meeting in April where they had a lengthy conversation about the um charter subcommittee's
uh findings from their review of the application that we just considered. Um and they voted ultimately the entire deck voted 20 to four um to to not recommend um the charter. So I wanted to share that out.
and they also discuss um sort of the performance evaluation process. So I wanted to thank both uh Julie Tolson and Amanda Parzio for attending that evening and fielding questions from our DAC. I feel like they ask they also ask very informed um questions and their
conversations are always amazing. And then our EAC hosted um a community conversation on April 28th at Kraton Middle School. I was unable to stay for the whole thing because it was also my husband's birthday. Um, but I was
impressed by the structure that was set up and by the um the amount of intention that the committee had put into their planning of the evening. We had some amazing presentations music presentations from some of the um leaders in the Latinas in
action from Jefferson Junior Senior were there um and they also had some of their student members there to engage in conversation with the larger community. Um, and I believe that feedback has been shared out with the EAC to be discussed at our next um at our next meeting. So,
I I just want to lift up um the amount of effort, planning, thoughtfulness, and intention that went into that community engagement, and I hope that we continue to use uh similar models um for other conversations that we need to have across the district. So, those are my
two reports for my two committees. Thank you, Director Minian. Director Given, >> I'll go next. Um, so I attended the FAC meeting where they were discussing the proposal which we all got to take a look
at today. Um, I did have two questions though for uh, director or for superintendent Dorland. Sorry, it's been a long night. Um, so I I recall uh during one of the previous FAC meetings that you had mentioned that there's going to be a
dashboard coming online to show how the 2018 um MLO funds were spent and there's going to be another committee formed. I'm just curious to get a status update on that if you have the latest and greatest information to share with us and our listening public.
>> Sure. We did we did convene a committee board members identified uh community representatives from their director districts and then we had representatives from our associations
um and some staff members there to support the committee. I we met in early April. I don't know the exact date but the committee did meet in early April. Um, and all of the materials that were
shared at that meeting are available online. Um, I don't I don't know that I would say we have gotten as far as the creation of a dashboard. Um, just given that this was a quick turnaround.
Uh, I think it's more in a slide presentation type of format. Um, and we'll continue to refine kind of that reporting out to our community and public um, as we head into the fall and
think about an additional revenue measure. But we do have the information in uh, on a website. I can get that uh, link to you all um,
in in this week's Friday update. Do we have a timetable or understanding of when that dashboard is going to be live for the public to take a look at? >> Well, we No, I don't. We do have the I mean this this 2018
um information is a look back, right? Like how have the funds been invested? So, it's pretty static um and won't change much if at all. Um and and so you can see
um that information in these slides. Um it may be changing a little bit going into next year given some of our resource constraints. Um but we will be meeting with this group again in the fall and we'll be updating those slides
at that point. Um so uh again I don't I have no idea when we're when we'll be ready with like sort of a more of a dashboard look. Um, but I will get you the website where all the information that has been shared is listed.
>> Okay. Thank you, >> Director Gibbons. Anything from your end? >> Um, not unlike director. I've not had any committee meetings either and I don't know if I would have made them even if I had. I just finished seven days in trial in federal court.
So, it's been a whirlwind since our last meeting, but I am looking forward, as I'm sure all of us are, to upcoming high school graduations. I know my calendar's packed and should be fun. >> It is fun. I encourage you to read your scripts and read the graduation memos
that Miss Harper so kindly puts together for you. >> I already have. And for my fellow board members, yes, you should look at them if you haven't. There's all kinds of details you wouldn't think about. Um I also the TDPAC is a quarterly so I don't have an update on TDPAC other than
um I know I've shared previously I was really encouraged by the last meeting and how there's really a focus on looking at technology in our earliest learners which I think um really is supportive by the conversation we've had. Um I know we will have a quick turnaround with a board meeting on
Monday. So with that I would um love to bring this to the end of today's meeting. Our next meeting of the board will be a regular meeting on Monday, May 11th at 5:00 p.m. at the Ed Center. I really want to appreciate everyone who pivoted on this. Thank you, Miss Harper. Thank you to Drew. Thank you,
Superintendent Dorland, who made this virtual meeting possible on a snowy day in May. Um, never a dull moment, but um, it is greatly appreciated that we were able to conduct our business tonight. So, with that, thank you. We stand adjourned. Good night.
Heat. Heat. Heat.