Hi. Good evening everyone. Welcome to the February 25th, 2025 regular meeting of the District 60 Board of Education. I would now like to call the meeting to order. The time is six o'clock. Ms. Patron, will you please call a roll? Mr. Cisneros? Here. Dr. De Niro? Here. Judge Mays. Here. Mrs. Pen Nuncio. Here. Mr. Tebo here. And now if everyone would please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag. To the flag of of the United States of America and to the Republic. For what it stands. It stands
one nation under God in indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Aye. All right. Before we adopt the agenda, does Superintendent Kimsey or a board member have any recommendations for corrections or modifications to the agenda at this time? All seeing none. May I have a motion please? So moved. Is there a second? Second. It's been moved and seconded to approve the agenda for the February 25th, 2025 regular meeting of the District 60 Board of Education as presented in the board materials.
Is there any debate? See none. Please call the vote. Ms. Patron. Mr. Cisneros Aye. Dr. De Niro? Aye. Judge Mays Aye. Mrs. Cio? Aye. Mr. Tebo? Aye. Well, first up on the agenda this evening is a staff student presentation, Dr. Kimey. Thank you President p Nuncio. Uh, it is my distinct pleasure to welcome, uh, to introduce our performers this evening, Ms.
Alma Banuelos and she will, uh, share with us who will be performing. Good evening President Pen Nuncio, superintendent Kinsey and members of the board, I have the pleasure of introducing our performers for tonight's meeting. Tonight's performers are from Netty as Free Expeditionary Learning School under the direction of Margaret Rudin. The Freed Choir is in its first year and it's made up of sixth and seventh grade students who meet during the school day. They have participated in Centennial High School's fall concert and freed school-wide holiday singalong.
Some choir students were able to join the district's All City Choir, where they had the opportunity to sing more challenging pieces and perform with a guest conductor. Additionally, those in Tri Am Music Honor Society, the only national honor society for student musicians attended and performed with other members at the Colorado Music Educators Association Conference in January in celebration of Black History Month, they are singing the song Jazz to highlight one of the many contributions of African Americans to our nation.
Their second song is Shalom Hare, an Israeli folk song Wishing Peace to Friends as they part ways. At this time, I would like to invite the board members and Dr. Kimey to come and sit in front at the table here. And please welcome the Freed Choir. Well, thank you so much Ms. Rudin. I believe that's how you say your name and to all of the students from Netty Freed Middle School, expeditionary School, that was amazing. That was beautiful. It was amazing. And I love the diversity that you just showed right now.
We really appreciate you joining us this evening. We are now on to 4.0 Gifts to schools. Do we have any gifts to schools this evening? Superintendent Kimsey. We absolutely do. It is my honor and pleasure to announce the 34 Gifts to schools that we have this month. So bear with me, but we are very proud and honored that our community supports our students and our schools this way. Uh, the first is Bechtel National Incorporated donated a hundred HP Monitors valued at $19,900
to District 60. The Pueblo Downtown Association donated $5,000 to District 60 for the downtown cleanup project. The Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority donated $500 to Bessemer Academy for winter holiday activities. Saraza Hall McCulley and Angeles Chapel donated $400 to Bessemer Academy for winter holiday activities. HW Houston Construction donated $260 to Bradford Elementary for PE supplies. Pueblo Centennial High School Foundation donated
$17,136 86 cents to the Centennial High School C Club for Hall of Fame Cabinets. Pueblo Centennial High School Foundation also donated $500 to the Centennial High School Drama Club. Crystal Cisneros and Robert Smith donated $1,500 to the Centennial High School Scholarship Fund. Milton f Gilbert donated $500 to the Centennial High School Boys Basketball Program. Central Booster Club donated $1,000 to Central High School
to purchase eighth grade night T-shirts. Darren r Smith and Andrea l Aragon donated $500 to Colombian and Minnequa Elementary schools for their Christmas extravaganza. Evraz donated $600 to Colombian and Minnequa Elementary schools for their Christmas extravaganza. Pueblo Local three fire department also donated $250 to the Colombian and Minnequa Christmas extravaganza. The City of Pueblo donated $1,500 to Colombian
and Minnequa for the Extravaganza Family Care Specialist. PC donated $211 to the East High School Cross Country Program. East High School Foundation donated $250 to the East High School Catering, J-R-O-J-R-O-T-C Student Council Vocal Music and Band Programs. American Furniture Warehouse donated $220 48 cents to the East High School DECA and Activities. Pueblo East Booster Club donated $1,000 to the East High School softball program.
Pueblo East Booster Club donated $1,000 to the East High School. Class of 2026 Tr Toppers donated $5,000 to East to the East High School Road Scholarship. East High School Alumni Foundation donated $4,949 and 29 cents to the Pueblo East High School Wrestling Program and Student Council Crystal CDOs and Robert Smith donated $1,500 to the East High School Scholarship Fund.
Builders First Source donated cement fiber siding panels to be used for garden beds. Valued at $8,118 98 cents to net S Freed K eight Expeditionary School. The Garcia Foundation donated $500 to the Pueblo Academy of Arts Boys Basketball Program. Crystal Cisneros and Robert Smith donated $1,500 to the South High School Scholarship Fund. Great American Rivalry series i I incorporated donated 1000
to the Centennial High School C Club. United Launch Alliance donated $500 to Neti s Freed K eight Expeditionary School for ESS supplies. Smile Doctors Orthodontics donated $1,000 to Neti s freed for sweatshirts and singlets. I Barns donated $3,000 to Corwin International Magnet School for piloting an eSports afterschool club and collaboration book study with East High School. Pueblo East High School Booster Club donated $1,000
to Pueblo East High class of 2026. Mayan Solarity. E-P-C-L-L-C Blumenfeld donated $1,000 to the Tyler West Education Foundation. Thurman Pugh donated $250 to the Tyler West Education Foundation. Paramount Group asset Managers donated $400 to the Centennial High School drama musical program and Kung Fu Tea of Pueblo donated $1,500 to the Centennial High School C Club. Um, president p Nuncio.
We would like for the board to consider accepting these donations graciously as presented in the board materials. We graciously accept these gifts to the district. Um, let's give a big round of applause to all of these donators. Thank you. Amazing. I mean, just thank you so much. That's just 34 donations to the district. Thank you so much to the individuals and the businesses that contributed, uh, to, to, um, the district. Your support is so appreciated, um, and the benefit and how it benefits our students is so important. So thank you so, so much.
Up next is 5.0 recognition Superintendent Kimsey. Do we have any recognitions this evening? Uh, president p Nuncio, it is my honor and pleasure to again welcome Ms. Alma Vi Enos to the microphone to present our recognitions this evening. Hello again. President Pen Nuncio, Dr. Kimsey and board members. Tonight we have a very special recognition for students who have shown superior musical ability and were selected into one of our Allstate Music ensembles. This year, we will be recognizing students who were selected
and participated in the Colorado Allstate Elementary Choir and Colorado Allstate High School Trouble Choir. All State ensembles give our students the opportunity to work with students from all over the state as well as be directed by nationally recognized music educators and professors for the elementary choir, students are selected by their school music teacher, who is a member of the Colorado Music Educators Association. Students that are selected work with their teacher to learn the music ahead of time, and then they come together as a full choir in one day
and put a concert together. The performance was held at the Broadmoor in January and it was the culminating event at the Annual Music Educators Conference. Being selected for the Colorado Allstate High School Choir is a very competitive audition process. Thousands of high school students around the state audition and if selected, they prepare their music ahead of time and with the help of their teacher. The event is held in January and includes two days of rehearsal with a culminating concert at the Becher Hall in Denver. These students would not have the opportunity if it were not for the educators.
Um, the dedication and passion of our music educators, these two teachers accompanied their students and prepared them for these events. From Columbian Elementary, Mrs. Molly Curo and from Centennial High School, Mrs. Lee Kit, can I get those two teachers to please come to the front? Would you like that? They're gonna At this time, I would like to please invite the board and Superintendent Kimsey to stand in front so our students can be congratulated. Students, when your name is called,
come to your music teacher. You'll receive a certificate of accomplishment and go down the row because each board member and our superintendent will want to personally congratulate you. Then stand off to the side because we'll have a group photo of everyone at the end. Participating in elementary Allstate Choir are the following students from Colombian Elementary, Jordan Neve, Santana Montoya, Alexandra Canty, Rena Welch, Jace Pool, ZLA Sanchez, ALA Lucero,
Anaya Vasquez, Jaden Romero, ally Davis and Alyssa Pacheco. We had one student selected for the high school Allstate Choir. Congratulations to Isabelle Ana from Centennial High School, who will also be presented with an Allstate Choir patch. Thank you. Well, congratulations again to all of you. We are so proud of you. What an honor. Um, awesome job. We will now move on to public comments. Mr.
Sprouse, are there any recorded comments this evening from the public? Thank you Madam President. There were not any recorded messages received for this evening's meeting. Okay, thank you Mr. Sprouse. So then this evening we have five citizens who have signed up to share public comment with us at the, uh, I won't repeat all that. So at this time, the board would like to invite Kylie Hughes to the microphone. Kylie will be speaking this evening, uh, regarding STS Senior to sophomore courses on behalf of the student body. Good evening and welcome to you.
As a reminder, you'll have three minutes to speak in front of you, there is a box with three lights. When the light turns green, you'll have three minutes to speak. When it turns yellow, you'll have one minute remaining and when it turns red, your time will be up and when, um, yeah, so when you'll be up. So welcome and thank you for being here this evening. As elected citizen leaders, you as school board members face complex and demanding challenges as you are tasked with advocating for the education of D 60 students as well as the wellbeing of your staff. However, in light of your vision to remove SDS classes,
from the rooms of all Pueblo high schools and your district, you are diminishing the visions of students whose only option may be taking an SCS class at the high school. Good evening. My name is Kylie Hughes and I've been walking through the halls of a D 60 school for 13 years as an 11th grade student at Centennial High School, as well as the countless years of my ancestors who's walked through these halls that have had the same opportunity as a fourth grade generation student in these schools. I have come today to speak on behalf of not only my generation, but the generations that come
before me and the generations of the student body behind me that can't speak today, including my eighth grade, my eighth grade sister waiting at home. From the time I could speak, I was always told that my vision of becoming a doctor was too far to reach. As, as a young student, I was given the opportunity for some to believe in me and tell me that I could take high school classes as well as college classes in the high school as a third grader. I then thought that that was bizarre. However, I'm living out that dream as well as my current sister who is a mortician due to the fact
of the STS classes as well as my 20-year-old brother-in-law who graduated at just 20. With that same opportunity, I would like to steer my speech towards one of your core values as a D 60 school district and how eliminating STS classes would go against many of them. To begin, you stay in quote, the social and emotional wellbeing of students as as important as their academic needs. However, college readiness is determined based on GPAs and standardized test scores. This should also be determined by social emotional wellbeing by Stu having students who are emotionally unready to go
to the college campus by their basic brain development, as well as not giving them the same social emotional wellbeing that counselors can provide, that colleges can't provide in a timely manner manner. I've been given social emotional wellbeing balance by having the peer student tutoring of one-on-one experience with my teachers, as well as providing various ways of understanding and teaching. I have testimonials for many students here today who can say that they are dipping their toes in the water of many SCS classes or some students who may even underestimate their own
capabilities that STS classes has given them hope to achieve with it caring an already credentialed teacher at their own social emotional wellbeing level. I urge you to reconsider your decision of getting rid of SES classes altogether. It would impact more futures and dreams than you would ever even understand, as well as the future generations you would lose. Knowing D 70 schools offer those same opportunities you are trying to take from D 60. Thank you. Thank you Ms. Hughes. I appreciate that. I would now like to invite Madeline Gonzalez
to the microphone. Ms. Gonzalez will also be speaking on the senior to sophomore courses. Good evening and welcome to you as well. Hello, my name is Maddie Gonzalez and I'm currently a 10th grade student at Centennial High School. When choosing a high school, I knew that if I attended a District 60 school, I'd be given the opportunity to take STS classes. Taking away these classes would be taking away. What has pro been promised to myself and every other student who has taken chosen to attend a D 60 school For this reason, as a high school student, I feel unprepared to jump into college classes. STS classes have provided me with an opportunity
to dip my feet into, into college level content with the help and support that I need. I do not believe I would receive the same support at the college as they are not there to teach high school students. I'm involved in many, uh, clubs at Centennial, including speech and debate, FBLA, student Government Girls Cabinet Sources of Strength, Newman Club and Science Clubs. I also play tennis and dance outside of school. STS classes allow me to balance the workload of a college level class while also being able to participate in extracurriculars. The added stress of concurrent enrollment would not allow me to do as much as I am able to Now, I know
that I will only be in high school once and I would like to enjoy it to the best of my ability. If STS classes are taken away, I will have to make many unnecessary sacrifices. On one hand, I could stay full-time at the high school and take normal on-level classes that do not nearly challenge me enough and do not give me the opportunity to get ahead, but I would be able to get the valuable high school experience that I know I deserve. On the other hand, I could go part-time at the college and take classes that challenge me and better fulfill my educational needs while giving me the
ultimate high school experience or while giving up the whole ultimate High school experience. This means I will not be able to watch my best friend watch a walk across the stage and win Homecoming queen. This means I will not be able to parti participate in junior achievement and help teach elementary school kids about business and money management. This means I will miss out on the school comradery and overall spirit and exhaustion of Belt Week. This means that I will not be able to participate in science outreach and teach elementary schoolers about science and how to question the world around them. This means that I will miss out on the priceless memories I
have dreamed of making since elementary school and will only regret not making when it's too late. I feel as though I should not have to make these decisions. As a 15-year-old girl, I feel uncomfortable being on a college campus alone with grown adults. I believe it's the district's responsibility to keep all students safe. Sending us to the college is not keeping us safe. I hope you take this all into consideration. Thank you. Thank you Ms. Mcg Gonzalez. We appreciate you being here tonight. I would now like to call Kelly Lansbury to the microphone. Ms. Lansbury will also be speaking about the senior
to sophomore programs and courses. Good evening and welcome. Good evening. My name is Kelly Lansbury. I'm a veteran teacher of over a decade and a highly qualified math teacher at Pueblo Centennial High School. The National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnership, or N-A-C-E-P is the sole accrediting body for concurrent enrollment partnerships. And they ensure that all concurrent enrollment courses taught within high school are as rigorous as those offered on the sponsoring college campus. There are two main ways in which concurrent enrollment is offered to students attending classes at a local college
or university or by taking courses at their high school with qualified staff. Senior to sophomore or STS allows students to earn college credit by successfully completing the course, including taking an end of course exam. This can help to decrease the time and cost of a college degree. According to the N-A-C-E-P, 80% of all concurrent enrollment courses in the US are taught as STS courses. A qualified STS teacher must meet one of two requirements. They must either complete 18 graduate level content specific credits to earn the appropriate credentials, or they must hold a master's degree in their content area.
The STS teachers at the high schools in D 60 were informed that the district intends to cut all STS courses from the high schools. We were told that if a course is offered at PCC or CSUP, we will no longer offer it. This is counter to the purpose of concurrent enrollment, which is to provide choices for our students to earn college credits. While in high school, in a study from 2021, it was determined that taking classes at the college provides exposure to a post-secondary environment. But in the high school setting, students are surrounded by instructors who have already built nurturing relationships with and have background knowledge about them.
The positive teacher pupil relationship is likely to strengthen their learning outcomes, self-efficacy, beliefs and preparation for college. High school teachers are experts in teaching high school age students. College professors are not high school teachers are certified and must recertify their credentials in order to teach high school students. College professors do not. STS teachers have obtained additional training and expertise to even better serve these students and educate them in safe appropriate environments. College professors have not. By cutting STS, we are taking away the opportunities
of our students to feel success and con be confident in challenging themselves with the college coursework. Forcing our students who wish to take such courses to go to a college campus will force them to have to choose between college credit and being part of their high school community. Their college course may interfere with clubs, organizations, assemblies, sports practices, and games. When students are at the college, parents lose the ability to monitor their academic performance and the environment that their students are in. Uh, for the last several years, this district has spent time and money training teachers on providing support
for our students with their social emotional learning. If we send them to college, we are denying them re reliable access to those resources. We know that our students took a major hit during covid in these areas, and we need to be able to have them in a safe environment to help them grow and succeed. This is part of why when students finish middle school, they go to high school, not college, college, uh, credit where it is due. There has been a noticeable change in tone and approach with our new superintendent. I'm asking that the board take a time, take a moment to pause the decision to outsource the education
of D 60 students until it can be properly vetted and together stakeholders can come to a transparent and informed decision in the best interest of our students. Thank you. Thank you Ms. Longs Barry. Alright. I would now like to call to the microphone Travis Mess. He will also be speaking about senior to sophomore courses. Good evening Mr. Mess, and welcome to the meeting this evening. Good evening. My name is Travis Mess. I am a junior at Centennial High School. I have spent three years in JOTC and have been very involved with the community
and the culture at Centennial High School. The majority in this community do not see college as a possibility. Without STS, this number only lowers the alternative to ship us away from our high schools when we don't even know if we want to pursue a degree. Our college lecture full is so full that many have waiting lists at PCC and CSUP. This does not subdue as a substitute for a free hands-on experience from a teacher we see every day in the halls. The hope for kids, predominantly underprivileged only falls forcing us to make this decision years earlier than we expect an accelerated pace left without time to reflect.
This STS is for this. STS is perfect. My schedule since freshman year has stayed diverse. I have taken plenty of STS courses at Centennial and I plan to take many more. I do not know what I want to do, and because of this, STS gives me this opportunity to explore multiple different outlets. I can take courses such as precalculus while also focusing on things that are more English based. And I do respect the recent push for things like stem. However, for people who are interested in things such as engineering, this is not what we need to be competitive
for our dreams and build a proper transcript to get into these colleges that we want to go to. We need things that are in our school that do not take us away from our school for our dreams. We need other things. I need calculus, not at PCC, but where I find myself in high school. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Mass. And finally this evening, I would like to call Kimberly Nobles to the microphone. She will be speaking on biomed engineering, hosa deca, and that will be being removed from Central. Good evening and welcome to you two
Good evening members of the board. My name is Kimberly Nobles and I'm a parent of a sophomore student at Central High School. I'm here tonight because I'm deeply concerned about the decision to remove multiple programs from central, including biomedical engineering, hosa, deca, FBLA, and Culinary arts. These are not just electives, they're career building opportunities that directly impact students' futures. Biomedical engineering provides hands-on experience in a rapidly growing STEM field, preparing students for careers in medical technology, engineering, and healthcare.
Hosa, DECA and FBLA give students real world business leadership and healthcare experiences that prepare them for college and the workforce. Culinary arts teaches essential life and professional skills that can lead to careers in hospitality and food service. Removing these programs doesn't just limit course options. It takes away opportunities for students to explore, learn, and prepare for their futures. What's most frustrating is that these decisions are being made without input from students and families. My child, along with many others, has already committed time and effort to these programs only to have them taken away
with little explanation for students of who have been working towards certifications, competitions, and career pathways. This disruption is not just inconvenient. It could be detrimental to their future plans. On top of that, removing these programs means students who have already participated and dedicated themselves will no longer be eligible to receive their graduation cords. These cords are more than just accessories. They are a symbol of years of hard work, passion and achievement. Taking that recognition away from them is unfair and dismisses everything they have accomplished. Not all students have the ability
to travel to another school. In this case, these programs are being moved to centennial. The decision creates unnecessary barriers for those who rely on central's accessibility. It also sends a message that career and technical education is not a priority when in reality these programs are some of the most valuable and practical educational opportunities a school can offer. I urge the board to reconsider this decision and explore solutions that allow these programs to remain at central. If changes must be made, they should be done with transparency and input from students and families who are directly affected.
At the very least, we deserve a clear explanation for why these cuts are happening and what alternatives are being considered. Thank you for your time. Thank you so much Ms. Nobles. All right, then. We will now move on to 7.0 communications and board comments. Does Superintendent Kimsey or a board member have any communications or comments this evening? Director Tebow. Thank you. Um, president Anzio, uh, members of the board. Um, of course, first I would just like to thank, uh,
all the individuals who took the time to be present tonight and express their thoughts to the board. We always appreciate that. Um, also, I did want to just indicate that, um, this is a good time for all citizens of the district to participate in the right sizing efforts that are being undertaken by our superintendent. I'm encouraged that they are starting at the grassroots level and, um, I just encourage everyone who is present
or listening in or perhaps can't listen in tonight, but would like to attend some of the meetings to do so. I think that would be especially helpful for the board and for our community. Um, but with the permission of the board, I'd like to just take a few minutes to comment on, um, something that is of utmost concern to me. And that is, um, the rapid fire letters that we're receiving from the United States Department of Education relative to a variety of matters.
But I'd like to focus in on one letter in particular, and I have prepared some comments because I do want, uh, my words to be, uh, understood and not misunderstood. Um, so I wish to comment on Craig Trainer's February 14th, 2025. Dear Colleague letter. In it, he slams the educational benefits of diversity and equity. His claim is that Kay, through 12 schools have routinely used or misused race as a factor in a variety of ways. His conclusion is based on assumed facts,
which are not really true in our district. In my judgment, the letters reliance on controlling Supreme Court precedent sweeps too broadly. The letter is at best, a skilled or skillful attempt to confuse and conceal its real purpose. It it assumes impartiality, but it is simply an attempt to evade the constitutional requirement of equality of right and legal privilege to all citizens. These words were used by Albion w Tor nearly 130 years ago
in his undated legal argument against a Louisiana segregation law in the famous 1896 case of p Pzi versus Ferguson, which established the doctrine of separate but equal, eventually overruled by Brown versus Board of Education. Mr. Toga's words hold true today. For me, free public education pre-K through 12 is not only a public good, but a Colorado civil right of a different sort. Promulgated by Mr. Trainor, who is the assistant secretary in the United States
Department of Education from Plato's Republic to Jefferson's warning that an ignorant people cannot be free to our present, chaotic time. It is clear that education is knowledge and knowledge is power, how easy it is to mislead an uneducation person and citizenry. Abraham Lincoln knew this in an 1857 Springfield speech. His condemnation of the Dred Scott decisions ruling that Negroes were property not citizen citizens sounded in simple justice.
And Mr. Toge knew about this too. In his 1905 novel entitled Bricks Without Straw, he wrote that while slavery may have been abolished, the rights of the free man had were in the abstract, not in the concrete. He had none. Justice would not hear his voice. The law was still color blinded by the past. The metaphor of colorblindness we often misused today was lifted from Mr. Torre's words. My duty as a school board member will not be commandeered
by the threat of no federal funding. While a legislator, I resisted the misapplication of the spending clause by Congress when it imposed a condition, the loss of federal highway funds that induced unconstitutional action, raising the drinking age in Colorado to 21 years old, which is solely within the purview of state sovereignty to decide if federal funds for education are withdrawn. Perhaps it's time for our state and community to adequately fund our schools.
Our strategic plan, goal five is a testament to this. I rely upon our Colorado constitution and laws, which in my opinion, give broader protections than the United States Constitution to under-recognized individuals or groups of individuals seeking the opportunity of a public education. And again, I reference our strategic plan this time, goal three. Thank you Madam President, board members for allowing me to share those comments with you tonight. Thank you, director Tebow. Other comments from the board, or Superintendent Kimsey, director De Niro.
I raised my hand. Um, thank you for the opportunity. Uh, Mrs. Peno. Uh, I had a unique opportunity this afternoon to attend a assembly at Central High School where the Central high School Girls wrestling team made history and they won the state championship, uh, medal, plaque, whatever you wanna call it. But what a great opportunity, uh, to be there with young yet ladies that are making, um, history. I know that the East High School
who will be honoring their athletes for I believe, a fourth state championship in wrestling, uh, in March. And I intend to be, to be there also. But, uh, in today's ceremony, there was an individual Joe S survey. Some of you may know him. He talked about in 1993 that, um, central High School brought the championship trophy home to Pueblo, the first championship wrestling trophy, and that now we also have another in girls wrestling
and how unique that is for Pueblo. Um, we all as Puebloans know that, that we have great kids, great athletes, great coaches and staff, but um, again, congratulations to this, um, unique win. And we look forward to having them have a two-piece threepeat and four-piece. Thank you. Any other comments from the board? Alright, The next up on the agenda is 9.0 reports. Superintendent, superintendent Kimsey. Do we have any reports this evening? We do. President Pen Nuncio. It is my distinct pleasure to introduce our executive director of elementary schools,
Ms. Kim Ura, who will present the report. Good evening, superintendent Kimsey, president Peno members of the board, thank you for this opportunity to provide a report on our preschool programming for the upcoming school year 25 26, in order to better understand the basis for the decisions that will be presented. It's important to understand that the Universal pre-kindergarten program was a piece of legislation in passed in 2022, under house bill 22 dash 1295.
This new universal pre-kindergarten program guaranteed to fully fund preschool for every child who is four years old the year before starting kindergarten. Fully funded preschool would be possible for programs that can accommodate 15 hours per week for a half day program, or 30 hours a week for a full day program. This presentation will outline the funding challenges necessary modifications and the rationale behind our decision. One of the major challenges we face is the funding criteria
under the state mandated UPK program. The Colorado Department of Educate Early Childhood C Deck calculated these funding rates by using the following criteria, the base cost of high quality care personnel costs, including salaries and benefits, regional cost differences, local costs of living, local poverty level, geographic factors, and inflation. As the slide provides the funding options, they're based on the number of hours per week
that students are required to attend. The top 10 hours a week is what's considered part day funding. 15 hours a week is considered half day funding. And 30 hours a week is what's considered full day funding. Unfortunately, due to a four day work week, under our current scheduling and operational structure, we are unable to meet the classroom hour requirements to qualify for the half day funding or the full day funding. Due to state regulations issued by Colorado Department of Early Childhood CDEC,
our district will be capped on receiving funding for 155 students in the 3-year-old program for the 25 26 school year. In order to maximize this funding, they will need to attend half day sessions of three hours, which is currently the amount of hours our three-year olds attend this school year. In order to qualify for this funding, 3-year-old students must possess one of the five eligibility factors listed low income, IEP multilingual homeless or foster care in order to align with available funding.
We are faced with the decision to consolidate numbers of preschool classrooms from 32 to 16, which equates to having one pre-K classroom in each of our schools. Each preschool site will have two early childhood educators, otherwise known as ece, and these ECE will teach a three hour am class and a three hour pm class. The breakdown of these classes are listed before you. We explored a number of options such as converting certain schools into pre-K centers,
but logistical constraints made it impossible. Expanding to a full day model also proved unworkable due to time requirements, contractual obligations, and our facility limitations. This process process was a collaborative effort that included Darlene Bermuda, our early childhood specialist, Chris Coulter, our from Facilities Camera Whiting, and Eric Dero from hr Lana Hans from finance and myself. Extending preschool hours to a full day model would require major structural changes.
As mentioned earlier, the district's four day work week does not allow for a 30 hour programming that is mandated by the UPK funding and their requirements. We would also need to add more staff, bigger classrooms and changes to the existing negotiated contracts. This budget structure ensures that we stay within state funding constraints that this UPK mandated while preserving the highest possible quality of preschool education
and providing a program that is designed to be operational operationally feasible. These reductions include the number of preschool classrooms and the number of positions that will be impacted. We have outlined a clear communication plan, which ensures that all stakeholders, including staff and families, are informed about the proposed changes in a timely manner. The changes to the UPK funding from the state has created an unfortunate event for our district
and more importantly, for our families. All viable options have been explored and our proposal addresses these funding realities with a commitment of long range expansion of our preschool program moving forward. Thank you. And I'm available for questions. Questions for Ms. Ura. Director Cisneros. Thank you. Thank you for your presentation. Um, so basically because of the four day school week, we are able to meet even the half day 15 hours. Correct? You said we were only at part for our pre-K.
Correct. Which we would only be able to meet the 10 hours, which is considered part day. Part day. And then looking at the numbers there, the difference from part to full day is about $6,000 of funding per student. Correct. Part day funding is 10 hours per week, which we would receive 5,000, the 5,111 and 15 hours a week we would receive 6,444. So it's the difference between those two. I'm, I mean, from the difference between a 10 hour week to the 30 hour week is about 6,000 per student.
Correct. And 155 students would be the cap. So that is about $930,000 of funding that we're not able to get. Is that, I'm just gonna clarify one piece and then I'm gonna hand it to our financial wizard. Um, the 155 cap would be only for three year olds. Oh, okay. Okay. And so the other question, I'll go ahead and, um, pass to Ms. Lana Han's. So if you don't mind, repeat your question. Um, basically I'm just trying to see if we were able to do, say we did have a five day school week,
we would be able to reach that full 30 hour week funding per student, which is a difference of about $6,000. I'm just trying to see how much additional funding that we are not able to get. Well, it's, it's only funded over 10 months. So that's about, um, well, I can't do the math in my head. Excuse me. It's a considerable amount of money. You know, if you, if you can only do 15 hours versus the 30 hours, the, the problem is, is your, your salary and benefit costs are also going to escalate. Um, historically when UPK
and CPP were funded off of, off of PPR, it was about 58% of that rate. So, um, the halftime funding is about equivalent to what we used to get for CPP. So that's the 15 hour rate. Um, I don't know that we've ever had kids in preschool for 30 hours. Um, plus you don't have the schools open. You know, there's lots of logistics that would impact that process that we just don't have. You know, you have to have a principal, you have
to have all the staff in the school. Um, it ends up costing you a lot of money. Sure. Um, one more question, just, um, wondering if any of this was considered when, um, when we were considering, or when you guys were considering and, um, coming up with the, the school calendars for the 25, 26, and I don't know if we did the 26, 27 school years yet, but was any of this considered during those discussions? I don't know, maybe Mr. Dero can answer that.
What part would you was considered whether this would be impacted by that? Yeah, the five day school week, if that was considered, uh, this funding, um, if that was, I, I think it's important to understand that, you know, we actually had a more robust preschool in our district for many, many years, then most people in the state. And I think what Governor Polis is actually proposing with the new UPK is far less than what we ever had. So for us, it feels like it's getting reduced. He's trying to get people to a place where they have far less, the whole state universally has less than we did. Um, the ma you know, the majority
of school districts in Colorado are on a four day school week. So the way this funding works is gonna impact a lot of them. Um, to make a change, to go back to the five day week would entail way more than a calendar committee. Our negotiated agreements contain these, this work week and many other aspects of that. Thank you Superintendent Kimsey. And, and we also never had kids on Friday in preschool. Just to be clear about that, that 30 hours is far exceeds anything we ever had before too, just to be clear. So I'd just like to clarify that, um, in order to go back to a five day week, that would require
intense community input from families, from teachers, from staff, from everybody. It's not something as Mr. Dero said that a calendar committee would do, uh, because from what I understand, and of course it predates me, but that was a long process to begin with, to get to the four day week. In addition, I wanna share that we aren't basing all of UPK funding on what's available from the state. We are actually using general fund funding to supplement
what the state gives us because we prioritize, uh, preschool. Um, the goal is eventually to grow our pre preschool back. Um, my vision is to have full day preschool for three year olds and four year olds, um, because I know that would be best for them educationally and it would also support our families in the community. We just have to face budgetary constraints and contractual constraints at this time. Other questions from the board Director Tebow.
Thank you. And, um, I have some comments that I want to read, but, um, I do want to, um, I, I do wanna say initially that, that my impression was all along that, that our district had a very robust preschool program for many years. And, um, I appreciate the comments of the superintendent, Mr. Dero, Kim and your whole team. I, I understand, but I'm gonna ask you to just take a moment and realize that I'm looking at this as a board member. Okay. And so let me start with the fact that
I think it's pretty clear that the overriding concern here is the budget. And for me, the question is our fiscal year 25, 26 budget, not the current budget. We are not trying to adjust that. Even if we could, I don't think you're asking anything with regard to that. But overall, the budget, to me is our most important policy document. It's not only a technical process, but it reflects choices about what kinds of services will be delivered to our students and what our citizens are entitled to
as members of our district. The role of our school board, as I see it establishing a budget, is to ensure that our district is responsive to our strategic plan and the values, beliefs and priorities of our community. I think you've kind of mentioned this in your presentation, that experts definitely recommend early childhood education for children three to five, or from ages three and four to learn important skills that prepare them for success in school and result in more positive outcomes.
That is important because we all want to put students first. Now, having said all that, I consider at this time for this to be an option. It may not be our most desired option, but it is an option. But I also feel as a board member, it needs some further clarification. And I'll tell you a little bit more about that. Not necessarily from you, but from sources outside of the district. And I'm not asking for the clarification here today, but as we develop our fiscal year 25, 26 budget options,
for example, I'll start with the current fiscal year 24, 25 amended budget. We have listed in that budget, $3.3 million in reserve for Colorado preschool and a very small amount of reserve for UPK. I just don't understand that. Uh, how does that impact this option that you're bringing before us for fiscal year 25, 26, the legislature just finished what they call the mid-year supplemental appropriations process. I'm not clear whether the legislature dealt with PUPK
and any figures or in, in any respect at all. I just don't know. Um, hopefully that will be known at some point. But in so far as fiscal year 25, 26 budget at the state level and at the district level, I just as a board member, really need to review all our budget choices and options. All of them holistically. And I've shared this with the superintendent, I need to compare our limited resources. And let me tell you, there is never enough money to pay for all our needs. I understand that, but I need to decide what trade-offs
are needed to be made without initially relying on any reserves. What is our income in, what is our income out based on our priorities? And this option that you're presenting may, in my mind, be the best option. And I know you've gone over other options, but I'm, I'm looking at a state, um, option of sending revenue to our district. And what I'm saying is not to say that reserves don't play an important role in any buffering of unexpected costs, but we have to know, in my mind,
and I know you're up against a timeline, but we have to know what will the legislature fund for if fiscal year 25, 26? We just don't know that at this point. We do know that in March, some critical decisions will be made. The Joint Budget Committee will be setting figures around March 11th. The state forecast of revenue will be coming in around March 17th. We'll know more about it. We passed a resolution as a board not too many weeks ago, urging the General Assembly to prior prioritize the funding stream for Universal Preschool. You know, I've, I'm not sure if that was just on deaf ears
or if there's other people in, in the state that are interested in this kind of, um, program and, and the funding for this kind of program. But one thing that I'll say, and it kind of goes back to what Mr. Dero said about, you know, governor Polis and how he started this process of UPK one would think that because Democrats control the State House and the governor's office, that funding UPK would be a priority. You know, public education is always touted by them as their priority, but it is only touted for a certain extent.
Then they walk back that commitment time and time again. So, as a board member, I, I understand the landscape you're working with and I applaud you for, for what the work that you're doing. But as a board member, I have to look at the whole picture. And for me, I, I just need a little more clarification. It may end up being that this is the only option we have, but I'd like to be able to say maybe there's additional revenue where an adjustment can be made either through whatever reserves we have, whatever reserves the state has, whatever action the legislature takes.
Those are things that are out of our control at the state level. But I just don't want to make commitments too early that we can't, that we can't fix, we can't get the genie back in the bottle. And so I hope you understand kind of where I'm coming from, more of a holistic, um, board viewpoint. Um, but I do appreciate your work and your efforts in this regard. Thank you, Madam President, Superintendent Kimsey. Thank you, Ms. Uh, director Tebow. I do wanna clarify one thing. The 3.44 million in reserves currently
that is earmarked for Universal Pre-School is earmarked specifically only for facility upgrades. So we're working on upgrading playgrounds, uh, putting rubber where there was the wood chips, um, making sure that everything is good for our, for our smallest babies. Uh, so that can only be used for facilities. Thank you. Superintendent Kizi, director De Niro. Thank you. Thank you for the report and the information. Um, couple things that I've
pondering about is we're going from 32 sites to 16. What would you estimate the number of students that it will affect? It would be 32 classrooms to 16 classrooms. How many students in a classroom do you think? Uh, 15 to 16. In some of our bigger classrooms, we could, uh, extend up to about 18 students. And that would only be in a couple of our schools that have the space and compliance. So Is that like a hundred students? 200 students you think? So In each building it would be on average
around 32 students in each building. So that's 15, 16 in the morning. 15, 16, Yeah. That's over a hundred maybe, maybe close to 200. Mm-hmm. Possibly. I, I guess my concern is that, you know, uh, preschool is kind of one of the most important developmental programs that, uh, a school district can have for education in educating the child to get 'em back on, uh, on a very good developmental start. Um, the other thing that I would mention is, I, I recall Mr.
Horner's two years ago saying that it's A-U-P-K-U-P-K process. We had no idea, uh, no one in the state had any idea how it was going to be funded, continued to be, have funds. And so here we are now at this point, getting more information about UPK and, and, um, the state funding. I would, I concur with Mr. Tebow in that I, I'd like to see, I we could Save some of the slots or some of the opportunities for students.
Uh, I know that you have thoroughly investigated pro, uh, regarding funding, but, you know, let's, let's take a hard look at how we can keep that. I would also agree with Mr. Dero. Um, we've had a very robust preschool program. It goes back all the way to the days of Dr. Kota, Carol Kota and the director of elementary. They, she really pushed to support, uh, preschool needs. And that's kind of dating me 'cause that's 30 or 40 years ago.
But, you know, in a lot of ways our District 60, we've been out on the forefront of things, uh, ahead of other districts. So, um, it's really, really discouraging to have or to hear this information regarding preschool. So, um, you know, if there's not, I know you all have scoured a lot of things, but maybe we could just scour a little bit more. Uh, we, we have quite a few, um, pre, pre-K instructors. Um, so
I'll, I'll just stop there. I just think it's, it's, it's a sad day for our preschool program. And I guess I'm not gonna stop there. You had mentioned Dr. Kimsey, that your hope and vision is to, is to move it forward. And how, how could we do that? First we have to stabilize financially. We are in dire straits. We really are. Um, and so we have to stabilize, we have to right size and then we can work on building things back up. Um, we're going to have to make some, you know, I know everybody is saying perhaps I'm not transparent.
I'm being very transparent. We are in a tough spot and we're gonna have to make some tough choices. Choices I don't want to make, but we have to do the best we can with what we've got. And we have sent this back. I know cabinet got annoyed with me 'cause I kept sending it back. I kept saying, no, there's gotta be a way. There's gotta be a way. And they even went and measured classrooms and walkthrough schools and all that kind of thing with the constraints that we have. This is the best we can do. And you have my word on that. I would not do this if we did not have to do this.
It breaks my heart. Other comments from the board? Well, thank you Ms. Ura. Um, Mr. Ro, Ms. Hans, superintendent Kimsey, we appreciate that information and that report. And we know this isn't the option that you would like to offer us, but we know you've done everything you can to determine that. So thank you so much. We appreciate it. Alright, We will now move on to, um, 11.0 approval of the consent agenda. May I have a motion please? I, yes. I need a motion for the, I'll, I'll pull, I'll pull the, I'll approve, uh, move that we approve the consent agenda items two through 11.
Thank you. Second, thank you so much. It's been moved, uh, uh, moved and seconded to approve the consent agenda. Is there any discussion, director de Niro? I have, I'm gonna try to find this because let's see, let me get back to my, I I don't wanna remove anything. I just want to ask a couple questions or make some statements about the consent agenda. Is that okay? Sounds great. Okay. I'm gonna, yeah, I'm, I need to open up something. Um, I, Um, one of the things I just want to discuss,
and there's two areas of, um, the consent agenda on the centennial, uh, project and the Capital Bonds project and the East Capital Bonds Project. Um, regarding the incomplete work, I know that there has been a, throughout the last two years, discussion on, um, the new facilities. I, I wanna just say this in public 'cause I'm pleased to announce that the Veterans Memorial wall, that has been an issue that has been coming, that has came up, uh, quite a bit.
So I'm just gonna read this, that the incomplete work includes the completion of the outdoor concession facility, completion of the veteran's memorial wall chemical storage space, ventilation, added classroom shelving and countertops, auditorium sound control room windows improvements, insulation of a new athletic equipment storage shed, procurement and insulation of a new scoreboard facility for the new JVC squad ball field and contractual additions including insurance contingency and contr, uh, contractor markup. Um, I've had many, many calls in the last two years
regarding those, those particular items. So I want to ensure, um, the community that, uh, those items at Centennial in the new facility are going to be completed. And now I'm gonna move on to East High School. If I can find east, And this is east high. The incomplete work includes the completion of the outdoor concession facility. Door locking and release systems coordination amongst classroom corridor. That was a concern. Access door, improving safety in the event of a lockdown,
added colored exchange zones at the new track facility. Added folding gates to restrict access to unmonitored school spaces, added auditorium control, room access, added athletic equipment, storage sheds, and change order markup continuously in insurance. Thank you for letting me announce that because those two communities, um, I think they have speed dial and uh, they have been very, very concerned about those items. And so those are going to be completed. Thank you very much. Thank you Director Dero.
Any other discussion about the consent agenda? Seeing none, would you please call the vote Ms. Patron? Mr. Cisneros? Aye. Dr. Dero? Aye. Judge Mayes Aye. Mrs. Pen, nuncio. Aye. Mr. Tibo? Aye. Alright, we're now on to 12.0 Action items. We have two items to take action on this evening. The first item is the expulsion of student number 1 5 8 9 9 6. May I have a motion please? Director DeNiro, I move that the educ Board of Education Expels student 1 5 8 9 9 6
for one calendar year pending review in 45 days as presented in the February 25th, 2025 board materials. Is there a second? I second. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, please call the vote. Ms. Patron. Mr. Cisneros? Aye. Dr. De Niro? Aye. Judge Mays Aye. Mrs. Pen, nuncio. Aye. Mr. Tepo? Aye. The final item we need to take action on this evening is the expulsion of student number 1 6 1 8 6 4.
May I have a motion please? I move that the Board of Education expels student 1 6 1 8 6 4 for one calendar year pending review in 45 days as presented in the February 25th, 2025 board materials. Is there a second? Second is there any discussion? Seeing none, please call the vote. Ms. Patron. Mr. Cisneros? Aye. Dr. De Aye. Judge Mays? Aye. Mrs. Pen? Aye. Mr. Tebo? Aye. We'll now finish the evening with 14.0 announcements and upcoming events.
There's quite a few, so bear with me. Oh, excuse me. Yes I did. Oh, that was, uh, is there any board discussion or recommendations for our next agenda from the board or Superintendent Kimey, director De Niro? Um, yes. Thank you very much. I I maybe in a work session it'd be appropriate. I'd like to have more of a discussion on the, um, just a minute. I'm, I'm looking at my notes. The amount of, of our fund balance,
I've heard quite a few different numbers on what we call a fund balance or reserves. So if we can get a better, um, or a presentation so that not only I can understand it better or the community can understand it better on what fund balance and reserves means how much we ha have to have by law, what are we using it for, and if there's, how appropriate it would be to utilize some of the fund balance for programs that
coming come around each year. You know, so you, you know, once you use use it, you lose it, you don't have it. So, um, if we spend a lot of funds on a particular, uh, program, how has it built up? So maybe we could have a little bit more, um, explanation, uh, on usage and the thank you for turning that off. The amount of fund balance. Thank you Director Tebow. Thank you. Um, well, um, director Dr. De Niro was talking, I was thinking about, um, a subject
that, that I brought up before that perhaps we could think about. Um, not necessarily soon, but at some point. And that is, um, our policies And since um, the new presidential administration has come out with so many different, uh, rulings, some of which have been upheld by courts, some of which haven't, and so on and so forth. I am suspecting that um, the Colorado Association of School Boards is gonna be coming out with
suggested policies that, um, that meet new laws basically. And I just think maybe at some point it might be an optimum time to, to set up a comfortable process so that we can engage the community and we engage the board in just kind of looking at all our policies in some fashion. I know when I spoke with CASB in December at our convention, they actually have a team that comes in and audits policies that the CASB organization has promulgated
and that districts have adopted. Um, there's just a lot of, um, fodder in these policies and I'm just, at some point I think we just kind of need to sit back and say, you know, how do we, how do we gravel with 900 or a thousand pages of policies that have been on the books for so many years? Um, some are inconsistent, some are really outdated, some need to be adjusted. Uh, I don't have the answer. Um, I'm just suggesting that maybe we talk about it at some point,
but I don't see it as an urgent matter, something we have to do right away because there's so much chaos and unpredictability and uncertainty right now. But, um, some plan has to be put in place at some point. Thank you. Thank you, director Tebow. Other comments from the board or suggestions for future agendas? Alright, thank you. So, we'll, we'll continue on with the announcements. First. On February 27th, 2025, there will be read Across America Celebrations at Minnequa Elementary at 8:30 AM Columbian Elementary at 10:00 AM
and Besser Academy from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM Next, there are six right sizing community discussions scheduled on March 3rd, 2025 from five 30 to 7:00 PM at Central High School Group. One will be meeting which includes Besser Academy, Colombian, Minnequa, heritage and Corwin on March 4th, 2025 from five 30 to 7:00 PM at East High School. Group two will meet which includes Hoff, Franklin, Belmont, and Heaton on March 10th, 2025 from five 30
to 7:00 PM at South High School, group three will meet, which includes South Park, Highland Park, and Beah Heights. On March 12th, 2025 from five 30 to 7:00 PM at South High School, group four will be meeting and this includes D 60 online. Dutch Clark Digital slash Paragon Goodnight, sunset Park and Pueblo Academy of Arts On March 17th, 2025 from five 30 to 7:00 PM at East High School, group five will meet which includes Rizzley, Bradford,
Parkview, fountain, and Baca. And on March 18th, 2025 from five 30 to 7:00 PM there will be a um, it will 7:00 PM at Centennial High School. Group six will meet, which will include Irving Netty s Free in Morton. Then on March 11th, 2025 at 5:30 PM there will be a school board meeting at the administrative service and services center right here in the Arapahoe room. The week of March 24th through 28th, 2025 is spring break on April 8th, 2025 at 2:00 PM there will be a special
school board meeting at the administrative services center here in the Arapahoe room. And last but not least, on April 22nd, 2025 at 5:30 PM there will be a school board meeting at the administrative services center here in the Arapahoe room. With that, if there's no further business, may I have a motion to adjourn? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Moved and seconded. To adjourn the meeting please call the vote. Ms. Petro, is there any discussion first please call the vote. Ms. Patron. Mr. Cisneros? Aye. Dr. De Niro? Aye.
Judge Mays Aye. Mrs. Pen? Aye. Mr. Tibo Aye, thanks so much for joining us this evening.