Okay, welcome everybody to uh tonight's meeting, our CAB meeting, community education advisory board.

We will start this meeting at 5 01.

Um welcome to all of our public.

And I've asked the first um agenda item is this is ceremony ceremonial matter.

I've asked Larry White to lead us.

Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Um we'll move on to uh first agenda item public comment.

Um do we have anybody who wants to get up for public comment?

Seeing nobody wanting to get up for public comment, we'll move on to item number two point one consideration of approval of the Thursday, November 20th, 25 Virgin Valley Community Education Advisory Board Meeting Minutes, and the Thursday, January 15th, 2026, Virgin Valley Community Education Advisory Board Meeting Agenda.

Um so we'll open this up to public comment for any of what to comment on that.

Seeing none, we'll do we need to motion for to close the public comment session.

Do we need to do that on 1.12?

Yeah, motion and a second.

Okay, so anybody want to make a motion to close public comment?

Okay, I'll second.

Motion and a second.

All in favor, aye.

Any opposed?

Seeing none, we will move on to discussion and possible action for the consent agenda.

Any discussion?

Anyone want to make a motion if there's no discussion?

The consent agenda, the uh approving the meeting minutes for November 20th, 2025 and tonight's agenda.

Just um so this is to approve the actual agenda.

Whoever wants to make it.

Okay, I'll um I'll make a motion to approve the uh consideration of the Thursday, November 20th, 2025 Virgin Valley Community Education Advisory Board minutes.

Do you want to approve the January 15th agenda?

Uh that's a great idea.

I will also approve the January 15th.

We have a motion.

Do we have a second?

All seconds.

Okay, thank you.

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Okay, perfect.

Motion passes.

Um, we'll move on to 3.1 principal's comments.

Um, we have two in attendance with uh we'll recognize um Mari Perkins as well.

Assistant superintendent, is that your what's your official title?

Associates School Associate Super.

I will remember that eventually.

So boy.

So like SAS SAS.

I like it.

So welcome.

Thank you, uh Matt Bennett for the record for how we help enter school.

Okay, Matt Bennett, principal of Virgin Valley Elementary School for the record.

So as I was saying, we have a uh math and science night tonight, parent engagement.

This goes from 5:30 to 7.

So if anybody's listening out in the public, please come on over and uh our theme is uh getting away from the abominable snowman.

So it's kind of like an escape room theme format.

So it should be fun.

Um I do have some information about also some many of the upcoming things that we're gonna do.

And since I'm first, I'll also read off the district has some uh days off coming up as well.

So just for your information.

So from the district calendar, of course, Monday is uh Dr.

Martin Luther King Junior Day, so there's no school, and the following Monday is staff development day, where our staff will be on campus, but there'll be no school for students.

And then on a more personal note for us, like I said, tonight is math and science night.

Uh next week we're already on the hundredth day, so we'll be doing some hundredth day celebrations next week, and I'll be dressing up like I look a hundred, even though most of the kids say I look a hundred every day.

So that's uh coming up next week.

I can't believe we're yeah, okay, all right, over there.

And then we move into uh the end of uh or the beginning of February, we have our PTO is gonna do a kickoff assembly for our annual walk-a-thon.

So our walk-a-thon will take place.

It's an online program where donations can be made online, so uh that will go all of the month of February, and we'll have our walk-a-thon on Friday um March 6th.

So it'll actually close probably like March 5th.

She'll have a little more than a month.

Uh so February 3rd to March 5th, and then March 5th also, that's reading week.

So on March 5th, we will have our next family engagement night from 5 30 to 7, and that's already or always literacy night or reading night, because it's reading week.

So reading week will be March 2nd through March 6th with the family engagement night that Thursday, March 5th.

Um, I missed a couple.

Oh, we have uh kindness week coming up, February 9th through the 13th.

Um, and then of course, our school will be uh celebrating Valentine's on Friday the 13th with our little parties, and then that goes into a long weekend for President's Day on February 16th, where there'll be no school, and the week before that we have what we call contingency days, so there's a random day off on Monday, February 9th, and unless it snows between here and then that's just a contingency day, it's just our random spring day off.

Um, and then we have spring pictures at our school on the 18th of February.

So if you have children in the school, uh spring pictures are always done only by paid pictures only.

So the only ones that'll be interrupting instructional time for are the kids that bring money for that one spring pictures, and that gets us through pretty much March.

Oh, uh Miss Good would get me if I didn't.

So the week after reading week is our school musical week.

Uh the school musical this year is Shrek.

We are the only the second school in Clark County in the state that's actually doing Shrek.

We thought we would be the first one, but Gilbert Academy.

It's a uh I want to say it's like a specialized elementary school in Las Vegas.

They're um I don't think they're a charter, but what do we like?

A MAG, thank you.

That's the word, and they're a fine arts school, so they actually put it on, and our children got to go down in December because they invited us, and so we had a little field trip for our cast to go down and watch their cast.

And so I don't know yet if she's worked it out to have them come up and watch our uh on on Monday, the 9th of March will be our dress rehearsal.

But we'll welcome them if they'd like to come out, and then we have the I believe the the night of the 10th, 11th, and 12th are traditionally the nights of Shrek, and um that way then Friday the 13th will be the last day before spring break, which will go from March 16th through March 20th, and that is our spring break for Clark County School District.

Classes resume on Monday, March 23rd.

And then if I could, I know I'm out of order, but um I just want to let you know um what we're planning right now.

We're probably planning on continuing with some monies for kindergarten and preschool initiatives.

Last year we asked for our C EB grant to help pay for kindergarten roundup, um, which was last year, and then um some testing.

We have a new KEA test that we give to all incoming kindergartners, so you paid for extra time for our teacher, our kindergarten teachers to come in three days early and test students for three days and get a lot of those 45 minute to an hour test done prior to having kids in the classroom, which was very helpful, and then we're planning on spending the rest of that for a summer program this year, um, a short kind of bridge program that we'll run a couple of weeks in June where we get our pre-K because we have pre-K on campus.

We'll get we have room for about 20 of those kids to come in and work with a kindergarten teacher to prepare them for kindergarten.

So that also goes along with our new superintendent's core four ideas.

Um Joan Ebert, our new superintendent, put the core four out, and um expanding pre-K programs in the in the district is one of her first initiatives, so that goes along with that.

So um, but we wrote our grant before that came out, so we're a little ahead of the game there.

So, but we're probably gonna lean towards doing something like that because I know on 4.1 it talked about possible grant fund ideas, and so we we may modify that a little bit, but I think we're gonna try to stay with that unless I get I have a lot of parent meetings.

We do have an SOT meeting next Thursday, so you're all invited to our SOT meeting.

And I've been talking to my leadership team and my SOT team about ideas for CIAB fund or grant funds.

So unless something else pops up, we'll probably stay in that direction.

Any questions for Virgin Valley?

This is a good night.

This is a good night.

All right, guys.

Well, thank you very much.

And if you don't mind, I'll just excuse myself at this time.

And you guys can send me emails or anything if you have any other questions.

Thank you so much for you.

Principal Wilson come up.

Um Jadale Wilson, Hughes Middle School.

Um a lot of great things happening at the middle school right now.

Uh, just for your information, enrollment wise, we're at 553 students today, um, which is about five more than we started the school year with.

We started at 548.

Um, we've dropped a little bit, we've added a few, but right now we're up about five from this first of the year.

Um, good news we're our chronic absenteeism is at 19%, which it's been a minute since we've been under 20%.

So um my Maria that's at my front desk, Mr.

Kazak have done an amazing job of uh promoting to parents.

If you're going to a doctor, bring us a note because that doesn't count against our our absenteeism.

Um making phone calls and getting with parents and just talking to them about the importance of being at school.

So two great things that way.

Um other celebrations on on December 6th.

Uh we sent five teams um to Los Vegas for a robotics tournament.

Um there were 34 teams present um at that meet.

Um so uh our my one group they won overall in team matches and programming.

Um so they took first place overall in the tournament, which qualified them for the state tournament that'll take place the end of February.

Uh, and then my another team um took second place overall in programming.

Um anyway, our school ended up first, fourth, fifth, and eighth.

Um so my four teams ended up in that.

So they've got another meet this Saturday that they're going down to that we hope we get some more uh students that are that qualify for that state competition.

Um, and then there's a couple of tournaments in February that they'll hit before the end of the year.

So we've got a lot of good opportunities for for our students to to qualify for that um with Mr.

Pace.

Um I held my principal's round table in December.

Uh that's where I guess I wasn't here on the last one.

I had games, so I've I've put a Google form out and just invited students to come and have lunch with me.

Um they signed up for it with the form.

I had the first group in November.

Um I bring them into my office.

We I have my office manager gets pizza.

Um, I learned a little bit about them.

We know where most of their names I know, but I ask them to tell me their names and how long they've lived in Mesquite and what famous person they'd have lunch with, and if they can't think of someone, they can go ahead and say me.

Um and then we talk about you know what are things that you really like that are going on at Hughes Middle School and what are things that we can do better.

Um, some of the things are simple to solve that we've solved already.

Um, others are taking a little bit more time to get done, but they've had some really good ideas and suggestions.

Um, you know, anywhere from suggestions to what we do on dress up days and doing a kind of a survey to see what type of things kids would want to do, uh, what ways we can promote more positivity within our school.

That's what one of the students brought up is how can we help each other be more positive, student to student, student to teacher, teacher to student.

Um one of them asked, I don't remember if I talked about this.

One of them asked, could you replace the filter in the drinking fountain in the gym foyer?

Um, which I didn't even know I had a drinking fountain in the gym foyer, but I absolutely we got it changed that day, and I followed up with the student.

They're like, it's water tastes great now.

So, you know, just little things like that, but it's it's a good opportunity, actually, it's a great opportunity for me.

Um, and I do that in my office for a couple reasons.

One, I want those students to know that my office is a place that they can come to if they need something.

Um, and then the other just a chance to give them some free food and just you know celebrate the the great things they're doing and and let them know they have a voice in what's going on at Hughes Middle School.

Um, so we'll continue those through throughout the rest of the year.

Um we've got our boys' basketball right now is a they're four and three on the season, they're tied for second place in our division.

Uh my girls' basketball team is one and six, but I just left the game.

It should, unless something catastrophic happened.

We should be two and six um after tonight because we were up 25 to 8 when I left.

So hopefully that uh that stayed um where it was.

We have um eight clubs right now that are functioning after school as well as after school tutoring from 215 to 3 o'clock Monday to Thursday that we have kids attending and and getting assistance on.

Um, as far as our CAP grant funds, just to give you an update on that.

Our um our game room is up and running.

I've got staff reserving the room.

We'll start in February with students for attendance incentives during our lunch times, bringing them in there.

Um, our robotics team, as I talked about, is helped pay for supplies that they've needed, tournament fees, and Mr.

Pace does a great job.

He'll go on Friday night before they leave and just get some snacks for them.

So during the day on Saturday, he's able to feed them and keep them going.

Um we in November and December, our hope squad in November, they had bracelets that they passed out to students.

In December, they bought um candy canes and attached notes to every single little candy cane that they handed out to students, which is a lot of notes.

Um they I had a whole herd of them standing at the front door handing those out as students came in of just notes of hope and happiness and joy.

Um we've used it for supplies for our cooking club, and then we have in calendar-wise, um February 13th.

Uh, we've we're doing a unified games with Lion Middle School.

So we're taking our self-contained students down to Lion Middle School.

Um, they're making t-shirts for all of them.

We'll spend some time in the gym with those students um playing basketball, um, playing some different games.

Um, we're taking some hope squad students with us to to be a part of that, be the cheering section for us, and then we'll have lunch with the Mac Lion students and then return uh back on that afternoon.

Um, February 19th is our elementary school visit where we'll have the fifth graders come on campus.

Uh, we'll have our electives um band uh orchestra and that um perform for them, and then it gives a chance for my APs and counselors.

Our time frame to get a master's schedule going is now, like we're starting already for next year's master's schedule, and so they need all of their elective requests in the computer yesterday.

Um, but we're we'll get them February 19th and then start working on getting what their elective requests are.

Um, but so we'll have them on campus, and then they usually go down to Hafen Park and have lunch and then um get themselves back to on a bus back to the school.

Um, and then the week of March 9th, we're we're doing a combined, we're gonna do a combined reading hope week.

Um, reading week is usually that first week of March, and then we were gonna do our hope week the second week, and just decided to combine it for to lessen the insanity of where the week before spring break and all of that.

But we have some great things planned.

Um, Hope Squad again is using some of our grant funds, they're bringing in uh a guest speaker from St.

George to speak to our students on Monday.

Um, they'll be doing in conjunction with our library some lunchtime activities throughout the week, be doing some different handouts, um, but just really promoting taking care of each other.

Um, and then once we get back from spring break, we're into um testing season um for us.

The other thing we have is we are doing volleyball this year.

Um, so I think we've talked a little bit about Clark County sponsors three sports or sanctions three sports in middle school.

We do flag football in the fall, we do basketball now, soccer in the spring.

They added cross-country and volleyball to um as an option for us, but we do not get any funding for that.

Um, so I have to fund from my budget any travel, uh, which cross-country was easy because they um they let me have two meets out here, and um our local guy that helps Don Rapley out, just came and timed it for us, didn't charge us anything, which in town they were paying 600 bucks for a timer.

And our local guy that helps Don Rapley out just came and timed it for us, didn't charge us anything, which in town they were paying 600 bucks for a timer.

Um so we had one trip into Vegas for that, and then for our district and and the district meets.

Um, and then for volleyball, we pay for officials, we're buying uniforms, we're buying all the equipment.

Um, so we're doing some things right now to help get a little bit of money for that.

Um, and then hopefully we're able to get that sanctioned over the in the next year or so so the district will pay for all of our transportation.

But we've got a ton of kids signing up for it for the different things there.

So other than that, I say uh things are going well at the middle school.

Um I just I've got a great staff.

You know, Mr.

Mr.

Perkins left the the cupboard well stocked for me.

Um just a great group of teachers.

Um, you know, support staff that are that are out talking to students and taking care of students and um if you ever want to come and hang out the best 30 minutes of my day, 7:30 to 8 o'clock in the morning at the front doors.

Um it's just uh they're smiling still then and happy to be there.

And some of them are a lot tougher than I am because none of them are wearing coats right now in the morning and they're in a shorts and t-shirts, and I'm bundled up with gloves and two jackets.

And but anyway, that's what's happened at the middle school.

So questions, concerns, issues.

All right, thank you.

But Principal Wilson, Patty has a question.

I've got two.

I um it was just curious.

Um, are you I it's so exciting about what's happening with the robotics.

Are you able to utilize anything at the Steam Center with the students and uh they have they haven't, no um so that's something that we can do for it?

Yeah, because they I mean they have a lot of setup there with the 3D machines and all kinds of stuff that that might maybe be an extra resource for some of the kids.

They're they're very specific on the robotics, what they what the competition is.

Last year it was it had to be able to pick up a ball and and throw the ball at a target.

This year it's they're not they're little cylinders with a top, and it's stacking those on top of each other.

Um so I know he he purchases his robots through um, I can't remember the company, it's not Lego.

So it's back it's yeah, sorry.

Yep.

No, my question was also on the on the same thread as as the robotics.

So you said state when and where uh it's the last Saturday in February in Las Vegas.

I don't have a location on it, but I can get that from Mr.

Pace and I'll let you know.

Are they hosting in a green again?

I'm not sure.

I'm sure he he probably told me, but I got nothing on that.

And then I last question for me, the Hope Week.

You said there's gonna be a guest speaker.

Are you keeping that under wraps?

Nope.

Who is that guest speaker?

It's Tia Stokes from St.

George.

Um, she just spoke at the at the elementary.

Um I my wife works at the elementary school and came home with rave reviews for it.

And then Lily Cortez is on my SOT team, and Lily told me that I needed to get her there.

And I've learned when Lily tells me I need to get someone there.

Um, so we've we've worked with them and and actually with Jerry Chasco and the and the Eureka, they're gonna help a little bit with with because we want to do two assemblies to be able to do it in the auditorium to keep it half of our student body instead of trying to do it in the gym, even though in talking to my wife, she is high energy and she will keep the students um attention, but we want to be able to do it in a little smaller group, you know, 260 kids and 270 kids instead of 550 in the gym.

Yeah, she will she does amazing.

So she will keep their attention.

Yep, we've already got her booked, so we're awesome.

So excited for it.

Okay, but just curious.

Yep, thank you.

Yep, no secrets, no secrets on that.

Then we got Principal Jenkins showed up, so we'll invite him up.

All right, I think I'll be short and sweet.

Chris Jenkins for Joseph Buller um showing up here.

I do apologize for being late.

Our late bus was late tonight.

So um just uh for us out of Joseph Buller, we um have been really working on our after-school event Wednesday or Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays.

We keep the kids till five, some of them working on our play.

So the last week in February, we would invite you out to come and see Dare to Dream.

Um this will be our 11th Disney musical in school that we've been able to host and put on.

So we're excited to have that out and be part of it in conjunction with that, of course, using the Mesquite funding um, which pays for our late bus mostly, um, is um a tutoring group.

So we have about 76 kids right now who are staying after and receiving extra instruction in literacy and math.

So we've been really plugging forward with them.

I think having a good time and and continuing on with that for us right now.

Um, of course, barring everything in December.

Um, we had a hope squad stuff and and getting ready for um so we had uh a winter sorry concert, lost that word for a minute, um, which was well attended and the kids did really well.

It's always fun at the elementary to see them shine, especially just before the holidays.

So we've been just getting back into it, getting things started.

We'll um of course be excited with events coming up with reading week, also that first week in March.

So if you kind of think of your calendar, the end of February, we have our play and musical for you to come out to, and then reading week is that next week.

Um, however, just before that next Wednesday, we have our science fair.

So if you would like to come out and um we have an evening event from 5 until 6:30 or 7, um, where the the kids, everyone in fourth and fifth grade at our school does a science project of some kind.

Um, and then we invite anyone else in the younger grades.

Every classroom in Kinder First and Second does a classroom science project to help them understand the process.

Third, usually we have groups of students four or five at a time, and then we also have some families who will put in a science fair um submission.

So that's always a good event that Wednesday night next week, if you'd like to come out and see some of those fun science things that the kids are doing.

Um we're always very anxious and have some great judges that come out and help us to look at those projects and make sure that they're on par and that the kids are learning the process of of inquiry mostly, making sure they understand the process of hypothesizing, coming up with uh a task and then putting it to challenge.

So those are kind of the things going forward for us up into spring break, other than getting kids ready for that all-important state testing that'll roll out there in the first of April.

So that's kind of it for me out there at JL Bowler, unless you have a question or two.

All right, thank you.

Thanks, Principal Jenkins.

Okay.

Did Mr.

Perkins want to get up or do you need to get up?

I definitely don't want to get up, but uh I do want to just put something on the uh the radar here.

We have uh the strategic plan for the school district uh under the direction of Superintendent Ebert.

Um to pass or coming to fruition.

They're creating it.

Uh there's a new chief strategy officer in the district, and uh anyway, they're holding um several sessions.

They just did a survey.

There were almost uh 50,000 uh responses, which is a great response.

Uh um, and they you know seeking input from the public and whatnot, and they kind of have the themes identified, uh, but they want to now put it back out to the public to have some conversation.

Uh they have seven sessions.

Um five of them are in person, they're all at uh large high schools in Las Vegas, but they do have uh a couple of virtual sessions.

One of those virtual sessions, and I was trying to find the date here.

It's I believe February um 5th at 6 o'clock.

Um it's a virtual session, but it will be held up at Virgin Valley High School with Dr.

Welsh.

Welsh, we'll be out here from the uh as far as I know, unless something changes, but they want to invite all the public to that session to come hear some of the components of this strategic plan and and then interact with those and uh have some input onto uh what it's gonna look like over the next several years in our district.

Um so that's uh February 5th at 6 at Virgin Valley High School, and then there's other dates, and you'll see those if anyone wants to attend an in-person uh session in some high schools in Las Vegas.

Um also we don't have specific dates, but sometime this spring they're gonna circle back around.

We've had some sessions out here uh pertaining to the facility master plan, uh, how they're gonna spend capital uh funds over the next five to ten years.

Um all indications at this point, unless there's a major influx of growth in uh our community.

I I don't think there's a lot of major changes uh on the horizon for facilities in Virgin Valley.

Um obviously there's a national trend of lower enrollments in schools, and it's because the birth rates are a lot lowered.

This is nationally uh a concern.

So, you know, we went through this boom where we built lots of schools, uh now we have uh we're not at capacity in a lot of those schools.

In fact, uh we're seeing a lot of our elementary schools uh with uh lowering enrollments, and you know that creates a problem.

You have low enrollment, you have these big facilities, you have a lot of staff to run the schools, and uh to be fiscally responsible.

You know, they've got to look at how how do they address those uh and they can do that through a facility master's plan.

Uh which doesn't just mean closing schools, it means upgrading, finding opportunities for innovation and a lot of exciting things happening.

But uh, they do want to come out to the rural community.

They've been out, I think at least twice.

Some of you been, I know I I saw a ben you there, and um they're gonna come out again and just to get you know further input at some point.

So when we have those dates, we'll pass those along to you.

But other than that, just heads up on that.

So any questions for me, and I'll sit down.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, we're good.

So don't need to do anything on that item.

We will just move on to item number 4.1 discussion and possible action on the upcoming fiscal year grant funding.

So we will open this up for public comment first.

Any public want to comment on this?

Okay, seeing nobody, we'll I'll ask for a motion that we close the public comment session.

Anyone want to make a motion?

I'll make a motion to close the session.

I'll second it.

Perfect.

Thank you.

Have a motion and a second.

Everybody all in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Okay.

So any discussion and possible action.

I I asked Marco to put this one on here because I know city is right in the midst of fiscal year budget.

Um fiscal year starts in July, ends in June.

And so I just wanted to just get kind of try to get ahead of this a little bit so we can have that discussion and just make sure we have any sort of presentation ready for if there is one.

Yeah.

So any comment amongst us on maybe anything.

Um is there any restrictions this year on the funding for the schools?

Like last year, you know, it came up and they were kind of arguing about what the funds were used for on that direction.

Um, do we have any direction on this year for the funds?

Um, there was a reason that that was because that it kept changing.

Um in all fairness to everybody, nobody knew what was happening from between the schools and between what was happening here at the council.

First, they had this money and then money was put in and asked for it, was approved, then it was changed.

So it did cost.

So I think um, if I can help in any way this year to be the liaison between both the school and get as much money as we possibly can for the kids.

So yeah, I was just thinking if we had guidelines ahead of time to make sure the principles happen.

I can check with I'll check.

We're in the middle of a we just we're hiring our brand new finance director.

So that's also happening.

Um so we'll be able we'll get you, we can get you some information.

Yeah, well, in fact, I think we just yeah, we just ratified him on Tuesday.

Yep.

Tuesday.

Okay.

I guess that will be very helpful to have that information before we really like that thought.

Okay.

check with i'll check we're in the middle of a we just we're hiring our brand new finance director so that's also happening um so we'll be able we'll get you we can get you some information yeah we in fact i think we just yeah we just ratified him on tuesday yep tuesday okay i guess that will be very helpful to have that information before we really I like that thought okay yeah I'll work with you as well Patty on that so we'll figure that out and we might just put this one on we'll still close it um any anybody have any thoughts and then the worst that city council can say is no so anybody anybody have any thoughts on this on maybe some guidelines that they might want to give or what they'd like to see from the schools as they ask for this I would just like to see the city come up if they have because last year was a fiasco you know to get things done and nobody knew what they wanted and then they council members changed their mind on things and it'd be nice to have a hard set of rules it's not fair to the principals to spend a lot of work on their proposal and then come to find out that no they're not gonna agree to that or whatever so just if Patty can find out and get some hard set rules on what they what what they have in mind I think they'll all uh you know it didn't matter what it is just let them know I will say imagine the balance is gonna be about the same how much the schools get and I know some of you all were really good at moving money around case stuff stayed within the budget but gave different schools um a little more a little less so um we'll see if there's more money or if it's the same and then go from there so okay any further discussion on this one I do like the idea of that clear set of guidelines because it was it was an interesting time last year around this this funding so I but I do appreciate the city being willing to to keep that open and and work with us on that so it's a good it's a good relationship so anybody else have anything on that one okay we will move on before we oh sorry do we want to make a motion to cancel guidelines okay yeah yeah good idea so the action would be to get guidelines I make a motion that uh we asked the city to provide strict right guidelines uh for the principals to drop their request for money and get that as soon as possible so they have a chance to uh get it done in only one time this year and within those guidelines would you suggest a dollar amount that the city council kind of oh yeah that would be part of the guidelines that that so much money and like in the past if if one school needs a little more than the other ones usually they can work that out but I think a a gross amount of 75 thousand 80 whatever it is 50 right no there's more than that I think there's 70 isn't it was 60 yeah anyway I think that's where you guys won't move the day whatever so that the uh so that these guys know they can get together and divvy it up how they need it because they're pretty good about doing that they are okay so we have a motion all second we have a motion and a second all in favor aye any opposed so we will move on to 5.1 any board member comments or reports and once we have those we'll actually give Jeff some time after the initial comments the reports um so Nicky Matter Mesquite Works Steam Center um just let you know um we tallied how many people we had through the steam center last year and we had over six thousand people visit the steam center in 2025 so that's great um our membership is over 1200 so that's good we offered let me see how many hours of course I didn't bring any um so educational hours we offered was 15372 so um so we keep growing we're up to 10 volunteers we have a drone tournament on February 21st that we're hosting and our drone teams go to competition in Vegas on February 7th so or some big upcoming stuff but if anybody wants to volunteer for the drone competition on the 21st always looking for volunteers is that at the Steam Center.

Are you guys gonna take that room over?

That's been the discussion.

Um we're discussing whether we're gonna take over the space next in to Juniper Outpost because that's the space directly next to us, and we can't expand the other direction in the 4-H, so um we have to keep it under 10,000 so we don't have to put a sprinkler system in, but we can do that with taking over Juniper, but they're still going back and forth because then we is revenue coming in to help support us, and so that's but that would be the easiest way to um solve some of our overcrowding problem that we have occasionally.

So you're welcome.

I just want to say that uh spring sports have kind of begun their workouts, not officially.

I think uh the I think it's the fourth or the sixth is the first day of practice, February.

Um our first track meet is in Las Vegas, and it is on the 28th of February, and we have a full lineup.

We have some good returning people that placed at state last year, and uh hopefully we'll get more people out, but uh we're looking forward to this year.

Thank you.

Anyone else?

Okay, I I talked with Jeff right before the meeting and wanted him to kind of Nikki kind of took the opportunity to introduce herself last meeting.

It was last meeting, right?

Is it just last meeting?

Yeah, um, and we'll give Jeff just a brief opportunity to kind of introduce himself just so that everybody on the board and everybody watching it in the public kind of has an idea of who he is.

Okay, thank you.

Again, my name is Jeff Fritz.

Uh my wife, Veronica and I, who's in the practical back of the room, moved here about a year and a half ago from Illinois.

Um back in Illinois.

I had I spent over four decades in public safety or as representative public service.

My last or I spent 32 years of 32 years of law enforcement, my last two years as chief of police.

I then went on and served as the deputy director of the all-way law enforcement training and standards board executive institute, which provides research and training for sergeants through chiefs of police throughout the state.

I also spent 10 years in municipal government.

Um four years as mayor and six years as alter person uh for a central Illinois city of about 15,000 population.

So I'm hoping I can transfer a lot of that stuff here to Musquete and my new chapter and look forward to serving this board and working with everybody on this board.

And with that being said, I also like to mention that if the principals aren't opposed to it, I'd really like to send out an email next couple weeks just to kind of come in for a couple minutes to introduce myself to each of you.

And uh I know I've met uh principal Jenkins before, but uh if you guys don't mind, I'd like to just get an idea of what your conservative needs are and get to know me a little bit.

So thank you.

Awesome, thank you so much.

Okay, did that bring up any other thoughts for comments?

Okay, we will move on to item number six one public comment, closing public comment.

Okay, seeing none.

We don't make a motion on that one, do we?

Okay, we will move on to 7.1, which is the adjournment at 544.

Thank you.