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to 2: p.m. at Stop and Shop on Broad Street the Key Club we'll also once again be hosting the Garden State the quality free Zoom Workshop titled identities and intersectionality and intersectionality on March 20th I'm sorry on March 20th at 700 p.m.

from Clon Commons location tickets are going to be $12 and they can be purchased in advance from Miss pooi or cast member or at the door cash only I hope to see you there our fun night and um here the cool kids is going to be attending our second workshop at Bergen Community College tomorrow um we this is our second word jop we have one word for the year and this is just where we learn about um what's going to be happening and how we can get ready for our meetings when we go down to the middle schools so that's going to be tomorrow and we're all looking forward to learning more things and and lastly just to save the date for our Junior semi-formal dance or Junior Prom which will be held on Thursday May 2nd at the Grand in TOA ticket s information will be available soon from Anderson so that's it for um our Sports and Club announcements um thank you very much and have a good night everybody thank you Jada for keeping us up to date uh next we'll have a presentation on our an audit presentation by Mr Paul Lurch of lurch Vincy and Higgins I'm not sure if you're G to be able to do this but can you just keep that little window there just make sure that that stays open do you need the computer no I don't okay awesome I'm good yeah thank you uh thank you and good evening everyone um as indicated I'm Paul Lurch from Lurch Vincy in Bliss um I'm here to present the audit results um from the June 23 audit that we performed on the Clifton Board of Education um I'm going to give a brief overview and kind of talk about some items that I need to make sure that I communicate to the board um obviously we prepared the audit report um couple housekeeping items um we had no significant accounting policy changes we had no unusual transactions during the year um we had no significant audit adjustments um we did not have any disagreements with management as we went through the audit process um we didn't encounter any difficult uh items as we performed the audit uh the design of the internal control system uh was adequate and we did not identify any deficiencies in that control system or the design um we'll talk a little bit about this at the end but we had no instances of fraud no instances of illegal Acts we had three audit comments that we did want to talk about and I guess I could talk about those right now before I before I continue um so for the board members there's two reports we have the larger report which is the comprehensive annual financial report and then we have the smaller one which is the administrative report and that really the format is dictated by the Department of Education from the state of New Jersey but the three comments that we have um the first one deals with the proper classification of recording accounts payable and incumbrances without getting too technical about it the the accounts payable classification on the balance sheet um identifies goods and services that were ordered and delivered that's the key and delivered um an encumbrance is a contract that you award but yet it hasn't been performed or delivered a prime example of that would be the contract with L spiny and and and Bliss so the uh the board Awards a contract with with our firm but we're not here doing any audit until after the year end so that's an incumbrance what we had because of the the volume of what's going on obviously with the referendum you have $168 million referendum it's very active right now um so what we do is we look at the end of the year and we look for proper classification um on the material ones so we had two vendors that we pulled um and they were misclassified they were classified as incumbrances they should have been classified as accounts payable because what we'll do is we'll then take the certifications from the architect and the architect will identify when the work was performed so what we did is we we corrected the reporting um and an incumbrance is really just a reservation of equity and accounts payable would mean it would actually be an expense in your financial statements okay so that's been adjusted but again I think I think what I want to point out with that is that although we did report on it because it was material in our mind based on our evaluation but when you look at the volume of transactions and the volume of the 168 million doll that's currently being uh improved upon at the district it's really kind of a small number in that sense um so uh and I will Circle back with what I think on how the whole accounting and a financial um office is handling uh itself in the current process but um the next item deals with um Believe It or Not accounts payable again but in a different respect so um when we come in to do the audit we're obviously looking at transactions throughout the year we're going to audit the financi statements uh the activity the revenues and expenses um and as well as the balance sheet itself so the accounts payable is a balance sheet item as I just indicated uh but when we were looking at the detail compared to what's sitting in the general ledger or what's on your financial statement your board secretaries report that you get that the detail didn't back up to what was sitting as the payables on the financial statement and the reason is and it did it didn't back it up in the general fund and special Revenue fund and the reason is because those those differences were for prior payables that were not yet liquidated so when we looked at the balances we needed to see the support and not all of it was supported because some of those accounts payables that are sitting on your board secretaries or your financial report pertain to Prior year payables and the system itself we were unable to I guess the board was UN the business office was unable to access that through the system I know they're working on that and I think that that's probably been resolved already um to make sure that you know when we have a listing we need not only the current year but we need everything that supports the validity of that balance as it's presented on the balance sheet um it's it's you know again it Rose to the level here because I had it in both funds that's why it's sitting as a as a comment and a recommendation which requires a corrective action plan and the final item deals with budget versus actual on your special Revenue fund which are really the recording of the grants and it was really where we looked at what the budget was compared to the actual expenditures on the preschool grant for the most part so the preschool Grant although and the key here is that when I look at these grants and we'll talk a little bit more about that uh the important thing are they allowable expenses right so when we tested those grants we didn't have any issues we didn't find any unallowable charges to the grants that's key what we did do those when we looked at it you have a budget you anticipate to spend on a grant by the various line items that are in the chart of accounts and then when you spend it if you overspend that budget you need to do transfers just like you would do and you see it every month pretty much for the most part in your general operating fund so we need to make sure the Board needs to make sure that not only are we looking at the general operating fund but we're looking at the grants and a special Revenue fund on a monthly basis to make sure that we're not overexp sping the allotted budget so that was more of a procedural item um but I think overall well you know my assessment is overall at the business office has run very well and I think that the board should be very comfortable knowing that the size of the district right when we talk about you know the the volume it's got over a $200 million budget we have over $100 million in special Revenue fund now you're spending another 168 million in a referendum so to come out of here and only have these three items none of them Rose to the level where they are significant it could even be materially significant that's another level none of them Rose to that level they just appeared in your AMR and I think they just need to be re you know addressed and I'm sure that the board office is addressing that as we go forward so I feel comfortable with the financials and I feel comfortable with the accounting office and the finance office um so what else did I want to say I wanted to just tell you that of course we are independent to the board you know and I think that's something that sometimes we I kind of forget about and letting everybody know that we don't work for the board office itself we work for the Board of Education right and I think that's important sometimes I I I forget to communicate that that um to let you know that and to let you know that of course we are independent um the audit opinions we have three audit opinions as I indicated they're all clean they're unmodified so we have our overarching audit opinion on the financial statements um obviously clean we have another audit opinion on the governmental auditing standards okay and that's on internal controls and compliance uh we have no comments nothing that Rose to the level even though we have three comments in here some of those could have risen to the level of being reported in those opinions none of them did and the last thing we had to do is we had to do um what I'll identify as a single audit single a is just terminology that's used by the accounting uh group uh body that established it and really what it means is that if you get or expend more than $750,000 in either f federal or state monies you need to then do additional testing on those grants and for some reason they called it a single audit I don't know why um because it's not one audit um so and of course with the size of the community that we're in and I'll just give you a little bit of perspective that's how big we are here um so the state of New Jersey you had over $124 million of expenditures that were funded through the state of New Jersey so of course course then that triggered again us going in and looking what we identify as major programs and that's risk based we try to mix it up from year to year but it's risk-based we look at the big programs those are the ones you have to identify uh and then we go into specific audit programs that that are are given to us by the state of New Jersey which basically tells us what we have to test and really generically what it's all about um it's really all about allowable cost it's the most important and there's effort matching and there's other items and Reporting uh but really the most important issue is is really allowability um of those expenditures so we did test General state aid we had nothing to report Federal side we had over $20 million of money that came through the district that the board expended from federal agencies uh again this is still the residual of the uh um Corona virus the pandemic money's coming through the Essa program money's coming through the art program um so this is still part of the residual um so we did test those programs because those are considered high resk high risk by the federal government and we have to test those um we had nothing to report any deficiencies or any issues uh with regards to those tests the last thing I guess I want to talk about is a little bit about new this year what's new in the accounting World for for Board of educations is we now have to record uh under Gap asby 96 which is subscription based leases so now what's happening is is what was new last year was just leases that we normally would identify as operating leases if their material had to be recorded now it's based on on technology Information Systems so it's it it's it's almost like intellectual property in a sense that if the Board of Education leases this type of of of property now what's happening is that we need to go through and analyze and if it's material to the financials we have to capitalize it as a right to use this asset so if you lease something for 5 years you have a right to use it there's a value attached to it um and then there's lease payments and then there's an imputed interest component to it so now what we're doing is that we're recording the asset right to use and we're recording a leas liability now or a liability right to use that asset um we evaluated it with the district we we started this over 6 months ago um went through the process um we didn't have anything that was material one thing I want to know because you may be thinking well there's so much of it but as long as it's one year or less there's no requirement to report on it so it's when you have multiple year contracts that's when the requirement kicks in when materiality for your district is quite large so um that's just one of the nuances that's the latest thing um that I do want to talk about um I don't unless you want me to cover Surplus at all that's up to you otherwise um I'm here for questions thanks Pa thank you thank you Mr lur any questions from the board president I um you mentioned the the subscription based leases are you referring to cars and building leases like what what does that cover under you know it it's it's it's going to cover stuff that would be um for an example it would be say the accounting software right if you the accounting software that the district's using so if that lease is multiple year and the combination of all of those payments over the a fiveyear call it a 5year period um that's the type of item that would be intellectual property or uh Information Technology um when you're going through the process of using um um what was I going to say the um curriculum I guess that's what I was looking for the word so if you're doing now curriculum and curriculum now is being leased on a multi-year basis as opposed to to the old book version that could fall into that as well um so it could be any of the student data collection stuff that that that that you're handling or anything that is really of that nature so if the subscription model is like a per user per month or or for the year that's okay but just when you sign a multi-year agreement that's when it falls into this category it does because what happens is if you're doing only a 12-month period um then we're we're we're saying it's going to be extinguished within that period of time uh but if it's multiple years then there's an asset and a liability value that we need to determine and we need to put on the books and it gets even more complicated because all of these leases there there there's really not going to be any interest rates identified in these leases so then what we have to do is we have to come up with the computed interest rate and what we've been doing there is we've been taking the treasury rates based upon the the date that the lease was entered into and then we develop and come up with an actual interest component C based on the imputed interest rate so it it you know it can get really can get really crazy I've had a couple that have gotten really crazy but that's that's the latest and greatest on it anyone else anyone else have a question Dr Danny uh yes you mentioned that the federal government sees the Esser as a high risk can you just explain like to the public what that means is the high risk yeah so they what what the federal government has identified is that the Esser Corona virus oper money that's going flowing through that Federal agency has identified that as a high risk and really what that means is that that's something from an auditing perspective that we need to put on our radar and we need to make sure that we're testing as opposed to just using pure judgment so typically what would happen is with the federal grants we would go through our process we would then determine based upon our valuation is that program a high-risk program or a low-risk program lowrisk we can we cannot test then we'll look and we'll pick some other programs that maybe are highrisk and that is really determined by a lot of factors have we audited in the past two years what were the results of those Audits and this is just something that kind of preempts all of that and the federal government identifies that these funds are considered high risk for the audit firms so you know that you need to focus on it okay anyone else yes when you decide to uh look at the vendor list and the vendor bills how do you pick and choose which ones you're going to go in and dig on in on I'm just curious that's a good question you know it's so it's it's really twofold them what we do is um of course and I keep talking about materiality right so we come up and we determine by each fund what the materiality number is and then and then we look at it for that fund and then we determine a transactional materiality um so if the fund has a materiality of x uh then we'll multiply that by certain Factor divide it by a certain Factor come up with a transactional mat reality and then what we'll do and it depends on our evaluation right everything's risk-based in my business and so what we'll do is we'll determine do we know the client do was there a turnover in the client has the client been um an issue in certain areas year after year after year all of these factors kind of determine as to what the risk-based approach is but we're always going to look at Material numbers but maybe the material number that we look at is going to be a little bit higher versus a client that is brand new and as a high-risk component in a particular area so we'll do that to satisfy ourselves of the large dollar values and then of course what we do is we go the old fash we do a computer random selection and then we have the computer generate a a random selection of expenditures and we'll do that across all the funds and we're trying to get we're trying to get a reasonable population and then of course what happens then is as we go through that process if we're going through the testing and then we discover that we have some kind of an error for whatever reason um then we have to expand those numbers so so it's kind of it's fluid in that sense but that's how we start the process okay thank you anyone else okay thank you Mr Lurch thank you thanks for having us um we do appreciate serving the Clifton Board of Education so you should know that um you and congratulations to the business office for an excellent audit yes good night everyone good night okay next we we're going to we're going to recognize our student of the month award winners we'll start with uh freshman Melissa G Mr rack I believe thank you Mr President freshman student of the month Melissa G Melissa G A motivated ninth grade student at Clifton High School has found a particular interest in biology this year Mr Weiss mantle her chorus teacher holds a title of the most influent influential teacher in Melissa's eyes also a fellow magic to Gathering player Melissa's greatest in Inspiration is her kind-hearted and hardworking mom who tirelessly Works to provide her and her sister with the best opportunities for their future actively involved in extracurricular activities Melissa participates in soccer chorus the musical the regional choir and has plans to join flag football and track in the spring her success in high school is evident through maintaining good grades in honor class honors classes looking forward Melissa is considering various academic programs that Clifton High School offers such as the Bergen program pccc programms and MSU program she is Keen on exploring these OPP opportunities to find the best fit for her academic and personal growth congratulations [Applause] Melissa do you want me to take a picture with your phone I'll do yours first and then mine we go there you go and I'll do mine okay do okay here we go three two one thank you congratulations seen next up we have our sophomore student of the month Nikita shokin Nikita a 10th grade student at Clifton High School has known strong passion for drama making his it his favorite subject nitika acknowledges the influence of several teachers with M Miss POI being particularly impactful in shaping his love for acting actively involved in drama related clubs and events Nikita has contributed various Productions displaying a commitment to the Performing Arts he plans to continue his involvement in drama until graduation and aspires to become vpan in terms of academic Pursuits Nikita is currently part of the computer science academy and expresses the interest in exploring additional programs offered by Clifton High School indicating a potential consideration for future enrollment [Applause] congratulations Mr Kenova a little that way there there we go no you're you're good you're good three two one one more two one thank you congratulations so now our Junior student in the month is famed afab as an 11th grade student at clion high school he has a keen interest in history considering it his favorite subject Mr Alvarado his 10th grade Spanish teacher and JV volleyball coach stands out as the most influential teacher um Beyond volleyball Mr Alvarado pushed valuable advice on college majors and real world decisionmaking impacting fim's perspective on education and life for him's draw inspiration from his hardworking and kind mother instilling in him a strong work ethic and commitment to be to building meaningful considerations connections with others actively involved in extracurricular activities such as Key Club he now serves as the vice president and as the Web Master of the Muslim Student Association he's faced the challenge of adapting to honors and AP courses in his sophomore junior year learning valuable skills like time management and critical thinking looking ahead he aspires to work as a software engineer or as a developer for a major tech company [Applause] congratulations of course thank you sir right you can just take on the okay there we go that's one there we go I don't know if I'm getting this which one this is not go I think I got it and last one there we go excellent thank you I I don't know if I hit the right button I hit those is that okay good evening I have the honor of presenting the senior student of the month Veronica tros Veronica tros is a dedicated 12th grade student at Clifton High School has a profound passion for science particularly biology anatomy and physiology and surgery Miss Dana quaza and Miss Francine Mortor a WRA Wilson High School provided early guidance and imparted valuable life lessons Mrs Effie Kelo at CHS not only taught Veronica but also informed her of her transformative opportunities enabling her to graduate with an associates degree from Bergen Community College Miss Erica alberg Nady Veronica's sophomore human behavior teacher continues to be a source of advice and wisdom Veronica has been a member of the varsity swim team junior varsity cheerleading team and actively involved in the Clifton's ke Key Club she is also a part of the National Academy for future Physicians and medical scientists and has joined the early college program graduating with an associates degree through Ru dual enrollment classes looking ahead Veronica aspires to become a general surgeon and will continue her education at Sean Hall University majoring in biology the certificate of achievement recognizes Veronica tros on behalf of the clipton Board of Education senior student of the month is Veronica here oh well we'll get this to her definely studying she's she's definitely studying congratulations Veronica we'll make sure that she gets this congratulations to you and to your [Applause] family she okay that's uh Miss regosa has a um presentation pbsis award hello good evening everyone Hi hi thank you again for the honor of um allowing us to the space to really uh highlight our folks in our district who are helping us drive the PBS framework I'm going to ceue up um it's not escaping it's not escaping but so tonight we are uh thank you are showcasing Mr Eddie Figaroa who is a sub custodian in our district unfortunately he could not make it tonight he sent his um sincerest uh apologies he had a previous commitment that he couldn't get out of but he was was super excited about this uh this amazing um effort that his team put together in a moment you'll see a video uh from school one so he goes around to our different uh schools helping us out in the custodian world and what's happened is our pbsis framework has now connected with our custodian Department thanks to their fearless leader um Mr Shan and we are working towards being respectful kind and um having the the our students understand that their schools are an extension of their home right it's it's we're all one Clifton so whether it's cleaning up after themselves or keeping their desks clean or their lockers clean our our custodians are now taking it the district uh wide ticket that goes from school to school and they're recognizing students for things that that are are really keeping their buildings clean and um safe so most recently Mr Eddie figuro um gave one of these tickets to one of the students and then um ended up winning the raffle for that building because that students ticket was picked his wife Don who also works at the high school as our as one of our sub secretaries um approached us and said how much it meant to Mr figeroa to win that um that raffle not only because of the chocolates that you'll see in a moment that he got to enjoy but because of what it meant to him he really believes that our one Clifton Community is solid and so you'll see in a moment why not only because of his Essence and his personality but because of what we do in our districts to make this all happen let's check it out and you'll see why a little bit more Mr Eddie where do I even begin so Mr Eddie is one of the best custodians I ever work with in my whole entire life our model here at school one is together we sore as one and possible thanks to the fabulousness but it's not just the fact that he is OCD with cleaning that I love because he cleans this building spotless he is one of the most kind and generous humans I have ever worked with we love having Mr Eddie here he's the reason why this year has been successful because of his hard work and dedication not just to the staff in the building but to our students as well what makes Mr Eddie so so perfect is the energy that he brings into this building he is always willing to jump in and help take a PR of the face be supportive in any way that is needed in this building he's kind he's compassionate he's hardworking he's a pug dad that makes him even better you want to talk about a soaring energy Mr Eddie creates an environment in this building that is loving supportive caring every kid knows who he is he is safe openminded ambicious and always respectful is a friendly face that reassures them and greets them every day he exemplifies everything that we stand for at school number one he says hello to everyone from staff to students to parents and he really really compliments the beautiful environment that we have here at school one we need more Mr Edie than this Mr Eddie thank you we appreciate you this recognition is well deserved and we look forward to many more opportunities working with such a wonderful man so God bless Mr Eddie and thank you for everything that you [Music] do [Music] the because one the [Music] best Edie is and you work really hard with a SW on your face and and thank you for your service is the best he so friendly and so kind to everyone in SCH thank Mr Eddie for being to school and making go all thank you Mr Eddie Mr Eddie thank you [Music] man have a hard goal and he works great with the kids and staff we love having it's been a pleasure to work with you honor to meet you and definitely hard worker and very attentive to everybodys here at school [Music] Mr Eddie why is important to build a relationship with students show kindness to them first and for they our future I feel we started started off young I had good positive Ro models when I was small you I'm talking about my Alma School gr say teachers the staff I looked up to them I had a police officers so it was just something inin in me you know my parents always me respect others in the same way I give you respect not that I look forward you know to get it back but it's just something that's in me I feel you know doesn't matter what age respect is respect it starts from youngest all the way to I get and just feel like they're our future and what I see in them who knows maybe later on they'll see me and I've gotten that been as an in the police department I've always work with kids great and they're awesome you know hey we're doesn't matter that's iisten learn from how do you feel about after being recognized with a prize after the last pet rally at school one that was real that was ecstatic I actually thought I first I was getting set up past of pie but it was fun it was worth it to see their their expression they chanting group Point here but it's good I mean I guess it goes back to the first question you asked me they recognize every time I see him in the hallway how you hold partner and and I was Fred my neighborhood and that's how I always TR to kids I my kids no different you know and I notic that came for and I just get a kick out of that to me I was happy ecstatic um the chocolate was good I was able to eat two pieces my better half and my kids got a hold of it but it was fun it was great I like I said I don't do it for ACC and I don't do I just their their expression means more to me than an actual physical so you see why he was nominated right um thank you so much for this opportunity um I will give his certificate um to Sean who will make sure that he receives it thank you so much for your [Applause] time congratulations to Mr Eddie and the best award I think for all the students and their support of him it's wonderful um next we're going to do our distinguished employees of the month award we're going to start with the district award yes thank you I have the pleasure thank you of um honoring Kevin nus Pickle warehouse manager Mr nus Pickle is the district warehouse manager he oversees daily operations while controlling and managing inventory and Logistics Mr Kevin does anything you ask him to do and he gets it done without asking he is a step ahead in making the building comfortable and safe to work in he wears many hats in the building and never complains positive attitude always smiling he goes above and beyond in keeping School six in great shape inside the building and out thank you Mr nus Pickle sure Kevin okay right here we go thank [Applause] you me yes I have the honor of presenting this award to Carmen Pagan 10-month secretary at the elementary level Miss Pagan is currently serving her 22nd year as 10mon secretary in school 12 Annex she is a tremendous individual with a heart of gold Miss Pagan genuinely loves working at school 12 and works diligently and effectively on all assigned tasks she wel welcomes all guests students parents into the building with a warm smile and charm and her unique Persona makes everyone feel at home she sets a positive tone and a collegial environment in supporting staff and students Miss Pagan is conscientious and thorough in her responsibilities this month she's been training a new secretary while balancing her duties in both school buildings she is sensitive to the needs of all students and is known known as being nurturing and helpful in all situations she is a ray of sunshine who brightens the lives of all who meet [Applause] her [Applause] we'll do a picture with the school 12 people do one and then we'll bring you guys up yes please come okay it'll be all online yeah Rose you want me to take one with your phone too yeah who's I'm going to take one right after you okay no who's watching the school all right wow three two one and don't I'm not gonna move don't move don't one more I'll take all right all right congratulations I am honored to recognize Kimberly D Stefano language arts coach of the Middle School level Mrs D Stefano is the language arts coach at the Christopher Columbus Middle school she is a giving person she gives of her knowledge expertise and her time she is able and willing to help any teacher who needs it be it in the language arts department or other Mrs D Stefano plans and coordinates literacy nights for both middle school as well as professional development time for the language arts department she is positive and will come into check on teachers whenever she is in the building as the dance coach she is also a positive face for students she goes above and beyond to help her fellow co-workers each day Mrs Deano always has a smile and spreads positivity Wherever She [Applause] Goes all right here we go do you want sure do you want me to take it with one with that why I always smile when I'm taking the picture like awesome I just wanted to say really really quick thing so um good evening everyone I'd like to to first and foremost thank the board for the special award I really feel honored especially in a district when we have so many deserving individuals because it's a really big District so thank you so much um I'd like to thank my amazing and supportive supervisor Dr kinak because she's always there by my side helping me out my administration at CCMS and woodro who literally work side by side with us every day through all the challenges through all the good times and they celebrate just as hard with us for our successes um very importantly all the teachers I work with who are absolutely incredible collaborate and grow and learn from them every day so they truly make my job like I'm the luckiest person ever so thank you so much and my family of course who always supporting me here and at home so thank [Applause] you high school level Courtney Terry sack counselor Miss Terry is the Clifton High School student assistance counselor also known as the sack counselor Miss Terry focuses on assisting students who suffer from substance abuse Mental Health social and family issues she consistently goes above and beyond for her students during their times of Crisis she is there for a listening ear and a watchful eye to ensure that students are safe and healthy she works with all of the students families to find ways to help them and make sure that all their needs are being met Miss Terry is always there for any person who may be in distress with a listening ear with a listening ear and a smile on her face Clifton Public Schools High School distinguished Employee of the Month February 2024 presented to Courtney Terry for outstanding service dedication and commitment to the clickin public schools [Applause] we mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy three three two one thank [Music] [Applause] you congratulations to our our all of our employees of the month um I have the honor of recognizing the captain of the ship at the Boys and Girls Club of Clifton for the past let me get this right 43 years [Applause] wow on a on a personal note the Boys and Girls Club has a very special place in my heart as a Young Man growing up down the block from the club I was involved in a lot of a lot of activities it was it was my entire world from second grade till about high school when the high school band got a hold of me and basically I had no time sorry for the club but between I I I had uh the former mayor uh Zer was at the time a member of the Optimus club and they had oratorical contest uh and they coached some of us boys and I had the honor of of his tutelage learning how to do some public speaking which has carried me through the rest of my life also working at at Camp um I was also a member of the boys Glee Club at the time so there's so many life skills I learned and so much I really owe to the club and to this great man who has really steered it for us for the last 43 years and there been such an uh a wonderful advantage to our students in Clifton with your programs you you've touched many households and many people and I'd like to recognize and resolve that the Board of Education recognizes Mr Robert Foster executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Clifton on his retirement Mr Foster has been employed with the boys and girls club for 43 years we applaud Mr Foster for his dedication service to the staff community and students of Clifton the board congratulates and sends him the best wishes on his retirement it is with sincere appreciation that we present to Robert Foster executive director of the Clifton Boys and Girls Club your unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions have significantly enriched the Clifton Public School District your commitment to our youth's growth and success is a legacy that will resonate for Generations thank you for making a difference [Applause] [Laughter] okay on hey how are you how are you good catch bound to happen is having three tonight Jimmy I'm always ready good hands good hands didn't have those hands when you played football I guarantee you that all right that's great perfect there we go three two one awesome congratulations you know what I mean like a SL I don't know why they didn't put a little slope was good that concludes our uh award presentations for the evening so and I see most of you are taking advantage of this opportunity to leave us so please feel please feel please feel free to you have no obligation to sit for the rest of the meeting but if you so choose you're more than welcome okay moving on to board committee reports um commissioner brunia can can you please start us off with uh Finance you're doing first or facilities thank you Mr President facilities okay that's one yes in sequential order thank you February 6th this occurred two two days ago on February 6 2024 those present were myself commissioner siano vice president Dany president Paris Dr Robert toy Mr uh jenero Mr shahada Mr Maldonado Mr Marion was there Mr oito Mr Thomas and Mr Watkins start time was 3:30 meeting end time was approximately 4:43 I believe overview of com number one overview of committee and its members Administration introduced themselves to the committee and explained what they do and the purpose of the committee number two referendum update the Epic rep gave an overview of what has taken Place thus far in the referendum and what is taking place through throughout the rest of the year bathrooms are 98% complete throughout the district package two nearly complete working on punch list items epic is working with the GCS on ways to try and expede delayed switch gears CCMS change order for the referendum was explains was explained and approved through the committee the change order for the auditorium to place duct work above the ceiling to keep the aesthetic Integrity of the original design of the building renovation should commence in May the wait room is in its final stages we are waiting on electrical tie-in the ribbon cutting will be set up in the near future building and grounds updates the administration gave an update of projects taking place throughout the district cleaning detail assembled to paint the hallways and floors in school 5 and 11 other buildings will be painted once they are complete the new boiler training is being done for employees at school 3 and CHS and there are other buildings to follow stage curtains stage curtain Replacements at school 2 and school 12 these are fire resistant and school 12 ver vertical chairlift is being replace due to the other one being obsolete number four generate generator installations the administration expressed the need to add generators for middle schools generators will be hooked up to security cameras boilers and alarms the board will hold this matter for another meeting number five the school 11 parking lot Clifton was Clifton Public Schools was awarded an SDA grant for maintenance projects part of this money will be used to create a parking lot at school 11 the the bid the bid opening for L3 and CHS music Suite is taking place on February 29th in the Board of Ed Board of Education conference room number seven window manufacturer site visit the window manufacturer for CHS and various elementary schools extended an offer for the board SL Commissioners Administration to watch the windows being produced does anyone have any questions I do uh you're Santiago you go you go okay sorry thank you uh the school 11 uh parking lot where would that be potentially where is that going to be it's going to be extended so the area where it ends going back towards when you're on mercelis if if you continue to go on mercelis from Lake View and you go that way they're just going to extend it I think approximately 25 spaces is that accurate Mr shahada so there's a there's a lot right now we'll call it the teacher lot and then there's the playground and the grass and all that corre we're taking a piece of the grass out so we keep the drainage intact there um we're hoping for 25 I can't promise that yet we're still doing the final layout but we're going to get it as close to that number as possible and that would be on the current teacher parking lot if you will side right is that what you're saying or no behind the parking lot behind excuse me behind the the basketball court so so if you walk in on the 46 and you're looking directly at where is the the basketball court is on your right side we're going to be to the left where the grass is so there will be no more grass is that will be grass we're going to cut a sliver out right so just you know you're coming down when you go in you drive into that you're going down and the long story short is that you got the playground and you got recess or you got it will be fenced off you don't have to worry about that we're going to where the playground is it's adequate space in between but we plan on putting a fence there great okay cuz that's the only way in there's only one way in um then the the weight room uh when is that like potential ETA it's almost done is it you think March April we we were told March 1st bar crazy weather and PSA needs to be pulled to handle emergency so just hope it doesn't rain or snow March okay thank you Dr Danny um yes uh I would just like a little expanded for the uh the entire board about the generator install just a little more of the discussion so as you guys are aware uh we have had numerous issues at woodro Wilson specifically this year with uh Power uh one day we actually had to cancel school so we are looking to savor the boilers and the referendum work that we're doing there because if it does go off again during the winter there is a high probability that the millions of dollars that we put in in mechanical equipment can freeze and we'd have to start from scratch so it wouldn't allow us to hold classes but it will at least allow us to to mitigate our expenses as much as possible and um could you uh update the board on the when you spoke with the insurance what what was stated yeah it was a very wishy washy answer it said um I was kind of confused reading it and I I sent it over to the committee to get their input on it but he did say if psng were to arrive late and not in a timely fashion which is just ambiguous in itself um the insurance would cover the freezing pipes however they may may not because of other circumstances so it would be assessed on a case-by Case basis so I took that as it's it's a crapshoot we have no idea now and so the the generators um would only be able to they wouldn't be able to have the school open As I understood but it would just prevent um anything with the heat or or anything and what is the cost and and where is this the cost coming from this would be uh we would P present it to the finance committee as well as the facilities and get it out of capital reserve for both buildings it actually came in we were estimated at first for a million dollars each um Rodney worked his magic and got it down to 1.3 collectively so I just wanted the board to be a where I thought it was maybe if anybody wanted to know the whole um being that you're not in that committee and I just sat in for Mr Kenova so I just wanted the board I felt that that was something for the entire board to be aware of so that is why I brought it to the attention uh Mr Shad it also included protecting the servers right when the power is out correct so it's going to protect the the servers as well and mainly all the mechanical components of the referendum which the servers are part part of that anyone else yeah I have a question it's not on the list uh any update on the elevator at CCMS yeah so we are waiting on uh the official tie-in power there the switch gear there is also delayed uh the elevator is ready to be installed we have tested it balanced it with temporary power but we can't open until we get the official power and the co from the city so I think uh Al said September is but you know it's it's anybody gu at this point Mr kova um so a couple questions so now you mentioned the the elevator do we have a uh either a cell phone based line or a pots telephone line inside of there is that a part of that I can't confirm with tonight but I do believe there is a pots line being put in there but I can confirm what Eric Mountain tomorrow all right um you mentioned the insurance policy and how they were ambiguous can we make an addendum to that insurance policy to to be more specific about this particular instance where we would be covered if something happened or not our attorney said we would need a rider and um maybe he can just elaborate a little bit on that so uh yeah so um if you want to have a specific policy as it relates to certain loss you'd contact the broker or the carrier themselves uh in request of a rider for the very thing that you're trying to make sure you get coverage on it's very possible that they make uh determination that the rider is not necessary and that you are covered despite the ambiguity that may already exist so it it's worthy of a phone call and if it is a rider um it will have some additional cost um but normally Riders are not terribly expensive yeah depending on what you're insuring and the and the risk of loss yeah and I only ask because we are moving to this uh this newer style of boiler so if we're doing that in all of our schools God forbid this happens in multiple schools we could be really you know in in a bad situation so if we have a gap there I'd rather just close the gap that's a good idea um and the other thing I want to bring up um not particularly around anything in here but I know initially we didn't have a lot of color to to the agenda items here and if you're not sitting in the meeting um you wouldn't know particularly where it took place so I'm glad that you you redid the meeting minutes um but usually we get a notification from bardocks that tells us there's been a change and the reason why that's important is because since we're going through in a digital environment now and looking through item agenda items maybe three or 4 days ago when they were released to us if anything does change we may be voting on something that happened in the past and now there's a change that took place and we don't know so I brought that up to them in the past and usually it's highlighted in or at least I've recommended them that gets highlighted in in like a bold colors you see you haven't seen it yet kind of like on Facebook and these other so I believe the reason why the notification did not go out was because I edited in the existing item it wasn't anything new so if I were to add on something new after the agenda is is published for you guys to see it then the notification pops up no or yes and then I usually hit yes you guys get a notification that the administrator did something something please check board dos okay so to me that sounds like a bug in their system I'd rather bring it back to Tech and talk with them on it and see if they could fix it because no matter what what's being edited we should be notified yeah Mr kova I think you you're right I mean it's my expectation anytime an agenda item once the agenda goes to you guys if something's changed you get a notification try not to add too many things but some things have to be add um in this case even if they don't fix it their their bug I understand what happened here we could even just send an email ourselves and say hey this has been updated so we we'll do that going forward unless they could fix it I did to Mr Canela just he brought up the the question question but we'll we'll fix that in the future but the point is well taken um you're expecting that when you look at the agenda if you look at it yesterday that and you didn't look at it since yesterday you're voting on things that you expected you read yesterday something changed you would need to be notified and we obviously respect that and understand that okay any other questions so I have a question so if we so if we had the right then with with that um would would we need those generators if we were covered with that Rider I would always recommend the the generator because just the insurance process is is very gruesome and and most times we do have to front the money as we did at school 16 for Ida and it would just be easier to just have the generator at least try to savor it I know a million dollars is not a small sum of money but for the the headache and the possible delays that we will have in school as we're trying to fix this I I think a million doll is very minimal in the grand scheme of things just to piggyback on that to the extent that you want to have belt and suspenders um the rider will be made less expensive if you have redundant systems that protect the property it's also important that we have those servers up because not only would it affect that one building it would affect the entire District okay there the whole it system would be in jeopardy any other questions yes sir I think the uh main thing here with the rer I don't I don't know how they would word the rider because the main problem here was Acts of God if a car drives into the school we're covered if a tree falls or if lightning causes this damage we are not covered um so I don't think a rider is going to say yes we're going to cover you during any Act of God because then the insurance companies going say no we're not going to cover it uh that's the problem with the insurance companies from the conversation we had they could choose not to cover it based on any little instance uh but the ax of God is the biggest one that we're going to have to overcome okay uh moving on Mr brunak uh Finance please thank you Mr President finance com committee convened February 6 2024 myself was present commissioner Santiago was present commissioner Mahia was present president Paris was present Dr Robert toy was present Mr Jenaro Mr shahada and Mr Uchi were all present meeting started promptly at 5: p.m.

lastly he Club um he Club is having a salsa fundraiser and it is ongoing through every 23 salsa can be ordered at Salsa fundraising.com and make sure to click clion Key Club at checkout our Orchestra is also having a Valentine's Day Sale um on Monday February 26th I mean sorry on February 12th Tuesday and February 13th Wednesday and February 14th all proceedings go to the worker scholarship fond so if you have any questions you can reach out to miss babak um or ask anyone in the orchestra um our cliped sea will be hosting our students versus staff basketball game at clion high school on Friday March 1st at 7:00 tickets will be available at the door for three $3 or $2 in advance you can get tickets from SCA member or missan saders and we're looking for a very fun night of friendly competition and I know that I hear students already talking about it and staff members talking about it so even if you're not going to participate definitely show up because it's going to be a fund night for sure and our Clon High School spring musical this year is going to be Hello Dolly the show will be March 8th 9th and 10th so please make sure to mark your calendars they'll be holding an Applebee's flap Flapjack fundraiser on Sunday March 3r between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.

items of discussion number one overview of the committee and its members Administration introduced themselves to the committee and explained what they do and the purpose of the committee number two budget process Administration explained the budget process process and key dates that are received from the state and when the budget is due number three negotiations Administration spoke to the upcoming negotiations for our collective bargaining agreements does anyone have any questions uh to piggy back off the Joe is that I'm not on finance so I don't know when the dates are due for certain things so if we could have a little bit more substance instead of just bullet points that would be helpful my other thing is um I didn't know negotiations was meeting but if we could get that on the update when committee meetings are happening if and give us a list because if we have any questions we can always contact the chair I can make it very easy well I'll 100% do that we meet every Wednesday forever so but it we didn't know so like um also um I questioned the superintendent in an email today not knowing that uh because I heard about something that was happened in negotiation in an email I'm not going to say what but years ago um the the committee chair would tell board members that things were going on and give us a little update I know there's a conflict so I'm not going to put anybody in a in a bad way but a little bit more substance on these things would be if if it has to be confidential we would get the confidential document on our um board docs I would appreciate that as well because I just like a little bit more substance so that's my argument thank you any other questions thank you uh Dr Danny could you review education please uh February 6 February 6 um meeting began at 6:30 present were myself um uh Mr Paris president um Miss basford Miss Suarez and uh Administration was superintendent Dr Danny Rober toi Miss kusel levich assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction Mr Jenaro assistant superintendent of schools Mr Rolo director of special services Lea Banning um supervisor of bilingual ESL and World languages K12 um so we had a elll um ml program update and growth from Elia Banning Miss Banning began by sharing positive growth in Parental involvement at eell parent advisory group meetings she apprised the committee that access testing has begun to measure ml students English language Proficiency in the domains of Reading Writing listening and speaking miss kusich and miss Banning reviewed the continued growth and unprecedented increase in the number of E LS from 652 in October of 2021 to over 1,260 to date not including elll followup and refusal students who still require support Miss Banning shared how the sharp increase in Asylum Seekers and refugees has also increased the number of Ells in need of counseling social and academic support the complexity of the needs these students is stretching Services resource parent liaison Rory samoff has been giving workshops on the changing demographic of students coming to Clifton ml students continue to register on a weekly basis action was informational special education update and program growth by Miss Rolo Miss Rolo spoke about increases in referrals increases in class sizes with Ida allowable size and the increase in the need for seats classrooms teachers and power professionals additional full-time par professionals are on this agenda she shared information about Dynamic learning maps and how only a portion of students taking this assessment count towards proficiency on NJ dooe accountability profiles special education is held to the same accountability standards and assessment requirements as general education she spoke about the creation of a sensory room at woodro Wilson Middle School an addition of common Corners in self-contained K through five classrooms action was informational and um she did say she'd provide pictures when it was fully um complete preschool program update and growth Miss kusevic updated the committee About Preschool expansion the state peeg funds require that the district continue to add classrooms to meet the full Universe of three and four-year-old students we currently meet 2third of our preschool universe and will need to add more preschool classrooms until all needs are met preschools housed at cila a CA B Sila s with some class classes in schools 1 4 12 14 15 and 17 as well as in Partnerships in local preschools our public schools are at capacity the district continues to explore additional space action informational budget and instructional staffing needs all departments are prioritizing needs for space and Staffing across all programs prek through 12 in preparation for the 2024 2025 budget action informational elll ml special education and preschool elementary and middle SI space needs and Pope poll update in response to the expanded need for classrooms for special education elll students and preschool programs the dist dist continues to look at maximizing space our K through 8 schools have reached the maximum capacity for General and special education class sections as well as preschool and elll classes most of these programs have Cap class-size Caps and require full-size classrooms the district continues to look at multiple options and continues to explore uses for the former Pope John John Paul high school meeting ended at 7:40 respectfully submitted by Miss Janina kevich any questions yes yeah on the elll the sharp increase in elll from 652 to 1260 to date not including elll followup and refusal who still require support do we get reimbursed by does the district get reimbursed by anybody for this okay from who we who do we we don't necessarily get reimbursement Mr brunc but um our state aid is predicated upon the number of students we have and you do get additional aid for a um multilingual student however it's always a year behind so the date is October 15th that's the magic date where we count all the students we submit our report to the state and then our state aid is based on that number but we don't get that till the following year and I'll give Janina a chance if she wants to add any more to that the majority of that increase was um shown already last year last year was the year we kind of doubled from the 650 to over TW to over 1100 this year the increase is smaller but it's still now above 1,200 um just from the time that we had met until the the typing of this um 10 new students arrived so what happens are they pulling are they paying for the full tuition is the state aid they are Clifton these are Clifton students just like with all of our Clifton students our state aid only covers a portion of our student um of a students's per pupil cost and some the rest comes from local and some federal funds there's a small amount of title three three money a small amount of State bilingual Aid um that follows uh this particular group of students kind of like idea and special ed idea pays for a portion of our special needs students but um they are still anyone who is domiciled in Clifton is the responsibility um of the Clifton Public Schools thank you question any yes so um that 650 to the 1200 really will be reflected hopefully this year is that correct from by the state the review that this year it was actually Janine was that that number doubled last year that number doubled last year they were on our October 15th count this year though correct so that for this year's October 15th count shows the extra hundred or well a little less than the extra hundred because a whole bunch of them have come in after like probably 90 of that 100 have arrived since October 15th but you said they look at the number last year they look at so October this past October oober 15th 23 right that number when we get our state aid in a few weeks for so they're only looking at that 100 okay they're just looking at got you it'll only B right on that 100 thank you got it and then so um just seems like we are out of space uh at at all levels right but I just want to when when I'm looking at the preschool um the term universe is that just the the pool or number of three to four year olds if you will in the city and and therefore we are only uh providing classroom or or education to 66% of that is that the way that is correct so there's a whole third of three and fourth three and four year olds in the city that are just not in our preschool potentially so the way the state determines the universe they look at our average class size by grade so each of our grade levels first 2 9th 10th when you look at our graduation class size it ranges somewhere in that 750 to 850 range so they come up with an average and they use that as the formula to determine your Universe our total prek Universe gets and it gets adjusted every year based on these October 15 counts so right now our preschool Universe um in the current budget cycle is 1,500 so about 753 year olds about 754 year olds we we don't clearly we're only serving about 60s something percent of those at the same time we still have many families that are you know keeping their they want to keep their children at home at that age or they're using faith-based or other private preschool programs for various reasons thank you Miss kavich Mr kova um are you finding that our preschool has a weit list that's that we're not accommodating or are we taking in all the students that that are applying there's usually a small wait list but for the moment uh usually by the time the school year rolls around within those first few weeks we've usually found spots for everyone and what happens is people will register and then they change their mind they have a different circumstance they don't like where they're placed things like that so then um there then spots open up so children from the wait list get worked in usually by October 15th the wait list is gone and Janita just to be clear um would you say that it's that we've um found room for our four-year-olds but if there is a waiting list is it mostly a three-year-old list correct we we do prioritize the four-year-olds there are fewer even though the universe says you know, 1500 you know 753 year old 754 year olds a lot of families don't want to send their three-year-olds to a full day school program a lot of of three-year-olds are not capable of attending in a full day school program and it's not mandatory preschool is not required just like kindergarten is actually not a required grade although we do provide a full day kindergarten program at every one of our elementary schools which is much different from when I started here as a teacher it was half day and you mentioned rolling out the program wider before um is there funding that's tied to that for for preschool uh yes there is preschool so the preschool funding actually is a a separate per pupil amount um and we get funding not only for the students that we provide the teachers for there's a different amount when we collaborate with private providers there's a different amount when we collaborate with Head Start um so our um the requirements of the preschool Grant are what's called a mixed delivery system so we have collabor we have Head Start classrooms in our schools as well as District classrooms in our schools we also collaborate we have a we have a site at um tiniest Footprints um down by Nash Park uh we're entering into collaborations I believe this year we started a collaboration with one class with all would Play and Learn when we look at space we we have to collaborate with these external Partners um simply because we just don't have any more space but at the same time a lot of the Partnerships are limited because the state has very stringent requirements on things like square footage certifications Etc so our Partnerships we continue to expand them slowly we can't just explode with that um and although we are required to expand each year it doesn't have to be a massive expansion each year we only try to go as far as we can handle um especially based on the spaces that we find and since our elementary schools are basically set up to be local schools to the area and given that these children are very small have we ever thought about putting the elementary I mean putting the preas students into the elementary schools and building those out while while that has been a thought there has been no room um so right now we do have centralized three major buildings um that we're using we're we're leasing cila a and CA s the former St Claire's and St John cany and we repurposed 29 Brighton Road which was the High School annex that is so full that rooms that used things like the the media center turned into three classrooms um we have used every inch of space in that building for preschools and we still need more space this is why the state encourages us to collaborate with local Partners um but it makes it more difficult when we go and we meet with them and we examine their space and their space isn't adequate enough remember our elementary schools were built to be neighborhood schools they were built at a time when um kindergartens were half day so you had enough classrooms for the students in that neighborhood you had half day kindergarten so you had like a PM and a and an AM session and now to add pre to those schools they just weren't weren't meant for that um we are um exploring other opportunities for space um and we have some plans for the future but um it's it's it's a problem that not not just Clifton's facing it's a problem that we'll have to overcome like everywhere else and since they're providing funding for it would they would they be open to working with us to add to our schools unfortunately there's no construction funding tied to this we are allowed to use a portion of the funding to pay to lease space we are not allowed to use any of this funding for construction and it wouldn't be enough anyway because it's a per pupil amount so it it pretty much covers the teacher and the par because the rooms are limited to a size of 15 um they must have a teacher and a uh teachers assistant par professional in every one of those rooms um but when we look at the neighborhoods about the only way we could address putting them into more neighborhood schools than they already are we would have to look at some grade span changes or something to explore something like that all right thank you anyone else oh Dr Danny uh Mr Kenova like maybe if um when legislative if you do happen to you know speak with legislators maybe you could um you know mention something if they could take a look at that like the specifications I I don't know exactly what it is when they make these rules with the specifications um Miss kusich I mean you know more about that maybe they could um in in you know I don't know if other districts are facing that but if they can maybe take a look so that if it would open up the possibility for more classroom space because that is something that I know you had mentioned that sometimes you go into somewhere but you can't get that space because the the limitations with um the specifications that are required so if maybe somehow legislators could look at that and and possibly see I mean why was it designed that could it be modified and then we would have more ability for for the spaces if I may yes that would be fantastic because the limitations on square footage space the limitations on not being able to utilize this funding for construction and it's not enough for construction anyway the need for something like that um would be would be huge um the there are classrooms in our district that they would refuse you're also required to have a bathroom in the classroom and we don't have bathroom in most of our classrooms so we have to file waivers everywhere we put these classrooms for something called line of sight which then necessitates having an additional par professional to be like a floater who can be be running back and forth between classrooms taking children to the restroom I'll send an email yeah so just yeah I know I'm sorry I didn't I could see which you know what I mean so but if it's something that you know you could take a look at in legislative I'm not sure if you said this but is there a is there a year in the future where we're expected to be at our full Universe did you mention that earlier uh thankfully there's no year we are just expected to continually um add until we serve our universe but thankfully there's no date associated with that I mean our current governor has increased it's been a big thing on his agenda has increased money for preschool uh but as Janina stated it's it's uh per pupil based and it's not enough for a new construction or even really to help much with the the rent on the current buildings that we're um using and if we partner with other prek is that does that mean it's only our students in those classrooms or can it be mixed with the prek in their own enrollments of students if it's a classroom that we're partnering with that classroom must only serve Clifton students so let's say for the example tiniest Footprints we have a four-year-old class in there all of those four-year-olds are registered in Clifton public schools and they simply take their classes at that location that teacher is hired by tiniest Footprints but that teacher is but that the the the the contract with that school pays that teacher and that par professional salary I go Mr okay um rough figure preschool after October cuz I'm you know on the Early Childhood advisory Council and the biggest thing that we see is people don't know that they can register for preschool that we have preschool we're trying to get people in to bring their kids into preschool um how many after October or at the end of the year do you see how many availabilities are there in the classrooms so it it varies every year every month but we start already preschool registration is open now and what you do is a first first completed first served so you start your registration process online through our Welcome Center through our registration portal when your registration process is completed you've submitted all of your documentation then you count as fully registered and that puts you first on the list and the next and the next so we we go by order of completed registrations and us usually by the time we get to October 15th the majority of the those who have reg who have completed registrations have been placed and served I mean usually really by September 1st the vast vast majority are in their seats where they belong at that time but we always get a flurry of registrations in August because people realize oh my goodness I forgot to register my child for school and sometimes at that point we are out of space okay yeah cuz I think that's the biggest thing in June we do a big registration drive over at CA um CA it's already open or if it's not already open in 2st next week I believe it opens right February 21st yeah it's on the it's on the it's on our website forgive me for not and Mr siano if I may uh if you could just uh direct anybody who has any questions to Mr Michael doctor our director of operations and student services who oversees the registration process he can give you upto-date information for anybody who needs to reach out beautiful thank you so much question commissioner Suarez thank you and just for clarity because the question has come to me um from other parents is the preschool program income based it started as an income based program seats in We There is priority because we are a mixed delivery system some of our classrooms are Clifton only but some are in collaboration with Head Start The Head Start class classrooms are income based guaranteeing seats for students who meet that criteria um but those are also there's a limit as to how many are income based and all other seats fall under the first completed registration first served because we are still not Universal because we haven't met our universe and just real quick going back to income base because now you made me think of something too um since prek obviously we're not busting them to these locations I think that's a hurdle for people who don't have the means to bring their kids to to get service through uh prek and we know that students are more successful when they have education at an early age yeah especially Mr Kenova because for the most part they're not at their neighborhood school well that's what I mean yeah um you're you're exactly right cuz we have parents who you know see Le be is nowhere near their house and that's where they're assigned and they have trouble getting them but you're talking about busing an additional how many students no I don't want to bus no no I'm just saying if we were to we're talking another it's a thousand a thousand students that's why I said I'd rather add to that neighborhood School feel and just add to our current schools and right go that route right there's um I don't there there's something I I I will I will say not not publicly um because it relates to security but I'll mention executive session regarding that any other questions okay um commissioner siano has a brief announcement to make concerning committee yes um Municipal Alliance we are on the calendar for where are we at the 22nd at 6 o'cl we're going to meet at City Hall so whoever is on that if you guys have anything that you want to put on that agenda let me know and we'll obviously go over the most important topics but it's on the calendar and we'll be meeting with them in person thank you commissioner um another topic that it isn't on our agenda I'm sorry but I'm inserting it um Miss bassford and uh commissioner Santiago both um had some concerns we recently had I think the last maybe two weeks ago another student that had a um accident it was struck by a vehicle on a way to school um so I'm going to leave it to miss bassford to kind of summarize some actions that were taken on that um I I know I reached out to you in a very upset email that uh I hoping that can you put that on your agenda Mr uh siano uh with the with the city maybe uh and I know I'm going to put it on the HSA agenda but um president Paris had forwarded to me a copy of a a memo that was sent to the CLI Board of Education from Lieutenant Muhammad ruai he is the traffic division commander and he's asking this to be read at a meeting and also distributed to the parents and people in Clifton the Traffic Division was tasked with providing a memo outlining tips for student peti uh pedestrian safety there were 7,388 pedestrian killed in traffic crashes in the United States in 2021 according to to the national highway traffic safety administration that's the nhtsa representing the highest number since 1981 with a record 7,837 pedestrians died in traffic crashes 2021 levels are nearly 133% higher than the number of 2020 pedestrian F fatalities to equate to 20 pedestrians a day or one every 71 minutes being killed in the traffic crashes there are a number of things that can be done by pedestrian pedestrians to limit those numbers this point cannot be stressed enough not looking at your phone while walking this has contributed to a number of pedestrians involved in crashes right here in Clifton not having earbuds in with high volume it's imperative to be aware of your surroundings and to be able to hear traffic not Crossing between parked cars your chances being struck by a passing vehicle when stepping out from between two Park cars exponentially increases Crossing at Corners New Jersey Law prohibits vehicles from being parked too close to corners for a reason this allows drivers to see pedestrians and pedestrians to see cars passing using crosswalks crosswalks are visible representation of an area that has been deemed safe to cross this this only there they are only installed where visibly is appropriate this is a really important one listening to your crossing guard those individuals have been trained to be able to identify brakes and traffic where they can safely step out and bring traffic to a stop Crossing with a crossing guard is safest way to go walk and don't walk uh Walk and Walk Don't Walk signage on on traffic lights while full attention must be paid most traffic lights have illumination signs for pedestrians to let them know when to walk these signs should be adhered to leave enough time to get to your destination without being rushed when rushed or stressed we lose some of our decision-making capabilities and can misjudge speeds and distances and this was respectively submitted by Lieutenant Muhammad by the Traffic Division Commander so Allan asked me to read that and I'm going to share that with the HSA parents and I asked you to um so we can come up with some collaborative ideas together with both committees thank you thank you commissioner bassford I do believe it has been distributed to parents somebody mentioned Mr brunak said you got well the school 14 parents as far as I'm aware of I don't know if I don't recall if princi principal haben and Mr P sent them or I can double check with Mr Rose and we could see if it went out all through our Blackboard to all our families thank you thank you very much okay moving on to uh public recognition this portion of the meeting is open to the residents and non-residents of Clifton for the purpose of addressing any subject matter pertinent to Andor directly related to the operation of the Clifton Public School District residents and non-residents are requested to sign the register provided for this purpose and to State their names addresses and subject matter comments are limited to 5 minutes per person issues raised by members of the public may or may not be responded to by the board all comments will be considered and a response will be forthcoming if and when appropriate the board asks that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking specifically comments regarding students and employees of the board are discouraged and will not be responded to by the board students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey the board Bears no responsibility nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public members of the public should consider their comments in light of the legal rights of those affected or identified in their comments and be aware that they are legally responsible and liable for their comments uh Mr Rose is anyone on our phone in Virtual now I'll check one more time no no okay motion to close the virtual Port motion to close second motion by commissioner Mahia second by commissioner brunak um inviting any members of the public to the podium would' like to speak good evening to all today I have some great news I just got out of a meeting for p County Education Association and they have something called the uh friend of education and it's not teachers it's Board of end members superintendant uh Community organizations so I want to read what I received tonight I'm writing enthusiastically recommending Judith bassford for the Joseph CHF friend of Education Award with our esteemed organization pay County EA having had the privilege of closely collaborating with Judith for an extended period in leadership capacity I can confidently attest to her remarkable skills unwavering dedication and exceptional character Judith excels as a leader providing invaluable developmental support and training to members in two main areas special ed and Board of Education her adeptness at efficiently navigating these two areas and managing multiple pressing tasks tasks is truly commendable she consistently demonstrates a high level of organizational prowess and is adept at compiling organizational data planning meetings with precision and Effectiveness one of one of Judith's outstand uh standout qualities is her ability to collaboratively seamlessly with individuals across all levels including New Jersey School Board Association State and County leaders School staff parents and the Community her professionalism coupled with her innate understanding of educational needs enables her to effectively address and fulfill requirements while fostering positive and productive working relationships her Proficiency in compiling resources and coordinating fors demonstrates her exceptional capability and providing comprehensive support and knowledge dissemination her well-rounded skill set extends to expert and Schoolboard governance where she ex exhibits a deep understanding of governance principles and practices more moreover her Integrity reliability and strong work work ethic make her an invaluable asset to any group she approaches tasks with a sense of accountability and consistently delivers results that exceed expectations within specific timelines her professional attributes Judith is a pleasure to work with on a personal level her positive attitude collaborative nature and empathetic approach creates a supportive and inclusive learning environment that Fosters teamwork and mutual respect Judith was invited to participate in many of um many committee groups and brought insight to those groups in conclus in conclusion Judith bassford is an exemplary candidate who would make a significant contribution to her organization her track record uh effective leadership coupled with diverse skill set and unwavering commitment make her an ideal fit for the Joe CHF friend of Education award I wholeheartedly recommend her for a consideration and I'm confident that she will continue to represent our County to the best of her ability and she has won that award tonight so I just found out tonight congratulations no it was a surprise there are other board members in other districts that won but I don't want to give them out because we just found out tonight so congratulations they will there will be a dinner April 26 Mark that on your calendar April 26 will be the dinner in Pate County all right and people are invited here too to celebrate so thank you thank you very much [Applause] congratulations Sher congratulations Judy thank you is there anyone else who'd like to speak tonight seeing none uh motion to close to motion to close motion by Mr Mia second by I didn't see Mr brunak thank you uh a motion to adopt our minutes from January 18th motion motion by commissioner Santiago second by commissioner Mahia uh roll call Mr Shad M bassford yes Mr bronc yes Mr kova yes Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano yes Mr Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries uh Dr Robert toy thank you Mr Paris Mr President uh good evening uh members of the community faculty staff students and Commissioners I have a brief report tonight um I first want to take a moment to commend Mr Shada our assistant superintendent of business and our business administrator Mr USI and the entire business office for what I would consider it's almost a perfect audit um a district our size with uh counting all of our federal and and state grants of almost $290 million um to to hear the auditor the independent auditor who doesn't work for administration who works for the board to uh complement the business department the way uh Mr lurge did really makes me so very proud and um you know one of the things that I've learned as a superintendent is um you you can't do everything you can't know everything thing but you can surround yourself with with good people and the fact that I don't have to worry about uh the budget is a really uh nice burden off my shoulder so thank you to Mr shihada and and team for that audit that's great news I especially like the part where he said no fraud I was like thank God also like to congratulate our employees of the month boy I tell you that is my favorite thing the suit of the month and the employees of the month and when you see a group of faculty and staff come out like school 12 did tonight for Miss Miss Pagan for Miss Pagan that just shows the kind of you can tell the kind of person she is the kind of employee she is that all those people came out to support her and that's the kind of people that we have who work with our children and it just makes me so very very proud so congratulations to all of our distinguished employees of the month and students of the month uh also congratulations to Bob Foster Bob is one of the uh first people that I met when uh when I arrived in Clifton in July 2019 he reached out to me and I didn't know much about the Boys and Girls Club but I quickly learned that it is um a bedrock in the Clifton community and Bob a living legend um and he's touched the lives of thousands and thousands and thousands of people people so Bob I wish you all the best on on your retirement uh welld deserved uh may you may you have it in good health um finally I I just want to mention something every few months I meet I have a group of students at at Clifton High School um called the superintendent student ambassadors and uh I meet with them regularly at started a few years ago just to say hey what's going on at Clifton High School how are things what's good what needs Improvement and it's evolved to uh um much more than that um where today those students um when a new student arrives at Clifton High School those superintendent student ambassadors take them on a tour of the building become kind of like a student Mentor for those new students you can imagine a brand new student come in coming to clion high school midy year with 3,000 students and five wings and not knowing a so to have have to have a a friend that they could look up to and they're just amazing amazing students but I just want to reiterate something that they told me universally this group told me last week when I met with them that our school security Specialists are such a welcome addition to Clifton High School now I've heard that from the administration I've heard that from staff but to hear that from students well that's where it's at and uh I just want to publicly let our school security Specialists know that um and I know it's not just at Clifton High School I know they're appreciated in in every school but to hear that from our kids was great and they just love the relationships that are being built and finally I want to thank um all the members of the community uh that came out and supported uh the superintendent scholarship fund uh dinner um that was held a couple weeks ago I proud to say that we raised uh over $24,000 in one night for um Clifton High School seniors who are pursuing a secondary education and uh we'll be giving out that money uh in June thank DJ Joe Kenova who volunteered his time and had us all up on the Dance Floor thank you to all the Commissioners who came and and donated and to um it was a it was a really good time for for those that came but ultimately it was for for a good cause so just want to thank thank you and and say that we raised a lot of money and um and that's what it's uh that's what it's about so uh enjoy the Super Bowl this weekend uh I'm looking forward to it some wings food I'm probably looking more to the food than the game but you know that's me that's it so uh thank you Commissioners that concludes my report Mr Paris thank you thank you Dr Robert toy um I'll hold my comments until the rest of my colleagues at the end of the meeting um I don't believe we have any unfinished business seeing none we'll move on from that um commissioner uh bassford could you please read uh our first expression of a condolence U it gives me um great pleasure and an honor to read this um to the family um it's a expression of condolence whereas on January 26 2024 the community noted with sorrow the passing of Louise Mariner and whereas Miss Mariner I'm hope I'm saying it right has served the Clifton Board of Education with the children of Clifton faithfully and conscientiously for 25 years until her retirement in December 2013 Mrs Mariner was grade three teacher at school 12 she was a true nurturer and made a difference in the lives of every student she had now now there for now therefore be it resolved that this resolution be forwarded to her bie family to serve as an expression of the great Regard in which Miss marer and was held by the Clifton Board of Education the Administration Employees and the pupils of the Clifton public schools and therefore be it resolved that the contents of this resolution be noted in its entirety in the official minutes of the clipon board of education for future generation ations to per peruse dated February 8th 2024 deepest condolences to the monary family thank you thank you commissioner bastard uh commissioner Mahia can you please read our second condolences so our second um expression of condolence goes to Mr Joseph French um whereas on February 4th 2024 the community not noted with sorrow the passing of Joseph fge and were as Mr Mr Joseph had served the Clinton Board of Education and the children of Clinton ful in the maintenance department for over 28 years until his retirement in August 2020 Joe graduated from clipton high school he was a generous Uncle who was involved with all his nieces and nephews in his very own way now therefore be resolv that this resolution be forwarded to his family to serve as an expression of the great Regard in which Joseph was was held by the Board of Education the Administration Employees and the pupils of the Clinton Public Schools and be a further resolve that the contents of this resolution be noted in their entirety in the official minutes of the Clinton board of education for future generations to peruse dated February 8th 2024 thank you commissioner for here here um okay moving on to our next section under education Administration um this is National School counseling uh recognition month and commissioner Santiago could you please read the resolution thank you president Paris whereas school counselors are employed in public schools to help students reach their full potential and whereas school counselors are actively committed to helping students explore their abilities strengths interests and talents as these traits relate to Career awareness and development and where as school counselors help parents focus on ways to further the educational personal and soci social growth of their children and whereas school counselors work with teachers and other Educators to help students explore their potential and set realistic goals for themselves and whereas school counselors seek to identify and utilize Community Resources that can enhance and complement comprehensive School counseling programs and help students become productive members of society and whereas comprehensive developmental School counseling programs are considered an integral part of the educational process that enables all students to achieve success in school now therefore be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Education recognizes February 5th through February 9th as National School counseling week thank you commissioner Santiago uh this month is also Black History Month um Mr brunak thank you Mr President whereas Black History Month celebrated during the month of February originated in 1926 when Dr Carter G Woodson set aside a special period in February to recognize the Heritage and achievement achievements of black people in the United States and whereas since 1976 febru February has been recognized as Black History Month throughout North America and whereas this year's theme for Black History Month African-American and the Arts is infused with African Caribbean and the Black American lived experiences in the fields of Visual and Performing Arts literature fashion folklore language film music architecture culinary and other forms of cultural expression the African American influence has been Paramount whereas we encourage the celebration of Black History Month to provide a continuing opportunity for all people in the United States to learn from the past and understand the experiences that have shaped the United States and now therefore be it resolved the Clifton Board of Education proclaims February 2024 Black History Month and encourages staff and students to honor it during February and throughout the year with interactive research classroom lesson plans guest speakers displays lectures practical activities and cultural celebrations thank you commissioner Brak um at this point looking for a motion to approve ea1 through ea2 motion second uh motion by commissioner bassford second by commissioner Mahia roll call oh yep question any discussion yeah yes sorry um so I had a question on ea5 can you explain more about what this is the um the Ramapo master of science coming to Clifton can you add some uh Dr Rober toi can you add some background Miss on that just want to make let me find it it says the Board of Education accepts a recommendation of superintendent to approve a new cohort of the Rambo College master of science and educational technology program to be run on site in Clifton beginning September we have multiple um Partnerships with many different schools and we have had a partnership with ripo that's probably our one of our oldest um where we support our teachers in getting a master's um in educational technology so many of our teachers across the district have received this master's degree in that in this particular partnership we hold those classes here on most of those classes here on site um up in the tech center um and our it's just approving the next cohort and it it it ties in with our tuition reimbursement um and it helps um strengthen our teachers skills in the classroom we also have similar but not as robust Partnerships with some other schools like felici and William Patterson Etc um as well as some addition Partnerships that are forthcoming to grow our own teachers um through different Grant programs um providing um credits for our par professionals to be and other employees such as our security to become teachers as well um so periodically you'll see the renewal of a cohort or the addition of another school um and so forth all right thank you commissioner uh Dr Danny um yes uh one of my mask Ms actually have the masters from Ramapo College in this degree I went through the program it's a very good program well it's a it's a very good program so just wanted to to add when I saw that I was actually happy because it was a very good program uh my wife and daughter both went through the program at the same time and graduated at the same time and it's it's an excellent resource for the teachers in the district because classes are most of the classes are held here so it makes it very convenient any other discussion seeing none roll call Mr shot Miss bassford yes and I'd like to thank you for not putting the dates on the field trip I thank you Mr brunak yes Mr Kenova yes Mr Mahia yes M Santiago yes Mr siano yes Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries okay looking for for under C Personnel uh motion to approve items uh one through 32 items 1 through move it motion approved by commissioner bassford second by Dr Dany discussion hearing none roll call please Mr sh Miss Bassett yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova Ste p 25 and yes Mr Mia yes M Santiago yes Mr siano yes M Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries uh section D Finance facilities uh seeking a motion to approve items 1 through 16 motion motion by commissioner bassford second second by commissioner Santiago discussion I I have a um something that I'd like I'm going to approve it but I want to discuss something in the back room about it um it has nothing to do with disapproving the facility usage form I just want to bring something to administration's attention and then it's but it's it's confidential okay thank you very well thank you anyone else okay hearing none uh roll call Mr Shad Miss bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Mr Mia yes M Santiago yes Mr siano yes Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion [Music] carries okay board member comments we're going to start from the opposite end this week with commissioner Suarez please congratulations to all the winners tonight and um as always I'm always grateful to be here and to see people being celebrated um it makes me really proud to be a part of this team and be a part of this District have a good night [Music] all commissioner good evening uh same congratulations to all the students and employees of the month Eddie Figaroa for your hard work you're definitely a dedicated member of our team that video was awesome uh I got a chance to tour woodro c um Christopher Clifton High School man thank have changed in 20 years all for the better let me say uh I didn't have the options that they have now um I was really happy to see all those positive changes and thank you for setting up that tour I was also pulled into a classroom in woodrill Wilson and I got to see Mr frell who you guys hear me talk about all the time the eighth grade teacher that made such an impact in my life um of all the people my family to tell me they're proud of me him saying it really hit a little differently because man did I put him through something awful um and he's happy the way I turned out which meant a lot uh preschool registration begins 221 I want to make sure I put that out there or else even my committee Council will get very upset at me and uh student report thank you Jada keeping us up to date on everything and finally Judy bassford congratulations it's uh welld deserved thank you have a good night commissioner Santiago commissioner bassford congratulations that was a very nice surprise um happy uh Black History Month to everyone um happy uh high school counselor week uh my son Anthony Santiago Jr is an amazing counselor I'm biased but it's also the truth um rock on uh um and yeah just oh happy uh Valentine's Day to everyone and also um don't party too hard be safe on Super Bowl weekend thank you Dr Danny oh I didn't Oh I thought we're going like oh I'm sorry you go BL me I'm sorry uh commissioner Mahia thank you thank you Alan um congratulations to our wrestling team on a very big win yesterday versus pcti um I also like to congrat us late our cheer leading T and I wish them the best during um their upcoming competition over at American dream with that said they are also selling discount cards for $10 um and these discount cards feature various businesses in and around Clifton so if you have the chance to buy one please do to support our booster club committee as well um and a bigger congratulations to all of our winter athletes that are going on especially track and field as well um I don't know if you guys heard heard but last night our mock Tri team became the B County Champions once again so congratulations to them as they move on to Regionals and there was a comment made before by a specific commissioner that we were not aware about let me see key dates for our our budget process and when the budget is due those were told to us last meeting um I don't like the misuse of it U Mr Shahar did a great job on our last meeting telling us um about the calendar and how it is due and on top of that we were sent an email on October 27th so for you for that person to say that they didn't tell us shame on them um besides that hope everyone has a great weekend happy black history uh month as well as happy guidance counselor week thank you uh commissioner Kenova um so I'm going to start off I'm not going to uh read whatever everyone said on congratulations but there was something that that stuck out to me so the senior student of the month graduated with an associates degree now to me that's amazing and that's why I asked the question about Ram I was like oh we doing a master's program now here that' be great um but be something yeah but no really think about it a high school student graduated with an associates degree Mr I'm sorry to interrupt they actually get their associates degree before they graduate high school CU our graduation is June and they graduate from the college in in May yeah I mean that's a that's a great accomplishment I love seeing things like that um to Mr Bob Foster obviously he's a great asset to Clifton very involved with the kids so I to wish him well and congratulate him on his retirement um there was there was a point that came up in in one of the subcommittees here that talked about counseling social and academic support um and I know I couldn't attend our our facilities meeting because we had an all day conference at work but in there they spoke about our students and how that um these are concerns as well the counseling for students and I know that we have grants right now that are applying resources to that area that get removed I just don't know when um and it's something we going to have to think about and when it's time to budget I think yeah this year we when it's time to talk budget we need to figure that out too um because that that is becoming an issue and uh finally last but not least it doesn't surprise me here that Miss bassford won this award I mean she's been uh an invaluable commissioner I just do want to congratulate you for that um and I know that going forward we're going to be an even better team uh with you here so thank you m Bren thank you Mr President to give a shout out and congratulations to the compet competition cheer team on advancing to the big North cheerleading Championship congrats um found out late last night congrats to CHS wrestling for winning the sectional championship against their arch nemesis bcti and they have an excellent team CU I went to a meet over here at Clifton High and these kids are very competitive and very challenged and it was like a big pep rally when the when the Clifton High School kids came in they had an opening theme song it was it was it was basically show and they they started playing enter saman by Metallica I got so pumped up I thought I was going to start throwing stuff from the bleachers but I had to calm down um so thank you for everybody who helps make that ha who helps make that happen it was a Friday night these kids could have been messing around and they're there to compete it was absolutely fantastic finally I want to give my deepest condolences to the swed family a 2004 CHS graduate a former US Marine a fellow financial analyst we had gone to some banging parties probably like 15 years ago you know no kids young and they were absolutely off the RoR scale and um he fought valiantly for a long time with his psychological demons his battle to break free from his mental prison ended last weekend when he took his own life beloved Son brother uncle and friend rest in peace Nick swed thank you everybody for your time and God bless America have a good night everybody commissioner bass yeah I want to address something um a comment was just made and I have to because this is the second time that this has happened I ask for details in the minutes I know we got an email you sent it again to me tonight Mr um Shaha um I'm sorry if uh I embarrassed you in anyway I didn't mean to do that I was just asking for details in the minutes and I Mr uh president Paris I want you to bring this type of situation to our board retreat I really think it's time that we uh get this out of the way December 15th I was browbeat I got so many phone calls the next day about that meeting that nobody on this day has stepped up to defend me that I was being basically bullied on the so I really would like that to be a part of our board retreat and I'm just tired of it that it comes every meeting I don't know why I don't know why I see the person all the time in in in public I get pictures taken with the person but on the day I have to be beat up can't you get me after the meeting and say hey why'd you bring that I didn't I was talking to the about the contents of the meeting minutes and I asked for them to be listed the contents of this of the special ed education meetings were just just rich and every every one of you on this day has got a flavor and a true essence of what happened at that meeting when I get bullet points I don't and then I have to uh stop and ask the Committee Member we all have very busy schedules I really don't have time to do that anymore my work schedule has really increased with a lot of responsibilities but that's what I was asking for I wasn't beating up Administration I wasn't going after Administration so that's really not what the purpose of my comments were my comments were asking for more more detail in the dialogue especially the DAT so I can have a glance back at it I take offense to being to being bullied on the de so I'm going to leave it at that okay congratulations to all the award recipients tomorrow night National Global night to shine right Tim TBO night to shine the prom I'm going to the fifth prom of my life tomorrow night with a young gentleman from Clifton I'm going to be be his escort special ed has come full circle for Mrs bassford not only did I advocate for this young young man I am going to be his escort tomorrow night nothing beats that except Lori thank you I am just humbled by this honor and privilege I did not know I am so shocked I got to see some of the bake County Education Association people on Friday night at their fundraiser at The Brownstone it was a drag queen show whatever you want to call it it was just phenomenal I had a blast to meet some of the people from the county um I just I I met F I know those people from can I have a couple minutes um I know those people from from the associations I know them from other districts and I know some of the teachers thank you so much I am just humble I never expected this I just you I I'm I'm really just unnerved I couldn't even get through that expression of condolences and I'm sorry if I botched anybody's name tonight having dyslexia it's really hard I tried to Google you know Joe told me Google what um yeah the name so I would know how to pronounce it and I didn't know that I was going to get it so I like I didn't know it so I apologize um it's just amazing that thank you to know my worth that goes upon this stas that is honored by people that respect me I can't go any further than that I I am just at lost words thank you so much thank you to the group and could you please give me the name of the people that I have to write a thank you to I appreciate that thank you Dr Danny thank you um I'd like to say uh congratulations to all those who received an award any type of award uh this evening um congratul ulations to Rob Foster on your retirement um in recognition of National School counseling week um congratulations and you know to all those school counselors for everything that you do um it's a difficult job uh many students come to you they they look for not just scheduling but um comfort so um thank you for all the time that you put in with uh our students um happy Lunar New Year um happy President's Day as we won't have a meeting happy Black History Month and uh Happy Valentine's Day to all and um to my love John uh thank you that's it thank you Dr Danny uh congratulations commissioner bassford on your award Mak us all um I don't think it was mentioned yet but there were uh a group of CHS students that won the Congressional app challenge which was a national competition uh they they achieved first place um so congratulations to to that to those students um last week I was at the woodro and Columbus basketball rivalry game it was a great game both teams were doing their very best it was a very exciting game and uh in between we got to see the dance teams from Columbus and and woodro and they were phenomenal to watch they made me a little nervous because of some of the gymnastics they did um but they were they were fantastic um and lastly uh 50 years ago I went to New Orleans with the Clifton High School Mustang marching band we were in a parade it was one of the best experiences of my I still talk about it and my friends from high school and the band we still talk about that trip and next week I believe starting Saturday uh the band leaves oh to yeah yes they they're going on their trip to uh beautiful New Orleans and they will be performing in several parades and they'll also be doing performance some performance work there so I wanted to wish them safe travels and uh and success and thank you for representing us uh to New Orleans that's all I have new business any new business BRC thank you Mr President came to my attention this morning about the Senate Bill 2421 that was just introduced by Democrat Senators Anu zwicker and Senator Teresa Cruz and this Bill creates an exemption for obscenity laws for minors to exclude teachers and Librarians and possibly award monetary compensation to teachers and Librarians who are criticized the current law title 2C 34-3 D3 obscenity for persons under 18 as currently stated essentially says it's it my perception is that it's a decent law and the intention is to protect children the intention is to protect children um from being shown obscene material by adults this is a a person who knowingly sells distributes rents or exhibits to a person under 18 years of age obscene material is guilty of a crime of the third degree so I want to know if we could put it into our whoever is the chair of the legislative committee if uh they could reach out to the um if they could reach out to the uh you know when they have a committee meeting and reach out and ask them what's going on over here we come on this day we have committees we have budget upcoming and we're concerned about making sure our kids get educated over here I have no idea why they make an exception for these two categories I don't know why any government employee even has that would they even have that in their job description so I don't even know why these two state senators submitted this bill into committee but that's what I was told this morning so okay well and I would be happy to send that to the the bill number again I'm sorry Senate Bill 2421 thank you 2421 I believe commissioner K is our chairperson for legislation right can you include that in your next meeting thank you yeah yeah um and a lot of times that bills are created there's a spirit of the bill and then there's that actually what it says and you never know until litigation what it really means so a lot of these things you don't really know at first but yeah we could we could bring it up absolutely thank you very much anyone else do business okay um we do have we do have several items for executive session um so we will be recessing to Executive session to discuss uh person Personnel issues neg and some negotiation issues uh we'll take about say an hour say 45 okay 45 minutes to an hour we're going to we say so uh motion to uh no action will be taken H action will be taken action will be taken absolutely yes yes AC will be taken uh so a motion to recess to Executive session can we can we take a 5 minute break too 5 minute break first then ex motion second Mr Brun uh and seconded by Mr M sorry these chairs have a mind in their own man man e time just give me 10 seconds we know yep we ready okay motion to reconvene we got wa for oh he said seconds okay motion to reconvene motion second okay motion by Mr Brun second by Mr siano roll call M bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano yes M Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes we have a quorum okay um returning from executive session we're looking for a motion on items one through three have a motion for items one through three motion by Mr siano second yes by commissioner Suarez discussion hey roll call mrad um M pass yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago is uh any of this I need to abstain on one two3 no okay yes Mr siano yes Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries okay uh motion to Jour motion second good night everybody thank you so much you super yeah you too

from Clon Commons location tickets are going to be $12 and they can be purchased in advance from Miss pooi or cast member or at the door cash only I hope to see you there our fun night and um here the cool kids is going to be attending our second workshop at Bergen Community College tomorrow um we this is our second word jop we have one word for the year and this is just where we learn about um what's going to be happening and how we can get ready for our meetings when we go down to the middle schools so that's going to be tomorrow and we're all looking forward to learning more things and and lastly just to save the date for our Junior semi-formal dance or Junior Prom which will be held on Thursday May 2nd at the Grand in TOA ticket s information will be available soon from Anderson so that's it for um our Sports and Club announcements um thank you very much and have a good night everybody thank you Jada for keeping us up to date uh next we'll have a presentation on our an audit presentation by Mr Paul Lurch of lurch Vincy and Higgins I'm not sure if you're G to be able to do this but can you just keep that little window there just make sure that that stays open do you need the computer no I don't okay awesome I'm good yeah thank you uh thank you and good evening everyone um as indicated I'm Paul Lurch from Lurch Vincy in Bliss um I'm here to present the audit results um from the June 23 audit that we performed on the Clifton Board of Education um I'm going to give a brief overview and kind of talk about some items that I need to make sure that I communicate to the board um obviously we prepared the audit report um couple housekeeping items um we had no significant accounting policy changes we had no unusual transactions during the year um we had no significant audit adjustments um we did not have any disagreements with management as we went through the audit process um we didn't encounter any difficult uh items as we performed the audit uh the design of the internal control system uh was adequate and we did not identify any deficiencies in that control system or the design um we'll talk a little bit about this at the end but we had no instances of fraud no instances of illegal Acts we had three audit comments that we did want to talk about and I guess I could talk about those right now before I before I continue um so for the board members there's two reports we have the larger report which is the comprehensive annual financial report and then we have the smaller one which is the administrative report and that really the format is dictated by the Department of Education from the state of New Jersey but the three comments that we have um the first one deals with the proper classification of recording accounts payable and incumbrances without getting too technical about it the the accounts payable classification on the balance sheet um identifies goods and services that were ordered and delivered that's the key and delivered um an encumbrance is a contract that you award but yet it hasn't been performed or delivered a prime example of that would be the contract with L spiny and and and Bliss so the uh the board Awards a contract with with our firm but we're not here doing any audit until after the year end so that's an incumbrance what we had because of the the volume of what's going on obviously with the referendum you have $168 million referendum it's very active right now um so what we do is we look at the end of the year and we look for proper classification um on the material ones so we had two vendors that we pulled um and they were misclassified they were classified as incumbrances they should have been classified as accounts payable because what we'll do is we'll then take the certifications from the architect and the architect will identify when the work was performed so what we did is we we corrected the reporting um and an incumbrance is really just a reservation of equity and accounts payable would mean it would actually be an expense in your financial statements okay so that's been adjusted but again I think I think what I want to point out with that is that although we did report on it because it was material in our mind based on our evaluation but when you look at the volume of transactions and the volume of the 168 million doll that's currently being uh improved upon at the district it's really kind of a small number in that sense um so uh and I will Circle back with what I think on how the whole accounting and a financial um office is handling uh itself in the current process but um the next item deals with um Believe It or Not accounts payable again but in a different respect so um when we come in to do the audit we're obviously looking at transactions throughout the year we're going to audit the financi statements uh the activity the revenues and expenses um and as well as the balance sheet itself so the accounts payable is a balance sheet item as I just indicated uh but when we were looking at the detail compared to what's sitting in the general ledger or what's on your financial statement your board secretaries report that you get that the detail didn't back up to what was sitting as the payables on the financial statement and the reason is and it did it didn't back it up in the general fund and special Revenue fund and the reason is because those those differences were for prior payables that were not yet liquidated so when we looked at the balances we needed to see the support and not all of it was supported because some of those accounts payables that are sitting on your board secretaries or your financial report pertain to Prior year payables and the system itself we were unable to I guess the board was UN the business office was unable to access that through the system I know they're working on that and I think that that's probably been resolved already um to make sure that you know when we have a listing we need not only the current year but we need everything that supports the validity of that balance as it's presented on the balance sheet um it's it's you know again it Rose to the level here because I had it in both funds that's why it's sitting as a as a comment and a recommendation which requires a corrective action plan and the final item deals with budget versus actual on your special Revenue fund which are really the recording of the grants and it was really where we looked at what the budget was compared to the actual expenditures on the preschool grant for the most part so the preschool Grant although and the key here is that when I look at these grants and we'll talk a little bit more about that uh the important thing are they allowable expenses right so when we tested those grants we didn't have any issues we didn't find any unallowable charges to the grants that's key what we did do those when we looked at it you have a budget you anticipate to spend on a grant by the various line items that are in the chart of accounts and then when you spend it if you overspend that budget you need to do transfers just like you would do and you see it every month pretty much for the most part in your general operating fund so we need to make sure the Board needs to make sure that not only are we looking at the general operating fund but we're looking at the grants and a special Revenue fund on a monthly basis to make sure that we're not overexp sping the allotted budget so that was more of a procedural item um but I think overall well you know my assessment is overall at the business office has run very well and I think that the board should be very comfortable knowing that the size of the district right when we talk about you know the the volume it's got over a $200 million budget we have over $100 million in special Revenue fund now you're spending another 168 million in a referendum so to come out of here and only have these three items none of them Rose to the level where they are significant it could even be materially significant that's another level none of them Rose to that level they just appeared in your AMR and I think they just need to be re you know addressed and I'm sure that the board office is addressing that as we go forward so I feel comfortable with the financials and I feel comfortable with the accounting office and the finance office um so what else did I want to say I wanted to just tell you that of course we are independent to the board you know and I think that's something that sometimes we I kind of forget about and letting everybody know that we don't work for the board office itself we work for the Board of Education right and I think that's important sometimes I I I forget to communicate that that um to let you know that and to let you know that of course we are independent um the audit opinions we have three audit opinions as I indicated they're all clean they're unmodified so we have our overarching audit opinion on the financial statements um obviously clean we have another audit opinion on the governmental auditing standards okay and that's on internal controls and compliance uh we have no comments nothing that Rose to the level even though we have three comments in here some of those could have risen to the level of being reported in those opinions none of them did and the last thing we had to do is we had to do um what I'll identify as a single audit single a is just terminology that's used by the accounting uh group uh body that established it and really what it means is that if you get or expend more than $750,000 in either f federal or state monies you need to then do additional testing on those grants and for some reason they called it a single audit I don't know why um because it's not one audit um so and of course with the size of the community that we're in and I'll just give you a little bit of perspective that's how big we are here um so the state of New Jersey you had over $124 million of expenditures that were funded through the state of New Jersey so of course course then that triggered again us going in and looking what we identify as major programs and that's risk based we try to mix it up from year to year but it's risk-based we look at the big programs those are the ones you have to identify uh and then we go into specific audit programs that that are are given to us by the state of New Jersey which basically tells us what we have to test and really generically what it's all about um it's really all about allowable cost it's the most important and there's effort matching and there's other items and Reporting uh but really the most important issue is is really allowability um of those expenditures so we did test General state aid we had nothing to report Federal side we had over $20 million of money that came through the district that the board expended from federal agencies uh again this is still the residual of the uh um Corona virus the pandemic money's coming through the Essa program money's coming through the art program um so this is still part of the residual um so we did test those programs because those are considered high resk high risk by the federal government and we have to test those um we had nothing to report any deficiencies or any issues uh with regards to those tests the last thing I guess I want to talk about is a little bit about new this year what's new in the accounting World for for Board of educations is we now have to record uh under Gap asby 96 which is subscription based leases so now what's happening is is what was new last year was just leases that we normally would identify as operating leases if their material had to be recorded now it's based on on technology Information Systems so it's it it's it's almost like intellectual property in a sense that if the Board of Education leases this type of of of property now what's happening is that we need to go through and analyze and if it's material to the financials we have to capitalize it as a right to use this asset so if you lease something for 5 years you have a right to use it there's a value attached to it um and then there's lease payments and then there's an imputed interest component to it so now what we're doing is that we're recording the asset right to use and we're recording a leas liability now or a liability right to use that asset um we evaluated it with the district we we started this over 6 months ago um went through the process um we didn't have anything that was material one thing I want to know because you may be thinking well there's so much of it but as long as it's one year or less there's no requirement to report on it so it's when you have multiple year contracts that's when the requirement kicks in when materiality for your district is quite large so um that's just one of the nuances that's the latest thing um that I do want to talk about um I don't unless you want me to cover Surplus at all that's up to you otherwise um I'm here for questions thanks Pa thank you thank you Mr lur any questions from the board president I um you mentioned the the subscription based leases are you referring to cars and building leases like what what does that cover under you know it it's it's it's going to cover stuff that would be um for an example it would be say the accounting software right if you the accounting software that the district's using so if that lease is multiple year and the combination of all of those payments over the a fiveyear call it a 5year period um that's the type of item that would be intellectual property or uh Information Technology um when you're going through the process of using um um what was I going to say the um curriculum I guess that's what I was looking for the word so if you're doing now curriculum and curriculum now is being leased on a multi-year basis as opposed to to the old book version that could fall into that as well um so it could be any of the student data collection stuff that that that that you're handling or anything that is really of that nature so if the subscription model is like a per user per month or or for the year that's okay but just when you sign a multi-year agreement that's when it falls into this category it does because what happens is if you're doing only a 12-month period um then we're we're we're saying it's going to be extinguished within that period of time uh but if it's multiple years then there's an asset and a liability value that we need to determine and we need to put on the books and it gets even more complicated because all of these leases there there there's really not going to be any interest rates identified in these leases so then what we have to do is we have to come up with the computed interest rate and what we've been doing there is we've been taking the treasury rates based upon the the date that the lease was entered into and then we develop and come up with an actual interest component C based on the imputed interest rate so it it you know it can get really can get really crazy I've had a couple that have gotten really crazy but that's that's the latest and greatest on it anyone else anyone else have a question Dr Danny uh yes you mentioned that the federal government sees the Esser as a high risk can you just explain like to the public what that means is the high risk yeah so they what what the federal government has identified is that the Esser Corona virus oper money that's going flowing through that Federal agency has identified that as a high risk and really what that means is that that's something from an auditing perspective that we need to put on our radar and we need to make sure that we're testing as opposed to just using pure judgment so typically what would happen is with the federal grants we would go through our process we would then determine based upon our valuation is that program a high-risk program or a low-risk program lowrisk we can we cannot test then we'll look and we'll pick some other programs that maybe are highrisk and that is really determined by a lot of factors have we audited in the past two years what were the results of those Audits and this is just something that kind of preempts all of that and the federal government identifies that these funds are considered high risk for the audit firms so you know that you need to focus on it okay anyone else yes when you decide to uh look at the vendor list and the vendor bills how do you pick and choose which ones you're going to go in and dig on in on I'm just curious that's a good question you know it's so it's it's really twofold them what we do is um of course and I keep talking about materiality right so we come up and we determine by each fund what the materiality number is and then and then we look at it for that fund and then we determine a transactional materiality um so if the fund has a materiality of x uh then we'll multiply that by certain Factor divide it by a certain Factor come up with a transactional mat reality and then what we'll do and it depends on our evaluation right everything's risk-based in my business and so what we'll do is we'll determine do we know the client do was there a turnover in the client has the client been um an issue in certain areas year after year after year all of these factors kind of determine as to what the risk-based approach is but we're always going to look at Material numbers but maybe the material number that we look at is going to be a little bit higher versus a client that is brand new and as a high-risk component in a particular area so we'll do that to satisfy ourselves of the large dollar values and then of course what we do is we go the old fash we do a computer random selection and then we have the computer generate a a random selection of expenditures and we'll do that across all the funds and we're trying to get we're trying to get a reasonable population and then of course what happens then is as we go through that process if we're going through the testing and then we discover that we have some kind of an error for whatever reason um then we have to expand those numbers so so it's kind of it's fluid in that sense but that's how we start the process okay thank you anyone else okay thank you Mr Lurch thank you thanks for having us um we do appreciate serving the Clifton Board of Education so you should know that um you and congratulations to the business office for an excellent audit yes good night everyone good night okay next we we're going to we're going to recognize our student of the month award winners we'll start with uh freshman Melissa G Mr rack I believe thank you Mr President freshman student of the month Melissa G Melissa G A motivated ninth grade student at Clifton High School has found a particular interest in biology this year Mr Weiss mantle her chorus teacher holds a title of the most influent influential teacher in Melissa's eyes also a fellow magic to Gathering player Melissa's greatest in Inspiration is her kind-hearted and hardworking mom who tirelessly Works to provide her and her sister with the best opportunities for their future actively involved in extracurricular activities Melissa participates in soccer chorus the musical the regional choir and has plans to join flag football and track in the spring her success in high school is evident through maintaining good grades in honor class honors classes looking forward Melissa is considering various academic programs that Clifton High School offers such as the Bergen program pccc programms and MSU program she is Keen on exploring these OPP opportunities to find the best fit for her academic and personal growth congratulations [Applause] Melissa do you want me to take a picture with your phone I'll do yours first and then mine we go there you go and I'll do mine okay do okay here we go three two one thank you congratulations seen next up we have our sophomore student of the month Nikita shokin Nikita a 10th grade student at Clifton High School has known strong passion for drama making his it his favorite subject nitika acknowledges the influence of several teachers with M Miss POI being particularly impactful in shaping his love for acting actively involved in drama related clubs and events Nikita has contributed various Productions displaying a commitment to the Performing Arts he plans to continue his involvement in drama until graduation and aspires to become vpan in terms of academic Pursuits Nikita is currently part of the computer science academy and expresses the interest in exploring additional programs offered by Clifton High School indicating a potential consideration for future enrollment [Applause] congratulations Mr Kenova a little that way there there we go no you're you're good you're good three two one one more two one thank you congratulations so now our Junior student in the month is famed afab as an 11th grade student at clion high school he has a keen interest in history considering it his favorite subject Mr Alvarado his 10th grade Spanish teacher and JV volleyball coach stands out as the most influential teacher um Beyond volleyball Mr Alvarado pushed valuable advice on college majors and real world decisionmaking impacting fim's perspective on education and life for him's draw inspiration from his hardworking and kind mother instilling in him a strong work ethic and commitment to be to building meaningful considerations connections with others actively involved in extracurricular activities such as Key Club he now serves as the vice president and as the Web Master of the Muslim Student Association he's faced the challenge of adapting to honors and AP courses in his sophomore junior year learning valuable skills like time management and critical thinking looking ahead he aspires to work as a software engineer or as a developer for a major tech company [Applause] congratulations of course thank you sir right you can just take on the okay there we go that's one there we go I don't know if I'm getting this which one this is not go I think I got it and last one there we go excellent thank you I I don't know if I hit the right button I hit those is that okay good evening I have the honor of presenting the senior student of the month Veronica tros Veronica tros is a dedicated 12th grade student at Clifton High School has a profound passion for science particularly biology anatomy and physiology and surgery Miss Dana quaza and Miss Francine Mortor a WRA Wilson High School provided early guidance and imparted valuable life lessons Mrs Effie Kelo at CHS not only taught Veronica but also informed her of her transformative opportunities enabling her to graduate with an associates degree from Bergen Community College Miss Erica alberg Nady Veronica's sophomore human behavior teacher continues to be a source of advice and wisdom Veronica has been a member of the varsity swim team junior varsity cheerleading team and actively involved in the Clifton's ke Key Club she is also a part of the National Academy for future Physicians and medical scientists and has joined the early college program graduating with an associates degree through Ru dual enrollment classes looking ahead Veronica aspires to become a general surgeon and will continue her education at Sean Hall University majoring in biology the certificate of achievement recognizes Veronica tros on behalf of the clipton Board of Education senior student of the month is Veronica here oh well we'll get this to her definely studying she's she's definitely studying congratulations Veronica we'll make sure that she gets this congratulations to you and to your [Applause] family she okay that's uh Miss regosa has a um presentation pbsis award hello good evening everyone Hi hi thank you again for the honor of um allowing us to the space to really uh highlight our folks in our district who are helping us drive the PBS framework I'm going to ceue up um it's not escaping it's not escaping but so tonight we are uh thank you are showcasing Mr Eddie Figaroa who is a sub custodian in our district unfortunately he could not make it tonight he sent his um sincerest uh apologies he had a previous commitment that he couldn't get out of but he was was super excited about this uh this amazing um effort that his team put together in a moment you'll see a video uh from school one so he goes around to our different uh schools helping us out in the custodian world and what's happened is our pbsis framework has now connected with our custodian Department thanks to their fearless leader um Mr Shan and we are working towards being respectful kind and um having the the our students understand that their schools are an extension of their home right it's it's we're all one Clifton so whether it's cleaning up after themselves or keeping their desks clean or their lockers clean our our custodians are now taking it the district uh wide ticket that goes from school to school and they're recognizing students for things that that are are really keeping their buildings clean and um safe so most recently Mr Eddie figuro um gave one of these tickets to one of the students and then um ended up winning the raffle for that building because that students ticket was picked his wife Don who also works at the high school as our as one of our sub secretaries um approached us and said how much it meant to Mr figeroa to win that um that raffle not only because of the chocolates that you'll see in a moment that he got to enjoy but because of what it meant to him he really believes that our one Clifton Community is solid and so you'll see in a moment why not only because of his Essence and his personality but because of what we do in our districts to make this all happen let's check it out and you'll see why a little bit more Mr Eddie where do I even begin so Mr Eddie is one of the best custodians I ever work with in my whole entire life our model here at school one is together we sore as one and possible thanks to the fabulousness but it's not just the fact that he is OCD with cleaning that I love because he cleans this building spotless he is one of the most kind and generous humans I have ever worked with we love having Mr Eddie here he's the reason why this year has been successful because of his hard work and dedication not just to the staff in the building but to our students as well what makes Mr Eddie so so perfect is the energy that he brings into this building he is always willing to jump in and help take a PR of the face be supportive in any way that is needed in this building he's kind he's compassionate he's hardworking he's a pug dad that makes him even better you want to talk about a soaring energy Mr Eddie creates an environment in this building that is loving supportive caring every kid knows who he is he is safe openminded ambicious and always respectful is a friendly face that reassures them and greets them every day he exemplifies everything that we stand for at school number one he says hello to everyone from staff to students to parents and he really really compliments the beautiful environment that we have here at school one we need more Mr Edie than this Mr Eddie thank you we appreciate you this recognition is well deserved and we look forward to many more opportunities working with such a wonderful man so God bless Mr Eddie and thank you for everything that you [Music] do [Music] the because one the [Music] best Edie is and you work really hard with a SW on your face and and thank you for your service is the best he so friendly and so kind to everyone in SCH thank Mr Eddie for being to school and making go all thank you Mr Eddie Mr Eddie thank you [Music] man have a hard goal and he works great with the kids and staff we love having it's been a pleasure to work with you honor to meet you and definitely hard worker and very attentive to everybodys here at school [Music] Mr Eddie why is important to build a relationship with students show kindness to them first and for they our future I feel we started started off young I had good positive Ro models when I was small you I'm talking about my Alma School gr say teachers the staff I looked up to them I had a police officers so it was just something inin in me you know my parents always me respect others in the same way I give you respect not that I look forward you know to get it back but it's just something that's in me I feel you know doesn't matter what age respect is respect it starts from youngest all the way to I get and just feel like they're our future and what I see in them who knows maybe later on they'll see me and I've gotten that been as an in the police department I've always work with kids great and they're awesome you know hey we're doesn't matter that's iisten learn from how do you feel about after being recognized with a prize after the last pet rally at school one that was real that was ecstatic I actually thought I first I was getting set up past of pie but it was fun it was worth it to see their their expression they chanting group Point here but it's good I mean I guess it goes back to the first question you asked me they recognize every time I see him in the hallway how you hold partner and and I was Fred my neighborhood and that's how I always TR to kids I my kids no different you know and I notic that came for and I just get a kick out of that to me I was happy ecstatic um the chocolate was good I was able to eat two pieces my better half and my kids got a hold of it but it was fun it was great I like I said I don't do it for ACC and I don't do I just their their expression means more to me than an actual physical so you see why he was nominated right um thank you so much for this opportunity um I will give his certificate um to Sean who will make sure that he receives it thank you so much for your [Applause] time congratulations to Mr Eddie and the best award I think for all the students and their support of him it's wonderful um next we're going to do our distinguished employees of the month award we're going to start with the district award yes thank you I have the pleasure thank you of um honoring Kevin nus Pickle warehouse manager Mr nus Pickle is the district warehouse manager he oversees daily operations while controlling and managing inventory and Logistics Mr Kevin does anything you ask him to do and he gets it done without asking he is a step ahead in making the building comfortable and safe to work in he wears many hats in the building and never complains positive attitude always smiling he goes above and beyond in keeping School six in great shape inside the building and out thank you Mr nus Pickle sure Kevin okay right here we go thank [Applause] you me yes I have the honor of presenting this award to Carmen Pagan 10-month secretary at the elementary level Miss Pagan is currently serving her 22nd year as 10mon secretary in school 12 Annex she is a tremendous individual with a heart of gold Miss Pagan genuinely loves working at school 12 and works diligently and effectively on all assigned tasks she wel welcomes all guests students parents into the building with a warm smile and charm and her unique Persona makes everyone feel at home she sets a positive tone and a collegial environment in supporting staff and students Miss Pagan is conscientious and thorough in her responsibilities this month she's been training a new secretary while balancing her duties in both school buildings she is sensitive to the needs of all students and is known known as being nurturing and helpful in all situations she is a ray of sunshine who brightens the lives of all who meet [Applause] her [Applause] we'll do a picture with the school 12 people do one and then we'll bring you guys up yes please come okay it'll be all online yeah Rose you want me to take one with your phone too yeah who's I'm going to take one right after you okay no who's watching the school all right wow three two one and don't I'm not gonna move don't move don't one more I'll take all right all right congratulations I am honored to recognize Kimberly D Stefano language arts coach of the Middle School level Mrs D Stefano is the language arts coach at the Christopher Columbus Middle school she is a giving person she gives of her knowledge expertise and her time she is able and willing to help any teacher who needs it be it in the language arts department or other Mrs D Stefano plans and coordinates literacy nights for both middle school as well as professional development time for the language arts department she is positive and will come into check on teachers whenever she is in the building as the dance coach she is also a positive face for students she goes above and beyond to help her fellow co-workers each day Mrs Deano always has a smile and spreads positivity Wherever She [Applause] Goes all right here we go do you want sure do you want me to take it with one with that why I always smile when I'm taking the picture like awesome I just wanted to say really really quick thing so um good evening everyone I'd like to to first and foremost thank the board for the special award I really feel honored especially in a district when we have so many deserving individuals because it's a really big District so thank you so much um I'd like to thank my amazing and supportive supervisor Dr kinak because she's always there by my side helping me out my administration at CCMS and woodro who literally work side by side with us every day through all the challenges through all the good times and they celebrate just as hard with us for our successes um very importantly all the teachers I work with who are absolutely incredible collaborate and grow and learn from them every day so they truly make my job like I'm the luckiest person ever so thank you so much and my family of course who always supporting me here and at home so thank [Applause] you high school level Courtney Terry sack counselor Miss Terry is the Clifton High School student assistance counselor also known as the sack counselor Miss Terry focuses on assisting students who suffer from substance abuse Mental Health social and family issues she consistently goes above and beyond for her students during their times of Crisis she is there for a listening ear and a watchful eye to ensure that students are safe and healthy she works with all of the students families to find ways to help them and make sure that all their needs are being met Miss Terry is always there for any person who may be in distress with a listening ear with a listening ear and a smile on her face Clifton Public Schools High School distinguished Employee of the Month February 2024 presented to Courtney Terry for outstanding service dedication and commitment to the clickin public schools [Applause] we mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy three three two one thank [Music] [Applause] you congratulations to our our all of our employees of the month um I have the honor of recognizing the captain of the ship at the Boys and Girls Club of Clifton for the past let me get this right 43 years [Applause] wow on a on a personal note the Boys and Girls Club has a very special place in my heart as a Young Man growing up down the block from the club I was involved in a lot of a lot of activities it was it was my entire world from second grade till about high school when the high school band got a hold of me and basically I had no time sorry for the club but between I I I had uh the former mayor uh Zer was at the time a member of the Optimus club and they had oratorical contest uh and they coached some of us boys and I had the honor of of his tutelage learning how to do some public speaking which has carried me through the rest of my life also working at at Camp um I was also a member of the boys Glee Club at the time so there's so many life skills I learned and so much I really owe to the club and to this great man who has really steered it for us for the last 43 years and there been such an uh a wonderful advantage to our students in Clifton with your programs you you've touched many households and many people and I'd like to recognize and resolve that the Board of Education recognizes Mr Robert Foster executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Clifton on his retirement Mr Foster has been employed with the boys and girls club for 43 years we applaud Mr Foster for his dedication service to the staff community and students of Clifton the board congratulates and sends him the best wishes on his retirement it is with sincere appreciation that we present to Robert Foster executive director of the Clifton Boys and Girls Club your unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions have significantly enriched the Clifton Public School District your commitment to our youth's growth and success is a legacy that will resonate for Generations thank you for making a difference [Applause] [Laughter] okay on hey how are you how are you good catch bound to happen is having three tonight Jimmy I'm always ready good hands good hands didn't have those hands when you played football I guarantee you that all right that's great perfect there we go three two one awesome congratulations you know what I mean like a SL I don't know why they didn't put a little slope was good that concludes our uh award presentations for the evening so and I see most of you are taking advantage of this opportunity to leave us so please feel please feel please feel free to you have no obligation to sit for the rest of the meeting but if you so choose you're more than welcome okay moving on to board committee reports um commissioner brunia can can you please start us off with uh Finance you're doing first or facilities thank you Mr President facilities okay that's one yes in sequential order thank you February 6th this occurred two two days ago on February 6 2024 those present were myself commissioner siano vice president Dany president Paris Dr Robert toy Mr uh jenero Mr shahada Mr Maldonado Mr Marion was there Mr oito Mr Thomas and Mr Watkins start time was 3:30 meeting end time was approximately 4:43 I believe overview of com number one overview of committee and its members Administration introduced themselves to the committee and explained what they do and the purpose of the committee number two referendum update the Epic rep gave an overview of what has taken Place thus far in the referendum and what is taking place through throughout the rest of the year bathrooms are 98% complete throughout the district package two nearly complete working on punch list items epic is working with the GCS on ways to try and expede delayed switch gears CCMS change order for the referendum was explains was explained and approved through the committee the change order for the auditorium to place duct work above the ceiling to keep the aesthetic Integrity of the original design of the building renovation should commence in May the wait room is in its final stages we are waiting on electrical tie-in the ribbon cutting will be set up in the near future building and grounds updates the administration gave an update of projects taking place throughout the district cleaning detail assembled to paint the hallways and floors in school 5 and 11 other buildings will be painted once they are complete the new boiler training is being done for employees at school 3 and CHS and there are other buildings to follow stage curtains stage curtain Replacements at school 2 and school 12 these are fire resistant and school 12 ver vertical chairlift is being replace due to the other one being obsolete number four generate generator installations the administration expressed the need to add generators for middle schools generators will be hooked up to security cameras boilers and alarms the board will hold this matter for another meeting number five the school 11 parking lot Clifton was Clifton Public Schools was awarded an SDA grant for maintenance projects part of this money will be used to create a parking lot at school 11 the the bid the bid opening for L3 and CHS music Suite is taking place on February 29th in the Board of Ed Board of Education conference room number seven window manufacturer site visit the window manufacturer for CHS and various elementary schools extended an offer for the board SL Commissioners Administration to watch the windows being produced does anyone have any questions I do uh you're Santiago you go you go okay sorry thank you uh the school 11 uh parking lot where would that be potentially where is that going to be it's going to be extended so the area where it ends going back towards when you're on mercelis if if you continue to go on mercelis from Lake View and you go that way they're just going to extend it I think approximately 25 spaces is that accurate Mr shahada so there's a there's a lot right now we'll call it the teacher lot and then there's the playground and the grass and all that corre we're taking a piece of the grass out so we keep the drainage intact there um we're hoping for 25 I can't promise that yet we're still doing the final layout but we're going to get it as close to that number as possible and that would be on the current teacher parking lot if you will side right is that what you're saying or no behind the parking lot behind excuse me behind the the basketball court so so if you walk in on the 46 and you're looking directly at where is the the basketball court is on your right side we're going to be to the left where the grass is so there will be no more grass is that will be grass we're going to cut a sliver out right so just you know you're coming down when you go in you drive into that you're going down and the long story short is that you got the playground and you got recess or you got it will be fenced off you don't have to worry about that we're going to where the playground is it's adequate space in between but we plan on putting a fence there great okay cuz that's the only way in there's only one way in um then the the weight room uh when is that like potential ETA it's almost done is it you think March April we we were told March 1st bar crazy weather and PSA needs to be pulled to handle emergency so just hope it doesn't rain or snow March okay thank you Dr Danny um yes uh I would just like a little expanded for the uh the entire board about the generator install just a little more of the discussion so as you guys are aware uh we have had numerous issues at woodro Wilson specifically this year with uh Power uh one day we actually had to cancel school so we are looking to savor the boilers and the referendum work that we're doing there because if it does go off again during the winter there is a high probability that the millions of dollars that we put in in mechanical equipment can freeze and we'd have to start from scratch so it wouldn't allow us to hold classes but it will at least allow us to to mitigate our expenses as much as possible and um could you uh update the board on the when you spoke with the insurance what what was stated yeah it was a very wishy washy answer it said um I was kind of confused reading it and I I sent it over to the committee to get their input on it but he did say if psng were to arrive late and not in a timely fashion which is just ambiguous in itself um the insurance would cover the freezing pipes however they may may not because of other circumstances so it would be assessed on a case-by Case basis so I took that as it's it's a crapshoot we have no idea now and so the the generators um would only be able to they wouldn't be able to have the school open As I understood but it would just prevent um anything with the heat or or anything and what is the cost and and where is this the cost coming from this would be uh we would P present it to the finance committee as well as the facilities and get it out of capital reserve for both buildings it actually came in we were estimated at first for a million dollars each um Rodney worked his magic and got it down to 1.3 collectively so I just wanted the board to be a where I thought it was maybe if anybody wanted to know the whole um being that you're not in that committee and I just sat in for Mr Kenova so I just wanted the board I felt that that was something for the entire board to be aware of so that is why I brought it to the attention uh Mr Shad it also included protecting the servers right when the power is out correct so it's going to protect the the servers as well and mainly all the mechanical components of the referendum which the servers are part part of that anyone else yeah I have a question it's not on the list uh any update on the elevator at CCMS yeah so we are waiting on uh the official tie-in power there the switch gear there is also delayed uh the elevator is ready to be installed we have tested it balanced it with temporary power but we can't open until we get the official power and the co from the city so I think uh Al said September is but you know it's it's anybody gu at this point Mr kova um so a couple questions so now you mentioned the the elevator do we have a uh either a cell phone based line or a pots telephone line inside of there is that a part of that I can't confirm with tonight but I do believe there is a pots line being put in there but I can confirm what Eric Mountain tomorrow all right um you mentioned the insurance policy and how they were ambiguous can we make an addendum to that insurance policy to to be more specific about this particular instance where we would be covered if something happened or not our attorney said we would need a rider and um maybe he can just elaborate a little bit on that so uh yeah so um if you want to have a specific policy as it relates to certain loss you'd contact the broker or the carrier themselves uh in request of a rider for the very thing that you're trying to make sure you get coverage on it's very possible that they make uh determination that the rider is not necessary and that you are covered despite the ambiguity that may already exist so it it's worthy of a phone call and if it is a rider um it will have some additional cost um but normally Riders are not terribly expensive yeah depending on what you're insuring and the and the risk of loss yeah and I only ask because we are moving to this uh this newer style of boiler so if we're doing that in all of our schools God forbid this happens in multiple schools we could be really you know in in a bad situation so if we have a gap there I'd rather just close the gap that's a good idea um and the other thing I want to bring up um not particularly around anything in here but I know initially we didn't have a lot of color to to the agenda items here and if you're not sitting in the meeting um you wouldn't know particularly where it took place so I'm glad that you you redid the meeting minutes um but usually we get a notification from bardocks that tells us there's been a change and the reason why that's important is because since we're going through in a digital environment now and looking through item agenda items maybe three or 4 days ago when they were released to us if anything does change we may be voting on something that happened in the past and now there's a change that took place and we don't know so I brought that up to them in the past and usually it's highlighted in or at least I've recommended them that gets highlighted in in like a bold colors you see you haven't seen it yet kind of like on Facebook and these other so I believe the reason why the notification did not go out was because I edited in the existing item it wasn't anything new so if I were to add on something new after the agenda is is published for you guys to see it then the notification pops up no or yes and then I usually hit yes you guys get a notification that the administrator did something something please check board dos okay so to me that sounds like a bug in their system I'd rather bring it back to Tech and talk with them on it and see if they could fix it because no matter what what's being edited we should be notified yeah Mr kova I think you you're right I mean it's my expectation anytime an agenda item once the agenda goes to you guys if something's changed you get a notification try not to add too many things but some things have to be add um in this case even if they don't fix it their their bug I understand what happened here we could even just send an email ourselves and say hey this has been updated so we we'll do that going forward unless they could fix it I did to Mr Canela just he brought up the the question question but we'll we'll fix that in the future but the point is well taken um you're expecting that when you look at the agenda if you look at it yesterday that and you didn't look at it since yesterday you're voting on things that you expected you read yesterday something changed you would need to be notified and we obviously respect that and understand that okay any other questions so I have a question so if we so if we had the right then with with that um would would we need those generators if we were covered with that Rider I would always recommend the the generator because just the insurance process is is very gruesome and and most times we do have to front the money as we did at school 16 for Ida and it would just be easier to just have the generator at least try to savor it I know a million dollars is not a small sum of money but for the the headache and the possible delays that we will have in school as we're trying to fix this I I think a million doll is very minimal in the grand scheme of things just to piggyback on that to the extent that you want to have belt and suspenders um the rider will be made less expensive if you have redundant systems that protect the property it's also important that we have those servers up because not only would it affect that one building it would affect the entire District okay there the whole it system would be in jeopardy any other questions yes sir I think the uh main thing here with the rer I don't I don't know how they would word the rider because the main problem here was Acts of God if a car drives into the school we're covered if a tree falls or if lightning causes this damage we are not covered um so I don't think a rider is going to say yes we're going to cover you during any Act of God because then the insurance companies going say no we're not going to cover it uh that's the problem with the insurance companies from the conversation we had they could choose not to cover it based on any little instance uh but the ax of God is the biggest one that we're going to have to overcome okay uh moving on Mr brunak uh Finance please thank you Mr President finance com committee convened February 6 2024 myself was present commissioner Santiago was present commissioner Mahia was present president Paris was present Dr Robert toy was present Mr Jenaro Mr shahada and Mr Uchi were all present meeting started promptly at 5: p.m.

we are in hearing room 229 this meeting including the audio and video of remote participants is being streamed live on YouTube you'll find links to viewing options for all Senate meetings on the live and On Demand video page of the legislature's website this Zoom meeting and YouTube live stream event will include the 305 PM agenda for the committee on education in the unlikely event that we must abruptly end this hearing due to Major Tech technical difficulties the committee will reconvene to discuss any outstanding business on Monday February 12th 2024 at 3:01 p.m.

okay calling to order joint committees on uh laborin technology and education for decision making uh 3 p.m. agenda it's Friday February 9th in conference room 229 okay we just have a one bill Senate Bill 3090 relating to workers compensation okay this would allow new le graduated high school students to be eligible for workers comp coverage uh during the summer following their graduation all participating in sponsored Department sponsored work based learning programs okay so we're going to go straight into decision-making chair is that okay yes okay thank you very much the recommendation is to move this as a senate draft one just with uh some technical amendments and a defective date of July 1st 2015 so thank you very much Vice CH for Bill 390 um uh chair I oh it's to pass with amend nice shair I Senator I uh Senator Lee excuse [Music] Senator recommendation is adopted thank you for the committee on education the chair has the same recommendation to pass amendments chair Sor 39 recommendations to pass with amendments chair V side Vice chair V side Senator Hashimoto Senator Richards excuse Senator FLL four members present one excuse your recommendation adopted thank you very much so we are joined thank you good afternoon welcome to the committee on education for our Friday February 9th 305 agenda first on the agenda to read this opening remark sorry for us to do this welcome to the committee the senate committee on education today is Friday February 9th when 24 it is 3:05 p.m.

in room 229 and a public notice will be posted on the legislature's website I'd like to take this time to remind our testifiers that due to time restrictions on our hearings we will be limiting testimony to one minute per testifier per bill for people participating remotely please remain muted and video disabled until shortly before it is your turn to testify when I call your name unmute yourself and your time will begin after your minute is completed staff will mute you so that we can move this hearing along in an orderly and efficient manag I mean manner um we're starting with Senate Bill 3305 relating to education which requires all public charter schools that offer pre kindergarten programs exclusively to adhere to the provisions of chapter 302 dhrs with certain exceptions do I have testif so for Senate bille 3305 to testify yo Arawa cross director e Aloha chair Vice chair member of the committee I'm yo Adar across director of the executive office on early learning we are committed to expanding Early Learning opportunities for Ali and we support s SP 3305 and defer to the Hawaii public charter school commission thank you thank you next to testify Danny Bas J for state public charter SCH commission good afternoon Cher kidani Vice care Vice chair Kim Senator Hashimoto um Danny VAs gonalez on behalf of the state public charter school commission uh first Mahalo to chair in the committee for hearing this uh measure the commission is in strong support of this bill I'll just provide some brief comments to um clarify the intent of this bill again and this applies only to prek only Charter Schools meaning that these will be schools that do not have any K12 students they'll only be serving our prek schools the commission just recently approved its first Pre-K only school that would be packed parents and children together Village Parkway Charter School um they are scheduled to open four prek classrooms hopefully at the beginning of calendar year 2025 out in the capay Village Parkway development and just for the committee's clarification the areas of the statute that the prek only Charters are Exempted from would be the per pupil funding statute prek is funded separately through a direct appropriation and would not be subject to the per pupil formula as the K12 charter schools are weighted student formula while charter schools are not funded weighted student formula section 29 allows for that option and other things such as Athletics computer science and the career development program that is currently in our high schools Mahalo again shair and I'm available for questions as needed thank you Danny is there anyone else here wishing to testify on this measure come forward please state your name Aloha Angela Melody young um testifying wishing to comment on behalf of car's a grass Roots initiative um so this measure is about statutory exemptions for charter schools and chapter 302d the statutes governing public charter schools is now being upgraded by adding a new section applicable to pre kindergarten only public charter schools and um Caris just wants to express that we're worried that the terminology and contexts explained here are not clear we have to consider the process from the charter schools perspective um and if you take into account the application process um I went back to listen to hearings from 2021 from House Bill 1220 the bill relating to allowing the authorizer staff to provide technical support up until the completed Charter application is submitted and it clarifies Charter application notice requirements charter schools have a lot of barriers to go through um and the Board of Education runs RFP to authorize charter schools and um under statute there are requirements as to who can apply to be a charter school and the RFP is supposedly only supposed to be a two-step process um the school proposes and then submits intent to apply and then commission um has written into RFP priority areas what they're looking for and once commission makes the decision the schools are invited to apply as a full application to explain the model and the curriculum and from that hearing in 2021 there were lot of questions um running a school is not something to take on lightly and from a Charter School's perspective one that was in the process of applying was that people were not helpful during the application process and that it was a very lengthy process and so if there are exemptions here being considered in this measure I think this is something um to consider the entire application process um and also Charter Schools I'm not too sure okay thank one minute turn into time is up thank you so much is there anyone else here wishing to testify this thank you question question Charter Schools trying to get my arms around this so why would one want to just be a charter school for prechool pre kindergarten these are um these would be primarily programs that are part of the prek expansion so pcta I'll just packed as the example I'm familiar with pack but may this would be the public private uh Partnerships that we're looking at to um assist with that prek expansion so PA would be moving the four classrooms that it's planning to open out at Parkway Villages that would be considered sort of a packed charter school so the the uh PCT itself would stay as a you know it's its own nonprofit entity but the school those four classrooms specifically in that Parkway Village Development would be a public charter school I just what I'm wondering why wouldn't they just keep it as pack as a as a you know nonprofit preschool pre kindergarten uh versus doing a charter and is there some other benefit that they get I believe part of the um I believe there's a it's in the Constitution that in order to get the public funds that are needed to provide public education they have to make that transition to become a public agency so they want that's what I'm trying to get out so they want that funding yes um so then does that mean that anybody who want to get into uh pre school or pre iner Garten will take that route so they can get the funding they could if they want to you know foro the option to charge tuition and things like that you know as a public agency as a public prease school they're going to have to follow essentially the rules that the in this case the charter school commission as well as uh programs like um o determines so so does the public charter schools for preschool charge of tuition the public no not the charge no well you just said something that they can collect tuition so if they remain private right private entity but to go to a charter school they they don't come toally but they get money from the state they would be receiving State funding in this case so when we did open up the sort of application period for this process P was the only applicant at this time so we may be seeing maybe you know we might be seeing more but at this time it was only packed that applied that's why I was trying I'm trying to get my arms around this and what it is not just this entity but what what may be unintended consequences or positive consequences down the road as we look at um all preschools at some point would be Charter Schools if that's the case I mean is that where we're headed um at this time and we're um planning to open to 30 classrooms but again PA was the only um applicant that um came into open classrooms right so all the other classrooms are being run by the state right under the 3K it'll be so um the commission would serve as the oversight Authority for this so in this case we'd be working with pact pact would be considered in this Cas but of the overall Lieutenant Governor's program and all the the classrooms that we're so far opening and projecting is all being run by the state and not not um Charter Schools um in this case um for this program it would be a charter school I'm sorry program I'm talking about all the pro all the classrooms that are being projected right now none of it is being projected for Charter Schools it's just being projected for run under the state right doe or what whatever corre yes thank you thank you thank you further questions members thank you thank you question so so so who proposed the um particular sections um our staff our early learning manager our interim executive director as well as some of our other staff members went through our charter school so I'm just looking at one exemption that you're getting that kind of pequ my interest was is 3 302 d-34 C which is the conversion Charter School provision why why do you believe you need that that enrollment uh provision again applies specifically to conversion charter schools and it kind of clarifies the nature of what a converging charter school is is that they will run an application process but they also have a specific service area um that they're responsible for so as a conversion charter school if there's space available you can take people from outside of the service area but for anyone that exists within that conversion service area just like uh the do you know a doe home school would operate anyone that lives within the service area would be eligible to get into the converg school so in this case we again we wouldn't see any providers that would come in as convergence schools they would come in as a already existing charter school or they'd have to go through that conversion process first right cuz it's an existing School converting right but if we play it out in the future potentially if they're converting and they have a prek program we wouldn't want them to continue that prek program it would fall under the sort of um I want to say umbrella of it being at a standard regular Charter School not the prek only charter school right because in order to convert so it would still apply it would not apply I'm sorry right a a convergence school is a K12 do school that would convert no no but it could be prek now that we're adding it right it could I'm I mean um I'm just playing it out in a few years right you may not be now but you're giving it a permanent conver you exemption right so I'm just just trying to understand if you've thought out that far I know you're in stage and you're only thinking now but I'm just thinking if you thought it through it could um hopefully we won't have to come back in in order to fix this exemption but um I believe it Poss I could okay thank you chair thank you fur questions thank you moving on to Senate bill 2937 this is related to access to learning and this repeals a sub date for the exemption of laboratory school programs of the point language college at the University of hawo from State English medium standards assessments performance ratings State staff qualifications and staff training requirements to testify hi chair Vice chair member of the committee Yoo across director of the executive office on early learning we support s SP 2937 and we defer to the University of Hawaii thank you thank you next to testify um I'ma representing the University of Hawaii I stand on our testimony but would just like to offer um some man and highlights of the intent of the bill first of all I want to start off with a Mahalo to you on a legislature who has historically since 1978 supported Hawaii language and efforts to renormalize it in particular through an educational pathway now that spans from preschool all the way through to PhD um I also want to Mahalo you for the support of act 46 uh of which this bill is related to act 46 right as we all know provides access to Early Learning including those serving our haai language Ohana and Kiki so this bill seeks to repeal the sunate uh debt of uh deadline of 2026 which would further allow for exemptions uh for home medium education as it relates to standards um assessments training Etc um it is not that we are opposed to or don't have standards performance assessments training Etc it's just that we have over the past 40 years developed a model that fits Hawaiian medium education that is unique uh from those of English medium education so I Mahal you for your time and I'm here and available for questions if you have any mAh is there anyone else here wishing to testify on Senate Bill 2937 MERS questions yeah I guess I have a question to you so is there any standards from the public education that is entwined in your programs so our assessments that relate to our laboratory sites which we have four um that sit under the college across the state that's K through 12 but we also have the 13 specific prek punan sites also across um the state that uh the college has been working on developing its own own assessments um teacher trainings uh performance standards uh relating to cognitive development leadership literacy um mathematics um and so these standards and assessments have been developed over time and have been um developed to accurately measure and prepare both teachers and students for Hawaiian medium education uh goals and curriculum how does hawaian medium language then Dov tail into the world and the jobs that are out there and the careers that are out there yeah I think you know 40 years ago when the movement first began there was a lot of question if to whether or not the students coming out of this type of education system would be prepared for the workforce to take take care of their families and their communities and we've had now the um I guess benefit of being able to see how the students are performing when they come out of high school and moving on so I think we still have a graduation rate from high school of 100% we still have very high um what do you call it continuation rates into higher education um the students are are equipped and capable of going into English medium higher education institutions and excelling we have students who have become teachers and have gone back to uh contribute to the education pathway that they were afforded we have business owners we have um politicians we have a gamut well we have leaders leaders in our community so I think the skills besides the academic content taught through Hawaiian language um I think the Hawaiian medium pathway also affords these students uh a sense of giving back to their Community because Hawaiian medium education is still not you know the the mainstream right it's not the normal path so there's additional um lessons in that so I can understand it in Hawaii but when it comes to how did they with the rest of the world I would say I as you asked the question I see some of the faces popping my mind we have a graduate sitting as a professor in linguistics and Neuroscience at Oxford in England we have students that move on to um IV League colleges in the east coast um and they they are um they're doing well and they're coming back home to contribute our professor sitting in Oxford is actively working with our college right now to help develop AI technologies that are um through Hawaii language so I think um we are seeing the fruits of all of that hard work come back Beyond uh expectations well I commend you guys for that um I recently was at a conference um on the mainland and we were given a presentation on how America us compares to the rest of the world and we are last in every single area mathematics in science in English and and we're not just last we are like years behind all these other countries are years ahead of us years ahead of us all foreign countries um we are and I'm sure Hawaii is a small microcosm of the whole us but is when it comes to us competing um and so I'm just concerned about you know we talk about we want our our um people to be able to gain an education be able to compete and be able to be tops in their field um and I don't know if we're limiting them by exempting some of the standards and I understand assessments I understand that you know we're different from the mainland obviously but at the same time at the end of the day we have to compete with these differences with the people on the mainland in the rest of the world the way the world is come smaller so I just hope we're not handicapping that's all I'm concerned that we're not handicapping and yes you're going to have you know lot of success stories but what is the average the people that are not at rul that are superior the generals of that because wherever you go you're going to have that little cream and even when they compared us with our cream of the crop to their cream of the crop we were still years behind you know yeah um so that's my concern and I and I noticed there's a testimony that also raised some other concerns about you know whether or not we are lessening our our kids or giving them not giving them everything that they should be getting I can yeah and I can appreciate that and I think it's more so of um it's difficult to hold English medium standards as the the bar when there it's not equivalent to um hawaian medium instruction right so it's about being able to accurately measure yeah I like sure it's measurement I don't have a problem with the measurement because it's very difficult to measure somebody who doesn't speak English as their first language to someone who is a second language that but this one individual says why would we want to adopt a different set of standards for ethnic Hawaiian children or children of any race merely because they're being taught to the Hawaiian language so again it's not necessarily the assessments but giving them a well-rounded education and how that culture then fits in or maybe not fit in or has to bridge yeah you know the the different worlds um I went away to school and I encourage to go because it's a whole different lifestyle a whole different set of social standards it's a whole different ways of and adopting doesn't mean that I lost my culture but it just means that I can now understand when I'm in those situations I can deal with that so and I think that is exactly one of the strong values that is inherent or embedded in uh H medium education it's about constant adaptability and being able to articulate um and constantly being able to have to translate right between World Views and that's a a strength that I think it's difficult to have if you're just in the English medium um one thing I want to offer to though um to that point in the testimony is our education system is not about ethnic Hawaiian it's about any family and community that is interested in um speaking Hawaiian language once again whether at home or in theun so it's not limited by ethnicity um also I just wanted to add that Havi has been recognized recently so we at the college and all of our consortial partners um recently have been um authorized awarded the first national Native American language Resource Center uh by the US Department of Education who is charged to work with other Native American language communities exactly on these things like uh um teacher preparation assessments uh standards I bring this up only because I think it demonstrates that we here in Hawaii are helping to set a model and a standard for the entire nation as it relates to indigenous language education Pathways and I think that's something to also be proud of back here at home um and like I mentioned at the beginning of my testimony the legislature here has been a key partner in ensuring the success of the language so Mahalo well I hope um things have changed because when my son was three I think tried to enroll him in puno and they wouldn't accept him because one we didn't speak Hawaiian in the household and even though I was willing to go to classes or whatever they wouldn't take him even though he's part a wine and the other reason they wouldn't take him is because I they said what is he going to do he's going to continue on to a hawan well if he gets accepted he's going to go to Kam and they said and I thought okay you know Kam right they go well they don't have a Hawaii um program there and so they so they wouldn't take you you know and I felt that he was Hawaiian he should learn his language at a young age but they would not that he's going to go into it for the rest of his life but you know to the whole thing about you know appreciation appreciation of your language appreciation of your culture I thought what better way to get him at a young age but not neily pigeonhole him into going to Hawaiian language all the way through to to college so I I hope that attitude has changed um over the years because certainly I thought that was a missed opportunity yeah um for them and of course for my son to have that the other question I have is the exemption goes until 2026 that you're in here at 2024 so yeah we um we just wanted to be proactive in that um recognizing that again we have uh what we're seeking for continued exemption on are um things that we have in place and want to continue to strengthen but it's not as if it ends this year correct it well it's been what four years since the Act passed and so in thinking we have two more years yeah also recognizing though like um Yuko had mentioned with the road map that their executive office of early learning and their board have approved D which is the implementation plan for ACT 46 uh in that implementation plan is specified to seek legislation for the Perpetual exemption of Hawaiian medium education from English medium standards so we thought we'd be proactive and come in um bring this before you in alignment with that but also in recognizing that two years away is not it's it'll be here before we know it good thank you hello thank you Miss Kimora um so I assume that uh the staff of Kul noi or Kanani or KU would um at this point be wondering what's going to happen to them in a couple years if we don't pass this measure um and I I assume that I you know hoping that us not passing it or deferring it again would um you know put some burden on whether or not they want continue teaching there look for something that's going to be more stable so has that come up at all in uh any of the discussions that your staff have had with you or others yeah sure there there is concern if this does Sunset and then therefore the shift in um standards and assessment would have to be in alignment with English medium um cuz that would cause a lot of disruption I think in terms of uh teacher training and preparation for for the classroom ultimately though I think that that impact will fall on the children uh who are then going to have to be um assessed and measured against uh standards that are not necessarily accurate to the curriculum that they are receiving so I think that would be um perhaps the ultimate impact uh negative impact should this Sunset and what is the number of staff that you have oh I I feel I have to get back to you because we have the 13 sit Statewide um I'd have to get back to you with that exact number and you don't know the total enrollment you you could get back to I'll get back to you on the tot either I want to quote you a erroneous number okay I would appreciate that cuz we work in partnership with on those 133 sites so I'll get those specific numbers and get back to you thank you m other questions members that is our last testifier so we will move on to our final bill Senate Bill 2476 relating to dental hygienists authorizes licensed dental hygienist to perform preventive preventative Dental sealant screenings and apply Dental sealant on individuals and C conditions in a Department of Education school-based oral health program to testify superintendent yes Allah Cher kidani Vice chair Kim and Senator Hashimoto um Annie Kal assistant superintendent for the office of student Support Services is um testifying on behalf of superintendent we stand on our testimony in support of this bill and we're here to answer questions thank you for the opportunity to testify thank you next to testify Shea Choy for the board of dentistry good afternoon chair Vice chair members of the committee my name is Shea Cho executive officer for the board of dentistry the board stands on its written um testimony and is available for any comments questions thank you thank you next to testify Clementina Seria ulap good afternoon chair kidani Vice chair Mado Kim and Senator Hashimoto my name is Clementina Serb dean of the uh Manoa nanso Atmos School of Nursing thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of Senate Bill 2476 I just want to provide additional additional comments for clarification So currently dental hygienists are trained to identify when a sealant could be appropriate and to perform sealant however children must be a patient of record and have a treatment plan from the dentist to receive a dental sealant from the dental hygienist this creates additional administrative burdens and hinders efficiency in school-based oral health programs the aim of this legislation is to allow a dental hygienist to apply Dental sealant in a school-based oral health program without requiring a treatment plan from a dentist and without being a patient of record with a specific provider this is effective cost-free solution to supporting needed school-based oral health programs thank you thank you Patrick Donnelly not present on Zoom chair thank you Department of Health good afternoon my name is Matthew shim I'm chief of the family health services division uh the department stands on its testimony and support and I'm here to answer any questions thank you thank you Matthew and our final testifier my hall from h can speaks Children's Health [Music] coordinator you're muted yes CH kidani Vice chair Kim and committee members my name is myall from the Hai children's Action Network speaks this proposal is an effective cost-free solution to expand school-based oral health programs these programs are designed to reach our most vulnerable children from our low-income families because they may not be as likely to seek out oral health care and are at higher risk for other two Decay problems this also Bridges the Gap in care so parents do not have to take time off of work or children time off of school to go to a clinic or office there are many benefits to the community including the sustainability by reducing Logistics costs such as travel and scheduling it allows dental hygienists to practice in closer alignment with their training and allows the supervising licensed dentist who Still Remains responsible for the calibration of dental hygienist to prioritize the advanced care of patients changing this policy would promote healthier happier Ki who have something to smile about Mahalo thank you is there anyone else here wishing to testify on this measure Aloha chani and members of the committee the Hawaii Dental association's testimony may have go in Gone in as written only or if we inadvertently did not get it submitted I would be glad to drop off a copy I just wanted to underscore that we support this measure and we ask that you consider passing it thank you please identify yourself Melissa pavc thank you thank you anyone else here wishing to testify Aloha chair Vice chair in the committee Angela Melody young testifying in strong support of equity for those in public schools that are disproportionately affected by health and wealth disparities and may require Healthcare access as per this measure the Center for Disease Control and prevention and the American Dental Association declares sealant which are clear plastic Coatings applied to MERS are the most effective preventative strategy in tooth decay Dental sealants prevent 80% of cavities over 2 years in the back teeth where nine and 10 cavities occur however this affects effective intervention remains underused less than half of children in adolescents have dental sealant and a 2016 guideline panel convened by American Academy of pediatric dentistry developed a clinical practice guideline based on a systemic review of the literature and it recommends use of pit and feure sealant and based on a national oral health surveillance system um Hawaii is one of the only states to receive an F in this category and since 2015 yet Hawaii still has an f and the purpose of this act um is to create statutory Provisions to allow schools to receive preventative Dental seant screenings so if this strategy is effective um Caris is in strong support of seeing Hawaii take action on this measure thank you thank you melody is there anyone else here wishing to testify on this measure see none we are going to recess for decision making questions you have questions sorry as usual let's see who is most likely to answer all the questions is it uh or is it um depends on your question yeah ask your question well I have a number of questions I don't know first first of all um do we do sealant now in in schools we are aren you come the Hawaii K program with parental consent our Hawaii K program um identify yourself oh I'm sorry Clementina Serb uh Manoa School of Nursing Dean so we have a program in collaboration with the Department of Education uh funded by the state uh to um have we have this Hawaii Ki program and in that Hawaii Ki program one of our services is to provide Dental sealants for students who are in need of it and it is very much uh an issue we have the highest Decay among our uh children in the United States okay so right now we have it in the program it's just that they cannot apply it unless they get a treatment plan from a dentist and they have to be on record a patient of a dentist so if they have no dentists and they get treated in the in the r program um the the dental program at the schools they cannot receive they can receive treatment but they cannot receive sealant right corre they need this they they need to be a patient of record with a provider meaning a dentist and have a treatment plan to be able to receive and then to so have any children been denied or what what is the percentage of children being denied because not well let me put this way those children that do have plans and do our record that get denied from getting these um treatments I'm sorry I don't know those um um I don't know the response to that question but I can get it from you from okay so not only are we asking for the dental hygienist to be able to perform this without a plan but you're asking for the requirements to allow people with no insurance and no plan to also receive receive it so it'll be up to the dental hygienist to say whether or not they should get it yeah they have the ability they're trained to be able to screen and assess and determine if a sealant is required what is the cost for these treats that's another good question um the dental sealant program by the way is funded by the Hawaii dental service at this point yeah cost per treatment you wanted to know so the Hawaii dental service private entity funds it yeah funds the program do do we know what the funding is and how much more it would cost if this passes we can check all that okay you have questions sh I have couple question so I guess that's my question where would the funding come from it's going to cost more will the Hawaii dental service I believe Hawaii dental service would continue to find it because it's been such a a successful program yeah but it it haven't been to the degree the cost because obviously there's a lot of um children who probably don't have have a dentist and do have a dental plan so they've been excluded from the cost right right right so that might go up that might affect that we can ask those questions question oh zeroc cost program is that there will be this will be a zeroc cost approach meaning zero cost approach because why dental service pays for or refer a zero cost approach M and if they don't fund it then what then we need to look at other source sources of funding yes I don't think that we're asking the state at this point to fund the program but if it comes out that they're not then you may be back in and say you pass this or now you got to find it okay got it thank you thank you thank you can I go ahead so I guess since you're there so so my understanding is are you going into the schools then to do this right now that's what you're doing yeah uh our Hawaii K program is in 257 of the 29 mobile uh and the lead um program director Dr Deb matus also leads the dental sealant program and so this is just daku are you doing this all across the state all across the island has we have a Hawaii K Pro I mean the Hawaii KP K program SC the whole uh State mhm okay yeah okay well no I think it'd be really good to understand what is it what is the population that's being turned away cuz I would assume if it was working fine right then you wouldn't be here but obviously there's a problem um so I think we good to know just to see what the universe might be so I think that's that's been a really good question so thank you thank you for the clarification thank you yes so I was wondering if there are a risk involved if there are pre-existing conditions uh in the students that are having this they have a cavity or whatever would they still perform so in that case then the dental hygienist would consult with a dentist and refer them to the dentist are the dentists agreeing with this yeah the Hawaii Dental Association and the board of dentistry as you know uh are both in support good yeah but if this family uh does I mean assuming that they don't have um Dental a dentist and cannot afford to go to a dentist then um and then what is there dentists that you can refer them to that have yes Services fre of they refer them to the appropriate dentist yeah I see thank you all right thank you okay we're going to recess for thank you reconvening the committee on education um for Senate Bill 3305 requires all public charter schools to offer prek programs exclusively to adhere to the visions of chapter 302d with certain exceptions the recommendation of the chair is to pass as is members questions votes I recommendation Senate Bill 3305 to pass unamended chair kidani votes I Vice chair votes I Senator Hashimoto Senator fella hi Senator Richard excuse for members in affirmative recommendations adopted unexcused thank you moving on to Senate Bill 293 7 relating to access to learning repeals a Sunset date for the exemption of laboratory school programs of the Hawaiian language college at the University of ho Hilo from State English medium standards assessments performance ratings staff qualifications and staff training requirements recommendation of the chair is it pass as is okay recommendation to pass unamended any member voting and with reservation any member voting opposing hearing none for members Pres your measures adopted thank you and the final bill Senate Bill 2476 relating to dental hygienist authorizes licensed dental hygienist to perform preventative Dental sealant screenings and apply Dental sealant on individuals under certain conditions in a Department of Education school-based oral health program recommendation is to pass as is members any anyone voting with reservations opposition to Senate bill 476 Amendment hearing none Rec thank you members meetings journe

we are in hearing room 229 this meeting including the audio and video of remote participants is being streamed live on YouTube you'll find links to viewing options for all Senate meetings on the live and On Demand video page of the legislature's website this Zoom meeting and YouTube live stream event will include the 305 PM agenda for the committee on education in the unlikely event that we must abruptly end this hearing due to Major Tech technical difficulties the committee will reconvene to discuss any outstanding business on Monday February 12th 2024 at 3:01 p.m.

in this room 229 any public notice will be posted on the legislature's website I'd like to take this time to remind our testifiers that due to time restrictions on our hearings we will be limiting testimony to 1 minute per testifier per bill for P for people participating remotely please remain muted and video disabled until shortly before it is your turn to testify when I call your name unmute yourself and your time will begin after your minute is completed Steph will mute you so that we can move this hearing along in an orderly and efficient manner thank you Senator Richards for joining us and thank you Senator Kim for joining us we will begin with Senate Bill 2257 sd1 relating to education authorizes the Hawaii teacher Standards Board to consider qualified individuals with at least an associates degree or high school diploma with comparable education and coursework Industry experience and content expertise to teach Career and Technical education let see we don't have anyone to okay the purpose of this hearing is to receive public testimony for Senate Bill 2257 following the February 7th 2024 edu hearing which inserted substantive Provisions into the short form Bill to correct technical issues regarding the measures title to testify we have superintendent Keith Hayashi good afternoon chair Vice chair and members of the committee Sean bacon speaking on behalf of the Department of Education we stand on a written testimony and strong support and are available to answer any questions thank you thank you Sean MIT my teacher standard board good afternoon mahiga speaking on behalf of the Hawaii teacher Standards Board um it's nice to be on this committee chair Tani and vice chair Donna Mado Kim and other committee members would stand in support of this bill SB 2257 sd1 we're trying to expand our CTE programs within our schools and we want to support our teachers who educate our students in CTE and we also realize that we need as a board they need flexibility for some of the CTE line to understand that they may not have an AA degree but they may have industry experience or other comparable technical school that would suffice so they want them to be able to have the flexibility to make that decision and determination at the Hawaii teacher Standards Board thank you thank you Mitsy we also have written testimony and support from Senator oops from executive director Steven Shotz of Hawaii P20 partnership for education members are there any questions for our test follows if not I'd like to go ahead and take the V on thisi very good again recomendation well the recommendation is to support no we don't have oh okay we're defecting the date to July 1st okay that's with amendments Senate Bill 2257 pass with amendments shair Ro's ey Vice chair I sen house is excuse Senator Richard Senator I four members present one excuse recommendations ad thank you okay going to reset thank you Rec convening committee on education members we have one more item and this is for decision decision making only for Senate Bill 2052 relating to Civic Civic engagement requires a public access room to establish and maintain an Outreach and engagement program for primary secondary and postsecondary and Community Education requires the Department of Education and University of fa to assign appropriate staff to coordinate with the public access room for the Outreach and engagement program establishes two full-time equivalent permanent Civ public education resource future positions appropriates funds to the legislative reference Bureau for one full-time equivalent position to assist in in effectuating this requirement appropriates funds to the to the Department of Education for the expansion of civic education in the public schools members questions M chair I thought we had some concerns about the fact that they don't have space and they have no to manage a program like that did we not talk to them regarding that issue [Music] recess live in five 4 3 2 one reconvening the committee on education we are here for decision making on Senate Bill 2052 relating to to Civic engagement um the recommendation of the chair is to pass with amendments the Amendments will be to delete section three and all references to postsecondary and the University of Hawaii throughout this measure and defecting the date to July 1st 205 members questions comments I just wanted to comment explain my vote Madam chair I know at the last hearing when we heard this measure there are concerns raised by par uh regarding their U AB to have space to host this as well as uh the time and the the personnel and I know the measure appropriates positions which is concerning as well since I'm not sure if this is a priority trust me I support Civics but I think that should be taught at the schools and not here in a small little room or some conference room when they're able to get their hands on at this point I don't know that it's been really thought out so at this point um I'm not going to be able to support this measure so thank you madam chair other comments members if not the recommendation is to hang sorry so forther comments members recommendation is to pass Senate Bill 2052 with amendments the chair votes I the vice chair votes n hasimoto Senor hasimoto is excuse Senator Richards I with reservations okay and Senator faella no okay so that's to to not adop measure fails this is the only one we had that's that concludes the hearing for Education sor

uh February 19th no school we are in Lions February 22nd kmea All State Choir concert witch students selected to perform was Emma Kei and wonder if I repeated that money uh February 29th uh Wilson Elementary Spring pictures and then uh our Wilson Elementary staff's been working on our needs assessment for the Kissa accreditation process they worked on that Friday and we'll be accumulating that and getting that ready any questions on the principal report superintendent report IA alert has completed their security project at Central Plains Elementary in Hollywood as we said we'll continue to prepare for the Kissa accreditation process Mr long did accompany Mr Holmes and I to uh Smokey Hill to review that we will do the peer review at Smokey Hill that will be April the 15th that's a requirement we also will have a ksde checkin on May 2nd uh probably by Zoo not sure whether that'll be in person but we will prepare for both of those uh processes in our accreditation process uh we are still accepting applications for open board position to applications are available at Wilson Elementary and the district office February 19th teacher professional day at Lions as she said Jerry Brooks May heard of him he's a a principal I don't know what southern state from Kentuck Kentucky which he also does a lot of promotions he's pretty motivational he pretty funny so it'll be pretty good then we do professional learning communities in the afternoon divided up by content and grade so kindergarten meet first grade get into High School junior high math English and so forth um we will be doing virtual monitoring February the 22nd that'll be for Lakeside learning and our adult diploma completion program through graduation Alliance I did attach an annual review of our uh diploma completion we have reached one we're over 1,000 graduates since we started little lesson four years ago about three and a half years ago um but we will be uh on the 22nd so you know the state is how should I say be more strict with their audit for virtual so they a lot more lucky and so forth so uh that's why we're going through this process so we virtual for all those students that are full-time by September 20th that's $5,500 state8 for 20 year olds and older that's $78 709 $79 per credit earn uh on those students and so they're looking in I don't know whether they I just know they're being more strength on the audit so that's why we're doing this for any questions that's all I have any board member reports do you happen to know I got an email today um from Stephanie Joiner about the B B's education apprenticeship faer yes yes and I've actually for that on to counsel SCH any open agend it word on daycare um I kind of was hoping in January to meet with Sarah arur with a committee uh to give us an update uh I do know that they're going to do another round of a grant request uh for a center our our tax credits could stack into that so I think the possibility of a.4 million doll Grant just visting with group a group that be worth at least waiting to see so I will tell you though if we wait for it you're show way I don't think GRE Vin is up and going yet knowledge po I don't know when they the S the three the JM that all clear with s funds are still I still have to clean up that plan because The Way It Was Written I just have to make adjustments because the Way It Was Written U think we not we didn't spend the things that was kind of the plan so I have to make some adjustments most of the adjustments will be on the of learning we basically a curriculum for students for loss of work most the adjustments oh Mr Sherman yeah you do have a letter there Mr Sherman will be reti June 15 the board will need to uh we'll have to discuss and review what we want to do reorganization in July we'll try to come up with recommendations and options for the board to consider thank you John for helping me out the letter should be up there as far as revisiting our board goals or strategic plan I know I briefly discuss that with you I would recommend bring ksab the superintendent do expectations questions openend it uh the board policy updates the 2425 school calendar will be on the agenda plus certified staffs allv say

early in the morning after school they can access those online modules and then when they are with us the classroom is located within East viiew Academy they have access to Social Work support um and that classroom teacher who again she does teach traditionally as you might think in other classes but also is there to just help the children set goals what do you want to get done let's keep track of those credits where are we with getting on with graduation and being able to immediately process when she senses a child comes in and just doesn't seem quite right and something is going on they take the time to process through that to keep them moving forward and the classroom also uses a lot of flexible seating so it has some tables and chairs it has bean bags big pillows so if they want to curl up in the corner with their laptop and go through some of the online modules they are welcome to do that and then the other question sure um so when we look at the numbers um you were asking about the numbers for how much time in general education yeah what's a good yeah the yes um would you mind clicking back to the slide just so that everybody can oh yeah yeah thanks okay thank you um I mean you you could there are times where we in special education where we'd have said well the target is always to be a return to general education uh you know that's ultimately the goal uh but to say how we compare across um the board is that uh we are very comparable to most districts uh in in our what we It's actually an e code representation uh I've been in several other districts this would be very comparable uh to where they one thing to pay attention to though is there's been some EB and flow across the state um it some of this has to do with coming in and out of covid uh whereby when kids were remote you know everybody was in the same status and now we're kind of reshuffling and and finding our feet so there's been a lot of mve movement uh lately honestly towards becoming a little bit more restrictive we are trying to do our best uh we know uh a student's best Chan is with the the classroom teacher it can't always happen um so we just look to do as much support and keep that collaboration up can I do a and if I could add to that too um I would love to revisit that question Dr Mario in a couple months when we can really break down who are these students that are represented in these numbers I would like to go through and analyze them by Race by gender by which school they attend by which program they're in and see if we have any trends that we can celebrate that this is great or do we have some opportunity gaps and some certain buildings or certain programs where we really need to take a closer look at why aren't those kids at the same percentages as others with access to those gened peers and that was a follow-up question for me the trend data if you go to the next slide uh students receiving special education um instruction in sd38 is that specific to our district that the trend line is going up or or if you know um or is this consistent postco for all for school districts across the state country Etc I don't can't speak to the country but I know I can speak to the state and say if anything our trend line is slightly lower than the state overall uh a few uh I think they were at like something 14 back in 2022 and now the state is climbing up to 17 uh so not only our trend is the same but they're overall they're going up but overall they the state is going up as higher rate than sd38 and do we have any causation data uh for the state and then us to compare that to yeah um we could you know what and that's something maybe we could talk about bringing back bring back is fine but what and and too we've even had conversations with Dr katti and talking with the other um large districts in our state uh what they will talk about um is very specifically are the very young students uh yes covid certainly had an impact on all students but when you stop to think about how old were you when covid hit uh and just stop to think about if you're socialization really gets cooking at around a year to two years old okay uh they you know the talking starting the parallel play is starting and if you were experiencing that um during isolation what happened how delayed was that what can you even you know how do you find your way back um after coming through that experiences we know there are developmental windows from a psychological perspective so it's going to take a lot of work uh no doubt though um there is some lasting impact on the older it's I don't think it's a significant I think it Bears out in the data but it's certainly if you were say learning um your phonics and you were trying to learn phonics remotely uh that's just a very different experience what you're hearing what you're seeing is very different so even that ability to code is still showing up in late Elementary and goodness knows we we know about the mental health effects across ages uh and developmental levels but I would say it's more we're still seeing it most pronounced at the Early Elementary level I appreciate that explanation and I'm I'm really raising it because I think it's way too early for us to 100% to determine the impact that Co would have but I want to make sure that we are paying attention and trying to assess or even see early some patterns some Trend data so that we can become more proactive and get ahead of it as opposed to chasing it later well and one thing I I know that there was a board presentation on uh uh reading programs and curriculums right just a few weeks ago and we can certainly do our best and to to uh respond to that but push come to shove that is really powerful and important we were so glad to hear that all the work that went in because that is you know where I was talking about have what have we done in terms of phonics development for those that is a great uh it's a great thing to hear and that's going to be a great way to deal with things um a few thing I got three trying to remember the third but um can you talk to us about what effects we are feeling from the teacher shortage because the teacher shortage when we talk about that it's not like uh oh it's just across the board you know it's it looks different depending on your area and this is an area I have a lot of concern when it comes to that can you um speak and if not it's no big deal if you need more time like you can come back to me but on that one but can you speak I can speak to that um we want not only people that just have the appropriate certification we want people that truly believe in kids we want people that believe believe in the mission of this District we want people that can approach their teaching with that lens of equity um and when you only have one choice sometimes when someone applies you don't always get the best fit so we have had people leave us in the middle of the year we have had to fill some special education teaching positions with people that aren't certified special education teachers so they could love kids they could be excited to be there but they don't have that knowledge of the specialized instruction they don't have the knowledge of how do I read an IEP how do I write an IEP and that causes then stressors for their colleagues who have to step in and help support those gaps um East viiew Academy cannot keep a dedicated building sub it's a very specialized population and some people can't handle working there so they very much feel the effects that when they have a staff member who legitim imely needs to take a sick day take a personal day there is no one there to stand in that teacher's place and it causes exhaustion it causes guilt when someone needs to take a day off and knows there's no one going to be here to take my class to to help me out I'm going to stress out my teammates um it causes some of our Learners who need consistency and predictability and structure when some of our teaching assistant positions are just a different face every day or every week it is very difficult and there's days where we feel like we didn't get a lot of learning done because I had to console and explain and and try to calm and regulate before we could even get there because there was such a big change so we are hopeful I know HR is rocking and rolling with some great plans to help fill those out but same as you being in the profession looking down that pipeline of who's coming out of our universities and looking at what that demand is um I am also very passionate about hiring people that our students see themselves in um so when you layer all of that together it puts us in a bit of a jam to find the best people for our students and I'm going to pile on since you asked so uh one of one of the things that bothers me the most we know most of the turnover of Staff happens very early in careers right first and second years part of the problem is is we're entering a world in which sha staff are now shifting it used to be Staffing season could be done by end of May now we have people that may leave for other positions into August now we're having to go back and H maybe we've got a few openings now we're adding openings and you find a maybe you find a good candidate but now they have a week two weeks to prepare for the new classroom that they're going into uh it's not a great way to get off to your year off to a start so we're very excited and I know Dr zmy has a lot of great ideas but one of them is simply getting out in front getting getting our getting our openings out starting the hiring process that's going to be really crucial because I know said teachers but I'm going to say related service providers psychologists social workers speech P nurses those are bus drivers those are yeah those are some of the toughest positions to fill and and you know I can go on and on about all the Ripple effects that that has on the classrooms I I want to say I appreciate the honesty of this because I don't like being an education I don't think some people realize in some some some stakeholders don't even want to enter this conversation we don't not all of us in education want to have the real hard honest conversation about what this looks like and one of the things that I just plead with people our students our kids hear our voices and what we're saying and when we are attacking a profession or when we are saying oh don't go there over and over again that has un seen residual damage that I don't think we fully grasp or understand some do right and some are feeling it and don't even realize it we've got to be very careful with what we are doing collectively as a society that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be held to a high standard it doesn't mean that there aren't issues to solve yes that exists but we have to do it in a functional way we have to be functionalists we cannot go on being dis functionalist and the last thing I'm sorry I'll get off my so boox but the last thing this is the slide I wanted to look at I want to make sure I understand this correct and I do have a followup question so it's like I'm just going to pull um uh Asian uh American students I've got 160 have IEPs there's 1531 total correct okay so I'm I'm doing the math sorry actually math was believe it or not my strong point and I see that this doesn't NE neily add up to 100% doesn't add up to our student population am I to assume that what I came up with is about 845 and 212 um is that students who are biracial or multi-racial there's other yes yeah um it's the two or more races Pacific Islanders yeah there was a couple I just picked four there's a reason why sorry I'm I'm guilty of this too is running the math and if my math serves me correct what this tells me is there are 13.5% of our white students have IEPs you correct me if I'm wrong like if you don't know it off the top of your head I'm not expecting that but 17.5% of our Latino students have IEPs 20.6 man my eyes are failing 20 uh yeah 20.6% of our African-American students 10.5% of our Asian students but the missing Factor here which I want to make sure we talk about is if my calculations are correct and please I have no problem someone correcting me at a later date I'm looking at 25% of our students who are multi-racial with IEPs and so if that's correct if my calculations are correct they're not up there I I I did this by doing some algebra and some other things thank you Math teachers from before um and if and if that's correct F that's actually yeah you call fuz uh if that's correct then that group actually is is is kind of that highest piece now it does it does include to your point like but those are that's a small group and nobody did anything wrong I'm not saying like oh did something wrong that's that's not the point of me bringing this up the point of me bringing this up is As we move to um a student population that does not have a majority from an ethnic back uh um uh ethnic background thank you yeah uh or lens is good too thank you I I think it's cognizant of us to be aware of of that group of students because they are quite probable to be the the canary and the coal mine and so if those percentages are high I I feel like that's that's work that we we have to do if that makes sense can I pull those numbers and can share them out oh 100 100% yeah and and by the way no problem at all being corrected if I'm way off definitely let me know if I'm way off right but show up next time yeah you can yeah that'd be great I would love that I would love that but um I just I just want to make sure that that's not lost in and all that so thank you thank you yeah it doesn't bother me or just send us an email if you don't want to show up for hey you can do both if you want I don't it's all thank you for the presentation tonight's special um education has a a big place in my heart so I'm grateful for the update and and seeing it um so while Jared got down on his soap off his Soap Box I'm gonna get on mine this was a macro and I don't I'm this is not about any particular person or any particular thing it's about a skill set but um how are we training how are we teaching how are we advising counseling coaching around IEP writing um it happens to be just a little bit of a uh kind of a source spot um because it is a skill and it is something that um it really affects the student outcomes and I just wondered if there's anything specifically that we're doing to better train better Coach and um is it ongoing that is an excellent question so um you are correct so just make sure we're all on the same operation that individual educational plan is that child's blueprint of how we are going to Target their specific deficits connected to their disability to make sure that we have got them on an appropriate trajectory to get the best life outcomes here in the asigo community um we have our teachers on special assignment and our district support team that created four different modules on IEP writing so there is a module specific to writing those goals specific skills that we are going to regularly progress mon Monitor and collect data on make sure they're growing there's one on the present levels accurate data driven this is where the child's performing and that's why this is what we're going to Target next um we have realized that some of our turnover some of the vacancies has resulted in um someone who doesn't necessarily work with a child being tasked to write that IEP so we just started meeting with our tosas to plan moving forward forward how we are going to revisit those modules start targeting things I know we are working on a teacher mentoring program so that that would be a specific oversight with more touch points globally with larger groups but then also individually because sometimes that feedback you don't want that in a larger group you want to be able to have a critical conversation with someone who is not your evaluator to point out any shortcomings or differences or how to view something through a different lens we would also like to address the format of our IEP meetings and make sure that parents truly understand this is the tool that we are going to use to collect this data this is when you can expect to receive this from us this is the skill that we are working on um I am in the business and I have a child who receives services and I some times walk out of my own IEP meetings glazed over and think oh my gosh that was just a lot of numbers and talking so we are in the process because we realize we want those to be clear and tight because that impacts that child on a day-to-day basis and I and i' been able to review see IEPs in the district and I've seen one that really follows and makes sense and some that don't and even within our your own Department there are some people that are just really good at it and can mentor other people but again the reason it's such a sore spot is because it literally is the students outcome it is how are we going to transition them and get them to the next place and it's just such a vital skill so you know working with HR and and that continuous Improvement is so important and you know and everything that Tony said is true and and and sometimes it's being the new guy is really great because one of the things that I recognized that I walked into is there are actually great um training materials great guides uh great documentation um everything that Tony just talked about I think the biggest my impression of the biggest barriers uh to having things function to way we want them to at all times is probably getting back to some of the turnover issues of of the um Administration uh it it makes a difference whether you've been doing it 1 2 7 10 10 15 years uh and that's something that we certainly want to work on um and I think actually Administration has taken steps in that direction I also tell you that we're actually looking at how meetings are actually run there's one thing to have the paperwork come out but we are actually interested in in working on trainings um that that look at reworking that uh rework in a way where student uh both teachers and uh parents feel heard I appre I appreciate hearing that and understanding that and um I think the once you write a great IEP and you work with your families and you work with the the student supports again the meetings become the second most important thing but also I know because of the turnover and because of just in general sped being tough to staff sometimes we are throwing brand new people to our district they could have been educ sped Educators elsewhere we all do different things differently um it's having that time to on board those new employees so that you know it's great because you're going to take over some case load but you also need to be able to um shadow people in our district and and be able to be trained properly within our system I did go ahead I just wanted to make a comment because I'm involved with um the collaborative PE program at ohos and I also TA in a special Ed classroom um during the day and uh I've seen firsthand kind of the turnover and the lack of consistency um I just wrote down in the classroom that I've been taing in since August um there's one oneon-one ta that is still there from the beginning of the year till now and there's been lots of turnover and there's a lot of students that need to build up that trust with a TA and that require that assistance and it's been really hard in that classroom just the lack of turnaround and the lack of staff and I know that's been an issue everywhere that's been working on but um yeah so I've just been I just felt like I needed to say something on that but um I've been very blessed to be able to work in that uh environment and see firsthand the hard work that is put in and uh yeah let let me before we move on make sure in about maybe one two three four years that you're applying back uh no for real we we really want to work on that and you have the mentality of somebody would want super quick shout out um plank is adding a collaborative PE class next year so Thompson has one um high schools have them and now plank will have one yeah I Luke is this working good we can hear you it's just different than my usual but um L kind of made me think of during this whole presentation it's crazy because this morning I've been talking to my friend and her mom is a occupational assistant I believe and I was and she had just gone back to school her mom after you know her older son graduated and this was something she really felt called to and I was talking to my friend today and I just asked you know how's her job going and from the biggest thing was she's very overwhelmed she's going from and I know everyone knows about this like it's not anyone's fault particularly but she's been going to three or four schools a day and then working over time at home to write the reports on students and it's just hard to watch you know I Al I have multiple friends whose parents work in special education in this district and just they have a lot of passion a lot of them this is their second career this is what they wanted to do and then it's just I don't want these people to lose their passion and I don't think the district wants to lose them so hopefully there's a way we can fix the shortage and even luckily on a positive note I have a lot of friends who want to go in special ed and a lot of friends who want to be teachers so I think even with all the negative talk about being you know about how hard it can be to be a teacher I think there's still a lot of young people who want to be involved and I think that there's hope for you know well and and tell you actually just your attitude and if all of us can adopt that you know to stop and thank our our our staff all of our staff but especially our our staff that are involved in special education so thank you for recognizing that Dominic then yeah I just this real quick I appreciate that you're going to be uh dissecting this slide um further um I wanted to not make sure but uh see if you can put in you know break it down by e as well absolutely okay and work with uh Dr zumy and the HR team on trying to get uh um supports in the language of instruction as much as possible possible and I know that's uh that's another layer on top of the shortage um but uh you know we can I had dreams about layering and language so that was that was that I just uh I I was going to ask for that for specific data but if you're already going to be looking at it and you're working on it yeah appreciate it great point so while we wait for um them to join our staff in a few short years um we are going to be out and about quite a bit uh very aggressively uh we have an internal job fair on February 21st looking at special education teachers and Tas among other positions we'll be at Northern Illinois University on February 26th we'll be at the University of Illinois um and uh Eastern Illinois in a combination on February 29th we'll be at Lewis University on March 6th we have an online event on March 6th through aaspa we will be at Illinois State University on March 7th North Central College on March 8th Western Illinois on March 13th and Aurora University on March 14th will be where Human Resources will be spending some time looking for um our next generation of teachers nice that's all posted on social media um and then at at our open session next um uh February 26th we'll have a full presentation on our teacher Residency program and mentoring program to not only just help uh support special education but all of our groups throughout uh as Wego 308 all right Dr K uh just again thank you again to the team um again this is part one board um we really felt that it was important to first provide some framing information and then the next presentation we'll move more into some next steps and what's happening and I want to thank the team again for their leadership and organizing for this evening and I do have one other update on the statistics Dr cancade um yep so in alignment with this slide for our two or more races our um total IE percentage is um 4.56 compared to the total population of 4.6 so but Jered what I think you introduced is a third statistic of within the particular which would be about just over 15% so I think adding another line to this to provide some more data um are the numbers that I am seeing in our our student information system so is that you did you just give the biracial breakdown is that what you say 3.6 okay and so it was how many students total so it's about 4.56 of our total population but that then maps to 15% within that racial group so it's 118 out of 782 so if you um look at just the 118 compared to all of our special ed it's about 4.56 if you look at the 782 compared to all of our students it's 4.6 so which are those two statistics but then I think the third lens is then what is the percentage right that's the one I'm looking for okay which is I think then a third statistic we could look at across all racial groups also within that group of students with an IEP thank you I appreciate stay tuned for more and uh please bring the questions thank you all right thank you again team thank [Applause] you okay so we've got a lot of students we got to get home yes so we're going to go move on real quickly to um public comment we have public comment okay so on behalf of the board of education I would like to thank the public for attending tonight's meeting we value the feedback we received from our members of the public and encourage everyone to take an active interest in their Public School System residents interested in speaking to the Board of Education this evening are asked to have completed a comment card and presented it to the secretary to the board when the secretary calls your name I ask that you come to the microphone state your name for the public record and provide your feedback please note that comments are limited to 5 minutes per person and that no discussion of personnel matters Staffing um stating names or responses to your questions are permitted the board does not participate in discussions during public comment followup to your questions or concerns will be addressed by Administration through the contact information provided on the comment card thank you so much everybody good evening again thank you so much um thank you so my name is Saima sha and I've been a parent in the school district for 17 years now two of our boys have already graduated from East and our baby right there um is go is a senior who's going to be graduating this year and so I've been a part of the school district diversity committee for almost 15 years even before it became an official committee um and so I'm really very excited to be part of that committee for for this long and I represent the Muslim Students and their families in the district and uh and I work towards their Equitable inclusion in the school district I myself as an educator and uh so again I realize the value in that and I trans transition to the field of mental and emotional health as a life coach after being an educator for for a long time I've always been very passionate about bringing people together their hearts together and finding common ground and that's why you hear you know me reaching out and and welcoming people to our to our homes and I've brought the same passion um to to my role in the Dei committee and so my 15 years experience in dealing with the 308 admins and staff has been mostly positive because I like to see things I prefer seeing things half full glass half full and so most of my experiences have been very very positive but at the same time I've had some instances where I did not get those positive responses and because and I feel that those individuals were looking through the length of equality at that point and not through the lens of equity um and so I do understand where they're coming from but again my frustration was you know change those lenses please um and then fortunately those kind of resp responses only encourage me to persevere stronger um and so ever since 911 and more so with the recent political decisions Muslim in the States and within our own Chicagoland communities have experienced hateful crimes and uh hateful messages and you've seen some of them that those and and now um experts are saying that there have been more hate crimes again Muslims now way more than 911 um so that is affecting each and every one of us at the uh ground um and then mostly because of bias media and uh one-sided news and then just a quick example is in the news you will hear oh Ukrainian children child was killed versus oh the Palestinian kid was found dead just you know just to mention just one and again I don't want to be political at all I just want you to know that that is affecting us and our children and our families right here within the district as well and so the only way to balance that is to empower our educational system to be just and fair to all which means implementing equity and inclusion whenever and wherever needed and as an educator I have seen great power in storytelling and so that everyone sees the truth at the grassroot level uh rather than always depending on the media and so my request is from the superintendent from the board to support that this Dei initiative in achieving our goals and encouraging 308 admins and staff to open doors please for such opportunities and again look with the lens of equity and inclusion um and if we need those three extra blocks to look over that wall that's what because most of the times I hear the response is like oh if we do this with you then we have to do it with everybody else but I'm like but they're not in the news being labeled as a specific uh group and so I truly truly appreciate the empathy I heard from all of you today was really really heartwarming and I'm so um so blessed to for our students to have all of you um and then I do have a message from the board that they do have some Quran gifts to give you um in the near future um and so again I'm really looking forward to continuing to work and connect hearts together thank you very much good night thank you is that it yes okay so now I would like to welcome Dr katti to give his superintendent report thank you board thank you um there is a lot to reflect on this evening and part of that work I know we're saying goodbye transitioning here good night y'all thank you you're welcome this month we are getting ready and I'm pretty sure the survey is already open around the five Essentials correct um so this month we are we have an opportunity to really reflect on change a lot of individuals often have comments or we're always thinking about how to make schools better especially as a board of education and as a superintendent I'm often asked what are your non-negotiables what are the things you really stand behind and I would say that the foundation of this survey is based on significant 20 plus year research that says that when you have schools that have effective leaders collaborative teachers involved families a supportive environment that's safe and caring with access to resources and supports and ambitious instruction where teachers have the resources to drive a motivating and powerful curriculum you're going to see returns and the research says that in schools where three of those areas those five areas that I mentioned so of those three if you are doing well and better prepared in three of the five you are 10 times more likely to improve student outcomes should I say that again 10 times more likely so then you're going to hear well it's a perceptive test it's done in the middle of winter or in the fall right now it's February everybody's it's dark like how is this evidence right how does this really prove anything well what I want to say is that that's the point right I'm not the statistician who's behind this bringing it all together but what they've done over a 20 plus year period as they found regardless of all the factors and all that it becomes a very useful test a survey to give us a litmus test of how we're doing now do we stop at the end of those results absolutely not just like if you went to a doctor and somebody said oh the the thermometer test you come out of that thermometer test it's like oh it's you're at 102 oh you've got you've got you know typhoid yeah wait you just took a temperature test and you're saying I have typhoid how how did you come to that so we're never going to use this data for those of you who are cautious of information which I am too we never use this unilaterally it just becomes an initial point of information that helps us unpack so I'm saying this because as this month you're going to hear of two major surveys one is a five essential survey and then also part of our curriculum audit which is an opportunity to look at our organization and our curriculum and to think about the strengths of them both of these surveys are opportunities for us and especially for me as a as a superintendent to really provide affirmation of the work that's happening um opportunity to steer and to orient ourselves El in the right direction and to really help cast vision and strategy and Investments around where the deepest needs are um I want to thank uh members of our superintendent's Advisory Group who've come out and droves really 8060 plus folks sometimes it's smaller sometimes but we've been hit above 60 plus um I want to thank everybody that's another form of data information so I just want to appreciate um all of you all our families at home Educators our administrators our teaching staff our assistants um Everybody throughout the system for your investment and really hoping collect helping Collective feedback it means a lot and it helps us understand um where we are where we need to get to and it just is again just crucial last thing I want to just uh I want to honor we've had a lot of celebrations tonight this past weekend was marked the beginning of the lunar year 2024 it's the year of the Dragon so I just want to uh celebrate all uh for all our families who are celebrating the lunar year just want to think of uh you know the dragon so you're the dragon okay and then last but not least as you know as I mentioned in last meeting we are in the throws of every month is Black History Month in my household but in uh Black History Month is a really important uh period to reflect and this month this year we've chosen to really focus on the Arts and I want to invite everybody to encourage you to join and attend the 19th annual dreamers Wax Museum of African-American history the theme is voices of resilience and hope and uh it's happening at there's a website you can check out uh please uh it's being hosted at the Cathedral Grace of St John Church in Aurora you'll find information on our website um again it features work of many young people from across our area and I want to just thank um this group for their investment in our our students and uh I want to last connect that I am uh our community crosses multiple communities our district I should say crosses multiple communities Playfield asgo Montgomery Aurora and one more jet jolet no Yorkville Yorkville I'm sorry why am I blanking out there I'm blanking too so all five communities are extremely important and I'm proud to serve on the Aurora education commission and this commission serves for the same purpose that we serve in that it crosses multiple communities and so the education Ro commission is purpose is to really come together and identify shared opportunities for investment in our people in our community as a whole and one of the things that the commission has done is it's really looking at early childhood education so that's one of the initiatives that we've launched um there's an initiative to really look at working with the Fox Valley Foundation look at the way in which we're supporting um early childhood education and then the second thing that was launched and is coming is that every kindergarten in our Aurora schools um will be receiving a a small uh investment of I think $50 they said where there will be giving those students uh college fund preparation for kindergarten can you imagine and so that's of the work that the commission has achieved and I'm excited to share that and I'm actually looking for any investors out there who may want to do that for all of our students so we'll talk so with that I'll turn it over to our board colleagues who will be joining board colleagues who will be sharing some other updates very good all right we'll have our student ambassador report oh no no let's do student ambassadors that's next yep yep yep student ambassador report and then we'll get them out out of here and then we can do our homework yeah all right so you can stay if you want so uh we had two very productive ssac meetings since we last met uh at a board meeting uh we have since completed and sent out our teacher survey um so we are able to analyze we were able to analyze the teacher survey and go question by question uh tweaking and perfecting the survey uh this was necessary to ensure that the questions asked in the survey would provide our committee with the data that would be beneficial for our goals and uh since we have sent out the survey on Friday we have received um 118 teacher responses just over the weekend and we are still accepting responses um the largest tweak we added to the survey was making all of the questions required uh by doing this we can ensure that we get answers in all fields fields to understand better and compare data the teachers can simply put na or prefer not to say for the short answer questions if they do not want to answer uh we hope that this teacher survey will give the ssac a better understanding of teachers perspectives on the student teacher relationships uh we want we want to reiterate that the purpose of this survey is not an evaluation of a teacher but a data collector as we look to find solutions for a bigger issue uh the ssac looks forward to analyzing the data in the coming weeks and at uh our next couple of meetings and we will have some much anticipated data to present at the next board meeting with the responses we are collecting so cool yes and um before I talk about Ascend just thank you to Mr Gatewood Dr Waller Dr Paul they really made this they really kept us going they kept us on track and really helped us get this out um and so we're just really grateful for their support and of course all the members of ssac Luke and I are very grateful for them attending and helping us out um but our Sim planning has also been in full force most recently we were able to get a presentation out to teachers and students on their options for speakers our four options include our very own Mr Gatewood along with Mr Cameron Bell Mrs Sima Shaw and Miss Anna Marie H areio these speakers will bring a unique and important perspective that we cannot wait to share with our students after receiving this presentation teachers were instructed to fill out a Google form that includes their classes speaker selections so they will vote on a majority then put those results through the Google form although we have had a couple hiccups along the way with having a couple student responses we have been organizing responses and as issues arise and we are prepared for Friday we have also reached out to our wonderful speakers on what the day will look like and we are very excited to hear their incredible stories overall it is so wonderful to see all of this world work come together to create an enriching and Powerful day and even being able to get our teacher survey out and as send done within like the same meeting it just feels really great in the season of new beginnings to be able to have so many things out to show all the work we've been putting in and thank you to all the amazing administrators and Educators that have made this possible we are so incredibly grateful to each and every one of you for making our Visions come to life on another note I would just like to thank MSA for their presence here tonight Luke and I are dedicated to giving students a present Within These for presence Within These board meetings and we are so happy to see all the amazing clubs and student organizations that have visited over the past few months thank you MSA and all the other CBS and organizations that have presented and shared their mission with us your voice voice is valued thank you that's great can I ask a question about the teacher response yes um how are you feeling about that um yes yeah uh we've been able to look through it a little bit um we'll be able to provide some more indepth uh data at the next meeting um but just overall I haven't been able to take a giant in-depth look at all of the responses collectively but um we are very happy to see that um the teachers are really putting in uh this time and we appreciate their time to that they're taking out of their busy lives to complete our survey they're putting in very thoughtful answers um all of the questions that I've looked through and um so we'll be able to provide more in-depth details with that but just to see that um they're really putting in what they feel on the survey and how they feel they can improve as well as the students so we look forward to looking at that for yeah I'll also say um I've checked out the responses like probably two hours in and we already had so many and I was genuinely so excited to open it up as soon as I realized it was sent out I like ran to the Google form and I just like I tried to read through all of them and it's been super exciting and really interesting to see those and honestly I'm excited to look through the data even though it's a little daunting and I think this has been really interesting to see did you have a goal of how many you wanted to get back um we had talked about a little bit um we were hoping to get like half between um the two schools and uh so the fact that we're already over 10 in one weekend is promising for us so uh we look forward to uh this we have this whole next week um for responses to be filled out so as we get into the work week so we we look forward to that okay Dr Waller did you want to say something no it's been great I'm exced I mean so we have you know about 200 teachers at each school so I know that there we really are pushing we really want our teachers to to just be honest there's also some um open-ended questions on there and they have been responsiv to that as well um they're also being very transparent about what they need and what they feel would be um helpful um one thing in here is uh a phone policy so I mean there's a lot of phone conversation on here um but I also thought that it was interesting that so far over half of the people who responded have over 15 years of teaching experience um and when we talk about like student classroom behavior um most of them have said occasionally or sometimes there's disruption um but quite honestly there are a couple where saying there it's happening I'm sorry um there are eight I'm sorry like at least 30 that are saying that disruptions are happening often or always and so that is going to be something that the SSC truly dels into and is helping me um to determine the research that I know I'm going to have to shift them to so um I'm just excited for them and excited for the teachers to to be heard and for students to actually be able to act on what they're receiving so and just a clarify with that sorry um the schools it was OE o Eng gos so that's something we're going to try to look at because obviously you're going to have different issues within every school so we're going to try to look at the data separate as well okay thank you and you guys can get to your home so you can get your homework done if that's needed and be ready for tomorrow thank you so much thank you there's some really cool dessert back there too um okay so we're going to move on to uh our board committee reports we'll start with equity and teaching and learning Dr Mar yes I'll go ahead and just do a brief report on that um we at our equity and teaching and learning committee uh we saw the video that uh we saw a preview of the video on the curriculum audit before it went out to staff uh kudos to the group that put that together um for the engaging uh video for this important project um I know that the staff is underway in regards to um Gathering assessments and data and stuff for that project so we're looking forward to uh the results of that and then for the rest of the meeting we spent a good amount of time uh looking at the draft of the district's Equity policy uh and talked about you know the continuing work that's going to be done in regards to success indicators uh regarding that policy uh so we look forward to hearing more uh updates about that at incoming meetings and um we were happy to see a lot of the uh Equity committee there that night at the committee meeting so we always appreciate um you know staff being involved in those uh so um that was our summary for the teaching and learning and Equity committee thank you anyone else have any comments on can I ask a question to the um committee members we in the past had a very large group of community members uh staff and so forth that worked and put a lot of effort into that Equity statement is the spirit and you know um the wholeness of it still represented so um this this committee originally sparked from um you know we have like uh design teams so there's like the SEO design team academic um and so we did make a shift in in that frame but this includes the start of this includes um it has representatives from every Department it has building administrators it has tosas it has District admin um we really wanted to cover the gamut so there's principles APS Deans like trying to get this full picture of um of their lens and so to be honest I I really got out of the way as they were developing this so that their voices could be heard and so the next step from this is to now put it in front of everyone so starting with that Equity teaching and learning um but then also the S um as well as students so there's like we're like on a tour of um including things now I loved the function of the Dei committee when it includes stakeholders Community stakeholders I would love to see see that um be something that we do moving forward but I really want to partner with Michelle early and parent University and Community chats and things that we're doing with that so that one when they're there it's intentional and I do think s really provides that space as well because we found in the last couple of years I know Miss similton sparked this like huge group of individuals and then there's that shift where people were part of that Dei committee that included all those stakeholders you found that it was more administrators than Community um so it's been exciting to to at least be able to bring this work in front of si si um and so we'll continue to add in those pieces because we do want everyone's feedback so even the feedback that we received from um ETL meeting like we've already made those shifts and adjustments and um we're just looking forward to continuing to do that and putting it in front of different people um to weigh in on their voices it do you want to share a little bit so the the draft the policy will go through all the Committees so Finance facility of Human Resources will have opportunity to review um we want to make sure every board member has an opportunity to review it and we also um part of our Retreat on March 8th and 9th will be to provide time to also look at the policy um and for those who are not able to attend there will be time before or after as part of that work um so everybody has a chance as well as then as um as it goes through its its development absolutely unequivocally it will have multiple different interest groups have an opportunity to weigh in because it really has to represent kind of a Wellspring of support um and the advantage of a policy is that then it enables us to make bold and move decisions around our investments and our timing and how we think about a lot of even the conversation we have this evening so I'm I'm really excited and appreciative of the work that's been developed on policies okay well move on to policy and legislative you want to take policy first I'll talk legislative sure I'll do policy and do my one legislation piece too and Lead anyway yeah and then you do both yes so on the policy side um we actually just kind of wrapped up all of the uh items that were in press number uh press 113 which are actually in included in your packet tonight uh which basically had to do with uh Personnel um instruction and students so that was kind of that was kind of it on the policy side um I did have the opportunity speaking of legislation and thank you to Teresa uh to go to a round table that uh was sponsored by Illinois Senator Sue resen and she called it uh safe screens healthy Minds and the packet or or the the theory behind the round table discussion was that we need to control what kids are seeing online and and all of the concerns um it's actually part of a it's kind of a three-prong deal uh with that being the major emphasis she's looking to take some action now she realizes that the federal she feels the federal government needs to take action but she wants to do some action prior to so she kind of explained the bill um with which uh you know it basically what it says from her press uh press release was um it'll be an amendment that'll require social media platforms to create an identity verification process in order to protect minors So in theory it's it's a good idea uh unfortunately and and and I brought up a couple questions there like um what about using somebody else's log on um like your parents so that you could get extra access um that didn't seem to be an issue for them at this point in time so while uh she continues on her Statewide Round Table discussions um I think they I think some more thought needs to be added to the fact that kids aren't dumb and that you know uh it's it's a great Theory but it's it's going to be really really difficult to uh to to police and over to you yeah so one of the other things uh spent a lot of time compiling a big giant graph with basically every bill either in the house or the Senate that was going to be proposed that had to do with education we had a summary for those and or we went through most of them actually I think we went through all of them up to that point um now they had until February 9th to um submit bills so there's a few more that I went back to we'll discuss at the next U meeting one of the um we talked about uh one particular bill that sticks out was the um the bill um for I can't remember it was grant money but anyways it was it was funding for districts that are dealing with with with migrants who are coming in right and so we we we looked at that bill and there was a couple of pieces that we were puzzled about I forgot who brought it up it wasn't me but um what happens if uh student goes to one district and some of these students are transient right and then well if they go to a district and then they transfer here and what's the process of of seeing if that new District still gets those funds that they're talking about and what's the timeline for those funds and so forth I did have the opport I don't want to say their name because I don't have that kind of permission but I did talk to uh one of our reps um in person uh face to face and I brought that that piece up and and uh they were thankful um I did do my due diligence and writing emails to U pretty much everybody that's on that committee and our reps as well and um I did hear back from a couple and and they were appreciative of that thought process uh to say the least um I don't think there's a witness slip opportunity yet but we talked about that piece too uh when witness slips are available it would be great for um the state to really start hearing from sd38 to say the least I always point out um last year I think it was the ebf hearing uh we had the highest amount of people on those witness slips um who were identifying themselves as some type of stakeholder in 308 so I think that's very encouraging um and then uh there's the iasb um uh Ambassador Advocates um and so excited that uh um I can't remember was it you and I you and I are on there right or is it I think all three of us are all three all three of us are on there so we made sure to get on to that um sorry I couldn't remember and uh I thought one thing that was interesting that I took there's a few things that you know I took out of that but one thing that I thought was very interesting is um when they talked they did talk about their iasb delegates right and so it's fascinating to me to see the process I'm actually coming over to agreeing with you that we have policy and legislative together okay but I'm going to extend that you ready because there's right you know it's me right he's laughing because he knows it's me there's there's the policy piece which is reactive there's the legislative piece piece which is which is proactive but then there's the delegate piece right which kind of brings those two portions together and and so um you know I know we've we've done a number of things with that delegate over the years right including the first time I went to ISB which discovered we weren't showing up right and so one of the things that I think we discussed was it really probably should be somebody coming out of that committee that serves as a delegate I don't care really who it is and I talked to another District in the area and and talked to somebody who had served basically he' served as their Delegate for like 12 years and then and then handed it on and there was some advice and it seemed very much like that piece was very much tied into policy and legislation so um I wanted to bring that up yeah it actually did make sense in retrospect in fact there was some there's some boards that they actually so they come together they decide who the president's going to be they decide who the vice president's going to be they decide who the secretary is going to be and then they actually decide like there's actually vote who's going to be the delegate yeah right there's some boards that do that as well sorry what you're you know it it makes sense I I know that there's some some issue right longevity longevity of board members in general and then um the idea that we always transition our board members from One advisory committee to another advisory committee so you know we don't have longevity in general and then we don't have longevity of someone being on the policy and legislative committee for long periods of time so I I think's work on some of that this is where I'm going to say you're right and I'm wrong about something see it's I can do it believe it or not I I spend my life hoping I'm wrong this time yay um but what I'm going to say is the advantage of putting those together is that now that you have three members I think there's probably a better chance that at least when we do have turnover as a board there's continuity there there's at least somebody on there hope in theory right numbers should should should back that up should be like 100% let's make that you know something that we we do we try but but to your point right I think the conversation that we should should have I mean we are here also in an educational role right is to take that feedback from from elsewhere and share it with the community and so it is always a good idea to have new voices up here right we we should have new voices but but there is a balance right and and we as a community have to find that balance between okay let's get some new voices up here but at the same time you know we need we need that historical context too and so I listen I'm not it's not up to me to decide what that balance looks like that's that's up to the community but I do think it's it's um it's important for us to convey that those things are happening elsewhere in functional boards in functional districts yeah so absolutely those were the discussions we had sorry thank you so can we um move on to our board member comments and start out with our board shoutouts sure can we start out with start with you and if you would do your board um your shout out sure you want to just do all right um we invite all our students staff parents in the community to join in our second public forum this year the Forum will be held on March 4th from 7: to 8:30 p.m.

for an exciting match of OverWatch 2 uh thank you and a special thanks to our sponsors auction it B speed Indiana Esports Network and the Army National Guard for supporting our program without this none of this would be possible I got paid okay there's Coke that got started [Music] anyone [Music]

Grant nebith 10: a.m. Southport in addition board we do have a visit to Ln tomorrow morning at 8:30 be there be square um Walkin shoes yeah Walkin shoes uh hard hats will be supplied um and our next meeting is um 7 o'clock Monday February 27th hope to see you there thank you we are adjourned that's good that's good oh Miss Ellie I love your earrings

as well as through uh channel 18 on Mondays and Saturdays at noon and Thursdays at 3: and um without further Ado I would uh will begin our meeting um with public comment so if anyone wishes to comment on any item that is on our agenda please step up to the podium and please state your name before you make your comments don't all run looks like that's a no all yell um and so it looks like um we do not expect a student rep this evening that's right she could evening no worries Lots on her plate uh we yes as we've lots and lots and so good for her and uh no worries with that so I will um next I will entertain a motion to approve our minutes we have both the regular and executive session minutes for January 22nd um Adam J make a motion we approve the regular session minutes of January 24th second that's 22nd it's the 22nd yes it says 24th on the agenda but it was the 22 listen I got 22nd yep it's okay I'm all right it's so we have a motion we have a second by Mr Oliver any any discussion okay um hearing none all in favor I I passes unanimous Madam chair make a motion we uh approve the executive session minutes of January 22nd 2024 and hold them until the matter for which they were completed is complete second okay we have a motion by Mr noones a second by Dr Jenkins any further discussion all in favor I I motion passes 5 unanimous um my compter okay do 29 um so we have consent agenna I'm going to turn it over to Dr Maguire did we do the 29th oh I'm sorry I'll make a motion that we approve the uh regular session minutes from January 29th second okay we have a a motion by Dr Jenkins a second by Miss Co Miss Coughlin any discussion on those minutes regular session minutes of January 29 all in favor I I motion motion passes five zero uh unanimous now I'll move it to the consent agenda items Dr sa Maguire great as you can see on the consent agenda we have a couple of exciting events coming up for our that our students will be participating in um all from our all with our Dartmouth High School students we have two World Championship competitions one for indoor percussion and one for varsity wintergard and that's going to be happening in April of 2024 which is not too far away now um and then the other significant event for our students is that a group of our students will be attending the masc annual spring conference and that's really an exciting opportunity for our students like yourselves and myself we got to experience the masc conference um in the fall and this one is geared toward our students so this offers them an exciting opportunity to be really involved in Civic engagement I know that Mr Shay is here and if you have any questions about any one of those three he's happy to answer any of your questions no Madam chair make a motion we approve the U three consent gender items the uh indoor percussion to uh World WGI World Championships in April the vity went toot also to WGI World Championships in April and the uh High School uh Student Council masc annual spring conference in March excellent second have a motion by Mr Nunes we have a second by best Coughlin any discussion Mr Oliver thank you madam chair so my my only question and this is for maybe Mr share anyone on the board here is this the first year I don't remember approving the the masc um we have not past so is this the first year we're doing that that I know of since I've been here yeah so um our student council was really excited about it so we're sending four officers or five officers four uh four seniors and a a junior okay excellent perfect yeah no that was my only question and as always best of luck to the uh to the other groups absolutely I agree with that any other questions or comments no thank you thank you great so we have a motion by Mr noones we have that uh was it best for the second um best yeah best without uh any other discussion be had uh all in favor I I motion passes um unanimously 5 um next I'm also going to turn it over we have old business uh we're going to have a discussion around the fiscal 25 budget update Dr s and again before I just turn it o right over to Mr Kylie I think it's important to preface our update this evening with some caution I mean although the re we have to be optimistic and at the same time we have to acknowledge the fact that our budget will in fact be impacted by um the decrease in in the aid from in local Aid so I'm going to turn it right over to Mr Kylie thank you Dr sa Maguire so um you know we've had a lot of budget discussion up until this point obviously uh what we're doing right now is we're working to identify areas um to consider so that we can present an at our next school committee meeting on March 11th A reduced budget uh from 6% where we originally were down to 3% um so we have to reduce that budget by a million A5 dollars we know that school choice is going to play a role in that reduction um but we're finding uh that you know we need to pay attention to a variety of factors in terms of bridging that Gap so uh on March 11th we will present to you uh our plan for fiscal year 25 it'll be a 3% budget um and then on March 25th hopefully uh we can hold the public budget hearing and then April 8th would be a proposed date to vote to have the school committee vote for the budget obviously we can have discussion and dialogue at any of those meetings regarding the budget but that's uh that's what we're working on right now meeting with principles and and and their staff so that's where we are with it any comments questions Mr Oliver thank you uh this Amaral I guess my only question for you Mr Kylie is um with the school choice playing uh it being a factor um after our vote to use it uh to help bridge the gap do we have any idea of the uh FTE that we're that we're looking to to cut at this time or is that you would like to hold off to our next meeting yeah I mean I think we'll we'll have a presentation at the next meeting with all the details so everything will be transparent at that point and we'll have recommendations obviously we've had to change gears throughout this budget process a couple of times um and are in the process of doing that we want to do it right um so we didn't want to rush it tonight we still need to work with the schools and identify areas but it's safe to say that while school choice will be utilized to bridge the gap it's not the only thing that we're going to propose so um you know we need to do our due diligence and be cautious and obviously you know think about the future here um so we're we're in the in the midst of that putting a plan together for you is it too early to speculate or is it safe to say that we can expect uh Pink some some amount of pink slips I think that what um our focus is going to be is to attempt to make reductions based on attrition okay however it's not necessarily true that that will be the the overall solution I mean there may be um a need to look beyond that um and that that's if you're going to do that you have to be very careful about you know the decisions you're making and um we want to make sure that you understand what the impact of those decisions will be so that's our plan to present um you know almost a month from now now but uh with March 11th but um is to have that all for you so you clearly understand the impact of what we're what we're going to propose well thank you and I and what we're going to move into school choice which I think is an important decision as well you know what what gets shifted there right so agreed well thank you for that and I will I will certainly hold off on any further questions till uh next month I saw Mr noones yeah thank you madam chair okay so now I'm totally confused which I know sometimes doesn't take much but when we had the joint meeting with the select board and the fincom MH there was a million5 gap and we said we went back to our meeting and we funded that with school choice money much to everybody's one-time use etc etc type of deal what has changed I'm missing something here no I I do I don't think you're missing anything I think I think you're right that that is what the course of action that took place however um I do think that there were items in our original budget proposal that um were then added back into the budget for the purposes of looking at it from an override perspective potentially that never you know came to fruition and so we still need to do our due diligence in terms of looking critically at our oper a um the school choice money I'm glad we glad we saved it yeah it's not going to be around forever and I do think that we need to be cautious as to um you know what we can and can't do moving forward in terms of making decisions I don't think that the long-term future of our budget um I don't think it makes sense to just fund all 1.5 to5 million of uh what was on the table at that January 20 what January January 8th meeting um I don't think that that necessarily is going to be the plan that we're going to present to you because I think we need to think critically about our operation and okay I would it be worth I'm sorry you no go ahead I got another but go ahead because I'm going to change gears um would it be worthwhile to convene uh meeting of the budget subcommittee y to seek maybe our input we'd be happy to do that that would be a great idea that's a great idea yep yeah we'll reach out with some dates potential dates and we can pull before the next full committee meeting I think that would be at least educate me a little bit yep we will do so Dr Jenkins and then back to Mr so I think we have to be careful here too because to John's question about the 1.5 million it now looks like we asked for 1.5 million and we didn't get it and now we're like oh oh well actually we don't quite need 1.5 million so I think as we make choices about what's coming back out of the budget we need to be really clear about what the implications of that are because otherwise it looks like we are asking for things we don't need I know the reductions that we're talking about will create some pinch and I think we have to be honest with that otherwise we sort of lose our credibility um as we start to think about an override in the community yeah exactly uh I want to still in the budget but I want to shift gears a little bit and go back to the update that Dr Sabre Maguire gave us uh Friday the cross and the crossing guards are going am I what am I missing well it's not the crossing guards it's that we're we we met with the police department we we met with the chief and we're what we're losing is the traffic director um and that's because they can't the police department can't fill the position and that director currently uh you'll see that that person is outside of the middle school and outside of the Quinn school and so that was basically I think they were down to their last traffic sup director and that person now they're they're unable to fill that position and so we're working very closely with the middle school and obviously with the Quinn School admin team to make sure that we have a in place to mitigate losing those really important that person is really important to directing traffic in the morning and the afternoon because so correct me if I'm not that's not about money though no no I'm not trying to mince words here traffic supervisor tra crossing the people that are outside directing the traffic to let the buses and the pedestrians go across it's not thr in officer it's on an is it an officer not it's a traffic supervisor who's a trained employee of um you know by the police department but is not a police officer right that we used to have four of them um they've been unable to fill them and the last one is going to take another position with the police department um and unfortunately this week will be the last the last week that that person will be on duty um if anybody wants a job uh we'd be happy to point them in the right direction to go talk to the police department about uh about a potential position but uh unfortunately like many jobs it's really impossible to find people right now um so we've we've worked with um as Dr sa Maguire said we've worked with the police department with um the middle school and the Quinn school to try and identify you know potential mitigating um factors that that you know we could help with such as offering transportation to kids who are currently walking from to the Middle School from south of Hawthorne Street so um and that will all be communicated directly to the to the families impacted and in general to the Middle School Community um the Quinn school doesn't have unsupervised kids walking uh but there's a lot of people that walk and cross there and get picked up we've expressed our concerns regarding that um I know the police department is uh certainly going to approach it from a um from a police officer perspective in terms of enforcement but in terms of having somebody there at this point okay it doesn't appear that that will be the case so um can I just perhaps this could be passed along to the police I mean I'm thinking about it like as a parent right those are the times you have to be there when you're you're getting your kid I don't wonder if the police have not reached out to UMass Dartmouth um you know there are students who are always looking for jobs and they might be more flexible in terms of you know they may be available in the morning and in the afternoon and I do know we have a large uh crime and Justice studies Department those are students who are looking um to get into work typically in law enforcement um so you know to have that on their resume as they go look for a job that might be a good place um they're welcome to contact me um but if you could pass that along we could see maybe if we get that posted there um and see if we can't you know find someone you know to do that work suggestion Le okay good thank you anyone else I'm good thank you appreciate it thank you thank you so much um and uh on to long-term capital planning long-term capital planning do you remember those words longterm capital planning seems like it was a lifetime ago that we talked about long-term capital planning but we have been actively working toward um continuing to keep long term planning as a priority for the school district and as you know Mr Kylie serves on the long-term capital planning uh committee and we just want to update the public as to where we are with that and start thinking about next steps because we do need to continue to move forward thank you thank you Dr s Maguire so um and thank you all for the opportunity to sort of renew the discussion that we've had um I prepared a presentation I don't intend to go through all the slides in detail because they're repetitive based on what we've already presented to you for the most part although there are some changes um that I'll highlight as we go so to review the process um really I I I don't know if I said this before but I think it's important to understand that long-term planning has been going on for a number of years um you know that the school department Department committee have been a part of that for quite a quite a number of years and um you know really the modern era of longterm planning dates back to the msba site visits in 2016 and numerous steps um you know have have been taken since then so this is not not something brand new no new ideas here really um I think the difference is that we're finally at the point where the town is prepared um to uh at least publish some sort of plan um and I think that our role in that is that um we need to provide them some guidance as to priorities and projects that are on the need to be on their radar um so that's you know what we're trying to accomplish with this process um I I think it's also important to note that the plan's not set in stone you know this is going to a flexible document anytime you're planning I mean jeez you're planning one year ahead it needs to be flexible right but if you're planning 40 years ahead it needs to be a flexible you know plan um and I I think that everyone understands that and that this is some sort of it's essentially a framework um that will enlight be able to you know it be transparent and Enlighten the community as to what the needs are of the community so um you know I think that that's sort of where setting the stage for where we are right now the goals we've reviewed these before um I'll just highlight you know obviously we want an appropriate learning environment for kids that's our number one you know our number one uh goal and and um you know Quality quality learning for all um you know we need a building to be able to do that and I don't think we're in the best position um because uh again you know 72 with without factoring in this building the new building 202 years old now um you know 72 years is our average our average building so you know I don't think that places Us in the best position to educate kids but I do think we do the best we can with what we have so so we had presented some options and the and the three options we presented aren't the only options there's other options um and these were things to think about um option A was to replace Dartmouth middle school with a high school uh and then tackle the three elementary schools in some in some order with Potter and Dello being first and then the Quinn School third um option b was to uh approach the elementary schools first then a new middle school and then um the the Quinn School final and option C was to really look at the middle school first and then three elementary schools so replace the middle school and interesting um so we've had some discussion with the mass School building authority on this um what the recommend ation that they're giving us is when we're ready to present a statement of interest to them tell them that we are going to replace the Middle School it they said it is not necessary for us to decide at the moment whether the building is a high school whether the building has grades 5 through 8 or whether it's 6 through 8 or 9 through 12 all of that can be part of the feasibility study process working with the msba so what we would be doing is expressing our interest of why that building needs to be replaced and I think we can easily you know justify that um but offer that the community is interested in looking at options um in terms of the our intent for the project looking at options to consider for the community so I found that to be quite helpful because it sort of places us in a and C are kind of the same thing now um and you know it's great to have discussion but it's not necessary for us to decide right now that um or to decide 5 through 8 so the kushman school could be closed like we don't have to do that today so just something to consider that that's pretty new information like today talking with the msba so that's why I didn't really change the presentation but um but I was very uh you know very grateful for their Insight on that for sure um you know we did a comparison of options and talked about you know talked about the different things that that I mean this was our thoughts um you know in terms of the impact on students and you know whether they're looking at a high school and middle school versus an elementary school would impact more students initially with the first pro project and you know talked about the location in town and placing a new building in the center of town and some of the some of the different um you know different factors that um we considered to be positives or or negatives too in terms of expense um be happy to revisit any of this stuff as we go this is this is a new slide um so looking at timelines and this probably could have changed based on my discussion today a little bit too but um it's generally pretty close so the high school roof can't go to the msba yet so it's it doesn't meet the requirement until 2026 so it was installed in 2001 it has to be 25 years old before they'll consider the project they just have too many roofs on their list so they can't it's it's an arbitrary number but it's their rule at the moment um BAS based on the volume of uh of statements of interest that they've received so um with that said we've got to wait a little bit longer before we have a major project on the high school roof um a new school as a suggestion could be applied for in the next few years um it does the process itself can take five years so um you know if you apply for that next year or the year after it's it's a ways out before you're going to have a new building that I mean we're just talking about the possibilities for a feasibility study and determining what building you build in terms of the grade structure and everything that could probably take a year um you know before you iron everything out and then get the town meeting votes that are necessary we only have two Town meetings it's it's a process that's going to take some time so we have to be aware of that and think of that then if we were to follow up with a second School five or 10 years out from you know that would be a logical you know a logical progression of events this is a little ambitious for sure but um then a third school maybe 15 to 20 years out that depending on whether you're talking about starting with elementaries or starting with a middle school or um it would it would take a bit to accomplish our goals obviously ly and then the final school 20 to 30 years out so um it's a long haul and it might very well be longer than this this is sort of an ambitious timeline um so we have to consider that when we're talking about 1955 1956 even 1967 as the ages of the four the four buildings that were really focused on um 30 years out before you start yeah that's a lot of time to keep that building in uh in top condition so something to consider for sure um you know we we had talked about this briefly I I think it is important to keep in mind that the stadium should be addressed somehow um it would be irresponsible not to and it will get to the point at some point where it's go we're going to be the water infiltration in the building is going to become a bigger problem that you know we won't be an easy fix not that it's an easy fix it's but it'll be a much more difficult situation if if that's not addressed at some point so I I do think that needs to happen um you know a Dartmouth High School renovation well if you're talking about a 40-year plan and this building's 20 years old I mean in in in 40 years from now I think I think within that scope there's going to be something else done to this building I don't think it's necessar necessarily true that you know we can just this this will be all set no problems outside of a roof that's not realistic um and then you know all the implications of if we don't do this or if it takes us too long to do this what do we do with our systems with you know the HVAC with roofing systems are going to come up again and need to be replaced like we I've been a part of all of the roof projects here and so five buildings um but and they should be 30-year roofs but some of those are now like 13 years old so that's going to be in the scope of this you know so that we've got to consider all those things Windows like at the potter and Dello if it was going to be a long-term weit before we tackle those buildings those should be done we've got a there's a lot of considerations to factor into this process um so next steps obviously your discussion your questions that's all critical um the thing that I think we need to do is figure out some priority because I think we need to give some information and guidance to that longterm Capital planning committee so um my hope would be that we can have some discussion tonight and see if there's some consensus that could help give direction and I could relay that to that group again doesn't need to be set in stone um but I think they are they are doing good work and trying to put a plan in place um and I don't want to be be the part of that that you know I don't want to hold that up the momentum's great so um we want to we want to be a part of that so I think really that's that's the next step in our process here um so I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have or what's the committee Mr Oliver thank you Mr Kylie that certainly is good news the fact that we don't need to make a determination uh whether or not how what that facility would be used for for the grade span and whether or not it's used for a middle school or a high school because that was my number one concern right now es before seeing even a fe feasibility study because I've already had this conversation with some people in town is you want did I hear you want to do what did I hear that the the school committee wants to build a new high school so I'm happy to I'm happy to hear that um I think in all honesty I think this town is about 10 years behind the eightball already um maybe even more with um keeping up with our buildings and and renovating or or building new buildings so I think the time to act is now especially if we have a um if we have a long-term uh Capital planning committee that's willing to um to listen to us and willing to make some priorities um yeah I I think uh I think it' be prudent for this committee to take some kind of action through a vote on uh what our priority is uh for me um I think that does make the most sense um after considering it and after hearing what we heard tonight uh that we would uh like to see a uh a new building on slokum road uh the site of the current uh middle school that's uh for what it's worth that's my two cents and like I said I think the time to act is now because every every year that goes by the the prices are not going down thank you Mr Oliver Dr Jenkin yeah you know I would agree that the middle school is my priority I'm also glad that we don't have to make a decision about what that is but that building it's just not a 21st Century Learning space it's not I mean they do a great job with what they have but we need to do that um my concern a little bit is seeing this I'm thinking whoa this is really aggressive right and then I don't even have a sense of what the town priorities are and what the town is slotting in there do you have you had any conversations right do you understand what they're prioritizing over this period what they're talking about I do um so there's without you know sharing too much detail about other departments that I'm not the expert on I can say that the water and sewer projects are a major component they should be um it I've been very encouraged by um sort of the collegiality of the group in terms of being open-minded and not being siloed I mean I get it like if we don't don't have good clean water or the or the toilets don't flush okay well we can't have school anyway so I get that right so but there's some big projects on that end not as big as what would be building a school um but but sizable projects that um are important for the town so there's a lot of discussion of of that what I do think and some of those are pressing um but I think they recognize that our projects are pressing ing as well and I think that you know if if there's consensus tonight um bringing that back to them and kind of sharing our or our projected order of operations we'll try and figure out how um the town could could approach that I do think that um we've sort of charted out debt and uh taking a look at what what it might look like and what it might mean to to the taxpayer we begun that process in that group it's super important part of the process and I do think that the town has the ability to undertake multiple projects at one time that it's not necessarily okay we've got to pay off the high school like we just you know we just did before we start the next project I don't I don't think that that's necessary so um granted some projects might be bigger than others you know if we build a high school okay that's a very expensive project the middle school is really expensive too not as much but um so uh you know I I I do think that um there's going to be a way that we fit those projects together that hopefully might not be absolutely ideal for us but it'll be something that we can live with and I'll report back to the group as to once that starts to progress but without prioritizing it's a little hard for them to do that too yeah I guess I I guess my concern in asking that is is that right there's always limited appetite among the voters for supporting overrides and as we like the first one or two there might be more appetite and then the further we get and I I worry we end up in a place where while the elementary school on that side of town is brand new and the elementary school on this side of town is still you know nearly 100 years old by the time we're at the end of it so just thinking about sort of the politics the politics of it and you know because we do ultimately even if we're all convinced that the town can take on multiple projects ultimately we have to convince the voters that the town can take on multiple projects and so just thinking about I mean obviously Water and Sewer are a good example everyone wants their toilets to flush and you know the water to run but we should think about that in terms of particularly the timing too of right if we're all in agreement that middle school is first right second third and fourth are elementary schools and you know you're looking at a gap of 20 25 years like how how does that work and so I think for me it's clear that the middle school is up here what falls down after that I'm not really sure except to say some rotation of elementary schools right maybe a couple at a time makes more sense than 111 I don't know yeah I think that is the difficult most difficult challenge we face is I mean I think that the Quinn school would be done after the other two however um how you decide which identical building built by the you know under with the same design same architect same contractor same materials at the same time you're going to replace first that's a tough decision that's why as you can see on my options I said building one building two you know and just I pumped it on that one [Music] um maybe we use the same footprint all right for the again maybe you know and if we could get msba to buy into something like that that would be fantastic mean other districts have right it's possible um so those are things that you know again we need to be flexible and we need to be able to change the plan along the way somewhat but Mr thank you madam chair uh two questions Mr Kylie uh on the uh the timeline the high School roof goes to msba in 2026 I'm going to make an assumption that's just the paperwork to get their approval uh yes a statement of Interest would be filed so we're looking at 2728 before we get the roof so we're still we've got to extend the life of this roof we do so I um I don't think I've talked to you about this I don't think I did some engineering work not me personally I hired an engineer um it would be pretty shudy work if it was me but um we I hired an engineer to do uh sort of a a survey of the roof condition um highlight areas that we need to focus on and um they came back and said kind of what we knew which is it's in rough shape um lots of things need to be done to this roof and they can't be they can't all be peac meal little you know $20,000 fixes that's just not going to happen so um so we have a challenge ahead of us okay um it's going to be a rough a rough stretch but you're right that's you're talking 28 probably before it's done and that's if we I mean we'll we'll submit a statement of interest is it a guarantee I don't think it is I think what we have going for us is we we've not done an msba project in a little bit where trying to preserve a building that um although it wasn't an msba uh building it's a fairly new building um so I I mean I think they'll take that into consideration I think we have a real good shot at getting you know getting funded in the first year but um but yeah it's going to take a going to take a while going to take a while we may need some more funding yeah we may need some more funding you know we've got a little bit of funding that the finance committee um voted our away uh from their Reserve fund for for some you know some roof repairs but um yeah that's it's not we might have to do that every year I I really don't know okay uh another question I have before I get to my my options uh if we if we we get in and we end up with slokum road but for whatever reason we end up with that as a middle school fight I mean what's in here what does that do to this building in the sense besides the roof you know I mean can we get another 30 40 50 years out of this building I think we have to we would have to I think we have to and I think we can yeah um you know I I I think one of the things that we put as a as a positive uh an advantage with you know option A which we don't really have to do right now but was that we could possibly have a state-of-the-art high school uh that instead of a 50-year-old high school at some point you know um so I mean conceivably by the time that building's done this building will be 30 years old yeah that's all it's not not a brand new school anymore it just isn't um so that's something for the community to consider but if we end up building a middle school I mean we I think I hope you know that um you know we're committed to maintaining the buildings and as long as the town continues to support us through Capital Improvement projects which other than this past year they have been so you know we it's no secret we didn't get it really anything funded last year um outside of some uh some flooring repairs but as long as the town is committed to maintaining the buildings moving forward then we'll do our best and and keep this building in good shape as good shape as we can anyway I mean overall I think my agree with Chris and Shannon I like option a type of deal I mean you know take you know fix fix slm Road it moves everything as we've talked about in previous meetings you know there for athletics and Fields and and such uh kind of in some instances would be a little bit of money saving because we wouldn't have to have the buses transporting students here there and hither and Yonder type of deal so uh but I think I think that's the one that you know again you you make it you know a you know early uh you know mid century 21st 21st century uh building so that that's my recommendation thank you um I agree um I think middle school should be first um and the fact that there's open space right next to the existing one makes it easier I don't know how any of the middle school or middle schools would be easy because they don't have a plot of land right next to them and you can't just raise the building and what do you do with the kids while you're bu building a new school that that we have to figure out but I guess with plan a or plan of just making a new Middle School we have time to figure out what to do with um the elementary schools so an elementary school obviously costs a lot less than a middle or a high school is it conceivable to do more than one Elementary School at a time or is that just like what do you do with the students okay so um I'll I'll give you an idea so well first of all to your first point in terms of the piece of land so we actually have some land um that is developable uh right next to one of the elementary schools so the Dello school um owns actually quite a bit of that property is actually quite large um behind that building that could be a consideration it's big enough to build a school for sure um part of school not as much it might be possible though to to build an Elementary School on that property it would be tight for sure um it would have to be really up in really on the back edge of that property um which might not be ideal but that's something to consider and the Quinn school I don't know it's 30 years from now uh or 20 years from now I don't know I don't know we'll have to figure that out I guess sorry Mr Grandfield but you know in terms of doing more than one so so I I think um I I'll mention that we were fortunate we have a um a Dartmouth president apparent um his name is Nathan Silva he works for a major um uh contractor um who um and he has a a great deal of experience with uh building projects and school construction and his his the business that he works for does some very major um School construction projects so he reached out to me quite a while ago offered his assistance provided some cost estimates based on our options looking at that um including escalation Clause um costs and and looking at it over timelines and everything it's really he he did a lot of work and and uh you know we're super thankful I I think um you know what we're talking about in terms of projects though it's pretty expensive an elementary school might be $70 million in today's in today's money uh you know a high school might be7 million so I mean could you do multiple elementary schools at once well I mean it might cost less than doing a high school at some point you know so I guess maybe you could but you know we're going to have to look at how all of these projects work within the town's structure what it would mean to the tax rate in terms of debt exclusion votes and and what it would mean to the taxpayers so you know we know that there's a lot to do there um and uh the town has be that that long-term capital Group which has really been working well has done quite a bit of work looking at this um that we currently have a lot of capacity and that we're not really paying for very much right now in terms of debt um since the high school was paid off a couple of years ago so um you know it's it is time to start considering these projects and whether you could do two at once I don't know I'm not sure but it's it's something to at least talk about quick just on on does this uh does msba still have the model school program they do still have a model school and they're also pushing energy efficient uh projects so so um it's a good point uh in terms of msba so we would be eligible around 50% reimbursement from msba um if you build a model School you get extra reimbursement so that's sort of a bit of a canned design so it depends whether you can fit that on your site whether it meets you know meets your needs it can be scaled according to you know enrollment and everything but it it's um it's something to consider you get a a little extra money from msba and they're also very actively pursuing um Energy Efficiency initiatives through the msba through um you know in terms of using heat pumps to heat the buildings and a variety of technologies that that you know are are very um you know very efficient trying to get to Net Zero buildings and um so and you get extra money for those two so things to consider as we go thinking so this is kind of a maybe a crazy idea and you can tell me that maybe it's a bad idea but again thinking about the politics of it and worrying about going back to the voters repeatedly for um debt exclusions has anybody ever thought about doing just one Capital override that we generate $10 million a year that goes into account every 5 years we've got $50 million right that's a if you if you figure out what the projects are and you figure out what that is you only have to go to the voters once right and then the money that goes in there just goes into whether it's a stabilization fund or whatnot right and it just goes we just work through the projects um and I don't wonder whether maybe that's a better approach than having to every five years go to the voters and say and we want to and this this just occurred to me after seeing bess's reaction when you said $70 million for an elementary school right we can just say oh we're going to pull out of this account and we're going to pay 70 million I mean so it's something that I think is worth considering um at least we because we know that we that for the next I don't know it's not like 40 years from now all of a sudden we're like okay good don't ever have to replace a school again or no we don't need another water plant or a police station or whatever our Capital needs continue right and whether it it might be better for us to do a one-time push um to get the money we need because I I just am I'm sort of cynical about to keep going back every five years for another $50 million project I can share that with the group it's an interesting idea I the one thing I will say and not to be a downer on that idea because I'm not I think it's interesting and might work well in terms of votes we will need to keep going back in terms of submitting statements of interest and voting the the town meeting votes that are required to participate in the msba projects we'll need all that too not not that's easier all right would you say look we got 100 million in the bank we're ready to go to msba right I agree think that's just a little bit easier way to approach it yeah yeah I'll uh I will share that with the group we're meeting tomorrow Z via Zoom okay via Zoom since uh everything Clos oh the snow day yeah anyone else before I no um I I you I I agree with my colleagues I think like leading from a place that really uh you know um looks at the age in in of the buildings I do agree with the middle school is is one at the top um but I wonder about any opportunity to sort of phase out kushman school as as say um thinking about the age of that building um is that in consideration is there anything that you could share I I think that our um and this sort of you know some of the options obviously illustrate that um closing of kush kushman school and I think um that was part of my discussion you know our discussion today with msba and that would be included in our project intent um which which I think would be an attractive sort of piece of that that might lead to them being even more favorable okay we're thinking creatively we're closing a building that's outdated that's small that you know isn't ideal um trying to be more efficient in that way and um you know I think it that leads to oh are we looking at 5 through eight are we looking at a shift are we you know some some sort of different uh configuration but those are things that we would do in that feasibility process with them but I think that would certainly be a goal um and that could be done with the first project we get one project one building built we could accomplish that so um and so in meeting with them tomorrow other than hearing our you know our consensus some do you need an official Vote or um you need for us to do anything more more official I I don't I don't I mean I don't think you're voting for for specific projects yet or anything I I I think I don't know if if you um I have enough information I think enough feedback to go back to them it's fine I appreciate it perfect we yeah this was very productive sounds good yeah definitely great thank you I think um thank you for that uh I we're moving on to new business so we have superintendent update I'll turn it over to Dr sa Maguire great so um February is about to live up to its name so we finally uh and I finally um for the first time get to announce a snow day so um I was going to wait for this evening to do that but there seemed to be so much interested in it in it that we didn't want to keep people off because I know people were making plans but I just want to make sure that people understand that we don't take decisions like this lightly I mean this is really an important decision to make and it's not just one person's decision uh the superintendent may get some uh sort of you know uh accolades for making the decision but really it's a team decision including uh our own School folks here you know Mr Kylie talking with the town DPW officials other school-based folks across this region I mean I've been in touch with other superintendents all day long and certainly Community leaders and all it's always about the Safety and Security of our staff our students and our community and so although we love to call a snow day it really is serious business I just want to make sure that everybody understands that we do take it seriously um but congratulations seniors you get your snow day apparently that's a big de deal here in darmouth so a few items under teaching and learning that I just want to bring to your attention and if you remember earlier and I did um bring this up in one of my uh school committee updates on a Friday but we had publicly discussed chronic absenteeism and that the commissioner was bringing that forward to the board and I just wanted to make sure that everybody understands that although we believe this is really important uh the board did not approve the commissioner's recommendation and so what that means is that chronic or absenteeism won't take on increased weight in our accountability stand standards moving forward um you know we're happy about that but at the same time I want to assure you and the public that student attendance is really important to us and we're starting to have not starting because I know this conversation has been had in this District before I ever got here but really thinking about some strategic opportunities to re-engage students so it's not so much about the punishment that students receive for absenteeism but it's how how we as a school district are considering what what kinds of things are keeping our kids out of school Beyond illness which we of course want our families to keep our students home if they're ill but there are other things that we need to be doing as a district and I'm really pleased when I talk to the leaders and teachers in the district that that is at the Forefront of their mind but we wanted to let you know that that wasn't going to affect our accountability um also I wanted to bring up at the last school committee meeting we talked about the need to explore curriculum resources uh you probably seen and I might have even talked about it um recently one of you know on the news or the globe uh you've seen that Governor Healey has come out with an initiative around literacy and one of the things that I think is really important for you to know is that here in this District folks are already at this work and so it's not the state coming in or desie coming in to Dartmouth saying we're going to force you to look at your curriculum resources I know uh Bess and I have had this conversation I think since the minute I walked in the door here and and she as well had just started as a school committee member we recognize that we have worked to do around selecting resources and even more importantly putting this District on a path where it does in fact have a curriculum um a curriculum review cycle and so I'm going to ask M Pavo poo to come up to the microphone and talk talk about some of the work that she has been doing um and really it's almost every day I see her with a care at least one curriculum team a day uh digging into this work yes we had our science group with us today so um I'm going to just first give you a little bit of an overview on a curriculum review cycle and the work that Mr tibo and I did um with the curriculum Council last year to develop this curriculum review cycle um Dr Jenkins was part of this work and so this should look familiar first you know what is a a curriculum review cycle and really the importance is just that cyclical nature of looking at our curriculum in a way to revise it to make sure that it's up to dat we know that things change we want to make sure that we remain current with what we're doing um and it really it gives us the opportunity to make data informed decisions about what the efficacy is of the curriculum materials that we're putting in front of our students every day um and so when we look at the elements of the curriculum review cycle you know obviously we want to make sure it's standards based and so as standards get updated it's imperative that we also make sure that we're updating our curricular materials um the alignment piece so it's kind of an ongoing joke but not really that anyone who works with me here as me talk sort of ad nauseum about uh horizontal and vertical alignment we talk a lot about the journey that our kids take right it's not so so much necessarily about just the grade level that you're teaching but the journey that that our kids are on and making sure that there's alignment between what they're doing let's just say in my world in second grade with third grade and as so there's that cohesion and that coherence that runs through the Journey that the kids are on um the equity piece we want to make sure that our curriculum resources are reviewed make sure that there there's no bias or cultural biases that are in our uh materials that we're putting in front of our kids we look at the professional development needs what are the needs of our educators to be able to not just give them a material but have them be able to use it effectively um and be able to um use that tool to teach our kids and Mr Kylie no offense that I last on my list but certainly there are budgetary implications right so we can't we can't get into a place where we suddenly need to review all of the curriculum and replace all of the curriculum so we need to do this in a cyclical nature and really have a budget and and a plan for making sure that we're looking at that that and so I'm not going to ask you to um look at this tiny little font I'll go through very quickly just there're really four tenants of a curriculum review cycle and you can really hop on anywhere right because the point of it is that it's cyclical and that you can do these things and um as we're developing that we're looking at our various curriculum areas and saying what makes sense with where we are right now um so just for I'm a I'm a kind of linear person I'll stop upper left so when we talk about reviewing the curriculum reviewing the curriculum really is is when you're taking that deep dive right so we've done some we've had something in place and now we're really taking a deep dive into what we're doing making sure that there's alignment to our Mass state Frameworks making sure that it is that has that alignment vertically and horizontally a great across grade levels making sure that it's not written making sure that it's free of biases um making sure that it's based on current research and I'm going to talk a little bit more about that in a second um making Mak sure that it's Equitable to all students so we're looking at the diversity piece of that not just in the um cultural biases piece of that but also are our students able to access it do they have entry points regardless of sort of where they are or their learning styles can we can we is Equitable for all students in all learning styles um and then you know we need to make sure that it's we have alignment with things that we do to measure our students right so our SATs our acts our mcast making sure that the things that we're doing like I always say to my elementary folks mcast should never be the first time that these kids see something that looks like this right and so making sure that we're preparing kids for something that is a realistic part of their Journey um assessments making sure that our assessments are telling us what we need them to tell us about how our students are learning and so the outcome of that sort of first phase is you know a report or a state of the Affairs of the of that curriculum review um and then you may end up saying we need to look at something new or we need to write some revisions to this curriculum you know it could be a great a great framework and we just need to make some modifications to it so regardless of what your decisions are your next sort of phase in that um would be to do that development or revision right so we're either going to be piloting something new or looking for something new or we're going to be um doing kind of a deeper revision of what's in existence already um once you do those things right we need to implement and we need to implement it with Integrity um and make sure that we are uh implementing the the things that we're saying in the intent that they were intended to be done right and so um then we get into that monitoring phase and this is a multi-year phase where we're really looking at the data and making small shifts we're looking at scope and sequence shifts assessment shifts and really throughout all of these phases we're also very heavily focused on professional development what are the needs of our teachers whether they're new teachers whether they're veteran teachers sometimes that looks very different sometimes it's programmatic professional development around the materials sometimes it's instructional practice professional development so we're really looking at what the data is telling us our students need and providing PD around that and so I'm going to make a little shift and say that one of the when we're talking about current practices and making sure that we are um doing what our kids need I'd like to talk to you a little bit about science of reading as Dr Sab Maguire said there's a lot to be uh said heard read listened to around the science of reading although it really is not something new it has really come back around um because it it is a comprehensive body of research it's a lot of years of research and what it tells us is that um there are five foundational skills to learning how to read the bigger picture that we need to remember is that learning how to read is not reading as a whole right so we're really just talking about the foundational skills of reading and these are the Five Tenant of that sort of foundational skills we talk about phic awareness and phonics and fluency and vocab and comprehension and if you don't live in our world and use those words every day um as I know many people do not this is what that means so phenic awareness when we're talking about reading it begins far before you ever talk about your eyes on a page we're talking about being able to discern sounds and manipulate sounds and so we this is a real early foundational skill um but we need kids to be able to um be able to articulate and hear different sounds in a word so that when you hear the word bat you know that there's a b and a a and a t in there um and then we move forward and learn that letter there are letters that come together to make those sounds and sometimes two letters come together to make a new sound um and so those are sort of all those core things that kidss are doing before they're ever really reading or if they're having struggles in their reading that were looking at deficits have come up along the way fluency is just that sort of smoothness automaticity being able to read so that students can understand what they're reading so um it's that sort of muscle memory that you can do things without ever thinking about them right like sometimes you drive home or you think you're supposed to go to the store and suddenly find yourself in your driveway right cuz you're not really thinking about having to do that you just your brain knows how to do it automatically that's that sort of piece about you can lift the load of decoding and trying to figure out the words and really give yourself that opportunity to understand what you're reading vocabulary right I mean it's pretty self-explanatory um building the repertoire of our kids vernacular making sure that they have words that they can use and they understand and vocabulary has a direct link to knowledge based to knowledge and comprehension understanding um and there's a lot of research around just building our kids knowledge base right and so I again am such a nerd about this stuff but I'm like the Neuroscience behind how you learn is your brain is forever trying to make connections anytime you give someone anyone new information your brain instantly goes to work trying to connect it to things that you already know right and so we have to put things into kids that they already know and understand and that's you know a big part of what happens here and so um foundational reading skills how do we measure those well the Commonwealth has come along and really helped out in that and said you're going to do it and so they have a uh a early literacy screening guide that was passed in July of this year and so um this is the guidance that came out we had the guidance says we have to assess kids at least twice per year using a valid valid developmentally appropriate Des approved uh literacy instrument and then for students who are identified as not meing the Benchmark we need to inform parents of that and have a plan for what to do with the kids but there is good news in dartman public schools we have already been doing that so um we use the Dibbles eighth edition to do some screening of our kiddos and we were already doing that uh and we actually do it three times a year in Dartmouth we do a beginning middle and end of the year Benchmark and for kids who are not meeting The Benchmark we do a progress monitoring between so our students who are identified as struggling readers are being benchmarked five times a year in the area that we have concerns about which works out to about every six to eight weeks which is a great RTI cycle so we're looking at our kids we're looking at their data we're looking at what they're telling us so dible stands for dynamic indicator of basic early literacy skills it tests four of those five what Dibbles does not address is vocabulary but um IT addresses four of those other five basic skills of reading that are identified through the science of reading um and these are the grades in which they are assessed so you heard me talking about that phic awareness piece that's like a real basic foundational skill we're testing our kids in K and one in phic Awareness phonics we're testing them all the way through third grade reading fluency we don't actually look at kids oral reading fluency until around the middle of first grade because we're still teaching them to learn how to read that word reading fluency piece though is words on a page right so it's that to build up some of that automaticity so that we can get them to be fluid readers and then um the reading comprehension we test in grades two and three now we certainly test their comprehension in other ways but in Dibbles we're looking at grades two and three they do uh a maze which is a actually I gave you a little information about what each of those subtests looks like if you really wanted to see it um and and then I'm going to talk a little bit about some of those and what we have been doing over the last year and so when we were talking about the data and talking about what do our kids need um the group of kids in front of us we need to remember are some of the kids who had a very different Early Childhood experience um our current fourth graders are kids who went home in March of kindergarten and had a very different first grade year than any other kid would have right um our so play that forwards and backwards our third graders if they were in our preschool went home and had a very different kindergarten experience and so we know in looking at some of our data that our kids were really struggling with some of those foundational skills um and so what we did is we um graciously went to Mr Kylie and I said I really need some money and we were able to figure that out uh and we were able to get the foundations uh foundations is is a phonics based program um if you've heard ever of Wilson intervention it is based out of Wilson they're sort of the gurus of foundational reading intervention um and we were able to put that into the all of our classrooms so we had a group of teachers who piloted this last year in K to 3 all of our classrooms this year and K to2 implemented it one of the things again going back to that curriculum review cycle you learn from your pilot was that a third grade implementation is a very difficult thing for something that's very dependent on kids learning the basics of it in K1 and two and so we actually had our teachers go to some training with Wilson and the the recommendation was that you hold the third grade for a year let the kids get some of those foundational skills under the belt and then they can really fly with it in third grade and so what I've done um it's important to note that our kindergarten Dibble schedule is a little bit delayed so our our beginning of the year kindergarteners our introduction to school is certainly not one that we want to say welcome now come with me and I'm going to give you a test on something that you know you maybe have heard before but maybe not and so we try to get you know six weeks of instruction under their belt before we start looking at kids we don't want to over identify we don't want to under identify we want to make sure that the data we're collecting is accurate so what I've done is put together some um information about our kids in grades 1 through three so if you go back to the the test those there are four sub tests that are kids in grades 1 through three and I wanted to look at what does it look like this year compared to last year so we're talking about just one year not even a year right we're talking about six months of good solid tier one instruction and so we looked at middle of the Year benchmarking last year and middle of the Year benchmarking this year and at first glance you might look at it and say it doesn't really look so different but I think the other thing that you need to remember is that typically there's an implementation dip when you dip when you start a new program that the kids are all trying to get on board and you have to sort of bridge that Gap from what they've been doing before to what they've been doing now and so I look at this in this data and I go well overall we still have we had 65% of kids at or above the Benchmark before now we have 66 and so they're they're shuffling out a little bit different that can mean a couple of things right these are different cohorts of kids so this is an average of the one to three last year and an average of 1 to three this year so the cohort is a little bit different but we're making moves that we want to see we have less kids in the well below we have more kids at The Benchmark we took a little dip in the above Benchmark piece but in the overall at or above we're trending in the right direction that's true again when we're talking about our nonsense word fluency so nonsense word fluencies is we give kids madeup words right and so it's not we're not dependent on their ability to memorize a word we're giving them a word that is not a real one and they have to really depend on those foundational skills of knowing being able to segment words into into their sections know the sounds of those sections and be able to come up with it and so we do that at the phon level or the piece of the word level we do it at the full word level and again you'll see this was a great one you know our kids at The Benchmark again we're moving in the right direction word reading fluency is the ability to read those words at a singular level again you know that at or above number is trending in the right direction and our oral reading fluency um we're right we're right there is where we were last year and so you know I think the connection to this is that we have to continually look at the data and what the data is telling us about the efficacy of the programming in front of us and then if we need to make moves making sure that we're putting high quality research-based materials in the hands of our educators giving them the professional development that they need to be able to execute it well and then continually looking at how our kids are doing making small shifts were necessary making big shifts were necessary um and so you know what we have done is we address the foundational reading skills which we knew was a huge deficit post-pandemic these are like I said kids who just didn't learn how to read in the way that we know kids need to learn how to read and so we had to address that um and so in the longer term we are looking at our overall um Ela programming um our we have four curriculum teams that you've heard me talk about before our Ela team met with two publishing companies uh the week before last they have a couple more coming in next month and then we'll be looking at making some decisions um and anxiously also listening to what happens at the state level on what they're thinking about as far as uh literacy curriculum because they have a lot to say about it um which will be great as long as they attach funding to what they have have to say because um you know that tends to sometimes be the case but uh I'm happy to answer any questions that you have about the that was a lot of information in a short amount of time so I'm happy to answer any questions that you have well no questions but I'm really happy you're doing this and I look forward to seeing the next round of tests and how our students are developing and hopefully yeah so just say thanks I think the presentation is super useful I mean I think people sometimes think well I learned how to read like how different is it they don't understand that the what we know about how kids learn to read is continually changing and updating um and so to hear about sort of our understanding um like I know I'm I would probably do really bad at the madeup word test cuz I'm I'm like my kid would come home and be like how do you break these words up and I like I don't know like I I just know the word um so I think it's you know breaking it down and focusing on that makes our students better than perhaps we are but it's not as transparent because they're just learning to read that's what they see it um so I think it's super helpful for people to see these different components of that and I appreciate it thanks Mr it's this is this is great thank you and it's it's interesting it Dibbles this still around still around eth Edition huh eighth edition but you know I mean I can I can then again I can remember it you know being talked about yeah and and such but uh this is excellent you know I I'm and not that I'm looking for a kindergarten the first grader to have a lot of home but you know do the do they take sheets home for Mom and Dad the guardian to sit down with them to try and deyer some of them I think the biggest thing that we can do is create a literature Rich environment for our kids right and so reading toe children when they're learning how to read is has so much power in that ability to build vocabulary to build content knowledge and then also it's something it's time spend right and so if you can create a joy of reading I would tell kindergarten and first grade parents and typically at the elementary level the expectation for homework is that you're going to do some kind of reading at home it can be reading with an adult it can be reading to an adult um you know there's a lot of benefit in reading things that you might consider look at your child and say well that's too easy for you now no there's so much benefit in building their fluency and their ability so read to I would tell my kids read to the dog read to your dolls read to your little brother or sister right like if reading in general in any way shape or form will have tremendous benefit for your kids and it doesn't need to be a worksheet necessarily it doesn't need to be something that they're pencil to paper just creating a really liter Rich environment for your kids is truly the best thing that you can do thank you yeah no thank you great presentation Katie and um no I I certainly appreciate the work that you're doing along with Mr tibo and the rest of the uh staff in the district I look forward to seeing where where we go from here yeah thanks we appreciate your support yeah thank you uh thank you for this I really uh you know uh in particular um selfishly really love the focus and the the curriculum um cycle to those onramps for those students who learn differently um you know I uh and also selfishly sort of being kind of close to um those you know Audi books or I remember um one of my kiddos early on like U um participating in uh counting how much time in the summer they they were reading and it really was all of the things that we were able to help uh them access to be part of that whether it be audio whether it be thumbing through magazines and pointing to pictures and communicating in just alternate ways so I really love the focus to those on-ramps for all of our Learners um I I'm wonder I'm the good news is we're already doing it with the Dibbles um but that added component which I completely understand and and am in support of uh but I'm just wondering your thoughts I'm looking over there like to parents receiving because that you know yes we would have parent teacher conferences we would talk through um you know the struggles that we have on those individual basis if if a teacher teachers are able to identify through the way that we're doing it when a student is is not um to the level that they think they should be um what has been the response to parents receiving That official sort of 30-day documentation saying your student is not meeting the thank you for bringing that up so that that part of it is new for us right so um we do a lot of assessing of our kids and We Gather a lot of information about them the the new piece to that right is that requirement to be in contact with parents to say your child is struggling and so I I don't love the idea of only contacting parents when your child is struggling and so we made the decision to contact all parents about how their students were doing and um the other thing I don't love is when a parent finds out when they receive a report card or that that's when their child is struggling that should never be the first idea that you have and so you know because it's done pretty early in the year sometimes before parent teacher conferences the timing of it for kindergarten worked out great because we could give the letter to all of our families at parent teacher conferences but the 30-day requirement didn't allow us to do that for our our older kids so we built time into their day for a phone conversation for any student who was getting a letter that said that your child is below the Benchmark and so a conversation with a family is so important because the other thing to remember that Dibbles like all of our assessments is one snapshot and so that conversation with a teacher who really has been doing work with a student could sound something like you're going to get a letter that says that your child didn't do so great on this I read with her every day and I want you to know that this isn't reflective of what I see from your child and this is what we're doing and this is right or this you're going to get a letter today and it might seem a little bit concerning but I want you to know this is what we already have in place your child might be seeing a reading specialist they may be doing some tier 2 instruction with me in the classroom so the other part of the requirement that's great is to have a plan and so you know it would be one thing if we were communicating and saying just want you to know they're not doing so hot but not have a plan for it but to be able to say this is what we're doing in response to that um and make sure that the parents you know and I think it softens the blow when you get that letter because this is let's let's be clear like this is dyslexia guidelines right and so you're getting a letter that says your child may be at the higher risk for dyslexia and what parent wants to get that letter certainly without context it's terrible and so you know we provided some time for our teachers to be able to have that conversation and provide the context but also what they see on the everyday basis not just on these one minute Subs that they're doing with these students excellent of course you already had a plan for thank you for um explaining it for the public but and for me but um thank you thank you Katie I just want to say again been leading great work before I got here one of the things that I was really excited about was when I finally um got to Dartmouth that foundations was in place because that was something that I was committed to in my prior district and also what you didn't mention but hegerty um is also another aspect of a resource that you have brought in to the Dartmouth schools to help support again around the science of reading and I want to just also mention the curriculum review review cycle because it's really not unlike the capital Improvement the long-term planning for Capital Improvement so if you're on a cycle you don't get to this point as Katie pointed out that we need resources in every single content area and that becomes really expensive but if we budget for it over time and it's connected to a cycle then it's almost like what you said Dr Jenkins earlier we're banking right so we we know that money is there it's there in the budget every year and we're able to make decisions based on something that we have in place um supposedly and I'm I'm believing this might be true is that there is is going to be funding attached to this and the thing again that I feel really confident confident about in Dartmouth is that we're so well poised that whatever it is that's eventually released um that will be right at the front of the line ready to ready to move on a resource and again Katie's been doing a lot of work with a lot of your Educators in this school district plenty of teacher voice so important so thank you thank you thank you Katie thank you you so you know my favorite thing to talk about is entry planning that's why I invited Ross up here to help me with it so um part of what I want to help us to do and help me to do really as you're still I'm still saying still your new superintendent as I'm moving out of the entry entry phase um into strategic planning um we're not going to really be digging deep into strategic planning until we have collected all of the information that we started really way back in July or April really um we have partnered with teaching Learning Alliance I think I mentioned that at a prior meeting and they're going to be helping us to they're going to be facilitating this process and one of the reasons for that was that we all meaning the entire team here including some of yourselves want to be part of the process and not necessarily directing the process because we want to be part of the teams that are doing this work and so uh Mr tbolt is going to talk about our next steps thank you Dr Sabre McGuire so um our strategic planning actually um you can pick where you want to kind of put a PIN to say we started uh I know Katie talked Katie and I talk about this all the time but on March 11th which was a Wednesday of 2020 um the District strategic plan te actually met in the community room at Quinn and then on Friday March 13th 2020 we know um the whole world shut down so if that's the point you want to pick as a starting point that would be fine um but last year really uh in 2022 2023 school year we started partner partnering with Envision learning um to really develop our portrait of a learner and the portrait of a learner uh for folks who might not be familiar with it it's just it's basically a promise from darmouth public schools to the community this is what you can expect your uh you know the students in the district to be um working on on a daily basis as they're with us some districts call it a portrait of a graduate or a vision of a graduate we made a purposeful decision as a strategic planning team to call it the portrait of a learner because we want it to be applicable to students prek through 12 in our district and we really wanted to serve as that North Star that would eventually guide our district strategic plan planning work and so as Dr Sabre Maguire said we're now at that point where we have a draft portrait of a learner we presented it to um our Educators uh in the early release day in January to collect feedback from them um and again one of the things that's so important to strategic planning work and to the development of our portrait of a learner is input from all stakeholders within the community and so last year when we started this work what we really did was ask every single educator to kind of create a prototype if it was up to them in small teams what would the portrait of a learner look like for them at their level and it was from that that the strategic planning team really developed our portrait of a Learner in addition to that we surveyed all of the stakeholders in the community um parents and uh families and caregivers um elected officials uh received a survey uh from from us um students at the high school level were part of of that as well and of course our Educators were were surveyed and and actually developed their own prototypes so it was a very inclusive process and that uh strategic planning te spent all of last school year really synthesizing all of that data and all of that information and put it together and so now we're uh shifting from partnering with Invision learning which helped us with that work and they're a nationwide uh National Consultant Group that does this work around portrait of a learner um but we're shifting and partnering with the teaching and Learning Alliance now which is a consultant uh Consultant Group uh in the ma in Massachusetts made up of uh recently um serving superintendents or assistant superintendents they've worked with over 80 districts across the Commonwealth and I think in in some other states Across the Nation as well um to to do various types of educational leadership work strategic planning work um Etc so um we're going to be expanding that core team the district strategic planning team um has consisted of representation from each building in the district including central office um so there's been administrators and either coaches or teacher represent uh representatives from each building but we're going to look to Branch out and to include um you know a couple of uh folks from the school committee Board of Selectmen the uh fincom also uh families and um you know parents um we're going to look to increase our educator representation on that uh on that team as well because now we're really shifting to the uh intense work of moving from a poster for the portrait of a learner to our practice what do we need to do to go from that poster to actually living you every single day so that every single student of ours has that experience um and that's going to happen fairly quickly which is exciting because it seems at time uh at times it seems like we're moving very slowly even though the work takes time time and so I'm I'm glad we've moved at uh the pace that we have because we I think we've done some really great work um but over the course of the spring and then into the fall we're going to put together a plan that really um that's presented to the school committee for approval um and it will really address how we're going to move from poster to practice and the endgame is once it is approved by the school committee that the teaching uh and Learning Alliance will produce a professionally designed print ready strategic plan for the next five years that's going to really drive the work in this District um along with a data dashboard that can be used to um monitor our progress as we achieve the the goals and the uh um initiatives that we set forth in that plan and communicate that out to the to the public as well so that it's fully transparent and everyone knows exactly um you know how progress is is is being made I just wanted to share because I talked about the portrait of a learner ignore the graph the graphic here is not what the final graphic will be this is a placeholder graphic um our unified Arts students at the high school are actually um taking these competencies um and branding it and designing it to reflect Dartmouth um and so the again the idea was that we'd you know some some communities will just have a uh graphic design deser do it for them we wanted our students to have a hand in owning this because it's ultimately about them um and so we uh met with Christine MC our unified Arts Lead Teacher here at the high school she's working with the teachers in her department and the students uh and they're actually in the process as we speak of creating several designs that will be considered um in terms of the graphical representation but these are the five comp competencies that were identified by uh stakeholders within the community as being important to our portrait of a learner and they are critical thinker and Problem Solver Communicator continuous learner contributing Citizen and collaborator and these are the skills and competencies that we said every effective learner needs to uh employ at some point um and again prek through 12 um what you don't see is the actual work that took so long which is these are all very well defined and broken out by grade level so it goes prek through two and you know for each of these competencies there's definition and uh performance outcomes that go with them so from prek through two what does an effective Communicator look like and it's all laid out and then for grades three through five what does that Communicator look like 6 through eight and then 9 through 12 and that's done for each of these competencies and again that was done um through a series of meetings throughout the course of last uh school year where um a very talented group of of Educators really looked through and had good discussion around what are the skills that go into being an effective communicator and what are what do they look like at each grade level and so on and so forth and that's what was presented to all Educators in the district earlier uh in January as I talked about to get feedback because the design te the uh planning team created it but we wanted educator feedback as well so um you know to make sure it was going to be a document that is useful to all teachers and all students in the district um this is our core team as of today uh so this is the team that I said we'd be adding to um and I just want to um kind of acknowledge there awesome folks who either from retirement or left the district who contributed to the work you know it started with Dr gford obviously uh retired and and so um Dr sa McGuire jumped right in there um same Lori jwin was part of it um Bill Garcia and will Higgins um all contributed significantly to that portrait of a of our learner draft and and of course these folks who are listed here on the screen are still very much part of the work and so we appreciate their hard work um a lot of hours uh of work and good discussion have kind of gone into it and I think we're in a very good position to add um to the team like I said with members from the school committee select board uh fincom parents and Guardians caregivers um you know and and some students as well so we're excited to do that we're excited to continue the work and part of um what teaching the teaching and Learning Alliance is going to do for us is to facilitate focus groups to continue to bring uh input into our process and so um one opportunity to be part of such a focus group is going to occur at the superintendent's Family Forum um um which is going to be held here at on March 6th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

[Music] good afternoon welcome to the committee on education today is Monday February 12th 2024 it is 3:00 p.m. and we are in hearing room 229 this meeting including the audio and video of remote participants is being streamed live on YouTube you will find links to viewing options for all Senate meetings on the live and On Demand video page of the legislator's website this Zoom meeting and YouTube live stream event will include the 3:00 p.m. agenda for the committee on education in the unlikely event that we must abruptly end this hearing due to Major technical difficulties the committee will reconvene to discuss any outstanding business on Wednesday February 14th 2024 at 3:00 p.m.

okay we will go ahead and call the meeting to order we do have an amendment to the agenda we will add item number 12 uh water Sprinter proposal that if I can get a motion to approve the amended agenda make motion motion by Chad second second by Allison all those in favor say I I I any oppos same sign motion pass 6 to Zer and then we would approve the minutes from the January 8th January 17th January 23rd and January 26th meetings motion by Josh second second by Allison any comments questions changes hearing none all those in favor say I I any oppos same sign motion passes 6 and the treasures report comments questions if not I would entertain a motion to approve the treas report as presented motion by Allison second by Josh all those in favor say I any oppos same sign motion passes 6 invoices any questions or anything couple graduation Alliance their monthly statement and then tax distribution to the cloud W and then several professional developments through the Patterson grant that we have fuel and foodal are this just like reimbursements for classes or that professional develop uh so the grant was written to help teachers get their license so we're supporting teachers getting their license or an area that we want so like right now we're supporting four staff members to get the license that they need and then also we're going to support elementary teachers that are do doing the letters training or let it let SE U so uh wrote that grant for that professional development to patteron that was $75,000 grant that I Live question if not I would entertain a motion to approve the invoices as presented motion by Alison second second by Chad all those in favor say I I any oppose same sign motion passes 6 and the cash balance report the cash balance report the cash summary report the Andy handcom cash uh matches the treasures report matches the cash in the bank so we are thank you for the opportunity to speak to you I debate along whether I do this because what I'm trying to do this evening is to maybe help you in how your business is conducted mooving love more smoothly one of the things that I hate most is when people say I move Diane doesn't know what you move you should be able to have your agenda you have all your information that the superintendent has presented to you like you were sitting here with the treasures report President should not have to ask you is there a motion you should say Miss president I move such and such and so if you conduct your meeting so that you move right along from item to item I see you sitting here one another saying well who's going to speak next and all of you should have an idea of what you're going to vote on how you're going to vote and not have to wait for somebody else to make the motion whatever you want to do and just kind of a sidelight for myself I've been going to make a motion and then to vote against my own motion just to move things along so hopefully when you conduct your Mee you say you address the president president recognizes you you make your motion stated so that Diane can know what it is that you are actually doing with your motion and second and then you can go ahead and discuss and and concludes the discussion so thank you very much hand I'd like to propose that the board consider changing the classified handbook uh so that employees will be paid for any day of school is scheduled but cancel and not in session for any reason um if the employee would work that day when school is done in session due to cancellation that amount of time would be added to the employees discretionary leave the rationale for this is I think all employees ought to be treated the same currently all certified staff don't come in to work when we have a cancellation and still get have no deduction where is it classified on hourly either have to take discretionary leave or not get paid uh I do not think it's they're responsible for school I mean they're contracted the work and we cancel school do the weather or some other reason beyond their control they have no control saying well I really need work so I'm going take some of my leave I just think it' be more consistent and I think it' be a fair situation that change made i' like you I would recommend that it actually started this year the reason really thinking about it you know we had some weather this year first time for a few years we haven't dealt with this much weather for a while so just start that immediately then I we would back it up like January 1 well we back it up to whatever we had first cancellation school I don't know it was Jan well we had one day in August um when the elementary school had no air conditioning and so we canell school that day and that was originally as you can see it's you get first day free and then after that you got to start using your leave well we've had four since that time people are going to run out of leave just for that so essentially moving it back to the start of this school year pretty much it's Amendment to the 23 handb motion read so we approve those handbooks July so easier for me to keep track of everybody to do a spreadsheet and keep track work didn't yes then actually works on the day that we cancel school they would get late so if they worked eight hours they would get eight hours of discretionary time put back into their personal Le they would add it back on you add that back in so they could take it time usually our custodians will come in sometime to these times I'll just reiterate it doesn't cost us anything because we already got budgeted for their contracted am on that line on so it's not any extra expense for the district I would move to approve the classified handbook changes presented for the 2023 2024 school year there is a motion on second by Josh any further discussion question hearing none all those in favor say I I any oppos same sign motion passes 6 item number nine the esda interlock agreement so we have agreement with fdq which is an educational service center uh this is a five-year agreement in which we used Asda for our Perkins and also professional development for staff members disagreement that every five years then we submit it to ksde do we have um I know when Mr Clark was here he kind of was a voting member on Thea as far as used to talk about of the reimbursement rates and different things do we still have so they usually have a council uh kind of executive board of so many superintendents they have a board for their 403b Council they got board for the health insurance I don't I'm not on that nobody from on that at um if we join um there is a cost uh a membership an annual membership that we do pay for the service center U they also gives us a reduced rate on our professional development that our teachers uh attend and go to we've kind of been using a lot of esda in Smokey Hill number 3500 35 I don't know we pay that in July we've already paid that for this this thing is just a agreement you can and you can choose not to La like that we you can even with this fiveyear agreement you choose that next year you want to be part of it you just don't be the membership because they send this agreement if you see I think I uploaded it on the thing it's it's pretty intense and then they have to send it to Ken State Department of Education for approval and they sent this back to us last fall so um every school district Tamara can look at the page every school district has to sign this that belong to as sta you think it's beneficial what's that you think it's beneficial yes I do I mean I feel it's it's better to go to Hut Sal for professional development when they come out here to work with us they had this District did use Southwest quite a bit which is a Lot F A lot more expensive um they have some good things so when it wrong uh that there are six service centers in the State uh that provide and anymore the state is kind of using those service centers to do Statewide initiatives like letters training which is a vocabulary that they initiate give all the teachers so I do I think without them uh teachers would not have access to different choices for professional and then we also use and Grant ring through them Smokey heill we use our e rate our consultants for E rate so they have other services also we use them as our SMY hill we use those for our the crisis teams available through them but we also use it for environmental also they provide some Services cost so I think I think it's a good deal to belong to both of these part of it a motion by KB second second byis any other questions or discussion hearing none all those in favor say I I any oppose same sign motion passes 6 Z and item number 10 Smokey Hill in a local agreement this same thing smokey Hill Education Service Center out Sal uh it's a 5year agreement uh so you have capabilities of doing again we have most teachers we licensure through professional development uh college credit and points U so it's good that they have that opportunity to make sure they can keep their license I moveed to approve this monkey Hill Education Service Center and our local motion by Alison and a second by Caleb any questions hearing none all those in favor say I any oppos same sign motion passes item number 11 the KB policy updates all the policy updates have been uploaded I will give a brief review of those policies this will be considered the first reading uh next month will be the second reading and vote and recommendation on these policies bbbd evacuation for emergencies U this is not a required revision but this also gives changes at the person in charge of a building our decisions of administration can determine whether the safety of staff and students was better served by allowing students to leave school or of keeping students under School supervision was a save us Bas based on the nature of the situation basically it's uh giving notice and also how you got to communicate out for emergencies and so forth on this policy e Food Service Management's been re red and again this is not a required it's only is preferred uh basically this policy changes language so that you have try and collect unpaid bills for lunches also we set the limits uh I would assume in this policy we will put our current uh limits maybe before uh there's other choices a sack lunch or cash payment but requireed by law to try to collect any Debs that we have food service that's required by law there is a provision in this policy about uh providing lunches during virtual learning which will probably be uh a portion of the policy that would be eliminated because at this point we do not do virtual War so that would be excluded in that policy G IIA pregnant and parenting employees uh this policy uh is required to meet the federal law mandates uh basically compliance of pregnant workers Fairness Act the PFF act uh titles uh qualifying applications for employees that know limitations related to pregnancy child birth and related medical conditions also give the combinations of expand law reaching with braks and accessibility to functional locations to express bre mil law uh G ID Uniform service leave uh again this is a required to be federal law uh basically this provision has been revised to better comply to Uniform service employment and Reemployment acts of 1994 uh it specifies the leave act available to both a larger group of Uniform service branches and expands the types of services for which rights apply jbh release of a student during the school day again this is not required it's just if determined helpful uh it modify deite and refer back to themes of policy ebbb on evacuations and emergencies uh the situations with the building principles would not automatically release students from the building setting even with a verbal request from the student's lawful parent or person acting as a parent specifically by releasing a student with end danger students staff or other such as a request could be denied jdda student misuse of medication again this isn't a required but this policy would allow the discipline of any student found to be self- administering their own medicine at a doseage and the rate exceeding product label instructions distrib Distributing over the counter or prescription direct medications to other students or using or possessing another person's overthe counter or prescriptions medications and the last one JG fgb student self- administration of medicine again not required this has been updated to clarify and site the new policy that we just discussed previously J ddaa regarding misuse of medication by students there's five revisions and two new policies there there any questions at this time number t two proposals uh just all this bring our system in controls and replace uh the current controls of valves that has sever leaks field uh right now our valves leak so bad we have standing water we have a lot of wasted water we spend a lot of we spend a lot of money we waste a lot of money when we water currently because of the leaks uh I've seen pictures where the track was covered with water where they triy to uh put water on the FI those are very old control valves pipe is very old and I have Tim here to answer any questions just recommending that the cost of just replace the valves would probably be around the $10,000 area until you got three 4 in valves plus diing them out replacing them us what you're going to find if you on some the old pipe down in there also the use of water will be the newer sprinkler system you're going to be much more effective in your water use grass you won be wasting water because you have the new heads and so forth that better distribution again I have Tim here if you have any questions okay it's quite the price differen in between those two quotes there are they app yeah the different and you can the number of sprinklers a different a little bit different on how they want to do the process PR green out of great and the other one is out had a third bid out back um they want to put in the other ones want to put in a lot more heads did they well so the play out of Salena is using substantially less sprinkler heads trying to guarantee us the same amount of water coverage which to me is not possible um but their bid is where it's at because they said they've had to change their labor um and that's why it went from where it was in 21 to where it is as you see it now PR greens price has went up couple thousand from 2021 until now because I had it bid out in 2021 through PSI out of Salina rain maker program I rebid it here through the winter PSI rain maker program psi's cost is where you guys see it program's cost is where you guys see it TR maker has not gotten back from me I never did receive an email from them with the updated pricing the updated quote they they all had their old stuff from 2021 they basically just had to come in and update a few things when I met with them out on the field um when I was speaking with them I spoke with them of Designing the system for the future in the event there is ever potential of an artificial track to go in out there we position sprinkler heads that are around the inside of the track to where they either do not have to be moved or will be easily moved in and we have uh in the design as well in the event that enrollment stays doing what it's doing we end up back in 11 man football we have a designed to where there are no water lines within where the goal posts are now within 30 ft each way because the goalposts one has to move 60 feet or both have to move 30t we go back to 11 so uh or not 30 ft more than 30 ft but anyways they got to move back and we have a designed where there nothing behind them um there's actually we were talking about three valves there's actually four valves out there there's three zone valves and a main valve that is a 100% manual system that's out there I have to walk out there with a wrench and open every single valve and then I go back out there and close it which limits your opportunity to water at the most effective time to where you were izing uh the Water you're putting down sprinkler heads that are out there right now are 16 gallons per hour they put out or no 16 g a minute they put out a lot of water the uh system is incredibly inefficient as well heads don't reach Head to Head um there's a minimum of four heads out there that do not work right and then when this zone valve went to leaking in less than an hour it will flood the track in right in front of the scoreboard I mean it's like Bill said it's a waste of water I mean and uh just to put it grass tax to you guys spending any more money on that sprinkler system that is in the ground right now out there to me is a waste of money because you have to think about long term if you fix that now then you're still using an inefficient system that is wasting more water than utilizing as it Waters because uh you can't water efficent effectively you see the spots on the field like on the east on the North side where it's uh not as green as the rest of the field there's no sprinkler head there there never has been um the system that they're going to put in is yes going to be there'll be a lot more heads they'll use but it will actually use less water and we use the water more efficiently because then you can water at proper times right now we got to use the city valve to turn off the water supply to the football field because of the fact that the zone valves do not see but sorry got on right there but if you guys got any questions i' more have answer so I guess to to answer my question you think these are apples to apples even though the price difference is so vast labor is lot more they up their labor since 21 a lot just on the Sal one or and thenes the one from whatever Carri a warranty on it so yeah I'm sorry I didn't hear I could as it carried a warranty that the one said it did but got a one year one one year yes I asked them about that I question them about it um and Mark and I spoke uh a lot about it um because the one thing I want to do is not obviously waste the money uh if it's something that I'm putting together for you guys to vote on but he's done numerous jobs like that before and typically he gives you a set of or case of heads when you're done but you may replace a head or two every few years which you know one of those they're 5,000 series head they're about that big and you just dig a little dirt away unscrew it screw I mean that's things I can do they put Auto drains in their systems to protect it they don't we don't do it the system that's in there now if they were to go through with this would be abandoned in the ground I'll go out there I will take all the existing heads out fill those spots with dir all they got to do is come in put in the new system which of these would you recommend not the price not given the price yeah just say the both of them you didn't know the price which one would you rather work with which one I personally rather with the pr green one has a lot more sprinkler heads involved but I feel like it's going to be more efficient system um the reason why is because of the amount of sprinkler heads it sounds like a lot in the beginning Mr Holmes and I have talked about it it sounded like a ton of sprinkler heads because they're talking upwards of 250 heads but they're using those smaller hits um but that's where you're going to get your coverage from the people from Salena are using a bigger sprinkler head like what's out there now trying to tell us they're going to give us the same amount of coverage the same head-to-head coverage and guarantee us the same quality of watering that the prog green uh estimate is offering with a third of the sprinkler heads if not less and you get 110 degree wind out there or 110° a day with 30 mph wind you're not going to make me believe for one second that 60 spr heads is going to water just as good as 250 and that was one thing I asked him I said that's a lot of heads that's a lot of Maintenance he goes uh he said in our experience over the years and I think Mark's been working for pram for almost 20 years he said we have had little problems um with having that amount of heads because usually the problem with a sprinkler head is either a diaphragm a solenoid or a sprinkler head and I can fix all so but if it was up to me if you're looking at me saying hey U which one should we go with I personally would choose brok but that's guys you got any questions just let me what's their time span to getting it done oh that's another little deal on I spoke with Mark couple weeks ago or more and he was going out they just went out to either the Petroleum Club or lake Gardon to look at a job and they are bidding a job for that Golf Course whichever one it is as it stands on Friday maybe Wednesday I talked to him middle the latter part of last last week because uh we were anticipating this being brought up tonight and mentioned to him that this was hopefully being talked about tonight and um this just so you know the estimate you have on there or the quote that you have on there is uh at the time I initially talked to him was approximately almost a month ago at that point he told me those price that price should be good for another up to 90 80 to 90 days but the deal with the uh Golf Course is is if we're going to do something basically the decision needs to be made now so that I can call him tomorrow and get on the list ahead of the golf course because if we don't there's a pretty good chance that system would not get put in this year and then we're going to S her waste the water because I'm going to be 100% honest with you guys I think it's foolish to spend a dime on that what's the wifi deal for on there is that on the Sal one that's on the one okay so yes well the controller if if we go if we go with either one um we have determined that originally we were going to board wiring and run the controller in the concession stand at the football field to keep IND doors they make outdoor boxes that you can put these controllers in so Our intention is to put it on one of the mounting poles of the scoreboard um they do offer a controller that has Wi-Fi capability so you can control it from your phone if you want so that is what that is but you know once they put that controller in it's set it's going to water when it tells it's going to kick on it's going to kick off I mean you guys know how all that works the system we have now we can't do that with we have a controller system for the front yard it cannot be utilized the way it's supposed to be used because the water supply from the front yard comes off the same valve that the football field goes to so when you shut that valve shuts the water off the front yard okay so if you want to water the front yard and not the football field those valves are going to be leaking it's going to be leaking water out onto the football field while you're watering the front yard if you want to water the football field um and not the front yard you still got to open that same valve so we can't water need to water with front yard system either because that one city valve we are utilizing right now controls the water flow to the front yard and to the football so we get a system that seals that off and then I think I've got one diaphragm or two diaphragms leaking out here that I'll fix and we've got two systems that are now sealed we can utilize the controllers how they're supposed to with watering at time we're supposed to water our water uh efficiency will increase and ultimately you'll save money I mean you spend the money on the system now you put it in and look how fast it pays for you know I mean as I see it but I appreciate the thought that you put into it too and about longterm and as far as possible improvements on track that's changes that might have to be made at the football field or that's how I I think because you don't get anywhere thinking short term in my opinion just turn key and all the grass be do what that's just that's all turn key that's turn key grass well they the only are you worried about like grass dug up they took tear up yeah yeah um the really the only big thing they have to do is they will have to trench a line from the backf Venter which is up here in the northeast corner of the or yeah northeast corner of the uh cable fence they'll have to trench a line from that out onto the field to get their main line out to the field and then after that is when they'll run their trunk lines and they'll set their Valves and I think if we've got it set if I remember right when Mark and I were talking all of our zone valves will be set north of the north goalpost they're all in the line everything's running this way you don't have half your valves here half valves here you know valves positioned all over the place we got them all in one spot and for the majority of what they're going to do all the pipe the majority if not all of it will be vibrated into the ground um they'll be uh and then of course they'll have to dig their holes for their sprinkler heads and like I said we've get two options on around the track they have like a flex hose they call it something else but I call it a flex hose or you can dig that piece out scoot that head in because if let's say the track would to change and go to a meter track the Inside Moves In the outside stays the same and it's what 8 in or something like that you said but if you move the the sprinkler heads are either movable or we can position them in far enough and then just have them overthrow to catch that that grass itself so and then they don't have to be moved again either way and then then I've got it built in one thing I forgot to tell you on the south end there's the platform for the uh high jump if that were to ever be expanded um I think it's a waste of time to expand it six feet or8 feet if you were going to expand it expand it all the way to the track we will have that all designed to where those heads that are in that location now it just be popped out of the ground you dig down you cap those lines off and you're done you got some extra stuff there but that's down the road I have to plan for if I'm getting spit I have to plan for that to not be getting done and we still got a water to grass Kayla and second from Josh any further questions or discussion hearing none all those in favor say I any oppose same sign motion passes Mr President I move that the board go into executive session pursuit to the Kansas open meeting act to discuss non-elected Personnel for the topic of resonations administration and classified staff to Pro protect the privacy of the individuals to be discussed with Mr Larry and John Sherman present in return to open session in this room and that's 19 minutes yeah 7 o'clock motion by Josh second second by Alison all those in favor say I we're back in Open Session Mr President I move that the board go into executive session pursuit to the Kansas open meeting act to discuss nonelective Personnel for topic of registrations Administration and classified staff to protect the privacy of individuals be discussed with Mr Larry and John Sherman present and return to open session in this room at 710 second motion by Jos second by Alison all those favor say I I any oppos sign passes Mr President I move that the board going executive session pursuit to Kansas open meeting act to discuss non-elected Personnel for the topic of resonations administration and classified staff to protect the privacy of the individuals to be discussed with Mr Lowry John Sherman present and return an open session in this room at 7 725 7:25 a motion second by Alison all those in favor say I okay we're back in Open Session I moveed to approve Ken Price's resignation as kindergarten teacher at PL Elementary School effective end of school year 2023 2024 motion by Alon as second by Chad all those in favor say I I any opposed same sign motion passes 60 I move to approve Melissa Watson's resignation as Library Aid at Central Plains Junior Senior High School effective March 7 2024 motion by Alison and a second by Josh all those in favor say I any the oppose same sign motion passes 60 I move to approve Carol steinle's resignation as part-time cook at Wilson Elementary School affected immediately Moon and a second by Josh all those in favor say I any oos same sign motion passes 60 I move to renew the contract for Jane oer as Central Plains Elementary School principal with salary to be determined later motion by Alison second by Josh all those in favor say I I any oppos same sign motion passes 60 I move to approve a contract with Jessica Murphy as Central Plains Junior Senior High School principal for the 2024 2025 school year second motion by Allison and second by Josh all those in favor say I I any oppos same time motion passes 6 Z I move to approve Nicole Clark as the accounts payable Clerk and Harley Smith as a part-time CL for motion second byh all those in favor say I I any oppos same sign motion passes 6 okay administrative reports our bank statements equals we have in our activity Camp the Kansas Learning Center for a Hol visited our school on February 7th and did a dental program for our prek4 through1 a skeletal system for second grade and cardiovascular for third and fourth and this is funded to the D Hansen foundation so it doesn't cost us anything and they always do excellent job um the Kansas Wetland Center visited us the first and the 7th and about the Kansas symbols and brought a lot of various reptiles to show the kids and that's another excellent program in the kids truly enjoy it um we had Chiefs day on the 7th we had a pep rally with lots of red in the building cheers activities and a few jokes and kids had a lot of fun I think the adults did too crazy that they could do that two times I me we play night but I have to we did well last year and this year parent teacher conference were held last Thursday we had 96 to 97% of our parents represented um the Urth County Spelling Bee is this Wednesday um we'll take 10 students to that adelyn Hamer to first place at our local be and OT Bogner took second and we'll take Griffin cuff Huntley kermer asley Martin Gage Styles Stephan Montoya Brett Schmidt bitton Dicker and Jackson sharks and we always take them out pizza afterwards Valentine parties that day on 15th fifth grade will visit the Clin Community Center and the holot legion then the high school is coming over for a in the classroom for our third through sixth graders the 19th is a in service for teachers so we will head to lions um see Jerry Brooks in the morning and then have breakout sessions in the afternoon spring pictures on the 27th on the 28th the first second grade are going to go to this line of theater and watch Play Pink elicious um they always do excellent job and the kids enjoy going to that and then night the high school again will come back and do a in the classroom for our preschoolers and crazy March 8th into the third nine weeks already uh we are planning to have a calendar raffle in April we did One two years ago so we're going to try and have another one this year U right now we're Gathering items for the ticket uh plan to sell the tickets in March and then give away starting in April and plan to use the money for some playground imp improvements and Student Activities got to get the lake off the playground as one of my students said do you know we have a lake back there can can we call that Wilson Lake I I said what would you like to do he was going to put cabins his boat his trees so anyway any questions all right thank you thank our Reconciliation Report and bank statement matched uh high school girls and boys place third at the St John's midwinter classic Marilyn soen and P Maran were named to the old tournament team Marilyn so won the Three-Point Contest and Addie oal won the Free Throw Contest we had High School leag Scholars Bowl 29th in Kinsley and Then followed on Thursday by the regional scholar B in Overland on the 1 they competed well at both places but did not Place Junior High Scholars Bowl will be starting soon Junior High basketball ended their season on the First with their league tournament at this city girls placed third the boys lost in the first round Zoe Bogner won the CP Junior High spelling be and Ashton Ro will take place second uh the ellworth county be will be on the 14th and 10 attending C te boys competed in Hillsboro on 23 and 210 JB boys basketball are competing tonight in lions in the championship be about oh did they did they play I asked Trinity Trinity took a second U forensics competed in the first meet on at ster on the 3 U Mr Lowry and I attended a Kissa meeting in Sal on the 8th talked about peer review and the state checkin where we need to go from here had student Le conferences on the 8th from noon to 8 about 85% attendance senior parent night will be the 15th with four each varsity game Kansas Scholastic press Association Regional contest will be online again this year we will have seven students representing our high school with 16 entries qualify for state it also will be online substate quarterfinals will be held on the 22nd and 23rd held at the higher Seeds home gym right now we are the higher seats we will host on Thursday and Friday 'll keep everybody involved or informed um then the finals on the 29th March 1st and March 2nd we will go to St Joe all League selection is February 28th Junior High music festival is at lacrosse on the 1st of March High School CPL music is at Barton County on the 5th end of the third nine weeks Jane said is questions thank for the Wilson Elementary report uh on January 24th all of our students attended the wetlands education presentation at the school uh we also had parent teachers on the 8th uh the Ellsworth County Spelling be will be February the 14th at the Wilson Elementary at 900 a.m.

2024 can I have a motion can I have a roll call please Mr Cerone here Mr Gatewood present Miss Johnson present Dr Mario present Mr present Miss Simon present Miss present please stand for pledge of allegiance I pledge aliance to the flag of the United States America and to the rep for it stands one nation God indivisible okay good evening one of the things one of the best parts of working in a school districts are all the people the students and the staff members and the parents who make that school district the way it is and tonight we are honored to receive and to recognize our pride awardees and while um our director of communications uh Teresa citas shares a little bit about this Pride award I'm going we're going to invite you and the board members to the front to take some pictures and to recognize our pride awardees Teresa well good evening everyone tonight we're going to acknowledge our pride winners uh kind of going back a little bit thanks to our winter weather um from December in January Pride stands for proudly recognizing individuals demonstrating Excellence the Board of Education implemented this program in the fall of 2015 to recognize promote and celebrate the many contributions made by teachers and employees across our district we thank our generous District Partners Allied First Bank Huntington Learning Center Chick-fil-A and cerse for helping to make this program a success we would also like to thank all of those who have taken the time to nominate individuals for consideration awardees here this evening after your name is called we invite you to come forward and be congratulated by the board and Dr katti and then we'll have you hang up there while we take a photo our December teachers are Tony BAC Fine Arts teacher from bonari Junior [Applause] High Tony has created a classroom where all students feel welcome and safe no matter their artistic level or ability he connects with his students and motivates them to do their very best not only in his room but throughout their day he is a supportive colleague and always willing to help all one has to do is walk into his room and you'll see the impact he is making congratulations [Applause] Tony we would like to invite up Chris Crystal Rutherford the library media specialist teacher from trer Junior High [Applause] School Crystal creates creative spaces for students where they are introduced to books of different genres throughout her book talk lessons speed dating events and incentives to meet authors such as being able to read to the Ducks and chicks as well as visiting with the therapy dogs crystal is constantly finding ways to put book books in our students hands visitors to Travers say they want to spend their free time in the lrc because is it is such a fun welcoming environment that encourages learning and exploration congratulations Crystal Danielle zapple is a speech and path language path from homestead [Applause] Elementary Danielle is an amazing educator who students staff and parents love to work with she's very knowledgeable about speech and language topics best practices in special education as a whole her expertise on speech and language and assist of Technology are invaluable to her school she has an outstanding ability to connect with all students but especially limited verbal students and students with trauma congratulations [Applause] Danielle joining them are our January awardees Gustavo chavoya an English learner math and science teacher from asigo East High [Applause] School gustavo's nomination stud he goes above and beyond for all El students and staff working with students who speak all different languages and working closely with parents Bridging the Gap between school and home most importantly within the El Department he's the glue embodying all things with inclus inclusivity inclusivity sorry and staff morale he does not miss a celebration is a team player who goes above and beyond he's a one in a million staff member at OE next we'll invite up Miss Beth jessic an English teacher from Migo East High [Applause] School Beth nomination said she's always motivating her students to do the very best coming in early and staying late to meet students needs for extra help her former students come by and say hello and chat with her and it's a testament to the impact that she has with all of her students not just the current ones those who visit are welcomed with a smile and by their names she listens to what they have to say she's a team player with her colleagues always there to support them every step of the [Applause] way our final January award for teachers is Susan McMahon a special education teacher from Wolf's [Applause] Crossing Susan's classroom is a safe and supportive environment not only for her students but when other students are in need of a space she offers her classroom as a resource she offered to let another star student blend into her room when the student needed to take a break her classrooms provided a nicely structured learning environment for this student as well as an opportunity for building new positive relationships with other peers Susan has been open to problemsolving situations not only for her students but students in other classrooms which has been a great support congratulations Susan if we're joined tonight from any building administrators that are here with these winners if you could come up and join us for a photo got one more com [Applause] [Music] [Applause] we're going to move on to our support staff we have an extra big celebration this month awardees again if you would come forward when your name is called and stay up there so we can celebrate you with a photo our first is our December support staff winner Stephanie burer a registered Behavior technician from Wolf's Crossing Elementary Stephanie's nomination describes her as the definition of sunshine spreading warmth cheer and happiness throughout the building her position has her interacting daily with the most vulnerable students often during some sort of Crisis she makes them feel safe and can reach them using effective strategies to help calm them down and help them get back on task Stephanie is a calming presence in every situation never flustered or rattled by anything going on around her she works to make connections with all students and offers to help staff with things in their classrooms it is easy to see that Stephanie loves what she does and cares about everyone at Wolf's Crossing congratulations [Applause] Stephanie next up is Mr Larry Burns he's an building engineer from the wheatlands MR Larry's nomination said he's an amazing building engineer and exceptional human being whenever he is needed he is there promptly and prepared to do all things necessary to ensure the building functions at an optimal level more than that his door is open to all staff members who come in to him as a trusted Confidant and conveyor of wisdom in all he's as genuine and kind as one could ever hope to be congratulations next up is Alex hailes a special education teaching assistant from Hunt Club Elementary Alex's nomination says Alex is described as just the nicest most all-around positive and open-minded person ever he wears many hats but mostly works with individual students and a bit more closely as a resource ta he's always willing to go above and beyond for the kids and has such a calm caring demeanor Alex exemplifies what Hunt Club stands for as well as adding that Father Figure feeling for direction and insight to many of the students Alex is humorous insightful intelligent hardworking calming eager to learn caring and valued in our district h is beyond lucky to have him [Applause] congratulations moving on to our January support staff winners Daniela gay attendance secretary from Long Beach [Music] [Applause] Elementary Daniela was at Long Beach as a dedicated building sub then moving into attendance secretary role midwe M mid year and has made this transition seamlessly she's graceful in the way of adapting to her new role and being such a a delight to work with she engages with families Administration and staff in an authentic way and has built connections rapidly because of it congratulations Daniela Miss Rose gasset bus driver from our transportation department rose is one of the most student oriented people she is a staple in the school district and in our community Rose will support encourage and keep an eye on any and all children she'll be the first one to lend a helping hand a kind word or just how you doing to her co-workers congratulations Rose Tina Sosa custodian at East viiew element Academy Tina Tina comes in early to help keep Eva clean due to some staffing shortages she goes out of her way to say hi to all of the students as well as the staff she always has a big smile on her face and is willing to help whenever needed even if it's at the last minute Eva is sure lucky to have her congratulations to you Tina any administrators that are present here from these departments and buildings please join us for a photo congratulations [Applause] everyone get um all right ready okay so before we go on um onto our regular agenda this evening um we begin tonight on a somber note uh we'd like to offer a moment of silence for uh the honor of to honor the life of a young man who is both an alumni of our district and also the son a very special individual woman miss Robin Mrs Robin Vickers um she's a founder of community cares has dedicated herself to serving our students staff families and the community in so many ways I know many many um friends and families and colleagues went this past weekend to honor the life of Andy Vickers who was just 21 years of age when he passed away after a hard fought battle with lukemia his passion and caring demeanor his empathy and loyalty and his bold advocacy for social justice built a legacy that will be remembered forever I'd like to invite us to join in uh reflecting on the life of this incredible young man and keep his family and friends in our hearts as they move forward with this difficult loss so if we could take a moment now thank you and I want to appreciate the staff and the leadership of the Long Beach um um School home and School Association and the principal and the staff there a scholarship has been honored in his memory um for students who are headed to college and so all students headed to college have an opportunity to apply for a scholarship um for their to get support so his legacy will reign forever in this District so okay thank you so as part of our our work to understand and to learn about the good work happening in the district um Dr Waller has uh uh taken leadership in welcoming members of various organizations and associations to to present so Dr Waller if You' like to welcome tonight's guests hello hello so I'm very excited for these amazing humans to step forward they have um taken a lot of time and pride and intentionality into what they want to share with you this evening um and so we have the board members um and supporters and family um and sponsors in the audience here from um both o and O E's Muslim Student Association so please please give them your full attention we are super excited to just hear your voices and you got this [Applause] welcome oh do we have a microphone if if one of you would grab the mic just so we can make sure um oh thank you chair thank you make sure it's on hello yeah we're good hello there you go Alum and peace be upon you um welcome to Theo high school and ASO East High School Muslim student student association club and we'd like to welcome to you to our presentation oh um next alikum my name is abdullaha I am the ASO High School president of the MSA hi guys I'm and I am the vice president of the O ohos board Salam everyone I'm sari here and I'm the communications manager of oo High School's MSA hello everyone my name is juu abua and I am the activities coordinator of os MSA our sponsor to miss Lando is here with us Abby Abby schwaz is our Treasurer as wellam alaykum uh my name is Aman ibal and I'm the president of Oe MSA or Muslim Student Association may peace be upon you salamu alaykum greetings of peace my name is Omar sad and I am the co-vice President of oigo East MSA hello I'm minha Fatma and I am the Secretary of O MSA Asam Alum I'm nahi and I'm the treasur at oi um a few more people that we'd like to recognize is Iman Khan um our other co- vice president um as well as Zacharia rahali who would be our brother's coordinator Fela fael who would be our sister's coordinator and unfortunately our sponsor wasn't able to make it but we'd also like to recognize uh mrsan who would be our uh Club sponsor Muslim Student Association Club also known as MSA introduces the religion of Islam to people who are curious and eager to learn more as we inform our peers about Islam it helps avoid anti-muslim occurrences and makes Muslim Students more comfortable to express their religion to their friends teachers and classes we show encouragement for Muslims to practice and fulfill OB obligations such as Friday prayer in our MSA we do lots of fun activities that include information about Islam in an efficient way adding on we create a positive atmosphere to eliminate any misconceptions about Islam lastly we use this opportunity to make light of the issues and and difficulties that surround Islam that not too many people are aware of we welcome anyone of all religions and as we grow this club we hope to expand everyone's knowledge about Islam thank you looking at many of our accomplishments at oigo high school we have successfully created a big event collabing with OE as our annual fadon which we successfully started last year our fadon consists of inviting iting Muslims and non-muslims from our district all over to come and fast with us for a whole day which later on we all come together to break our fast showing in the picture above coming together and breaking our fast leading up to breaking our fast we come together and we invite guest speakers of all diversities and all cultures to come and share what their experiences are from their past of fasting and becoming Muslims from non-muslims to people who are just new converts or Muslims originally um doing our faston we successfully were featured on the Chicago Tribune which is a very exciting and successful thing that we did in which the interviewer interviewed many people of different backgrounds of culture religion and we got many positive feedbacks moving on we have also collabed with mist in which is a which is where all msas msas across all the districts come together and we play games and test our knowledge of Islam and moving forward we have we do a lot of MS functions in which at ASO high school we have meetings every other Friday in which we invite non-muslims and Muslims to come and join us we do things such as donuts and doubts in which we all come together and eat donuts and talk about misconceptions of Islam and we just test our knowledge and see and question things we also do Jeopardy nights in which we talk about facts of common knowledge about Islam and just share new information we learn or just ask questions in case there are any misconceptions thank you all right so some of our accomplishments at iGo East High School include our annual picnic uh the Mist competition as mentioned before uh a large event of ours is the Islamic relief meal pack so that is uh last year we actually had almost 100 people and we were packed around uh 20,000 meals and so this year we plan on exceeding those numbers uh we also have a lot of collaborations with other clubs including the environmental Club the art Club and BSA in which we host a movie night every year we also have a lot of fun get togethers including our chai competition our ice skating outing and our arcade outing and of course our biggest event is the annual fundraising dinner and that is where we host uh theme speeches and presentations along with a cultural Feast okay as we all know the Israel Palestine conflict has been very devastating for everybody and what we need from the school board is additional support and we want to have the ability to have freedom of speech expression and beliefs about things that we are passionate about for example we want to have the ability to wear flags or clothes and we want to have open conversations with our classmates about Palestine and since it is a topic that so like frowned upon and um we want to have lessons that are similar to what was going on in Ukraine and we want Administration support to prevent islamophobic hate bullying and harassment the next thing I'm going to go over is some is some recent islamophobia and hate crimes the first hate crime was a murder of a six-year-old Palestinian American boy his name was W Alum he was stabbed 26 times for being Muslim in planfield Illinois the second hate crime was the shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent in Vermont for wearing a CA outside in public and the next one is Imam Hassan Sheriff that got shot and killed outside his mosque in New Jersey another one I would like to add that just happened a couple days ago was an attack on a Muslim Middle School student wearing the hijab in Glendale Heights Illinois it's important to note that these atrocities occurred because of the victim's affiliation with Palestine and Islam for exercising their first amendment's right to freedom of religion in W's case he was betrayed a man who was considered his grandfather figure was so utterly brainwashed by the by the lies of by the lies of social media by the bias news outlets that plague our country how this man was able to mercilessly attack this innocent boy based on the lies he was fed that is why it's important important to educate ourselves and those around us so terrorism like this no longer occurs in our community on behalf of both our club exec boards we truly appreciate the support we've received from our community and wanted to take a moment to acknowledge it in light of the conflict in Palestine Administration from OE specifically our social worker Miss Campbell our principal Miss Bowski and our assistant principal Miss Darnell had offered their support to our club and any students who may need it we were asked about our concerns and assured that we could openly express our support for Palestine additionally we're also grateful for the prayer passes that MSA members have gotten that would allow them to leave class for a couple of minutes to pray at OE we've been given a designated room in the lrc where these prayers can be performed and since they're mandatory in our religion Islam the space is much appreciated this support means a lot to the Muslims in our community so we' like to thank our district for being able to cooperate with our clubs uh we're very grateful we're very grateful for yeah we're very grateful for our opportunity to pray in school but uh as we noted in OE OE has a private room where they can go pray off for like privately o OHS does not have that privilege so like our our hope is that we could talk to you guys and hopefully we can get a private room where we could pray privately and comfortably um another thing that we would would really uh like to address or is that um we would really appreciate helping um in reevaluating some of uh our social studies curriculum to ensure that when studying Islam and Muslims within um our world cultures units or within um our world religions like lessons within middle school and in high school um we want to ensure that our faith is portrayed accurately and genuinely without inaccurate bigoted or ignorant material that may have slipped past um and so although we're very very proud of our curriculum so far um we would really like and appreciate if we would be able to re uh at least look over and review some of the material to make sure that nothing might have gotten passed that we that could be harmful we would also like to spread awareness about our faith through different literature different art Music Theater like anything we can use to to spread our to spread our faith and spread our religion another uh aspect that we'd really like to help change is to ensure that during the month of Ramadan um fasting students uh are provided the the the accommodations necessary for them um for example um in the past many students have sat in the LR seat while they're fasting during their uh lunch periods so that they don't have to um sit down in a place where their peers are eating in front of them which could be very uncomfortable for some students um another example of certain accommodations like this would be in the past individual students um have gotten um alternative lesson plans for their PE classes during the month of Ramadan so that when they're fasting they don't exert themselves to a point where it could be unsafe for them um other possible accommodations that we would really like to discuss would be uh for fasting athletes um who would only be able to break their their fast after a specific time after this on is set um as well as uh for example during swim units when um Muslim uh Muslim women and Muslim girls that uh would would feel more comfortable covering specific parts of their body um would be able to do that or would be able to be exempt from certain kinds of things where uh you would have to expose certain parts of yourself during uh swimming for example yeah uh last but not least we also possibly have some guest speakers come in do any during any world culture units or International lights to to bring in and help them talk about you like use their knowledge to talk about our faith in our culture uh yeah another thing about the world culture units that Abdullah just mentioned is that um we would be very comfortable um like walking in ourselves if if that would be possible as well or older students are alumni as well so um one more thing before we finish off would be that we would really like to mention that the month of Ramadan uh will start from March 10th to April 9th um more information regarding this month as well as fasting um and many other uh aspects of um like you know Muslim student life during this time period uh will be provided to teachers staff and administrators by Sister SAA sha over the next few weeks uh thank you so much for uh allowing us to express ourselves and for attending our um our presentation um we sincerely appreciate everything thank you [Applause] okay questions any questions I have a question um where can we get more information do you have you must have some sort of um online presence that gives us dates and and information where can we find that so uh do you mean like information about Ramadan or like in general or the club in general the CL about our club so we don't necessarily have our own website or anything like that but we do have um like most of the students that uh attend our club usually join our Google classroom and we post on there but we also have um our own uh Instagram account where uh we often post announcements or important information regarding our club what's the Instagram name what's the handle o HS MSA MSA I was is OHS I'm say and my my other question is um do you have a date for the um for the meal pack this year actually our meal pack is this Saturday so the 17th yeah okay thanks and the Fast and the fast event that sounds really powerful it's great yeah the Fast Fun should be during Ramadan okay the the date is still to be detered termined but it's it's going to be during Ramadan so I think around after March or like during March yeah I I encourage anybody to go to the faston um there's great speakers um I think last year had author and had Au people and that's uh where the Tribune came right and yeah and then it was a wonderful meal afterwards um the question I had is um you're looking for to have freedom of speech expression and beliefs about something we were passionate about example wear clothing Flags Etc can can you help me understand you know the concern and and what's going on okay um so yeah um our main concern was that like as minha mentioned um we've been uh like we wanted to sincerely appreciate the support that we've already received from our Administration um from Mrs Bowski like I remember m Bowski um after October 7th like she um invited me um downstairs and I believe she also invited someone else I don't didn't she invite me yeah yeah uh just to like make sure that like you know uh she had a perspective from the students to make sure that uh if if we ever needed anything from administrators whether that be from social workers or any other kind of support that we would have that um another thing that we addressed was that we just wanted to ensure that if we wanted to express um like our personal beliefs regarding like International conflicts or anything else that are going on within the world that we would be able to express that through um of course nonviolent peaceful uh means of demonstration for example like right now we're wearing cillas a lot of us um which is a form of solidarity uh with the Palestinian resistance as well as um you know a lot of students have worn pins with Palestinian flag or stickers that they' put on their Chromebooks or something like that um our main concern was not necessarily uh not being able to express oursel because thankfully we've been able to we've been given that freedom but uh our main concern was more just to ensure that this keeps going consistently like it has been and that we're very thankful for how it has been going thank you I I want to thank you all for being a bridge for helping people have an opportunity to learn about your experience and your faith and uh you know it's so important a lot of what happens is there's a lot of misconceptions about people's experience and and I really appre appreciate the educational perspective you have taken about sharing and so uh really a lot of courage and appreciation for you all thank you I think there was a you even had a um what's your answer right and then you you know see who got it right and wrong and had a bunch of different questions so it's it's they do a great job so any event so I I had a couple of things and I'll I'll admit they're more comments than question questions the first one definitely aware of some school districts in the area that um really go out of their way to accommodate um uh during Ramadan um and um some of those schools too they they end up with some really good uh the teachers who volunteer they end up was some really good food at the end too let me tell you um but the other piece too listen I'm always guilty of thinking I admit readily I am always guilty of thinking long-term big picture guilty is char right and one thing that I I hope that we will contemplate or or or think about if you will is how our calendar is built right like the structure of our calendar sometimes you don't think about unless you um come into conflict with it right and so um I always tell people well I want you to imagine if you will that school happens on a Sunday right tell me how that would go if you had to go to your public school on a Sunday and and of course and you know people maybe hopefully think about that ponder that and as conversations continue to uh grow if you will about uh the concept of 4-day work weeks and and uh 4-day School uh or 4day uh uh School weeks around and so forth right yeah see I'm telling you I'm always saying a longterm big picture I got it right um and and and you you think about the um uh the three religions of of of Abraham if you will uh there's there's a quick solution to that which would be if you had Friday Saturday and Sunday off right and uh the amount of students that um you know I my my heart goes out to them that I have right where Fridays are um especially we're talking about around Ramadan right so just something to think about as momentum continues to grow right think about uh others so got to throw that in there because guilty is charged when I think about long-term big picture sorry but I just have a question how do you feel um our School dress code has supported you or not supported you great question um well for us like for us for the girls normally we have to like cover up a little bit and I think the School dress code as long as like nothing is like obligated towards us from them we're fine like we have expressed oursel the way that we would like at our school and the dress code hasn't affected us at all honestly like everyone expressing themselves as long as they get to do that and we get to do that we're we're good great to hear I have um a couple of comments and then a question my question is actually more to Administration I understand that in OE you have that space But at oh you don't what is their step and who do they talk to to make that come to fruition Dr k k I don't know if that's something you can so it's already in my notes okay I would be happy to follow up with Mr arson and M uh principal gree so I will follow up on that I appreciate you uh letting us know thank you um first and foremost I am incredibly proud of all of you I completely understand I shouldn't say I should completely understand I understand that right now it is a very tumultuous time to be in the United States yet alone anywhere else in the country so not only did you come here and advocate for your clubs today but you came here and advocated for a lot of other people so for that thank you for using your student voice that's what this is all about and that's why we're here is to allow to give you that space to have that have any of you experienced with the escalation of what is happening um in Gaza have you experiened experienced more um in the community or in the school than you had before so I think with uh a lot of these you know recent events um it is somewhat noticeable especially within like smaller groups like I can attest at least I've heard a lot of you know jokes about you know the issue or insensitive comments that I personally you know would find offensive and so I find that even though it might not you know be available to the public sometimes within a smaller student uh Community or friend group you know you often see a lot of uh insensitive remarks or uh you know they just don't assess the situation correctly or as serious as it should be and I think um even outside of this event or of the recent events I think I have you know witnessed certain acts that I think you know are not really appropriate uh I have witnessed you know we we put uh flyers for a lot of our events I've I've seen those you know been torn down even in rare occasions not very often but I've seen it a few times and so and I think especially with what's happening now I'm worried that uh this might escalate or you know more hatred will spread so I think that is something to address for sure um I appreciate you mentioning that um another thing i' I'd also like to add on is that um although like thankfully like at our school um at least from like I can only speak for OE but um at least from from our school like I've been like very like satisfied with the way that our community has been like I feel like in general our community has been very welcoming and very open and we've been like relatively very comfortable here um that being said um unfortunately like I do feel like there have been uh like incidents that have been going around that do hit kind of close to home like um I believe that you've mentioned like already like in planfield not like just a few months ago like that young boy that was murdered in planfield um many of us have family that live there many of us are connected to the Muslim Community in that area um and uh I believe you mentioned uh the girl in glendle Heights right um she was like the first day that I came across that was on social media um because basically what happened was that it was like this young middle school girl she was actually an immigrant like her parents came from Saudi Arabia and um they didn't speak English very well and um what happened was that like an older person like an older boy kind of shoved her into the locker and kind of like hurt her like physically and um like what was the most upsetting part about that was that most of the middle school kids like no one said anything about it most people were laughing and pointing and jeering and what was really unfortunate was that um even like on social media when it was going around it was combined with like five or six different angles of the same thing meaning that there were five or six different students in the same hallway recording the the incident instead of saying anything about it instead of standing up for her no one did anything about it and the thing is that she in the video it was very obvious that she wasn't resisting or anything she was just minding her own business right um and I have like family friends like I the whose little brother goes to that school specifically um so yeah I'm very thankful that our school like we've never had anything extreme um of that caliber like happen at our school and I'm very thankful for the way that we've been welcomed um but like just because incidents like this have been going around especially like close to like close to us um I guess we're here to ensure that the comfort that we have and the safety that we have here is maintained in the long run so yeah and I just wanted to mention I also am very grateful for our community and all the things you guys have done for us uh just because I didn't mention that before uh these are just some things that we want to bring to light but absolutely I appreciate everything that everyone has done for us well thank you for educating us I I will be honest I'm very ignorant and was very ignorant to the um the conflict because as I was sharing with Mrs sha it has been around my whole life and so it's just always something that's been in the background and I was getting my information from Main Street Media and realized that that was my biggest mistake because all of a sudden you know it it as it has elevated you kind of see people take both sides you know it's either you have to be you know on one side or the other and we don't we have to understand that it's a struggle Way Beyond all of us and we have to humanize it so thank you for coming here and humanizing it and keep using your voices and keep teaching and I also want to thank Mrs sha for inviting me into her home and helping bring awareness to this and also answering my fairly ignorant questions and and so that I can learn and so that I can better advocate for our students so thank you very much thank you all right thank you again one one last question so it says that more information will be shared with the staff regarding Ramadan by Simon sha so miss sha can you just share what is it that how H what what are you interested in sharing and how will you be sharing it thank you so I am part of school district engagement committee at our mosque um I'm the co-chair of that and so every year what we do is um dist dist 203 204 and 308 are our uh our school districts that we send out some Ramadan information so a couple of years we'd sent cake pops to about 4,000 staff members delicious and uh and then last year unfortunately we send chips and our parents are very disappointed and we were like lack of funds um but this year again um we're meeting I think the end of this week to decide how we're going to um share more information about Ramadan to the 308 staff all right thank you thank you you know can I just say one last thing yes of course I I I feel like to some of the things that you've said I think it's always imperative that those who hold positions of power make it clear to to model and to set the tone and the example because I think that's always imperative and so one of the things that I want to point point out and I just want to reiterate and say you are our commun and I think the pronouns matter you are our communities young adults children I I hate saying children because you but but our students you are our future you are going to do great things there is no way that a society should ever tolerate the mistreatment of our youth that even includes that even includes the mistreatment of our when we mistreat ourselves right you are going to do great things it is not acceptable on any level for anyone to mistreat Our Youth and I want to make sure that that is made abundantly clear I'm happy to hear some of the things that you say but but to your point um like I I I was so overcome with with emotion a six-year-old boy I'm I'm you know I'm trying to fight back now that is that is the future of our society our society and this shouldn't be tolerated in any way shape or form and so I just I I think I want to make that abundantly clear because when you hold positions of power it's important that those positions of power voice and have a voice and a strong voice yes thank you excellent job excent I just want to if it's okay I just want to just a last bit I'm so grateful for for each of you and thank you for all of the questions and the comments Etc um and I just wanted to just as someone who has been blessed to be in the space with these Brilliant Minds and so many other students um my experience with actually particip in Ramadan last year changed my world um and so I really do encourage you that if even if if you can't do full Ramadan that you definitely participate in the faston I grew to have so much respect and understanding for the commitment and the discipline um the acceptance and the joy um that comes from what all of you do and again same with uh sashan inviting us into her home as well to celebrate and I just want to make sure that it's clear because they said this a few times in the presentation that they want to spread awareness they want to teach about their faith and I want it to be clear because sometimes people feel like well they're trying to just put this on us and that's not what they're saying there's so much Beauty and joy and Brilliance in their faith that it's admirable and they are young adults and they have more discipline than some of us I'm just going to be honest so I just wanted to make sure that that was clear that in spreading that awareness it is to spread love joy and Humanity um I also want to thank Isabelle um who's in this face I know I'm I'm putting you out there but um last year Isabelle was pivotable PIV excuse me pivotal in supporting our our lunch and learn that we did at OE about Ramadan as a Jewish student so a Jewish student Muslim student and then they let me hang out for fun um and teach and so again that's just a testament to the respect and the understanding that these young adults have for each other so I just wanted to make sure that we acknowledge that piece in the end and thank you all so much for being here tonight excellent thank you Dr Waller just sparked something for me and and Mrs Shaw did as well which is um I am not a practicing um of any religion anymore but I was born and raised Catholic and it's just so interesting that all religions have a lot of threads that go through them that are very similar we do it in the C Catholic we fast in Catholicism as well and we and I think so often times we're looking at other people as being different instead of focusing on a lot of the things that bring us together and that we share in similarity and so it's been just um as nervous as I was to go over to Mrs Shaw's house and to open up you know discussions that are hard to discuss not because of her but because of my own ignorance I walked away with such a sense of peace and um realizing that we are not different as much as you know we want to celebrate the things that make you unique but we are also very similar too and that we're just human beings and we just want to show love and we just want each other to be respected and that's really like so much of what it comes down to is you all deserve a space to learn and to what um Mr ploger said to learn in peace you come in peace and you should be able to learn in peace so thank you all right thank you thank you Bard and uh just want to frame uh our board policy 710 regarding uh the school district welcomes diversity in its schools and so part of this work is to really emanate that so thank you uh next on our agenda we want to welcome um our special education uh District level administrators to help uh support us in a discussion U we've got tonight um Brad vertin Tony Galan Dr hanin and Dan stockhausen I also want to appreciate Cara Chase for her support in uh preparing for this evening's presentation oh no it's coming after public comment coming after yep do we need we need one more chair can we grab that for Dan oh oh you're good okay all right we want to thank yeah we want to thank the board for allowing us to talk with you this evening um and green I think was while we're checking that um also Faith dalquist uh took leadership as associate superintendent making sure hello hello preparing this so now I'm ready I'm Tony glan director of special ed and I'm Emily hanin the director of Health Services we want to uh also make make sure that we recognize yes as mentioned uh Dan stockhausen our uh our associate director of special education and Cara chase our assistant director of special education yes Faith dalquist uh for all of her support as our uh assistant superintendent uh our faces are probably new to you maybe all of us are new to you we're a relatively new team to District 308 uh Tony and Emily have been here a year and a half and I started uh on July 1st uh so with that it kind of brings a kind of A New Perspective and seeing where we're going and and with kind of hope and expectation around that this slide is not to say that special education is the center of the educational world uh it is actually to represent that we have to um collab collaborate uh work with so many others and in fact every aspect of our schools that we need to collaborate with them one of our major values and you'll see this on our website is that all students are general education students sometimes we slip into that well they're students in special education and you'll see during our presentation that even our students in special education have large amounts of exposure to in our general education settings so we need to be able to work with not just our buildings but human resources we need to work with student services we need to work with our Data Systems all of those are relevant to being able to deliver high quality instruction to our students on this next slide it's I'm going to stop at the very very top for just a second it says percent of students with IEPs and I want to highlight sometimes we use that acronym and just roll over it but it stands for IND individual education plan it is meant to be customized to that individual's needs so we can talk about all the categories on here and that does represent a lot of variety of needs and services but you need to understand that each plan is individualized those needs so we need a wide variety of supports and services in order to meet those needs so this slide highlights some of the programs that we have here within um asigo District um one key thing is our district is the one that came up with the names these are not legally recognized names they're descriptors that we use to help describe what type of programming it is the students will receive we have a very big variety that we offer um and last week we had our special education Forum where we invited members of the community and we had representatives from just about everything that you see up there different families coming some students came and gave voice and one thing I wanted to quickly highlight was across the board the parents expressed such gratitude and appreciation for the staff that worked with their students we got shout outs from the bus drivers to bus aids to teaching assistance to classroom teachers it was very genuine they very much appreciated the love that they felt when they would come into the building to talk about their students one uh wish that we got was parents pointing out that all of these programs are not available in every school so for students that no longer can attend their home school because programming that they need is located somewhere else they talked through how difficult that can be for them this slide we wanted to talk about um an indicator that the Illinois State Board of Education uses to monitor special education they want students receiving special education to remain connected to and inside of the general education classroom so what you are looking at is two years worth of data that 80% or more means that for 80% of the school day or more those students are with general education teachers in the general education classroom and the state wants to see the bulk of our students in that category and as you go down it gets towards more what we call restrictive more time away from general education on this one we are just giving some historical data on the percent of students here in asgo that receive special education services and under that we have broken out our district enrollment overall just four of the R categories and then how many of those students also receive special education and we want to make sure that the number with IEPs does not exceed the percent of their enrollment that would be an indication that we are overidentifying students in that category for services currently the easy data to pool was the data by race but working with the equity engagement Department we are going to start looking at different indicators um to consider um gender disability category looking at by program how many students are there how much time are they connected to gened we want to break it down by building and we also want to come up with some success indicators to look at outcomes to make sure that these programs that we have built no matter which one it is that those students are learning and growing and on the best trajectory we can get them them on for Success the health services team functions Under the Umbrella of the special education services and we partner to ensure that every need of all students are met districtwide so we have programming one of our main departmental functions is to ensure that students in need of hospitalized services or homebound instruction are provided there every student no matter general education special education anywhere in between is entitled to have their learning while they're experiencing the need to be learning elsewhere and so we provide tutoring Services it is required that we review as a team for a general education student how we will Implement that if they have 504 plan they get their accommodations they're entitled to those while they are home Homebound and then if they happen to also have an IEP they are entitled to their related services so we partner with the IEP team to be sure that for instance their social work speech therapy Physical Therapy occupational therapy there are more related services that they're getting what they need to continue to learn while they're experiencing homebound or hospitalization we also recognize how difficult it is for students who have away to return and so the District offers reintegration tutoring services and meetings to make sure we are meeting the needs of students where they are another point I'd like to talk about is that the special education department plays a critical role in helping with 504 plans 504 plans are not special education plans they are overseen and implemented by the buildings in general but I want to just point out that our special education department provides a lot of the compliance coaching ensuring that we are legally sound in the work we're doing for 504 so the special education department plays a big role in partnering with general education and oh sorry just one more I want to thank student services because they are working so so much to make sure that our students who are experiencing Mental Health emotional regulation concerns have the opportunity to have some prevention through seal SEI instruction and then the students who are experiencing frequent hospitalizations we try to put in place for them some plans to reduce that recidivism for hospitalization we are on track at this time regarding numbers we may have a few less than we experienced last year but we also experienced some more of those hospitalizations kind of in that January February winter time so our numbers we just can't know it depends on students and their health thank you in particular in this moment I would like to thank the board for your proactive work especially the policy committee have worked so hard to make sure that the department is prepared to serve students the way we should an example of this is the Naran policy we had to consider allowing schools to have Narcan the board said yes the policy committee said yes and therefore the board said accepted that and we were ready so when it was required this year we didn't need to do anything because every school has Naran all of the staff have had exposure to training the nurses know how to do that they teach the teachers how to utilize Narcan it is stored in the aeds in every school so we were ready because of your good work and I want to thank you for that that support the next new big thing coming up I use the word stop the bleed here because it's familiar to have a kit in the case that anybody is in need of a response to a trauma that could occur right so stop the bleed is a big expensive program we are required to have a way to address a trauma injury on site should it occur starting next year and so I will partner with other departments to make sure that we do that in a fiscally responsible way just includes bandages scissors to cut the bandages that kind of thing I want to introduce you to the Staffing of our department we're pretty big but we do great things in schools I thank the board for having a building nurse in every single school as well as the health office secretaries our nurses offices are very busy and so I without that help I think our schools would just not be as great a place so thank you for that opportunity we also have have program nurses those are required for our students IEPs what they do is when a student doesn't need full-time care they are able to still have access for instance a student who maybe has a tube feeding the nurse doesn't have to be there all the time but it's more than the building nurse can handle and So within four of our programs we have nurses who do that kind of work throughout classrooms we also have one toone nurses in six schools so that the students have access they would not other wise be able to come to school if they did not have a nurse with them to provide for instance their oxygen Etc that is our partnership with the oesa Union we're delighted to work with them and then we also work with the OA Union we have a team of certified School nurses who are endorsed to write IEPs they support our building nurses in the implementation of those 504 plans and they support the nurses because I am not a nurse I was a administrator for school districts and our team works together really really well we partner with student services for threat assessment safety to make sure that if 911 calls are made we really partner with student services and then ensure that all the buildings have the aeds and safety equipment required such as undesignated medication we make sure those are all there and finally a big true thank you for your flexibility regarding immunizations this year we were not ready for first day exclusion you have enabled us and empowered us to be ready for a September 15th exclusion date next year I cannot tell you how happy and excited we are as a team to have that so thank you for your support we really believe we're getting ready now to ramp up an example of that today the kindergarten registration the kids you know we telling the parents exactly what health documents they need so thank you for your support so we know we have many challenges in front of us and we also know that the only way things are going to get better are through continued and deepening collaboration with many different groups so I just want to highlight some topics that we're going to be working on first is around disregulated behavior and there's a number of challenges even within this number one is that students in crisis don't necessarily have disabilities sometimes it's their situation some sometimes it's being young and growing up in a world that feels very chaotic sometimes it is a disability and it's up to us to help sort that out with our team of experts we also need to address safety concerns uh we do provide training um in a variety of ways including non-violent Crisis Intervention but there's always opportunity to how do we go deeper with that how do we ensure not just the safety of our students but also of our staff we can do that in in Partnerships with buildings with our unions uh with outside professionals if necessary uh suspension processes we don't like to we like to avoid having our students miss any time uh but in those instan that are necessary we're available for consultation with our buildings and we do that regularly and we also know that when we refer to tier one and tier 2 supports that's things that happen uh across classrooms outside of special education we know our world world in special education works better when the larger system is working well and we're exchanging ideas and working together uh very crucial is part of hiring and I also add retention uh in working with Personnel uh we need to do this for a variety of roles uh all of these roles have major impacts right from bus drivers T nurses teachers um a variety of related service providers uh we know if we hold on to more of our staff we need to replace fewer of our staff we know that then we're going to be more selective in the staff that we hire all positive outcomes for our for our community and for our district we're also going to look at evaluation uh our programs looking at the outcomes I know Tony covered a lot of that so I'm not going to go is in deep but just to say we are going to have that Focus too of a part of an IEP is to have transition goals and that's the if you ever read those have the pleasure the focus is on what is life going to be like after leaving public education we certainly consult on a regular basis on mtss supports uh these are supports that all students bites experience uh along the way um including in before uh special education services are provided uh we consult in a variety of things uh and we have certain knowledge that we can provide uh to everyone uh and why wait until the student is in special education before providing those services and supports uh we're talking about curriculum um implementation we need to be concerned that we are delivering the curriculum that we promis to deliver trying always striving for those grade level standards for all of our students we want to work on we have a lot of we do get some funding uh special ed is not a fully funded program but there are some aspects that are being added that receive no funding this includes uh some very positive things but again no funding included where we're being asked to translate and interpret for families whose primary language is not English this is terrific allows us to to have their full participation in the process something we we really want but it does take time and energy and money to make that happen also puns is the prioritization system for uh the state to give uh Services outside of school we're now responsible for helping navigate that system uh to a degree and again happy to do it but it is one step more uh we also are looking forward to expanding Partnerships uh communication with our community again our special education forum is one example of that Community businesses uh this is something where we can look for support but one major area where we do this is in job placement uh and this is something our especially in special education that we're both excited about and look forward to expanding and with that I would thank you all and open it up for questions can I start yes this is Dr Mario okay thank you it's hard to know when to pop in when um I'm remote like this but I'd like to um say thank you for the team for the presentation um Can someone acknowledge that you can hear me yes perfect all right good perfect um I have a couple comments and a couple questions and I think I'll just say them all and then mute myself so I can hear some of your responses but um my comment uh is that all these challenges that you have on here and that you're working on um that's um all of those are big projects so I appreciate that you all are taking on a really a meaningful uh look at how to address these challenges through collaboration I know later on today we'll do a little debrief uh very small debrief on the um teach teaching and learning Equity committee where we talked about uh equity and we saw you know you highlighted some of the numbers earlier in the presentation about uh a little over representation of some of our uh at least our um racial groups in special education so I appreciate that that is a matter that um you your team is also paying attention to uh along with all the uh Equity committee items um my two questions are um if you could just give me a small synopsis of the reach program because I think I'm familiar with the other programs on your list uh but not as familiar with reach and then my second question question is on slide number five where you have uh listed how much time in general education I'm just wondering if you could tell us about the numbers that are there right now um are those good numbers could they be better how does it compare like what should be our Target in regards to how much time our special education students are in um um in general education environments okay the the reach program uh that is a program for high schoolers uh it targets uh it it really was initially targeting students with anxiety disorders uh very specified the or I should actually expand that to say internalizing disorders so it could include things like depression in addition to anxiety uh to a degree it's becoming uh somewhat more focused on school anxiety related uh programs it by the way it is a relative it is a one classroom program at this point uh we believe that and and this is a growing um problem Across the Nation it's certainly exists in District 308 uh where we want students um we have students that just cannot get through the door uh there they just strugg their anxiety overwhelms them and they can't come in now often these situations they come through the door they can actually have a very pleasant day but again they face that challenge reach is a way for them to feel comfortable for them to engage um and get back on track academically I just want to add to that um it's a blend of taking some classes online as well as having a teacher lead through a few subjects so it really allows that flexibility of when they are regulated and ready whether it's at 2 a.m.

at plank Junior High School we encourage everyone to be there we're all Partners in the education and experience of our students February is love the bus month love the bus love the bus months it's a time set aside to recognize honor and celebrate the yellow school buses that transport some 25 million American school children each day we celebrate the trained professionals who manage and operate our transportation system ensuring the safe delivery of students to and from school each day and I don't want to just read that line I I want to sincerely thank all of our transportation people we appreciate you yes okay mine is um our school district's annual Amplified student Le event celebrating diversity across our community brings together individuals from so many different backgrounds cultures races and ethnicities this event celebrates the differences that make us all unique as well as the similarities that unite us this year the event will be held on March 21st at the asigo East High School with the theme of walk a mile in my shoes students proudly and courageously share their talents traditions and interests with those in attendance please mark your calendars and plan to attend this incredible student event again it's March 21st from 5: to 8:30 p.m.

[Music] a [Music] a [Music] hello and welcome to week 11 of the varsity tetrio cyber Tigers uh this is what the bracket looks like for this week we have the captain uh minion 139 facing against bentobox we have EMT facing against e alvado we have oets 15 versus cam is loading and we have Jordan the boss versus zanu currently we are just waiting for the matches to start so you can go and go to the [Music] multi [Music] going into Jordan's gameon already got a quad getting the quad himself getting a nice setup nice counters very good at defending ooh the opponent getting lots of trash blocks ending him very high uh it's the same thing are you actually playing [Music] yet quad see get in another quad let's see how hard this is his opponent getting a very good setup while also getting built up himself getting the quad to counter see does he place down no he doesn't oh Jordan losing round one against zanu making it zero to one how do I get this going to Sam's match we can already see that he's doing very well getting the quad let's see making his opponent be very high meaning oh opponent getting the quad let's see how well Sam can defend and get it quad double double let's see winning his second round against Bento Box looking very good for the captain of the tetrio team I don't know let's see you I looking for places to set up I'm getting good single nice setups seems like cheesy McGee is also doing very well oh getting the triple think I'm pretty high about Midway [Music] through [Music] Owen almost misplacing his lpce let's see how well he performs with this going to Jordan's game oh nope he's practicing right now en let's see how well emit does getting the quad building him up a lot think a place to go oh and it being in a pretty in a pretty kind of bad position getting a nice set up yep see I'm when I set up for the T piece doesn't take it okay let's see how well Owen can perform it seems like he did lose his first round both of them seem to be very even in this positioning right now Owen seems to be setting up for something big let's see double make the switch to emit game right now oh apologies see m is in a very good position right now lots of good [Music] setup uh for those that are new and who don't really know how tetrio works it's a little bit different from Tetris it has the same fundamentals but it's multiplayer and in order to build up the uh trash blocks or the gray blocks on the enemy side um you have to either get one line and or not one line you either have to get four lines or three lines with one piece or get multiple twos and a quick succession to start building up the trash and uh the winner of each round is determined by who gets the top first and loses which we might get to see soon let's see but um you can also do extra like I guess moves that would be considered as Tech like uh doing a t- spin which is when you have a t block like that pink block that IM just placed and spinning it at a fast rate um to get into a tight spot where it normally cannot fit that's what a t-pin is you could do multiple t-pins in a quick succession so that's pretty much the basics of tetrio we're going to be switching to emit game and having a very very good setup for for this early game right now see quad double quad getting a massive buildup on the enemy but then building up the quad on himself with the trash blocks cu the trash blocks do also leave openings like that which can be very it can be very uh risky to send quads if they have their own eye pieces which are the just straight pieces that are 4X one emit handling this pressure very very well let's see where he where the game takes off from here nice quad getting a very good buildup which is also hidden by his other pieces let's see getting the eyepiece oh nope let's see let's see where this takes off from here going to be going back into Owen's game seems like he did lose the other round making it two I mean z two let's see how well he does perform because his opponent seems to be no joke well that was Jordan getting a new PB on the 40 time just for those at home to uh see Jordan's accomplishment I'll place it on screen that is his that's how fast he was able to complete or clear out 40 lines which as you can see is very fast going to Owen's game o he seems to be in a very bad position let's see how well he can handle this pressure ooh losing the second round making the score one to one am I having some really really good setup right now setting up for a double quad which if he does also play the rest of the game correctly can lead to a very quick Victory misplacing the orange LPS oh getting the triple very nice uh Owen sadly lost his first [Music] game more rounds to progress into his to to make sure that he is not kicked out you get 20 points second place get 15 let's see if emit can clutch up his win to make uh at least three of the four tetrio cyber Tigers uh get a win for their first round handling this pressure with very well like a pro let's find out how well he will play the rest of this game plus an LP is perfectly where it should be em it just clearing this out like an absolute champ going Hog Wild just he seems to have definitely stepped up his game Within These very few amount of seconds spin it down there I don't know if I you can that guy's struggling just as bad as you just hold on em it handling this pressure very very well let's see how his opponent will face off against this em it winning the second round making it to to one very stressful game for both players that boy yep he performed very very well Emy needs one more to win this set his opponent needs two wins opponent getting a triple am having a nice setup for a quad and or more getting the triple than the double having expert setups and just knowing where to place his pieces just perfectly see just hitting these singles like it's nobody's business clearing this out like an absolute champ as well see where he places this LPS I mean IPS we'll cut the owens's match oh wa no this is [Music] what [Music] oh [Music] let's see both these players seem to be very evenly matched with how they just play the game they have very similar Styles along with just a very similar skill levels let's go I successfully oh am it getting the triple than the single let's see getting the double this game turning into a very high speed just overall fast game ooh flicking it up onto the T pieces let's see how well he can uh set this up to get those garbage pieces very casual under this pressure oh barely missing the t-s spin but still that is game cyber Tigers winning the first round three three2 three cyber Tigers won with sadly Owen sheets falling to the first one e it is now up uh just a little recap uh Jordan lost his mat [Music] wait and Owen sadly lost their matches while Sam and EMT won both theirs we're gonna yeah to uh quickly explain how the pointing system works if you get first place you will get 20 points second place 18 Third Place 16 fourth place 14 fifth place 12 sixth place 10 points Seventh Place eight e e8th Place six 9th Place 4 10th Place 2 11th and Below you'll be awarded one point Sam has started his match we're going to go to his ooh nice slide with the eyepiece we can see why he's the captain of the tetrio team with just this high level performance got let's see how he will perform under this pressure being this high up at this rate as as his opponent is just attacking him at this level let's see may we perform under this type of pressure oh saving the eyepiece for right there slowly building down just chipping it his opponent luckily isn't going that fast which is very very good for us setting up for a te- spin getting the te- spin i a let's see Sam going from the top of the map all the way back down to the bottom with his opponent around the middle stages of the map we're going to cut to Owen's match real quick the day his opponent being very high on the board with just his piece is just seemingly being scattered everywhere getting the quad both them out of very evil even level of height in their map [Music] Owen winning his first game very good seems a also won his first game let's see getting the quad than the triple go back o Sam looking like his opponent picking up the speed let's see ooh Sam beating his opponent one to zero very good first match cutting to Jordan's game getting the quad oh making the finish with the entire board being just trash blocks it seemed like he won his first game making the score two to nil let's see we're going to be going to Owen's game yep let's see how will Owen perform in his second game against the Chiefs not the football team see yes switching over to EMT see like Owen not Owen EMT won his second game making the score two to zero let's see we're gonna be going to Sam's game going back to Jordan's oh uh Jordan won his uh final game uh avenging Owen luckily avenging his teammate like a teammate should uh the score being three to zero and it's seem Sam also won his final game 3 to zero both the Sam and Jordan Troy are both doing very well showing why they're the top of the Cyber Tigers going to be cutting to Owens match like he's in a pretty bad position let's see how he can recover let see let's see how well he uses his pieces losing the second game making the score one to one but this is obviously very very clutch we're going to be going to emt's game he does have a very good position to for yep for the quad as I was just about to say but he does his opponent does counter the quad unluckily for us oh emit setting up o emit winning does he win the match EMT being the final winner of round two doing very well cutting to Owen let's see both them having setups for quads with trash blocks yeah have you seen how many views online Millions yep yep and for those and for all those who are watching um if you aren't subscribed remember to subscribe and uh share this with your friends who yep uh Shameless plug yep but uh if you do go to bluon high school make sure to congratulate both teams uh who do uh play because we do put in lots of effort with just playing oh Owen losing his second match let's see how up oh his opponent getting a quad Owen counter it as much as he can so he doesn't take as much of trash blocks as he would getting the triple setting his opponent up for know he doesn't have a quad set up which he did kind of mess up right there Owen just taking down as much as he can will he save it nope he won't save it Owen having just so much material to do so many things as of right now let's see how he does use the TPS sets it in the far right let's see double I one playing this game very very well just like all of the other uh tetrio cyber Tigers they both all of them can handle um lots of pressure in times like this very very [Music] well Jordan want to tell that joke to the stream uh Owen being very high in terms of the map let's see he does have two yep two blocks to uh counteract to get doubles oh o Owen sadly losing the second round game about all the Cyber Tigers provide doing very very well in all of their matches going back to the [Music] bracket e [Music] okay so Sam he will be facing the person that beat Jordan in his uh first round that being zanu but everyone else can I guess [Music] check [Music] looks like Owen is beginning winning his match so we'll go ahead and start [Music] there looks like Jordan is off to an aggressive start so we'll switch to him going now to Sam trying to recover from a two round loss here EMT has lost his match against toxic tan and Owen still seems to be fighting the good fight against Bento Box great congratulations Jordan no one C keeping a clean board here oh excellent jow oh apologies I have been muted could see Sam starting his first game of round I believe this is four be a me going to emit Kyle the reap see image just going absolutely crazy oh K the r does seem to be setting up for a te- spin though does he get it oh getting the t- spin on emit but doing double quad to counter it back for those of you who don't know if you do get a t- spin and it gets two lines it will count as getting a quad what the see what will do Kyle getting the triple yeah if you guys did hear the coaches that is what they said yep oh getting the quad and just building up on Kyle we're going to be going to Sam's POV right now oh Sam this Sam losing the first uh round of the entire bracket you tried buddy that was great seems em also lost his first round we're going to be going to Jordan who won who won his first or he maybe just won the second we don't know we getting the quad just getting some instant buildup on his opponent this high level gameplay coming from Jordan getting an instant te- spin you can blink and you miss it that is a rule with Jordan yeah getting a triple two triples actually followed by a double setting up for a t- spin oh barely missing but his opponent definitely is into B getting another t- spin with the single getting a quad his opponent see getting a quad of his own from Jordan then a devil just slowly building him up oh Jan getting a quad building his opponent up up to the very top Jordan winning the third round making it 2 to one Jordan is doing very very well as we can clearly see from the sil performance Sam Sam also on the sidelines won his first match against uh Rock the person he Rock in roll let's see oh Jordan winning his game let's see he does have a oh he doesn't take the quad counting with the TPS saving it Sam going very very fast getting the double counteracting what the opponent threw at him fin it seems like he did avenge Sam Sam turning it into high gear or just going insanely fast o getting the quad getting a t- spin they can hear it let's see getting the triple this seems to be a very high level and intense game from Sam let's see do getting another triple both players just being very high level and just intense yeah let's see we're GNA cut [Music] to we're going to cut to emit let's see we're going to cut to emit em being in a very bad position let's see how he will handle this handle under this pressure ooh almost misplacing oh D it oh emit sadly losing his game Sam winning after a long hardfought battle Sam does secure the victory but he does still have one more round to win let's see can't say win were youing the it appears EMT did not face the opponent he was supposed to wow wolf gamer okay what let's see how well the captain of this team can do getting a quad in a single two singles ooh finishing up the third game very quickly making the winner Sam Sam is undefeated correct Sam lost he lost okay you lose to oh he lost the same guy you lost to if only I beat him we could have gone against each you two got you two got [Music] go turn bracket but we might see imit game depending on if he will play against his oppent but we do not know [Music] yet e we're back for the final round being round five let's [Music] see I don't like your background it gives me let's see go ahead and show okay oh it seems we got two of the Cyber Tigers actually facing each other that being Sam and Jordan em setting up for a quad getting the quad start okay let's see those two are facing each other yep I said [Music] it playing because he got a buy which means he just won't be playing with anyone won't be playing with anyone else on the bracket seems emit is in a losing position we cut to game which he is actually facing off against Sam seems Sam did win the first game battle for Captain I'm just joking oh Sam getting an all clear countering with a quad oh Jordan absolutely cooking absolutely cooking Sam going to go quad Jordan counting with his own quad making Sam in a very bad position Jordan winning against Sam making the score one to one it's a very high level battle between the Cyber Tigers ooh we should probably get one just in case one of the rigs explode both of them setting up oh Jordan sliding the L piece into the other LPS Jordan playing this game very well Jordan having a good setup for a quad gets the t- spin is Jordan is so wait oh no Jordan losing making it two to [Music] one clear he was just waiting for Jordan to stack up so he can make it more up there to me I think I'm going to overlo baby I don't know Jordan getting the quad two quads it's over [Music] 9,000 Jordan having a seizure on the keyboard this the the fastest I've seen him do any oh my whaty Sam what are you doing my he wins making it two to two that's for the Cyber Tigers let's see how well they perform against each other watching someone I look up to it's scary man yeah you'll be he things I have never oh Jordan saving himself by the skin of his teeth with a double quad getting two quads stacking up against Sam making a game Jordan wins against SE two to three to two Jordan is now captain of the tetrio team this was Battle for Captain I'm getting news that it wasn't very entertaining too yep let's see if emit can get this one oh this one block making it zero to two for Emit am it having an amazing setup right now getting the quad good name whatever I think he was aate it a Snapp oh I'm not sure if that was a misplace onit part the lizard Queen placing the lpce getting the triple then the double then another double what see o nice double yep getting the quad the double single almost being able to get the old clear Jordan not but he has to say it quicker with you sounds like the Martians on Sesame Street I have what don't you have a Lego see me getting a double and being able to get a quad yep getting a nice quad if I will be no worse than trist Miss place at the end but he does manage to get the win against Jaden yeah medical and pred Dental uh those of you heard if you do go to Bluff and join Esports because you do get uh free medical and free dental care if you do join the Esports team and pizza news fake news oh we got fake news fake fake news brought the pizza part yeah we're we're we we will riot let's see if emit can clutch this out nice quad then a triple all go all I me needs an eyepiece if you could get two eyepieces that would be very good using it on the quad than the double two doubles getting the second win making it two to two this is will be yep tiebreaker as coach Brook said he enjoys the uh the free touchless massage that eorts fake news by the way OverWatch doesn't get that just sit in chair it's AEP yeah let's see EMT is doing very well this match getting the triple another triple I'm having to defend against this Onslaught single yeah see oh oh oh em it almost missing it let's see getting a triple let's see no and it Miss placing the line pece barely losing so close so so close thank you for joining us today for week 11 of the tetrio Esports yeah um say this thank you for joining us this evening we will be back tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.

and I will say it's wonderful to see so many people here um T this evening Mr miles thank you madam president Dr Smith members of the board um at this time tonight bring forth to you uh a need for an additional appropriation for our rainy day fund currently our rainy day fund uh appropriation is for up to $1 million uh in order to move forward with a potential property purchase of 57 60 wallingwood Drive uh a need exists at this time to approve an additional $1 million uh to allow us to spend those funds um please note the um cash balance currently in our rainy day fund is approximately $1 million uh this additional appropriation would not impact any kind of tax rates uh but would just give us legal authority to spend the additional funds okay um board do you have any questions about the Appropriations No so at this time if any members of the public would like to address the board you are free to do so um each person who would want to address the board would give their name and address plee and would please step up to the microphone give your name and address and um there would be there would be know questions and answers but you may address the board and um if someone else wants to make the same point you have all already made um it's probably not necessary to make the same point over again you can use your own discretion so do we have any people that would like to speak to the board on our additional Appropriations this evening good evening I'm Eric Young 8354 teista Circle Indianapolis um a few questions um and maybe a comment if I looked correctly in last month's meeting it was to said that these properties would be used for lawence Central uh track and field activities namely shop putut and discus but now tonight's agenda shows that the intent of this purchase is to resell the properties at a later date this would um some clarification on that uh what does that later date look like is that within the a couple years and a few months 20 years what do we know Mr miles Mr Smith if you would like to address that please do the two properties that we are looking at are two parcels uh Lauren Central and the district has been looking at the 10 acre parcel uh the other 4 acre parcel is with the house uh in order for us to purchase uh and get the 10 acres we have to purchase both uh once uh uh we would purchase and it becomes ours anded it over to us then we can resell the house in the 4 Acres we would retain the 10 acres okay I understand um I guess then the following question to that and I'll just leave it out there unless you want to answer is what is our hopeful use of those four acres to be sold um concern of mine is what happens if a charter is interested in selling what is a board's position on that personally I would be opposed to such a sale um just another question or observation is it seems that we are allocating the entire $1 million of rain day allowance for this budget and what happens if something else comes up during the year that would require such a allocation Mr Smith go ahead and answer the question you can go ahead for the house what we'd like to do is resell the house and keep it on property taxes because that would uh again help the City of Lawrence and us so uh selling it to another Charter we want to remain that in the residence Goa Roger something also needs to be noted in terms of the use of the land what it's currently spe for the variance on the land uh right now both properties are Zone residential so uh the house would remain residential and sold that way Goa all right thank you thank you Mr Young would anyone else like to address the board regarding the additional Appropriations if not um I want you all to know that as um volunteer board members we all have um jobs we go to every day and Miss Lawrence is not with us this evening she is in the air somewhere uh near the West Coast but she did want me to to tell you this I'm sorry that I'm unable to be with you this evening as I'm traveling for a mandatory work event I hoped to join the meeting virtually but my flight has been delayed and I will be in the air when this statement is read nevertheless I have read all the content for tonight's meeting and have spoken at length with other members of the board and our legal counsel and I wanted to express my support for the additional appropriation in the Rey day fund for the purchase of 5760 wallingwood drive I'm confident that the the projected revenue from the sale of the 4 acre parcel and the residence on that parcel will allow us to recoup some of the initial cost while also ensuring our district maintains control over the land around our high school after reviewing all the financial information provided to this board I am confident that this decision is fiscally sound as and as and is in the best interest of our district and the students we serve um I would also like to say uh Mr young kind of an answer to your question um the sale of the property I assume that the when the property the home is sold as a residence that money would go back into our rainy day fund is that correct Mr miles yes that's correct and the in terms of the cost of the entire property the residents and the 4 ACR around that residence are the most expensive portion of that property okay um since there are no more comments oh I'm sorry I wanted to um have Mr Smith possibly expound upon one of Mr Young's points um he had mentioned the shot put in discus area and I just wanted on the public record currently there is a lack of ADA compliance is that correct and that would be addressed correct what we was wanting to move is the shopbook and discus which is on the far Southeast side of our uh what we know as a football practice field and uh actually for our patrons to watch those events they have to park on the Masonic Lodge parking lot so what we want to do is bring that closer to the inzone building and make it ADA Compliant not only for our athletes but also for our patrons to view those Sports thank you for sharing that so that would also help with as you said our unified programs for the athletes and The Spectators thank you in addition um the acreage what other uses do we envision for that acreage and will there be any structures built on that property the only structure permanent structure we would do would be concrete and the back netting for The discus and in that area is roughly 350 feet wide by 500 feet long the rest of the uh 10 acres would be remainder in its natural state and thus uh continue that buffer between wallywood um resident area and the school will it be available to for instance Lawrence Central as a nature study area our science uh contined to use our uh additional space just like with the Boy Scout property that we purchased we still have some Natural Area there that they utilize and uh roughly nine just shy of nine acres would remain natural as well for curricular use thank you I do have a question as it was mentioned in our last board meeting that it would be used for our agricultural studies could someone expound upon how that might work because if we are keeping it as is um I'm just wondering how we would use that for agricultural studies since it is Woodland and not necessarily Farmland actually there's a large Center of this property that is grass area that that Resident has mowed over the years if we need to leave some in Grass uh for possibly growth of vegetation vegetables crops whatever uh based off a uh agricultural curriculum uh we could remain that in grass and do so in that area okay thank you um if there are no more comments this will end our Appropriations hearing now we will open I won't have to gabble it in this is a work session um uh and first topic is our Blue Ribbon facilities plan Mr Smith Madame President members of board Dr Smith we've been blessed with the last couple weeks of some rather warm weather which has allowed us to progress on our site work as you see there at Laurence Central the baseball Turf is going down and the block work at LC for the concession stand is done and they are moving toward towards Lawrence North for that to continue they'll also be working it with the uh uh ramp going in again that's for ada8 compliance uh down to our soccer and baseball new pool continues on uh Plumbing work and utilities going in uh the showel end is being dug and excavated and concrete thereafter you can see the deep end is down uh the deck work uh po will continue and the mechanical electrical and plumbing continue on of course the restrooms and locker rooms and the uh other areas of the building along with the uh Upper Deck uh continues on Lin front addition steel is over halfway complete so they're moving along there as well uh the sidewalk there you see on the left goes to the front new addition and then around to the plaza uh as we continue with our concrete work and the plaza facade is going on Len concession site work again that's out by the soccer and baseball and they have started today on the concrete uh work there on that concession uh the old pool which is going to be the new multi-purpose gym is uh continuing on with renovation uh working on HVAC and lighting Belzer Middle School auditorium is continuing on you'll notice that front is taking shape and the inside work is progressing very well you can see the inside work utilities also we have six more classrooms and bells are being renovated they are progressing very well along with next slide is the uh LGI room is going back together Paul Creek Valley is 700 space which is the uh east side of the building classrooms a couple classrooms and office space uh nearing completion there along with the main office one another third of the office being done now and the remainder of the office this summer uh they finally got back on our Bridge here at LCC still work uh is now going in and uh reassuring theuring the uh uh metal underneath that bridge for it to be rebuilt uh just an up well the roof uh they continue on with the roof the capping that's the back half of the building that's a finishing touches on the roof Transportation they started last week and actually looks totally different because that is the entire space of the second floor it is now all steel studs uh laid out they completed that with Electrical Plumbing moving forward again we are uh lecc building is out to bid we'll receive bids actually this week and we will be evaluating those and bringing uh that back to the board on the 26 thank you very much any questions for Mr Smith on the Blue Ribbon information tonight I just had a comment uh We've started some board visits of the secondary school so it's great to physically see the work that's going on so true we'll move on then to our jumpstart summer school update that would be Dr Brown and Mr K president M Dr Smith members of the board were pleased to bring to you tonight both jump start and summer school opportunities for for this summer 2024 and we'll Begin by looking at just an overview of our programming we will be offering as an informational item to you just programming for incoming first through 10th graders and so that's their incoming for the next school year June thir 3rd through June 27th that's a Monday through Thursday uh schedule with observance of juneth on June 19th off and the elementary day runs from 8 to 2 and the secondary day from 9 to1 we aim for an 18 to1 student teacher ratio and each of our buildings elementary middle and high will be hosting good evening president must Dr Smith and members of the board as you know this is our fourth year in planning jumpstart and our data from the first three years has been really really strong so we intend to keep the same instructional design that we've used the first three years and you can see that begin begins on with Hands-On highly engaging stem and Humanities activities uh combining Project Lead the Way modules with our ckla language arts curriculum um we've seen really strong growth in our small group tutoring uh utilizing Orton Gillingham as an approach to reading foundations so that will continue for students in grades one through three um the club and enrichment activities have been really popular with our students and with our staff and so I've just listed a few examples of clubs that we've had in the past but that certainly will be part of our elementary offering again this year for the secondary our stem Humanities classes as well as our electives are all aligned with graduation Pathways at both the middle school and the high school and of course we'll use pre- and post assessments to continue to measure growth and Effectiveness Dr Smith president mustad members of the board this year marked the first year for our year round preschool offering um it's been a wonderful and very successful program in fact over half of our families have chosen year round preschool and so have continued to have preschool through all of our summer breaks so we will continue that throughout the summer we will have enhanced academic support by adding two certified kindergarten teachers to each preschool site after care for this summer will be a parent pay option we will have three options for families so they can choose what will best meet their needs to continue on in this presentation um exceptional Learners will be providing support to students during jump start we will have resource and therapy support provided to all students at grade levels we will also have specific life skills programming for students based on those who qualify in teach recommendation um life skills programming will be housed at Amy beverland and Lawrence Central and all of our support and curriculum will be um in line with stem work as well as the reading work um as with other students Madame President Dr Smith the members of the board at the high school level and addition to jump start we continue to offer ltech which is a virtual primarily asynchronous component but with a lesson learned from Co we now also have a synchronous component with it we will have at least 33 different credit bearing courses and we have open enrollment that typically begins around spring break the ltech goes throughout the entire summer or most of the summer from June 3D through July 18th now for the big question about the budget and how we're going to pay for this so we have budgeted just over 2 million doll Which is less than we have budgeted in the past um we are really focusing on our certified teachers as this is um our um beginning of the end in terms of our eser dollars we have to have them all spent and encumbered by September and then liquidated by December so certified teachers to address learning loss small group tutoring as our uh data is really strong of course providing transportation for our families curriculum development and supplies and then you'll notice within the funding sources that we're beginning to utilize additional funds to support uh jumpstart so sr3 um that's the money from the federal government that is allocated towards learning loss our Excellence grants that we received for top uh Career Center in the state for McKenzie our early literacy award for Forest Glenn a portion of those grants will also be used to support jumpstart uh we want a science of reading Grant uh this fall that will also be used some Title One funding stem integration and project leadway grants will also be utilized and then one more piece that Mr miles and I are working on is the state reimbursement for summer school dollars um several of the programs that we described um qualify for State reimbursement this evening we share with you our anticipated timeline we anticipate releasing the stand staff application this Wednesday February 14th with student registration opening up on March 1st we present this to you with information at this time and our team is happy to answer any questions you may have great board have some questions um I do just real quick um this is a fantastic program um I can't say it enough from personal experience um I did want to make sure I understood it correctly so this will be the first summer parents will have to pay for after care during the month of June for the jump start correct that is correct that is one piece that we've had to add back in and it's very affordable still I mean I think it was $40 yes if they want after care to supplement Monday through Thursday it would only be $40 per and that's that's wonderful um and then I know there were several different funds the Esser fund being one is there um because at the State House there they're really talking about the retention possibly and addressing literacy support um is an expanded uh summer school program something that we're looking into be moving forward because of the success of jump start or am I getting ahead yes and um we certainly are are looking at all revenue streams to support continued programming for students and you are correct in in terms of the debate at the state house right now but it's not a budget year for the state house and so um they may suggest things but hopefully we'll see some money to support that in the future advocate so thank you yes Miss D thank you I will Echo um Amy's comments and the fact that this is such a wonderful program just a few questions what percentage of our um jump will be state funded reimbursed of that 2 million appropriately Mr miles and I are still working on that in the past it's been about 20% okay and does that include transportation in the past it has not okay the um synchronous component can you speak a little bit to what that looks like at the high school level please so the majority ofte traditionally been a where students are working at their pace and that continues but now with the um learned ability to use zoom and uh support students through works or office hours so to speak or possibly oneon-one time where they can zoom with the student no matter where they are whether they're on vacation or you're home in town over the summer but that allows our teachers to connect among students so for students who are English Learners which our district has a large percentage of those students are there additional supports that are provided for those students absolutely our schools work together to find a team of teachers and staff members that are able to support all our learners sign up for jump orte do we have any historic data in terms of how many credits are recovered during um most of our summer offerings is that something that maybe we could yeah that would be fantastic and then quick question about special education how is our jump start different from our extended school year just wondering for our constituents because I know some students qualify and so just wondering what the difference is between those two sure um one thing just to remind everybody when we talk about extended school year that comes down to a case conference committee decision and reviewing over those elements per state law um with jump start um this is just it is additional for all students who do attend and we do our best to make sure that they have access to the curriculum making sure that um they have the interventions in place and you know just in general making sure that they're successful in that academic work however if a case conference does decide that extended school year is appropriate during the the month of July that would also be offered for example for our life sko scale students potentially yes thank you and I had um you've all done a wonderful job and asked all my listed questions except for um can you tell me just a little bit about Norton Gillingham reading process yes so Orton Gillingham has um been around for a long time and it's very well researched and it focuses on Phonics uh basically that's a to sum it up phonics um and so students learning phonemic awareness learning the um sounds and how sounds go together to make words and then gradually progressing through um those foundations to being able to read and this is the foundation of the science of reading is absolutely thank you very much um I guess my other question about money um So 20% is of that state grant that we hope we can get what other percentage of those money are from sources other than S3 in the past in the past none um so this is the first year that we've utilized other resources and so once uh Mr miles and I figure out what portion we're going to ask for State reimbursement for then we will finish the rest of the budget but my prediction is that we'll be a hopefully within 20 to 30% of State reimbursement then we be around 50% Sesser funds and another 20 or 30% from those other funds that I listed because next year we have no erer funds correct unless the waiver that the state has applied for is approved okay so possible we'll see thank you thank you so much you're welcome are there any other questions on our summer school programs okay um we'll move on then um to our action items oh yeah whoops that's a big one ready okay uh again Mr kosnik and Miss Brown Dr Brown president M of the board we very pleased to bring to you tonight an update on your board goals and our progress toward them and we'll cover each of the main areas tonight your first board goal as you know uh we lead with equity and anti-racism and all things that we do and for this board goal it is about implementing our Equitable student outcomes action plan that you approved and so uh dashboard updates are complet completed monthly where you can see the progress on the many many activities that are taking place around this particular goal the next goals are all related to student achievement so this first one is perhaps our most important student achievement data point our graduation rate and so just as a reminder your goal is to maintain a 93% graduation rate while increasing the percentage of students earning academic honors or Technical Honors So currently in terms of an update both high schools are on track for at least a 93% graduation rate likely higher and our academic honors as of today are projected to grow by 4% with accelerated growth from our black subgroup the next one is your instructional goal that's our rigor Diagnostic and so we are just completed our midyear rigor diagnostic uh walks in in several of our schools and then the year end will come um both in April and May and we'll have a report for you at the the end of the year um as you know student attendance has been a challenge for every school district ACR across the country um our goal is to increase our student attendance to 95% um our average attendance for first semester is 92.35% on the next slide uh this is our internal uh student achievement goal in terms of proficiency for math and reading this is the I ready assessment um and I'm pleased to report that we have met the board goal um as of mid year so we need to keep all those students on track to the end of the year uh but we are 133% growth in math and 14% growth in Reading with double digigit growth in all subgroups with the exception of our special education subgroup who typically over the years it takes more time for that particular subgroup to reach proficiency so we expect to be there with them um at the end of the year as well the next one is a new board goal for you related to IID 3 um and this goal is around 80% of all of our third graders who have been with us for three years to be proficient on the I 3 assessment so our elementary schools are fast and furious right now getting ready for I3 coming up at the beginning of March and so they each have very detailed instructional plans that they've done throughout the school year with extra Focus during February so we'll be able to have a preliminary report remember there's two uh assessment opportunities for students first one in March if students don't pass in March they get another opportunity at the end of May 1 of June and that's why that board goal is dated by June of 2024 and then the last board goal I don't have an update for you because it's our iearn um our iearn goal of moving students out of the below proficiency category into upper upper proficiency so we'll uh report on that after the iearn assessment and that was in April and March and April the I learn is in April and May I read is March the third board goal our a three-year strategic plan um our our goal is to not only implement but monitor throughout the three years and we did begin the Strategic plan implementation at the beginning of the school year as you recall last month we gave you a board update and we have entered and published two quarterly updates for all of our stakeholders to review good evening Madame President and board members the people board goals as we look at our first board goal all employees will participate in common District developed PD we are at 100% of ongoing professional development to all employees that are hired and the current employees is in our building our second goal is we shall maintain our intentional focus on recruiting and retaining bilingual staff in order to increase racial and ethnic staff diversity by 3% our Baseline data that we collected at the end of last year was at 12% and currently it's still to be determined if we were to measure it at the end of the year but we're right at about 133% as of like right now our racial and ethnic diversity at the mid year for 2324 is at 46% but to compare Apple to Apples we'll do that at the end of the school year as well to match the same data point from 22 to 23 retaining 90% of District effective and highly effective certified teachers um we ended the last school year at 92% and currently we we will do that at the end of the year once our evaluations are done but just to let you know that we've had our our midyear first seme formal evaluations that have been completed at our building so we're halfway there on the next slide are two new board goals um implementing an anonymous employee survey for all staff with an expected completion rate of 80% we're pleased to say that today that was launched at 7:08 this morning uh but we've had a broad-based committee that met all of first semester from all employee groups to do the research and to to build and developed those questions and we've worked with the Panorama platform and the S survey was launched today it will go for um two weeks till February 23rd and we look forward to then bringing back the committee and analyzing that data in March and April to bring recommendations and our last board goal is to offer an exit interview to every employee that leaves through resignation or retirement and this is our first year to do this formally and at the midyear point at the end of um January 31st we've had 14% of exiting employees that have completed the survey so that's actually 22 surveys that have been completed our numbers of of employees that have left are4 classified staff and 48 certified staff so once again working to build a culture of where that can become a part of giving us feedback to learn from thank you very much on the finance side I'm happy to um announce tonight that all three of our board goals uh as it relates to our finances have been have have been met at the end of the year uh the first which is our cash balance in the education fund we were about $3 million over our goal and ended the year at just over 16 million our second goal was to make sure all of our balances at the end of the year were positive and we we achieved that goal and the third goal was our minority vendor spend which you'll see a drama increase once again from 22 to 23 almost three times the amount of dollars that we spent with our minority owned uh vendors Mr continue on with Safety and Security uh all buildings have been certified by the state for their emergency preparedness plan uh annual sight building uh security assessment that's ongoing uh review and update board policies and guidelines so we have updated everything per the State statue um until this spring and then expand and updating the internal School plan um we continue with our re uh Renovations our middle schools are now under renovation and Safety and Security uh for that renovation and also security device upgrades uh weapon detections have been fully implemented and are in place and we present this to you with information at this time and our team is happy to answer any questions you may have thank you Mr KCK board I'm sure you all have a lot of questions uh Miss Pucket do you have can you come back to I can come back to you yes I can done yeah first of all thank you very much for this update a lot of exciting things happening here in Lawrence Township I did want to ask some questions about the first slide um that we saw saw about equity and anti-racism um the dashboard updates as I see them looking online it looks like that still says 2022 to 23 school year um on our district website and there are two areas that I'm noticing that um have not been started yet that um I think are of concern D3 and H1 so I'm just wondering if we could provide an update on those two areas as they both seem to deal with um student safety and discipline concerns I do know that we uh go through a rigorous process internally to update the um dashboard I'm not sure what the dashboard said so D3 Behavior concern and behavioral infraction make an infograph with examples of each Behavior train all incoming and current staff on term definitions and appropriate disciplinary steps for each include necessary intervention steps teacher should take prior to entering data in the system and that says that's getting started as is the um racialized language and informalized set in informal settings that one's too long to read but those are just both getting started that one curious what I me at the beginning was that I wasn't sure what the timeline was in terms of our current update that we just completed so maybe Mr kosnik can address that in a moment in terms of the the racialized language um as each of you probably can appreciate um that is a very deep topic that is a do topic that requires extensive study and extensive conversation um we have begun that work um in terms of um additional Partnerships that we've entered into to support us um the Anti-Defamation League being an example of of one um and so we're in that conversation stage about what exactly does racialized language mean to an adult what's it mean to a student what's it mean to an African-American what's it mean to a white person what's it mean to a Latino um and so we're in that getting started conversation stage so there isn't necessarily an outcome at this point except very uh safe and honest conversations um just to give you an example of the n-word what what does that mean um and and how is that perceived in certain circumstances and so it's just really important that we go slow in that particular one to make sure that we uh bring together all the perspectives in terms of a timeline think I discover where you're looking at just a header that's mislabeled that says 2022 2023 we can get that fixed but if you look at each update that's been posted we just finished our December January update which was by Dr Smith and has been posted um each of the updates does give a date of when those were presented or when those were published so for example the person look here says January 25th 2024 so each individual update gives when it was last modified but I believe you're referring to the overall and your question for D3 yes please a couple years ago we did have a district level team that convened to create um a levels of Behavior Support document that was uh in designed for administrators really to to give us a range of consequences for when a behavior of infraction occurred and um it is our our aim is to have that team reconvene to have some of those things that are mentioned in D3 and I can't call them off the top of my head but you just shared what is is involved there um the team would would reconvene so that we can add some of those items that you mentioned so further further Define some of those terms and so the the work is to come it just the team has not been reconvened as yet thank you very much thank you for the that um and always board as always um when we have something on the agenda and there are deeper questions we can always um email those in advance so that we can it's easier to give those answers at the de okay um are there any more questions we have about the board the board I have more of a comment um just to kind of back off of what uh Mrs Dunn said I found that even for um category H um racialized language and in formal settings um I appreciate the work that we've been doing with restorative practices because a lot of times too I know that it's been helpful for me the intent when you have that conversation and you sit down and what is the intent behind this and so um it's been helpful for me as a parent um those practices have been able to help identify and help to have those conversations that are extremely that's hard that's hard um so that was that for it I'm actually I'm still brainstorming off of it because when you have a husband that's in the union um this one pertains to the um work Pathways I don't know what that would look like being on the board goals but I know that trades have decreased tremendously um I hear conversations quite often as they're looking for people um what would that look like as far I know that it's in our strategic plan and we literally have the metrics for it we have all of that but what would that look like if it were on our Bo board goal so I'm finding language on what that would look like but just so that we are staying what the world is talking about we're also making sure to have that measure and to have that combo too so that's my brainstorm for right now but as far as the trades what would it look like to miss Pucket I I know that that's very important and I know that our um stage hands Union has been desperate to get help this week for the All-Star games um and had a lot of openings for older teenagers um that would give them both training and um pay them you know $35 an hour so I I think that we can look into that as we formulate our board goals we'll discuss at our winter retreat and as we begin to discuss that here in the room we'll we we'll look at that that was yeah that was it good where that's represented currently is in the graduation raid Technical Honors diplomas that captures all of our students who graduate through McKenzie in a pathway that have also taken dual credit and more of our kids are going to get honors diplomas this year absolutely we're very excited about that okay um yeah I just had a couple comments um so for other parents who have said I've heard about the Strategic plan what is it um I wasn't part of the committee um if they're they're asking me I was but um I wanted to comment on Slide Five um it said that the updates are on the dashboard for anyone who wasn't aware at ltschools.org and it it's very easy to navigate um to it's just one click right there on the front page and so I thank you all for putting that on there so if anyone in the public has uh questions about what are the current updates on the Strategic plan they can go right there thank you the same would hold true for our Equitable student outcomes yes correct yes or you could just print them off and carry them around in your that's normal yeah literally what I just for those of us that like to write on paper and then the other quick question comment I had was on safety um I know we had the um the nice coverage on WTHR and we've seen it firsthand as parents and board members um the new devices that are have been implemented in our uh middle and high school um and it sounds this is going well so far um fewer bottlenecks is that correct on going very well yes as we run at the high school over excess of 2400 at each building so going very smoothly we tweaked it here and there as we learn how to do that and the students had done great so just as a comparison we were covering a few doors at our high schools and not at our middle schools we were covering with with detection devices and the students did not necessarily know what doors they would be at but we weren't covering all of our students until these last couple weeks we are now every student walks through um walks through a a metal detector correct up to this point we were doing randoms from the bus and then from parent drop offs so now we are doing a 100% at both uh areas of each building both at the high school and middle school McKenzie and laa and if we want to move let's say we want to move those devices to a game entrance or to the music entrance we're covered they're very portable we'll use them inside they are water resistant so we can use them outside and inside both fabulous thank you for that question yes I apologize if if you already addressed it and I missed it I was trying to read them any who um how is the flow going because I think of those that go to school early to get breakfast so students that need that breakfast and so and also too for St is it affecting tardies which then can affect discipline so what does the flow look like dayt day it's less than a second a person so uh yeah it has not uh limited class time or eating uh uh it actually's gone much quicker than us doing the random now that we're doing 100% it it's taken even less time so going very well all right thank you sir Mr Smith you had a subject matter expert I don't want people to know who he is but he's sitting in the back of the room Mr Ron Rimmel yes sir Mr Rimmel would you stand and give the Mr Rimmel handles that for the Wildcats every day how has the flow worked for you as our coordinator security for Lawrence norf High School hello board so I'm not only coordinate for Lawrence North High School I'm also the coordinator for the district uh Mr Parish impose that will on me for taking care and leading this so this month of February I'm gathering data uh and I'm trying to get everybody to send me numbers just to kind of give you a quick idea what we're what we're doing uh on the average right now on the district every day we're checking between 8,900 8600 to up to about 10,000 people depending on how those events and that those things are going on so we're we're really moving a lot of people through these detectors now at the beginning of the day at Lawrence North High School typically got we're running about 20 uh 2200 to 2600 depending on a Green Day red day kids are getting in before uh the first Bell uh to get to their to to start their day so there there's been really no uh impact on on their movement coming in uh the transportation people been really great about adjusting a little bit some things for us at North and our timelines are are just moving real well the kids are very receptive and even the parent lines are moving fairly quick so we we haven't seen anything significant um so I mean if you I'm I'm going to have more numbers as we Pro we progress through February I told them February is the my kind of my test month to see what we're looking at but I've seen nothing that's uh has been impactful I mean we're doing 1300 kids a day at McKenzie so kids are not only going in one building if they're going from high school to high school whatever door they're going in uh they are being checked so they're getting some sometimes getting checked two three four times during the day if our car riders that's that's always a good thing because the cars are huge unknown with us especially with security in the buildings so they're they're constantly they know and uh the biggest thing is just trying to stay ahead of those extra movements and those doors where we're a little bit uncovered uh so we're using the cameras a lot more and keeping a keeping a a close eye on those so it's helped us increase security measures a little bit better the secondary level appreciate you Ron rmel thank you very much thank you Ron we appreciate you um I would like to say um regarding people that I took the anonymous survey today and I really was impressed with the questions their appropriate questions and allow um the particip to go into as much detail as they want so thank you for that um and I do also want to mention that our PD I'm very proud that our professional development includes the Lawrence Township summer teachers Academy it's a phenomenal week of learning for teachers and staff I want to thank you for that um I'm excited about 13 and 14% growth in I ready big deal that's great and as for the the rest the I read and the I learn we'll we'll see that when it comes in yes so just want to again thank you for the opportunity to ask questions I did have speaking of people um the exit interview data curious as to how we might be able to improve the percentage of individuals who are completing that survey 14% does seem a little low so just wondering how we might encourage people so that we can use that data in an efficient and effective way um to make decisions um our HR team is constantly brainstorming as we look at each month those that have left and those that participate and what we can tweak and do and sometimes um emails you know um are they doing it before they leave do we reach out to them after they've left just trying to look at all those types of logistics do principls give that uh staff member who's leaving the opportunity prior to we send it direct directly from HR so that that employee might feel comfortable in doing it so that it's not really going through the building principle but as soon as we receive a resignation we're sending that thank you and I do want to just appreciate the opportunity to ask questions because doing so on behalf of the constituents not just myself so if I do email sometimes that doesn't allow members of the public to to hear some of the questions I I'm sorry I wasn't clear I meant emailing so that the staff is prepared for the answer I we certainly want to ask these questions in public at at all times um anything else if there's nothing else we we'll move on to our action items first up in action items the approval of the additional Appropriations um Mr miles thank you madam president Dr Smith members of the board at this time I recommend the board approve the additional Appropriations to the rainy day fund as submitted any questions all those in favor of the additional Appropriations I I I closed oh yeah so moved oh second sorry second Amy moved I'll second properly moved and seconded thank you Miss blankin ship um all those in favor I I any opposed the eyes have it um and now we'll move on to the approval of the Personnel report Miss Johnson Madame President Dr Smith and members of the board we present the personnel report for your approval so moved second properly moved and seconded any questions all those in favor of approving the Personnel report I I I any opposed eyes have it board do you have some any we have time for comments so anyone who would like to make a comment this evening go ahead um we had some bears in the house I just wanted to say congrats to the Lawrence Central uh girls team on their uh first ever Regional Championship they were really fun to watch and good luck at Southport correct um on Saturday um the other thing too that came to mind was the legislator U session it's a short session right now we've recently been meeting with our local state legislators um but but I've learned some good nuggets from the expanded group of the legislators they want to hear from us and they gave me the Nugget that the best time to start talking and gearing up for next year's budget year is to reach out during the summer when it's more casual um because there's a lot of things that affect our community on uh safety funding pay um just so many things um that we need to interact with them on and they want to hear from us so um just the little uh tidbit they gave me they said please email or call us during the summer we have six correct and um I know like the two that um I'm a constituent of our of um are always very accessible so I just wanted toh thank them for their work good notes second second third and fourth making sure that our voices I heard there's a lot of bills going through things please reach out the more that you guys reach out it just helps just to Advocate and yeah thank you and and if any stakeholders want to know what we're advocating for get in touch with us yes we'll let you know it's done um I do have a quick comment and I wanted to make this very clear to our teachers our staff our administrators our families and our students Lawrence Township our middle name is innovation we have we have one had one of the first career in tech centers before it became a state initiative we probably have the largest and uh deepest um Spanish language program in the state of Indiana in the midwest it's so well known that when my daughter was studying teaching English as a second language in Oxford England it was brought up as an example of how to do it right um we are one of the first school systems to um initiate stem for all our buildings are full we just had a survey Panorama survey from our parents um the vast majority of our parents are very happy with their children's education and the opportunities offered to them this board this Administration will not be bringing in charter schools as Innovations in this District rest assured um and that's something you as stakeholders need to keep an eye on moving forward um that's all I'm going to say about that Dr Smith I have nothing Madam president thank you um and we got to wish the bears go Bears this weekend 27 and one semi State 10: a.m.