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thank you all right this time we'll go into public comments we have one person signed up to speak I'm Stephanie York good evening my name is Stephanie y i a teacher at Bailey Elementary School I currently teach kindergarten and have been with the district for 12 years I'm attending this meeting and speaking up about concerns I have in regards to the two e-learning days that we have to complete every week when I first went into education I always said I will never get into the politics of Education I will stick to the four walls of my classroom and just worry about what happens in my classroom boy was I so naive I understand the situation our district is facing when it was mentioned in the spring of last year that we were expected to do two days of e-learning I told my husband well this is it I'm going to have to leave the district that I am in it was my husband who told me that I should really tough it out and wait and see because he knew how much I loved it here and how much I would regret my decision so just as we do with family we stick it out the tough times and we try to push it through I love working with the families of this city and I love working with their kids so I just said we have to get over this little bump I'm just very curious though as to why the teachers were not asked about recommendations for what we could could do to help for this upcoming school year then when suggestions were brought up we were told the deadline has passed and we can't submit a change what was the time frame and why couldn't the teachers families and administration for the Lake Station families have an open for to discuss these concerns and see if we could reach a resolution there are so many conversations we could have had to discuss possible solutions to make this easier on the families teachers and most importantly the kids I also want to mention the number of hours that these children are required by the state of Indiana to sit in front of a computer I made the comment to another teacher that we would be livid if we heard a parent say yes I allow my kid to watch TV for seven hours or play on their iPad for six hours we would be so mad about that it is hard as a teacher to keep 155 year olds engaged and actively listening and participating through a computer for that length of time I can't control the events that are taking place in their home and I can't monitor their level of understanding or provide feedback the way a 5-year-old needs to hear it it doesn't matter how many breaks I give them and trust me I give them a lot of breaks these kids are not motivated to learn through a screen I am the first experience of school for most of these kids and they are already hating school I have parents telling me they are crying when we come back from lunch because they just want to be in school how am I supposed to explain that to a 5-year-old that this is what school's supposed to be like for two days a week please I encourage one of you to come to my classroom and explain this to them because I can't this isn't what school is meant to me to be we learn from covid that virtual learning is not effective I mean you all are grown adults and you're sitting on a board and you're expected to listen to me for three minutes do you you remember every word I said can you recite any word for word what I said I don't mean that to be disrespectful I'm just really trying to make this an eye openening experience for you guys I really hope that in November the ref the referendum passes for the sake of our Lake Station kids the teachers of Lake station are being made to feel like constant failures since we are unable to reach our students like we would in a regular setting they deserve better than this because I sincerely can't keep doing it through a computer screen thank you um I understand it's a little unorthodox to respond to the public comments right away like this but I would like to take this opportunity to respond first of all thank you so much for coming tonight and for sharing your comments secondly I understand yeah of course yeah of course um so naturally this is not what we want to be doing for our children um some of the decisions that were made for it are in part because we had to give a certain amount of notice before we could cancel Transportation because there had to be a two-year notice before we could cancel transportation and with just to be on the safe side if the referendum were not to be continued we had to put that in place then financially speaking I understand that ma' it sounds like your concern is more towards the state than us listen well and if if I can yes and if I can if I can finish explaining I'll I'll no it doesn't but what I wanted to explain is that in case the referendum failed in case we couldn't get it to continue we had to put that notice in place two years ago because otherwise the alternative would be to have waited until November of last year to see if the referendum passed and then start the notice now which then would mean that we would be legally required to provide transportation with no funding to do [Music] so the meeting it was a public meeting and publicly posted man I understand your frustration believe me I don't I I don't want to we don't want to make these types of decisions I have I have three kids in the schools myself that take I I have three kids in the schools that take the bus this is not what I want to be doing okay if I could interrupt for just a minute this really isn't not meant to be a question and answer session and you know we're happy to respond to some of these things but the bottom line is this every month we have meetings we've had meetings for as long as I have been representing these this board and long before that once a month at a minimum since Co these meetings have been broadcast online to where if you are working you can watch them at a time that's that you're available we are required to give the public information and how we do it is through these meetings we've this was something that was voted on two years ago in a public meeting that meeting was broadcast you know this has been something that has been discussed meeting after meeting after meeting in the financial meetings that we have so you know it's unfortunate that some members of the community are saying we didn't know we're trying to let you know and how we let you know is through these meetings and we're giving you every opportunity to see the meeting you can watch the meeting in the middle of the night if that's what your schedule allows ma'am well I I no and I and I completely understand that but what I also want to point out is that we didn't just vote on it two years ago and never talk about it again we we we well right we well and if you don't mind I just I just want to explain a couple of things just to give a better understanding of what's going on a little bit too so part of the reason for the change to e-learning also and not just allowing the kids in the school building five days a week regardless of our transportation sit situation currently is that requirement for the two-year notice so if we were to allow kids into the schools five days a week or if we required it we would be breaching that notice so that is the reason for the the e-learning because we can't require kids to be in school five days a week but not provide transportation or not no we did not no we did not that is that is not what he said you're not understanding and you know we we gave the notice for cutting Transportation two years ago as the law requires the decision to change to the two days e-learning was just made recently in the last few months here while we you know were trying to figure out what we could do with the money that we have available and with what remaining referendum funds we have until the end of the year because starting next year we have no referendum funds and that's why we made the cut so that we can afford to provide that Transportation through February where we won't have referendum money to do so no we did not no we had a we we it gets spent every year to operate the schools there's no there's no savings account there's no extra money it all gets spent on Transportation is about $850,000 a year is that 800,000 $800,000 a year the referendum brings in roughly 1.3 million so the referendum money it's not broken up this way we had to budget it out there's a whole plan for it that we have to present for how the the funds are used each year but just to lay it out here in a way that I think is easier to understand is that almost the entire referendum money is used up could be used up by transportation and nip go alone so when we lose a million and a half dollars almost and we have to figure out what we need to do that's that's where the difficult decisions come at so come February when we can cut Transportation entirely if the referendum does not pass children will be back in school 5 days a week with no Transportation if it doesn't passes we will cut transportation in February entirely for our general education students but the kids will be in school five days a week at that time well support the referend hopefully in November and and I and I'll be happy to help you out with that too absolutely right and and we do have well and we do you can't you can't do that to the children and right and and this is why I encourage you all whether you're sitting here today or whether you're listening online or going to watch it at another time to to watch these meetings come to the meetings be informed because if you are not informing yourself or in it if you are not allowing yourself to take in the information that we are giving within the parameters that we're allowed to give it because we cannot give it home in the book bag the school the state law doesn't allow that we have parameters and things that we can do we're going to have meetings coming special meetings in September special meetings in October a few different times we'll advertise those you can come they'll be broadcast online if you if if you're working and you don't have the opportunity to come we're going to give you every opportunity to just like we always do to continue to inform yourselves well and and I'll tell you right now too obviously we have other business that we have to get to tonight as well but if you have a few minutes after the meeting I'll gladly stop and take some time I have some paperwork here that I could show you some things too so I can explain it to you uh it is not our intention to make uh the the people of this city make a decision without information of course and I'm happy to provide as much as I can and explain it to you more in detail um that's super job yeah we we we cannot be distributed at school it's against the law you're you're upset with us because we're not breaking the law we can't break the law you said that's well as board members we have talked about the referendum meeting after meeting after meeting after meeting after meeting after meeting for years that's again you're upset with us because you didn't know you you needed to educate yourself on that okay so with that being said and I'm not trying to be disrespectful if you're taking it that way it's your responsibility as a parent to know what's going on within your child of the school and the school meetings and all that that's your responsibility I'm not gonna I shouldn't have to go to every door and knock on there and say hey we're having a meeting tomorrow there's a school website that post it we have talked about the referendum for at this point years because we talked about it previously when it fa failed last time if we've talked about it all year this year all year last year we've given as much as a notice as everything that they possibly can of the referendum and of these meetings they're publicly posted on the website you can't you say you work at dangerous well then you're not looking at it so you say you work 12 hours I'm in the same page I work you work a dangerous job so do I but I'm here person and when I can't be I'm online you have to do your part you can't be mad at us because you're not doing your part our meetings are the third Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m without fail there might be one or two that are are different but the entire year that's what they are um Miss TOA could you identify yourself because a lot of people online wouldn't know who you are sure I'm Tara Tober I'm an attorney with Tober law offices and I have represented the school board in the district for many years and so like I said I I know we have other things we have to take care of but like I said if you can stick around a little bit after the meeting I want to go over it with you and fill you in okay okay at this time I'm gonna turn the me to Dr CRI okay thank you Mr President good evening everyone thank you for coming to tonight's meeting and those of you watching us online thank you for watching us online we have to do basically two meetings tonight so let me explain what we're doing for tonight's meetings we are going to put the scho board meeting on pause for a moment because by state law we need to do a public Hearing in regards to collective bargaining negotiating with our teachers the teachers contract has expired this past June so we need to meet to renegotiate that teachers contract in the coming months before we can engage in formal negotiations with the teachers we need to have public hearing so we'll pause the Schoolboard meeting for that purpose at this time I'd like to introduce to everyone this evening Mrs Cynthia mcnight who serves as the president of our teachers union and she will join me at the table for our public hearing okay we'll call the public hearing to order at this particular time the purpose of the meeting we will talk about and explain to everyone right now with Mrs mcnight beginning that narrative for us okay thank you uh Dr cripper and I would like to take this opportunity to um welcome everybody to this public hearing the purpose of this hearing as Dr kpp said is for the school corporation and the Teachers Association to take public testimony on the subject of teachers bargaining these topics do include teacher salaries teachers wages and teachers fringe benefits which include accident sickness Health dental vision life disability coverage retirement retirement benefits and paid time off as permitted by the bargaining unit or bargaining under Indiana code 20 28- 9-11 thank you Mrs M uh this is a time that is not a question and answer session rather it is a time to provide the opportunity to our public to give input as to the topics of teacher bargaining anyone wishing to make a comment May stand and do so at this time once yes thank you I understand thank you for your comment anyone else have additional comments pertaining to collective bargaining the teachers and the administration School Board going twice three times all right thank you for coming to participate in the public hearing and we will at this time adjourn the public hearing in and resume our school board meeting at this time thank you okay Mr President if I may continue yes always do we will begin the school board business at hand this evening M oh um I have it streaming on line as well just to make sure there are a lot of people saying that they can't hear I don't know if there's a a volume adjustment or something we can do just reading the comments that's all no I appreciate that we'll see if we can make those adjustments so our audience can hear so I appreciate that thank you okay we will begin with our consent agenda this evening under under the consent agenda we have approved approval of minutes Financial fiscal extracurricular resignations extracurricular hirings and donations and at this time I would recommend to the board that they approve the consent agenda as presented this evening Dr CRI could you read off the donations please yes thank you under donations I would like to recognize and express our sincere appreciation for the donations that are being made this evening to the varsity football program those donations are coming from Glass City of $500 an anonymous donor is making a donation of $624 N3 Dean orange Auto is making a donation of $300 Luna local 81 is making a donation of $500 and Al alusa and I apologize if I mispronounce that name is making a donation of $100 and we greatly appreciate our community members and our community businesses for supporting our football program as well as our schools and our athletic programs thank you Dr ker have you heard the recommendation Mr chairman make a motion to we pass moot have a motion to accept do we have a second second motion a second is there any discussion on the items he we'll take the vote Mr Bigs hi Miss Curtis hi Mr music hi Mr Wright hi and I vote I going on to items and the Personnel I'm recommending to the board regretfully that we accept the resignations of the following staff members Jessica camer Title One facilitator Susie Daniels health assistant Robert Ashby a fourth grade teacher and Amelia Thurman our band director Bo pleasure so move second motion a second for a discussion um obviously uh hate to see any of our teachers go um this has been a tough year for it obviously um I wish them well in their future endeavors of course though um and uh as usual hopefully we can get things on track here and uh you know get some get some more attaction in the right direction so thank you Mr music any other discussion take a vote Mr BS hi Miss Curtis hi Mr music hi Mr R hi and I vote I item number two I recommend to the board they approved to hire the following Lake Station police officers as our SRO for the 2425 school year those officers are James Richardson stepen Peak Noah friselle Angelo rera leis Flores Luke Shaw Daniel Perryman Kyle Olen Isaac agular and Jesus Alvarez so Mo motion second we have a second second yes any discussion take to vote Mr Bigs hi M Curtis hi Mr music hi Mr Wright hi and you vote and I vote I I I saying about the buying I can ask you is the buying better now they are saying okay great all right that's where my thought went I'm sorry thanks the third item under Personnel I'm recommending to the board this evening they approve to hire the following staff members Angela Krueger fourth grade teacher at Bailey Andrea defier fourth grade teacher at Hamilton Elementary and ginger Bailey instructional support specialist Angela we're putting over at Bailey recommendation so move second motion and we have a second by somebody any discussion on the item take the vote Mr Bigs hi M Curtis hi Mr music hi Mr Wright I and I vot I there you there item number four I'm recommending to the board this evening that they approv to hire the following PA professional staff and I'm pleased to say that these uh PR professionals that are listed this evening with the exception of one has been a pair professional in our school district working with our students and working with our teachers and only because of increased funding in title one which is a federally funded program are we able to do this and I'm I'm very very pleased to be able to bring these pray professionals back in our district working in our schools those pair of professionals are Stacy jimie Sher Kennedy Ivon McClendon Kathy langman Samantha Hudak Alexandria day Teresa alorn and the newest pair of professional to join that list is Chastity Martin I recommend to the board that they we approve hiring these par professionals Mr chairman I make a motion to we accept we have a motion to accept do we have a second second motion the seconds or any discussion um yeah briefly as uh Dr KP liver had mentioned um this is as a result of Title One funding so it is a federally funded program um this is something that I mentioned a while back on social media if you noticed any of my comments there is that we were going to look and see how many of our PA of professionals we would be able to bring back or hire new ones based on that title one funding which obviously we didn't get until closer to the the start of the school year so that's why we are able to bring them back and bring someone else on and my understanding is that we are looking for more as well because the title One funds are there for it and we want our teachers to get as much support in the classroom as possible so yeah I was GNA say how how glad I am that um that we are hired the prayer professionals they're so important in the classrooms um they're basically the teachers right right hand and uh they're almost like another teacher of classroom I'm very glad we have them but I'm also going to take an opportunity here talk about school financing because it's very confusing you have all different kinds of pies that you can only use money out of that pie for certain things Title One is federal money you only use for Title One funds operational that's our buses our superintendents our maintenance a bunch of other stuff have the educational fund our teacher salars and so forth and then people asking why we able to redo the track those were federal funds from es basically Co funds that could only be used for maintenance we could not use that for busing so you know all these pieces of pots that we have of money can only be used for certain things that's why sometimes you can hire per professionals but you can't have get busing so I I just want to make that clear why some things get paid or hired or redone because the money comes out of different pots and you can't combine them and and there and and if I can add to that when you receive federal dollars from the government if you do not use them in the way that the Federal government says You must that's just money that's free money that's lost and so we had this money that was expiring and it had to be utilized by a particular date otherwise it was just going to fly out the window so you have to use it you you'd be silly not to in a way that's prescribed by the federal government and this the redoing the track was one of the things that we could have used that money we to give the money back we could not use it for transportation or teacher Sals or for just a moment going back to the title One funds and you know partially with our pair professionals here the other thing to keep in mind is that Title One funds have a few different uses that they can be used for and by using the title One funds for our pair of professionals that's kind of we're shifting some of what we would have used it for towards bringing those people back so it's there's a give and take to all of this and you know for example something like the referendum where it does help us fund our schools we could we could bring people on board with using referendum funds and that title one money could have been used somewhere else so that's the the the the tug-of-war we're playing with the finances and where they come from and how they have to be used so uh keep that in mind as well when when we make some of these decisions it's about where we can use it and what we should use it on what's going to be the most impactful but there's always a trade-off there's something that we could be missing out on because of the decisions we have to make to to shore us up in one way or another thank you Mr M any other comments yeah our hand our hands are tied where we can only use money certain places everybody thinks it's one big pot and we just draw from that that's not the way it works the state's got it set up to where you got different separate funds for different things you cannot cross Mr pigs any other comments we Tak a vote Mr pigs hi Miss Curtis hi Mr music hi Mr Right hi and I vote I we be on to items under new business item number one I'm recommending to the board this evening that they approve board policy 6325 titled procurement in regards to federal grants and federal funds and I'm recommending to the board that they approve policy 32201 titled teacher appreciation Grant and these policies are annually reviewed and annually voted upon by the board at this seat tonight I'm recommending to the board approval of these two policies for the superintendent's recom recommendation move we have a second M K can have the move I'll take the second thank you any discussion on the items take the vote Mr Bigs hi M Curtis hi Mr music hi Mr Wright hi can I vote I we have a facility request for the board to consider this evening and that request is coming from the Civil Air Patrol to use Edison Junior Senior High School gym track and classroom on Tuesday evenings between August 27th and June 4th 2025 from the hours of 6: PM to 900 p.m the Civil Air Patrol this would be their fourth year of using our facilities here at Edison Junior Senior High School they have been good partners and good positive relationships with the Air Patrol leadership and those Civil Air Patrol Cadets that have participated in that program so at this time I would recommend the board approval so move second I have a motion and second any discussion vote Mr Bigs hi M Curtis hi Mr music hi Mr wght hi and I vot I Mr President that is all the business at hand for the board for this evening I do want to announce to our audience online as well as here this evening that our next school board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday September 18th here Edison Junior Senior High School in the community room and that meeting will start at 7 pm thank you Mr President thank you Dr k Mr BS have any paron comments yeah uh thank you Mr Stover for hosting us again uh I need the public in the audience out there too in the on our web page but I need people to understand that we're doing the best we can do with the funding that we receive it's not like we make decisions we want to make it's because we have to make the state law makes you follow their order that's all I got to say I just want everybody to realize we're doing the best with your funds Financial money as best we can thank you thank you Mr B Curtis yeah excuse me well Miss York I agree with you uh it was well done I don't know if I could get up and make those statements like you did tell your husband that you um absolutely are un Target about your concerns and you have a right to be as an employee for parents uh thank you very much for your comments I hope we can come to some understanding about our struggle and how to communicate with you more and and the parameters and what we can do to help you get all the information that you need so we've had previous comments about our transportation 32 we've had uh individuals stand up and say it's not data driven I'm telling you a lot of work went in so that we could take our time and look as a board on our decision it wasn't done lightly we didn't capriciously just throw it out there to inconvenience teachers and parents it was done for a specific reason and I think that as a community we'll be more knowledgeable about this vote coming up so I appreciate the time to make that statement and this is lovely to have people in the audience I know it's under strenuous circumstances um it's under circum ances that I would like to have go away but we as a community have to work these details out and we can do it we can absolutely come in from the teachers union perspective Administration perspective parent perspective and individual desires to get this resolved I did post onb on and I didn't just invite just the school I invited the whole city okay it's not just about us it's kids absolutely everybody in the so it's not just school yeah I agree with that wholeheartedly thank you very much and this gentleman hopefully will be able to answer all of the minute questions that you have that's a little bit beyond what I've taken the time to look at the only thing that I've looked at is the the property tax environment of our family but he in his discussions has talked about other families and other situations so he's helping educate me as well thank you thank you Mr mus um so yeah a few things that I want to address obviously circling back for just a moment um on why the students can't be in the classroom so again you know this is partially because of you know the legal requirement for the notice um it's also you know the transportation decision in general was also made in part due to us wanting to keep as many teachers as possible because obviously I mean e-learning is hard enough as it is imagine e-learning with you know 30 or 40 kids in a classroom you know um so that was part of it too we wanted to keep as many teachers as possible um so that was part of the financial decision behind that as well um once again you know we had to give as much notice of the two-year notice and that's why we've kind of had to go with this hybrid situation for right now um I will reiterate I've said this a bunch of times already before but if the referendum is uh if it passes in November we will be getting right back to the five-day Transportation as quickly as possible obviously probably won't be the exact same week that the the referendum passes but within you know I would hope you know the next week or two afterwards we'd be back to five-day Transportation as quickly as possible um there is another note on Transportation with when when it comes to special education students so um if their IEP requires that they receive transportation we are required by federal law to provide it tell what IEP is uh so I don't know as much about IEPs but it's a plan it's a plan it is a plan for you know student that we must follow to yeah individual educational plans um I I you know as far as that goes there's different different verions of an IEP but if if their's requires that they receive transportation we are required by federal law to provide it so that's part of the reason why we've had to make the adjustments on Transportation as well is because we still have to provide that Transportation even if our funding gets cut in half and now we have to figure out how we can juggle things to make sure we're still providing those those students that are required to have transportation that Transportation so that was another part of it as well um couple of other things that pop up a a little bit here and there so I wanted to mention them is um I've seen a few people online that are mentioning you know their opposition to the referendum and such and they don't actually pay our referendum so I want you to make sure that you you know if you have a question about you know what school district you're in you may be living in Lake Station but you could be in the River Forest school district and you're paying a different referendum so um that's just kind of a general you know knowledge thing there so if you have any questions about about it I'm more than happy to to help point you in the right direction to make sure you know which referendum you're paying because honestly at this point you know most there's plenty of schools in the area uh in Lake County that have referenda in place so it's not just here um but just so just so you're aware of your own tax situation if you have any questions about that I'm happy to help you know point that out to you I know sometimes it could be our school district layout between River Forest and Lake Station it's a little bit of a weird map so um it can be a little hard to read at times but I'm happy to help if I can um but please make sure that you know if if if you are you know a part of the River Forest School District understand that you will not be paying the Lake Station referendum on top of the River Forest referendum uh I I've seen some concern about that as well um other than that Tara Tara also mentioned that we do have these meetings every uh third Wednesday of the month at 7 o'clock so please make sure you you know catch them online obviously they're on the Facebook page so you can catch them after the fact too so please you know show up or log in or watch it the next day or something like that um also you know make sure that uh you know you go online and check your voter registration um you have to be registered by October 7th I believe to be able to vote in this election and you know vote in favor of the referendum ideally um we really want to get back to normal for these kids that's what they deserve and that's what we're here to do is you know provide the best learning opportunities and experience for the kid for the kids so um please you know again if you catch me online or something like that um you know you can always ask a question and I'll do my best to answer and then like I said if you want to stick around for a few minutes I would be happy to explain some things and help you out with that thank you thank you Mr music start uh yeah Mr thanks for hosting us and everybody in attendance and online uh thank you for joining us um as it was stated earlier you know it's for the whole community that is absolutely right I would love to have to move these meetings to a much larger room I'd love to have to have it in the auditorium I'd love to see hundreds of people here asking us these questions um they they're great questions to be asked so uh I think everybody up here is for that um the donators I just want to send a special shout out to you guys thank you so much for donating to our um I believe it's the football team correct our football team um welcome to the new teachers and staff that we have and welcome back so Air Patrol it's awesome to see you guys in uh Miss York that is correct right thank you for your comments it takes a lot to stand up in front of a room um and in front of a community and and and speak your mind um I agree it it's not easy it's not fun and when we all had to vote on this uh we were we all had the same thing in our head and I apologize that it puts you in a hard spot I really do I wish there was a an easier answer unfortunately with everything that was thrown at us um at that time this is just what was decided was the best option was it a good option no it was just the best option at the time so I apologize that your job is not as fun or as easy um or as awarding as it should be and I hope it gets easier for you effective as well yes absolutely um again I just want to jump back a little bit I know it's almost like a [Music] um a record here but the referendum has been talked about for years um it if if you don't or haven't heard us talking about the referendum in the last two years you haven't done your part um we talk about it every meeting it's online plastered everywhere it's on Facebook plastered everywhere uh board members are active on Facebook we comment back as much as we can excuse me as much as we can so to say that we haven't put the information out there um it's not true um we have to do our part as a community it's not just people who are in this in the school as a community to make our community that we live in the best community possible and everybody will tell you when you go to move to a community one of the first things you look at are the schools strong schools make a strong Community a well-funded school is going to make a strong School the referendum will put us back into that position of being a well-funded school the State continuously and year after year they come to us with cuts here and cuts there and it's like again like like Mr music said we are not the only school on a referendum there are Mr cripp are you aware of how many just in our area are lo I mean numbers I mean I I don't know even know if that's a number you could know to be honest with you there's a lot there's a lot of schools that are on referendum um our our neighbor schools River Forest they're on a referend like it's it's it's a common thing now um and unfortunately it has to be common because that's the only way schools are being funded anymore so please come out to our meetings come out to we're gonna have special meetings like it was mentioned earlier that are going to be speaking just facts and and educate people on just a referendum September and October we're gonna have quite a few is that correct yes that's correct so again that'll be posted on the website we cannot send it home with your kids cannot do that ma'am I am I apologize if you think I'm bashing you okay I am not it was mentioned to send the information home with the children I was just reminding that we cannot do that if somebody you're fine for problem when ites everybody information properly and I understand that but there's there's parameters we have to the only reason I was mentioned that again was not personal to anybody but if somebody heard that online earlier saying send it home with the kids and they did not hear that we cannot do that that's all that is for there are more people than just this room right now that are that are in attendance of this meeting um if anybody thinks we can send this information home to your children we cannot do that um please come out support your schools support your community and let's grow as a whole that is all I have thank you very much Cas it's my turn um just the the whole thing about the two-year busing we have to give two years notice before we can stop busing okay we did it two years ago just in case referendum failed and unfortunately he did so it's not like we really planned for it or wanted it but we knew we would not have the money if the referendum failed so we actually did our due diligence in a way two years ago and said hey if that referendum fails we will not have the money for busing uh Tammy I'm going to throw you on the bus here a minut or ask you a hard question hope you know the answer you don't just tell me so our we have four basically three budgets right we got title funds we have an education bud and an operating fund the operating fund is our administrative staff's uh salaries and benefits our our uh maintenance our custodians Mr President if I could interrupt and answer that question because I'm probably doing something wrong no you're doing fine the operation fund and and in the title of its name is really what it is and operates the schools and that's the fund that we're asking for a referendum to help support and that operating fund pays for transportation bus replacement capital projects Capital Improvements repairs and maintenance the school administration Center the business office Human Resources custodial staff maintenance and grounds utility bills nipco water bill property Fleet and liability insurance for the school district and for the school board and those are the only things that can be paid out of the operation fund that also is the only fund that is property or property tax supported so when we talk about the education fund there is no property taxes that you pay that go into the education fund that fund is 100% supported by the state of Indiana the operations fund that's supported by local property taxes and that's the fund that due to circuit breakers property tax credits to the tax creditor or to the taxpayer it's the same thing just different terminology and to the 1% 2% and 3% increases in your net assessed evaluation all of those come into play in funding the operations fund and that's why we need an operating referendum to help supplement that fund it's not a windfall it's not extra money it's simply replacing money that the state has taken away from the schools and the majority of our school districts in Northwest Indiana have operating referendums Chesterton has two of them monster has more than three referendums communities in our central part of our state that are considered affluent communities such as Fishers Hamilton Southeastern School District they ran a referendum for the very first time last year carel a very affluent Community as one has considered it they ran a referendum last year so it isn't just small school districts or tiny districts it isn't based on poverty or enrollment or city size it's simply how the state has chosen to fund public schools and I'll be the one to tell you it's inadequate and it's unfair well that's cripper I could have said better myself by the way but but Tammy the question I was getting back to is so we but when the money comes in is this is your education fund this is your operating funds what have we been receiving the last couple years in our operating fund that we get from the state approximately I mean don't hold it to the penny or this is for approximation please well the last six years of our referendum our entire tax levy which is dollars we receive in the operating fund are are taken up by the circuit breaker meaning we receive zero property tax dollars in our operating fund for six years so the referendum that 54 cents per 100 dollar net assessed value was chosen specifically to subsidize that exact amount that we lose and our tax L and the operation so we get zero I thought it was we received zero property but how much we actually get almost per year in our operating fund from the exis and some other things there's exis there's a approximately I know one year is 150,000 right it depends but anywhere from 100,000 to about $300,000 a year our operating budget is $3.2 million that's what we need to run it so what we normally do is we take 15% out of the education fund because we're allowed to do that not a anyen more we put it in the operating fund referendum fund referendum money we put them together and that's our $3.2 million that we need to run the operating without that we're expect to do it with $150,000 to make a $3.2 million operation fund work that's what we're dealing with I just want to explain that to you that that's how difficult it is and I hate that we have to take 15 out of the education fund that should be more for our teachers and and so forth but that's where the facts are that that's what we have to do if we had more funding from the state we wouldn't have to do that the the education fund would have all that money and our operation fund would be fully funded by the state but it is not that's just the fact of it and uh we're trying to do our best we can with that so Mr y thank you for your comments is my grandkid in your class yes he is I've seen some of your classes you you do very well yeah and the everybody knows I have four kids at home e-learning so again I have some skin and that call it four kids and I'm usually watching two younger kids so there it's chaotic M house I know I want this over as much as anybody in the public I four kids e-learning it's it's it's rough good news is you do the meth I think there's only 20 e-learning days at this passes so believe me I know it's rough I know it's rough on everybody it's rough on me too and know I had to support because you hear the numbers there just really wasn't any other option for us and again that's why we did the whole two years ago if the F pass we we will have we're g to do busing we just can't I was just not there so um but anyway um yes ma'am go ahead to the school on Tuesdays and Thursdays on those days no M it comes back to what K was started talking about the law if we if we allow that then technically we're not busing them so somebody could seal us and saying they they able to go to school come get my kids or you're not busing if we allow we allow have some to come then we we we could get sued for not busing kids because you were in school learning and they had to e-learn because we wouldn't bus them and then we get Su I know it's conf I know yeah just got to be fair across the board for all all the so but um the referendum is coming U we we're getting the campaign mobilized and uh there will be a lot of information forthcoming and I sure hope everybody will uh support it because you see the numbers and there are people out there who will put Mis information on the internet like they really know what they're talking about and they don't I really wish they' come here and ask questions but they don't um so I'll leave that to somebody else to discuss um the other thing I want to mention is that we're still providing breakfast and lunch that's you know parents that have kids that need F they don't have money to pay for food then they don't have money to for gas H maybe I understand I understand some some are Walkers some are I I get it but yeah I know it's it's not perfect it's definitely lot a lot that I'm concerned this of it's not you know I'm a grandma I'm not me too aent Grand I have my grandson so it's another level so for me not to be involved I've been involved but in different districts you know my kids are there during the 30s you know so I got my grand kids you know for things that I don't want them for but they're here that's right understand and it's it's reality for all of us and you know for those who can do it though they are still serving lunch and breakfast there's no in school learning but Tuesdays and Thursdays you're more than welcome to go to the schools they they are serving lunch and breakfast every day so um that may help a little bit for ones who can do it on but can't um and by the way you can go to any school so if you have an Edison student live in the Hamilton District or the Bailey District that Edison student can go to Bailey or Hamilton and have breakfast or for lunch do they have to eat here yes they have to eat it here well good question and we're trying to work with the state to see if we can uh do some other things to make it a little bit easier for our parents all right well that's pretty much all I have thank you for coming it's really great to see everybody here I wish we had more participation like this you know we all get participation when it hits the fan so you know that's when they come so I don't know but that's the way that's the way it works um Mr do you have anything you like d i do I don't usually but I do today um as Dr kpp and some of the board members have said our schools in Indiana are grossly underfunded and they're underfunded because of our lawmakers and things that are going on down state which make referendums necessary unfortunately in this day and age and the only thing that I can tell you is if you don't like seeing districts in this position vote for different lawmakers and that's the only option that we have um Lake Station is one of the hardest hit communities in the entire state in terms of underfunding because of the circuit breaker and so you have a double whammy here because not only are you just underfunded like the rest of the state but it's worse for you because of this circuit breaker and and the tax situation so that has drastically affected your community um I can tell you that there isn't a single person sitting up here that isn't going to bend over backwards to answer any question that any person in the community has about this referendum this is so very important and if you ask Mr tenorio a question and he doesn't know the answer I guarantee you he will ask somebody else and get the answer for you and that's going to go for anybody that's sitting up here um there are a lot of legalities in terms of how we were even able to run this referendum this year because we had a failed referendum last year our lawmakers have said you're not allowed to run them backto back however there is a way that you can uh petition the state to be able to run them back to back and that is what we did it took a lot of hard work it took a lot of feet on the ground a lot of people getting signatures a lot of people um getting the petitions together working with the election board when I'm telling you this took months and months of work to be able to get to this point this year it did it took Dr cripp liver and myself working with the election board I have worked Direct ly with the Indiana Department of Education I have worked directly with the Department of uh local government Finance um we we have done all these things to be able to meet every deadline that needed to be met in order to place this on the ballot and and that is what we did if anybody has a question about any of those procedures you can feel free to contact me directly my office number is 21986 56666 I will be happy to answer any question that you have regarding the statute and how we were able to run this um but we have gotten approvals from every state agency that we needed approvals for and we've met those deadlines so if there are any other questions in that regard please feel free to to ask us and we will be happy to answer them I know that there has been a lot of Mis information on social media I have seen some of it um and again any questions that you have whether it be Mr trewick or anyone else that has a question please feel free to contact myself or anyone else up here for the correct information we'll be happy to give it to you also I just want to reiterate that like Mr Torio said not every taxpayer in Lake Station is going to be affected by this particular referendum if you live in River Forest districts you're paying River Forest referendum taxes not ours and I know that years ago when this referendum was first run and this board made up of some different Folks at the time some the same they sat down and they decided upon what kind of a tax burden to try and ask you taxpayers for in order to properly fund our schools and this was not a situation back then where they said let's ask for all kinds of money to run to have a windfall in Lake Station that that was not the case here it was at the time what can we get by on what can we get by on that is not going to overly burden the taxpayers and that was the rate that they went with at the time since then I will tell you Lake Station has lost more funding over the years based upon certain decisions that have been made down state that have affected Us Lake Station did not now go back to the taxpayers and say because we lost money we need you to pay more they do need you to pay more that's the reality they do but they're not asking you to pay pay more because they know that you're hurting too everybody is hurting right now and so they're going to get by or trying to get by just to have you pay the same the same amount that you've paid and been paying over the past seven years or or however much it's been is that going to be a hardship for the schools even still yes but they will they will make it up somehow they'll figure it out okay for some people we've been talking about this is going to I think you may be paying $7 a month some may be paying $14 a month you're paying that now and they're asking you to continue paying that okay that's what we're talking about here we're not talking about hundreds of dollars a month we're talking about in in many cases $7 $14 a month just to keep your schools operational and I and so I hope that as people on online as people in the community are talking about this you folks that are listening are asking the asking the questions you're getting the information from us you're writing it down you're you're telling people in the community who are saying things that are not true no you have the wrong information that's not what it is that's not the truth because the consequence of you not passing this referendum is going to be horrific for your community it in in comparison to the amount that it's really affecting your pocketbook right now and that's what they're asking you to continue and and and so just to reiterate please reach out to anybody up here at any time we'll get if we don't have the information that you need we'll get it for you because it means that much to everybody sitting up here to H to have you have the right information so that this can be successful for your kids and for your community thank you I know it's been a long night I got one more thing I want to say before we go when St talking about the people down state making laws that change everything the question that's going to be on the ballot is so misleading and I think the legislators down state do that on purpose I truly don't believe I don't believe they they want public education they want Charter Schools the question on the ballot going to make it seem like we're raising your property taxes 65% it is not they're gonna say exactly the same the question is is worded very strangely and I think they do want do that on purpose they don't want us to to do well so when we get our information out there please look at it on on what the question is actually stating because it sounds like we're going to raise your property tax is 65% it is not true going stay exactly the same as long as your house assess value stays the same you're going to pay the exact same thing you're paying today if it passes now they come back and say oh your house was worth 100,000 it's worth 200,000 now it will go up some but that's just because of the private tax not because of the referendum so so make sure everybody understands that it's been a long night anybody else that M peip sure uh we lost that last referendum by 14 votes uh somehow you guys figured it was not even 14 Vols and all this is because of 14 vots or less and the thing is now since we lost that res referendum last November this coming November if we win we have to share with C Charter Schools that's your lawmakers that's what they decided we have no no choice I just want that to be out there like Charter Schools that's it thank you good evening thank you all for being here um my microphone's a little louder obviously than everybody else's or I'm just a loud mouth one of the two first I want to thank the parent Guardian for coming in the grandma for coming in and and expressing yourself I think you provided an opportunity for a lot of uh good information to be brought out to everyone and uh I appreciate your passion so no I just don't apologize I think it's it's fantastic you you're speaking from the heart and and we all appreciate that so thank you for being here and and and voicing your opinion um I appreciate all of you being here and and for expressing your concerns and um the heartache I know teachers have it rough I I understand that especially um for little ones I was high school math that's heck of a lot easier than a five-year-old so thank you for all you do every day um whether we're online or in person I appreciate you uh with that so much great information has been given out this evening uh we are going to be having open forums where you can come in and ask questions um like I've said from the very beginning please please learn about the process understand what's happening so that you can make an informed decision for your family u i I don't have an issue with anyone who disagrees with what I may feel is what's in the best interest for our children as long as you're making that based on facts and not misleading information please take the time to to gain all the information that's available to you ask all the questions I have yet to H have people come to me and ask me uh I'm available Dr cripp is available all the board members are available our attorneys available and any time that works for your schedule you can call and leave a message and we'll call you on the weekends we'll call you in the evenings I will make myself available whenever I possibly can for you because I want to make sure you have all the proper information to make the best decision for your family I appreciate you being here I hope more people show up and ask when we have the forums please come out and ask the questions thank you Dr with the final word yes please if I May continuing uh to share very quickly additional information on the referendum Miss peip is correct we are going to have public forums and they will be starting in September after the Labor Day holiday and that will be a time where we will share information answer your questions repeat information whatever it takes we will be there to help you because as she said we want you to make decisions based on fact not based on rumor or u missteps in what people are saying we also are setting up a website for people to use that website is under construction as I speak to you this evening so as soon as that is up and running we will make that available to you so look at social media Facebook pages we can't we'll use our personal Facebook accounts and social media accounts to get that information to you also on the web page that we were setting up there will be a frequently asked questions where people will be able to write their question and we will respond and and provide the answers to those questions and in so doing uh as Miss Tober answered one of the questions from Mr trewick this evening that was a good question and I'm glad he asked that and I'm glad we were able to provide the answer to that question this evening his second part to that question was since we are only busting three days a week is there a savings that the school district is seeing from transportation and if so what are we using that savings for well the answer is yes we will be seeing a savings we have calculated and recalculated and we'll recalculate again as to what that savings amount is but uh there will be a savings because we busing three days a week and those savings will be put back into the operation fund to be used for those operating expenses uh we still as you've heard tonight we are still under legal obligation to bust our special need students that have transportation as a related service in their individual educational plans IEP so much of the savings that we will see we will need to make sure that we can continue to provide the funding that by law we are required to do please ask your questions there is no such thing as a bad question we want to answer them finally tonight I want to end my comments by reminding everybody that this Friday August 23rd is our first home football game and it is again South Newton here at Edison starting at 7 pm and prior to the game there will be a tailgate party in the school parking lot starting at 5:00 and going until the time that the game starts so you're you're welcome to participate in that activity and my last announcement the girls varsity volleyball team will be participating in the Hobert invite this Saturday the 24th at Hobert high school starting at 9:00 so we want to wish our student athletes much success in good luck in their athletic competitions thank you Mr President thank you Dr ker I'd like to thank everybody for sticking along for this one of our longest board meetings this year so thank you for sticking it out meetings baren

board business meeting of the new school year um Mr jinsky roll call please here here here here thank you please join us in the Pledge of Allegiance IED Al to the flag of the United States of America and to the thank you if there are any audience members that would like to go to the podium and speak you're welcome to just going to practice a little wait time there is not I'd like to um him M Dr s for a brief statement prior to moving to our consent calendar thank you madam chair uh it's with a heavy heart that I share that late last night we learned of the sudden passing of the chure high school student due to our confidentiality laws and out of pers for the family's privacy we are unable to release this child's name at this time we want to remind everyone how important it is for students to speak with an adult if they have any concerns or questions as a school system we want to make sure we're supporting all of our students and our community we encourage our students to talk to a parent school counselor or to call 211 uh for mental health or grief support in partnership with wellmore Behavioral Health and chesher Human Services we offered counseling services at chesher high school today and people may also uh those Services excuse me will be also be available tomorrow uh from 9 to 3:00 in the high school library uh we would ask that if you have any questions or have uh need to talk to a counselor uh for any other reason you can certainly reach out to uh in addition to those resources your local schools and the counselors in those buildings uh and we provide additional resources at this point I'd ask that you please join me in a moment of silence for the family thank you thank you Dr Solen next item on the agenda is the consent calendar um item a is approval statement on class size policy in in accordance with the agreement between the chesher Board of Education and the Education Association of chesher article 23 the Board of Education hereby publishes and provides to the association its policy relating to class size that the board shall endeav to maintain class sizes consistent with proven educational practices which require that various learning situations May alter the number of students per class the board through its committees shall study and make recommendations concerning personnel and space requir based on all factors affecting class size Item B approval of Ace AC's annual membership agreement area corporate educational um Services which is ases is a regional Educational Service Center pursuant to section 10- 66a of the Connecticut General statutes which acts as a voluntary Association of member Boards of Education establishing a Cooperative arrangement to provide services programs and activities for the education of children each year participating Boards of Education must renew their participation Aces by a carrying out its responsibilities as described in the membership agreement B paying an assessment fee of $250 and C appointing Board of Education members to serve as representative and Alternate to the Asus governing board so that that is Mr paragini that the treasure Board of Education agrees to the participate for the 2024 2 school year in area corporative Educational Services as set forth in the AC's annual membership agreement and appoints a representative and Alternate to the aces governing board so with those two explanation of consent items I do need a motion Dr herrian second Mr White we're call for a vote all those in favor of approving the motion amemory sorry just want to make sure you heard me um it's unanimous thank you uh next item are the committee reports I'm going to pass it over to amarie for curriculum thank you madam chair um based on our last curriculum meeting the textbook ways of the World by publisher Bedford Freeman in worth was presented and reviewed by the curriculum committee and follow and had a public viewing period the chesher we um the curriculum committee recommends that the chesher Board of Education approve the purchase of ways of the world is recommended by the curriculum committee um the motion is on on the table um is there a second and uh haran discussion thank you what course is it and what's changing with the book for the course this is the AP World History course which is a new course that will be on the docket next year for students um it was presented to the curriculum committee by the social cities Department here Tim Galvin he along with Mr Vicario and Miss Griffith had looked at several books and decided that this one was the the best option was also recommended by the college board so there are approximately 30 books that will be ordered for just under $4,000 thank you I so I I Googled it on Amazon I I didn't know what course it was but it said that I just want to comport these two things it's world history and what I was reading on Amazon said the current edition kind of starts in the year 1200 ad is that what it is I just want you said the College Board is the yes I don't remember if that was a cover or not Y is it the College Board is the one that does the AP exams yes it it is and it looks like it starts since um let's see I can tell you that it starts diversity and interaction in the world 1200 100 to 1450 is the first period that they look at in history yeah no it's interesting to me because just from having traveled a little bit the oldest town in the US that's been lived in continuously is I believe it's t New Mexico which started around 1,200 ad interesting different from 1620 or 1609 or 1565 with St Augustine so anyway thank you for that sure any other comments Dr herrian yeah can you remind me because I was at that meeting and I've heard a lot about it is it also an ECA course or early college it's not an ECE course just AP it's just AP any other questions comments okay with that um call for a vote to approve the motion that is currently on the table all in favor unanimous thank you next committee Dr herrian Finance discussion sure we've been would you like to start us off please I would love to good evening members of the board welcome back to 2024 25 school year the board members do have the finance report it is as of July 31st it's our first month in the fiscal year um so I'm just going to give a a brief recap the approved budget for this year is 89 m542 609 um during the first month of the year we've been come numbered or expended 17.7 million that's only 19.8% but what's not reflected here and won't be reflected until we get into October is the encumbrances that we do for payroll uh and for transportation which are our two largest account categories um and once we get to October we'll have a a much better sense of um the full Financial picture for the year there are no variants concern conerns to report at this time we're only 30 days in however as the board knows what we do uh when we enter the new school year is we always put an expenditure cap for non-payroll accounts that is set at 50% I'm I've advised the administrators the um various department managers you know for School District Operations that we are going to keep that 50% cap through December just as a cautionary note um and when I get to the medical benefits report you'll understand why a little bit better but we're going to keep the 50% cap um I did note on in this month's uh first report which I'll keep on our report monthly we were able to lock our heating oil our transportation diesel fuel transportation gasoline um for this fiscal year which is just a little bit below where we budgeted which is good you know we we locked when oil was around $75 a barrel it's been you know vacillating up and down it was around $73 a barrel today so we did pretty well with the price locks the other update is our electricity Supply is locked at um 10.35 cents per kilowatt hour that's down from last year where you know we had a shortterm rate of 11.7 cents per kilowatt hour that rate of 10.35 is good till October of 2026 we haven't locked propane yet although we did get our first delivery for the kitchen cooking uh and the price remained at the same prices last year which was 229 a gallon we will likely lock propane we probably will not lock natural gas we haven't in several years and it's worked just fine for us so that is the um long short of the finance report this month I'm going to just jump into medical benefits and we can come back to finance if there are questions so included in the board's package is the medical benefits update again this is the first month in uh the the fiscal year the this year's budget I'll just recap there we budgeted just under $1.2 million per month for claims that is based on the Actuarial um estimates that we received from from uh USI our benefits broker and siga um so the first month's claims unfortunately exceeded the 1.18 million expected at 1.56 million so what essentially happened is we decreased our Reserve balance by $393,000 um that's a pretty high claim month for the last two years our July claims have been about $1.1 million um I did look to see are are there some large claims and the answer is that there are several large claims that are included these um are continuing claims people that you know have either chemo or immunotherapy treatment that's ongoing and those tend to end um but we're in in a cycle where those are continuing claims from the June 30th period um as of right now the Reserve balance is 1.

[Music] he I just saw I saw I saw what [Music] that f second row lean second row uhuh yeah must say hello and I con d [Laughter] [Music] Ang oh [Music] w there's no much [Music] window yes back all right [Music] think EX like [Music] all you my broke it yeah you broke it you even more [Music] stop doing that I'll pay you I will pay you for what get the doct [Music] we do and send it to me too [Laughter] [Music] man [Music] let's do one more time are you ready one two three all right T up [Music] awesome it's right [Music] she Disney prin okay so this is the one I heard brother Logan sister okay yeah g was just talking hello hello T up all right that's some good energy some nice warm weather and uh this is a special celebration my name is Nora I'm in eighth grade I'm Jose and I'm in eighth grade as well ready to start ready all right so so opening remarks we have Middle School supervisor Kristen mom please come upot [Music] it's it's good to see you all here all these beautiful people I'm going to look down periodically I want to introduce you my name myself I'm Kristen Mom I'm Middle School girls and boys SE it's a special honor to celebrate today I want to thank our Student Life staff and counselors making sure everything worked well Becky enrod for the decorations and the program design looks wonderful I want to thank Luke M Michael manuel and everybody and all the people who came today for the decorations and everybody who came wow and finally we're celebrating today the special day [Music] in the past if you remember if you look back this was called anybody know the nickname yuck no we want to keep the tradition this is the Middle School activity center this is the eagle eag Junior Eagle this is still the eagle this is where we meet this is where we meet we want to invest in our students make sure they learn to thrive how to be motivated in their leadership their abilities invest in their learning through growing in their future to spiral into their future to be ready have their leadership abilities provide opportunities for our students and what they need host parties take on events related to organizations have middle school activities games we'll have different games periodically leadership skills and teach them to continue and that will continue in high school and real world program and they can learn these in middle school and continue to grow and nurture and become strong and continue their strong leadership skills Middle School activity center looking at this finally seeing something different have you noticed anything different it's orange and black since I've been working for 28 years this is my first time seeing orange and bl the same same same it's very bold it's like oh I feel strong it influences us do you guys feel the same way yes oh maybe that can spread out through the call the school orange and black do you guys agree orange and black that's right no more Brown let's keep this going in honor of this let's keep it going staying strong moving forward I feel honored thank you and she's wearing orange and wow thank you Kristen next we'd like to welcome Ethan Bernstein he's here he was the former sorry dean of students he's going to explain how the last one how it went down and then how we finally got to the new Ethan please come up hello thank you both for introducing me I cannot wait to get through this ribbon here I wondered why it get putting off Len where you at I want to come around I had to come around I want to walk through it you're adding more problems you're part of that state system more barriers pretty soon though that barrier is going to be long gone Len had actually asked me to say a few things about how this came to be and how we're able to open it pretty soon here Ken Norton helped me hi Ken our local historian the old building that we had that was brought over here was a media right over in Berkeley that's where the movies were stored so technically it was storage he said yeah I was correct thank you now this is an old the old building that was here do you all remember that building it did not look good didn't work out very well with the beautiful campus we have here but a wonderful home home to formerly junior high school then Middle School maybe on the outside not so much but on the inside it was nice had the some things fixed up had some chairs 1950s Style people really tried to make this a wonderful home uh for the juniors Junior High School later on turned into Middle School on the outside it wasn't pretty to look at but on the inside was great I mean the music was loud I think best better than any other place where music is played so powerful that often times electricity would go out and where is that electric electricity coming from Cottage 10 10 uh so I'd be working all day then I would arrive home and then they'd say oh electric electricity is out can you open Cottage 10 so we can turn it back on can I say no no the students are incredibly important so I got my car and drove back and turned it on and uh the counselors at the time I said don't turn it up too loud I mean everyone else could hear it all around us just turn it down some so you can play the party some more but maintenance they tried to keep it alive they tried to give it CPR to resuscitate it but it was really time to go and then in 2012 that was that time of Vernick was superintendent there was Sacramento people who were responsible for facilities and they came down and they said it is time for that building to be taken away and I thought great oh first I thought well what is Middle School going to do they're going to build a new one anyway in the next year or so right that was in 2012 it's going to take a year or so maybe two well there were some meetings and at that time time it was a Justin Burns Justin Burns and Alex Ash and I and and we had a meeting and we figured you know what this is an opportunity do we want a permanent one or do we want to build a a per or or aor mobile one or temporary permanent one I can't now then we needed to start adding bathrooms cuz they didn't have a bathroom we need to add some storage we didn't have storage they would just toss it to the side somewhere and meals we wanted to have be able to cook things and and make it bigger and we were trying to figure out the sizing and realized you know what we want to put into a concrete patio we wanted a concrete patio that led down to the Middle School area we wanted to set up some seatings with umbrellas and they were like yes we're going to put all this together and it looked great we were excited but then the increase of cost our cost began to increase for materials to build it so then we had to start making Cuts we had to remove things we had to remove a lot of things and then they said you know what you're going to have to take this St take this out and saying we had too much and now this is what we've got and then at the same time we had Scott Kirby who became the interim superintendent and he said you know here's the money this has been funded from 2012 right but because we've had to eliminate a lot of the the things we wanted there was ended up no money for demoing the old one they had to add more money so they were able to demo the old building so we said you know what they said you've got high school activity center they can share Middle School and High School can share they got to learn to work together you know high school they have their things to do and then middle school trying to join in and use their Activity Center I mean David op Bales Alex and I we had an Excel spreadsheet and every single day we put in all right this day middle school has the used activity center and then High School uses it and then we just had to put it all together then there was a bunch of conflicts between high school and middle school and having them use the activity center and have to later year or so again and then we have to re-update it all okay what are the activities Middle School is doing what are the activities High School is doing and then putting it all together and submitting it and then finally you know I mean just amazing and I am so happy for the school and for CSD and I'm telling you man that's another barrier as a state employee over there no but I look forward to it know I'm still getting texes for him thank you Ethan with the new building there's been some problems we'd like Clark Brook to come up on stage and how it happened and how this has worked out and working with the state Clark can you come up please Talon's up okay I'm Clark BR former superintendent Amy nney where are you and she's our current new superintendent but uh I'm happy to have an opportunity to be a part of this process though it was Ethan prior to but I wanted to share some things regarding facilities in general sometimes you think it's super easy to just build a building um but there's a lot of things involved in that process but first off I want to recognize the sil silver eagles the silver eagles are those who have retired from here yes those who have retired from here this will always be your home and why I mention you all is because you all have been a part of this project many things that have happened during that time is based off your knowledge of what this is used for your input in the process of it being uh built it's 12 since 2012 so I call this a 12year project so thank you for your time here on this project every year the state legislation well how projects work here we have three sites CSD we have the blind school and the uh Diagnostic Center North the three of us do share some projects on the campus maybe our school might be responsible for paying one part of the project theirs for their own projects but some projects apply to all of us for example the fence is in the process that we're all involved in and if it was CSD only it would just be CSD involved in that process but not only with CSD we work with the Department of Education and the state special schools Division and we have people that we work with in that office there who work with Department of general service Services who is responsible for State Property such as DMV the water agencies and what have you now this group is the ones that focus on facilities and CSD is here to support them and telling them what we want in these buildings it's not a daily maintenance like a broken wall or a broken toilet we take care of ourselves but major projects is when dgs gets involved so when legislation gives the money like as Ethan explained they budget for this and then the next comes up is the Department of Finance to they'll start looking into how to release those funds and a timeline then an architecture and then a civil services and an engineer that work with the city of Fremont and following city of Fremont's codes so that's what causes a prolonged process uh maybe there's a shortfall on the state budget or there's a turnover and we have to explain what happened to the new people that are there or for example Co we were ready to go but then Co barred us from being able to continue with the project all that rain last year so I want to emphasize to thank California Department of Education Department of General services and everyone else involved in this process even though it's been a long process and you easily can lose patience but we work for the state so I want to thank you all for your input in this process I did see Ethan work with David and Alex and Justin Burns Justin Burns and trying to reduce cost like he just explained and it's not easy to give up those things but here it is today now I'm hoping moving forward that any facility projects would include the schools for any input processes like recently we were talking about new cottages and they had a study for these Cottages but then these Cottages were put on hold hopefully that project will continue to happen and those who are involved in the blueprint and the discussion is student life so I think it's important moving forward that any projects need to include all of you it's not just them or them them but we need to get involved in the process to make make sure that we make it right for our students again congratulations and thank you Ethan and your team for all of your [Music] work thank you Clark Brook now we would like to introduce people who want to share their memories from their time as a junior eagle and their messages and their stories Julie Bella from the Class of 1989 please come up hello I am Julie Bella I am an alumni of 1989 I joined Middle School in 1984 that was 40 years ago Middle School the junior Eagles Activity Center I have to thank Carla Pereira who was my former counselor who encouraged me to participate with different organizations with leadership and different events parties selling food back in there we had shelves that we sold food and the window that was right inside and also the haunted house that we had in there we would bring beds over and set them up make aisles ready for our haunted house I was new myself I went to a mainstream school I was from the Fresno area my parents dropped me off and left Carlo was the one who helped encourage me involve in leadership I was shy no no she encouraged me to involve and then I became very involved when I finished Middle School I became in high school and then I sold for another four years became you know I started being part of leadership because starting in middle school because in middle school was social Center for all the kids getting together finally happy to see Middle School find Activity Center finally opening for parties leadership and making this happen this is a very special day for all of the middle school kids kids and those would be proud you will have Carla would be proud and you will make your own memories thank you Julie next we will we have Chris to soua please come up hello hello and good morning everyone or good afternoon just a little bit about myself I'm from Santa Rosa Hidden Valley where I went to Hidden Valley I had a death program there the reason why I'm here at CSD is because of the school plague cuz I remember I went on a field trip and I saw sh Stern perform as Juliet and I said Mom I want to come here because of the school play and then when I got here my signing wasn't that great to be honest I used C sign and my confidence was pretty low but Junior Eagle they this helped me build my confidence through socialization friends and all of that one of the most uh favorite memories that I have here in the past while I was a middle school student Cottages 11 12 13 and 14 were all full I was a cottage 14 student and that night a fire alarm went off so we all went out fire department came on and said it was all clear and we all came back went to sleep fire alarm went off again I had to get back up fire department had to come again set all clear we all went back to sleep a third and then a fourth and then a fifth time through the night it got to the point to where it had to have been a system glitch I don't know so Cottage is 11 12 13 and 14 we're full and what we had to do was all come here and sleep in here we had slept in here through the night and I remember there was a moment at about 4: or 5 in the morning where I needed to go to the bathroom and I got up and I turned the light and the lights got turned on and it it was the staff and they were like it was Oscar I was like I just got to go to the bathroom he was the night attendant and he was the night attendant at the time so every time I walked by I always think of that story and now there's going to be a bathroom in there so that means everyone can sleep there thank you never heard that I know there was fire alarm that one I never heard that wow yeah hello thank you the next person who will talk like to invite we'd like to invite Farah hartmont class of 2016 we'd like to welcome [Music] her hello wow beautiful building wow I'm excited for Middle School part middle school students and the department when I was in Middle School sorry I am Farah I graduated class of 2016 I was a student in Middle School from 2010 to 20133 6th 7th and e8th grade I was in The Cottages I love the events that we hosted here my memories was the winter holiday we would bring home you know being away from home many residents live far away getting together for the holidays from corner to quter it was decorated Connie Davenport oh she's one of the best decorators for themes corner to corner the wall to wall snow shredded paper everywhere it was full Sparks it looked like snowing even though you know Santa Claus with elves middle school students giving gifts you know it was nice to have that Unity so Middle School building it was all a lot of memories there thank you Farah again next we would like to have Raven Lich come up from 2018 please come up talent's up hello my name is Raven and I was in Middle School I would say 2011 to 2013 um my class is 2018 was the last second or the second to last class before this was demoed but uh just as Farah mentioned one of my favorite events was the winter wonderland and my most favorite too was the Halloween uh haunted houses we would set up and decorate and again like Connie just uh did amazing with the decorating and I remember getting everyone together and the public coming and sometimes I got to scare staff so I just really was happy to experience that and be here and I'm happy that we're all here to witness this being open today thank you all wow those are wonderful stories and comments and memories about the new building are you ready I'm ready for in closing our comments Len Gonzalez will come up and say some after the ribbon cutting please come in look around when he's done then you can look around please go to Cottage 12 for refreshments and drinks and thank you good job he's ready all right it is about time it's about time Talons up see those wings Talons up all right wings are important Talons and wings now before I start I think it's really important to recognize some individuals I'd like to start with my cabinet team Amy novotney superintendent please stand oh it's good to see you all SOI Hong director of instruction hello everyone Andrea neet PPS director interim director hello Katie Canfield HR Director hello Tosha Charles Tosha Ellington Charles business manager hello now I wanted to recognize them because they have uh provided constant support and always knows what Student Life needs and is always there so thank you to them looking forward to more years to come and now I am thrilled to have many Student Life retirees here I think it's really important to recognize Ken Norton long time and you're still here next uh Celia May Baldwin see him then we have Ethan Bernstein one that's the got it you know what I I'm going to have one final word with you warning now that just these things ofing counselors who are the former sic's I's s sic's it's hard to sign an an ASL but srps please stand to stand yep Sr and now S's SE where are you at Sam yep amazing stay standing now you've seen how we have evolved and arrived to where we are today and we are still going strong regardless of going through long processes situations arise rain conflicts but you know today is special and we have to celebrate the special day 45 years old as Ethan explained it was demoed and rebuilt The Cottages are becoming old as well but our staff are maintaining keeping uh Furniture up to dat painting coming up with new ideas adding signs decorating because that is what keeps our legacy and our pride going right now I feel so what what do you think I feel happy happy I feel so Eagle no I feel Joy I do but right now I feel Fremont SL Berkeley all here together Fremont Berkeley you guys agree now Berkeley weather it right it's cooler so Noah where you at there you are do you feel like we're kind of in Berkeley right now feels like the Berkeley weather there's so many layers and bringing everyone together here today thank you to this building here now it was mentioned uh regarding Middle School activity center or Junior Eagle I think it's very important to explain that technically it is called the Middle School activity center but you can call it the junior Eagle um but what I just learned too is uh Ethan when he just explained that in the past they didn't have they had a mobile from Berkeley and they didn't even have a high school activity center at the time in the past it was called an Sr Activity Center Center so a senior activity senior so I had Derek was explaining that to me so in the past it was the senior activity scener and said and then people would just use that area Ken Norton was trying to figure out what to do and luckily at that time Berkeley they had that mobile so they brought it here and converted it and then here we are today so very very exciting history is always an inspiration to us and we're going to keep this here for another 45 years maybe even expand it then when we get more enrollment I don't know now the orange white and black felt like a perfect fit with our current theme of every connection matters making these connections from the old days to the new days and and just feeling like this is an absolute perfect time and for everyone to be a part of this historical moment alumni sharing the their stories I want to let you all know that we can guarantee that we will continue to pass on those stories doesn't matter who they are you'll continue to grow in your leadership and your identities your experience we are still committed to maintaining that am I right staff before I close I do want to acknowledge like Kristen mom had explained thank you to the Middle School staff for preparing this event and making it special and our really would like to Spotlight our Middle School staff they did such a wonderful job Middle School staff please want to give them a round of applause thank you thank you all so much I also want to thank the custodians the maintenance team ground Keepers to keep up with these buildings here and making it look good for today thank you all as well and lastly I want to thank those who have retired that have come here to make this place more homey thank you all for coming it means a lot to us thank you for your work your legacy it still carries on you think it's faded away but it has not it is still within us we are just maybe carrying it on but in different ways but the pride is still there and we're still remaining strong am I correct I better stop talking right everybody wants to get in who wants to go in it's 72 degrees inside AC's blowing feels nice now Ethan is going to be the last person he has volunteered to be the last person to go inside we the gun while he okay so now we are going to start the ribbon cutting cutting group please come up we have two students here are think your name my name is Angel now I want to explain that when they were fresh when they were inade they were really really looking forward thinking that possibly by February March they're going to make it in here and they were excited wanted to start programs events and we were informed that this would not be ready until the fall and I could see on we all you remember that feeling yes yes you get into it yes all right of [Music] w ex start with the nth graders if youe come on up and then turn it over to Middle School [Music] Happ [Music] see [Music] on [Music] sh [Music] t what [Music] I'm Bo youy [Music] where [Music] he no [Music] here we go okay [Music] milon [Music] by good you hit the whole building now okay for sometimes I have

end time was 4:07 p.m. items of discussion number one the referendum update Mr Marion presented referendum work that is being done School number eight is almost complete along with the windows being installed School number five is almost complete School number five gym is almost complete excuse me all bathrooms will be completed by the start of school CHS front vestibule entrance will be completed this week building Management Systems should be operational for custodial and maintenance staff by the school year CCMS uh woodo and schools 2 9 12 13 and 15 switch gears arrival date is now tentatively scheduled for December to be able to switch to the increased power needs of these buildings wjo and Columbus auditoriums are moving along however there will be no air conditioning until the which gears arrive Number Two The Band Room music Suite band room music Suite is moving along very smoothly specific Cloud lighting is on back order at the moment as a result temporary lighting will be installed for the time being b& updates Administration gave an update on the projects taking place throughout the district summer cleaning around the referendum has presented challenges but will continue and will be complete by the start of school wizard Wilson middle school media center has been completely renovated replacing the gymnasium roof at school number 8 and the D DPW through shared services has been helping with pothole repairs around the district also speed bumps have been fixed and installed around the district as well finally we have act active shooter training Mr jenero presented active shooter roleplaying training that Administration worked with the Clifton Police Department over the summer at school number three it was presented to allow the Clifton Police Department to use pop Pole from November to December for more training drills if available the committee concurred after permit use requests our process does anybody have any questions uh I just have one observation to make uh for just for people who don't know what a switch gear is it's actually the device that manages all the power that goes to a building so without one even though we may have our new HVAC systems installed they can't be operated and this has been a challenge since the very beginning of the referendum because they've been on back order lots of schools around the country have projects similar to ours and the demand was so high after covid uh things are getting caught up so we still we're down at seven schools that we still need them for um so until we get them even though we have other equipment installed it's not going to be operational yet okay thank you commissioner brunak uh Dr Danny would you like to do the minutes so you okay can you hear me he's on mute no thank you I will read them okay um the education and special educa uh education committee met on August 6th the meeting began at 6 PM presid were Dr Dany uh who's our chairperson myself commissioner bass and commissioner bassford from Administration Miss kusel levich uh Mr Jenaro Mr doctor were all present as well 2024 2025 staff Staffing and position discussion uh was held via Michael doctor Mr doctor began by discussing the significant increase and additional duties provided by the counseling department Mr doctor provided data showing the increases to counseling service increased numbers of counselors general education social workers behaviorists and psychologists as well as multiple grants and Partnerships which provide additional counseling support he further described the increasing complexity of student needs increased homelessness the major uptick in hits on the district online support filter and overall growth of programs and mental health con concerns Under the Umbrella of counseling serving multilingual language Learners and managing interventions prior to referral to special education has had a major impact on the department the number of multilingual Learners in the district has doubled and over 50% of CST referrals begin as counseling case loads Mr doctor went on to describe the need to add not only preschool to the department but also expand to an additional supervisor to support these continually growing programs the job description included in this Board of Ed meeting adds preschool and these expanded responsibilities while allowing for roles to be divided by task or grade span as needed with another supervisor of counseling prek through 8 an updated job description is on this evening's agenda adult ESL summer success and expansion for full was reviewed by Miss kusevic she shared more information about the return of a portion of our previously discontinued adult evening School the district explored using existing grant funding for parents including a family literacy block grant Title One and title three to bring back parent opportunities given the types of funds available at no cost to the taxpayer a pilot adult ESL program was reinstated this summer as part of a daytime family literac literacy program at school 17 nearly 30 families were enrolled and a rotation of about a dozen parents participated in Daily adult ESL classes while their children attended the summer school at school 17 this program will be expanded and continued in the evenings in the late fall and winter of this coming school year Pope John Paul v 6 School building usage initial Proposal review was done via Miss kusevic in response to program growth increased enrollment in specialized programs the expanded need for classrooms at all grade spans for special education and English language learning students and growing prechool programs the district explored many options and will be leasing the former Pope John the 6 school on Valley Road multiple options are available for the use of this building to provide the greatest possible space relief while balancing fiscally responsible budget priorities while several Academy programs and school grade configuration are possible the greatest crowding currently is taking place in Middle grades the timeline for this project is to conduct community and stakeholder surveys and complete the demographic study in the full of 2024 upon reaching a collaborative final decision of grade span and scope a school administrator will be engaged to coordinate the development of this site to open in September of 2025 meeting ended at 6:50 any questions commissioner Suarez thank you president Paris I'm just wondering if anyone um in the district on the board if we have a pulse on what's causing the increase of homelessness my gut is perhaps raising uh housing costs but if there are any other factors that others are aware of I was curious I that's Mr doctor referred to that um I'm not going to speculate on what the reason for the homelessness is M War if Mr doctor's adding that to report uh that might be students who fall under the mckin vento ACT uh where they are homeless or even displaced families are evicted for a whole host of reasons uh those are the numbers that I'm going to assume Mr doctor is referring to because those numbers are on the rise for us uh and through that act we are responsible at the district to continue to provide the one consistent stable part of a student's lives which is school wherever they may live at this point uh so I'm going to make that assumption based on this but we'll get clarification for you if I can just add those me vento numbers and that they are they do um Encompass all forms of homelessness and under housing also counts as homelessness under the mckin vento ACT meaning families who might be staying with a cousin or a friend or some of our newly arrived immigrants who may be um in a bedroom or a portion of another home that actually although they are housed does count as homelessness under mckin vento definitions thank you m that's actually really helpful because that also aligns with our increase in numbers for English language learning students um so thank you for just some insight on that and also um do we have any feedback regarding the adult ESL program from either the teachers or the parents [Music] themselves um the um the anecdotal information that I got from the teachers um as well as our um coordinator for that program was that the parents really love it um the parents are very you know welcoming enjoying it the the summer one was a morning program um so even though we had over 20 people enrolled I think it was about 25 um the daily attendance was about a dozen um but it was still a great start I think the evening programs that we're looking to launch um will be um much better attended thank you so much I'm really excited about that um and thank you for supporting our our students and Inter turn our uh families or rather but strike that reverse it but thanks a lot anyone else Commish your bastard yes I just like to thank you um Janina cich for updating us on the ESL program uh we did bring this up in in uh education and uh one of the hopes is eventually fingers crossed maybe to start an adult evening program started out small with the ASL but then Branch it out to what it used to be not as to the magnitude it was but starts small with offering some other kind of courses for people in the community and uh that's something that I hope that we did bring to the discussion again to the table and maybe start launching something like that because that's how I met everybody in Clifton I went to the adult evening school I know I can change the oil in a car I can swing a golf club um craft class and I know the chords of a guitar so it's it helped me to grow and I'd like to offer that opportunity to other people there was an issue with it so I think we need to work out the Kinks but it warms my heart that you got that off the ground and I thank you so much when you reported that that night you saw how upset I got you on the zoom because it it was something long overdue so thank you very much anyone else president Paris yes so the adult uh ESL program which is positive and good I just want to understand um it mentions here existing funding uh how do we fund this do we use this from we it looks like we use Grant but is that grant money that otherwise would be going to students no actually there are very big there are um components of our grants particularly our title funds that are directly tied to parent involvement um we've been using them primarily for events at schools to incorporate parents at our Title One schools as well as ESL the community block grant um has a specific carve out that must include a family literacy component so we added now this adult ESL piece um or added it back um and then in the evenings we can use some of those title funds which is what the statement about um using these funds more creatively um many many years ago when we did have the adult e evening school we did have an adult Academy also at school 12 using Title One funds so that's what we're going to try to leverage as the seed funding at our Title One School locations to start some of these additional um adult programs that and that funding can only be used for Parental involvement good thank you so so uh yeah as we expanded to other topics and things like that I just want to make sure it's not funding that would otherwise be more helpful directly supporting the students and if it's not then that's great thanks okay anyone else all right next is our public recognition portion of the meeting 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 MERS of the public may or may not be responded by to by the board all comments will be considered and a response will be forthcoming if and when appropriate the board asked 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 supported 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 is there anyone online want to start with online or there can we can we start online I don't think well let's let's start with anyone here here would like to approach the podium step right up Sir let us know your name and residence please sure good evening uh my name is Andrew Rosado uh I live in Wayne New Jersey but I have been uh recently appointed the assistant principal um at school 13 um and I was unfortunately but fortunately away in Florida uh at a Disney World vacation with my family uh last meeting so I did not get a chance to come so I wanted to share some words with you um and thank all of you for this opportunity so good evening everyone I'm truly humbled to stand here before you today and I am grateful f for the opportunity to express my heartful thanks to each of you I want to start by thanking president Paris vice president Danny our board Commissioners Dr Rober tozi Mr Jingo Mr shahada Mrs kusevic for believing in me and giving me the chance to serve as the next assistant principal of school 13 I'd also be remiss if I did not thank my beautiful wife behind me here uh School uh School 3 teacher uh who has been an inspiration for me uh ever since I started my educational career uh years ago I have to say I was overwhelmed with emotion when I received the news of my appointment while I was with my family uh in Florida at Disney world it's a place where dreams come true and I never thought my own dream of becoming an administrator in Clifton would become a reality but here I am and I couldn't be more grateful Clifton has been my home away from home ever since I started my journey as a physical education teacher at School 14 and School 17 the L Les I've learned uh the relationships I've built and the memories I've made are truly evaluable I am proud to be a part of the one Clifton community and I am eager to take the next step in my career I'd personally like to thank some more people some mentors that I've had uh over the years uh Mr Jingo has been a great mentor providing our Clifton admin Academy I've been a part of that for two years now and um it's every lesson or every every moment we're together as a group uh we learn something each and every time and it's it's a valuable experience and I appreciate everything you've done for that I'd also like to thank Jason habitan Taris Patrician and David White for their guidance and support throughout my time gaining valuable administrative experience all of your wisdom and your expertise have prepared me for this new role as I embark in this new chapter I'm reminded of two Timeless golden rules passed down by one of my mentors which continue to guide me forward number One never forget where you come from and number two be smart enough to know that you don't know everything I promise to stay grounded and true to my roots always remembering the people and experiences that have shaped me into the leader I am today and I promise to remain humble and open-minded seeking knowledge and wisdom from those around me and always be willing to learn and grow I am very excited to work alongside Dr Capi at school 13 and to give all of our students and staff our great attention I'm committed to upholding the philosophy of Clifton as a district to making a positive impact on our school Community I look forward to getting to each to know each one of our students our parents and staff members and to building strong relationships that will help us grow and succeed together thank you all again for this opportunity I'm honored to be a part of this team and to contribute to the district's Mission thank you for your time and I look forward this new chapter in my career thank you Mr Rado good evening um Mr jenara Board of board Commissioners and the public I'm happy to be back I hope everyone's been having a good summer and everyone is well to those I haven't had the chance to meet yet or those that simply that don't know me my name is Elias ragdo and in the upcoming election I'll be number four in the election to be a candidate for this to be a commissioner on this board of education for the past three years I've been president of Clifton Student Union which consisted of advocating on behalf of students with the ultimate goal of bettering our school systems for everyone really the residents of Clifton and the students of course and for the future of our city as a young adult I'm a part of Clifton's future and as someone that is passionate about public service I'm proudly running a November's election to join this board two of the biggest assets I think I would bring to this board is first my valuable unique experience and second the genuine passion and drive I have to work for this school district and in turn our city far too many times in public service office holding and not even just this board but with other candidates um and officials throughout the country often times become stale and you can have all the degrees you want or numerous years of experience but if your heart is no longer in the right place and you no longer have that same drive and passion to serve here in the public it's simply breaking your oath to the citizens I want to bring a fresh new voice New Blood to this board of education in Clifton in which we all work for now my ages may be concerning to few but anyone that knows me knows that I'm probably not your average 18-year-old like I said for the past three years I've been coming to these meetings not only listening but also speaking um whether it be in support of our par professionals students and general issues I've worked with this board on various issues policy Athletics facility you name it and I've probably done it if elected i' like I'd like to explore integrating once again the trades and Industrial Arts back into our schools making our schools more fitting to those that do not have college as a part of their Liv's path and long story short I'm ready to work and I'm dedicated to the future of this city that lies in our school system please help me make this happen so for progress and more vote number four Elias ragdale for Board of Education in November and then also just with the agenda I'd like to add um in terms of the track renaming I know it's it's written as plaque um but I was hoping it wouldn't literally be a plaque I know for the John greo um you know it's right on the scoreboard everyone sees it um and when recognizing someone in our district it should be seen by everyone um so I hope it's more than just a plaque even though that's just how it's written um and then like I said unique experiences theems in our schools they don't work because and I've had many friends that are are a part of it and just to be honest most don't enjoy it um and that's really because there's nothing to do with it really it's just kind of a guide for what classes you should take what classes you could take um and even for the clubs anyone can jooy these clubs you don't have to be part of the academy to join the club um so I'm happy uh commissioner Santiago that you brought up those recommendations with field trips get speakers things like that um and then finally I love that the district is taking on some initiatives when it comes to EO parents um parents absolutely have to be involved in education and you know these programs make it easier for that so thank you guys all and have a good night thank you lice anyone else like to speak all right motion close motion to close by second by commissioner Mahia we we don't have anyone online do we no we need to close it okay we need to close uh motion to close online motion second motion by commissioner Brak second by commissioner bassford next is the adoption of minutes from our July 25th 2024 meeting roll call Mr shot or discussion Mo motion motion to close motion sorry motion adop approve I motion I'll motion it second bassford second by commissioner Mahia discussion none roll call please miss bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr Mia yes M Santiago yes siano yes M Suarez yes vice president Danny she told me to yell vice president Danny yes there we go president Paris yes motion carries thank you Mr Shada um I usually don't make any announcements but I do have a couple today um as I think everyone is well aware uh we lost Congressman pascrell this week he was a longstanding advocate for public education he was a high school teacher he was a counselor he had his Masters in Education he served in Congress for 27 years uh and I believe over 11 over 10 representing our district um we're going to miss him sorely I would like to send our condolences to his family to his friends and to his colleagues uh he leaves a large Hole uh secondly I just wanted to mention this month we the board sponsored the Little Pantry over here at City Hall and I wanted to thank the board for supporting uh this project for the month and specifically I wanted to mention Commissioners bassford commissioner siano who I know have devoted a lot of time and supplies to the cause and I appreciate that um okay moving on any unfinished business all right next up is a motion to approve under B education and administration items one through 12 motion second by commissioner Suarez second by right commissioner sio discussion I have uh one thing yes sir uh just for transparency purposes ea8 was brought up um there's questions about that the is this coming out of our budget is it coming out of state aid is it coming out of Grants where is the money coming from from all that thank you that money is a pass through so it's allocated from the state through US similar to Charter Schools um because they don't they do not have to follow public procurement laws and unfortunately we do uh the money has to come through us we do all the purchasing on their behalf so the money is not Clifton money it is specifically you're marked for whatever schools are on that list thank you very much any other discussion seeing none uh R Cole Mr Shad Mr bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago yes M siano yes Mr Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries under see Personnel um looking for a motion to approve items one through bear with me a moment it's a long list uh 577 mtion second by commissioner brunc second by commissioner bassford any discussion hearing none roll call Mr shahada M bford yes Mr brunak yes Mr Mahia yes Santiago yes abstain on c89 and 45 Miss siano yes Miss Suarez yes abstain on P57 vice president Danny yes president parison yes abstain on 8 24 and 53 motion carries thank you Mr shahada uh the next section um we will be pulling for a separate discussion um and vote item number nine so I'm looking for uh motion to approve under D Finance facilities all items 1 through 10 with the exception right now of number nine Mo motion motion by I don't know to commissioner commissioner siano seconded by commissioner Suarez any discussion hearing none roll call please Mr shahada Miss bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr Mahia yes M Santiago yes Miss siano yes Miss Suarez yes obstain on F10 check number 23512 vice president Danny yes there we go president parison uh yes abstaining I can't do that we're going to vote on that separate sorry um yes motion carries okay item nine is um all the facility use permit requests um there's specifically one item in there which is um 5214 it's a request for facility used by the P County Democratic uh committee um it was brought to my attention there are two policies uh policy 4233 and policy 7510 with both which both prevents us from uh permitting political any kind of political activities in any of our buildings so I would like to take that I would like us to vote on number nine um which is actually a number of items now so9 20 5214 I believe yes so we're going to go through let me read the numbers for you briefly sorry I didn't do what I really wanted to do but that's okay I made it a little more complicated 5188 through uh 523 52113 we need a motion for that yes I have a question regarding facility use we had discussed this previously at different changes have they been implemented as far as the usage form and any items that you would require prior to you getting the application in your office yes so we have implemented the new form we are slow rolling it out it's going to start in September um this month was a it's a little hectic from our office the audit has begun so we were a little behind the the eight ball but we do have all plans on uh getting it done in September thank you that's all I want to know thank you so you need a motion on 50 whatever yeah so we're gon to need a motion we're going to do that se separately on 5214 right just for clarification I need a motion on 51 88 to 52113 motion Mr Brun Comm brunak second Mia second commissioner Mia okay roll call Mr any discussion roll call Mr Miss bassford yes Mr Brak yes Mr Mahia yes M Santiago yes M siano yes Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny vice president Danny there we go president Paris yes but I want to clarify are we voting right now for 5214 no then yes U Mr pis I need you to abstain oh I need to abstain I'm sorry I need to abstain on 5188 5189 5190 rest yes thank you told you this was a little complicated one motion carries thank you okay now we have 5214 now we're going to any discussion on 5 214 I have to recuse myself I'm In conflict with this because I'm on County committee so I'm going to step off to deis any other discussion do no do okay I have a question yes do I have can I just abstain or do I have to recuse myself from no there there's no recusal necessary this isn't anything of great importance you could just abstain okay also to be clear this is in violation of our policy currently correct right okay thank you the reason it is on the agenda um I did not want to arbitrarily uh shut this down I know this can have political ramification so I wanted to let the board do it there is an option that the board can suspend policy 5203 I believe it is in 7510 if they choose to do so president Paris you can take over from here okay you yes you we can suspend if you choose to do so but I believe that opens up kind of a Pandora's Box for us um we should be consistent consistent with our policy and I think it would create more problems down the road if we created an exception for this one opportunity so any other comment motion motion by commissioner brunak second second by commissioner Mah roll call Mr shahad so wait let's be clear about something please I apologize yes what I um so a yes vote is to permit the use which would be in violation of your existing policy a no is of course a no and then it's not a permit it's the use will not be approved correct the other option is to have a motion to um suspend your policies which are is a different animal entirely up to the Board of Education follow or no agreed okay so do your thing roll call Mr Shad Miss bassford Miss bassford I would put I would prefer if you were present not voting since you have that conflict any want to be in the discussion you can just abstain Miss abstain it is Mr brunak no Mr Mia abstain Mr Santiago abstain Mr siano no Miss Suarez no vice president Danny no there we go president Paris no motion does not carrye I will inform the Democratic Committee in the morning thank you Mr shahada bear with me one moment you're board member comment I believe I know where board member comments I'm trying to figure out I'm not telling you who is next uh in line to start I believe we started last time with Mr Kenova I have a list here but it keeps getting buried who started last time you did um so I would suspect we're up to Mr brunak thank you Mr President good evening everyone I want to give a sincere congrats to the summer graduates for CHS they did not qualify in June to graduate on the field but they were able to complete their graduation requirements over the summer I want to thank the ad Administration and staff and everyone else who helped create this system to let these kids get another chance at the possibility of graduating this year so thank you everybody finally I want to give my condolences to the Pascal family over a decade ago politics in this country state county and city were not as polarizing as they have been recently Congress men p SC helped get closure and justice for the grape family whose son was missing for over two years and whose body was F was found after being violently murdered and those perpetrators are now in jail as a result of this so I want to thank the congressman and give my deepest condolences to him and his to his family thank you for your time and God bless America have a good night everybody excuse me guys I just want to let you guys know commissioner uh siano is going to abstain from F10 check 23793 thank you um commissioner Mia thank you commissioner Brun um i' just like to reiterate what commissioner brunak said congratulations to those who graduated this summer I know it's not everyone has the same plan Sometimes some of us it takes a little bit longer to graduate and that's okay um with that I'd like to congratulate all the fall sports that are about to start I know you guys are going to do terrific again this upcoming year um thank you to our assistant superintendent Jia kvic for that great report it's always well detailed and it's always great for the public to know what's happening within our um facilities and within our um schools finally I'd like to also give my condolences I remember it like it was yesterday uh one of my first um interviews out of college was with Congressman Pas gr's office and it was a tremendous experience um I met him when I was younger and you know he was a great person um i' just like to share something um it's about the Legacy and Stories We Leave Behind in reality we're all writing a book and for Congressman past scell that book held chapters and chapters of his public service from educating tomorrow's future to protecting our nation um to representing us all in congress bill Pascal's book is an endless series of service to others I'm very saddened about his death um thank you Congressman for everything that you've done my prayers and condolences go out to your family and to the Brad community and I wish you know I wish I would have seen you one last time shaking your hand one last time taking another photo another selfie like we always do thank you and have a great night thank you commissioner Mahia commissioner Santiago thank you president Paris well you know as everyone's speaking about um condolences and sympathies to uh Congressman Pell's family colleagues friends I mean we all know he was mayor of Patterson he was a seman he was a congressman but he also was a teacher and he also was um part of the board of vet I think he was a president of the board of Ed Patterson and he was an Army veteran so you know consumate public servant and he's going to be missed and um prayers to his family um yeah the summer grads that was awesome I'm I'm very happy that we were able to do that um one of the one of the graduates Joanna so I was sitting there and you know families are there and there was a woman older woman in a wheelchair and so afterwards we're talking to everybody and greeting everybody and meet Joanna The Graduate and I said who's this this is my grandma and her grandma flew from Peru to come and see her graduate and so that was worth everything um but it was a great night um and I'm just really really um fun evening and it was just so rewarding so and congratulations to them for being resilient and getting it done and yet like everybody talking about fall Sports um I love the fall yes I love our football team let's go support them but there's other sports as well don't forget uh we've got cross country we've got gymnastics boys and girls soccer we've got girls tennis we got girls volleyball plenty of stuff to go and find um a game to go and support our kids thank you so much good night thank you commissioner Santiago commissioner siano thank you very much president Paris um thank you Amed I forgot to abstain I was looking over my notes and I missed that one I want to also offer my condolences to the family of Congressman Bill Pascal he served his community with unwavering dedication on a much happier note I want to congratulate ahed ananya I'm very happy for you guys may your you have years of love and happiness trust me marriage is a lot of work it's worth it in the end let me tell you uh Janina thank you very much for the thorough presentation it's really good to stay up to date on things like that and you were very detailed thank you very much um real quickly because it was brought up at the city council I'm going to bring it up I'm going to provide an update on the municipal Alliance meeting that was scheduled for August 20th it was unfortunately cancelled this decision was made between a few people on the alliance because the city manager canceled his attendance at the last minute leaving Joe K as the sole confirmed attendee on our Google invite from the city side of the alliance given the situation it wouldn't have been appropriate to proceed with the meeting we do have another meeting scheduled and I do believe that's going to happen before the next meeting so you guys will have a report on that uh School is almost back in session just two weeks the Halls are going to be buzzing with excitement and the thrill of new learning Adventures to all the students teachers and administration I wish you an incredible school year ahead since our last meeting I've had a joy of attending the Ecuadorian Pakistani Dominican and Indian flag raising ceremonies I love celebrating the city's Rich diversity I also had the honor of witnessing the summer graduation ceremony at Clifton High School watching our students achieve that accomplishment was nothing short of inspiring uh with Summer drawing to a close I am eagerly looking forward to my first full school year as a board of education commissioner this role is a significant responsibility that I'm deeply committed to serving on this board is by far one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I'm proud to make a difference um thank you for all the support thank you everybody on this board let's make this year extraordinary and I want to wish everybody a happy and safe Labor Day weekend and I'll see you all in September thank you commissioner siano commissioner Suarez thank you president Paris um I would also like to uh give my sincere condolences to the family of Congressman pascarel um congratulations to the summer graduates I wish I could be there I congratulate you and I'm proud of you for being able to work hard um it does take dedication to move forward to your personal goals um and I I congratulate everyone and I'm very proud and happy for all of you and your families and good luck with your future endeavors and um first day of school is coming up I have been a part of many a team who to start a school um as a school social worker for many years on the special education committees and really looking at what it takes to start a school in the classroom end so I want to wish all the luck to the teachers and School administration who are preparing their classrooms and preparing their minds to adjust to to be their best selves for the students um I know it's really exciting to receive students in the beginning of the school year so I wish everyone luck and good luck to the parents and Guardians as well uh we are preparing for the new school year um from personal experience it's certainly a struggle to adjust from the bed times to wakeup times from Summer to school um so I am with you in that in that uh struggle and I just wish everyone a good luck and the best school year ahead thank you all and have a great night thank you commissioner Suarez Dr Danny that what' I do nothing oh commissioner bassford I'm sorry we started there I'm sorry that's okay no worries I usually forget Dr Danny that's okay it's all right it's it's a little difficult to hear so you know because the mic at the podium is picking up everybody you know but it sometimes breaks out so I was like on the live feed you know trying to listen to that and it's just really complicated so makes it really really difficult um you know I don't feel well to begin with so it was a very stressful evening for me so um I apologize for for anything there but um again it's the mic is hearing you at the distance from the podium so it it just sometimes it cuts out some people are louder than others so um I apologize for that um I just like to say congratulations to the summer graduates um it was really exciting it was nice to see um the students Smiles on their face faces the parents speaking with some of them and just how excited that they were um echoing like some of the sentiments of um Mr Mahia what he was saying you know how um some of the parents said that you know it obviously students don't graduate sometimes on time and you know things happen but it was just a great experience overall they said that there was um a summer graduation for them um I would like to um also thanks Miss kusich for her presentation sorry that I was there in front of you you had a maneuver through that might have been a little bit um you know uh you know a little bit out put you out of sorts but you did a great job um I also um I I don't know if it was said I know something Mr Parish she said something about the pantry um that was really great um to contribute to the to the pantry I um I did fill the pantry um at two times so um you know hopefully it did help those um I tried to put in more baby products baby food products um I'm always you know wondering about children and and since being a teacher that's always what's on my mind um and um condolences to the pasarel family um my family was very close with the pasal family so um condolences very very sad um and I think that's about all I have for this evening thank you thank you Dr Danny hope you feel better soon and sorry commissioner Bast no worries no worries uh a couple things I just want to explain to everyone why I abstained and why I stepped off to das I sit on County committee and I also was very active in trying to help get people to the county committee by getting membership so I felt that I was very conflicted and making that decision so to anyone that's questioning my motives I did it because I'm in Conflict so when you're in conflict and especially for the discussion you step away and you also abstain um so that's one of the reasons why I did that the little p pantries was actually an absolute Joy if they offer it to us next year I would more than be happy to participate um to see the the need was very overwhelming to me um no sooner did you fill it up you went back in the afternoon it was gone again and uh you know I I made more trips to shoppr right that week than I have all summer so um and it was it's interesting to see what actually went so I was doing my own little G gauging of like what these people were eating so by the second day I was good I was like you I I had a good uh little little system going on so thank you very much for letting us into the food uh Little Pantry people that are out there great job I know you work really hard on making sure that the three pantries and maybe possibly more are always filled uh condolences to the bill pasel family uh to um his friends and his colleagues um his shoes will not be easy to fill um and it's comes at a very bad time of year so um to everyone that has to make that decision on who will be his replacement I I bless them God speed and um that they think it out very well to make sure that it's successful for that group uh thank you to Janina cevich not only for the ESL program which you blew me away at the at the um Education meeting I got so overwhelmed with that I have to tell you I was actually shaking I was very excited um you did a really great job um I actually sat on a committee that talked about student achievement and it starts at home so that little that 20 bit of people that you planted the seed will will grow and keep on growing so if this board makes those decisions to uh make it bigger and better kudos to us congratulations to the girls football team uh flag football team I had the pleasure of going with the stadium with a couple of my friends we watched we watched the girls play it was amazing to see them at halftime I was so thrilled to be in there and by luck we actually saw someone and they kind of moved us by the we weren't up in you know getting the sunburn we were covered under a ra under an orning so we really like it was a score score that day so thank you to whomever did that and to the people that we shared it with we were the loudest cheering section that day we were screaming we lost our voices but that was all good um thank you to the many organizations that invit us all of us to the uh many multiple flag raisings this summer uh they they continue so if you invite us we will we will go wishing everyone out there staff students um the teachers a joy ful safe and successful school year filled with growth and achievement good luck and have a happy uh rest of the summer and enjoy thank you thank you commissioner bassford um although my colleagues all mentioned it I think it's still worth mentioning yet again uh on August 10th when we had our summer graduation at the CHS Auditorium these students in my mind are out out standing outstanding because of their dedication and perseverance they did what they needed to do in their summer to complete their graduation requirements and the least we could do is recognize that achievement and it was a a beautiful ceremony in our Auditorium and it had their families and their friends supporting them I think we had over 30 students that um achieved their their um diploma over the summer and I think about 20 close to 20 walked on stage that day so uh congratulations to those families and students uh band camp is in full swing right now folks so if you happen to be near City Hall the back of City Hall and you hear some music or some drums beating uh that's the marching band getting ready for the season uh always an exciting time for them and us um our first home game is September 6th it's versus e side uh please come out and support the team and our cheerleaders and our band to my colleagues on the board here September 25th is the bake County School Board Association full meeting it's going to be held right here in Clifton uh at Marios uh go to their website and register um be great if we could have everyone there enforc and it's fantastic that it's in our own town um to Dr Robert toy GL to hear you're on the mend uh we miss you but take your time get better and uh we look forward to seeing you soon to the girls uh flag football team congratulations I also saw the game it was uh a wonderful opportunity for our team to get in front of tremendous crowd I mean performing in a stadium like that there's there's nothing like it um thank uh congratulations to Mr Rosado uh School 13 assistant principal School 13 is my Alam Mater so I know he's going to a fantastic school um and he'll be a welcome addition to the staff uh thank you to our av students here tonight who are on summer vacation yet they're here tonight with us at 8:30 in the evening and their time we appreciate uh your efforts all the time um and last but not least congratulations to Tanya and Ahmed and all the best for a wonderful wonderful happy life uh that's all I have and my computer went off so we do have some items for executive session business oh is there any new B I'm sorry I lost my I have a question um what was the date of the um the teacher orientation and the time do you know so new staff orientation will be next Wednesday I will I will send you a a detailed itemized agenda with what what time what's going on with it thank you okay thanks I'm back okay any new business all right hearing none we go to the next item uh executive session we will have executive session this evening uh we will will'll be discussing some personnel and uh contractual issues uh action uh will be taken it will take approximately how long do you think Mr sh okay we'll be about an hour before we come back uh can we have a motion to motion second by commissioner brunjak seconded by commissioner Santiago thank you 5 minute recess Mr President thank you know e for e e e guys just for clarification everybody can vote on everything in executive session we can vote on everything that discuss in executive session thing about J is is not being voted on tonight so you guys are good so I'll get a motion from uh we got return or something I'm from Judy are we live or is it yes I motion to accept all the resolutions please motion motion to convene okay second okay Mo thank you sorry Judy and motion to conven by commissioner bord seconded by commissioner Mahia um we've returned from executive session um we're looking for a motion to approve approve items under G executive sessions number two through 10 motion motion by Suarez seconded by commissioner siano any discussion way to mess it up guys H commissioner bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr Mia yes Santiago yes siano yes M Suarez yes vice president Danny is not here president Paris yes motion carries okay any other board visits NOP motion to adjourn motion to adjourn by commissioner bass second by commissioner Santiago have a great night good night everyone e for

2% for that Statewide that is the six if you look at them overall next slide Sand Creek Elementary had the highest growth of any Cadre School in the entire state of 32.5% this shows the 10 highest growth Cadre schools in the state that achievement earned Sand Creek an invitation to the Indiana State Board of Education meeting last week they asked them to come speak with them about their successes that they've been experiencing and what they've done to make that happen and again the thing here we're talking about is students who are literate readers at third grade that's an something that changes your entire life so the fact that these percentage points are showing up here this these are more kids that are reading and that's the phenomenal piece so if we go to the next slide I just wanted to show a quick picture I did the screen captures I could um last week um Susie Webster San Creek principal Cindy law San Creek Assistant Principal and she was our literacy Cadre coach last year at San Creek and also Brooke and I was gonna say matern leech um also went with us to speak at the state house and so they briefly spoke to the state board ofed and shared their success and were celebrated so I've asked the Sand Creek team to come join us night so we could celebrate here together ladies you mind standing up so I can introduce everyone so we have Susie our principal of course and Cindy the assistant principal literacy Cadre coach Casey Downey third grade teacher Brooke Leach kindergarten teacher and Sam laau our other instructional coach so I want to celebrate San Creek I know this is a small representation of their entire staff and this was a work of Heart of that entire building um but I want to celebrate Sand Creek this evening so if you would indulge us and walk around we would appreciate can we get ack picture thank you is there anything that you'd like to say um I'm just this wouldn't have happened I I don't think as much without the great support that we had from the Cog for one um not only Cindy is a great coach but they also provided a coach in our building and a network that we could connect with and just a lot of resources um and then just watching that coach and that teacher team teaching together um the collaboration the Deep Drive dive into data and to like just effectively use that continually to to move forward and you know I think it's put us in a motion for this year we don't want to see that change we want to keep that motion going um so we're working harder than ever just to keep that momentum going for all of our students thank you thank you for everything you're all doing and and I will share that if you notice those change rates those were pretty fantastic R from multiple buildings and what we have been doing is looking at where we've experienced success um gra has had a lot of success with literacy um everyone is doing a great job sharing with each other so as we at different buildings see things that are working we're sharing we're talking each other and learning best practices so really proud of the work everyone's been doing with literacy thank you so that was an in form um for the board again um just to congratulate all of you um thank you for again supporting those kids and making sure that they um have that great start at the beginning so we appreciate all that so next we'll move down to annual School Improvement plans so asking for approval of our annual School Improvement plans the process we use is each building um comes together they look at their data of student achievement and then work to make plans based on best practices to improve for the next year so it is a team effort and they have been working on on those throughout the summer and they're ready to go and we're asking tonight for approval of those points entertain a motion to approve I have a motion by Pat do I have a second second by Travis in discussion all those in favor six so next we'll move down under professional staff permission to post um yes Dustin b would like to shift a staffing sha I'm sorry shift to Staffing disposition internally which is a JC ECCC CMA instructor position that were asking for permission for approval um instead of doing it through an agreement with vinen University uh this will be a approval just asking for that approval okay great just asking for that approval motion have a motion by R do I have a second second second by Cheryl any discussion all those in favor six I would mention both of these are um funded through the adult ed Grant um so we have another permission yes asking for approval please for permission to post two positions for JCC L instructors okay entertain a motion to approve have motion by Travis do I have a second second by maryin any discussion all those in favor six so next we move down under stem contracts yes we're asking for approval for the following stem contacts for the 2425 school year please Stephanie with frush Creek Elementary School Courtney CHR johns with grand prak Elementary School Bailey KCK and Tiffany th in a split position for haton elementary school Judy Alford and Damen via has a split position with North Elementary Sam LA with s Creek Elementary and finally Tara Kelly with Jenning County Middle School entertain a motion to approve those as read motion by Cheryl do I have a second second second by Pat any discussion all those in favor 6 next we have some extra contractual dat yes asking for approval please for the following contractual days for the 24 25 school year that include Bradley Briggs 30 days madin Cardinal 17 days Chelsea par 13 days Nicole carder 15 days Jeffrey green 20 days Jamie Kelly 15 days anore eight days Karen Snider 25 days Ashley CM 15 and Molly Von 6 please Mo to approve motion by Mary do I have a second second by Earl any discussion question any of those increases from last year they pretty much on par for they're pretty much on par we did have a change with the guidance counselers at the middle school so we had to shift um for the experience on that and I believe we had an edit on Karen from last year we just had a typo of what we had that's what's on the proposed contracts we've been working through any additional discussion I have a motion in a second so we'll um all those in favor six um so next we have some recommendations yes please asking for the uh following recommendations to be approved Pamela egman as the St Creek Elementary literacy Cadre coach Joseph Kelly as the Jennings County high school English teacher and Adam Tucker is the jix County High School civil construction teacher to take a motion by Travis do I have a second second by Marilyn any discussion all those in favor six and if you wouldn't mind I'd love to welcome um Joe Kelly is here tonight so he is our newly approved Jen's County high school English teacher and you come you take famous we really appreciate it joining us tonight thank you thank you conratulations thank you thank [Laughter] youcome thank you con congratulations glad to have you congratulations thank you thank you see you in the [Laughter] morning don't be late okay now we'll move down under support step um we have permission to post yes please asking approval for permission to post two positions for jce for um an El instructor assistant I have a motion to approve so by Cheryl I have a second second by Pat any discussion all those in favor six and now some recommendations yes the last group I'm asking for approval for the following recommendations please Emerson Benson as the junning County High School student main office intern Mary daringer Jennings County Middle School custodian Tom felis Jennings County School's uh part-time mechanic Melissa Holloway Jennings County High School assistant kitchen manager Derek Simpson Jennings County High School volunteer assistant boys soccer coach Haley Smith s Creek Elementary spread Paro and Ria Webster s Creek Elementary custodian I have a motion to approve motion by Travis do I have a second second by Mary Lynn any discussion all those in favor 60 now we have some donations uh yes asking for approval of the following donations Anonymous $450 to Brush Creek for student snacks imagination daycare $500 for the Brush Creek student snacks Coffee Creek Christian Church $250 to Graham Creek for student needs Jenny's Church of Christ $200 to the high school Panther pantry and St Vincent Ascension $5,000 donate donation to The Hope food program have a motion to approve those donations as read sove motion by Pat do I have a second second by Cheryl any discussion all those in favor 6 now we're on to the budget second reading second time on the budget um we'll just go to the slides that have changes so if we go to slide four try to save a little time here what you'll notice on this slide all we did was take Debt Service up and from an advertising standpoint this is a reflection of the comment I made last meeting about the bonding for long-term maintenance so we will see an increase in The Debt Service it will not be the change of that but you always advertise high again and then that rolls forward to slide 11 just keep on cranking forward there that's reflects that same number the 4.9 and then if we move to slide 17 slide 17 you're going to see the change in the advertised um Debt Service of the 0.

1826 million so we you know we have 1.54 months of claims of course we'll continue to monitor you know I I do expect that as we get into September October claims should settle down you know we still are are looking to average the 1.18 million as the year progresses but it is uh not a claim month that any of us are happy about but we'll not much we could do about it other than continue to monitor so that takes me back to why we're going to keep that 50% cap on in the event that we um you know continue to have high claim months and we exhaust our reserve the first place we have to go to our operating budget to make sure we could make up the deficiency we always have the option you know to request additional funding but we haven't done that in the past we haven't needed to and I'm hoping that we can continue that Trend this year and hope that claims get better that concludes the Finance report for this month thank you Mr Mar you're welcome great next item is the Personnel we may have a question there is a question sorry Mr gripple I didn't see thank you um two questions um firstly so the claims the that we saw will uh any of them qualify for the stop loss well not yet the the highest claims that I saw were $70,000 and the clock resets as of July 1 so we have to hit 175,000 before we receive stop-loss reimbursement it's likely that we will have claims that hit the stoploss layer not for several months though and and typically the second half of the year so starting January through June is when we start to see that those claims are hitting that 175 always a double-edged sword when we have high stoploss reimbursement that means that we're going to pay the price in the next year's renewal so we always hope for low claims and well below the threshold but we'll we'll as I said continue to work through it um and secondly um for our electric bill um is our school system subject to that fee that everyone keeps talking about commercial Works differently and I can't tell you that um and I I'd have to look at the the last couple of months bills to see if our rate for the transmission has changed I I and I'm looking at Mr White because he usually knows before I do if there's been a a rate change on the transmission side so I think Adam's talking about public benefit charge I think which would be different from the transmission yeah do we I'm not sure I mean I could look it up but I'm not sure do we get the public benefit charge on school schools have a different rate than residential than commercial it's actually School rates I'll check I'm not sure yeah and I could I could certainly email the board members but we'll take a look be interesting to know okay Mr M I just have a question kind of similar to finance with the situation that um occurred with the roof at yes was there an impact to us financially not to us but certainly to the roofing company there will be because what what essentially happened really briefly is the roof that was um being replaced they had added the roof membrane it was installed properly what wasn't installed properly are the caps for the roof drains that would divert the water off the membrane down the roof drain and into storm water management obviously they weren't expecting the crazy torrential range that we received um so we are not unhook financially that will be covered by them you know it was you know certainly a major inconvenience but I will tell you that you know first of all the alarm company did report motion and think about how much water has to be coming into the building to set up em motion alarm the answer is a lot um and then the police responded our on call custodian responded so we were in there pretty quickly not much we could do other than try and catch the water in large containers um and the um director of facilities Richard cette you know had a call in for all hands on deck so most of our maintenance staff was in the building on Sunday night you know vacuuming up the water and getting it out of the building after the rain did stop also Mr cette had the roofing company come back and go on the roof about an hour after we got the call to secure those roof drains so that the subsequent rain event which we did have a large rain event a couple of days later we had no additional water so it will be all put back together you know by Monday it's looking good already so I know that's a long- winded answer but I figured let me just tell you what happened thank you any other questions Mr Gribble uh yeah just one more so are you saying that the uh we'll call it up Ren repairs or whatever renovation was completed and it failed or it was not complet no the work was not completed okay and and the work will be fully completed this weekend they still had some more so they just didn't have a uh protection enough against a freak downpour of what four or five inches or whatever we got right again they weren't counting on a monsoon and they should have they should have secured those roof drain caps before they left on Friday sure they won't make that mistake again thank you Mr White thank you um yes so I just looked it up um to answer Adam's question as of July 1st the rate that most of us us paying our homes rate one uh was 4 cents per kilowatt hour for the public benefit charge and for schools and our schools as I recall we do not use one rate but I believe we probably for most of our schools we we use one rate just there's a couple that we do use for other reasons and that is rate 40 I believe and that's two cents per kilowatt hour so we're paying half of what most homeowners are paying two cents versus forense the schools being we thank you thanks M Tim um next committee is uh personnel and I'm gonna pass it to Dr Solen um because we have an appointment of the assistant chief operating officer thank you madam chair um because this person will be reporting directly to Mr massian I've invited him to introduce our appointee Vin thank you it is with great pleasure that we present to the board of ed the appointment of our assistant chief operating officer miss Emily Taylor Emily you can raise your hand that's Emily Taylor everyone Emily I'll give you a little background here she Emily was selected from a pool of 30 candidates and she endured a pretty grueling multi-round interview process which included members of our Board of Education our administrative team and our operations leadership team throughout the process Emily was personable she was very thoughtful in her responses she was enthusiastic about the position hope she remains that way and professional in her interactions with everyone U and she ultimately proved to us um unanimously that she is the right fit for this new position Emily has more than 12 years of experience serving in various School operations leadership roles which we thought was important and she's currently serving as a cheap operating Chief Operating Officer at Kip Academy where she's responsible for managing the operations of five charter schools in the Boston area and those schools serve more than 2100 K through 12 students operating budget of about $50 million per year she began her career as a math teacher which is a good skill to have in this job at West Jefferson High School in Louisiana then moved into the role of school operations maner manager for renew Charter management also in Louisiana and then she ultimately relocated to the Boston area and joined Kip Academy as the Director of school operations and she's been successfully employed at Kip for the last 10 years she earned her BS in Psychology criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland and she noted it was Suma Kum L impressive and she went on to earn an MBA from Bentley University we're pleased to share with the board that Emily has very strong educ educational roots that preceded her College Success because she is a former chesher resident and a proud graduate of chesa high school it's pretty good right yeah so Emily and her family recently moved from Massachusetts to the Glastonberry area she told us more than once she's very excited to start her career with the chesher public schools on October 9th as our new assistant coo assuming the board approves the appointment of course and we're equally excited about her joining the School District Operations and the treasure Public Schools team thank you thank you Mr masana um if possible can somebody please read the motion to approve the appointment Mr White you that the chesher Board of Education appoints Emily Taylor to the position of assistant chief operating officer further the board authorizes the superintendent to enter into an agreement with Miss Taylor for her employment as the assistant chief operating officer second miss calling in discussion Mr gripple I see you thank you well firstly uh welcome back to chesher um several of us here uh did graduate from chesher high school as well right oh Mark sorry I forgot about sorry are you all in the same class no no um and I also uh graduated uh Finance from Bentley so go Falcons uh class of 96 though I'm guessing you're more in the 2000s I'm assuming okay you got to go to that cool new Finance school that they built a little after right down well half of it was in so oh oh wow okay okay oh wow all right yeah well go f Falcons um so anyway uh welcome I'm sorry I couldn't attend your um your your last your final interview last week but um sounds like you did great so welcome to the team and uh you know free up your time for Jan January so spreadsheets Dr her again hi I just want to welcome you aboard and um and to Vinnie and Jeff you know thanks for getting this succession planning uh lined up for for us for the future um it's wonderful to have somebody so well qualified coming coming up the ranks so I look forward to working with you in the future any other comments questions discussion um I just want to say uh I appreciate that you went through this very rigorous process as Vinnie said um so um I also you know thank you for Mr eki and I kind of asked use some Off Script questions um and you know the answers made me personally as a parent in the community feel comfortable um that a you are connected to the community you have an awareness that our community is growing in diversity um and these things matter in the finance world as much so that um I'm I'm happy you're here and I'm kind of jealous because you have the Godfather of Finance to learn from so Vinnie Godfather my thank you for that title that's a new one for me Michael Colon come on right so he's gonna be talking about that for oh man I'll retract I'll retract that comment Carol you can scratch it I will I'm going to update my business card with that one are you kidding but welcome board we're happy to have you here for sure any other comments All right so with that um all those in favor of approving the appointment of Miss Emily Taylor h i it is unanimous great yay would you like to make a comment yourself well like I'm very excited to come back to ches Great perfect great can you hear me oh this is nice um well I'm very excited to rejoin the chesher public schools as an adult I have it was a very intense interview process but I feel like I got to know a lot of people that work for the school district and I'm very excited to work with such like a a likable hardworking group of individuals and um you do you all are doing something really special here and I'm I'm really G to be I'm proud to be a part of that now so thank you thank you just one thing put that on so when you you don't need to go back to the microphone just a suggestion that uh taking over or working with vin on this you're probably going to be doing Outreach to the community as my guess some public meetings you might want to go back to your yearbook and remember all those names because you're going to probably know some people at those meetings for the elementary schools yeah great next uh committee item is planning Mr eki you guys had a meeting on July 17th which I was not present for I apologize I was in Grace and I was late um I'm GNA kick this again over to Vin and he's going to talk all about the progress at Highland School okay thank you again I will I will make this brief there was a planning uh committee meeting held on July 17th and at the time the discussion and I will give an update after I'm done with the update from the meeting but on the date of the meeting we provided an update on the status of the Highland portable classrooms project and if I know the board is aware of that the reason that we needed to undertake this project to add two module classrooms at Highland Elementary School is because the enrollment is not only growing but expected to continue to grow to a point where the capacity will be really really tight in that school so we needed to have some way to increase capacity and the use of modular classrooms although it's you know it's not the it's not the best solution um it is for us at this time because we can't add to the building um so on the date of the meeting I I do want to point out and it's in the minutes that we had 890 students enrolled at Highland Elementary but we knew that um because it was July we didn't have full enrollment from all the parents um so as of today the 890 is 9915 students so it not surprising you know we did end the school year at 8 99 so we expected it to increase um the one good piece of news is that I don't I I believe we will have one kindergarten classroom that won't be used that was projected to be used so that gives us a little bit of wiggle room uh on the date of the meeting what I had reported to the planning committee members is that we had issued an initial RFP to purchase the portable classrooms back in February and we awarded the actual purchase and delivery of the Portables um back in March Planning and Zoning approved the project in on May 13 we had construction design and bid set drawings completed by anazi on June 11th we then issued a second request for proposals to do the site electrical plumbing and construction work uh that was issued on June 18th J on July 10th we opened uh the four proposals that were received you know retriever group nozle Builders Beacon electric and Nadler module all submitted initial proposals we screened those proposals we did a scope review with our architect Mr clette our director of facilities and myself you know we were very thorough in that process and we ultimately awarded um to Beacon electric now that's not in the minutes I'm giving you just some further update um the way that we will fund this project is a combination of capital funds that were approved for this and money from our operating budget funds um I explained that day to the planning committee that the planning committee didn't had made all the approvals I needed to make previously so there was no action required by the planning committee so no action was taken that evening the um other item that we updated and discussed was the there was a call that I have received from Melissa Fuller over at eversource she's responsible for natural gas delivery you know in this area and she knows that you know we had asked in the past can we get natural gas too little we never did it previously because it was cost prohibitive and the bottom line is it's still cost prohibitive we would have to pull the gas line about a mile we did install two new um boilers at at D little just a couple of years ago they run on oil if we spent a million dollars to run a natural gas line we would not recoup that million dollars for a couple of decades at a minimum so it doesn't make economic sense to do it um and it still is a fossil fuel so we didn't think there was any point in in you know taking this any further but that was one of the updates that was provided at that meeting uh and the meeting you know did end started at 6:35 ended at 7:15 I I'll just add a little bit in more information so we did award to uh Beacon electric after the scope review we made some adjustments they they lowered the proposal price a little bit further we um have had several meetings with Beacon electric you know we're at the stage where they have to you know do submittals to the architect that we also review for the electrical the foundation work um we're going to install perimeter fencing obviously we will have not only staff but students in school starting next week so the perimeter where the construction work will begin will be fenced off you know that will happen next week the site work will begin next week the site work portion um the installation of electrical that should be done by mid-september so this is not a long inconvenience period for the school you know obviously principal Jeffrey and staff are aware that we will have an active construction site during the day we will not be bringing construction vehicles in in the morning or when the students are being dismissed you the contractor is well aware of that we've worked with this contractor before he's proven to be highly responsible he did the he's actually just finished the dot fire alarm work which went great and that was done after hours so we have everything aligned we should have the Portables ready for occupancy around Thanksgiving you know if we get a break and we finish a little earlier we can occupy earlier but we will be able to use the Portables the second half of this school year year and next year going back to enrollment the one thing we haven't seen a lot of yet which I'm pretty sure will be coming is new students coming in from the new housing as it opens up whether it's the tow houses you know on Sodom and way which is part of the North End development or the apartments that are part of that same development as well as some of the other housing that's been brought online because is our biggest capture area for elementary students we would expect the bulk of the students you know to go to Highland um and I will say that you know that we are diverting students into Chapman from Sodom and way so that shouldn't affect Highland but we'll continue to Monitor and and work through the process we do have a plan B but I don't think we need to worry about Plan B because you know we were able to get this project scoped and awarded and work is about to begin very soon that's the update for planning thank you Dr herrian yes so um one question I have and just speaking pretty generally um are we really straining our Elementary School Highland it sounds it sounds like it's bursting at the seams really and I I also just want to give a big shout out to Mr Jeff um Elementary principal uh of the of the state right Connecticut um I it gives me such relief to know that he is in in that school uh working for us because I I just think this is an enormous responsibility that he's carrying for this big school that's birthing at the scene so big shout out to Scott yeah and I know if Scott were here he would um you know share that it's certainly uh he leads that group but there are a lot of people that are making extraordinary contributions and accommodations to make this work we had a lot of um you know learning support teachers out in hallways trying to do work in closets we we're putting people in a lot of different positions that unfortunately are a function of the incredible enrollment we have there um and so I know he would want to acknowledge those folks as well but certainly Scott's been you know very very supportive and helpful in this process yes thanks for bringing that up I didn't I don't mean to slight no I know and that's why I know Scott would immediately say there's a lot of other people that deserve recognition thank you Scott we're channeling you tonight any other comments questions question Miss cry and then Mr G so I'm I'm I just want to make sure I heard this correctly that there's one less kindergarten one less kindergarten grave okay so do we think that that is directly related to the change in the age it could be yeah because we do have two transitional kindergartens we did anticipate a reduction in kindergarten enrollment and if you recall we knew that um maybe you've seen on the news was it uh Tuesday night or something that um you know we anticipated the reduction we didn't want to cut good teachers knowing that that'll probably level out we wanted to make we wanted to alleviate some of the burden that our local um daycare providers wouldn't be able to manage we wanted to be able to support families so we're offering this transitional K program at $5,500 a year we're not making a profit on it we're covering costs and so um yeah we did anticipate that reduction in K but we've added the two transitionals at at uh Darcy there are those I believe it's six sections of kindergarten so it's not small yeah yeah not small yeah Mr gripple and then Mr White um so just for reference so we're at 9 clim 9915 in climbing but when the new schools open and we engage in redistricting the target number is 7 725 Highland yeah so it it certainly will go down are we still on track for that so you know one of the things that we're going to have to explore throughout the course of this year oh no is just an updated enrollment study because who doesn't like that um you know I we are at about the projections the SL SLR initially uh provided years ago um we do have NASDAQ produ projections as well that are more or less grounded in birth rate um but I we Vin and I have discussed that it might be appropriate to go out one more time and just get a especially before as we're starting to put shovels in the ground in our buildings and if you remember we did design for uh buildout if necessary uh now would be a good time to know that before we do start building so you know probably over the course of this year we're going to want to pursue that right thank you I think this is probably a question for you VIN probably for planning as a planning committee item kindergarten I got the email as an elementary school parent about Walkers and busers what is the radius for kindergarteners now well we it's half a mile but the board um policy committee had their second reading to move it to a mile oh so we're not done with that yet got it yeah there's one okay yeah one more and that's the question then I was thinking we were done with it so thank you yeah I I did explain um when we met at the last policy committee that you know we're the one mile is the maximum doesn't mean we're going to put every student at one mile you know we are pretty sensitive it's rare that we actually hit the one mile or the 1.5 mile marker for DOD and the high school you know which is permitted on the board policy the idea is just to align kindergarten with first grade the reason kindergarten was a half a mile was we had Darcy which was a kindergarten Center so without many side walks either so right right okay so there's there is a third reading that will should occur at the next business meeting got it so it's in process okay thank you you're welcome anybody and just for those at home clarification what classes are going into the port Portables grade levels well this may change because you know we're doing it at midy year y when we had last talked to Scott he was thinking of one fourth grade class and one of the um I believe the T PT perhaps but you know that may change so just take it as a tentative yeah it's it's and I think optimally we would put grade level classes in there unfortunately given the fact that construction is happening mid year and it's incredibly difficult to move full grade classes um it might be some combination of a full grade class in service providers but uh we're trying to avoid service providers there if we can U but Scott's trying to work through that but then the subsequent year yeah we probably grade level classes yeah like yeah upper um it depends on how many sections of each level we have and where we're locating them um but that's in that section of the building it tends to be around fourth grade um that are out there I mean obviously you know the best case scenario would be to put smaller students but not kindergarten you know right because they take up a little less space than a take forever to walk to the main building yep and then um you're deferring the other updates to the 95 meeting here V I just wanted to yes the full update with pictures will be at the board of ed meeting on 95 okay but I just want to assure you that as I sit here today all our schools will be open on August 29th there are no showstoppers and a small roof would not prevent us from opening School for students thank you um any other items or stst standing committees can we let Emily go if she'd like to oh I apologize I know she's sitting here patiently and you're welcome to stay all right it's quite entertaining isn't it um no no other items uh next item is the approval of minutes for June 6th and June 8th uh 20th excuse me meetings if somebody could please um read the motion to approve the minutes Mr White moved that the Cheshire Board of Education approve the minutes from meetings held on June 6th and June 28th second miss cullinan any additions or Corrections that need to be made based on your review none all those in favor of approving the minutes for both June 6 and June 28th 2024 say I or unanimous thank you Mr secretary are there any correspondences to be read Madame chair I have no correspondence at this time great thank you sir next item is the superintendent report Dr Solen thank you Madame chair um first just to continue off the the planning uh conversation I wanted to update the board uh there's a NextGen School building committee meeting going on this evening actually and um is things start to crystallize around around when we uh will finalize all of our plans some things have changed a little bit um so I I know I sent an invitation to you but I just want to announce and and for the Public's sake uh we will have a joint meeting to review uh the North End final plans on Thursday the 12th of September at 7 o' um it's it is like it's sounds uh the final designs should be completed at that point and the board uh will vote to approve those designs at that meeting hopefully um on Thursday September 19th the board and the council was originally slated to Hall The Joint meeting unfortunately um we needed to cancel that meeting in favor of um uh a Norton cost estimate review um that day that the next gen School building committee will be meeting at 6 o'clock and I'll be meeting with them um to review the cost estimates for the North End or excuse me for Norton um and so unfortunately Sean will be there as well we had to uh we're going to have to reschedule the Joint Council board meeting in which we were looking to discuss things like naming and um next steps in terms of our our next phase uh so we'll try and reset that date ASAP on Thursday September 26 the week after uh we will have another joint meeting with the NextGen School building committee to approve the Norton plans and that'll be at 7:00 as well uh again those should be in your camp calendar uh but I wanted to make sure everybody was aware of of those important upcoming meetings and the um the little change in schedule for the 19th or at least change in what we were trying to cover that day Jeff before you move on you said the joint meetings were the 12th and the 26th yes okay so okay 7 o'clock uh for both those on the next gen School building committee um so and it like I said I I'll resend it in the calendar um just so you have it you know at the top of your uh page again um but that's those are some important meetings that are coming up uh we have begun construction at both locations with not Full Construction but at least site work uh there has been dramatic site work at the North End if you have the opportunity to drive by or if you follow me on Instagram um I post pictures and video pretty regularly we've also initiated some Drone footage of both sites uh that will follow through the process and you'll get a chance to see the progression over time it's already pretty like I said pretty dramatic on the North End at Norton uh we've completed cutting the road tighter to the building for emergency access so pretty soon uh the fences will go up uh in the fall to we're trying to hold off as long as we can so that play space is available but uh in the fall we'll put up fencing and the construction will start the work has already been done through Sharon Drive to provide uh Road access from the back of the building uh the Culver or not the Culver like the bridge crossing the concrete Bridge Crossing has been commissioned and that should be in this fall as well uh but that like I said that work is coming along and it's it's really exciting to see this work actually taking place we just another C days closer every day so uh there's that the other thing that has kept me really busy over the summer is the anxious generation book club I appreciate those of you that were able to attend and participate uh we had over uh 200 approximately 250 people sign up parents and and staff to read the anxious Generation by Jonathan hate and um we've had more than a 100 people participate in discussions around the book uh and you know some of the themes that have emerged from those conversations and I think the one that's most powerful to me is that after reading the book it's changed the way that I look at the world uh it's changed and I can say personally for me as well it's changed the way that I look at parenting educational leadership um how we support kids to develop to be healthy uh young people and hopefully young adults uh it it's incredibly altering and so I I would recommend the book uh one of the other themes is that in essence we tend to dramatically nature of social media and the adverse impact it has on our kids mental health sleep and many other things uh particularly for young women uh and on the flip side our society has become incredibly protective uh almost detrimentally or detrimentally so in the real world um and how do we provide our kids more opportunities to learn and grow uh in a safe but um opportunities for them to get out of their comfort zone and it's okay to be out of your comfort zone as a matter of fact it's great to be out of your comfort zone uh and evolve uh one of the metaphors he uses in the book is the idea that trees without adversity grow up and fall over uh they require actually wind and drought and other things in order to strengthen their roots and be able to rise tall and so there are a lot lot of powerful themes through the book and U you may have seen recently that the state has issued guidance around cell phone policies and it's been my position from the outset that well I think you know restricting cell phone access is great uh I kind of liken it to the idea of saying that we're going to restrict cigarette access to kids I mean of course we're going to do that during the day but is really we want to do it all the time uh is best for their health and uh it's not outlandish to make the parallel that social media is as addictive and harmful for young people as smoking is uh but we just socially haven't seen it that way yet um but the research says that and so we've been focused uh intently on educating our community around that fact and um are hopeful that that is the first step in community understanding and acceptance when we are much more restrictive around cell phone use um the it'd be great to be restrictive about cigarettes it's better if kids don't buy them and so you know that's where we are with cell phones uh for kids and that's a lot of the work that we've been doing and I look forward to continuing our book meetings our book opportunity discussion opport opportunities uh next week on the 27th we have two more uh number of people signed up and um eventually our policy committee will be taking a hard look at these recommendations around uh cell phones um but again you know we have laws in Connecticut that prohibit speeding but you know that's only a law is only part of the process a rule is only part of the process um we need to really focus on the whole picture and that's part of it so I look forward to taking up that conversation in the fall any questions for the superintendent Mr White and then Dr heran thank you um so Jeff you had mentioned uh naming schools did you mention that for the September 12th and the 26th meetings no that will be the joint meeting with the board and the Town Council that unfortunately we had to reschedule because of the uh priorities of the nextg school building committee and fing the final plans with the state but we will get that on the docket do you have a do you have an idea of what like month that might happen um probably October um and we'll you know I'll try and um connect I did talk to Sean about this uh we need to connect with Peter Talbot and Sam and we'll try and get a couple of dates out to the groups to make sure we can get as many people to participate as possible thank you yeah my just off the cuff maybe something like a public hearing I don't know if we could do it legally because there's so many rules around doing stuff like that but I and maybe not even in one night yeah I think it I think it merits a little bit more discussion that like policy committee is three consecutive meetings or something like that just to give the public a chance to share their thoughts yeah so the The Joint meeting um I think part of the plan there is to design a process oh okay yeah not not to necessarily decide on a name um uh but okay Godfather Elementary School is off the table any ideas I tried it Ben uh and beyond that as you might have be surprised the anxious generation thank you so much for encouraging me as a board member as a parent encouraging all parents to read it I read it myself it was I found it powerful and compelling um I encourage everyone in town not just parents I encourage everyone to read it it's a it's an extremely powerful statement you had mentioned the addiction that exists particularly with social media which is sort of goes hand inand with the smartphone and one of the pieces about that is how the social media companies my recollection from the book is basically basically they know that they're the when you get a like or a retweet or something like that dopamine goes to your brain which as I understand it is kind of addiction the definition of it and they know what they're doing and it's really problematic the story that the guy tells kind of speaks to criminality or fraud I think that has occurred within the past say 10 years or so 10 years or so and so I I just encourage people to read it it's a it's really powerful in my opinion and I encourage parents to also think long and hard about the access the kids are given because I I don't think it's a stretch what you're talking about with regard to cigarettes it's not the same thing because a phone call you know to your mom and dad or something like that can make total sense um but the social media and and other aspects of it the distraction of texting uh there's a whole lot of layers to the technology we have and I I certainly don't mean to say that it's all bad and there are real benefits with it I'm not sure what the benefit is with smoking and I know people enjoy it so there's that for some people um but it it it's really important that uh Society collectively uh comes to learn more about what's actually happening with this um from a number of parents with whom I've spoken this summer when it comes to uh a stricter prohibition on school time the feedback that I've gotten and this is not I came to the one meeting I'm not talking about just that this is talking to parents all over the place and it has been uh basically either uh supportive of it a stronger prohibition or a shrug I I just don't know what to do and and I do think the book makes a very um important argument that we whoever it is two people the book mentions 10 people sort of teaming up and saying hey we can do this we can hold the line on this with regard to either a smartphone or social media or whatever you know we can hold the line I think that's really important there is a there's a group mention in it called wait till 8 which is just encouraging people to hold off until 8th grade before they get a smartphone sure anybody at home could just Google that um they are growing uh their groups like that beyond the technology I'll just say um with regard to what the what the author characterized as uh play based childhood versus phone based childhood and the play-based childhood my own little experiment my eight-year-old son going to third grade this is just for parents to consider in terms of like playgrounds and stuff the way the author and some other stuff that you shared with us at the meeting Jeff it explains like playgrounds and how playgrounds are designed to be safe but it's not necessarily what kids find to be fun and this summer my son was fortunate enough to go to camp sloper where he participated in their fort building program for two weeks and they get to use real nails hammers real tools stuff like that a chainsaw which I can I I got confirmation he was not using the chainsaw cuz I just don't think he's forget about safety just wouldn't be able to pick it up anyway um I asked him after he did that fort building the fort building sloper Camp I asked him I said what would you what would be your ideal playground if you could build it and he said fort building plus a swing set the point being that I love the playgrounds that we have and it really does work I think for younger kids it definitely works um and it's safe and that's nice but I think the experimentation the exploration on the part of kids is also really important um and I just I I love it when I see my son you know walking off into the woods behind our house and I remember myself doing that and I also think about one of the stories in the book it was only a few years ago I guess it was right here in Connecticut where a mom got arrested because she let her kid go to the playground without her it wasn't a 5-year-old I don't remember how old her her son or daughter was I think it was a daughter but I don't want Society to be there my own personal opinion where parents are getting arrested if their kid is capable of doing something on their own um and I get it that there's risks out there but I agree with the story that you mentioned about the tree growing stronger by virtue of being being challenged earlier in life so uh that is it again I thank you for bringing that to our attention and I hope that uh the policy committee takes this up um soon and acts and I hope uh I also hope that parents do come because there are real for me I would like to do the most expansive broad ban on technology smartphones at least that we could um and by that I mean including Sports bus time everything is that practical I don't know enforcement is a real issue um but there are also very clear to me real issues beyond that I know at least one child who has diabetes and uses it so there are medical reasons for it um but I do hope that the policy committee takes it up uh soon and I do hope that parents come to speak about it thank you if I may just real quick with respect to the playground piece as soon as I read the book I reached out to our Architects and said we need to have a conversation about this and um Vin and the principes and I met uh couple of weeks ago um maybe a month ago now and you know she said this is so refreshing to have a conversation about Adventure play as opposed to what's going to be the quote most secure boring playground we could make to um protect from potential liability now interestingly you know the likelihood of kids getting injured is actually reportedly higher on the Bland play Cape because the kids don't use it the correct way and are more likely to fall and get hurt um and so we've designed things that are certainly safe um but are not your just traditional blah playscapes uh and they look really exciting and engaging and I I can't wait until you know we unveil them and you guys have a chance to look at them that what we've seen so far is really exciting Dr herri yes so on this issue um today at noon time the Connecticut Association of boards of Ed C uh had a webinar that I um sat in on listened in on and um I think all Boards of EDS across the state are now charged with taking the um Pro what is it the regulations it's not regulations the proposed um the guidance that they yeah the guidance from the State Department of Education that they've just come out with guidance so that we can start to form our um policies around that issue there's nothing Earth shattering in the guidance no there isn't but what I found really interesting about the webinar was this idea that so our policies are inspir aspirational and then it's our our staff who's going to be setting regulations and the interesting part is you can't make regulations and call kids into the principal's office every time do you expel them from school what are the consequences when when you find kids breaking the rules so we need to be really careful and we need to move forward pretty carefully um with not just creating the policy but then the regulations that we're going to to go by and um and for that reason and I think it was really important that we started this these book groups and and started getting the community not just School Personnel but the the community um to read these book groups um because we bottom line is we need everybody on board if we're gonna make this happen it can't just be otherwise you're leaving teachers out there teachers in one class saying what their rule is for cell phone use in their class and another teacher has a different it it doesn't work it there needs to be policy that can that we can apply across all the whole school and um and it needs to be workable and it needs to be enforceable so um it was interesting to listen to it and it's a big job but um I'm happy to take that on as a member of the policy committee so it's important work yeah thanks for attending that and thanks for participating in the club any other Mr gripple thank you um just to sort of piggyback on what everyone else has said U certainly uh since uh Tim and I attended that parent meeting what was that in July I guess yeah end of read the meeting and uh or read the book um the one thing that I said uh to the we only had maybe five parents in that one but uh what I said to them and what I say to all the parents now is that you know if we're going to to be able to affect change in mental health uh you know that this book um contends you know is backed by the you know the data that that's in there um is that you know we have a you know an understood culture of uh culture of Excellence as far as academics goes and that is um you know helped Along by the parents right the parents make sure that the the their children are doing the work and help them EX Excel and uh and be successful in our school system and that shows and in their grades and the test scores that we get and in the same way if we can make as many rules as we want and we can have kids lock up their phones in school but the moment they leave you know that's where you're really concerned sure it's a distraction in school you don't want to texting or you know whatever happens during the day but it's it's really what happens after they leave school um and that's where that culture comes in about you know we We Begin uh I think you know through the elementary school in Middle School um and then and and the one thing that even the State Board of Ed leaves off they don't they don't touch the 10- foot pole is high school right and uh that's the the real real concern is is high school where you know our our children are becoming more independent and then they have access to literally a a a psychologic IAL drug that bends their how they their perception of the world in a way that is now demonstrous Dem monstrously being proven that it's not very good for them you know like you know Tim and I Mark right we remember in high school just without social media how tough and we all remember how tough it could be without being put on blast in front of a thousand or 2,000 people and and just like just word of mouth but now you would have the the electronic equivalent of essentially being destroyed in 30 seconds uh I can't even imagine the pressure of of that uh in high school or heck even College really um so you know I think um it's we as a PO as a policy subcommittee will certainly Mark so chooses I guess right as chairman um uh that we take up this issue that we we come up with really sound uh really sound famework framework in conjunction with the administ ation so you guys can make uh you know great uh Administration decisions on that but but it's also up to the parents to follow along and to uh to be engaged in something like that because I told the group that that I was in front of was like we might make rules that you're not going to like um and but we we need to hear from you to to know what's what's workable what's real um before we we make anything official um so that's all I have to say on that uh secondly on the North End project um so I you know I live near there um and I see the fences going up and I don't know Vin if if you could if you could tell me is the footprint of the school inside of that fence because it seems small even you because I drive by it maybe it's not that small but you know I haven't seen where the fence is going up yeah but the footprint there's a pretty large flat area that you could see so that is where the school was going I don't know is it is that's where the footprint is going to be it's inside that fence perimeter like all the trees around that perimeter those are all staying and the school is inside that perimeter so again I don't know where the fence perimeter is when last I was there which was over the weekend you could see that there's a a big flat area yeah that's where the school's going to be I know again that seemed small even though it's like far away I know CU like now even compare it to like Highland or or to Norton it it seems I you know doesn't seem that far away from the road but I know felt like yeah the whole kids and have all the grounds I don't know the only trees really that are being cleared are the ones that are at that house yeah because that will serve as the construction it's not a trailer it's going to be the Construction office house until the Project's complete then that house will get torn down so yeah sure things get real once you know everything you know because I'm they're starting to St what is it Tamp down the or whatever they're doing over there but you know I guess it be interesting is comes along I think Dr Solen shared some of the Drone pictures I know they're available on the website but if you look at the Drone you kind of get a sense of where the building's going to be day by day we drive by so you know it's great you seen the plans you know no I know that it fits I just like when you see it for real it's like gee I thought it would be a lot bigger I don't know but maybe it will be and it'll be great and I'm sure it work school buildings you know committees downstairs if you want bigger go see them I'm sure when you get the height involved it'll be oh yeah it'll be plenty big oh Tim you want to go yeah thank you um yeah so just what one last one last point on the anxious on the aous Generation Um for parents who are uh if you have kids who are going through puberty right now particularly girls was the focus of this book just to point out that it wasn't just an addiction that the author was talking about but he was saying how brains he's a psychologist I'm not not a scientist but basically brains are developing differently because of the social media and and for that reason I again encourage people to read it because it's something that could be affecting people today that's it thank you I I just wanted to add Jeff my thanks and um compliment you on the time and effort that you put into this whole project around the book and I have to add that after I read that section on playgrounds I was in a meeting the next day on working on a playground preschool it's a prek-2 building and I just had a totally different idea you know about and and we were getting that you know the red blue yellow green plastic kind of you know playground with the soft and I'm thinking oh we need tires we need um you know hammers we need and um I mean they all looked at me like I was crazy but you know um I gave them your number so but anyways I do want to thank you because I think it was um very useful information for me for our parents for our community for the board of EDS so thank you I really appreciate reading it and participating like I said that education reading that book changes your view of things and I'm glad that we did read it because when we look at our playscapes and the new schools we have a different perspective so thank you guys for participating and supporting that process thank you Dr Solen um I I have to basically didd to what Amry said I I always feel as though you know you are very Innovative because we're always H trying things to to apply preventive maintenance in educating the public and um I love the strategy I I think it appears that obviously it's very popular because I haven't heard from Tim in so long um so if you can just do another series of book that's what I mean and I've read the book so I don't want to give it away either but it was very impactful um so a lot to talk about a lot to think about um Adam and I have had conversations it wasn't an illegal meeting we just had conversations about you know what to discuss in policy and so forth so we have a lot of work to do um but thank you and then just in just the fact that we again put practices in place uh you know one being the purposeful play just to kind of counter those things that you know we've all it's the elephant in the room so um so I want to extend my appreciation to miss wano as well too next I item is um old business if any board members have any old business no awesome um and then the last item would be uh the chair's report um I'm just going to actually just read that there are some upcoming meetings and voila the first meeting would be the policy committee which is Monday September 3rd um postpone that oh yes we did we're in October those would be our first policy okay did we pick an October date though yes U Carol is October 2nd 9th oh okay okay first because it's it's typically on that Monday but because of Labor Day oh that's right we had to move and uh we're on the 7th yeah so October 7th is policy at seven location to be determined or we're going to be at the board of bed hummus Street humus School Board ofed office Board of Ed office September 5th would be our Board of Ed opening of school meeting here at Town council chambers um and September 9th Monday September 9th will be curriculum committee meeting at 7 pm central office boardroom and then September 19th would be our Board of Ed business meeting as well um I do offline want to um ask to consider putting in the um personnel meeting as soon as possible um somewhere here if we can discuss that after this um some school and community events and activities August 26 convocation woohoo August 29th first day of school for all students September 2nd is Labor Day break and then October 3rd rashash Shana October 14th indigenous people's day/ Italian American day um schools and central office will be closed and then we have November 28th to 29th will be our Thanksgiving break which schools and central office will be closed as well too um and that's it for upcoming meetings and events um I just want to say congratulations again to Miss Taylor um and I I'm going to rephrase you are the Brando she's the colon how about that right no pressure no pressure so um so welcome board I'd like to wish everybody a Happy New school year I love the beginning of the school year I thrive off of it by naturally being an educator myself um and I'm looking forward I think the rain is a good sign rain is always luck I mean Monsoon rain I don't know but I think this is going to be a great year um I am dropping my last child off tomorrow at Penn State um so please don't call me I'm going to be a hot mess um but I do again want to thank chesher public schools because you've helped to create wonderful children in my view um and you've helped them to grow so and I know that we will continue to provide that Excellence so thank you Dr Solen and team and that's it for me so I would like to call for a motion to adjourn Mr Aki second all in favor to adjourn it is unanimous we are adjourned at 8:52 thank you have a good evening thank you

51 that's a reflection of the previous number going up and then the actual is going to stay the same because it's going to be about balancing that to with the payment to make that neutral again this will be a tax neutral Bond it be a tax neutral for the whole situation so that number will stay the same on this slide and then lastly page uh slide 19 is just a repeat of slide four and it just shows what the total advertised will be at this point any questions about the budget all right that was an informed so now we'll move on to per permission to advertise yes I'm asking permission to advertise the budget and it will be on the 5th of September when that be the day after or two days after the board meeting is when we advertise that entertain a m to approve I have a motion by Travis do I have a second second second by Cheryl any discussion I mean one clarification this is advertising all three budgets is what this motion's for the bus replacement and the capital project plan okay are you good with that motion yes you're good with your second okay I have a motion by Travis a second by Cheryl any discussion yes oh all those in favor 6 great thank you yep next we have 25 JC Capital project all right next up the capital project this is the first presentation of this so we'll take this a little bit slower next page please this is just the calendar for it so our first one's today we will have a potential second um reading but we went ahead and did the permission to advertise now and then uh we'll have the public hearing the same night as the regular budget and then the adoption will be on the same night as regular budget also next slide please this these basically are the summary totals for the capital project plan you're seeing a $510,000 this is for various potential Capital assets uh buses if we need to buy a bus we need to buy a a maintenance truck we need to buy a corporation vehicle we need to buy a it vehicle all these are combined along with potentially having to buy a skid steer if something happens to it throughout the year so this isn't really projects this is more the asset side the 510,000 then the next numbers are the portions of the projects that could be that we would that we would like to do now obviously we're not going to be able to do this much but what we' like to do here is give a fair assessment of things that could be done so 2025 you're looking about 2.1 million 2026 5.4 and then 202 27 of 8.4 last year this cumulative total was around 12 million that is up to 16 we've taken a little different approach in this last year I tried limiting it this year it was based on our assessment Roy's mainly assessment of what the things are like and through the facilities discussing thing through the facility group so and that's it is there any questions on the capital project plan you guys have detail in your packets so again this was an inform um we have already um given permission to advertise that will be done on September the 5th okay any additional discussion okay so we'll move down to the 20125 jcsc bus replacement plan okay this is the first presentation of this we'll again we'll take this the same way next slide please uh this has the exact same calendar as the capital project plan so we will advertise on the 5th we got permission to do that tonight I'll have a second presentation if there's any updates or changes on our meeting on the September 5th then the public hearing will be the 19th and the adoption will be the 3D again with this plan these are the summary totals of what we're looking at the 2025 is basically our fifth of five payments on the 20 22 buses that we bought four of this also is going to contain the second payment of the buses we're buying this year the 2025 we're buying them in 24 they're actually 25 models so we have four of those coming in so that's what that's what these numbers represent and then we've got in 2026 we will be um replacing six regular I think it was two sped and four regular buses is what will be repl placed in 2026 so the 2026 payment shows the third of five installments on the ones we're buying this year and then the first of the six we're buying in 2026 and then you'll see that work its way down through 2029 and what we're trying to do here we're trying to this is just the normal thing we do trying to keep all of our buses within at least 12 years currently a couple of them are outside of that Gap they basically are backup buses but as these buses age we're just trying to make sure we constantly stay on top of them is what this plan represents any questions on this again this was an inform um again we already gave permission to advertise and again that will be done September the so hearing no questions we'll move down um to the next item on the agenda JC HS Cafe REM yes that's me also this has to do with um Food Service basically with their way their funding Works they need to invest basically in any type of asset that they feel needs to be replaced the what Stacy's wanting to do here is sort of the first phase of a cafe remodel it's been quite a few years since the high schools had some of their stuff replaced she put out bids as required by the USDA and she covered all the bases on that the lowest bid we had two biders bid came in is Palmer Hamilton which happens to be very good quality we got lucky in that they're they're very good quality table and this work will be being done during Christmas break is if everything goes as planned and supply chain works out well Christmas break will be when this will go to when this will happen so I'm asking approval to proceed with this moot have a motion by Earl do I have a second second second by Pat any discussion all those in favor 6 so next we'll move down under operations we'll keep it rolling with me again go ahead uh this is for shortterm contract bus routes because of construction that's being done these two are both related to bridge work bus 307 as 10 miles added to its route and 306 has 14 miles added to its route this started on 86 with the start of school and it will end when the construction ends on the bridges and they're open back up again so I'm asking approval for that motion by Travis to have a second second second by Cheryl any discussion we've uh we've had Construction in our area this year yeah just just a little any additional discussion all those in favor six you still the next one oh yeah I just wanted to wait for the official go go ahead on okay you're good the next one has to do with bus 304 which is another contracted route when we did contracts in the fall of 23 I believe it was we gave bus drivers an option of if they invested in a newer bus we would pay them an additional $20 if they got an older bus but would still qualify as far as the state's concerned it would be at the Lesser rate the newer rate is a safe is typically safer buses and more reliable and there's a better chance they'll want to do a contract in four years from now so that's what the carrot was from that standpoint so this is approval to do that for bus route 304 entertain a motion to approve I have a motion by Mary Lynn do I have a second second second by Pat any discussion all those in favor 6 Philip we're going to give you a break good deal we're going to move down under relations we have anou um Todd yes asking approval for our mou with v speech therapy to provide virtual speech for our students um for our schools we cannot find an inperson speech inperson SLP entertain a motion to approve soov I have a motion by Pat do I have a second second by Travis any discussion all those in favor six another mou thank you asking for approval of anou with the law enforcement agencies ourselves and the J County Court System um working on some programming to support some high level student needs have a motion to approve so move I have a motion by Cheryl do I have a second second by Earl any discussion all those in favor six out so sorry I have five and then one of stay Travis I guess Travis sorry I miss that and then we have um one additional mou it's time to update our mou with nvpd for our school resource officers we have two with um ndpd so asking for approval of that I have a motion by do I have a second second by Travis any discussion all those in favor six and now we're down to other I just want to note there's so many celebrations from everything from um our kids just being fantastic people um celebrations that we're seeing with results in literacy and other areas I'll share more um score results and things and followup meetings um and then our community as you can see we have m in partners with we always have people looking out to reach out support food programming law enforcement agencies we're just appreciative of our community very good hearing nothing else to come before the board will entertain a motion to adjourn motion by Travis to have a second second by pad all those in favor 6 meeting adj

e e welcome everyone for coming out in this heat tonight for the regular Board of school trustees meeting held today 6 pm on August 26th with that if I could ask everyone to stand please for the Pledge of Allegiance in a moment of silence Mr Smith will lead us in the pledge Al flag of the United States of America to the for it stands one nation God indivisible andice thank you may be SE item two Tonight is their Board of school trustees resolution of accommodations we have five this evening first one being the Crown Point High School Vex robotics for winning the tournament champion and excellence awards at the regional competition advancing to the state championship 2.02 the CM Point High School first robotics team for winning the engineering inspiration award at the regional competition and advancing to the state championship 2.03 CM Point High School excaliber yearbook for receiving the first place Rowena Harvey award for academics in division three at the Indiana High School press Association state competition 2.04 the cro Point High School inklings for receiving the 2022 2023 who your state award the highest award in the state from the Indiana High School press Association in the state competition and 2.05 the crown Pine High School Crown Town crowntown Media news website for receiving the 2022 2023 whoer Star Award the highest recognition in the state from being a high school press Association and the state competition I may I have a motion to approve the accommodation Awards Mo uh motion by Mr Smith second by Miss Basin question or discussion all those in favor please signify by saying I I I motion carries 4 Z I will now present those Awards individually uh Mr Vasser will present the first one the Vex robotics for winning the tournament champion in excellent Sports Mr Vasser come on in okay welcome what a nice group this is our Crownpoint High School robotics team for uh finished first for winning the engineering inspiration award at the regional competition in that Bing well that's not gonna hire Mr Vex robotics for winning the tournament champion and excellent Awards Regional competition and advancing to the state competition first let me introduce um our coaches Matt LeBlanc and Ben Baker and coaches would you like to say any words about your team I always forget that I have to say something um I just want to say that uh you know we're always really lucky to have kids who come and are just extra committed to robotics uh these students put in up to six hours a week in the classroom after school uh but this year well last year they were given an extra challenge that uh construction kind of limited how much time we could spend after the winter break in the room so they went home and their parents opened up their garages and their basements and their out buildings and all sorts of things and gave the students you know the opportunity to practice and get a lot more practice time in than we would have had so so this is really them taking it on themselves to do what they needed to do this year so I'm just super proud of our group um so yeah thank you very much okay as I call you up please uh come and get your award if I mispronounce your name I'm sorry in advance Noah Nichols Dexter Kyer this is a great first name miles that's a great first name miles curit he's a college so okay great first name Jackson Donovan also at College okay Macy are you here okay that's three in a row right okay Emily hack okay Brianna Johnson Sophia is it Kiper or Nipper Kiper Noah is Noah here okay Noah [Applause] chapco Joshua goury Aaron Grady Jackson Pew okay John John hel estet Samuel McGrath oh boy okay Arnav so far I'm not finished yet paricular I was I got [Applause] it and Caesar Caesar is here Brothers okay Caesar quit team the e e okay okay this is the Crown Point High School first robotics team for winning the engineering inspiration award at the regional competition advancing to the state championship so first let me introduce your coaches Matt LeBlanc and Brian trap and again coaches we're going to put you on the spot like to say something about your squad so uh Crown Point is lucky enough to support two completely different robotics leagues uh we're one of only about four or five high schools in the entire State that's able to do that and uh don't have the not everyone's here obviously um it's normally a bigger group uh we had some leave for college just like we have a effect and then just some couldn't be here today um but this team we've worked real hard over the last few years and uh you know state has been something that has been something we've been trying to accomplish but hadn't quite made it and uh this year or last year they were finally able to get through with the in engineering inspiration award which is really an award given for the entire program so uh it's based on bot performance at the competitions but it's also based on they make their own business plans they do their own U scouting they talk to go out and do their own fundraising and all that kind of stuff and so they have to put all that together kind of like entrepreneurship running a small business but they're robotics team uh and with the help of our mentors um you know they did a really good job putting together and so there are 64 teams at a regional and so you know they they only give one of those Awards so very very proud of them thank you you coach that was great great words great accomplishment I'm gonna go through them anyway coach okay Logan canap dude that had $500 in it just Riley Schuler he's at College sha O'Keefe Brendan sea Autumn frza Tyler Kennison Savannah LW Kevin wner Brendan McBride James crashed Noah de laaz who do I have left Liam Brianna Johnson yes thank you congratulations again give to you great job coach thank you so much e okay I have the uh honor of presenting the next accomodation this evening the Crown Point High School excaliber yearbook can we bring him in please have them all good all right so this uh this accommodation goes to the Crownpoint High School Excalibur yearbook for receiving the first place Rowena Harvey award for academics in division three at the Indiana High School press Association state competition I would like to read your accommodation and then we'll talk about the team and how you did um the Crownpoint Board of school of Trustees is honored to commend the Crown Point High School excaliber yearbook for meritorious achievement be it hereby resolved that the board of school Trustees for the Crownpoint Community School Corporation wishes to express sincere congratulations to the Crown Point High School Excalibur yearbook staff for receiving the first place Rowena Harvey award from the Indiana High School press Association at the state competition the board of school of Trustees publicly recognizes this achievement and renders it permanently to its minutes to be PR preserved for public posterity this 26th day of August 2024 congratulations to each and all of you I know how much work that takes I used to be a writer myself long ago for the newspaper so I always appreciate these types of honors and awards coach U congratulate Miss Lisa ke first and I think there's G to be some questions because I know have I have some myself what is the Rowena Harvey award for academics what does that mean for Crown schools and if you could share a little bit about how go take students that's excellent you pointed out that there's been a long tradition of awards and accolades students through the uh caliber yearbook I got to tell you the father of two students last year went to high school I saw that yearbook it was excellent so well congratulations fantastic is there anything else you would like to say before I present all right uh I'm going to call your name if you come forward I'll present your award to Samantha is that correct Samantha no problem Ariana Romo Aiden Noak Adil Khan Vian King the Seal King Addison GRE Brooklyn GGO abigel Conway carmichel El Anderson congratulations all right you all would remain I think they're gonna want to get a photo of youat e e than if we could have our Crownpoint High School inklings uh individuals please come in inklings is first though Mr you're you're last tonight good I will go ahead and read the accommodation award first resolution of commodation the Crown Point Board of school trustees is honored to commend the Crown Point High School inklings news magazine for meritorious achievement we are hereby resolve the board of school Trustees for the Crown Point committee School Corporation wishes to express sincere congratulations the Crownpoint High School inklings news magazine staff for receiving the 2022 2023 user star that state's highest recognition from the Anana High School press Association at the state competition Board of school trustees publicly recognizes this achievement and renders it permanently to its minutes to be preserved for public posterity may this 26th day of August 2024 congratulations our sponsor is Jennifer bian Jennifer a few words about it I I need you to come to the mic otherwise I get yelled at by Brian Gil okay because people can't hear on I gotcha I gotcha uh so we have a a lovely small staff um this is been a a fun couple of years and one of my first years here we actually won the hooer Star Award and that Hooser Star Award is a competition it's an annual competition by the Indiana High School press Association whereby we are evaluated and critiqued and sort of moved on and we are critiqued in all of our writing our news articles our opinion pieces um our arts and entertainment our news our local our national our state news and we were recognized in order to move on in this competition you have to be ra either Superior or excellent and then you're moved on to the second round and so in that second round we actually won the actual losers hoer Star Award so this is uh quite an honor for for uh a tight small staff uh because they they work their tales off um they do a fantastic job and obviously they did because they won State and that's [Applause] it Ashley Johnson Annabella angeron come close Katie mey Molly Avery Moore Mason urbini we'll announce these names uh aene monz Evangeline sorry Milani Basquez May R Wallace and your own Jif for yeah picture you all right our own Crown p in High School Crown toown media news come on in oh you got to come on down resolution the Crownpoint Board of school trustees is honored to commend the Crownpoint high school crowntown media for Meritor achievement we are hereby resolved at the board of school trustees the Crownpoint Community School Corporation wishes to express sincere congratulations to Crownpoint high school crowntown media website staff for receiving the 2022 2023 hooer Star Award the state's highest recognition from the Indiana Indiana High School press Association the board of school trustees publicly recognizes this achievement and rers it permanently to its minutes to be preserved for public posterity this 26th day of August 2024 congratulations Mr glof a few words um we win lots of state and national awards um and I'm I'm proud of all of those but this is one of the awards that I'm most proud of because it's the result of about 10 years worth of work and the complete support of the cpcsc and our administrators over at cphs um we VIs visited anenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California about 10 years ago and they were really heavily pushing this idea of converged media print magazine television radio all together and we didn't know what that looked like and when we started looking at other schools websites there was a newspaper website and there was a yearbook website but there was nobody was doing this idea of converged uh media and so we decided we put an idea together we took it to Mr marck our principal over at C PHS he took it to uh Mr Gian fery who then approved it and uh got us in touch with a company to help us build this website and it is a monster and it is a huge un undertaking by all three staffs yearbook newspaper and our radio and television program and um in our first year of actually getting it finished and out there for publication we were named the top ranked website in the state of Indiana so I'm really excited about this moving forward and with our new facilities and the work that we're doing as as a combination staff now this idea that we are converged media program Under the Umbrella of crowntown media super proud of our students and of our staff and of our colleagues and of the people that have supported us throughout this process thank you Mr glof um why don't Mr glof you announce names and I'll hand the certificate this way I don't Butcher on you got it I know here Ashley Johnson Annabella onon Katie Ma Avery Moore Mason urbini evangelene monz mean Velasquez mayay mayay Wallace Elise Anderson McKenna carmichel Abigail Conway Brooklyn Gano Addison grean Lucy Keane Vivian King Adil Khan Aiden Noak Ariana Romo Rael ruffen Samantha uran Jen biani Lisa Keane and Brent Barber e e all right at this time if I could please have a motion to suspend a regular meeting and open the public hearing regarding the disposition of real property second motion by Miss Bas second by Mr Smith all those in favor please signify by saying I I those opposed motion carries 4 uh disposition 3.02 of real property Mr Reese thank you Mr President members of the board tonight's public hearing is regard to the sale of some real property that we own this is the property that is the old Administration Building at 200 East North Street uh tonight is here to hear uh public comment regarding the sale of that property um what will take place next is a notice of sale be placed into the uh legal ads I will also be contacting those who've already expressed some interest in the building uh to find out uh their interest moving forward and what the timetable will look like we have a few things we need to get settled um with our board attorney in regards to the sale of property some terms and conditions that we'll work through with her and once we have those done we'll get that notice published and that'll start our period at this point looks probably like a maximum of 60 days uh to receive bid regarding that regarding that property pretty much done similar to a bid as you would if we're buying items in this case we're receiving bids for somebody to buy the item for a m uh so at that point then we'll bring that sale to you uh for the best highest and best bidder that needs to terms and conditions so with that um that has any questions you might have for me at this point regarding this process any questions for Mr Reese I I do do you know approximately Mr ree how many parties are interested at this point we had initial uh contact from five uh we've already reached out to two three of those U groups or organizations if you will at this point they don't have any interest in buying the property uh so that's why we're to this point of holding a public hearing uh to receive bids on selling the property thanks thank you any other questions uh moving on to 3.03 the patron comments on a public hearing and those there was no nobody signed up for that so 3.04 uh motion to close the public hearing and resume the regular meeting may have a motion so move second motion by Mr Vasser second by Miss Basin questions or discussion all those in favor please signify by saying I I those opposed motion carries 4 z uh item four now on the regular agenda patrons registered to comment on educational issues uh we have four individuals signed up this evening uh I will call your name if you could please come to the microphone uh you each get three minutes to speak Mr Smith will be our timer uh once again this is on educational issues or uh regarding education um please keep any names students anything like that out of there uh at uh Mr Smith will'll give you a warning in about two minutes and 30 seconds just to let you know you're getting close uh and the first one on that list tonight is Tory Murphy but I'm a mom for I have two Crown Point high school graduates um 2021 2024 I have a high school sophomore and then I have a second grade that a in Rob we love Crown Point we moved here for the school specifically that's that's why live my son attended um is Howard for kindergarten and we were red redr to Solen last school year when we came to the open house last year we were very surprised by the level that was happening but did realize the need for improvements the second day of school my son was sent home with a pink eye we of course took him to the doctor um about a week later he was sent home again with pink eye um and this was before you know very healthy child he's never um had any health issues no asthma like allergic to dogs that's pretty much the expense of his issues but multiple times last year he was sick with what seemed allergy related symptoms he had struck throat once bronchitis twice um he had to begin using an inhaler uh twice a day he has wheezing um and he's been to the doctor multiple times in the last year for these symptoms um I kept thinking to myself last year you know he's been really sick this is such unusual and and just not and Care compared to my other children who really um are healthy kids it was just a very unusual year with how sick he was when I walked into the school this year for the my heart instantly sank um I was honestly just shocked at the condition of the school was in um I I saw not only um it it just didn't seem like there had been any Improvement Not only was there not Improvement um the building actually looked worse um this school year than it had last school year um there's no floors There's No Ceilings there's wires hanging um in the building there's no lunchroom uh there's no hot lunch son got a hot lunch yesterday or last week one day we he wanted a hot lunch and they actually gave him a lunch bowl so there's there's no hot lunches being served this year at school part of the building has no running water there's no drinking fountains so if your child's not to bring a water Bott bottle to school then there's nothing to drink um for the day there's no roof I I literally looked up uh while I was standing outside of his classroom and could see the sky um there's no um there's just this is no condition for any student to be attending school I I I literally felt sick to my stomach um now with little to no opportunity to make other arrangements for the school year I honestly was mad uh why Crown Point School have you not planned this better this is not a renovation in POR in a portion a contained portion of the school this is a fullblown construction gut job that you have asked me to send my child to five days a week seven hours a day um every day for the next 52 100 and however many days is SCH on the third day of school my son instantly started complaining of his throat was hurting eyes itching his neck is hurting um I'm just not sure how in good conscience I can continue to send my child to school and I feel like I have little to no choices at this point I just would like to ask you all I mean have you walked through the school have you seen the conditions of soing please go walk through and see not only is this somewh that you would not want to go to work every day and work five days a week seven hours a day but you're asking me to send my child there um unfortunately M I have to cut you off at this point okay thank you uh next on tonight's list is uh Jenna fry hi um as you said my name is Jenna and I am also here about the issues at um I have a third grader and a second grader there and more children who will be coming through the school let me just start by saying I have heard over and over and over again that every school is under construction and to that I laugh if you were to go to Eisenhower during the construction as we did and see what their construction looked like in the nice sealed off way and the very clean air quality it's nothing compared to what we're going through at s currently at s They are tearing the school down around our children as Tori has mentioned we don't have a roof we don't have a playground we don't have a cafeteria we're using our cafeteria I'm sorry our gymnasium as a cafeteria so we don't have a gym either we have no outlet for our children to take a break from the day I share a lot of the concerns that many people do I have a severely asmatic daughter who has been to multip she has had pneumonia we have been through all of these things I also I also have a son who is healthier than most anybody in this room who experienced multiple issues last year too if we separate from the construction issue and the issue of the air quality that everyone is Haring on I just want to know how we expect our children to thrive in an environment that most adults would not thrive in would you guys like to be in a construction zone 35 hours a day while the walls are being hammered and the roofs are being fixed around you would you like to Beed in that environment would you like to test in them would you like to eat in them this is what our children are going through and I'm sure your answer to those questions are no and I'm also very sure you're far older than seven I have no anger this is a school that I wanted to be in this is a district I was proud to come into but here at s we're starting to feel forgotten I'm not feeling like anybody's listening I'm not feeling like anyone's communicating and quite frankly I feel like I'm sending my child into a war zone allow them to live in if I was doing this level of construction in my own home insurance companies would be paying to hous us in a hotel this is not safe this is not okay the lack of communication from Crown Point Community School System in my opinion only further exacerbates this issue I'm not a fan of complaining without suggesting Solutions so some of the things I'm wondering is have we considered looking at classroom pods for children to be housed outside of these schools this is something Griffith Public Schools with success as much as I hate to say the word have we considered until these are more acceptable conditions like everybody else I'm looking for information and I'm looking for real solutions as opposed to the scripted responses that I feel I get when I contact members of Theo how are we protecting my children and all the children at so thank you on next Carney evening um like I GNA kind of mirror what they're saying but I have to read from it you give my my classroom writers I can talk to them but talking to adults just so I wrote it down all right so anyways good evening um I just want to address the same concerns about the state schol and Elementary School where both of my children currently attend um I will say I'm extremely appreciative that um what is to come of Solen Elementary uh it was long overdue and very much needed uh we were a family that she was affected by the redistri last year we were removed from E now placed at Solen and I was very extremely underwhelmed the first time I stepped foot in that building um and I was shocked to see that Sten had been neglected in regards to compared to Eisenhower for so long uh so it he that um it was going to be rectified with construction and all the things that they promoted that was going toen awesome I was really excited um because after all we are all part of the same school corporation and I think every school should Beal um my concerns that I'm hoping will be addressed um are the continued construction conditions that take place day in and day out I feel that every student and faculty member deserves a safe and conducive learning environment and that simply is just not the case currently there are open walls um in the ceiling in the side that you can see out it's a safety hazard my K Used to Be it it worries me so it it just should not be that way with a piece of it looked like blue painter tape when I walked by that came right here and all of their equipment everywhere um the amount of dust and Haze um in the areas you walked was overwhelming um there's no carpet and I I know it's coming but in the in the meantime like I would help definitely um with the amount of dust um not to mention the of cafeteria and gym and more functioning bathrooms as was mentioned before every square foot of that building is under construction it's not being done in stages and if it is I failed to see that when I was there I'm back to school um I truly believe that if you drive by that building people would not think that school would be in session uh both of my children have suffered because of this uh continued construction that takes place around them and um I received a call on day three from the school nurse that my child had a sore throat and itchy eyes and he had visited um trying to this is a trend that also occurred last year with my son specifically itchy eyes sore throat lots of doctor's appointments uping as allergy meds with no results um constant complains of headaches and things like that and a lering cough I'm hoping that we can be provided with some solutions um to these safety concerns that we have please know that I understand the amount of work that needs to be done and the process could be delayed and it just takes a huge job it's expected um but what can we do in the meantime do we just have students suffer and have them take it for the team or can we bring in portable should we utilize distance learning um or can we utilize other empty School classrooms I don't know what the answer is but I hope that we can figure thank you Melissa hacker is that correct my name is Melissa H I did not come here expecting to speak so I really do not have anything prepared um I am a mother of a child that was um extremely sick last year um she started the year off on no medication um at the end of the year she was on two allergy medications two inhalers um cough medicine daily DayQuil nightquil we probably every day um antibiotics monthly every two weeks it was something new she was hospitalized in and out um she was diagnosed with um still they ended up saying it was Kawasaki disease so which is very rare I don't know if anybody knows what that is um she was six at the time um Kawasaki is children in the United States have it it's very rare um mostly males she's female under the age of five she was six and Asian descent we have no Asian descent I've did the 23 and me I have zero ASI um my husband she is none of that and somehow she ended up getting what I think is Kawasaki it took 12 days to diagnose her with this she had2 at fever for 12 days um her eyes the whites of her eyes were as red as her shirt there was no white in her eyes her lymph noes and her neck were five times the size they should be she had a rash that would come and go she had pain she couldn't explain she's an energetic child that's in gymnastics and dance and um is on her head watching TV she's a very energetic free spirit and all I could do is hold her and she slept for 12 days she was finally given an infusion um an IVIG infusion which they finally had to get this disease which is autoimmune basically her body had built up all these infections and all the pollutants over this time was February 1 is when she had that's me and my husband's birthday we had the same birthday as when she had her infusion um so all of these pollutants and I have built up these infections and caused her body to attack her own body um we've had 12 doctors on our team working with us there's other kids in the school um that have been hospitalized I found out recently kids with with blood work that have high high lead there's kids that have so many bizarre so many bizarre issues in the ER where doctors can't figure out why their kids think they're poisoned you know they they're asking them why they're poisoned and these are all kids that went to Sol last year I'm just asking you to please think of the kids um I'm not saying are getting sick just because they're going to the school but it's definitely irritating it and making it more severe thank you at this time I'm going to turn it over to Dr Terrell and uh we're going to address some of these concerns let me first begin by thanking you all for showing up tonight and sharing your concerns um please know that we do not take the health of your children our children for granted uh lightly um at this time though I'm going to ask Mike molaski our director of buildings and grounds to come to the podium along with Dion gour who is vice president at skilman and is overseeing our construction project just a few things that I want to address while they're coming here um it was mentioned that Solen feels like they've been left out they've been left behind I want to assure you that um they're the fourth major construction project that we've had at an elementary school so Eisenhower was mentioned Jerry Ross would be similar that were both the two who were very minor in their construction Winfield went under this level Timothy ball mccarthur all went underneath the same level of construction that we're currently seeing at Solen um all of that took place because of what we're doing some of that has take place during the school year with the students in the building um safety that concerns were mentioned as far as um drinking fountains we've gone to bottle fillers in all of our our elementary schools since Co that was a a move that we made so it has nothing to do with what's happening currently um as far as construction and not seeing yeah if you drive up outside it does it looks like a major construction zone absolutely um inside though the classrooms have been most of the classrooms have been completed and are new uh the ones that aren't are not being used right now um hallways uh concrete floors the grid is open because we continue to work on wiring and different things there everything has been passed and checked by the uh Fire Marshall to make sure that everything is as it should be uh is it ideal absolutely not ideal is it doable yes ma'am it is um very doable so at this time though I'm going to ask Dion if you would start by just giving us kind of a scope of where we started and what the plan is um and then once he gets through that m can talk just a little bit about air quality what we do on a regular basis but then what additionally we're doing even at so so Dion sure thank you Dr Terell um as the administration and board work to develop a project of this size we go through and evaluate phasing plan because we know we can't do all the additions at once we know we can't renov renovate the entire building once okay so if you were to walk through MacArthur mathur and Timothy ball last year um they were actually I would say that s is probably in better condition than both of those buildings were at this time last year uh it's a phased approach we are believe it or not when you go and look at the schedule when we bid the project we are head in some areas I heard some comments as far as completion of um like the cafeteria and the kitchen space so that's actually the cafeteria space is going to be turned over around mid to late September we originally were on target to complete that around fall break so that's going to be accelerated the other option working with the administration in the building was to have kids in the individual classrooms but as far as serving the lunches the cafeteria was the best space in the type um when you walk through the corridors there were comments made about cleanliness those floors are swept daily they're mopped there's a sweeping compound that's used I'd also like to mention about the uh air handle unit I know I know that Mike's going to mention discussed indoor air quality there's only one air handling unit that's on the cafeteria it feeds that space each indiv classroom around the entire building um take it like your house it's like you have a furnace and a condenser it's one individual unit that serves each room the filters were replaced before the start of the school year and then there's regular maintenance no different than you would replace the filters in your home so I wanted to point that out as well um it's very typical to have the exposed ceilings and the flooring we did hear comments about the conrete being bare just so everyone's aware um we did expedite that as well as a matter of fact of the corridors the corridor that's on the North side which would be well street that runs East and West that's the main Corridor I believe there are 10 to 12 classrooms in that space that all that carpet will be laid by the end of this week and the ceiling tile will be replaced as well there will be some ceiling tiles left open just because the Fire Marshall still wants to walk through and perform his final inspections but once he does that those AAS will be turned over 100% as well so we understand it's a phased approach it's very common um you couldn't do the project like this an entire summer for example you know the only way you could do it is if you maybe you know vacated the building I've had that happen one time in my career we hit a building hard for about nine months but it's a phased approach there was a rofer strike that impacted Us by about three weeks as well overall completion just so everyone's aware I've heard comments that um completion was anticipated December of 2025 that's not true it's the overall compation is actually going to be March um 2025 which you're going to start seeing around the exterior the perimeter of the building the Landscaping being completed as well um more than likely it'll be completed by end on next week unfortunately this week with the extreme temperatures it's just not ideal to plant seed and grade and things like that so playgrounds I understand there's been frustrations it's the same contractor that's been installing the playgrounds they've been moving from Lake Street to Jerry Ross to Solen the playground Solem will be complete around October 30 I will say say this I have a 9-year-old fourth grader that attends that building so I would not put her in hars way um did I touch on some of the things you wanted me to touch on Dr car absolutely okay Mike thank you uh I think that as we move forward with this project we don't ever say we're making the best of a bad situation we're we're making the best of just a transitioning situation as we started the school year and I want to my angle from a cleanliness standpoint in the buildings and grounds uh side of things we I've been through this six times in other buildings I knew that there was going to be some dust that there was going to be um hot temperatures like we had today and as we move forward uh we started the school year with brand new filters in all of the classrooms uh we are checking and monitoring those um as we go I think the addition of carpeting is going to make a huge difference and even by the end of this week there's going to be a major uh change as people will see what we have in that building um sweeping and mopping those concrete floors is does cause a little bit more of of dust uh to to be created whereas the carpeting seems to will absorb it a little bit more uh we have thrown extra staff uh custodial staff to try and mitigate some of these circumstances as I walked that building today on two separate occasions um the hallways were clear and clean and there was nothing that caused anything with eye irritation for me or uh anything like that and I really feel like we're transitioning forward and there are going to be major changes even within the next two weeks they're going to make things uh better for kids in that capacity um I understand and I spoke with several people that spoke here today and had very nice and healthy conversations with uh some of the speakers here tonight uh I have given them access to my direct line that if they have trouble or issues that they can call me I was there today and I can be there from my office in three minutes uh and I want to be transparent and open with families that need our help so thank you Mike if you could talk a little bit about how do we monitor the quality of thank yes I'm sorry about that so in our HVAC system we constantly are moving air and bringing in fresh air into the building it's required of us um as we do that uh the air that we're bringing in from the outside and the filtration that we use and the air filters that we use um not everything gets caught uh right now these conditions outside with certain allergies I've gotten in my eyes now um certain allergies that we at this time of year is certainly not the same as we'll see in October or March um but as we monitor the air filtration we monitor the oxygen that we bring into the classrooms the carbon monoxide carbon dioxide relative humidity and obviously the temperature with with what sort of was happening here and this situation started to begin to boil on Friday we immediately myself and Dion jumped into action and we're doing indoor air quality test it's going on currently we expect to have the results sometime on Wednesday evening um and then we will be sharing that those results when we receive them I'd also like to add this isn't um just the one time we're taking this indoor air quality test all these reports have all the air testing in them and the clearances if we don't receive the clearance from the environmental Consultants nobody can be in those spes stud not staff not me not so it's a process from in the the original valuation took place on May of 22 so well in advance of starting construction I also cafeteria overed believe me I hear from my daughter all the time that she doesn't get a so along those lines I'd also like to that that's not unique to Solen every building that we've gone in and redone their cafeteria has gone through that same process as well um we obviously try to get through that as quickly as we can but that is one of the the things that happens with redoing an entire kitchen enlarging the cafeteria with that um also as a result of all the current construction concerns that have been expressed we have contracted with a independent group to come in and evaluate our could you speak to that just a little bit yes they set up uh monitors they actually set those up at 1:00 today they'll have the results by the end of day tomorrow and like mik can mention the results will be submitted To Us by Wednesday and that's going to be additional verification above and beyond the verification that's already been taking place since we started Construction in March of 23 so they take sampling sometimes it's a long-term sampling sometimes it's a brief sampling it's in random areas throughout the building just to provide that additional reassurance thank you the other thing that I'd like to just mention briefly it was brought up have we been in the building I can assure you that I am in that building on a regular basis um we're on day nine I've been in there at least four times since the school year started uh continuing to monitor just trying to look in see what's going on are there noises that are too loud um I was there the first day and there was work outside as we were students were coming and walking and parents were riding bikes up with kids and we asked them to stop and they've been very um agreeable and good to work with about stopping noise in certain areas if there's something that's going on changing their schedules so we do appreciate that um I I can tell you that in talking with others who have gone through this once they see the finished product it's an unbeliev it's going to be an unbelievable space and it'll be as nice as anything else in our Corporation and definitely throughout Northwest Indiana that does not the concerns that all of you have and I understand that and again we'll continue to work in that that way when we get these reports we'll be more than happy to share those with you to publish those um and I can assure you that if there are concerns that come out of those reports we will address those and deal with them as quickly and efficiently as we can so with that out entertained questions that board members may have and I'd also just like to state from a board perspective we do have your child SA safy and concerns utmost to educate them and keep them safe in our environments uh the lines of communication obviously Barb would be first the principal and then uh Dr Nick shakina our director of Elementary education his uh lines of communication whether it be email call central office here are open as well so I just want to make sure that you can get the answers you need to get it might not always be the ones you want to receive but I think a lot of this information could help you at least rest a little once again we don't want any kid getting sick so uh we're doing our best of our ability to make sure that doesn't happen yes Dion did I cut you off I'm sorry uh the independent crew that's coming in that put the uh monitors up today is their system the same as our system that we use to test the air it's even better which one's even better their system takes on more particles uhuh so it'll give you a more accurate reading their system is accurate as well not within the for indor Quality read out of yeah that that was my question so it's not the same type of okay this is what they do so this is their specialty so it is in depth more in depth correct I have two questions I guess two parts number one um we've heard from concerned par tonight has that Dr T's probably directed to you has have the concerns been focused around certain age groups or certain classrooms or or is it just I don't know the ages of all the children so or is it just generally some of the concerns are just spread out throughout the building in general I would say I don't know that right off hand I would say it's probably spread out throughout the entire building but I I couldn't speak okay then the second question I had is I think there was some discussion about security and safety as far as the walls in the openness goes do we have a time frame for when those types of issues would be fixed I don't think I heard anybody speak on that I will say I heard comments about like roofs being opened up the only roof when you walk through the building that's open right now is in cafeteria and cation space um if and actually where the new Administration Wing is being completed which will be completed by the end of December that's the addition that's located on the northwest corner of the site building being tied into the existing building um what I will say is there are no occupied spaces where there's not a roof where it's not weather tight we wouldn't allow it we wouldn't allow any students or staff members to be in a space that's not weather tight okay um we walk the building regularly we have a site manager that was on site every single day so Mike's usually pretty good as far as communicating with us and Dr Terrell as well if there are concerns now there are um barricades that separate construction areas from un you know occupied areas I'll say and we make sure to try to create a separation between contractors and students now from time to time you will still have contractors maybe going down the court or to wire up a fire alarm you know for example tonight when the building's unoccupied that's when some of the carpet will be laid but again we're at again we can demonstrate per the schedule we're actually ahead in some of these areas um Mr Smith you asked a question as far as are impacted for students that North Corridor that runs East and West along well Street I know that there are at least three different grade levels I know they Mak can do with what they can I know I believe there's first and second and maybe a few fourth grade classrooms but again by the end of this week that entire quar quarter will be complete with the exception of some ceiling tiles like I mentioned what'll be left um to be to be completed is actually wall covering finishes de I've got one quick question for I know um so my children are at t-ball and last year we kind of went through the same thing so at open house we came through and had a lot of those um similar things that that you guys have mentioned and they used a lot last year and then we also saw when we toured the high school last year a lot of the like the plywood walls with the the doors that are made that have kind of the locks are we using that same method to make sure we keep area secure at all in this year yes we are okay thank you one other thing I'd mentioned too I know there was a concern about recess so one of the things that you can't see is in the middle of that building um Courtyard has all new concrete um rubber mulch that's going around it as well so they are utilizing that as well as the park across the street for a lot of recess but also for PE classes uh different times too so again they're trying to make the best of a not ideal situation so if I can add one comment when it comes to phase construction the process is typically you add you put an addition on First and that's what we did we put the classroom addition on because at a building that's pretty pretty close to capacity but you want to create an opportunity for contractors to be able to get in either four to six classrooms at a time like this summer we were able to get in a classrooms renovate them but then what's left is the quarter work is going to be completed over the next week so try to gain as much real estate as possible and that's why you typically do the additions Bas you brought up Timothy ball we did that addition on the Far West End first shifted students into that space we're able to um occupy some of the existing building and renovate those you doing hop Scots throughout the process so so Deon when they do these tests these air quality tests one of the parents I can't remember which one of you had mentioned about lead lead's not an Airborne article we will be testing for that okay and how how is that done I can't give you the exact definition but I spoke with within the air yes thank you okay uh Brooke how soon is the meeting after the meeting's over tonight is it online available okay so if parents um those of you that have others that have these concerns and can't catch every detail if you would pass that along that they can access the taping of this meeting later on tonight uh not really but um if if you want to stick around I you can ask any of us when the meeting's over you know what based on the circumstance I I'll allow this and this opportunity can be was it open after August 14th okay August 14th was the first day for students so it may have been that night we have the back to school night yes Dr Terell can I ask one more quick question just to clarify about the so I know that we have moved away from the water fountains to the bottle refill stations are those available at S as we sit today the bottle refill station bot refill stations okay thank you they're all fully functional everyone and that was one other part was there's a part of the building that does not have water um there's a part where there are restrooms that are still being renovated but the all the building that's occupied has water all right good thank you thank you gentlemen appreciate it and thank you parents uh item five tonight is a consent agenda uh Dr Terrell thank you for your consideration this evening we have the executive session minutes from 7:29 the regular business minute meeting minutes from 7:29 as well uh 5.02 our Personnel agenda 5.03 the recommendation of employee employment of candidates and then 5.04 the voucher registered checks as listed you've heard the recommendation of the administration for approval of the consent agenda I may I have a motion second motion by Mr Mr Smith second by Miss Basin questions or discussion all those in favor please signify by saying I I those opposed motion carries 4 Z action item 6.01 approval to apply for and receive the title one part A Helping disadvantage children meet high standards Grant Mr Harman langu schols also indect funds are allocated based pre at 204 to receive title funds schools need to be above that percent add always allss add it's always supplement it's I think usal app funding 9,955 you for the recommendation of the administration to appr for approval to apply for and receive funding from the Indiana Department of Education Title One helping disadvantaged children meet high standards non-competitive Grant in the amount of $649,950 22 may I have a motion motion by Mr Smith second by Miss Basin question or discussion Mr Harman one one question um is would this be fair to for me to analyze it this way that you mentioned these um free reduced rates the three elementary schools that you have listed there MacArthur Sol Robinson Timothy ball all feed into Colonel wheeler so is that's a fair statement St right okay all those in favor please signify by saying I I I those opposed motion carries 4 Z 6.02 approval to apply for and receive Grant funds from the Indiana Department of Education robot robotics competition gr than first of after found I realiz schex teams that can only be $3,500 so when I and I noted that we were over that am by toal of 8447 I don't know that can be am this is gr competive Grant from the state of ind5 milon alloc is INE are it's also to that coule ofer in first of all they want to robot areed process modif and CH it's not just pull robot out of the and put it together and then you play that's not the right to say have the competition and then these are truly a design process that they go through that starts in the elementary school through midd the second thing that is important two other things I point out is that the question is how do you build the high school how do you build this uh group of students coming out of the elementary middle you have to show that into grant and then the last thing that they ask for you have to show a 25r Bas research our coaches we are anticipating approximately 53,000 support evening thank you Mr Harman you heard the recommendation of the administration for to apply for and receive the Indiana Department of Education robotics competition Grant funds of $65,625 53 for kits and supplies to maintain our elementary middle and high school robotics teams and registration fees to participate in local robotics competition may have a motion please motion second motion by Mr Smith second by Miss Basin questions or discussion can can this as Mr Hardman had requested can this be amended to reflect the amount Harman mentioned the motion fix okay all those in favor please signify by saying I I I those opposed motion carries 4 Z thank you very much thank you 6.03 policy updates and approval Mr Aiwa thank you Mr President board members we have three policies that we're bringing to you this evening uh for a rep approval first is p uh 3540 which is the teacher appreciation Grant which needs to be submitted to the state so that we can receive those funds later this uh this year and then distribute to our staff members that qualify also po 26231 test security and Provisions for Statewide assessments policy we need that updated for the 2425 school year and policy 1260 the non-discrimination and equal access to education policy that will allow us to provide consistency between various discrimination reports and the processes to address so this evening we're asking that we wave the readings and approve these for the 24 25 school year you've heard the recommendation of the administration for the waving of the reading of policies 3540 2623 number one and uh policy 1260 them for the and approve them for the 20242 school year may I have a motion second motion by Miss Bas second of Mr Vasser question or discussion Mr a are there any um major changes to these at all when we did the update uh no sir all those in favor please signify by saying I I those opposed motion carries 4 Z thank you Mr Kiwa thank you 6.04 the 2024 bus bids Mr Reese thank you Mr President members of the board uh in concert with our plan you approve last uh September and October for our 2024 uh budget with our bus replacement plan we'd like to actually go through the process of purchasing those buses at this point C CC which is the central India Education Service Center Cooperative purchasing for these buses we do that the Statewide purchasing program uh with that we're requesting permission to approve 5 72 passenger buses three 42 passenger buses with wheelchair lifts and 114 passenger sa with that the total comes to klin uh for a total net cost of 1,278 1823 thank you Mr you've heard the recommendation of from the administration rewarding the bus bids to the lowest overall bidder curland Bus Sales in the amount of 1 million 278,000 for 572 passenger buses 342 passenger buses and 114 passenger um vehicle may I have a motion motion second motion by Mr vaser second by Mr Smith question or discussion yeah Mr ree are these uh buses I know we have a long-term plan where we turn over the buses are any of these additional in addition to that long-term plan it's not really an addition to it's a not going to trade in some buses we had planned to trade in and do it that way instead instead of buying um so if you want to call it buying buses outside the replacement not really it's more of just not trading in the buses we had planned to trade in I have one quick question are these buses that were purchasing are the amenities on those in line with what we currently have or the direction that we plan to go that's correct all those in favor please signify by saying I I those opposed motion carries 4 Z 6.05 the naming of the crowno high school baseball and softball fields Mr ree thank you Mr President members of the board at the September 2022 board meeting a donation was approved for the use of funds to significantly upgrade the baseball and softball fields at Crown Point High School those upgrades are now complete and in recognition of the significant financial contribution uh to this project the name for the baseball field is to be the named the white Mali field and the softball field to be the Cynthia field with that the recomend the administration recommends approval of those two names and waves the second meeting requirement according to board policy 7250 you've heard the recommendation of the administration for approval to name the cro Point High School baseball field the White meley Field the cro Point High School softball field Cynthia field and wave the second meeting requirement they have a motion I move to approve motion by Mr Smith second by Miss Bas question or discussion uh yes I have several questions um I don't I W I don't want to go back and read the policy I think we're all familiar with policy 7250 in fact we discussed that in a public uh work session approximately one month ago we never did finish that convers that discussion that is still yet to be finished by the way um I was not on the board in September of 2022 so I had to look up the meeting that was cited by Mr ree he just read that to us for September excuse me September 26 of 2022 to approve a donation of $3 million and that donation according to the record here were the crowno athletic boosters so my one of my questions is if the donation that was approved by the board back then it was approved by four of the five board members at that time how did athletic boosters get moved to the three names that were asking to name fields after yeah I'd be more than happy to explain that to you so the donor in giving that that kind of money one of the tax benefits that goes with it so our booster club is a 5013c and so the donation went to them and then to us to be able to take advantage of those tax benefits Mr Reese anything to add to that attack okay thank you for that so without using this uh person's name that you can use his name it is all public now okay so if Mr White donated this money s a singular person is that correct it was it began that way and then it ended up that the White Foundation um came alongside and wanted to partner with him so they actually gave 1.5 and Chris White gave the other 1.5 okay so by Mr White and and Mr White's uh foundation and so we're we're asking name naming a field after Mr White who made a outstanding contribution Financial contribution I don't how anybody could say anything against this but why are we why are we naming facilities after two people what contributions have they made so contributions that they've made Cynthia white is a sister and the white family and their contributions throughout not only our community but Northwest Indiana I think Rings uh through and through um John mey worked uh here in Northwest Indiana with youth baseball and Chris really felt like he wanted to um give special consideration to that fact um and talking with some of those who have been around the area for a while and been involved in Youth Baseball they said that indeed he was involved with it at the level I can't speak to that tonight I didn't come prepared to do that um but special consideration was given to Chris White uh in the fact that he was making this donation um to let him submit the names for the field not seeing any issues with those names any issues meaning that they weren't upstanding individuals citizens uh their reputations were um good uh there was no reason for us not to consider those and agree to that okay so based on Mr White's generous contribution I think this is setting a really bad precedent to me it's like okay if you have enough money you can do whatever you want you can name whatever you want we have many schools in our district none of them are named after anyone who's given a financial contribution but because somebody comes up with a $3 million that person gets to call the shots on I don't know any of these PE Folks at all personally but I think we're setting a terrible precedent to do things like this it's gonna come back and bite you down the road I I Mr Angel and I have had discussions about this on the side I think we have a better plan for this and I think this needs to be moved along so we can further discuss it before we vote on this I think in response Mr basser the the idea that buildings or facilities use name uh you know you would apply someone's name to that for a generous donation certainly could be discussed and should be discussed but it's not abnormal I mean you're seeing more and more facilities and naming rights of stadiums and Facilities because there is a financial contribution that benefits all students that benefits your community so I my personal opinion is I'm not I would never draw a hard line against somebody or some Corporation who wants to support our students and if they want to come forward and be involved in the community and contribute to our Sports programs our extracurricular programs or academic programs um I I personally wouldn't be opposed to that now we can talk about the process or what that looks like but that's just my personal opinion so you know for me I'd be prepared to vote on this tonight now I I believe that this person should be recognized for his donation but I do not believe that we should be naming facilities After People based upon something like this I really truly don't believe that Mr Angel is it worth reviewing for everybody with that what that policy currently States I mean to my understanding the policy regarding naming facilities has been followed with with the process of everything regarding this facility um in terms of moving forward my understanding of the policy is that we will continue to have the ability to review every naming opportunity prior to it being officially named as a board is that correct yeah nothing's changed uh I don't does anybody have that first line of the policy available I think the first paragraph first uh section of it says the board may consider a request to name a portion of the building a single building on the campus with multiple buildings or a specific area on the campus for a person provided the proposed name has special significance and or the person has made an outstanding contribution to the school the school system or the community so ask that question you just ask Danel well it's my understanding that we have followed that process I I agree with the policy as written not that we're voting on a policy to be amended today anyway but to me we we follow the policy in place we are using a name that we are deciding to use bed an an outstanding contribution as written in the policy so well the last qu question you asked is the board gets to review each one and then give their approval before this is done that's that's what we're doing right now this has already been done those plaques are already up there correct but in this specific case there was based on the timing of the events uh this was scheduled for last meeting prior to his inaugural event there um or right within that timeline so um what what inaugural that's that's not baseball or softball season right now no no no he just had his own dedication to it as part of the contribution before it was even approved by the board well that that this had nothing to do with the signage you just had a family event up there I think the other thing that's unique in this situation was when he came to us back in I gotot the date you gave 2022 um at that point in time he wanted to remain anonymous for as long as he could um the understanding with the board was that he would give input on the naming of it and um we agreed with that the approval of what those names would be I I I think we set a really bad president here okay at this time based on that discussion um I'm going to ask for uh approval of the naming of the Crownpoint High School baseball field White meley Field Crown Point softball Cynthia field and wave the second meeting requirement we already did that uh all those in favor please signify by saying I I those opposed nay motion carries 31 item 7.01 the superintendent's Discussion Group um anything from either Cedar Lake or the city had a very short uh Cedar Lake Redevelopment meeting a few weeks back uh there was absolutely nothing to report from that meeting thank you Mr basser uh Mr Smith anything with the city I have nothing okay moving on to 7.02 is Mr Hartman didn't think that would go that fast I'll give him an opportunity to arrive director of Grants and assessments Mr Hartman when you're on vacation There's an opportunity to watch a board meeting do you take that opportunity I did you may need to find better vacation find a better vacation resort or something but I think my comment is that it made me reflect on tonight EV dialog here the discussion that just happened very professional purposeful demean just exceptional doesn't happen every I just want to thank you all leadership than you thank you Mr Harin director of Elementary education Dr China thank you Mr President and board members I'd like to share some information tonight about um a pretty big change that's going to impact about 1300 of our students this year uh Senate enrolled act one uh has created uh some meaningful changes with uh the I 3 assessment um IAD 3 is a state reading assessment that measures important foundational reading skills that's traditionally been given to third graders uh this year uh second grade students will also be required to take I 3 uh on our website now as of I think toward the end of last week and then coming home soon in elementary newsletters uh there's a letter from me that outlines some important information about I and also some of the some of the benefits that come along with taking this assessment in second grade uh so that's kind of addressed to our second grade families but uh it's on our website now and we'll be coming in elementary newss here soon uh some of those benefits that come with taking this assessment in grade two are that third grade is a heavy testing year um with I read three already and the first year of the I learn assessment um so students in second grade that pass the assessment uh will not have to take it again which is a good benefit um another good good reason uh benefit of taking it in grade two is that this proactive testing can help parents and teachers work together a year earlier um we had the choice to opt into this a couple years ago we decided not to because we felt we had the information already with our nwaa assessments um however the state is requiring it this year based on this new legislation um another big change along with Senate en World act one is that the retention um rules are a little bit more strict for third graders that don't the assessment uh so uh there will be some exemptions uh for students uh able to move on to grade four um if they do not pass however that guideline those guidelines are more strict than they have been in the in recent years um we'll also have a a summer school reading program for third graders who do not pass and second graders who are um kind of score in that at risk category like they might may not pass uh in third grade uh this is It's only August this is happening in March but uh we felt it was important to get information out to our second grade families uh early on in the year um our teachers will have lots of professional development about this change um starting in September um this isn't the only big change in the assessment World in Indiana this year Mrs is going to speak about another big change for our third through eth graders um but just wanted to share that those upat read uh last thing I'll say been in all of our elementary buildings U multiple times this school year already just very grateful for the hard work of all of our teachers our all employee groups I don't want to mention any of them by name but um everyone's working hard uh kids are excited kids are enthusiastic and just very appreciative of everyone getting us off to a good start thank you any questions about the I information all that's going to this is the first year for the retention and exemption Nick is what you're saying yes yeah it's become a little bit more strict this year Mr thank you thank you uh director of secondary education Mrs Ramirez thank you Mr President and board members I would like to provide an overview of what I learned testing is going to look like this year for us here in Crown Point we have as a corporation opted into learn checkpoint pilot this year in 2526 all Indiana schools will be required to administer the checkpoints in addition to the summited assessment but we wanted to get in on the front end so that we can experience this be able to provide any feedback as well as then help support our teachers and students in acclimating during this pilot year prior to um the official year next year this will impact our students in grades three through eight and what they will be doing is they will be taking three interum Ms that are called I learn checkpoints throughout the school year we will not administer nwea which we had administered previously to grades three through eight since this assessment is an interim assessment and then students will take a summative assessment like they have in the spring of 2025 and really the purpose of the iearn checkpoints is to help our students and our teachers our staff to see how students are doing on targeted skills and Concepts based on the Indiana standards and so then we will get reports after each of those assessments are administered that can help us inform um intervention and our instruction in the classroom these assessments will be administered in English language arts and Mathematics we will start heing Crownpoint they give you Windows of time for each of the three checkpoints our first um checkpoint Administration across the board in grades 3 through eight will start in October and what those assessments look like are 20 to 25 question questions in ela and 20 to 25 in math the tests are technically untimed however um they anticipate approximately 25 to 45 minutes however um if students need extended time test can be taken over multiple days in most cases We are continuing to learn a lot um I think that it's great for us to be on The Cutting Edge of being part of the pilot so that we can attend professional development that the Department of Education is holding this year as well as they are consistently releasing documents and support materials that we're then enable we are then able to share with our administrative staffs our teachers and then of course our families we have um the most recent information posted on our school's websites that show what the I learn checkpoints are and then they link to some of the overview documents that are very easily digestible in terms of what subdomain topics or categories are covered on each of the checkpoints and so those are very user friendly for families to reference and we will also be messaging more information um in our school newsletters which will outline specific windows for each grade level and when they will um administer the assessment so are there any questions about the I learn checkpoints and or the summit tip for this year great my last thing is just to thank um the partnership of our families our students and our teachers staff administrators during open house our Middle School open houses occurred on the 15th of August and were very well attended so I'm greatly appreciative of that and I'm looking very much forward to the Crown Point High School open house which will be on Wednesday so thank you very much for partnering um families and students staff at those building levels Mr thank you Mr remirez that's very good report question you may not have the knowledge of but I'm gonna ask it anyway since it's a big change with the cell phone policies I don't know if you know any information how things are going at the second level yes I have actually I'm very excited to share I was checking in with administrators at the high school where I think the biggest impact would have been felt um with this change and they have reported back to me that teachers feel very appreciative of the fact that we're making this such a priority it's allowing students to be more focused and I think it allows students to be much more engaged and not distracted and not because necessarily they're choosing to not be distracted but because the teachers are holding them accountable for not being distracted on their cell phon so within the first week and a half of school um really positive reports from the high school oh good well thank you for yeah thank you for asking that question thank you thank you Mr M 7.05 director exceptional education Mrs pascus good evening president Angel members of the board um starting with a positive so this year an exceptional ad we have decided to have a theme and our theme is something magical is happening here we have a lot of Disney lovers in our group um but we do just feel like there is something very unique Happening Here with exceptional Ed so we decided to Spotlight um a few employees just no pattern to it we're just kind of indicating um in our leadership group to one another when we feel like someone has done something outstanding so Mr Jan fery helped me deliver these Awards to a few staff members Friday um complete with confetti in the envelope um so we recognized Hannah Grady a MacArthur perah Teresa Novak one of our teachers at the high school Stacy sort a high uh Winfield applied skills teacher and Mandy Nelson a Wheeler applied skills teacher and these folks are just going above and beyond without being asked to support families and students so we just wanted to give them some um I also want to thank um Kelly my assistant director our coordinators and our diagnostic staff um they've been assisting in processing over 75 movein to our district with IEPs and um you have to provide services in meet within 10 days of enrollment so for these 75 students that day is August 28 it's quickly approaching and they've been working very hard thank you Mr P any questions thank you uh 7.06 assistant superintendent Mr G fer thank you Mr President board members so we we have somewhat of a theme through our curriculum instruction Department um there's a lot of new mandates a lot of new testing coming down through the Department of Education and much of it been because of new legislation um and one of the things I provided for you in your board packet was a couple attachments that deal with the proposals for the new high school diploma um you may be very aware uh the department of Ed submitted a proposal back in March um they've been mandated to have a new high school diploma by December of 2024 the first proposal in March was not very well received it was very heavily work-based experience no matter what type of rigor you were taking in your classes um and there was a lot of questions about how how could we have every kid do so many work based experienced hours to get a diploma so they came out with a new draft in August um it's it's been better received they have answered some of the questions like higher ed had a lot of concerns about um taking away an academic honors diploma so the comparison graphic attachment that I gave you has the core 40 which we currently have right now laid out to this newest proposal you can see U that there are some there's only an addition of two credits and that comes in the form of a computer science course and a personal finance course which are good things I think everyone would agree upon that the flexibility they want to build into this new diploma does however shift some credits and take away some of the required uh credits that we've had for many many years so we could see some impact there one of the things this new proposal does it does bring back of kind of a a version of the academic honors diploma where you can earn seals so there is one base diploma everyone would have to get those 42 credits um and then you could then add on if you were to pursue a pathway in enrollment which is more or less enrollment into a college very similar to an academic honors diploma employment which was more work based be adding on to your base diploma or enlistment and service if you been going to military service each one of those seals then also has a plus seal that goes with it which is additional hours of work base or hours of mostly in work Bas places but extra pieces that you have to go for that plus seal um some of the things that we noticed that really are a change for us are are reduced in PE and health credits um reducing some of the required social studies credits that we currently have and really right now there are five directed electives which are fine arts from CTE coures those would go away and you would have 12 personalized electives really opening the door up for the kids to create kind of their own diploma pathway as they as they work towards graduating so it's there's a lot of complicated pieces here and moving pieces that's why I gave you the attachments I also gave you a narrative for each one of those pieces that goes along with it I don't know if you had a chance been a pretty long me meeting right now so I'm not going to go through each and every piece of that but that's kind of it in a nutshell right now there will be public comment on this latest draft and then uh the doe will be going in December making a final proposal for a new high school diploma which then um we've already had conversations myself and Mrs Ramirez with the High School administration we're preparing for that uh incoming Freshman Class who this would this would affect so we have our e our incoming freshman parent orientation at the end of January beginning of February will'll have to dissect what they land on and make sure that those parents know exactly what's happening we did not react strongly or even share anything in March because we did know that it would probably go through some some changes of what they first initially proposed so you have that in your hands um any questions on that U thank you Mark for putting that side by side that's that's that's very helpful so as I look through this um for what with the current core 40 and then what their newest proposal is and I know that's getting a lot of backlash in mathematics there's no more there will be any requirement for you to take introductory geometry yeah there's no requirement for geometry or Algebra 2 which we currently have however you do have to get seven credits right math so you're gonna have to get it somewhere so well and I don't know where that there's several places you could probably get that but also I I noticed as you pointed out that the removal of Economics which has been a staple in the state of Indiana since Moses yeah answer to is that now the required personal finance class would answer a lot of crossover on that's that's the answer I'm not defending I'm just telling but thank you for doing that that's really helpful yeah it's I know you guys get some questions just want to make sure you had that and then just to wrap up my report um just going into some of the classrooms that I did uh to give out our confetti Awards they were some of our applied skills classrooms and uh just the work that was being done in those classrooms was amazing to me uh just I was very busy when I walked in but when those teachers had the kids in great routines and were just able to just bring it all together and just really you know you walk into that working in curriculum struction in a corporation just get really proud of who you have working here you know kids that we have coming into their school so just wanted to mention that as well thank you Mr sorry one more question practical question justum you had grader that's coming up to high school next year we leave these courses these credits or seven credits you know math and English child wants to go to college Crownpoint high school is like a college I mean they have so many classes to offer where does a parent start to say son or daughter you should take these classes or how does that work and what's the practical way we're going to be instructing so that's you know that was actually a conversation myself Mrs RZ Mr M against Aly we're having on Friday um really feel like that College Prep piece where kids are that's my goal I want to go to college they'll go into the base diploma and then go into the honor seal enr and the Really the big change in there just one really quick is that's really close to an academic diploma however um one of these of the following has to be completed so you have to take a four AP courses but then pass the exam or six college credits which would be a dual credit which would be a different challenge for our school counselors because generally kids take a lot of AP courses or they might take credit courses now you're G to kind of have to look to be like okay I can pass this exam I want to grab this dual credit course but they felt they're already thinking about it you know regardless of where we land they're they're kind of planning out on how do we best guide our students into those Pathways they do a pretty good job of that current at some point in the future will this when this all gets settled will the school corporations send out information to parents and say this is kind of the path or the recommendation AB you're going down this path this is where you're going to be guided going down this path I mean is that something we can expect in the future all right thanks for sure thank you Mr J fery 7.07 Chief human resource officer Mr thank you Mr President board members uh just real briefly uh I want to just the list is too long to um itemize every individual that chipped into the uh the new teacher Academy this year but um from July 24th to August 6th we had sessions ranging from school safety technology all of our curriculum leaders in the back uh language arts math uh exceptional education um we even had Finance helping folks insurance and benefits and how and get themselves signed up for that um we had obviously directors leading sessions we had principles leading sessions we had teachers leading sessions we had counselors leading sessions about social about about emotional supports in the um schools so it's just truly amazing to see how many individuals are invested in getting our new Educators in our school system up and running we we like to stay in a Groove uh soon in the school year so that they can really be firing on all cylinders and then growing beyond that um as they enter their career here at Crown Point uh this week um and I should mention to food food service to treats our folks incredibly well throughout this entire time um I must uh share that this week uh I'll be visiting uh each School building uh starting this week it's going to take about a week and a and we do uh about four check-ins every year and this will be the first check-in to see how the starts going uh whether they're feeling connected feeling family feeling feeling like they're a part of something and finding out if there's any that they need extra support with at this time so um I just want to thank the massive amount of humanity out there in our school corporation that wraps their arms around our new teachers every year to get them off to a great start so thank you to everybody that's been involved in in that process Mr I have to just really quickly from um somebody who I know who's just starting teaching here but has taught in other corporations and from the beginning of the the meetings and everything that you guys had here with them they had said this is a whole new ball game like this is a whole another level like they had never seen before just the way like the the entire process of how we bring them in and everything and I have to say um I think we take it for granted sometimes how like we do things here and how we try to make it a family and bring everyone in and provide consist across the board and and support and that that does not exist everywhere and it always is refreshing and great to hear when you hear somebody coming in feel so lucky and special to get to work here and this is somebody who is not a first year teacher this is somebody who's been teaching for over 10 years so that's it was great to hear so I felt like I would I would share that with you that's super feedback thank you very much for sharing that 7.08 Chief Financial Officer Mr ree thank you Mr President members of the board uh tonight I have a little discussion than what I normally provide during this segment last week we received assess valuation for the school corporation from the dgf um not any big surprise to many of us but our assess valuation for the district is up over 13 and a half% um with that we do have some Levy constraints for the up three funds we have where we can Levy taxes we have the referendum operating fund which is uh limited to a 3% growth this year as like last operations fund is also limited to a 4% growth the only fund we have that we can actually go and increase I use this term that from where our tax rate would be if we did nothing uh is our debt service fund with that we've utilized this in the past back in 2022 we issued a a small Bond issue5 million and quickly paid it off in six months we would like to take that same approach uh given the availability of some tax rate for us with the large increas in our ass so we would be a similar $5 million issue we would pay that off on June 30th 2025 so about a six Monon issue given the timetable that's laid out in front of us that we have to statutorily complete in that period we are limited on the number of days that would allow us to get this done by the end of this calendar year get it on the tax rules for 2025 so with that we would hold our first public determination hearing on the next board meeting September 16th and we would second one then on September 19th that Thursday after the Monday board meeting with that we need to publish notice of these meetings similar we did tonight with the disposition of real property so for this meeting we would need to publish those dates and times in that legal ad so with that I'm requesting a meeting a special meeting on September 19th uh and I just need to before we leave tonight have a time for that meeting so we can get that published in the paper thank you Mr ree we'll discuss it real quickly in other board business move through this thank you okay um just to clarify so this does not increase any overall tax rate correct no actually even with this $5 million issue we anticipate our tax rate to decline by over 5% excellent thank you thank you 7.09 director of communications M alen thank you good evening I'm excited to announce that our first Ambassador meeting of the year will be Wednesday next week September 4th we have individuals in our community that will be joining our group this year the largest that we've ever had and then also later this month well September and October we're going to be taking a really close look at the accessibility of our website it currently meets all the basic requirements for accessibility but we'd like to kind of push that to the next level to be kind of a leader what it means to have access information anyone who wants to go to our website so we'll be making some changes probably theology a thank you 710 superintendent of schools Dr ter thank you uh Brook did not mention and I thought she would since the last time we met we had our bus tour and we had I think it was 17 community members who joined us for a day that included more than 10,000 steps throughout the district um it was a great day a lot of positive feedback we'll definitely be looking forward to doing that again in the future uh but thank those community members who came along with us that day and spent the better part of the day um with us it was a great opportunity um has been mentioned multiple times about all the things that happened for our new teachers but also for all of our current staff and the professional development that takes place before in school year um three weeks leading up to the start of the school year this building was booked nonstop if you tried to find a parking place here you were probably parking over in the Education Center parking lot um want to thank everybody who provides that professional development but also our custodial staff here within this building a lot of setup and tear down of chairs and tables and different Arrangements um the week of the beginning of school August 12th is just a half week for students a man that like we cram in about two weeks into that week and um it's just really satisfying to see how quickly we get right into just having school and if you go in right now you would think we're a couple months into the school year with the way that things are flowing so appreciate all the work of all the people in our buildings and our administrative team here as they help support that uh last thing just want to mention our community as you saw with our robotics Grant and the amount of money that's coming in there um our community just continues to support our students over and over again um it was evident if you were at the football game on Friday night it's just amazing to see the continual outpour uh people who are at the the game but then also people who uh support the teams that are up on the Jumbotron advertising their businesses and uh we just appreciate so much and do do not take for granted the community in which we live and the support of our district thank you thank you Dr ter uh item eight tonight is other business of the board um our board meeting normally is the fourth Monday of the month but because of the uh fall conference for school board uh a few of us will be attending uh it's scheduled for the 16th of September um I find out tonight miss Bas was going to be out of town so if everybody can check their calendars to make sure we have a forum I we'll get a hold of Scott babjack she did say you return on the 19th but like you'd be able to do in the afternoon um I know Mr Smith being an attorney your schedule could change in any minute do you know uh Tim at any point that Thursday would you be available maybe like three or four for a regular meeting no that's just a quick one for the bond issuance the uh actual that hearing process where we got to go through that we' approve the first one on the Monday the 16th and then that other portion of is on the 19th uh later in the afternoon be better okay perfect so why don't we because you need that time just need the time Danielle's saying she'd be good I'll wait Brian to get SC can we do like four o'clock and it's like a 15minute meeting tops less than that yes okay so we're good all right there thank you we got that out of the way and then I'll just verify with Mr babjack and Mr B if you could just check make sure with that change on the meeting date at the 16th will work for you what was the first date well the 19th is the date we were talking about at four o' that's 19th okay 19 the regular business meeting is the 16th gotta being out of town I just want to make sure we got enough for a quum I know Mr BJ schedule that out of town work has been okay so we got two so I I'll verify that we're all okay for and in order to be in our deadlines we really need that meeting on that date the 19th and the 16th yes okay both them all right we just need one more knowing that me and Mr Vash will be here unless God willing I'll be here all right with that being said any other board business yeah we okay um board statements of appreciation recognition item nine 9.01 Mr bastter anything this evening i' like to thank you parents for coming out tonight and advocating for your children um you don't see that all over the scope of the land so thank you very much for doing that and i' I'd urge you to continue to do that when you have issues to bring them up so thank you very much Miss Bas anything Stephen yeah I wanted to Echo I app apprciate the respectful conversation and I loved I heard multiple times you know we don't want to come with just a problem but and to offer Solutions and I really appreciate um the way our community can work hand inand with the administration um and the teachers to have a successful year and then to con uh continue on that uh I did want to have just a statement of appreciation in general for all of our families who got all of the kiddos ready to school um for all of our buildings and grounds and our our background staff custodial staff services for having everything ready for the kids this year and of course the teachers for having the classrooms ready for all the smiling little faces um a quick comment on stem for any of you who have Elementary um school kids my kids personally have said that they've been excited uh one my one daughter has gone I think twice and the other one has gone once and um they have very much enjoyed getting to kick off that whole new programming so I'm very excited to see what comes from that so thank you um Dr China for your hard work getting that up and running um offering that for students and um yeah that's it for me tonight thank you m Bas Mr Smith nothing um myself I just to all those that you know go through getting these kids back in the school buildings I mean it's just incredible when you're dealing with where's technal enrollment adm's coming up but what are we estimating we're about 8965 okay so 9,000 I I'll round up assuming that we'll probably have some movements during the year 9,000 students get them back in buildings and with the construction again my sentiments to the moms that spoke this evening um we understand those concerns and glad you brought those to us so thank you um normally these meetings aren't this long so you wouldn't have to sit here so um but it is and we're glad to sit here when it necessary to be here so with that I would look for a motion to adjourn motion by Miss B and second by Mr vaser all those in favor please signify by saying I I those opposed motion carries 4 Z for

e everyone what a big crowd we have tonight beautiful faces I like it I like it um we're going to change things up a little bit tonight uh normally we start off the meeting uh where I stand up and lead the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance Mr giy has counseled with me and informed me that he thought it would be a good idea to have some special guests yep so we have a student a month our our believe it's our te student a month okay where's that that all right you want step forward hold up here young lady and we'll follow your lead Al to of the United States of America to the stands one nation God indivisible withy and justice for all good job [Applause] very nice very nice all right with that we'll call the meeting to order um do we have any adjustments to the agenda Mr Gib yep there are no adjustments to the agenda this evening I like that very good all right moving on to recognitions Mr Gib Mr Roberts well good evening I have cman with me tonight Caleb is a green Bel in K but he's also a GRE citizen which is our character TR of so Mrs dble his second grade teacher nominated him and says that Caleb is a fabulous citizen he eagerly follows rules in and out of our classroom with a smile he also shows great patriotism by being the first one to stand for the pledge Halo comes to school each day in this respectful kind and so congratulations [Applause] to so in since this is our first meeting of the new school year with students of the month we do have our backdrop display set up for pictures um so if you want to follow the administrator then you're certainly welcome to come back scooper all right I have this Ros with me and we are so proud of her because again Mr Robert said that we're talking about citizenship this month and she is an awesome citizen so she goes above and beyond to show the other kids a a great leader is and she's teer here with she's just amazing she set the example for all herm's a star stent [Applause] this is so this is our very first fantastic pledge leer andley was an overwhelming Choice from the at least from Mr C's point of view we started a new incentive this year we fastic CS for kids who are showing either the learn Behavior doing the right thing or especially this month showing good and so I'm gonna introduce Miss to talk a little Bley is such a bless our she's a model always [Applause] okay we have Mr Jackson with us and his sixth grade team nominated par which is really unusual I usually get a couple here and there but even in well they mentioned that um jaon contributes in class is helpful very responsible his positive attitude and willingness to help others create a wonderful School environment he is always looking out for others and this is something that is very special that we want everyone to do but really umat as a special sixth grade student we had a class that needed help getting organized in the back of the room kind of trying to help that out he pops up as teacher hey I have an extra binder in my locker can I give that to him so he ran to his lock opened it up quickly and brought us that student [Applause] so our student of the month for the high school is Tristan primore um Tristan is a sophomore at cast high school he was nominated because he works hard in his academics he strives to be the best student possible a lot of everything because of this word e super proud of help [Applause] okay the fine group good all right uh do we have any public comments in regards to anything on the agenda for this evening hearing none we'll move on right we'll move into the approval of the consent agenda which includes the meeting minutes regular board meeting minutes of July 22nd 2024 which are posted on the door the allowance of claims financial report and the personal reports part one and two Mrs Roman yes hello everyone first in your Finance packet as usual we've got a couple of regular payrolls for the month of July one was dated July 5th for a total payroll of 4036 5327 and as usual we've got some payroll taxes and retirement that comes along with that total for that July 5th payroll was 12, 39416 the second regular payroll was dated 719 2024 for a total payroll of 75114 those payroll taxes and retirement was 116 97692 and next in your Finance packet you're going to see a list of prepays as you look through those prepays did anyone have any questions about anything no Okay so we've got a total um prepa for the month of July 2024 800,000 75480 and then we've got a list of claims that are dated today today's board meeting date as you glan through these did you have any questions about any of the claims for this month no no okay we'll go ahead and go to last page then which is page nine for total claims dated today August 26 7638 we'll move on to the finance um report balance the end of July 31st 2024 an education fund was 3,850 787 we go down a a couple two three lines to fund 300 operations balance at the end of July 1,290 267 if you go to the very last page you're going to see the balance at all funds of 10 million 138 635 72 next in your packet you're going to see what is a deposit statement and basically that tells us that our funds are in balance with our banks and as you can see there our grand total for all funds and grand total for all banks those numbers are exactly the same that is exactly what we want to happen so we're good and more good good in balanc there next in your Finance packet you've got a fund transfer report we only had a couple things this month it was a transfer from Bank two to bank 10 and again that's just to cover some expenses for those hard copy checks that we need to cover for the claims for the board meeting and then we've got the education Ops fund that we do every single month so total on that transfer report was 681 26250 and lastly we've got the um Bond expenditures for Bond 2021 and bond 2022 we've um as of the end of July 2024 our total expenditures for Bond 2021 is 32 million 524 471 cents and then Bond 2022 we just had one expenditure in July total expenditure expenditures in July excuse me in bond 2022 is 4, 3226 2131 and pending any other questions I'd like to submit the approval any discussion on that no okay can I get a motion to approve motion second second I have a motion in a second all those in favor any opposed motion carries thank you all right moving on into reports that we have the gcta here this evening hello hello my name is Aon Brown and I'm president of GCA like to start off by thinking board and administration for their continued partnership the last legislative session brought many attacks on public education and Educators specifically in the last session our collective bargaining rights were at risk but luckily we were able to maneuver those attacks but I fear future legislative sessions might be worse therefore I come before to ask for your continued support very important that we continue to build a community to support public education our students are counting on us so I ask that you come alongside us and help us fight for what's best for students you see what's best for students includes more than what content is being taught in math or what books are being read in language arts it also includes transporting students to and from school making sure they are fed and welled while they're in our care sitting alongside the students to provide them with support and interventions to help them suceed both academically and personally but we know that it's just the typ answer we have 122 Educators P under the collective baring agreement statistics show that most teachers leave education have been the first five years but I'm happy to say that Green Castle has 57% of our teachers have been here for more than five years 40% of our teachers have been here for 10 years or more and we have three Educators that have dedicated over 30 years in the classroom at we have an amazing staff here and I'm glad to call this last year we were able to increase our salary schedule to stay competitive with our surrounding County schools and we're thankful that our financial situations has allowed us to get to this point as we move into negotiations this year I would like us to take a serious look at how much we are contributing towards insurance premiums for our teachers this is something that Mr giy and our baring team have discussed and will continue to discuss as we move through negotiations this year in closing I would like to thank you for all they could do for public education and once again ask everyone the board and the administration to help support public education because our future generation depending on us well stated all right moving on to the assistant superintendent Mrs mcperson all right good evening everyone um so I'm going to go over our spring data report so this is going to look at our student assessment data from um grade IA 2 all the way up to high school sat AP and graduation next slide please um so everything that we do all the decisions that we make are always go back to our core beliefs our vision and our mission um which we worked on um in the last couple of years to Define and then move forward with next slide please and and from those core beliefs mission and vision we developed our five gcsc priorities um with our Target being student achievement so all of those decisions and things that we're doing is all to increase our student achievement please so I really feel it's important to know where we came from in order to move uh forward so I put together some historical I learn data uh from 2019 um is the first year to show where we were before Co hit and then after um so the colors you can track cohorts of students so if you look at our third grade in 2019 for ELA on our I learn proficiency we were at a 53% proficiency rate so if you track that pink down um you will see when they left eighth grade so they are current freshman they are at a 35% proficiency rate um so it was really important I shared this information with all of the schools so when I shared with the high school those freshman teachers understand what those kids are coming in with what skills they are so they can make appropriate changes to their instruction so that we can increase and fill in those gaps um and so each color represents a cohort um and you can see we've we've stayed pretty stagnant so either we'll go up a few we'll go down a few um but we haven't seen any huge increases next slide please uh and this is the same for our math again um that third grade cohort in 2019 who are a current freshman um they did have a dramatic drop um from third grade to eighth grade they started at 61% proficiency and then um they're entering freshman under 24% so again thinking about our algebra teachers and our Math teachers it's really important important for them to know where our students are so that as they're making plans making adjustments and working with them intentionally that we're f in in those gaps um other than that outlier we again have stayed pretty consistent um between a few in um increases and decreases next slide please so this is our I read 3 data um I went back a few years to 2022 and this is showing comparison with our County cohorts um so in 2022 we had almost a 91% pass rate for both spring and summer so it's a combined percentage rate um and you can see we were um ahead of the our penam County friends um in 2023 overall there was a decrease um or a state stagnant um we did decrease quite a bit between 22 and 23 and then um this past spring in 2024 um we are four out of the four of our put putham County um comparisons with an 80% pass rate next slide pleas please we did do our I2 data pilot last year which was really important for us to do one it can give our second graders a chance to see what the i 2 looked like as well as our teachers because we had not given it before and it was a pilot so it didn't it didn't hurt anything and 37 or 36% of our second graders passed that assessment which means they don't have to take it this spring and so then our third grade teachers can use that data from the read um to and be able to be intentional with their small group instruction and their wi time to help make sure that we're filling in those gaps and getting them prepared for that IR 3 um our legislature as Mrs Brown talked or talked about has made quite a few adjustments and one of those is mandatory retention if a student doesn't pass the spring and summer assessment or get a good cause exemption and so that's something that we we really need to be intentional with um because of that piece of legislation next slide please so now we're going to go over our I learn three through eight um this is an overall percentage proficiency rate um for third through e8th grade ELA and math I also included the state so so the state proficiency was at 41% for both which is not great at all as a state um we are right behind the state um but we're also right behind our three other puam County Schools um we did score better in our math side over Cloverdale but with North Plum and South Plum we are below them in our in our proficiency rates next slide please and then this is grade by grade it shows the proficiency rate for ELA and math I will say our sixth grade ELA and math both outscored the state proficiency rate so I'm really excited about that that's a plus and we need to applaud that um but we really need to make sure that when we're looking at these scores as we're moving forward for next year that we see where those gaps are and fill them in um as quickly as we can for our Student Success next slide please and so now we're going to go over some high school data go ahead um this is our SAT 2024 comparison um so Juniors take the SAT Juniors take that it is a college entrance exam so you could argue that it may not be appropriate but right now this is the accountability assessment that the state is having us du so this is what we are doing uh for us in Green Castle um we did really fairly well compared to our putham County um schools in reading and writing with our proficiency we were just under uh North putam in math overall across the state and obviously in our County was extremely low um with a 21% pass rate or proficiency rate for us and then overall for a proficiency rate of passing both for Green Castle we were at 21% and this is some other of our high school data um so the first is our advanced placement scores and so ADV advanced placement assessments are assessments that students take that if they score a three four or five um they could earn credit to go onto college um we had 87 um assessments that scored three or above that's not 87 students because some students took more than one AP assessment but we had 87 total uh with 11 AP course offerings we had almost 1,200 dual credits earned between our teachers at Green Castle area 30 and IV Tech um and depa and then we also U looking at our graduation C cohort in 2024 27% of our students went to the workforce 3% were enlistment and 70% are going on to some type of higher education what's important with that um enrollment piece of it is what they're doing after that freshman year and that's where Jag is really going to play a part because those students who work with Mrs Crosby she is going to be able to support them after high school and so throughout that freshman year or whatever they're doing whether it be in the workforce enlistment or in college next slide please and so for these things we do have action plans things that we're putting into place to address the this data and to help our students achieve all that they can achieve um our formative assessments so we give the I ready in grades k through eight for ELA and math and then our dibles which is more of a phonics early literacy assessment um in grades K through three and then also four and five when we need to to get some other data points for kiddos we also enrolled in the 3dr through e8th grade isarn checkpoint pilot so this is a pilot year this is going to give us a chance to see what that I learn checkpoint looks like before it comes into play as a requirement from the state um it was a hard decision for us because it is a lot of testing for our students but we don't know what kind of data we're going to get from the state and we didn't want to have no data and so that's why we decided to continue with the I ready if we see after the first checkpoint that the data that we're getting um is sound and we're able to use that effectively then we'll make a decision not to not to have eye ready as well um and then in the high school we are adding the PSAT 89 for our freshman so that we can continue that longitudinal data for them between the PSAT 89 PSAT and sat um our K through five we have started the last year was our first year of implementation for our new reading curriculum and through the SS of reading Grant we were able to add our writing Studio curriculum so K5 we have an aligned writing curriculum that's tied to our reading curriculum so they be hearing the same verbage same rubrics all of those things K5 uh we also have our OG approach to word recognition um as we have new teachers we're getting them trained so that they're able to um teach those strategies effectively and then in our secondary we implemented our Indiana Ral math last year and then finally uh we're just we're being really intentional um we have worked really hard like our teachers work really really hard they've worked really hard for years and years but we're we've been working in different directions and so now what we're trying to do is go in the same direction and be more intentional with what we're doing um and that includes aligning our Master schedules adding an instruction small group instructional time so that we can really be intense with those student skills um and then finally with our professional development um we're working with rose Brock Consulting um she's coming in to help our teachers and our admin understand how to not only look at data but how to look at instructional strategies and observations happening in the classroom to drive their instruction and continuing um our science of reading CD through the reading Science Academy membership that we were able to get through the science of reading Grant last year so we have a lot of good things in place um again we're just aligning our arrows trying to all go in the same direction um and that will be really positive for our students thank you okay thank you yeah so uh clearly this data is less than Stellar uh and certainly looks like um you know on the surface we have some things in place but I'm curious about where these uh resources came from are these ones that we've sought out through the teachers associations and the teachers in the classroom is this straight from superintendent's office is this best practices and that's what we're going off of how are we addressing the scores and utilizing the teachers in the classroom which resources are you asking about specifically like the CK the OG so OG was began the implementation when Dr French was here um she started um teaching going with the teachers doing the professional development BR that doesn't look like it's been successful it takes three to five years for that change and I think it's been we're in our third and a half year with that um CA uh we they started the reading adoption again my when I was a principal here so with Dr French and then when I came on we finished it but we had a team of teachers who were on the adoption cycle they piloted lessons we piloted um not only CA but other reading curriculums as well we got their feedback on it and that was um why ca was chosen it was also on the approved doe list for reading curriculums on that so it addresses vocabulary and fluency and all things that the kids are missing out on so what would Mr Gib what would you say is an effective am I mean are we looking at another two years before we see Improvement or is this something that yeah I think we're in year three and a half you said we're we're lining our arrows and everyone's working really really hard um to get to where we need to to be um probably one of the greatest challenges probably even before Co and in coming out of Co it was the fact that we were operating off of Open educational resources our teachers did not have a set solid curriculum and you know so we wouldn't necessarily have that consistency uh throughout the classroom or as one teacher you know would leave and another teacher would come in you don't have that go-to Core Curriculum to operate from so that is very challenging and complex and I think that um you know one of the things that we're going to be uh revisiting this year is our math curriculum um from my understanding we started with Eureka what 2015 something something about that time um because it was a free resource um ultimately it became a paid resource but we needed to figure out if it's the best resource and so we are going to um Becky's uh spent some time organizing uh she's uh here in the fall going to work with um our teachers and we're going to look at adopting a math curriculum for K5 because we adopted um six nine six algebra algebra yep included algebra because that's to me that's been the biggest hangup is not having that set solid rigorous viable curriculum for our teachers to use because it's you know it's difficult enough educating our students but when you're having to develop everything on your own that's challenging um so we want to have a good experience uh across the board for our students so I think from my perspective the uh it's it's it's good I mean what we have now is the Assessments in place right I that's what we have to go off the data but I think um I'm not a proponent of that being the only resource and I want to see growth like it doesn't appear like the growth is there so I want to see ensure that we're giving the teachers and the building level administrators the resources they need to be successful for the growth in the students first and if we're not hitting that growth then if we can have some more data on the growth that they're kid that they're getting inside the classroom and you know along the way I would like to see that I would like to see um I I get that we we have these assessments that are State dictated but I want to see the growth that the kids are getting and and making improvements and if we could add that to this I think it would probably maybe a a better picture and you know a a better light on what we're doing because I don't think the assessments are necessarily and all be off and that's part of what we're learning through the PLC process is not only looking at tests right we're at classroom observations what are you seeing that your kids can do when you pull and work with them and talking about that and using that because that's data as well yeah to drive out instruction and that's part of that learning process with r PLC be curious to see how that goes I'm excited about it you could give us some of that at some point that'd be great is the intentional and Alig master schedule the extra 30 minutes of both is that new this year yes last year there was just 30 minutes of reading and so we didn't want T to if you focus on one the other one goes off the uh off the click there and so we wanted to make sure that we were focusing on both so how how is that schedule being implemented how is that aligning throughout the school so um in Deer Meadow and rid path um they're actually starting their wi times I believe in September 3rd is that correct Mr Roberts and so they worked last week in their plc's identifying students who are going to go with our title teachers who are going to work with our special education teachers who will be working with IAS and then the left the students who are left with the classroom teachers they are working on okay what am I going to do with these students what do they need Al together and so they'll be doing that during that 30 minutes of both reading and math and then the same um dear Meadow is going to be working on that as well and then at TZ um what they did is they looked at their I ready data in comparison with where they were in the spring as well and they group their students and so they have small groups of students that they're going to be working with on their specific skills whether it be vocabulary whether it be fluency comprehension and reading um number sense things like that with um within those the math skills I have two questions on that one where's the time coming from and then two what are we doing with the enrichment kids the kids that are Beyond how are we pushing them into the next level as well so they're being pulled as well into a small group for for the enrichment pie of it Mrs Hansen is actually working with them in all three schools um and so I actually met with her last speak so we got some resources for her um to pull those small group of kids um in terms of like asked your first question I was where's the time coming from where's that 30 minutes missing out yeah we're not really missing out on anything we just tightened up our schedule there was more transition time um I think looking at I did I didn't really know their schedule before at T and red path and dear Meadow but I don't think it was a very tight master schedule from what I have heard and seen of it and so um the principles just worked really hard to tighten that up and make sure that every minute that we have with the kids um is effective and intentional and we still the Arts and yeah they all have the specials and then we were able to recess and we able to add the FB l so it's good thing um when you said the second graders don't have to take the test are they still going to to make sure they're no they don't have to take it at all they'll take the I learn not the I um I really have a problem with the way the schedule is at TZ and um utilizing teachers in the afternoon out of their content area in order to create these small groups um I don't see that that is sound educational I just don't think that having a special for a week and then moving to another special and then not looping back around again until four months later or three months later or whatever it is is educationally a good thing um and to have those teachers being utilized in the afternoon for small group instruction out of their content area and then you know I I'm I'm not seeing the value of all of this yet um I really want to see some data that that is going to be a educationally sound thing I do too so right now I'm on the fence as to whether I like this whole plan or not okay thank you better so I think it might be important to clarify or add that those elector teachers are not being pulled from classes in which they're already teaching their rotation for the thirdd four four fourth or fifth grade students that's additional time that they had within their contract day where in which they're being utilized to work with small groups of kids so it would have been time otherwise that they would not have been assigned to like work with a class I I need to see the schedule sure that yes y set up appointment absolutely I will do that only thing one more thing could um 70% go off to college you know the state averages around 26 going back their second year if you could just at some point email me what the Green Castle is and I'd like to see how it relates with the Jag sure what that input has done and helped us it's one of the reasons yeah that we we have jaged because we know that's a struggle and that's a Statewide thing absolutely yeah y I can do that no problem great questions thank you guys all right if there's nothing further on that we'll move on to the superintendent Mr given yep I just have a couple of things this month because we have two lengthier things kind of following um so I want to be respectful of time but just like to thank our students and staff for a good start uh to this school year um at Green Castle um it's been nice going into the buildings and seeing the classrooms decorated um fresh the school schools uh looking great and a lot of learning taking place and a lot of a lot of laughter some some tears um certainly you know Growing Pains along the way with uh our with our little ones um but overall just uh very happy with what I've seen so far uh just a couple weeks uh into the school year um would like to thank our parents and students for uh just some of the early hiccups with uh with Transportation um certainly obviously a large part of of our district is under construction with us231 but we've also had some local projects um that have added added to some some challenges and you know getting uh buses down a road uh safely and and on time and then obviously with the medical emergency um but overall you know kids are getting to and from school but we just appreciate the uh the extra patience and in cooperation with that um you know as uh as Aaron was sharing earlier with the legislation um just obviously a lot of things taking place that we know that we have an election uh this year so we're potentially well we are looking at a new governor it's just a matter of who uh who that Governor is going to be and with a new governor potentially comes a new secretary of education so there's a lot uh yet to kind of be figured out um with that but one of the big topics of discussion things taking place right now is the whole High School redesign and the um I think you know if you're if you're watching the news it's probably you know been fairly heavily reported on item they released version one um and allowed for public comments and then um this like a week ago released version two and it looked a lot different um than version one um there's still some uh obviously a lot of changes being proposed with just work-based learning uh student inter internship um certainly some flexibilities um designed to help kids but there's still a lot of fear in the unknowns um and so that's what we're really hoping uh gets worked out here uh before the end of the year when things become final um but in some of the meetings that I've been participating in um on various occasions is it's likely that version two will look very close to the final version um but if you have feelings uh one way or another I would encourage you uh to use your voice and speak up and and speak out uh with that um before things do become final that's all I have under uh superintendent report okay okay moving on uh old business it looks like we have no old business moving into new business we're going to move into opening the 2024 collective bargaining public hearing yeah so we got that presentation so I'm not going to spend a lot of time in the details of this because uh this is the same slideshow or slide deck that we've been using for what the last two or three years uh at least since this became uh law so this is something uh in statute where we have to hold a hearing on collective bargaining uh before we begin formal bargaining uh after September uh 15th next slide so the purpose of the hearing uh uh specifically the objectives uh to share what we can bargain we cannot bargain uh regular regulatory restrictions set by herb and then obviously allow for public testimony tonight next slide please so the subjects of bargaining when the state state legislators made some changes uh a couple of years ago um these are the items limited to specif uh specific to bargaining salaries uh wages and uh fringe benefits um such as those other items next slide uh prohibited excuse me prohibited subjects of bargaining um these next two slide covered or excuse me cover yeah the prohibited subjects um even though these are not a part of uh bargaining any longer these are things that um we've deemed important and have continued to hold regular discussions um with the Green Castle Classroom Teachers Association so we still continue to work together um and balance ideas back and forth uh and get feedback next slide please timeline for bargaining uh nothing uh has has really changed uh with that um just kind of shows the timeline there we begin uh formal bargaining uh September 15th and then we have all the way up until November 15th to uh ratify a CBA and have things approved um but along the way even after we do um reach an agreement there are certain uh meetings public meetings um that we have to hold and allow for public comment um before the board can ultimately approve that that CBN next slide please so obviously there are a lot of different parameters that we have to have to work work through um we have had a good review of our collective bargaining agreement from this past year there were a few things from prior years that we had to had to get cleaned up and those things are all uh all cleaned up so we're in in the clear with that obviously we have to navigate um any new state laws we know that this year is the final year of the state budget by anym um so with the new governor the new governor will obviously um establish or work with the legislature to um to set funding for uh the next uh the following two years so I'm anxious and curious how that's going to shake out hopefully we see some additional increases uh in funding because we know that things haven't gotten any less expensive um so they've gotten more expensive in in wages and and uh and benefits obviously haven't haven't kept up with that um State Board of accounts um Department of local government Finance um and those are just some again additional things that we we have to work through um next slide please and now is the moment in our hearing where we would allow for uh public testimony uh specifically uh limited to collective bargaining if anybody has anything they'd like to share anyone no one okay hearing no public testimony and we will now close the public hearing all right we have a approval approval request I'm sorry uh permission to advertise a 2025 budget cpf plan and bus replacement plan yep so next presentation there fory okay so as is customary uh this time of year in August WE Post our annual budget Workshop uh with the board um since we have an appointed school board our process for approving the budget looks a little bit different we have several uh governing bodies that uh that help us with our process and one of those Kelly and I met with was that last Tuesday or Wednesday I can't remember uh Wednesday seems like so long ago uh we went before the County Council and shared this same information and now we are sharing it with you before we uh proceed uh forwards next slide so at Green Castle those are our primary uh budgeted funds um we have the education fund the operations fund The Debt Service fund and the pension bond fund next slide please and so uh it's important to understand that those funds were designed for a very specific purposes therefore their uses are limited to very spefic of purposes so our education fund those uh uh is used primarily to fund things that take place in the classrooms or instructional related items and our primary source of funding for that is the state tuition uh support that we receive uh on the 15th of each month from the doe uh the operations fund is just that is to help take care of operations to help with facility improvements grounds pay for maintenance uh cleaning of facilities um and our primary source of Revenue uh for the operations fund um are our local property taxes and then also the uh under 15% transfer from education uh fund to operations fund the legislature set in place when they moved um expenses from the education fund to the operation fund for instance the superintendent office and salaries um would be one of those examples and then obviously The Debt Service fund is specifically just for that it's to repay uh the district's uh outstanding debt obligations um and primary source of revenue for that local property taxes um then we have the pension bond fund um that's to repay our district pension debt so you might remember in like 2003 or 2004 there was the um the uh the buyou conversion of leave days essentially uh the government um uh had schools uh issued thatt to cover unfunded liabilities and we've been having to pay those back um over a period of time and thankfully um we have one payment left in 2025 and then our pension uh Bond uh will be paid off which is nice um but we use our local income tax dollars um to pay for our pension uh Bond debt um and certainly once that pay that's paid off that'll free up some additional uh revenues for other uses next slide please and so uh our state tuition support uh for the fiscal year so our budget is done on a calendar year but we receive our funding on a fiscal year um so to July through uh July through June um we receive our funding and I have listed for you all of the different variables and the different count dates that play into that so anytime we're working on the budget we're we're making our best guess um well in advance and certainly we're using a lot of historical information um to help with those projections so if you're looking at specifically you know like for example item number 10 so part of our funding in fiscal year 25 is going to be determined dating back all the way to the 22 23 school year based on how many students earned uh completed uh an associates degree um so there are some things that are current most specifically are ADM so those are fall and spring count dates but there are things when it comes to dual credits and other things to where we're actually in the rears like two years um sometimes more and certainly those are all subject to change next slide please and again just some uh some more just uh shows our special education funding shows um some of our CTE funding next slide uh then on the last uh the last slide there you can see um that there's an emphasis on apprenticeships work-based learning opportunities um career credential completion count um again those are all things that impact uh our fund next slide So based our uh FY 25 state tuition support there's our estimate and it's broken out into the five different grants based on all those different variables um we have the basic Grant that's just the per student count we have the academic performance grant that used to be called the academic honors Grant but now you have a lot of other uh items baked into it the Dual credits um and and all of those items certainly honors diplomas you know it's still a part of that special Grant the CTE Grant and then they've also added in the non-english speaking Grant um into our total uh total funding so they send that to us all of one now rather than that rather than a second so you can see what that total is there next slide I thought it'd be helpful to kind of show um uh fiscal year 24 versus fiscal year 25 where you can kind of see uh uh where those uh items stand uh one of the things that really kind of jumps out to me is that uh academic performance Grant you can see that in FY 24 uh we were at 59 400 and I dropped down to 29,000 well if you remember uh two years ago uh we had one of a uh and even last year we had a little bit smaller graduating class and when some of those items are following in the rears obviously that uh impacted funding slightly um but overall you can see that uh we're up a little bit um so that's in part to to um student count kind of holding study or plateauing um but the legislature also baked in um a little bit uh of an increase uh in funding although not at the same level um as FY 23 to fy4 so year two the increase is not uh quite as large from the legislature next slide please so obviously we're building uh our budget um so we're planning our expenditures planning forecasting our revenues uh 18 months in advance um so we are very thoughtful in our long range planning um we don't want to lose sight of the big picture um because you don't want to you know we don't want to take one step forward then two steps back by overspending uh today if we are forecasting revenues to not be as strong two years from now so we're very mindful of that we're very mindful of how uh of what our balances are within our education uh and operation funds we're in a much better spot than we were four years ago um when it comes to our financing we've been able to uh make a lot of Gaines and do a lot of nice things um along the way uh certainly looking at forecasting enrollment you know whether it's increasing or declining uh we're up we my the estimated budget is designed on an ADM of 16690 students and so that would be up eight from from last spring um last I checked we were actually hovering around 1720 um count day isn't until October 2nd so we may see some students come in and go out um by then um that's something that we'll just you know have to have to kind of continue to work through um as we enroll new students next slide there is our budget calendar um Shar shared with you uh the first thing again the first meeting took place last week was just to hear the budget requests um tonight is the workshop and approval to advertise the budget cpf plan and bus replacement plan um Kelly and I will go back to the County Council in September we'll have the public hearing on the budget and then at our September 23 board meeting we'll hold a public hearing on the cpf plan and the bus replacement plans in October 15th the County Council will adopt our 2025 budget and then shortly thereafter on the 28th um our board will adopt our cpf us replacement next slide please uh again this just kind of shows the history of our average daily membership so our ADM count just kind of over over time um thankfully you know it hasn't been uh there hasen't been too much of an adjustment over the last three or four years things have kind of plateaued certainly you know there have been some years where we've gone up some years where we've gone down um we're really kind of following Statewide Trend and holding steady there next slide just some assumptions that used for the 2025 budget forecast obviously we know that utilities are unfortunately never getting any less expensive um continue to to go up uh same thing with insurance you have to have it um and it continues to go up as well um and then obviously you can see there that building it on a ADM is 1690 next slide please so specifically for our education fund I'm not going to read those read those out so I'll butcher them and it'll take a lot of time um but 18 months of revenues and 18 months of expenditures for the 2025 budget so where the 18 months comes into play it's the last six months of 2024 and then all of calendar year 2025 and obviously we know that we don't advertise the Lev rate for Education fund because we get that strictly from the state next slide please our debt service fund you can see our revenues our expenditures um our Levy and our rate um and the important important thing to be mindful of here is that remember we always advertise High because we're building the budget on 85% of last year's assessed valuation and so as we know as AV actually goes up because our av is much higher the rate uh the rate drops or decreases um next slide pension debt fund and we don't advertise a levy or rate for pension debt because we use our lit dollars our local income tax dollars to to cover that expense and we will pay that off in 2025 it's exciting moving on to the uh operations fund and that is a typ of because that's 2025 Levy 2025 rate next Slide the rainy day fund um our revenues and our expenditures um and it's it's our intent to not spend these dollars to keep them uh reserved um but we do appropriate uh some of them just in case of an emergency so we have permission to spend them um and obviously there's no lever rate we're not using local property tax dollars these are just uh unspent Appropriations that we transfer we've been able to by transferring from One Fund to another next slide please again just the budget considerations I won't read through those i' spoken about quite a few of them but just all the things that go into helping us build the budget next slide please rate and uh rate and Levy history so again for example kind of talking about advertising High coming back certified low um you know last year in you know The Debt Service fund we advertised Debt Service over a dollar and it came back at 6199 um I like to mention that 6199 because uh we made a promise to our taxpayers um when we uh move forward with the building project and issuing debt that we would uh manage to our debt service tax rate we would not increase that rate um so we expect when our 2025 budget comes back certified Debt Service will be at 6199 um and some of those others will obviously come back lower as well because we know operations fund um uh has a max rate Levy so that's just a again to kind of paint a picture uh for you and I'll share I'll share the actual copy with you as well so you don't have to really zoom in on the small numbers what's up hav it fited in on the slide it says uh I do the math wrong is it what's that it says 232 I thought it did it 223 for the tax rate says a dollar two and operations it's 90 is there a reason that it's like that something I can't I can't on 2025 it says it's A1 2958 plus yeah on that one24 a couple slides up it says mag four that's what I was asking sorry on the operations prediction on this one here 94 I didn't know I read wrong with me you're looking at the advertise for 20244 got yeah that's the advertise and that what we really want to be looking at is the certified because we've already we've already received that budget and we're looking at 2025 advertised but then OB obviously there's no certified yet gotta that'll come back before the end of the year yep and so we we don't expect um our overall rate to fluctuate a ton actually there's the chance it may uh drop a little bit um because our assess valuation grew by roughly hundred million um for 2025 versus 2024 next slide so there's it is right there overall again just advertised um the rates and levies as well as permission to advertise the cpf uh and bu replacement PL have any further questions hearing none can I get a motion for permission to advertise the 2025 budget cpf plan and bus plan approve motion second second Motion in a second all those in favor I any opposed motion carries all right I have approval request for the tiger cub Collective student run business at Green Castle High School yep so one of the really exciting things that's uh taking place and um hopefully some have started to see some of the information but out of the high school Fab Lab um uh Dr hail um Mrs Frank and M gel and some other staff members have work to develop the uh tiger cub Collective and that's a student run Enterprise and their goal is to essentially operate a student run business and partner with organizations in the community and give students an authentic Real World Experience uh in conducting uh business so under the tiger cub Collective umbrella uh there's Spirit Weare uh where students will do market research manage inventory uh make spirit Weare um The Design shop where students will Design Market apparel gear swag um and also offer printing services so one of the things that they're going to do is they have a large format printer and so they're going to be able to print banners uh and things like that um Fab Lab solution so one of the long-term goals of Dr ha I'll use this because he uh he shared this when we had a group visit from South putam um is he wants his engineering students to partner with local industry um to be given a problem and then develop a solution uh for them to that problem and ultimately he would like students to uh have patent patent patented excuse me patented project products uh marketing services um with uh Mrs chell's uh business class um so offering marketing uh consultancy uh to local small businesses marketing research promotional strategies and then just even uh some fine art sales so um one of the things taking place and it's in november3 November 23rd we're having the What's the title of the event Castle arts and Innovation Green Castle arts and Innovation Expo and it's going to be a good opportunity to to learn more about these things and also potentially purchase some artwork um there's we have some very talented students um as as well so in order to move forwards with this we want the board to recognize the tiger cub Collective um as a student run business and uh once we do that obviously there are some additional things that we have to work through um and figure out um internally as far as um revenu in funds paying expenses those types of things but this is the first step in that so it's overall it's very exciting sounds like an awesome thing I like the absolutely all right any discussion all right all right can I get a motion so moved all right can I get a second second all right have a motion in a second all those in favor I I any opposed motion will carry all right have a approval request for 20242 District safe School plan yep so this is something that is customary uh at the start of the year we always uh review and update um our District's uh safe School plan and then I certify to the Department of Education um that we've done that um certainly that's viewable by the board members but it's not in your packet because certainly with when it comes to our safety protocols and plans we really protect uh protect those things so this is a annual uh customary approval that we seek at the beginning of the year okay discussion work on that all right can I get a motion I'm a second second we have a motion in a second all those in favor any opposed motion car all right I have an approval request for custodial staff transition yep uh so obviously we uh We've transitioned our custodial and ground services to Southeast services for uh education and uh in your board packet as a memo uh with just a request of some of the things uh that we need to do to kind of clean up final Arrangements um one of those be uh being uh tering those terminating those uh custodial staff members um from employment with GCSE who have joined uh SSC as well as um buyout of any remaining paid sick leave days at the studio staff and then again um since there's a 60-day wait um with insurance we're bridging that for them um because we don't want anybody to have to go out to the exchange or Cobra um so they can remain on our insurance through the end of October and the November one is the their eligibility date for um uh taking Insurance under SSC and those are all things that we shared when we went through this we just have to formalize it via board any discussion hearing none you discuss no you sure so this is just they're just moving to off of our deployment from us and then we're Contracting them through some yes yeah everybody had the opportunity to to move over yes and that transition is already happened anybody not take it did anybody not transition yeah there there have been some staff members that retired or did not did not transition and this was made for the reason for it just thought it was better for the corporation said again this was just made for to for the betterment of the corporation yeah this was to add add or enhance our custodial services and our grounds uh services so when we approve the agreement for SSC uh when was that at the end of June I think uh if I recall yep it was to enhance things uh to where custodian or essentially we want our custodial staff to clean and prepare our facilities we want a ground staff to to mow and take care of our grounds rather than have it a to balance in both lanes and to bring an expert uh to the table that can uh train and enhance what we're doing and it does not take away jobs like from the community the guy the community jobs are still there guys in our community are the ones that can apply for the job as well yeah they need a Workforce yeah so certainly they've they've pulled from our staff and are looking to recruit more and hire more good just like with the food service good yeah okay all right any further discussion all right hearing none can I get a motion so moved a second a second a motion in a second all those in favor any opposed motion will carry have approval request for preschool yep so uh one of the things I'm I'm most proud of is that literally like just a couple of days before our families were uh set to begin uh preschool we uh we found out or were informed that First Baptist uh preschool was closing and there were going to be many families without preschool options uh for this school year and uh we already had a Community Preschool um that serves uh serves families um but uh Mrs Cooper and her staff we work to open an additional classroom um and work to take on addition um Community Preschool uh students so that way families would have options and with that we were able to we are able to offer an all day option at Green Castle and previously it was half day AM or PM five days a week three days a week or two days a week um so we didn't have that option and now we are serving is Britney in here yeah she's in the back Britney is in like 114 preschool students or 115 so like we really expanded our our capacity with that which is a we know preschool is a huge need uh for families in our community and so if we were able to staff it and do it um we went ahead and did it um but the reason it's before you uh today is because we didn't have uh an all day rate that was board that was board approved and so we have that all day uh full day preschool um cost there in front of you uh recommended to be uh approved uh by the board and it's our goal to continue to add to our capacity that includes potentially looking at rid path um in the future because we want to use our we want to use our space um and we want to educate um children and help families um and then other piece of that is um we want to take uh steps to work for path to Quality to where if we achieve a level three or a level four um we will be eligible to accept uh vouchers uh from the state so again we can serve uh even more uh students so it would be my recommendation that the board uh approve the updated um preschool uh costs okay any discussion that rate comparable is that pretty great awesome well done well done nice motion there okay I'm calling for a motion we have a motion on the floor do I have a second a second motion and a second all those in favor I any opposed that motion will carry all right have approval request for ghs music department overnight trip to Gatlinburg Tennessee April 3rd through the 5th we skip did I skip one yeah how did I miss that right in front of my page good Lord all right we're going to move back up to an approval request for GMS classroom Furniture yep so uh before you so uh remember obviously we're looking to uh continue on with issuing that small General obligation bond in the amount of $25 million uh we completed our ratings call with the SNP uh last week and we were planning for a final sale tomorrow with a closing uh closing in September and so one of the things that I have been doing has been working on uh developing a plan uh for that and one of the things that we would like to do is uh finish off uh the middle school so that includes finishing uh with the replacement of the rest of the furniture uh in the middle school and so that's what this uh piece is here and uh we're seeking approval move forward with doing that so we can order a or excuse me issue a purchase order um because we're shooting for fall break um installation nice yeah okay any discussion all right can I get a motion for the classroom foran motion that a second I'll second motion on the second all those in favor all right any approved any opposed well I'm stepping I War myself I apologize any opposed all right hearing none that motion will stand approved all right now we will move on to the ghs music department overnight trip to Gatlinberg Tennessee April 3rd through the 5th of 2025 yeah so in your packet is the itinerary um and materials for this and the reason it's on the agenda for board approval is because it is overnight and out of of State um they have worked hard to uh secure this trip and find a great opportunity for our kids to highlight their talents um and I'm supportive of them uh doing so and so I would recommend that the board um approve of this trip for our Music Department that's just a high school yes okay yeah I believe so okay somebody who's have several of these trips I think that's a good idea it'll be with Mrs I believe Mrs Dory had to yell at me a couple times on these trips oh right all right do I have a motion on the floor all right do I have a second all right Motion in a second all those in favor I any opposed so moved all right now I have an approval request for uniform conflict of interest disclosure statement for for Mr Jimmy beas Le y so this is just a disclosure of that JY coaches cheered and this is just something that we do and the board approves and then we file it put your standard there can I get motion approve all right do I have a second second all those in favor I any opposed motion carried approve a request for the 20 2425 updated meal prices at alart menu yep so there have been just a couple of adjustments made to alart uh pricing uh in general and so that is in your uh board packet and then um we had mentioned previously that we were going to begin with alart uh options in our elementary schools but in a limited amounts I think it's Wednesdays and Fridays is that correct Mr Roberts um with a much uh smaller range of options once I get there oh there it is okay do we have any discussion on that all right hearing none can I get a motion okay have a second second I have a motion and a second all those in favor any opposed all right I had to get there too that motion will carry all right I have a approval request for several athletic corporate sponsors we have Hassler Trucking for $1,500 we have epic insurance for $1,500 York Chevrolet Buick GMC for $1,500 and Donald's for $750 any discussion on that appreciate it y that's very appreciative no further discussion can I get a motion a motion to approve second second motion andna second all those in favor I I any opposed motion will carry with a big thank you all right I have an approval request for some donations we have looks like four we have Edward and Maryanne Meyer scholarship fund within the give Well Community Foundation the Green Castle High School in the amount of $3,000 the May 2024 recipients received $1,000 each very nice uh the Robert and Misha Harbison to Green Castle High School athletics in the amount of $500 poet bio refining and management to Green Castle Middle School in the amount of $2,500 and Pam County Hospital to Green Castle High School athletics in the amount of $2,820 have any discussion hearing none can I get a motion motion do have a second second motion and a second all those in favor I I any opposed motion will carry thank you very much do we have any other business I just wanted to thank um get along I good pastor and Mr gney for opening the high school I know that they've done a lot of Tours and really showcasing all the improvements that we've made um the community was really excited and for to see it so I thought it was really nice that they were able to do that so that was a nice something else okay hearing none can can I get a motion to adjourn I motion to adjourn do I have a second second all right motion and a second all those in favor I I any opposed meeting adjourned thank you everyone for coming

e e e um we have at our reference desk we count essentially how many times the staff helps people U we had 13,17 reference interactions that was a 10% increase um right now we are averaging 40 to 50 reference interactions definitely is going to go up a lot of that is using computers it's um copying it's faxing it's um getting on email things like that printing from phones oh my gosh if you need print from your phone we got you it's all good um so that's a lot of what we do for folks um we had 8,385 uses of our public computer so that was a 20% increase from year before so you know we may think everybody's got a phone in their pocket why do we need you know public computers in the library but we're definitely still seeing a lot of use those things so um overall we have been seeing really good increases um we hope to continue to see those um we are seeing a much higher increase in circulation of electronic items than we are in physical um so that's definitely something that we're going to have to keep up um so we'll see we'll see how that goes hopefully I can report back to you next year and and we've got great numbers across the so uh the only other thing I would let you guys know obviously we are always looking to help the school out any way we can help the students out help the teachers out anything that we can partner we're happy to do that kind of stuff so if there's ever anything that anybody thinks oh man we can really use some help on this or this be a great thing to the library to help with please just give us a call um we're happy to to be partnered on that you want to let me know to any any questions thank you all right thank you thank you for coming thank you for everything you do thank you and we will move on to item D1 the new diploma guidelines fromp yes sir Mr Jer thank you um so what I have presented to you is a draft it's still in draft for from the their hope as they take some more public comment presented for adoption the November November 13 State Board of Education meeting so we anticipate Will May twe the DI finalize it and their hope again is for this impacts the class of 2029 so our current eth graders are the ones are working the class of 2029 Curr be thees that be imped by this change in the diploma the comparison sheet is a new sheet that they just put out does a good job at least explain the difference between the two Dias which is our current Di and what the new proposed diom would be you can see from side to side what was on the what's proposed in the new one of things that jumps out first in the English portion is one Communications Focus course right now it's simply a credits in English so this could possibly be a speech credit there also talk about other forces that may have a speaking component to them that may be able to be used for this um maybe if you're involved in organization likef procedure like things like that even count towards that communication the alra credit the interesting thing here is that students that alra one credit in middle school and counts High School in the past even though they earned it in accounts toward High School Credit they still had to achieve six additional credits of math at the school set so that changes a little bit there with math one of the biggest changes is in social studies there is no need for requirement of Economics they are also allowing for World Language or World focused uh social studies what they told us is the World Language piece of that they call Advanced World Language which gets into the culture of whatever language it is that you're studying won't play the standards until the third level of language so you have to take three years of foreign language according to current proposal that to count as a history cred taking a language to if you and health and then they kind of the direct eles and go that se personalized eles that was the goal of the whole diploma change was personalizing student experience more they take classes that they really wanted to focus on [Music] of focuser and then the one College and Career class that is taken at the middle school in eth grade that still counts as a credit on the back side of that are the second page um that you'll see scrolling up there then you get the seals so there's two honor seals there's a I'm sorry there's two seals the honors seal and the honors seal Plus or honors plus seal the difference between these uh is twofold one the front side of that or the first part of that is the new diploma okay if you only meet those requirements those 42 credits on the front side you can still graduate from high school you don't have to do anything with the honors seal or the honors plus seal but you do have to hit Parts two and three of the graduation Pathways that we're currently in so that's a work-based um service-based or Project based experience and then meeting a benchmark of passing the SAT or having a career pathway with with a concentrator a and a concentrator b along with the Capstone course so um if you don't do anything else Parts two and three of the current graduation Pathways have to go with the initial diploma if you earn a diploma with an honors seal or an honors plus seal then you don't have to compete I'm sorry complete part two and part three of the current graduation Pathways and this is where they've dug in and broken it down into whether you're going to go to College you're going to go to the workforce you're going to go in the military so enrollment enlistment or employment and they have varying criteria for each of those diplomas um the first one the honor seal for enrollment kind of follows what the old academic honors diploma was with additional credits in World Language science and math um and some other key components there the employment one uh getting a seal there is showing the that you've worked in a particular field and then the enlistment you throw in things like participation in JC and other courses uh leadership in extracurriculars or Athletics count as those so they've tried to make them more personal to each individual student um and you can earn a seal with those requirements as well a few things that they talked about I just uh watched a webinar participated in a webinar on Friday of last week I think it was there are three pages of a Google doc of questions from Educators around the state that the State has yet to answer pertaining to parts of this that are still very unclear and uh we're hoping through the India Association of School principles to get some answers to those questions uh before they come up with a final draft of the new diploma requirements P what are they telling you timeline wise when they're going to make final decisions um I'm hearing various different uh dates but what are what are you understanding is making final decisions with this document sure they I think soliciting some more public comment along with Educators around the state and I believe their November board meeting date is the 13th is what their hope is board comments or questions that you have for Mr McGloin on this Mr mlan do we have any is there any classes that any classes that will disappear or maybe additional offerings with this or what do you anticipate yeah that's a great question uh one of the concerns that I have is is only needing one credit of of physical education um I think that could impact um that department a little bit the other department that I'm concerned about is social studies with uh doing away with world history or World Geography being a requirement along with economics so that's three different classes in that one department they can still be utilized but if students are taking a World Language instead of uh world history then that could certainly impact the number of students that take a a history class I don't think that there's really much in terms of a class or classes that we would need to look to offer but this is going to create through some of the seals with what they can do outside of school that earn points towards their diploma um a recordkeeping situation where staff that maybe did something else in the building may now have to take on data entry and recordkeeping of those kind of things I so that would be something that the teacher or someone in administration would need to track yeah that so like one of the things is 650 hours of work and so somebody's got to record that track it and all those kind of things so that's just one example but when you get down into the honors plus seal there's a lot more of that stuff that is uh subjective versus sitting in a classroom and and getting instruction that somebody's gonna have to take care of so is the work-based learning part of uh the employment part is that so you have to be in one of those half day programs so that's great question that was one of the questions on the three-page docket of unanswered questions um they're saying they don't believe so they're they're trying to leave a lot of flexibility for individual school districts to make that determination so if I'm not in the work-based learning program here because I'm involved in other things but I work in the summer uh do some Landscaping work for a company here in town I could count that is what they're hoping that the board of education at the state would allow School corporations to do and not specifically tie it to the work based learning halfday program here but that would make more work for you because you got to track it right correct or someone has to track it but in the in the long run it would be best for students because some of those kids just can't fit in their schedule um so if they're able to earn that by working weekends or something like that where they're not missing a half a day if they're involved in um you know the upper level classes for AP or dual credit um it could benefit the students and yeah it may create a little B additional work for us but um if that's the best plan for the student we would certainly look into that is there any other questions well as with all things with the state it's a moving Target and we'll continue to follow it and whatever we're told we'll do it thanks for following up Mr mlin thank you m appreciate the info we'll move on to D2 20232 24 academic results uh Mr Mr Peters and Mr brimberry yes tonight uh is just we're going to give you a brief snapshot into the everchanging world of of Elementary and secondary education with updates on for us for I 3 and uh iearn data and so I just want to share with you the assessment results that we have for 23 this was last school year 23 24 uh I read three uh to start out with you've heard me say before uh our goal is to reach 95% proficient by 2027 uh where our kids are reading at or above grade level by the time they leave third grade and how crucial and how important that is to set that foundation for them to be successful throughout their career it also aligns with our strategic plan where we have said uh that our K12 students reading at above grade level by 2029 um and so um I can share with you that our district average uh was 84.4 uh the state average was 82.5 uh would somebody wanted to celebrate and do a happy dance for right now uh no takers uh we could celebrate that because uh our teachers our students are working very very hard now have we reached the 95% no but we're climbing and we're getting there and we're doing a great job of of trying to to meet that I 3 is taken in March and students that do not pass uh get a retest prior to the end of the school year in May but during that time from March to May before that retest students are in small group uh working each day on the those skills that they have not mastered yet and then they retake that test and so um we're excited about that Improvement that we're seeing I will tell you that last year we opted in with other districts across the state uh that our second graders took the I3 test for the very first time uh which proved valuable for us because it gave us some additional data that we could use uh to program for our third graders moving forward this year all second graders uh will be taking I 3 uh this spring so I just wanted to share that with you the next uh slide uh talks about our I learn test uh this is grades three four and five uh that are taking that in the elementary school uh you can see the the red is hccsc the blue is the Indiana State average uh you can see English um the district was 35.8% proficient uh the state average is 40 uh 24 uh percent uh you can see math uh we have we're over the state average I can tell you two years ago we adopted a new math curriculum uh that ramped up the rigor of our instruction uh teachers have worked very very hard to implement that with Fidelity and we can see the the results of that uh from two years ago and we and we celebrate that I will tell you with I learn it's one test it's very rigorous it's given one time in the spring uh we as a district have opted in with other districts across the state to the I learn pilot for this year which means there's going to be three checkpoints throughout the year uh during assessment Windows starting in September uh with one summi of at the end and the ID idoe has given us a blueprint of the standards that will be covered in those assessments that's a novel idea uh so now we know what's going to be tested uh so that we can work with our kids and teachers can work with our kids to make sure that they've mastered um those uh those skills if they've not mastered it they'll take assessment a if they haven't mastered it during that testing window then we're going to review reteach and reassess um to ensure that they have mastered um those standards so we're excited about that pilot uh and being a part of that um with other State uh districts um comparisons want to just show you some comparisons um these are comparison groups and the the the cohorts are put together based on demographic demographic location enrollment size and free and reduced lunch uh percentages and our schools are high lighted in yellow uh we're moving up in our cohort groups uh that's what we want to see again our teachers and staff are working very hard you see Salomon and Andrews are in the same cohort group the next slide will show you Flint Springs again this is just a list of schools that are in their cohort group with those same comparisons um so you see where Flint Springs is at next slide it shows Horseman and their cohort group Next slide is Lincoln and their cohort group and Ron o and their their cohort group so again you can see that we're right there uh we're making progress we're moving up um and that's exciting to see uh let me share with you and introduce to you uh Marissa tinkle is our elementary professional development coordinator uh she has done a tremendous job of developing and providing professional learning for our elementary teachers Marissa was in instrumental in developing our hccsc elementary guided literacy document that provides a systemwide framework for what should happen in our Elementary classrooms and so Mera if you would just kind of share out uh just briefly uh you've got some slides there about our literacy instruction and some of the changes and additions we've made to accomplish that 95% proficient by 2027 yes thank you we went um into a thorough investigation last year and left no stone unturned um especially in the area of literacy instruction to try to figure out what we need to do um the same what we need to do better and what we need to change alog together and so you can see on the slide here um the changes and the additions that we've made um the first being in tier one core instruction we've added um hegerty and Orton Gillingham at our tier one instruction um we've used those pieces in the in the past somewhat but that is um districtwide now um in tier one instruction we've also Rewritten our comprehension reading units um they are now based on the new academic standards that went into effect last year and teachers are also receiving writing professional development through smackin we also um switched our assessments and the way we do them and how we use them um the first is the foundational reading uh Universal screener all students take that based on those result results some students have additional diagnostic assessments to pinpoint exact areas of strengths and weaknesses you can also see in a j mentioned um we're opting into the iearn formative checkpoints that will give us more formative data throughout the year that we can provide intervention in um lastly with L literacy instruction we are doing our intervention slightly different um we are using that diagnostic assessment data to provide even uh more Precision in the area of intervention and more Precision in those five pillars that you can see there in phonological Awareness phonics fluency vocabulary and comprehension and the way we're doing that is through what we're calling wi time and wi stands for what I need and that's 30 minutes a day in which all students participate in some sort of activity at their level and what they need all grade level teachers interventionists and resource teachers all work together to provide um intervention during that time and um with that comes regularly scheduled data team meetings again looking at that foundational reading Universal screener and diagnostic assessments to provide precise intervention Von then with our math instruction as Mr Peters um mentioned that we've seen growing and great results with um our reveal curriculum so we're going to continue with its use we also switched up our math assessments we're using a new standard-based Benchmark assessment it is through our new um app that we've adopted for math practice we adopted uml that was from the um uh encouragement from our teacher who have some of our schools have used that in the past and were're using it last year and um our teachers requested that app um and so we were excited to offer that to them and they are happily diving into that and using that um in their math instruction already this year it is a standard-based app it has adaptive practice to provide um practice so that we can fill gaps but also enrich students beyond the grade level expectation and what I find best is that it coincides with the reveal math l and in a very um easy to manage way for our teachers so those are some of the additions um and changes to our math and literacy instruction to improve our data thank you Marissa any questions before we turn over to Mr brimberry and Mrs Browns so what grades do you start uh testing doing the assessment for like math and English is it first grade or last year we opted in as a pilot so this uh this school year second grade will be taking I 3 to get a jump on those kiddos that um we look that data and see what we need to do to help them be successful in in third grade if you don't pass I3 in third grade you'll have a chance to take it twice as a fourth grader if you don't pass it in fourth grade you'll have twice two times in fifth grade to pass it um before you move on to middle school and then math and math then we've we've got uh formative assessments with our new math curriculum we've got a pre preest post test um kind of assessment and that starts in kindergarten kindergarten yes great questions thank you Mr Peters um for the secondary I'm I know we're GNA try to keep this to a few minutes Mr trout but I uh I will tell you we are we are excited to talk about this uh tonight I have H with me you saw Mr mlin back there as the principal the high school uh Lynn Brown our assistant principal at the high school Jared Hamill is also a big part of the high school I'll talk about the Middle School shortly um we're going to tag team this uh those closest to the action deserve the credit and uh as Lyn talks a little bit about some of this I'll jump in and comment but I will tell you our teachers students um administrators and and to be honest with you this board I am thrilled at the progress that's being made Huntington County Community Schools you're going to see some things that are pretty exciting uh some of them were climbing the mountain some of them were leading uh top of the mountain in the state and schools like ours others we have areas of focus and I'm I'm I'm excited about that as well in terms of some of the programming that's in place so uh we're going to talk about each slide and Lyn and I go through but ly Brown has been a huge huge part of the last uh two to three years and even many before uh Mr out myself and even Mr Peters were was back with us in terms of her leadership academically in this District um she is a true professional and is truly talented and uh we're going to let her talk a little bit about this and I'll chime in so Lenn if you want to talk about the first slide please is that just the way to say I'm old Chuck that I've been here for a long time a few years ago uh about 2020 the state said that the SAT was going to become the graduating exam and everybody in the state's heart stopped just a little bit because the SAT uh was not designed to be a graduating exam right that's not the purpose of it after our heart stopped we had a moment we thought well at least we know what the target is because the SAT does not change as quickly as the I learn and the ey step and so even though that was a Target that was pretty difficult to hit we knew it wasn't going to move very much of course they did change it two years ago right in the middle of that process but we have some really good news because our teachers took that challenge and looked at what was on the SAT looked at our brand new state standards and took apart the test and said this part of the test fits best with algebra this part of the test fits best with algebra 2 this part of the test fits best with 10th grade English standards and they intentionally took those pieces apart our SAT scores are above State average now would I like them to be higher I absolutely would but we are significantly above state standard and we continue to be we keep growing in the positive and the state keeps growing in the negative I believe that's a state actually this year so this this graph doesn't show that this year the state went down 4.4 percentage points while Huntington North continue to grow in the positive Jay they wouldn't do a happy dance for you and I'm a wesling so I'm not supposed to dance but I'm just gonna do like a little like um our kids are tearing it up like they really are are taking this on I want you to to realize that the English portion you have to get a 480 and the math portion you have to get a 530 this is not like sat for beginners right this is actually what we ask kids to do for for college and they need to do it in March of their junior year so we still have a year and a quarter to get them ready for college so if you're not doing a happy dance I'm going to do it for you I don't I don't care um I also going to show you that we are outperforming the state for graduation rates and the last one on the end our hero Su forgi the keeper of all things data at Huntington North High School projects it will be at least at 9 95.2 six and there's a little bird in the school that says maybe we have one or two more kids that could get over the Finish Line uh here in October before October for the date so that number could be higher but it should be at least there board um focusing on the first two parts those are extremely valuable information to our kids in this um High School um intentionality of programming in intentionality of multiple buckets for children is best practice in Progressive high schools around the country those communities that allow to meet the children where they are and to put in programs that allow them to be successful and then to grow at rapid rates is what you're seeing there we Are Climbing extremely fast in uh some key categories here the SAT as the state is going the wrong direction or as they've changed the assessment to ensure sometime times challenges for our kids you're seeing Huntington North through their teachers and through their collaborative nature of discussion of what we do affects how children learn and how they're assessed and it's intentional in this high school and I want to congratulate not just the high school teachers but um our teachers as they move forward at each level here this is a cumulative score these are things that show is the process of K through 12 education working at different rates for different children and your scores show you in certain ports uh today that they're working at a higher rate than many many schools in the state of Indiana so the intentionality of the academic program is the thing I could talk about for hours I won't do that to you tonight but I will tell you these are pretty exciting when you see projected rates I know what Mr mlin uh inherited uh going on year three ago uh Pat won't say it but I will but looking at how the kids achieve when they achieve and why they don't achieve became Priority One for Pat McGloin and his team this is an outstanding high school because of that type of leadership so proud for you to see some of this stuff we have areas of focus but I will tell you the leadership and the the outcomes here are pretty amazing and I want to thank Pat and his team and our teachers for that you can go to the next go ahead yeah that's F so we are blessed here at Huntington nor high school because we have an amazing team of leaders that caught the vision for College and Career Pathways really early Mr mlin and Mrs Drummond are leaders in the state and in the nation people ask Mrs Drummond to go to all kinds of things and talk about what we are doing with college and Cur Pathways while the state has begun its climb We Are Climbing past them and that will not slow down our kids have more college career Pathways here Huntington North High School than just about anywhere in the state like that is legitimately true people call us often to ask us about that so the next slide shows the schools at the state say are most like Huntington North High School so what I'm excited about there is you see that we beat them all except somehow Shelby Bill had like some twins that were better at math than us because literally that's two kids in this count so we are at the top of the scale for like schools for sat here at Huntington North High School I'm doing another happy dance I don't care I'm just GNA Do It um let me tell you how we did it one more time though this isn't fancy stuff we worked really hard on our Curriculum maps we worked really hard on our common formative assessments we worked really hard at finding out exactly what was on the test the the College Board now gives us six practice tests and we tore those six practice tests apart so that we knew every single question and when we would introduce that type of question to kids we also use study sync the the English curriculum that's 6 through 12 here at the high school and we seek out those pieces that are rigorous and look exactly like the SAT so that our kids when they see it on the SAT are like yeah I know how to do that I do it all the time in English class they really whine as freshman because it's rigorous but by the time they're juniors they're like I understand this and the same thing with our Math teachers so looking at common graduation data and this is a little bit projected remember that graduation data doesn't fully stop until October so with one or two more kids we're probably in the second place if that happens and and I have I believe that it might very well happen if not we're in the third place for graduation data board the um the backwards mapping is a term you will hear from Len Pat Uh their team and our middle school as well as Mr Peters and his team but what they're saying is when do we want them to know it how often do we want to teach it and when and when do we reteach and enhance based on the results that we see when so when you see common formative assessments when you see reteaching model enhancement model that system is in place now um 6 through 12 in all buildings for us I say that because that process started in different levels here the results of that and the intentionality of the curriculum and backward mapped of when do we teach it when do we retach it when do we enhance it and how is that application appropriate for when we're assessed those things are in place at the high school you'll see what the plan is as we have done the work at the middle school a a as Len uh takes us forward to the Middle School results hey Chuck before before you move on if we could back up one slide um with this I I don't want to run through this because the perception could be is we picked these schools to be part of our cohort right great and that's and I just want the community understand the state picked these schools for us because why yeah the state disaggregates uh back when uh John and Jay and I a few years back you could get on the website and try to find like schools u based on different um determination you might do the state does all that for you now so we're all playing apples to apples and oranges to oranges we don't get to choose the schools listed they find schools in the demographics that and size that you have and they place them for you and so when you go to this slide and I you know ours is projected theirs is last year most schools stay within one to two% uh typically unless they have an anomaly but the state chooses all the categories you're going to see throughout all of Jay's in all of my presentation tonight so these are not things we picked and choose which is a great Point Mr trout these are things the state of Indiana wants us to compare to so I went a little rogue Mr trout today instead of eating lunch I looked at the N8 scores because they're the people we compete with on every other level um and I don't have that slide because Cindy would her head would explode if I changed the slides at the last minute so I didn't I didn't do that um but according to the State website the GPS for SAT scores we have the second highest among the N8 and we're significantly ahead of almost everybody somehow Leo has 41.8 we're going to take a trip to Leo and see what's going on there because that's an outlier for all schools around us so I truly don't have an answer for that but I I want to know that uh for graduation rate we come in uh number tied with with uh Columbia City just like a tenth of a point tie and then Norwell has 98% so they're just slightly ahead of us so in our neighborhood we aren't quite the top but we're second place and strong running towards the top good look at that my lunch was well spent so let me show you some good news from our middle schools for I learn and everything that Mr Peter said a little bit ago about I learn holds true for sixth seventh and eighth grade uh we're doing the checkpoint piece as well so that we'll take three um tests one at the end of each quarter to see what's going on the state did us this amazing favor and I know you're like really Lynn but really they did they told us exactly what standards they were going to test on what quarters and so the teachers Mr Abbott's here Mr he will testify we sat in a room um content area by content area grade level by grade level and we took apart the Frameworks and the blueprint that the state gave us so that we knew exactly what standard we needed to teach in which quarter to build towards that final assessment we've never had that kind of information for the middle school before from the state so we're taking full advantage of it I think that parts of this growth and we can't claim very much of it because we did that work after Christmas is when the state started to release that information right so we were doing it second semester but we're seeing some growth already from the teachers sitting in the room knowing what's going to be on the test at a high level for the first time and then talking about what's on the test and building common formative assessments around that for English we're staying with study sync we had great results at the high school and so we're asking the Middle School teachers to use steady sync with a little bit more Fidelity this year than they they have in the past and then for the math team I was super proud of the math department because they're very sequential that's why they're Math teachers right but they looked at that curriculum map and they really tore it apart and they said this is exactly what's being tested let's make sure we cover that and the eighth grade and high school teachers who all teach algebra came together and had those same conversations so they're taking the eighth graders are taking the exact same tests in final exam that the high school algebra kid are taking all right here's where my happy dance ends just a little bit so this year we're significantly Below in some places on is but if best practice research based strategy of we build the strong curriculum map around what we know is on the test and we review that often with our kids and our teachers and we use very simple strategies like reteaching when a student doesn't get it at a checkpoint if it worked really well at the high school why will it not work really well at the middle school and so I am super hopeful like I really am I was the most hopeful this last week as we were building the presentation there were other people that looked at those numbers and they were a little sad and I was like you know what we're coming for it we're coming for the schools around us at the high school and we're coming for the state in the middle school I have great expectations for the next year so here are the things that are already in place 6 through 12 we have Curriculum maps that are lying to the new state standards and to the blueprints that the state gave us telling us when to teach what we have common formative Assessments in the major classes 6 through 12 we have really embrace the teach assess retach look at an assessment piece over and over again model we opted into those checkpoints and we're talking to State as often as we can about that we're intentional in our prep for sat we've written that directly into the Curriculum maps and we've built professional learning communities where teachers in the two middle schools are talking other on a regular basis and they're also talking to high school teachers that are teaching the same content areas I am super hopeful for next year's scores uh for the middle school and I can't wait to see what our kids do on the SAT next year one comment I'll make before we wrap up here uh board is keep in mind when you look at percentages those are children percentages are children and when you're a depending on the school but if I picked one of the middle schools and they were X number percent below State average that equates to about nine kids that did not have the success we want them to to get us back to the norm and I don't like ever comparing to State average Mr trout Mr Peters does not either uh we want our kids to have success on anything that the state or our school system deems academically important and so these scores um are unbelievably exciting in certain areas work to be done in others um I can assure you that that last slide is best practice Nationwide it's the stuff Mr trout used in couple of Corporations it's a stuff that allowed a previous experience of mine to be number one in the state and so our teachers will um continue to work together collaboratively in PLC they will be supported 100% so those percentages which is our our children will be successful here that's the goal and anything outside of that thought processess is not allowed in the room and so I want you to know we're extremely proud of this and also extremely driven to get better so thank you to Jay and Chuck and Lyn and Marissa I appreciate that uh board what you need to understand too is that I am in the process of putting dashboards together that I have not shared with anyone at this point that are directly um a result and be pulled from our recently approved strategic plan toward the end of last year so that second semester um we will do something similar to this on a consistent basis with different data points uh from throughout the district and so um literally I'm in the process of developing those dashboards for all of us for as a district that we will use not only at the district level but the building level and on down and so just be prepared for that as this becomes more of a common practice for us but uh delivered to you in a little different format so that you have a little deeper dive into that on a consistent basis here at the board meting so thank you okay is there any other questions all right it's exciting to see I think it's interesting to see how incredibly intricate it all is it's not just here's a textbook teach us lesson um it's exciting for me to see from my standpoint teachers not be excited about something new until they see the data and then they get excited and it's hard to argue with the data and and for us too and the community and the kids it's it's exciting exciting data all around okay let's move on to D3 the B home health care service agreement yes board I am uh seeking your approval um this evening of the baa Home Health Care uh this is the BET will provide one-on-one services for a student within uh our school district for the 24 25 school year um this company provides an RN or LPN to care for a student every day and that that student attends school uh this service is paid for for Medicaid funds uh to be provided uh may include escorting student to in from school on the school bus and providing Medical Care uh to the student or students during the school day so I'm seeking your approval of this agreement okay and is there a motion for the agreement make a motion that we approve the via home healthare agreement with the school system and a second second I I think Gary was first so we'll take his is there any questions or comments okay and hearing none we'll take a vote Mr Allan yes Mr mclen yes Mr M yes Mr Jer yes Mr wall yes Mrs yes okay motion passes 60 and we'll move on to D4 uh permission to furnish meals to the CDI Head Start program yeah that's the one that we pulled from the agenda was removed that's right okay okay so we'll move on to the consent agenda yes I'll pull out a a few of of these for your consideration this evening just to draw a highlight to this the first one is E4 new classified employees wage clarification um this past summer when I was out for FMLA um the classified members I believe there's about 15 that I've posted in there were hired um when I returned to work in July I found that they were placed on the salary schedule with a 2% increase instead of the starting pay um I just did not feel right going back to these employees uh to inform them that they're going to get 2% less pay than what they agreed to so I'm asking for your approval of that 2% pay increase for them um in addition I'm seeking your approval for uh for E5 which is uh 50 more hours additional hours for our grant writing specialist uh Kesha swanigan um who has done just an outstanding job for us um with our first initial investment of $5,000 she helped us secure $510,300 in Grants and so um from the state of Indiana so I am incredibly grateful for Kesha for helping us with that I have no reason to believe that we will not get the same kind of results as we continue forward with her uh but that $500,000 that we're using is coming in quite helpful for us that we did not have initially in our budget um independ independent contractor agreements for fire and rescue these are this is a sub teer uh for us in that uh program at the Learning Center uh also uh giving you a recommendation um for uh an increase in pay for our information and data specialist a recommendation for you there I have listed uh sever several reasons why this increased to $4,900 um this is due mainly for several changes with the doe and online forms for our district she spends an enormous amount of time with this which was not part of the job initially um the doe requires all data Specialists to be part of weekly meetings alone that last one to two hours a week in addition to some of the other uh offerings that she is now required to do um um we've implemented a lot of job forms in our district um that's also added on to her job responsibilities also we've taken a very proactive approach for implementing online uh form training uh within this too um please understand that this increase uh will come from a techn technician not being replaced so this is a zero add into our budget for that so I just want to make that clarification for you you because we did not hire uh a technician who has left um recommendation for a title change uh here um and what I want to do here is just tell you on E8 um when uh Mr brimberry um assistant left to come up here to work at the high school we did not fill that position at um our central office and so um Mrs lchm is just thrilled is that now she's uh is support for both Jay and Chuck uh in that category so thank you Tanya for your work in that area um in addition 9 10 and 11 nine and 10 are continuations of ofus between our school district and our Mentor teachers for the four that we have now in our district to help us with our adjunct teachers and also 10 is between the district and the hcta regarding that uh those M us 11 is a contract agreement for the deaf and heart of hearing teacher uh that we have 12 and 13 are sign language interpreters um that we have in our district this year uh 14 is uh Central reach contract agreement this is also paid for medic care funds uh silus provides uh which is called Silas provides schools with curriculum training screeners movie creators to Aid and teach a social emotional learning executive functioning and Vocational uh content also so this is agreement for that again paid for from Medicaid um funds um we have donations uh totaling $3,479 10 there for your uh approval this evening and we continue to be grateful uh for our partners in our community um who you can see them listed there in your board packet and lastly I'm asking for your approval of the accounts payable and payroll voucher register thank you Mr trout would anybody like to make a motion on the consent agenda I make a motion we accept the consent agenda as presented and is there a second second would anybody like to remove an item and vote on it separately or is there any questions or discussion okay hearing none we will vote on items E1 through 16 Mr Allen yes Mr mlen yes Mr Mel yes Mr Jer yes Mr wall yes Mrs H yes and the consent agenda passes 60 so we will move on to F1 the financial reports for July good evening board in public as we pivot over with a little louder all right you guys you gotta step forward and talk into the mic there okay okay I was concerned I was too close earlier and so I did some adjustments is that better is that better yep okay thank you so this evening we have the uh financials prepared for the um transactions that transpired du the during the month of July um outside of um normal operations we had our basic Grant uh come in and uh 3 million 194 448 um so this will be the first payment of the um first six months of the school year where um our state tuition support is based off of our February numbers so we'll again have that um true up happen for September's enrollment uh that'll happen in November and December so right now we're operating off of February's uh ADM count so just wanted to highlight that um our expenses for the month totaled 2,26 82 our ending balance after we pay all of our outstanding purchase orders and our commitments is 14 m885 43 it's important Bo to note that on the right uh the percent of budget we've expended so far up to this point um is about 58% we''ve rece Revenue received uh so far is about 56 and so the bud actual budget um expended is about 49% so we're right on track um with where we need to be now I don't miss what uh Valerie told you there down on the bottom right because I'm going to tell you about this in just a moment this is based off Revenue offer ADM counts for February so the ADM count in uh this for the fall will be done in October which will change these numbers again so I just want you to be prepared is that when we come in this fall and you see a fluctuation in this with the revenues received where' that come from and the bottom right over here on this on this uh sheet is very important it could be easily to miss that at this point in time so sorry Val no no I appreciate that so as we go through the year that year to date column in yellow will increase obviously um so it's a good screenshot of where we are in comparison to what our budget is anticipated for the year so lots of good um lots of good markers and even the P graph has a breakdown of um the portion of where we spent our expenses and as you can see the majority of those costs are in salaries and benefits and all of those salaries and benefits is instructional based so teachers in the classroom pairs in the classroom so just uh to be mindful of what that um represents next is Debt Service nothing really to report here because our expenses mainly come during the months of June and December so as we pay our debt so this is pretty status quo we have our ending fund balance at 1,750,000 and as you can see on the right there's a comparison of where we are in the yellow um of what we've um spent in our expecting to come in as revenues um to both those budget items again with this one just be reminded that our tax payments come in June and December again here so you'll see a significant fluctuation in that so thank you valer absolutely and another question I get is why do we have the balance that we have 1 million 750,000 is a lot so the reason is is that in State Statute we're allowed to have an x amount that we um over our actual Debt Service to help prevent and mitigate against when if and when our property tax collection doesn't come in as anticipated then we have a fallback it's kind of a builtin rainy day so that we're not pulling from our actual rainy day that we're being proactive we're being uh mindful of uh of of what our expenses are and making sure that we fulfill our obligations next up is the the operations fund Lots going on here so we get a little bit of um of course I see a little bit 62,000 is a is a chunk that we get from ongoing um local income taxes that comes on a monthly basis um so um revenue for the month was $129,400 we had expenses that consisted of salaries and benefits this is everyone that's not paid from the education fund in regards to school operations so we've got uh we've got custodians grounds Keepers um maintenance bus drivers Administration there's it's pretty much everyone else who's not in food service or paid from a grant comes from operation fund so the expenses for the month uh within this fund are $929,000 our ending balance after we pay all of our outstanding purchase orders our three is 3,372 57 and so what I want to highlight on this fund is the fact that um and we'll see it in the next um area of the year-over-year comparisons but uh we're actually down when it comes to our expenses year-over-year and so um that's purely because of all of the construction initiatives have um you know kind of Teeter tottered off balance a little bit and so what you can expect is Mr hurdle to come uh to the board with um projects and initiatives that are anticipated to be completed over fall break so a little bit on the um little preview of what's to come for operations fund but as we close out the year make sure that um we're spending within our our budget to make sure that that's a balanced category um but yeah lots of great information on this slide next up is our rainy day fund so this is um another area that we do have budgeted for this year we have 1,500,000 budgeted um nothing comes into this fund unless there was a transfer into this fund with a board approval resolution so there's no Revenue to report 1,527 um in expenses leaving um and then we have an outstanding purchase order for some of that contractual work uh that's getting ready to be completed uh leaving an ending fund balance of 2 mil 865,000 so if you can um if you take note in comparison to this 2, 865,000 almost 866 th000 you know and then compare that to the 1,500,000 that were approved to spend just know that we're not you know like the intention of the board um through the approval of the 2024 budget is not to spend all of that 2,865 just just that limit that where we're at with the 1,500 and then almost next to last here so we have the Food Service fund um so for this month we had $3,555 so um another reason for the low revenues it's it's July and so there's obviously no meals being served um and so some of the things that we did receive money for was those rebates that we uh receive from the state and local um local groups so we because of the uh monthly um oh the not monthly because of the sumers suit Food Service feeding program we did have some salaries we have some people who you who do work year round um and then some normal expenses total for the month and expenses was $39,586 uh leaving an ending fund balance once we pay all of our obligations that's what represents on the encumbrances and outstanding purchase orders in case that helps um is 300 and I'm sorry $632,000 is the ending fund balance for Food Service lastly we have curricular materials fund so through um revenue for the month was 4,664 this is collecting prior year uh balances that have been uh received and then we had $95,100 an ending fund balance of 2,358 is there any questions I can answer for the board this evening Jay I bring this up every month but when we look at um what used to be the old textbook rental fee account any updates and what the state's talking about with us for textbook adoption for science and social studies we're still in a holding pattern um from what I've seen I've talked to I've reached out to Region 8 with Cindy mckenny there to talk with about that to see when those next Caravans are to keep us informed so that we're on that uh so that we could be a part of that and bring a group of teachers uh to look at those materials to review those right so the board just a reminder to you remember this is we had this conversation a month or two ago regarding about reimbursements from the state that we get with this and so I it'll be interesting to see how those projections are figured for next year uh along the way but um we did very well this year within that so I just want to keep that out in front of you so Valerie thank you thank you thank you Valerie would anybody like to make a motion to approve the financial report for July motion to accept the July 2024 financial report and is there a second is there any questions okay hearing none we'll vote on it Cindy Mr Allan yes Mr M Mr Mel yes Mr Jer yes Mr W yes yes that motion passes 60 we'll move on to G1 appointment to the Warren Public Library board yes the uh Board of school trustees uh for our school district is responsible for the appointment of three seats to the Warren Public Library we are recommending your approval to reappoint Karen Pinkerton to a four-year term to begin October the 1st of 2024 okay and would anybody like to make a motion for Mrs Pinkerton I make a motion to reappoint uh Karen Pinkerton to the waren public library board thank you Carrie and is there a second second thank you any questions thank you to Karen Pinkerton for her uh willingness to serve in that position and if there's no other questions we will vote on that motion Mr Allen yes Mr mlen Mr M yes Mr Jer yes Mr wall yes Mrs yes and that motion passes 60 we are in the home stretch item H1 items of discussion by board members does anybody have anything to discuss tonight I just want to mention I was fortunate enough to be able to speak to the fire and rescue class the new one they have um last week they are really excited there's 16 17 kids in that class um men and women boys and girls um they are really excited and I think it's a great offering for kids that age there's such a desperate need for uh assistance in the fire and rescue side that this can only be a good thing um and just to go in front of those kids all sorts of questions all sorts of excitement there it was it was very very nice so congratulations to Mr Meyer and Mr drumond they've done a great job getting that started uh Mr trout you shared some really exciting news with us at the end of last week would you like to share that with the public uh sure um um you know Valerie uh talked a little bit ago about ADM which is average daily membership which is a fancy word that state of Indiana puts on for how many students do you have in your school district okay how many students are attending your school each and every day um you know when I came in as the interim business manager two and a half years ago it's no secret that our revenue is driven by the number of students that we have in our district and looking back the last 15 to 20 years um we have averaged on per year about 75 to 100 students a year in reduction of students that that attending our school district for a variety of reasons now there was one year oh 10 or 11 2010 or 11 where we were up 20 but that was the anomaly we have consistently been down uh for quite a while um each start of each year um I appreciate Tanya who does this for me Carrie who I mentioned here this evening Rumple who does all of our data in our district about taking attendance I mean these are students that are actually in our district not students who have registered who haven't attended or not students that haven't registered attended before in the past but how are we doing um as of last Friday um and I kept checking it kept checking it I kept asking T if her numbers were correct I went back to Carrie asked her she reassured me again today we are up as of last Friday 112 students this year um if you do the math about 7,100 students each um $7,100 each 7100 7100 excuse me $7,100 each you know we're in $800,000 of extra Revenue this year um which is amazing um when you look at our financials and you can plug in 7 800,000 extra dollars it makes a significant difference um you take into account too that we didn't lose another hundred um you could easily make the case give those kids $100 you're well over a million dollars of Revenue that we weren't anticipating that we're going to have and so um it's no secret um that um I've taken my fair share of criticism for marketing and branding and all of that and is that a piece of it sure I think it's a major piece of we're we're starting to share our message we're starting to control our message we're starting to send our message out in the community about the good works that goes on but let me tell you something the reason kids attend our school district primarily is because the outstanding work of the adults the teachers the Paris the principles all those people are making a significant difference and so um I just wanted all of you to know I'm cautiously optimistic is what I will say but a year ago at this time those numbers held you know what we were down last year stayed real steady for this next month I'm anticip we may not be up 112 but I'm confidently going to tell you we're not going to be down a 100 um again this year and I think there's a lot to goes into that and so we'll dive into this a little deeper uh as the weeks go on um just last week of that 112 we had 19 new students in our district just last week so I do believe that some of the data that we showing this evening matters I think the work that we're doing in messaging matters yes how we brand ourselves and the professionalism that we do sending our messages yes that matters a lot um we've done nothing the last 15 20 years and we've taken a beating uh losing kids to surrounding areas and those type of things and so to make to to finally I think to turn that corner this year says a lot uh for what our staff and our teachers and our principls and our classified staff I don't care if you're a bus driver a a custodian uh whoever you are you're working with our kids um I'm very encouraged um uh by that so I wanted to share that with you um I didn't know you going have me share it in front of everybody I was I was but I'm really cous cautiously optimistic about that number so thank you and it's unofficial until October the 1 that's when the state counts that's when that's when uh the state counts but Mrs Rumple has done an outstanding job we've pulled kids out so these are not just I mean kids that were with us last year that haven't registered are pulled off kids that we know are going to other school districts are p pulled off so I don't that's that's a that's a hard fast number we've held that number um steadily since the first day of school and actually went up again 19 students last week so okay and do we also have a number of students that went to another District last year and have returned this year yeah that's I don't have that number by district from where they came from to what's happening but we'll have that number for you too so I will have it broken down by by where did these students come from last year um uh you know so on and so forth I I'll really spell that out I haven't Dove down that deep in it quite yet okay I said it earlier I'll say it again it's good data data is great does anybody have anything else yes one more thing Mr trout can you um elaborate a little bit more and share what's going on at Salamon please yeah sure um there is a pretty rampant rumor from what I understand going around that we're shutting Salamon school um not sure how all this gets started or where it come from it doesn't matter um but that's what's going on out there um no we are not there are zero plans to shut salony elementary schools a matter of fact if um you know this as a board recently we approved $55 million of HVAC work you know out there to get started to do so why would we shut a building that we're investing five and a half million dollar in I don't know yes part of that plan could possibly include you guys have not made that decision yet of tearing down the pool area at the end of the building but that does not mean that we are going to tear down the entire building and no longer have students there um they couldn't be anything quite frankly further from from the truth and so I appreciate you bringing that up Carrie thank you oh R okay anything else okay hearing nothing I'll take a motion to adjourn so move and a second everybody in favor say I those opposed

Al to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all thank you so much we will now present some super to some amazingly people good evening Madame President Dr Smith and members of the board we are proud to present our superintendence award and first we'll start with our AP Scholars presented by Mr Dan kosmik superintendent of secondary education thank you Miss Johnson Madame President Dr Smith members of the board at this time of year we always bring to you our AP Scholars it's important to note that unfortunately by the time we get this data from college board who oversees the AP exams many of our students are away at College already uh if they took it last year as a senior but we do have some underclassman here and some who haven't quite left yet that have joined us here this evening we have 136 AP Scholars [Applause] overall so we're going to read all the names tonight for the record but then we will'll make sure we do a speci special shout out for those who are who are here let me give you the definitions of what each category is an AP scholar is granted to students who receive a score of three or higher on three or more AP exams AP scholar with honor is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exam and score three or higher on four or more exams AP scolar with distinction is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all exams and score a three or higher on five or more of these exams APM and research certificate goes to students who earn a score of three or higher in APS and AP Research In addition to that if they also receive a four on addition sorry if they also receive a three on four more additional exams they receive the AP Capstone diploma first up from Lauren Central principal Franklin Bush will read off those names good evening first student we would like to recognize is Lizzie Dickman award AP [Applause] scholar aah Pierce award AP [Applause] scholar Greg po award AP scholar [Applause] Abigail tanan award AP scholar with [Applause] distinction Nolan Dixon award AP scholar with [Applause] honors leita Maas award AP scholar with [Applause] honors Aiden oener award AP [Applause] scholar Nathaniel picker award AP scholar [Applause] Leonardo aavo award AP scholar With [Applause] Honor I will now read the rest of the students names into the record award will be a AP Scholars for Jay F Caleb Griffin Jessica heavner madon Kovac Laura Miner Kenneth RAB CLA gridsby James seal Isabelle Simonson AP scholar with distinction Nicholas Williams Mary Janowski Fernando xqu award AP scholar for these students kathern Baker Alexandra Dumis Chase Haver AP Scholars with honors Abraham Greenfield Oliver Heyman AP Capstone diploma Evan Ferguson Reed Harden Christopher lur kcha Jacqueline Moreno PS Charlie Charlie Richie Allison sites award for this category AP scholar Margaret Allen cabrina Barnes Dallas Bullock Kai Clements Benjamin Cole Anna Dage Evan Ferguson pton F Toby George Reed Harden Von lamb Christopher L kcha Philip leres Michael Marcado Reyes Jacqueline Moreno PS Eric mwanga Rachel Park Eric poffenberger Charlie Richie Eden R out isana Sims Addison Sutton for this category AP scholar with distinction Nathan Bray Katherine mackas Allison sites Isabelle Stanley Evan Isaac miles Robinson ala Sweeny Cameron Williams Dallas in this category AP seminar with research certificate Dallas Bullock ammani Robertson Jessica Sosa and for AP scholar Jaya Bryant congratulations come any parents that want pictures come on down Bears all right right here one two three congratulations once again to our [Applause] Bears now we'll turn to the other side of town proud principal Brett krausser of Lawrence North thank you Mr K Dr Smith Madame President members of the board gives me pleasure to introduce our AP Scholars uh also want to recognize Alex Coker our AP um coordinator at the orang North High School those in attendance tonight Angel bz AP scholar Colton Hughes AP scholar Benjamin Hyde AP scholar Taiwan Minik AP scholar Cameron peoples AP scholar tree Tren AP scholar Sydney Moss AP scholar with distinction and Frederick Tero AP scholar With [Applause] Honor I too now will read the names into the record these students were AP Capstone diploma recipients Sasha Burton BL G Dorothy Huff Autumn Rimer Jezebel Rivera Lopez Jackson Russell Grace banders Colin Anderson uh sorry Colin Anderson is an AP scholar he's next are AP Scholars Rex Burke graciella Chavez David Curtis Matthew Dempsey Jacob eids Gabriel fry Eduardo onz alz Spencer harshbarger Dorothy Huff Oasis ibata Elijah Jones Casey kpatrick Samuel manuzzi Kira papalo Grant pascus narie redwine Leah Richmond Autumn Rimer Nathan Roland Jasmine stra Alyssa trod anuka Wright and Brandon zel the next students are AP Scholars with distinction Sasha Burton blae gri Henry icing Abraham Johnson Jezebel Rivera Lopez and Ariel Robertson the next students are AP Scholars With Honor Kamari Bellamy Jackson Russell Grace vanders the next students are AP seminar and research certificate recipients Bri alpers Jessica ever Casey kpatrick nari r redwine and Jasmine sto the next group of juniors are AP Scholars G Barlo miles Braham Lillian corkwell Nyla heer Jack jent Quincy lehan Victor Marquez Ruby Carano uh a and AIA Zion the next group of juniors are AP schs with distinction Katherine Alexis Luke Jackson Rosa Mendoza Baron and the next group are AP Scholars With Honor jalisia Boon Amaya Pitman and Raina suy ladies and gentlemen the wild cats AP [Applause] scholar got it got it perfect we're ready all right right here one two congratulations [Applause] Wildcats next I'm happy introduce my partner assistant superintendent of Elementary Dr hos Brown thank you Mr kusik President musen Dr Smith members of the board I'm so pleased to bring to you tonight our annual winners of the summer Susan Jordan reading challenge as you might remember we'll bring three districtwide winners to you one from the first and second grades one from the third and fourth grades and one from the fifth and sixth grades and tonight I have the proud principles with us to announce those winners I'll bring to the podium with me now Mr Carl blight principal of Mary Castle Elementary and Miss Kelly Ling Foss principal of force Glen Elementary we'll begin with first and second grade good evening the first and second grade top reader comes from Mary Castle Simon [Applause] blaner come on down Simon man congratul [Applause] I love read and for the record he read 6,228 [Applause] minutes um tonight I am recognizing Adela Flores from forest Glenn she was unfortunately not able to join us tonight but she read 11,530 minutes and we are extremely proud of her and the fifth and sixth top reader also comes from Castle Kylie Flanery and she read 11,139 [Applause] minutes this is like conat you two front and center we got to turn your metal around yep let's see those medals certificates one hold on we need can I help you we go we're gonna do this go like this so the metal faces out there you go that way we don't miss it awesome step up for come on okay one two [Applause] great and at this time we'd like to bring back Mr Kenneth bremm our bus mechanic and he is receiving the superintendent award Mr Kenneth brym has been employee of MC of laoren Township for 10 years he is an extremely hard worker who is dedicated to Lawrence Township Excellence this year five mechanics including Mr Bray Meer competed in the stai technician competition all five of our technicians finished in the top 20 in the state Mr bremmy won the competition as stated before Kenny has always demonstrated excellence in his work he does so in a humble way if you did not speak to him you may not know he was there but he is there for our students and Community Helping to ensure that our buses are safe he is very deserving of this award and we are thankful that he represents our department in Township we're honored to present Kenneth BR Meer with a superintendent award thank Youk you and his wife is here Mr and Reggie White are KY W Front Center Director of Transportation Transportation come on now all right Mr White get in there we're going to some the number one mechanic in the state of Indiana is that all right right here please one two congratulations conratulations congratulations [Applause] no yeah that's right that was outstanding that was that was wonderful we'll move on to our information items um Mr Smith the Blue Ribbon update please Madam president Dr Smith members of the ward we're still pushing hard uh the high school tile work at LC uh the the time has started for us to uh September 14th is when we will start filling that pool uh next slide interior work continues and we're going to turn that over to the building next two weeks uh again the main entrance into the pool uh the LC multi-purpose room is nearing completion full floor and cleaning is underway and that'll be turned over in the next week or so to the building the hallway has been completed uh after I took this picture uh again that'll be opened up for the building to use as well Ln new addition uh front uh uh glass work is nearing completion there have also oo started on the inside with the glass partition and storefronts going in ceiling and tile work is going in and flooring going down so a lot of work being done again more interior work uh bellor Middle School the auditorium is nearing completion we are looking to turn that over to the building uh September 2nd and the front uh entrance way continues on pul Creek Valley art rooms couple band rooms uh continue on as well as the auditorium site work outside softball tennis and baseball continue on here at LCC uh the sidewalk has been completed and in the next 3 or 4 days we'll start the completion of the asphalt and hopefully turn over over phase one to us uh by mid to third week in September tennis courts are finished new Lac a lot of work happening uh the main uh project going on right now still being set and going up as well as uh storm water going across the site any questions I had um two questions thank you Mr Smith a lot of great great construction going on um first question is are the tennis courts here at lecc open for public use at this time uh they yes they are we're uh yet to put up some uh U wind screen that's going up and then some uh uh practice boards that goes on there but they're playable now okay thank you and then my second question was from a neighbor constituent um and I know know the answer but just for the public record they were um asking about the voting uh place at the Fieldhouse at Lawrence North they noticed all the construction on the North side and wanted to know if that would still be the pulling place we'll still have polling at Lawrence yes okay thank you yes Lawrence Mr Smith um we we've had a question from a member of the public and again just for the record because I know we've um addressed the but uh at Fall Creek Valley we do have quite a big divot as you enter that is part of the construction not our construction but the city's construction um for the the pathway and uh that does cause some I drive it almost daily um some some difficulty getting in and out of Fall Creek Valley I'm wondering if you could just address some of those concerns um and when they might be remedied yeah that's an ongoing issue we've uh are in constant communication with the City of Lawrence uh every time there is an issue that's brought to my attention I go to the city and they address that with a contractor so hopefully here in the next hopefully four weeks uh most of that work will be complete thank you great if there are no more questions for Mr Smith on this we'll move to the results of our elementary oven bids Mr Smith Madam president Dr Smith members of board uh we received bids on August 1st there were four bids submitted uh good competitive bids the low bid meeting all specification was Lancaster shirt equipment which is a veteran owned business for $584,500 to purchase ofs Mr Smith well is this for all of our elementary schools all 15 elementaries LC's and LC's and elementaries okay so this is 15 ovens we're talking about any questions board no questions there no questions we'll move on to the information the results of the RP for the CMC for Crest forestland and Mary Castle projects Mr Smith again sen president Dr Smith me members of the board interviews were conducted August 16th with five CMC contractors very good presentations were presented the the evaluation team consisted of Dr Smith Matt miles Roger Smith Amy Norman Crystal Pucket or members uh Anna Marie barell and Jen Carroll which is from Schmidt and then Scott hunt and Sean damaya uh with ratio uh the team selected three separate contractors for these three projects uh Cory Garcia for Forest Glenn Davis and Associates for cresview and powers and Suns for Mary Castle our recommendation will be to prove these three CMC contractors for these three projects board members do you have questions for Dr Smith Miss D I do have a question I know that for the results of the elementary oven bids we have uh score sheet that is shared with the public is there something that is shared um along those lines that we can add to board doc so the public can see how those were evaluated and why they were chosen yes we have a document of that and I can post that after the board meeting thank you question thank you Mr Smith um Mr Smith you're still up um RP for Energy savings contract Madam president Dr Smith members of the board uh we sent out three rfps for the guaranteed energy saving contractor uh this process is governed by the state statute Indiana code 36-1 d12.5 on how this process should work hbac controls Mechanical plumbing electrical and Roofing are all allowed in this process the process is much different and more involved uh than other Energy savings contracts that uh we looked at in the pass this process will be monitored and cost savings tracked as a result of the improvements being made to hbac controls Roofing upgrades that are done the savings could be used to offset our day-to-day uh cost for utilities or it could go back into our day-to-day maintenance and upkeep of our equipment of the three rfps we received one we were pleased to have uh the one by Performance Services this company is a leading company uh to perform guaranteed Energy savings contracts uh for the process in the state of Indiana and 17 other states so they are a national known company Performance Services also did some work here in msdlt in our hbac work back in the early 2000s their expertise and current knowledge of this district will benefit msdlt this process will allow us to do both our from the Blue Ribbon Phase 2 plan Priority One both hpac and roofs in one effort we would recommend the performance Service as our guaranteed energy savings contract um Mr Smith my question is as a guaranteed savings what is our guaranteed savings on this is there a a number is there is there a dollar in figure uh there will be uh what we do is this is similar to our CMC where we bring them in we work with Engineers Architects we build a project the scope of within our budget then that gives us a guaranteed maximum price and the same process will do with guaranteed Energy savings uh we can't do all the buildings in one year so we will prioritize and we got priority uh buildings that we would see first second third and fourth along with roofs we would package that information go through uh thorough uh evaluation of the building uh with Performance Services engineers and we'll conduct a uh spec and plans that will be bid for the project within that scope they will determine based off what we're upgrading we will have a savings amount as a result of that are we looking for a savings amount on our um energy expenditure are we looking for a savings on the cost of roofing where are we looking for these savings we could any savings we could we get we could could use for um lowering our year-to-year cost of energy uh we could also offset our maintenance budget by ongoing repairs that we will have over the years um so there's different ways that we can do that using those dollars putting it back into uh operations Andor education sure I'm just not sure how we track those dollars that we're saving well they have a guarantee so they will have to work with this for an ongoing period to track all of that savings so every year we will have uh a report of what savings we have performed as a result of doing those projects will they determine how much we save or will we be able to determine how much we save that'll be both of us working together I request again also on this one that we could see the Energy savings contract for this as well please great we will move on to the financial update our um CFO is not here this evening so we will ask Dr Smith to give us our financial update I am honored to step in for Mr miles as we meet every day uh to update our financial report Sheila can you start off with our general fund monitoring as you you can see we are in solid shape Mr miles is reporting that we are well on our way and actually our budget looks a little bit ahead of where we'd like for it to be but we will certainly continue to monitor that and uh keep us on track where we need to be at the end of the year the transportation fund is in a very good spot as he's indicated uh it's decreased back into projected both total revenue and expenses are above as projected so we're heading in the right direction in both of those accounts board questions uh we will move on at this point to committee board chair reports uh do we have a report for the foundation well well I was attending the foundation meeting although remotely um and it was impossible to hear so I will defer to miss Norman to give an update on the foundation but feel free to tag team with me um so the basically on the foundation update we do have a big fundraiser coming up the bridge Fund Golf Outing it's the 12th annual on Friday September 27th at Pebblebrook Golf Club um with a special guest by former Colts um Adam veter all right and registration is still open on the msdlt f.org website the following day is um Dia Latina de Lawrence at the arts for Lawrence cultural campus here in Lawrence from 10:00 a.

thank you to Jack Lewis and Karen fila's office for having uh da Ryan here today to discuss um scam prevention so I'm going to turn it over to Jack um Lewis thank you so much I think I've met most of you at some point in the past uh but for those who I haven't met uh hopefully we can grab a couple minutes today uh and and chat uh if you live in Ashland I'm your State Rep if you live in Framingham there's like a 35% chance I'm your State Rep uh I will claim you regardless of where you live until you yell at me and then I'll find your actual State red uh I want to go over a couple housekeeping things before I introduce a couple of other folks we are recording today for waa uh the camera though is going to be focused here we want to make sure folks feel comfortable asking questions and so at the at the end of the DA's presentation if you ask a question she'll repeat it back so that you can hear it in case you didn't hear the person who asked it but so the folks at home can hear it as well uh those of us who have fallen victim to scams or fraud of one sort of variety or another uh don't always feel comfortable talking about it uh and we that's part of the reason that they're often so successful is because we don't learn from each other's uh hiccups along the way and that's one of the things the da will go over uh but we really want to make sure you feel comfortable sharing those stories uh but also asking the questions that are on your mind uh today we're joined by Moma from the Senate president's office office in the back there uh if you ever have any questions uh for Karen spela or her team uh Moma is often here at the senior center uh once a month uh and we have Mariana from my office who was here at the senior center four or five times a month uh on a quiet month uh often here on Mondays with me for lunch uh if you don't come every Monday for lunch it's very reasonable and we're often here uh making sure that the portions are big uh couple things uh we're talking about scams today and fraud prevention uh these aren't things that just happened to seniors today were of course focused on seniors uh but I could share stories with you of mistakes I have made over the years be it clicking on a link that looked real uh filling out a form online that looked real only to find out that oops wasn't real at all uh and what that is meant for myself uh having had my identity stolen just a month ago uh it had to sort of unpack all of the work behind getting your identity back and rescuing your credit score uh so nothing to be embarrassed of We All Fall for things that's why these frauds uh these scams are so successful uh so I hope we have a good conversation on that uh plug for the movie Thelma just going to say it up front before we get into the serious stuff has anyone seen it yet okay it is the saddest cutest movie you'll ever watch about a woman in her mid 9s who recently lost her husband and in the first couple minutes she falls uh victim to one of these fraud claim or one of these uh scam attempts and the movie then pivots to her trying to rectify the situation herself which is where the humor gets worked in uh but it's funny but it's also very very sad because we know that things like this happen every single day uh in this movie Thelma which is on Amazon Prime now uh is a true story uh with the person that it happened to but also a true story for thousands of folks here in uh the Commonwealth uh before I turn things over to our wonderful district attorney I want to welcome up our chief of police here in Ashland uh Chief Rossy do you want to come up for a second I know she did a wonderful presentation on fraud prevention at the new I think 55 plus neighborhood over by the Warren Center uh but locally if you haven't got to know her you definitely should uh great person just want to hand the mic over to you to welcome folks as well good morning morning just to Echo uh what representative Lewis said don't be embarrassed it happens to more people than you can even imagine I know um RDA will will explain some of the larger cases that I'm I'm thinking um but in little old Ashland um over $50,000 from one victim and not an elderly victim um just a couple of months ago so I mean it happens and the police department is there for you to report will come out to you you don't have to leave your house if you'd rather come and see us we have a beautiful new station you can come down um but don't hesitate a report because and again I'm sure the district attorney will will Echo this it's the only way we can really kind of track and get a handle on this stuff is if people report and we have the data and information thank you EXC well you you came to hear from our da so I'm going to welcome up District Attorney Mary and Ryan who does it all and if you haven't had a chance to get to know her definitely say hi after the the conversation this morning if it's unsolved murders if it's the worst crimes you can imagine if it's helping people who have experienced some of the fraud we're talking about today or if it's the growth in hate crimes uh and hate groups in our community her office covers it all uh in a way that uh I I can't even wrap my mind around so without further Ado our district attorney Mary Ryan thank thank you good morning I'm really happy to be back I haven't been here for two years but I will say I am glad to see that the treats are as good as they were two years ago I do write down where I get good treats and I tend to go back there so I've never met a cookie or a donut that I don't like so just for the future um I want to thank candy and Mary for having us back here I especially want to thank representative Lewis and the Senate President you know we can talk a lot about and people sometimes do what are people doing and what are they doing for me I can tell you you have chosen well because they are always working for you and the Partnerships that we form whether it's representative Lewis on our anti-bias anti-hate task force whether it's being at the Senate of president's Wellness Fair we are always working together because that's what you expected us to try to advance your interest and protect you and you're very very fortunate and the same is true for our law enforcement Partners you know representative Lewis mentioned some of the great things that we've been able to do with cold cases and investigations none of that would be possible without the support that I get from our Chiefs and our police departments I never call a chief and say I have an idea could we try this that people aren't willing to make that effort to try to help you so we are very very fortunate I know sometimes you know you get flustered about something and we can forget that but we really are in a great place and when I talk to my colleagues across the state and across the country I really see they don't have the kind of Partnerships that we do all right so I want to talk today about scams and everybody knows right I mean raise your hand if you have never gotten a scam right know everybody gets them you get a scam on your phone you get a scam on your on your um email they're every place somebody was nice enough to bring me today um a scam that I know some of you have seen this scam about I want to buy some gift cards for my friends and my phone doesn't seem to be working would you help me you buy it and then you know I'll come back and bring you the money well don't hold your breath but and I was laughing as I came out here today because one of the scams that's running around right now if you have a um a transponder on your car you know the mass pipe transponder there's a very profitable scam that's running around and I got it on my phone as I was coming out of you so you get an email and it looks very legit looks like it really came from the Mass Pike and it says on somay I don't know what it said July 31st your car triggered a transponder response of $413 you got it right and you must pay right now now my kids I my kids transponders are in my name they are constantly for some reason they can't keep their transponder Pro to the window so when I saw that on the way out here I thought like which one of them took the transponder down and it was four bucks and I thought maybe I'll pay that and then I thought no wait a minute and then I looked again and of course it's a scam so we are all vulnerable to that you know people say all the time how can I not be scammed in some way or I have that Overture made and you really can't if you use a transponder if you have a credit card if you buy things on online you're opening yourself up to some things and that's just real we all get those they're not particularly aimed at you they're just random but the more substantial schems I'm a little more targeted in that and what I want to talk about today is not so much what are the rules of how do I not do that I want you and the chief's going to let me do this I want you to pretend that you are a bad guy a scammer because when you understand what they're after it's much easier to spot the scam that's coming at you that is targeted at you so think about this people make a very good living as scammers we I spent 20 years before I became the da in the DA's office running our unit that did senior and disabled Pride we in one year had over six billion with a B dollars taken from people so that money went from people to the scammers so lots of them do very well like all of you whether you work you volunteer you're taking care of your grandchildren or somebody else what we all want every day is to get up do what we kind of have on our to-do list be left alone and not encounter too many bumps in the room right if you're going out to go grocery shopping and then you've got to pick up a grandchild and then you got something else to do you just want to kind of move along so do the scammers they make their money on volume when we talk about some of for instance the IRS scams they're making money because in the course of one day they might hit 75 to 150 people and if they get x amount of dollars from all those people it's 150 times whatever so they got to keep moving right it's like peace work they have to keep moving the other thing is if I walked in here and said to you I really don't know what to do I just got an email that my granddaughter's been in a terrible car accident and they need me to send $10,000 this afternoon I would venture to guess we got a lot of life experience in this room that every one of you would say wait a minute think that over well we have every week 40 to 50 people who give that money in that scheme I feel like I have personally told everybody in Middle sex County to avoid the grandparent scam and yet they keep giving the money and the reason is to f one is and we've all had this experience sometimes when you say something out loud you realize how ridiculous it is like just in coming in and saying you know I just got a notice that my granddaughter Julia has been in a car accident I need to go get $155,000 in cash it sounds ridiculous but if you're in your house and there's no one home and they're pressuring you on the phone it doesn't sound so ridiculous that's why smart accomplished people give up that money so one thing I do always ask people is you know you're here you're at the senior center you have talking to people you know the people here so your chances of being scammed just because you do that are reduced but please take what we talk about today and spread it to the community and I'm glad to have the TV here to get to because it is people who maybe because of family obligations or illness can't be out here they are much more likely to be scammed because they by themselves and that thing that somebody's saying to them doesn't sound so crazy the other thing is this there are lots of crimes that are just completely random you know you you park your car somewhere and your car gets broken into that's kind of random you know your car gets hit in a parking lot it's usually kind of random most of these skins that yield some good money or as I always say if you're a robber you go where the money is and the reality is even if you don't feel rich people who are older have more money and that's where they're going so you are being targeted in that piece and the other thing is and what we see in the big scams that are successful if I called you up and said we have your grandson who's been hurt in an accident and you only have granddaughters you're going to say click we're going to be done right that doesn't happen because they all start with a little piece of truth and the question is and I'll give you the example and you can all become bad guys and I guarantee you if you do this someplace you will see how they do it you take little pieces of truth and you weave them together and suddenly you've got the person believing what you're saying so let's back up a little bit the first thing this gamer wants to do is they want you to do everything fast anybody who tells you something has to be done fast 99.9% chance that is a scale if the deal is only open today if your social security check isn't going to come if you don't respond in the next 12 hours you don't even have to read the rest I'm telling you that's a scam because what they're trying to do is Take Your Eye Off the Ball you're going to get so flustered I'm going on vacation I have to be able to use my credit card I I need to do whatever I need to do we had a a person who worked in our office somebody who did a lot of this work with me and one day he got a call from his mother who was very intelligent very active totally had a son who talked about scams all the time and she said I need to go to the bank I'm getting $5,000 and he said what are you doing with $5,000 and she said I missed jury duty they told me I have to pay $5,000 I'm putting it outside because your aunt and uncle are coming for the wedding this weekend and I can't have a constable here all right she just got completely caught up her brother and sister-in-law were coming for a family wedding they told her if we don't get the money by one BL or something a constable will be at your door she just got all distracted instead of saying does that make any sense that they would charge me $5,000 because I didn't go to jury duty and the way we're going to collect it is put it in a box on the front steps right that is now don't laugh do not left you whatever your political persuasion is we might have lots of things going on in this country but I guarantee you that the United States government is not running on Apple gift cards and yet I have 32 cases where people got a notice that they had not properly paid their income tax and they had to go get Apple gift cards and people went and got them right it's kind of funny but they got so flustered of what was going to happen okay I only owe you $700 okay I'll go get $700 in Apple gift cards or my other personal favorite you get a call from um Social Security supposedly now if you've ever tried to talk to Social Security or the IRS they do not have telephones that is a fact right you cannot communicate with them without without writing letters so what is the what are the odds that you are the person they called to ask for those gift cards and yet people give those gift cards all right and if somebody calls you and says I'm calling from Social Security give me your Social Security number aren't you kind of worried it is like we literally have every single day somebody calls and says this is you know whatever MNT trust your bank what's your account number well if you don't know my account number I'm a little concerned so but people just give that back so that's one thing anybody who's trying to rush you or extract that information really quickly just set in your own mind ahead of time I'm not answering those questions I'm not getting involved in that and the same is true when you had one out here in Ashland with you know where at that time of year we were're going to start seeing contractors showing up that are going to scam you I can clean your gutters so you won't have a nice Dam I can clip the trees so they don't fall down in the snowstorm all of that well you have all entered into contracts you've all bought a car you bought a house you bought some major thing that started with you thinking I need this my budget is X these are the things I want and you moved that forward because when you bought that car or that house and you signed that's a contract you agree to pay they agree to do well the contract to repave your driveway or clean the chimney or do whatever is no less a contract you should be making it on the front porch you shouldn't be making it in the driveway when they tell you I was just up the street and I've got extra asphalt I've got extra shingles I've got extra whatever right if you said to yourself I'm never doing that contracts are things I do reflecting on them sitting by myself reading the paperwork you won't get caught up in it because people like the people with green Paving and construction out here who gave all that money people not only lose the money but you might have seen Channel 5 did a story on one of our cases a woman was living with her adult disabled son she needed to put in a ramp in the back she had a ramp in the front she didn't have one in the back her driveway was in the back miraculously somebody showed up one day and said I have extra material I can put in the ramp well one thing led to another and I need money up front to go buy some nails and a hammer or whatever and the next thing you know she had given $122,000 he disappeared he came back in the afternoon he started ripping the old deck off because he was not actually a contractor he did an incredible amount of damage to her house so if you drive by her house now she has a door that goes to nowhere because her back door has nowhere to go because there's no deck he tore down the old deck he didn't re build the deck he's got her $112,000 and she's got some serious Foundation damage from where he pulled the deck off because he didn't know what he was doing so if you set in your own mind I never make a contract at the door except maybe Girl Scout bookies you shouldn't be buying anything that cost you more there you shouldn't be letting somebody else begin the process of a sale if you were perfectly fine with your driveway last week your driveway can wait until you decide you want to move forward with it so those are two kinds of scams now let's talk about some of the information piece and I spent years trying to figure out why it was we might all get the mass pipe scan I never once in 20 years had somebody tell me they got the grand SCH or some of those other things to send money who did not have money we all know people that if their grandchild really was in trouble they could not put together a hundred bucks they just couldn't they don't get called so how do and remember that works for the scammer because if he's calling people who don't have a hundred bucks he's not hitting his quot of the day so how do they figure out who are the targets and this is my own Theory but it fits every box I think that it comes from medical facilities hospitals Labs whatever and think about this I work at one of those medical facilities whatever it is you're a patient a podiatrist anybody you're a patient suppose I'm the person who just works has access to the files what do I know about you first of all I certainly know your address so if I'm from Ashlin maybe I know that's a really nice street if you live in that neighborhood you probably can put together a little bit of money and if I don't live there and have that I do what and if you've never done this it really is terrifying go on Google and Google Earth your own house right and it is so good you can see I did my house the other day I could see the bags of mulch in the back of my house all right so I number one know what kind of a place you live in I know what kind of cars are in your driveway I know how well maintained or not maintained your house is so maybe you're moving into my target non-target category what else do I know I know what your occupation was so maybe you owned a pretty successful business that I recognize you're going in the Target pile or some of the scamers favorites maybe you were a public school teacher and you might not have a million dollars sitting around but you are what they call a renewable resource because you get a pension every single month you have they can come back back and back and back to hit you so maybe you're going to my target pip I also know what kind of insurance you have are you a Medicare only patient or do you have one of those nice supplemental plans that are a little bit expensive you have the tough supplemental plan you're going in my target pile because I may not be perfect but I can develop a pretty good sense of who might be responsive and able to give me some money because remember my only interest in all of you is can I get money from you on this game all right so now I've picked out the 18 people that are going to be my targets now I have to have a little nugget to lure you in because remember if you don't have a grandson you've hung up on me so how do I do that one place is Facebook nothing good happens on Facebook all right people say the chief knows this people had their house broken into I didn't tell anybody I was going to be away this weekend you look on Facebook here we go well guess what the bad guys look on Facebook too okay and when your granddaughter got into that college she'd been waiting for and the day came where they all wore those sweatshirts that say which college they're going to and we all posted the pictures well now I know you have a granddaughter and she's at Notre okay now let's go back to that medical facility and this is the part where I really want you to be a detective and figure this out I guarantee you you go to a medical appointment or a hospital and you sit around in the lobby or something for half an hour you will have a basket full of information because what happens you go to the doctor you come out doctor says I want to see you in 3 weeks you come out and you're talking to the person at the desk and they say you know how September 16th on I can't do September 16th my niece Julia's getting married in Georgia and we're all going okay well she heard it and so did all of us over here all right and I say all the time I am a total failure at this my father had 12 grandchildren he was very proud of if you sat beside my father at the blood lab for five minutes five minutes you knew all 12 their first names where they went to school and what sport they play I still have people who come up and ask me about my daughter's rowing team that I've never seen before all right and helpfully he would do it in his Irish whisper so in case those of you in the back didn't here you got it too all right but the next time you go to one of those places we all chat we talk about being careful about our personal information it isn't just your bank account you security number there's nothing wrong with chatting about I'm going to my granddaughter's baseball game this afternoon it doesn't have to be my granddaughter Elizabeth who plays for the high school team because when you get that call that says that she was hurt driving down the road to the high school all of a sudden you can't even think you're so frightened and money is going out the door so think hard about what you should share with people because we very often put ourselves in situations where we have no idea that people are just kind of gathering up that information and again as I said just listen the next time and see how much you learn and how you could weaponize that little piece of information somebody calls me and mentions my kids I'm frantic immediately like something's happened they mention my kid's first name or what kind of a car that's all I can think think about are they okay what's going on and the ne that is how smart sophisticated people hand over 70 or $80,000 when I was here two years ago there was a woman sitting at the table up in the front she and her husband had just given over $40,000 to one of these skins they just and you know because it just feeds on itself first it's you know there's been an accident they need to pay some hospital bill okay you send that money now they need a lawyer and sometimes they H the phone to the police officer you have no idea who you're talking to the person says this is the chief oh okay I guess I have to find out what the charges are you have no idea who you're talking to so that's a big piece of how you protect yourself from some of these things you do it slowly you have rules that you already have in place so when somebody catches you off guard about buying something you think yep I don't this is a contract I don't do contract out here and protect that personal information and if you really employ those three things you will because the unfortunate thing remember what I said in the beginning the scammer wants to hit the next person so if you're asking questions or you're saying too much they're going on to the next person they're not going to linger with you because tick tick time is money and that brings me this is probably the most useful piece you get out of this whole thing everybody always says you know I get so many phon calls they get phone calls all the time and you can sign up you know we used to all sign up for those do not call lists and whatever which that person didn't call you but the next person called you but this one thing does reduce your calls if I am a company or a scammer that wants to call people I buy a list of phone numbers right and when I buy that list of phone numbers I'm just kind of making up the money say they cost a nickel a piece right I get numbers it cost me a dollar for that sheet now some of those numbers aren't going to be active they're not going to be any good so I wasted my nickel on those all right but if they they call you and you answer the phone they now know that that phone is associated with a live person your number just became worth a quarter and your number is going to get sold every place so if you never answer you know let the M let it go to the machine just let it go you will actually see a reduction in your calls because they don't know whether anybody ever monitors that machine and also again in keeping with your personal information I call people sometimes and it's like you know this is Mary Jim and I and the dog Tinkerbell you don't need all that that's information I now have about you that you don't know I have so when I call you and tell you Tinkerbell got run over you're you're frightened so you should have a very generic message you know you've reached 781 whatever the number is please leave a message so if you never answer your call I again I am a failure in this because I am married to the most polite man in America he can't bear to hear the phone ring he answers the phone and then he refuses to hang up on people so I'm doing that and he's saying no we don't need our chimney clean no we don't have a chimney no no he's going on and on right it's just painful I'm like put the M down but we get called all the time because they know this nice man is going to talk to him and they figure at some point maybe he's going to give in and buy something so do not engage that's another critical piece that will reduce your calls it also reduces the chances of you getting kind of sucked into something else now the other piece I want to talk about for a minute and this this is harder to talk about but it is by far the way that people lose the most money you know we all worry about these random scammers and they're out there and you can fall prey to them and you can lose a lot of money but people across the board lose much more money to their family or a trusted friend much much more and we don't want to ever think about that because that's just hard and it happens primarily through two ways one of which is unique to Massachusetts Massachusetts is one of only two states that allows you to have a joint bank account all right so you can have a bank account with your name and somebody else's now lots of people who are married have a joint bank account and whoever Works puts their checks in there and they pay bills out of there right and the concept which is easy is it doesn't matter where that money comes from it's both of our money right it legally belongs to both of us whether somebody stays at home and they don't put a paycheck in or whatever it's all the same the same is true if you add somebody else to that account so you have you lose your spouse and you decide to put your daughter in the bank account all right or you didn't have a spouse but you've now decided to put your niece on the bank account your niece or your daughter never puts one penny into that bank account they're an adult they're living their own life they don't put any money in that bank account you have the proceeds from the sale of your house insurance policies your pension you have everything in there when you did that presumably you considered your niece or your daughter somebody you could trust and at some point spoken or unspoken the idea was that your niece or your daughter would step up if you needed it and spend your money to take care of you you end up in the hospital they'll pay the bill God forbid you pass away they'll pay the funeral home that's kind of the idea of doing that you go to Florida for 3 months they'll take care of getting the driveway shoveled and they'll write a check for the guy who does that right legally they have no obligation to do that and every penny of that money belongs to them so if your daughter cleans six as happens very often clean $600,000 out of that bank account not only will you not be getting it back but we the police and I cannot even charge them because the money was legally theirs you you can't steal your own money all right so and what happens and this is just a Repeat Performance they were very trustworthy when you put them in charge Life Changes they have a bad divorce they have a child who has an issue they lose their job I could I could write this story as could the chief I really was just short on the mortgage this month I knew mom wouldn't mind if I paid the mortgage I was going to put it back money has never ever gone back and then you know they're short next month and now there's a divorce and they just keep eating away at the money or sometimes more callously I thought Mom might end up in a nursing home and I didn't want the money to go to the nursing home that's what I call these self-help inheritance but you're not finished with it but they've inherited all right and I used to wonder we get these so often I used to wonder how is it that somebody has $600,000 disappear over eight months and they don't notice it and then I discovered see I just lived to develop these experiences my father at some point got sick and he was coming to stay at my house and I wanted to have his mail sent to my house US mail right we all know the US mail you're not supposed to put stuff in people's mail boxes and it's sacred and all of that and my father was too ill to come to the hospital and say he wanted his mail I mean to the post office and say he wanted his mail to go to my house so I had a note from him I had my passport I had his driver's license my driver's license I had a whole pile of documents and I went to the post office and I approached the man and I told my whole story and he handed me a little postcard and he said just fill this up so I went over and you fill out his name and where he lived the mail should be sent to my address and then in print that was about that big I signed at the bottom that I wasn't doing that for anything illegal while scammers lie and all of a sudden po his mail came to my house all right not hard they required nothing from him and what we discovered is that is how people do it so maybe you have a home health a all right home health aid you give them your credit card sometimes and it's a debit card and they're debiting your account 100 bucks a week well in the meantime they're having your bank statement sent to their house so you're not you know I don't sit down every month and say gee did I get every bank statement that I'm supposed to get and when you transfer somebody's mail it's only their first class mail so you're still getting the junk the magazines whatever so it's not like the mailman stops coming right so you you know we all get less mail than we used to so you will still go out every day and there'll be magazines and all that kind of stuff in your mailbox your bank statement won't be there it's one reason to think about doing online banking it's one reason to be much more concerned about I'm supposed to get four bank statements every month did I actually get them because that is how it happens over a long period of time and you just didn't notice it so that joint bank account is not what you think it is and again I you know I am the success story of not telling my own family I have 12 very elderly aunts every one of them has a joint bank account with me on I could be a rich woman they are convinced that I am to take the money pay the funeral home do whatever they refuse to be moved off that it is incredi dangerous the other thing in the way that people do it is you know when you go to the hospital we all know you sign a healthare pracy and all of that while many of them evolved to being a power of attorney as well there is nothing more dangerous in this world than a power of attorney because when you sign that form I have legally cloned myself if I give you my power of attorney you are now me anything I would do with my property you can do so we repeatedly have people who owned their house for 30 years mortgage is long paid they suddenly get a notice that the mortgage is overdue they think is that funny and they go to the bank and find that their son has put $150,000 mortgage on the house because they gave him a power of attorney right and my this is my personal favorite sometimes somebody gives their power of attorney to their son well now the daughter's annoyed that her brother has the power of attorney so they give her one too because you can have as many as you want but now you've doubled yourself so now she thinks he's stealing she's stealing you're getting cleaned out on both ends if you want to give somebody that power if you are worried that something would happen for instance I'm going in to have a hip replaced I'm going to be in re have for 3 months I I won't be able to get to the bank you should then have a power of attorney that is crafted to do what you want it should be a power of attorney that goes from December 1st to March 1st and it should have a limit of $2,000 if you go to Florida and you would like your daughter to be able to pay the plumber if the pipe scree is up here well $2 or $3,000 might be all you need to authorize her to use you don't need to let her have your whole estate because by far that is where people use the lose the most money because you give people access to everything you have and you really have no remedy because they are acting legally the same is true with I mentioned before you give somebody your debit card you know it's the middle of the winter your nice nextto neighbor says they'll pick up something for you at the grocery store you give them the credit card they come back they give you back the credit card you think all good well all you need to do is have those numbers and they're ordering online to $99,000 worth of stuff they wrote down what your number is they wrote down that little CVC code on the back and they're ordering like crazy you gave it to them so the bank is going to give you a very hard time about the fact that you authorize the use of that c make sure you're looking if you have somebody who's doing that for you make sure you are and nobody wants to do this but pay attention look at the receipts we just had a woman who lost over $35,000 she had a person working in her home doing Li housekeeping errands whatever her daughter who lived in DC kept a pretty good eye on what was going on and every month she would look at the charges and you know was Stop and Shop Dunkin Donuts whatever well what she wasn't doing is thinking hm Stop and Shop $700 my mother lives alone that's a lot of food and what was happening is every time she went for bread milk orange juice she withdrew a couple hundred bucks but it came out as stop and Chop look in a quick glance it looked pretty legitimate so I know I've scared you all to death now but don't just think about The Strangers think about the people close to you as as well because that is much more of a trap and much more difficult because even when we do catch them and even if it's actually illegal and we can prosecute it people do not raise their hand because they want to testify against their daughter or their son or send their grandchild's father to jail so many many times we have no way to hold them accountable for what's happened all right so I talked for a long time I'm happy to take some questions yeah attorney mention that are there different kinds for example I've heard heard lawyers durable so the question is are there different kinds of Power of power of attorney including durable Powers of Attorney yes there are and you know we all got in this habit you could go to Staples and buy a book and it has power of attorney you rip it out and fill it out I have a a rule which is you get what you pay for it's unlikely that got to be tailored to your situation so it is something that if you want to do it you should go to an attorney you should tell them you know what do you want to accomplish that's the plan when when I'm sick or when I'm no longer here what would I want to have happen the other thing is a power of attorney expires when somebody dies so very often the way we find out there's been something up with the power of attorney is somebody is getting to their last days and the power of attorneys are falling over themselves at the bank taking money up because their Authority ends at the moment that person passes away so there are lots of different C it's like accounts it's possible to have bank accounts that you share with somebody that have to be used for your benefit it is not the traditional joint account so you you should explore those options anybody else question yeah I unfortunately in December was hacked by PayPal two people came on and they told me they were helped me they were from PayPal that I was getting ready to be hacked and they were actually the hackers two weeks ago I was hacked again my question is once you're hack what can you do to your computer or your phone to make sure they're not there anymore so you should really shut everything that which is people don't want to do that because it's a nuisance so they think like okay maybe I'll just shut this down or I'll shut that down you should shut down your accounts you should close your accounts you should move the money to another account you should take your computer actually to a reputable place like you know one of the um geek yeah The Geek Squad yeah one of those kind of people take it do online and have them physically like clean the computer you know be careful about what you lose and so it's it's a problem people try to do it's much like the power of attorney sometimes people try to do it on the cheap and cross their fingers hoping it won't continue and it really does as you know as representative Le said like when your identity goes or they're in there you just have to close everything out and clean it out does it does it help to have something like n or not the jury is out on that um those can also be scams not Orton itself but there are we have lots of people who pay that you know get the notice you are about to be you know infiltrated with the virus pay us 90 bucks that's a scam I think you can be prudent and careful and protect yourself I mean people sometimes feel better paying for that I think that's a jump ball okay okay yeah somebody has a question yeah do you ever catch the scammers so the question is do we ever catch the scammers yes we sometimes do um and when we do we are often successful because in order to catch them we've had to do such a long investigation so they get convicted um I feel very strongly about these cases so we ask pretty substantial sentences judges don't always agree with us because there are often people who have not been caught before the biggest harm is we never get the money back because you know by the time we've chased them they literally we have sometimes caught the people who put the money in an envelope and mail it somewhere else so people's that's what I think is the status people's whole retirement their whole future that they thought was going to be very comfortable is change because we're just not getting that money back yeah can you track the phone number down where they're located where they can come in and get them so the question is can we track the numbers you know usually they're burner phones they're those phones you just buy you pay for two hours or whatever it's not like your Verizon phone where you have an account or something like that so they're clever they are clever and they're able to sort of send things you know by email or whatever through 10 different stations and we end up you know somewhere in Middle Europe can you track the phon where they buy it sometimes sometimes we are sometimes successful at getting like a video at a store where they bought the phone like Walmart yeah sometimes yeah yeah so I got a call one time presenting his Microsoft and their goal was to get me to allow them to take control over my computer and just let them get in and then they would have access to my computer and I said to the guy you should be ashamed and I think he was from India and he said Well ma'am if you can give me an honest P for an honest so the question was about you get that call from Microsoft we actually um you know and they are actually the hacker we actually just had a woman who was on looking at her daughter's wedding pictures that just had a family wedding she's looking at the pictures she suddenly gets this alert that says you know you have 7 Seconds remember it's a rush and if you don't you're going to lose everything she's taking the wedding pictures she started throwing money at that um you know when they come on even if especially if you didn't initiate the call and they start saying I'm doing everything with you hit keystroke hit whatever if you think about your computer as having a wall around it they are punching holes in that wall and then all of a sudden you will see stuff has gone out of your bank accounts stuff is gone from wherever because you let them penetrate that wall yeah could you talk a little more about why it's legal for people to buy information that is going to allow them to access this kind of stuff like what is the what's behind that so the question is why is it legal to buy information and that they can use illegally like the telephone numbers right all right but you also have you know I don't know some charity they want to make calls they want to solicit calls I mean you do get some calls that are from a legitimate charity the way they do that is they buy the phone numbers I mean nobody sits with a phone book anymore and looks it up they buy that list of phone numbers you know even if you don't buy it I am not terribly computer literate and I am always shocked at what I can find online how quickly I can get people's phone numbers or things like that if you go on true search.com you get everything get the email you get the phone number you get the relatives you get everything yep yeah and that stuff is just out you know that's what I mean like at some level there's things you can't worry about if I really wanted to find out where you lived or what your phone number is I could figure that out but that's not really how people lose the big sums of money it's these other things and that you can take steps to protect yourself about yeah one other question about the yeah I I've discovered that if you pick up the phone and you don't say anything a lot of these calls are voice activ and just put it down now once I picked up the phone I know that active phone yes even though I haven't said even though you haven't said anything they know the Signal's been disrupted okay so lots of people do that people pick it up and they press the button you know and now they think well I didn't answer it but they know that the phone was interrupted so your number still becomes more Val they know there's a living human being attached to that number yeah sometimes I get and it and it's number I but other are you supposed to pick it UPN no the question is are you supposed to pick up your phone if it says SPM or you don't recognize the number so I don't know if you've ever had this experience I have had my cell phone with me not been home had my cell phone and my home phone number calls my phone all right so I see my own number I know there's nobody at home but my it appears that my house is calling my phone all right for $1 199.99 you can go online and buy um a device that will let you be any number you want so often what the scammers will do for instance especially if you're not picking up other things this happens to me all the time I will get a a call from a number that looks like a number in my town all right and I'm thinking like is that the hairdresser is that the cleaners where I drop something off it's a sort of familiar number that they have been able to access what my number is or numbers I call and they've come they spoofed me with a number that looks like that and their hope is that I will think oh yeah that might be the dentist and I'll pick it up you probably all have that experience you pick up a number you think you recognize it and then it's somebody else they capitalized on what you seems familiar to you I've been called on my own phone number yeah yeah that's what I mean like yeah so you see that and of course you're you're kind of confused and you pick remember every time they confuse you they take your eye off the ball so just remember that piece and the other part is if you get a call like you get that call that says I'm your bank please give me your bank account number or something right so people often are wise enough to think I don't want to do that so they hang up and they call back that number and of course the bad guy picks up the phone and says MN bank so if you are concerned like maybe that really was my bank go find your bank number go get your statement or go online or something don't ever call back the number that they get lots of times people when I was laughing about the social security things people will say well the call was from Washington so I thought it really was Social Security it's like no that was the 1999 spoofer and they made themselves have a Washington number so just be careful about recalling that all right well thank you thanks for having me thank you again to representative Lewis the Senate President and Co

good evening I would like to call this meeting of Berlin Boon Regional school committee to order just to reminder that this meeting is being recorded your image and or voice may be broadcast please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge Ali to the FL of the United States of America and to the for it stands one nation god with liy andice all right we're going to roll right into public comment is would anyone is there anyone here that would like to make a public comment uh all right it doesn't matter all right Beth why don't you go first okay welcome back and say your name and I am I just want to make a comment on on the voting on the health and wellness policy um I just want to say I think the implementation of the health and wellness policy in terms of the stringent rules for poliart snacks while it's well in pension might not result in the desired outcomes reducing what can be sold and purchased down to a formula relying on calories and percentages will most likely result in smaller packes that the kids will buy in more and I'm mostly talking about too I don't know if anyone's familiar with allart the Hondo the big thing with those that crowd um many students purchase these snacks not to be consumed at lunch but for after school before Sports and activities many appropriate healthier protein Rich non Parable snacks which I would love to see available would not meet the current stringent standards these high school students are already ordering double lunches that fill up to last through the day and practice based on the formulas in place for the current School lunch I'm not sure if releasing the snack bar is the best way to get the desired outcome I'd rather see more nutritious self shelf stable snacks available for the kids to save for after school and see the policy put in place that would end up with kids buying three smaller packages something to try and fill up the snack bar is a cashfree service parents have to load the account and put money on it for anyone to buy anything from it so and once the kids parents log in they can see everything your child has purchased so if you're unhappy that they're purchasing something you could just not put money on their account and opt out that way that's thank you thank you right hi my name is pet darney I'm an English teacher in the English Department here at Tonto about to start year number 29 32 overall so long time um I'm here I was actually here to talk about policy I regarding the surveys but I see that had been moved from this agenda to a later agenda from what I understand it was moved because the policy subcommittee did not have a chance to meet during the summer which I'm actually excited about that is I as I wrote in my letter that I read to you back in June I would love the opportunity to meet with the policy sub committee and I've met with Steve Pico the history department chair and Daniel rer who was their history teacher who specifically deals with the Civic Action project to sit down and just have a conversation uh with the policy subcommittee about the impact of that l language will have on our students and their ability to research topics of their choosing without any type of restrictions placed upon them that that policy would do um so again I met with Steve and Danielle and they're more than willing to um to sit down and have those conversations so we can have you know just hash all that out about the impact it's going to have not only in Civic Action project but also tangentially Upon Our uh specifically our gay and trans population that this um policy seems to be specifically looking at um topics that they may wish to explore because that survey that went out uh last year about these things was wanted to explore the um the bullying and harassment that those students undergo here at tto and it's not a new thing it's been happening for years I've had a good long conversation with a former student of ours good friend of mine Nick Mandela class president in 2005 he talked to me openly about his experiences here at Tonto back then knew in seventh grade he was gay was terrified to come out because of harassment that he had seen another one of his gay friends go through and he's like he said to me Peter he's like I didn't have anybody in that building I felt safe coming out to that crushed me because I've known Nick for years and so this is a very real issue that one of our students wanted to explore and ask the question you know if you identify as a member of the lgbtq plus Community here at Tanto if so have you undergone harassment if not have you witnessed it that was the survey and it's been turned into something completely different than what that is and so I think it's important that before we go through with a policy that's going to put a serious restriction on our students ability to research topics that explore their very real lived experiences here at Tonto we need to have a good conversation amongst many people including staff that directly work with these students specifically in these projects and these areas and also probably the students who themselves will be directly impacted so that's what I came here tonight to to talk about and I would love that to um you guys to consider that I had another question um when I was here in June I read my statement um and I was told that the I read that you know for the discussion there was additional information that was added after I left which was that you had received information or communication from the district lawyer and your District lawyer said you had legal grounds to go forward uh with this again I wish that was told to me when I was here so I would have asked this question then my question would be does the district lawyer specifically know that this policy would be the only policy in our district that would be called opt in versus opt out like parents have every right they don't want their child to be in a health curriculum discussing things things to opt up I am 100% behind that I've opted my children out of certain things that loner I am I'm all for that but by limiting it to by making it an op in where we know as you've discussed in that meeting on June back on it was a Thursday morning yeah the discussion you know that parents will read their emails you know that parents are going to see this so that when you make it oped in you've automatically gone to there are 0% of people who could be reached out to and maybe a 10% read it now we those students can now only reach out to 10% of the population that is and it's restricted to those kids and it would be the only policy in our district that had that restriction placed upon it and I feel in my opinion and in the Civil Rights uh Law Firm I spoke to in their opinion that is targeted and that is um in a way as a violation of their civil rights to exclude them from the same opportunities of other students so my question would be does did are was that made clear to our lawyer that this is would be the only policy that would have that restriction placed upon it you don't have to answer that now that would something I would love to to talk about you know that could be yeah I have if I yeah um typically we don't discuss policies that not on the agenda you know that I do but this is a hot button topic yeah absolutely has zero to do with sexual identity other than the fact that the survey that a parent was upset about contain those questions it's about requiring 12y olds to tell people their sexual identity or any other question that a survey might go out it's one of no it's one of that's up to Megan eight categories it's one of it's one of eight categories the policy committee did read your lesson letter we would have met in August as you know our superintendent left she wasn't available to meet with us that's pushed it off that's why it's not on the agenda tonight we will meet with it I've already discussed with Al putting a meeting together for it we will meet with it we will take that opin language into consideration the language and the regulation I believe it is prior written consent is the way it's worded in the Federal Regulation similar like that so we'll take a look at it right but it's not on the agenda tonight so and it sounds like to me food chair it sounds like that we're going to have a subcommittee meeting and it sounds like you're you're asking to be if you could go to that meeting and it looks like it's okay for them fre you to attend that meeting actually because it's a public meeting public meeting so I know this is public comment so uh we appreciate what you you said and we'll certainly I'm sure they'll consider when they have the one issue I take and because I've heard Mike say this multiple times is required no student is required to answer anything there the survey was marked required uh questions on the survey I could pull up I could pull up the survey if you're but it's been addressed there's no survey public com not this yeah and I appreciate the back and forth and I think let's keep it at the policy sub committee meeting and then when we have it on the agenda it's not up for sorry I should have emailed you and let you know that we moved it so I'm really sorry about I appreciate it um as Mike said with Carol leaving it's been a whirlwind of a couple weeks Meg may I just say one thing this is a lot of people think policy I is about sexuality it's about I believe it's nine covered protected legally under the Constitution different areas where parents have to opt in or opt out so I just wanted to make that clear there's a whole bunch of other areas on there as well I know that's the point of contention I understand that I just don't want the public to that we're making one thing out of like we're focusing on one thing so when is the policy subcommunity have to so we have talk about that Thursday okay yeah so they have to schedule that and then you know if it would be obviously your teaching during the day so it would be helpful if you guys could uh connect I'll take a personal date it's that important and conversation I'm sure they'll connect with you and try to schedule it around you know after school hour whatever you know whatever works for the done but I I know they're both reasonable above that kind of stuff all right thanks thank you all right any other public comments any Communications I have one I did receive paperwork from people who are running for the election for school committee this year we have three seats that are open um so I received the verified paperwork I let the Secretary of State know and I received confirmation that our ballot will look like the following so it's going to say vote for not more than two and that's in Berlin and the people that are on the ballot this year are Lisa May who is currently um on the school committee as well as Beth manini who help to be here right now um so it's vote for two there are two running um there in uh bur I'm sorry in Boon there's going to be two people running but it will be both for one it's going to be Megan Grill who is our chair as well as James wheit um and I'm gonna explain this on the websites because we had problems in the past where people didn't understand voting for two voting for one the way it's going to work is they will be it'll be a fouryear commitment and the people that run this year will have four years and then two years later my seat Mike's seat as well as Jessica's seat will be up and it'll be another four-year term so we we're finally on the track of the four years it's official yay thank you so much and that was a huge undertaking so thank you for all the work you've done on the election appreciate it any other Communications um I saw the Board of Health um request Ed that Hillside Fields be sprayed because of the triple and the West Nile and so this kind of a more urgent issue and so I apologize for not asking to be put on the agenda but um I didn't know that was a possibility and so I talked to at meum today um at bees and he said that he thought the school committee or I guess the superintendent could make a request to have the the school sprayed by the I think Central Mass mosquito and and through the chair does that go so and just catch up the speed everybody so please appreciate that uh the buildings are own by the towns right so does that go through the school Comm is that something that we would do or is it something that because the town owns the properties that they would do I'd be more than glad to have that because I'm seeing the sense of of needing that to take place now um but I just wasn't sure but if it goes through us then absolutely have no problem Tanto yeah we own Tanto and um the towns own the schools but the schools have rules about the spray and the chemicals they use on the fields okay so I think that's something we're going to have to take offline I understand how critical it is because Youth Sports start and there's after school and school starting so add it on to your maybe Jess can help this yeah if you want to work with Jess this week and yep really easy to make a request yeah Central Mass I did it for my house quick can I also be included in that conversation because I have some additional information that might be relevant okay all right yeah yeah yeah yeah so yeah great so yeah if you guys want to connect this we that would be great thank you okay any other Communications thanks J all right consent agenda we have open meeting minutes from May 28th June 6th June 13th July 22nd August 1st August 6th August 8th wow we were so busy this summer um could I please have a motion to approve the consent agenda so moved Lor Julie all right all in favor Meg before ask question yeah what happened to the June 17th minutes in recording the so those minutes Sally took remember those you were writing on the back she's there was a recording that J sent to Paul right no so because Britney couldn't come it was a voice recording and we were having I was having trouble over the whole summer getting to her and finally I found a format that just recently she was able to get a hold of oh Britney yeah Britney so it was a fairly lengthy meeting so I was wondering if those voice recordings could be submitted as the the minutes to that because it was a fairly detailed review of the um I did take notes and gave to Nicole she's just working so if you can get those minutes or that the voice recording to Nicole oh that oh no no I she has those recordings yeah so I committee meeting did you video You video you videoed that meeting and call no iads okay whoever it went to is is it online IO you did okay you did yeah it was files because it was so three different all right so I'll check on that June 17th minutes she still working on because they were not in the format that she could that's yeah someone's working on that's fine okay okay that was the discussion all right you guys ready all in favor I all right I'm an i as well motion passes all right um so I'm G to do my chair's report I'm gonna cut off Al because I have Cynthia here I want to introduce we'll do our vote and now was she's not stuck here oh come on because I know she wants to listen to everything but we'll do that first then we'll roll into Al's report Michael has so kindly um come tonight to get his report and then the principales um and then we do have a few presentations well no we just have one we have the half day Child Care update which is great so Julie and um Eric and is anyone else here for that no FR okay great so so real brief I wanted to talk to say three things tonight so first off um as everyone knows Carol is officially retired and we have Al here so we're very excited welcome Al and we are also so grateful for the huge um chunk of Carol's career that she committed to this district and I wish her well um second I know there have been a lot of grumblings um on Facebook and um from parents of the buses and the lunch menu and I hear you and my request is to just be patient we have um a lot of change going on right now and and I think it's going to be great we have Al coming on from what I've uh learned since I've worked with him I think he's gonna do some wonderful things for this District the business office what we did is we had a consulting company come in and we were trying to keep our costs reasonable so we have this lovely man Michael Wood who was only supposed to be working part-time who ended up coming in and and giving us so much time as well as other people from the consulting company so that's the situation with the buses where we're we have leads on full-time candidates that are going to come in and work in the business office it just takes some time and as everyone knows summer is kind of that period where things stand still so I just ask respectfully for patient and Grace I know it's frustrating and if you have questions or concerns the best way is to email Al or the school committee and you know usually day-to-day operations that's Al so school committee's policy budget and oversight of Al so if you're not getting anywhere with all or principles then you come to us but usually we've got some great principles we've got great superintendent so I I think you know there's specific issues about buses or the lunch menu or whatever it is brought those through the principles and just remembered we're in that tumultuous change period I think within the next month or two things are going to get a little bit um more consistent okay last thing I want to talk about was today we had the um msba which is the Massachusetts building School bu business Building Association um so we had applied for a grant from the state to help with the cost of the new roof for Boon Elementary and we were selected um to be interviewed and the state came today they walked through the building with Mrs syes Al um and our facilities crew we went up on the roof so we are really really hopeful that which was a feat of itself going not so much going up but coming down the ladder was broken they had like literally a little bungee cord on there but we helped each other up and up yep yep so it was great so I wanted to let everyone know um yeah it is great I want to let everyone know we car this was something Carol and I had applied for with the committee's help and permission back in March um we had the help of a boon select board um that meum was a huge resource for us um and the town is fixing part of the roof right now but we're really hoping that we're going to get some funding from the state to redo the roof of this building so really hopeful we're going to find out by the end of October and we'll keep everyone posted but really good things kind of in the works um right now if I can just add that so it's it's quite the process going through msba and working with them right so getting yourself in into that networking of of that is is a huge piece and you know hopefully we'll have success what we did today I think we gave them a great tour really got to see what our our school looks like and in the investment the town is putting into our school um which is something that the msba wants to see um but certainly they could help us out financially and also they're good to have those relationships done and develop so in the future right if you need new doors you need new windows as things get older in our our schools that once you start developing those relationships and they see the the the things that you're going to put forward as a community that's very helpful so we're hoping we're going to get some good news back in in October we certainly um ra out laid out the red copete from Cindy did a nice job as a principal um gave him some nice pastries and sat and have a conversation with him for a little while but then they certainly got to see the building how great it is and and what we need with that roof right now I mean it certainly concern uh I think of everybody there as well too so um this is a good relationship that's St and develop but hopefully we'll will flow even into something more yeah all right so without further Ado um so we have so tonight what one of the votes we have is to approve a new District Treasurer so our district Treasurer Joe michelbach who has been our district treasurer for 17 years is retiring um again thank you a huge thank you to Joe he I think he came to us in retirement and he was working part-time for us as our district Treasurer um so we've been very fortunate tonight um to have we Al had a connection with Cynthia I also had a connection with Cynthia um full disclosure we're second cousins um but she came forth and said she'd be interested in the job so um I'd like to introduce Cynthia to us I believe her resume is in the drive and tonight what we have to do is we have to vote on you know we have to appoint her um and determine a salary so um Cynthia I don't know if you just want to say hi or hi everyone nice to be here did anyone have any questions I'm sure everyone I don't want to get into her resume or details everyone had a chance to look at her resume did anyone have any questions so just sorry go ahead oh no he didn't so um Cynthia her and I work together at veteran Academy right so we're we're quite the team um she was sort of uh a a business manager for veterin and it certainly encompassed my role as the director of admissions as well too working together the families but she also oversaw all that financial piece as well too uh did a phenomenal job at veterin um so when there was an opportunity I real that our treasur was treasur was um leaving certainly reached out C I think she'll be a great addition to our team and certainly St cing some of the waters that we have concerns about in the business office um but I think we're very fortunate if we can get her as part of our team and be part of um the burlin Wilston Regional School District okay so the proposed salary so it's an annual salary um the proposed salary be $14,500 um so does anyone have any questions or discussion on this or I'm just going to make a motion because I wonder to St tomorrow y def she's actually gonna come in tomorrow uh so we want to get the contract done so she can sign it tomorrow and get started uh Joe retires on September 6 so we wanted them to have a little bit of time to overlap and get the bank accounts all set up all right so then um all right so could I please have a motion to appoint um Cynthia Henderson as our district Treasurer the contract period will be August 28th 2024 through August 27th 2025 and then we'll vote again next year we vote every year on it um for an annual salary of $14,500 J and Julie any discussion on that how many hours uh so it's it's gonna be the way we have it this is the same as I just look we vote on this every year but Joe's been here so long we've just been giving him the same contract so it's a minimum of one day per month and increments of two half two half days and she has to be available on call as needed like if there was an issue with a bank account the bank would have to call you know they'd have to be able to be in touch with her or or Al would have to be in touch with her um but she can it's more of as she sees fit it's a minimum of one eight hours a month split into two coming in yeah twice a month and the other part just through CH she'll be extremely helpful on boarding our our a new Director of Finance as well too um the skill set that Cynthia has will certainly help with that Gap when when TMS leaves um but also having a new Director of Finance and having Cynthia's knowledge will be extremely helpful in that transition yeah and we need someone on the bank accounts for right when um Joe leaves so this is great very fortunate to have someone with experience all right um any more discussion all in favor I'm in I as well that motion passes congratulations cynia thank you the key that yeah that's perfect thanks everyone yes yes I'll be back take care she we're very fortunate to be able to get joining our team very very fortunate y all right yeah we will all right so Al you are up next sure so so good afternoon uh just gotta I I normally will have much more of a prepared statement for you guys but I'm still catching up on on day finishing full day two um let me start out again by saying thank you to the school committee um for the opportunity to lead the Berlin bison M School District I I've had an very exciting couple days as well too um I'm very excited for this opportunity to lead the district and have it continue to grow I truly am uh in the very short period of time I've had an opportunity to certainly meet our Administration meet our parents meet our teachers faculty directors I've met some select board members Town administrators and certainly some students of some of the practices that were taking place outside this afternoon as well too um don't ask me any of their names but I certainly got I got some some definitely some connection with them um we had a wonderful opening day hosted by Lisa at Tanto so thank you for all of our faculty and staff um I attended a great ice cream social last night at Berlin as well too Memorial and today as Megan said still on the roof of bolon elementary school with the msba so the last two days have certainly been a lot going on um I've had also had the opportunity to hire um some strong additions to our staff to fill the positions that we needed Cynthia Henderson being one of them um I'll talk to you a little bit later on on the agenda I'm Director of Finance position and we have people lined up that are applying to that role as well too uh met with custodians and our director of facilities uh in the buildings and grounds are ready for open they really they've done an incredible job actually we had a little breakfast um earlier this week just to make sure everyone's on board and thank the custodians for the work that they've done all along and getting these buildings ready and lastly as Megan said bus rots are in place so they're there right and so as Megan said just a little patience and Grace right now we're trying to work it out so that we'll make those changes I met with the school resource officer in Berlin yesterday um so he's looking at some of the concerns they have got safety on some of those stocks as well to so we're working that out but we the important thing was getting those bus Roots online which we did yesterday and I thank people for helping us get that ready as well too um I can officially report to you that Berlin Boston Regional School District is ready for opening tomorrow morning um all right schools are ready our bus routs are somewhat ready um but we're we're ready we're ready to go for tomorrow so we're excited for that very first day and I will be spending my day tomorrow along with my administrative team we sort of came up with a plan so we're not all in the same building at the same time we're sort of working in a clockway clockwise direction to make sure we're there to support our principles not to get in the way of them but certainly to support them as well um and and lastly again I I I couldn't be more thrilled to have this opportunity to be your superintendent um it's something I've always said and I and I just will continue to always say as a superintendent that our meetings that we have here um we should be always having our meetings like this children in the room right because that really is the work we're doing right we're doing this work for children and and the other part of that is we should be running these meetings for the people that are watching out town that don't have children don't with children in our in our district but still pay the taxes for our for our schools that they see what the work we done here because this is such important work everything that we do here is what's going to have to get our what's going to take place to get our kids in school tomorrow SCH too so I thank you for the work you're doing I know that everyone's volunteering here um so I appreciate all that you do um to help get our students and schools ready for thank you thank you Al uh next we have Michael Mr Michael Wood has a little Finance update for us sure so in your packet uh and for the public there is a document our expense uh report for the month of August uh or to date of the month of August so you know we started a new fiscal year as of July 1 uh in as in always in a um fiscal year there may be changes as the budget year flows we'll adjust some accounts um as the U or or the next uh team will uh do some adjustments of the accounts uh as needed uh for you know new hiring and so forth to make sure the money is in the right um accounts and so forth for the hiring of staff and so forth uh and um but there's there is the reporting we're in good shape for two months in the year um so it's always a good way to start the year uh and I think you're going to be in great shape for the for the entire fiscal year um just a couple of things you've mentioned buses they are up there um just you know the message that I'm telling parents that I've shared with principes to and secretaries to tell parents is you know the first two weeks are important um nrt is about safety first obviously uh and but when they when they go through the Versa trans it's about the efficiency as well uh and they they can only look at the roots uh as best they can with what they know about the geography of the area and so forth uh and I I believe you only have them maybe three years maybe maybe this is the second cycle uh but um you know concerns can certainly be emailed to principles uh or to to my office uh or to the superintendent we will forward those on to nrt and work directly with them uh and um you know where necessary du sight visits and so forth to make sure that uh we have agreement and understanding of of the placement of those of those stops uh and um you know as as we've said there there may be some situations where we have a couple of missing students on those bus runs um and um if that's the case uh certainly um you know look at the bus routes know know where the buses uh the stops are and go to the closest one to your house uh and and you can catch the bus there and and we'll iron out um very quickly where they are uh we did learn today how to use the bus app uh so if you want to use that we have um somebody has great records um and I think it was that's your secretary Michelle uh and so we're we're a team uh so pulling that together it was really really helpful um for much of the summer um it's it's been me uh and uh one day a week with a staff member from from my office TMS but we finally got uh a Personnel uh HR specialist in Late July and an accounts payable uh person um in U early August so training has been an effective part of the last few weeks and that will you know obviously be ongoing as the new person comes on board and so forth as well um and um with with what's really great is um at least on the AP side of things uh the person two people ago did a great job leaving a how-to manual um so that's been very very helpful to all of us there's a how-to manual for AP yeah Sharon from Cheryl yeah she did a great jobs and so that's that's been very helpful to me as as well as to to staff we we brought on board um and um just also um in terms of Food Services is just more information for the school committee uh that an item of business fairly fairly soon on will be the adult lunch price um it hasn't been addressed uh in a number of years and in talking to the director it's something that he would like to see um looked at and and um addressed and that would be a vote of the school I feel like we voted on that before did we not it was before your time I'll have to look into that we voted on prices overall for adult prices we had adult like lunch price we had prices for adult lunch I think we did too because I think for fi they know where adult price is for we absolutely have ad have a price he he would like to raise it yeah oh yeah oh yeah we have a price okay all right so that would yeah that'll have to be we'll put that on an agenda yeah we got to look some data for that all right thanks just a followup question Michael so I know you've been here short Peri time so look is this our last year with this bus company or top contract with a new contract will have to go out to bid um really whenever you want to but certainly no later than January yeah and and sort of publicly saying this so I guess I am you know this is their Super Bowl getting us the the bus list right I know it has nothing to do with you in this office but getting into us so late right doesn't give us that lead time at all to try to fix things and so we're sort of um so it's certainly a little concerning to me so certainly something we need to look at um when we're when we're we're bidding the next one out if it's them having maybe almost I don't know why I'm talking to you Mike sorry about that I know you had nothing to do it but even given like a timeline we need the bus routs by right so this way gives us a little time to try to work out the Kinks that we need to work out giving them to us you know in such a sh nose has made it difficult for our principles and certainly our parents as well too so just something I said to somebody that we need to start this process in June yeah uh even internally in terms of and clean yeah class this is a Super Bowl right they should be getting it all done and ready this is like the the big thing right I will give them credit based on what I was told I would get um the list was pretty clean yeah and and we had to do very little in terms of um you know set set up and reformat it I I was told that there was cut and paste activity and so forth on previous ones this one we was pretty clean so and follow question so so something like that putting off a bit I'm just ask asking for clarification so I'm sort of in contact with the executive director now who's after my email to them so is that something that goes in front of school committee is that where you guys okay great so maybe we could stop putting that on a further agenda Nicole down the line but to certainly stop that conversation yeah for the buses I don't I don't think I think the cleanup was like for example I can use one for Boon Elementary my kids we don't have a bus in our neighborhood but like it says it takes 17 minutes to go like a 0.1 mile from the school to the corner of schol Street and Compass Circle so like I think that was the kind of cleanup Nancy actually sat on her phone like oh Matt questioned like oh no wait that's not 17 minutes that's one minute so the times were more accurate so I mean I can just speak from that one I I haven't actually reviewed all the other ones like I think there was a few people that said stops were missing so if anyone is out there listening and they have gripes with the buses Al is the guy as Michael sorry Al I know your last day is this week we don't yeah we have some you know we have some options out there for the finance director thing but nothing solid yet so it has to go through Al and then Al will have to sit down and and figure that out with the bus company but I do remember Nancy actually re so so everyone needs to be patient maybe things may change slightly for the better but yeah no one's fault again just how would you how are you supposed to know that right how is anyone supposed to know that and yeah on them forgetting it literally the day before so what what that's what I use stop it so I have right so my two questions are if anyone can answer them um families I get it just go to the closest route of people work so is there like some kind of timeline that we can let parents no by Say by hey Tuesday we are going to have something for you so you're yeah you don't have to drive your child two blocks down and wait because it's outside your home so no I'm meeting with um D who's on the the agenda as well too um on Thursday so we we just give us some time I hate to say Tuesday because it's not Tuesday then you'll be saying is Tuesday so just give us up that's his number one priority right now is getting all these bus Roots done and cleaned up and stuff okay all right great and is my last question if he can he can you can ask him this too in Berlin as we've talked about the kids that get picked up have a parent already working on that so you're already that there could be a FL there could be a FL so in instead of me going to the bus company saying fix this I'm coming with a solution so I'm working with a parent um Mr hes Bob Bob holes yeah I'm working with him and he's helping recreate that roof so this way when I go to the bus company I can say you know here's here's the solution instead of just coming AC so we're working on that he doing every route or just that specific all all of us he's doing them all great y so again I can't guarantee that's going to happen but at least I'm coming to the bus company saying here here's an option for as opposed to not saying fix Point okay so we're trying we're trying two years ago it was like that was reversed and last year it wasn't so I'm curious I think there was a I don't want to go off our topic but I think there was a particular families and stuff that from what I'm learning that how to make the root go a certain way but we're we're definitely addressing it we're going to try to address it I'll leave at at that yeah I also whole time no no it's okay yeah it's just it's all it is is just change I don't a lot of this is like new people are coming on and they don't know that you have to do this and no one's telling them and so we're kind of learning as we go having manuals that's one of the things we talked about last year Mike was one of the people that was trying to drive that you know every one maybe this will be the year we start actually working on procedure manuals for everyone's job so let's say if Janelle left no one would know what to do you know what I mean we need to start documenting some of the processes so that when we have new people coming on cross training yes cross training or just documenting like this is what I do in my job this is what I do because we're not always going to have overlap so that's a huge thing for small districts that's a huge thing huge all right any other questions for Michael sorry yeah is the do the bus drivers have any input I mean I feel like they know their RS it's a great question worth they're good resources they do I mean she she the the P our contact our lead dispatcher uh referenced that they've gone over the roots and some of her questions to me were because the drivers raised them so um I I don't know where in the process if it's the beginning or the end but they do talk to the drivers great all right thank you um Cindy would you like to go next I would first of all thank you for allowing me this time to share some of the great things happening at PES this year the first thing I have to do is thank the custodial staff and Dan a for really getting this um the school open and sparkling I love going into the beginning of the year the floors are nice and shiny they don't stay that way for long but they really invite the kids in and the families when they when they come on the first day so a you things happening school committee you're going to be very happy to hear this because I know we were talking about it last year I have it in there as our newly reorganized PTO they are no longer PTO or bef or vetto which I introduced you last year they're now going to be back which is the Boyston education collaborative fancy I met with them they have some great ideas one of the things they're taking off on ready enagement as link as so they're going to take that on which is just I know something that we need at while soon uh a couple other things that we're doing this year we are going for gold at bees which means that's the theme this year we're raising our standards they're high the teachers have them high but it's giving students what they need um high expectations and we're doing it in a fun way so you're going to see Gold Everywhere I am actually wearing gold tomorrow and search high and low for this outfit but I got it um one other thing that I I am very proud of is kind of my baby and we the team is just jumping on board because we are building a sensory room at our school I have a vision people are joining that Vision it is not there yet we were hoping to have it painted they ran out of time the room um but we have some great uh resources for students and staff and principal to use at certain points that the PTO from last year donated and they spent $2500 for this room and they have ideas to add to it they've got a little tour um it's not done I'm hoping to have that complete before open house which is on September 12th I might be in there some Saturdays and Sundays we'll have some sensory Saturdays and Sundays and invite help but I'm really looking forward to this and inviting you in to see it because it's a great room it's one that I really believe in be surprised you see me in that room every now and then just personal space that's all sorry thank you thank you Cindy thanks Cindy let's see who's next John oh sure not nearly as traumatic as my colleague in CRI gold I'm not gonna be wearing gold tomorrow I'm gonna be wearing my Buffalo Bills r i because that's how we fly more actually a lot of the things I I won't belabor the things that everybody's going to say yes my school also looks beautiful Dan the guys did a great job um we're ready for the first day of school with the occasional hiccup on crazy bus routes um and a couple of last second supplies but teachers are s of ready to go we met today we talked about I'm stealing an idea from Tahanto we talked about a school wine goal this year great um and staff were really into that so good yeah that's we're talking more in terms of in promoting student Independence in the way they think and act um so we'll see where that goes and then the last thing I just want to thank link um because they are amazing we had a couple of Summer picnics this year we had a special thanks to Peg Stone who's uh the on the brn select board I believe she's the chairperson of the select board um who did some great reading and a shout out to my son who sometimes watches these and I did our version of The Three Little Pigs so that was a lot of fun got thanks great thank you John Lisa so Tanto um thank you everyone for um providing this opportunity so on Monday we welcome the staff back and again um I think just echoing what everyone else has said um custodians did a wonderful job Food Service uh we host the opening day at Tanto and the Food Service um and Rob did a wonderful job they did a really really wonderful job so that makes for a wonderful welcoming um day and truly our unsung heroes um that day also we had um our sixth grade orientation on Monday was led by our high school students Council um and their advisers Daniel Rinker and Emily McCarthy and they do such a wonderful job with our sixth graders they lead them through all kinds of activities get them comfortable with the building and the schedule and opening lockers and I think that is such an important moment to relieve some of that anxiety um in as students trans transition into Middle School um we have had a host of other students come through um all summer long um through just to visit as people have moved in quite a few people have moved in so welcome all the visitors we love that um I I felt um and I was saying this I felt kind of like July you know I was a little and then you know kids started coming you know and then the student council and then people and I was like oh this is better you know so it it does feel more alive and that is wonderful our um Athletics started a week before school um The Fall season kicked off um on Monday the 19th um and we currently are running um boy soccer Middle School JB and varsity girls soccer Middle School JB and varsity field hockey JV and varsity golf middle school in Varsity and cross country so we really look forward um it's I I love um fall Sports it's always very fun I think the bulk of the report though that you'll notice is the school committee um was asking about enrollment and you know where the enr moment stood and also when people were leaving why were they leaving and so um as an admin team and I think Renee very much for um doing the work for reaching out to many of the students so um there is a first graphic that identifies the enrollment now we've had students coming in enrolling up and through yesterday so the numbers you have that were download in a PDF might not be um the current actual numbers so in sixth grade we have currently enrolled now it's at 77 seventh grade we have 91 students e8th grade we have 83 nine we have 77 10th we have 10 we have 71 so we went down to 11 we have 74 and 12 we have 67 so we have a total enrollment of 540 students to Hanto and there's a summary of um an exit survey that um that we took the number of students who um exited each of the grades and kind of where they were going and then further breakdown so there was two Graphics a breakdown of generally where students were going and then a little bit more like an appendix about additional information collected through the surveys and there's a bar graph that shows that you know the bulk of our transition um was in the ninth grade and the new enrollment information um so the new students enrolling but that was as of 820 so that's um that has changed so if there's any questions on that I know you had time to digest that but if you have any questions s I'm happy to Rene and I are happy to um speak to anything on those reports for the qcc for 11 and 12 is that dual enrollment or is that okay I mean there's three there's three different programs um there's dual enrollment there's Gateway and there's Ace so often most this most of the students go through dual enrollment and it really offers an incredible opportunity for our students to get a head start also to get those General requirements taken care of at a low cost and I think that is driving a um many of the decisions that it becomes very cost effective those kids still take some classes at Tanto or everything's at qcc everything at qcc but they can well today we had a student he'll be taking um music courses here so he'll be coming here for music class so they it it depends on the student okay but you're still cting our numbers excuse me sorry through chair they're still count our numbers those students even though they're doing rowing yes that's correct because they do they will graduate with us they will graduate with the class and they still can participate in athletics and all our program and and that's important for the financial piece of that as well too right not bus good excent so for me I wanted to say thank you because this is such good information um I think the I mean it's really detailed it's really thorough um I I think it's good to is you know keep going with it so then you can start to see Trends if there are any year-over-year right um I do think it's also interesting right it's always so hard when you're looking at numbers because it depends on what graph you have or what sheets you have and who came in who didn't but the projected numbers that we had last school committee meeting to what we have ended up with are a lot lower but you don't people move they move you don't have any control over it which in this a lot of these wise there's a lot of movement with families yes which I think is interesting rather than you know I didn't have what I I needed at that school did wasn't giving me enough you know that's whatever so I think this is great information so thanks for doing it CL oh sorry go yeah go ahead Mike I agree with Julius good information in here some of the stuff least that you can probably start doing today to try to we talk about fixing things and convincing people to say see some here are leaving because there wasn't enough parent teacher communication yes uh Math and Science I know we just had a full-time math hire right yes so I assume you you have plans in place right now to start fixing this today yes what are they so with with the parent communication um so we've discussed that at the team um meetings um for that specific um you know addressing those concerns so um you know we've had meetings with the the staff that we are concerned with so that is the step and I think we have templates we've provided templates for um for staff as well we're also looking at the open house and um understanding that the conference and open house formats AR necessarily produ as productive for the middle schools we're looking at having different formats so I think something that's held us back it has been all the um a vision that all of the scho schools have to do the same thing all the time when that doesn't always meet the needs of the families at each developmental level we see that very clearly at the Middle High School where at the middle School were mobed with students and families during open house and during conferences and essentially when you're an 11th and 12th grade the teachers the families have already met most of the teachers so there it's it it's a it's a very different look so looking at those models and making sure that those times are well spent and it's more based in engagement and communication so with the f math teacher you announced Monday the full-time athletic director position I know you mentioned the sports that are going on now but I was going to wait for a couple months maybe to ask you this question but what's going to change in the athletic program now that there's a full-time athletic director that we can look forward to so one there's um a couple that actually just had this conversation with um Matt today about some of the goals that I would like because just as Educators have goals administrators have goals as well and so one of the areas so coach evaluations are important are important to me and we we need to put a system in place for evaluating coaches um I want the athletic handbook revised that hasn't been revised in a very long time and that needs to be revised um and I also want to look at um team building and an engagement through the teams and we had um Kyle cares which is a program that really highlights leadership roles with within teams so that our student athletes become community leaders so I'm really kind of looking at those three things right now cool it's great yeah thank you there's so much El there we can talk about that right for some of our athletes right you you talk about sorry for the chair talk about learning right not community service but Service Learning right and that they decide what they want to do as a team or a group of athletes um what they how they want to get back to the community so that's certainly something our athletic director that would be great thanks thanks L thank you it's great uh Janelle sure um so my brief report reflected some of the highlights from the pupil personnel office um over the summer which included welcoming um some new staff um and really celebrating the addition of a second occupational therapist at the district which we're very grateful um that the budget's allowed us to do that and a community support to do that that was um so much needed so thank you um also our extended school year I note that for the first time we actually held our extended school year program here at Tanto um in all recent history it is alternated between the elementary schools and just based on planned work in the elementary schools we held it here at Danto um we have debriefed on the feedback from that what worked well and what didn't and we'll be talking about that again in the winter to decide where those services will be held in the summer of 2025 submitted our grants um as you know as expected those have been submitted the Ida grants um which are referred to as the 240 and the 262 grants came out to a total of 320,000 $935 those are submitted um and then our big Focus for the year ahead is certainly the new IEP form which I've talked about here before I keep bringing it up because it is such a big deal for all of the families um with children in the special education program as well as the staff that provide services to special education students um and then in October um the admin team will be reporting out on preschool program review that we received very late in the spring I'm going the process of analyzing that now and developing our recommendations and sharing them with you in October it's great so I'll we'll touch base and then we can get that on the agenda because I know a lot of people there's a there was a lot of um questions around add a full day preschool and yes sure been anticipating to see how the results and certainly connects to the budget right so we want to we get it in there um before that budget cycle so if it doesn't work for October of course you'll let us know where it fits um but we do want to be mindful of the budget CC as well yes great thank you thanks did did anyone have any questions for J oh thank you all right awesome thanks uh Sally sure so um to piggy back off of what Janelle was talking about with grants I recently submitted my application for the Essa grants which stands for every student succeeds acts this involves Title One um which um funds our Title One programming uh we also have a title 2A Grant which we use for professional development for our staff and we also have a title for Grant which we use funds for um we've been using it for our portrait of graduate initiative and we like to extend that to strategic planning this year um I do have allocations but since it hasn't been approved yet I just didn't publish it yet but I'm certainly um happy to do that in the next report uh we also had our new staff orientation last Friday and that was took place at Tanto Regional um from 8 to two for new teachers and Par professionals and during that time the administrative team met with everyone and we talked about different protocols and um we took them on tours of all three schools we had a nice lunch and um the teachers were able to meet up with their mentors that they've been assigned and spend some time together in the afternoon um so um Gail ker is the mentor coordinator that works for me with me for that and she did a really great job helping to organize that um our administrative team some of us uh took part in a Leadership Institute that took place um held by desie it was a free Institute that um provided a wealth of information that was really helpful um lots of different tools to help with um the curriculum process and I plan to share those with um Department chairs throughout the year and um finally the wellness policy which I know we're going to talk about later um once it is approved our committee has plans to take uh a presentation that we're preparing um kind of on the road to different groups like The boosters and the PTO and faculty meetings um also with um School councils the it's it's meant to be a kind of a proactive um presentation to help provide Alternatives um to how things have been done in the past that would still be helpful and successful but that don't um go against the the current policy which you know we wrote according to federal and state regulations so um and um also just about the importance of why that you know that policy needs to exist and so we can talk about that more when we uh go to the vote later if you have any questions on that also um there was an inquiry in the spring about where we were with our district Improvement plan so um at our administrative retreat in July uh we sat together as a team and we went through it part by part and colorcoded it for you all and it was submitted so you can see um the color cing reflects whether something was completed whether it was something that we uh changed Direction on whether it was in progress uh whether it did not happen or whether um is some things that are not clor coded are happening this year and this is the uh last year that we're going into with that District Improvement plan so um you know Al's brand new but we'll be sharing that with him and going having discussions about that very soon good that was a beautiful document thank you oh thank you yes really helpful and I I think we should share it with the towns as well because I think there was assumptions that we were just not planning so it' be great to show them the progress on yeah put on that District website well to we can talk about that it okay this is this is the third year of a three-year plan um so hard um maybe you know at some point closer to budget probably blast that out in an email um for people that are interested with some information could be sometime this to right for the budget probably I think that's where it's most applicable right so people understand when we're like oh we need a teacher it's not just like yeah we feel like adding a teacher it's this is part of the plan this is part of the growth we're on track this is what we need okay great um Paul oh so I know there were some questions about the wellness policy but let's let Paul do his report I think we have Eric and Julia going to present on the half days and then we will uh go we'll do the other votes and then we'll do this question all right go ahead Paul um good evening apologize first for being a little late I had Co and then actually took a couple of days off so um sorry for it being a touch late um we had the report um first was again just updates on end of year from last year um just to you know up that we you know met all deadlines for all recording Sims eims sscs ssdr um Sumer projects included um getting 250 Chromebooks ready as well as iPads um if you get a chance at some point in Tanto to stop in and see the new tech music Tech Lab um uh Mr GL would be glad to like show it off I'm sure um we were also able to U do installs in 16 rooms across the three schools with projectors and the camera update at Tanto is again 95% complete they're waiting on a couple parts to get two last cameras on board um one other item that came in today um the uh Walky talkies are in progress but um they were able to deliver kind of like our our basic need we needed to add some more at each of the schools um that happened today um and again I'm not a big radio person but for folks that may or may not know like um getting radios nowadays is a 8 to 12 week um ordeal and and so we were lucky enough to to get stuff for it so that would have in place for our first day of school um and I I got to thank Peter goby from Electronics um I think he maybe borrowed some from a few places that he maybe shouldn't have borrowed conf from so that we made sure we got him but um we we appreciate that it made life easier for the for the principals to get school start tomorrow Paul can I just ask a question so uh uh uh the radios all connected through buildings are just individuals buildings of well currently just building to building we're working on um there is infrastructure to be able to go beyond so that'll be kind of like phase two okay um but yeah okay excellent thanks great thank you does anyone have questions for Paul okay all right Julie are you and Eric ready to so we have a presentation from um the parks and wreck crew uh Eric is from Boon and Julie is on the parks and wck crew in Berlin um and so this presentation is going to kind of outline uh what they have been working on the summer uh for child care on the half days I think we've have what nine seven seven half days this school year um professional development it's the professional development half days is correct so if it's a holiday half day like the half day before Christmas you guys aren half day that they have conferences because the building won't be available all right so um I don't know how you guys Eric do you want Eric has a dance do your intro dance oh my God that would be fantastic I know where should we go come on join us yeah the table we're not unless you're gonna take the G we want to make sure we get your possession right y feel so important all right okay um so I'm gonna obviously speak on behalf of the rec committee and Eric is speak thank you this is not a school committee speaking School committe member speaking right now okay we'll Reserve questions to the end that's what you're asking yeah hopefully I can stick to that um we will thank you okay so I wanted to just clarify and and Al I know this is probably VI to you this is probably a good little brief introduction to this sure so we the school committee Ved to change the calendar um last year's calendar to this 202 24 25 calendar and what that meant was um Carol had brought to us and I'm sure after me the administrative team too that um they wanted to do more half days so the teams could collaborate the teachers could collaborate and have more time to work together um more consistent sure rather than what we what we had had in the past further to that is Carol also provided us with research and data that show The Districts that are doing this half days once a month so their staff can meet and become stronger together so ultimately our kids are achieving here um or higher performing districts um and there was lots of data that supported that that she hadr us um and then schools that aren't doing this aren't necessarily as high achieving um so there was conversation what do we do now with this is this is quite an Ask of parents right to do half ch um so we had said I actually probably said it before weing to Boon um the recreation departments can partner with the schools separate this is not I do want I do want to emphasize this this is not a school's sponsored thing this is completely run by the rec departments out of be and Bo I mean in Bur Memorial School because those are Town facilities we do have shared use agreements with um the towns when school's not in session we actually have a signed lease agreement in Berlin Boon's getting to that point um that the towns will use leave these buildings because they're 10s um we had met throughout the summer um Eric and myself and Cindy and John and some other and Pam also works for Bo and how how do we do this school ends at teachers have to go and train and now we have all these children that need places to be maybe um we would still do regular dismissal through the schools and then the rep programs would come in with our staff and run some really cool enich programs um for a period of 11:45 until 3:05 which is the end of day dismissal time in which time Point kids can either be dismissed to their parents like they would in the normal school day or they're going to pick up the after school program that the elementary schools run on a regular day um run by our teachers the no the after school programs are run by know teachers and peers employes School staff School sponsored School staff that's a school sponsored yeah so they be the professional wining of that 11:45 time block right all the school staff are doing their school training and the rep programs are coming in managing um okay just to catch you so I did compare the calendar from last year to this year because when this was proposed it was not received well naturally from parents right a percentage of parents the calendar the calendar not the program the calendar because look you know now we have we need child care for this time um the recro was really didn't have a program in place yet detailed program so I compare the calendars from last year this year I just want people to understand what the difference really is okay so last year we had four full PD days this year there'll be three right full so we're losing one full PD day which is being split to the two half days yeah right so you would have parents would have to do child care for those four full PD days right so so you got to understand that point to start I do last year we had three half days for PD days this year well it looks like we have seven we are losing one full day which is actually the two y so really which one day correctd correct we're not adding it looks on paper l oh my gosh if you look at all those yellows that's a lot going on there and it does it is aligning at first side you take a deep breath you compare the calendars we see that it's a full day was shifted into two half days and we added two more to benefit the staff right so that they can better prepare our kids it makes sense okay but that's where we came in now so we did you guys all have your drive I um is we made this plan all right um I don't know if yeah you guys so basically what it what it outlines is the time we would start the dates that are it's offered so this we'll clean this up we we're gonna we are going to once this gets support from the committee we are going to put this on our websites we're going to post it to social media we can put it in the um um principal newsletters we can get this we'll use um Tahanto too because we're going to need um staff to work this um we're going to get this information out to as many people certainly as possible yes okay so what this what this will look like is on those half days School runs and then at dismissal time the elementary schools will do their regular dismissal almost like we're running just like an after school program however we'll work with the elementary schools however they want to dismiss those children to the rec programs that will be up to them because that's a bigger moving part that they should manage in their building um I would say we'll probably go last because you'll probably get up the dismissals through and then what we did was we created this little descript of kind of what the day looks like so it's a 3 hour and 15 minute block and what we would do is for the first hour and I didn't what going on in 10 minutes we'll do lunch with the kids and then we'll do recess because remember these kids haven't done recess because they've been in school all day so we'll feed them their lunch we'll do the recess and then we'll start their programming the programming will be all sorts of things which is what we do recreationally anyways we'll do stem programming we'll do movement programing I think we have sensory we have puzzles games art books all kind of theme based for the month so like for October it would be like pumpkins and ghosts because they are Elementary right um things of that nature we would move the kids because we could we don't know how many children we're going to have in this program um we did kind of have the convers we did have the conversation with Cindy um this was when John W able to make this meeting but how many kids are in the current after school program at bees is sort of like an idea and they're roughly 75 children so if we had we Mark that up by even up to 150 or 100 say in that range we do have to have staff to student ratio we're going to follow the ACA standards which are the American Camp Association standards um which it it varies by age so it's like 1 to five if they're five and six year olds or it's 1 to 10 if they're older than that um so we'll have all that once we get the kids ages we'll be able to manage all the Staffing um what else oh we discussed how we manage the cost right because this is not school this is essentially um we have to pay these counselors that work because they are working so they should be paid um although it's nice to have volunteers do things it's also nice for high school kids to make some money for the work they're doing um so we we spoke about definitely paying every counselor that works whether they're high school kids or if it's a mom or a dad or grandmother as long as their four sty check they will make minimum wage and they will be employees in the town so that onboarding process will be done on our end not the schools so they'll get hired through the town all that paperwork um the Cory stories will be done through the town too um so we toyed around with okay what do our numbers look like what do the ratios look like could how could we pay everybody bu the supplies you know the paint markers the paper all the stuff um and and do this at a cost so we thought would $15 work and then we mapped it out with this many kids but the ratio of this are we breaking even we don't we certainly don't want to be paying R programs to run this program right we want to do this for the schools so we put on this $25 I think is that right yeah yeah I think it's important to knowe too that um our recck departments in town all you know you pay taxes direct we don't we don't have like a budget neither town has a big budget for program literally hundreds of dollars so we can't support a program like this without charging some kind of money to pay the coun and materials and what y so how do we get this information out um we both have websites um Eric has and Berlin will have it pretty soon within the next month probably we have a software that's really really great really user friendly you sign up online you're paying online we do it in link when they do the enrichment program same idea I don't know if you do something similar with after school okay not yet but it'll be familiar and it's great because then he uses it in his town we use it in our town northb uses it you know everyone's using it's user friendly locally so which is really nice um wait is it sorry interrupt is it the software that you use like if you're signing up for a w program my my myre yeah oh yeah everyone in BO yeah yeah like if you sign up for like the camps you guys yeah yeah yeah yeah easy all right great and the nice thing about that is you're not in Berlin right now because we're we're little old fashioned still um but we're getting there um we're still dealing with checks and collecting payments and doing Google forms where this program is just it's all done oh yeah yeah and then you can put a credit card in and yeah um so we do have seven of these half days for the year the idea is um we do not want to have people signing up for all seven at once because anything can happen right and we don't want to be issuing refunds actually we're not issuing refunds there's no refunds if you sign up just consider I don't know we can't do refunds the town's not going to want to be refunding people oh right that'll be a logistical nightmare so we said how do we do this so people we don't put people in this situation what we'll do is we'll let people sign up for two months at a time so the month before we'll open it up we'll do a pre-release it's coming kind like sept days till Christmas and then s that out let families know we're going live on this date they do this in other towns that are very busy you release it people sign up and that's and that's how we do it can it not be at 9:00 a.m.

to 2 PM it's a Vibrant Community event that our district will be very active and participating with um and then let's see I believe that is no that's not it I'm sorry I have one last point tonight um the Grant application deadline for the Creative Impact grants is this Friday August 30th for our staff that's all great uh parks and W Miss Pucket yes well what I was going to report on de la Lawrence um so yes that thank you for that um and then we had this past Saturday Community safety day which I saw pictures it was a success I was um dropping off the boy to school so I was unable to attend but it looked like was very successful that is all that I have to report for now thank you very much it's done policy thank you to Dr harshberger for continuing to support in this work as he shared earlier today we are still waiting for volume 36 number two which contains updated policy for the new state laws impacting K through2 education according to niola the legal team is nearly finished with review process and should release the update any day now uh the the policy committee continues to update and audit administrative guidelines um the audit and updating process is nearly complete lastly uh Dr harburger is working with student services to fully Implement policy 5512 as related to tacco use prevention and smoking cessation programs thank you Dr Harford thank you very much always look forward to policy um so we'll move on to our action items board um and the first is the approval of the elementary oven bids Mr Smith Madame President Dr Smith members of the board I would like to recognize our director of food nutrition uh Rolanda Brown who has uh done all the work behind this so again uh thanking her for her efforts our recommendation is to approve lanaster shirt equipment for oven purchases as presented so move second properly moved and seconded if there's no questions all those in favor I oppos we have our new ovens we will now move on to the approval of the CMC for cresty Forest gland and Mary Castle projects Mr Smith Madam president Dr Smith members of board we'd also like to put faces and names together and that tonight we do have G fin Baron who's with Corin Garcia um he'll be working would be working if approved on the forest Glenn project mman powers and Dustin thomman here with powers and Suns with the Mary Castle Project and Gary Davis with Davis and Associate working on the crest viw project and it is our recommendation to approve core Garcia for Force Glenn Davis and Associates for cres view powers and Sons for Mary Castle as presented move that was a great interview thank you all second properly moved in second and if there's no further questions all those in favor of approving the CMC contracts I I any opposed we have approved thank you very much for all the work you have done previously and continue to do to make more at schools the best they can be for our students we appreciate you and thank you for being here this evening thank you um we'll move on to the approval of the energy saving contract Mr Smith mam president do excuse me Dr Smith members of the board recommendation U well let me back up a little bit again Nick Allen who is here representing Performance Services and uh we do recommend that you approve per Performance Services as our guaranteed Energy savings con contractor as present so move second properly moved and seconded um all those in favor I any post we have our Energy savings contract thank you for being here with us even Madame President I move we treat action items 4.4 through 4.10 as consent agenda we have a second second Mark's got it okay properly moved and seconded all those in favor of treating um items 4.4 through 4.10 is a consent agenda I I anybody opposed we have our consent agenda Madame President I move approval of consent agenda second properly moved and and seconded if there are no more questions all those in favor of approving the consent agenda I anyos we have our approved our consent agenda and again I will say for the public um here or listening in those items are standard business items they include the approval of our previous board minutes um and all these things that the board has ahead of time um the approval of personnel reports the approval of claims the approval of service agreements the approval of pay apps and building projects payments and the approval of field trips and the approval of donations so um pretty standard business items there okay um I would like to move straight into our board comments if we can who would like to step up and and tell us anything about the week or the week ahead I'll go I did a little math in my head so congratulations to all the reading uh challenge winners um the two of them had over 11,000 hours for this or minutes I'm sorry yeah whoa um they wouldn't sleep no um and they'd be like 45 yes that's true um I calculated with a 10 week school break that that would be around 18 and 1 half hours a week of reading and I'm like okay that's great they're not on their devices they're reading you know or whatnot but that I mean kudos to that and I just wanted to share with my fellow board members we're going to have our own reading challenges um with the budget and a lot of um you know future policy coming up so let's get at it and thank you thank you any further comments well I don't plan to spend 11,000 minutes pouring over the budget however if it so requires but I I think we can probably get through it in quicker than 11,000 minutes no I I just wanted to uh give a shout out to all of our um our fall sport athletes who um have been have been working very hard since uh the summer to prepare for this season and it is not very pleasant out there right now um and I think I it's just top of mine for me because I'm about to leave and go to the Ln women's soccer game I mean I'm just going to maybe grab another water out of the refrigerator cuz it's going to be hot it's going to be hot but thank you to all the athletes and all the coaches who go out of their way and uh to make sure that our students have those opportunities to participate in athletics and um which form the foundation for things much greater than Sports so that's all for me I would Echo that but don't forget the Fine Arts or the band or the band or the band Mar my son would kill me spent a lot of time I'm sweating out on the pavement I I I want to make sure to help out um I would just say you know I'm glad that our um kiddos have had a great start to the year our staff um this has been um a relatively seamless beginning of the new year I thank all administrators staff and parents for all the support uh we give our children every day excited that we're we're nearing completion of our building phase one um it's it's it's amazing to me that we can offer our children um and our staff state-of-the-art facilities beautifully beautifully designed built and um maintained um it that that makes a difference for them and the outcomes we can expect our children have um and the game the game Friday was very exciting very exciting as was the band performance so thank you Dr Smith Madam president I just like I just like to do something a little different because there's a young man in the room that I remember in middle school and I've come full Circle when I can see a young man that I was his middle school principal is now one of our vendors Roger Smith that means I've been around for a long time but Nick uh congratulations young man he was never in my office for but during my days over 20 about 25 years ago at Eastwood Middle School this young man walked the hallway remember when he came and his sister uh so congratulations young man makes me feel real proud of what I've done for the last last 35 plus years so feels real good so good company and got a good young man so I remember as if it was yesterday in sixth grade did no maybe he was in my office in sixth grade no I'm just joking guys congratulations congratul Madam president I don't have anything we are meeting um September the 9th Madam president board as of now since that meeting that Matt wanted to pass on that is a budget meeting so by Statute we will need to meet or and so we're planning to have that board meeting on Monday September 9th okay because we have to conduct a public hearing for the budget okay right that's all I have thank you madam president Bo if there's nothing else do I have a motion to so moved a second properly moved and seconded we are adjourned Right congratulations [Music] you there's apples in the back if anyone wants take some they're organic from my house when I come and visit you yeah already I

on a Monday well that's fair I agree I agree it should agree y I agree with you that's a good point Jess it shouldn't be during working hours ask aou questions on that so far if that's okay so obviously you'll keep the principals informed of like who's attending right so that day is coming so and will there be a cut off date for that as well too so like by this day if you're not signed up like so just way that information go to the principal so they know where whose kids are going home and was getting pick up that's great thank you for that I didn't say that you want speak we have to that too we need to know how many CS so it's going to be earlier rather than later to cut off and the only thing I I would ask you to think about is we did this at ven Cynthia and I had an before school or an after school and it was hard to like come up with a fee right so you end up charging people for the hour right so if you had the first hour we came up with a figure right um because some people might only stay until 12:30 then some people stay till 1:30 some people stay till 3:00 just just something that that give hour yeah instead of just one flat feed some people might only say that out and that might throw things off for you guys it might make it even hot I'm just telling you what we've done question definitely how the cut off date was helpful to us looks great nice job on this yeah and you can have a status in the dismissal app I don't know if berin uses that same yeah so that like the parent can actually you'd have to say not only do you have to sign up here youve got to make sure you put your kid in that status so they can easily add that yeah that's what John's done in the past good yeah for you guys probably already do it forment yeah we got to do it like for likeo Club a long time we haven't had that for yeah and then also right as we have guys this is the first year doing this right and we want to support the schools with this um because that's really important we felt our our committees or our Parks and Rec Department felt that it's very important to work together and Par appear here um we don't know we don't know we don't know how many kids we're going to get that's that's the fortunate part here and do you need a certain number to make it work oh that's a good question I would say no okay I would Su what do you think a certain number to make it work a minimum well we'll definitely have enough people s Cindy sent out a survey of to all the parents interested and we already got quite a few excellent right I don't think that and if we have certainly we can also do you know we'll put it out to the workers but if we have Burling kids and we don't have enough we send some thoring folks over to work in the boil at the PS program all right yeah sure goad I'm G write okay jul I mean the document you put out there on the drive is really good I like it I appreciate it um I hear your math on the half days and the number calend phase anything it goes from three count three half days to seven half days four full days to three full days is it's still more doubling the calendar days so the only thing I would say and it's not necessarily for the rec department but for the committee if you're going to be charging for the one you mentioned serving lunch is that included in the fee or is that through the school lunch well it's free this year anyway so that would be up to the child but but is it through the school lunch program or is it your bring they would they get it yeah okay all right but there's gonna be a feat for it since we are creating this burden for parents I would ask the committee to think about including this in the budget for next year a a cost or a line item to to cover this because we are we are creating this burden for parents and it's 175 bucks if someone goes all year which to some people is nothing but to other people is everything so I'm glad you brought that up actually so um if right because you always have to if there is a hardship somewhere and it's for some family right we do have a plan for that okay um the Boon education collaborative has agreed for Boon residents that they will pay for any scholarships scholarships and we'll certainly set something up in Berlin for that same thing whether it's through link or who knows how we'll do that but in some capacity the burlin families will have that same um opportunity afforded to them um I I you know I I don't know I'm curious with how the school committee would put it in their budget because it's not a school it's not a school sanction thing uh you know just like I would just ask that we consider it is where if we're gonna if we're gonna continue to do this I was looking at the calendar too there's a uh two we period in September where you actually have back-to-back School weeks of a full school week and then you don't have another full backtack full school week until February where you have one what and then it's not until May where you have another one so every single week There's a full half or holiday school day other than two periods and there's no way like kids can't get into a routine families can't get into a routine two weeks weeks it's difficult so there's single weeks that they have a full week but there's not there's no 10 days in a row of school I get what you're saying until March probably it's hard to create a routine especially for younger kids and I don't know the kids maybe I'll find that out in a few years but I don't know I would I would defer building principles for that I feel like I'm just asking the committee you know if we're gonna create this burden that's fine but can we consider maybe covering the cost something if we can't we can't but let's just bring it up uh John did you want to say just real quick as you're thinking about that if you use School District point where you make it a school sponsor event and then you're going to run into special education costs and some other complications which just when you get that discussion actually that's a good question so learning some information through the par negotiations what if a student that needs to attend this does need some sort of oneon-one attention that they would normally have during the school day it's not a school sponsor yeah how that they're out of luck um so have one volunteering Wilson that's already volunteer yet so yeah which is great I a concern would be because we do have some students right who may be there during the school day and then accessing the after school program and we can't allow their disability to become a barrier to participate um in this program I know but that's I know it's so tricky and we certainly do not want to exclude anybody however um that's a school after school activities affiliated with the school so there's different parameters with that right as you know yeah and because also we don't we would not have any knowledge of anybody's plan because that's a privacy issue we would never have information sure right I I think that this I interpret it a little bit differently and I think that you know what qualifies as a school sponsored of event um or School sponsored activity there's a little bit of kind it's kind of a great area and I feel like there's some features here that fall into what would be a school sponsored activity and some that fall out and just I know know that none of us want to exclude any of our students from being able to participate that I know that that's not the interest of the room so I think you know we could probably just look at the list of students that are are signing up and internally make arrangements um you know for those students um and I think we could probably be creative to make sure that everybody can participate and that that doesn't become a barrier because we we do indeed have some students that if we weren't able to provide them with appropriate support it would be a barrier to them attending and participating sure all right perfect through men so I I completely agree with you I I know we keep saying well it's not a school spons event but look who's discussing it right here is that whole school commity making decisions on this right so as much as we want to say it's not a school sponsor event it really is because we're having these conversations in school committee um so I think we really need to be looking at at those those students that that that would need that so I think the sooner we get this information out to parents and say sign up if you want the quicker we can look at Staffing for that as well too because I really agree with you that I think this is underneath the perimeter is the way we're approaching this as a school sponsored event especially if like the PTO are offering scholarships and we're using school funding to pay to pay lunches right we're paying lunches I know feed them school lunches right we're going to have the the the staff of the school lunches prepare those meals as well too so it really is hard to we have that anyways with the every child that happens on half days anyway does everyone get a lunch on half day okay yes if they want if they want some people but I but I agree and I think you're right nobody in this room no no of course not but let's have a plan it see the list and then make arrang for that right it's great idea that we yeah just sorry get so I was curious if any thoughts on like a counselor and training kind of sign up um like some of the sixth graders would probably be very helpful with the younger kids but not yet 14 um so I just want to put that out there they volunteer because they could yeah willing you know I'd be will and give them something to do as well actually um maybe I don't know I don't know um and then sibling discount so like the after school program if you have this many kids for which I know it's hard to support Staffing but i y that's fair we talked about that I can't be hard to you still need I wrot down all good so discount Y and then just kind of to go along with Mike said for next year um all but one is a Wednesday and so it might be nice to think about a little bit of variety um you know I 11:45 dismissal would mean I would have to take an entire day off um and I think that might be true for other individuals to get home to get a kid off the bus so um that's just future discussion next yeah I think next year we need to we need to see what happens this year with this program and PD and I think we had requested if we did this for the calendar we had requested Carol of Carol we had said you know we want you to show us how this is actually I agree with Julie the time the actual time spent on PD you're getting eight extra hours on PD is there actually an an added benefit of this um so you know just trying to figure out what the best you know and maybe even looking at what other districts do um I know a lot of places kind of Outsource their child care and stuff like that all right so moving right along did anyone have any more questions on that we do not have to vote on that that's not something the school committee would vote on because it's a wreck program that the school's G to be offering so did anyone have any other questions before we move on to the votes could I just say one thing oh yeah I just want to thank you for the effort the amount of planning these are this is great this is really wonderful like I know we're talking about the nitty-gritty so it sounds like it's negative but this is really a wonderful thing and it's community building and I just think it's so thank you thank yeah the time you guys seriously volunteers again so thank you both you thanks guys thank you guys so much all right gonna take some votes it's the first tomorrow's the first day of school we all want get home get to bed at 8 o' right yeah absolutely all right so we have an a request to move the Tanto graduation back one weekend from what is it it's usually the second weekend in June no it's it's always the first weekend in June did we have it wrong on the calendar yeah okay it was just so it should be June 1st and not June all right so this is just to amend the calendar all right so this is just an error on the calendar um so I please have a motion to change the date of the Tanto Regional Middle High School graduation ation from June 8 June 8th to Sunday June 1st Julie and Mike all right any discussion on that all in favor I I I'm an i as well that motion passes okay I'm GNA skip the wallness policy because I know we have some discussion on that um so Nature's Classroom fundraising for both bees and BMS so this is just uh they want to get started early that's great so this is just to approve allowing Cindy and John um and whoever the groups are from their schools to get started on their fundraising now so I could I please have a motion to approve fundraising for Nature's Classroom at both Boon Elementary School and Berlin Memorial School mov second Jess any discussion on that all in favor I I'm an i as well that motion passes um okay so we have the Tanto Regional Middle High School handbook out there um did anyone have any questions that was a first read way back in May or June Lisa May uh volunteered her time to work with Mrs saera um on the formatting and cleaning it all up and thank you for your time on that huge it was such an amazing help I so appreciate it really was great it was wonderful thank you it was a pleasure working with Lisa as well I'm happy to do the other ones that we talked about too okay awesome yeah Lisa is great with the grammar and the format yeah seriously it's an actual document not skinned images was fantastic looking through it it look good what was that I said it was an actual document not scanned images so it was nice and easy to go through great yeah nicely done very nice thanks both did anyone have any questions on the um content of the handbook I did all right go ahead Mike we talked about this last time um but we're still allowing students to f fail classes yet continue to participate in extracurriculars I see that still in there I don't necessarily agree with that I also noticed the section about the senior privileges it specifically says in order to use your senior privileges you cannot have any failing grades so why seniors can't have failing grades but athletes can I think as a school we should be promoting not celebrating failure but promoting you know if a kid's gonna fail do the work to help them get the passing grade before participating in extracurriculars I just I don't agree with that personally um so that our that that part of the handbook is consistent with Mia policy so we're just consistent with um Massachusetts so that's like the minimum right we're you know we talk Monday we're good but we want to be better right I just I can't imagine a student failing a class and instead of going to a teacher for extra help hey you better get on the field and practice it just seems counter to what we're trying to do so and I think that um it think it's a good point I think there are a couple things to consider and to think about that we are looking at um having you know to you know looking at those students who might struggling in athletics and having them spend time after school prior to practice um and with a full-time athletic director that can be coordinated much easier um to do that as well we don't have um many students because students who um you know fail courses often are not um participating in in you know Sports um um for the person for the student who may be failing a course maybe Athletics is really the only thing that is getting them to school and I I would say that it you know we were following the Mia rules I would hate to not allow that opportunity for a student who may have a particular um hurdle in a particular topic and you know in school they may be struggling in an area I would hate for them not to be able to participate in athletics um because of one hurdle and if that student was a senior he couldn't have their SE or she couldn't have their senior privileges but they couldn't Place boards what are the senior privileges the senior privileges to be um to sign out like if they have a study hall at the end of the day they can sign out or if they have this a study hall at the beginning of the day they can sign in late and so it depends on their schedule many of our seniors have full schedules and don't have our you know and actually don't have study halls that allow them to access that privilege because they're taking Rous course loads P course loads so if they do happen to have a study call at the beginning of the day or at the end of the day um if they're if they're passing all of their classes they can sign out but a student who's failing a class doesn't necessarily need to worry about that he can go to practice or to the game it just seems counterintuitive to what we're trying to do Lisa what do you want to say oh you know before we go into any more discussion lii pointed something out I should have made the motion first and then we should do the discussion all right so thank you L um so could I please have a motion to approve the Tahanto Regional Middle High School handbook so moved seven lri and Julie all right now the discussion go ahead Lisa I just wanted to say I think that dichotomy makes sense because physical activity is really good for your brain like it helps your brain to work better so going into practice might actually help them do better in their classes but leaving early on a school day they might just go home and you know watch TV or play on their phone or whatever but if they have to sit there in the class you know they might actually take that time to study so I think it actually makes sense yes Jess yeah so there's really good research on exercise being as effective as the medications for ADHD and so I think a lot of kids that might be struggling classwise might have that diagnosis that they're dealing with with um exercise is also a great treatment for depression and anxiety as well which could also lead to difficulty in classroom attendance or or classwork so I think it's allowing them do the sports along with extra support academically helps the student in the end so I'm just noticing the parking rules they're allowed one failing class as well so to I think what Mike's point is not that it's he's for or against it but that the protocols don't match across um because it looks like the parking you can fail up to one class as well and still retain parking it's the senior privileges um and and I agree with you because exercise I I know a lot about depression anxiety exercise does help um but it's tough It's really tough because if we're trying trying to make if the education is the most important thing and that's what we're in charge of it's something that might be worth looking at so it I I should back up it's not just sports that this covers it's just extracurricular activities usually we just think of that sports but it could be whatever extracurricular activity you have I feel like if you're failing go past the class before you start doing extra I mean can can you get up to a d i can get a d yeah so you can't down right so so chair so does this have to be approved for the first day of school well this is we never had one last for two years yeah it would be nice because I think this is a is a a valuable conversation I think there is a little like we we need to look at how that happens right um I I think and again I'm here to do the job this year right probably not here to make friends but I'd love to have this conversation with you maybe using that athletic Direct that's what we did in here waham right so that now that it's fulltime me again not here to make friends just here to do the job really well for you guys but something that our athletic director did was held sort of like a study period before they went to practice right that's we've been talking about that so that's a real was a really good thing so the kids even though they still could participate in the sport and they might have been failing there was a period of time where where they they went to have a little bit of a study there right and a little bit of time to do some work or catch up and then they went to their and this is just something we we didn't hear the Willam not sure if successful but I think it's something that we certainly could have a conversation and I'd like to have that conversation with you guys if that's if you guys are okay with so what we could do so you actually have a chance to meet with Lisa and maybe make some changes that you could suggest I mean we could actually table this to September 10th we're meeting again in two weeks sure um so if you if you come back and say good the way it is right but can at least but at least that that way you have some oversight into this because this was a conversation we had with Carol last year um and you know I don't I don't know if the conversations were had or what happened but yeah I I do think that it makes sense I see both sides of it because I see you're failing you might have some mental health issues might not just be that actually can't do the work you're having trouble maybe you don't have support at home I don't know maybe this is your outlet so I get that um but a middle ground there's a middle ground I also get yeah you have yeah teach kids to be held accountable because the real was going to chew you up and spit you out if we don't teach that in high school um so I see it but I I I'm I think yes give us your input that's have that conversation oh absolutely and I mean we are already having that conversation we are having that conversation with you know the you know some of the coaches already great so I mean it's not as though that's you know having that time supported time after school before the athletes go out so we're already in conversation with that yeah and I apologize I'm trying to catch up so I'm sorry a lot I just don't know I'm just asking questions absolutely um I'm very open to that conversation and I are we have really um wonderful coaches who are very who really talk you know are really looking at the student athlete and I've gone to them before to talk about you know student students grades and ask them and so it is a very collaborative great um situation so we I absolutely can talk more on that maybe it's something you add in the handbook you know you must have a study session if you are failing a class and you want to do Sports you must attend a study session once a week or whatever with you know or you must have after school help so yeah I'll let you guys figure that detail is everyone on the committee okay with yeah I think getting the Mia um like footnotes of their research that went into for that particular rle because clearly that was based on something so I think that would also be I think too it's based on you know you're looking at the whole state that's right right so sure of course sure our athletes are not failing I just think it's it's a further conversation and and I apologize I just I'd like to be part of that conversation with you guys what do you think wait you guys want yeah I think it's hard you know opening year after year without hand I know I know I know because people are going to want it but if we vote on it September 10th can send it out before the open what's open house is the 12th I mean it's just so much for your open house to do the next month so um I'm sorry there's because there's also so the the so we also are we have a little file going for other things because we've had this handbook um kind of hanging for two years so we have a file going that we want to also look at adjusting some other things we have some absence some you know things around attendance other policies that we want to address as well so if we're going to hold off to do this then I'm thinking okay so then we we have a we have a whole file that we can then but we've spent so much time editing it and and doing it so I've been just like okay everybody let's refile let's put all the things that we're going to edit in this file Lisa how long would it take you to add those things to this do you need months three months six months five [Music] months it's Carol was going to ask that a subcommittee um take a look at two of the attendance policies that just the language doesn't match of the policies of those policies right so that almost that kind of subcommittee would need to happen first on attendance the policy subcommittee would have to take those policies to then make those policies match or delete one of those right to then transfer into this handbook is this something we could approve for the fall semester and then you work on that and then we come back that's what I would yeah or just approve it for this year and then it's something for yeah or you mean false I approve for the false will give is that something that would work and um if we could could also ask the school committee sub the policy subcommittee to look at the the your two attendance policies because the they're two different policies and they don't match so once they match then we can then also look at our things that we want to do and add changes to that you said that to us Tom we'll start we we can send those policies yeah send the attendance policies to Mike marari all right so the motion on the table is to approve the Tonto Regional Middle High School handbook it was seconded we've discussed it we need an amendment to this motion one more thing to mention so in the one on the drive it's Nancy kiski's name is highlighted as the finance director so that change would have to be made to the one that everybody that's perfect I just wanted to say that yeah that's perfect because by the false after the false semester so like well we can vote on we'll put this on the agenda Lisa Renee for Janu uh for December yeah sure all right can we make it can we amend the motion to say it will have the name are we voting on someone next no no we're not going to vote on him because he's just a part-time he's not gonna actually be come in consult capacity so that is not gonna have anything to do with school committee so yeah we're not GNA have a name probably for like a couple weeks let's just say a month right so I think that's good let's roll with it now you could just leave it blank right well and the the one see I don't have access access to your the drive so did you update interim superintendent no so I have to do that can I make a motion yes yeah so the motion been seconded so you got to amend my I would like to make a motion to amend the motion to edit the document to remove ny's name remove Carol's name add Al's name add TBD for finance director and to amend the vote to uh for this to be in place through the spring semester only fall fall semester only thank you is that good yeah all right so there's an amendment on the table all right Julie second in all right any any discussion on the amendment all right all in favor I I I I'm an i as well all right so that Amendment passes so then the original motion is going to be approved the handbook with what we just approved as amended as amended so I don't have to remotion that right all right so we're going to take a votee on that unless there's discussion okay all in favor all right I'm and I as well so are you guys clear what you got to do you're just gonna change Nancy's take Nancy out put dbd put Al's name in as intrum and this is good for we'll vote on it in December awesome great all right um so thanks Lai for bringing that up I wanted to say so Dan be we talked about we have uh the Man Dan Dei who has a lot of experience as an interim Finance director he's only able to give us a limited amount of time because he does not he's retired and he does not have a waiver so he is going to come in and give us some hours to help us as TMS transitions out their contract is up at the end of the month he's gonna kind of get us over that hump um we do have an applicant I think who uh hopefully will be able to interview where hoping to reconvene the um committee we had in place um in in the summer at because we did have applicants we did interview we just didn't find the right fit for this role we're really looking for the perfect fit so um I think we'll well we don't need to vote on Dan um he's just somebody that the superintendent is gonna hire as um a consultant or uh he's not really going to be the finance director he's just going to be kind of y a consultant to help us and he's he's a retired Director of Finance for many many years uh and worked in Regional School District so he'll be able to help us in that in that Gap um time as well and like like Megan said that we're hoping to do interviews next week I'm already talking with John so there is a sitting Director of Finance that's applied right now um that has comes with a wealth of experience as well too so we'd like to get him on board but again he's going to have to be give some time to the his job he's at now so my goal is with Megan and I talking is that this d d will be able to give us that Gap until the new person's on yeah we can pay him hourly and we'll figure Al can figure that out and get him on you know whatever but that'll be something that Al takes care but higher we don't school committee doesn't need to approve that um all right so last but not least we have this wellness policy all right so I please have a motion to approve the Berlin Boon School wellness policy so move Lori second Lisa all right discussion on this wellness policy Megan do you mind if um Beth repeats her public comment because I think I agreed with her but IET yeah do you have it written down like um just give us give us yeah of it is thanks at T they have the snack bar some of the kids use it to like supplement their lunch a lot of the kids actually use it to prepurchase their after school snack sport if you put these parameters on these pretty tight parameters that I had trouble trying to figure out what fit in what and calories were like 200 there's a lot of healthy things with these kids could and should be eating before they play a sport after school that would make more sense instead they're going to buy three bags of some 100 calorie whatever that fits the parameters yeah I just think we should rethink whether and I was before I even heard about this I was hoping in the future we could start selling some kind of like an after school snack box or something for these athletes I volunteered in the cafeteria two years ago when there were short to run the C for one and I cannot believe how many of these kids bought double meals with these boys these 18yearold men this is not enough and so there are something going to the snack bar buying something to eat after school still probably not great bring something from home it's the same group of kids that you watch walk in without Co like you're not g to do it so it'd be nice to offer them something and these calorie restrictions are going to really limit their options and you can only buy if you have money on your account and your parent puts money on your account your parent can see what you're buying so if you don't want your kid participating you don't put in I think those are really great points and the problem is is that it's Federal Regulations so we don't have a choice for that at all unfortunately and the Government tried to make it better you know by having these requirements will help but of course there's always to be know some kind of you at the and there's always a way to work it get and then you have mozzarella six in Marin aof is lunch but these kids can't buy a cliff bar to take out I don't I I do agree yeah I think we I totally agree we had talked about this um in the spring spring and we said how crazy it was too like you can't even do fundraisers for this stuff and yeah we're like oh it's a healthy snack like is a Pop-Tart a healthy snack right like to your point is like those 100 calorie snack packs like that are loaded with chemicals you know what I mean are those because they only 100 calories but they're like loaded with you know yeah we poptarts yeah instead of like a cliff bar or like my kids eat z bar so I totally agree with you that have like probably more calories because they have like Whole Foods in them um I so what happens if it doesn't get approved I think we we were supposed to approve this Sally jump in here weren't we supposed to approve this like that last summer or last uh spring so we brought it in for a first read in the spring and there was a couple of questions that good questions people had some wanted some clarification on so we took it back to our committee in June and Lisa and I have worked on it a little bit over the summer one of the questions had to do with um are we allowed to to put out fundraising posters around school if the items don't fit the smart snack sure enough we consulted with the wellness coaches that we collaborated with which we work that are from Desi yeah and helped us write this whole policy using a special assessment tool to make sure we were um including all the federal and um state regulations so that's why those items are all in there um it is true that we cannot it's kind of funny rules but and and again this is federal and state but um you can put if you're going to do a fundraiser that involves food because they don't have to involve food right um and that's something we're going to talk about in our presentations when we go around then if you're going to advertise something that does not contain smart snack smart snack items you can't do that until 30 minutes after the school day is ended you can put up signs then they would have to be removed before the next day now Rob kilan who's our director of Food Services has agreed that he'd be happy to talk to any fundraising groups about what those smart snacks are or how to how to work within the parameters so that you could still use some foods for fund res um but everything that we do have in there are are like I said they are things that we are expected to have so um so we did clarify that with some of our language in there just to make it a little bit more clear I'm curious Sor if the food containing magazines don't come out of the book bags until home and aren't mentioned in those fundraises like I'm just thinking like the PT one that was done this last year like you know the cookie dough and all that like if that doesn't appear to the child until it gets home would that no school property can't be on school property until after 30 minutes after school day and the school's Distributing and they're just trying to get the schools to stop promoting really unhealthy to I that's F this just feels like honestly to me and this is like what I do but this is I mean it's not actually this is like the food pyramid from however long just in a different format like flavored milk is okay low fat what why is flavored loaf have milk smart snack when it's not but anyways so what happens if it doesn't get approved basically then like the policy that we have right now is add of compliance yeah we're opening ourselves up to and maybe Los funding because we get money everybody right now we need this policy to have the free I mean that's the thing about is that true yeah I read that on the thing and we understand you we as a committee agree that some of this feels very strict you know um and this is you know but this is why we want to take this presentation we're working on and and I would have shared it with you now but we would like to meet with the committee one more time in the fall to get their feedback and input before we finalize it I'm certainly happy to share it with you later um but we got a lot of ideas from this conference that we went to where we were recognized as Wellness Champions and I brought our Banner in it's over there if youd like to see it the table over there oh yeah but uh they gave us a lot of great ideas for how we can work with people because they said you know people are going to be concerned they're going to be like how do we work around this it's and and we understand that and and and and again certainly it's not even um and I don't mean this to make that to make light up the policy but it's we put it out there so that we can promote healthy well-being for our students and not to be punitive necessarily if people are not following it it's it's a matter of educating them it's not a punitive thing you know but it but it needs to exist a tool for Education right and inspiration actually of families for everybody to just understand what's happening with the kids and their health and how we can do better yeah yeah I agree with all that I just when you put a policy in place with you know your snack has to to be A4 cup of whole grains with you know 30% good fats I mean how is that even measurable in the district how my my thing would be here we have this policy and now what happens when we're not following the policy well that's what I that's what we were talking about then you know that's a matter of us educating um those people that are not so that we can you know get things to be followed I mean this is a m will show up I mean you know spring we were walking through BMS and there was a popcorn party because they did something it was like they could read while eating popcorn and you know like human beings are social creatures and it usually gathers around food so I just I understand that very popcorn you can have popcorn but you can only have two cups I'm just no it's not about the popcorn it's about using food as a reward oh you aren and you're not able to bring in um outside all that stuff you're not so the BMS thing that Jess is talking about was what a readathon I think and the group that read the most got a little popcorn party so you wouldn't be able to do that anymore what about your ice cream social you had yeah School run by and it was outside of the building not was inside the and like some things in here too morning bus routes will be scheduled to allow students to arrive at School in time to eat breakfast I mean what NT say with that I just think there's so many well they have that anyway they can they can get no matter what when they get no I get that but this is talking about morning bus routs will be scheduled to allow students to allow this full in time right well the schedule that we set right which we have in place so just to just to reiterate because I remember this from the spring because I remember we were all in yes yeah basically you took the laws that were handed to you from Massachusetts and the federal government and you put them into an easily readable document it's not anything that you two generated and said hey we want said this is what we are required to do by law yes thank you that I just want to make sure like I totally get with everybody's horror but as we go through this on the policy committee all the time we have to go through laws and that's where unfortunately this is where we're at and it does feel a lot like and also tutoring clubs organizational meetings not during the Lunch Period isn't that when clubs take place they can eat they can eat minutes yeah just making sure they're not missing time eting um I'm curious like so on page four in the fourth paragraph it's talking about smart snacks and being quote sold to students find it sorry sorry PDF I know I okay sweet so if you go in the other file it has oh it says when you scroll it says the bottom page 4 14 I do like the kids recess can't be taken for Behavior that's awesome so this doesn't apply to anything after school so this won't apply to sports clubs so the physical activity is a punishment you can't make a kid run extra laps for dropping the ball right okay so so you can still well you still can do that actually no foods and bages served are sold to students in before after care whether run by the school or an outside party will meet a list standards so after school they bring snacks you're not going to be they have to be all on the smart snacks like I know at bees right Mrs McQueen used to go by a bunch of snacks they still have for the beginning you're sorry yeah no no no yeah so they'll have to be on in accordance with the smart smart snack guy and there's a way around that I've talked to Rob from you know the company he could provide those so that they do fit into that so that's something so that's perfect that's great that might actually alleviate some issu and then that then that eliminates the whole defens reimbursement and all that it's just coming right from the district yeah I mean I get it trust me but uh at this point in time L your point if this is the law we need to be in compliance because we need to you know our job as school committee members too we got to make sure so is there for this law is there a deadline because I remember the last time there was Federal Regulations around school lunch there was a lot of noise about it and I haven't heard anything is there a deadline to implement this uh I mean you know when we no you want to have it in as soon as I understand if it's federal law or state law is there I mean these are already these laws are already in place I mean it's not like the coaches said you this you know this needs to be done by a certain date but this is what we're supposed to be doing so they're in place and we haven't had this so what happens to us since we haven't been in compliance well luckily nothing has happened so far but like I don't you know we don't want to yeah we don't want to lose free lunch little late too like we've did this a couple years ago so this is not something that's just coming down this is from a couple years that this has been in place we worked on this this past year yes we were supposed to vote on this I think and then so much the budget yeah we and we did have to clarify some questions for you and then summer happen so you know that's what we're coming back to it now all right Jess has a question oh go ahead sorry no it's okay okay so uh it SM sex Insurance apply to all food and beverages sold to students through District sponsored fundraisers I was curious like does that apply to like a concert at in the evening if it's after 30 days I mean 30 minutes after the school days end and it doesn't apply fre all HP Tarts everywhere so you know like if there's a sports game here at night the snack I know it sounds ridiculous but that's the ru oh so you can still have your candy bar sales after 30 minutes basketball games we come but as long as it's like the PTO or not boosters the boosters out it can't be the school because it's the time of day matters and the purpose is to to provide kids another option besides always putting food for them because that's like you said we're rewarded by food right that's how we are as Society so to trying to say here's another option during a school day after school you know you can you know and that's why we're putting that presentation together we have a lot of good ideas for alternative ways to fundraise and like I said Rob kilum is very happy to consult with anybody who does want to involve food for any kind of fundraising so that we do it the right way um like for instance even um you know like one of the rules is about not competing with our kitchen for instance um but you know when we talked about it with Rob Rob said well you know then we can just make sure that certain fundraisers don't happen at the same time when we're offering food then it's not a competition you know so there are ways around some of these things and that's what we're going to be highlighting in our presentation that we go around too so we just have to finish that out to Lor's point if this is based on regulation uh that's the minimum standard any policy that we do that's based on that is the minimum we can always add additional protections uh allocations whatever you want to call them yeah so if we wanted to change make change I think this document even has a process for making changes changing the committee annual review yeah that's always an option there's a there's a link in this in in this document to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from the um executive office of Health and Human Services and it basically talks about the competitive food and beverages in public schools there's another website switched and it says at the bottom in most places the state regulation and the federal rule are in alignment however where there is a difference schools must follow the stricter rule yeah so and it's sort of like being your your taxes right so you you submitt your taxes and hope no one you don't get audited right but that's the same thing with this you put this policy in place if you don't put it in place and someone comes and checks on it you don't know who that is or when it's going to be but it's better to have it on record and vote that the school Comm said we approve this all right we ready I know I just want to say it's not all bad like pretty negatively but but really the whole idea is to not create like food issues for kids you know not get them addicted to the sweet food like at least not contribute to that happening I think it's exactly doing that when you're talking about 200 calories to a kid I think it's exactly doing just that going to do the opposite absolutely when you're saying your snack can only have 200 calories now we're becoming we're talking only about calories to kids rather than you know what an avocado has 360 calories believe me that's where I would go if I I don't know who wrote this I imagine they're qualified nutritionists regulations it's like it came directly from there so yeah but I would I would say with good intentions sure we're trying to bring good foods and all of that but you know nutritionist told me one time with kids you're sending a message of let's eat healthy let's let's do let's make a healthy choice and while we think that we're sending a really positive message to a kid they might view that as do you think do you think I need that because I'm too big or do you think I need that because we don't know so nutritionists now are saying like with kids you're no good for telling kids you know we're just deciding what's going to be offered you know what I mean and so yeah then there's the education piece that what do you do if now the policy's not follow then we educate and I just it's it's a very slippery slope that's all I'm saying kids and food and that they're not your they're not our kids even though they are kids all in the district but you know you can have those private conversations in your own homes but when you open this up in a public school I I I think that's I I would say shame on the government to put I want to say that the education is for the administration and the staff who's making decisions about what to offer yeah but you have to also know peers they are also going to very willingly give their input to their friends about that 200 Cal pack because that's what kids do because their authorities are they are and I know it's with good intentions I just wish it was rolled out a little bit more thoughtfully and I know they have the hooks in you right because there's the free lunch there's the free lunch so you have to approve this to keep the free lunch and I I wonder can like the adjustment counselor or the therapist in the school be have their input into how it's presented actually the school the school adjustment counselor from tont was on the committee or is on the committee and certainly you know certainly I I understand your concerns and I certainly can bring that back to the committee and we can have conversations and keep our eyes out for things that change as the year goes by I mean that's why we're supposed to review it from time to time because if research is coming out maybe hopefully that will be something that changes you know I it's not that I disagree with you it's just I'm just I'm just being very and white about it as as regulation you know and I and I understand the frustration I really do I appreciate the work and I just also want say that you guys are all welcome to join the wellness Comm as much participation as we can have really and yes and this year we are gonna open it up and ask some kids to join with us and like to get it to be a bigger group um we're definitely interested in that so yeah all right let's vote right all in favor I I Mike did everyone vote you ask who is in favor oh yeah all right any opposed all right I'm an i as well so that motion passes you don't have I know I know all right um could I please have a motion to adjourn or so our next meeting September 10th two weeks from now could I please have a motion to adjourn the meeting so so I mean second all in favor I'm I as well have a wonderful first

e e e all right we're going to go ahead and get started like to welcome everybody to our regular board meeting uh August 27th 2024 I want to thank everybody that's here in person uh and the thousands and thousands of people that are joining Us online uh we'd also like to note uh that uh our board president uh Sheila U jetti is joining us uh remotely she's on the phone so she can hear what you say so watch it um we'll go ahead and start by calling this meeting to order and we will observe a mo a moment of silence after which we will be led in the Pledge of Allegiance by Lori Miss Lori Woods thank you please join me for the pledge I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all Mr Chad Thompson here Miss Lori wood here miss Ronda page is not present Miss Jill humph here michila ugti here Mr Thompson you have a quorum thank you very much uh agenda item 2.01 approval of the agenda do I have a motion I move that we approve the agenda thank you Miss woods and do we have a second second thank you Miss Humphries uh we'll Now call for a vote uh all those in favor of approving the agenda say I I I miss you jetti did you hear uh us call for the vote I my voice is kind of up apologize thank you thank you so much we'll I'll listen harder um any opposed all right and agenda is approved and moving on to uh everybody's favorite part of the evening uh agenda item number three uh superintendance recognition Awards turn the time over to Dr Shane McCord thank you Mr Thompson governing board members if you join me in front of the dice we have one recognition tonight but it's a great one [Music] good evening everyone how are you tonight great great good great great you me hear you say great fantastic can I have uh Julie Stockton Dana Leonard up here please hi guys hello brought your family well Julie stand on this side if you would so these folks along with a lot of others they are they've formed over the last nine years a walk for hearing there's a walk for hearing that occurs every year October November November right and we've had a team for nine years and the raise they raise funds to support our services for students the 2024 walk for hearing will be held Saturday November 2nd 2024 Mesa Arizona when participants sign up for the walk they can register for the Gilbert Public Schools team the cost for the walk is free GPS is an hlaa alliance and will receive 40% of the donations from or from the Gilbert Public Schools team again to support our students and I'm going to turn it over to Julie or Dana whoever would like to talk and maybe do some introductions of some people you can bring them up as well absolutely and uh I'll turn it over are you I have my little cheat sheet here so I want to recognize Dana first of course uh Dana was a proud um teacher in our deart of hearing department um but she is now a proud uh technology integration educator and so we're excited for her role there but she has been the lead of this walk and she's worked really hard to make sure that this happens and to be able to bring in all of our community because that's what we're all about um in the Stephan heart of hearing department and of course Gilbert Public Schools is all about our community relationship and that's what this why this is so important to us so Dana did you want to say anything yeah so we are just so grateful and thankful to this District because in this District it's all about community and we recognize that people from all over the district can support our students who are def heart of hearing and you can see that love from every single campus in the district that it is wide it is filled it is loving and that we are all about there about going out supporting the community so we would love for anyone to come out to the walk for hearing on November 2nd it's at Riverview Park in Mesa Arizona it is free to attend there will be lots of different kids activities out there like a bounce house there's free ice cream for each registered participant just jump online and register for the Gilbert Public Schools team and 40% of all donations for our Gilbert Public Schools team come right back here to Gilbert public schools and they go to support students who are in the deaf andhe heart of hearing department to support them in getting to build relationships and that way all of our amazing de heart of hearing teachers and team with all of our interpreters and so forth together can come together and make sure that those students know that they are loved and supported because in Gilbert Public Schools everyone is absolutely so let's just recognize a few people from the Department I'm the coordinator of Deen heart of hearing services but I'm such a small piece of these amaz this amazing amazing Department such a wealth of knowledge um let's start with our um Ellen bar our equipment specialist why don't you come up so we can take a picture at the end right yep okay then we have our Deen heart of hearing itinerate teachers Katie venty and Jordana Smith and then we have our interpreters Missy Gregory Mary basto Deb stuss Wesley Goodman and Colleen schneef but there are we want to make sure we just give a shout out all to the employees in the district that actually participate because there's many that do it year after year and so they should be up here too but many could not uh make it of course um our department has 17 people in it we work really hard like um Dana said for the um for the children and the families with hearing loss in our district um to just really integrate um everyone together to be able to communicate um so this is the department wonderful folks I just want to yes thank you guys for I I don't even know if really sometimes the general public even know you you really exist and and I've known it for years and it is incredible the things you do for our kids and our families uh and you hit it right off the on the head it's about the relationships and forming that Community within schools because you guys truly help kids in so many different ways and making relationships on their campuses is one of the big ones and so thank you for that Welcome to our board meeting and we thank you guys for being here and if you would take a picture with our governing board shake their hand first and then we'll take pictures that'd be great [Applause] this way right here up front you guys the line get close together do the side thing you know where side to side lay down in front little fill it around you there you go great [Applause] beta thank you guys thank you that concludes our recognitions for this evening all right proceed with the rest of our meeting now uh agenda item 4.01 uh superintendence report and again we'll turn the time over to Dr Shane McCord thank you Mr Thompson governing board member uh the AAC aasc East Valley Spirit conference is what I want to talk to about Thursday morning I had the opportunity to meet and speak with student council students from across Arizona Gilbert High School hosted the Arizona Association of student council's East Valley Spirit conference this year and a thousand students from schools as far as y sholo were in attendance and several were from the valley the energy was very high and it was inspiring to see these students who are just who are not just excellent current leaders on their school campuses but also potential future leaders in their respective communities and being at that um was it it gave you a lot of energy those student council kids really know how to uh show their spirit so we're very proud of them um last Wednesday afternoon we held our very first superintendent student Senate meeting in our in our boardroom the student Senate comprises of comprehensive high schools and GCA and Canyon Valley students uh we meet monthly and our goal is to help hone their leadership skills and gain insight into topics from students perspectives this is my favorite group of students I get to meet with because they are honest sincere and kind Marcy Taylor and Doug Daly do most of the heavy lifting for this meeting and they do a tremendous job with the entire structure of what we're trying to accomplish and that's helping them become Future Leaders as well so thank you guys to all them and thank you to our student Senate uh Representatives you guys are phenomenal um we're very excited to host another school connect Cafe in September Gilbert High School Greenfield Jr and the respective feeder elementary schools will be hosting our third Regional event in GPS at Gilbert High School a cafe is a Roundtable conversation between School principal and local leaders in the community with the goal of becoming partners and working together to address the needs each school's neighborhood children and family in addition to the schools involved several departments including Community Education marketing and Communications and administrative Services administrative Services have continued to work with school connect organizations to provide this opportunity for our schools and Community we look forward to sharing the results of these efforts throughout the district so thank you to those schools and thank you to uh School connect for providing this opportunity we continue to roll these out and we'll have uh a third round of this here coming up later on in the year so Mr Thompson that concludes my report for this evening thank you Dr record we're going to move on to agenda item number five request to speak to the governing board we have a a couple of uh individuals that have requested to speak to the board tonight normally we would play the admonition over the speakers but there's been some changes to the Arizona revised statutes and so I've asked Miss Humphries to read the updated uh admission request to speak to the governing board pursuant to ARS 38-43 1.02 H the governing board may make an open call to the public during a public meeting subject to reasonable time place and manner restrictions to allow individuals to address the public body on any issue within the jurisdiction of the public body after an open call to the public individual board members May respond to criticism made that by those who have address the governing board may ask staff to review a matter or may ask that a matter be put on a future agenda however members of the governing board shall not discuss or take legal action on the issues raised during an open call to the public if the matter only if the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action during an open call the governing board requests that speakers refrain from voicing complaints against School Personnel or anyone connected to the district as it may impact due process rights please please contact the office of talent management if you have specific concerns about any individual employee thank you miss humre the first request to address the governing board tonight is Richard young Mr Young you've got three minutes and there'll be a a timer on the screen up here good evening I asked myself do I want to increase my taxes and my mortgage payment by voting for The override and for bookkeeping purposes an override increase in taxes is really no different from uh paying rent it's do I want to pay more rent to Gilbert schools for the privilege of living in my home to answer that I asked myself what are you doing with the money now which is quite a lot actually and so I did an information request on social emotional learning how much is the school paying for that and my response was actually a little bit shocking uh license fee of $6 68,276 one, on this the L in there is deceptive there is no learning in social emotional learning there's no math there's no geography no Civics nothing like that it's all behavioral modification uh it's packaged to appeal to mothers to some degree and women in general uh kind of anti-bullying uh being respectful to others that's nice it's not really your Province though uh that's the province of parents of family of church synagogue that isn't your territory that belongs to them I but if you look beneath the hood on that just Google social emotional learning second step that's the version you're using uh n Dei and you find out what else they're doing and this is in their words it's a transformative experience it's committed to addressing racial Injustice it critically examines systems of power it questions long-standing beliefs what like in the country God whatever patriotism assumptions and policies is dedicated to advancing diversity equity and inclusion Dei well we see how well Dei has worked with Boeing with the Secret Service with uh Harvard Colombia many cities San Francisco we don't want it it's not a healthy thing this actually seems to me in my opinion almost seditious it's a lot of money to be sending spending for something like this if you're going to spend $68,000 a year I would rather that you give bonuses to superb teachers get books that are worth reading you don't have books very much now I asked my grandson let me see your history book he doesn't have one he's got uh I don't know handouts of some sort or other so the question is what about your actual duties of teaching this iside this is taking up valuable time of teachers that could be used for teaching things that are your primary responsibility you're wasting uh I run out time thank you Mr Young thank you I'll sign another form and come back for another three minutes uh the next request to address the governing board is by Karissa Arnold and I apologize if I pronounced that first name wrong thank you you've got three minutes Miss Arnold and there's a timer up there thanks for your time this evening in 2008 Gilbert um Schools Gilbert py was in invited by the Gilbert School Board to investigate crime within the district and at that time the investigator who came into the district was the same one who also investigated the Devil Dogs and they had stated there was approximately four to six gangs operating within the district in the last year a lot of conversation has happened surrounding teen violence and the growing problem as you know my own child was sexually assaulted by a kid who went to mosqu high school the kid who assaulted her was connected to the gilber goons two other individuals who got involed involved with our situation are also confirmed goon members one of those has been arrested on murder charges the other one has been interviewed by Gilbert PD a third individual who was not attending the school at the time has been convicted in both panal and Maricopa County on assault and drug charges all connected to the goons a fourth individual who did not participate in our situation was part of our program and he also has been convicted on assault charges fast forward to July of this year where a barn was burned in Gilbert the students were allegedly burned this Barn down had also been taunting girls within the Gilbert school's High School within the high school for Gilbert School District they have thrown fireworks and other objects at homes and objects um at actual girls and their families the Jones were not able to attend this evening and have been working diligently on their own investigation much like much like our situation things were not taken seriously within the school with all of this happening Gilbert School has remained silent and your schools have been affected by this East viol teen violence Arizona Republic came out with an article the other day pointing out the fact that Gilbert schools has remained silent Maricopa County hosted a safety event just two weeks ago addressing the teen violence and Mesa School's superintendent got up and spoke and talked about their partnership with Mesa PD so here's my challenge to you guys as a board this is not a situation that's going away it is happening all over the country you have gangs operating within your school it is well known you have teens that are being bullied you have teens that are committing suicide and looking to take their lives my own daughter contemplated taking her life after all that she went through her senior year of high school because of her sexual assault and everything that happened and things not being addressed appropriately within the school she is still going through counseling today and we're three and a half years out from her sexual assault that's how much it had impacted her I am the only one here from our group tonight unfortunately others were not able to make it but we have been working diligently over the last 10 months to work with the cities with school districts and everything just to get things pulled together and we are asking you as a board to come together and to start taking a stand to help the students within your District so that we can put an end to or help mitigate some of the situations that are going on thank you thank you Miss Arnold that will conclude agenda item five request to speak to the governing board want to thank those of you that uh that spoke and shared your your thoughts moving on to agenda item number six 6.01 monthly financial report for month ended July 31st 2024 Dr McCord thank you Mr Thompson governing board members I will turn this over to our associate superintendent Business Services Miss Bonnie bet good evening Dr mcord governing board members so this is the very first monthly Financial presentation for the new school year so as been as has been our custom and I say our very Loosely as um Miss Lauren toska and um Miss Jackie maton are back in the back and they do all this work of course I just get to present it um but because this is the first report we are sharing all of the grids uh and every single one of these um tables that you will see tonight all have the adopted budget figures on them for the fiscal year 2024 2025 um school year we are not going to go through all of them so just um just some highlights as we go through some of these um the grids so first we always share the district operating funds you can see that maintenance and operations is highlighted as well as the district capital fund total please note that the adopted budget um again matches the adopted budget that you approved in June uh the year to date expended encumbered wanted to spend a little bit of time here remember that we haven't expended hardly anything because we've only been operating about three weeks um in the school year so actually excuse me like maybe a week and a half starting the the 22nd of um July but you can see the available balance that we're projecting right now is $15.5 million so most of that year-to-date expenditure of 272 million is incumbrance and so to let you know that does include all of our benefits our salaries we also encumbered the amount of monies that go out to our schools that are generally spent uh to give a better picture of how we expect to operate throughout the school year and then also on the district Capital fund um at the bottom we totaled both the school plant along with the unrestricted capital outlay both of these funds can be used in in the same manner and you can see that the available balance to date is about $18.7 million we do expect to have about that at the end of this school year we have made some uh encumbrances uh under the year-to-date expended encumbered that account for allocations out to our schools as well as projects that have already been identified in operations and so I'm going to move from this grid unless there are any questions okay great so the next one is the Federal grant funds uh this is this um you will see the Esser funds still highlighted as we had a little bit of money left over effective July um July 1st uh you can see that there's an available balance of about $278,000 the Esser monies were are approved to be spent through September 30th so we do anticipate that the full amount will be expended and then at the bottom note that we have an available balance that's negative $22,000 uh one of the funds within the other Federal projects grouping is our Junior RC funds we often get funds after we adopt the budget in May and those those monies are absolutely eligible to be spent which accounts for that ere expenditure of the $22,000 so the budget will be adjusted accordingly at the first revision which we expect to bring to you in February of 2025 so Mrs be just let me clarify that so we received once we adopted the budget we received additional monies and when we have the budget revision those will be included that's correct okay thank you I've received a couple of emails uh from our our state school superintendent regarding a a deadline for Esser funds can you explain uh what that deadline uh is for and if there's any impact to Gilbert Public Schools so let me a answer the second question first uh so the impact uh we're right on top of this and getting ready to submit our final budget revision so that we can complete the final completion reports so it so we are on top of it and we um we don't need to be reminded um however I would like to bring um Miss maton up to actually talk through a little bit of the ending process associated with um some of the federal grants that we have so Jackie would you come up good evening is this on yes uh so sr3 as Miss bet said um we have through uh September 30th to spend uh we submitted the final U revision today as a matter of fact uh so that should be approved by the end of September from there we have 90 days to do the completion reports from every Grant of and date so we'll finalize that um by the end of December any other questions so what's the result of the completion report what does that mean for us uh every completion report when approved will close out that particular Grant fund and then um if there is remaining reimbursement which typically is the case then we will get the remaining funds has there been any discussion about um continuing these Grant funds or or different Grant funds as a a replacement or the this was a kind of a one-time deal and now it's now it's phasing out that is my understanding I have I am not aware that there will be uh new um cares act funds available thank you very much you're welcome thank you Jackie you're welcome okay I'll move on then so the state grants this is just information purposes there's nothing really to share here just again that all of the adopted budget figures match up to our adopted budget uh document um Enterprise funds generally we do share this with you we have in the past shared beginning balance with revenues to date and then the year-to-date expended and incumbrance we've changed how we're reflecting this um for this year because these two programs nutrition services and Community Schools encumber a lot of their supplies at the very beginning of the school year it would always be a negative available balance because we receive revenues um every week almost in each of these funds so we have chosen to estimate the revenues and generally the revenue estimates are based upon the prior year so um other District funds just the employee benefit trust we opted oh my goodness we got 15 that should be okay right oh my gosh it's not going away either thank you Sarah can you move it out of the way put it on top there you go okay at least you can see the highlighted um row there so the employee benefit trust really the same story regarding the um uh regarding the the Enterprise funds nutrition services and Community Schools we again estimated the revenues based upon what happened last year um showing the beginning balance as well as the year-to date expended encumbered to show you the expected spend throughout the remainder of this year as well and then the school based funds this is just for your inform the bond fund just a reminder that it's the remaining balance is about $1.4 million and then The Debt Service fund again this is just for information and that is the end of our report today and I had plenty of time we're going to put that timer on all your presentations I know Mr McIntosh would in particular really appreciate [Laughter] that any questions from the board I don't have any question questions but I just want to thank you for um the hard work that we are on top of our expenditures and we have a really good um really good work to know where we are financially and and being very conservative in our estimates so that we're making sure that we do what's right for kids throughout the year so thanks miss you jetti we haven't forgotten about you did you have any questions uh regarding the uh presentation by Miss Betts okay thank you uh we'll move on to 6.02 teaching and learning academic Spotlight Dr McCord thank you Mr Thompson governing board members I'll turn this over to Mr Jered Ryan our assistant superintendent of teaching and learning he can introduce Dr McCord governing board thank you so much for the opportunity to share with you this evening uh Dr Cox is here um to share with you some exciting news and really start digging into information related to the college career raess index um in a recent board brief you were updated on some exciting results for Gilbert public schools and Dr Cox is here to share some detail related to that this evening good evening Dr McCord governing board members uh excitement is definitely a word that I think is uh contagious across our campuses right now uh we the College and Career Readiness index makes up 20% of the entire High School letter grade when it comes to accountability so from an accountability and data standpoint uh yes that's important but when you break that down to what that means for each of our students and all of our campuses we are opening up the doors for so many of our students when it comes to access and opportunities for College and Career and I'll dive into that a little bit uh just to help everybody understand what those pieces are and opportunities that we've increased and uh then just share a little bit of data just to show uh the success and the celebration that we're we're having for this fiscal year so to start off the first half of the College and Career Readiness index it's broken into two parts there's the uh left side on the form uh is the college readiness and with that college readiness uh the list that's up there um that everybody can kind of follow along with but um these are some of the points So within each of these categories there could be a way to earn half of a point a full point so you've got your uh meeting all the Arizona Board of Regents the program of study requirements if uh our community is not familiar that is 16 required credits that get them into qualifying for most universities across the state and um outside of the state as well so for Arizona that's what they require those include your required English math social studies science and two years of a world language so um with that a majority of our students are meeting those uh criteria in addition the students can earn points toward their college readiness indicator through IB diploma AP and IP I'm sorry AP and IB exams and then even though the ACT is our state assessment if the students perform um high enough on that there's different cut scores that are even higher uh rather than where when we look at them for proficiency they actually give us some cut scores that if the Stu students perform in that area they earn additional points the same is true for the SAT and then in addition to that any of our college level uh dual enrollment classes in the core areas and to get into those dual enrollment classes you have to pass kind of an entrance assessment so even if the students just take that entrance assessment and they pass that and they don't go on to take a dual enrollment class they're still earning points because they're showing that uh preparedness for college pathway next in the calculation I refer to them as Flex Points when you look at the sheet there's the college side and then there is the career side there are only a couple of indicators that actually count you can use them to count either way so ultimately the goal of the College and Career Readiness index is to allow our students to walk out of high school ready to walk into college and or a career pathway not one or the other and historically I think as schools not just Gilbert Public Schools it's easy to maybe focus on one pathway or the other but it is our job to prepare students to have both of those opportunities presented to themselves so with these two categories there is the submitting FAFSA and the earning the diploma seals which I'll talk about in just a moment those are two areas that when we focus on that we want our students to earn a point in the college area we want them to earn a point in the career area and again those points are made up of a ton of things so it's it's not like it's super easy to earn that point but these are areas that if a student say their um focuses more on the college side and they only get a little bit of that career side these points can help offset that so if they submit their FAFSA and then with the diploma seal those are the four seals that we have uh worked with the state Gilbert Public Schools went through uh presentation and we are able to uh designate those seals upon completion and with seals it is made up of additional classes AP scores uh additional work hours there's several things that make those up as well so they're very rigorous seals to get that then the students get to earn on their diploma and the last bullet there you'll see it says increase post-secondary enrollment and or military service so on the career um College and Career index it does not that isn't something that students can earn points that's points that the school as a whole can earn so it is always our goal to hit 85% of our students are prepared for college career or military or we are at least showing that we're increasing our percentage so it's one or the other in order to earn that bonus Point going on to the career side of the house you sorry Dr Cox I I did have one question about Fafa I was reading recently um probably a newspaper article about Arizona has an abysmal rate of students completing ffs so so what are we doing to help students encourage it and are we getting better at that and are we showing up the state and doing a good job of that absolutely and that is a national Trend that if you pull National um data on that that we saw this last year so last year they postponed the opening day and the submission date for the first time in my career so almost 20 years um and it really rocked a lot of people and rather than even say hey the date is going to be this we didn't really get any information and again nationally uh and they allowed us that information I want to say normally it's open for students to submit in October we didn't even find out when that was going to be opening until mid December last year so when I say that that's truly a national decline that we saw uh across Arizona we have worked together uh College and Career Center liaison have worked together along with many people in this room uh our school leaderships our school counselors to continue to work at that but we really were as soon as they said it was open it was an all Hands-On deck I know that uh the colleges felt that as well so the college um and the P um public education Charter Schools private school it doesn't matter everybody basically was like how do we work together to increase this and so we worked with a couple of organizations that help with um promotional I know that even at the college they had to change deadlines for scholarships because a lot of them are dependent on having that completed so we've really had to when we see something pointed out and um work together and then in addition to that nationally there's organizations that recognize that and are have several initiatives that are working toward that now that's to answer kind of on a big scale here within Gilbert Public Schools a couple of things that we've done to offset that is um we have two coordinators that work with our counselors and our College and Career Center liaison as well as our CTE director and CTE coordinator that have worked to put together a few different events so for the first time um I don't know I don't want to say forever because I haven't been here forever uh but for the first time um in a while we are hosting a districtwide college fair and we are hosting districtwide fafs nights and um we are welcoming our families in during the day and instead of for example if high and high wanted to host their faf tonight they're still going to do that but in addition we're going to host additional events and we did do this last year as well that anyone can come to and so at the college Fair that's going to be happening um I believe next month um that is going to host a Fafa session in it as well so whenever our schools are having these college nights career nights they're adding on those Fafa sessions as well a few years well it seems like a few years ago the year prior to covid uh we did do a huge District FAFSA kickoff it was at mosquite high they did a fabulous job and it was for the whole district and then Co hit and it kind of went back to the sites being responsible and we've gotten to a point where we recognize that our data from that event was off the charts and so we're hoping to bring that back especially with the decline we saw nationally last year um to kind of offset that so a lot of that it's like a very big question but I hope that that suffices to give you some answers of I appreciate that I was reading those statistics and I was quite surprised and I I know we're working really hard but I want to know that we're improving even over what we usually do absolutely it's also important to note that FAFSA changed their program they changed processes to make it easier for people and it actually didn't at all it made it more difficult and I think their goal was to improve their fast for rates overall and it really just put people off and so I think that was a big part of it yeah and and those when I bring up the different consortiums and organizations those are pieces that have been noted and that I know they are working on because that was the intent of why they pressed pause and were waiting was It was supposed to be rolled out a little bit differently but uh they are um being responsive to feedback and we're just going to keep doing the best that we can to make sure our students have those opportunities all right so with the career Readiness side uh the best way to think of these opportunities it's a lot to do with our CTE programs so CTE completers if they score a certain grade if the CTE course can count for dual enrollment and they can earn college credit um in this area you'll also see that uh if they pass the ASVAB which is the military entrance exam uh you'll see work-based learning so if they're doing like internships and uh some of those learnings that take out take place outside of the classroom and then in the ACT there are work keys that are focused on that career side that are a little bit of a newer push from the state and so we're really excited to see that in there as well because it allows um us with the ACT being our state of assessment to show that it really is helping to prepare for the college and the career sectors postsecondary so with that here is the longitudinal data that we have provided for the last four years and just to explain what these numbers mean the first number uh so for example the first line Campo in 2021 the 17.5 is the total calculation and that's out of the 20 points 20 points is the what earns the 20% toward the letter grade the plus one is the bonus point so that plus one is showing that we're at either 85% or that we are um tracking and documenting that our students that we are increasing our number of students going into that post-secondary Career College and or military so when you look at the where we were in 2020 and 2021 we were about three or four years into the state having this and we really relied on our campuses to take care of this when the state rolls this out because it is self-reporting we didn't really have uh the best Data Tracking at the time you've all heard the wonderful things that our team has done to build uh interfaces that help support and Data Tracking that help our schools and so as we've had more data centered conversations it's allowed us to coach and help our sites better understand and what we found a few years ago is that rather than allowing each school to try to continue to work on these things on their own that we needed to create some procedures and processes from the district and support our schools that way and come together so there has been a lot of work and when you look at these points it again 20 seems like 20 is 20 but 20 is hundreds of points and opportunities for our students that calculate into that 20 the celebration that we are so excited to have is that all of our schools that are brick and mortar if you look at 23 24 have officially for the first time in Gilbert Public Schools we have we're there like we have all hit it they are all getting that 20% of their letter grade and um you'll notice when I kept saying 20 and you'll notice some of those points go above 20 so that bonus point to their letter grade and then for students who earn um they can earn up to 10 points on the college side they can earn up to 10 points on the career side and when I talked about that FAFSA and those proficiency seals can kind of go both ways if students earn the full amount of points on both sides they as individual students can earn an additional two points so therefore when you calculate that as a school they actually can end up earning three bonus points the one and then they can go up to a total of 22 points in that full category so those three points end up getting added into the letter grade to offset the other calculation of the 80% of their letter grade so the higher we can get even above that actually ends up going into that 80% of the calculation of the full letter grade so this is huge absolutely huge and um really would like to just wrap it up and end with the gratitude that we have it's easy for me to get up here and to celebrate the success and um there are certain people that played very large roles but it is not single-handed this is something that every single one of our counselors they wear many hats and contribute to this so we've been going around and have had so much fun celebrating our counseling teams our College and Career Center liaison they do so much for these pieces and then when you really break it down I talked AP IB those are the classroom teachers they are pushing our students and making these opportunities rigorous enough and help helping them get to that finish line um our Administration understanding all of these pieces and making sure that you strategically have a plan to offer these uh programs and classes and some of these things are inside of the class some are outside of the school day and so really I I can't say thank you enough publicly to everyone that has played a role in this and uh even when we've gone around and thanked teams many of them are like oh what about so and so we want to thank this person so uh if we get the opportunity and anyone that is watching uh say thank you to a counselor say thank you to a teacher uh our students choosing these more rigorous opportunities and prioritizing that they want to open those doors from a career standpoint and a college standpoint is phenomenal so even to our parents that are pushing our students into these opportunities it's just amazing I love that our school letter grade includes a component that is so focused on College and Career Readiness so thank you for listening to our celebration I I will open it up if there are any questions at this time board members any questions comments concern thank you I really appreciate hearing about what we're doing and H seeing how we've improved on our points I mean that that's huge because that's a lot of work and I appreciate that all of our high schools are really working at that and making it really great for our students I mean it's numbers but it shows a lot of actions thank you when getting to those numbers I do want to say just I get a little ahead of myself when I say thank you I feel like I have to add this or I'm going to regret it later um our data and research team this summer uh actually this past spring was the first time when we knew that that team was kind of re looking at how they were going to be doing things um their team has really helped me a lot over the years and when I told them like what I would love to do because you have to identify like what areas are we not as strong in what areas can we do better in or what areas are we great and we maybe just they're doing great we don't have to focus as much time on it so they act they our data team created a dashboard that now we've made it but we want to sustain it so it doesn't end there and so they have created an amazing dashboard that all of our administrators and counselors can now monitor so that they can quickly not wait until senior year to figure out what the students need but from freshman year what are they hitting and what do they need and maybe what programs as a school do we need to focus on even more so I just wanted to give a little bit of a shout out to our Tech Team for that as well sorry when you were saying that I was like oh man I don't want to forget no I appreciate that it I mean it's it it's a number but behind that number shows a lot of different actions and work that that have to be accomplished by students and by staff to make those to get those points so I mean I really appreciate that hard work thank you I'll just add congratulations thank you so much to really it's our whole high schools every person that's on our high school really then that translates down to our Junior highs and elementaries too to get our and then to our students I'm I hope they'll keep taking advantage of all the opportunities of the many opportunities that we have especially in our high schools I there's nothing like our high schools and the opportunities that students can have there and I know that we work really hard to make sure that every student can have these opportunities to be ready to be successful when they leave to have challenged themselves and learn and grow and so I am excited to see those results and to keep pushing in and having those opportunities for our students so thank you agreed thank you um yeah congratulations that's exciting uh we definitely thank all the staff uh Administration on the at the school level um but I don't want to overlook uh our gratitude for the public and their support and allowing us to uh have um these types of programs in Gilbert public schools and then a huge huge shout out uh to the parents of these students that have pushed their kids to Excel and to perform and uh and and would like to encourage them to continue to uh give give these kids the encouragement at home uh to uh to help support what the teachers and the staff are doing in the schools thank you thank you all right thank you all have a great night thank you very much move on to agenda item 7 7.01 approval of the consent agenda items I have a motion thank you Miss Humphries is there a second second thank you Miss Woods we call for a vote all those in favor of approving tonight's consent agenda consent consent consent agenda items uh as listed on our agenda tonight say I I any opposed I that was an I that was that was an I not there's there's a delay when we're watching the meeting that it's hard for Miss Jetty to be on top of it and that passes four to zero moving on to agenda item number eight uh action items uh and these are all um these all have to do with policies do we want to take these one at a time or do we want to move to uh perhaps combine 8.01 through 8.06 and if there's any discussion about any one of them in particular we can single that one out and uh and discuss it and vote for for just that one but if there's not maybe we could combine them I move that we approve the first reads of the policies listed in 8.01 through 8.06 so policy 3-17 3-41 4-101 4-24 5-15 and 5-35 thank you Miss woods and I'll second that motion um just can I take point of order usually when we go through this for the first we read it gives Dr McCord the opportunity to talk about the change in the policy so doing them individually um I think would be best so we can talk about each of the changes that we've made to the policy and then in the second read we can group them together and usually we have put them on the consent agenda but um just because we have made these policy changes we want the community to see what we have made well we haven't changed them yet this is just the first read so we could do that on the second read if we wanted to well the same thing I'm just saying that I know I'm just tell this is the first read so we could do it either way so I'm I'm open for either way so my intent was to just expedite uh doing an individual vote for each one I I do think that we should ask Dr McCord to go through each policy and discuss uh just uh discuss what's been changed um but then as a matter of vote we could combine them uh we could discuss and then uh combine them and and and vote so if that's agreeable we'll motion that Miss Woods uh made will stand and I'll second that and then I'll turn the time over to Dr mcord thank you Mr Thompson governing board members um 3-17 fiscal accounting before I start all those again this has went through the first uh round with the policy committee again we are on a different um policy in the sense that we're now with the trust um and no longer as and so this is our first go around with these all of these changes that are within each one of these policies are a result of things that happen in the Arizona legislature this past session and so um these are things that we they recommended uh that we put in our policy so 3-17 fiscal accounting and fiscal reporting uh the only change is uh in there it talked about 180 days and they added or the equivalent requisit number of instructional minutes and they added um the ARs um 15- 341.50 safety and Emergency Management the addition of this is in paragraph 4 and it states a registered sex offender who has legal custody of a student enrolled in a district school shall comply with the Reg registration notification requirements contained in ars5 or 13- 382 and ARS 13- 3822 and then again those uh statutes are noted and then in the next policy policy 4-101 board authority to employ this is uh one where we've made some changes if it said the board we added governing board but the big part of this is the governing board shall not issue contract of employment to certify teachers prior to March 13th or for sorry I'll get there 13 14 15th March 15th and then also the district shall conduct background checks prior to employment of personnel and shall require individuals to maintain fingerprint clearance cards as designated in state law and then the next one is 4-24 and that is mandatory reporting uh this section adds the report shall be made in writing as soon as reasonably uh practicable and but no later than three business days after the person's first suspects first suspects or receives an allegation of this conduct uh vulnerable adult abuse or neglect an employee who when acting in the scope of his or her employment reasonably believes that a vulnerable adult age 18 years or older is or has been the victim of abuse or neglect must report or cause a report to be made of such information to a law enforcement officer or an adult protective services worker of the Arizona Department of Economic Services uh for the purpose of this reporting Duty vulnerable adult means an adult who was unable to protect him or herself from an abuse neglect or exploitation by others because of a physical or mental impairment abuse means intentional infliction of physical harm injury caused by neglect Acts or emission unreasonable confinement or sexual abuse or sexual assault and neglect means uh a pattern of conduct without the person's informed consent resulting in deprivation of food water medication medical service shelter other services necessary to maintain minimum physical or mental health such reports must be made immediately by telephone or in person or by other means as prescribed by ades or local law enforcement agencies and again uh going down report s regarding bullying harassment and they said uh intimidation they added hazing and they added it down in the paragraph and cited the statute related to that and then on to the next policy policy 5-15 this is open enrollment and down under the section it said the district shall enroll any Resident who applies for enrollment at any time um the district shall give enrollment preference to and Reserve capacity for the following and they just added some ANS in there but the big bullet point on this one uh under those considerations are children of a member of the United States armed forces who is either on active duty or was killed in the line of duty and again those statutes are noted below and the last one is student code of conduct uh 5-35 in the second numbered area it says threatening and educ ational institution a student shall not make a false report regarding a serious offense or threat in the school or the district by interfering with or disrupting a school the district or any school or District activity in violation Andor RS 13- 2907 and then moving on down through the policy uh under number 17 forgery plagiarism cheating it added a piece in there um for AI artificial intelligence so if a student uses AI uh that can be considered forgery play as are cheating as well and then moving down to number 33 um it adds a section to the a sentence to the end of that and it says a student shall not use generative artificial intelligence in a manner that is not expressly authorized by the district and again those statutes are noted and that concludes the policies thank you Dr court is there any discussion among the board I I did have one on um 4-101 board authority to employ um because that's a title I do have a question we've been trying to use governing board and I just wondered if we could put governing board authority to employ on that title but since it's a I think it' be definitely something we could discuss at our next policy meeting for round two and I'm just more for the benefit of those uh who weren't at our last policy meeting this uh date of March 15th is uniform across all districts in in Arizona correct so it's so we're not this isn't we're we're not being it's not just us it's not just us yep okay it kind of levels the planing field you have districts that issue contracts all the way from January through May sometimes June so um I also wanted to call out our call attention to uh 4-24 mandatory reporting I think this was a great addition to this policy just we because we have a a number of students that that uh that are adults and I think it's just it's good practice to spell this out and make sure that uh that those students um enjoy these protections like uh like our minor students I I think you're correct I think there's a a a misperception that because they're 18 we no longer have that mandatory report in piece and this just clarifies all of that if they're with us uh no matter what age they are generally students with special needs depending on uh their IEP can go all the way up until they're 22 years old and so this just is another layer of protection for them thank you is there any further discussion among the board okay then I will call for a vote to approve uh the first read of 8.01 1 through 8.06 policy 3107 policy 3-41 policy 4-101 policy 4-24 policy 5-15 and policy 5-35 all those in favor of approval say I I I I any opposed and that passes 4 to Z zero thank you uh moving on to agenda item number nine request for future agenda items do any does anyone have anything they'd like to add to a future agenda either board member I'm sorry board Pol board meeting agenda or policy meeting or work study agenda I would like to add um I think it would probably be best uh in a well maybe you tell me Dr mord a work study or a a policy meeting I would like to um I would like to have the board brought up to speed on the roll out and implementation of our grading policies just so that we are uh made aware of what's what's been done and what is continuing to uh what is going to be done as we continue to move forward and uh make sure that these grading policies are um implemented uh the way they're intended to and then also that that is uh communicated effectively with parents and students yeah I think a work study would probably be best give more time and all right we'll go ahead and add that and appreciate that um all right and we'll move on to agenda item number 10 board committee reports we'll start with Miss ug jetti the insurance trust representative I don't have anything tonight thank you Miss eetti uh I don't as the legislative representative I don't have anything tonight moving on to City of melison Miss Wood nothing to report thank you very much uh the town of Gilbert Le is on an audit committee Miss humph um we haven't met the audit committee has not met because it's not that time of year and uh I don't have anything to report for the town of Gilbert all right thank you and uh unfortunately Miss Paige isn't here tonight uh would anybody like to comment or information on the Gilbert Education Foundation there is a fundraiser at the end of the month I don't particularly remember the date September 26th at 6 p.m.

e e good evening I'd like to call this meeting to order Mrs Richards might please have the roll call President Anderson let the record show that all five board members are present thank you please join me in a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance I motion to approve the agenda second motion seconded all those in favor I I I motion carries 5 to zero Miss Richards do you have Higley adventures and upcoming advents for us tonight yes president Anderson members of the board here's our first segment of higgle Adventures for this school year we're very excited to acknowledge some star students so first I would in a minute want you guys to come down and take a picture so when I call Rosie up will you guys transition down as well all right we want to highlight Rosie Whitmer she joined the student advisory Council for character education with the Arizona Department of Education this Council consists of 10 students only 10 and one of them is from Higley and grades K through 12 they were accompanied by their parents or teachers from across the state great job Rosie we are so proud of you you are a leader in an amazing way and you represent chaperel Elementary as well so come on down [Applause] Rosie what grade are you in I'm in third me fourth all right awesome we're going to take a quick picture every time I go to chaperel I see Rosie doing something in an amazing way [Applause] next we have somebody from Higley High School his name is Prince milman he capped off his summer track season by winning the second consecutive USA Track track and field Regional decathlon Championship earning a gold medal we're going to clap and then I'm going to keep going because it goes on and on Prince also returned from the USA Track and Phil National Junior Olympics ranked as the ninth best decathlete in the Nation there's lots of clapping at the regional Junior Olympics in Colorado Prince competed against athletes from Arizona Colorado New Mexico and Texas this is incredible at this National Junior Olympics at Texas A&M University he faced Tau decathletes from AC across the United States and was the only athlete representing Arizona in the 178 men's decathlon Prince ended his junior year with a personal best of 5,814 points in the decathlon making him nth nationally he aims to top the podium in his senior year compete at a collegate decathlete and has set sight on guess what the [Applause] Olympics all right guys do you want to say anything yeah sure okay so hi everyone obviously my name is Prince milman I'm a senior at hegle I'm also on the mural that you guys see in the parking lot hickley High School representing the track and field program and I have my aim set to have a pop off senior year uh proud to represent Higley and just get another State title get a national title and go on to division one college and hopefully 2028 thank you [Applause] than [Applause] and finally this evening we want to recognize Gilbert Youth Leadership Academy over summer break Gilbert PD school resource officers hosted two youth leadership acmy for students from seven different high schools participated Higley High of course had a great representation so I'm going to ask officer Kyle AOS Smith to come forward and invite his students to join him thank you so much each of you has to speak at least for two minutes right that's what we talked about our public speaking presentations good evening I'm officer Errol Smith these are the Gilbert Youth Academy graduates and i' just like to introduce them really quick and then you could raise your hand if you're here there's a few names that didn't show up we can give them a hard time later I think one of them's in Disneyland I don't know if that's a valid excuse but we're going to go for it Max Gomez Connor Hyde Hunter Jones Brady McIntyre Xavier Nixon Kaylee Payton Charlie wakeoff Khloe Cowen Mitchell Patton hadassa poku Tony Starks Carson wingert and Mia [Music] onof they did a great job all week long and we're proud to have them at Higley and being our Future Leaders thank you [Applause] all slide faces [Applause] than thank you president Anderson members of the board upcoming events include dangers of Snapchat that's apparent information meeting here in the district office boardroom also on Monday September 7 second we have a holiday which we call Labor Day uh we're excited about that the following Monday I hope the governing board can join us for the East Valley School Board Consortium that's where we invite surrounding districts their superintendents and their governing board members to have dinner and Converse about amazing things happening in the state and then on Thursday September 12th we will visit Gateway Point Elementary so mark your calendars for that thank you thank you Miss Richards all right next are the requests to speak if we could go ahead and play the video we value input from our constituents this time on our agenda has been set set aside for anyone from the audience who wishes to address the board those that wish to speak should have filled out speaker cards which are due prior to the start of our meeting members of the board may not discuss comment or take action on matters raised that are not specifically identified on the agenda therefore pursuant to ARS 38-4 31.0 1i action taken as a result of public comment will be limited to directing staff to study the matter responding to any criticism or scheduling the matter for further consideration and decision at a later date also we ask that audience members practice proper public meeting decorum refraining from either negative or positive responses including clapping or verbal outbursts to ensure fairness to All Points of View those that refuse to follow these rules may be asked to leave in accordance with policy bedh public participation at board meetings if considered necessary the governing board president shall set a time limit on the length of the comment period in order to ensure that each individual has an opportunity to address the board the president may also set a time limit for individual speakers thank you for your cooperation okay tonight each person will have the regular three minutes to address the board uh first will be Barbara Summers yes okay hello I didn't plan to speak tonight but when I saw all these wonderful students here I thought it would be a great um time to take an opportunity to talk about the CTE program because it is on the agenda today um I just have nothing but positive things to say about our offerings here in our district and I really think that we should really highlight those um to parents and incoming families and those that are new to high school um took to I got to my last child before anyone was interested in CTE but um my son is in one of the programs with engineering and loves it and I am so glad that they were able to get to experience um some of those offerings because otherwise he I don't think he would have any idea what he wanted to do in college um that's it thank you guys so much thank you next we have Britney O'Neal hi my name is Britney O'Neal and I'm an English teacher at williamsfield high school every day in the classroom I feel fortunate to do a job I love and one that is as important as education is I teach the honors Multicultural literature course a dual enrollment course that is not required for graduation to give you an idea of my qualifications I hold a bachelor's in literature A M's in secondary education and a M's in English education I spent the entire summer creating a comprehensive list of literature for students to get the very best education they could in this class for the course description provided by cgcc these texts span across Asian Arab African and Native American literature and r over the past Century with books that are expected to be at a college rigor my education following policy and teaching approved novels did not prevent the Lany of harassment and bullying I'm receiving this year by the end of the first week of school I had a parent accusing me of disseminating child pornography and being a groomer solely based on the approved literature being offered by the end of the second week of school this parent had called other parents of students in my class attempted to have the police open an investigation against me and spread lies about my course in an attempt to irrevocably damage my reputation not only as an educator but as a human being one month into school I have a student who tells my other students how much I am hated by his parents that his parents are working to have me fired and that they are actively Gathering parents in hopes of pressing criminal charges against me my students have had to deal with undue stress not because of me the board approved books or my class but because one parent decided to try and impose his will on them every attempt to defame me has failed and yet this parent persists I wonder who's coaching and encouraging him luckily he's been very vocal about the help he has been getting from this person a board member and I hope that that is reported so that we can remove the unethical and unprofessional behavior taking place within our own board I guess being an ambassador is hard let me reiterate this parent finds my class in me so reprehensible that he tried to have Gilbert Police investigate me and yet his child still sits in my classroom every day he's threatened a lawsuit against me and still his child sits in my class his wife and he have open disdain and hatred towards me that they share with anyone who will listen and still their child sits in my class if I can be accused of having an agenda then I must ask what is this parents agenda the two sections of this course have 64 students 63 students were given permission to read the book allowing a minority to dictate what can be taught in our district is not respecting parental rights respecting parental rights is respecting all parent choice we cannot let the loud minority have more control than the parental majority especially when their evidence comes from a site called book looks that openly admits to having no professional training in education or literature and does not use any measure of literary merit when critiquing a text not even the Miller test it has barely been a month since we adopted a new procedure to address situations like this in a way that puts the needs of students parents and teachers at the Forefront my request is that we uphold the policy in place and show our support for education and teachers not just for being teachers but for being educated trained professionals thank you thank you you next we have Jillian Blain good evening president Anderson members of the board and cabinet members I want to take the opportunity to come before to be to come before you today and give some much-deserved congratulations to williamsfield teacher of the month Miss O'Neal I first met Miss O'Neal when she shaed our link Crew field trip back in February where she did not hesitate to connect with everyone she met and made sure everyone had everything they needed and she doesn't hesitate to include that in both field trips and the classroom I may have only been her student for 6 weeks but miss oil makes it feels like I've known her for years the effort and dedication she puts into her classes and her curriculum makes me as a student so grateful missal also helps run our best buddies program and is a studo adviser to our junior class she is someone who will always sit and listen to your bad day or your greatest accomplishments so to add to the certificate she will get for her wall I just want to give her a special shout out for all she does for our school and her students and I also want to give a small special shout out to our student of the month link crew president Braxton Wars lady thank you for your time thank you next we have Bryson Churchill good afternoon everyone my name is Ashton Church CH chill I am a student under the Higley Unified School District enrolled in the honors Multicultural program at williamsfield high school as such I believe I can offer an important and more unique point of view into the issue on its curriculum I should hope we can all agree that it is well time enough for a wakeup call given to the students here at husd we in this class are seniors in high school many of us are nearly legal adults we will soon be voting in elections moving away from our parents entering the full-time Workforce and overall uh diving into the complexities of real world living it is time to stop running from such genuine and pertinent topics such as those found in our assigned academic reading the foundation of a school ground should be to prepare students for the life they have yet to live it is bizarre to me to think that we can turn out more functional members of society By ignoring facets of human history and shunning Different World Views however uncomfortable they might be our educators are professionally trained to pick out materials they see fit for their students I personally place my trust in their judgment however if you as a parental figure truly cannot allow yourself to see your child receive a versatile and Effective Education in this manner it is never mandatory to every book we read is very public information you are more than welcome to form your own opinion on a work and choose to opt out of allowing your child to partake in the reading there are clear guidelines for a backup plan in that event I fail to see why it should be why it should be anyone's choice to police what other parents' children can and cannot learn I've seen people all across this country attempting to control masses of people through book Bannings and other similar attacks I cannot allow myself to see happened in my own school that I have grown to truly love and respect until now the uncomfort that you may feel reading about these topics is a genuine struggle for people that have walked do walk and will walk this Earth I have trouble standing back to allow a yearning for Blissful ignorance to Shield our children from obtaining the best education they can possibly receive yagi Ali's homegoing and any other book especially those which expertly delve into different influential cultural events such as this one have no place on a list of forbidden information and I truly pray that you can see that the same way I and many of my peers do as well thank you for your time and I trust that you will make the right decision for our future thank you next we have Jennifer and I is it Watkins sorry no you're good thank you all right my name is Jennifer Watkins and I am a former teacher and I also currently work as a substitute teacher and when I first heard about a parent causing Ruckus over a book I honestly wasn't surprised this is not the first time that's ever happened and nor will it be the last um parents frequently get upset over required books in required classes but that's just the thing this is not a required class and it is not a required reading which makes any request kind of moot what does surprise me is that the parent is isn't asking a book to be struck from the list they're not asking for an alternate assignment as is the usual around the country when this happens they're asking to go after the teacher's contract the teacher's reputation and the teacher's career what surprises me even more is that we have to give voice and Stage to the issue at a board meeting um and I would just like to remind everyone that this is a multicultural class where students are expected to be introduced to views that are not their own and so by trying to limit one perspective and limit one opinion we are going against the fundamental nature of the class that was enrolled for um based on any action that the district takes I would like to remind that this sets a precedent for any other issue in the future that parents have concerns on this is no longer about a book this is about approved curriculum that teachers are teaching based on any action that the agenda takes what happens the next time that a parent is upset over a sexed curriculum instead of the standard pull your kid out for that week or that unit will they now go after the teacher's job based on any action that is taken what about the next time a biology teacher wants to teach um Big Bang Theory or Evolution as a possibility instead of parents advocating to have Divine creation as a part of the curriculum will they now go after the teacher's job based on on any action taken what about how a statistics teacher who includes a study on marriages that happens to include same-sex couples instead of a parent asking for a different study to be used will they now go after the teacher's job I a Christian and I come from a very conservative family I don't personally align with a lot of the examples given but I also believe that schools should be a safe place where students can be exposed to a variety of beliefs and opinions and cultures and are taught how to appropriately and respectfully respond to them under the guidance of adults who care we need to teach them now how to respond to things that will happen and will come up later in life especially as they brought out as they are becoming prepared to vote um one perspective out of thousands should not be allowed to define a curriculum or even a career not my opinion not their opinion not one opinion should Define a curriculum that's why we have committees thank you thank you next we have June Blaine good evening governing board president Anderson governing board members cabinet parenting is hard I think we can all agree um I I think we can also agree that sometimes we need support it reminds me of the phrase it takes a village but that Village shouldn't be unsolicited advice we can ask the village when we need help and we align ourselves with people in our village to be able to provide that support not to tell us what we need to do as parents I'm frustrated with what the Higley Village is kind of becoming it feels very divisive and we haven't had that and I have been in this district for 21 years now and it has never felt this contentious um we need to do better we need to support one another as as parents as community members and we need to make sure that we are supporting each other and not trying to impose ose our thoughts and our beliefs on other people's children I get to decide what my children get to do I would never presume that I have the right to tell another parent what their kid should or shouldn't do nor do I have the right to take away their decision-making you know options when it comes to to curriculum if they have a problem with it we have those things in place so that they can make those choices for their families I get to choose what my kid gets to do as well thank you for your time thank you next is Jessica D Ambrosio good evening and thank you to the governing board the cabinet and superintendent Richards for allowing me time to speak this evening my name is Jessica de Osio and I am the parent to two husd students my students who are now high schoolers have attended husd school since kindergarten my husband and I have been active partners with our sons and their teachers throughout their elementary middle and high school experiences I am profoundly impressed with the education my sons have been given and the knowledge and understanding about the world around them that they have learned through careful selection of content and intentional planning and question in the highly qualified instructors of husd have helped challenge my sons to seek to understand differing perspectives to think critically and to apply learning to real world scenarios I commend these dedicated and professional Educators for their work with my sons as well as the leadership that works to support the professional craft and knowledge of our teachers it has come to my attention that a handful of parents are concerned about the content found within literature selections for the honors Multicultural literal CL literature class at williamsfield high school these parents are given the opportunity to address the board this evening to share those concerns as a parent of a student in this class I would like to voice a differing opinion that this handful of parents may find understand again when my son Read A Thousand Splendid Sons a quick search told me that he would read about the ab abuse in a childhood arranged marriage an absent father rape violence and War it was one of the most moving and memorable memorable books that I had ever read and my son and I shared our thoughts together about post 1970s Afghanistan when my son read just Mercy a quick search told me there would be murder and racism and wrongful imprisonment but it would also teach my son about a time in American history and a region he'd never visited about resiliency about conviction of character and mercy books take you places you've never been before to give you diverse perspectives through sto storytelling and to enrich Enlighten and Empower for parents who do not see books the way I see them by all means please select a different curriculum to broaden your students Horizons but do not infringe upon my students rights to educational enrichment by suggesting a ban on books that you don't approve of if you feel that these books are unsafe for your student to read I have to ask you how will you make their school safer will you vote in favor of the bond that will be on your ballot this November the bond will provide upgrades to our School Safety and Security if you feel that classroom resources should be more broad to fit the diverse needs and opinions of our community and the instruction more differentiated to honor every households moral code will you vote Yes for the override this November the override will help to recruit and retain Educators who are highly qualified per the State of Arizona and will allow for husd the access to more resources again thank you to all of H USD for all you do each and every day for our youth and for the future of our community thank you thank you next we have Dominic de Osio good evening thank you to the governing board and the cabinet and superintendent Richards for allowing me to speak tonight my name is Dominic Ambrosio I'm currently enrolled as a senior over at willfield high school I'm the son of an educator who has taught in the district for the past 17 years and I myself have been here for 12 enough about my personal status with the district let's talk about our current educational rights only as of recent have I witnessed books getting taken away from our curriculum last year we had a conflict with a popular yet sensitive novel The Perks of Being a wild a wild flow a Wallflower expressing the idea of finding yourself as well as an idea of inclusivity channeling and connecting to teens you can relate to those situations the main character Charlie had been exposed to although I can understand as the house and parents were upset with the sensitive Natures the book explores it connects with us teens giving us something to relate to as well as something to apply and factor into our lives to further us it has come to my attention that there are more books within our curriculum that are perceived as too mature for us teenagers to read the book currently being talked about homegoing depicts the early events of slavery along the Gold Coast modern day Ghana in America ultimately educating the readers on what went on behind the Triangular Trade the book explores other cultures demonstrating what they experienced in this time benefiting the reader with knowledge and the historical Truths Behind both ours and other Count's past with the class I'm currently enrolled in being honors Multicultural we are prone to discussion about other cultures in literature as it name implies at a at a level slightly more proficient requiring us to really look in and analyze what's going on when signing up for this class we signed up for the class for what the class entails we expected discussion to not be simple or easy but having us delve into cultures as a whole now because I was taught in Higgly to look at multiple perspectives and angles I can understand as house some parents dis approve of the content found within the novels but we are teenagers we about to make a giant leap into our future college or other endeavors we teenagers will soon be going off on our own allowing us to make informed Decisions by ourselves du to to the result of furthering our outlook on what our world and Community has endured ultimately crafting us into worldly citizens now to conclude I would love to shout out husd the teachers within it as well as the courses provided such as these honors Multicultural literature promoting academic Excellence thank you thank you next we have ginger Churchill good evening it's a pleasure to be here uh some background on me uh when well I'm a mom of five I have a student in the Multicultural literature class uh when I was a student a senior way back in 1989 I was in a competition and asked to give an extemporaneous speech on which amendment of the Bill of Rights I thought was most important I popped up and just started talking and the I said freedom of religion the First Amendment and I said because when a country tries to control religion they're trying to control what we believe uh what we know value the things we contemplate even where we go what we do and and how we live like it's it that has no place in free government um and it's often caused from Fear of the government trying to control how people live and believe and what they do now we know books can be powerful these kids are talking about a book they haven't even finished yet and they are going and I'm sorry my it's a hard book to read I'm reading it with my child it's deep it's it's intense and it's amazing books are powerful they teach us many things obviously they help Define our beliefs and help us examine our beliefs they give us values or show us maybe why we don't value that same thing they give us things to contemplate maybe Inspire us where we want to go what we want to do and how we want to live you can tell where I'm going with this that when the founding fathers protected these rights by protecting freedom of religion they were protecting these values that book bring to us um and as I looked it up the First Amendment also protects freedom of speech and freedom of press as a whole they were protecting ideas values information allowing for freedom of thought and free society when I was a senior as well we had permission slips to read Catch 22 and our teacher said anyone who didn't want to read it could read an a kinina if that was approved one of my best friends just didn't want to read catch22 she read Anna Karina great she did great she got I don't know a five on the AP test I don't know but we had that choice that is exactly the same Choice my child had in their class with Miss O'Brien and it keeps rights and responsibilities where they belong teacher parents I would be really offended if Mr Johnson on the corner said my kid couldn't read a book and so we had to go along with that I don't think that is at all anything that belongs in our free country thank you thank you next we have Kim Jackson board members my name is Kim Jackson I have two children currently enrolled in husd and one who has graduated from h St I addressed you all during May's board meeting and I wanted to follow up on the cell phone towers as it's on the agenda tonight the district has yet to hold the town hall meeting that you as a board voted yes on today's agenda is to discuss the contract and its termination you all cancelling their contract the one that should have never been entered into because the board did not give direction for the district to sign does not cancel out the need for the town hall there are two schools in our district that have cell phone towers on them and my knowledge are generating revenue for this District the district has an obligation to converse with the community of teachers admin parents and students about these towers and the pros and cons of them when it comes to their health and safety as well as the revenue that is bringing into the district and how those funds are being utilized this info would help you the board ultimately know how to handle any other opportunities that may be presented to the district with new towers on other properties in the district my call for Action from the board is to have the town hall meeting like you promised tell the district to put the date on the calendar and properly inform those in the distri district so that they can choose to participate or not on to books um books in this District have been a Hot Topic recently and it's causing divide and concern for many on how to move through and forward on the topic board member Wade during your campaign for the position you now hold as a board member you said on October 18th 2022 quote I know how to ask questions I know how to listen and I believe in the effectiveness of collaboration between because that is what is necessary when you serve a community filled with diverse beliefs and needs later on that post you said quote there are differences of opinion on how to accomplish that goal but are willing to put in the work to find the best solution that benefits the whole Community you continued quote my focus and intent is to ensure the betterment of each and every student because at the end of the day the students are what matters I bring this up because I agree with you board member Wade um and I support your words there are people in this room who will continue to present concerns or issues they believe to be true and you all as board members may not agree as board member Wade said students matter and I'll add that teachers matter too equally we need to work together I implore you to practice and exemplify the words board member Wade has shared we need to stop fighting and come together I'm committed to making efforts alongside various peers volunteers teachers and admin to help the board and District find success for our kids and their teachers I want to close and wanted to mention Miss hullman and Mr Mullen they are teachers of the e8th grade intervention English class at San their advocacy and creativity used to teach their students has exceeded my expectations and I want to publicly thank them for their efforts thank you thank you uh Mrs Richards or Mr Moore will you keep the board and the community a breast on if there's going to be any Town Hall meetings for um president Anderson can we wait till the end of public comment or was that the end oh comment that was just on based on her you want me to state that at the very end of it you got it thank you thank you all right thank you and next is Bob Parish good evening president Anderson memb members of the board and the cabinet members my name is Bob Parish I'm a retired Commander from the marope county sheriff's office on May 8th I spoke before this board regarding my granddaughter being assigned an independent reading assignment that contained extremely sexually explicit material at the time of the assignment there were no alternative reads listed for the students to choose from the parental consent form provided no content warnings and only required a parent signature I pointed out that was in violation of House Bill 2495 which was designed to protect students from sexually explicit material I also read you an excerpt from the novel 19 minutes by jod PCO to demonstrate how sexually explicit the book was after the board meeting I spoke with two of the school board members who apologized for the assignment they said they were appalled by what the kids were being asked to read on May 9th 2024 I met with David Len Heiser the executive director of secondary education he also apologized for what had happened he assured me that both the teacher and the principal had been talked to received discipline over the incident he couldn't disclose what it was he also told me that Higley High School had no such assignment and in williamsfield high school would not have such assignments going forward on July 30th I was contacted by a parent who had a student at the williamsfield high school I was then contacted by a second parent both of them U made me aware that another similar assignment had been issued um they received no consent forms to sign and there were no alternative books for the students to choose from I would like to warn the audience that I'll be reading exerts from one of the recently assigned books in the most recent assignment the excerts are extremely sexually explicit so I would ask that you leave now if you have any minor children present after speaking with both parents I made contact with David Len Heiser he was aware of the complaints but assured me that the books were not as bad as in our case I then researched one of their assigned novels titled The Bluest Eye by Tony Morrison the book is about an 11-year-old girl who was raped by her father a simple internet search showed that there are 12 pages of of objectional content I've heard some of the other speakers talk about beliefs opinions and different cultures of these Beach these books teach about I'm more concerned about what's being said in these books here are several passages he must rest his weight on his elbows when they make love to avoid hurting her breast she hopes he will not Sweat The Damp may get into her hair and that she will remain dry between her legs she hates the gluing sound that they make when she is moist the confused mixture of his memories of Pauline and the doing of a wild forbidden thing excited him and a bolt of Desire ran down his genitals giving it length and softening the lips of his anus he wanted to her tenderly but the tightness of her vagina was more than you could bear this goes on and on 12 Pages kids don't need to hear this in school after reviewing this book I contacted superintendent Sher Richards to make sure that she was aware of the assignment and That several minor students were assigned to read it without consent from their parents we have now seen multiple incidents of minors being improperly assigned to read books that contain sexual explicit materials at husd I would like to know why this is happening again after I was assured by David Lon Heiser it would not hsd should consider hiring of Staff with a moral fortitude to prohibit such reading assignments Why is the the law not being followed in this case I took note that husd has 41 approved books that fall under the title 15-120 I would recommend parents that had minor children who were exposed to sexually explicit material without their consent contact Gilbert Police Department and request police report be taken and submitted to the county attorney for charges thank you thank you Mr Parish next we have Charles excuse me Villa franka Madame president vice president of the board I have some material for you I was told I could bring I'm not sure who I give this to to hand to the board members and I know that it's eating up my time but I was told I could bring this so I made copies for each of you I am here tonight to discuss that I a parent was never given a consent ever under ARS 15-1 120.0 3 from my son to read a book that went against all of our teaching values in my home my parental rights were stripped never did I receive anything I've reached out to the superintendent's office multiple times and have never received a call from the superintendent to discuss this matter or else I wouldn't be here unfortunately that never has occurred so my concern that outlined in here with evidence the emails that I received from the teacher showing that the book was given to my son by the teacher the syllabus having nothing listed on there sexually explicit material at all nothing was discussed on an email that sexual explicit material was being given yet finally on January or July the 31st I was then given a consent by Mr Dolan in a meeting with Mr Dolan in his office as he stated that he had just received this the day prior July 30th from the board's office the 25th my son was given the book I'm not understanding why that delay occurred and why I was not given an option with my parental rights so I have it outlined here I know that the speaker of the house is very interested in this case I have sent it to him as well the Attorney General's office and anyone else that would listen I am not here to ban books I here to make sure that I a parent have the right that is given to me under the law and yes the United States Supreme Court has ruled on this that it is not protected by the First Amendment not this content not for minors under the age of 18 that's the law and I've cited five US Supreme Court cases against School boards for this exact material and the exact rights that parents have that this district has violated again and again I have requested I have received nothing I have emailed each of you and received nothing and I'm not understanding why I did meet with Mr David I got no answers other than the fact that these books offer literary value and my response is can't nonsexual books that discuss beastiality pedophilia and all of that can we use nonsexual books to do the same and get the same result my only concern is the violation I'm going to leave it here for you all is the violation of my parental rights to make the decision for my child thank you thank you are we going to give those to miss Zimmer okay thank you thank you um going back to my request that was too soon um can we please um keep the board and the community informed that there's going to be a town hall regarding the cell tower if there's any plans with that so president Anderson members of the board I know Mr Moore has an action item to council cancel the agreement with Verizon so when we went back and uh viewed the minutes from that board meeting um it was mentioned having a town hall for the San Community related to that cell phone tower and then it's the way I interpreted it it was table so if the board wishes to move forward with the town hall I believe you guys would have to decide that we voted to have a town hall um president Anderson [Music] um and whether or not the this contract is being terminated the the vote was to have a town hall and I believe that we should still have a town hall president Anderson miss van hook this is Jennifer mclenon Council for the district I would suggest that if one of you wants a town hall to move forward that you ask for it on a future agenda item at at the end of the meeting and that we proceed forward with the content of your agenda thank you thank you and president Anderson um I do want to address um some things that were said um during public comment um one of the students mentioned that uh we are teenagers that's exactly it you are teenagers not adults um to be given adult content to be reading um another thing Miss O'Neal mentioned um um is M Madam president this is Jennifer mclinic and Miss Van Hook I think what you're doing is going Beyond responding to criticism am responding to criticism well I I think that you're going a bit beyond and and I've been asked to assist this board in compliance with the open meeting law requirements so you have three choices you can respond to direct criticism you can ask that an item be placed on the agenda you can um ask the superintendent to review the matter those are your three choices all five of you as board members thank you um president Anderson Miss mclen um I am addressing criticism and she mentioned that um a parent was being coached and when a board member speaks to a parent that's not coaching that's our job to speak to parents um coaching is having um students show up to a board meeting to um Act to act like activists for on behalf of a teacher and that's I find inappropriate um but I would like to make sure that this is addressed I know I know we're working on a new policy um but we need to address the books that were possibly previously approved that is creating issues and ensure that our students aren't given sexually explicit material po per state law all right moving on to consent agenda I motion to approve the consent agenda from items 5.1 to 5.20 Second all those in favor I all right I um I do have a um comment about um a couple items on the consent agenda so okay you were okay um so we're going to we have a motion so we're going to go to a discussion on an item on the consent yes sorry um for item um president Anderson for item um um in I had asked some questions and in the comments um I I received my answers but um I wanted to find out how do parents know that they can opt out of this um and is that are they notified in the policy or how are parents notified that an opt out is available um for their child's data to be shared I don't know who's supposed to address that this is sorry Vice President Van Hook I know Mr Marcus berkshire's in the audience so I'd like him to come up and answer your question I couldn't see you so president Anderson Vice President Van Hook members of the board uh the directory information is what is part of this agreement that directory information is as per uh Jr jr- uh when a student when a parent enrolls or re enrolls uh they have a permission basically it's an opt out at that point in time to and they can identify which pieces of the directory information we are not allowed to share so at that point in time it's their decision as to what we would we are allowed to share out as part of that directory information president Anderson Mr Brookshire so the parent has to apply to be part of the program no no okay so we we by approving this agreement uh which is a renewal basically it's a uh we are reapproved you approve this agreement last year um you are allowing us to share information with ASU to allow um Helio Center to identify students that could potentially be admitted to ASU in or U OFA so last year by your approval we had approximately 550 of our seniors receive letters saying rather than actually having to go through and apply to those universities they were automatically admitted to those universities uh we don't know how many of them actually enrolled because school just started but once we have that information we'll be happy to share that with you okay thank you I I just want to make sure that um by us approving that our approval doesn't automatically give the district the right to share student information ultimately it's up to the parent to allow that if the parents opt out when they reenroll their their child then the that information wouldn't be shared okay thank you you're welcome I have one more um president Anderson um I also have a question about 5.13 um uh I'm sorry um I lost my number here uh 5.17 first thing first um one of the answers was that uh the what type of Health screenings that are done and it includes the hearing and vision screenings um but I was shocked to learn that this information is then shared with um the Arizona Department of Health um I personally opt my children out of vision and hearing screenings because I do that on my own with their own Physicians but are parents notified I I didn't know like are at what point should we be notifying parents that their children's information is being shared along with these screenings and what additional screenings aside from um the hearing and vision are being done and shared with adhs President Anderson sorry um if I can kind of jump in because I'm familiar with the First Things First Quality first scholarship program that is Vision screenings Health screenings are um an option and parents are notified on a certain day that this is and these are preschoolers these aren't at the elementary schools these are zero to five but it's at our preschool since we go 3 to 5 there and parents are notified that there will be a a dental screening or a health screening the quality first partners with many different um areas too for Chandler Regional Dental they'll come out and and do dental screenings those are our parents have to sign for those they're aware um same with the vision things like that there where on a certain day they're going to be doing Vision screenings um they can choose to not have their child do that same with hearing all of that so um parents are notified that these are these things are happening um and they can choose to opt out it it's provided through the quality first program president Anderson um board member mace um it I'm not sure if that's similar to what the district's doing I know as far as your it's the same so same program but it is is it different for a government entity versus a private business turn your mic on um no it's all quality first it it is a a separate program that's ran specifically you have to be a quality first site and they provide these things at all of their quality first sites so it's not every site if you're a quality First Site then those are things that can happen it's not any different for any government entities so parents are notified that this is occurring the screenings are occurring but are parents notified that they're child's information is them being shared with DHS can you speak to that well there's a permission slip they have to sign so it it tells them all about the screening what they're doing who's doing it um and it it provides them all that information so I I know ours um we choose to do the dental screenings and that's done through Chandler Regional for their dental and it has all the information on who's going to get that data with it is um and primarily on this the information it's child's name date of birth parents name address and a signature that yes they'll allow their kids to do that or not Vice President Van Hook we can follow up to um and cons and get that exact process that we utilize with our early childhood director Miss Amy coaches so that would be wonderful please and i' I'd love to be able to see that part permission slip to see what exactly is um parents um are getting thank you just for point of clarification president Anderson this is for our early childhood development it's not done K through 12 this specific thing so for those parents who were like I don't I've never had an experience with this um that is probably either a you didn't have your kid in one of our preschools or a preschool that did it specifically or in preschool at all kind of deal um but um yeah we're going to go ahead and vote just to make sure it's clear who's voting since we have the first of the motion and the second all those in favor I I I I motion carries 5 to zero president Anderson if I could make a quick comment TIY I know we approved some field trips um I just want to ask that for the future I know these field trips went and checked all the all the check marks were in place and they met all the criteria um these are some very expensive field trips and um I'd just like to ask in the future that we consider the cost of the trips and the financial burden we're putting on families some of these trips are around $2,500 per student um and some of these groups have multiple trips in a year and so we're putting a huge financial burden on families um I know they're doing fundraising but fundraising can only go so far as well so um they did meet all of our criteria it did go through our process it it got the pre-approvals to hit our board packet I would just like to ask that that we be cognizant of the cost of field trips that we are approving all right thank you all right going on to the information item 6.1 Career and Technical education update good evening uh president uh uh president Anderson uh board members uh HD cabinet U my name is Craig Pearson I'm the assistant director of Career and Technical education for the district and I'm excited to be here in front of you again tonight um to share uh an update on our Career and Technical education programs here at the district so um as you're aware we're gonna pause for a moment here thank you superintendent Richards um uh see Career and Technical education is aligned uh very well with our strategic uh plan and our strategic anchors um at the bottom of this page here I've I've highlighted some of the more obvious uh strategic anchors that we are aligned to uh in all four of the uh strategic areas uh currently for the 2425 school year these are the program offerings at both williamsfield and Higley High School uh I believe these have been and the same for the last three years so there's not been any change in the Career and Technical education programs offered um either of the high schools over that period of time uh our current enrollment um it for this year is 2747 students are participating in a Career and Technical education program uh at the Higley Unified High Schools uh uniform districts two high schools we also have 393 students parti ating in CTE at evit central campus um this represents a 17.5% growth over the past 5 years for husd programs as well as 10.5% growth uh in program uh participation at the EV Central campuses so uh Career and Technical education as you're aware is a Hot Topic right now and parents are opting students uh and students are opting into these programs at a higher rate than they have in the past so click um each of our CTE programs that we offer um are aligned to an industry credential that's recognized by the state um and so here you see that list there's a total of 22 unique certifications that our students can earn through CTE to make them career ready today click um as well as being aligned to our um certifications that they can get to be job ready today uh we currently offer2 108 dual enrollment credits through our CTE programs uh between our partner uh school districts or partner postsecondary Partners um mainly Maricopa community colleges as well as emry riddle Aeronautical [Music] University great uh CTE programs are currently participating in Regional advisory boards uh we've been doing this for about a two and a half years now uh we participate in our regional advisory boards with uh both the Queen Creek and the com School District the purpose of doing this is a regional uh basis is that our um programs where a lot of times our teachers are a single teacher at a site or a single teacher in a program uh for our district allows them to collaborate with other teachers in the geographic area it also allows us to pull our resources of Industry Partners so that they have a wider audience of Industry partners and business partners for them to be able to work with in order to uh give our students opportunities uh in uh work work-based learning uh so the way that the regional advisory boards work is we meet together in career clusters so health careers communication media technology uh Human Services and then we break out into individual program groups so then our in our health careers we would break out our Sports Med Med and our biotechnology into their program groups uh at these meetings uh they meet semiannually to discuss uh industry needs and uh uh create a common action plan known as a program of work for the um uh program so we listen to the input from our industry and business partners we create a program of work to help address those needs uh whether through curriculum or through opportunities with our business partners for our students to be able to to go visit a facility in their area uh and then we act upon that program of work throughout the year um our programs then come back and work locally with other uh re other uh business and industry partners that may not have been able to participate at the regional level and we uh put that uh action that plan of action to work so we've been doing this for about like I said two two and a half years we found some really really good success here in building strong advisory boards um every year this our CTE programs are rated on eight criteria by the state of Arizona um the first four are more generalized to our students education so graduation rate reading Lang reading language proficiency math proficiency and science proficiency um as you can see here for last year um our district as a whole and each School individually met the um the state's uh level of performance in each of those areas the bottom four are specific to CT e so student placement After High School graduation uh non non-traditional participation in programs that are deemed uh to have a non-traditional um audience uh industry organized credentials and the technical skills assessment given by the state for our senior population of last year who graduated um just want to note here our industry recognized credentials our percentage of seniors that received an industry credential in their program at the time of completion was 89.9% and you can see the state's goal was 30.6 so we kind of crushed that one um same thing with our TSA um 88.9% of our students who completed a program uh passed the TSA um the state's goal there was a 63.9 uh last year was a red letter year for us as well as we had our five-year monitoring from the state of Arizona um the fiveyear uh monitoring requires us to document and send documentation to the state um showing our work in our CTE programs there were 12 compliance indicators for each program and then there were 35 um Quality indicators for each program um so we went through a process over the last year and a half preparing documents um in our professional development days we had some professional de outside of contract hours uh our teachers worked on preparing all of this this documentation and evidence of their programs um and when we got the report in early December of last year um as expected all of our programs met the compliance indicators um but um all of our programs also um met enough of the quality indicators to be rated as distinguished program so every single one of our programs was rated by distinguished and quality by the state of Arizona and to my understanding that puts us in a small category of about five or six school districts across the state so uh CTE funding uh here is a breakdown of our funding from last year um as we we never get our full funding until Midway through the year and so we don't know what our funding is specific for this year but for last year um we received funding through um three major um area well uh areas and then we also had an integrated Grant last year as well so one of our funding sources is our CED satellite funding it's our major uh funding and it comes through the state through our uh our CAD evit uh we received 2.3 uh million approximately last year we also received a state Perkin Grant of 167,000 and then our state uh priority matching Grant was 117,000 um like I said CTE also applied through our regional Advisory Board we applied for a Innovative Grant and uh were granted an additional $58,000 last year uh that was used to help strengthen our regional advisory boards so that was our budget um you can see at the bottom there is a breakdown of uh the categories of where the majority of that money is spent uh a lot on supplies and equipment for the programs um to date I've not had to tell a program that they can't get something that they want as long as they can justify how it meets the standard for the RO uh some highlights of our Higley uh husd uh uh CTE programs um CTE students last year uh for the kids that completed a program last year we had over 500 industry certifications earned uh with 96.3% of our completers earning at least one certification um our CTE uh ctsos like HOSA Deca skills USA sent over 100 students to compete n nationally uh in 2024 in various competitions and brought back dozens of uh Awards and medals to uh display in their classrooms their schools to to sing praises of of their students um our early childhood education program which I know is near and dear to uh uh us at least one of our board members uh has done a tremendous job uh going from a fledgling program three years ago to where we now have students doing interning at both of our Early Childhood Development Centers um many of our elementary schools and other preschools around the surrounding area um our early childhood development center has actually hired a couple of our graduates as a um par Professionals in their programs as they continue their education and we look forward to them hiring their first teacher from our program in the next few years um our sports medicine program is partnering with Chandler Gilbert Community College and the National Association of sports medicine to create a new pathway for the State of Arizona in exercise science and personal training so as we roll out our course guide this year you'll see a pathway in there uh this year as we're working on the approval of that through the state we're going to run the program under uh sports medicine but uh we are looking to that to be a separate program hopefully in the near future developed by Higley unified and our partners and last but not least uh criminal justice continues to be our largest program in the district uh we have 5 59 students currently participating in that program so about one in five CTE students in Higley are in that program uh some possible future opportunities um is to continue aligning some of our Middle School exploratory programs with the high school Pathways to provide a per a purposeful continuation of programs I know this year we added or we worked with kolie Middle School to add a graphic design and digital photography program there that then feeds into our high school graphic design and digital photography programs our robotics programs at the middle schools already feed into our engineering programs at the high schools and they have really strong Partnerships so we're looking at other ways that we can align some of our other Middle School offerings to do the same um as I mentioned uh we're looking to add an expanded uh sports medicine program uh for exercise science and personal training um we're looking uh we're currently updating our Sportsmen training Labs at both the Higley High School and William High School uh one of the unique opportunities we had is when we built our field houses we kind of abandoned our the spaces where we had trainers rooms in the uh old buildings so in the 600 building at williamsfield and the 700 building at Higley High School and so we are revitalizing those rooms now as labs for our sports medicine programs to be able to go through a simulated lab experience like they would have if they were in the trainer's room but will we teacher L and it'll so so those will be finished they're 80% finished now they'll be 100% finished probably by the end of the first quarter um and then we're going to continue focusing on Pro program outcomes so certifications lur uh Pass rates our current pass rate last year was 89.3% uh for students who completed a program and that was with a 96.3% uh um participation rate in the certification so we don't limit who gets to take the certification exam we we we Inspire well we aspired to make sure every student who completes a program takes the certification and of that we had 89.3% of our students actually passed the certification exam so what questions might you have for me tonight I just have a question um and you might not know the answer so I'll get it but as far as the graphic design program at do we know how many have enrolled in that program if like I said you could it can it can wait till status or I just wonder you know how successful or how it's been over there yeah I I can get that information and update that in status okay awesome thank you it you're doing an amazing job as always with the CTA program CTA program I'm always impressed by the numbers and um everything involved with it so amazing job thank you I'm going to pass all that praise hopefully on to my teachers for the wonderful work that they do um it would not be possible without the wonderful staff that we have absolutely yes everyone involved in the CTE program president and memb can I plug though the graphics design program um Craig was grateful enough to allow the print shop to go and solicit we have a student internship opportunity uh for both our high school um graphic design programs and so we had over 17 applicants and so we're looking to uh give students in those programs an opportunity have real worth real world examples to assist in our print shop who's been um growing robustly with uh business so I do want to shout out Craig for creating an opportunity for a print shop so Mr Mort how many internships were available in the printing shop I know you said you had 17 applicants but two okay one from each High School yeah oh perfect awesome thank you that's amazing phenomenal just I love this program I love that you guys teachers and everybody are changing lives just in my 10th year of teaching and it it's the CTE kids it's the jrc kids that are some of some of the best students because they feel like they have a path where there's so many that don't they just plug and plug and plug to get good scores and go to college but this really lays out that path for them so teachers parents students admin well done great job and thank you for all that you have done thank you all right uh moving on to 6.2 the superintendent evaluation instrument discussion president Anderson members of the board you guys recently approved the governing board initiatives and goals for the 2425 school year um in years past we always update you on progress but this year we would like to do it quarterly so when we have our work study in October we would like um to potentially offer this note catching tool that's up there and this just aligns directly to our strategic planned and the action steps we want to take and the progress we're making so obviously on October 15th we will not have met all of this but we'll share with you the kind of progress we've made and this amazing team works really hard with the schools and the Departments but rather than get all the way to the end of the school year and there'll be 13 goals here that you have to reflect on we thought it would be nice to give you a progress document that you can share with us and say hey we want to see more of this or did you forget about this or so forth so I hope that makes sense yeah I appre appreciate your thoughtfulness it was a great idea to have this instrument and as I told Mrs Richards coming in as a new board member and going almost straight to an evaluation um that was really that was Troublesome in some parts so I appreciate you thinking forward on this so that we could have a tool to record and update um and um I wanted to make sure this got to the board because there are different Minds on this di here and maybe if you thought of a better way to do it or another structure or a layout then I wanted to be open for that discussion but thank you can I say one more thing later in the agenda on the action item you'll see the proposed um pay for performance evaluation instrument which is directly aligned to this and it's all the same okay it's just repetitive but we were trying to just measure progress as a teacher we get measured you know more than once a year so we just want to continually keep working to do what's right for our kids and our community president Anderson Mrs Richards I just have one request is it possible to make this a fillable PDF so I could just keep all my notes electronically we can do that we have technology it's minor but I I prefer that to paper then that's okay thank you president Anderson um this is a really good idea oh good I know for doing superintendent evaluations that I'm always going back through my notes and I mean I have notes upon notes and um so having it quarterly being able to review know where you're at and having it as a fillable PDF so people can keep track I think is is really important to be able to have really good solid discussion for the superintendent's evaluation so thank you thank you president Anderson um I just wanted to mention in PDF you can add text to the file yeah no I can make a text box but if I could just make it easier than if we could just do that's so I didn't have to continue to add a text box to every single time then that's why thank you yes I hate formatting thank you any further comments or questions all right let's move on to our action items 7.1 I motion that the governing board approve the superintendent evaluation instrument as presented to the board second do we want any discussion on this or okay so Tiffany was at a second yes okay thank you all those in favor I I motion carries 5 to zero 7.2 I motion that the governing board approve the changes to policy i j n DB use of Technology resources in in uh in instruction second any questions comments all those in favor I motion carries 5 to zero 7.3 I motion that the governing board approve the changes to policy b b b a board member qualifications thank you all those in favor I I motion carries 5 to zero 7.4 a motion of the governing board approve the changes to policy I KF graduation requirements seconded by Miss Van Hook all those in favor I I motion carries 5 to zero 7.5 I motion the governing board approve the termination of the agreement between higle Unified School District and Verizon Wireless for the cell phone tower at San Middle School Anna seconded any discussion questions before we move forward I'm assuming the conversation around whether or not we hold a town hall is for the later agenda because that's not part of this correct Madame President uh board member Wade I think if you would like to hold a town hall regarding this issue that one of you should ask for it in a future agenda item and perfect that would I just wanted to make sure yeah that's all thank you for the clarification all those in favor I I motion carries 5 to zero 7.6 I motion that the governing board approve the authorization of expenditure in the amount of $1,116 oh my gosh $16,000 56830 I'm on 7.6 oh I'm sorry okay to flexo Florida Virtual School for Higley Virtual Academy curriculum second one second please any discussion questions president Anderson uh one of the um the I had asked a question and one of the responses was this was approved by the board in 20120 um and so I wasn't here um so I wanted to find out if there's a some sort of a passcode that I can get to be able to see what the curriculum is about um because I wasn't here and I don't know what was actually approved so if there's a an access that I could possibly get to be able to see what it's about Vice President Van Hook Mr burar is here again to answer your question president Anon and vice president B members of the board um for parents whose students are attending hva they can register as an observer and uh in that way be able to go in and see the entire content uh of what that course is uh in fact uh what flexo does is they have a module it's a standard module in all of their courses and when you go into that module there's a syllabus there's a scope of study there's pacing you can pretty much see every single lesson that that child is going to be engaged in as long as you're registered as an observer in canvas for that course um president Anderson um Mr Brookshire that's great I just want to be able to see see it for myself um so I'm I'm wondering how do I as a non-parent of an HTA student um be able to review the curriculum since it was approved prior to me being on the board and we're being being asked to approve this without me actually knowing what the curriculum is is about we've been using this curriculum for the last four years um and it is standard across the valley uh I would have to to to go back and ask for sandbox permission from Flex Point that's not something that they normally give out or we have access to uh once we've approved the purchase of that curriculum it now becomes something that we load into canvas for for those students and teachers and parents that are in those cour so I'm I I will reach out to them and see what we can work out so that you can have that access but I can't provide that to you at this time yeah and obviously you know I I don't need it like immediately but if we our job as board members is to approve curriculum we're being asked to approve something that was approved initially in 2020 and I don't know what I'm even approving I understand it's been used um but I don't know what the curriculum is so to ask me as a board member to do my job and approve something that I don't even know what I'm approving is not fair to me um so I understand that this is on the agenda it's you know asking for approval what I'm asking for is if if I as a board member have the ability to review the curriculum which is part of my job to do um so I'm hoping hoping that the the company understands that as board members we have a right to be able to review that and that they provide some sort of access and I appreciate that what we're coming to you tonight is to purchase additional licenses not to approve the curriculum but I'm I'm happy to to work at getting you access to that that that platform thank you thank you president Anderson and uh superintendent Richards just for clarification all of these courses that are in the hickley Virtual Academy so for example you have like world history and then you also have world history in the virtual would they not be beholden to the same curriculum requirements that the state has already that and that we have adopted like I get that it's coming from but it's no different the way I look at this curriculum having being a teacher during 2020 and going through the higgle virtual and all of that jazz um ultimately it's no different than like different books uh when it comes to how you get that information and ultimately it's up to the teachers to decide how they release some of those things and the reason we chose this specific curriculum is because of how it aligned with state requirements and our other courses so that way an individual who's doing it virtually versus doing it in person is getting the same content is that correct correct Flex point is aligned to all Arizona State Standards additionally it's incaa approved so our students that are taking it uh through hbaa they qualify to be able to to use those that course work to compete at the Collegiate level as well uh so there's there's lots of betting that has gone into that program again it's used by pretty much every Virtual Academy in the state of Arizona Mr Burk Shar um depending on their response would it be possible for Vice President Van Hook to come in and experience a demo like certainly might even be helpful cuz somebody here knows how to navigate stuff y thought we can uh basically go in as staff into a canvas course and and you can certainly see the the content through that that route as well thank you thank you all right we have a motion in a second for a vote all those in favor I I all those oppose I'm going to obstain CU I don't know what I'm you know I know it's additional contracts but um I'd like to be able to see the curriculum so I'll abstain okay motion carries four with one abstention four to one abstention all right moving on to Future agenda items anybody have any requests that they'd like to put forward uh Town Hall please president Anderson um um and I would like to um also look into the counselor policy um I know the Attorney General's um opinion came back um so I'd like to discuss that as well do you have that policy by Chance the I don't remember what the I'll get I'll get you the uh number but I don't know it off hand president Anderson we have that and so we'll be happy to put that on the agenda thank you president Anderson Miss melen I didn't get a chance at the end of public speaking to say to direct staff is this okay for me at this time or can I not Madam uh for a future Schultz um you you can't address criticism at public comment except after the public comment so it would not be appropriate for you to address criticism now it's not addressing criticism it's a directing staff to look into a matter you this is the agenda item where the only thing that you can do is ask for um a future agenda item to be placed on your agenda for the board to consider so it would not be appropriate for you to direct staff to look into an issue but you certainly can send an email to your superintendent to ask for that okay all right any other requests not this time okay moving on to 10.1 the adjournment I motion that to adjourn this meeting second all those in favor I I motion carries 5 to zero thank you have a great evening everyone I'm go ahead and give this now I have done anyone job okay um I think that what we should do is give these to Christine to scan to them and that you also can send your responsive information

the repu for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with libery and justice for all our father in Heaven we're grateful for this day of this opportunity we have to be here we are grateful for the opportuni we have to be as here in this community and the leaders and Educators here in this community we're grateful for the safety and protection we've been given and this hot humid time and we ask you to please bless those that are have to work or do things outside that they may be protected from this we ask you to please bless this meeting as we go through the agenda and that we we'll do and discuss the things which th would want us to do please help us to keep in [Music] mind what we have been charged to do as as leaders in this community to to help the education of the of the children that they may grow and develop into individuals that will be able to go throughout this country and throughout this world to be and be prosperous we ask you to please help us to make decisions that would be pleasing unto thee and we say this in the name of Jesus Christ amen all right we have a future board meetings uh September 10th September 24th and October 8th all 6:00 all here at the Administration build I don't think there was any revisions to the agenda we'll move on to recognition public recognition okay first of all um have one from Mr Snider uh he just wanted to make sure that he thanks the MSD maintenance and custodial teams for all the extra work preparing for the auction the demo and new construction over the summer they move more items and they can be counted in order to be ready for the elementary project uh they also have done a great job keeping up with the dirt and dust from construction and locker rooms I'm sure um all the principles could say that uh about all the things that were going on we've certainly had a lot of dust but that dust equals progress so thank for doing that so at this time um we're starting up again um our staff Spotlight and again this year we're doing the teacher of the year and also staff of the year of each school and tonight um Mrs Lewis brought with her um Mr Springer and so he could come up here and I just forgot my paper so Mr just Springer um is the staff or the teacher of the year and before we even move on I'm going to go ahead and give this to them so I don't forget um but First Farmers Bank and Trust again um is our sponsor for this and so there is a $50 um voucher for the online um store that we have so you can buy anything probably red [Music] I say that but one thing I I want to mention so once the teachers uh from each building become the teacher of the year for their particular school um they can go ahead and apply for the teacher of the year for Indiana and actually for the district in too also and so um one of the questions is describe a project or initiative you've been involved in that deliberately creates culture in your classroom or School describe how you build and use Rel relationships to collaborate and to teach students of all backgrounds abilities and identities what is the status of the project today and please include evidence of student impact I'm not going to read all that it was but one thing I wanted to put at the end because one thing we focus a lot on is relationship so I won't read it all if you want to see it later I can give it to you but permission from Mr Str um but uh here's one of the paragraphs I want to read it says as they leave my classes at the end of the year it is my practice to remind them that my door is always open they can come for help or just to visit at any time throughout their high school years and Beyond many take me up on my offer I have even had a couple of parents who were taking classes come and get help from me and are those parents that were students of yours or actually parents of the students that you are parents of my students taking a class somewhere that's what I thought but you know as we teach for an education all time sometimes those parents were our students right so so again we want to um congratulate you on that Mrs Lewis would you like to share anything yes so Mr Springer has been with us at Southwood 23 years 32 years as an educator um and he really is the epitome of a dedicated talented educator team player and just a leader overall um he's serving right now as one of our five mentors in our new teacher Academy program and then um just days before school started he uh jumped in without hesitation on taking a new course load um we had a resonation in the 11th hour and so he knew it would be easier for us to fill what he had already planned and prep for for the school year um and so he will jumped into the upper level courses where where he should be anyway um but that's just two examples of how great he is as a person and as an educator um I can speak to him not only as an administrator but as a former student um and he's uh he's just an incredible person all the way around so truly my pleasure to have you as our teacher and I just want to say one other thing too as not only a teacher but he continues um I believe this coming year again uh to do the clay target League maybe maybe you don't have anyone else so how many years have you done that now six yeah so one of those things that we wanted to provide more opportunities for our students um and we looked to see if there were any interest and then of course um you've been doing that for a lot of years and just really appreciate that he actually um helps with both high schools and so we appreciate what he does there he has some people that some of the student athletes that are actually shooting perfect scores too so right so very good so so let's give him a round of applause sorry I was so caught up in the moment I didn't do my job have one job everybody smiling you guys are very unhappy smile than take one more oh yeah oh yes you know I was going to give him an opportunity to say something I didn't know if he was going to say anything and I said you know you're limited to 10 minutes or 15 minutes and something like that so I apologize but I didn't forget go ahead well I wasn't planning on speaking but I just want to say South's a great place to work and we've got phenomenal kids some of them your kids I have taught and it's a it's it's good I'm really excited about the new group of teachers we've gotten in they seem like they're really going to be a good addition so I'll be leing it in good hands many years from [Music] now well thank you very much and you're welcome to stay here but um you can leave too because that's um know you had dinner yet no are you going to go for dinner okay all right thank you and we did have uh Ricky Reid who is our staff of the year um he is our custodian second shift and um he just did not want to come right so you want to say anything about Ricky though you just I will give it to him yeah he does not like the spotlight so he's currently in or at Southwood in the hallways cleaning and the classrooms and everything um he has been at Southwood 32 years and so you had you've been at like any athletic event after school activity you have probably seen him um even if you don't know him by name or by face um just a great guy and really just just like Mr Springer jumps in where he needed um last year when we were trying to fill the head custodian position he took on those duties on top of what he was doing second shift already um and so also if you're in the Halls after school hours or at night after an event and you hear the music it's coming from his radi CD boom box that he carries around and plugs in so um that that truly is like a welcoming thing for those of us that are in the hallways after dark um just a reminder that we need to make sure that our schools and our building are just welcoming at any time of the day so and he really does that so the kids love them the athletes really get to know him because they see them a lot too so just a good good yeah all right well thank you thank you Mr Le all all right now the business well we sure appreciate our staff and all that they do some of these have for a long time so be a lot longer too the way it sounds more years more years be 52 years we'll move on to public comment for agenda items only anything all right we'll move into our agenda items approval our August 13th meeting minutes I get a motion in a second so the second got a motion and second to approve our meeting August 13th all those in favor say I any oppos all right uh Financial reports we got uh claims any any questions on any claims signs are paid for that everything's y I believe so there might be May a little yeah I think so Laura did most of the work with I'm just curious problem have we had any comments or complaints about being right concern at Northfield no I've had posi a motion second so move Scott second motion a second to approve claims all those in favor say I iOS passes payroll nothing new on payroll this is I mean the August 15th pay is our last pay um for that for last school year so this next payroll would be reflecting where we're at and where we'll run with uh for this school year to payroll got a motion a second to approve our payroll number three all those in favor say I I [Music] oppos okay Financial summary uh cash flow for education operation fund just kind of laying out where we're at uh where we've been these last seven months and where we're headed these last five months um nothing of area of concern you know the big thing coming up will be what our ad in count is that will be uh what will be reflected in our basic tuition support once we have that count um October 1st and then from an operation standpoint again just highlighted things that we've been paying for that could be reimbursed uh as far as reimbursing ourselves back from the bond that we'll be taking out for the Northville Elementary Metro North project and so those dollars are being reflected there which kind of shows you where will the end of the year based on some of those anticipated one big thing is it's showing right now since I've been here we've been used to transferring some monies out of operation in the late day phone that's something we don't have to do this year which would help offset that number of all right any concerns there it looks on to Personnel um HR report see any resignations good excellent especially after we've started uh unemployment Heather Clark science teacher at Southwood High School effective school year Kyra staer care professional South Elementary effective 8819 hey Darin professional southw Elementary effective 819 Erica Garber ECA treasure Southwood and norfield classified starts 96 GA is that GA low sub SLP um for the WAP starts 820 until 127 deah shinkle very long de shinkle sub teer at sharp sharp Creek Elementary effective immediately NG bear sub PA professional Metro North Elementary and that's August 26 through October 2nd Kathy Lowry sub professional North Elementary uh August 29th through October 4th transfers cor roer temp teacher Metro North Elementary from September 3rd to November 22nd and Lori schuls temp teacher Metro North Elementary August 26th through October 4th and we got a few coaches at Northfield for robotics uh Scott Ross e8th grade Cammy Ross 8th grade Matt Hudson 9th grade Cheryl Hudson nth grade Jason Lions 10th and 11th grade Amanda Lions 10th and 11th and Sher gray 12th grade second got a motion second to approve the HR report all those in favor say I I any opposed Heartland we had our meeting about a week ago I guess it was um report on student enrollment they have 602 students right now they expect it probably by the everything cost you they hope it remain around about 590 at that point um they had some donations from Wilma Ray Memorial they had $850 for the early childhood education TSC also gave them it was between 8 and 10 lithium batteries for Building Trades uh they were spay models so they'll still work but that's a nice little donation for those guys out there um the big thing was last week I gave you or last time I gave you a copy of the new operating agreement uh we had Lively discussion about that um we don't have to make a decision ision tonight or anything like that but the you know they're talking about trying to change the way the operating agreement is who sits on that board we had discussed having superintendents do it completely because they meet at least once a month in that correct already with Mr M and then we meet with the board and it seems there's a lot of it's not very there's not a lot of flow because we make a decis or we can't make a decision to these guys do and since 1965 or whatever it's been good but now we've got spending money and you know things that have to be repaired and stuff like that and it's just so hard to get board members like myself making a decision yeah we need to do that but then we have to go back to our schools and these guys know their money A lot better than we do or at least I think we they should anyway uh but we had a lot of discussion about that there's one or two schools that don't want to change and the way the operating agreement works if three out of the five schools decide that then it would change and on that board who who we as this board select to be on that board doesn't have to be a board member it could be Mr ke a right now uh Peru schools did that for years and there was no problem with that but um the issue that a lot of guys or people talk about is well we are the trustees or as such I get that uh what are your guys's thoughts on that I know Kevin has mentioned Shar M yeah yeah and that's fine it come across m is any kind of compromise to just go ahead and put superintendents in those positions yeah and have it much like a Miami area program so if the school didn't want their superintendent in there and they wanted somebody such as yourself to represent this board then we be able to do that too I believe that's corre or right now that's what they that's the way it is right yeah the operating agreement says each member board shall appoint the representative to the attorney counsil but to yeah man that's the way it that's and I think there there's a a written request for an amendment pending yes um that once once that goes out um for once Council gets around to it each board will be a asked whether or not they want to that new Amendment the new amendment when we bring it back to you will essentially say um the board shall it's been Serv super so and that as long as that pass Withers that will become oper a term operating correct and some of the other schools said well you know you you change over superintendent you know here and there and you won't have continuity I know three members from other schools that will not be there next year there's very little continuity sometimes from you know we've been really good here through the years having the same person year after year but that doesn't happen at a lot other schools it's sort of like the Short Straw and now you're that one and there's a lot of absentee people and that makes it difficult to get things done correctly because we've had to postpone meetings you know you're all set up and there's nobody there why why do you suppose that is they just don't treat it with enough importance that like when we vote you in at the beginning of our organization at the first of the year you do an excellent job that I'm glad you're in there the other schools they can't find the candidate that would commit to it with interest they commit but they don't commit wholehearted let's put that it's easy for them or it seems to me easy for them not to be there and I'm not saying everybody but there's enough and I'm not pointing anybody out but it's just disappointing you think it' be better about the superintendent the advantage is they're already meeting once a month anyway and they don't meet with you guys at all no and it was disgusting well we can go like I've been to some of the meeting oh he's been yeah and I just you know they said well we could just Co meet at the same time I said that's great we going to meet at lunch when they do are you going to course to me when we do now I can see the some benefit of that but I also I mean is that two the superintendent or or's your plate I mean I don't know that's I mean obviously it's one of those things that maybe that's why they don't want to push more responsibility on to their superintendent don't know I don't know I won right with it just but there there's something you could go to every night so that just have the priority of course my concern and you know as you're heading into these capital projects where there's going to be lot of dollars spent you know how well can this school district be represented in the matters in those matters so that that's my concern which is a better approach it's valid concern that organically from the board itself or by way of the superintendent back to the board something we can think about that's something that and I don't know in an agreement if you did switch it over to superintendent that there were certain specific situations that maybe would require board the school's board approval on certain things like you're talking about project still has to come back maybe it would come back to you guys [Music] theof renovation that that decision have to be approved I mean doesn't have to be saying if you wanted to do if you wanted to change something like that to have some of that protection there I'm sure you could write that into an agreement Mr ke making a decision for years from now just like on this Rift project it's been delayed two to three years and that just like everything else has costly you know was estimated around 800,000 to 900 now we're at is it 1.2 million but as you know there was some had to be some push because if there wasn't any push I think we still would just be there I know and I think that's come from us yeah on that part of it too so otherwise it's not to get done so and you're dealing with five school districts that all have different Financial situations how do you blend them and try to pick up the pace on certain things fortunately you guys have got us in good position we haven't been the foot Dyer in this deal so but anyway that's something we'll have to look at before the end of the year sometime and then we're talk about superintendent yeah since you talked about this um construction I just wrote down you know here again U locker room and weight room still um working on those a lot of dust like was mentioned earlier by Mr Snider but that's progress also tennis Sports they're really moving along with those we've had real good weather though right too it's uh not very much have all the things that are going on of course the demo of the new construction at norfield um with norfield Elementary if you haven't seen that you can almost visualize now the PAD as far as how that has been done because they have that compacted to um know it's a dirt pad right now with some Stone but at least you can actually see some of that coming together as far as what that would actually look like um bid phase number three um opening of all of those bids will be on September 10th so excited about that because that will include the things that have to be done and also the alter so uh looking forward to September 10th to see how that all works out and then that will come to you for approval at the following board for the the end the second one of September maybe somewhere Mayer it's one of those why beend on that us recommendations I mean they'll go through a they need to go through a process to filter through all of those things and make sure that they they bid on what they needed to bid on and they didn't leave something out or whatever because again they are the constructors at risk so they're the ones at risk and then it'll be just like phase one and phase two as far as what of course the digital signs so was very exciting I appreciate all the work that people have done on those um they're up working now and then um there's a fence project at Northville that they have most of polls in I think right now um and they'll be putting that up we just learned that most of those were only in the ground 18 in that's not very good right that's why a lot of it was falling down like that was problem but anyway that's all I really have right now of course we're moving along with school since this is a Tuesday we're almost three weeks in already and um things are at a good good groove right now all right yeah um I shared I got some stuff finally to share yeah uh it takes them this long the state of Indiana to release IR three pets and so you can see those there in comparison and a special thank you to Lori Laura langles for making that pretty little graph um for your information we're going to call it IR three but starting this year all second graders and third graders will take a test and if you're a second grader and don't we well whatever the med school's chance to REM mediate that's starting now it is still a third grade mandatory passing test but take next thing um we received our results from a lot of our AP exams you can see there uh if your memory is good last year I compared it to any University this year it's PR new University's time and so if all of our kids that had AP tests uh went to Purdue they would have earned 256 credits just in their AP scor mon so uh the Purdue University president just wrote a letter um several aspects of the letter talked about how important is to do AP classes um that dual credit is good but that AP does a better job of pring students to do well well in classes um and so the timing was perfect that youed and special recognition to these kids you can kind of see the different distinctions they've gotten we have some current students who are now those are all Juniors who are now seniors and then underneath that you see the seniors from last year graduated and so um you can see a couple of them got perfect scores on multiple exams that's just very impressive to do that so that might be just there's one so so really cool it's really cool yeah any questions about yeah other than impressive uh the next one I think Mr ke Faber shared these with you uh while I was not able to be here but I wanted to make sure we had those um obviously our goal is to stay around the state average we have been trying to focus mostly at Junior High that's kind of where our numbers and so uh we think it's more student motivation rather than student skill um junor High kids and that and so we have been trying to find ways to get to be a little more U take more seriously so you can see actually get a good assessment that so you can see those again thanks to Laura lles for putting those together and then the last bit I feel like I've fown through this stop if something comes up the last bit then the state of Indiana has taken the I learn test the old IEP and now they're going to break it apart into pieces so we are participating this year in the pilot program next year the whole state will have to do it basically what they're doing is they're taking all of the standards and they're saying by this checkpoint you will have covered these standards when you get to this checkpoint you'll check these standards and so on so that when you get to the final test the plan is your test Scott's test would be different from Mike's tests because Scott demonstrated in checkpoint one that he did pretty good on standard two whereas Mike struggled immensely on standard two and so we're going have to ask him a lot of questions about standard two on the summative uh and the idea so there's that and it makes that test shorter it's not nearly as invasive and when we take those checkpoints teach teachers are supposed to get that those results very soon right now they're saying within 24 hours maybe we believe that but hopefully sooner than that means I'll have that information about Mr ke Faber and standard 2 and I'll be able to then help him on standard to before we get to the next check point and so um in theory it sounds really good but hopefully it works like they say it will and so that is grades three through eight which we normally use nwaa testing for but in order to not test so much since we're doing the checkpoints now we are going to shrink who uses n down to K to2 because they don't do the I test so K to2 will keep continuing with the old NWA that everybody knows grades 3 through eight won't do the NWA they will do the iser checkpoints and this year is just a pilot it's just to kind of get a feel and test it out and then next year we expect all of it to be live that's a lot I always thought you Tim you really like thew because you got the growth yeah comparison teachers have that individual growth assessment that's the that's the best thing about it's nationally and you can see how Mr ke fa did from the fall to the winter to the spring and so as a teacher you can say man I help anym we really do whatever so it had a lot of benefits but the state of Indiana doesn't seem to think it satisfies the federal requirements that we have to give to tests so they've never approved the N of for this test so that's why we had the I and now the I learner so it would have been great if they were just the NBA not had the all most schools across the state would agree that it would be better to have an NWA just St so Mr Dr since I need the remediation can you explain to me you can you explain to me why scores seem so high on the I read or I read yeah and then all of a sudden now for the I learn percentages are are lower now that's a great question as you can see he's making progress this is pro um when we do the I three is a basic reading CL test so um very lowlevel skills minimal skills in order to progress and so it is expected the state of Indiana has a goal of 100% which I 95% by by 2027 or which you know we won't get to that but it's reasonable to expect 90% a matter of fact we're a little bit low right now at 87 usually we're around that 90% um so that's a basic skills basic level test whereas the I learn is a college readiness test and it's very ironic the state just sends out lots of mixed messages of we really want kids to go into the workforce and we wanted you you can do all of that and then we're going to test you and hold you accountable to kids that are preparing for college even though we're going to tell these kids hey you don't have to go to college you get a great careering this and so it presents lots of challenges but the I learn is Essence when you look at those percentages that percentage of students are on track wherever grade they are to be successful in college and so it stands to reason that a basic level test is going to have a lot more success right than the college prep and so so yeah that's a good question the reason why we asked that question though is because if we don't know all of that information you just wonder why those scores are so much different between the two set of test so that I learn all what grade level again three through eight 3 through eight and it was really hard that first year they made switch to I learn our scores dropped significantly I mean Shark Creek I think was in the 90s the year before an I step and then I learn it was down and everybody's like what do we do wrong or whatever well they they completely changed the test um and it's a very very good test if you're measuring college readiness but that's not what we were measuring before we were just measuring basic skills which seems to me probably more realistic if you're going to test the whole population because some kids there's no reason they're not going to go to cation so is there any indication with this newad you know because obviously you know if you got kids that you know that aren't going shouldest there sure should be but they will have to they will show up in our SAT scores so a student that's a Harland that already has a job at for meter box welding they're going to have to take the SAT we're accountable for the SAT score but the students right it it won't impact them but our the our high schools will refle that score yeah and that's that's where the flaw is is because you know they don't care no motivation for that kid sit for a test he's already making money on all right thank you Mr yeah all right we have uh under new business um we have a recommendation to approve the corporate authorization resolution which is just yeah so we did this last for meeting too but with the new hire of a bookkeeper at Northland Southwood we just need a resolution stating that she would be allowed to be on our bank accounts those two buildings so uh we have we said last time we have three signes we require two signes on checks so it's usually the bookkeeper the principal and myself has those three [Music] sign second you got a motion of second to approve the corporate authorization resolution all those in favor say I I I oppos passes and then next our nipco project at Harland career center you're the board of managers no I pass it off I can do that you're my boss so you can tell me that well basically you know the situation with the the NCO project project and the big question there were lots of different questions but as far as the easements uh there were some questions about that I think those somewhat have been answered uh in some of the means that Matt has attended uh one of the big questions was though to the actual land value and the latest that we heard um that they did come back instead of having the $10,000 per acre on that it was 25,000 per acre um and then I'll look to I guess Josh too I think the Heartland Career Center School attorney also said that what had to happen was that each board member board had to vote for approval of that or is that correct then that sounds correct yeah okay and so that's the discussion that all of you need to have and so we didn't really put on their recommendation but there can be a vote if that's what you want to do tonight they did U I know FL work I would like for this to come back to the board of managers then I have not seen the new higher number's new higher number it is okay and I haven't seen that I was going to make the ass but I just got it and what is that then at 32,000 an acre okay it was at 25 because I said that's not high enough I said rather around here is industrial so and they're going to give you for the one acre they're going to do they're only going to give you half of that to begin with OR period instead of say it was a 25 you're only going to give you 12 for and I don't understand that but that's and here again it's not a it's only one acre so it's not it's not a huge deal it's not a huge deal and I believe that what Mr mcor would say too obviously uh this is for the project mainly for Ford meterbox for the new um boundary there also for some gas to the east of town to because they're going to connect the two pipes together right and so obviously that's been good Partnerships with that and they do things for us and donate all the time to us but you know for NPS go they should you know look at the value of the land and get close to what it is so that's nice to hear that I heard when I talked to him last and we talked I knew that there was some negotiation a little bit after the 25,000 so I'm glad to hear that I just got that so okay know any other discussion I I was trying to recall how far off the center of the road that long no it's not going to be that it's just cuz they got the power poles here they got to have enough room to go past the power and they can't go on the other side of the road because there bones or something I don't know um my big concern is still correct if they cut tile that it's fixed correct and I I think that was put in there also some damage to crops there were damag damage to crops and so on but the way they made it sound crops may be off before they get to this part because they're going to start from the East first so Harvest may be done there of the time they get there they talking late October November I'll work Floyd too get what they think is a final draft to make sure that kind of what we thought were the final round of concessions if you will match up with the new draft we got another meeting before part I wonder that new number figures for the bottom line because when I look I went ahead and spend a little time just so I excuse being in here she and I looked at this and it just seemed a little bit almost convoluted or it could be simplified like the piece that deals with Bob Schultz's damage should just be taken care of whatever I mean that's should be between them way because you don't know it could practically nothing it could be nothing by the time they get to that but there's also the problem of farming around those those things yeah which is we're mostly Farmers here we understand what that does I mean all of a sudden do not autop paath you know your second path is yeah yeah so that comes into play a little bit as far as the F side of it but I I just threw a number after looking at all that and I'm not saying this is my position but I was just working down through here and I was just going to round the number off like 40,000 or something and say that's what I'm freeble to you know so rather than go through breaking it down here like a 20 by 20 land rental loss due to Val and things like that just it's understood basically yeah just put a number on it just put a round number on it say give you this half and this at a fourth yeah and I guess that's what I the thought became to me yeah and I I'm in no way want to be an obstructionist this because I'm all forward and like Mr keth a said Ford meter box is an excellent Community Department all the way around yes so we don't want to cause any kind of delay in anything that correct we're involved in so so again one concern were're not going to be landl this this is they said accessible across yeah people can tap into it they tap into it they can run electric lines across it I would assume so or as little as it can little as said 18 well that was that and depending on the top the the pipe isn't steel it's plastic so it can be moved and bent and stuff like that yeah but they were looking at they're going to dig a trench rather than it's not going to be barded so they'll know when they get stop 12 it does too well I think it's probably going to be closer to 3 good one question I had to Matt where where would where will this money end up into what account well it should just end up into Heartland as a group because if you start dividing it back up to the schools then you're going to have to beg yeah no I don't yeah I no way expected that I just wonder hope maybe be something that say well that's where right so do you want there was no really vote on that put that on there but you wanted to let's hold off until we find out we do have the September 10th I think he wanted to have September 13th me I don't know that's right Wednesday okay date that is that's not 18 yeah all right so we have meeting hopefully get this I us get that away all right any Unfinished Business board policy public comment I want to thank Matt for his time and interest in career center over the years as a former student many years ago I can tell you that same district probably were an issue back then as far as the kids about in the class I was in and there was a waiting list for northw and Southwood students to get in to Office training but it wasn't sub a friend of ours who has subbed sees the same thing you've got the kids who really want to be there and really want to learn you got the kids that don't and I'm going to guess the board members who don't showing up are the same districts who are putting that commitment to sending students who truly want to learn and take advant each other I don't know how we fix it but I would suggest that this group of lead Wes County leaders who want collaboration among our districts look at this problem because it's already a collaboration that we're doing among the county schools so how about they look at it and they spend their time and energy and money in trying to get that fix and and see what we can do to get the roof fixed and and the issues because there's a waiting list again this year I know last year said there was a waiting list what can we do to get the classes that the kids need to take because those are the kids it's cost Society in the end if they don't get that jump start on a career so thank you for over the years because I know we've talked and I know that you've dedicated a lot of time and thought and energy and and I've enjoyed it i' I've met a lot of different people but I enjoy seeing those kids come in there to work and stuff like that my children have gone through there it's just been it's been a good experience all right any other comments any items from the board [Music] member not we'll journ

[Music] hello and welcome back to the Views expressed public affairs programming on waca TV here in Ashland uh and our continuing series on Governor's Council candidates we have Mr Shawn Murphy joining us um welcome Mr Murphy hi Mita how you doing thanks for having me oh thanks for being here um so I think we're just GNA dive right into it but first before we start talking about Governor's Council we'd like to find out a little bit more about you who who is Shawn Murphy well I'm the son of immigrants uh both my parents are Irish immigrants um we actually moved back to Ireland when I was a child so I spent some time part of my childhood uh living in Ireland for about three years um Ireland at that time was a fairly poor country and there wasn't a whole lot of work so my father was actually in the United States working uh and sending money back uh we lasted about three years before my mother said you know what we can't sustain this we came back to America I mostly grew up in brry I lived in Dorchester uh but mostly I grew up in brry I graduated from brain in 1995 uh I joined the US Navy I did four years in the in the service uh I was deployed on two different ships uh the USS Marill the USS Fitzgerald on my second deployment I took part in what's called uh Operation Desert Fox was on a vbss team which is a visit board search and seizure team and our job was to uh board shifts coming out of Iraq at that time uh this is during the Clinton Administration and we're and after I got out of the Navy I returned back to Boston worked for my father it was a union shop ATS equipment in uh Dorchester um a as time went on I I went back to California my wife's from California um we I was working there as electrician as a union electrician um and you know we had the crash uh the real estate crash and I got laid off um which was tough because I got laid off when we were expecting our first child um and this is this is before we had unified healthc care um President Obama had just come into office um and we there was no Health carees but I was very lucky because I was in the union and my uh the health care was covered my son's birth and everything afterwards and I and I was taking care of and the union really did take care of me uh but I sat down my wife I said look you know I love construction but I I would got to be something better so I went back to school at night got my bachelor's degree and then continued on uh and went to law school at night and uh my second child was born while I was in law school um which you know probably is why she'll be the next turne in the family because she's the one who's get for it uh and then after I graduated I passed the bar Massachusetts I came back uh we moved to Brockton uh we had our third child my youngest and uh I started working as an attorney um I've been a impr practice for about 10 years I'm a former city solicitor in Brockton um I do a lot of volunteer work uh we in our practice myself and my partner sat down and we decided that we were going to do an awful lot of a fair amount of our business was going to be to serve Indigent veterans um of all the groups out there right now veterans are the most underserved because veterans don't ask for help um so whenever we we have a lot of the veterans agents will send us cases uh we'll take those pro bono if they have any don't have any money so um that that's kind of our practice we built it we do make money we have private cases uh because we have to pay bills but a good portion of our stuff is vol to well Mr Murphy thank you for that overview and we'll talk a little bit more about specifically why uh why some of those qualifications or so why some of those uh activities may qualify you for Governor's Council District too uh but I should probably ask you why you're running for Governor's Council and I will say this before you answer that question there may be some of our viewers who don't know what Governor's council is um it's just one of of those boxes that they Circle when they go through the polls but it's actually uh provides a key function so if you could tell folks a little bit about what governance council is and then why you're running for the position well governance Council does an array of things but the one thing that is the most important is they confirm judges so when the governor wants to appoint somebody to the Judiciary it has to go through the governor's Council it was basically the very first checks and balances we had in this country want to make sure that the governor didn't have just kaj Blanc and put whatever he or she wants in office um and I think the governor's council is very important because as a litigator I'm in court all the time I've been before some good judges and not so good judges and I want to sure we have good judges going forward I think maybe your views viewers don't realize that there is an automatic there's a mandatory retirement age and a lot of judges are leaving the bench and there's a lot of vacancies and we're not filling them very quickly you know for whatever reason but we really need to ensure that the people go in there are qualified and and they are very good fit for the B so a couple couple follow-ups to that so what do you know offhand what that mandatory retirement age is for judges in the Commonwealth at this point is I believe it's 70 70 70 okay yeah and oh no worries um and I'm I'm also very curious um you said you know govern's Council asks acts as a check or balance against what the governor may want to who the governor may want to appoint for for judges and you talked about you know being able to discern between good judges and bad judges um how do you define what makes a good judge as opposed to a poor judge well what I would say is this a good candidate to become a judge does there's some factors that I would consider one have they been in practice and I don't just mean someone who's done transactional work someone who's done a thousand closings hasn't been in the courtroom very often so I would love to see more litigators who are in the courtroom because the learning curve won't be as bad there's Rules of Evidence there's dealing with attorneys there's how the courtroom Works they're already used to dealing with this so litigation background is important to me it's that it's not an absolute I mean we can have judges that don't have a litigation background um you know judge young was a great judge who's who just retired from the federal federal uh federal court but um he didn't really have a litigation background but he became a very good judge so the other factors I would say is we want our judges to be even killed look I'm a Democrat I have a democratic values but I don't want the Judiciary to be overp politicized because if you think about it the judges are the great referees between the left and the right in the middle so when no one can get along you really need a judge that can see you from from both sides and make the right decision based on the facts in front of them everybody has a bias you're not going to get around that but a good judge can take his her bias put in their back pocket and focus on the law and the facts regardless who's in front of them what would be some of the things that you would see as a warning flag as for someone who would be nominated as a judge and something that characteristics that would make you take pause if you were on Governor's Council well first thing I would do is I would be calling my colleagues and everybody I could think of to find out have you had a case with this person what's their demeanor how are they deal with there's some lawyers that are very tough to deal with doesn't mean they won't be good judges but I would much rather have the judges to understand uh and and we're more apt to like look we're going to settle we're going to work together to come to a resolution then then the attorneys that maybe want to just run up billable hours for their own sake I know you know I'd like say that's the minority but there are attorneys out there that do that I don't want someone who is just argumentative all the time because that's not what a judge is a judge has to be a judge has to be a great listener a judge has to make some tough decisions but he has to make both sides feel like they've been heard so that's interesting and I think that there are some folks who would definitely agree with you on some of those characteristics but I think there may be some questions out there and I've done a couple of these interviews uh with other candidates at this point uh and I've been reading the paper and every time there seems to be a seat up for Governor's Council we always have a question about uh if the governor's Council and the Commonwealth should even exist some folks say that it's outlived its utility I'd love to get your uh opinion about that I know you're running for the office but you know we've had a lot of interesting opinions on that what what are your thoughts on on some of those concerns that folks have vocalized about the body so I've heard those concerns but here's here's the alternative is to have judges elected right then judges become politicians I know I'm running for office I'm not your normal politicians the first time I'm running for office but unfortunately politicians they have to be swayed one way or the other whatever the climate is at that time uh and we really want our judges to be appointed based on qualifications and their ability to be unbiased if they have to run for office every couple years that I think that's going to hurt their hurt there being unbiased and it's going to have decisions that are going to be more like oh I gotta I got to make sure I have these people are happy with me or those people are happy with me or this group endorses me like you really can't have that to have good judiciaries I think that the places and I lived in a state that did elect judges and I I thought it was a bad system I think this system is a much better system cuz one listen the governor is going to get a shot at appointing whoever she wants the governor's council is going to make sure that they're qualified in a good fit and the governor's council is beholden to the voters so you the voters will have their say but not continually influence the Judiciary when the judici the Judiciary is there to basically pay play referee so I I've heard that argument before and uh one thing that I've heard about Governor's Council you know yes the governor's council is accountable to voters but still people insist that Governor's C Council usually acts as a rubber stamp for whatever the governor wants particularly if the governor's council members happen to be of the same party um you know that that's something that that we've all heard but I'd like to find out from you is what steps would you take to ensure that that wouldn't be the case if you were elected first I would say that I don't necessarily think that the governor's council is a rubber stamp I mean if you go back there's been times that they've said no and they voted against people what will happen though is most Governors will probe and find out well how do they feel about this candidate ahead of time because they don't want to put someone forward that is a no uh same with clemency like I think Governor Baker wanted to put someone up for a poent just before he left office and he got the word back from the governor's Council it's a nogo and he didn't even try to put it up so I understand that people see that the final vote is unanimous a lot of times but there's a lot of work that's been done beforehand and like I know some of the people on the council like Terry Kennedy's uh been on the council longer than everybody I don't know anybody Works harder than Terry it's not like he's I would I would definitely say he's not a rubber stamp as far as myself I'm going to take the time to make sure I understand each applicant's background I'm going to take time to meet them I'm going to do my research and whatever time it takes it takes um but I won't be a rubber stamp but again I like I said I I I want to defend the council a little bit I don't think they're a rubber stamp I think that the the public is not exactly seeing what's going on all the time well that's that's uh important for the the public to understand um so shifting more back to you a little bit um I'd like to find out why you're running for Governor's Council specifically in the policy area you know uh folks run for Governor's Council because they care about specific issues or they care about how the governor's council is run if you could share maybe your top two or even more issues that you're concerned about um uh and running for this office I think the viewers would be very interested in hearing that well the biggest reason I'm running for this office is I don't want just some politically connected person getting on the bench that's not suited for it and I don't want to point anybody out um I'm an attorney I don't but there have been some good judges and some not so good judges and some of the judges that came in there's been great ones that have been appointed recently but there's some that you know have had a tough time with the learning curve and I think maybe on a good foot fit for the bench I'm truly running to make sure that we have unbiased Fair judges um I think that's the most important thing this is a very narrow position right I'm not running for a legislative position uh you know I'm a pro-union guy I could tell you about all my beliefs but when it comes down to this position what's important is we have unbiased judges right um so the unbiased judge piece is is primarily the issue that you're concerned about with Governor's Council um are there I one thing I wanted to Circle back on were uh how do you ensure that a judge is unbiased I mean you said earlier yourself that everybody has biases so I'm just curi ious if this is I mean this is something you are very concerned about how are you going to discern that how can you tell if someone or as you're going through a selection process how would you be able to discern um how that person might might might uh behave in that position as you're making your choice it's a great question you're not going to be able to get weed everybody out right it's not going to be possible but what you can do is take a look at the person's career so when you have have attorneys that have argued on both plaintiff and defendant side or prosecutor and defendant side uh then they when you see them on both sides they get to see what both sides works like they've argued both sides of the case that goes a long way for judges to become unbiased right um I think that if you have somebody has only litigated on one thing and like has only been a prosecutor their entire lives I'm not saying not going to be a good judge but there has to be something more I need to see a little bit more maybe my conversations with that person maybe they they I get some feel from them saying okay they can make they can discern that decision despite their long career in the prosecutor's office um but I would like to see more more of the nominees and the applicants to be people who have been on both sides of all these issues very interesting um I have another question for you about the governor's Council so we we know that judge selection is a key part of what Governor's Council does what are some of the other functions of Governor's Council so that our viewers are informed you talked about uh pardons a few minutes ago but what what are the other things that Governor's Council are charged with well some of the sorry some of the other ones is confirming uh you know clerks uh Pro board people there's a whole host of positions it's would take a long time to name them all um but like you said clemency pardons things like that they also oversee notary public and then uh you know they do they vote on warrant uh treasury warrants which is not really exciting at all uh but I think the one that probably is the next most exciting is the clemency part of it so talk to me a little bit about that function and how you your decision-making process under those circumstances would would most likely line out so with clemency get po in clemency like that it's always going to be a case by case but just like with judges there's there's got to be factors right so the first factor is the severity of the crime you know you're not you're probably not going to be ping somebody who's a mass murderer right like it's really it's simple uh the next part I think is really paying attention to the victims right somebody who lost a child you know I'm a father of three that's going to be tough for them if if if that person gets a podden um and I think that that's something that you really have to really pay attention to the Vic impact on the victims the other thing that I would really look at is how long has it been since the since when it happened to now what steps has that person taken to uh to make amends for his or her mistakes and uh are they actually sorry and that's that's that those are the key factors but it's a case by case and it's a long process but I think those are the things like not everybody's going to get a poent um you know that's just not how it's going to work uh flipping I mean very similar but like looking towards parole boards similar criteria what around that or difference I think the difference of parole board right so with the parole board I think you're looking more for a social workers background versus a legal background right so for judges I really want to see obviously attorneys and people have a legal background who have been both sides of the cases I would much rather see uh the proboard have a more social workers to understand you know what these people gone through what their background is um and then you can tell if the person's actually made amends or you think that this person is a good fit for being a pro I'm not saying attorneys can't be on it but I really think social work is a better suited for that position interesting well thank you for filling in a little bit more the duties around Governor's Council I sometimes I I think that uh folks do focus in a lot on the judge flection piece and a lot of Voters don't understand like there's a lot that Governor's Council does uh and so uh that's very very helpful for folks to understand so pulling pulling back from govern's Council itself a little bit I want to focus back in on you Mr Murphy so what makes you uniquely qualified in your background in your opinion to serve on Governor's Council we talked a little bit about your background at the top of the show but I'd like to hear more about that so you know when you pointing this position for judges you want well-rounded people um I think my background come from a pretty diverse well-rounded background like I said you know I've worked in blue colum most of my life I'm a vet um I know what it's like to transition from the military to civilian world I understand what it's like to raise a family on a blue collar income or a middle class income and your viewers might be surprised to know that not all attorneys make millions and millions of dollars I don't we do a lot of pro bono work um like I said my first child is going off to college and the bill for that was um shocking uh and I have two more that are going to be going you know they're four years apart so I got 12 years of calls to pay um and I'm also an attorney or litigator I've been in court a lot so I see how the courtroom works I understand I have the connections with my other colleagues to make phone calls and say Hey you know tell me about this individual do you think they're a good fit you know and things like that so I think that that's the well-roundedness is what makes my makes me a good candidate for the Governor's Council if I'm just curious to find out as You' been and I I shouldn't quiz you on how many cities and towns are in District 2 I will just say that there are a lot 37 37 so um just in the interest of fairness I did ask the other candidates that so I didn't want to ask you uh but I'm just curious Mr Murphy as you're going through and campaigning in these cities and towns what are some of the issues that you're hearing as you're on the campaign Trail um about Governor's Council candidates and some of the things that folks have asking you questions about and maybe some issues that you'd like to uh maybe uh talk a little bit further on well first when as I'm campaigning I'm realizing that nobody even knows this position exists most of the time and then very few actually actually have an interest in it it's not as glamorous as being a rep or a senator or any of those things um but a lot of people when once you get past that they want to talk about like the questions you asked you know what makes a good judge what's a good candidate what's the process um and I think I've answer some of those questions but most most of the time when you're campaigning people really want to know about you who are you and where you come from um and and I think that's people vote for people they like tend to be you know and so I think that that's really the most questions I get as far as the technical questions about the governor's Council I haven't gotten many okay well I I'm not going to get too teex I don't think we've gotten too technical with our discussion and that's not that's not the intent of the interview it's more or less to let folks know who you are and and why you're running um so you know that's fascinating uh one thing that uh folks and Ashen have actually asked me about Governor's Council and different Co Governor's Council candidates is you know how long do you think is appropriate for Governor's councils counselors pardon me to serve um um well it's an elected position so it's every two years up for re-election how long I you know that's a tough question to answer for that fact I haven't gotten that yet so I don't know uh but I think some of the more senior people on the council uh you know like Terry Kenn like I said I go back to Terry kenned because I know him um he's been on there a long time but he does a good job so if it's not broken don't fix it kind of thing you know um we don't have term limits here in Massachusetts and for good reason I think our our voting population is educated smart and tuned in so if somebody's not doing their job they're not going to get sent back in I I think you'll get everywhere with complimenting voters like that Mr Murphy but but there there are vocal uh group of folks who you know I think every election cycle we hear more about term limits but it sounds like uh from your position there you know you have to kind of balance like any other term limit any other office really here in the Commonwealth you have to balance okay well experience enables one to do the job effectively right but sometimes folks linger in their positions because people especially with offices like Governor's Council people just sort of fill in the dot or however folks are voting Ash we fill in the dot um fill in the dot without without thinking about it so um you know I guess as folks are making their decisions and uh about who they should select and hopefully they've been following our series here on waca we've we've had the opportunity to interview I think all of the candidates at this point um what should in your opinion people keep in mind when they're making that selection I think they should keep in mind uh you know what the position is first you know look what we're doing the biggest thing we're trying to do is get good judges um and keep in mind what the candidates are saying about how they're going to do that right um okay like I said I have experience that is as an attorney but I also have experience not as attorney and well-rounded background like I to plug myself again is I think is is essential for this if you've been in one career your entire life you may not understand what it's like to be someone coming home from work after an 18 hour day um or struggling or or losing your house or things like that and I think that's to understand those things uh in this position we are coming up on the end of our time Mr Murphy so uh you know I know you're like oh I'm gonna plug myself again I'm gonna ask you to plug yourself again uh to make your your your your final or your closing arguments about why uh you feel that you are the most qualified person uh for this position in District 2 and then we'll ask uh a little bit more about contact information and and how people can get in touch with the campaign sure my name is Shawn Murphy I'm a candidate for governance Council uh I'm a veteran I'm a father of three um former Union member uh and I'm an attorney and I really hope that uh you'll come out on September 3rd info for me uh because I don't I just want to make sure we have good qualified and unbiased judges Mr Murphy how can people get in touch with your campaign well they can uh go to our we which is www.

and it is it's cornhole basically uh it's called the cornhole Extravaganza I'm pulling this up so I can't see cuz I'm getting old um yes and I forget the name of the place off the top of my head uh it's called the cornhole well what's it called yeah the hole nine yards that's right yeah and so that'll be taking place there's still about five Lanes left if anybody is is intered in joining it's a fun night does the winner get like a they get all kinds of prizes Trophy and prizes and yeah named King Corn Holio or we could we could ask them if they could do that I think we should we don't want to miss that opportunity all right thank you very much for that update Miss humph uh agenda item number 11 meeting dates Dr mordon thank you Mr Thompson governing board memb September 10th we have a board work study and brief board business meeting September 17th is a board policy committee meeting and September 24th is a board business meeting thank you very much looking forward to each of those uh agenda item number 12 uh adjournment have a motion move to adjourn second I'll second thank you very much uh call for a vote all those in favor of adjourning say I I I maybe she already adjourned and that passes thank you very much