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e testing testing one two 3 testing e e e call this meeting to order regular school board meeting for creep mon 201u is Tuesday November 19th 2024 the time is 1834 or is 634 stand stand time p.m.

I know the swim they they can relate 5:00 a.m. 6 days a week since June you know training crazy workouts you know and it's just um it's just the uh manifestation of hard work basically and obviously they're talented but they do work hard and I don't people don't realize how hard it is to win a state championship whatever level you are it's so hard um but our girls dominated they were winning meets by like invitationals by 100 points um the only loss they had was to nyatt out of Colorado and they were ranked eighth in the nation and that was at a meet on that toga Sticks golf course in williamsfield and power and um they were second that's the highest finish any Arizona school has ever finished so pretty pretty impressive then the guys were ranked eighth uh before the season started and didn't get a lot of attention you know they kind of ignored uh little bit of Instagram uh nastiness that we ignored but um you know it just fueled the fire and at State Mountain View who we get along with great guys and the great coaching uh they were beating us at the beginning of the Season by 30 then 20 and then we got to sectionals and it was eight points and so we're like okay well you know you know State meets the time to do it well our guys beat Mountain View by 38 points now Hamilton won but our boys beat you know H by Mountain View with quite a few points so it was pretty special and with the when cross country you one through five score sixth and seventh are like displacers so our boys one through five the Gap was 32 seconds that's really close so the closer you are to your number one Runner the better you're going to score the better you're going to be the girls was a minute five which is still very good and um the girls average 605 pace for all seven girls and the boys average 5 minutes and 19 seconds per mile and the course at state is very hilly and we run hilly courses we don't get ranked very well because I run coach Hall and I we go to these courses that are hilly because It prepares us for State because that's our goal and so you know we get kind of go under the radar we try and uh but anyway it's been it's been incredible uh the last few years at Highland if you would have told me after Co we'd be winning state championship I would said you're crazy but it's happened and it's just because these kids they're dedicated and they just give it their all so appreciate appreciate you guys thank you coach uh any predictions for next year I'm retiring so I don't know but coach Hall sticking around and her and I work together she coaches the girls and I coach the guys but we work together and she's going to hang on we got got some people in the wings we're talking to that will be a good fit for her and their kids and U so we're working on them well well I I asked that question to see if he would actually say that out loud that he's retiring my wife's in the back on you're reti you're going to I was I wasn't I I'm not here to wreck a marriage that's for sure buddy well and and it's important that we recognize everything that you've done how many years well 27 at Highland 36 total so give him a hand coach it is an honor to to honor you honor your your student athletes we know that when it comes to Athletics it it just doesn't take Superior athletes it takes Superior coaching and we just want to thank you guys for putting forth all the effort and you guys for definitely making your coaches look good right this is what it's about this is what team is about this is what uh making uh good decisions in your life is all about and this is what it leads to so just on behalf of myself the governing board and the rest of Gilbert Public Schools congratulations to you congratulations to our boys and girls and we look forward to seeing you back up here next year give them one more hand thank you if you guys want to shake hands that'd be great just kind of turn [Applause] and there you go to Tennessee for mons I appreciate you [Music] man set up and we'll we'll uh form in around you can we all fit Nock they're pretty [Laughter] narrow that's what I look like and I three no no no I'm going to stand by jail I'm going to stand by jail yeah we're good we're good no I've got it I've got it yeah I tried to you guys are we good ladies and gentlemen Highland High cross [Applause] country governing board members that concludes my recognitions for this evening thank you you guys don't have to stay here just somebody said someone's buying ice cream over here I don't know who it was well thank you so much and congratulations again great work to those students and their coaches Dr McCord um now it's the superintendent report 4.01 yes thank you Miss Woods governing board members uh just some announcements here um a huge thank you to the Gilbert Public School Community for passing our override and authorizing the sale of pieces of property owned by Gilbert public schools and a huge thank you to our pack for and other community members who took the time to educate the community about all the great things that occur in Gilbert public schools and how we are excellent caretakers of our taxpayers money we're blessed to live in a community that truly values public education also congratulations to Blake Robison Shaina Murray and Jesse Brainard for being elected to the governing board for Gilbert Public Schools the Maricopa County Superintendent will swear in each board member before our first meeting and their first meeting starts the beginning of January we look forward to working with you as we serve the students staff and community of GPS hey guess what this Saturday is the Gilbert Days parade and if you know me you know I love a good parade and our job is to make sure that we have all 39 of our schools repres presented in this and we will have that and three of our marching bands will be there uh a big thank you to GCA they are the ones uh constructing the float this year and the theme for this year is decades and so each section of our students and our schools will be dressed up in some specific decade and I hear the float is going to be phenomenal so thank you to them if you're looking for a good time and you want to watch uh 39 of our schools March down the street um come on Saturday I don't know if you know but the parade started over 40 years ago as a celebration of the paving of Gilbert Road and so thank goodness it's still paved today but again come on out and celebrate last Wednesday we had uh celebrated individuals who have made a difference in the lives of those associated with Gilbert public schools and in our community at the annual community excellence awards this year's recipients were for the Walter J Dei educator of the year for elementary Harry Webb of Ashlin Ranch and the Walter J Dei secondary educator of the year went to Mr Austin McIntosh from Camp overie the Sharon or support staff of the Year award went to Mr Troy seamster in our warehouse and the Sheila U jetti volunteer of the year went to miss China jet Tina Jud from mosquit elementary Tina puts on fabulous plays and does countless hours of volunteerism over at mosquite and so uh we wanted to make sure we honored all of them we are very thankful for them and all they do for Gilbert public schools and our students and lastly next week is Thanksgiving and it's an excellent time to reflect on the family and friends who make our lives complete we're blessed to live work and learn in a community like Gilbert and East Mesa our students families teachers support staff and administrators form a cohesive bond that is better for our community and I hope everyone realizes how lucky we are are I know I do and I sincerely hope everyone eats a little too much takes an extra nap and let's go of things that bug you and celebrate the great things that this life has to offer I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving and Miss Woods that concludes my report for this evening thank you Dr McCord we appreciate that oh one last thing oh yes sorry ladies stand up you too so we have some representatives from our superintendent student Senate Leila Josie and Holly Fox they are part of our uh superintendent Senate and they are phenomenal from Gilbert High School correct uh please give them a hand and thank them for being here thank you [Applause] guys thank you Dr McCord that will take us to request to speak to the governing board and we have two requests here tonight I will read the admonition request to speak to the governing board pursuant to ARS 38-43 1.02 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 by those who have addressed 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 only discuss or take legal action on the issues raised during an open call to the public 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 contact the office of talent management if you have specific concerns about any individual employee and we have Bridget Vega first thank you for coming tonight to speak to us you have 3 minutes oh pardon me so you're Are You Bridget yeah okay Bridget okay thanks Bethany is gonna speak she was she ended up parking and did make it okay great we'll start with You Bridget you'll have three minutes um and you'll see a timer go off on these things to let you know thank you teen violence in schools is a critical issue that affects student safety the well-being of a child but it also impacts their ability to learn in a safe environment it can manifest in various forms including bullying physical fights drug or alcohol abuse suicidal ideation and more severe incidents like shootings as children are looking for a place of belonging being seen and heard addressing this problem requires a multifaceted programs schools we need you to implement the programs that can promote conflict resolution social emotional learning and anti-bullying and drug abuse initiatives these programs can help the students develop better interpersonal skills and reduce aggression also mental health support is important it can help provide not only resources but identify the at risk students and offer them support clear policies are needed to be enforced not only on violence but bullying along with consistent enforcement it can create and adopt a safer environment for the children schools must engage with Community Town leadership and Community Advocates it's important to engage the parents and the community in order to Foster again a safer environment around the students safety measures we're asking that those be enforced not just physical but also surveillance systems and controlled access to school buildings as they can help deter violence but with the guns on the campuses has increased as well as in as well as current threats adding metal metal detectors is necessary education and awareness must happen by raising awareness about the consequences of violence and promoting a culture of respect transparency of what is going on not only in our communities but within our schools it again will help adopt a safer environment for the children if you see something say something do something taking this effective collaboration amongst Educators parents and law enforcement it is essential to creating a safer environment and nurturing atmosphere for all the students to learn in a productive environment vers in fear or in survival mode I would also like to provide a copy of C usd's uh random drug testing program for drug abuse and alcohol abuse as we see many many students are using the Vapes on campus social media plays a major role in this um as well as kids are just looking again for a place of belonging and it's sad that the validation is coming from a heart on social media so we must take the prevention approach and again fostering and adopting a safe environment for the children so this mostly does talk about um how the students in C USD is mostly athletes but we would like to see this across especially for the at risk kids because we see a lot of kids using the alcohols and drugs thank you so much we appreciate that thanks Dr mord Thank You Bridget next we will have Chrissa Arnold and you'll have three minutes thank you good evening thank you for your time so I want to address the whole social media issue I don't know if you guys are aware but your kids on your high school campuses are being allowed to use social media and their phones in the classroom I know that that policy was implemented at the beginning of the year um I've seen multiple videos from students students have actually um directly told me that teachers have given them permission to use them in the classroom as long as they get them put away prior to an admin walking into the room so just so you guys are aware um and I say that because you guys had another incident on Mosk yesterday I was here four weeks ago talking about the gun incident um and the that was on the campus and then you guys had another threat had a threat against multiple students yesterday just to continue to come in as I have shared before in what happened with my daughter's situation these kids are escalating our boys are not doing well they are mentally not doing well and it is getting more and more violent and as a school district we are asking you to start implementing direct policies and having your admin and your teachers enforce these policies because if kids are not like being told like if they're not having consequences for the boundaries that they are given they will ignore them and they will continue to do their own things over the weekend a teen boy was stabbed and killed in auki they were from rival schools in that area this is the kind of behavior that we are repeatedly seeing the boy that died was only 15 years old I hope that sinks in because this is the reality of what is going on in our community and it needs to be taken seriously or we are going to see more and more kids die thank you thank you very much and finally we have Bethany Brenton Bethany if you'll come to the podium and you'll have three minutes as well thank you thank you hi um this is my first time coming to a Schoolboard meeting um I was here a few weeks ago and I'm here today um as a parent I have a child that attends mosqu high school and it's been really scary uh the last not just the last few weeks but those have been worse um it's scary sending your kid to school now and I grew up in Mesa I went to Mountain View um I remember when Kino Junior High got metal detectors and thinking maybe it was kind of silly or just that needed in that area um my thoughts on metal detectors have completely changed in the last few years I used to not think they were necessary and now I would love to see them in there um I just don't want to get these texts and emails anymore um they're just really scary and it seems like the next one is always a little bit worse um I voted yes on the school funding prop and I would like the school board to air mark some of those funds for the metal detectors I just found out recently that Mesa put in metal detectors all their high schools and I would love to see Gilbert do that for our kids as well um so we can feel safe sending our kids there and my child she talks about these things and it's it's scary for them too that's all thank you thank you very much we appreciate I just want to let you know um we have had um we've had a company come in and do a demonstration for us and we're actively looking at metal detectors for our high schools that makes me feel so so just so you know moving in that direction thank you thank you so much thank you to those who have come to speak to us tonight and also those who sent in online comments on the public online comment periods we appreciate your input and your time that will conclude our request to speak to the governing board tonight that will take us to our reports and we'll have our 6.01 monthly financial report for month ended October 31st 2024 Dr McCord thank you Miss Woods governing board members I will turn this over to Miss Bonnie Betts our associate superintend Atta of Business Services good evening governing board members Mrs wood Dr McCord um this is a fairly short report this evening uh this reflects activity through October 31st 20 2024 um so uh as usual we always share our district operating funds of course there is activity going on in in maintenance and operations as well as um unrestricted Capital but our available balance is staying roughly the same um you'll see that there's a little a little bit more um available balance in unrestricted Capital due to uh an encumbrance of P purchase order encumbrance that was a little bit less than expected so there was an un encumbrance that occurred but you will see um this activity uh stay pretty much the same through the remainder of the year uh one other note um however in unrestricted Capital due to the passage of the override we did uh release the um same amount of unrestricted capital allocations to our schools that they received last year so to date we had only allocated out half of what they received last year so we just allocated out the remainder so we are expecting to see some more activity in unrestricted Capital uh for the next 3 or four months um under the federal grants we just always share this because you can see that our available balance is negative um on the other Federal projects again this is associated with the fact that in our adopted budget we did not anticipate additional revenues when we receive those additional revenues we are able to spend those um but this will be cleared up when we uh bring the revised budget to you the first meeting in February our Enterprise funds as you know you've approved the annual financial report on October 15th and so we've now reflected our beginning balances our beginning cash balances on the Enterprise funds uh that represent the same information that was shared on the annual financial report the beginning balance for nutrition services increased by a little bit over a million dollars and Community School beginning balance increased by a little bit over a 100,000 so you'll see that the AA available balances increased by about those same amounts um providing additional resources for those Enterprises to spend through the remainder of this year and then other funds this is the same sit situation again we're showing beginning balances so these are cash balances uh joint technical education fund did see a lot of um purchase orders being unencumbered so that increased their available beginning balance advanced placement summer Institute also increased slightly um a note about the employee benefit trust it did decrease slightly we did have a payment um basically a repayment of bunnies to the Arizona State Retirement that we were not due of about a half million dollar so therefore the um beginning balance decreased by that about that same amount and then finally our school-based funds um we don't spend a lot of time usually on the school based funds but as is true for the for the other grids that I just shared with you the beginning balances have all changed due to the results of the annual financial report and at this point in time if there are no questions I am through with my report thank you board members are there any questions thank you Miss fetz we really appreciate that thank you that will take us to our consent agenda items 7.01 board members is there a motion for the approval of consent agenda items so moved thank you m paage it's been moved is there second second thank you Miss humph it's been moved and seconded that we approve the consent agenda items as as list all those in favor please vote by saying I I any oppose with nay thank you that passes 30 that will take us to our action items tonight we'll begin with 8.01 2025 2026 course description books for high schools and Junior highs Dr McCord thank you Miss Woods governing board members tonight we bring to you um something we bring to you annually and that is your approval of the course description book um this is something that has uh is a long process uh but a very good process and a lot of people and a lot of stakeholders are involved in this process uh I'd like to turn this over to um Miss Cox Dr Cox to uh our uh director of secondary CIA and she will kind of go over the highlights the changes for both uh high school and Junior High is that correct correct all right Christa good evening governing board Dr McCord we uh right now on the screen you'll just see the cover of the book since it's uh hundreds of pages uh that's what will be presented but I'll just verbally go through some of those summaries uh you'll be able to see um as shared with you the documents have a red strikeout for anything that we were proposing be removed and anything that we are looking to add is reflected in Blue uh print and then um rather than kind of go page by page I'm just going to go ahead and summarize all of the changes within the categories that they apply so to start with the high school book uh organizationally the last few years we have spent quite a bit of time uh making sure that it is currently up toate with uh if it's current statutes or District Vision uh opportunities for all students and so um we've we've done a lot of work and we're really proud of where it's at but it does take uh annual review as Dr McCord had mentioned so we have multiple course description book committee meetings those are comprised of Administrators uh counselors our classified um and certified Master schedulers we have representation from every one of our schools but prior to even engaging in the committee work uh all of our staff are able to make recommendations to their campus lead and then all of those recommendations get brought to the committee so all of our teachers have an opportunity to make recommendations or suggestions and uh we also at the table include our counselors as well so we're we're really pleased uh with the group that comes together uh the expertise and the knowledge that the the group and committee are made of um allows us to produce high quality work for our students and families so within the high school committee um I'll start with that group The organizational changes include reor or I'm sorry reorganizing each section uh to make sure that they flow uh in a meaningful way historically we used to organize by the code but that didn't necessarily put things in alphabetical order by the section and so it might have made sense for the technical person but when we talk about our students and our parents the course code really doesn't mean much to them so we wanted to make sure that within each section uh it's an alphabetical order and make sense to them we also tried to when I mentioned that we align things to our our district uh Improvement plan and our goals if we are saying that we want to encourage all students into the more rigorous pathway we want to make sure that that's what we're putting Forefront and at the beginning of a section as opposed to maybe the easier option we want them to see the more rigorous option and then weigh their options from there with that uh our honors definition we worked together this has been something that has been worked on over the last several years and I think is Revis visited often we've done a lot of work K12 with accelerated schools our giftedness uh gifted programs uh at our Junior High with the GTC and so we wanted to make sure that our honors description was the same no matter what school you go to and that all of the descriptions if it be a prere a course description um or even um additional criteria that it all matched the same description of Honor so you'll see that there's little strikeouts and tweaking in the verbiage when it comes to a lot of your advanced placement your honors and this is true in the Junior High book as well so a lot of uh intentional work done there to make sure that it's in alignment we also when looking at honors and uh Advanced opportunities there were several dual enrollment classes that cgcc which is the college that we um have our largest IGA with we weren't necessarily offering or even putting it in our book that it could be offered because either a campus hasn't proposed it and so we wanted to make sure that there are more opportunities written in the book so that if we do hire a teacher or if a campus does want to provide that opportunity that we're not stuck waiting a year or two for it to be proposed so we did add several which I'll get into in a moment to make sure that they're just in there to be proactive and uh have those opportunities ready for our students we added uh verbage our special education department we noticed in the beginning of the book we had little sections that called out different groups of students if that be the Honors that I just spoke of we revamped the description that outlines what our CTE students look like and so the proposal from our special education department was to have a section that outlined kind of our student services for them and uh again CTE introduction you're going to notice that with a lot of our groups that we made it a point to just be more robust and uh explain a little bit more in detail uh sometimes I think we tend to as educ ators think things make sense cuz it's our world all of the time so we did seek parent and student feedback to make sure that the verbiage that we're using within our book really speaks to our community because that's what the book is for ultimately it's not I mean it is for us it helps us do our job but more importantly it helps our students know of all the opportunities that are there for them throughout the entire book one of The the bigger changes that you can note is that the terminology and accuracy uh we made sure in the past we felt like there was a lot of changes with programs or alignment and this was a a fun year because we were able to look at course descriptions that maybe haven't been revamped in several years so there were some that when we read them were like man that hasn't maybe been true for several years now and so we want our book to truly reflect what we know is happening in there and sometimes that's program changes or college board changes something and so we really tried to be extremely thorough with that and uh make an most of those are more minor changes or maybe a little sentence here and there so uh you'll notice those changes throughout there was also when I talk about the section changes uh one of the changes that you'll notice is that our summer reading in the back of the high school book there's been a section summer reading has been uh around for forever and in our AP classes historically there has been a required AP reading and then when students uh start the school year there's graded assignments what we found over the last several years uh truly postco was that and even with a lot of school choice and open enrollment is if students didn't know about that assignment if they knew about it going into summer they did great they came back they were ready uh but a lot of our students that um joined us after uh the end of the school year maybe in the middle of the summer the start of the year were not prepared for those assignments so our teachers have actually gone away from mandating those assignments and making it more uh exposure and then more thematic and so what we found was that having those listed out was no longer in alignment with the accuracy of what is happening so you'll notice that there is a little paragraph that kind of explains that in the book because ultimately the the purpose of Summer re reading is to expose our students to more literature and just get them reading and loving to read and so a lot of our AP students are doing that already so we are deferring them to where they can find recommended lists from college board and or um where they can find good books to read that are going to help um them do better on their AP exams Dr Cox can we ask a questions okay I meant to ask this earlier too so so where are the lists of approved reading books then going to be so for summer reading specifically and just for the coursework was that just the summer reading ones that we Chang that's just summer reading so all of the approved novels are still listed in that same section to make sure that there okay thank you and thank you I apologize if that was confusing um in addition uh the I'm going to talk about class fees we only have a couple that I'll get to in just a moment but I was excited to share that for junior high and high school our technology fees have all been reduced so Mr costano had uh worked with the company and shared that with me so you'll see that the expense to our our families has uh declined which was nice all right so those are some of the organizational and larger changes that I didn't feel like I needed to hit on every single time you see them um I'm going to move into the new courses and again I'm going to go through them more in uh themes as opposed to every individual one and then each section if there's any questions please uh don't hesitate to ask so the first one in new courses is we are really pleased to announce the addition of an entire CTE program called digital animation this digital animation is a threeyear program that will be offered at multiple high schools and will count towards CTE credit completers and they can get certification through that as well in our uh CTE we also added a new culinary 2 grilling and outdoor cooking course so in year two of culinary uh right now it's like your traditional restaurant style and so uh Highland High has requested this their facilities now can accommodate this and they were looking at being strategic to capture more students and keeping them as completers in CTE and we find that uh sometimes when they drop off after that year one we thought that offering a a grilling and outdoor cooking class would capture an audience that uh is unique and we hope that maybe it will even be a magnet to to draw some students in for that in addition to uh the CTE classes that I Rec I shared we do have two new IB classes that are being added to the growth of Gilbert High School in the world those are IB psychology and an IB film class in the world of uh advanced placement we worked really hard the last few years to add all college board AP classes into our coursebook so that what we are offering uh is comprehensive of all of those classes so to date all of the AP classes that are offered through college board are in our course catalog we are proposing to add the two newest ones that have just been added to college board which are the AP African-American studies and AP business principles um and then in addition to that you'll see that there are several uh essential classes which just a reminder from a couple of years ago these are the special education version of these classes so a lot of them are science and social studies a couple of years ago we did a lot of work with the English and math components we wanted to see how they went we had to remove uh special education and sped codes from the titles um and they've they've been really well done and so we wanted to make sure that we match that in our other core areas for our special education students so that they're being exposed to the same curriculum and standards and not something different uh just because they're in a special education classroom Dr cuck yes a question about the so you said all the AP college board classes are in the coursebook are they actually offered or we just have the potential to offer them if we can find a teacher for it uh um not all of them are offered but I will say that the more we've been intentional to add them our schools have been doing a phenomenal job with using AP potential data which comes from us uh being uh proactive with providing the PSAT nmsqt exam which the board has approved and we have paid for all 10th graders to take that that gives us data that we actually just received this past week and it highlights which AP sections and classes could be capitalized on a campus so for example mosquite High School to year uh last year looked at that data and it showed that there were 189 students that showed potential for AP research at the time they were not an AP Capstone school so they couldn't offer it uh margarite Brown is a rock star and she emailed me that night and was like can I apply for this and the deadline was like 24 hours from then I said let's do it and they got accepted so this current year they have placed over I want to say it's like um 70 something students for their first year with adding that so using that AP potential and having the courses in the book were able to capitalize on offering them but there are a handful that have not made and we track that data um we're not we don't want to force it uh when it organically happens on a campus and there's decisions that they have to make within their schedule but they're at least there if they have a group that's what I thought you were saying I just wanted to make sure that's what I was understanding absolutely thank you so much so that is all the new courses in the change in course credit you'll notice that there are several within the um CTE area we are adding a weighted option to some of our engineering and biomed programs those are extremely rigorous classes we are going to keep the unweighted option because we don't want to intimidate students in not wanting to try the class but if students want a weighted option for that and knowing how rigorous those pathways are for engineering and biomed we wanted to provide an opportunity that if they do some additional lessons through the pltw curriculum that they can then um earn that weighted credit toward their GPA in addition there were um I mentioned it earlier and I won't go into too much unless if you guys want to hear more several classes that we added in that could be offered for dual enrollment that we historically have maybe only offered for AP or haven't and that was with looking through the Community College coursebook to see where we had some alignment so similar to the AP conversation if we get a certified teacher and they have students that have that request they then can now offer it that way and work with the Community College going on to the grade level changes the two changes here we have a couple within our CTE program with the engineering the eligibility requirement from the program kind of dictates when we have to make adjustments so there were a couple that we were given to change there and then the other two changes are to eliminate restrictions for some of our grade levels so for example the engineering designing and development we want to allow for more grade levels to take advantage of that class so opening up more more doors for students to be able to take advantage of these amazing opportunities the next up is the change in course descriptions uh the the first that I would like to talk about is within our science our physics and our earth science class those are two that we are changing descriptions to align to our state standards the science standards through the state are different than any of our core areas we kind of pick and choose they fall so we've worked really hard to have a biochem physics pathway what we have found is a majority of our students have been successful and have done a great job but if a student ends up taking a different science if it doesn't have those standards of the physics or of the chem technically they could be missing some standards and so we we questioned that we did a deep dive and what we found was that our earth science needed to become more of a robust science class so we have increased the rigor the title is now going to be Earth and space science because it's including some of those space standards and it's going to be a more rigorous uh class for the students so that they can if they take that in lie of the camer the physics we know that we are graduating them uh ready to go on to uh what whatever their future holds for them there are several changes to our AP math classes and those are just description changes in alignment with college board and then we when I said that we were were excited to kind of nerd out over some of the descriptions there's several that are within CTE that we just took the time to read make sure that it's truly still accurate to the students um some of them we questioned like if they weren't uh maybe written well like are we inadvertently maybe not selling it to the students knowing what really happens in the classroom so we took the time to do that and then our reading lab class in the junior high and high school book it used to be truly more of a lab where people came in and could be used more of as in intervention we have Rewritten that description to be more standards aligned for students who are minimally proficient in reading so it is more uh true to the reading standards as it is to more of a vague Open Lab moving on we have several course name changes uh they are all in our world language classes we got feedback from the NCAA that our classes that did not have honors on the title were not recognized through the NCAA and so we wanted to be in compliance with that ironically only some of our campuses got that feedback and others were told it was fine so we decided to make the change districtwide so that none of our students get to college and feel like their classes maybe don't count toward what we needed to and uh we were able to get that approved through NCAA as well districtwide change in prerequisites ultimately what we have done is we uh made sure that they are all um set up to allow for vertical alignment and that the class that is required of it is more accurate to that class so for example in math we have AP pre-cal and so the prere prior was a more rigorous class when in reality they just need Algebra 2 so again we just want to make sure that we're not making the prere more difficult because we feel a certain way that if a student really does complete the standards of say Algebra 2 we know that they can be successful they've proven that before and you'll see that there's a few in there for like reasons and then moving on to the change in fees you'll notice that uh these are um all new fees they're not adjustments to fees so the first one is our technical theater program uh over the years they are our only performing arts class that we haven't historically had fees associated with and with the um change in our economy and the cost increasing our Performing Arts teachers really felt that this was an area that they we should be assessing a feed to our students so it's very minimal and it's in alignment with the rest of the performing arts classes and then the two other fees you'll see in there are for the grilling and cooking class and the digital animation program so two new programs in classes and then um with that I mentioned the technology fees are going down yes that's all the fees and then the final uh changes for our high school book that I want to share is just courses to be eliminated so each year one of the things that we have focused on the last few years is our book starts to get very long and cumbersome and we started looking at data so each year we look at the data and if a class hasn't made for three or more years we have a conversation about it and so we are proposing to remove several classes that uh the numbers support that they're not being used but we also talk through so for example um if there's an AP class we kind of decide that's in alignment with our vision we want to keep it um some of them come from a change in requirement so for example our Junior Roc program their Commander sent us updates and so there are classes that we're no longer allowed to offer so all of the classes that are being recommended to be removed Are all uh out of date with a program and or no longer in use in Gilbert Public Schools so for the high school that summarizes all of the changes am I good to move to Junior High or are there any questions for high school I had two questions for high school so when we offer these college board um AP classes um do we get the curriculum through college board when we offer the class or how do we get that curriculum yeah we um they give a recommendation of curriculum and we purchase from the list that they give and and um in addition we they have uh AP classrooms where there's additional resources uh supplemental pieces and things like that so ultimately they're they're recommending the curriculum and then we choose from the list and purchase that from our department okay thank you and then my other question um I just want to say that Dr Cox and I were on the phone for a long time going all over all my questions and I really appreciated it um one that I forgot to ask was about the English language Learners and I noticed that we're um giving them different classes with different types of vocabulary like science learning and so forth is this to help them to keep on track for graduation with their um learning and the standards yes everything within our e part of the course book has not changed all of that is the same those were all changed last year and it is all directly attached to uh what the state requires ultimately to answer um what I believe your question is is with those other core areas that yes those can count toward graduation requirements the state has gone back and forth with the definition of what counts for English but for the others they do count in those core areas okay thank you you're very welcome um just one or maybe a couple questions first of all can adults take the outdoor grilling culinary that sounds amazing um I just had a question about the AP courses that you put into the book that aren't necessarily going to be offered if you do have a couple of students that sign up for that do the counselors work with them to seamlessly get them moved over to a different course that might feel somewhat of the same requirement absolutely and one of the things that Marcy Miss Taylor has put into place is that uh we kind of oversee parts of the scheduling process with our high schools so several years ago what uh Miss Taylor has had us do is we bring our requests in so the students request classes and before they can even move students out like if they only have five for a class and they're like we know we can't make that happen on our campus all of the registration APS now share their data and we then make decisions on okay there might only be five at your campus but maybe there's five at each campus who's willing to host it and then how do we get those students there sometimes that's through our distance learning sometimes that's through accommodating the students schedule if they're upper classmen to to uh or be transported we have come up with very unique ways to accommodate those types of things and what we have found is that um once that interest starts if we can make that happen even for five students on a campus those programs actually take off and after a couple of years they're sustaining them on their campus on their own or it becomes where they're offered at maybe two campuses okay thank you you're very welcome all right moving on to Junior High I am going to skip through on some of the organizational changes that I know um I already hit on some of those are true for the junior high so I'm going to go a little bit quicker uh please don't hesitate to interrupt if you have questions so again a lot of reorganization one of the things that I will say is a little different with the junior high course book is with the committee um historically the process looked very different for our Junior High book so we had a few um master schedulers that there were three of them that kind of ran all things for the junior high and they would make recommendations and so with counselors principles would sign off but we didn't really ever have meetings or an actual committee it was just make the proposals and then they got presented to the board what we found what I have found is The more I've learned about uh the Junior High book is that when you do it that way you don't ever really have anyone cleaning it up so there's stuff that has been really outdated that needed to be looked at and the organization of it started to not make as much sense so we started with a very clear Vision uh and this came from our counselors and our m schedulers we we would not be where we are this has been 2 years in the making last year if you remember when I shared uh I thought I'd be able to accomplish a lot more and we spent like eight hours for multiple days and realized that this is like a two to threee plan and just have to make small improvements but um the group that came together this year we started with the thought that we want our Junior High course book to support and align to what is happening at our high schools so if it doesn't then we might really love a class and really be attached to something but if it's not in alignment to what's happening in our bigger vision of a district and leading to success at the high school then it probably doesn't need to be there and I thought that was going to be more difficult but the more we dove in and held each other to that it it went seamless and I think it was really neat to see everybody kind of consistently on that same page it's not something I've necessarily seen um in a in a while so we started with reorganizing the sections everything I had said earlier about redefining Honors that was true 7 through 12 uh we spent a lot of time there's a page that's been added on supporting the career in college Pathways 712 that was a page that was in the high school book that somebody just had the idea like really if they don't start having those conversations in junior high they're probably a little bit late their nth and 10th grade year so uh our College and Career um coordinator and our new counseling coordinator uh worked on that with our CTE Department to make sure that it truly aligned and that we had all of that mapped out for our families we added the special education verbiage there as well um updated all the terminology and accuracy to be more concise throughout as well uh this book did not have an introduction to the book and we thought that that was an important thing so there's a a paragraph at the very start that just explains what the book is for um let's see are when you get to the elective part of the book there was a lot of conversation and we had to come up with a system for the naming schemes so um if there are minis which are quarter long classes Duos which are your semester classes and year-long classes we wanted all the titles to be uniformed so if there is a mini or a duo or a year-long class and it is just that's the only class and there's no program to it you just do the one and there's nothing else then it's just the title of the class if there is a mini or a Duo um for example use a language class we're going to call it introduction to Spanish because we know then there's a Spanish one and a Spanish 2 so whenever there's a program what happened was we had classes that had very similar titles but it wasn't really clear that it was like a program or kind of a a sequence of classes so you'll notice that that was changed throughout um the book as well and so those are the the overall summary of organizational changes and I'm going to go ahead now and get into the other category stories so the first one is the new courses so the new courses that are being added to the Junior High book include a robotics class currently there's been an advanced robotics that is offered at one campus and other campuses were wanting to add it but didn't feel that their students were maybe to that advanced level so now we'll have a Robotics and an advanced robotics looking at adding an aerospace science class which actually supports and feeds right into the Aerospace program at the high schools uh it is a high school class but they don't earn high school credit for it um we are adding you'll notice that we're removing I'm going to talk about it in a moment the world exploration class historically we had created this class with the uh best intentions that hey they can get a sampling of all the different world languages what we have found when we were monitoring and checking in with teachers is that teachers always seem to gravitate to the content of the language that they feel more comfortable with so really if the teacher has a background in Spanish they were leading leaning toward teaching more Spanish and then trying their best to like expose to French and maybe so what we the feedback in the um suggestion was just to allow for those introductions to the languages that they know that their campus is offering uh it allows it to be more authentic as much as we loved the idea of kind of a sampling of languages uh it wasn't being done consistently um and therefore we had students that maybe were getting one exposure and opportunity at one campus and at another they weren't getting really exposed so we wanted to make sure that there was consistency there for our students if they switched around from schools so at this point you'll have an introduction to Spanish German and French um they're adding a 3D art class to add just some additional art classes and then you'll notice French was in the Junior High book at one point French 1 and two we removed it last year because it hadn't made in four years but now that we've had a push to really promote the high school level languages at the junior highs um Desert Ridge Junior they're working with the high school right there and they want to move forward with bringing that back and French was a one of the languages that we felt was um enrollment was declining a little bit so we just absolutely loved the idea and we are also adding German 1 and two with the junior high level as well there's a campus that is entertaining wants to see how many students they get signed up for it um I think that covers the new classes so a lot of CTE World Language and Fine Arts is the best way to summarize those uh moving on to the change in course description we you'll notice everything that I was saying about uniforming the title so year one year two and intro uh we we had a couple meetings with uh all of our music um and Performing Arts teachers at the Junior High um and high school to make sure that we got feedback and then uh worked with different groups to just make sure that they were aware of the why usually when you talk about changing classes people take it really personal and in their area and their program it sometimes even their justification does make sense but when you look at it from the big picture of all of Gilbert public schools and when parents are looking at this to make things more uniform it makes it more userfriendly and there hasn't been a group that we have changed at this point that we haven't talked with and I feel truly like even if they maybe don't 100% agree they're like we get we get what you're trying to do so we feel like we've done our due diligence there um and now again we did half last year and now we feel we've gotten them all this year year so we're we're kind of happy there and then uh reading lab I discussed how that was changing but one of the things I do want to share with the reading class is that we are also proposing that for our seventh grade students that if they are minimally proficient in reading that they in lie of taking the required PE class that they take a reading class that that's required and if they still want to take PE as their elective absolutely we would encourage that but what we're finding is that our seventh and eth grade students reading scores um are declining and not where we want them to not declining I shouldn't say declining they're not where we want them to be and so at some point we have to take a different approach and and do something to see what we can do to support that we just recently celebrated a lot of amazing School letter grade data and uh Mr berer had um disaggregated the data and came across the fact that our sixth grade ELA reading data is among the highest like in the East Valley and I would even say um within the state and so at the seventh and eighth grade when we see that there's that dip in the data we we have to do something about it and so uh we're working with um a group of people that have a heavy background in reading and um targeting some of those students and so that that's what we think will help we've done a lot of research on that and uh look forward to kind of monitoring that and hoping that that improves our students reading skills and then the last page on here uh includes all of the classes to be removed and the justification how we chose to remove those is exactly the same as the high school so if you are curious about any of those I can speak to them but I don't know that I need to kind of go one by one on those so that concludes the junior high summary may I answer some questions for you guys yes I'll start I on the reading um I'm wondering would that be would that be something where if at the end of a semester they had shown a significant Improvement or something that then they could take PE or a different elective the second semester or is that going to be programmed basically for the whole year right now uh the idea is to program it for the year uh because when I say that we're targeting students that have extremely low reading skills uh we're talking students that unfortunately um are at high risk and their reading skills are showing at a third and fourth grade reading level so um we believe that they need the year of that support however we have a lot of really great diagnostic tools now that if we were to show that a student sometimes there is significant uh Improvement and if we can show that those skills and those gaps lesson in a semester then I think we'd be entertained but I want to make sure that it's supported by data and that the Diagnostics and that the tools that evaluate those reading skills that the student really is ready because we want to be able to capture that and close that Gap in Junior High um before they get school and what what teachers are we thinking like what certification will those teachers have that will teach that yeah we just had a conversation about this so we really want to have uh certified reading Specialists run each of those sections similar to what our elementaries do our elementaries do a really great job with this and it's something that um at secondary it kind of drops off and uh and it shouldn't so we're we're Marcy in her principal meeting just last week we were having conversations with otm and the principles just to start talking about um maybe you have a teacher that has that certification or that you feel would be a good fit um and we're going to have to get going in that direction just to make sure if we if we put them in that I'm I hope that it's I know it will be but just really deliberate and pointed at those skills that are so critical and there may be people at the elementary level that want to come up with reading certifications okay and we I know that that one is uh probably a bigger conversation as well and Marcy and Jared I don't know if you guys want to add to that but um there's been a lot of work and conversations behind the scenes and we have a little I was just telling Mr Ryan we have a little task force uh where we are including our elementary people to try to help lead that because they in my opinion are more of the experts because it's what they were trained to do a lot of our secondary people that wasn't a part of their schooling and they get intimidated by that and so to Dr McCord's Point um it might be advantageous to bring in find right people important to make that a successful class if require that then it needs to be successful and I think what you find out is over time a lot of elementary teachers move up to the junior high rarely do you see high school moving down to the junior high so the odds of somebody having one of those certifications is probably higher at the junior high absolutely that's good any further questions no was that yeah go ahead that was a lot of work and thank you for all of that well I mean looking through that catalog was like okay I know I didn't really enjoy it as a child but all day learning and and getting to take classes I hope our kids appreciate it because it's a a very special time in your life adulting is not as fun as going to school I'll just tell you that all the Thanks goes to the committee they they put in a lot of hours uh I know it's a lot to summarize and go down the list so if there are any questions that come even after this uh don't hesitate to reach out but I just appreciate the board's support so thank you thank you thank you thank you all right board members um this is an action item so I would like to call for a motion to approve 2025 26 course description books for high schools and Junior highs is there a motion so moved thank you Miss humre is there a second second thank you is there any further discussion no okay I I hope parents will take time to read it to to help their kids see the possibilities and really there is a lot there yeah and I I think you worked really hard to make sure that it's concise and in a place where we can off where they can see all that's offered and have those possibilities so yeah and those will be on the on the website that's where you can access them so okay seeing no further discussion I'll call for the vote all those in favor of approving the 2025 26 course description books for high schools and Junior highs please vote by saying I I any oppose with nay thank you that passes 30 we'll now move to 8.02 rate increase to Community Education and preschool programming 2025 2026 Dr McCord thank you Miss Woods governing board members um if you remember at our last work study uh the director of Community Education Mr Rod Houston and the director of early learning Don koberstein presented to you about their programs as well as uh potential rate increases and we said we'd bring those to you tonight those rate increases are uh contained there within boarddocs and they are available if you have any questions let's start with a motion and then during discussion we can ask any questions that we have if that's okay board members is there a motion for 8.02 rate increase to Community Education and preschool programming 2526 so moved thank you Mrs Paige is there second second thank you Miss humre and now for any discussion or questions um I did have one question just about um I think it was the um prechool and then they're going to go to vik and I had a question about the Staffing for that because that will be a bigger range of students in vik than we've had previously with having those preschool kids there so is there someone that wants to talk about that um so one of the things that that we've SE in the past we've had the building blocks where they have stay for an extended low cost it was throwing our number that's why weed to separate it out to keep that that way to keep the the numbers where they need to be so when you drop from a six-year-old down it goes from 1 to 20 to 1 to 13 and then 1 to 12 so that's why we've kind of separated them um is so that we can make sure that we're meeting those and we know who's coming when as opposed to well you can sign up for this but you don't have to tell us you're going to show up and then we're we're Staffing and we don't have those numbers okay all right thank you if I can if I can add to that as well um you'll notice that in the mornings we will be picking up the kiddos at 7:45 while other students go out to the playground our building block students will be picked up by the building block staff and that's for their safety um the other thing is at the end of the day when the rest of the campus would release at 255 p.m.

there is a virtual team mental health parent presentation and we also have a board meeting that evening here in the governing board room and I would be a miss right now if I didn't say happy birthday to the board president Michelle Anderson we can either sing or clap which [Laughter] [Applause] one happy birthday thank you it's great to be 35 okay all right thank you everyone next is the request 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 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 first up we have Kathleen Richards just kidding good evening governing board and members of our husd Administration thank you for the opportunity to speak I wanted to take a moment to address with the failure of the override continuance to give a very public shout out to all of our specials teachers I know over the last several weeks many have asked me if I knew what would be coming down the pike should the override continuance not pass many of them have served our community and students long enough to remember the last time an overy did not pass and are very worried for the future it breaks my heart that the community was so sharply divided and by such a small margin the majority leaned into believing the lie that districts should be able to do more with less the reality we will now face is that our families will still bear the brunt of financial gas gaps Supply needs fees and more instead of Distributing the needs across the community over time we will be faced with cuts and increases and that is truly disappointing since it was very clearly avoidable I want to encourage our whole Community as we head into the holiday season to think beyond the obvious value of our general education teachers and be sure to acknowledge the small group of teachers that are guaranteed to work with every single student on an elementary campus these amazing humans provide incredible outlets for our students support the general education lessons that are being taught in classrooms and our schools would not be the same without them I know the board will have some very difficult decisions to be made in the coming months the decisions that get made should value the whole of education and not become too exclusively pigeon hold in the Reading Writing and arithmetic that some choose to hyperfocus on every day our teachers are doing more with less and it is deeply disappointing that we could not come together as a community to at least continue a level of support that we have already committed to giving over the last several years I hope all teachers understand but tonight especially our specials and electives teachers that despite what it may seem both from the Das and our community they are in fact very valued they are appreciated and their impact is felt in our homes and our families every day in the growth that we see in our children we would not be the same without them and we will continue to support them as best we can thank you next is Mindy brocker hi thank you guys I am a parent in this District who has committed myself to trying to make a difference in some small way sometimes it's to use my voice this tends to challenge people and I will continue to challenge people who I believe are acting in an unethical manner one thing that I will continue to speak up about is book challenges there will even there will even be some here today coded on the agenda as ratify payroll and expense vouchers there is a small group of people who have a larger political agenda who will try to insist that they are protecting the children but in fact they're trying to control and remove parent choices using the board but these challenges are ultimately are homophobic and racist at their core allow me to explain in May of this year I was in a bit of a heated exchange with a Facebook account by the name of Tim Lee when I continue to insist that as a parent I am fully capable of deciding if a book is appropriate via permission slip Andor syllabus and I would in fact prefer to be given Broad and challenging literature choices for my children allowing me to parent them as I see fit Tim Lee saw it fit to post the following and I quote Mindy brocker I am not afraid to address this issue directly your actions demonstrate a serious lack of ethical standard it is alarming that you have influenced your child to question their gender identity this raises significant concerns about your mental health and unfortunately your child is suffering as a result I'll be honest I was floored who would talk about my child in such a way who would have the audacity to imply poor ethics to queerness or mental illness to gender identity and what pray tell does this have to do with literature it was only the last couple of months that I learned that it is a Higgly unified board member who is the person behind Tim Lee which made me wonder is this member really willing to as she quoted under her Alias address this issue directly well what she does I want to make it very clear being queer is no more a matter of Ethics than is being a brunette questioning or living in a different gender identity does not make you mentally ill mothers of such Brave and amazing children are not mentally ill nor are they special I'm just a mom who like many of you out there will give every last bit of everything she's got to make sure that her children are happy healthy and loved I want to take a moment before this board to thank teachers at Higley un that stand up tall to defend and protect our students and their educator colleagues no shame to those who cannot this is your livelihood we're talking about but for those of you who do in a million different ways big and small I see you and I treasure you I end this with a call to action to those listening especially those parents who hold so much power it's hard to stand up it's difficult to be vocal against those who are so awful finding pleasure in harming the marginalized but silence is compliance if you see something that isn't okay send an email reach out to a struggling family check on a teacher let your voice be heard finally to the board member be yourself Embrace Transparency stop hiding behind fake and nameless accounts if you want to argue with disparage and harass parents of Higley students at least summon a fraction of The Bravery of this trans community that you hate and say it with your full chest thank [Music] you next is Barbara Summers good evening um tonight I must voice my deep disappointment and frustration regarding the actions of a school board member who has chosen to hide behind a false online profile this profile has been used to Target community members and hardworking staff criticize the district unjustly and attack candidates who have stepped forward to serve our community this individual has taken it upon themselves to spread misin information and engage in attacks that go beyond criticism and become personal and damaging furthermore it's deeply alarming that they have been working alongside others with the intention of Legally challenging Educators aiming to dismantle the support system that our students rely on every day these actions are not only un unprofessional but deeply concerning these actions undermine the core values of our district our board members are entrusted with the responsibility to act with integrity transparency and respect for the very people they are supposed to serve when one of our own chooses to manipulate information and act in secrecy they erode the trust we place in our leaders and set a damaging example for our students the repercussions of this Behavior are significant this misuse of power and influence not only distracts from our mission but also sends a harmful message to our students that they may be targeted for standing up or speaking out that their educators are under attack and that those in positions of leadership may choose to operate dishonestly rather than openly for the community's best interest this behavior is absolutely unacceptable our students deserve a safe and supportive environment and our teachers and staff deserve the freedom to do their jobs without fear of legal threats or Anonymous harassment I urge this board to take a firm stand against these actions let us commit to upholding transparency integrity and respect in all that we do if any member of this board canot meet these standards then it is time to reconsider their place on this board thank you for your attention to this serious issue I hope we can move forward with renewed dedication to the values that Define our district thank you next is Heather balsh good evening everyone it's a true privilege to be here tonight to talk about something that's new near and dear to my heart the importance of preschool and the powerful bonds that we build with children and their families from a young age preschool is more than just a place where children learn their ABCs and how to count to 10 it's where they start to build trust confidence and a sense of belonging it's where they take their first steps in socializing with others learning to share developing empathy and in some cases speaking their first words and it's not just about the children it's about families too by creating strong relationships with parents and caregivers we form a support system that helps children Thrive both at school and at home we can connect with the children early on we're not just shaping their academic Journey but helping them grow into curious kind and resilient individuals when we build these bonds with families we make sure that every child has the support that they need to succeed after all it truly takes a village and preschool is where it all begins thank you for being a part of this incredible journey you're going to hear some exciting information about our program later this evening and I just want to um encourage us all to continue to Foster these great relationships with our youngest uh students thanks okay moving on to the ENT agenda uh president Anderson yes um is it possible for me to ask admin to look into some of the things at least that were presented in terms of like status or how we can contact to get information that was expressed tonight from public comments board member Wade can you be a little more specific for me please well I mean there were statements made about behaviors that seem to counter our current policies so I'm just trying to understand what is and isn't so if we could you know follow up with that Madam president miss W the request for uh the administration to review the issues been made thank you president Anderson I'd like to address um a few of the things that were said um to come here and and act like you guys in the community aren't creating chaos is absurd because those of you that spoke are creating chaos in the community and you are part of the organization of sending having a Community member send me a sexually explicit book with a bundle of rope to the district office as a threat you guys are part of a text group that's called shoman Ava AVH Haters Club so don't come here and act like you guys are are doing some good when you guys are creating the chaos that's all I'm going to say thank you I motion to approve the consent to J items 5.1 to 5.13 Second seconded by Mrs Wade all those in favor i i Sor oh hi oh motion carries four to zero that's okay and with that I'd like to thank everyone that has made gifts made donations have contributed to the school district as stated in one of our um oh it is excuse me for not knowing the exact number uh 5 0 I want to thank everybody that has contributed to the district uh moving on to information items 6.1 the 2023 2024 a to F letter grades with uh Mr birkshire good evening president Anderson members of the board uh I'm excited to share our district and site letter grades tonight we have much to celebrate with these at each of our sites and my goal tonight is to share those grades as well as individual celebrations for our sites additionally I'll be showing how our district compares to neighboring districts as well as how our sites performed compared to charter schools within our boundaries our Focus tonight is on our strategic anchor one teaching and learning and Student Success specifically we are focused on indicator 1.5 which is supporting a collaborative culture using data and research-based practices oops so we are an a-rated School uh District um so that is our first celebration of the night um and I think is deserving of Applause Mr Len [Applause] Heiser District letter grades are calculated uh by adding the number of a schools multiplying by four then the number of B schools multiplying by three then dividing by the total number of schools similar to a GPA uh so our district score was a 3.71 out of 4.0 um 34% of leas in the state of Arizona earned an A so we're part of a a rare group uh the top third of the state 45% earned B's 177% C's 3% D's and less than 1% earned an F as a district um last year we were at a 3.86 that was uh due to us having 12 A's and 2 B's and you'll see on the next slide uh this year we had one school that was a c which lowered our our letter grade percentage just by a little bit um here you have our comparison to our neighboring districts um when letter grades were first released in 2017 Higley had six A's and seven B's uh we continued to improve prior to the pandemic uh with 12 a and 1B in 2019 there was a 2-year Hiatus on letter grades due to covid when letter grades returned in 20122 um we have improved from 8 A's and 5 BS to where you see us today uh where we have 11 of our sites that are an a uh two of our sites are a b and then one s's a c um want to point out that virtualems because we're going to be talking about hva probably a little bit later virtualy Chandler and Gilbert are both bees masik and kirne have shuttered their aois so they no longer have the virtual Schools Queen Creek is their soul C and then Scottsdale's D is their Virtual Academy as well some highlights uh we want to congratulate corado Elementary they earned the maximum growth score of 30 points or 50 points and they also had the top percentage earned in the district for K8 schools uh williamsfield improved their overall percentage by approximately six points Bridges earned the maximum proficiency score uh for the third year in a row uh that's a total of 30 points and and that's actually capped so they Pro they earn more than that it just shows up as just 30 um bonus points four of our sites earn the maximum of Five Points in the bonus points category for a site proficiency and sped enrollment those were Centennial chapparel Cortina and power ranch uh continuous Improvement we had five sites that have improved their overall percentage earned every year over the last three years those were chapparel Coronado Cortina power ranch and saucan and then chronic absenteeism we had eight sites see a continu decrease of chronic absenteeism over the last two years in the K8 model and those are Centennial kolie Coronado Cortina Gateway HTA Santan and San moving into our site letter grades uh we're going to start with our K8 schools the K8 model uh before I talk about the the percentages I want to remind you that a school's letter grade is kind of like a students grade um it's a collection of evidence um and and not based on a single Factor the State Board of Education when they first adopted the letter grades in 2017 were trying very hard to reflect the overall nature of a school um and what the state expects out of a public school which can be difficult to do when much of what a school does for students can't be numerically Quantified um what you see here in the models is their best effort to take those components for which we have solid numbers and represent them in the final calculation for a letter grade so for K8 schools 30% of a score is based on student proficiency on aasa 50% is based on student growth from prior State assessment performance to aasa this past spring as compared to like peer students 10% is based on El proficiency and growth and 10% is based on acceleration Readiness measures which include subgroup Improvement chronic absenteeism Improvement special education inclusion and improving performance in e8th grade math and third grade e there's also the possibility of bonus points with science providing up to 3% and special education up to 2% additional points for a school those bonus points are added in after the overall percentage score is calculated um and and gives our final score for each site additionally something to keep in mind is that in order to qualify for points in any area we have to have an endc count or a minimum number of students at 10 uh so for some of these categories especially El we don't have 10 El students that are full academic students um full Academic Year students at those sites so their overall calculation is out of 90 rather than out of 100 points so moving into our sites uh we're going to go alphabetically Bridges earned an a with 95.4 s points um they did not have the minimum Inc count of 10 fael students so you'll see that they just have the three categories which totals up to 90 um and then they take those point the the points that they've earned divide that by 90 that gives a percentage and then they add the bonus points on to that um I want to emphasize here that Bridges had that perfect proficiency score of 30 out of 30 they also had the highest AI passing rate for our students at 67 66% of their kids passing the acsi test in fifth grade Centennial Elementary earned an a with 91.8 six points they had enough El students so they have that El category in this in this case um centeno one of their celebrations is they've improved the math proficiency of their low social socioeconomic students every year for over the last three years so they've done a lot of good work with those students chapparel earned an a with 91.26 points uh they had 13 out of 18 English Learners that improved their proficiency level on a Zella which far exceeded the Statewide um average so that's very impressive the work that they've done with their eel students at chapparel kolie earned a b at 76.2 Four Points uh one of their celebrations is working with their special education students they have improved their sped proficiency from the previous year in both Ela and math and so they're doing a lot of good work with their special education students Cor earned an a with 9711 points as I've said that's the highest percentage in the district and and again celebration that they earned a 50 out of 50 on the growth score as well that's a huge CA earned an a with 92.5 Four Points uh Cora is right there behind Bridges that's their biggest competition they had the second highest proficiency score in the district right behind Bri Bridges so I actually met with their Administration today and they gun in for Bridges Gateway Point earn to be with 80.1 Point uh one of the impressive things that Gateway Point has done is they have improved the math Proficiency in six out of seven of the eligible subgroups that they have on their campus that means that those subgroups had 10 or more kids in that group um over the uh the previous year uh so that can be very difficult to uh because you have a lot of variability in those subgroups especially when we get down to there might be 12 one year that sixth grade group had five of them then they they leave and it's a different group of kids so that's very impressive that the the work that they're doing with their subgroups especially in math Higley trditional Academy earned an a with 9.97 point seven points uh one of their celebrations is with a specific subgroup uh they're African-American subgroup they have improved in both Ela and math every year over the last three years uh which is very impressive power ranch earned an a with 9.87 points um they as well improved their sped Proficiency in both Ela and math over the prior year so so again a lot of good work happening with that that specific subgroup Santan Elementary earned an a with 92.7 n points uh their growth score has improved every year over the last three years so they're doing a lot of great work in pushing kids and and really helping them to achieve and move even if that doesn't necessarily reflect in that proficiency area and then finally in our K8 model San earned an a with 85.3 s um one of their impressive Feats is you get points for improving the number of kids highly proficient in math 8th grade and decreasing the the percentage of kids that are minimally proficient in e8th grade math and they have done that every year over the last two years moving into our 9912 model um 30% of the schools letter grade in 9th through 12th grade is based on proficiency on the ACT and what the state identifies as being proficient uh 20% is based on student growth percentiles between act and Aspire and the ACT this is a change from last year um so they've had a little bit of a challenge with AC when we came back from covid act became the state test for 11th grade nth graders got act aspired so this was the first year that we actually had data on students that took ACT Aspire in 9th grade and then took act in 11th grade um so that growth score is looking at same peers and how much growth they made between ACT Aspire and act last year they were looking at subgroup improvement from the prior year so um in proficiency uh graduation rate and dropout rate so the scores are a little bit different this year related to growth because we're measuring different things um whoops let me go back um El proficiency and growth is also uh 10% and then School's graduation rate is 20% and then CCRI which is the College and Career Readiness index is 20% for 9 through 12 they received bonus points for a side performance up to three uh points sped enrollment up to two points and ACT Aspire participation up to three U points so starting with Higley High School they earned an a with 91.66% of a traditional 912 schools in the state they're actually in the top 9% but 10% usually is where we we like to go Williams Field High School earned an a with 97.77% increase of almost six six% is to be celebrated um that increase is primarily due to what happened with their growth score um in the prior year because it was calculated different they had 12 points out of 20 for for the growth this year you can see they have 18.04 points and now we get to Higley Virtual Academy uh HBA is a hybrid School meaning that last year it served students in grades 7 through 12 um so they get scores on the K8 side and they also get scores on the 912 side but they only receive scores if they have the the right number of students so when you're looking at what you see here the K8 side you see a zero out of 10 on the acceleration Readiness they only had 8 students that qualified for scores on proficiency and growth um and at pretty much everything else which means those categories they don't get points for the only category that they actually had enough students to receive points for was for chronic absenteeism which is worth two points out of that total of 10 and you have to approve that chronic absenteeism with virtualems we track that absenteeism very different than we do with normal stud students it's based on ours participating um it it gets really messy um but they didn't qualify for that so about 177% of their overall score is based on that one little piece the other side 912 uh we had enough students this year to qualify for most of those categories we had 15 9th through 12th graders that were full-time full Academic Year students at the Virtual Academy remember the Inc count is 10 so I had 15 this year last year um we had let's see 22 3rd through e8th grade students at hbaa that's where we got all of our points last year and one of the reasons why HBA was an a last year was because they received a a lot of points on that side we only had nine 11th graders last year and so we really didn't qualify for any points on the 9th or 12th grade side a lot of variability with virtualems because you have small numbers of students and those small numbers of students can change wildly from year to year uh so it's really hard to to maintain scores or predict scores with virtualems and you as I pointed out earlier Scottsdale's Virtual Academy was a d this year last year they didn't have enough students to even qualify for a letter grade so uh it's hard um but um there are a lot lot of Firsts for HBA this year so they had this is our first year with proficiency score on act this is our first year with a growth score on from ACT Aspire to act last year they had enough students to look at gra fouryear graduation rate this year we have four and fiveyear graduation rate so they they qualify for more points in the graduation rate side and then they improve their CCRI U score as well again this is another challenge for virtualems because half of the calcul for cc you have college readiness indicators and then you have career Readiness indicators which a lot of those are CTE courses and our Virtual Academy doesn't really offer any CTE courses so the only points that those kids could get were if they were enrolled in one of our brick and mortar schools in a CTE course and then moved into HBA uh later on so again HBA is hard uh to to Really qualify for for points moving on uh K8 Charter comparisons so these are charter schools that are within our boundaries as a district um the dark vertical line on the right uh marks the division between A and B scores that second one on the left marks the division between B and everything else underneath that um you'll see that there are some sites that I identify as K8 because they're hybrid schools they actually serve K12 so what I've done is taken out the K8 side shown you what their K8 side score would be on the next slide you'll see their 912 side so uh some examples of those are ala um North and then the let's see here Learning Foundation and Benjamin Franklin that they serve more than just a 912 population so they get points on this side as well and then here we have our 9912 Charter comparisons again some of uh a lot of our charter schools within our boundaries serve students in more than just 912 they're usually 712 or K12 configurations ASU Prep I just want to point out very specialized stem school students are encouraged to pay tuition to receive credits at ASU from coursework taken at ASU Prep they're not really a comprehensive High School like we have uh at williamsfield and Higley they don't have have um Athletics they don't have other comprehensive programs like we do uh so it's not necessarily an apples to oranges comparison so as you can see we have a lot to celebrate in Higley uh this is a testament to our site and District leadership our teaching and support staff our families and ultimately our students at each and every one of our sites I'm proud of that I've had the honor to share these with you tonight and I'm excited that the work we have done and continue to do for student learning is something that we can celebrate and recognize each year and with that any questions president Anderson I don't have a question so much as I just for those who aren't necessarily a part of this to be an a school or even a b school and maintain that grade is really difficult to do it is so very easy to drop and it is hard to stay the same and even harder to continue to grow growth and as we look around obviously all of us involved in education are like yes mhm this is true um but I just don't think that maybe necessarily parents and our community members are always aware of just how those numbers come down and how difficult of a feat that is so to all of our schools you know Well Done um yes I Echo what Miss Wade said that um this is amazing um one question because I'm just being a little bit competitive and so it's just a little um on the 9 through2 Charter comparisons with American with uh ala 9 through2 and Higley are we exactly the same or they it's my own clarify that for me so um you have a comparison the 9 through 12 Charter comparison chart yep right there and so nope that's not it uh yeah it is it is okay and so is it exactly the same it just it looks the same and so you want to know why we're not above it yes oh um I want to know why we're not above it are we exactly the same their score was slightly better than ours okay fine uh I I don't know the exact number off the top of my head but it is from score to score so uh they were just a little bit that's my own is um congratulations to Coronado amazing um as well in their growth um I also want to make sure um there was a question by a board member on funding and I just want to make sure that everybody knows that this has nothing to do with funding because I think if someone on the board was confused about that maybe the public was confused about that this has nothing to do with funding and so I just want to make sure that's clear especially since um override there's yeah the override and then there's issues with making sure we know we're funding comes from so there's any questions on that that's it thank you great job president Anderson um do was this grading system always like this the letter grades as they are currently constituted were adopted by the State Board of Education in 2017 prior to that they used a system um oh boy I trying to remember the words that they use it was a very different kind of system uh they were you you were an excelling School you were a um and and the calculations that they were using were very different than what we're using now so so you can't really compare what happened prior to 2017 to what we're using now yeah I just the fact that like an a is from 84 to 100 um when like we you know for our kids we grade them 90 to 100 as an A so it's weird that they would create this grading system that is not even equivalent on on how we would grade our students I'm happy to address that so in 2017 when the board adopted the letter grades um the uh State Department of Education and the technical advisory committee which are a bunch of nerds that are really they they look at numbers and and can dive in they're called psychometrician they brought to the board multiple models of what it would look like one of those models and they do this every year still one of those models is a 90 80 70 60 um and uh the model that was ultimately adopted was a standard deviation model so so they basically looked to see what percentage of schools would fall in trying to get kind of a bell curve to start out with but the goal has been since that time time to keep the cut scores the same so that the goal posts aren't moving every year because if we use a standard deviation model then basically every year you have the same percentage of a but that cut score that you're trying to achieve will change every year um one of the things they find with the 90 80 7060 um and even with the current makeup is that schools in high sces areas tend to score in the A and B level schools that are Title One tend to score in that CBC level a and so the the standard deviation model had and and emphasis on growth and some of those bonus points were all put in place to try to even out and and ensure that schools that are doing good work but just don't have the same advantages as other schools are recognized and rewarded for for where they are thank you for that and then if you can just explain so the overall proficiency rate is uh what what was that score the percentage for proficiency it the it is 30% at um not per school but like just overall for the district was it like 5 District proficiency that doesn't get reflected in the the the district letter grade the district letter grade what they decided to do at the State Board was just do an average of all of the scores uh of the the letter grades of school sites I can certainly bring that uh through status send you what our proficiency level was for for ELA and math for for the district as a whole that' be great I just don't know it off the top of my head great thank you and um along with the graduation rate um the new graduation rate because I think the last one was like 96% our graduation rate really hasn't changed so that's the reason why when you see both pigley high and williamsfield they're getting 20 out of 20 um 10 of that is for improving graduation rate you get that 10 points automatically if you maintain a graduation rate of over 90% so so 10 of those we get automatically the other side is four five six and seven year graduation rates and basically they take your rate and multiply it by a a a multiplier so so they're weighted four years is weighted higher than sevene and we exceed the 10 points in that side as well uh which is why we're getting the 20 out of 20 basically we go from 96 95 96 to 98 .99 by the seven-year graduation rate so our kids that may need a few more years we do graduate them um before and and help them move on excuse me and how does the like just to understand the math behind like proficiency rates compared to graduation rates is the graduation rate does that not count in the proficiency rate no okay proficiency is based purely on your scores on aasa or act a and so um there's a lot of work done at the state level when those tests were introduced so um originally with a merit um there was uh meeting at the state level I got to participate in this where we basically looked at the assessment and identified what the cut would be for a just barely proficient student and we went item through item and said would this item be where would this fall that kind of thing and at the very end again people that are much more mathy than me were able to put together this is what a score would be for a proficient student what a score would be for highly proficient and then the last part of that is they threw those numbers up and as a committee as a whole we looked to ensure that there was consistency from third to Fourth to fifth to sixth to seventh to e8th grade and at that time it was 10th grade as well because we had a merit they did the same thing with act in ela and math um and again I was lucky I was able to sit in the room participate in that process um lots of good dialogue about what proficiency looks like because act we're using that as as a Statewide test typically it's a college readiness assessment as a state we're using it as a College and Career Readiness test so our cut scores for proficiency are lower than what that Benchmark score you typically see what act is because we want to ensure that a student that's proficient it's not necessarily about college it's also about career a and so lots of dialogue around that those cut scores um so proficiency seat encompasses those graduation rate is separate got thank you so much you're welcome thank you that um I think for at least for here you've hit the nerd status and you're pretty mathy so I appreciate you and all the information you provide and it's great to ask questions and get really detailed and um good information that a lot of us aren't familiar with um I don't have a question um I just I just wanted to address one of the questions that was brought forward um how can parents and community members contribute to supporting these goals and improving our school performance and the response was parents and educat Educators should communicate on a regular basis and all that but is there I mean if just right now like as a teacher I mean there's things I'd say hey you know how can we get them involved more um I think this district is pretty great with the opportunities and um seeing all the posts online there's a lot of um after school and fun things that go on in the schools but um with the grades we're doing great but if there's anything else if this would be a great time to say like how could we how could we involve our community and parents um and I don't want to put you on the spot you don't have to say anything but if this was a time this be great to hear it um but before that I just wanted to say before I forget I just want to thank the students I want to thank the parents I want to thank the staff I want to thank I want to thank Community um this this is one big group this is everybody working together and it's a great job I in terms of parents I think um every site has communicated with parents about their their their letter grade status and and and those celebrations that H that that come with that um it the the the work that our teachers are doing on a daily basis and and the learning that we're engaging students in um all of the communication that happens around all of that and the support that families have for our staff in that learning process those are all huge um a and it's hard to quantify one single thing um because there's a lot that goes into these um we were at a site today where they were asking what's that what's that Magic Bullet and the reality is there's no magic bullet uh it takes a lot of work and hard effort from everybody involved um so it's that communication and partnership between parents and and schools I think that's that's imperative so president Anderson um members of the board I think we have such great PTO and site councils and that's a great way for you know parents to get involved the community to get involved and know what the needs of the school you know is and all of our higgle helps initiatives that we're doing that that brings that brings the community in plus our business partner breakfast and yeah we absolutely want people to be involved and I think a lot of schools um bring in parents to help do like stem day you know where they teach about their profession that's an awesome example and we could come up with a whole bunch more but that's one thing about Higley our parents are involved and they care definitely wonderful thank you anybody else okay thank you Mr birkshire thank you very much all right we're going on to 6.2 the 2025 2026 course guide with Mr Len Heiser president Anderson members of the board tonight tonight we're going to talk about the course guide proposal this is our information item uh we'll talk about the changes made to our course guides and then we will U move forward and be able to answer any questions that you have so within your board pack we had the presentation but you also had Redline copies of the the draft of the course guide so that you could see the red line is what we're getting rid of the blue is what we're adding and so hopefully you had an opportunity to go through that because tonight I'm going to touch on some of the different changes that were made and uh that we are proposing to move forward so this timeline and process started right when we get back from the start of school we start August 6th where we put together our um timeline so that we we follow these different steps as you can see listed up there we review our current courses and information with our ed services Team Ed Services team is the district instructional coaches and other directors involved in the ed services department we review it we also ask for proposals from sites anything that they want to change or add they work through their instructional coaches and bring It Forward we do a final review we did that on October 29th where we went through all the different proposals that uh teachers Andor the district had proposed to changing courses adding courses deleting courses or changing general information um tonight we're bringing the information item to you because what's really important is that action item on December 10th we have to approve the course guides for the next uh next year on December 10th seems a little early but it's not because we start registration in Janu January and we start that process of um students selecting their courses in our secondary schools that allow us to then determine Staffing allocations and where we're going to put it to meet the needs of our students like to give a shout out to the different people that were involved in this process um basically what you have up there is a list of our directors and assistant directors within the district office our instructional coaches each site is represented by their principal uh as well as their assistant principal and their lead counselor and so each piece had a different uh part throughout the entire process but when we came together for the uh final review on October 29th everybody was in the room as we made determinations about the proposals that were moving forward so we'll jump right into the high school honestly the most of our most of our changes come at the high school level that's by far the biggest book and has the most different things that happened so I want to highlight a couple of the proposed changes to our general information Pages those are the pages before the actual course descriptions are listed out uh we updated the language about the act in our testing section we wanted to be specific so that if parents looked at it they knew that the Act was our mandatory state test for 11th graders and that ninth graders are required to take the ACT Aspire test as you just heard we're measured on the growth between their nth grade and their 11th grade so we need them to take the test in both so that we can determine our growth uh we are proposing removing the husd service learning honor for excellence seal and an initial thought would be wow this is crazy why are we removing it well we haven't had anyone apply in the last four years for this seal um there is another seal through the uh State of Arizona it's the Civics literacy steal seal and and part of the Civics literacy is a really huge component about Service Learning and so what we want to do is direct students who have that service learning to the Civics literacy seal and that's something provided through the state and it's not a Higgly local one uh we changed the format for the diploma seals to direct families to our website so here's what happened in the past we would list all the requirements for each one of the seals in our course guide which we approve in December to then get published basically in January for the next year then the state would change the requirements and so by the time you looked at the requirements that were in there by the time we got to the end of the year they were different than what was in our course guide so by dir and by giving a description of what the seal is and then directing to our website we can constantly keep that updated in case the state turns around and changes the requirements for the seals and so it kind of condensed that section A little bit it still gives a description for what the seal is but it refers us so that in casee the state changes any of those requirements we can keep it up to dat and it's not out of date within our course guide one of the things that we really focused on this year was uh trying to give parents an opportunity to understand all of the different and dual enrollment opportunities we have I'll be honest we shine in this opportunity we're really good at providing dual enrollment opportunities compared to our peers uh around us our districts and so to really emphasize that when you took a look at the course guide you saw we had three pages of a giant spreadsheet that showed at each High School which courses we offered for duel and then what course and what educational partner and how many credit hours they got now it's all contingent within dual enrollment if a teacher leaves and we can't find a dual enrollment certified teacher to come in and replace them we can't offer it that year but we did want to give the parents an opportunity to understand there are so many different dual enrollment courses not just in our core academics but through our CTE as well we really wanted to highlight that uh this year within the sections and so when you take a look I think there's four almost four pages the list all of these different courses some of the courses you have to complete both first and second semester to get dual enrollment some of them are just semester by semester so that you can get dual enrollment maybe three credit hours first semester and then three credit hours second semester our major partners are Chandler Gilbert MCC and SEC and finally there was attendance information that we listed within the general guide the consensus was this is also in our handbook and so we wanted to make sure that the messaging stays the same about attendance and really attendance other than audit status which we left in attendance does not have an effect on the course guide and so we're removing it this time and we're going to focus and have people look at our husd handbook and that's where you'll see attendance information about students required attendance so those were the changes that we're bringing forth on the general information so when we looked at updating course descriptions Andor prerequisites I listed out the courses and you were able to find them within the uh course guide with the red and blue lines uh looking through it so these are the courses that we've changed either course description many times teachers send us course description changes because they're like hey the curriculum has changed we need to update this what we have in there might have been what was in there 12 years ago we need to update it for what's currently being taught in the class and so when you see those the course description changes were for honors aerospace engineering honors electrical and computer engineering AP Computer Science principles AP Computer Science a beginning Ceramics intermediate Ceramics Advanced Ceramics AP human geography and American Arizona history all of those we just updated the course description so when someone reads it it more accurately aligns with what's being taught in the course Roc is a unique program where they basically teach one class per year and they just alternate between four classes so someone who's in there for four years gets four different classes and so we just update the schedule so we move it over one and take the one that was last year and it goes four years from now and that's when it'll be part so that's the update that you saw there um honors bioscience one in order for a student to get uh science credit for bioscience they have to complete the sequence meaning they needed to finish bioscience one and bioscience 2 we had previously listed you could get a science credit for honors bioscience one that was incorrect and so we removed that from there so they have to complete to get through honors bioscience to to get a science credit for that course and then finally when you take a look at Algebra 2 and pre-calculus what we did is we changed the grade level on those and the reason we did that is that Algebra 2 typically um we removed 9th grade from there because if they're in nth grade and they're in Algebra 2 they're really in honors Algebra 2 not on level Algebra 2 and so same thing with pre-calculus we remov the ninth and 10th grade because if they're in pre-calculus and 10th grade they're an honors pre-calculus not on level pre-calculus and so we wanted to clarify that for our students AP World History we added ninth graders to make sure ninth graders have that option to move into AP World uh we'd been making exceptions for that because if kids are really talented in that area move forward we just formalize that okay so when it gets to additions or deletions this is something that'll be new being added to our program and I'm excited about three of the new courses that we're adding this year first one with our CTE exercise and wellness one and two this Falls underneath Sports Medicine what this program does and think about CTE and we talk about career Readiness right now now in sports medicine the path that we have a student who goes through that typically then to go right into the workplace they have to go to college and get a degree to become an athletic trainer and then where we see the career aspect is after they've finished college going into that uh field with the exercise uh and wellness program it allows them to get a certificate where they can be a personal trainer and they could immediately go into the workforce so think about personal trainers at gyms or even people private doing personal trainers there is a certificate for that we' have developed a program where these students can work on that skill while in high school and like many of our CTE programs get a certificate and be immediately employable once they have that certificate and so when we talk about that school to work pipeline that pipeline doesn't wait them for four years for them to get through college they could go immediately into that and I Know It Williams Field they have really tried and worked hard to develop that underneath the sports medicine and we'd like to offer that opportunity to allow our kids to work on that certificate uh higgle Hy proposed a unified dance class if you're not familiar with a unified program and our best pries program we know it's a wonderful uh way that our our partners and their peers get to work together and our best buddies is a great program we currently have unified PE the ask was can we have Unified Dance because really those students would be in unified PE for four years if they wanted to could we give them a different opportunity and we would like to allow them to have a different opportunity opportunity to go into a beginning dance class um for our students with special needs and their positive peers to be involved in the Unified Dance so they'll give them two options instead of one um we had a business Chinese one at Williams Field the goal of next year would be to bring business Chinese to this course is an extension after AP Chinese 4 where we have students who've gone through perhaps our DLI program and have gone through kie and have gone through williamsfield and now we're looking for an additional class as a junior and then we would come back next year and look to add one as a senior and so that's one of the programs that um you know our instructional uh specialist Rebecca Rodriguez have been working for and they worked and found some uh curriculum that will allow us to continue to push those kids uh within high school for our DLI Mandarin students and then finally we had a course in there called World Language ta so it's been in the book ever since I've been in here and no one has ever signed up for it because we haven't used okay I think originally what I was told is back in the day you had someone who was really good at a World Language and they wanted to go help maybe they were in AP Spanish 4 they would become a TA in Spanish one and really we have not used this program so we just want to delete it since we're not having that be a part of what's happening so here here's where we have some fee changes that we want to talk to you about because I think this is an area of uh concern where we need to make sure that we have appropriate funding to meet the needs of our programs as you know costs for everything has increased and we have not changed uh these fees uh for many many years matter of fact our athletic fee is Prem me and I'm on year five and so we're looking to help um support the athletic programs uh and more by increasing our athletic fee from $150 to $200 per Sport with a maximum of $800 per family per site um included within or additionally we have allowed family passes for students who are attending our games uh and families to buy this annual family pass where they could buy the pass and they can get into any game all year it's up to four members in the immediate family it was $135 but we've raised ticket prices but we never raised this and so the equivalency in order again to help us uh recoup the cost of running our events and our games we're asking to increase that to $200 for the single season family pass that's $100 that would be like I just picked football and I only wanted to go to football because maybe my kid picked football so the family were able to buy a pass there and so that's you'll see the increase from $60 to $100 uh parking permits we B we know that there's a lot of things that happen within parking and for us to have the ability to do improvements and or support things parking related we're looking to increase that from 80 to $100 for the year instrument rentals has always been a tough one because you asked to talk to someone where we rent the instruments and if it comes back damaged the 125 and even the 150 is probably not going to cover the cost but it it's going to cost to repair the instrument and so through the rental program this helps us be able to support but we do have to supplement if we need to repair equipment that's been returned and the final fee change that I'd like to look at addresses students who uh take the esas and then want to take a class from us okay and we currently don't have anyone in the district doing it but other districts do and I put in some interesting wording in there um basically an Esa let's say it's $7,000 right now if a student wanted to take one of our courses we provide six courses to kids we will charge them one sixth of the cost of the esa because that's what it should be uh the reason I put it at that is we don't know if esas are going to stay consistent and so if an Esa let's say all of a sudden now they get to have $10,000 a year well once the of it would be one six of the courses that they would take if they were part of our school and therefore that would be what would we would ask for them typically where our peers have found this out as athletes they want to participate they want to come in and do weights typically weights is a class practices after school for them to be able to be on campus during a uh class time they have to pay for the class now to participate in athletics that's the same as the athletic fee that we have currently we don't have anyone doing that within our district okay but if the need arises this is what we would do and we would have it in our course guide to be able to charge those fees so when you take a look at uh those were the high school proposed changes when we looked at the middle school changes um much smaller uh options and looking at what's happening in the middle school because it's a much smaller uh course guide um what we're looking to do is we updated Ceramics drawing and painting names into and descriptions to 2D art and 3D art because it more represented when it says Ceramics they're really creating 3D and there's a lot of different mediums that they use and so we wanted to be descriptive of the mediums that they are using so they proposed 2D and 3D art and we agreed with that we updated applied technology and robotic names and descriptions because current we had Advanced applied technology and Robotics and we had it for a year but yet that was the second year the first year we had them split to appli technology and Robotics and not combined and we're asking to combine them so it's a year-long program and so the first level would be the applied technology and Robotics the second level would be the advanced applied Robotics and Tech and uh Tech applied technology and Robotics the third uh description was for our elas courses currently our elas courses are being taught as a block and so that means the kids are in the same class for two hours and then they have two teachers for two hours to to look at numbers and the the commitment financially of doing that uh that's a really heavy commitment to be supporting that because really you're looking at taking the number of kids in that class because there's two teachers for the course load you would cut it in half so if they had 40 kids in the class really our ratio is 20 to1 they have 35 kids in the class our ratio is 17.5 to1 and so what we felt like when we T discussed this with the uh Middle School administrators is in order for us to maximize FTE if we do not block pocket meaning one period they would have the social studies one period they would have the English it would help us recoup FTE that we could continue to use to lower class sizes everywhere else and so we're looking to change that instead of being a blocked program it will now be still a concurrent enrolled program teachers will work together but they won't have two teachers in the classroom for two hours and that's the changes that would come through for elas when we go through to hva and here's one that there was a question right away like how why are we no longer going to offer the Middle School um it goes back to numbers and being fiscally responsible right now we have 11 students in our Middle School online and we're it costs more than the money that we get in order to be able to service those students um it is the number of full-time online has continued to steadily decline the further we have gotten away from covid in fact currently right now we have no ninth graders that are 100% online the largest class that we do have at the high school level is our seniors we have 28 seniors but if we have zero freshmen as that starts to matriculate up it's going to become smaller and smaller for uh online and so our goal right now is to remove the Middle School from it and so we will continue to offer the high school online we are exploring options right now of what does it look like if we took hva and it became a program and not a school and with that we we would still offer online classes because we have 730 kids who take at least one online course through us that's a lot that's meeting a need for those kids and those families however you just heard that how letter grades fluctuate so much so if there's an opportunity through us through the instructional time model where we can have kids be a instead of a full-time online hva kid a full-time Higley kid and we could still offer them online or a full-time Williams Field we can still offer the courses online but it would be a program and not a separate School we're exploring that option and we'll bring it back to the board with more information as we get closer to that time uh in order to declare if we're going to keep the hoi or not oh sorry aoi not hoi so I threw a whole lot of words and stuff in there and I know you guys have got some questions for me so um once again this is our this is our information item tonight love to answer your questions but when we come back on December 10th that's really when we do have that action item because we need to be ready for our enrollment and registration process that happens in January got Anderson um for the um High School course guide the Multicultural um course um and obviously this this course has been um you know an issue uh recently um due to the books and just going reading through the um description of the course guide where does this is this description coming from the college or um do we have the ability to change the description the reason why I ask is because um I think it would just as as an informed consent ahead of time um to include in there uh you know it talks about literature comes from authors of both genders and all ethnicities um but I think it would be great to be able to add that you know explicit content including you know books related to graphic sex sodomy rape beastiality critical race Theory um just so parents know this information ahead of time um so that they can then make a decision of signing up for the course instead of not knowing this and then signing up for the course and then after the fact when the you know they find out what books are on the syllabus then they're possibly you know trying to either move out of the class or now they're having to deal with parental consent forms and the kids are being sent out of class so I think it's important to be able to add that to the to the description um so that parents are notified ahead of time so that they can make a decision of not picking that class um if they oppose to such material um another um oh gosh sorry I lost my notes um I'll have to come back to it oh um the I discussed this last year um for our um special ed um Community skills communication skills um the fact that uh we utilize Castle um I I personally oppose anything related to Castle just based on um just their Concepts um that they use I I don't agree with um and so I don't know if there's any other form of you know when when we have kiddos that need need any type of social emotional um assistance um that first it's individualized and not implemented across the board um and that it's done with parental consent um obviously if there's IEPs involved um and 504s that would be included if um if the student requires that type of service um but I don't know if there's another type that we can utilize other than Castle um and then for the fees you said they haven't changed since when uh I don't know exactly when it was adopted when I talked to my athletic Recs I want I want to say it was uh prior I'm 2020 so it's prior to me okay and then the the fees are the same for Middle School the Middle School we've looked at the how we're budgeting for the Middle School and talking to the principles we wanted to keep that one the same for this year and then we'll evaluate as we go forward and perhaps look for increasing it next year but no the fees for like a for an athletic team at middle school is not $200 okay yeah and less that Middle School sports are only only a quarter right high schools are much much longer right yeah and then just to watch the games I don't remember ever paying to go to watch games for Middle School no we don't for Middle School charge so that when you look at the family passes and things like that that's only for the high school that's where we only charge ENT thank you um and then um for the instruments how often are the instruments rented versus um students bringing their own I I don't have that answer but I can ask and see what our number is and give that to you status I don't know how many okay thank you um and then I just want to say you know I I appreciate um being able to allow um Esa students to participate in our sports that's definitely you know form of revenue for the district um but also uh you know being able to uh help these kiddos out to participate in any type of sporting events um or you know Sports um so I I do um appreciate that we're allowing them to do so so thank you president Anderson um I have a question so you had mentioned on the preal course and I believe Algebra 2 I only put pre-cal you said that they're now I guess they've always been honors courses but they weren't listed as that or now they're honors course we have both we have l pre-cal and we have honors pre-cal okay prior to this for on level pre-cal it it said it was optional for 10th 11th and 12th graders but in reality if you're a 10th grader who's gotten to the pre-cal level you're in that honors track and you're at honors pre-cal and so we just wanted to make sure that parents understood or and students understood that when you get to the regular pre-calculus that's typically our Juniors and our seniors who take pre-cal okay so they were already weighted this same as far as honors like they were already getting that honors there are there is an honors class and I'm only addressing the onlevel courses and I'm just removing those bottom two ninth grade for Algebra 2 and 10th grade for pre-calculus so if you're a typical onlevel student who comes in you take Algebra 1 then you take uh geometry Algebra 2 and pre-calculus that's a typical like the most standard math four-year math track that we have okay and so what the teachers asked for is is why would we say that as a nth grader you could take just onlevel algebra 2 if you're a nth grader and you're that advanced in math you're going to be taking the honors algebra too the grade okay thanks I just Chang thank you for clarifying I just think I was not clear on that um I have it's kind of a strange question but you maybe it's stupid I don't know but dual teachers you dual language certified teacher I mean dual enrollment excuse me teacher certified teachers you mentioned if a teacher leaves and someone doesn't come back if it's the middle of the semester and say a teacher leaves do those kids then not get credit for that class we we work with the institution okay and what we can do to make sure unfortunately sometimes the answer is yes they can't do it if we can't find a sub that can come in and help qualify that sometimes we have additional other members of the department that might help pick that up and help support them through the duel and we work with our partner we want to provide that opportunity for the kids as much as possible so then would they I I don't know that this happens very often I guess I'm just trying to clarify then would they lose that money than they paid for the dual enrollment too uh I I I don't answer I can't answer that we haven't had that in a okay okay um and when I talk about them leaving I'm more talking about the end of the year so if we had gone no I know I know that just occurred to me when you said they were leaving I get that it's the end of the year I just thought oh what if we lose a teacher do the kids lose out on the dual enrollment that was my question um I love that you added the UniFi dance and um the um business language Chinese sounds like are great to me too um and updated and the esa fees that we charging for that so um I think that that's all I have I had another question but I'll wait until after Miss Wade answer a question uh president Anderson uh could you clarify for me just to make sure I'm understanding I mean it has been quite a minute since I've had to write a description for a course that I teach for an updated course guide um the information that we would put in there for our classes would be an overview of the classes less specific and part of that reason is kind of on what uh board member Schultz brought up in that sometimes we have different teachers teach it from year to year and so this way we don't have to continue to update the course guide if there are specific things that still meet the course so for example some of our dual enrollment electives or our AP electives are decided by other things and as the teacher I get to decide which of these books or which of these things I'm going to be using and so I would assume that as we progress and we look at some of the the courses that we have in there we keep them as not necessarily overwhelmingly specific the idea I'm trying to address is essentially board member of Van Hook's concern so I can understand when we go through on the 10th what works best for us the idea of of being super specific in a course guide is not usually what we do because it's overview a lot of times if there is a student who has those questions or parents who have those questions because of the way we sign up for kids and all of that and they have time A lot of the time it's the parents who then can contact counseling or the teachers to get the kind of information that Miss Van Hook was concerned about specifically is that am I correct in understanding our goal and how we write the course guide for that we try to keep it a kind of a 10,000 foot view yes so that we have some uh opportuni so they understand the general themes I mean we're distilling it down to two or three sentences what's going on there and then as we get into the class I think that any time that we have a parent or someone who wants to know what the syllabus of the class that they're signing up for absolutely work with the counselor so that you have that opportunity to see that thank you president Anderson um obviously there's parents who read the basic uh description and didn't realize that there would be sexually explicit books assigned to their kids so adding some something in there to say that that is that is a possibility because otherwise how is a parent supposed to know to be able to go ask that question um they're just every parent's just going to have to call and go hey is there sexually explicit stuff in here no um so as as information ahead of time to let them know that this could be a possibility um one teacher might choose books that don't contain this information and another teacher can obviously you know that's where we're at um so it it wouldn't hurt to let parents know ahead of time so that they can decide whether they're going to sign their child up for this class or not um the other uh concern I had is um I know currently there's at least a couple students that are in this class um who have no other option to they've taken all the English classes they could possibly take so this is the only class that they're able to take in order to graduate um and we do have some flexibility there and for each one of those people that came forward we did provide options and there was a choice for the two and some one decided to stay in and one decided to not and one of the things I think I skipped on there is when we looked at Pathways and things like that we haded sub verbage to say pathways are suggestions they're not mandatory and they're not required and so if what we do is we try to help parents who probably I look at course guides a lot parents probably don't look at course guides a lot right and so what's easiest for them to understand some sequencing and possible things but we have always have opportunities to change to different Pathways or to different courses and they can work with their um counselors to be able to do that so when parents are signing their kids up for for classes what is sent to them are they receiving a course guide or there to the course guide and this year we're actually really working hard to do online registration so we'll be sending things out to the parents and the kids where they uh through the Synergy and through the parent view and the student view they can go in and select their courses from there um we're working through the process of either one or two things would happen so that parents get that oversight to know what their kids have signed up for one is there's a way that we can lock it through uh parent view and so the parents then can have access and say hey here's the courses yes I agree with that they click a button and it locks it in and that's their course request the other way is we can do an audit where we do a mail merge where it's kind of old school we would get a print out and kind of the old parent signature at the bottom hey here's what You' signed up for take it home get your parent to sign up so that they understand what you're signing up for and then come back and we can have that documentation so there's two different ways we want to make sure that parents are communicated with about what the courses their students are signing up for our course guides are on on our um on our website we'll put them up there as soon as as soon as we get the approval for next year here and to put it up there and then those links will be included when the communication goes out of our registration okay yeah I just I I would like to for parents to be able to have informed consent ahead of time um that's all I'm asking and then we avoid um any future issues that we've recently been been dealing with thank you president Anderson um something to at least remind the community of and I think considering the fact the way we had uh board me meetings this past August uh about this specific course in general parents get informed consent so for parents if you are concerned when you hear this information which I think is is fair and is valid because we all have what is good for our home and what we feel is best at the start of your kids uh semester for all of these books that there could be or even topics that have this we give out parental consent and we updated this summer those specific parental consent forms with more detail Ed information so these things are here they're part of our practice and it's part of the reason that this book became an issue in general because we had as we've expressed some parents who were not necessarily thrilled about it and those parents decided for those kids what was best whether that is to go to a different class that was an option or stay there I I I hear your concerns I also think it is important for parents to take responsibility of what their role is with some of that we are asking so very much of our staff and our schools with respect to information and if we put too much information then we're guilty of well I just had there was too much and I didn't know either way there is going to be that opportunity so steps we take as a districtwide practice is that should there be a Content area that is something that might have an issue for individuals that info is sent home to parents so they can make that informed consent so it is there it happens I recognize it's not necessarily in the manner with which board member Van Hook would like at this this current moment but I do think it is important for our community to recognize that that does exist um as a teacher who had to collect those papers I am so grateful that we're moving that to online just you know a delight so for all of those teachers who had to spend forever trying to make sure kids brought those papers home with that lovely signature uh the online option also as a parent who is ADHD the online option sounds fantastic so thanks for that President Anderson um I have a question so you talked about the hva program or changing it to a program is that something um for the year after next that you're thinking about I mean I know you don't have a crystal ball or anything but I'm just wondering we would actually look at implementing it for next year okay and and please understand we're exploring this option and we have not made that decision yet but the option would be we're still providing the opportunities for our students were not have no change in service absolutely it would just be that instead of being an hva kid if you lived in williamsfield boundaries you'd be a williamsfield kid you would graduate at williamsfield so we wouldn't have a separate graduation or we wouldn't have a separate anything like that and so when you look at testing State Testing and you have these small numbers those online full-time online students would be then included within the entire high school and for either of them and so now we're talking maybe we only have 10 kids well five might be williamsfield kids five might be higgle High kids and now they get included in those counts and we don't have to worry about hey we don't have enough kids to even qualify to be able to earn the points to be able to move forward and that's why you've seen two of the districts you mentioned two of the districts already went away from their aois and have supported it differently through their local schools and so that's what we're trying to make sure that we have all of our ducks in a row before we come back formally to you to say this is how we'd like to move no that sounds great to me especially as we're facing different decisions with funding right now that we need to look at so um sounds like a great use of funds and thank you um regarding the uh additional language uh for the class just to be a little more um informative I I am listen to both sides and I think that they there's great information brought um could we not I understand being proactive and informing parents and Guardians prior to signing up for the class and I understand we don't want to sit there and spell it out and do we need to be explicit in the language that we use no but could we put something in there to say this may require a um permission or permission slip or whatever what is the word is it a permission slip consent God consent form for some of the material that will be brought forward for reading can we not just put an aster or any just a quick line we don't have to be detailed of what they may be reading but can we just say hey this there may be material that would require a you know as I'm processing this now I I think we have permission slips that are required in a lot of classes and but when we get into the dual enrollment aspect and in the understanding that people are taking college level courses that might contain college level material that might require then permission slips then perhaps the line goes in with the dual enrollment part says if you're taking a dual enrollment class please understand that these are college courses and they might that's just what I'm thinking about so I I I just don't understand the putting the stop on just informing parents you know that that that's my thing teaching science classes teaching biology what I had in biology back in my day is not the same no it's not we don't dissect anymore what's up with that right frogs right and so um there when I hasn't been brought up now but I mean we cover topics that are hot topics there are things that are being concerned that hit with you know some religious concerns and um you know parents just don't know what's in the class they just assume it's what they experience so I I don't see a problem with just adding a line to just say hey so I'm just saying that I I I would support just a small little bit of language it doesn't have to be explicit and if you do it for other classes or these ENT forms are involved in other classes is it it's also because of mature content in books yeah we have some of our AP courses and and you'll look at our approved list when you look at our novel list that lists any of the novels that are being used that will require uh prior parental consent and I know AP when you look at our AP English courses they have some of those that AP says hey you need to be able to do this these are the books that we're using and we'll give consent for that as well and there's no language for those at all it's just it's just known that they're going to be correct home okay all right um I'll stop at that point but my questions were regarding the fees the proposed fee changes um can you hit on some of the topics for some of the areas where the fees are changing what exactly is increasing on this end to cause the increase for the families on their end like what what is pushing those increases uh yeah so when you're looking at the athletic fee uh increase I think the cost of running Athletic program whether it's equipment whether it's Transportation those things whether it's how we can uh support our uh workers game workers and different things all of those things tie in together um specifically to looking at the increased fees the amount that we supplement and do uh through uh Transportation or through you know we split this fee up and the coaches can turn around and buy equipment from it the cost of equipment has increased tremendously than since 2020 no less even longer than that and so then where do those additional fees from come from we supplement and we support Athletics through District more District budgets and I know when we're talking budgets and we're talking money in districts I don't want ever want to step on Mr Moore's toes talking about that but I know that we're getting into situations where perhaps our M and our Capital budgets are are not going to be as big as they used to be because we know we did not pass an override or a bond yeah I just wanted to ask to put it out in public for parents that are listening because question oh it's going up a lot of money everything else is going up I I want them to have understanding but also um it just I'll lead to my next question are there any is there any assistance for families that can't afford these fee changes because I don't want kids to miss out on opportunities anytime we have a family now or with that has an issue yes there is a process where they work through the bookstore and they work through the principal where we can wave fees absolutely we look at students and famil situation ations I know students on free and reduced lunch as they go through we provide addition uh additional supports for them as well and and that gets a little tricky because we don't turn around and add the amount into the P to the bucket we just don't include it at all and so um but yes there are opportunities for families who are struggling we don't ever want money to be the reason why they don't want to participate in one of our programs excellent I just want to make sure that that got out there for for the public thank you president Anderson not to beat a dead horse um just a final comment is um the the current um state of the consent form is after the fact and I'm just asking that it be ahead of time um so then we're not worried about transferring classes and and all that stuff that's all thank you president and Anderson I just want to add any course at any time that um apparent objects or wants an alternate assignment book whatever we work to accommodate that and even we even have some younger kids getting parental permission for novels or whatever so I'm just sitting here thinking it is a global practice to ensure you know if parents want something else done we work to accommodate um so I think we can discuss as ed services and what that looks like an update and status or whatever so because I assume parents all know that and they may not you know so they know they love Higley I know that yeah I and I know that you you try you all try to accommodate everyone so I appreciate that anybody else for this no thank you Mr ler I appreciate it all right we're going to move on to I need new glasses thank you 6.3 the Community Schools update with Mr Armstrong president Anderson members of the board tonight we are highlighting our uh ecdc program as well as our community programs and I'm going to ask Miss Amy coaches and Marsha Hoster go ahead and come up to the podium uh they're going to highlight their wonderful preschool program that is absolutely amazing and the the efforts of these two wonderful administrators is really going in deep to their programs this year and I want to thank them so you're going to have you're going to hear highlights and you're also going to uh hear a proposal for uh a fee proposal for the upcoming school year as well so I'm going to go ahead and turn over to Mrs coaches and Mrs hofstead thank you so much good evening board members administrators staff and Families my name is Amy coaches I'm the director very proud director of The Early Child de Development Centers this is Marsha hoffstead she's our assistant director let me Begin by first reading our mission statement our certified Early Childhood Educators and staff Inspire curiosity build solving skills self-esteem and Foster a love for Learning and our young children within a nurturing and play based environment we're excited to share a little bit about our preschool program and the incredible work that our staff does daily at the heart of what we do is our commitment to nurturing young students our certified early early childhood staff are passionate about inspiring curiosity among those students We Believe believe that building self-esteem fostering a love for learning are just as important as their academic skills that's why we create a supportive play-based environment where children feel safe valued and they're very eager to learn it's truly a joy to watch our students Thrive and develop in such a positive engaging atmosphere we're proud of the foundation we're building for their future success and it's all thanks to the dedication of our our amazing Community our families and our staff I'm going to share a little bit about our unique program offerings as you can see up on the screen our Mandarin program our Mandarin program is located at our kolie campus students in the program receive Mandarin for part of the day and English the other part of the day this program feeds into our Mandarin program at Coronado we we have our Spanish dual language program that's located at our San campus students in the program receive Spanish for part of the day and English for the other part of the day and this will feed into our Spanish Immersion program at SanTan Elementary we have our think program our highly gifted Academy this is located at our San campus this program will feed into our bridges Elementary School this program provides personalized instruction to actively engage exceptional Learners in an Innovative thinking environment that Fosters creative thinking talk a little about a little bit about our conscious discipline we have the incredible opportunity to provide workshops to not only our staff but to our families within the district so we have those here at the board uh office quite often conscious discipline was created and developed by Dr Becky Bailey it's a social emotional program that teaches children how to regulate manage their emotions in order to make safe and healthy choices you can think about it as discipline not as something that you're doing to children but something you develop within them the goal is to teach students how to respond instead of reacting to situations throughout our day within the school another piece that I wanted to speak about is our um a First Things First Quality first program uh quality first is a program that helps providers throughout the state improve the quality of their programs they provide coaching for our staff professional development they support us financially through scholarships for our students materials that they provide for us and then we have an opportunity for assessors to come on our both of our sites and really give feedback and provide feedback to us as directors as well as to our staff regarding our classroom environment as well as our staff interactions with students daily we have our CTE Early Childhood programs this is both at kie and saucan this incredible program provides opportunities for high school students both from Higley and williamsfield to spend time with our incredible staff at our campuses they engage in Hands-On experiences with students and staff to develop skills to prepare them to enter Early Childhood in that career we have our Middle School Tas uh that is currently at San middle school students are able to take electives they get to walk right next door which is really great and share time with our students and our staff and this opportunity also helps them to develop uh skills for career in the future in early childhood education a little bit about our special education services and our on-site evaluations we're extremely lucky we have an incredible team students can be referred by staff and families with concerns with students with developmental delays eligible students then can receive Services through our case managers speech pathologists occupational therapists and physical therapists I get the opportunity to speak about ecd DC through the years over 10,000 students have gone through both kie and saucan uh since the beginning in 2013 over 2,100 special needs students have attended both of our campuses historically with our attention of students enrolled in our husc kindergarden over 76% of our students a little bit about our brilliant Beginnings in our Kinder prep uh those full day and am classes that they have the highest enrollment historically for us a little bit about our BB program brilliant beginnings and our Kinder prep our brilliant beginning program is for students that are aged threes threes and fours focuses on social emotional friendships relationships taking turns caring and sharing uh early exposure to words and phrases Beginning Sounds counting to 10 number recognition and name recognition our Kinder prep program students that are four and fivey olds focuses on preparing students for kindergarten hopefully continue on in Higgly science through investigation letters letter sounds uh left to right writing and reading identifying numbers to 10 handwriting exposure for uppercase and lowercase letters and an exposure to word families site words and Counting above 10 starting those um addition skills as well he's trying to go through almost there all right so for ecdc So currently uh right now we have 530 tuition students between our kie and San campuses 169 of those are our special education students so that's a total of 699 students and still counting because we add them daily um as they turn three our staffing involves uh 33 certified incredible certified staff 61 classified staff um again an incredible evaluation team 14 uh preschool and eval team that includes our speech our OT our PT and our VI so we're extremely extremely lucky thank you for allowing us the opportunity to share a little bit about our program yeah so as you as you can see up here um this is our our Kinder prep full day comparison to our our neighboring districts uh currently every one of us has certified teachers within our classrooms uh the monthly tuition currently is 750 and you can see it's 5 days a week 7 hours a day um moving into the new school year we are asking and this proposal is coming tonight as an information item and then we will be asking for consent come December in our next meeting we're going to be asking to increase our full day uh Kinder prep program to $800 from the 750 Gilbert and Queen Creek will also be looking at an increase for the upcoming school year as well and so we'll keep us right around where our our true neighboring districts are our Kinder prep half day that is up as well uh Chandler does not have a halfday program but our our District Gilbert public and Queen Creek unified all have half days very they're identical um for the upcoming school year we are also asking that we increase tuition from 400 to 450 um a lot of these increases are being asked in terms of completely having the program running sustain sustainably if that makes sense we want to ensure that we can continue to offer the outstanding program they are offering as well as potentially offering new ideas into the program um currently we do need assistance with that and this rate increase will go ahead and and help us there that is our ecdc program do you guys have any questions president Anderson I have a question um right now Queen Creek shows currently oh I'm sorry yes 805 is there not a reason why we don't make it the same across the board I mean I know that we've had in the past we used to um have a deficit as far as the preschool program Gres now we're even correct we're almost barely if not Mr MO not to put you on the spot I'm sorry Mr President M uh the presale program is operating in uh in the BL so they are okay yeah um when I first got on board yeah they were in a deficit um part of the reason we kept all the staff on during covid when we weren't having kids so it it was a intentional decision but we've worked our way out of that and then handing it over to Amy and their team they've continued that Trend um a part of these fees are to help continue to push this um preschool program forward and then to miss man Hook's point previously when I presented the AFR to help supplement the district um potentially with some of the revenues to help offset some District expenses or um put that money back into the program so thank you so I guess is there that we a reason why we wouldn't make it the same or I know with Queen Creek being at 805 right now what are they going to ask for if we're asking for 800 we don't know that but are you asking we're answering this are you asking why we just don't keep it even compared to everyone else mhm I don't I don't have an answer for that um okay I think for us it's individually it's an individual base it's for our district and I think that with what we want to do we're going to get there and I know I don't know the dollar amount but I know that we're still going to they're going to go higher than we are and or should go higher than we are and so we'll still be relatively low compared to others perfect I love this program I think it's a great program and all the different offerings that that we have and both my girls went through it lots of years ago or several years ago um so thank you very much president Anderson the 169 um specialed students so they don't pay a tuition so that so that is correct there are I don't know if sha could help this aspect as well but so there are students that are um gened students do pay the tuition our special education there are portions if not all that is covered so they do not pay that tuition and who covers that board member Van Hook we are required by law to provide special education free of charge to our preschool families so they are not charged a tuition for our families that choose to go into some of our other programs above and beyond the services that we offer in the preschool we are respons responsible to play that tuition as well so for example if I have a student that is going into a jna classroom to receive their services because that's the least restrictive we will pick up the portion of the tuition in which they're receiving their services once the family chooses to keep the student in there for a longer period of time the family is then responsible for the additional portion got thank you and then uh are we concerned at all that um enrollment from 12200 will go down due to the increase no actually our goal since both Marsha and I have been here is to increase enrollment so we have big ideas and big plans that we're hoping to implement okay yeah that that number that we have with what we're offering at our at our preschools is drastically different than surrounding programs um we're going to be still with that 800 $ increase and that 450 increase there are programs around us that are charging $1,300 a month and they don't have certified teachers teaching them academics as well and so what their program is offering and and what Marsha and Amy have planned is to continue to focus in on the the whole child um as every preschool does but really start identifying their teachers are asking for more academic components and what they have is just unbelievable we're going to be significantly lower than other other organizations surrounding us thank you I I have one one question you mentioned that San had um uh the Tas I know that kie used to have the Tas is that not happening anymore so that's in process we're hoping what what did it why did it go away my understanding is when covid happened um they had just went away and so we've actually been speaking with the counselor about potentially bringing that back in the future okay perfect it's an incredible opportunity for those yes absolutely it's a great program and and just to Echo what Mr Armstrong said we do offer so much more than surrounding preschools and the kids are able to excel I've seen it firsthand and how how well they can be ready for kindergart through your program so and all the amazing teachers um that are molding those little kids Minds so thank you I do before Amy and Marsha leave I would like to let them tell you quality first came down did their assessment and if you would like to share what you guys received for this for this sure um so both of our schools are going through the process we just finished at saan but our coie school um we learned last yesterday actually that we have rece received our three star rating um so for this year so we're really excited about that so it's a big [Applause] celebration that quality first is is not a easy task for our teachers or administrators it is very rigorous and very intentional per se and that's that's great so Kudos and those pres School teachers might be a little bit of overachievers so but they do an incredible job we're very proud all right and that concludes ecdc so thank you very much thank you all so much all right I'mma ask Miss Kim Ohan to come on up she's gonna highlight Community Education and some of the things that she has planned or that they've done this year and she has planned moving into next school year are you going to control the clicker okay no I'm not ready go back good evening president Anderson members of the board and cabinet members thank you for your continuous support and leadership in our district I'm Kimberly Ohanian your community assistant director and this presentation is to inform the board and community members on a short update on our programming so kids club is an all-inclusive a of school program dedicated providing a nurturing environment where children can Thrive physically socially and academically our program offers a wide array of activities designed to engage and Inspire children of all ages kids club is offered at the higgle elementary schools and our preschools our operating hours cater to the needs of our busy families with mornings starting at 6:30 a.m.

I would like for Jamie to be the protim secretary So Jamie roll call please we had given it to Alex Alex has it for the even for the pro Chanel yeah because we weren't sure Jamie was gonna be here this evening okay so we we trained Alex on that for tonight just for tonight I can I can handle it okay I got it Mo good yeah yeah that's all right uh Mr secretary roll call please uh alri here gyos is here Mr swales here miss zeit stumber here Dr Hall here president Brown here let us stand to be led by The Pledge by our secretary protim Mr gaho followed by a mission statement read by Dr H 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 our mission statement is to engage and Empower our students to positively impact their community and future thank you both Mr Gay higle and Dr Hall any public comments huh Cheryl no public comments okay any board updates hearing none I just have one I want to thank uh assistant superintendent Mrs Perkins for a great job leading the kids Summit we had a very successful Summit name that we our team I was part of that team representing the board presented down in Bloomington was that what day was that Thursday Friday this past Friday and I mean I was blown away how fluent and how effective in my opinion that particular Summit went so good job to your team good a job Dr uh Cara on passing the Baton over to a great person that did she did a good job a lot of hours a lot of committed staff members I mean they knocked it out the Park good job more to follow on that kids Summit uh and me as a board member you know what I committed to do was to as a board president to involve this board right here to engage in processes to better perfect that program early learning as best as they could so it could be sustainable because we truly believe that we invest in our kids at the earliest age possible it will produce great fruits as they get older okay I I do want to um what I wanted to say was with two things one I I know we each have our passions and I think that that's sometimes we look at it and like it it can be like a a fight but we I think what we've done good was respect each other's passion and I really um appreciate that and sometimes you put your passion over others and I've done it I've been you know I've been in that position because I'm fighting for what I but I think we've done a good job of you know that but I I say all left to say you know my passion is right now especially right now it's Athletics because with the facilities and everything but I had a meeting with Cara at Dr Cara and um and Mr Ki and I thought it was it was I thought Athletics was going well and activities but the stuff that he brought in just blew my mind he's doing what they're doing a a great great job for our kids and the numbers are growing um I think it was a really good move um it's not just about football it it really isn't and he's every day looking at new ways um and even remember the youth program that he thought he lost well they're coming back so I don't know you could say something if you want but I I think that that was a really good move and I I like the direction that the district is going in that with the from the uh junior high to the high school and now he's trying to build the Elementary programs as well that's his you know so than you I thank you for giving us that platform too we uh We've really focused on trying to use the word m in our district and that's really bringing all our athletic programs together because they were somewhat fragment they were somewhat fragmented uh before that um but by having him in charge and we've got some support at the buildings um it's really unifying the programs and there's more congruency in that and so we're really delighted and they've done a fabulous job yeah yeah it's definitely going great the Junior High kids are excelling it's different there right because there's more for them to do and be involved in and then the ELC thing you're doing a great job at that Mr Brown thank just you know again we talked about it getting the kids into some sort of program before they get into kindergarten because kindergarten is where we struggle yeah at that age so we want to get them at least in some sort of a school setting what whatever it is you know yeah well excellent your team hit a couple home runs today I see we did did good job that is good they're doing good work out there and we haven't even got to the good news yet okay any other getting raises yeah yeah that's coming to a theater near you you double your salary [Laughter] here but uh it comes to you but it goes right back out and you'll never see it all righty well good job all and again it's just a testament of our entire board just putting in fitting in where they could so thank you for all you do board members appreciate it all righty up next is our administrative updates six Alpha superintendent number one good news good news well this week is uh an exciting week we are getting the opportunity to celebrate National Education week in addition to National School Board appreciation week so we had a double appreciation so certainly uh thinking about our our staff out there everybody that touches our children uh we could not do this without them they are the hardest working staff that I have seen and they have done amazing work um I was just out at Moni today for one of the celebrations and it was so exciting they were every child in that group got a special certificate for the work that they were doing whether it was attendance or getting an award for curiosity and all their little faces just beamed and it was just really exciting to be part of that today and watch the excitement so um it it's fun to watch um all the the things that are going on in our schools yes and as far as our board I can't thank you enough for the work that you do um you show up here every week you've read your packets there's a lot of work that's in here uh reading keeping up going to school events uh listening to people within the community and we are so appreciated to have such a nice group of people hardworking people such as yourself so I just wanted to on behalf of the district thank you for your work and can add just a little bit because I was Blown Away really and all of you saw those thank you letters and came from staff members and all of that I was in tears L literally just a few words that they said I tried to respond to most of them there still a few that I need to respond to on behalf of the board so it's those little things that really does something it really impacted me just a few words it really was I I've never seen nothing like that so glad you enjoyed it so I'll on that this is the reason I'm going to stay at least another month okay that's good and um in front of each each of you has a little box of something uh to show our appreciation from the district and all the uh staff here so you can open that up a little bit later okay thank you you're welcome and then we go into teaching and learning so we can celebrate what our students are working on so we've got some good things to share again tonight miss Perkins good evening to our Board of Education again thank you again for all of your hard work um to our staff and family members at home uh thank you um again and we are so grateful uh to have you uh as part of the why we do this work uh to uh members and staff members here uh good evening so here is our annual uh academic report we are required by the state of Illinois to deliver this information to you um each year uh so I'm going to give you three numbers uh tonight first it is a large presentation I always get made fun of because we have a lot of data to share so we've got 42 slides I've got 15 um that I'm going to delve into the board receiv received this presentation um earlier this week but I can go back to any of those other 42 that you would like more details on and then I've got five uh takeaways for you um and those takeaways I'm going to give them to you up front one is we're going to talk about being commendable a lot of our schools are at the commendable level we'll talk about that we'll talk about our growth we'll talk about the Gap that we're closing um with our Equity uh we'll talk about the Investments that we've made in the schools and the process and the systems that we're doing and then we'll thank the staff again and tell them how grateful we are for all the work that they're doing each year we show you how to get on to the live Illinois report card for those of you that are out there this presentation will be um on the website talk about sui does designations our success data review where we are with the high school and how we monitor the work and again the glossery was provided uh to the Boe this week if you click on the link perhaps there we go if you click on that seal that's the link that will take you to our live Illinois report card and that report card comes out again annually um from the state of Illinois it is a 400 maybe a 394 page document that comes out with that with all of our data so we'll do our best to try and uh break down that information for you eight schools 93% graduation rate our Mobility is at 133% and then we'll break down the data into terms of our growth with I um our uh ebf is always there our chronic AB absenteeism rate is 34% and then our teacher retention is at 88% and again this will be on the website uh when we talk about summi of designations there are five areas and each of these has an explanation where you can go from exemplary to intensive and this year our schools uh land anywhere from be commendable to Target to comprehensive we want to celebrate this evening we did have three schools that were last year at targeted comprehensive and those three schools had changes this year and they had one to two levels and those three schools have moved up to commendable so we certainly thank uh those schools and the staff there that put in a lot of work we had two schools without any changes and then we had two schools that decrease the level and I'll talk to you about when they decrease the level and we go down to targeted and comprehensive what does that mean again as we talk about what we want to celebrate about our summative designations uh last year uh Bal moral was at comprehensive if you look um at the slide to the left that um indicator score a 51 index score they have moved up to 65 and they have become commendable cre we're going to do some work um I'll talk to you about what that work will look like we took a little dip there um but we're going to talk about what that Improvement will look like for the school year Moni was at targeted again at a 29 index score and then moved up to 66 making them commend commendable this year tala we took a little bit of a dip there also and we'll talk about what that comprehensive plan will look like for that team the middle school was that comprehensible and now they are commendable and again at a 32 index score a very complicated um weighted score that the state gives but they moved up to 48 again making them commendable and the threshold that we're always looking for is the commendable piece this is how the state um portions out the success indicators 75% at the elementary and middle school is at um 75% of the academics and 25% goes into other success indicators like the climate survey for five essential as well as chronic absenteeism for the last couple of years we've been talking about um and next year it will come on board that uh pre prek to 8th they will now add an indicator for Fine Arts and we've been building that fine arts program as Mr grib and some of the other teams have come here uh we've been building that program again from the elementary level uh up to the high school level so that when we have to uh report on that next year we'll have some some data at the high school level when we look at this it is uh 50% of that composite score is based on our graduation rate um and then as we move into the future here we're again talking about College and Career Readiness and building our Pathways at the high school and again another indicator coming up for next year is fine arts these are all of the assessments that the with the exception of local for nwaa uh these are the uh assessments that the state uses to compile our scores and gives us the summative designation I is our Illinois assessment of Readiness what we want to talk about is that we know as a district that we um we're behind the state with our proficiency levels for ELA and math we can celebrate that our lowincome students when we ran our data population what we noticed that in um just about every category we were outscoring some of our surrounding districts 39 of our surrounding districts if you look at the grade levels the blue is our lowincome students and how we're doing with 39 surrounding Districts The Green is how we're doing in Will County only and so our school our students in each of these um percentage levels um you we're doing incredible at grade six for ELA um is how well we're outperforming districts that look like us here's another piece to celebrate that very light purple on the end for ELA and that light blue um that 16% in math both were our preco num so the year before we went into the pandemic that's where we were what we can is that we're steady climbing our way back up to where we were preco so we're again something that we want to celebrate and be proud of that growth piece um again we're not where we want to be with proficiency but we're we're steady climbing our way back next slide again it just breaks it down because I know sometimes the board likes to see the data like how grade levels are doing but this is not cohort data this is every grade um that is being tested for the year and again we're climbing our way back up and I believe in the spring Mr albre asks that I um do that cohort data once a year so I will I will do that again again in our math with the exception of uh two grade levels uh again we're steady making our way climbing those stairs um back up to where we were preco and looking to surpass that the state has said and I've uh mentioned this over the last couple of years since the state changed its um academic performance that they are giving all schools credit for growing the state would like us to grow at a 50% rate and again we try to keep in we're keeping in line with that we're a little bit lower in some of the cases um but these are our subgroups uh but we're keeping in line with what the state is um in in line with the state this is our growth for math again in line with the state uh at kindergarten to Middle School 8th grade the state gives us 50% of that index score comes from our growth all right let's talk about NWA so we know that there are multiple ways that um we can look at kids and their data and this is our local data this is our kids being compared against National norms and against ourselves and we make a uh Target and we compare where they were last year to where they were this year so if you were K and we looked at your first grade data if you were first last year we looked at your second grade data and our kids grew from Fall of 23 to fall of 24 from 24% to 34% that's a 10% increase so we met our um map goal was to increase by 5% and in this area we uh increased by 10% again the same thing for our map data for um those same students um in math again we went from 177% to 24% growth uh our goal was five we made Seven um and we're still going to keep trying to put systems in place and supports and invest ments in our schools and our teachers and students to keep us continuing to grow sat so let me start off by saying that sat is going away for the state of Illinois I'll repeat that again sometime in this slide but probably about 10 years ago we used to do act so we're going back to ACC so I'm going to show this data because it was on the Illinois report card but we are uh switching assessments sometimes in our world um and I know I report this all the time um our cut scores change and now our assessment is changing and I just heard this week that our I is changing also but here we are um our participation rate um we have um we out rank the um outpace the the state with our participation rate our kids are showing up for the assess um so we um celebrate that we are still lower than we want to be with our Ela and math um but I'll talk about some of the prep that we're going to do for our act exams um and the work that we've done this fall with that prea again proficiency rate is not where we would like it to be all right so so is a my understand we're moving to act this this school year this school year so we've already taken this fall um all of our students took the uh 9 10 and 11 took the prea exam and we've got those results back um and so we'll use those results to um help us to take the spring is our accountability exam where they where where it counts for the state accountability John to just a quick question how different is the act to the SAT for the for the students how different of a test is that well I think um we found uh as kids were being assessed that uh the rigor is still the same um the accountability in terms of math if you look what's what's the difference like math scores are 25% versus 50% um they get less questions I think it's less less time per question but um the passages are different it's just I've I have not seen the exam but I've heard that it is working um to help support them better and how we use the prea exams um they break down every question that the student got um Incorrect and we can send that information and data home to our parents and we can program our um hero period to help support like if we notice a certain question that everyone is getting wrong our teachers are going to work on supporting them the a the ACT is also easier to learn how to take and then when you take the ACT you don't get penalized for a wrong answer as well because if I remember the ACT a perfect score is 36 yes and then on Sat this the scoring system is different the scoring system is definitely different um but they convert like if you get 11 I think 80 then that's like a getting a 24 or something like that or so they just converted but the the biggest difference is is one it's easier to and I don't I know if the ACT is still like this the Act was easier to get waivers that's why like a place like neille where they brag about their High ACT score they had like when I was there they had like 504 students with 504 plans and that would give them extra time on the test now the SAT wasn't as it was not easy at all to get extra time so that was one of the questions I was just going to ask being in teaching learning what's the different why why do they keep bouncing like what's the benefit for is to continually let's do it this way let's change it this way because one way or another kids are either good at test taking or they're not yes and so what's the difference okay so two parts to that so test taking comes from the um federal government so we have the Essa that requires that every state deliver a an accountability piece and so um while I'm not sure you know the our uh state Board of Education um president has said that he would like us to get away from that accountability piece but at the federal level we are required to give something the contract ran out um that was with sa sat for the last 10 years and so now we're bouncing back to this but again um the uh reactions that we've received from the students has been that this seemed more I'm going to say doable for them that they felt more at ease with this test um this assessment that it wasn't all of the nerves like they had before okay and we've done some motivation and the teachers have talked to them about it and again being able to say hey this is you got this one wrong let's talk about how to um I hate to say take the test but we're going to give them more tools to help support them okay is there a difference in College acceptance rate between the SAT and the ACT scores I would have I will look that up and see if there's if there's a difference uh again the numbering is is different like a 1,600 would be a perfect SAT score versus the 36 um some again with the pandemic some states had stopped requiring it all together a test optional uh because I think what they realize is that a test is not what makes the student sure there are multiple things we've got we've got straight A students who are doing very very well but you stick a test in front of them and everything goes downhill so and I think I meant is instead of in acceptance rate like does the univer do universities require one more than the other yes no I don't um some only there some require one over the other but for the majority a lot of universities are going away from test optional and they're giving students an opportunity to show how who they are as a whole student so they can write essays they can talk about their community service they can talk about all the things that make them up as a student besides just depending on that sat or ACT score and some school a lot of schools are well not a lot but for example the military if you need a certain score in each area you can take the test today you score 34 in English oh they they're super scor then the next time you take it all you have to focus on this m and you can super score to get the highest score in that area too so some schools U more schools are going to Super scoring then uh not as well and you have multiple opportunities um to take the assessment we um give a day school test and but then you could take it on different Saturdays if you want to improve your score okay thank you I just have one quick question how do we address where on I'll use ACT test for example where there is math trig they say algebra trig is part of the act and they take it in a junior year I believe whatever when do they take the ACT junior year yes junior year but some kids kids for whatever reason are not allowed to get that far in math but yet they are given the test and I know we don't expect them to do well but they are at the mercy to take this test when they are really not prepared to take the test nor would would they ever get to that point to take the test so how do you address issues like that so I'm looking at the classroom and you know just say a bunch of kids a group of kids a high percentage of kids are not doing well in math in their sophomore freshman year and fastly approaching this ACT test which consists of algebra alra trig or something to that you know effect so how do we prepare what what's the expectations for our kids we expect them to do well that's the real expectations but that's not realistic so two things one I I believe two years ago we changed the sequence of the math courses at the high school and so instead of doing geometry um in the sophomore year we move geometry to the third year and the reason why is 15% of the ACT is on Geometry majority is on algebra so now kids have two years of algebra um besides any kids that took algebra in um eighth grade that have that additional Advantage um and so they now have two years for part of the assessment that is 65 weighted 65% of that math portion so we gave them that extra time um and created P scene for them that will work um and then the second part to that is that we do look at the standards and what is uh going to be assessed and aligned what our essential and priority standards are to say and the teachers and the Committees have worked on this to say we know that this is going to be assessed let's make sure that this is covered before that assessment hits because there's nothing that we can do about it right it's not going away all we can do is change what it is that we do to offer our kids uh something better to help them to become more successful so those two things are going to work in our favor and again these are baby steps that we're taking because we just changed that sequence two years ago okay and we just prioritized we've been working um pandemic you know kind of kicked us a little bit but we just prioritized all of those standards worked with all the teacher committees they did all that hard work of of looking at assessments and saying let's put this in the right order so is it fair to say that when a kid becomes a junior jior a student becomes a junior and are in the position to take the ACT that all of these kids have at least taken algebra and geometry yes I mean I would say that that's fair to say yes be GE you'll be the third year is your geometry year third year but the accountability assessment is given in April we take the assessment in March and April every year so they will have and again we've line to what the priorities are in Geometry that they're going to see and they're taking those you know we've been talking about year for years that we've start finally built our bank of common formative assessments and diagnostic assessments and teachers have been working on um putting together um not only the standards but testing students on those common informative assessments that they're going to see often and then changing and working with kids based on what comes out in those um assessment tests that they give okay thank you um so again um they have moved the contract ended uh it is a requirement uh before our students can graduate everyone must take uh the ACT exam and then like I said we took the prea in um a couple of weeks a couple of weeks ago and I think our ninth graders took it today um and uh we will use that data teachers will use that data to help support them and letters will go home to the families on ways that we can support uh we are required uh to give the ISA our science exam again this is where our proficiency level um lies uh our science exam for high school will now go to the ACT it was a separate exam but now it will be in embedded in act I'm Sorry Miss Perkins yes I'm sorry was there a particular science that we were lower in than others um biology physics like a hard science chemistry I will have to I will look at um the areas and I'll put that in this week's FYI in terms of um our aggregated scores and how that that panned out was that I missed that was that the SAT uh the ISA Isa okay so this year um science at the high school level will be in the act right and typically that's just reading most people consider yes it not really science it's it's a reading it's a reading assessment um and then we have our uh graduation rate we have um always outpaced the state with our um four-year graduation rate again another area to for us to celebrate and then we have our ninth grade on track again um preparing our students as they um go uh through the grade levels and making sure they have at least 10 uh semesters worth of credit by the time they end n9th grade so again we outpace the state uh in preparing our students yeah I I think that was something that we really was proud of especially when the graduation rate was in the 90s and I believe I'm not sure Jason you can correct me if I'm wrong evidence evidence-based you know financing or whatever but we used to get like what every 1% of graduation rate increase that was reflective in funding in our ebf yeah so but I'm not sure if that's the case with evidencebased funding at this point but that was something we looked at you know that we were so keyed in and zoomed in on that percentage of graduation rate that increased year over year that that was so reflective and indicative of additional funds that we were going to receive so is that to your knowledge seal FY new evident based funding is it is it predicated on a component of the graduation rate I'll see if it's part of the component I can say that our evidencebased funding went up from 20 million to about 22 million so I can look at the increase of $2 million and see how much of that was tied to increasing graduation rates now it is it is part of the evidence based it is yes that graduation rate graduation rate so how much but it weighs I don't know but I know it is part of the form okay so that was something that we have been so proud of to have to be in the 90s and continue to be in the 90s yes um and that again that it that um 50% of that um is what con institutes us our summative designation at the high school that the state considers it that important um that your graduation rate rate is tied to your summit tip designation now I do I do have a question I don't know if you if you into yes into this or not but it looks like all of our just about every sector except for um white students are above the state average and do we know why that is I would have to do like a root C analysis to take a look at that I would also look at like our population shift and what those numbers look like but I can put that in the FYI okay um if we we have a a root cause of why what's causing that okay it's not well some people think 2% is not a lot but and I don't know if you can compare is are we comparing apples and apples and oranges oranges because the percentage of white compared to Black is there's a big gap right I mean that's a big what is it 80 what 70% it it is but not you know what I'm saying it's you get a a sample demics yeah a sample of the population here is small so one per you got two people one make it one don't you get at 50% right but if you have 900 people you see what I'm saying I mean for me does that really tell a story that doesn't really matter I just want to know why the proportion of yeah why why it could be one per it could be whatever I just want to know why though if you if you all have looked into it regardless of if it's a small number or not it's I mean cuz being honest if it was the other way around I I'd be concerned okay understood I will uh take a look and we'll try and see um what we can put in this week's FYI about that data thank you so monitoring for next steps um Mr Brown already talked about how we're uh starting to prepare our prek Tok Readiness um you guys will approve our school Improvement plans uh the remainder of our school Improvement plans we are monitoring our progression um we talked about three years ago this is our third year with our coaching cycles and now we have unified coaching across the entire District uh we're using walkthroughs and feedback we have internal Partners uh peer observ ations by teachers um walk uh walkabouts we're going to start that with principles going to each building um and then we have our external partners that come in and help us with our walkthroughs we've got data training sessions and we use a lot of our our survey data to help uh Propel us and monitor our work uh we have um always had somewhat of a PLC frame professional learning communities um but we're getting really uh tight and loose on what that looks like uh we have collaborative teams at the school level District level and we're just making this work as a system um first and foremost making sure that we show that we have a culture of caring um that we have a viable curriculum um that we are using um research-based strategies and again we talk about uh We've Just Started implementing those for common formative assess so we can see across the board what everyone is doing uh and that we're using our systems of time and trying to give back time where we can to students and to our adults and we're finding ways to celebrate our small wins um as well as our large opportunities we have a framework in place for our literacy and I won't read all of uh the bullet points but again we have invested in um curriculum and pieces and into our adults and our teachers uh to reimagine some of our work to make sure that we are using um systems that have been um evidence-based and to give us the uh momentum uh to move forward and we also have that in math and then I end on this is our why everyone in this room everyone that is watching all of our teachers teachers who pour into those kids every single day and to our principles and all of our staff this is why we show up and we show out every day this is our why any other questions did a great job was thank you yeah thank you very much excellent job and and just so elated to see the data for growth and whatever those growth bullet points in some areas ex exceeded exceeded that so thank you thank you superintendent for leading the charge on that good job okay all right where are we here is that it okay any other questions from my colleagues all right hearing other no other comments on the teaching and learning bullet item and me move to item number seven consent agenda approval can I have a motion to approve the consent agenda so moved second second uh all right you have any questions or comments on the consent agenda yes I had uh one thing that I wanted to see about tabling that's the secur position from the Personnel report yes okay we need a vote on that to remove that and pass the the employment part not the resignation part yeah do we need to take that out and table I like to say maybe postpone until next well I think you we could take it out and then vote separately on it to table it so we could approve the consent agenda without that and then and then have separate item to a motion on that to table it to a future meeting is that as a SE separate separate item you have to do that us sir or can you just take remove it I think because we're changing something I I would I think most conservatively you should have a vote on tling the item okay but no this is just for knowledge this is not argu do you have to do that do you have to have the vote Yes I'm not I'm not entirely sure I think but I would recommend that you do it okay I I that was just for knowledge just I'm just asking yeah okay okay so the motion is out there to approve the consent agenda and it's been moved and we're saying that we do not want to vote on the consent agenda as provided we want to remove item number seven Charlie number one a portion right just a section for approving of employees yes the SEC only just the security position just a a security position Okay so so do we vote on the motion that's already out there as I stated it to remove that particular item like I just said right how that's how we've done it in the past okay all right so I don't have to State it again any questions or comments further questions or comments okay all right Mr secretary protim roll call please weren't you g to make the motion without without the I thought I did I think the motion that stands with we all have the understanding that it's removed that removed okay 7 C1 is removed that's how we're moving forward uh the security portion not the entire every other position or whatever that was recommended to be approved will be approved if the motion is approved so on the report there's three position like only the only elaborate on what you're asking just only the the employment uh portion the one it's only one for security for employment that's the only one okay we don't have the state of name right right no no so just the position yes the one position for security yes that's in the approval of the Personnel report the one position that State security we want to scrapp relate that or take it out MH and postp on or table in a later date and that will be discussed in a Clos session right could could be could be okay so right now right now we just want that removed and everything else stays the same within the consent agenda or or hold on let me see here before I ask before I ask to I I do have a question or comment before we take a roll call but okay hold on oneit second I also I'll let you speak on that before I get the roll call but do I have the superintendent actually read out her portion typically I know with not the numbers I know I it was because it was it was it was it was because of the it was I I had to break I had I had to break the there it was like it was tense here right uh it's not that bad just a minutes do you just read the you just read the minutes you just do alpha seven Al right ready that's it that's very short no numbers okay so under superintendent report number one approve regular meeting minutes of October 15 2024 item two approve Committee of the whole meeting minutes of October 8th 2024 item three approved committee the whole meeting closed session minutes of October 8 2024 uh item four approv press plus 116 revisions under Business approv board of education financial report under personnel and culture no I'll give you the chance to restate that uh what do I read just say approved Personnel Report with the exception security position personal report excluding uh the SEC position um okay so okay on d uh teaching and learning approve schoolwide and school Improvement plans item two approve this uh Creon High School Future Farmers of America overnight field trip application and build conference documentation and that is it it's got to keep you honest that's all okay all right Mel so so Jason on the on the financial report and I asked I sent you this question so I think you're ready but I was just noticing we've got some variance if you look at our annual forecast versus the annual budget we're starting to balloon up a variance on purchase services and other objects you were going to look into that yes uh Brian and I looked into it I could start with um purchase Services what we've seen is a significant increase in uh Transportation expenses for our homeless students um we are going to meet with registration the transportation department and the business department on Thursday to implement a procedure for uh cost sharing which allows us to recruit uh 50% of those students we have roughly between 40 and 45 students that were spending a significant amount of money on transporting um so far this year um as far as the 600 uh other objects uh the line item was uh 1.8 million 1.5 million of that has been charged to out of District tuition for special education right now okay do we get any reimbursement for that Yeah we actually um It's Not dollar for dollar it's a more of a formula based um formula based calculation but I we did see a we got the September uh funds for uh special education private facility tuition on September 24th that amount came in at 231,000 uh Year date and September 25th of 2023 that was 144,000 so that was a 60 60% increase so I'm going to continue to monitor that they come in categorial payments just like our transportation reimbursement okay out of the 45 uh students we are still getting 80% of that back right yes we are getting uh percentage of it back we will see that those funds next year that is claimable um so it's just kind of dealing with the situation we're at right now is that is that number of students that were providing Transportation a lot higher than last year or prior years I have to delve into that I do know that over the past three years we have seen a significant number of students labeled mckin vento okay I'll also be looking into that too um my my focus right now has been on transportation and mckin vento actually Fells under Dr melan chenko so I'll be working on collaboration with him okay okay thank you you're welcome okay any further discussion if not Mr secretary proam please call roll call sure for approval of the consent agenda minus or REM minus the removal or exempting the removal of the security position okay uh Miss zit sombers I uh Mr swal hi Kos is an i Mr Albert I Dr Hall I president Brown I motion carry number eight action report a uh business can have a motion to approve decre intergovernmental agreement so moved move by Nelson second second by Dr Hall any questions or concern hearing none roll call Please Mr secretary protown let's do uh Mr Albert I goo says an i Mr swales hi Miss Z suus hi Dr Hall I president Brown I motion carry under number eight Action Report Alpha business number two can I have a motion to approve the established December 10 2024 as the date for the tax to taxation public hearing truth in taxation public hearing on a 2024 tax levy so moved second by Alex second by Nelson questions or comments hearing none roll call please miss zit suus I Mr wallish hio say an i Mr Alber hi Dr Hall I president Brown I motion Carri under number eight action report number alpha alpha number three I have a motion to approve the resolution provided for the issue of not to exceed $30 million in general obligation School Bonds in parentheses alternate Revenue source and Clos parenthesis for the purpose of improving the sites of and altering repairing and equipping school buildings and Facilities providing the pledge of certain revenues to the payment of of principle and interest of said bonds and the levy of a direct annual tax sufficient to pay such principle and interest if the pledge revenues are insufficient to make such payment and authorizing the sell of said bonds to the purchaser thereof so moved second any questions or comments so Jason this is going to be done in two $15 million discrete sales of bonds right correct the amount won't be 15 million it'll be because of the cost go to sale the bonds but yes and is is it reduced a little bit by some Capital leases um these is we're actually in a process of looking at U kind of the timing is real interesting because our copers need to be replaced but uh Mr Lewis gave us some strategies that if we actually um wave our tax exempt status then that would uh just for the the lease of copers that would allow us to get as much Principle as possible so I'm in a process of looking into that right now I actually spoke with Bob uh about 10 to six before we came over here okay perfect okay any further questions or comments roll call please Mr Albert I Goos says an i Mr swales I miss zers I Dr Hall I president Brown I motion carry again under eight number eight Action Report under business Alpha number four can I have a motion to approve the resolution authorizing submission of an application for the property tax relief pool fund so moved second any questions or comments move by Alex second by Jamie questions or comments hearing none roll call please miss zit somus I Mr swales i k i Mr Albert I Dr Hall I president Brown I motion carry under action report number eight B Bravo Board of Education can I have a motion to nominate and approve a board member as board secretary to fulfill that position until the next board organization meeting to choose a that position again in 2025 in May of 2025 I nominate Alex G gagos I I I nominate Jamie okay okay have one nomination Alex we got a nomination for Jamie Okay so we take a vote we first vote on Alex well wouldn't we just I don't know how we I think I think in the past when we elected officers you you say the last name of the person you say the last name of the person you're voting for I'm sorry say the last name of the person you vot yeah oh okay so that that way we can get knock out two birds with one right so do I just go around and call that person right call each board member right and ask okay yeah so you should you want me to go first yes I just nominated but the the people have to accept their nomination yes they first have to accept okay before they okay all right there you go that's curveball okay Alex do you accept the nomination I accept the nomination for secretary okay Jamie do you accept the nomination yes I I do yeah okay okay okay so I will just mark down Z or G on these [Music] votes okay all right so Dr Hall Z Som Okay I uh will vote for gagos I vote for Z stum I vote for Mr gyos I'll vote for zit stumbris I I vote for uh Mr guy who goes okay we are tied I know they can sit next to each other at the next okay I we could I think it would we could table this for later have until we have another I thought we were were waiting for the other board member to come any no we need to get that position filled as soon as possible yes you you cast the vote I have no voice no why don't we table it I mean we've been operating with protm we could operate finish this meeting and have it as a early action item on the next agenda good Ahad Jimmy what do you got in in order to avoid any conflict or any issues I'm willing to withdraw my nomination and acceptance of that nomination and so attorney that's why you get paid the big bugs where it take us now so that do we go back and do a revote or what no she withdraws she withdraws so zero yeah she conceded right all right it's very gracious yeah yeah that's a lot about you J all right so being said now do we go ahead and take a vote or is that was that it that was it that it yeah so thank you thank you Alex um thank you Jamie for for that really that really took a lot and says a lot about you congratulations new secretary thank you uh I will not use the term protm uh for foreseeable future until next year possibly okay all right can I have a motion to approve under 8 B Bravo Board of Education number two approve the appointment of candidate to replace vacant seat in District District Six we need a motion so moved mooved by Jamie second second by Dr Hall any questions or comments who is the candidate j j j j she got it J she wrote it down J me read the whole name I would imagine I the first jie wol Fork FK folk FK wol folk all right I think she's over there hi Miss all righty so I did we got a we got a motion right and it's been and it's been moved it's been moved it's been moved and now we are at the point of and a vote I guess so roll call please give me a second here okay uh let's do Mr Alber I Kos says an i Mr swales I miss zumers I Dr Hall I president Brown I motion carry that leads us up to number eight action and action report Bravo Board of Education number three the administer oath of office to appointed candidate for district number six and I will be reading o the oath that's coming from board policy Bravo Papa BP 2-8 okay you mind coming up the seat is waiting for you okay in the middle here and you are on live TV and you're about and you're about ready to give your life away I'll leave you off though because you don't want to just here's how you turn yourself on you have right okay congratulations okay if you don't mind raising your for the camera okay raising your right hand and you will repeat after me okay I get this name right okay i i i j j j w folk W folk do solemly affirm do solemnly do solemnly affirm j w i j w do Solly affirm okay that I will Faithfully discharge that I will Faithfully discharge the duties of the office the duties of the office of member of the Board of Education of creed 2011 U of cre 201 school district school district in accordance in accordance with the Constitution of the United States in accordance of the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the state of Illinois the constitution of the state of Illinois and the laws of the state of Illinois the laws of the to the best of my ability my ability I further affirm that I further affirm that I shall respect taxpayers interest I shall respect taxpayers interest by serving as a faithful protector of the school district's assets um of serving and protecting of the school district interest assets assets yes that's good I shall encourage I shall encourage and respect and respect the free expression of opinion the free expression of opinion by my fellow board members by my fellow board members and others and others who seek a hearing before the board who seek a hearing before the board while respecting the privacy of students while respecting the privacy of students and employees and employees I shall recognize I shall recognize that a board member that a board member has no legal Authority has no legal Authority as an individual as an individual and that decisions and that decision can be made only can be made only by a majority vote by a majority vote at a public meeting at a public meeting I shall abide I shall abide by majority Decisions by majority decisions of the board of the board while retaining the right to seek changes while retaining the right to receive changes in such decisions in such decisions through ethical through ethical and constructive and constructive channels channels as part of the Board of Education as part of the Board of Education I shall accept I shall accept the responsibility for my role the responsibilities for my role in the Equitable in the Equitable and qual quality and quality education of every student education of every student in the school district in the school district I further Foster I further Foster with the board with a board intensive intensive participation participation of the community of the community formulate goals formulate goals Define outcomes Define outcomes and set the course for and set the course for cre 2011 cre 201 school district school district this this is this is our policy I shall insist I shall insist in establishing in establishing a struct a structure a structure of an environment of an environment designing to ensure designing to ensure all students all students have the opportunity have the opportunity to obtain to obtain their maximum potential their maximum potential through a sound through a sound organizational framework organizational framework I shall strive I shall strive to ensure to ensure a continuous assessment a continuous assessment of student achievement of student achievement in all conditions all conditions affecting affecting the education of our children the education of our children in compliance with state law in compliance with state law I Shall Serve I Shall Serve as education key Advocate as an educational key Advocate on behalf of students on behalf of students in our community schools in our community schools or schools or schools to advance a vision to Advan a vision for for cre mque cre Monique School District School District 2011 U 2011 U and I shall strive and I shall strive to work together to work together with the district superintendent with the district superintendent to lead the school district to lead the school district toward fulfilling toward fulfilling the vision the vision the board has created the board has created fostering Excellence fostering Excellence for every student for every student in the areas of academic skills in the areas of academic skills knowledge knowledge citizenship citizenship and personal development personal development now repeat every word I just said over again congratulations congratulations okay okay right now if you want you have belongings you can come over here and uh take a seat here uh seats may be changed next time okay for for this time welcome aboard you are in the hot seat did you take this off this long do you remember taking this off this long do we have okay I think they set me up this oh this is just oh wow I thought it was like one page okay oh okay all right uh that leads us to number nine old business any old business I uh I just thought of one uh earlier today uh how are we on the track um how many lanes are we looking at for the the new uh track can we get that was it nth uh on the straightaway is that what we were talking about we it was a straightaway yeah Ninth Lane or at least a straight Lane for 100 I guess we was seeing if we can get that was that going to cost the district any additional funds or did that just kind of Muddy the water with the plans no it doesn't muddy the water with the plans but it will result in an additional cost um and I'll be putting together a design committee soon for the for the sports plx yeah and I don't think the board is ready to absorb any additional costs well um but we just got to make sure the amount yeah yeah if there a reasonable I guess we can look at it take a look okay yeah because it's it's better to look at it now in the planning session absolutely before it's already constructed and stuff like that I'm actually um that's what I've been instructing not only uh when we meet with Burns and Jones but also having our internal uh discussions with our technology department we want to make sure that you know it's set up to have Wi-Fi capabilities for 10 15 years in the life of the stadium not just immediate needs so that is on my Horizon and I want to make sure that I'm not building something to the exact immediate needs but something that could eventually host multiple events including graduation if need be so that's on my radar definitely Mr gyos very good thank you sir you're welcome sir okay well can I ask the what did they say the purpose of the night Lang was for yeah that's my question yeah yeah again Alex and I we had talked to one of the track coach out there in public and they said that eight Lanes is eight Lanes is you know the whole section we have six now so we were looking to get eight Lanes right and they said basically in college they have nine lanes and that's just better prepared than for college this is what was given to me I don't know if that's true or not you know I'm just I told I said we'll bring it to the board and see and they said if we can't get the Ninth Lane at least do the straightaway that's can you see a straightway 100 I guess an additional Lane for just a straight 100 I guess the only difference is we're not putting a nine in it that's I mean it just s like the only difference we wouldn't be putting a nine in it so you still be getting a lane you get a Ninth Lane yeah either way as as opposed to a whole oh right okay if we can't afford that the next best thing at least do where they can compete with nine players or something like that yeah okay well I I wonder what that'll cost because we definitely want to make sure the taxpayers aren't Happ absolutely that's why we said if we can get it in and fit it in without additional financial burden we we seek to do that if not uh you know we tried we came to the board as Alice and I said we would do and this was from a coach yeah that's okay all right any new business or any additional old business is that it all righty uh number 10 new business okay close session be reason disc number one it would be to discuss the uh personel termination of a specific employee that's the number one do you have the number one I don't have no that's why I don't all right we do have a reason to go into close session it's for personal it's for personal reasons and yeah and we should be in closed session oh you got something there yeah it's the card thank you okay okay nice to have that handy number one it's number one yeah but not the whole number one specific employee yeah okay dismissal uh specific employment and then just let it go there okay yeah and and again re iterating the specific reason for our Clos session is the appointment employment compensation discipline performance or dismissal of specific employee yes okay thank you all right and can I have a motion to do that to go to close session for those reasons stated move by Dr Hall second second by Jamie a roll call please uh Mr Alber I I Mr swales Miss wfol Miss zit sombers I Dr Hall I president Brown I we will be in close session probably no longer than 15 minutes and we will return back in Open Session to take action on such information that was discussed in closed session and until then thank you public for joining if you so choose to stay around to hear us adjourned please do so if not have a great evening e e e all righty we are back in Open Session okay ready okay resuming back on item number 12 personnel and culture Alpha I need a motion to approve the resolution authorizing the insurance of notice to remedy to Mara Allen so Mo M my Dr Hall second second by Nelson any comments or questions if not roll call please Mr Alber I Kos is an i Mr swales I miss warle I obain miss zus I Dr Hall I president Brown I motion carry and last item 13 adjourn can I have a motion to adjourn second Nelson second by Dr Hall all in favor say I I any Nays thank you we are adjourned thank you public thank you for joining us have a good evening everyone

um we would not release until 3:15 so we've got that time that vik can get up and running um at before building block students and those families that need that extended day would arrive to vik okay all right thank you I appreciate that I don't know if you guys or Dr Martin maybe want to just give kind of a little overview or sure maybe just a just a couple kind of we what we talked about it last week but yeah absolutely so rationale y absolutely so two weeks ago as Dr McCord shared um they gave a thorough presentation of um our Community Education and our preschool programs and how important they are to our district we have each day over 2,700 students on average accessing one of the numerous Community Education and preschool programs in our district um one of the things we have to be very cognizant of is These funds um it has to be self um it has to be self- sustaining we don't use M funds for our Community Education and our preschool programs and so as with anything the costs have gone up with everything in this world the last couple of years and so we looked very carefully at the uh rate increases that we're proposing tonight it's been 2 years since we have passed on a rate increase but we do need to make sure that these programs are sustainable but I can tell you uh Mrs Cobin and Mr Houston along with our finance department have broken out our programs even further um than we ever have so we can really truly see the costs of each program to ensure that they are we are meeting the needs of the students and families but also meeting the financial obligations that we have to run these Community Education and school programs is there any further discussion board members no I think it's always hard to raise rates but I think with um a lot of it is to hire employees and to keep good employees there there's cost increase every year with that and then also just the supplies just like you said the price of just continue to increase and so I think we're mindful of how that impacts our families and know that this is a service that we provide to them and are again mindful as we do this and I think you guys showed us the last couple that last presentation that you've been really thoughtful and mindful at making sure the quality matches the costs and that we're using it wisely and making the best impacts that we can for our students and our families so all right anything further no okay um with that I will call for the vote all those in favor of approving proving the rate increase to Community Education and preschool programming for 2025 2026 please vote by saying I I and any opposed please vote by saying nay thank you that will pass 3 8.03 recommended pace typ in for all employees Dr McCord thank you Miss Woods governing board members on April 9th of 2024 the governing board approved a one-time pay stiens for um hourly staff members and exempt employees at the rate of 600 for hourly 800 for exempt PR rated based on their full-time equivalency uh due to the passage of the 15% uh budget continuation override the recommendation is to increase the all increase the all hourly staff member stien from um from 800 or 600 to 1,000 uh pro rated base on FTE increase the all exempt staff dipen from 1,000 to 12200 pro rated base on FTE e in addition the recommendation is is to pay these two stiens in half payments half on December 17th of 2024 and the other half on January 14th 2025 uh all Personnel who are an active employee on December 17th 2024 will be paid one half of that stien based on their hourly or exempt FTE status and all Personnel who are active employees on January 14th 2025 we played the second half of the stien based on their their hourly or exempt uh FTE status the total estimated cost for the new recommended amounts of 1,200 per FTE dependent upon hourly and exempt status is uh estimated to be about 6.2 or 6.7 million an increase of 2.5 million over the previous approved stiens most of the cost of the stiens will be funded from either mno or classroom site fund and if you need Bonnie to go into the numbers a little bit more she can uh but um again when we uh proposed this in April we knew that this would be the bare minimum that we could do based on what we know at that time and if we have available funds we want to make sure that we can uh get those to our staff and um say thank you for working for Gilbert Public Schools thank you Dr McCord board members if we could start with a motion and then we can have discussion is there a motion I move that we approve the pace typen for all employees as recommended thank you Miss SRE it's been moved as our second second thank you m page is there any discussion or further questions well I think um I want to thank everyone for their hard work and the more I learn about what we do in our classrooms every day for students the more I feel like um we're we're asking very high high skills of people um that they could take elsewhere and make a lot more money but they stay here in education because they want to work with students and so I think it's very appropriate to to give them a little boost when we can um you know we don't we don't have end of year bonuses or anything like that um this is a one little way of showing our appreciation because a classroom full of students is a very you have to be highly skilled to manage that either as a teacher or as a staff member who's helping with that so I really appreciate all that they do thank you Miss I just wanted to add I am super excited that these hardworking employees of Gilbert Public Schools even though it might not seem like a lot of money it is a lot of money and they richly deserve probably even more so I wish we had more to give but thank you to all our dedicated Gilbert Public Schools Employees I wanted to add my thanks as well and and excitement for this I wanted to ask Miss Betts um so the reason we think we can increase the pay the stien from what we originally approved was one we did we did receive the override our voters approved that so we know now that kind of helps us be able to predict a little more for next year and just kind of settle in our finance which we're so grateful for and then secondly our um carry over came in a little higher and our we we didn't dip as low on our students is that right okay all that's correct okay that's are all three good things so those three things give that we know now that we didn't know when we approved this in April now we can say okay how can we compensate which is one of our top goals to always compensate our staff and teachers all of them who work so hard every day to take care of our students and this is a little thing that we can do just a one time STP in okay well I feel I feel good about that thank you so much if there's no further discussion no okay um seeing no further discussion I'll call for the vote all those in favor of approving the recommended pay stien for all employees as described please vote by saying I I I and any oppose with nay thank you that passes 30 and then 8.04 asba asba byaw change proposal Dr McCord thank you Miss Woods governing board members the asba governance committee with unanimous approval from the asba board of directors has proposed changes to the bylaws to enhance governance practices within uh the association these updates uh are designed to improve transparency accountability and member engagement ensuring that asba continues to oper operate with the highest standards of integrity and Effectiveness the proposed changes also aim to strengthen the association's ability to adapt uh to emerging challenges and better serve our diverse membership uh the bylaw proposal by the asba board of directors must be approved by two-thirds of the asba member boards to be effective and they have a onepage bylaw um kind of like a cheat sheet of what the changes they make if you want me to go through those I can if you just want to look at them or if you've already seen them uh just let me know what you want me to do oh I think I I looked through them okay did you need anything further I I did um have a conversation with Chris King that was the um chair of the committee this morning so if you have any um questions about any of the changes then I can I can hopefully address those um I did talk to him extensively about what the changes were and what they were trying to do so um I think it's just basically um the bylaws were created in 1975 and hadn't really been updated in all of this time and so they've really looked at it closely to update it and make it more clear and just um provide um more guidance for the organization so that it can be a member driven organization and do the things that are needed for school board members across our state um I'll call for the motion and then we can have some discussion is there a motion I move that we approve the asba bylaw change proposal thank you Miss hre is there second second thank you Miss pige um I I looked in it I thought that there had been a change at 2014 on the bottom of that oh well there have been some changes yes there's been um minor Chang es but not a um revamping of not going in depth as this has okay so there have been there is a list at the back so it showed every time that the bylaws have been amended um and there was a change in 2021 but not it was just a little thing here or there it wasn't a complete rewrite and I mean this isn't a complete rewrite it's just an updating and making sure that language is clear and that um terminology is is clear mhm did you miss Paige did you want anything specific no I just it's very well known I have some issues with asba um I was going to have Dr McCord put up those the byas up but that's okay okay um I don't have any discussion other than the only thing I would add is I hope asba continues to depoliticize their um what they stand for that's that's the only thing I want to say yeah I struggle as well I don't I don't feel like like I don't trust them anymore they've lost my trust so but you they can try and we can going forward I mean the board coming in going for can decide if we want to continue to be part of this or not so well I'd love to have a conversation with you at another time where you can help me understand your feelings better that would be great um at this time so Lori I sorry I just had one question If This Were not to pass tonight what does that mean well it just means that so we have one vote as a board either a yes or a no vote um which um our assistant Mrs Wilson will enter electronically before the date which I believe is December 7th if um it needs two3 2/3 yes it's a high bar of all membership to pass it um that's one reason why there have been not many bylaw changes I mean there was one in 2021 which I myself worked very hard on the next one before that was 2012 so it's been very difficult to reach that bar there's been several attempts um in the time that I was on the board of directors we we tried two or three times and only met that bar once um but I think I think changing the bylaws and helping the organization to run better is just a positive fr for everybody um so what if it doesn't pass here tonight what is if it doesn't pass here then we're we're a no vote and then we we register our no vote with the organization but that doesn't mean that the bylaws would not actually go into effect correct it depends yes it depends on whether there are still achieve the two3 with throughout the district then it still could go into right so a no vote might not mean anything or a yes vote might not mean anything on this I I think it a vote always means something um but it's not like a direct it's not directly going it's not in directly impacting our district if they we say no tonight it it it's just like everything else it it depends on whether it passes or not yeah okay okay um is there any further discussion I thought it did clarify things and add in things that probably have needed to be updated and specified yes as far as if it's going to be if you know to to explain what they're doing so um if there's any further discussion I'll call for the vote unless I I think the only thing that I want to say is I mean I will go ahead and vote Yes tonight but I also want to go on record with my opposition to this organization just so that the bylaws can go forward I will call for the vote then um sorry in light of what uh Mrs Paige said then i' I'd like to go on record that I have found that myself going and getting training through ASB has been very helpful um and I've met a lot of other board members and had a lot of good discussions um while at those events and um feel like that has helped my service as a board member and I think that's that's you know one thing I'd like to leave available to other board members in the future is that opportunity to go get training and to be able to make those connections I appreciate that thank you the last thing I'll add is since we live in a state where we have nonpartisan governing boards throughout the state um politics in my opinion right left Center wherever you want to land need to stay out of the schools period so and I think a lot of people at asba would definitely agree with that okay good thank you Miss Miss Humphries all right I will call for the vote all those in favor of approving the asba bylaw change proposal please vote by saying I I any oppos with nay thank you that passes 30 requests for future agenda if there's any future agenda items please let Dr McCord know uh board committee reports 10.01 Mr Thompson is not here 10.02 city of Mesa leaz on I didn't have anything from my city of Mesa tonight 10.03 town of Gilbert and audit committee Miss Humphries um the two items for the town of Gilbert passed um on the ballot and the audit committee will be meeting next week so I will have a report next month thank you and Mrs page 10.04 Gilbert Education Foundation thank you um I have a few items The Varsity letter in volunteerism application for all high school students is now open this letter is for achievement in volunteerism the requirement for the scholarship is a minimum completion of 200 volunteer hours and the application deadline will be March 3rd of 2025 I am super excited to announce this next item um Gilbert Education Foundation has formed a new scholarship in memory of our late board president Sheila Rogers eetti the scholarship has been named the Sheila Rogers eug jetti Memorial Scholarship as we know Sheila was a 40-year district employee who served as a teacher an HR Director a principal and at the time of her death a few months ago was serving as the president of our governing School Board the following are the qualifications for this scholarship pursuing a degree in education at any accredited Community College or 4-year University must have an unweighted cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and must have volunteered for community service the amount of the scholarship is $2,000 and the application deadline is March 3rd of 2025 Gilbert Education Foundation is partner partnering with Gilbert Public Schools community ed for the annual run for fun on February 22nd of 2025 this race will feature the 5K 1 M walk race in addition the event will host Field Day activities in which students and families can participate it will also highlight Community Connection programs like Youth Sports stem clinics and summer camps and then the next business leader breakfast will be on February 19th 2025 at 8:00 a.m.

the afternoons starting at dismissal and are available throughout the week until 6 p.m. whether it's before school after school or during an early release day kids club provides flexible scheduling and options to accommodate a variety of family schedules so shown here are some of our fun activities that we've done throughout this this year at several of our sites our amazing staff is there to welcome your child and the kids club family where they can learn play and grow in a supportive nurturing environment kids club the safety and the well-being of your child are our top priorities and our staff consists of caring um tentative adults who undergo through vetting process including background checks fingerprinting to ensure a secure environment for all participants to align with our strategic anchor to our highly effective person we have established a climate and culture that sustains excellence and retains high quality of employees all of our employees start at our training site for a week and each of our staff averages about 30 plus hours of professional and development training throughout the year we have 130 active employees and 42 of them are our high school students these student workers are super crucial to our kids club family additionally during school breaks kids club transforms into exciting experience for children ages 3 to 12 our intercession activities may include immersive field trips themed days and Hands-On stem learning stations and much more ensuring that children have a memorable and educational break from school a part of our inter sessions we create themed names for student groups so during this fall we had our bubblegum buddies cotton candy crew pop rockers just to name a few our fall intercession we went on a a field trip to Sierra Candy Factory for a behindth scenes tour and our candytopia themed was hosted at Coronado Elementary with almost 300 students per day in one of our themed rooms the cotton candy Corner this was a arts and crafts so just imagine that bright inviting arts and crafts room filled with candy candy creativity I did bring one of the examples that we did make which was one our marshmallow pops so all of the students made one of these and they're all handmade through clay and then we used beads on the top for their sprinkles these activities and events change each camp and we do not a repeat an activity all year round so over the summer we partnered with the Diamond Backs on ticket sales so thank you to our family in helping us raate raise $810 our winner is intercession is right around the corner starting on December 20th this will be hosted at Centennial Elementary in registration is now live our after school enrichment programs these are Lively and engaging spaces where students can explore new interest and enhance their skills beyond the regular curriculum since 2021 we've offered 123 enrichment classes with 6,0 6,050 enrollments some of these unique courses that we do have this year we got to introduce Braille Mandarin and sign language we also started our Kinder Kickstart which started this summer thank you to Melissa Garland assistant director of program compliance her and I did love doing this project giving our new Kinders a sneak peek in the day of the life of kindergarten this 4-day program showed new Kinders way to look for what to look forward to we had 70 little leaders and we were excited to watch them grow at Higley we do have that Braille course this year in other several Mandarin Builder clubs creative club yoga and much more we also do partner with outside vendors as well in these after school programming so thank you to elements music Science Matters bricks for kids chess Emporium Steven Hunter Skill Academy Sport ball TGA young rebrands dance sequence athletic athletes and training and challenge Island for your support these programs often include physical activities like dance class or Sports practice encouraging teamwork and fitness with a mix of our structural lessons and free exploration these programs aim to ignite curiosity build confidence and help students discover a passion with new supportive fund our Higley Youth Sports league is a Recreational Sports league for Kinder through sixth grade we offer soccer volleyball basketball flag football and cheer so so far this year in Higley Sports League we have 546 registrations in these programs when we do return from winter break we are adding volleyball for seventh and eighth graders so look for that registration link as well lastly we are excited to introduce our newly branded program where kids can dive into a world of fun creativity and friendship friendship here at the Higley hangout we are committed to providing a safe and engaging environment where a child can explore new interests build lasting friendships and enjoy memorable experience join us as we embark on this exciting new chapter together and start looking for our new logo starting January 6 so thank you president andon Anderson and members of the board all right as I said we're going to be coming to you with proposals rate increases um this is our kids club program in comparison to other districts our same neighboring districts uh as you can see we have a we have our registration rate which is the same or lower than others are daily AM and PM rate our early release day rate and our intercession rate for each of those districts um the ones with the asteris Queen Creek and GPS are looking at an increase for the upcoming year as well um now with our community education program this is our this is where we're asking you and again uh we're going to ask for the rate increase tonight and then come December we'll go ahead and have approval on that or you guys will vote on that but the am rate we're looking to go from 1150 to 1350 uh PM rate will go from 1650 to1 1850 and our Wednesday half day will go from 20 to 22 the intercession rates will go 45 to 50 that last column is what the employee rate for the upcoming school year would be and in terms of what the current rate or what the uh General general public rate is as well any questions or comments questions or comments president Anderson what is the current rate the employee rate the current employee rate yes the current employee rate is 75% off of our general rate sorry um on slide 17 I think that's what we're on so compared to what so 1080 here for the am only um so what is the current rate and it's changing to 1080 the current the the rate change to next year will be 1080 yes okay and so and the current rate is what I'm sorry is 75% off of our current rate which is is going to be off of our current so off of 11:50 it's uh in the morning president Anders remember sorry uh the current employee discount 75% we are proposing to go to 20% discount and then the math is obviously up there but um out of uh uh and talking with our Auditors and reviewing some of our IRS guidelines um we are out of compliance with IRS in terms of um offering employee uh discounts if we offer a program to the public um we cannot offer a discount greater than 20% or else that becomes taxable um and so we are adjusting that to align and get back into compliance with IRS um but that 75% discount was inherited uh we are taking the opportunity now to um move that rate back to to 20% Which is in compliance with IRS um and so that's the difference it was previously 75 now the proposal is to 20% Which is um legally U allowable and then anything greater that will become taxable but we want to stick um with the allowable 20% and that is the recommendation in this proposal ta and that would be taxable to the employee no anything over 20% would be taxable so we are out of compliance currently in the place um that's why the recommendations to move it to 20% got it okay thank you Mr I just have a followup question or Mr Armstrong either way are are we sending something to our employees to tell them the reason why the DraStic change yes as soon as we go through with the approval then yes we will be sending information up okay thank you thank you I'm guessing you had you said 546 registered for sports were 520 of them cheer just about yes I know that's our largest program so thank you thank you fantastic thank you okay we are now moving on to our action items beginning with 7.1 this is the second read and approval of policy B notification of board meetings are there any questions or comments I motion that the governing board approved the changes to policy bed notification of board meetings second that was Mrs Wade for second all those in favor I I I motion carries 4 to Zer 7.2 the second read and approval of baa evaluation of school board or the board self- evaluation are there any questions or comments before moving forward I motion that the governing board approved the changes to policy baa evaluation of school board board self evaluation second as Mrs Wade for the second all those in favor I I I motion carries 4 to zero 7.3 this is the second read and approval of jld D guidance and count policy jld guidance and counseling are there any questions or comments before moving forward I motion that the governing board approve the changes to policy J LD guidance and counseling second Mrs Schultz for the second all those in favor I I motion carries 4 to zero 7.4 this is the um ratify payroll and expense voucher 1045 is there any questions or comments regarding I motion that the governing board ratify payroll expense vouchers 1045 second Mrs Wade seconded that all those in favor I I I motion carries four to zero 7.5 ratify payroll and expense voucher 1047 questions or comments president Anderson uh this uh book purchase was for a woman as no man um and um it's a story of how a woman can break tabos and break um free patriotical misogynistic families break free from um and read uh there was a couple reviews um online uh that I'd like to read one person says um the author said that she thought it would be interesting to take this very real story and frame frame it within fiction however what we got instead was over 300 pages of repetitive language onedimensional characters um and a contribution to the anti-arab and inevitably Muslim narrative this novel is heavily reliant on stereotypes and generalizations to help paint a picture of Oppression abuse and patriarchy within the Arab culture I understand and respect that part of the story are factual experiences of the author however when she uh what she did with this novel was paint an entire culture and people with the same misogynistic brush there was almost a feeling of resentment that se seeped through the pages as this story went on the second one said I think this book is about how women are oppressed question mark maybe question mark it's mentioned only 20 times on every page so it's a little unclear I hope the sarcasm there is as transparent as this book's message bad heavy-handed writing um reads like what a beginner creative writer uh writing student produces say here is my theme um it announces here is my message my characters take a back seat to my social commentary not sure how this has such a high rating on good reads or anywhere for that matter bad bad bad um I just I I don't understand why this is again a book that we're offering to our CH our students um that there was a portion in the book um that also talked about kind of um how she you know to to kind of go against her parents and what they're saying and what their religion is um and it's I I find it um it's it's for me I it's awful that like these kids are given a book to that tells them you know you can defy your parents and and you can defy your your you know whatever your religion that your parents are are raising you as considering their minors that's a decision that you know kids can make as they get older um but again I I find it to be a terrible book that's all president Anderson uh Miss Richards would this book require a parental permission slip board member Wade yes it does okay thank you okay I motion that the governing board ratify payroll and expense voucher 1047 a second Mrs Wade seconded all those in favor I I all those oppose motion carries three to one all right future 8.1 future agenda items anybody have any requests okay moving on to the adjournment I motion to adjourn this meeting second this is Wade again for the second all those in favor I I I motion you want to hang out motion carries four to zero thank you pleas

in the district office governing boardroom thank you thank you Miss Paige that will take us to Future meeting dates Dr McCord thank you Miss Woods governing board members December 3rd we have a board work study and brief board business meeting December 10th a board policy committee meeting and December 17th is a board business meeting thank you very much we appreciate the attendance and the business that's been taken care of tonight and that will take us to our adjournment is there a motion so moved thank you Miss humph is there second second thank you Miss paig it's been moved and seconded that we adjourn all those in favor please vote by saying I I I we are adjourned thank you thank you

good evening welcome to the B bro Board of Education meeting November 20th 2024 as board secretary I will be opening the meeting in the absence of the normal chair who was the board president Mr Januzzi and also the vice chair Mr B the vice president board we will be electing a temporary Bo temporary chair as soon as we get through the procedural items so at this time I will call the meeting to order and I'll read the uh procedural statement the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which time any business affecting their interest is discussed and acted upon in accordance with the provisions of this act Board of Education policy 0162 the Board of Education of the burrow of Bound Brook has caused notice of this meeting to be posted in the board office and in the Bound Brook High School and mailed or fact to carrier news Bound Brook B clerk southbound Brook Board of Education and any person who has requested individual notice and pay the required fee please join me for pledge alance I pledge allegiance States this time we will take a roll call Mr B Mr Dawson here miss gazino here Miss Carlton Mr zco here miss here Mr menh house here miss H here Mr bulmer here and Mr Januzzi Let It Be noted that we have a quarum present this evening pursuant to board bylaws section 0164 in the event of the absence of both the President and Vice President another member can be designated to preside as approved by the board the board president has recommended that the most senior board member Mr Roger zco be designated to preside over this meeting as chair is there a motion to authorize designation of Mr Roger upo to preside over the meeting is as temporary board chair Mo motion by miss m second seconded by miss kazina all in favor any uh any knows any extensions any comments motion passes at this time the chair Position will be turned over to Mr zco and he will take the agenda beginning with number two from the AR thank you Mr appreciate it good evening everyone it's good to see everyone out tonight uh we're going to start with the superintendent good evening everyone and Welcome to our November board meeting it's great to see all of our parents students in the audience at this time we're going to go with our favorite part is the recognition of our wonderful students and staff and we will start with our students of the month Miss Larson please come forward good evening our first sent of the month is camela Mendes Marcano siblings Madison and Michael her favorite subject in school is math her favorite hobby is to play sports and her career plans is to become a police officer come on [Applause] our next creder of the month is Kieran for he has [Applause] one his favorite subject in school are his medical classes okay he said part of our bio um the biomedical science project leave the way classes his favorite hobbies are playing rugby football working out and working with fire department and his career plans is to become an ER [Applause] nurse get our next prador of the month is Valeria [Applause] Barbosa has one sister Angelica her favorite subject in school is history her favorite hobbies is running her small business and doing makeup she loves making others feel good about themselves and her future career plan is to further her education and business administration and running her own very successful [Applause] business and finally Marken l [Applause] Mar has two siblings nson and Stephanie his favorite subject is algebra his favorite hobbies are playing video games and card games and his future career plan is you become a physicist or an engineer [Applause] [Music] round ofuse please forward CS hello everybody the Community Middle School is prow to recognize Jaden Arias as seventh grade student of the month [Applause] Jaden has five siblings favorite subject is math forgot to say was nominated by Mrs pratus His science teacher favorite subject is math favorite hobbies are reading playing with his dog and when he grows up wants to become a lawyer [Applause] thank [Applause] you next up is our eighth grade student of the month Lindsay Peralta Martinez [Applause] Lindsay has one sibling favorite subjects are math and science enjoys wrestling basketball and soccer and also wants to become a lawyer or something involving business Lindsey was nominated by our teacher SC social studies teacher Mr Bender congratulations [Applause] Lindsay another round of applause for our CMS [Applause] at this time with Mrs Wier please come forward to talk about our sus the month small so our first student of the month grade four Tiffany EMZ ventur Tiffany was nominated by Miss Christian and when I got the opportunity to talk with Tiffany she told me she has one little sister two years old that her favorite subject is Art she loves to draw her favorite hobbies are playing school she goes home and she practices being a teacher and she likes to teach math and her career plans are to be a teacher congrat [Applause] our grade five student of the month is Jason air Bravo so Jason has five siblings two brothers and three sisters his favorite subject is social studies and he shared that is learning about Native Americans right now and he's really enjoying that his favorite hobbies are to play soccer with his friends and family and to draw and his career plans he would like to be a graphic designer [Applause] and our sixth grade student of the month is Blanca calron [Applause] Lopez so Blanca has three siblings all of them are younger when I asked her her favorite subject she told me her favorite subject is math specifically multiplication her hobbies are playing volleyball and soccer and her her career plans that she'd like to join the [Applause] [Music] [Applause] military thanks everyone next up our second grade student of the month is Ariana Dominguez Sano [Applause] is in this Valley ed class her favorite school subject is Art she likes to have fun with her friends and she wants to be a veterinarian [Applause] and our third grade student of the month we have a theme is Ariana [Applause] rapel Ariana is from miss duena and miss gilford's class she has one brother and one sister her favorite school subject is Art she likes playing with her dog and reading and she wants to do a lot of things when she grows gets older Right congratulations [Applause] and last but not least we're going to call l l anx Dr s couldn't be with us this afternoon this evening so Mr Ross will present the students of the month hello everybody I get to introduce our youngest Scholars to us and we'll start off with our prek 3 student of the month who is Benjamin picado [Applause] so Benjamin you have one sibling yes yeah come on down Benjamin not only cool cut how you doing so Benjamin has one sibling favorite school work is block Center and art center also the favorite hobbies is play with cars yes and build with blocks and play with his friends and his future plans and career plans to be a police officer well done [Applause] smile congrats good job and Our Kind Garden student of the month is Jason Del come on [Applause] see you all right so you have sisters um wow Four Sisters you like reading and you like learning site words thank you I'm love of English too and your favorite hobbies are to play with your sisters baseball and flag football also the future careers are to be a football player or a baseball player well done [Applause] all right [Applause] congrats and our final scholar of the night Melissa marado Santos [Applause] not here okay so Lia makado Santos has one sibling favorite subject is Art and music and favorite hobbies are if you draw and paint and current career plans at this first grade stage is to be a teacher yes congratulations another round of applause for all of us students of the world we're going to take a picture of everybody all the students of the month we're going to take a picture of all the students of the month right after we announce our employee okay at this time I want to call Dr s we're going to take the picture little bit Dr s ser couple minutes come for present District of the month hello again the Community Middle School is proud to honor Mrs Kelly barrows as the November [Applause] teacher thank you in just her second year as a language arts teacher in the Bound Brook School District Mrs barrows has fostered a warm and dynamic classroom where students actively participate take risks and support each other's growth her Innovative flashlight Fridays where students read by flashlight become a weekly favorite while interacting uh while Her Interactive teaching methods such as Gallery walks and small group activities keep her students engaged and motivated she also maintains an ISL leaderboard with weekly prizes to encourage academic achievement beyond the classroom Mrs barrows has been instrumental in establishing and leading impactful programs at CMS she helped launch the school's first scripts spelling dat and continues to collaborate with her colleagues to enhance this prestigious competition last year Mrs Barrow proposed the creation of a drama club at CMS she is currently the co-advisor and has just completed auditions for a May 2025 production of Shrek Jr addition Mrs Barrow organizes class trips to professional theater performances including last year's Edgar Allen po play and this year's hero the boy from Troy and look both ways at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Mrs Barrow's dedication creativity and enthusiasm have significantly enriched The Learning Experience for our students inspiring them to explore new interests and develop confidence on behalf of the entire School Community we thank her for her remarkable contribution and congratulate her on this welld deserved recognition as teacher of the [Applause] M Wonder can I ready one two smile all right [Applause] aw absolutely at this time like to get all the students and the parents to come up nice big so our parents and students way down that's on [Music] hey how come you're not up [Laughter] here right everybody a half step in half step there you go yeah everybody smile one two three one more one two smile [Applause] awesome I you thank you buny congratulations what I haven't seen him smile like that okay everyone we're going to do a five minute break just so moms and dads can get the kids home if they need to if you want to stay you can e e e okay everyone we're back in session uh next we have a presentation Miss Dolan in relation to Dolan you should all be able to hear me just fine I don't usually have a problem with my would you like microphone no I need a microphone I'm good thank you um once again I'd like to say it was a pleasure to complete the audit um I'm actually here a month earlier because we actually got everything done actually earlier this year so I wanted to come in and do a little earlier this year which is wonderful news um as a result you'll be able to take action tonight to accept the audit corrective action plan and all of the information and actually put an audit to bed probably a month to two months earli than we have in the past um just to give a little bit of a quick refresher you actually have two audit documents that come from our firm there's a large Blue Book or the big actur which is a very large document it's actually broken into four main sections there's a small introductory section which sort of talks about the pl a little information about the district there is a very large Financial section which details all of the information on the finances there's actually a statistical section which is the J section in the report that's actually a very informative section it's 10 years comparative so it gives you 10 years comparative information not only about the burrow about the school district but it also gives you information about about the burrow and the county of Somerset so there's a lot of great information in that book section and then lastly there's a single audit section which is all of compliance on grants additionally I give you a Management's report which is actually my report to the board for all of the work that we have done and all the procedures that we've gone through as we all know these are very large documents and I would tell you probably there are 14 of the most important pages in the book there are of those documents if you want to follow along but we feel let's audit schedule C1 which is the most important schedule that is the budget that starts and that schedule walks you through all of the revenues and where all the revenue ended each each of those Appropriations and any transfers that might have been made and any additional lapsing unexpended Appropriations everything about the budget seen in that 14-page document you look at the end of the year you ended up with what we call the fund balance picture it's not it's it's called fund balance you have a little bit over $1 13.8 million total in fund balances that being said it is all some is almost mostly earmarked you have a little bit over $5.5 million in your capital reserve that capital reserve is money that is set aside for future capita projects and or to be used as funding like you're going through all of your r grants right now for all your Renovations it can be your matching funds for any of those grants as needed you have a little over a million dollars in a maintenance Reserve that maintenance Reserve helps you utilize that funding within your budget for the maintenance of your own facilities you have a $260,000 in what we call an emergency Reserve that's just what it is it's an emergency it's set aside for any emergency that might come up we have um a little over 400,000 in an unemployment compensation Reserve that money is set aside for unemployment claims um you have unassigned fund balance which is what we like to call that's the money that's your free True Value that's a little over a million one the state only allows you to hold 2% of your budget expenses in that and then that leaves you with those two the two pieces you used a little over $2.5 million to support the budget that you're currently in right now as I'm a June 30th audit and then that gives you a little over $2.8 million left that's the number that's the big most important number number that's what's going to roll into your budget going as you're building your budget for 25 26 so what that means is you're really starting starting pretty much at the same level obviously we all know 25 26 will'll be difficult budgeting for with all the increases that we've seen some that we've heard about and possibly Aid changing so that money will be there to set to help you balance to start that budget in addition you had about $3.6 million in grant funding that came through the district in the special Revenue fund that number has started to be a steady decline because this the district has finally expended all of the federal Esser funds that came through under the Pandemic those grants finally ended and are ending at the end of this summer you're returning more towards what you've normally had in grant funding your cafeteria program actually operated at a profit this year you had a profit of about a little over aund um $6,000 from the previous year as um your business administrator knows the their requirements to spend down those balances he's already established a corrective action to spend those funds down additionally in the management report I do have to say you did a fantastic job and we have no formal recommendations it is a clean audit with no [Applause] formal the district works very hard to keep those comments and recommendations to a minimum they do happen but this year it have there are none which means there's no official formal corrective action needed to be taken tonight tonight um we do like to give districts warning or areas that we feel are future problems um so we refer to those as our suggestions they're nothing that you have to do we're just giving you some ideas things that we've seen other districts get tripped up on Andor things that are potentially in the future of a district the biggest one as I said is you have a lot of federal funding that has come through the district in the last couple of years where there's Federal funding there are Auditors so it's always possible that an additional audit could come in from the Department of Ed or the feds the federal government on any of the grant monies that they got we've seen them do desk reviews we've seen them do um individual programs lately we've seen them come in sometimes they can come in and once they're here they can look at anything and anything they want so we always advise everyone be careful when they come however our our no findings in your report means that you're in good shape if they were to come you would be have an easy job through them the other one is in that same area Federal Grant receivables you get award a lot of federal funding um what happens is this department of Ed does not allow you to draw that money down until you spend it so what ends up happening is use your own cash to pay those Grant funds and then you reimburse yourself from the grant monies we always recommend down on those funds the state the department of Ed will tell you you should be drawing down monthly we'll tell you that's an awful lot of work so we try to tend to go with quarterly or if you have large expenses always draw down your money because you much rather earn the interest on your funds than the state having the interest on their on the money that they had sent to you that being said it is like I said it was a great audit it was the business office was spectacular to help us to get through everything and I'm here if anyone has any questions M Doan I I think I can speak for everybody sitting at this table we want to thank you very very much but I also want to extend of the board gratitude to our business business office and our business manager and the superintendent the administrative Team without you this would not be a good great not good great and uh we are very much appreciative of everything that's been students more importantly our community out in relation to our financial success so thank you very much both of you [Applause] thank you Mr zco if I may just have a few minutes certainly I would like to thank Miss Valerie Dolan and her firm their partnership throughout the year and always being available to patiently answer questions on all the new developments that are coming out of the state uh is immensely helpful and that that keeps us on the right track I'd like to thank Dr Freeman and the Board of Education all of the hours that we spent at the committee meetings deliberating on these issues various purchasing consortiums that save this District money are are all um painting out in this report um on a personal note this is my 25th consecutive clean audit which it was never a goal in the beginning but now to look back Mr peny was an important part of that in my previous district and we we continue to perform here we increase excess Surplus which is a revenue source in the 2526 budget by half a million dollars above last year so all things being the same we have a half a million dollars more to spend for next year's budget because of savings that we created through the 2425 budget we also increased the transfer to capital reserve which is a savings account for all of the projects in the district's longrange facility plan by an additional $3 million transfer this year so that that will help keep the investment that this community has had in its schools going we created $400,000 of interest income from a ladate CD portfolio taking advantage of the interest rates and that money in the capital reserve and I especially want to thank russan Nasser and Christine Lee for all their work with the grants and all the administrative requirements of the business office so thank you very much and and of course all the principles and teachers you know uh directors the budget process here is is the one of the Lar largest group processes that we have in in the whole school district we started a zerob based budget a couple years ago where the teachers actually started the pro working with the principles uh projecting new staff and new curriculum needs and um you know a couple years ago when Dr Freeman introduced this C we had one of the best budgets that we've ever had okay okay guys so now we need to uh approve and accept this incredible audit so I'm looking for a motion second Jo okay and uh can I get a roll call yes sir Mr Dawson yes m yes Mr zco yes Miss M yes Mr minhas yes Miss H yes Mr Homer yes Mr chair motion passes excellent very very good thank you [Applause] again now we're going to move to uh section three student board member report everybody uh okay so today is my largest report yet and from the time I've done this I can see from November and then you have May and June and typically have everything all coming together obviously November September and October are the years where like everybody's disorganized most like November comes around everybody gets everything together and you get to see this in the support basically so starting with sports teams uh our High School boys soccer team finish our season at 149 going to be sectional semi-finals against mle six last Tuesday uh girls soccer finished their season at 7-Eleven with their final match being against sh on Fourth girl volleyball finishing their season at 912 with their final match being against Beach on sorry Beach on the fourth girls tennis finished their season at 516 with their final match being against immaculada on the 24th football finished their season at 18 with their final match being against North Playfield the 30th in the constellation match and boys basketball are starting their season on the 25th with their first match being away on the 10th against Great Charter girls basketball had their interest meeting today with their first match meeting on the 14th at Lawrence and both the wrestling and the track team have started their Seasons early with wrestling's first meet on the 11th against magel and tracks and the track team's first meet on the n9th at the r winter inational at s island and both the CMS Bo and girl soccer teams won their division championship for the second year in a row on the 25th and 29th respectively side I [Applause] that phenomenal report I cut him off [Laughter] early so for uh School news today uh the triangual blood drive was hosted in the gymnasium by the New York blood center and our own blood donation committee led by Miss bman and Mrs Bell which was very successful on the 4th and the 5th the the school had a schoolwide election for the presidential Senate and House of Representative candidates allowing students to get an idea of public voting like you would polling areas around the town with the PO workers being our VAR own students for various history classes Alo and Sean to seat in Hall alumni who witnessed the ballen hall fire in 2000 at their University came in and present their story and hard documentary to seniors to support on I believe 25th the schoolwide tutoring network from last year we'll be starting again this week hopefully with the earlier release the school will see larger turnout to support our education commitment within the student body announced yesterday the fast foot or the free application for federal student aid was released earlier to students nationally allowing seniors to apply for financial year early and getting ahead of planning for Life After GR graduation the B PTO hosted a designer bag Bingo this past Saturday November 16th on ra the class 2025 and their graduation to um great support B High School partnered with the high school track team our local police rbcc eof and the day byday foundation will be hosting a Thanksgiving food giveaway this Saturday November 23rd in the high school parking lot they will be giving away Thanksgiving starter B for those in need and allowing everyone to celebrate Thanksgiving as the holiday comes around the and uh Isabella marak a junior at bber high school has verbally committed to the IR University like D1 softball so congratulations to her and lastly elections for the next student representative to the Board of Education are currently in the process of being finalized the next Representatives hopefully going to be pres the next board me which will be my last [Music] [Applause] now say you know just hearing everything that you're talking about I I'm honored honored that you have been part board and that we have such spirit in the school because I'll tell you it's it it means a lot to all of us here and I know to the community members as well so thank you very much [Applause] appreciate we have committee meeting reports education committee with Mr Dawson thank you Mr zco uh we met uh last week uh we looked at our first uh Benchmark testing results of the year so our kids take tests a few times a year that let us know how they're doing um State Standards trying to get a predictive value of how they might do on state assessments so as uh Educators uh we use that data to try to figure out where to go next what supports they might need where they might need a challenge um and while it's the beginning of the year we don't put U too much value in the initial numbers for the first Benchmark of the year um we were all very excited as a committee to talk about the work that our teachers are doing and our administrators are leading to have really meaningful conversations about those those standards how our kids are performing and what the next steps we just wanted to celebrate the work of our teachers and our administrators for rolling up their sleeves and trying to figure out what to do with that information that we get from those tests and how that's going to drive our achievement in the future that was our meeting phenomenal thank you sir any questions comments none for governance we have Mr B would normally be doing the notes but we're going to have have Miss h

e e e thank you Mr savan will everyone rise for the Pledge of Allegiance 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 liberty and justice uh Dr Hayes I'll read a quick statement if I may thanks Mr the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the rights of the public to have advanced notice and to attend the meeting of public bodies of which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon in accordance with the provision of this act the cite Park Board of Ed sces notice of this meeting to be published by having a day time and place thereof posted in the office of the burough clerk burough Library bur Rec Department the office of the Board of Ed the offices of school numbers 3456 and the high school on September 17 2024 and notices were forwarded to the reported of the record on September 17 2024 this is an official meeting I will take the role now Dr Hayes uh Mrs AB Brew here Mr capano is not here Mrs Fredo here Mr Garcia here Mr nadw here Dr pontiano here Mr ranc court is not here Mr Russo is not here mrakia here and Mr yanzi here okay Dr Hayes um as I stated during the work session uh 26 Personnel resolutions this evening vast majority of them cover our lunch AIDS teacher aids bus Aid Replacements we're adding some additional substitute teachers this evening asking you to approve some leaves of absence as well as several co-curricular appointments the only three uh resolutions I'd like to point out to the public and read into the record involve an appointment of a business teacher for the Middle School a full-time a part-time to full-time conversion for a computer technician and lastly a drama club additional co-advisor I thank the board of education for your support with my Personnel recommendations and I look for forward to welcoming the three who I just pointed out to you under procedures and policies I want the board to know that there were seven Hib investigations this reporting period four were alleged and three were confirmed the three confirmed cases all involved counseling provided to all involved and in the confirmed cases disciplinary action did occur as well and lastly I would just like the Board of Education uh read into the record along with me uh resolution 42 which I'm asking you to please approve this following recommendation for the agreement between our Cooperative football program of Cliffside Park and Ridgefield High School for the 2526 and 2627 school years termin the agreement is 2 years with an option to renew for an additional two years as per the njsiaa guid guideline if approved it will expire on June 30th of 2029 and this agreement is subject to the njsiaa executive committees prior approval by our boards our board as well as ridgefields and publicly I want to acknowledge Dr panelo Who was the interm superintendent of schools when this agreement was uh under consideration and it's its Inception was it that three years ago four years ago yeah I think it's four four years now and uh again thank you for your support with this resolution and publicly thank uh the football program for their and acknowledge their fantastic success this year that's it for me Mr Alano Mr tabak do you have anything S as vice president this evening I have nothing any uh committee reports I'd like to jump in something I'm not sure if anybody else was going to say I'll jump in because I want to commend our Athletic program I think on behalf of the board we commend our Athletic program because we had uh two division champs the boy soccer and the girls volleyball were both division champs and then the football was the overall Ivy League Division champ so on behalf of my colleagues I want to commend all of our fall athletes and congratulate the students on the soccer volleyball and football teams for all their hard work and dedication and uh Dr Hayes I believe that agreement covers indirectly the cheerleaders the band Yes and wrestling or do we have to do another agreement on wrestling you have to do another agreement on wrestling do but yes to the cheerleaders in the B the coaches I'm sorry Mr Garcia just want to make sure I said the coaches but congratulations to all of our fall Sports and the coaches and congratulations to those three teams specifically the whole program and the coaches who buil them for doing such a phenomenal job I just want to say while I'm talking um the football team really lost a lot of players four years ago Richfield didn't even have a varsity program so coach Manel and his coaching staff really did a phenomenal job bringing all those players together and every year I just feel the need to praise coach belli and his staff unfortunately I don't know the soccer coaches but you know uh five years ago six years ago I don't know that the girls volleyball team even won a game so they went from not winning a game to winning the league two years in a row so you know congratulations thank you for bringing those programs back thank that's it for us uh just a quick update on the business side fiscal side again we're coming to a closure with our fiscal audit uh we have a Q coming in I think Dr Hayes in January so we're working through that also and we're starting to work on our 2526 budget uh Believe It or Not uh it's time for that capital projects we'll be meeting with the principles on Monday uh the goal over their their templates for the 2526 budget and we'll also be finalizing what we believe will be our capital projects that we may want to assess for 2526 and there's two resolutions i' just like the board and our public to point their eyes to and that would be on pages 24 and 25 it' be resolutions number 59 and 60 get those uh page 24 resolution 59 inter superent to approve clean Sky energy was going to be our new supplier of kilowatts electricity at a contract a rate of 16 cents uh per kilowatt for term of 9ine months we engage we have a contractor and a consultant called Coen Associates and Noble Hill brokerage who essentially go out to the market and bid out uh thms gas and kilow electricity for us we have one bill so everything gets built through public service but we bid against public service and other gas or electric contractors and we uh obviously the lowest bids we we engage in so there's a bidding process and this is the outcome of the L latest bid process where we're going to be engaging with clean Sky energy for our kilowatt and our electricity and it'll be one bill everything will flow through um psng uh the other resolution I'd like to folks to focus in on is resolution 60 we are going to be awarding to K&D contractors for our uni univ ventilator project replacement of our univ ventilators at uh number six school we uh expect to have the uh the bids awarded and the bid packages finalized and blessed by the attorney uh this week I did speak to Mr Fogerty and Mr fogy has assured me that this resolution we can move forward with with K andd uh contractors he's fleshed out all the all the appropriate paperwork so we will move forward with that uh the good news on this is that the assessment by land Associates the actual bid came in lower than the assessment on land Associates would give us a little bit of play in regard to having some incremental Surplus to do whatever we may want to do down the road but uh this essentially this is the formal award of that bid for the univ ventilator project at school 6 we are finishing up the rtu the rooftop unit project at number six think of a going from the top now underneath you have your rooftop units and underneath your rooftop units you have unit ventilators so this will button everything up at number six School we've had our challenges with our HVAC at number six school for many years teddy as you know um on a variety of issues compressors icing up a variety of issues we had at six School uh especially on the uh the Middle School side so this will really button everything up from top to bottom and a couple years ago we uh we installed new boilers too so we're in very good shape now in number six school and all our schools with our uh HVAC so this is what we're going to be uh requesting to formally approve this evening that's pretty much it on my and Mr teraki and Dr Hayes thank you want to invite Nicholas up speak Nicholas you going come up to speak anything U Mr saano just Nicholas hello man hello Bo hey Nicholas thanks for being here Nicholas how are you how's everyone doing so with the Juniors going out for lunch we got good good uh good feedback everyone's loving it you know there's not a lot of crowding no more a lot of people going out a lot of Juniors going out most of them are going like to local businesses like seres down like down P side but uh a lot of them are also going home taking a little rest eating there as well also so that's good feedback from them other thing is that um Mr Pinto approved from uh class representatives so we're this week we're sending out a form and we like 20 to 15 to 20 students uh reported back to us saying that they they would like to to run for class reps so freshman sophomores and juniors are they're running for class reps and that got approved uh they'll probably come in like one one meeting or so uh just to just to get to know like the board of aded and student council just just for that and then another thing for the class of 2024 2025 we would like to like create a fundraiser for like local businesses So like um like bull Shake Pizza side SES so partner with them CU especially with local businesses especially with Juniors and seniors going out for lunch that can motivate kids to go to these places buy something buy something to get something to eat and like fund raise for us for the 2024 2025 class so it's great uh I know you guys need a form for that cuz also we did that last year with Chipotle as well and so we need a form still on the work I still have to talk to to Mr Peno and our class rep for it so that's one thing I I just wanted to clear that out and see why you talking to those businesses why don't you actually to do like a student discount also to motivate so I know Serge just has one okay um a new place down on andon right next to yum yums Jojo Jojo they also have one Vol Shake I don't know if they have one but in yums I don't know if they have one like businesses like Sedona as well they'll be willing to help they've Al they've helped in the past so that's like a big one that can help um another one is um Mash Burgers another one and then like those local business they're always getting kids going there lunch and so that's like it's just a big like it's just a big um outlet for students to go and get something to eat and so while they're getting something to eat they can also help out the school but we still have to talk to that's just that was an idea that was brought up that's it so good ide but it'll be like brought forth to next meeting maybe so great that's it thank you job next ladies and gentlemen Nicholas would like to take your picture he realizes that um there were several board meetings uh for a board members is not here tonight so he will come back again in December but if you don't mind he'd like to take oh yeah after the meeting when we close yeah cap is that good Frank anything from the public not a motion to accept amend motion to accept was that Mr terak here yeah okay can I have a second if I may please okay thank you Mr G okay we'll take a vote now Mrs Abu yes Mrs Fredo yes Mr Garcia Mr Nadu yes uh Dr pontano I have a question before I can you just explain what number 39 is sure so it's a new mandate uh Dr Pantano and uh we had to do a data analysis of our individual schools chronic absenteeism that they defined as greater than 10% and believe it or not the only school who had less than 10% and the best attendance in the district was the high school oh wow so uh our director of research whatever Angelo alin's title is uh he delved into the data um completed these corrective action plans um they'll be on the sorry I apologize for not speaking about this issue sooner they'll be on this District's web page for everybody to can get you copies as soon as you have but a bunch of strategies and interventions to help the elementary guidance counsil is stay in touch with the parents try to curb The Chronic attend absenteeism say I think we're running maybe 133% in some of the buildings try to get it back on 10% that's wonderful thank you thank you Dr just to piig there's a Target though right but we're below Target if I recall below 10% yeah if you and if you if let's say you started at 18% and it's unrealistic to get to 10 they'd accept like a 3 to 5% increase right right there's a play there's a play in there right yes sir okay thank you Dr Pantano ring um Mr teraka yes Mr yanui yes okay so moved can I get a motion to adjourn I'll make a motion okay and a second if I

all right perfect it is 7 o'clock we'll call the meeting to order Kim can you start us with a roll call please noran Fred here Adam hin here Andre Cory here ky Moyer is absent tonight here Lisa shoeer here Tyson search here St with me recite the pledge of I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for it stands one nation God indivisible with liberty and justice thank you welcome to our visitors got a got a good group tonight appreciate you guys coming out and spend a little time with us this evening correspondence we have some really nice letters from the kids got some letters from the kids at the um for uh board member appreciation day which was this month and you've got a bag at your seat that comes from Hope Church they dropped them off oh wow so um there's chocolates and candies and there's a scratch off that's awesome wow things in there I peaked spoiler he really nice Mr Mr ger will do Christmas so perfect all right uh with that any public comments this evening anything you want to say okay he none we'll move on to our consent agenda Mr gy if you would yeah you've got your Finance um minutes and uh expenditures and all of those reports we had two resignations Nicole kinkier fourth grade Special Ed is going to be lead us at the end of the semester she's going into the corporate world we wish her well and uh Michelle Matthews Eagle View nurse is also has left us it was effective November 8th she um is also working for the home nurse she's moving to a managerial position with her second job and so we wish her well as well we've got four people to hire Rick Yules bus driver Laura sidel custodian and Charlotte Garcia as an eaglestone student worker also believe that uh Lucille Marin was supposed to be added to that she's a freshman she's going to be another student worker as well and then we got Cody Woodfin he's a transportation director we stole from first student he uh is was managing um a fleet of around 200 employees and now he's coming to us and it's a little calmer and going to work out wonderfully for us so uh Cody Woodin is his name other than that we've got vacancies the we need to replace our nurse and we need to replace the special education teachers those have been posted and so far we are still looking for applicant perfect uh Administration recommends that you approve that as presented all right any questions regarding the consent agenda hearing none would anybody like to make a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented I'll make the motion thank you Tyson second I'll second Thank you Lisa roll call please yes Adam hin yes Andre Cory yes cig Meer yes Mr Sher yes tyon yes perfect right and we'll move right into our Communications reports and presentations uh your enrollment report is in the packet and build report Mrs Miller is at time yeah I have several slides here to share um we have a lot going on at the middle school we're almost um already into to December which mean our first semester is coming to an end um we have some pictures on the left of our eighth graders who were excited to dress up like the characters from The Outsiders when they finished that book we have some art projects that um our students in both fifth and sixth and art a were completing and um making our school beautiful we also have some of our seal Day activities our seventh grade boys um as soon as they became a team already went and won a championship so they are um definitely somebody to come and watch because they I believe are now8 and0 um they they're winning all of them so we're really excited about that and then we had some fun at Halloween and our students created their uh a pumpkin contest and those are some of our submissions as well as at the end we had Damon schlimmer who unfortunately last year broke his hip so he didn't get to participate in the PTA um win of the principal for a day so I made that up for him last month and he enjoyed telling everybody what to do on our PBIS Eagle store day so um and our next group our slides are our was our Veterans Day so those were all the veterans down below that showed up for our ceremony and um we had close to 150 there and it's always a great opportunity for our staff to do something um for our community and our veterans they loved it we've received a few thank yous and some cards uh a veteran had said that he had been to he said close to 40 Veterans Day ceremonies in his lifetime and this was topnotch up there within the top three so um he was really excited and Lieutenant Rosell um top left he was our guest speaker with his son um Simon who's in our um in our school crosscat program and so we were just really excited to have the community come for that day and then I have Miss Lang gang here with two of our top-notch students Katie and Rose that are going to talk to us about our mindful movement class so I'm Rosemary langang I've been in the school district for 28 years now um put my four-year letter in in uh in July so I'm in the pipeline now so but uh last year we started um we started a PE class which is called mindful movement PE class and it's an alternative to the regular traditional PE class um the reason why Sarah Klein and I wanted to start this this was because um RP teachers do a great job but they give the kids options you know so we got half the gym playing maybe Chicago ball the other half of the gym is playing volleyball um and still there were some kids that didn't want to play either one of those and they walked the hall which is fine um but I noticed that that crap there that was walking in the hallway it was a large group of kids and I just had an idea with Miss Klein to try to make that a little more meaningful for them um so I talked with Mrs Miller at that time um also Miss Smith assistant superintendent and we wanted to offer um kids just another option for PE um besides the traditional PE um so we came with up with our catchy name the mindful movement and last year we piloted the program we only had one section last year and we had a mix of seventh and eighth graders last year and we had 18 kids um this year we went into we asked those seventh graders who are now eighth graders to come back and be a part of the program um most of them took took us up on that so we have a large eighth grade section of 13 kids and then we have actually a larger section in our third hour class of seventh graders with 14 kids um and so we and those are the only two classes that we can do it in Sarah Klein's a social worker I'm the school counselor we can't do it every hour of the day because we're needed in the building for for other things but and like today I I did both classes on my own Sarah had a a student issue that she had to work with and so sometimes we're fortunate enough to be with the kids together but probably 70% of the time it's just one of us there uh which is fine um so this year we had two sections um these are some of the things that we do during the week I don't know if he gets pretty small up there Monday we call it mindset Monday um we do and right now we're in kind of an off season because we're bowling and in December we skate so all of our kids are doing that most of all the kids are doing that um but on when we get back in January we have mindset Monday which we do meditation we do some lessons first five we get into some questions and class discussions and just the kids are really opening up um the kids and you got and I'll let you guys speak here in a second they uh I think they're finding this environment less threatening and they're able to express themselves without being judged and without uh you know just uh it's it's a it's a pretty common enironment we do yoga we do meditation we um we've actually heard some people snoring uh when we are on our mats on the floor and the lights are out and we're watching and listening to um to our our instructor telling us um the steps of meditation um so meditation Monday Tuesday we usually walk so we go out to the track last year we would go to the park this year with the construction we've been staying home and walking around the building if the weather's bad or or doing laps around the the track um that's mainly Tuesdays um Wednesdays is workout Wednesday we've established a like a Tabata circuit in our classroom we have a classroom and we've got boxing in there we've got um we've got weights in there we do plankings we've got 15 15 stations that we work around we do usually one or two uh 45 seconds on 15 seconds to get to the next station and we do two rounds uh we'll start off with a warmup lap around the building um Thursdays is health because we are mandated to give our our PE kids health so we do a health unit every week um and then Fridays is game day and leisure activities and board games and Jenga and bingo and we painted pumpkins and we made pancakes and we um so Friday's just kind of a kind of a day for the kids to just relax and and um hang out you know and and do fun things life skills type things but I wanted to um and I I talked to them a little bit today I didn't coach them at all but I just wanted them to Rosie Rosie Rose Rosie um one of my favorites because Rosie and she's awesome um Rosie is one of the students in my third hour class seventh grader and Katie is one of my students in my second hour class eighth grader and um I've seen Rosie I've seen him both grow through the year um Rosie particularly from last year to this year I'd like to say it's because of mindful movement PE class but Rosie's just uh is a great kid and does a great job and um I don't know Rosie if you wanted to talk a little bit or Katie if you wanted to talk a little bit about uh mindful movement P or what's your favorite part is or what you enjoy um what do you enjoy about mindful movement PE class um probably the fact that I can do something I like and also it helps me get away from problem people or people who just give me problems for no reason okay so good what's your favorite activity in in the class probably boxing or the or Friday okay good Katie um I really like that on Tuesdays we can um get outside and do some walking cuz usually um with regular PE we don't really go outside often but if we do there's usually just football or just walking right um and with being in my mement class I can walk and talk with friends good um you know any questions about our program we hope to do it next year I think we'll be able to do it next year um it's awesome love the kids they're having a great time with it and know it's the best part of my day it's great awesome thank you very much great good job guys all right super assistant superintendent report Dr gain okay um amazing things are going on here as you have heard so far um a big congratulations the soccer team made it to State finals that was exciting um to see this past over the past few weeks um volleyball as well made it to sectional finals also a huge accomplishment excited for them um we had our fall musical um that the High School drama club Put on I was able to go and Peter and the star catcher um the Sunday performance and it was very good these are some pictures that kind of captured some of the favorite Parts in the performance um as always we have our district shoutouts and I'm really turning to the principles to get um nominations for these so I would like to start with Eagle View we have Mrs Jamie Mansfield the secretary we would all be lost without Miss Jamie she works all day long supporting students staff and families everyone loves her and rightfully so she's an integral part in keeping our school running smoothly and helps everyone problem solve recently she has been especially helpful during our search for our next school nurse at Eagle View and that was Mrs Vinnie that shared that um at Park viw they're kind of out of order we have Mrs Angie Barnett um she was nominated by Mr Dugan Angie is a veteran second grade teacher at Parkview if you look up the term advocate in the dictionary you will find a picture of Angie Angie makes sure all of her students needs are met and she never gives up trying to solve a problem she's a great resource to the second grade team and the entire staff she's on the tier 2 committee for her leadership and overflowing toolbox of tricks to help students with behaviors attention and academic weakness Angie is always cool as a cucumber and is a terrific asset to the Columbia School District um and then for the middle school we have Miss Sarah from the office a huge shout out to Sarah for all the incredible work she does every day from keeping our calendar on point and organizing substitutes to training a new secretary she helps make everything run smoothly her hard work and dedication were especially appreciated in making our Veterans Day celebration a huge success we are so grateful to have Miss Sarah on our team at CMS and that was Miss Miller that shared that and then at CHS uh Mr reev shared that Mr Rose Zeki is a consistent go-to person he is a co-worker I trust to always do their best and do the right by students he's a great Problem Solver he is an ideal team player and offers his support without hesitation sometimes I might argue he does his job so well that it creates more work for himself Mr rosi donates a large amount of his day to the needs of our students whether it be in a classroom the endless responsibilities of being a case manager and coaching our student athletes outside of the regular school day thank you for being such a valuable part of CHS um the CHS team we have some amazing people here and our principles are proud to share share that so a big congratulations to our district shoutouts um in addition to that I think that it's very important for me to shout out both our SRO officer McCarter and our district school nurse uh Mrs Turley they have been integral parts of our district plans we've been working on um with officer mcorder we've been working on safety plans we met with the city and our district safety team in October since then that's spent a lot of conversations with building safety and we're working on updating all of our safety plans in particular reunification officer mcorder has went above and beyond to help with those plans meeting with building principles communicating that to me to make sure that we are we're moving forward in the right direction um in addition Mr Grody and I have both attended parent safety nights that officer mcorder has kind of spearheaded on tough teenage areas that they could use some information on so we're just proud of all the work officer Sr or mcorder is doing for the district um Mrs Turley has stepped on board with me as far as doing the new cardiac emergency plan that is mandated to um be in all schools in January we have been training staff we wrote the plan together um in fact the Roe Roe 45 reached out to all superintendant and asked if anybody had the plan done I was happy to share that we have the plan done I shared that with the Roe um in fact I was collaborating with a msca assistant superintendent he says hey have you heard of this cardiac plan I said I just so happen to have that plan so I shared that also with uh msca again I couldn't have done it without Mrs Turley she has been a huge asset and helping me along the way um so in addition to amazing individuals that have been doing amazing things here um as I mentioned in October we do have a landscaping crew that is going to be helping us with Landscaping projects in this picture are the Landscaping uh crew members um we have Mr bur as our leader Hudson Bryant Lucy Moore elvan BR bran and Ella Daly um not pictured is Maya Crabtree she was not there that day um they met with me on Tuesday and we went over their plans um there are five of them their plans are so amazing we decided um collectively that we would like to take unique parts from each of the plans and turn something amazing and beautiful to be the entrance of the district office um again we're just starting the conversations but it was really amazing to meet with these students um and talk to them about their plans and their Creations they they mapped it out they did some um financial planning we gave them a budget it was a really neat project to to kind of see them spearhead and I'm excited to see it kind of come together in the spring um the other big thing that that we had this past month was our summative designations which I'm sure you saw on social media um three of our schools are commendable and then our high school is exemplary I thought it was important to share that when you are um coming up with designations as have been in the past there are different indicators that give you those designations 75% would be your academic indicators and then 25 would be a combination of your school quality and your Student Success um so they're different weights for each school which I think is important to remember when you get your summi of designations again three of our schools commendable which that means we are meeting all of our achievement gaps which is an amazing place to be um so a lot of hard work happen happening at our commendable schools exemplary again is also topnotch and we should be very proud of all of our hard work um overall District data grades uh 3 through 8th the district surpassed the state with both Ela and math with their I scores there was a proficiency Improvement in ela um from the 2022 or 2022 to 2023 50% and then we went up to 62 last year which is very commendable um and then there was also improvement with math going from 46% to 55% overall um for our SAT scores in 11th grade there was an improvement from 39% to 44% with the LA and then 35% to 42% um in math it's important also to point out that we are s at as of last year but we're switching to a new test this year act we are working on that transition and hoping hoping to prepare the students for that transition when it's time um this is the overall index score for the high school which again did and met exemplary um it's important to note that the overall index did go up higher we're even closer to that 100% Mark so we'll see um as things kind of change with the state because they are talking about doing different accountability factors um for our scores and summative designation how things will will change in the future here you will see this is the high school um 9753 was the overall index what I think is important to point out with high schools in general in Illinois when you're getting your summit of designation the biggest percentage is waited on graduation um which I think is is a unique indicator I also think that that means that we can focus on some of our high school um the high school as to what CTE courses are we offering how are we best preparing our students after graduation um I think that's important we have a high graduation rate how are we prepping them for for their next step um uh CMS they are commendable they did improve from um last year a big thing that we are super proud of with CMS and their summi of designation is there was a 5% increase in both math and Ela um for their growth so that's that's awesome keep it up keep it up with that curriculum um when we move to Park View um we had math growth of 4% um the ELA growth decreased by 4% so that makes me wonder our Ela program our resources how are we meeting those needs how are we doing the achievement gaps at Park viiew and then Eagle View again there was a decrease in ela um we are working on our Ela curriculum however there was a math increase of 3% so some things to be proud of and some things that we can grow on and continue to work on um overall we're very proud of our district and that's where we're at any questions on the amazing things happening at cusd4 Great report a lot of things are going on um it is the start of the Silly Season we are into the holidays next time we meet we will be done with the first semester of this year which is kind of hard to believe um I will highlight a few things uh the data that Dr gainy was good enough to share performance reports are been submitted for last year the grants we had uh there's a new person approving performance reports at the State Board and so we've had to jump through different hoops this year but we've got them jump through and I believe that they are all done uh I'm currently having weekly meetings with link as we get that software stuff we did acknowledge the fact that in January W2s are going to need to be submitted and so um by December we're going to be done with our meetings with link because we will be done with the conversions um SRO officer I also want to say that if you go to our website you go under district and you then drop down to um parent resources you will or actually you hit district and you'll see parent resources as one of the columns in that column is the SR videos If you go to that the first show that U officer mcarter did on drugs and alcohol is there for you to watch the one that he did this month uh I was at it was all about cell phones and I learned how pictures are hidden I learned how pictures are stored and I learned how to explore my children's cell phone and so when that video is up Mr nickerson's going to get that up he's he's he does a wonderful job of editing them and he's got the SRO officer and then he'll go down into the bottom of the screen and you'll be able to see the graphics and everything but it's really easy to follow and you look at your phone and I didn't even realize my photos were organized in such a way very handy when you're looking for something um but that's really what's been going on we've got a closed session today there will be no action afterwards but we do need to talk about a um a complaint and some student issues uh that said that's pretty much it okay very well moving on to our items for Action the first one is the approval of the resolution authorizing the estimated aggregate tax levy for the year 2024 yeah and this is done twice we will do this here as the tentative and then again in December we do not need a hearing because we are extending for 4.95% if you do 5% or more you need to have a public hearing explaining why you're extending more um our eav does grow and we do leave what they call leave money on the table um with our current fund balances and whatnot capturing that extra money to try and uh uh you know with our fund balances we don't really need that right now I'm not saying that in the future you won't have to have a hearing and extend the taxes but our taxes are ow four right now so um there's nice room to move there uh that with all of that said the administration recommends the board approve the resolution authorizing the levy and you'll have more time to think about it as we do the same thing next month so this just preliminary approval of it is preliminary approval perfect questions comments concerns he none would may be like to make a motion to approve the resolution authorized and estimated aggregate tax levy for the year to 2024 I'll make a motion thank you Adam second I'll second thank you Tyson roll call please H yes Andre Cory yes Greg Meer yes shemer yes Tyson search yesan fried yes carries next item is the approval of the purchase of video boards this is one of those situations that I'm just going to call serendipitous we are are building a gymnasium we needed to uh discuss a scoreboard we decided um to take the scoreboard out of the big project because then you don't have to pay the percentages and whatnot and we'll do the scoreboards on our own that way you don't have to pay the Architects for that or the construction managers and their over overhead while that was happening we were then contacted by a gentleman who is moving his company digital scoreboards to Colombia and um he presented us with what a video scoreboard would look like at the high school at the multi-purpose field and inside in the gymnasiums we talked about various things from curriculum to the revenues from the ads and everything like that and he gave it at a very good price because he was you know around $100,000 of donations because he wants us to be part of that uh to do our due diligence we did meet with nevco the company that we currently have and um I gave them the dimensions of the video boards that were being proposed to us nevco gave us the price um digital scoreboards was below the price of nevco I will say nevco did say that they will match any price that we were given they would not like to lose our business um just being completely transparent but you know just that give me your best number and um the local guy was was lower more importantly what's really kind of sets this apart is the um is the curriculum that comes with it with video scoreboards districts are able to do advertising and with the advertising his company has a way of assisting us with that ultimately though what you want to do is you want to form a curriculum and you have a class where the students learn how to do the graphics and the design but then they also learn how to do the game day itinerary Dr gainy and I met with him today to talk more about the curriculum so correct me if I say anything that you think is somewhat out of line but uh the goal would be in a few years you know we get the stuff we learn how it works we learn how everything goes we ask them to assist us with the advertising the first couple of years and then we segue into this class and what the kids would learn how to do is how to run the machines and how to do the videos and how to operate them during our own game days there are colleges that run similar equipments and they give scholarships or jobs to the students that would be able to work this but what we'd really be looking at with this with this uh scoreboard would be um a curriculum purchase an advertising purchase this also takes the um this expenditure out of the construction project and brings it into our current Revenue um or our current fund balances it is a at right now to replace our multi-purpose field video board and to have two video boards in the gymnasium it's $200,000 for an additional $85,000 we could put a nice sized um a 10 by9 video board on the back of the current scoreboard uh that will increase our revenue for advertising because when you drive by Route three you'd be able to see that that screen it' also be graduation dates and things of that nature uh that is a large cost um we do have the option of leasing it if we'd want leasing it would be around 40,000 it depending on if we go with the um the one on the back or not what am I missing Dr gainy just with the curriculum I feel like the most important part is that we do a multiple year implementation um what they suggested is year one you do a train the trainers so they would come and they would train all of our staff members and then the staff would then train the students that year one to man The the scoreboards during games and whatnot a very low key and that would also allow us Administration time to understand what this curriculum classes teachers would need in order to facilitate such a course I do think that if year two year three we could create a class with an instructor it would directly go into that segue of CTE classes and past graduation and what we're providing for our students with options um postgraduation uation so yeah yeah that's all I in the bids you'll see that there's all another option where you could get a score Vision software I would not recommend that we do that at this point in time the score Vision software is the state of the off state of the art software but the system as we're purchasing it comes with a propresenter software which is very similar both of them are run off iPads in the uh Press Box and so um very easy to do I we'll O say that when we implemented if we would do it now we would try to get these up and running before um tariffs will be added to the Chinese purchase and because all of this stuff would be coming from China um we would also be able to get this up before the soccer season hopefully uh to start that Revenue Generation Um what's nice about that is is that we'd be able to learn the software in soccer where you're got a running clock and the scores it's just a lot easier iier to deal with then we'd have the summer before it gets into the crazy season of football and everything like that um so we looked at it the recommendation is that we would go with digital scoreboard and go with a um a new video scoreboard at the multi-purpose field and inside I would recommend that it gets put into the current gym with the um current scoreboards taken down and stored and then the current scoreboards would go back up as the the video scoreboards would go into the new gym as part of the the there what kind of cost is that we know to take them down and switch scoreboards I don't know you're thinking that it might be cheaper to just get new scoreboards in the other gym so it's all matching and that is a a a buy it but don't put it up yeah yeah right now what I'd be recommending is we buy them and and and we would put them up because having them in the gym for basketball season if we could or for anything else would be um beneficial to us as far as selling the ads talk to us about ad Revenue the ad Revenue so um you really have no idea how it goes but the way that it works while we are until we have the class and we take it over completely and we don't want to take it over completely until we actually have the class but what they do is they help us with how to to start the proposals and how to set up the ads the gentleman that has this company comes from the advertising background he is a uh worked for Pepsi and he worked for um a billboard company I can't remember the name of it but he's in the ad field before he moved into this scoreboard company and they will help you with that whole process and with them doing the ad sales it would be 5050 if we go to somebody and get a sale and we bring it to the things we would get 75 and they get 25 of the revenue if they're the ones that are contacting the people and they make the sale then it's 50/50 and so um what he calls is that's kind of a sliding adjustment but he was saying you know I said what is the what is your thoughts you know what's your gut reaction and he said with the businesses around here um he would think that we would prob probably make around $100,000 a year once it's up and running and going the number of dentists orthodontists um Banks you know you you really are selling it to the people that are advertising to who's in the seats which are parents of kids and things of that nature and so he really does I mean as far as the scoreboard came at a cheaper price he's got a curriculum where the other companies are developing the curriculum and as far as the advertisements he is um going to help us walk through it yes he'll make some money off of that however once we're up and running then it's really just kind of the renewals and whatnot and you move away from having help so say he sells an ad this year it's a 50/50 split and then once we take over do we still is that after that so yeah it would be we would get it would not be Perpetual okay the renew so once we take over we get 5050 my understanding is is we would get 5050 or 7525 where we get the 75 until that for for those three years because what he says is he does typically a five-year deal they do three years because then what you do is you do that renewal and so every year you're looking for somebody to do a three-year contract and did that answer your question yes so worst case scenario and and using a lot of I don't know not TR what I want to say but so there there should be a 5-year return with no problem yes and the life of the product it comes with an 11year warranty 20-year life expectancy okay and are you recommending purchase or lease I've gone back and forth I'm recommending that we work with them at this point in time I I think I'd go with a purchase um there's advantages both ways the uh with the lease what happens is is after the you know once it's over you get new boards and you just get the cycle of lease the problem with that is is that when they say it's a 20-year life expectancy you can get it to 25 you're just get those extra five years and you're getting all that stuff at least you don't ever get to that point of making more money um right now with our fund balances and our tax rates and things of that nature financially we're doing okay uh so I would prob probably say purchase what's the proposed term of the lease how many years they would be seven years they do a sevene lease he was saying it would probably be depending on if you do the 85,000 or not 40ish he would need to to look at that so the numbers work out the same over seven years pretty much or or not I did not do the calculation because it was a 40ish it was not a set number but my recommendation is that we would expend or give me permission to expend $185,000 um to go with the video scoreboards that will have additional cost of getting a little more electric and some Fiber to the locations um but both companies did not include that in their in their cost so it is Apples to Apples do they come with new sound systems too I don't know it's a good question if not we need to think about maybe um stepping up our sound system I don't remember in the gym multipurpose field I don't think it does I think they just expect to tie into the existing sound I will look into that though make sure that we're on the same page with that one and you and the budget can currently support this um the budget that we approved is a little bit in the red the fund balances have the money for it so it can support this it would be probably a deficit year as far as um the onm budget because whether or not this comes out of the education budget or the onm budget that mean you could move that around but it is an additional expense but fund balances are any idea what a scoreboard would run for the old gym if we added one more instead of taking it down well I mean the the indoor ones are for the gym so you have two one at each in so you're talking $80,000 for the scoreboards ined yeah so that's where when we were when Mr Ro and I were talking previously about it' be most economical to take them down keep the old and put them back up because that will be mostly a practice gym at that point because we'll have a competition gym which we'll move them to and I mean removal and installation removal existing and installation we would basically just be doing that in Reverse I mean that's only a small have to assume a smaller portion of the $880,000 yeah that they quoted to us so and later I'll be talking to where we're at on the construction budget so there's nothing in our budget that says we need to spend extra money at this point so anywhere we can save that makes sense we probably need to in the construction budget yeah yeah but this is something we're going to have to buy regardless so this is right we have to buy scoreboards at some point I was just talking to earlier you mentioned maybe we buy new ones for the new gym as well we're already over budget gotcha makes sense any other comments questions I think anything that pays for itself is a is a good thing yeah I do like the purchase versus the lease when before we were talking when we because Mr Gro and I we had meet with them a few weeks ago um we didn't really talk about numbers on the 10 x19 Scoreboard on the backside but at that point there were like 37,000 I think was the lease um so you basically pay a lease for an extra year or two of what otherwise return would have been so it reduces your risk but it does you know they have to make money too so I I will if we can support it from a budget perspective then why pay the extra two years to reduce it if we can we can afford to do it and then we get the six years after that of hopefully just actually making money on it to help fund our it turns into Revenue Source right I will I will also say that um currently his his business plan is customers will be flying into St Louis he'll be putting them up at the uh principal Hotel he's got um his office his corporate offices are here in Columbia and so he'll be putting them up at the principal hotel and so we will likely have um visitors coming will'll be the Showcase we'll be their do which means the service that we have for our scoreboards will be um very good yeah because we will scan everybody's ID and walk them around and show them our faciliity so all right that make feel like buying a scoreboard the boards excuse me longer wait than ly and I'll make the Motion schw makes a motion do I hear a second I'll second thank you so roll call please Andrea Cory yes Greg Meer yes Lisa Scheer yes Tyson search yes nor freed yes Adam hkin yes that's exciting I think that's a great move so thank you for all your time and both of you guys looking into that all right item C is the approval of the 2024 teacher and administrator to that next month we're doing the weekly meetings with with link and I'm I'm I'm sure that by December we will have our teacher and administrative salary and benefits report we're going to KCK that can down the road again it's going to stay on there till we get it that's right all i' saying right what about our approval of years of service record that one we can approve as presented this is a a year things it did not there were there were some questions but nothing changed perfect leave that is all in your packet yep a look at that there was a long I don't want to say hiring freeze but Gap in the number of people hired I did notice when looking at this there are a lot prior to 2015 but then there's like a 10e gap and then it's like and I mean it's it's just an observation that I think for sucession planning and for the future we're going to have to look at we've got like a 10e span where there's a whole L whole lot of employees and then 10 years my ini years with very few hired during that period I believe Tor was actually one that was picked up during that and then we've hired a lot since so there's going to be I will tell you that this is an interesting problem that schools have we a lot of districts are what we call a barbell where you've got a lot close to retirement and a lot brand new and when these people leave you get more but I I I I believe and I'd have to do a deeper dive but there was also um 5 to 10 years in Illinois that F funding was just so so poor nobody was really replacing jobs yeah my just an observation that we only to probably put on you know we're going to have we have a lot of teachers with 30 plus years and which is great for from an education but from a managing employment is a challenge people keep going in the pipeline right people retiring guess we just need a keeper that's right the recommendations to approve the the the years service we' like to make a motion to approve the years of service record I'll make a motion thank you nen second M on that second get all in favor anyos any exensions all right that's unanimous next is approval for the graduation date and time yeah this is one of those things that we try to do as early as possible because families need to make their plans um that said uh Mr Reeves looked at the calendar um he's recommending Sunday May 18th 2025 12: pm at the multi-purpose field and it will be in the gym if it rains that would be our recommendation with the functioning sound system starting at at noon yeah that's what that was why why are we moving it up this year that interferes with everyone that goes to church it does the um I know there's some there have been some things in the past because in May it can get very hot and so I know like the 2 3 o'l had been an issue for a lot of people because it's like the heat of like it's the it hasn't warmed up completely but I agree that also that could be an issue for like it's right in the middle of so I I don't know necessarily what the answer will be to well we are doing this early because we are still in the idea of trying to get this so I mean if noon is too early on Sunday um we I believe water was on the same day that's why we were earlier and they were were L but I think we were at 1:00 last year we were were gradu close at the same time as water last year because we did have people that had to run from one to the other it was um it was tight it's I mean if I was going to accommodate one or the other the number that are going to water Lo versus the number that are probably impacted by their Sunday schedule yeah no the the noon I think really had more to do with it not heating up trying to get after churches and before it gets too hot on the field cuz um our last graduation was a scor we're we're we're actually trying to start to discuss at what point do you not because of rain but you because of the heat index you go inside um and it typically or has to be on a Sunday it's on a Saturday you you you need to do it late in the evening because um you've got people that might be going to state for track right okay baseball stuff it's just it's it's not can we look at 1:00 I like 1:00 yeah every I'll bring this back next month still not as as three or two but not yeah at least how we we approve this for 1:00 and if we need to change it next time we can do that interest everyone time serve it the pleasure of the board Adam was that a motion I'll make for 1300 hours on May May 18 12 May 18 May right 18 may all right Adam has a motion for one o' on the 18th of May I'll second it thank you a second all in favor I any opposed perfect one o'clock it is unless we have an issue press policies I um have started paging through that they look like they are mostly just updates and nothings me as huge Revenue Investments seem to have a larger change than the rest of them um but again I'm just I've started paging through them this is the uh first reading so please try to look at them um if you have any concerns questions let me know uh but Administration recommends the board approve the first reading of the press policy updates press policy issue 117 to be specific all right seems like these are about once a month anymore so yeah first glance I didn't see any major yeah I think is any other discussion hearing none may we like to make a motion to approve the first reading of the board press policy 117 I'll make the motion Thank you Lisa second second tyon roll call please yes Adam H yes and Cory yes CRA Meer yes Sher yes sear yes I don't believe it's on our agenda but we do have one more item here that we need are we doing this discussion that's an action item and it's been later on down the road oh sorry all right it's um that's just opin B in the next discussion items oh it is look at that all right I stand corrected all right we're on to our discussion items the first one is a facility study mrin okay so an update on our construction project uh right out of the gate I will say that where we're at now is we're starting we got DD or our first I call informed estimate um or better informed estimate for the phase two and three which is our Auditorium and then the the renovation of the existing space and a few of the tasks yeah the gymnasium sorry I said out to a few of the tasks that we had uh postpone like the green rooms and stuff from phase one we moved to phase three because there are things that we had to offset on Phase One cost so where we're at right now um once we got some of our cost estimates back uh for phase two is we are $3 to5 million over budget which is a lot but it's essentially 10% of the project um that is assuming all of phase three so what I wanted to kind of do is talk through some of what we have tabled uh which is part of that phase three which grew original our phase three was about two and a half three million and it's about five right now uh because we did things like renovating the green rooms behind the auditorium we moved that from phase one to phase three um and then there were a couple of other and then the the bleachers we originally had some actual seat backs in there um that we took that out because the the budget's just simply not there um and then a few other things but so I wanted to kind of discuss where we're at that some of the uh structural costs Kim you might have to help me on this but some of the structural costs came back higher uh originally we were at around 12 or 13 and now we're at like 14 or 15 million for phase two um not due to any changes in design uh just strictly it came back that some of the costs were higher we were able to offset it in phase one because we with a different method of building but you can't really do that with a gym um you've got to have a certain type of structure especially with our yes jump in real quick and the The Green Room behind the auditorium those are in the design they are right now classrooms that would be turned into green rooms and so when we were looking at the phase one trying to keep that down those areas can be turned into green rooms easily later without losing anything from the phase one plan but it just will be a phase four or a phase five and and that'll be done with revenues because the key thing here is is we're trying to make sure that our bond and interest payments stay absolutely fat flat as far as the tax goes and so um I just want to make sure that we're understanding where the revenue is coming from that's paying for these and where we're moving them to because the goal is is for the bond and interest to stay absolutely fat flat as the tax rate while funding this so like the scoreboards that we bought we doing that out of our fund balances but we'll be able to do projects after the bond and interest like remodeling the green rooms and getting that fully operational over years right and so and even with those green rooms it it is still in the project for them to change the doors and make them to where they are functional rooms backstage we won't call them green rooms because they won't have all of the you know they won't be furnished as green rooms necessarily and have the changes of the walls and mirrors and all that that a grein room you would expect with sound dampening and all that but they will be sealed off or closed off rooms with new doors where the current windows are in the exterior um kind of but they are putting the doors in just not re just not renovating the inside of the room so we'll still be able to use them it'll still be a h a very functional back of house space um they just won't be renovated true green rooms so um but with with that so some of the um things that I am actually I wanted to kind of bring three options to us uh to you guys for discussion uh of how we move forward going with this we've talked to Steel we could actually borrow the additional if we could go up up to potentially another $5 million stay flat uh because our original budget uh the eavs for Columbia have come in higher and there is more borrowing power and still maintaining that goal of staying flat um I don't know that was not our going in I'm personally not one that likes to just raise the budget um just because there's more available U but it is an option so I wanted to present that to you guys that we could go up to that Max and approve it would essentially approve the entire project or close to um you might miss some things in phase three but that's where you would cut it out is just with the renovation of existing space whatever doesn't make the cut but it would be most all if not all um another option is to really scale back that phase three um and incre we would still we're still going to have to increase the budget um but probably depending on where we set that threshold for phase three maybe two two million to 3 million is kind of what I'm putting together now this isn't the construction company putting this is Adams putting it together but I've looked at all of the numbers all of what they're proposing right now the phase two budget goes to our to our Max so essentially what we would be doing is approving a phase three cap um what I looked at for phase three for renovations um we can still have we could get our flooring that they proposed so you would have consistent flooring throughout there is a uh the Food Service cooler and equipment so you would increase the capability of the um the cafeteria putting in the elevator still uh there's some partial fire suppression and then uh and all that from their budgeted line items comes up to 626,000 that does not include some of the ancillary support you're going to need some elevator lift you're going you're going to need electric rant to there you're going to need a few other support functions so um what I believe would be reasonable without raising our budget or our bonds too much is um approximately a million or to a million five for phase three which would increase those now what we wouldn't get from that uh is we wouldn't get remodeled bathrooms the existing bathrooms uh the life skills and the media center the current library and life skills area wouldn't get renovated there is a complete redo in the future plans we still will have all the drawings and the engineering we just don't have the budget to do it um the green rooms as we talked about would become basically either another project later or something our DIY classes could do um and some of the existing classrooms wouldn't get as much of a phaselift or Improvement but there's the flooring and the painting still would happen so U that's kind of that's what I'll call option two um is is a partial phase three a with what what I think can help with some of the Aesthetics and functionality but it wouldn't change the biggest changes to the life skills the bathrooms and the media center um that's probably the biggest impact of of that um and then the other option because there always has to be three that came from the government is you don't approve any of phase three and we cut that but I just don't think that that would be a very worthwhile thing since we are still able to meet our original goal of not raising our tax levy um it's kind of a in between so wanted to throw those out there see what questions you guys have um and really it's I was I was surprised when we when we got the numbers but uh I mean they did show us and and Ben has done a great job with the estimating and being very transparent on where the numbers are and it's just bad news is bad news it's just how it is so we got good news on the phase one because it came in a little bit under what we were expecting so we had a little bit there but also from the get go when when we started the design everything else our our main goal was structures cuz we can't go back and add a building later very reasonably but we can sure remodel something later we can take that space and and change it that sort of thing so we really wanted to get the the super structure let's say completely finished and then we have all the options after that so me and with phas with the phase two with the gymnasium um you know we have cut out the walking Track that was originally part of it uh we have really tried to figure out where we can get our our bang for our buck um and there was not a whole lot when I looked at this and said okay is there anything else to cut there was about $60,000 we could have cut if we wanted to change the exterior finish um from the brick the thin brick um but then it would have gone to a sand and really that would have looked like a warehouse um I don't I wouldn't recommend that option which is why we really I mean it's $60,000 and it's going to drastically change the look of the the building so I wouldn't recommend that one um the only place I could see in any space would be there is a a referees room and a referee's bathroom if we wanted to white box that we could see what that would save um it wouldn't be a ton but it would I mean it's something that can just like the green rooms could be done later if the plumbing is still be roughed in spaces there we could still have a functioning gym we just wouldn't have a designated referees room um that might be something to consider but that is literally the only thing I found that I think without fun without sacrificing functionality that we could do um the other part of this is when we started uh we did talk about it being a storm shelter but there were some added costs that came in with it being a storm shelter and getting that designation we we do that up front but I don't know where that if that price was in up early or not but um that that was also a consideration so with that all and open it up for any actually storm shelter was not in the original plan because right but the amount of renovation we're doing requires the storm shelter yeah I just don't know where so I mean right now I'm looking at we're maybe 5 to 10% over they told us it would raise the price 10% so I'm not really all that surprised because the structural part is what's costing us money um just kind of catching up with us I I think it was FGM too they were originally talking about the gymnasium being the storm shelter and they scaled it back and found out that the locker rooms can be the storm shelter and so yeah we added 3 feet to the hallway into the locker rooms and we're able to meet the number which actually saved us a bunch of money so instead of making this entire gymnasium stormroof we made a smaller area so we met the requirements allowed us to do it and and that did save quite a bit of money so do we have any idea if this referee room is one of those things that's required by the ihsa in order for us to host certain things I there are certain requirements what your gym had to fulfill I just wonder if this referee room is maybe one of those things I've not heard of it from that perspective oh seating typically what they want is the number of of capacity for seats and then the size of the roof for like a volleyball are gym is tough for for sectionals because we we hit the roof too often yeah my recommendation would be to turn one of the existing coach's offices since right all the existing locker room and stuff will still be there turn one of those into a referee's room um in the end term if we do if we go down that route question we have a expert our our midst as well this is Kim from Cobalt she's our owner's rep and very very active spends a lot a lot of time on on this and herid are going to be going to the school so she organizes our meetings and summarizes everything and we make her do headcounts and we give her all kinds of silly little tests and she keeps asking she always comes through yeah yeah so anything you would like to add I I think the district has done a very good job with the second pa um there's I don't want to say it's not frivolous it's it's very meeting every goal that you had as far as competitive gym but looking at it just from doing years of construction projects there's really nowhere to cut from like you said referee if you don't do that it's 20,000 if you don't do the brick it's 60,000 it's pennies compared to what we're looking for uh phase three is renovating your back of house not back of house bases but your existing spaces a lot of that was for your future growth as far as your 5 10 20 year plan plan so it's not all needed day one however we will get economy of scale if we can do it while we have peger on site doing those General conditions that you're already going to be paying for because the construction for phase three would happen during phase two through the Summers um so if you did it later keep that in mind there would be inflation General conditions all of those um but I think the team's done a really good job trying to keep budget in mind but not sacrificing the goal of the overall project and one thing we want to make sure like if we do postpone the referee room is it going to cost a lot more in the future to do it than you know if it's if it's half the price now then then is silly to kick that can down the road where we just have to bite a bullet and do it as long as we can keep our our main goal is not raising taxes we want to keep our tax rate flat and that's I think I think we say that what 10 20 times a meeting they they're aware they're very aware they're very aware of that fact [Laughter] so that's huge in the community it is it is it's not our money it's their money so we have to be good stewards of it that's that's where it comes down to but I guess we're kind of looking for some direction from the board what you guys are wanting to do or what do you think is there anybody that disagrees you you recommended option two correct yeah so opt you know like I said I'll just kind of rehash so option three was don't do any phase three option one was you know approve it all which I'm not recommending that one either um but with the with option to with the way I would recommend um again was include all the flooring the Food Service cooler equipment the elevator or cu the second story doesn't have elevator the partial fire suppression uh so basically up to a million or a million five for phase three and that would allow us to minimize the the additional bonds still stay flat or within and to me that still gives us some risk money if something comes in because these are still only 50% drawing estimates um I don't want to be without what I call risk money if they come in higher then what do you do then we'd be over even farther um I'm just not a fan of going up to that ceiling when we're still only at what I call at the 50% so if we approved I guess one or 1.5 million for phase three that was still leave us about $3 million of buffer um that we know from talking with Steve with an that we can easily borrow or issue more the more Bonds in at the end yeah I don't know if she would characterize it as easily but she said that you've got you know it's going to fun it's going to function basically if our eav does better than expected then you get if if our equalized assess value the value of our property goes up the bigger that number goes up the lower percentage you need to get the same amount of money um we also want to be cognizant of within this budget we don't want to send those payments out too far because when you're doing bonds when you're doing these facilities you don't want to ever go past 20 years payback because every 20 years you should have another big need for a facility and so we can do it it it's just it's going to be juggling some things around she even said that you know maybe one of our earlier purchases depending on what interest rates do and what not we might refinance again it worked for you guys wonderfully the last time you refinanced before I got here um I don't know if that'll ever happen again but if it does we will ref is and heartbeat I can and so there's a lot of there's a lot of moving points she felt very comfortable that that up you know that that 1.5 I don't she might have used the word easily for that because I was down five yeah I I like to five went okay so for the record Adam was absolutely right with what he said wow so yeah so that would be my recommendation I probably would go with 1.5 just to make sure we have enough support services for all those things and they'll give us some um if we can get a few other minor things in there but um you know we do have to go forward just knowing or with the awareness um the win is complete like things like not on the second floor of the gym there's not going to be bleachers initially um we're still going to see a thousand of people I think or something like that in the gym without them um so it's not necessar that still seats what our current gym does um so we're we're not losing any it's just in bleachers or something can easily be added later there's um that's just you know one that make made sense so there will be some things like that that when people are like you built a gym and you didn't put all the bleachers in well if if I had another half a million dollars you know sure is that where we want to prioritize it or do we prioritize it by putting an elevator and some fire suppression in the rest of our school you know that's that's the kind of trade-offs we're making right now is you know an elevator and fire suppression in the existing school or more seats in the gym that we you know so and I think the bleachers were an alternate so yeah we're getting prices Al they do come down lower we could get those bleachers if the prices come in it and and again these are estimates so when we actually send it out to bid then we get our firm numbers so this is just a projection of what the experts think so so again again I that's my recommendation is to to make sure that we have a consistent feel through the through the building it still do the flooring the Food Service elevator uh and the painting um and the fire suppression so when when I went down their Priceless that was 626,000 For Those portions and that'll help it at least not feel so like a such a drastic transition from brand new building to old building you'll have at least the same flooring and and paint pallet and you'll get to touch up the existing space so questions comments do is it are is it necessary that we're making that decision now before we send it out and get real numbers like I'm I'm worried about not knowing what the real numbers are I I'm going to need to as we start doing more bonds I need Ann to start crunching the numbers to know if we're going to go 1.5 over what we originally talked about I I think the main purpose of this discussion is does anybody have a desire to go full boat at this point yeah so there yeah it is twofold it's the financing piece because that all has to be planned essentially now we have to kind of say where that threshold is since we're how much are we projecting to raise it and then the other part is having the entire team and then having all the contractors bid you know having them bid an extra $3 million worth of work that is never going to happen and then having to redo it it affects the timing it affects their willingness I mean there's just there are implications if we know we're not going to do certain things um asking for prices as alternate or estimates versus do this as a 100% bid I mean there's just so it does matter from a being genuine with our RFB and with with our requests to go out um if we know we're not going to do $1.3 million of electrical on the renovation part which I I mean I just can't see that being feasible um you know then you don't want to go out to an electro contractor and be like bid this $4 million job but it's actually only two and a half you know that's that's kind of disingenuous so you're that that's what we're trying to avoid because there is s like $750,000 in hbac in the phase three because once you move that life skills and you redo the entire Center of that building um we won't have to bid hard any HVAC hardly if we go forward the way we are so you be you you know there's we don't want to ask for bids and then be like nope we're not doing anything and it's about the borrowing money so but also keep in mind the the whole project is for future growth it's not an immediate need so a lot of these areas can easily wait and they can even sit empty if we need to so it's nothing that we have to do or it's it's pressing or it's kind of well and like the life skills part we have a a fully functional life skills area now we were just going to take B basically remove that and then redo it and same thing for the media center we're going to the only thing we're not getting is the the additional space for the cafeteria seating but we're going to improve the functionality of the cafeteria by getting the coolers so U but the seating was for future growth we don't that's not that's not even like a three-year requirement as far as our current projections so I don't think that would have an immediate impact that's why I'm proposing the the way we did the way I am the things that can weit so yeah I just don't want to go till an we need to redo all of it it's a lot easier for her to say okay the last series of bonds we're going to issue where is that 10,000 or 10 million it's a lot easier for to say okay let's look at 12 million you know versus taking it from 10 to 15 in our total cap so that's just trying to make sure get the numbers as close as we can to be I guess but also this is a board decision and if you guys want the full deal that's that's what we'll do but it's yeah and to me there's two decisions one's the financing side and the other is the actual method of where we go forward we could ask for the full financing and then back down I think you know we could ask for for to look into additional 5 million of financing but go forward with the construction company with the plan of only doing an additional $1.5 million for phase three and not having a plan for the three and a half million you just don't issue it at the end I don't know that we could ask about that approach too I was going to say why don't you just at least ask her about that going for the full and because the one thing that we really and and that's why this is kind of coming to the board now is what we don't want to do is if we can do it for 5 million now or 15 million later we'd rather spend that five now and get it done so that's that's kind of where we're hesitant on on on this direction as well I guess right well not really with the the I mean cuz I mean honestly with the the middle of the building renovation I really I really question like some of the estimates for electrical and HVAC you're talking $2 million just for electrical and HVAC alone to move the media center and the life skills space that's I just don't know how that's I mean I I've said from the gym was 1.5 million for all electrical for the entire phase two so I think that's why some of that I'm like I I I question those numbers to start with but to me it's more about the functionality and where the numbers made sense but I don't I don't think that the numbers are going to go up drastically by doing it later because it's already that's already a standalone project right doing that that what I call the core of the the existing school was already a separate project so well in our initial numbers on just even paint and flooring were ridiculous I mean for the renovation costs in my opinion but I I haven't had a whole lot of confidence in that phase three what I'm hearing the board say though is is that I should try and get a clear picture and and and of what our interest rates would look like dependent on eav growth and the number of years paid out for 1.5 to 5 million so let me ask another question so not to interrupt you but so what would be the board's preference on do we do we complete the new construction that's phase two completely and kick the other down the road if we have to and we do all this financing contingent on the phase three or do you guys want to even it out and do a little phase three and I guess we can't really cut a whole lot in phase two though can we the the only thing I we can that we haven't cut out of phase two CU we already cut the walking Track right we already cut the second the second level bleachers the storm shelter it has the requirements where the minimum requirements for storm shelter the locker room there's there's really no meat there we did go down in the flooring from you know to a I don't remember which flooring option we went to but we we went from the more expensive flooring to a I don't remember what type res been in Black to the not not the not the court floor the actual floor in the locker room itself oh in the locker I think we went to a resonance flooring maybe um but anyway so we've already cut where we could the difference between phase two and phase one for those that know nothing about construction like me is that in phase one we had the opportunity where the green the dressing rooms and the Green Room are currently literal classrooms and so we can add the door into those classrooms and instead of them being dressing rooms and green rooms they're going to continue to be those classrooms that no one has class in and we'll be able to use them but it's like it's not going to look like a green room or a dressing room there's not going to be counters it's not going to be new whatever it's not going to be fancy but only the students will see it and we'll be able to make it fancy later on it's a remodel with the gymnasium it doesn't overlap with any of the old buildings so there's no remodel that would be able to be kicked down the road so you know like in the auditorium we did look at things and we did make Cuts based on the large project but in phase two we also made cuts the walking Track and things of that nature I mean yeah we but there's just no opportunity to kick anything into phase three because phase two has no remodeling in it where phase one had remodeling that we could kick down the road yeah and things like looking they had 270,000 or something in athletic equipment in to I will be looking at all of those lists um you know what what what are we doing in the storage rooms you know are we actually putting you know how much are we spending on building out storage rooms when we have 1,200 square feet of storage um with 14t ceilings you know if there are areas that we can cut that we could you know or minimize that I will be looking at every opportunity there um count on it they they all know it they cringe but I like the idea of doing the whole thing but I'm more comfortable with your approach yeah I mean I I would love to have turn key and you know it's beautiful it's done it's 100% you got at least make the old space look like it goes with the new space so you got right I mean if you're walking through and you literally have a hard stop from new building to old building yeah you doesn't create a real great atmosphere we still have room to figure out if you know how accurate are those numbers maybe the question could ask ask Finance hey what does it mean if we go the full amount but then we can just work internally to say to the 1.5 or whatever that number is but before any decisions are made of what's committed for phase three you we could Circle back with the board I think timing wise we would have time to do that before you would send everything out to bit but at least you would have the answer with Finance of all and then what if I want all but I only end up needing this I don't know that it's hard now but you know maybe we can talk more about that at December but I think just getting the test of how you guys feel about all partial none is is one of the bigger questions so that we know how to move forward with schedule and finance I I think the nervousness is I they want to go out in January so that's why I want to bring because well that's her face two not phase three yeah but they're they're almost hand in hand with right now we got to make both decisions because Ann needs to know before Fe before January well I think you should look into going to full see what it would be finan financially just so that we have you know some numbers okay something fundraising option um give fund supplemental fundraising is always an option but what you'd need to do is you need to remove it out of this have it be one of those projects we do later and then you would do the fundraising to do that because you you you you don't want to say I'm going to do this do a fundraising campaign and not have any funds raised because you've done it so so that's what we were thinking for maybe the bleachers and maybe the Green Room renovations right but that would involve taking it out of this say we're going to make these cuts and then build up later so all right so I think the consensus of I'm reading the room means we're going to look into to the full boat we will look into the full boat see what that istion is open and see what it would yeah everybody good with that Adam no I'm not it's just it's information it's just information from a financial perspective yes yeah right exactly as far as my direction to go forward and talk to FGM and picker I need to give them some guidance because it does when they redo this there's going to like like I said I only had some of the line items I can come up with but which way to actually tell them to focus their energy because I can tell you that Ben the guy doing the cost estimating is working as fast as he can just to keep up with us so if we tell him no change Go full boat then well I think when I ask for the other numbers he's going to have to redo it all right I mean we still pursue every cost saing option we can I mean I don't I think we still go full court presss on that and keep everything that so right now no how long do you think it would take an to get some of the financial numbers together I mean it it's going to really be like um whenever we do the tax Levy it it's always a crapshoot I mean you make your extensions and you do it based on on what you think's going to happen there's so many variables the eav growth the economy what the interest rates are with what we get and everything it just it's going to be hard for her to to I guess what I'll say is you know she's going to give you conservative estimates and we'll find out how many years it is and everything I don't know if she's I don't know I'll have to talk to her about it and see how well she can forecast I'm feeling we haven't decided anything what I'm hearing I think the what I'm hearing is is that we're looking at anywhere between 1.5 which is what Adam's comfortable with up to five and my job is to talk with Anne Noble and see if have her come up with the number that we can actually say yeah that we can actually say I mean and we did we did ask for it but I don't think she was able to just give it to us because this is literally at the end of last week so we Chris did ask an to kind of tell us where we would be um she came back with we could make five million work we could figure it out basically as kind of how to summarize it and we figure it out either way it might be messy it might be include some stuff we don't yeah and so but she didn't give us a here's a definitive number I'm feeling very much like I'm I'm at the car dealership with my son who says I want that and I'm going no you know and I can do that easier what what my my feeling with all of this is is that that she can make it work but I don't know if that's the best decision for us it's it's I mean this is a financial thing that we need to make sure that we don't screw it up for the next 20 years right because we need to make sure that that time frame is there for the big jobs you know we've got two budgets really you've got your yearly budget that we deal with but then you've got this Bond and interest budget that you get to do every whenever you stretch those out to and so trying to get everything you want now might not be the best use of the funds I mean I get it you got your cost of whatever but those green rooms and those dressing rooms kids can change their clothes in them you know my my office is a classroom I have no issues with my office being in a classroom you know i' I'd rather the dressing room gets done before my office gets done you know it's it's but what I'm saying is they they're still going to use it as a dressing room we just might need to have a fold out table for them to put stuff on instead and so it's and next year you'll have a DIY class that can do a lot of that you know and so um I'll try and get the numbers but there are a lot of moving pieces in this because we haven't even gotten the bid bids back from the first one um but I think really what it is is what I'm hearing you all say is you really want this done the way that we had envisioned and planned and I'm I I think what I'm going to talk to Ann about is and this will be the financial pain you have to deal with with that and I'm a bit of an optimist but I think we can get the whole thing done on Adam's option too I I think we're I think bids going to come down a little bit I think the the phase three is wildly overpriced so I mean yeah yeah and so I mean I I think a lot of this is probably a mute point cuz so what I'm hearing though is the the entire board's comfortable with going 1.5 million over what we had originally agreed on as we're going through this for lack of a better word negotiation process of trying to work things out I don't think we have a choice on that personally okay without severely sacrificing exactly the feel of finished product right well the action item will come when you guys approve the next um job scope so we're just getting marching orders from this discussion yeah and and again we're not giving up on this and we're not going to light up on the negotiation or anything else we're going to we're going to do everything we can through design and bid and whatever we have the power to do to to get this thing under control and as reasonably as we can right but at least the phase two I will say that I I have pretty good confidence in and their numbers being close because most of them came from them actually reaching out to different vendors for each of the bid areas to get numbers from the industry so this isn't the F the original ones was just their estimate these are more informed by actually reaching out to each part of Industry so that's why I call them informed numbers so I I don't think they'll be drastically off phase three I think are still I think those are drastically off because they're all they're all made based on square footage and right what we're asking to do isn't necessary complex for all of it so having a square footage renovation number plugged into it is that's comparable to what we did for phase one or two is right exactly to me I think pretty far off all right any other questions or comments put on that once again thank you Adam and ch for all your work on this it's been a bunch all right now the favorite time of the year is our is iasb resolutions if you go to your little IB resolution book page 21 um is the first list of the first six is resolutions that received a do adopt recommendation from the resolutions committee is there anybody that's got any issues with um Mr search following the recommendations or is there anybody that wanted to know on that the only thing I have something to say about is um the polling place if we don't use our schools for a polling place taking that day off of school is yeah the kids would rather get off earlier at the end of the year than to take off my understanding of that issue that's number six on [Music] the resolution committee is agreeing with you okay cuz that resolution for the polling place is to say that they can't the governor cannot make that a holiday ah okay thank you Miss pck um and so yeah the the polling place is yeah you're in line with the resolution yeah we're doing the resolutions and Page 21 is the cheat sheet all right so we're all good with adopt on items one through six Adam oh you have I found it and then 7 through 10 7 through 10s are NOS they're recommending that they do not adopt is there anybody that disagrees with any of [Music] those what I missed it I was busy doing the other stuff construction stuff I didn't see any I didn't either okay good with the recommendations and then the last that was the easiest one you got one more Amendment the parli they do an amendment because uh it's what this is a an adoptions it's the 2/3 this is they were clarifying Robert's rules weren't they or something I don't know I read this so long ago I didn't I didn't read it [Applause] oh what was the page for that I missed that one completely so I'm to 22 I'm not finding it is it 10 I think it was in the beginning yeah I think it's 10 page 10 page 10 there you go thank you page sure yeah it was the Roberts rules so instead of reading the Roberts Rules of Order most recent addition um it specifically saying the Robert's Rules of orders newly Revis shall govern when they're not incompatible with the Constitution and any special rules the association May adopt to provide those rules so it's whenever Robert's Rules conflicts with the [Music] Constitution I don't have a problem with that personally when they're not in compatible with the Constitution so what do you think Andrea not incompatible yeah it's stupid The English Department did not write it I'm not sure right okay and I'll go along with that it's fine just not I think what it is is that if the Robert's Rule says we do this and the Constitution says we do that Robert's Rules will always govern unless it is not incompatible which means compatible right that's what it doesn't necessarily mean it's now see this is government speak here so it's not saying that it necessarily is compatible it's just saying it doesn't object that's right there's basically another way to say okay it doesn't so when the two are not the same which one takes [Music] precedent unless it's yeah unless you get a two3 vote my read of it actually I think the con the the the um the Constitution or whatever would would would rule if they're incompatible I think it's saying Robert's Rule rules unless they're incompatible with the the Constitution overrides Robert's Rules the way that I read [Music] that okay yeah the this language would give iasb the authority to adopt constitutional language and special rules that may not conform to Robert's Rules of orders and specify that the association Constitution and special rules outrank Robert's Rules of Order provided no federal state or local laws are violated second column of page 10 so are we fine with that you have any questions Tyson you're the one voting for us got it I'm sure our little school district doesn't really mean them our little school district votes as as as as our votes count as much as the big school districts because it's one V one person we're in Illinois well I know that one year we we didn't agree with a lot of things and I don't think it didn't sway the out it didn't sway you're right all right but our voice was heard our Voice Was Heard yes absolutely all right we put that one to bed then we're on our time for individual board member comments anybody have anything this evening I have a couple more oh no U one actually it's just a a request so I did notice I'm looking through the financials the Middle School electric bill is $188,000 a month that's almost the same as the other three schools combined so my request would be to look into why the Middle School Bill electri what are you doing there part of it may just be an energy study it's not we we did that with amaron um one of the two the key answer to that is that the um Eagle View and Park View are very close if we went with solar we could almost go to Zero Energy because we are both both of these buildings are built on geothermal and so our energy consumption here and at Eagle View is just a lot lower than most school districts um and so well I get that but the middle school is 18,000 and the high school's 11 I would consider them more comparable I just it wasn't neily saying do anything wrong I'm just like okay you know maybe it's not even an energy study from a Do We Go Solar maybe it's a we have an electrician come in and do a where is all the the meter what sometimes it's load balancing like my house I did it and it Sav me like 20% of my power Bild just by switching meters or switching Breakers around because it goes off of one pole so there's just different things that they can do from an metering perspective because it might be drawing more off of one side like how mine was so just something to look at that' be worthwhile because we're spending so much and that's just disproportionate I mean we have I would call them considered you know similar sizes and they both have a gym they both have and one is 50% more than the other I will look into that turn the lights off when you leave the room I don't think that's going to be 7,000 a month everybody helps so um the other thing that I had was I was looking at the funding for some of the sports teams and I'm just trying to figure out how the soccer team did fundraising because they were phenomenal at it last year they had like $9,000 in their balance now it's like 30 and then we spent five grand on a bus go to the St t-shirts but I don't know say I've got a t-shirt I know they sold t-shirts I'm curious what they did to raise like 20 some, when none of the other sports programs have been able to do that baseball's got a lot too did you they baseball's always carried a lot yeah they start with a big balance though yeah but I don't know what they do either and then you know did the $5,000 for a bus come out of that or where do we because that seemed kind of District paid for the bus right I was kind of shocked to see that we spent five grand on a bus but it's it's that's actually yeah that's what they go for especially around state competition time do we do a bus or we do it for anybody that goes to State okay yeah I was just I was like what I really wanted our middle school kids to go go to Springfield just for a day a bus is $6,000 yeah really yes that seems cuz the 5,000 for the driver to stay overnight and everything too is yeah transp so yeah I'm I would we can only go $600 I'll look into soccer funds and Middle School electric what they do other than t-shirt I mean they do t-shirt fundraising and I mean I was just I was like wow that's impressive what are they doing because they figured out a secet time out that balance this month might include some of the stuff from Crawford Bryant is that going into the soccer fund or is it going into a separate fund no I do think it's going into a soccer fund so that's probably going into a separate fund no it's going into the soccer fund so that jump is probably all of the which I know they're going to be taking that using that for and they're plan on using that for scholarships or something at the field and stuff like that so yeah I I don't believe that that's separate I believe that everything every check that has been written or donated due to that fundraising has just gone to Columbia soccer okay so that's that's a huge yeah it just like yeah that's a huge anomaly there it's yeah that's all I've got but if you could confirm that if you could confirm that that would be I will look into that anybody else have anything comment board president's prerogative I do have something tonight and I have congratulations all the way around so um I'm not sure if anybody's aware Monday was the filing deadline for school board and we had four filings which is Mrs Corey Mr search Adam hin and myself um filing is closed and we are are unopposed so we're going to have the same board for the next two years or better so congratulations not um you each need to at least vote for yourself hope so because we figured you'd vote for us just to make sure we got on I'm going to think about so much saying that you're appointed because someone's got a vote it only requires one vote so somebody out there we'll just check a box we hope so that's right we hope so but congratulations yall we have a great board and I'm I'm tickled pink that it's going to continue so some some great minds and another congratulations is in order which I uh remissed last month is our esteemed superintendent is now Dr Grody he he is a humble man and he will not toot his own horn but I will for you so that's a huge accomplishment he accomplish that while being voting at all I expect you to start signing your emails Dr Grody yeah yeah no I don't think that's going to happen a prescriptions that's quite an accomplishment so congratulations on that so very proud of you all all right and that's all I have so what session we do have an executive session and we're m and it's going to be for the purposes of appointment employment compensation discipline performance or dismissal of a specific employee of the public body or legal councel for the public body including hit hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against the legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity pursuant to I5 IL cs120 2c1 and also placement of an individual student in special education program or other matters relating to individual students pursuant to 5 ilcs 12 two c and 10 that would any like to make a motion to adjourn into executive session I'll make the motion Tyson second I'll second thank you Andrea roll call please yes Adam hkin yes Andrea Cory yes Greg Meyer yes this is schacher yes Tyson search yes okay we're going to go into executive session now we have no action items as a result of our executive session our gallery has left the building so if anybody wants to return to the online and watch us adjourn for the evening you're more than welcome to but we will be right back e e e all right we are back in Open Session concluded our executive session for the evening we have no action items as a result only thing left on the agenda is the motion to adjourn I'll make that motion thank you Adam second I'll second take Oran all in favor I right that concludes our meeting at 9:13 p.m thanks for joining us

see [Applause] right it is 701 I'm G to go ahead and call the meeting um the pro field Board of Ed uh to order this Wednesday evening November 20th would you all please rise and join me in sing the plan of Allegiance Pledge alance is to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all okay we are gonna first of all good um morning good evening to everyone uh we've got quite a crowd here tonight um it's pretty exciting and we're going to begin with our student Spotlight uh from whiner Middle School uh Dr P are you here Mr sorry come on that was that was that was a joke on purpose um sorry m Mr Renda please please Mr Renda um share your good news with us so as always I'm always very excited to highlight things that are going on at the middle school and as you know early in the year I talked about even part of our school Improvement plan and school climate is two of the programs that we started this year one of them is called web web is where everyone belongs it's our sixth grade student orientation and we have eighth graders that are advisers in a sense for our sixth graders they did some stuff over the summer and then they're continuing to do it throughout the year every month and then we also started something I I brought it before called unplugged hour where students as we talk about the anxious generation and no cell phones in school we wanted to come up with activities where kids you know um where there's no electronic devices involved so we started to unplug that why I shouldn't say I did it's it's these guys that put it together so I'm going to introduce two people we have Kayla denal and Jessica ree they're going to talk a little bit about our programs with the kid hi I'm Kayla denal I'm actually going to turn it right over to the kids so if you want to come over and hit the mic I'm just on slide Duty yes hi I'm Vanessa Ginsburg and I am an eighth grade student at Whiskey near middle school and I'm part of the web program web stands for where everyone belongs this web what we do is for the new sixth graders we make them feel comfortable in the new school so they aren't as nervous nervous coming into the school um the benefit for the sixth graders is they find out more problem solving activities they find out Concepts about whis skaner and they become more comfortable in the school before they have to come in on the first day the benefit for us eth graders are we feel more like a leader after this because we're leading a group of sixth graders that of people that we don't know yet and we're a bigger role model because when when we're in school we're in the hallway a sixth grader might come up to us and say hi and that really just makes us feel a lot better this is a national program and this is the first time whis skiner has done it so for orientation well first we had two days in the Summer where we did our training we learned the games that we're going to do with our sixth graders we got comfortable with each other in groups that we didn't know each other and we just really learned everything so we can teach the sixth graders the best we could um when they got to the school on orientation we had all a big assembly and we did a lot of group activities all the eighth graders sat with the sixth graders in the bleacher so they could be comfortable with us then after we did all of our group activities in the assembly we split up into groups we all got around like 8 to 10 sixth graders with two leaders and what we did was we did games as like we tried to keep balloons up and and tried to do it with Teamwork because we could only keep our pinkies linked together or something like that we did problem solvers and we taught them about what whis skiner is like all about and what really important things are in whis skiner and we did take them around a tour around whiskin so they know where everything is on their first day hi my name is Ethan Gomez I'm eighth grader at whisk Middle School part of the web program now throughout the year we have had academic follow-ups now these academic follow-ups uh we in these academic follows we teach kids uh all important things that they need to know to get through the school year in our first academic follow we taught kids how to ask questions the questions we kind of asked the questions we teach them to ask were the difference between closed ended and open-ended questions we played activities with the sixth graders to help them learn about the knowledge that they were top we played a game where we hit an object around the room the first time they could only ask closed-ended questions the second time they could only ask open-ended questions by the end they had to compare which was easier to use to help them learn daytoday activities then throughout the year we also have social follow-ups during these follow-ups they're more friendlier a little more fun yeah a little more fun and more um group based so they're fun uh our most recent uh social followup at the end of October we tal about Day of the Dead and Dali and uh with the kids they made little crafts and activities from what they learned and throughout the year our next followup will be a student run unplugged hour now when we have these uh when we have these lessons with the sixth graders the rest of the school has an unplugged hour and during this time the eighth graders who run web and the sixth graders who learn don't really know what else is going on the school so next month we the web leaders will be hosting their own unplugged out thank you they're very excited about that so to show a couple pictures from our orientation we had a big assembly in the gym where we had every sixth grader Pile in the eighth graders like they said were amongst them we were doing some big group activities and then this truly was the most student Le program I've ever seen where the eighth graders went with their group to classrooms and they led the activities of getting to know you keep the balloon up some of them had themes for their tours around the building so already on the very first day of school kids knew some friendly faces they had a group of people they could say hi to or that they knew in the hallway so that was awesome and then since then this was a picture from our dwali lesson where again it's so student L it's incredible to watch these kids practice a lesson and then teach it some of them have said they feel for their teachers now because they're like how do we rein them in how do we redirect so we've practiced that too and they're just doing a very nice job all right unplugg all right hi I'm Jess ree um while the eighth graders and the sixth graders are doing un um web we are doing unplugged with our seventh graders and the other eighth graders who aren't the leaders in the program so these are some of the clubs that we have offered um some of these are teachers suggested some of these are ones that we've kind of crowdsourced or looked around for what other clubs or other schools are doing the idea of the clubs or during unplugged hour is just giving kids an hour of time first Friday of every month to connect with kids and adults in a non-academic setting um it's completely tech-free screen free um mixed grade levels just based on interest kids got to sign up it was first come first serve um and so far they've reported that they're really enjoying the time some of these have turned into like after school clubs based on interest so like Dungeons and Dragons became so popular that now they're running after school every Monday um and it's just been a great way for the kids to get to connect with people who a teacher they might not have had or a staff member they might have had a passing rotation with but now they have a more like formalized get together with them um so as you can see we've got like board game groups we've got basketball cornhole readers theater mural design um seasonal Sports there's just a lot of opportunities for the kids and here are some of the clubs we have Tyler and Sasha here to both kind of talk about their experiences in the club so if you guys want to come on over good evening Board of Education my name is Tyler EIG I'm a seventh grader at whisky middle school and I'm here to share my experience in our unplugged hour program unplugged hour program allows every Stu allow students to choose from a variety of activities for 1 hour on the first Friday of every month some of the include board games School walks and artistic activities I choose to participate in board game groups because I enjoy playing board games at home and with my friends some of my favorite games include chess guess who Monopoly and clue unplugged hour has many benef benefits for our students and school Community I most enjoy the chance to socialize with other students that share a similar interest and of course the break from school work is an added benefit I would recommend unplugged out for all schools but especially in larger schools and as a way to help welcome new students unplugged hour helps motivate me to be a better student because I know that I will have this fun hour every month I'm hopeful that the Board of Education sees the valley of unplugged hour for our students and school Community I might suggest you allow consider you you consider allowing us an addition of hour to unplug with students in other grades such as sixth grade it' be a great way to get to know the older and younger classmates thank you for letting me share my experience with unplugged hour I'm happy to answer any questions you may have okay so good evening so good evening everyone I'm Sasha sto I'm a seventh grader at whiskin year and I'm part of the mural design unplugged hour my favorite part about it is the amount of creative freedom we get to just paint on a big wall and I love doing especially because we get to paint with people who are passionate about painting as well um we go around the school with our art teacher to paint murals that um and that make the School more a more welcoming place for students staff and visitors um my favorite uh my favorite part about it though is like getting to see the students at the end of the at the end of the like mural progress um Smile as they walk by it and make their day um uh it's very like it's very opport opportunity to leave your creative Mark um on the school and it builds teamwork artistic and creative ability sorry and creative ability um I just it's it's I'm very grateful to have that opportunity I hope that our Mur inspires people to join the club and art as well itself um so thank you for your time and attention you so I should have said Thank you to the students I really appreciate you guys coming out tonight we just wanted to have a couple of thank yous um we want to thank Mr Renda for always supporting initiatives and the ideas we come come to him with and seeing the value for students in both of these projects um huge thank you for me to the Brookfield Education Foundation they funded the follow-ups this year so all the materials we needed for orientation the binders for our students to have the curriculums every material like when we say we had an art project for dwali and Day of the Dead that was funded by the B um Brookfield Education Foundation so we're extremely grateful and then whisk and your staff our hope is that both of these programs the benefit for the students ends up benefiting the staff that it ends up being something that we look forward to once a month but it is something extra on their plate and they've all been very supportive so we appreciate whiskin your staff for these so thank you and thank you guys awesome you guys have any questions about either program anybody have any questions no just really impressed um Sasha no notes nice job very nice but that that was really awesome I think that you've made a really compelling case I don't know that we have any say um Tyler on whether you get another hour or not I'd ask Mr Renda uh to work on that thanks so much guys you got my vote man thank you guys very much thank you thanks everyone great job and um now we're gonna hear from Mrs ml Jackson who is the principal at the Academy for international studies AKA AIS U who's going to tell us a little bit more about the magnet school uh that's an opportunity for our families in the district good evening superintendent barell Board of Education community members that is a tough act to follow um amazing job to the students clearly there's amazing and great work being done here in Brookfield School District I'm not here to take families away but I'm just here to share about the academy for international studies which is a magnet school in Danbury and just inform the community that magnet schools do provide a choice and education for parents just want don't know do I have capability to show video it should it should work for you just a quick video nope here we go there it goes that should pop up for you at the Western Connecticut Academy of international studies in Danbury students develop a Global Perspective in a dynamic learning environment families in surrounding towns with children entering kindergarten through grade five are invited to apply to this tuition free magnet school to learn more visit our website okay that's just a quick video just go back yeah maybe minim cor okay perfect thank you okay so as we said in the video it's a kindergarten of fifth grade inter District mag School located in danber Connecticut on the campus of Western Connecticut State University at the top of the hill we have about 341 students in our buildings um we have two kindergarten classes and three classes in first through fifth grade are and we have about 18 students in our uh kindergarten to second grade classes and about 22 students in our second third to fifth grade classes again we offer an opport um a curriculum that is structured that supports student engagement and a Global Perspective which is connected to our International theme our International theme is grounded in the studies of countries continents and cultures starting in kindergarten students are learning Spanish um we this year we were last year actually we were recognized as a school of Distinction for the 200 um 2022 to 2023 school year for high achievement and high growth in mathematics um some of the curriculum we offer similar to Brookfield Reading Writing science social studies um we do offer Project Lead thewe a steam um curriculum um beginning in kindergarten some of the extracurricular activities we offer include yoga chess um Taekwondo um and Garden Club so students are really excited to participate in those extracurricular activities as well um just some important dates I wanted to share our Lottery opens up on January 6 2025 information regarding our Lottery will be posted on our school on danburry school district website we'll have our open houses on the dates that are listed here if anyone has any more information feel free to contact UM me at um you could find school information at our Danbury School District website thank you so much for your attention tonight any questions thank you did you guys have any questions any questions okay thank you everyone thank you very much appreciate it thank thank you so much thank you that I would appreciate that okay we're going to move now to um public comment um the Board of Education welcomes public comment each speaker shall have up to three minutes to provide input to the board um thank you very great at the start of um our meetings we will allot up to 20 minutes um for comment on agenda items and at the end uh comments not on the agenda um there there will be overflow time for that so discussion of school Personnel individual students or individual members of the board is prohibited and with that um Mr Korea you are up first to talk about climate legislation and the 3 1312 complaint hi Andy Korea uh 45 West West Road um so I've heard um comments from the administration and public meetings about the new climate uh law that was passed in 2023 effective July 1st um and the comment was that it was sweeping legislation not sure what the presentation is going to look like in terms of because I it hasn't been posted but I just wanted to clarify um the legislation isn't sweeping it's iterative um the and in fact in the public press the reasons for the changes were to clarify certain aspects move forward climate initiatives um and hold accountability the reality is here in Brookfield we have not been in compliance with that law five years later playing on its face um non-compliance is there needs to be a um public notice of Rights and remedies posted on the district website it's not on the current website it's not on the uh prior website that was a law was passed 5 years ago um I can tell you from personal experience very recent that if there is a bullying in incident teachers are supposed to intervene and report and that is not happening um there is a 48 hour window that the Administration has to get to the parent with a report I can tell you that is not happening that did not happen in the past nine days with an issue um with my child I can tell you that generally uh the administrators from a lay person's perspective you would say oh they're doing the right thing um they're talking through the issues looks like they're trying to do a good job but they are they clearly haven't been if they have been trained it hasn't been effective because 5 years after the law has been passed and a year after the policy has been implemented four years late we do not have the competency within the district to follow the law so any statement that the district follows the law is a knowingly false statement until that's remedied now I think this presentation is going to come forward and ask for resources right the question this board should ask when they go through the presentation is are you following the law are you you know tell me what the the law that was passed in 2019 effective in 2021 are you doing those Provisions right you should we should have people with three years of experience as climate coordinators that now that they have to do more work they either need a stip in a half a py but we shouldn't be there shouldn't be oh no we need four positions right um the very much like the cave contract if we go to the board if you guys go to the board of Finance saying that you need more funding I will ensure that the board of Finance is is um informed of what the base state is so I would ask the board to go forward and say here is the current state here's where we're delinquent and here's how we're going to fix it please okay thank you very much Mr CA appreciate that um Mr Burl just for clarification I'd like to know are we compliant with the law as far as I know we are if there's this particular case that needs to be reviewed then there's a particular case that needs to be reviewed but our administrators are trained and Veteran principles and Veteran teams that work on this all the time okay thank you um the next um person on uh public is um Mr K I assume it's Mr Ked yes hi Mr Ked this is about school climate Chris K 28 flax Hill Road um I'm here to talk about some positive School climate that I see a month ago my family experienced a sudden personal loss my children's teachers at the middle school and the high school were kind and understanding several teachers who many of whom I don't teach my my kids or have never taught them in the past when above and beyond to take time to check in with my kids this is not the exception with our teachers it is the norm I would like to thank Miss Alban miss trada miss caparosa and Mr Cass Mr Mr CED I'm sorry we we can't identify individuals okay just the staff okay these are just the ones that I heard about I'm sure there was many others that took action we hear a lot about the social emotional needs of students I believe our teachers do this well and it's overlooked at times they make it look so easy it's part of who they are there was one particular teacher who did not only console my daughter but put a smile on her face during this very difficult time when I asked my daughter how she met this person she told me it was in passing time before school or between classes when she stands in the hallway and greets students with a smile she not only not just her students but all students then my daughter would see her at after school events taking her time to attend her athletic events these are small but extremely positive experiences our students en counter on a daily basis by many teachers in all of our schools it is the tip of the iceberg of what our teachers do for our students please follow follow the examples by our amazing teachers show kindness compassion and collaboration and put your our students and our schools first thank you thank you okay um the uh that's it for this round of public comment um and we thank both speakers uh so next Miss Baines hello everybody um so first I'm going to speak towards a few athletic students here at the high school um so majority of the Fall Sports have finished their Seasons uh just to mention a few boys call um yeah it is up okay okay thanks Melissa no problem um okay so going back to what I was saying um some of the Fall Sports have ended their Seasons just to mention boys golf uh girls volleyball field hockey they all had great seasons um this past Saturday boy soccer won the class L state championships after four rounds of penalty kicks um and their goaly uh Andrew geneves was titled their Most Valuable Player uh girls swim placed second in class M state championships they performed incredibly with multiple school records broken um Mia hatet senior broke school records in the 50 free and the 100 free making her a seate champion um in addition to this the 200 yard me team Maggie O'Hara Gretchen Janney Emily Denise and ali gvis um broke a School record and also won their event um and then we had multiple um All State athletes for their respective Sports just to name a few L Maul jnna corz Jimmy cth Andrew Genevie sha Ryan um they did great this season um in terms of student government last Monday was Veterans Day um so members of student government organized a panel of guest speakers uh to speak towards their experience in the military um for history classes to attend during the day in addition to this panel we also had various veteran St themed films shown throughout the day that classes could attend and then for some more General goals towards Student Government um they've been working on starting safe driving initiatives for students and parents um in addition to brainstorming front Rising ideas and events for Junior and senior prom in springtime um now towards like the personal clubs and events that I'm participating in um on November 11th National Honor Society hosted a blood drive during school for students and staff to partake in we collected 30 pints of blood which calculates to 90 local lives saved here around ffield um at the high school we also started this new volunteer program called cultural ambassadors where multilingual Juniors and seniors during their schedule um early dismissal can go volunteer at the elementary school with English learning students um so if you didn't know I'm proficient in both English and Spanish um also with Portuguese so I'm currently scheduled in a Kindergarten class and I've been working and I've been a few times a week and it's been a really great experience um working with these students and having a fresh new face to work with them where they often didn't feel really like they could communicate in their native language um and then last week although it wasn't teacher appreciation week we had two events that were appreciative towards the teachers that we had um especially cuz quarter 1 ended here um and a lot of college deadlines have passed so we just wanted to express our gratitude towards our teachers for being so great with that um NHS hosted a staff breakfast before school last Thursday and peer counseling hosted a teachers dinner last Wednesday with food made by all of its members um and then lastly to talk about some future events that are coming next Monday There's a powderpuff game to raise money for breast cancer research um it was organized by a bethl senior as well as a Brookfield senior and if you're not familiar with like the term Powderpuff um essentially a select group of female Juniors and seniors will play football against a the select group of bethl senior Juniors um and it's just a really good like Community event and way to raise money for breast cancer and then our annual football Thanksgiving game is next Wednesday at bethl high school um the boys football team is currently undefeated they're 90 and ranked pretty high in the state I believe they're seventh currently yeah um and they'll also be hosting the state playoffs later in December um and that's pretty much all I had to sorry that was a lot of information what what time is that game in uh that's at 6:30 I believe wait that's the Powderpuff no oh no no no for the Thanksgiving game yeah okay there are people in my house who are going to want to know about the Powderpuff the Powderpuff is at 7 7:30 on on Monday okay thanks 7:30 on Monday and that's at you said that's at bethl too yeah it's really cool to see Brookfield High School coordinating on so many important causes with bethl because there's a rivalry there but it looks to be like a really respectful positive one and I think other school districts could take a page from book so Bravo to you guys thank you other questions for Melissa great well thanks very much app thanks Melissa yes Happy Thanksgiving to you as well yeah she remembers the important stuff yes okay let's move now to written correspondence [Music] then I written correspondence for November 20th 2024 uh the following people have written since the previous Board of Ed meeting on October 30th Donald Jones request for information foia from the Brookfield Education Association Logan solander thank you and more ideas related to the budget Denise rice [Music] safety okay um then we've got approval of board minutes these two um oh well this is for you I move that the board approved the minutes listed below as recommended special meeting 10:30 24 regular meeting 10:30 24 um all in favor of approving the um two groups of minutes listed hi hi um any opposed I okay um so it passes 52 oh are there abstentions okay so it passes 52 [Music] okay all right um so let's move to the superintendent's update all right good evening everybody thank you very much um so um I want to start with uh and I know we'll get into um some specifics of security task force in the um uh subcommittee reports but just briefly uh to let everybody know that on November 5th for professional development day um and we talked about this at security task force both whiskin and the high school um worked with the police department and had Alice training which is kind of a different approach um to get staff ready um in regard to lockdowns um we're not fully there and training students yet or fully communicating things to parents um Candlewood Lake will have their training upcoming Dr P and uh rsro Jay Anderson over there will be working on that in terms of the schedule for an after school meeting um in addition uh in terms of operations I want to thank Mr czecho uh from the BC and Eric Conklin uh from technology uh also on November 5th they spoke with the Candlewood Lake team uh regarding kind of utilization of the building kind of questions that were still lingering regarding the new school and also technology in the new school and making sure uh we're optimally using our technology um there is a uh Google doc where the teacher submitted questions and all of Paul and Eric's answers were um uh recorded so that's there I shared that with the board in the Weekend Update last week um Paul has some backs on that there were a few questions that came up during that meeting so just FYI um that was uh that was something we do thank Paul for giving his time he's done a lot of volunteering uh as well as all the folks from the NBC um under teaching and learning I'm going to turn it over to Dr uh man just regarding November 5th and the professional learning day and he give us a brief update on how that went sure it's kind of a continuation of what Dr BR was just referring to so um as you see part of the day was sent was spent focused around Safety and Security of some way shape or form whether it was Alice training or um discussing the um with the MBC and Technology um but then the other part portion of the day was focused on teachers professional learning plans so um it's an opportunity for teachers after having worked on developing their professional learning plans throughout the fall including on that October 14th day um and then meeting with their uh evaluator their administrator at some point prior to by November 1st every that was the that's the uh deadline for all teachers um to finalize their to have their goal meeting um then the fifth uh was a perfect time for them to work toward uh Meeting those goals so all of the reflective intelligence groups began that day so they did their orientation to um the the practice and then played the first two rounds of the game um because again this is a gamified approach to uh you know kind of reflective practice and um you know personal connection as well as connection to your purpose as a as an educator so they were able to get through two rounds their their subsequent rounds will be of the First full round of the game will be in December and January um and then they will play the round again from basically February through the end of March at multiple play times whether it's an after school Wednesday meeting or during a PLC day um from a kind of narrower perspective so the first round is kind of from their perspective as people so that they can really connect and get to know each other and get comfortable with the process and then they'll hone in and focus in as Educators so they'll answer the question questions and play the game from the perspective as a Brookfield educator um and so that's and that's just one part of their professional learning plan regard you know and it can kind of fit a variety of different types of goals um and other uh work that happened that day um we had some illustrative math training at CES as well as CK training um for folks that are working on that um and then curriculum work at the middle school and high school um and then there were also a bunch of uh groups that went to outside November 5th is kind of a common day for uh folks to have professional learning across the state of Connecticut so our Visual and Performing Arts teachers went to Westcon where they host a great big conference some of our uh fizzed and health teachers went to hamen um hamon always hosts a big PE um uh program there um and then we had our librarian uh library media teachers went to Hartford where they had a conference to attend there so there were a variety of things that happened across the district all the administrators were also involved in some of the work and they are also just to as a as an FYI I may have mentioned this before but I'm not sure um the administrators who are involved in the reflective intelligence work are working among the administrative group we didn't want to kind of mix groups yet um we wanted everyone to get comfortable so kind of keep keeping colleagues with colleagues and then we'll see how as it kind of matures and and evolves um maybe next year so we are beginning our work with uh this week um or next week with our our reflective intelligence groups so that's it thank you very much Dr any questions for Dr okay continuing on um in our climate initiatives um you saw the presentation certainly from whiskin tonight which was incredible thanks Dean uh for the leadership and and your team over there um in terms of community you heard Melissa talk about it we did a lot with Veterans Day at each of the schools with our veterans in there and honoring them uh in addition to that at CS they're working on notes of thanks uh for staff appreciation um whis skiner in addition to that um they the counselors are working on some seal lessons specifically in healthy relationships um uh focused on interpersonal skills Technology based skills um and uh and the like so we're really proud of what's going on at the high school um they're working on becoming a no place for hate school and as Melissa shared the uh Honor Society put on an appreciation breakfast for staff so I mean there's a lot of Goodwill and collaboration and connection going on uh among the school community so it's just so nice to see uh in terms of budget just to let everybody know all uh internal meetings in terms of working with the principles and department heads um have been completed um the district team uh just met yesterday to kind of finalize where we're at with budget and what we're thinking uh in terms of initiatives uh the full administrative team will review things on Tuesday afternoon at our ad council meeting um uh regarding budget we're keeping interest and engagement up with the budget and trying to put an effort out there for understanding by giving the budget kind of early with small um chunks in terms of the budget blast we've been doing that weekly um and um we did key drivers recently the capital plan uh probably tomorrow the climate um presentation that I'm going to do tonight will be sent out maybe the ml report we're not exactly sure we've got there's lots of pieces that we could put out there and then obviously it'll coales into a presentation on December 4th um where where we'll work on that and and certainly Rosa when you present on finance committee share share a little bit more if you would like um and then the final thing I did want to share uh so congratulations to the board specifically for receiving the uh award um for uh excellence and communication and the and Eric and his team uh specifically on uh social media things like Facebook parents square and Instagram our use of those was awarded by cab um at their recent uh c cap conference we also received a um uh honorable mention for the district calendar um various presentations on curriculum instruction and assessment our budget flyer work and the word of the week so a lot of nice things and um typically uh someone from Cape uh comes and presents to the board in a couple of months so um that's really something special that's been ongoing for quite a long time so wanted to put that out there uh for everyone and then the the the other thing is since I did go to the cave cap conference uh a wise mentor of me uh of mine told me one time your staff if they your staff your board if they know you're going to a conference they know you're going to come back with some kind of new idea or something crazy to drive them a little wild or crazy so what I did want to share with you is something I was actually quite inspired by uh Tim Shriver was the keynote speaker uh Tim is of the Shriver family that started the Special Olympics and so what I I wanted to share with everybody in Casey if you could pass that down for everybody is something very interesting really the the there was uh some thematic things about uh polarizing times and unifying spirit and things we can do as a society and so it was really interesting in his keynote talk he focused on a tool that he's coming up with um and in his foundation and it's the dignity index and it's really something where we could kind of just give a rating to ourselves and do some reflection there's no implementation guide or anything like that at this point it's really conceptual um he is doing some work with Mark bracket from ruler which is interesting there's some Yale affiliation there but what he really talks about is rating ourselves and and and reflecting on what kind of language are we using when we are working with people uh and talking with people um or talking about people that we may not agree with and he's got this one through eight scale it's just something interesting I think for all of us to think about I talked about it uh we're going to be talking about it um at administrative Council um you know things like the the dehumanizing that goes on in the vitriol that we all hear through social media and cable news and everything you know that leads up uh to an election um things where we talk about people not even being human and we must destroy or we must break them so we can win that kind of attitude and language versus um we want to engage with the other side um even when we disagree and really try to understand where they're coming from so I think it's something all for all of us to reflect on um and um I think it could be a better place it really also aligns with the things we did in uh the spring with the anxious Generation Um and social media I just heard that LeBron James now is giving up social media for a while so uh you know um all of us we have our unplugged hour so I I think we're realizing what social media perhaps is doing to all of us and if we all setep back from that and really appreciate each other as human beings that have value and worth and um legitimate opinions that we could try to listen to and work together and try to find Common Ground would I think make us all feel better and also be great role models for our community and and our students so I want to just put that out to you um and we'll see how it evolves over time uh thank you I don't know if anybody has any questions on the report um I just wanted to say regarding uh the cab Awards you you laid it at the feet of the board but really um the the Kudos belong to um Eric um the calendar committee Dr man Mrs de all of you guys um so so Bravo finance committee with the bud flyer you guys did that so no thank you all for your support couldn't do it without you aome I also just want to can I just have a shout out to uh Lisa gramling and the folks uh the students uh from the summer the Tas who help with word of the week because they put they really put it all together and they do a great job so um the student students come up with the words and the sentences and they do all that kind of thing and um then Lisa finds appropriate uh pictures to match with them from our community so nice job Lisa thank you great thank you Bravo and we and we do recruit uh new teachers from our future teachers of America Club so we're always working on that too sounds like we got one with Melissa did you hear the the Portuguese okay so um let's then move to subcommittee reports starting with facilities Roger that all right um so the last time we met was on October 28th um all of us were there uh we had one visitor from the public Mrs kah uh we spoke about Capital funding requests and uh Casey did a phenomenal job presenting her Capital funding the next at the next meeting so we did already cover that uh most of the capital funding that we did speak about is going towards the mechanical upgrades replacing the um unit ventilators rooftop units engineering design and possibly upgrade to the heating system which we desperately need which um uh Joy had sent in some questions for us about the um Heating in the building in uh are the thermostats in the room where they located protocols for the staff they were with addess Casey and I uh went over that the the uh when when heat is too high they do alert the office Dan was um was there at the time on that particular day looking at and addressing the heating issues and Casey had instructed the team that um since we have such an old heating system it may have to be manually started is that how it went and they had to get there early in the morning to make sure that the heat was regulated for the day so to speak yeah it was it was more the timing of the year when we have really cold mornings and then it gets really hot in the afternoon um because of the steam the the steam running through all the pipes if you don't turn off the boilers fast enough it's going to be sweltering but you've got to turn it on early enough manually and then on and off so um I think I think we're out of the woods that was whack I think every school building across had that had that I know mine did so that was for sure um the whiskey Portables uh was awarded to best tech uh that we're working on when we can start working on the removal um as far as a list of issues over at CES um Paul Czech I know has a a punch a list of punch list items and I know we're in the process of getting everything fixed if things are broken Dan said that they do go over and fix it but if it's contractual then it goes to the con contractors and we're kind of stuck dealing with the contractors right now as far as I know so is there a way what I got is there a way that we can get a copy of the punch list I yeah but he should have it at the next meeting I believe is they just well they they were just updating things they had the NBC meeting last night okay yeah okay I I i' ask for the [Music] next so the the I mean it was a binder about this paulos but Aon what's important there there is something that had 600 items but there's dispute over that so I wanted to get something more definitive from Paul if we can't yeah I think um when I was watching the board of Finance meeting I just and I know Rose has spoken about I think it's really important that we know what issues are there and they're fixed before the school gets transferred over right so um I told them that last night and that's all I got great let's move to Cape then [Music] please okay we met on November 13th we reviewed the November instructional coaching survey results which you should have access to where it was an exhibit um so 43 46 CES teachers responded and 38 um whiskers teachers responded for a total of 84 out of about 150 160 um uh 27 of the 84 are using instructional coaches as part of their um professional learning plan and of those 27 17 are using it for curriculum like CK La luster of math the following information was shared um although we appreciate the survey and data collection um it didn't really yield valuable results in terms of information to support this model and initiative mov moving forward Katherine Breo shared and reviewed her very comprehensive World Language presentation um she went over the our programs at the elementary level and in some other districts neighboring districts the proficiency expectations our specific roal language program structure and contact hours at each level she shared the stamp results for grades 7 through 12 talked about the sealed by literacy University requirements and recommendations and some student achievement data up to date we also discussed the College and Career accelerator Advanced program which we got a brochure at the last meeting so this is a customized dual enrollment and career opportunity for our high school students and it's very much in the exploratory phase and we're not quite ready to jump in yet on this opportunity so we need a lot more information such as specific framework scheduling and transportation information cost Etc and we also briefly looked at resources at the college and career counselor at the high school provides through her Google classroom for students we did review the initial fall 2024 PSAT results which is also in your your packet here and that was about it does anybody have any questions I do actually um so regarding the um instr instuctional coaches um did the committee discuss what what they would like to see in terms of data that would support um you know the instructional coaching model DR man um asked for our input our initial input um we didn't feel that the survey that she did that they did provide kind of yielded um any data that would be um really used to benefit the support of this model moving forward so I guess like what's like The Benchmark that you were looking for any kind of data that shows alignment with um guiding your instruction based on the data that it is able to provide for our students um so the data that we have now are in front of us currently right PSAT scores SAT scores midterms finals things like that um that we've been looking at s back scores well I mean we know that instructional coaching is never going to be directly tied to scores so that's something I guess I'm trying to understand like what standard the committee is trying to coales around well that's something that we' have to talk more about um but based on what was presented to us at the meeting um that was not helpful to provide Clarity on supporting that moving forward at this time but I asked Dr man if she can provide more information or whatever she deems appropriate as far as you know it's really what we agree as as a board what we want to continue moving forward with can can I jump because I I want to be able to tie it to some data right if we're investing money in a program or a model or structure um that has to be tied to data to some extent right but I guess what I would just urge the committee to do or if this ever comes to the full board is to figure out a standard of what exactly it is you're looking for because I know personally for me if I was to have an opinion that I can't support this model I would have an understanding of why exactly that is what Benchmark am I looking for that would say this is ineffective this is effective so so to answer your initial question then if you look at the survey results it's not yielding results as far as teachers are not use utilizing instructional coaching okay to to drive their instruction and to improve their teaching yeah so maybe percentage like what percentage was the uhing for 27 so there were only 84 that responded what is which you could I would infer that the other part of that half of that is not using it because they didn't respond but that's I'm inferring that y right so y a very small percentage are speaking on behalf of it so one of the things when we talked about this I want it was I remember us being in the in the um Auditorium so it must have been sometime in the summer and I had mentioned that you know response rates to surveys um you don't necessarily need a huge n but the N that you have has to be representative of the population so I don't know if when this survey was deployed if any data was collected on are we looking at only newer teachers are we looking at more veteran teachers what's the spread across the schools because if we have a pretty good mix of from each school from each level of um I guess like veteran status years of service maybe then we can see well are these are these 84 actually representative and then if they are then we're kind of looking at a much clearer picture but if we're only looking at teachers and these 84 are the ones that hate instructional coaching well then that's not a representative sample so I guess we could just have to understand more about the sample not necessarily make it bigger can I jump in here because um to to Joy's point the these two slides right here I think this is what caught my attention um and I I think I'm drawing a little bit on my own experience of working with instructional coaches but like I would think if there were a robust um like kind of um affirmative yes we are excited about this amid all our professional priorities I would have expected some of these to to look different and so it looked like there's a cohort of teachers and we again as you just said we don't know who they are I'm sorry can you I I can I'm getting distracted by the public talking right now public okay um yes uh so it's it's this it's this slide and this slide um and just I don't know if this corresponds with your personal experience Sarah in the classroom or taking these surveys I mean there are people who are deriving benefit for working with the coaches but we as a board managing our resources have to ask ourselves if this is a concentrated enough cohort maybe that's the wrong adjective to use but like is this the best use of our resources if we have other options and that's I think what we were considering um and there I think we have a cautious maybe cautious consensus maybe more but yeah these these were the two slides that really um caught my attention in these are the two most meaningful I think okay I'm going to take a look at those more clearly so I guess to bring more clarity to Rosie your question so um our our test score in areas specifically math in particular are very poor across many so we have to re really relook at how we want to allocate funding right is it better spent there we resources doing something that we've been doing for several years now or we do we need to reallocate and look at how that money is better spent to really hone in on those little test scores how's the Comm committee come to a place where you're ready to look at or recommend an alternative option like if this isn't working is there something you're proposing might instead well I I for me I don't want to answer for the committee but um I was hoping that that would be a proposal from Administration right and then go from there you know I agree so they get paid the bid books right I agree I just I wasn't sure if there was something within the committee that you had and we have been talking no not at this time not currently to Joy's Point we've talking about this as a team and in the budget um uh budget presentation in uh two weeks we'll talk about that and just excuse me also just to um kind of answer your question Rosa as far as the respondents um there would be you know of those 150 or so certified folks to whom this was sent um a Cadre of those folks would not respond right they wouldn't they wouldn't be expected to because they are support you know speech and language Pathologists or School psychologists or um School counselor so there's a whole kind of group that wouldn't and then we and we only sent it to K8 because that's where our instructional coaches are concentrated how many K8 teachers that would that could have access to instructional coaches are there well probably about 130 okay that could have responded and would have been um and that's inclusive of unah teachers or um so they're not you know our instructional coaches are designated by content area so um even though Any teacher is is open to you know using an instructional coach because they are instructional experts and and they can help any content area kind of focus in on that so you'll see some of the responses are that like you know instructional coaching isn't in my area so that would be one of you know like a PE teacher maybe or an art teacher um so we did get some responses of those and it was fairly um I would say proportionately balanced in terms of CES versus WMS um we have many more faculty in CES than we do WMS um so I think that it probably is it's definitely statistically significant in terms of the response rate um and probably indicative of we didn't collect any information on the respondents we wanted them to be completely Anonymous um and while this is you know it was brought up at the meeting um Joy pointed out that you know this isn't we can't compare apples to apples from the survey that we did at the end of the year um which is completely correct this was specifically focused on um now that they have the that teachers have the opportunity to build their own professional learning plan and many of them are doing instructional goals how might they incorporate an instructional coach and one of the things that kind of you know um when I was asked what jumped out to me what jumped out to me is really that large concentration in curriculum and and kind of operationalizing the curriculum work um and so while I think we all can agree that the philosophical approach to instructional coaching is sound and it's research-based and it's you know totally appropriate um there's still a focus around that curriculum piece and that link between the curriculum and instruction uh as far as how the coaches are generally being utilized by the teachers whether it's individually or in groups in PLC groups and grade level groups and content area groups so there's a there's a lot of work that is that they're that's how they're you know kind of being used the greatest to the greatest extent I just have a question as far as this the PSATs I know used different groups this year um I I think we tested more grades this year correct with P we went back to 9th and 10th in the high school um which has historically been the case just last year we did not okay um is there any way we can get a comparison like from last year's test scores to this year like a cohort comparison like we do with the sbas I mean just to look at them I mean because I have this year I I don't know what last year's were are we moving it all are we going down I think it's really important yeah we so these were these were initially um released the Thursday before the cape meeting and so it was kind of a last Edition a last add to the cape agenda so we'll have a lot more information at the December meeting once the high school gets a chance to look at things so we can um we could look at cohort data from the 10th graders last year to the 11th graders this year but as I said they weren't 9th and 10th weren't tested last year so 9th to 10th we can't no I appreciate it I think the more information we have better off we absolutely cool then can we move to um Finance weren't the nth graders tested last the current 10th graders were or were they they were tested in eighth grade yes two years ago yeah so that would be interesting to see too 8th grade to 10th grade yeah as long as we can are those the same are those the same test I thought those was no the same test oh really they two p yeah there's an 89 test and then a 1011 test all right let's move to finance then all right um we last met last week on November 14th um we all of the committee members were there and also Dr Brill and Miss diot um our accounting supervisor Joan Reynolds and um as frequently as they do um our um town of Brookfield Finance director Marsha Mary and and a board of Finance member Eileen cook um after going through the check registers we reviewed the um October financial report um which detailed a net budget shortfall of approximately $69,000 um a change from the previous month of about 51,000 um largely this was due to um just some better accuracy in special education tuition um some of the actual invoices are coming in um and so they not uh based on estimates but actual um invoices um accompanying that a decrease estimated excess cost Grant Revenue um and of course the continued rising of long-term substitute costs um which for uh the time being are being offset by uh our salary savings from leaves and vacancies um okay um we received a quick update regarding the competitive mckin vento assistant Grant um which we applied for but we do not yet have word if we will get assistance there um and then for new business we went through a discussion of the uh 2526 budget preparation um right now the district has already locked in favorable rates for diesel and oil um that's going to result in overall savings compared to this year's rates um the committee then discussed a potential new budgeting strategy in terms of health insurance and electricity as um the way we do it right now is by taking estimates directly from um the health insurance um and electricity companies and sort of continuously updating that rate as the budget process moves forward um and it's kind of a a Target that moves around and we do it in in alignment with the town um and we talked about potentially just going to use um going back to using more of a historical average um so that we can most likely get a little bit closer to where we will likely be um we will still have that same sort of agreement with the town where um you know if we're if we're off budgeting that way um that they would have money and contingencies um on their side to to kind of cover us and of course this would be in alignment with what the town was doing as well in terms of their budgeting strategies so a lot of conversations are still going on for that um let's see um oh and also in terms of special education a budgeting strategy there um right now as you know we only budget for students that are known and that are in the roster and that we know will be there the following year and really that's as of essentially um January when we adopt the budget um and so a lot of changes happen between January and the end of the year um so uh the committee had was showing a lot of favor toward at least students that we know with a very high degree of probability what their placement situation and what their service situation will be the following year to budget for that um but of course that will still be um a discussion that happens in alignment with the town but we think that that's a good idea um and then we discussed our Capital requests um so um Miss deat noted that some of the things are going to be pulled a little bit of some of the smaller things going to be pulled out of that budget request and put into the operating budget um things that are you know kind of small more maybe larger maintenance items but still maintenance items nonetheless um and then we briefly discussed perhaps an inventory program um to kind of more accurately capture what all of the district's Capital um uh assets essentially are so that we can have a a better forecast of of what's really truly in this um next 10 years and then um there was an opportunity to ask any questions about um you know the lunch account issue that was a couple weeks ago but we didn't have any concerns there so that was it um I have a question um Mrs diad can you give us an example I mean you sort of hinted at it Rosa about something that might be pulled out of the capital budget request and put into operating yep it's uh one one of the capital requests that were presented last month um $30,900 for door repairs it they range from like replacing doors to just um sort of uh buffing out sort of these Rusty rusted components of it um or um weather stripping on some doors they're really while while $30,900 for a whole bunch of door Replacements could be capitalized it's really it's really more appropriate to be in the maintenance budget it does keep our maintenance budget um operating budget at that higher level if you'll recall last year we did fund um an addition an increase to that uh budget area um it will maintain at that higher level I do anticipate that that would be able to come back down um as it as it you know to to a a level that it uh saw previously um in the next couple of years but um so yeah it was $30,900 for door repairs was the only change okay thank you that's that's really helpful to give everybody a sense of things so are we all set yeah great um and then security task force okay um so we also met on the 14th uh last week and um one of the first items of new business that is something that this board should definitely pay attention to um and I think we should probably get it on an upcoming agenda um but we talked about voting locations and how um the chief py was there and could not be stronger in his um sort of opposition to using School our schools um for voting locations especially when students are there but it's much cleaner to just say find another place to to put the polls um because essentially to have a wideopen school when students are in the building just you know kind of undermines all of our security measures that we work so hard to put into place so um I think hopefully in the next couple of months Wendy maybe we can get it on an agenda um because I think the board should probably vote to sort of make that prohibition um then uh Dr BR talked about some updating updated terminology for emergency protocols um you know there's a lot of really different complex situations related to various um emergencies and Hazards within the school and to just have kind of a standard terminology for um those various levels of activity in and out of the building um and working with um the police department to kind of um update and make some userfriendly guides to so that anybody any substitute or any teacher that's there kind of doesn't panic in the moment and kind of has somewhere um to go for information on uh protocols and procedures um Dr bril mentioned already that um Chief PGI and the SRO were at um WMS and VHS um with uh to meet with teachers and staff um fi filled their questions and kind of fill in the gaps of any understandings that they might have in terms of their capabilities during emergency situations then we talked about some new swatting technology um which was kind of a carryover from our previous meeting um but Eric provided an update um for um this company that we are hoping to engage with um to mitigate these swatting techs um and then we'll move forward with this technology once that company um develops sort of an implementation plan and it kind of goes through all of the legal um overviews there and then um our athletic director uh Steve Baldwin provided an overview of an app called Alerus uh which is an app that can provide um authorized emergency notifications immediately to um staff to students as well as to visiting teams so as you know when we had that emergency situation a few weeks ago um it was a lot of students were outside right and there was you know visiting teams that don't know where to go in those situations right so this app would kind of help standardize um and alert visiting teams and and those students on where to go how to get into the building safely things like that um and um Mr Baldwin um spoke very highly of the use of that app and actually that was it so our next meeting is uh Wednesday December 11th and actually we're going to meet at Candlewood Lake Elementary School um because actually one of the um comments to come out of the um CES building facilities thing was talking about a potential security gate to kind of block access to the rear of the building um so we're going to go there take a look at some potential locations as well as fences for to help I guess like balls rolling down the hill at at recess so um yeah so those could be potential um new Investments awesome thank you yep okay let's move to the consent agenda I move that the board approve the items on the consent agenda as recommended new hires resignations retirements October financials okay um all in favor of approving the consent agenda uh please signify by saying I I I any opposed any abstentions so it passes 70 okay Wendy might have a moment I just want to make sure we acknowledge Dory Corgan from whis over two decades uh at whiskin here serving uh the brofield public schools and and our students and wanted to just make sure we acknowledge her thank her for serving and uh she'll be moving on uh after the winter recess thank you m thank you Dory yes um okay moving onto new business um Dr burill you're going to talk to us about climate legislation [Music] sure okay all right so thank you everyone um uh in my weekly meeting with the chair she has uh respectfully requested of to keep it under 15 minutes uh it is a comprehensive presentation has about 30 slides I'm not going to read through every slide and some I may even quickly reference and and uh skip over certainly this uh presentation will be available for everyone and we'll send it out and uh uh people could have their opportunity to uh to go through it um uh but good evening thank you for the time um the school climate legislative update uh it's Public Act 23167 and the actual title is an act concerning transparency and education what I do want to say about this is there we just talked about this actually at policy committee um a number of things may be changing with laws right we've had some updates to Title 9 we have this update um we don't know what's coming down the pike but we're going to work from what we know now um and I have to thank our friends at at Advance who um helped us understand that they actually came in and talked with our team uh about a month ago um on uh the this new uh legislation and the Mandate that's uh forthcoming so what we would like to do tonight is uh uh really help people understand that there's a much broader definition of behaviors now um than just bullying um that must be addressed um creating a positive environment uh in the school is also included in this in this update and a narrowing of the time frame uh down to 3 days to complete investigations right now the language actually says that investigations will be completed promptly well that's very that's vague promptly could mean a week it could mean two weeks it could mean one day depending on the person and their frame of reference um the 48 hour rule is once the investigation is completed getting that information to parents and so now this is narrowing down two about 3 days from our understanding and reading through the legislation that's going to require uh a change in how we operate uh in terms of our urgency and how Swift We act uh and move on these things and pull students from classes to investigate and do the things we need to do um it's going to be a significant ripple effect so tonight what I'd like to do is do an overview of the climate legislation try to develop some understanding for everybody of new roles and responsibilities that are required um the BPS response and our planning for implementation um frankly we're going to go above and beyond um it's really important to us that we meet the expectations of the community and we do a great job for our kids and then differentiating very brief differentiation that we talked about earlier when uh in the year when we talked about school climate and the difference between climate and culture so that difference between climate and culture again I'm not going to read through on this the bottom line is school culture on the right hand side is how the school functions and school climate is what we survey how people feel about that why does school climate matter very briefly I'm just going to hit the high points here for you relationships strong learning environment emotional well-being of kids certainly behavior and discipline student engagement and teacher satisfaction we talked about teach efficacy a little bit earlier in the year all of these things are that that we just talked about here impact school climate and this is why it matters all right so the purpose of the legislation what are those those that wider swath and the narrowing of the time frame that I'm talking about prevent identify and respond to challenging behaviors that's the new term it's broader than bullying critical components of the bullying law right those critical components and the district policies are being refocused and broaden in including a required response and that really has to do with tiered interventions and restorative practices subsets of what challenging behavior is bullying teen dating violence assault physical violence harassment threatening the new legislation not only addresses the challenging Behavior but requires a plan to create a more positive School climate that's that's so there's a lot here it's very Broad and comprehensive all right developing best practices around school climate the board and the district need to consider adopting a goal regarding School climate you saw those earlier in the year when the principes had their different goals in their school Improvement plans and you'll see some um uh redundancy in what you've already heard throughout the year uh School climate efforts need to be embedded in the Improvement plans and you saw that we're getting ahead of that Although our school climate plans for this year they'll look a little they they're not going to look exactly the same this year to next year there's a format um but we're on our way um and you saw this on October 16th um and of course we're going to consider how the initiatives align with our portrait of the gradate so our continuous improvement process is important to know that we're working this climate uh implementation plan that we're putting together that it works with our school Improvement plans as I just said our strategic plan the NES work we're going to do teacher evaluation our growth and support plan all of this is very comprehensive we're going to embed this in all the work we do we need to look through through identify examine and Implement and what what are those things we have goals and priorities we need to think about roles and responsibilities and the professional learning that needs to go along with this what are our practices what does the climate data tell us you can see the things here are there budget considerations the new policy we just talked about that and I'll show you that in just a second the Improvement plans and of course monitoring and Reporting out so we're going to need to have a vision statement for what we're going to do with climate but that to come from stakeholders so we'll put a team together and we we'll work on a vision statement I certainly can come up with a vision statement and have it here ready to go but that needs to come from a broad group of folks so what are the main District obligations I started to talk about that earlier so in this current year the way the law is the board May adopt a new climate policy um if the board doesn't want to adopt a new policy the board must uh the board or the district must comply with the law that's something we always talk about if we don't have a policy for something we follow the law um and our current bullying policy um the Complaint Form the defined procedures Etc they come to an end as of this summer okay when we start the new school year we have to move into the new policy the new forums Etc all right so for July 1 districts must adhere to the statutory criteria um and the new definitions and adopt a new school climate policy our policy committee we just talked for the very first time very surface tonight about the policy itself I presented it very briefly um cave has a policy that we'll work off of shiping and goodwi our our Leal firm does not have a policy specific to uh climate but we need to uh my recommendation strongly is to have that policy ready to go probably I would think approved by March 1st I think we can we can do that on the policy committee this this committee is amazing how fast they're working and uh we'll have it ready so when the summer comes we're we're ready to rock and roll all right so in the school the school year next year 25 26 we have to have a number of pieces in place now de facto right now I'm the school climate coordinator as the superintendent we work with the principles and and we do that work but that's not defined in the current law we have to have an administrator an actual 092 certified administrator or the superintendent has to be the climate coordinator uh for next year um I'm picking up that mantle that'll be me I'm not going to assign that to anybody else everybody else already has full-time jobs we all do this is going to force us to pick up the pick up the pace and do the things we need to do this is a priority not only for me this year but for the whole District it'll continue next year um the principal of each school or their designate um who is trained in climate Improvement or restorative practices Shall Serve as the school climate specialist so you can there's going to be some verbiage and some overlap and just take our time you will understand it over time we're there's just a lot here so again I'm not going to read through every single slide but this is a really important one and they serve as Specialists now our school administration just so you know that then um we do something uh a little differently which is under current law um but it works for us and we want to keep this in place as well so there's a district climate coordinator in this case in Brookfield would be the superintendent then the folks who act as the climate specialist would be school administrator who is designated um or could be a split duty at each school we currently have school climate coordinators and again there's a that coordinator word we might come up with a different word to to differentiate it um those are um teachers on stipend assignment who after school uh in their non-teaching hours um either split that Duty or single uh or a single teacher at the schools depending how it's set up um work with the school climate committee that we also have to have and that is something we continue to have to have next year from our view as an admin team we've really been talking about this for the last couple of months we believe that critical to implementing the new law correctly um is to make sure and to meet our community expectations um is to develop a new teacher leader position to operationalize and make sure we're implementing this right and getting all the reporting the data the professional development and the coordination across the district and at the schools and something we're going to call a comp climate compliance teacher just so you know I'll share this more in two weeks when we present the budget this position would be a reallocation from an existing position it will not be asking for additional resources above and beyond the status quo budget so what would a climate compliance teacher do District level leadership they would work with the superintendent to support the implementation of the plans it's obviously with the school school folks they collaborate with those Specialists remember I said the Specialists are the school building administrator administrators or whiskin we also have the dean of students developing strategies to prevent identify and respond to challenging Behavior remember it's a wider slot swath wider swath excuse me and a narrowing of the time frame to do this work reporting to the superintendent on a regular basis and I must submit an annual report to the board concerning the number of tiered responses the incidents Etc the compliance teacher will assist the superintendent in districtwide climate efforts so I will be working directly with this particular individual and it'll be a real help with a liaz on to the buildings and of course we'll be in the buildings working on this and always handing glove with our administrative team we thought putting together a graphic might help people understand a little bit there's some things we do and will continue to do and then we've got our additional layers so the climate coordinator for the district uh is the superintendent in our case and there's communication working with the state mandate um Regular meeting meetings there's some minimal regular meetings you must have we're going to have more than that practically uh if if it's not weekly it'll be it'll be twice a month for sure um and then around that orange circle you can see we have the climate Specialists that I talked about which are School administrators at all three schools and then our climate coordinators um who are those full-time teachers who receive a stien who work with the climate committees all right and when I say that it's not just that the climate uh coordinator teacher is the only person who works with the clim committees the administrations there and those kind of things the compliance teacher is really there to operationalize this mandate make sure we're reporting assisting completing all the paperwork in the requisite time frame which I've I've emphasized already monitoring the challenging behaviors looking at Trend data making sure we're all communicating with each other so we're coherent aligned and responsive as a district not only as a school and making sure we are uh ensuring that our teachers are trained in restorative practice [Music] so I've listed out in the next couple of slides some of the responsibilities to help people with operationalizing this and kind of picturing this um so working with the Specialists the compliance teacher provide District level support to make sure our Improvement plans are being implemented so for example we are moving away from Panorama they their costs are exorbitant we're moving into thought exchange and we're actually looking to conduct a thought exchange survey uh for January Ary um I believe the law requires uh every other year a survey now going forward we're going to do two per year uh kind of a midyear end of year um for example working with the uh different social emotional assessments looking at discipline records attendance rates academic growth data the types of bullying complaints that are being submitted the types of challenging Behavior Uh uh that are being addressed and how are we conducting restorative practices and of course excuse me any data concerning uh implementation additionally um I just talked about the two-year uh commitment uh two-year meeting so we'll move on from that um the other piece is the climate compliance teacher this is this we can picture is a veteran teacher this is someone who who um is taking on the mantle of leadership so they'll they'll be working you know obviously with the superintendent working on District pieces and certainly in Brookfield like I said um we are going to go above and beyond um because a compliance teacher that I'm about is not required by the law is to help us implement the law effectively um the climate Specialists these are remember our building administrators what are the things they do they provide the leadership for prevention identif identification in response to challenging behaviors okay this is above and with the challenging Behavior it's above and beyond bullying like we talked about um making sure that the restorative practices are implemented appointing members of the school climate committee I'll get into that in a little bit scheduling meetings for and leading the school climate committee and leading the implementation of the plan and they'll do this in coherence and in alignment in full collaboration with myself and the uh compliance teacher the climate coordinators these are again our full-time teachers that receive a stipend and again I'm trying not to be confusing with the language here so just it'll come to everybody like I said they organize the climate committee meetings obviously working with their school administration collaborate and plan regularly with the school administration and help develop initiatives at the school for positive School climate which is all going on now at the school so we'll continue that um so the school climate committee I'm not going to go deep into this but it must represent a diverse group of stakeholders um two members of the school Community um as determined by The Specialist we'll have the compliance teacher on there uh the union teacher Union has to have representation um so uh and we we need to have a parent on that group what's the committee do working on having uh the survey maybe we um have very organic questions as part of the thought exchange survey that we talked about looking at the climate data what are some responses we can have how do we implement the school plan um making sure those things get implemented and Advising on maybe creative ideas and strategies so it's really a it's it's a homegrown School effort that that committee and then annually providing notice of challenging behaviors then the school climate Improvement plan I'm not going to get into the details there because we already have those for this year they're not required for this year there will be required for next year so we'll make sure our format changes in accordance with that um continuing on to the plan uh obviously using survey data to develop the plan that's what our principles already did with their teams um recommending to the committee things we're going to work on we talked about some of those tonight uh our Spotlight had that in there as well um and working with the Specialists and the compliance teacher um the plan starting next year has to be submitted on December 31st the district plan um so continuing on um again the words prevention identification and response the plan may be placed into the existing School Improvement plans um the state department of Ed will not be collecting the plans but we need to post the plan on our website there's School climate training that has to happen in this current year in preparing us to get ready for next next year um and the years thereafter so what's theal work that we have to do what's the school climate and culture work we have to do and what are the restorative practices training we have to do and you can see some examples there of what we're doing we are going to develop a kind of foundational common restorative practices District uh training and then it'll be delivered at each of the schools to make sure everybody has is level set un restored for this year we're going to do that so challenging behavior and bullying again the existing bullying definition is about severe persistent and pervasive uh conduct new bullying definition unwanted and aggressive behavior among children in grades K12 in uh inclusive that involves a real or perceived power imbalance so you could see it is much broader than the current definition um we must address the challenging behaviors and school climate and again in that truncated timeline challenging Behavior behavior that negatively impact school climate or interferes uh or is at risk of interfering with the learning or safety of a student or safety of a School employee and again I go back to that statement I made in one of my opening slides a broader definition of behaviors that must be addressed creating positive School climate and narrowing of the time frame uh to investigate and report and the subset I want to reiterate these again of challenging Behavior so it's broader than just bullying we've got harassment assault they talk about te they specifically say team Dating Violence physical violence and threatening we have to have a tiered response for these things and of course these are very significant words when you see them it's scary um law enforcement would would obviously be involved in anything that's uh criminal our SRO would be there to help us with that uh there's a challenging Behavior Behavior reporting form which is part of the policy this is all linked in there so people are more than welcome when we we get this out to everyone they can look at it themselves um survey requirements so just to make sure everybody knows I think I mentioned this earlier um bi anly Dr man and I I looked it up to double check what we understand it to be now and again things are subject to change would mean every other year um but regardless we're going to do it twice a year so we'll be in full compliance um parents and Guardians must receive a a receive prior written notice of the content and administration of the survey and of course excuse me we talked about this forever having the opportunity to opt out um and the survey is the foundation for the climate Improvement plan so what are our next steps again here's that continuous Improvement slide again I'll move right through that specifically next steps we want to designate the district climate coordinator we've done that budget considerations I've talked about a climate compliance teacher uh leader position um the policy uh committee has been updated and provided the uh cab sample policy and that's really all we have to go on at this point um we I'd like to get that done my recommendation is by March um so we're ready in full swing excuse me train each School climate specialist those are building administ Traders regarding the new law and expectations we'll be talking about this specific presentation on Tuesday next week um updating our climate committees uh can developing oural and restorative practices training as I mentioned transition to thought exchange uh for midy year and end of year and while the majority of these are required as a reminder I'm talking about my recommendation the team's recommendation for what we need to do to implement this effectively to meet the expectations of our community and have uh you know the best climate we can have in the safest environment for our students and our staff and so the it is not required to be very clear there's no requirement for this compliance teacher that I'm putting forward as a recommendation I'll put that forward in two weeks in the budget recommendation and that's all I have for you thank you for your [Music] time I have a couple questions um I know just with my own experience that I hope moving forward that each School the reporting and what is said to parents or whether they're asking for incident reports that it's consistent from school to school um so I'm really looking forward to that being streamlined but also I mean um in May or earlier in one year I asked who the state school climate coordinator was one school didn't answer um and the other one said that it was Mr Roland and Dr man so I'm just there needs to be I mean and I can forward you the emails just because um it it seems that there's a disconnect on what this is and when a parent seeks the information it's different or it's not accurate inconsistent and we can't so I mean from May I mean I can tell you for April 29th at 24 I was told that it's Mr Roland and Dr man and in October it wasn't answered a different school so I think that it's really important that you know whether it be posted on a website so it can be readily available to parents is just would be really helpful okay let's yep please sorry um so I you you might have mentioned this but the climate compliance teacher that's a full-time position that that would be a full-time teacher leader position consistent with you know other full-time teacher leader positions we had that's for the district that would be for the district we work directly with me and our specialists at each school school administration um and then I just have kind of like a general question because I know you talk obviously done with other superintendents in the area but what is sort of is this the model that sort of the state kind of dictated or is like having this climate compliance teacher districtwide with the school climate specialist kind of becoming like the model the compliance teacher I couldn't tell you I'm actually prepared to share this with my Western Connecticut colleagues I'm going to see them on Friday for a meeting but I wanted to get this to them tomorrow after this presentation I did share it with uh a regional colleague and they said wow I have not been thinking about this as much so I appreciate this so I think this is something that's not is not on everybody's radar and that's why I said I really had to thank our friends that had Advance Judy Palmer and Fran Mara came down um and uh really helped us understand the impact um you know of what's going to happen I think there's a lot of unintended consequences in terms of the time commit commment in what school districts have to do locally to make this work um not faulting them at all this is totally well intended of course um but boots on the ground to operationalize these mandates frankly it becomes another unfunded mandate and everyone who could be assigned this these administrators have full-time jobs already um and if they could do things faster we would do things faster um but they have to be done thoroughly as well so there's a lot here but each of these positions like climate Specialists climate coordinators and the compliance teacher compliance teacher is really the only new piece that we would add that is not requir like necessary We Believe to implement this law yeah effectively okay and properly oh sorry we we as a team we believe we need another body to help us do this work okay if I can just speak quickly to the public act 11232 which was the 2019 um Public Act which took effect in 2021 when that came down the pike um to specifically outline the expectations of school climate Specialists that that was the responsibility of the um of someone who has an 092 in the school um and to do those investigations promptly and then to make sure that all parties are uh made aware of the investig of the investigative findings within 48 hours that was a huge shift back in um you know the late 201s um and one of the things that when that's when restorative practices came kind of onto the Forefront because there was a kind of again a not just a punitive approach um so this is another step along the way um but really when uh you know we knew this was coming because it's been around you know the law was a year and a half ago um when we and we've talked about it it's one of the reasons we established reestablished the eiib Comm committee at the district level to kind of be that initial um not specifically to the challenging Behavior piece but just to be you know kind of that climate focused uh aspect of the district level um but when we were when we met with the Ed Advance folks and they gave us some uh in in service on this in September the specific uh adjustments to the forms which are a a a welcome thing because it is true it was up to the school districts um there were sample forms but there was not a consistency across the state or even within districts um and then the prescriptive aspect of the the 3-day turnaround um that's not just that's from finding out about it to full investigation and full response back that is a huge shift um and something that our school climate Specialists three of whom are sitting over there um are just it's just not feasible to have it done just at that level so we're talking about one person to cover three schools essentially one person to help coordinate so this person wouldn't be the investigator no this my question who's the investigator on build the school climate Specialists who are the building administrators but if there was so we have to look at how we prioritize our time in in the school right um and the other piece is if the compliance teacher needs to roll up their sleeves and help out because there's a rash of a social media outbreak of whatever is going on at a particular school then they'll spend more time over there you know it's not going to be uh they're going to be in the building all the time uh this is not an office at the TSO or anything like that so you're that person would have an 092 so they could we're going to post it as you know this all goes through um preferred 92 not an administrative position so it's not required to have an so if they have to investigate it they could right and and the other part about that Erin is we're being very mindful of costs we're not looking to put more administrators uh uh here we're looking to look at our teacher leaders that can really help us on the ground with this and that keeps the cost down for the taxpayers does the dean do any investigating the dean does do investigating yeah so the dean functionally in a lot of ways with the exception of evaluation and and supervision of Staff uh does a lot of role of an assistant principal right yeah I figured that they also to do all the climate stuff too right they they're they're aren't they the climate coordinators uh depends on yeah not necessarily not necessarily a SED position so they teachers are able to apply for it because it's an extra Duty gotcha okay is this the first time that we would be doing restorative practice training no we we've been we've there has been restorative practice training mentioned like about fiveish years ago when it was well I don't know about here I wasn't here five years ago but we've done trauma informed instruction all of oural work kind of falls into that area but we're going to put together a very specific foundational restorative um training for everybody and depending on the on the on the level of involvement you'll have different levels of of training so there's actually on that slide 23 when it says you know required School climate training those are the topics that have to be included there's no prescribed School climate training um so the reason that we listed all the other things that we're currently doing is that based on all the stuff we're already doing we will have be in compliance with the law as of July 1 2025 um with the uh addition of a formal kind of restorative practices presentation training to the entire um staff uh and then we'll do further followup that's one of the things the compliance teacher that will be kind of the guru of the restorative practices in order to provide further professional learning specific to the administrators to you know um your support staff you know your respon your school psychologists and your counselors they're going to you know the crisis team is going to have a different level of involvement if there are issues that that come up so for example you know Sarah you know when there's a aesque or the state has some kind of Workshop that's new next year the compliance teacher would go and then bring that back for everybody that kind of a thing as well that leadership piece was there any language in the legislation about conducting investigation was there any specific there was the form there are the form lead you through the investigation yeah yeah okay but in the presentation when you receive it there's a link to it so you can read it yourself it's all there to make it convenient for everyone and everything will be investigated everything reported requires under challenging Behavior right that is under yeah it has to [Music] be okay let's um let's move then to um discussion of the um ad hoc committees that we established last week so um regarding the healthy school start times uh do we have we need Clarity on who is going to be on that my understanding is that it's we have some clarity all right excited good well that's I'm hoping so my understanding Sarah and I un someone has anything else to say about that but and we're first meeting is going to be December 4th we're hoping at 6 o' do a zoom great and we have a board meeting that night do we want to do it at 6 in person right before because I'll be on that that's the committee I'll be on an is GNA take the class SI and you know oh I told you the nth did I tell you nth oh nth sorry nth you're right yeah that's fine 129 all right that's we could do it the fourth that's fine facilities do you guys have facilities at at on the fourth I think facil no facilities is not on the fourth all right let's this is why we're doing this let's see oh Sarah's also on the other one okay yeah facilities is on the fourth that won't work won't work because Sarah Sarah won't be able to attend because there's facilities [Music] already you want to do the ninth [Music] so we have cape on the 11th all right the nth okay so that's six great so healthy school of yes can you do Monday I work at the pleasure of the board so would that be in person or would that be Zoom thank Zoom would be preferred can we have as much data as we can what dat what's our first date the 9th December 9th that's probably going to talk to Mr Bland and Mr bald when I think that's the data we want there because I think they've been collect I think they mentioned they they had been collecting data M great that sounds wonderful so Monday the 9th will be the first meeting and then we'll take it from that 6 6 PM with the zoom and so we'll just need to post the zoom link we'll get all that done thank you great um so then class size Sarah again Watch back at it um so we so we spoke um and you said what did we say DEC Thurday the 12th hope the 12 but then you weren't you could do the 12 I have EI that I could do a little earlier what you mentioned but yeah I guess we just have to keep throw around possible that would work like a two 132 is yeah I have I I just have um EI at 350 so I just have to be done by 3:45 yeah so I could even do like 2:45 to 345 if you prefer I have to do like hour before okay 1:3 to 2:30 um I I'm working yeah um I guess thr a couple more days back Sarah you need to turn yeah okay um so if not maybe the day before the 11 we have Cape the day before you could come early to Cape we could just the two amazing two of you you're want to do that so 5:00 perfect on the 11th there we go on 1211 and that'll be in person here at TSO Town Hall okay thank you okay I and I actually have um some information and data I can share with the two of you prior um I've collected some information from other districts as well as some research okay awesome thanks everybody yeah we'll be well on our way thanks for bringing this up tonight okay um and then um I I would like to um I would like to add uh an item right here since we're talking about committees but in order to do that um I mean I'd like to add a motion um but I would need five of us at least to add this motion this is about the rbac um that I contacted you about Joy has um stepped down you finalized the lots of paperwork that you have to do in order to do that and then um nobody reached out and said that they wanted this I'm willing to do it um unless somebody I'll just take that so um with that let me just make the motion to add this topic to the agenda other topic to the agenda so I move to add um the rbac motion to the agenda right now right now right here right here right now yes um great uh all in favor of adding the rbac motion to the agenda right right now all right okay any opposed okay great so so now it's on the agenda so now it's on the agenda so what I'd like to do is move to amend the subcommittee meeting dates and members document to reflect that uh Wendy Youngblood will replace Joy Greenstein as the Boe representative to the rbac committee second okay so all in favor of me of us amending the subcommittee meeting dates and members document to to reflect me going in for Joy for rbac please say I I I I any opposed any extensions okay then that is done thank you very much um so yeah that first meeting is tomorrow okay great so now we're going to the um grants approval I move that the board approve the attached list of Grants as recommended by the director of business and operations Casey deti and the superintendent Dr John baral um I'll in favor of approving the list of Grants um as recommended by Mrs diot and Dr Brill please say I I I any opposed any extensions all right great okay now we are moving to the next item it is the complaint um the 1312 um and so here's here's what I propose um we are discussing whether or not to take up the 1312 complaint from Denise rice against me um so I propose giving us um a time limit to decide whether we're going to take it up or not and then if the if the board votes yes to take it up um then we will move in that direction I would recuse myself and Rosa would take over um just so that everybody procedurally can see what would happen so um okay I don't think we have to move to discuss taking don't okay so um the the substance of the complaint just to remind everyone um is that um and I don't have it in front of me um that the complainant uh was unhappy about a conversation um I had with the union president teachers union president and um the uh the complaintant disagreed with the events that unfolded thereafter um and says that it it was a um I guess counter to board leadership so that's that's the short version um is this something that we would like to take up um are Robert you ready to vote on this ready when everyone else is Aon are you ready to vote y Sarah are you ready to vote vote to take it up to take it up um Joy are you ready to vote yep yep okay um and I'm ready to vote on this okay um all in favor of taking up the 1312 complaint um please say I I I okay all opposed n n any abstentions all right so it passes uh 43 then I will recuse and um go ahead all right um so everybody should have had the opportunity to read through the complaint so what I'd like to do is go around the table make everybody sort of or give everybody an opportunity to say their peace and then we will go from there so Rob why don't you I just wanted to hear what the public had to say I didn't want to dismiss a complaint from the public so I just really wanted to hear it out and give it the you know just give it some the time that it deserves okay without just dismissing it basically Ain I mean I I think you reading through the complaint there's a few things that you know as a board member I'm not really thrilled to find out you know who attended meetings based on an foa an foi that was presented by a Community member I think that it lacks transparency um and I think it lacked you know um a conversation among board members so um I do have to say that I'm really disappointed about that I think that this could have been approached in a different manner um while I understand that um the union president asked to me I also do not feel that the board was um represented um and I also don't feel that what was sent back to us as board members from the union president um while his opinion is you know his opinion um we didn't have the opportunity to even you know discuss it it was buried um and then we were faced with probably the largest crowd we've ever had and I think that it is really um unfortunate okay Sarah I mean I have similar sentiments but I just think if you're going to preach unity and transparency this is going to be something that contradicts that and I have a problem with that okay go yeah I'm um really upset about it um very disappointed when the email came from the union president that um they wanted to speak with the board um I immediately responded to our board chair and shared that I would like to attend the meeting as well um and at that point the board chair could have said I'm choosing to bring Miss Fernandez with me but she did not she's not transparent about that she had an opportunity to say I appreciate you wanting to come but no thank you she said she was going to go and no point did the board Chair say that she was bringing somebody else with her so um that was not transparent at all was very dishonest um and I don't appreciate that we're supposed to be acting together as a board and be being on the same page and giving the same information so to find that out in a secretive way through a member of the public fo you know an email that was really upsetting disappointing and very divisive um it led to further division of the board um it's is very contradictory to what's being put out there um and I think that made an unfortunate series of events from that point happen which shouldn't have happened should never have happened um under proper leadership so I was you know very disappointed about how that all unfolded Stephanie you have anything to say so I want to start with the fact that Wendy reported immediately after the meeting that she met and gave us a clear explanation of what the meeting was about so I I disagree with the fact that it was done in secret that we didn't know we did not find out through the FAA that she met um with the Union president bottom line is the teachers do not feel supported and I think that anything we can do including the chair meeting with the Union president is the right way to handle this situation I I the chair of the board board is a representative of the Board of Education and can speak on our behalf and the meeting was requested I find that the complaint is from a member of the public with a perception of what occurred without all the information making the complaint against the board of chair or the Board of Ed chair and there was no policy violation so just because it wasn't something that you liked or agreed with does not mean that it was a violation and of any policy and should be taken up as a complaint to consider removing the chair okay um honestly I'm not I'm not going to entertain this with a lot of time because quite frankly I think we had a lot of really good conversation tonight and then to have this in front of us brings everything to a embarrassingly grinding Halt and it is a completely inefficient and ineffective use of our time on this board and I don't think the teachers appreciate it I don't think the general public appreciates it but to stand here and complain about each other is just I just don't want to have any part of it so I'm not going to correct any of the factual errors I think Stephanie did a good job of that um but since we are here um and some very serious complaints have been lodged does anybody have a motion what or was this really just a completely meaningless vent well I'd like to add a comment um Stephanie what you said were were facts absolutely we were given the email we were shown the email she um the board chair provided the um details from the meeting um but details were left out and that's not being transparent right I'm not discounting the fact that all that information was provided for us absolutely you're right but if someone purposely leaves out information right as a leader of this board who preaches transparency and honesty and cohesiveness then you need to be honest about everything that wasn't being honest and she had an opportunity to be honest when I asked politely and with kindness to attend as well to be a voice together because we are all in here to support teachers and to give the notion that we don't is absolutely ridiculous and I take offense to that we we serve on this board we've all made it very clear we're here for the students we're here for the teachers we're here for the community we're always here advocating to make things better for the teachers so to give that perception that some people attend a meeting and God knows what was really said and then to sit back and let other people be called out is not showing Unity at all so wait wait wait can I just ask for clarification you just accused the union teachers union president and the chair of the board of education for not being honest and relaying information a meeting between the two of them that's not what I just said you just said God knows what was said during the meeting so you're saying what Wendy said and reported to us you're calling okay the fact that the meeting was not factual you God knows what was said we're not going to go back and forth I gave everybody an opportunity to say their peace so we're going to move on I'm going to End discussion here so again I'm going to ask is there a motion or is this really just an area where we are going to just complain about each other because I will tell you right now that that is not something that I don't think anybody in this room or in this community appreciates Point Blank so do we have a motion agree I mean no the question the we're not discussing anymore we're we have closed discussion I'm asking for a motion I move to End discussion of this item do I have I move second I move to continue discussion because the fact of the matter is Aaron there is a motion on the table to End discussion you cannot make another motion on top of it there is a motion on the table to End discussion it has been seconded it's on the table all in favor of ending discussion of this please signify by saying I I I all oppose Nay n n fine discussion continues Aaron you have the floor please make it quick okay well you want to flip over the timer no Aon you have the floor I'm going to be completely honest when this came up before this even became a board discussion I became aware of what was going on in the community about what the union representative wanted to meet about and called John specifically I didn't point of order this doesn't have anything to do with the complaint in the discussion but yes it does because it's what the complaint that's why you met with them is is that or is that not why you met [Music] I mean let's be real here we met right you met with him because of something that was emailed to teachers that the community found out about is that true or not I don't think that's the thing that we can discuss here you know what just me you guys are ridiculous would anybody else like the floor I would just like to add Stephanie I don't agree that the email that Wendy sent was clear clear at all in fact it made it even more confusing to me as to why anybody thought we weren't supporting teachers when the 40 teachers showed up here I still didn't understand why the perception was we don't don't so did you listen to anything that Mr patrin said because I took notes and he said the Board needs to stand up for teachers the Board needs to respect have respectful exchanges the Board needs to make sure that we're not attacking teachers when asking questions that the ethics and professionalism of the Board of Ed members are in question so these are all things that are real out in our schools concerns directly from the teachers and the union president brought that to the board of ed the union President also brought to the board of ed that um guess that there was certain Board of Ed members that had a Personal Agenda so was that ever you know able to dis be discussed so clearly we went into a meeting to discuss you regularly okay what Board of Ed members whatever their agenda is in case I mean in case the the flavor of what Mr petrino's meeting was about it is literally this right here it is literally this you are not understanding that this board sets the climate for the entire District this is a complete waste of time and it's embarrassing to our district we've got to stop it so again do you have a motion do you you want to do anything or are you just here to Lodge complaints I moved to dismiss the complaint 1312 from uh and take no action I dis I move to dismiss the 1312 complaint and take no action second any discussion on that okay all in favor of dismissing the compl I just want to say that I just wanted to give it because when complaints come in I feel like we should give it the air time at least discuss but respectfully discuss that was a reason why I felt we should at least have it out there so good thanks Rob all right all in favor of dismissing the complaint please signify by saying I I I all opposed I okay uh the motion um what are we doing a TI is this a pass no it doesn't pass it doesn't pass okay so then again if we are not dismissing the complaint I urge you make a motion I like to make a motion I think the board chair should step down for leadership are you making a motion to remove the CH the board chair yeah ask her to step down making a motion to ask the board chair to step down I'll second okay any discussion on that okay all in favor of I'm sorry I'd like to say that I think that um there are a lot of assumptions at root in this complaint which are not borne out by the actual experience and um I'm trying not to get into The Fray but I wholeheartedly agree with what Rosa has said and I really feel like this is um not good for our district all in favor of removing Wendy as chair please signify by saying I I all opposed nay the motion fails okay moving on Wendy I relinquish the chair back over to you okay we're going we're moving now to Old business uh we're looking at the special education strategic Plan [Music] update think I'm good yep I think so good evening members of the board thank you um coming to you tonight with an update on where we are with the Strategic plan some items that i' like to uh lead with um and before I begin I'd like to thank our committee members uh that you see listed here um we had one or two folks who had left the district but we had um Shaina marks and Ryan pelli who are our new social worker and school psychologist have jumped on board uh to help us as we move forward with the plan um what I'd like to talk about as a whole concept tonight is the state of the Department of consistency and stability or as I just wrote stability and consistency um we're moving forward forward from where we were when I was here a year ago um I'd like to talk about the desk audit so to give a real quick history lesson way back when in the midst of time um say 20 years ago the state department of Ed would randomly select districts to go in and look at their IEPs and files and make sure they were compliant um they would come in in person they would pull files literal files and go through them and report on them right then and there well with the Advent of CTS the state is no longer um they don't need to come into the district and do a desk audit however they notified us last October that they were going to do a desk audit select about 20 IEPs at random to look at compliance issues and what we got was a pretty good report card there are areas of growth we did well on compliance on timelines on re-evaluations areas of growth are things that we have been working through with compliance including more parent input more data collection more progress monitoring not anything that Rose to the level of the state coming in to do focused monitoring which would be uh an area of non-compliance and that's not something that we want so it's just areas of growth for us as a district I also reached out to Mike Taver who wrote us the letter who is the state consultant and said could we get comparisons to other districts just to see how we're doing it's not that type of audit it's sort of your audited for your own growth and for your own sake so I couldn't come up here tonight and say bethl versus Brookfield Danbury it's not the purpose the purpose is to see how well we do with where we are and I'm very proud of our team to be able to come to you with those test audit results secondly professional development um working with at Advance with our partners at at Advance on professional development not only for our teachers uh and administrators but also for our Paris um there's 18 hours that Paras are required to have now but we've talked about and you'll see on the slide um what we're doing with that um and finally on this slide which leads to this slide um our Unified sports team so um Dr burill and I are uh with the team in the middle um Mr Renda I had to get you in you were there um and this is just I wanted to give a visual example of the good stuff that happens every day you know looking at our gened and our special ed students working together uh not only on our field hosting other districts but also um at a a summit that they went to in Rocky Hill last week with uh our coaches Corey raffy Kathy Roman uh Nick Castellano and Carol Reinhardt uh and also a big thanks to Mr Baldwin Steve Baldwin for being the point person around which we can collaborate with uh the athletic teams and be our own uh Representatives as we go throughout districts so I want to thank everybody for that uh as I move on to other points so last time I spoke to you we talked about the four domains from the correct report and in talking with Dr Coro who I'm in regular contact with and kind of um you know checking with her to kind of see where she feels we're moving forward in terms of the correct report we had the four domains that also included communication and collaboration last time I was here I think we talked about uh me folding in the communication and collaboration throughout the domain so tonight you'll see three areas that we're working on um they aren't uh Dynamic pieces necessarily but these are pieces that move us forward and make us more structured so one of the things that we've been doing throughout the committee and each Committee Member is kind of folded into a subcommittee looking at the allocation of case loads we saw the case load report back in October improving delivery of services again to look at compliance and equitable distribution but also making sure that students in each building are serviced appropriately again moving forward this is these are goals that we're working on and processes that we're involved in um you saw from um this picture uh our new ELC teacher Miss jyn um who has done an amazing job in that classroom of transforming what our vision was of the program so enhancing our specialized program at whiner to better align with the transition that Mrs sudow and her team have at the high school we're very proud of that and we want to make sure that that was acknowledged this evening and again talking about the professional development from the previous slide um the topics that we are working on with that advance to deliver to teachers and uh Paras and related service staff assistive technology dyslexia secondary transition and continued development of quality IEPs these topics were born out of conversations that we had in the um the Strategic plan committee as well as speaking with parents speaking with staff and speaking with that advance to kind of see what they felt was were were areas that they could provide us with these um professional development systems speaking of systems systems and structures so with this you've heard me come up here month after month talking about aligning our systems across all three buildings again a work in progress but making sure that there's a flowchart and guidelines across the board to make sure that the systems in each building are the same this is based on feedback from parents uh area special ed directors that I've work with through con case um our resc community communities have practiced through Ed advance and professional development sessions again the the communication process has been clarified across all three buildings that's again something that might have been communication and collaboration as a separate domain we don't see it that way anymore and making sure that we're meeting on a regular basis with classroom teachers specialed teachers talking about items like co- teing you know that's a topic that's that's come up and topics that we're looking at for for professional development different models of co- teing different models of inclusion and areas where we can improve and look at different areas that we can Implement IEPs in different ways um social emotional so these this comes out of conversations that I'm having with principles with assistant principles and especially our mental health staff so our social workers our school psychologists um you know what does it look like when we're looking at tiered interventions for Behavior what does it look like when we're monitoring data to develop protocols and responses to increase student challenges as we all know the mental health challenges have increased over the past few years not just in our district but in many districts responding to that appropriately creating systems that support the kids and give them what they need at an appropriate level that support them going into the classroom and learning uh and this also aligns with the Desa piece we use as a as an overall districtwide um initiative guidelines for specialized programs this is not necessarily an an entry and exit criteria I don't want it to be so um structured as that but guidelines of when would we move from tier three to a referral when would we move from uh a more open classroom setting with some support to a more specialized program those kinds of conversations are happening and they're happening more frequently and developing a review process for present levels of performance you heard me talk about the desk audit this is one of the areas of making sure that it's not just anecdotal in present levels of performance and I don't want to get into the Weeds on IEPs too much but um that there should be data there should be specific test scores there should be specific areas of measurement within the present levels when we're building goals and objectives that's not always the case that's not always the case in many districts it's something that we're focused and working on and terms of our structures and overall of this is educational benefit making sure that the students benefit year toe from CES to WMS to BHS finally student learning again clear qualifiers for specific programming addressing specific needs rather than making an emotional decision let's make it Based on data and and systems and documentation of why we're making the decisions we're making looking at specific programs within each School design resources for the specialized programs and what we might need to expand models of co- teing what we might need to expand understanding of IEPs and areas of growth within that and again guidelines we don't want to make this specific criteria of gatekeeping that's not what special ed is about it's what does the child need and how do we make that decision looking at guidelines for what are the service hours where is the setting is it a whole classroom is it a small group um what accomodations look like and that the accommodations are reviewed yearly and special considerations around areas like academic support and behavior and again collaboration among the Gen Ed and specialed teachers in each building to make sure students are getting where what they need wherever they are in the Continuum of services whether that's uh a co- teing or an inclusion model in a gened classroom a resource setting a specialized program across the board with that and finally what are we going to do to look at student learning our areas of focus are looking at outcome data we selected recommended prek grade three grade seven grade 10 so that there's a a a marker for each area looking at attendance looking at Exit data looking at what criteria we need to look at transition programs looking at our ability to create our own transition program uh and rates of inclusion and least restrictive environment again speaking to the co- teing model and what is appropriate for each level of need and level of student at each school and like I said not the most dynamic um and again I thank you for your time this evening I've also linked both the correct program review and the out of District program review for your perusal and any questions you might have in the future or areas within those recommendations that although in year one we addressed them we looked at all of them but now we're honing in on what can we do in year One what can we do in year two and if we're looking at a 3 to fiveyear plan this is the year we start narrowing down areas that we can move forward so I thank you I thank the parents who have helped contribute to this and I thank the community for the support thank you very much thank you I think that Unified sports though is absolutely awesome well done awesome and and there's more pictures than that great job that's that's what we we fixed for tonight so Bill's running away but were there any questions the light went on I don't know it's after 9:00 I have to run away I was old business I used to be new business I just wanted to say thank you for starting this special ed strategic plan I think um the more we can do to make it a more inclusive um environment and everybody can understand it um and every child's accepted for what they bring to the table is just um I think it's really incredible so thank you for your dedication and the people that are serving on I appreciate that and when you see those photos it's many of us in this room have had the conversations about what inclusion should look like and that that's why I want to put that in because if you if if that's not the most exemplary example redundant of um what inclusion can look like in a non-academic setting this is social so again I thank you for that and I thank for thank everyone for the input that they've given for us to be allowed to be able to do this for the kids I'm not running away Dr BR he's still looking at you're on the than for doing that thank you thank you okay um [Music] so I move that the board approved the 2025 2026 one-year prioritized capital projects list as recommended by the finance subcommittee and is presented by Director of Business and operations Casey deti at the October 30th 2024 board meeting I second all in favor of approving the oh sorry gosh I thought we were ready to go that's okay um yeah so it it's essentially the same except for the one item I mentioned earlier um which was the removal of the $30,900 that I um had in there for door door repairs and Replacements at the high school um those are still going to happen those repairs are just going to be um covered under our operating budget which you'll see in the in the presentation um on the 4th so that was the only change to that hopefully you had an opportunity to check out all the pictures and the presentation and any other backup information you needed so and I also understand from Mr Dunn that uh the capital committee for the town will be having their first meeting tomorrow tom so this is important that we and at that meeting just for clarification that's where I will resign and Stephanie as we discussed at our last meeting will take my place there well she'll have to be voted in by the board of Selectmen but um I'm sure that won't be a problem but um I did have a question about just a quick question because I know I wrote it down and I have seen this before um but could you just like do you happen to have the net sort of change from like last year's like this is whatever year two of last year's 10e plan like what the difference is so from the original 10-year plan that was presented last year yeah I do a second [Music] with okay this is the right number so the number yep the number you're looking for is what we projected for year two as of last year yes okay thank you is the actual correct and so that was uh 2,137 300 okay and the difference there is like a 200ish thousand yep yeah and the difference there is um they're all noted as new items um in the in the plan they are the um the floor scrubber at the high school the weight room equipment the outdoor score scoreboard the server upgrades at both the high school and whis um the stage curtain at whiner and carpeting in the main office at whiner thank you [Music] yep I good okay it is astonishing how much those curtains cost yeah um okay so we are uh then um Stephanie ready for you yeah oh wait wait are we the the motion's on the floor and um uh so all in favor of approving the one-year prioritize prioritized capital projects list um as recommended by Mrs diot please signify by saying I I I any opposed I I okay so to any exensions okay so we have a 52 pass Sarah were you a pass yes yes okay great thank you awesome thank you all right and with that then we move to um our second uh round of public comment we have um Mr Korea who has just signed up for a second public [Music] comment um Andy Korea 45 West whis Road um so I have read the uh Board of ethics code pretty thoroughly um it's Crystal Clear that um if there's an issue which you know you have a personal interest in then uh you need to uh recuse yourself and announce that in the public meeting get up and move into the audience um there was a complaint last spring about you know um regarding the public broadcasting of part of a meeting in that complaint process um that didn't happen um I come and came and spoke and wrote about it it was clear to the board it should have been clear to the board that that was an acceptable behavior that happened three times tonight so the respondent of the 1312 should have announced that they needed to recuse themselves move over to the public area um not vote on whether to discuss the issue um and then not be at the table when the issue was discussed and then shouldn't have interjected into the conversation the uh board could have asked for Testimony but the respondent would need to be at the podium that is direct and clear in the Brookfield code of ethics um that's unfortunate because there are have been significant um governance issues that I've spoken about wrote to the board about including board members lying to each other in email BC seeing Administration the these are some of the reasons why you're getting board members stand up and say look we're not we're not getting the leadership and transparency that we we need to have you know to ask for items to be put on the agenda to discuss instead you have a shadow chair of a former chair there helping you try to figure out how to get around actually managing the district like things like the list of notr and not implemented things from Public Act you know 19 uh Public Act 19166 that if you Google what is school's District's obligations under PA 19166 it'll give you the seven things the district needs to do and hasn't done right so it is embarrassing that we have a Cadre of board members that are looking to protect and serve non-performing administrators rather than follow the law and follow General good judgment including if there's a complaint against you follow the board of Ethics rules thank you sir um Mrs CES this always happens I'm not prepared again I was going to speak on something else I had prepared for tonight but in light of the situation that happened regarding the 1312 speak on that pleas please give us your 21 meow view dive Brookfield Connecticut um so I myself have filed a 1312 complaint the one thing that I have to say that was good that came out of coming out of it tonight was that it was disgusted embarrassing as it was it was disgusted and issues were brought to light and you can clearly see the division I really hope because you're each and of you in your own individual um respects have a lot to offer the board I wish to to see you working better collectively our children I'm going to get ational our children desperately need you there's so much work to be done and I would just love to see you just come together work better together um there's going to be issues there's going to be arguing there's going to be divisiveness there's going to be issues that come about but I really tonight it was embarrassing it was um I mean you hear about things at the last meeting that I was at when the teachers came because you know we've always spoken up so much especially about um special ed um issues um but when I saw the teachers come in with their signs I was like oh great they're finally going to speak on things they're going to finally you know they come to us and tell us so many times things that are going on and when the next day when teachers reached out to me personally and said hey what was discussed after we left you know and I said nothing and they're like really nothing was said nothing was discussed I said no it was kind of crickets about it um and they were kind of asking me hey what was what was that all about so teachers didn't even know why they were coming in to support what they were supporting um so I found that very confusing um but then to find out some of the after thing you know things that went on before that and some meetings and you know it could be a little bit more inclusive next time you know when something comes about um I just ask that everyone work together because our kids really need you you've heard my own personal things through the years that I've come up here um and that's that's all I can say I'm glad things came to light as ugly as they were tonight I'm sure we'll all look back and see I know I've I've in my anger too I've said some things that are are embarrassing or misspoken or I didn't it wasn't right what I said just like some things tonight weren't right when you are a chairperson you speak for the entirety of the board you make those decisions there needs to be transparency you can't have these like little clandestine meetings and they need to be transparent um that's all I have to say I think that it's dangerous when it gets to a territory where teachers come in and you know PE people are thinking that other people are not supporting them because that's not the case but thank you thank you very much Mrs cese [Music] okay so um with that I know you've probably been really busy Stephanie what did you come up with this three main points and you guys give it some thought on your um on your own uh I thought we should feature the um whis skiner student Spotlight M the security update that includes uh the facility or the sorry the um security task force meeting update as well as the superintendent update and the CS security uh and then number three would be the finance budget update wait what about the climate climate um we can put that I there isn't I mean I would say climate over Finance I agree just say that it's upcoming legislation there's not really present some points like some of the yeah takeaways I guess sure [Music] what was the third thing the capital project um no it would be the WMS student Spotlight security update and now climate presentation why security update I think it's good because of the voting machine I think there's a lot there's also agree with that it was a topic at the municipal okay yep building committee it's been several emails we've gotten and we need to prep people to know the Voting is yeah that's a big cuz they're going to have to figure out another spot for us right yeah okay not us right um upcoming events yep I have several okay upcoming events upcoming events for the end of November and December hold on a second are you guys ready y okay upcoming events yeah upcoming events for the end of November and December from CS the student council coat drive is now through December 13th PTO Candlewood craze fundraiser is now through November 22nd with craze events taking place on the 21st for prek and the 22nd for K through 5th picture retake day is November 21st second grade balloon parade is November 25th the second grade field trip to Stanford Museum and nature center is December 4th and 5th PTO Night of Lights taking place in the Cs parking lot is December 6th CES report cards are going to be available on on the parent portal on December 10th fourth grade field trip to the state capital building will be December 11th and 12th and the December PTO meeting will be December 18th at whis skiner middle school student council Thanksgiving bash will be November 25th after school the boys and girls basketball tryouts are this week and at Brookfield High School oh okay uh the youth commission local government conversations for all grades is November 21st the PTO meeting is on December 3rd the booster club meeting is on December 11th the grad party meeting is on December 19th the Winter concert is on December 17th and I am just remembering that I was supposed to add the CES holiday concert is on have it written down somewhere I want to say the 12th hold on sorry let me grab the I wrote it on my other paper wait this is the this is the CES holiday concert yes and I she sent it to me at the end of the day because that's going to be so cute I know I think it's the fifth grade the fourth graders are singing at the stard tree lighting and the fifth grade band is having their concert on the 11th the 11th thank you you pulled it up right before me on December 11th and the the Brookfield and sorry Brookfield Education Foundation so now districtwide yep so the districtwide events are the Brookfield Education Foundation thanks for giving Gala is this Friday November 22nd uh and the last day of school before winter break is December 20th with winter break being December 23rd through January 1st thank you lot that was a lot um okay so um without objection we adjourn at 9:30 [Music] onj [Music]

e e e board meeting check check check board meeting check check one two okay Jacob do you hear me e e board meeting November 20th audio video test e e e good evening I will now call to order the regular Board of Education meeting for chica Unified School District it's uh November 20th 2024 5:00 pm uh the board will be going into close session at this time uh it looks like there's no public comment today and uh so the board will reconvene uh an open session at 6 pm thank you e e e all right good evening um we opened we opened the meeting at uh 5:00 pm so I will say again welcome to the November 20th 2024 chica Unified School Board uh regular meeting um we were in closed session uh and there was no action taken during closed session um and uh just a reminder that this meeting is recorded and live streamed and with that uh let's please stand for the flag salute we have student reports next I'm going to turn it over to superintendent Staley thank you I love doing the flag salute when we have kids here you guys keep us on task for sure so we are very fortunate tonight to have a big crowd to listen to some very talented students and to introduce them I'd like to invite up their principal Miss Joanne Bon cour good evening um thank you for having us um you let me adjust this sorry um I just like to to introduce our Sierra View uh chorus um they meet during the school day fourth and fifth grade students have the option to join chorus and since it's during the school day it's open to all students which is Equitable for all these students who are in chorus are participating in addition to their regular music class during the week Mrs Hunter our fabulous music teacher has been teaching the course voluntarily and she believes so strongly that Elementary uh Coral Ensemble has both academic benefits and social emotional benefits by singing in a School chorus students are engaging in benefits Beyond learning to read and understand music they are working together toward a common common goal building connections with their classmates and the world Beyond them we are happy to have a chorus at Sierra View School the first song they they will be performing is called he matov the words are in Hebrew but the translation is how good it is for the bream to dwell together in peace I hope you enjoy this piece [Applause] la my la w you know I can't leave without saying something into the microphone um I'm so excited for this opportunity for our chorus to come and perform for the school board since I came back to Chico in 2018 we've made wonderful progress with our Elementary music programs and I feel so lucky to be able to to teach every single student at Z viw having teachers that span from kindergarten through fifth grade creates such a wonderful experience for students as they grow throughout elementary school I will say that with music and art in their new expanded forms it takes space I would not be able to do what I do at Sierra View without a classroom teaching space as the district continues to modernize and grow it is important to remember that the Arts need and deserve classroom space in order to run successful programs stages although fantastic for performances are not the same as having a classroom space a music room is a place of great learning and as we grow our programs remember that spaces dedicated to Art and music are essential for musical and artistic growth I would like to acknowledge the support of our principal Joanne bort the fourth and fifth grade classroom teachers at sier riew for supporting these students and to their parents and families for bringing them here to perform tonight I also want to acknowledge my accompanist s Sher Summers for playing piano tonight um next you're going to hear a quick body percussion piece about the weather followed immediately by a choir favorite an arrangement of a Russian folk song called Minka thank you again for having our chorus tonight and providing an opportunity to showcase Elementary music programs thank you [Applause] WEA we or [Music] sing sing sing [Music] we [Music] great job CR viw students that was amazing do we have one more or no okay all right all right Mrs Hunter I'd like to have you come up here to the podium we have something special for you so um I may have tricked you to get you here but you are going to be receiving the superintendence award tonight so I'd like to talk a little bit about Nora and the amazing Ed educator she is when I first came to siie about a year ago ago I couldn't help but notice all the energy and passion that Nora exhibits she is the true definition of above and beyond from helping all grade levels with their individual Productions doing live music to finding opportunities for each grade level to do a performance for families she has really brought the CRV VI Community together to celebrate students and families and here's what some of your peers had to say it's a lot uh nor is extremely positive and puts the kids in the Forefront of her day she has increased our school spirit and student pride in their school with her creative ideas we are so lucky to have her Nora could teach a master class on classroom management she is a pro we are so fortunate to have her as an integral part of our team sier viiew is incredibly fortunate to have Norah she's a passionate and talented music teacher whose dedication shines she brings a wealth of creative inspiring ideas to her classroom and always willing to put the hard work to bring her bring them to life Nora has a gift for connecting with every student creating a music experience that is not only educational but also engaging and a and full of joy her unique approach benefits the entire School nor adapts her instruction to meet the developmental needs of our TK students as the age range continues to get younger the kids look forward to her upbeat energy and positivity Nora brings joy and creativity to our school through music she is also a tireless advocate for keeping the Arts in our elementary schools sier view is incredibly lucky to have Nora on our team what a team player Nora is she goes above and beyond for every grade level and her classroom teacher or and classroom teacher Nora has truly changed the culture of our school her love and dedication to the students is inspiring she truly goes above and beyond every day and every way we are so lucky to have her Nora I am honored to present to you the superintendence award tonight congratulations [Applause] wow we have a little certificate for you as well and Mr Shephard's gonna take a picture okay I have one more award to present at this time I would like to ask G to lore to come on up to the [Music] [Applause] podium Miss G is our amazing targeted case manager um as you know targeted case managers or TCMS are very special people they work to build the bridge between the home and the school they provide support for families help them them find resources all while helping the school and staff any way they can G is an integral part of our Wellness team she checks students into the Wellness Center every morning as they drop in she helps supervise activities in the wellness center and helps students who may be having a difficult time trans transitioning from home to school G is such a positive person always sees the glass half full here's what the CRV staff had to say about g g is always willing to help others she does it with a calm loving PR presence her heart for others shines through all that she does we are so lucky to have her at Sierra View she truly makes a diff a big difference in our community G continually shares her positive loving personality with the students and staff at sier she advocates for students and their families by connecting them with resources and Community programs they may otherwise be unaware of we are so fortunate to have G on our team G has the sweetest kindest most calming presence she effort effortless connects with teachers families and students alike I've seen her offer support in the most challenging situations and always willing to go above and beyond to help as a colleague she is truly a breath of fresh air anytime I see her on campus G is such an asset to our school Community she has a gentle way of connecting with students and families I greatly appreciate her willingness to come in my classroom to assist with classroom parties when she is available she has an internal desire to help children children succeed she is such an asset to our school Community she exudes Peace Love stability and comfort our students families and staff are so fortunate to have her on our team whenever I see her my heart Smiles G is always willing to jump up and help wherever we need support G I'm honored to present to you the superintendence award congratulations [Applause] your [Applause] so it was certainly Sierra View's night to shine students you were incredible I really appreciate your patience um you were so quiet and well behaved but your talent was amazing and uh thank you to all the parents and staff who showed out to support our crvw honores tonight so you are more than welcome to stay but we also know you may have things you want to do tonight so if you want to leave you can by all means do do that as well e e than little I knew you would all right I think we're uh ready to move on move moving along so much excitement that was fun all righty uh next on the agenda is announcements um and I wanted to see if any board members have any announcements they'd like to make um I have a couple of statements I wanted to say uh that were inspired in the last 10 minutes 20 minutes um first of all she's not in here anymore but I wanted to thank uh the music teacher from Sierra View Nora for advocating for art and music space on campuses I think that was a really um that was a really great plug to put in there I always encourage our staff people who come to present to please advocate for yourselves to the board um because we don't always hear it um but that rolls into a bigger a big thank you to our community for pass for passing measure C oh she is still here Nora I was just thanking you for being an advocate for space um so with the the community's approval of measure C uh we get to move forward with our fac facili master plan and um as part of the facilities master plan I'm on the committee in the last year and a half uh a big part of the discussion um next to equity was also the expansion of Arts and Music and so um with the passage of prop two and measure C and this updated uh facilities master plan that we feel really good about and have gotten a lot of good feedback on um I think we're really headed in a a great Direction and and have a strong Fe future for um our next phase of the master plan so that's really really exciting so just can't um thank our community enough for being supportive of those efforts um and to continue to hold the district accountable because that's that's what it's all about and the last thing I wanted to say In This Moment uh tonight is that uh we do have an absence uh on the board this evening our board member uh Matt tennis was unable to make it this evening uh he did take his family on a trip uh across the o um you know leading into Thanksgiving vacation and sounds like a great opportunity um to you know uh experience um some culture and uh just uh have some good family time so I think that that that they deserve that um so with that uh we do have to uh do a Voice vote for every item which means we all have to vote individually instead of just being able to say I so just if anybody's wondering why we're taking all the Time in the World to to approve our things and I was just going to tag on to your election announcements we do have two new board members coming on to the school board and both are present tonight Tisha Hayes and Gail Olsen thank you for joining us they are here with us tonight thank you for uh mentioning that um so in December with the regular meeting uh I don't know the date right now off the top of my head I'm sure they probably do uh there will be the swearing in ceremony for the new board members um and I will no longer be sitting up here I get to also take a little break or right into the sunset as I have been saying um so uh welcome to the Future for your next four years um and I I'm I'm just excited to see uh how the board progresses and uh the district you know grows from here um exciting exciting stuff a lot of exciting things happening for Chic unified all right moving along to items from the floor um we didn't have anybody sign up for items on the floor is there anybody in the public that would like to address the board at this time for any items that are not on the agenda um which is this uh this point in time the appropriate time to address the board okay seeing none uh we'll move on to consent calendar uh is there anybody that would like to pull an item from consent for further discussion hearing none uh do we have a motion I will move adoption of the consent calendar I'll second that motion okay we have a motion by um member Lando and a second by um member Robinson uh any further discussion from the board on consent hearing none um we can start with our roll call Vote with um Mr Lando Lando I Dolby I Conan I Robinson I okay we have four yeses and um one absent I'm not going to repeat that all night by the way just for brevy alrighty and that moves us into our discussion action calender um 9.1 under board is uh item one is the discussion action approval of chica Unified School District superintendent contract uh so folks who've been following the the the district's operations closely um especially those of you listening in on YouTube um know that in September the board had um following superint superintendent Staley's announcement of retirement after 18 amazing years with uh as superintendent with the district more more so with the district Beyond those 18 years um the board decided to enter into a contract with but County Office of Education to assist the board in um a superintendent search and uh through that process uh we were able to um organize four four meetings four input meetings two Community meetings and two staff meetings and send out a survey that got hundreds of responses so that the community could provide input on what qualities we were looking for in um chica unified's next superintendent from there uh the applicants uh sent in their their materials and um we had decided to select a pretty sizable panel of folks to review those applications um each board member had the opportunity to um select one member of the community that they felt was representative of you know their constituents um to be part of that panel um there was a union presence on the panel there was um I think even cabinet um presents on the panel uh for paper screening so those applications went through a pretty rigorous process I spent 20 hours myself on it when I was on vacation um and then the um uh County Office of Ed folks that were facilitating the process for us then moved um a certain number of folks forward for the first round of interviews and so in this process those folks went to um a full day of interviews actually were interviewed two times in that day by two separate Community panels um each panel had two board members again a selection of um community members that that we had determined you know was a broad reflection of our Community a very diverse uh group of folks that came from all different um backgrounds again a union presents um and uh other staff uh am I missing anybody in that uh big two big panels a long day of interviews um and by the end of that first first technical round of interviews the panel discussed three people to move forward to the final round of interviews which was with the board and so from there we um had another day of interviews and we felt like we got really great input from the community at large from staff um to kind of lead us to this uh specific agenda item so um tonight uh we are taking into consideration a new contract for an individual that the community has moved forward and the board has selected to be chica unified's next superintendent um before I uh call for a motion um I do want to ask if there are any um if there's any questions that the board would like to clarify or any statements that the board would like to clarify about the process um at this time I did okay okay thank you not too long um great uh and I actually want to ask if there's any public comment on this item from any folks in the audience all righty and then nobody signed up right okay um so with that um I'm going to go ahead and make the motion um I move to approve the superintendent contract with Gregory Blake for a three-year term with a base salary of $270,000 in addition to the other terms and conditions set forth in the contract um and just for Public's knowledge there are copies of the contract for review um as well um so that's the motion do we have a second second that all right um we can also go into further discussion I just want to acknowledge that um that Greg's here in the audience Greg comes uh you know to this uh point in the process for approval um with uh years of experience as a superintendent in thermalito and before that um I thank you and I'm sure that you will have a chance to give your own um qualifications but uh we we we know that Greg knows the community and um is is ready to lead chica unified into these next exciting phases um and also work with a an incredible team of um of folks on our on our senior cabinet um and the rest of the the district um staff and our our kiddos and families so I think we're excited about uh about this decision we're going to make does anybody have any further discussion that they would like to plug in I don't think so just looking forward to the next couple of years and watching the transition play out smoothly in a way that keeps our students centered at all times all right um so we have a motion in a second who was the second oh thank you did you get that R okay I skipped right over it in my brain uh let's do a roll call vote we'll start with you Mr Mr Lando I tby I con and I Robinson i al righty so it's unanimous um this board has approved uh Gregory Blake as chica unified's next uh superintendent I'd like to invite you up to uh to to speak you can we could even turn your microphone around if you'd like to address the audience you can talk to us you can I have about a 45 minute prepar prepared speech so if you know everybody wants to get it comfortable no I just uh I just really want to take a moment I'm I'm just very excited and I um I'm very this is uh this is actually making me a little bit more emotional than I expected to be this is really really cool um I will say this I am I want to uh really thank the Board of Trustees for entrusting me with the leadership of your school district I guess I could even say it's our school district now and and I am so looking forward to working with the community and the the kids and the parents and uh the families and this fabulous group of Administrators and teachers and staff members that you have here it's you've got really good things going on here we're very excited about the bond and I mean this is this is going to be really really great times coming up and I'm very excited and I realize also that I have very big shoes to fill with Kelly I appreciate you and I still have you on that's right I still have you on speed dial though so if I need you Kelly and I have known each other this is actually I'm just so real quick this is my 12th year as a as a superintendent in the county um I've lived in this area essentially since 1985 when I came to Chico State so it is uh I'm really really committed to um our North State bu County chico this is going to be fantastic so thank you very much I appreciate it and I appreciate all of you thank you for your votes and uh I look forward to meeting everybody and I'm looking forward to working with our new two nor new board members in the back too so thank you all right well hey all right I'm going to step away now thank you very much ince [Applause] your and our kids went to when they were young they were here oh wow that's really special well I'm glad that you could be here too um you know just for sake of ceremony would you like to sign now or we could wait until the end yes let's do it okay have all right is it it can we do one letter with each one congratulations um just for housekeeping purposes uh the contract starts July 1st 2025 so we get to keep Kelly for another six months and she can uh she can button things up and guide Greg into uh his his shiny seat yes ease him into it all right um I do want to say that you know part of the process was getting that input from the community and some some of the the comments that I heard was you know somebody with experience somebody who knew the community and knew the district um somebody who who was passionate about special education um somebody who had secondary experience as well as Elementary experience and um and somebody that had a sense of humor and uh Greg really checked all those boxes um as we were reviewing and and going through those interviews so we're just so thrilled I'm so thrilled that that um it's worked out this way um so excited to see as a parent when I won't be on the board anymore I'm just going to be a regular Citizen and and you will be the superintendent of my child uh who's sitting behind you in the audience alrighty so much so much buildup to that moment um we're gonna move on in the in the agenda finish out this meeting um next on the agenda under board is uh discussion action for the Chica Unified School District board self- evaluation and then I was wondering Kelly Do you have do you have that we have a little snapu because um our typical uh our regular M matron saint of our meetings wasn't able to make it tonight suddenly so she usually has the the technical documents ready for us um so every year the board goes through a self evaluation process um there's a rubric there are multiple um categories uh the to reflect on the board and the jobs of the board board and then individual reflect on ourselves as a trustee um this year I think that there's just been so much kind of going on with the school bond measure and the elections you know um and as well as our superintendent search um we didn't have full participation of board members for this year self- evaluation um I am guilty of that and I'm going to just put myself on blast and say I didn't I didn't actually submit this um but we do have some other um responses I do feel like if I was just going to give a sense of how I felt this this time without giving us scores um this last year has been um truly a pleasure working with this group of people and I think that you know we've we've really gotten into a routine of um of uh We've synthesized into a a good working group um and so I feel like my average score for the board as a self- evaluation would have been the highest that that it's been in my four years as a as a board member so that's my two cents there um so this is a discussion action item um we could uh have additional comments um would you like to when you're ready yeah okay I am ready I'm just rambling at this point well as we've already discussed we this is a a moment of transition for CH unified in a lot of ways or new board new superintendent uh possibility of new uh facilities as we've got the bond pass um it's really a good time um especially starting next year when the new board comes in to really nail down um a better way to evaluate ourselves and make sure that we are holding ourselves and the district uh responsible for um a really concrete and clear set of goals and metrics so I look forward to improving this process as we move forward I think is something that because it's been such a busy uh year we have let light and I think it's something we need to rectify so I look forward to working with all of our new team members to do exactly that um thank you madam president one of the things that um I think we found in the process of doing these self- evaluations um was that it is important to self-reflect we have um highlighted and um brought forward our our need to spend a little bit more time in um bringing the group together as a I don't I want to don't want to say working um body because we do work together but how we do that and how we grow to understand each other's points of view and um and then accept them if they're you know not exactly aligned with our own has been a real growth process uh for me um and I appreciate too that our two new board members are going to join us and will'll um in your memory redesign our forms you were so good at telling us that what we needed to do and I think we've learned what we need to do and thank you for that and um look forward to going through this all next year it's been it's been a worthwhile process um so I yeah just echo or to maybe cap it off um the process of the self-evaluation is something that existed and it's existed in this in this form for a long time and I think that it is um it is ready for a transition and I think we've talked about it for a couple years now um and uh to be able to um recognize when there are differences on the board as there should be because we are supposed to be reflective of our our entire community that we we see the differences we acknowledge them um and we move on with decision making and not get hung up on emotions so to speak because we are a governing body and so um with that too is uh how how um we self-reflect should also be reflective of our constituents um so sometimes it felt weird to you know give myself scores as an individual like I'm just great I'm going to give myself all fives um and so how do we kind of make it more introspective I think that that is the task at hand if we want to make this a a meaningful um uh activity or process um and that's that's kind of what I'll say to put a put a pin in it um do we need to approve it that is completely up to the board if you want to just approve the scores that you had and say you're done that's fine if you just say you know what we didn't get to it this year and we're just going to let it be that's fine as well it's not something we have to do the feeling of the board H I'd like to put it on the in the record just as a reminder that we do need to continue to improve in this area do you want to put it as a motion yeah okay so I would move that we accept the results of the school board self- evaluation survey as our official evaluation for the year thank you Mr Lando I'll second that motion okay uh any further discussion yeah I mean I I'm sorry for good talking some more um but it is is a school board is such an interesting position right in that we have a community both locally and at large that is so terribly divided on a lot of things um and yet one of the things that a school board specifically tries to do is deliberate and then support whatever whatever outcome comes out right we we have no individual Authority we only have authority as at least three out of five and more often than not five out of five um so this kind of process is really important in anchoring Us in that and reminding us that um we can disagree with other individuals and still support the outcome um or at the very least still support the process and that um that kind of practice of particip ating even when you disagree is something that I think we really need to notice and call out and continue to work on um as a school Community a city and again at large so I would like to say thank you to all my fellow board members for the uh hard work they do in uh putting up with the rest of us thank you Al righty um with that let's uh go ahead and uh we'll just do our roll call vote um we'll start with with you at the end Lando I Dolby i h i Robinson I all righty let that be put in the record for this year and with the acknowledgement that we would like to rumit a bit to be more introspective um moving on to business services discussion action architect selection for blue Oak Charter School new construction planning and programming it is exciting there's not just Chico Unified but also our charter schools have some exciting things coming up and I just can't wait to hear what Julie has to say about it thank you and good evening um before I start I just want to uh thank trusty Doby um it's just been a pleasure working with you having um your thoughtful and educated participation on key topics for my department throughout the last couple of years have been has been really rewarding um the facili master plan um the development of and the deliberation of all of the detail and the implementation of the plan um the charter negotiations for their portion of measure C and then the bond in general um helping us get that out get it uh passed by the voters it's just um been a great process and really appreciate all of your support and help with those facilities things while while you were here thank you so tonight we have an exciting thing to talk about with blue Oak charter school as you know uh the district purchased land with measure K doll for the future home of blue Oak um since September blue Oak facilities committee and board have been working um towards selection of an architectural firm to start with the programming and planning process uh for that future building or buildings whatever it ends up being uh so tonight we're bringing forward their recommendation uh they did have several firms that they evaluated and interviewed um the district is um in support of their selection of um Russell Galloway and Associates our GA of Chico to move forward with planning and programming for blue Oak Charter School planning and programming you may ask what does that mean so that means that RGA will meet with their school population their teachers and leaders and students and Define what their needs are and then try to put together a conceptual plan that meets their needs and get a cost estimate of how much that construction will cost um so RGA has provided a proposal that's in your packet for $37,500 to perform those Services which will start almost immediately in December and then um conclude in March with a conceptual plan for the school which then we will have a cost estimate for and it'll come back to the board before any further costs are incurred so with that if you have any questions we have Susan um and Trisha here from Blue Oak Charter School to help answer any questions that the board might have thank you no I don't think there are any questions just excited to see this project get off the ground sorry Susan I want to have questions to ask you but I can't think of any I know you came you came and sat sat through it all already um just excited for you and and for the school and for the families and students of bluk yeah for those of you who haven't follow the blue Oak Saga it's been a long road to find a permanent home and I'm really glad that you that we've figured out a solution that works for everybody look forward to seeing the building and the community come to life out there yeah and again uh just a big thanks to our community for supporting the district and our Charter Schools through the bond measures that have been passed um forever but really measure K and now measure C you know making it possible to purchase the land and and give you a path forward and now with measures opening up the opportunity to get the the meaningful amount of funding that um would be needed to build your to start to to start to think about how you want to you know build the facilities out so um thanks again to the community also for supporting our Charter Schools that's all I got sorry I don't have questions for you Susan and I don't have questions for you either Julie okay okay thank you thank you do we have public comment all right right yeah come say something now I'm gonna you have to make it higher for me um so I'm TR so I'm a chair of facilities and also on the board and I just wanted to say that working with the district through this process has been amazing so you the district's been super supportive Julia's given us so much information and really helped guide us through this so I just want to say thank you so much for helping support us through that so it's really been a wild ride and we're super excited um and you can feel the buzz the community I think in our school and everybody's excited for that next step because we've been working on it for years so so thank you yeah and also I wanted to acknowledge Jacqueline because Jacqueline also was a played a big part in in uh getting us to where we are today so um I think yeah just a hand for everybody for all your work and making it making it happen um do we have a motion I'll Mo approval actually maybe click on the draw this time I'll second there we go fantastic um any further discussion by the board no we'll start with you again Lando I Doby I con and I Robinson I with a a just big smiles it's been a a long time and I've been connected with this school with my own grandchildren attending and so I I'm so happy for you all right it's approved yay have fun in December with them we look forward to well they'll look forward to hearing back in March I'll try to follow along maybe um all right next up is under Human Resources uh we're at 9.3.1 discussion action the appointment of the Chica Unified School District representative to the Personnel commission evening so um I'm here to basically recommend um Gloria bevers to continue as a Personnel commissioner on the Personnel commission as we are a merit District we have a Personnel commission they serve for threeyear terms um there's three of them and each year one of them comes up for either reappointment or if it's a vacant position for new appointment and one is appointed by CCA one's appointed by the district and then um they pick a neutral and this year is the district's uh represent resentative and that's Gloria bever she's been there since um 2002 so this is her 22nd year of being a representative on the Personnel commission so I here to um to recommend the appointment of Gloria bever to the Chico Unified School District Personnel commission comment question um when you're ready for if you're got got you're so funny uh do we have any public comment all righty um then I'll call for a motion thank you um I'll move appointment of Gloria bever as the District representative to the Personnel commission with thank you to her for all of her years of service to the district and then to the Personnel commission glor's uh you know just been uh a rock she's wonderful to work for yes okay weave a second by I'll second member conen um any further discussion board all right we'll start the vote at the end Lando I Dolby ey Conan I Robinson I she's approved thank you thank you uh 9.3.2 is discussion action Sunshine openers between chica Unified School District in California School Employees Association CSEA Chapter 110 for 2025 to 2026 and I think it's with Mr Shephard thank you madam president so pursuing to Article 19 of the collective baring agreement between Chico Unified and the California School Employees Association chapter 110 the two parties have exchanged openers for the 2526 school year so we'll be discussing these items for the remainder of the school year uh the Articles particularly open to this year articles two wages seven um Health and Welfare benefits and additionally uh CSEA is interested in opening Article 5 related to leaves and article 12 related to organizational security so we recommend approval does the board have questions for clarification I just have a question the the wording says recommend approval of both openers isn't it acceptance because we're not approving the openers at this point we're just accepting them as cca's first volley to us in in essence the board would be approving the district's interest in negotiating the the second two articles um that because that's part of the correct okay yes thank you I see no further questions from the board uh do we have public comment on this item all right uh do we have a motion sure so moved I'll second that motion all righty we have a motion in a second any further discussion by the board hearing none we'll start with you Mr Lando Lando I Doby I Conan I Robinson I all right bring in Miss again uh 9.3.3 discussion action resolution number 166 4-24 elimination of classified staff due to lack of work or lack of funds all right so um I'm here to um to ask for approval for the elimination of the classifi they're actually positions that staff is there's no people in these positions so these positions are mainly um things that have been changed so either more hours um they're changing to IPS instead of school aid and things like that and then they're on the books and we're just cleaning up the books and so there's no folks in this uh and these positions that that you have before you and U you know we've also talked to you know the union to made sure that that we didn't miss anything and and everything was good with all them okay I'm GNA ask another silly question yes no worries um under fiscal implications it says the district will save the cost of these positions if these positions are vacant how is that a true statement so I do believe they are on the books and and and um jacine would have to budget for them um because they were on are on the books and so with them being off the books then it would be off the budget and we wouldn't need to Jacqueline could clarify that yeah that's correct so um the position exists so when we go to create the budget and I'll be back next month um to do first interim if the position's there but no one's assigned to it the system still generates hey we need to have a placeholder for those dollars so what we've really put a focus on I would say in the last six to eight months is really looking at our position control and what is correct and what should be filled and a lot of this that's in front of you this evening is cleanup of positions that have been vac vacated that haven't been filled that really just need to be eliminated off the books so we're not budgeting false dollars for positions we're not going to fill thank you jacqulyn so basically the the budget as it exists has ear marks for these positions and by cleaning it up it'll release those dollars to be shifted to somewhere else in the budget yes or savings bottom Lin kind of thing yeah okay thank you any further questions public comment yeah please you know the sh 30 30 second warning three minutes sorry it's just the question I had because when I tried looking at the attachment the other day um um this wasn't the one that popped up so one two three four I think it was five instructional par professional positions I understand that they are not filled um but my question is like what kind of impact is that having on the classrooms that these positions are not filled in because just because they're not filled doesn't mean they're not needed so I'm just curious about that part of it so if I clarification that'd be great I to answer that yeah thank you so so um a few things but with the IP positions so we promoted some IPS to um instructional par professional intensive needs and they were instructional par professionals and they moved up to intensive needs so it left a surplus of vacant IP positions and so that's some of what we have in here and also these are none of them are six hours and so we're trying to get all of our IPS to six hours and so these are four and five hours um that we are eliminating and we could bring them back as six-hour positions so that did that help answer your question it's basically like a almost more like a reassignment so they're not they're not vacant positions that that have just gone unfilled and need to be filled they they've they've transitioned to a different uh classification and therefore different pay different training um and are still in those roles but in a a more robust status and we thanks for asking that question that's a good question all right any other public comment okay do we have a motion sure I will um move resolution 1664 d24 I'll second that motion any further discussion by the board hearing none we'll start with Mr Lando Lando I Dolby I Conan I Robinson I it passes thank you that dial keep cleaning it up um sorry are we on 9 3.5 okay four that's it's because it's so similar that's where I that's where I got hung up I I I turned my page too soon um okay so this is resolution 1665 d24 elimination of classes ified staff due to lack of work or lack of funds so there these were split into two groups one was the CCA represented group and these are the non represented groups these are the restricted and what you see is classroom AIDS and parent restricted AIDS and what we saw are more and more sites are this these are site funded positions and they are moving towards using IPS instead of um parents and School Aids um just a little more more consistent and and things like that so um these were recommended to be eliminated and they're they're not not going to be filled by sites questions from the board public comment hearing none do we have a motion I'm move approval seconded okay any further discussion board hearing none we'll start with Mr Lando um Lando I Dolby I Conan I Robinson I all right it passes do you have another one I think that's it thank you uh moving on to 9.3.5 this is discussion action resolution number 66 sorry 1666 d24 findings and order in the matter of termination of a certificated employee Mr Sher thank you Madame President so California Education Code sections 44932 and 44934 provide language to terminate permanent certificated employee for cause as determined following an eviden your hearing if requested by the employee and as such no such evidentiary hearing has been requested and we recommend the approval of the resolution before you boort had have any further questions public comment hearing none do we have a motion I move approval of resolution um [Music] 13199 uh no I'm sorry that's that's not correct that's the employee number where's the resolution number 1666 d24 thank you oh there it is 1666 d24 I'll second thank you Mr Lando all right we have a motion by Miss Robinson and a second by Miss conin um any further discussion board hearing none Mr Lando Lando I allby I Conan I Robinson I it passes thank you uh next on the agenda is number 10 recognition of outgoing board members well we have reached the end of an era here or at least the end of four years and uh we have two board members Phil's going to help me out here because I am short even with my high heels thank you um we have two board members that have been with us and really with us through some really difficult times and uh myself on behalf of Alla Chico Unified and certainly our cabinet want to say thank you um unfortunately Matt is not here and he is on a wonderful trip with his boys taking them back to the country where they were uh born and adopted so we really appreciate him doing that and completely understand why he won't be here but we will make sure that he gets the uh items that that are for him and Tina and Mike Mike doesn't know this but they're gonna help me with this so I have a few comments that um I would like to say about both board members but I'll start with Mr tennis I'd like to take a few moments tonight to thank and celebrate Mr tennis for his four years of Public Service as a member of the Chico Unified School Board during his time on the board mat has consistently brought unique and invaluable perspective and we are grateful for his dedication passion leadership energy and humor what stands out most about Matt is his unwavering commitment to his beliefs combined with his genuine infectious sense of humor Matt is someone who never hesitates to speak his mind he is deeply passionate about the issues that matter to him and you always know where he stands always but beyond his conviction it is his humor that is lightened the mood during our most challenging discussions bringing levity when it was needed most Matt has a deep deep love for his family thus where he is tonight friends in our Chico Community his role as a parent has shaped his approach to the board and we've all benefited from his ability to connect his personal experiences with his board responsibilities whether things are going well or we're facing challenges his insights have helped us remain focused on the needs of those we serve Matt is an unrelenting and steadfast advocate for what he believes is best even when it meant standing alone his courage and integrity in sticking by his beliefs no matter the personal or professional cost is admirable Matt has also shown exceptional stewardship of our district resources guiding us to make wise Financial choices that ensure public funds are used responsibly and effectively and perhaps most significantly his deep concern for the safety of our schools has been a constant Focus Fus guiding many critical decisions Matt wherever you are out there hopefully it's somewhere fun uh on behalf of Chico Unified thank you for your time your energy and your commitment to our community we are incredibly grateful for your service and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors and most especially in raising your beautiful family uh we do have a couple things for Matt and I'm going to ask uh Matt and Matt and Tina Tina and Mike uh to read that you know I'm sure he's listening in right now wherever he is I'm sure he's on the live stream so Matt's going to receive this beautiful plaque to put in his home to honor your service to the Chico Unified School District Board of Education Matt tennis your guidance and dedication as a board member has strengthened the bond between our community and our schools we thank you for your service from 2020 to 2024 there should be one more thing in there uh we did have staff members submit comments about each of our board members and uh those are put together together in a nice little frame about uh some of the things that came to mind when we asked staff about our board members so that will go to Matt as well so thank you very much and Matt wherever you are out there thank you for four years of service to Cho unified all right now Jacqueline and John get to help me there should be another little bag over there Isa you want to go sit with your mom no you don't have I wouldn't want to be up there either so it's my privilege to thank and honor Caitlyn Doby for her dedicated Service as a member of the Chico Unified board over the past 12 years that's eight as a teacher and four as a board member Caitlyn has made an inight ful impact on our district and we are incredibly grateful for her leadership and unwavering commitment to our students and Community Caitlyn is served our community as a board member and board president during uncertain and difficult times covid fires many cultural disagreements thank you for that through it all one of her greatest strengths has been her approachability she makes it a priority to listen to All voices whether parents stud students teachers or community members Caitlyn has a unique ability to balance the needs of our district with the best interests of our students consistently striving to find solutions that benefit everyone her dedication to continuous Improvement and her commitment to doing what's best for our community have been remarkable Caitlyn also has a unique unique talent for taking complex often challenging issues and breaking them down into clear understandable terms she does doesn't just present problems she helps all of us see the bigger picture and work towards Solutions her ability to simplify tough topics often drawing on her own experiences has been invaluable in guiding our district through difficult decisions Caitlyn possesses a deep and genuine commitment to students whether advocating for students with disabilities or working to ensure that every child's voice is heard Caitlyn has been a tireless advocate for those who need it most she brings creative creativity and compassion to her work an approach that has led to important conversations about how we support students as a busy working parent herself it is clear Caitlyn cares deeply for the students and family she serves her engagement in every board meeting her drive to understand each issue thoroughly and her passion for making thoughtful decisions have made her an instrumental part of our team Caitlyn your dedication your compassion your advocacy for all students especially those often overlooked will leave a lasting impact on this board and in our community we're grateful for all that you've done and thank you for your service you will be missed but your impact will continue for many many years to come thank you and we have some gifts for you as well at the risk sorry Phil I think I can do this at the risk of making you blush more Works to develop Solutions creative thinker approachability and willingness to listen wide bread of knowledge in the educational Realm devoted prioriti prioritizes the best interest of our students and District student Advocate cares deeply about educating our students dedicated to continuous Improvement takes into account all of her constituents when making decisions and is considerate to all concerns thank you nobody said I'm funny we just did and on behalf of superintendent Staley all of cabinet most importantly all of staff and all the students we think it's appropriate that you use this gavel to close this [Applause] meeting give it to her now I uh know Charlie also had some comments and then we'll open it up to anyone else that might have some comments but again both to Caitlyn and Matt um thank you so much you volunteer and there's not a lot of uh paybacks that come for taking on this job and we really appreciate your time Charlie I'll turn it over to you thanks uh thanks Caitlyn and I wish mat we're here um I'd really like to share my appreciation with him as well and I will reach out to him um I'm new to this I'm not a seasoned Schoolboard attendee and so seeing the work you do as a group has been really interesting and and um rewarding to me and my comment really has to do with you and not working together I really appreciated seeing the two of you work as a team um to benefit students and families and teachers in chica Unified School District and I know you have different views and different approaches and different outlooks um but I really saw a productive working relationship based on mutual respect um and really based on the desire to improve our school district and it's just gratifying to see public uh public servants make that service to the to the board or to the to the district um a priority so thank you for your public service kale thanks [Applause] Charlie can I make a motion at this point I'd like to move that the board recognizes uh Caitlyn Doby as moderately funny do we have a second I'll second that okay oh um just a couple of comments um I I don't take It's oddly I sit in the seat and I actually really don't like being the center of attention I don't think anybody believes that especially not my mom does not but I get really bashful and like that's when I start to tell silly jokes um I only have humor when I'm uncomfortable um that's probably not not true my kid thinks I'm funny that's what counts right Isa yes all right that's great um just my reflect on my last four years um I have to first and foremost thank my mom for making this possible yeah without her support um I wouldn't have child care um but she's she's been there for me through all of the hard things and I think we all have to have a person that we can lean on and my mom has been that obviously my whole life but um you know this position was a learning experience for me as it is for anybody who's new new to uh this this uh situation that's is what I'm going to call it um and the other person I want to thank is my kiddo for putting up with the chaos of our schedule and still growing into uh a bright fun strong amazing sparkly unicorn girl that she is um and those are like my two biggest thank yous I I don't have very much left to give in terms of thanks but um I'm kidding um I I appreciate everybody that I've worked with um I I feel like there's give and take with everybody in a working relationship and I can't look around this room and and think that I didn't learn learn something or gain something from the work that we've done together and so I have so much appreciation just for every single person that I've had the opportunity to engage with and to work with and to solve problems with and to commiserate with and you know tell jokes with and um I I wouldn't be the same person as I I was I'm not the same person I was four years ago either um and so I'm just grateful for the opportunity that the community gave me to be in this position and to um be supportive of of the district and um doing what's best for all students and so with that thank you everybody for your kind words um and we can move on unless anybody really wants to draw this out have oh yes I forgot my thank you card so I wanted to take a moment to really thank you for everything that you have done um like Mr Shephard Sher a lot of people recognize the advocating that you have done for those specialty groups me as well um I can't count how many times I've been sitting in the audience and you've heard what um I have said as a CO concerned parent and made motions and I've done like literally little cheering in my seat when you've done things um because I know that you're listening and I know that you're paying attention um and it's been exciting to kind of see you grow into your role over the last four years um and I was I was a fan of you from the beginning when you first announced that that you were going to run so again thank you so much for everything that you have done um just validating concerns that I've had as a parent um and your presence will definitely be missed on the board I am very sad that you will no longer be on our board um but thank you for everything that youve done Madame President thank you I I know I've uh commented a couple of times about length of your um speeches what I want to do now is thank you for the length of your speeches you have always taught me something you have a depth of knowledge in areas that I have um you know very little knowledge of and you have contributed that knowledge to this board and to our actions and sitting here and being able to learn from you has been a a real pleasure and I appreciate you and have really appreciated the service with you thank you I would like to add on to that if you don't mind um echoing Mr Snider said um it has been so important to have someone in a leadership position who can work with all the many um varied personalities and uh positions there I really really appreciate that you've taken on that often thankless role of um making sure we get along well enough to get the job done that's I incredibly important especially over the last uh some of the big issues we've been facing lately um and also I just want to thank you personally um I have been very much uh inspired by your advocacy to be a little bit louder than I think otherwi would have been about the things that I see important and I want to thank you foring a better example for me about how to be a good board member we will you I think what I would like to say is um I've really appreciated your authenticity um I find you to be a very real person and um that resonates with me um I think we bonded over the fact of that we're both moms and um genuinely we have the same goals and um interests in mind for the district as well as our own families so it's been um really rewarding to to recognize how much we have in common through this um through this experience so I hope we're not saying goodbye and just more like we'll see you later on the other side I like that I'll see you later um I had a I had a last note and now I've lost it and that's okay because right we we're running out of time um I know what I was going to say my final statement in my position as as School Board member for chica unified and board president is um it's all about relationships and we have to remember that we can't make progress until we find common ground and so it's really important to me that everybody moving forward maintains that that um that Spirit of um relationship building and and um meeting meeting people where they're at so thank you all for the opportunity um and for the very kind words and uh the experience of a lifetime really truly so um with that I'm going to move on in the agenda um thank you everybody um yeah tears and all the good stuff uh next on our agenda is items from the floor are there any other comments the public would like to make at this time no um and second to last item is board member request to agenda an item um we don't have any at this time um the process is to submit uh a comment or sorry submit an item for um agendize um in the future so remember that's there and uh with that do we have a motion to adjourn the meeting oh um I move that we adjourn so moved oh yeah so moved for

we are live we wait a few more seconds 7:30 right now I'll call the meeting to order at 7:30 perfect to do the pl Al to the flag of the United States of America and to the repic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all Mr Davis here M here Mrs Allen here Mrs R here M Juliano here Mr Jones here Mr orent here and Mr Golden here perfect can I have a motion in a second to approve the Action meeting minutes from the October 24th 2024 meeting motion second I didn't get that far all those all those in favor I opposed or abstain right presentations Mr all right good evening everyone thank you so much for coming out on our first uh true winter feeling evening this evening right cold and damp all right we are going to do our student of the month presentation and these awards are given to students each month month for in a word just being awesome um and so I'm always so thrilled to give out these Awards we're going to start with JFK all right I'm going to read a little something and then have the students come up students when you come up and get your award if you could just stay up here with me real awkwardly just stand next to me while I while I get through all of them we actually have two awards for students are all the way back in June um but we weren't able to kind of um get their Awards to them earlier so we will start with Luca shellenberger congratulations There You Go sir Luca is respectful responsible and always has a positive attitude he is a great role model Luca always shows great empathy towards everyone and is always willing to help a fellow classmate I am so proud of him congratulations next we have Melina magazu during the time I spent with Maddie and the clay room as her second grade teacher Maddie always displayed an eagerness to help other students she was always willing to pitch in help out and befriend others who may have been struggling in the classroom Maddie always had a cheerful smile and a warm hug to greet me in the morning and an eagerness to do well every day congratulations all right now uh for the month of October Karina oracho Karina's teacher wrote that Karina has been growing and glowing in Mrs deangel d' Angeles's um prek class at JFK so congratulations to Kore uh next we have Nora coil congratulations Nora there you go Nora is a great leader a great role model and a great friend to all of her classmates congratulations nor come back come back come back nor I'm stand up here we we'll protect you we'll protect you next Olivia Montello go Olivia has been a strong role model in first grade she is bright friendly and shows the true value of respect to everyone around her Olivia is always the first student to offer assistance for her teachers and peers and does so with a smile she is fair hardworking and responsible which is truly appreciated by her teacher congratulations next we have Grace Massie conations Grace there you go Grace is very helpful and patient towards those around her always looking to go above and beyond for her classmates after she has finished her own work congratulations next we have Nicholas Roden ball congratulations Sir Nicholas has been such a great role model for the class he is very helpful with passing out papers helping class peers with work Nicholas welcomed our ESL student he translates and always assists him with work Nicholas is very kind and treats his peers and teachers respectfully congratulations and last for JFK we have Bren crony uh Braden is engaged throughout the school day consistently works hard overcomes adversity is a model safe respectful responsible student so congratulations all right we're g to get a picture us together okay by JFK group come on over if you guys can stand in front of me in front of this try to get from this green thing here a little bit big smiles those are great smiles yeah they are good job guys congratulations all right on to our DD middle school students of the month for October first we have have faith God bold congratulations there you go Faith takes pride in her work by following instructions than doing the best work that she can she's prepared for class eager to learn and begins working the moment she comes into the classroom each morning there is no slacking with this girl she has a great attitude and is always lending a helping hand in the classroom it is with great ease that faith has been chosen to be student of the month for November our next student is Jayla Mill JLA monu demonstrates academic honesty and hard work throughout every school day she sets high standards for herself and completes her work with perseverance and maturity her respectful and friendly attitude toward both students and staff is admirable great job Lea our next student is Nathan negr congratulations inch too unexpected for seventh grader uh Nathan is a wonderful addition to the seventh grade class he works diligently to meet deadlines and make sure he is on top of his workload Nathan demonstrates excellent critical thinking skills asking how and why and trying to get to the root of information Nathan not only makes sure he is succeeding but often goes out of his way to help others succeed as well he is patient with others who may not understand as well as he does and is always willing to take time to explain difficult content to other students great work Nan and last but not least we have Sarah Mariano Sarah continuously displays reliable dependable and hardworking characteristics in and out of the classroom most notably she is always willing to help and assist other students who are shy or struggling in their classwork she does this without the expectation of being recognized by her teachers she genuinely is kind to all students she comes into contact with so congratulations to picture time good job guys thank you so much everyone for attending you can you're allowed to stay for the rest of the meeting but you do not have to have a great night everyone thank you mle I usually don't of them that was the best really awesome awesome all right District Mission St goals board goals you want to review them no I think we're we're all right okay then we'll do a motion and a second to open the meeting to the public for the discussion of agenda items only can I have a motion and a second the games today all all those in favor oppose orain seeing and hearing none we're going to close the um public comments to the public can I have a motion a second motion second all those in favor I opposed to abstain all right you're up Mr Le all right under the superintendent's report we have items A and B for Safety and Security we had our fire and safety drills for the month there we also had our beginning of the year bus evacuation drills at both schools item C is the monthly reports uploaded for your review item D is our hi reports we had one reported um one report of hi at DDE and it was confirmed not a hi uh item number one on the next page there is of the hips from last month sorry a little um braen part there um under FF one we have two new policies uh policy reviews um that I sent out to the board um these are both concerning preschool and essentially what I did there was a lot of verbiage in there that talked about when we admit three-year-old students we are admitting three-year-old students so I needed to update the language um we're also changing how families are registering um to get their children into preschool they're going to now be using on course so that they go in and everything's done in one shot so they don't have to come in and then write register after they've already um you know put their name in that that pool of people um item number two there is a second reading for all the policies that we had on the agenda last month item number three is to is for the board to approve all of our policies all of our district policies for the school year that link was uploaded um to your portal as well item number four is for the board to approve the submission of our uh Q DPR the district performance review for 2425 we've been working through the process for the last two months of getting all our documentation together for cusac we have that all completed and so we are submitting our materials tomorrow and then we will meet in person with the county in January item number five is um our update for the three-year preschool uh program plan um really the update and nutshell is that we are adding one more class again next year and then the following year we'll have to add two more classes so there will be a large amount of discussion moving into that about where we will house those additional classes uh item number six is the nursing Services plan it's just an annual plan that we approve each year signed off on by our school physician and both nurses item number seven is school volunteers item number eight are organizations that use our facilities nothing new same organizations we see each month item number nine is to approve the projected enrollment submission for preschool uh G1 is more field trips that we have three more field trips that we have come in over the month uh item H we have a an a position for an after school for a student who's staying after school for ban um we also have a part-time instructional Aid who will be with us when she's home for break from college uh number two is uh accepting resignation of one of our bus drivers item number three is to approve that same student who's going to be the aid is also coming to do some of their hours to observe our speech language pathologist item number four is to approve sick leave and unpaid leave for an employee um really two periods of time march to June and then again from September 2nd next year until Jan January 6 of the following year under curriculum instruction item one is to approve the use annual approval of the mcra evaluation rubric uh for teachers item number two is to approve the use of the NJ people evaluation rubric and that is for the administrative team and item number three is to approve two corrective action plans both plans were uploaded into the portal uh for the board's review any questions okay motion and a second to approve superintendent items XA to XI motion second and no questions Mr Davis yes Mrs Allen yes Mr Jones yes Mrs R yes Mrs Helma yes Mrs Juliano yes Mrs orente yes Mr Golden yes perfect SE um all right so we're going to review the the financial report for the months of September and October 2024 um no line item has been overextended there are sufficient funds available to meet the obligations for the remainder of the year the treasurer's report and the secretary's report for the months of September and October are both in agreement um there are no changes in anticipated Revenue amounts or sources um did everybody get to do payment of the bills I sign off on the bills okay so e is just to approve um batch number 54 um payment of the bills f is to approve the October 2024 listing from source for teachers the pay rate and the bill rate are listed G is to approve the cafeteria dispersements for the month of October in the amount of $2,883 75 H is to approve the care dispersements for the month of October in the amount of $925 and six cents I is to approve the submission of the comprehensive maintenance plan and the M1 to the Camy count the Office of Education this is has to be done every year Jay is to approve some travel and uh professional development for some of our staff members with the cost listed as well as um what training they're going to be going to can I have a motion and a second to approve those items a through J motion second any questions uh Mr Davis yes Mrs Allen yes Mr Jones yes Mrs R yes Mrs yes Mrs Juliano yes Mrs oriente yes and Mr Golden yes all right great moving right along Old business I don't think we have any old business um I know Mr Lee has a couple new business in the beginning and then we'll step in committee update y couple items um first first item I wanted to talk about was the potential to move our meetings back to 7 PM I think just 7:30 feels really late to me um I brought that up last year in January but nobody seems to be like jumping on I know I mean Pine Hill had even gone to 6:30 which is you know look I'm I'm open to discussing any of it I know 7:30 to me just seems you know we have younger children who come to beginning of the meeting um you know just moving it back at least a half an hour for now to see how that works for us I think that would be a good thing everybody I in agreement okay um the second thing is we have reor coming up in the beginning of January I spoke with Dr Williams in Pine Hill today they're planning on having their reward meeting on this Tuesday the 7th of January and we have to have hours before they have Theirs to pick our our rep for the the pineal Ford and so Monday January 6 is the date that I was looking at hoping that works for the for the board first will not be the first I can assure you that well and the other option was that you know the second is a Thursday but I was like that's the first day we're coming back SCH like we don't want to do that's rough yeah I figur two and we didn't want to do a Monday so or we didn't want to do Friday obviously so Monday the six work and does seven o'clock work for everybody or do you want to do a little earlier that oh meeting it doesn't matter because that's just the one meeting and that's where we set our meetings for that whole year so we do have some flexibility with the time there um again it's literally like a 10 or 15 minute meeting um so whatever you guys want to do I like 6:30 but want to try for 6:30 does that work Mondays sometimes you're rough on a mon no you're okay do does 6:30 work for everybody on a Monday I can make it work okay all right let's do 6:30 I'll have Jody um prepare the notice for The Courier Post so we can get that out and advertised and then like I said at the reor meeting we'll set the um calendar dates for next year and we'll stick with that 7 o'clock start time all right perfect thank you everyone next meeting will be 6:30 next meeting no the next meeting is in December still so that's still at 7:30 yeah we're still set with that calendar for this year at 7:30 January we're going to start at 7 o'clock but our reorg will be 6:30 okay um we don't have any negotiations updates at this time because they're all settled uh we did have a finance committee meeting um we reviewed the budget report we reviewed the revenue report which all of them are coming in as they're supposed to we don't have any additional um special education placements at that at this time so no updates there um there are is an angry increase in uh some support services down at the elementary school due to some uh higher needs so we're kind of just watching those um budget lines to make sure you know we have sufficient funds all of grants have been approved by um the office of Grants management as well as the county office and we have started to uh draw down those funds with those reimbursement requests that we submit after every board meeting once bills are paid um miscellaneous we had the drrs which is our annual Transportation report the midyear efficiency review documents the 2526 preschool projected enrollment and the preschool operational plan we're all due on 11:15 and they were all submitted on time uh Auditors started in the district this week and started the audit for the 23 24 fiscal year all seems to be going well so far our Assa which is determines our state aid is due on December 6th and as you saw we have a bus driver vacancy I currently have four um candidates in so probably the first week of December I'll be doing interviews um and I'll probably have about two bus drivers sit in with me just since they'll be working with those individuals it's kind of good to get um their take so I'll have a few individuals sitting in on the interviews with me um that was it for finance school boards I don't think there's I haven't see anything first the state school boards I have uh ed services anything Michelle uh no we didn't have a meeting in November the next one is December 4th okay um Kim is not here so she can't give us our Pine Hill update um and then also for the Camy County School boards I haven't seen anything come through for that either um does anybody have anything for new business um we are waiting on the official election results we had some rins so once we we we had some rins we have someone that has 12 someone that has seven um it looks like Miss Ro will be leaving us there was someone that was awarded the seat so um with 12 so I'll have some more information once I have some more solid results but it looks like that's that's the direction it's going um so once I have more um I have to reach out to that candidate to make sure that they're interested since they were right in interested in running or interested in filling the vacancy before um and then if they choose not to at that point then we would you're the next person with the amount of votes um we go that route so um so I'll keep you posted thank you but nonetheless you're still with us through December you're not going anywhere um but I will keep you posted okay so that's all I have um at this point no one else has anything else all right public comments uh motion of second to open to the public for the discussion of non-agenda items motion all those in favor I oppose to abstain hearing none seeing none uh let's go ahead and motion a second to close the meeting to the public motion all those in favor opposed obain um we don't have an eurn executive session correct no all right so that point if there's nothing else we will go ahead and adjourn the meeting can I have a motion a second to adjourn you were so quiet that time I mean you're always quiet but that was like a different voice all those in favor I opposed or obain all right guys thank you have a wonderful Thanksgiving I have two things for e

Christina chrisa Christina [Music] this Mr mccy attorney Mr McCone Mr horn good to go good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to this special recognition Awards presentation meeting of the Clifton Board of Education please rise for the the flag salute and a moment of silence 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 [Music] all thank you roll call please Mr shahana Miss bassford present Mr BRC here Mr kova here Mr Mia here Mr Santiago here Mr sio check here M Suarez here vice president Danny here president Paris here we have a quorum the mission of the Clifton School District in an open and reciprocal Community Partnership is to provide all students with a quality education to develop the skills necessary to become literate lifelong Learners who are responsible and productive citizens contributing to a Democratic Society in an everchanging world the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right to the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interests is discussed or acted upon in accordance with the provisions of this act the Clifton Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be publicized by having the date time and place thereof posted at the city clerk's office Clifton Public Library administration building senior citizen Nutrition Center on cable TV in the local press on the district's website and mailed to presidents of parent teacher organizations this meeting will be tape recorded in accordance with policy 0168 Dr Robert toy would you like to say a few words thank you uh Mr Paris good evening um members of the Board of Education and members of the one Clifton Community this is a great night to be here for me because it's all positive this is just a celebration and a recognition of all the wonderful things that our students and staff do on a consistent basis and this is the first time that the board of educ is trying this um as you know previously we would recognize staff and students at our regular board meetings and we wanted to try to separate that we wanted to try to separate the celebration and recognition from our traditional uh board business so we expect everything to go well tonight we expect this to continue and I look forward to congratulating all of our students of the month our um employees of the month and recognizing some of our staff for pbsis thank you Mr Paris thank you Dr Robert toy Commissioners could we please regroup down uh front of the stage we will be we'll be doing presentations Awards what's that [Music] going to call you stand easier if just come up [Music] good evening everyone we will start with the October students of the month commissioner bassford will read the ninth grade recipient for the month of October thank you president Paris it's my pleasure to award the ninth grade October student of the month award to Allison Rouse we are proud to recognize Allison Rouse as a ninth grade student of the month Allison stands out for her dedication to both academics and extracurricular she fa uh her favorite subject language arts with Miss beum challenges her to stay focused and put in every effort needed to succeed in world history Mr Hal's motivating lessons push her to achieve more making history engaging Beyond just fact dates Allison draws her greatest inspiration from her family who encourages her re her to reach her full potential even when she doesn't achieve Perfection Beyond academics Allison is highly active running for her class president participating in Heroes and Cool Kids competing in winter track and contributing to the stage crew with excellent time management and organization Allison balances her commitment and plans to pursue the marketing and Business Academy next year aiming to fulfill her dream of becoming an entrepreneur congratulations Allison on this well-deserved [Applause] recognition we will make sure that Allison gets this thank you have a good night thank you commissioner bassford commissioner brunak could you please step to the the podium and read the 10th grade October student of the month thank you thank you Mr President good evening everybody it is a pleasure to honor Leandro spoon as a 10th grade student of the month for October Leandro excels academically particularly in Geometry where his strong problem solving skills allow him to tackle complex challenges with e his history teacher Mr decorte has been especially influential this year due to her engaging and dynamic teaching style Leandro draws inspiration from his coach Mr pones who motivates him to push Beyond his limits in sports he participates in Cross Country indoor and outdoor track and field balancing these commitments with his academics throughout thought fulltime management looking to the Future Leandro plans to engage in college courses and academic programs at CHS to prepare for success in higher education congratulations Leandro on your remarkable achievements [Music] A's family come up please [Applause] congratul [Music] pict you want to problem got nowhere to be celebration night thank you congratulations you want [Applause] [Music] papers okay I'd like to invite commissioner Kenova up to present our 11th grade October student of the month our 11th grade uh student in the month is Zena abomi I'm hoping I'm pronouncing that right uh we are proud to recognize Zena abomi as the 11th grade student of the month Z excels in Ceramics where her creativity shines under the guidance of her most influential teacher Miss Abraham Miss Abraham Miss Abraham's engagement helps Zia push her Beyond her limits and approach challenges with resilience Z is also inspired by her mother's strength and compassion motivating her to strive for for excellence as a varsity girl soccer player Zena balances the academics and Athletics through careful time management she plans to attend college major in biology and pursue physical therapy while also aiming to continue playing soccer congratulations Zina thank you commissioner Kenova commissioner Mahia please present the 12th grade October student of the month thank you president Paris for the 12th grade student of the month this Award presented to Omar Rosario we're pleased to honor Omar Rosario as a 12th grade student in the month Omar's favorite subject is math and his most influential teacher is Mr mccy he has taught him valuable lessons about respect and the technical side of working behind the camera inspired by both his parents who motivate him in both academics and sports Omar excels as the member of an algebra 1 during his freshman year as well as vars City basketball varsity football teams and plans to major in algebra during his freshman year but his persistence has paid off Omar plans to attend college and pursue a degree in architecture congratulations Omar [Applause] up Mom Dad Mom Dad come on [Music] okay we're going to continue now with the October employees of the month I'd like to invite commissioner Santiago to come up and present the district distinguished employee of the month for yeah the district employee of the month that's what it is good got it thank you president Paris District distinguished Employee of the Month Susan phano secretary in the offices of the assistant superintendent of curriculum instruction and supervisor of bilingual ESL and World Language Sue consistently goes above and beyond demonstrating a remarkable ability to anticipate needs support her colleagues and develop an Innovative develop innovative solutions to challenges her contributions ensure that everything runs smoothly in the office su's positive attitude is infectious she often brightens our days by bringing in treats and celebrating everyone's birthdays creating a warm and welcoming environment she greets everyone with a smile and is always ready to lend a helping hand her exceptional organizational skills are evident in her Flawless management of all incoming multilingual Learners in clipon she is incredibly reliable always just a phone call or email away and she consistently follows up promptly no matter the circumstances she maintains a high level of professionalism and kindness even on tough days and her politeness never wavers congratulations Susan Felicia [Applause] conat take let's take one y and Sue Sue's husbands yeah Bo [Applause] okay um hi everybody I normally don't do this um I don't speak in public but being a secretary for ESL is um it's a little challenging but I love it and me getting this award tonight is really a team effort with all my ladies thank you very much thank you [Applause] I'd like to invite up commissioner siano to present the elementary distinguished Employee of the Month our elementary distinguished employee of the month is Charles munir grade three teacher School 13 Charles is an exceptional educator who genuinely cares for his students demonstrating compassion and boundless patience in every situation as a cea representative he navigates staff concerns with remarkable Grace making what can be a challenging role look effortless largely because of his deep passion for teaching Charles takes the time to connect with both his students and colleagues fostering an environment where everyone feels valued his Presence at school 13 is cherished and it's hard to imagine our community without him his ability to transform any situation into a positive experience for both students and staff is truly inspiring he builds and nurtures lasting relationships creating a sense of belonging and Trust I'm proud to present this award [Applause] well Mom and fiance have to come up [Applause] thank you very ex thank you [Applause] no pressure but did you want to say anything no no pressure but I've never met a teacher that didn't like a microphone it's a lot EAS talk in front of kids this um just honored um to be at school 13 with you know great colleagues that have nominated me for this award it means a lot to be respected by my colleagues um I love working in Clifton you know I don't plan on leaving anytime soon and you know I'm really embracing the one Clifton uh the motto and like I said hope to be here for the Long Haul so thank [Applause] you I'd like to invite commissioner Suarez to present the Middle School distinguished employee of the month thank you president Paris this Middle School distinguished employee of the month is Miss Mary Foley Mary is an exceptional speech language therapist she consistently goes above and beyond making profound impact on her students lives despite managing a demanding case load Mary dedicates herself wholeheartedly to each student ensuring they receive the individual attention they deserve her commitment to professional growth is evident in her research of cuttingedge techniques and interventions especially when working with students facing unique challenges Mary approaches her therapy sessions with war Warth and enthusiasm creating an environment where every student feels valued and special in addition to her clinical skills Mary excels at navigating difficult conversations with parents skillfully combining empathy with sound data to Foster understanding and collaboration she is an outstanding Problem Solver and a vital team member always ready to lend her expertise and support I believe she is not here tonight to receive the reward but we can still give her a round of applause [Applause] thank you commissioner Suarez commissioner brunak please come to present the High School distinguished employee of the month thank you again Mr President my honor to congratulate Caitlyn Priestley special education teacher at ch Jess Caitlyn goes above and beyond for her students demonstrating an unwavering commitment to their success and well-being Caitlyn has skillfully expanded her program finding innovative ways to integrate her students into the general population of the school she creates meaningful opportunities for growth helping her students build confidence and develop essential social skills her efforts not only benefit her students but also Foster more inclusive School Community as a respected teacher Caitlyn is known for her kindness and caring nature both towards her students and her colleagues she collaborates seamlessly with staff offering support and sharing her insights to enhance the educational experience for all students her positive attitude and approachability make her a beloved figure in our school her dedication inspires both her students and her peers creating an environment where everyone feels valued and supported Caitlyn's impact is truly immeasurable and she is a shining example of excellence and education congratulations Caitlyn [Applause] absolutely this is our lady you how you doing kids I went to school with Daddy yeah we went to high school [Music] together right scaring the child congratulations I'll take it okay next we'll be moving on to the November students of the month vice president Danny please present the ninth grade winner for November our ninth grade November student of the month is Sophia Felix conr congratulations to Sophia Felix our nth grade student of the month Sophia has impressed us all with her dedication to her studies especially in her favorite subjects English and Spanish where she loves learning new ways to communicate and hearing stories come to life all of her teachers have helped her along the way but it's her own vision of graduating getting into a great school and doing her best that truly inspires her Sophia has tried volleyball and has a passion for dance balancing all by staying on top of her work being on time and keeping patient she's excited about taking advantage of programs at CHS to prepare her bright future congratulations Sophia we're so proud of you [Applause] Grand Grandma family anybody a thank you vice president Danny commissioner bassford please present the 10th grade November student of the month winter do without this thank you president Paris again um it's my pleasure to give the award to the 10th grade student of the month for November to Le El Shar uh let's celebrate Le El Sharie our 10th grade student of the month Le Le's favorite subject is American history where he loves uncovering past history past events and learning from them he especially is grateful for his teacher Mr Suarez who has supported him through tough times and has been someone who he can truly trust inspired by his mother who has always been there to help him when he needs it Le has focused on building strong social connections and improving his communication skills in high school he also exploring the academic programs to CHS to guide his next step congratulations leth are you here I'm I'm over too but we'll make sure that he gets this and we wish him well and [Applause] congratulations thank you commissioner bassford commissioner Kenova please present the 11th grade November student of the month our 11th grade student of the month is David Feliciano let's congratulate David Feliciano on our 11th grade student of the month David excels in English enjoying deep discussions on topics like colonialism and art and constantly change challenges himself to improve his skills he's inspired by a Latin American Artist and is motivated by his history teacher Mr Henry who has a lasting impact on him outside the classroom David plays violin in the CHS Orchestra runs track and his active in community work he plans to study environmental science and college and dreams of traveling to South America and Spain congratulations to David [Applause] right [Applause] commissioner Mahia please come to present the 12th grade November student of the month thank you again president Paris the 12th grade student of the month is going to be salala zahana let's congratulate samala zahana our 12th race in the month s oh this is a bit hard I don't want to mispronounce the name so I'm sorry in advance um your favorite subject is ESL with Mr Walsh Miss Walsh who creates a welcoming and supporting environment for all students inspired by her mom zma has learned to stray Mo motivated and keep pushing forward even when F when facing challenges one of her biggest hurdles was adjusting CHS after moving here from Albania and working through the language barriers but she overcame with with determination Tama plans to pursue a career in nursing looks forward to continue her education in college [Applause] congratulations for November employees of the month uh commissioner Santiago please present the district distinguished employee of the month from November the district distinguished employee of the month is Megan zenola director of security Mrs zenola has played a critical role in developing and implementing comprehensive safety protocols across the district she is worked closely with school administrators law enforcement and local agencies to create a security framework that is both proactive and responsive her efforts include overseeing campus security operations conducting safety drills managing emergency response plans and implementing advanced technology systems to Monitor and secure school facilities under her leadership the district has made significant strides in enhancing physical security measures including upgrading surveillance systems improving building access controls and increasing the visibility of security Personnel additionally Mrs anola has been a key figure in training staff on Emergency Response procedures and crisis management ensuring that our schools are prepared for any situation from natural disasters to active shooter scenarios congratulations Mrs Z [Applause] can I say something before yeah sure before Miss Zola says a few words you know it's it's so nice that for our employees of the month uh some of the staff members come out from their schools but I knew I felt especially safe tonight and not only is Mr Nola our director of security but I think almost all of our school security Specialists are in the audience and that's a testament to your leadership so that's that's pretty amazing I a little bit that's okay that's okay thank you everyone I am honored and humbled and happy to accept this recog recognition with the understanding that those most deserving are standing in the back of the room they show up every day with security across their [Applause] back it's like I'm the coach of an MVP team so thank you for that I've got family in the room room hi Mom hi my wife is here bless her heart she no longer blinks when my phone rings in the middle of the night and I say I got to take this call it's Clifton police thank you to the board and to Administration Mark Jenaro The Godfather of security in the district my right-hand man Vinnie Constantino yes thank you for all the money we are yet in the infancy stage of this security initiative trust me when I tell you there are more great things to come thank you [Applause] theyy quieting the cheap seats family please yeah might as well bring the crew up we [Applause] got Mom we're going to take one with the family guys and and and ladies and then we're going to bring everybody up beautiful wonderful so glad you guys can be here coming right [Music] what's up boom back cut off the podium good for you to cut off we got everybody wants to put your oh yeah yeah yeah yeah that's cool somebody on this [Applause] conat thank you to all of you keeping our students and our staff and our schools safe commissioner shano please present the elementary distinguished employee of the month for the month of [Music] November just for you thank you president Paris get that up here our elementary distinguished employee of the month is Jennifer Ray assistant principal of school 12a oh I like that K the [Applause] panda I let you cheer Mrs Ray is an exceptional leader who has had an immeasurable impact on our school Community as an assistant principal she consistently exemplifies a commitment into excellence in every aspect of her work Mrs Ray is a dynamic and proactive administrator two years ago she initiated and coordinated the employee of the month recognition program which has become a key motivator and morale booster among staff she also recognized the importance of a supportive work environment and led a transformation of the teachers room creating a comfortable welcoming space for staff in a small building her creativity and thoughtful approach to making the space more functional and inviting has been appreciated by all in addition to these initiatives Mrs Ray demonstrates strong leadership in the daily administrative functions of the school she supports the principal with scheduling staff evaluations student assessments and curriculum development she plays a critical role in student performance tracking through data analysis and is an act active leader in pbsis her organizational skills shine in managing the summer programs administrative responsibilities and ensuring the smooth daily operation of the School Mrs Ray is an invaluable asset to our school demonstrating the highest level of professionalism care and Leadership congratulations Mrs Ray [Applause] we'll do one with the family and then the school and the sign of course the elementary school has the S guys you got to do better for 12 come on bring it [Applause] up we need sign right fr okay [Music] [Applause] I just want to take a quick minute to thank um our board members Dr Rober toi especially for allowing me to join his outstanding team um for Miss conning's Fearless leadership um and just being alongside working with her these six years have been amazing and thank you for the outstanding school2 family who always supported me and um welcome me with just open arms so thank you to and I appreciate it I am honored and again thank you commissioner Suarez please present the Middle School distinguished employee of the month for the month of November thank you president Paris this award goes to miss jasta gang world language seventh grade teacher Mrs G G has consistently demonstrated extraordinary dedication leadership and a genuine passion for the success and well-being of our students and staff Miss gang's commitment to supporting students extends well beyond the classroom she runs extracurricular clubs often giving up her weekends to ensure students have enriching experiences outside of school hours Mrs gang involvement in the Champs program including her generous donations further reflects her commitment to fostering positive behavior and rewarding student achievement whether it's assisting students with their lockers or making sure they have everything they need to start the day with confidence she has a positive attitude smile and kind words that make a lasting impact on the students she serves her efforts to address students individual needs before the school day begins sets the tone for Success she exemplis dedication passion and an unwavering commitment to making a difference in the lives of those around her please give it up from mang thank youu up [Applause] and the Columbus family I know there some Columbus go hi [Applause] Columbus got squishy squish we got a squish in the new guy [Applause] [Music] birthday good evening everyone um it's an honor I'm very grateful to receive this award tonight um and it is a true honor to be part of a great great family here in Clifton thank you for the administration of C CMS for Miss Bannon and every single colleague and student from CCMS thank [Applause] you vice president Danny please present the High School distinguished employee of the month for the month of November thank you Mr Paris president Paris okay uh High School distinguished Employee of the Month Maria R Maintenance custodian CHS Miss R has consistently demonstrated exceptional work ethic dedication and a positive attitude toward her role and responsibilities as a custodian at CHS Maria is entrusted with maintaining the cleanliness and safety of the school environment including classrooms hallways restrooms and common areas her attention to detail and pride in her work are evident in the consistently clean and well-maintained spaces she oversees in addition to her standard custodial duties Maria has demonstrated remarkable initiative and dedication to improving the aesthetic and overall environment of CHS one example of her extraordinary efforts was her recent planting of 500 tulip bulbs around the school ground wow Maria took the time to organize the planting and complete the task entirely on her own wow I don't think I can do that this act of beautification not only improved the school's appearance but also brighten the surrounding areas for all those who pass her proactive approach strong work ethic and commitment to making CHS a better place make her a standout employee congratulations [Applause] and she will be planting tulips at my house since I don't plan thank you yeah sure how about your supervisor [Applause] here another yester one [Applause] better I want to say um I am honored to work at clipton high school um I work here almost for 16 years and I love every day out of it it's not an easy job like she says we have to do a lot of things from good ones and bad ones and also I love PewDiePie in the school I started when the pandemic came because it was all sadness and I felt like the school need a little bit of happiness and I know I love flowers so I start planting tulips I do it on my own time nobody have told me I I I do because I wanted to do it and I wanted to do something that I love it and I'm grateful to be recognized as the employee of the month thank you all [Applause] okay that concludes our student and employee recognitions for the months of October in November Mr Paris I I made a mistake as I usually do we offered everybody the opportunity to take a picture uh with their family except for the school 13 family bring them we do that give them a chance 13 family I always admit when I make mistakes every day I do I'm a [Applause] mo GL to hear you good good school 13 was my on the L [Applause] uh next I'd like to invite uh Miss mosa up to present the recognition awards for the pbsis program good evening everyone all righty we this is the last recation please we have saved the best for last I right is that what we say at the end all right so here we go um it is my true pleasure to recognize Christopher Columbus Middle School for their dedication to implementing the pbsis framework and aligning it within a true multi-tiered system of supports their efforts exemplify the important connection between academic success and positive behavior showing how intentional practices can benefit the entire School Community tonight we celebrate their hard work in promoting a culture that supports both academic and behavioral growth their commitment to this alignment reflects the meaningful progress being made within our district thank you CCMS for your continued efforts in fostering a supportive and successful environment for students staff and community members we're going to show you a video identifying the exact piece that we want to share which is the academic alignment so Sam thank you so much for pressing play hi I'm here witha our assist principal um and we' like to know how did uh chance to get integrated into academic activities and what Chang you see so this academic challenges are tied to our team Wars a concept uh that the universal team came up with during our champ summer Retreat um the team Wars have motivated students and staff to demonstrate positive academic behaviors in addition to our already established behavoral expectations while participating in a friendly competition we're joined out with Mrs Lisa Hayward and Mrs Kim stano memb of our academic champ sub commmittee hello question for you what surprise you most about the students response to this challeng um well I think the biggest um shock was just you know articles of the stud spread in I think as a school we've read over 24,000 Min articles um which I don't think has ever been done before so that's great that they were super engaged in the in the program anding my [Music] news Mrs how do you feel this academic challenge influence our sport culture and the student attitude toward I think they just prompted not just language arts but all for Content Spees language art social study science to all get involved in Reading More in the classroom um the whole component of Team wars and them trying to earn points for their team was such a good motivator and it really brought everyone together all the teachers to asking like what's our update the kids kept asking so it was just such a great way to get everyone motivated about reading which sometimes not all kids are motivated to do so it was nice to see that all four content areas got involved after fantastic congratulations thank you I'm here with my friend Carlos and Carlos we want to know how did this contest help excite and motivate you to read more newss so I wanted to be in a war to read the most AR my class is my teut going to reward the number one leer in our I ended up being the number one leer in the history that helped my team win team war and I also end up that's amazing car great work keep on the good word and keep on reading I'm here with my good friend mud another one of our amazing students and we want to know M how did this contest help motivate [Music] you nice very good and how did this affect your language arts average how many articles did you read that's amazing high five thank you buddy so I'm your Mr Roo one of our ELA teachers Mr Roo what was your go for this may news Challenge and how did you envision it helping the students May news is a great program that used in Daily uh activities uh it's a program that encourages students to read nonfiction articles and take comprehension questions so Envision them reading the Articles answering questions really learning about current events in a lot of different areas in s and by having program I really encourag them to work hard and and learn at the same time so the contest was a lot of being motivating it was a lot motivating teachers got into it as well and a lot of fun for them to see who did more and who got the most out of it awesome thank you [Music] Mr we did have to overcome some challenges with this academic contest that kind of took us by surprise when we started to track the number of Articles sprad and equ passed by all the students at CCMS we realized that we had to customize our data reports on the Mayan website this meant that mrso and I had to manually create groups within Mayon and then add every student to the appropriate group with three grade grade levels four teams per grade and roughly 100 students per team this was quite the undertaking but in overcoming this challenge we are now prepared for any future Mayan contest related to team Morris this [Music] year one of my favorite moments that came from this may on contest was that we were able to individually reward one student per grade level who read the most articles within their grade they each received a token to the vending machine which is always super exciting for them and a free bookmark they were all smiles at the end of the day I want to thank you for watching our video tonight and letting us share the success we've had here at CC CCMS this year with our change program particularly thanks to our academic sub committee teachers and Stor and Mr can have done this without you but most importantly we thank all our students and staff for their unwavering support and cooperation in our Champs program it's because of you and the vision you have for your students and the vision we have for our school that we can be so proud of what we've done this school year so far we look forward to more academic and behavioral challenges that will benefit our school the greater cots and community and the framework of the tsis initiative thank you and good [Music] night ladies and gentlemen year in and year out we've talked about pbsis and what it means in our schools and one of the things one of the last things I promise I I'll say is we talk about how we take care of our students and staff in our in our one uh Clifton Community this is the bridge that we want to bring to you so that you understand that the importance of working and loving our students and showing them um the behavior supports that are available and how it impacts their academic performance one of the top predictors for students academic performance is the way they feel when they enter our buildings and we take that to a a great degree um thank you so much Christopher Columbus Middle School for the standing um job on aligning the behavior on the academic we have some certificates um for the team so uh Dr Rob toi president um Paris we'll start off right yes so we have first uh Vanessa Gaba principal CCMS [Applause] Mr Rob bertolini vice principal [Applause] CCMS Mrs Nicole Tor vice principal vice [Applause] principal Mr Jeff laviola Fearless coach Champs program Mrs Lisa Hayworth Mrs Kim DeStefano [Applause] I have Mr L I'd be in trouble if I didn't have Mr lzy come on happy birth Happy Birthday Mr [Applause] [Music] [Applause] lzy I do I have his right here Happ happy birthday Mr lzy I will get you the uh you're welcome [Music] oh it's wireless wow wish we would have done that before all right guys [Applause] this testing Yep this does conclude our recognitions this evening you're more than welcome to stay um what's left is primarily uh public recognition and some board remember comments but it is a work night so if you choose to leave that's perfectly fine thank you and congratulations to all your recipients [Applause] know [Music] what's up brother this portion of the meeting is open to the citizens of Clifton for the purpose of addressing any subject matter pertinent to and or directly related to the operation of the Clifton Public School District residents are requested to sign the register provided for this purpose and to State their names addresses and subject matter comments are limited to 5 minutes per person issues raised by members of the public may or may not be responded to by the board all comments will be considered and the response will be forthcoming if and when appropriate the board asked that the 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 respond responded to by the board students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey the board Bears no responsibility nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public members of the public should consider their comments in light of the legal rights of those affected or identified in their comments and be aware that they are legally responsible and liable for their [Music] comments no one online no one in Virtual motion to close second motion to close by commissioner Brak second by commissioner Mahia are there any members of the public who would like to come forward and speak motion to close second motion by to close by vice president Danny second by commissioner Mia okay we're going to end with board member comments and commissioner Santiago begins this week thank you president Paris I just want to say congratulations to all of our students of the month for October November all of our employees of the month for October and November and the Champs team at Christopher Columbus for their contributions to pbsis and the amazing students there thank you good night and Miss reg Goa commissioner siano please just congratulations to all the awards din winners tonight and Happy Thanksgiving thank you commissioner s commissioner Suarez hi everyone as always it's a pleasure seeing everyone uh receive Awards so congratulations to our Awards winners um congratulations to the pbsis Christopher Columbus I love seeing Middle School there being uh involved in their education and everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving have a good night too thank you commissioner Suarez commissioner bassard yes thank you and congratulations to all the awards recipients it was a very very nice evening and I think it was a success and I hope to see many more of these as we approach Thanksgiving I would like to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes to everyone here our student staff Administration fellow board members and the entire one clipon Community the season reminds us to pause reflect and count on our blessings let's take the time to appreciate what we cherish those around us and embrace the spirit of gratitude many uh may your Thanksgiving be bountiful filled with joy and surrounded by loved ones Happy Thanksgiving to all thank you commissioner bassford commissioner bu thank you Mr President I just want to thank everybody for their time and God bless America have a good night everybody thank you commissioner brunia commissioner kova I just want to congratulate all the award recipients tonight wish everyone uh Happy Thanksgiving um I loved how this event was and I hope we can continue more like this thank you commissioner thank you commissioner kova commissioner Brun Mahia thank you president parents I just want to say congratulations to the all all award today as well as a quick self-plug if anyone would like to attend our Christmas tree lighting down in botney village on December 6th from 6:30 to 9:30 that'd be great thank you have a great day thank you commissioner Mahia vice president Dr Danny thank you president Paris uh I'd like to say congratulations to the award recipients and Happy Thanksgiving and a good night thank you vice president Danny congratulations to all the winners this evening uh just a reminder next week on Wednesday evening at the stadium the night before Thanksgiving there is the Under The Lights Um Mustang ban exhibition which will include alumni from years past this this year and I'd also like to wish everyone a fantastic Thanksgiving motion to close motion second Richie Dy motion by commissioner Mahia seconded by commissioner bassford thank you have a great evening thanks everybody got [Applause] good night folks good job that's awesome guys thank you for being here always Turner turn the camera [Music] chips in there in there oh yeah e e e

[Music] it's Friday we're going to have some fun winter is coming it's cold outside but first Thanksgiving arrives next week we're going to talk to our wild cats find out their favorite Thanksgiving foods and see if they can identify some classic desserts while they're blindfolded all right wild cats who am I here with Jordan Donovan what year in school are you guys freshman freshman freshman Happy Thanksgiving you excited for Thanksgiving yeah yeah what do you like about Thanksgiving definitely not the turkey I think I like the mashed potatoes more mashed potatoes gravy on the mashed potatoes no no straight mashed potatoes no gravy interesting choice favorite food probably like turkey do you put gravy on the turkey no twoo anti-grav guys here do you like dessert at Thanksgiving uh yes absolutely yeah what's your favorite dessert at Thanksgiving uh usually my grandpa brings like this like massive chocolate cake that we all have o a massive chocolate cake sounds good usually why Grandma makes really good cookies we're going to have a little pie taste test you think you could identify a pie based on the taste probably not he's got a couple different options here your friend's going to feed you go go open up open your mouth how's that taste tastes good good good he likes it what type of pie are you eating um I believe I'm eating pumpkin pie you believe you're eating pumpkin pie you are eating pumpkin pie Thanksgiving staple enjoy you can have the rest of that pie if you [Music] want you got a lot of crust there yeah maybe get a little more of the the [Music] flavor yeah she just gave you a lot of crust that time so I don't know if you can identify from that all right what do you got here anakah what are you [Music] eating I don't know it tastes like a berry oh you're close you're close um raspberry not raspberry it is rasp [Music] um Cherry it is Cherry Cherry Pie you said you like all desserts correct yeah all of them yes there's none that you don't like no do you have any food Al no okay we're safe so we're going to give you a bite of pie here you got to tell us what dessert you're eating right now okay okay what do we have there that's Apple Ooh So Close wait wait wait no that's pumpkin that's pumpkin pie yes that is pumpkin pumpin pie all right wild cats I'm here with Lincoln Aran Xavier what you're in school are you guys I'm a sophomore sophomore man you're tall for a sophomore I'm a freshman freshman two freshman and a sophomore uh it's Thanksgiving season you excited for Thanksgiving yeah yeah yeah what's your favorite part about Thanksgiving the football game football game Bears fan Bears play this Thanksgiving you going to watch them yeah they going be able to beat the Lions this year probably not stop playing with me stop playing okay I'm serious about this so why don't you just get you a new team I'm I will never get a new team that's what you not understand this is me I am them I'm with the team stop saying stuff like that to me okay okay do you guys like the food yeah what's your favorite food at Thanksgiving probably pie pie all right you'll be uh Happy in a moment the mashed potatoes the mashed potatoes gravy on the mashed potatoes yes definitely okay cranberry sauce o cranberry unique choice for a young man I like it I like your style do you think you could identify a pie if you were a blindfold probably yeah probably we're going to give it a shot let's see [Music] open up a little wider there you go what do we got there Lincoln cherry cherry pie it is Cherry Pie do you like cherry pie yeah where does it rank in your top five favorite pies top five it's probably like three three what beats it apple and I like banana cream as well banana cream [Music] what do we got here it just tastes sweet just tastes sweet it is a sweet pie well that's what most pies are pumpkin not pumpkin apple pie it is apple pie another classic staple of Thanksgiving apple pie we got it all right wild cats I'm here with Luke Aaliyah Happy Thanksgiving you excited for Thanksgiving yeah kind of okay she's a little excited doesn't seem super excited Luke excited for Thanksgiving I'm more of a Christmas person but I just like the big meal so big fan of the food best part of Thanksgiving what's your favorite thing to eat at Thanksgiving my brother's girlfriend's Grandma makes a good apple crisp I think I got it brother's girlfriend's grandma apple crisp got it the pie I like the pie you like the pie you like favorite pie to have a Thanksgiving yes yeah okay okay favorite kind of pie to have in Thanksgiving oh Apple you think if we have like three pies in front of you blindfolded you'd be able to identify what type of pie you were eating [Music] [Laughter] probably what do you got there [Music] Aaliyah she's thinking about it she's thinking about it it's marinating it's a little tart cranberry it's not cranberry something close do you need another bite or you think you got it I need another bite okay she's going to try another bite do you have a guest yet mm no not yet I mean there's only so many pies if you had to guess Berry like blueberry raspberry just dancing all around it it's not blueberry it's not raspberry I'm not sure if this is considered a berry actually I'm is it a stone fruit maybe it hasn't made its way around uh your Thanksgiving table maybe we'll try a different one let's see if you can identify this one oh wow she's I wonder if the laughter is affecting the taste buds you got a guess on this one pumpkin it is a pumpkin pie yes the first one was a cherry pie this one was a pumpkin pie yes you get it now I get it now all right wild cats whatever dessert you choose next Thursday we hope it's a good one have a great Thanksgiving have a great Friday let's finish the semester strong [Music]

all right I would like to call the regular board meeting together for Thursday November 21st 2024 and we G have the jotc post the colors Al 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 thank you thank you okay um action item 4.1 is the adoption of the agenda do I have a motion Madam president I move we adopt the agenda as present thank you Mr Alexander do I have a second thank you Mr Daniels all those in favor signify by saying I I Mr Russell made the second yeah for the rest oh I'm so sorry that's okay thank you he looks as old as I do I look as young as he does well I'm also so okay any any opposed all right motion passes 5 Z and we have Center grow of Elementary Miss Green even even to all here I'd like to proudly introduce our selected studen keny Andrew she has been element student I'd like to read some of what um shared with us during her nominations Kennedy is AER mentor to of the stud my class she is patient and kind with my students Kennedy always checks in with me the teacher and lets me know her plan for their break she is a responsible and kind student Kennedy is a bright and resilient young lady who shines as a student Mentor in our community despite facing challenges this year including a broken arm and illness both personally and in her family Kennedy has persevered with remarkable strength and academically but what truly sets her apart is the kindness and compassion she shows to everyone she needs Kennedy embodies the spirit of andity I'd like to call CH momus Mrs momus has been a um instructional assistant at Cent Grove Elementary for about five years and um she was nominated and people who nominated her said this ch r with Grace she is always swinging by to make sure teachers have what they need and asking how she can help us she makes the school day better than the last Chrissy has a true servant's heart she is always trying to find ways to make our lives as teachers easier and more enjoyable she is wonderful with our students making each and every child feel important anden Chrissy is a joy to see it work every day I'm thankful for her she is always her love for guiding and supporting children shows chissy is great at finding solutions to better serve children in their teamc and last but cly not least Mrs Andrew is our teer for the tonight Mrs Andrew has at elementary for about 13 years and she teaches second grade Kim has several of Coles her for this recogn and um I'd like to read what they've said about her Kim does so much to help students and staff students love her they always want to go back to say hi to her as evidenced by Kennedy talking with Mrs Andrews prior to the board meeting um Kim is an exceptional staff member she wants to help Staff feel included and represented she advocates for her students and even those she doesn't have Kim Andrew support the teachers she goes above and beyond trying to help everybody not only at school but in their personal lives she is an amazing humanim is a wonderful teer who shows studentu she as a [Applause] oh okay neighbor she's my neighbor okay up next we have public comments which we do not have any tonight so we are going to move on to the consent items uh any discussion around consent items no do I have a motion Madam president I move we've approved the consent items as presented thank you Mr Daniel a second thank you Mrs zigan SMI uh uh all those in favor signify by saying I I any opposed motion passes 5 Z and on to the action items first one oh I missed one I'm sorry sorry in okay I'm so sry so I would um like to introduce Mrs Megan Curtis who is in the crowd with us this evening as the new director of Elementary education to Center Grove Community Schools um Megan comes to us with over 20 years of educational experience she was a middle school English teacher um literacy specialist coordinator um assistant principal her most current role she's been serving as a literacy specialist um in Sou West Allen County Schools where she has been heavily involved in um the implementation of the science of reading um instructional Frameworks curriculum work um she's been heavily involved with the Indiana Department of Education literacy Cadre over the past six months so um I'm pleased to introduce her to Center Grove and I'm confident that her skill sets talents and experiences will be of um great benefit to our staff and students so Megan welcome [Applause] s you learn that while my office right fight song So Len does this mean we're not does this mean we're not gonna be on the holiday card list from Southwest Allen County school you're not you're not no you're not yes but you will enjoy the opportunity to work alongside her as well well welcome yes welcome on ours yeah yeah we we will make sure they're on ours so I'm sorry I almost missed your introduction so okay all right sorry there we go okay on to the first action item which is 8.1 and I believe and I'm sorry my yes approved the 2024 2025 Master teacher contract and Dr Taylor is going to present thank you Mrs counts um the board held a public meeting on this contract on Monday morning um which is statutorily required um while we were in a two-year contract um it was agreed upon to reopen the contract to look at base salary and Healthcare premiums and um this evening we're recommending as part of the agreement a one-time stip to be paid in the amount of 1% to all teachers currently employed and the stien will be based off their current uh 2425 base salary and we'll pay that by the end of December um we also would recommend then some changes to healthcare um none impacting the teacher share of the healthcare premium that will not go up at all but the corporation will um increase their contribution to healthcare premiums by roughly 4.87% on average um we do also have to increase the single person deductible which if it's embedded in a family plan it'll go up to 3,300 and we have to do that to comply with IRS regulations it's not something we're choosing to do um and this additional um amount of money would be 447,000 [Music] 7 out of cash no that will be a reoccurring amount that will contribute each year moving forward so we're increasing our contribution to the care plan moving forward good question thank you I I do appreciate I know we didn't get as much money from the state as as we would like so the we had modest raises this year but I do appreciate finding a way to not increase healthare on on our folks and any of your modest raises so I I commend you and and your group for that do I have a motion Madam president I move that we approve the 2024 2025 teacher contract with the United Teachers Association of Center gr thank you Mr Alexander do I have a second second thank you Mr Russell all those in favor signify by saying I I any opposed motion passes 5 action item 8.2 approve retention stiens for level a b c and some Level D employees Dr Taylor yes thank you Mrs SCS and I forgot to mention we're actually going to call that a retention stien in the contract that's the language that's being used and so at this time we're recommending the board extend that same stien to the other employee groups um it would be equal in the same amount to 1% based off current um assignments we do include some Level D employees when we do this type of stiping they're ones that typically work the full year but they're not committed to work for us each year Beyond um and so they they have a maybe a fluctuating schedule but they do work a majority of the school year and so those people will remain consistent with other stiens we've paid at this time of year um we're recommending that the stien be paid to anyone who's active today during at the time of this meeting and also on the payroll date in which we pay it um as we do have some some some ins and outs in these groups and so want to make sure we were clear on that and this would be consistent with the stien being provided to the teachers this evening and that is all Miss counts thank Youk you okay any questions no do I have a motion Madame President I move that we approve um the employee stiens as presented thank you Mr Daniels do I have a second second J thank you thank you Mrs dunan Smith all those in favor signify by saying I I any opposed motion passes 5 Z and assuming we intend to pay these exact same we will pay it on the same payroll we're paying the teachers by the end of December okay we're currently looking at one of the early payrolls in December we just don't want to fully commit okay fair feeling real good about it that understand okay that's a lot of work so all right action item 8.3 is to approve the Employee Appreciation stiens again Dr Taylor thank you Mrs counts and this is an item that we would typically bring this time of year and it's it's got a little more detail information so each year the the teacher appreciation Grant is provided and it provides $30 per student to districts throughout Indiana um it's been the past practice of the school board to supplement that amount of money and provide a little bit more to the teachers along with the other employee groups the difference on this stien is that this is paid for performance and service last year and to appreciate them for their full service last year while still being employed into the month of November with us and so we're recommending that the board adopt this evening the same parameters that we used last year and some of those parameters are that stiens will be differentiated by 25% between a teacher who is highly effective or effective the same would be true for administrative staff for our level C and D though we don't usually we don't use those terms in their evaluation and so we would just provide the same fixed amount or percentage to those groups and the amounts we're recommending this evening are that a teacher or a person with a highly effective rating would earn an additional stien for last year's work based on and it would be in the amount of 1.4% and then so the offset setting 25% reduction would be a 1.12% stipend um we also again continuing with past practice would really like to include a floor on these stiens so at the highest level the 1.4% we'd put in a floor of no less than $750 for a teacher and at 1.12% no less than $600 for an effect for a teacher rated effective last year and this is all based off their evaluation rating for the prior school year um so we're actually then going to continue those amounts as we move down to levels a b and c um and in C we have some individuals who work full or part-time and so we want to introduce one additional floor there so while level C and D employees would receive a stien at 1.4% we want to make sure that any person working any employee working less than four hours a day would receive at least $250 and anyone assigned to work four or more would receive a floor of $350 now I'm saying a lot of things like we would like to and pending board approval and things that's because we haven't received the official notice from the state yet um hoping to get some more information tomorrow if not the following Friday um if for any reason we would receive a different amount than what we've anticipated we' bring that final calculation back on the January Personnel report for the board's additional approval um typically this has happened when we've seen enrollment growth which we saw a little bit this year and we might find out that we actually need would would be able to pay out a slightly higher amount and when I say higher I mean maybe another tenth of a percent um that would be a typical increase from prior years and so I will bring that back in January if it does change once I have that notice again we are targeting a payroll early in in December to pay P this out for all the employees for last year service to be paid out this school year thank you for your attention that's a lot great any question well why are we approving tonight if that's a strong possibility so as we'll indicate later on is that the board um is actually opting to not have the meeting in December and I want to make sure we can get this done we've already appropriated it we included that in October and we anticipate the amount each year based I can I can do the math on what our new students would bring in for the $30 so um it's just if the final calculations go up by a significant amount I want to bring that back for your approval that would be the only reason and that would be consistent with when we've had to do this in the past one year we didn't get it till like December 12th or so it was pretty late and I want to clarify too um there was it's been a few years now when we didn't differentiate between highly effective and effective but you know in in your report up here you're telling us that that's a statutory requirement so that's that's not an us Choice that's a choice that we're told with this money we have to differentiate by at least 25% that's exactly correct and we do have a corresponding board policy on that that we brought in August and we continue to bring annually but that was a statutory requirement it wasn't you are correct so in essence we we're following the law you are correct also part of the policy as well yeah Madam president I move that we approve employee St statements thank you Mr Russell do I have a second second thank you Mr Daniels all those in favor signify by saying I I any opposed motion passes 5- Z action item 8.4 approve the certified staff handbook yep okay Mrs Brown all right I'm asking you to approve two staff handbooks this evening one is for certified staff one is for support staff these are reviewed annually and any changes are then presented to you as the board I will share the certified staff handbook changes first we did review this with our go our district guiding Coalition earlier this week so our certified most of our certified staff have seen that um again going through certified changes first several of them are titles name changes date changes and so you'll see that as Kristen is flowing through I am going to bring special attention to a change on page 13 if you wouldn't mind scrolling down there I also want to sh you guys do have a change summary document that lists each of those changes as well as a copy of um each handbook with those suggested changes as well but if you go to page 13 you're going to notice that we have added reproductive loss to our bereavement leave um such an unfortunate situation but really thankful that we can have that addition and we've already had some staff who have been able to benefit from that so um really thankful to have that there also on page 18 we made an update um to our FMLA language and that's really just in accordance with FMLA guidance our handbook did reflect five consecutive days which would trigger um an FMLA not necessarily that they qualify for FMLA but that they would get in contact with our human resources department to discuss FMLA options um FMLA guidance actually States 3 days so we just now are reflecting our handbook to again match FMLA guidance so we are changing that from five consecutive days to three consecutive days then I will shift over to support staff several of the same changes again titles dates names um we made that same change for bement loss um for PR re I'm sorry sorry reproductive loss for bereavement leave and then the same FMLA change and then um the two special notes that I wanted to make one was on page 38 if you scroll down there and this is just the addition of a requirement that an employee must work their first scheduled day to use any newly allocated vacation time for a current year we didn't have that stipulation in there so we wanted to add that and then on page 45 we added a requirement to receive sick incentive pay one must have one full year of service service before qualifying for that it's very long yep just keep scrolling as we were reviewing it it took two separate meetings to review both of these because we went through it with a fine tooth comb and there's just a lot of language in there after this approval if we get that this evening we'll make sure that we share this out with both um staff groups and then make sure that we have acknowledgement that they re received that there any questions thank you I guess maybe we should start with questions on the certified staff handbook first so that we can approve 8.4 only comment is both these are very long due to we have to match up to state law on a lot of it and that's what causes and when that changes we have to change yeah with certain things yes and others are district level decisions that we've made as a team but yes correct sorry I merged both certified and support that was 8.4 I think together that's right so we'll take questions on 8.4 any other comments no do I have a motion you want one motion or be doing both at once you can do both at once if that's okay yeah I need do them separate okay okay Madam president I move that we approve the certified staff hand book as has presented item number 8.4 thank you Mr Alexander do I have a second second thank you Mr tenan Smith all those in favor signify by saying I I any opposed motion passes 5 Z and then action item 8.5 any discussion do I have a motion M president I move that we approve the support staff handbook item 8.5 as presented thank you Mr Alexander do I have a second I'll second thank you m Smith all those in favor signify by saying I I I any opposed motion passes 5 Z thank you and thank you um action item 8.6 is to authorize the 2025 tax anticipation warrant and Dr Taylor yes Miss counil each year this each time year at this time we bring this one to please Mr Alexander um and so we are actually asking the board to authorize 2025 tax participation warrants um the good news is this year it is a lower amount than it has been in Prior um we are actually able because of some of the shifting that we've done from operations towards The Debt Service fund did not have to carry as much in operations and that's what this is this is a mechanism for us to um receive a small loan pay and and we get that from What's called the Indiana Bond Bank and we pay interest on that for six Monon period until we actually receive our tax revenue and so that's why Mr Alexander I think loves it so much is that that we get to ask Indiana for some money that we're due to get from Indiana in the future um but it is a mechanism that allows us to remain solvent in the operations fund throughout those six months and so recommending this attached resolution to the board for Action this evening thank you thank you she the she read the item any discussion you want to be the one that makes the motion to I usually do with my protest I move that we approve the resolution authorizing the tax anticipation warrant and Au authorize the president secretary to sign the documents needed thank you Mr Alexander do I have a second second thank you Mr Russell all those in favor signify by saying I I any opposed motion passes 5 thank you yes um action item 8.7 is a motion to approve the new high school course proposals and that's Dr simmers thank you so each year the high school makes course proposals to add courses which we offer or may be available to students in future years um these course requests are vetted through the department CH chairs as well as the high school administrative team uh proposals for this year include additional courses to support and expand what we reference as the next level programs of study in specific Department Department areas this year we're looking at business and engineering and the technology departments and we're also looking to expand dual credit and honors level options in Social Studies English and World Language departments um the chart that I included in the board packet summarizes those proposals by course there are 17 of them and they represent those various content areas I would also like to point out that some of these courses proposed courses or recommended courses are being suggested due to proposed changes in the diploma rule that has yet to be approved by the state board of education however we're trying to be as proactive as possible so for instance the um Computing foundations course is being recommended to address the computer science requirement that is part of the new based diploma or the proposal that we have seen up to this point several of those certification courses that you're looking at and those titles and those course descriptions um we are recommending to provide opportunities for students to earn the proposed honors and honors seals um honors plus seals as through enrollment and employment again trying to be as proactive as possible based upon the information that has been shared with us regarding the the new diploma rules um so wanted to share that with you and in light of that obviously um because there may be some small or revisions that will eventually be shared with us we're hoping not to have to come back to you for course approvals but should there be something that surfaces once that becomes public U would just ask for your understanding and flexibility in that we again we're trying to be as proactive as possible as we're beginning to we'll begin to start schedule students obviously at the beginning of the calendar year um the other item that I would like to share with you is that the course titles and descriptions that you're looking at are based up on the current course titles and descriptions that we have access to there will be new course titles and descriptions that will be made available to school districts for the 20 25 26 school year once those become available we need we may need to make some small adjustments and revisions to ensure that our courses are in alignment so that when we are looking at that new the new diploma rule that we are following it in accordance so again just asking for some patience and understanding should we have to do that um we're hoping not but would recommend um your approval of the 17 courses that we are suggesting for Center Grove High School for next year you and I would also like to extend my appreciation to Dr Carol fry who worked closely with Mrs McMahon and her team to um arrive at these 17 courses as we look at opportunities for students I think it's great actually Rob and I had a um meeting with the senator Grove rotary and there were a lot of questions around oh Dr Taylor was there too it was really early it was a very early meeting but um was a lot of good conversation about the proposed um diploma it's a 6:30 meeting and the next morning I had a 7:30 meeting I pretty early no but I I want to commend um you know the whole group because I know we see the final sheet and I know the effort that goes in to not only try to figure out what's coming next but then the surveys of what else we might need in order to get those students ready for when they get out of Cent Grove so you know we we hear about the process but we don't see the sausage made and then at the end we we see it so I I do want to commend your team and and Shannon and and I say principal McMahon now um and and others that that participate in this process so it's it's good to see us being proactive thank you excited about the technology classes do we have the instructors on board so we're working through all of those pieces for sure um and obviously we we are looking for you to to approve these uh recommended courses but there are other pieces as you mentioned that flow into this as we look at what we call a course carrying so you know we look at the number of students we look at the availability of the instructor making sure that we have the appropriate lure and all of those pieces but in order order to even offer it we have to have your approval to do so or would like your blessing I I would think also by putting this out there the staff we have can look at themselves and say I only need one more thing I could teach that you know correct and as we're vetting these also keeping in mind that you have your we have instructors and teachers who are also trying to be creative and Innovative and proactive and looking at what other courses they can offer within their departments to grow those programs so they're very much involved in that process as well seems like it takes a couple years for the kids to catch on hey I heard about this course is it active yet okay any other discussion do I have a motion Madame President I move that we approve the new high school cour descriptions as presented for inclusion in the High School academic guide thank you Mr Alexander do I have a second second thank you Mr Daniels all those in favor signify by saying I I any opposed motion passes 5- z um announcements we um have cancelled the December 12th uh 2024 executive session and regular board meeting uh no school for students December 23rd through January 6 for the holiday break and January 9th uh opens up our our new year with the executive session starting at 6 the reorganization meeting starting at 7 and then the board of Finance meeting immediately following so and then after this session we'll or after this meeting tonight we'll close it and reopen it for good for the Grove but before we do Mr Russell do you have anything usba a meeting's coming up so we don't have anything to bring you I don't have not at this time thanks Mr Alexander um yeah uh Johnson County Redevelopment commission has uh formed an agreement with Johnson County aspire to have Aspire assist the Johnson County Redevelopment Commission in promoting the I69 Corridor and the good things we have going on in Johnson County to to attract um potential businesses and employers down to this area and region um so pretty significant step there at the county level and then at central 9 UM had board meeting Thursday night Thursday night sorry um approved the teacher contract to Central mine on Thursday night um and the board is in planning for work sessions for potential new projects some future grow over at Central M so there will be some turnover on that board next year so once the new board's in place we'll probably finish that planning those planning sessions off anything Dr with you no I'm sorry I forgot y you lost your chance pass you want to sign up for good for the we can sign you up for good for the grow leadership Johnson County junior class is collecting seral boxes and this started is a kind of a one of the small group things and it's just blowing up uh and I'm talking thousands a so uh I can get you where it needs to be donated to and so forth and of course it goes to the needy in the county great awesome okay well I am going toj the oh I'm sorry oh

on the 21st of November at 6:03 PM first item on the agenda we're going to look at would be the October financial statements I'm GNA turn that over to Mike yeah um Ken if um if you can uh pull it up if not I could share my screen I have everything open as well I just also want to uh take the time to uh recognize Angela for helping me while I was sick at these financials together it was a very big help thank you you're welcome um so th this uh this particular month was very similar to to last month and if you remember last month's expenses jumped up quite a bit because it was the um the full year the full uh payroll uh so can if you could just scroll down a little bit so coming in uh this month dat actual at 14 million um rich I want to point out the budgeted number if you look at the total is still that 1675 and we had discussed pulling that out and putting it on the bottom but um in talking with uh Joanne from the city and uh also Angela pointing out that those those funds are going to have to be managed very similar to the way we um manage our grants so it's actually not going to be in the general fund we're going to um have that in the in the grants report in the in the months to come okay that one of the comments I was looking to to make but the one with your report yeah uh so year year to date we're um coming in at 30 32 million with additional incumbrances of 109 so we do still have uh a balance that's uh um in line with what we saw last year and as um as we push through uh the year that balance the balance will come down um you can continue to scroll down can can I ask question real quick when back to the the budget amount 1675 you said you're going to have that is it that million it's thees 7.5 milon right so that's the part that's going to go into the Grant Line correct exactly yeah and we'll be we we'll be left with the original appropriation of the 160 million thank you so again we have our light line items um by budget um we working on doing some of the um reallocation um Rich you know that that's a a project that we've been working on for some time now um I I had some ideas about how to do that uh unfortunately what I'm what I'm seeing in the year-to date um in the budget numbers is negative numbers that were budgeted that I'm not sure uh in 2024 how how to to navigate quite yet um so Ed Aram is coming in tomorrow I'm going to pick his brain and see if he could come up with a better way to to reallocate that money and then um in in this particular report you'll also see that 7.5 we're trying to just locate the um accounts where they were plugged in so we can um pull them out um but after we do that and we can reallocate that budget um this will look a lot cleaner okay I keep trying to scroll um Can when Mike when you say lot cleaner you mean less negative balances uh negative and positive yeah so the the variances are um are on the column all the way to the uh to the right um right so you'll see that those will start to uh to approach zero um as we uh as we clean up the the budgeted item okay can you can uh scroll to the bottom this you'll see It'll total again at the bottom as it usually does um keep going down so here we see again the salaries are um for the second month of increased I just stop right there for one second um we'll see down at the at the bottom of the totals that there is about um a $500,000 doll swing uptick from last month um and I'm not sure if everyone remembers but I'll point that again there are a few um accounts that it's based on timing so for us it's Pupil Transportation uh you'll see that um in the previous month there was people transportation and then we got the the bill for 756 th000 that's that Top Line that Ken's pointing to now um and you can scroll to the bottom of this report I just want to show that variance if you could blow it up a little bit so you see last month we were at the 135 this month we're at 14 14.0 and that is L largely driven by um the the increase in transportation cost Mike how often do we get Char those bills just to give the board a sense cyclically how often did they come in last year uh last year we um were getting them probably about every other month uh Bev Bev PM um the other one that's usually acts up is utilities so you'll see all this also happens in uh in utilities so so Mike clean the problem to make the report a little bit more manageable basically what we're looking at a report that's on a cash basis to the extent that you also add in here onc or put in my understanding now through through purchase orders so as we've often I don't know if you have the abilities to establish acel but with regards to the transportation or utility bills which lag behind is there a way to to to get a field for for a better number to put in a a purchase order for the month as to what the estimate for that monthly cost would be so we sort of normalize it and then just reverse that out in a particular period when you get the the actual bills that we don't have to go through and look at all these CLS the only thing you'll have is maybe a variance between what you estimated what actually work yeah so for transportation um the the expense does vary from month to month but but not much we know pretty much what it's going to be um it's contractual as far as utilities go there there usually is a little bit of a swing um historically what I've done in other places is just take a look at the the previous year um and do an acral based upon that yeah I think you know I think we should start working to eliminate the the swings you know based on the the cash bases is to bring it up to to to more of a a combined you know full crural basis utilizing your purchase orders however you want to get the numbers in and your best guess for for those items that come in a month two later so it doesn't skew the it doesn't skew the statement we have go through needless conversation sure yeah um we can we can convert into a a modified cache if um if you think that would be more useful yeah I'd like to you know it's strictly do something where it's a combination of cash plus plus the acur and yours accounting for for your your purchase orders which basically is somewhat of an acrel as well as stuff that you anticipate as I said like a utility bill you know you're going to get 12 of those bills but you may get two or three in one month and then your financial statements are going to look scre in a line number bases because you're going to have blanks and then one month you're going to have a huge number so you know right you know you're not going to be that far off on the estimate which is going to skew any of the bottom line numbers right can I ask if you could explain that in English I I um uh in a cruel you could think of it pretty much as a placeholder we don't have the actual amount we haven't actually paid it but based upon historical values we'll take a best guess at what it is and put a number in there as a placeholder yeah under what column um so for for this month um or for last month we would have seen it in transportation because we didn't get uh a transportation bill in time okay ter would be in the column it would be in his encumbered column the encumbrance coms basically are potential liabilities that the district has that they don't really have the that are not you at this particular point in time so you can have in the encumbrance column you have a contract you're can to have the full 12 month value of a contract in that and what you'll do is to keep in the encumbrance contract just the number of months that are still open and and uh when when you pay off let's say if you have 12 months and you pay off the first two months then your incumbrance basically will have the 10 month obligation what we're saying here is that if you don't have a contract or an obligation such as perhaps when you get something at home you'll get to you generally ever Source will send the bill let's say the 15th of every month but if they send it on the 25th and your accounting cycle closes and you want to display in a particular month an accurate presentation of your cost you can say that okay in this particular month I I didn't get the bill but my average utility cost is X number of dollars and I'm going to estimate that and put that in as an encumbrance or as a liability so that at least the numberers there and it it just makes more credibility to look at the statements rather than have huge fluctuations based on cash I I I appreciate the explanation but do we see that on here when it's listed or he just points it out you'll see it it's in the details of a particular column called encumbrance and then Mike will be able to tell you what the cation of that particular encumbrance number is okay no so it I'm not missing something it's it's there it's just you got to know he's got to point it out yeah that it's an acrel exactly so to think of the to think of the encumbrance column you know I would say encumbrance slash ACR and you know I don't mean to get too technical but it it just cleans up the statement so you don't have these these wide fluctuations no that that makes sense no I appreciate that but I thought I was missing something um but I appreciate no thank you thank you very much yeah it's like before you know last year when I asked John Spang to go through and give definitions of some of these categories and what the definition of the encumbrance was things like that because the more you know see I get to to be in the same point with like with Cara is you know I should take my own advice in knowing my audience but I you know in talking to Mike it's on a different level then I would talk to to to me well the rest of the committee members who lay people you know so it I apologize for that all I'm trying to do is to get the statements you know to a point where we can rely on them but I hear you right now and Mike let me say this I don't pay you a compliment so don't take my criticism I gu personal I've been very frustrated in the last couple years with presentation of the financial statements that they they've been horrible you you've walked into a situation which is is a nightmare particularly that damn audit thing which takes up tremendous amount of your valuable time compounded with walking into a a budget where you played little if any role in understanding where the the what the numbers represent and where they were so the the faster and it's a lot of it's my impatience but understanding your workload the faster we get I let me ask you this before go on the presentation of these numbers in that budget column did John put that together or did Aaron put that uh Ed put that together there was uh John that was John okay so that's unfortunate so what it to me my opinion is to go through the financial that we're doing now makes it very difficult to to me to have an interest number one there's 7.5 $5 million from here which is a lot a lot of money for and again it's not a negative comment about to to to you but for which we don't know anything at this point is to where those costs lie in any one of these these line numbers number two is to whatever extent that cash was laid out against any of that AR money or encumbered I you know I'm not sure I I I don't know if any of the $7.5 million that we were allocated were given if we spent any of those monies and that that being the case that also skews the the the monthly report in in terms of saying how much expenditures we have in a particular month so bottom line is the faster we get and extract out that 7.5 million dollar and all its respective accounting column that pertain to it better off we can go through these particular reports because at this point here it's almost a meaningless exercise to to to do that because if you look at the variances you have no idea I don't have any idea as to what part of that variance may or may not include any of these arer funds so that that's one you know that's my comment on that as to and I was going to it's part of the the other part of the agenda terms of reports yes I had said to show it underneath this report but if you want to show it in Grants I don't care just so long as we have SIM type of accounting by line members and all this stuff here in terms of the format I you know I I don't think the city can tell us or should tell us I think it's amongst us how we want to see the presentation of the financial statements to it so long as they're properly labeled categorized this is our business it's not their business but they're correct in saying it shouldn't be part of it shouldn't be part of the the overall budget and as the correction to your comments on the year to date summary you made a reference which is an incorrect reference that the 1675 is part of the operational budget that's not the case the operational budget is the 160 million the 1675 if you want to talk about it I would call it a spending a spending plan the both but don't get confused and have people get confused that our budget 1675 because that number is is not coming to us next year as an appropriation if nothing else happen we're guaranteed to get $160 million next year as a bare minimum because the city can't give us anything less so you don't want to mislead somebody and think we're going to get 16075 or if you take any measures as to increase over this year you certainly don't want to take any budget increase you're proposing over the 1675 so that's just for clarification purposes I didn't want to go down to the line numbers that there are some some negative numbers on here I'm not sure if we should pay so much attention to them but they they they have negatives and this stage of the game just wondering why we would have some of the negatives um some of the negative numbers that we're looking for uh if you look at like health insurance and those categories should be the second box down Ken I me got a negative in a life you know life insurance small underneath that that's 12,000 in Dental you know dental insurance um you um are you looking at um the top part yeah I think yeah maybe scroll up a little bit yeah not the grants no it's in the yeah I'll tell you what so this is the 52 anything with the 52 is a a benefit right there on a page there you'll see yeah the second page yeah so these are these are the variances um and the reason that there are um the reason that there are variances is because the the budget I think the intent was for John to reallocate the budget in in July I don't think he um intended to do it earlier um but the the big one that that's on here is um about about 10 down it says part-time printing um and the the total variance for that one of the larger variances we have is uh four 4.2 million um there's not there's not actually 4.2 million in part-time printing those um were salaries that were sitting in sr3 that had to come out and I think he put He had to uh put a charge code in and I think he used that charge code 511 98 um because it really uh isn't used very often at least he'd know where everyone was and then I I think like I said his intent was in July to reallocate those those people uh the actuals to where they belong but the as you so you know as we're talking Mike the the report and again nothing criticized against you becomes almost useless until we get this squired away in caror see I I I I know Mike only has so many hours in a day but whatever we could do to to get Ed to to go through and and to an analyzed however you can or whatever we have to do to to get these numbers squared away so that we know what's in them so that we can we don't know what's in them I also find it hard to comprehend that we know how to charge something against it you know so yeah then that's been the that's been a little bit of the a frustration with the with understanding kind of where you know everything that's in each line and there's a lot of backtracking that's that Mike is trying to do now to try to trace back different moves that were made so um and as far as Ed goes he's he's been coming in like once a week or so so the but you know I don't think that's what I'm concerned about terror is in a few weeks you're going to you know things are going to shut down and you're going to be focused on the budget yeah for a period of four weeks or six weeks when we're going to just only breathe and talk about the budget and then by the time we get to this you know it'll be May or June and we'll have another a third year of wasted statements which I also think is it's a blemish on us because we're supposed to be the custodians of the money if we can't account for it it puts us in a bad position and it shows that we have egg on our face so the point is Ed's got to step up and bring in more time or we've got to figure out how to bring in some people who know how to go through these General ledgers could you know figure out what's in there but I think this project is is a time of the essence pro project as well in addition to the 12 others you got on your plate I agree all right so I mean it's because the further we go along without it you know we'll have meaningless conversations on on the we'll have meaningless conversations on numbers and it it's going to be hard too if we start putting together a new budget and you start doing comparisons you really can't it's not going to make any sense so it it just puts us in an awkward position that unfortunately we were stuck with you know and again it's like last year the last three or four months of the year we were holding our breath so that you know we came out and fortunately we were you know looking for a a break even or if it was a break even a positive Break Even was a small amount and then loan behold it's $2 million positive they say wow you know it's a nice it's a nice surprise but you know for somebody who the finan I mean somebody who's in charge of the finances that's a big surprise to say that's a big swing you know yeah point I don't I don't think think it should be a surprise you should know where you're going to end up no no I I understand but I'm saying was a surprise to us when all all along we were keeping our breath our breath you know holding our breath looking for a a marginal positive number then we come up with a $2 million positive certainly a lot better than negative but on the other hand you know I'd hate to be pure financial advisor with things like that so so you know I really think from my point of view enough set on this particular statement and and going back to the narrative The Narrative we have to continue working on so it tells us a big story as to know what's happening I can certainly work with you on a narrative once we get these numbers so that we get a monthly narrative it tells somewhat of a story so it doesn't ire you to go back into these numbers and analyze them yourself and have a conversation but would be a starting point to either accept and just confirmed and build upon it rather than have us go through and do the investigative reporting on on why the ups and downs and things like that you know I think first things first first we've got to clean up the the budget know what we've got to there and we can't wait until July to do allocations that that's insane I mean that that's absolutely insane insane because it just distorts everything you know if you're keeping all this money in the operational budget and then mid year you pull out 50% of the number and say it should go against grants or some other place and you're looking at the the said my example you looking at the grant budgets and it it looked very very favorable and then you get a six Monon hit which you know normalizes things or put you in a different position the name of the game here is not surprises there should be no surprises when you're looking at these financials let me you want to move on to the grant part you know that that's fine does anybody else have any comments on see Mike move on for the BRS can you could uh scroll down to the bottom so um Rich if you remember um last month we spoke about also redoing the way we're reporting on grants um grants have some um some interesting aspects to them because there are both one-year grants uh and two-year grants uh many many of them have um various expirations so some of them are on expire on 6:30 some are at the end of the year in December and then others are um in in the fiscal year and it just becomes very difficult to understand um and uh and manage because you don't know how much longer you have by looking at the reports that come out of Tyler anyway you you don't know um the other thing that um Angela pointed out is that in in our grants mixed in with the regular ones and can you you could scroll down a little bit more uh it should be like the last two or three pages um we have not only regular grants from this year but we have carryover grants in here you'll see them mixed in um and I really think that we should probably look at them separately um so Angela has a report from um that she shared she's been working on to break this out uh into that manner because to your point you know just looking at at these numbers it it doesn't it doesn't tell the story um it's it's very hard to to parse out and uh and look at the that's part of the conversation we'll have on future reporting Cara let me ask you a question can could you offer suggestions to to us T Mike as to classific ations of the grants in other words you know the the alliance Grant titles 123 Etc do do they have a commonality significance where you can group that say that this is yeah yeah so you have yeah you have state grants right you have State uh entitlements you have Federal entitlements then you have competitive grants so the state can offer competitive grants so so for example Title One is is an entitlement Grant title two title three um there are other grants that are federal grants that are competitive so you have to apply for those every single year you have to compete with anybody else you don't know if you're going to get them or not it's kind of up in the air you don't know if um the leap Grant is is is a classic one where we we're not sure each year what will be sustainable um you know some times they're reduced so there's certain grants that you can sort of rely on as predictable and reliable and then there's other grants that are competitive and then of course there's like um you like a private Grant you like the bar Grant would be a private Foundation Grant um and so I'd probably say there's like maybe three buckets three or four buckets um great so to that point there's a starting point Mike if we can take those classifications as to entitlement statement Federal competitive and then private we could use those as major categories and underneath those categories put the particular grant that that belongs there the other thing I would do is add in another column you know after your budget balance put in expiration this way we have an idea to when those grants expire or if you even want to go further and and had another category called carryover you know that's fine but then then at least to us Cara we have an understanding as to where these fall see a point what's competitive you know out of this particular number how much may or may not come back next year what we think we can rely on so again you know we're becoming a little bit more fisticated in terms of looking at these numbers understanding what they are in certain classifications that has a meaning to to us the Layman plus yourself there and your staff whoever with this so maybe Rich I'm sorry I'm sorry to interrupt Rich Teresa has her hand up a quick question I think go ahead car um I think a couple years ago we had the grants set up by expiration date to give us an idea um how long that was the most that we determined that was the the most important classification was really the expiration date when we knew uh the particular Grant was expiring um some like you said are one year some have twoyear um that was the um that cleared up a lot I think it was about three years ago maybe we had that and then for some reason we went back to the just listing it yeah I I I remember that Teresa and it was helpful we had a chart and um Angela just Angela just went in and started to organize that chart so we'll have that we should have that you know for the for the next meeting um but it definitely lays out the the dates and everything you know the other tough thing about the grants is you can have a grant an allocation in here so for example like the increasing diversity allocation in here that was just approved a couple days ago that money was sent over sitting but you can't touch it you can't spend it and it's on a reimbursement so um that's that's an example of one where you get an allocation but you can't spend it until it gets approved uh the work plan so they just the state is just getting around to approving some of those and there's a few other ones on the list here as well so some of these are they give you the allocation but you don't can't start the reimbursement until you get approved so there's a lot of but there but why do we list it then it's pending it's not even even ours yet that shouldn't even be on there they give it they give it to us but the the spending plan gets approved so it's kind of like that's one of those you have you're G to you're going to get the money but your plan has to get approved so that's you know there's a whole there's a whole sub subcategory of these beyond the categories that we talked about then and that definitely then should be a separate category because that's important so we'll lay out the things just so that we can kind of explain them a little bit more um we did the dates to your point Teresa are very important and then you know we tried this once before I think people got a little bit overwhelmed because when you start to try to explain the what every single one of these grants um the requirements and the contingencies and the strings and the what you can spend it on what you can't spend it on um you know what goes do we but as a finance committee do we really need to know that no we just need to know the expiration date we got this money it is just pending you know committee yeah of course yeah yeah I mean and we'll be able yeah for your record you need that yeah well just because sometimes we get questions and there every single one is different with different rules of engagement so I you know I I think I'm sorry Wanita has her hand up now okay I'm sorry goad I wanted to ask a specific question about the alliance District funding so I can hold off Rich if you want to go first no that's fine go ahead um is Mike still on Michael yep okay one of the attachments that you sent was in regard to the alliance District funding yeah one of so in looking at that um you also were able to show Us by location the different amounts correct do you know which one I'm talking about I I I do and I think um Carrie that that was actually something that was new this year um where they asked for it by uh by location yes right okay so um okay my question is it and it is by location I don't see Ace on there so just to just to so the the science grant we have a lot of kindergarten teachers in there right all of our kindergarten teachers bilingual tsol bilingual you have um oh who else is in there we've got social workers um coaches Etc so the majority of the Staffing in this grant we have a lot dedicated at the elementary level because most of our ESL bilingual is at that level our certainly we have a lot of some schools have five five kinderg teachers across um so you'll see a lot in there but our a staff is pegged in the priority Grant so the almost the entire priority Grant is dedicated to alternative education so we' the whole grant for priority is the a staff so that all of their Staffing is a separate Grant because that that Grant better suits the theme of the the grant so they're not in this they're not in Alliance the Staffing anyways okay thank you that was a the question that I had said we're getting to be in the right track and Teresa the ultimately the will start to put in different formats that we could agree on you know on on particular the the grants uh and then we could you know agree as a body as to how we'd like to to see the format you know I don't know how the these are done but when I when I was working I had to get sell spreadsheets and so if I had something like this I'd be able to do it in the three classifications and then I'd s it on that last column which I would have as the due date and run a report by due date so you have flexibilities there the the other thing too is sometimes it's nice to have an addendum to to to to the the schedule just indicating just what the grants are for not in a whole lot of detail but what's the purpose of the alliance what's the purpose of the leite grants Title One Two Three just simple sentences so that you do have an idea what these grants are for but again that's more polishing up the report right now you know I'd like to get to the point where the reports become usable and function both and then we can worry about putting the icing on a cake Rich if I could just point out we did produce that last year um for the major all the major grants entitlement grants and the major state federal grants to what each um Grant is geared for we didn't put the whole thing in there but a a general gist so that people if you can come up I forgot that but if you can resurrect that yeah definitely in the minute somewhere we'll have to go back and look okay just have Cara send it out and we'll include it in the packet so that we can just have this is is sort of like a a glossery at the end of the report little cheat have it fixed so thanks for reminding me sure is anybody else have any questions on the financials okay that being as I said I I apologize for being critical but I'm afraid that we're going to get too far into the year and just have another wasted year uh really don't want that to to happen the next item on the agender is the 2425 Alliance Grant summary Cara if you want to go through that and discuss that sure so um you know we we haven't really done this before and I I know we've we've you know and I think it's important to do it but you know it's $30 million so you should be able to see how how that money categorically is spent and where it's being spent um this year different than in years's past um they've asked us to tag the allocations by school so um some schools have more kindergarten teachers than others some schools have more bilingual t- cell teachers and because we've differentiated the Grant in that way that's kind of makes up the difference between some of these um you know you'll see that some of the schools are quite a bit there some of the larger schools but it really all depends on the Staffing and how many people that we've put in the grant that actually work in that school the general fund picks up a lot of the other staff so there's really not uh a ton of Rhyme or Reason to how many in uh you know haast toown for example uh may have more an alliance and less in general fund whereas um you know Rogers Park has more in general fund than they have an alliance so it's not that anybody's getting short changed it's just how the Staffing worked out um over the years as we added as we added members in um the big change this year excuse me car sure did this was sort of a last minute addon there do we have the capability of putting your right up on the screen I'm not sure yeah it's the next tab over sorry about that I'm I'm reading I'm just reading away that's okay thank you okay yeah thank Ken is anybody can zoom in a little bit just a tiny bit thank you Ken okay so um the big change if you look at the Danbury High School number that was the that was the line that that really blew up this year and and kind of took on the uh a good portion of the increase that we received this year so as we were shifting from general fund to Alliance to supportmy um a lot of Staffing shifted over with it so the the academy Staffing that's going to be on that West End campus was who we shifted over into this grant uh one of the categories in Alliance are bold reforms right and so um we captured that that narrative in there and that was that was approved as a as a qualified expense so um that helps to relieve the general fund also but also if we didn't be start moving staff into some of these grants we would not be able to fund them so it is definitely you know a needed strategy but also one that I think um you know makes the most sense for us at this time we also tried to leave a good pocket of in of of money um we didn't you know there's so a lot of our I'll go back to the stuff that you see under the danburry school district at the top of the the line on top of where the location is so that's an amalgamation of all the other things um in the district so purchase and Professional Services other purchase Services uh we have trans some transportation in there we have some uh Kelly sub services in there at least two million couple million dollars in sub costs in there that'll get charged over the course of the year so there's a lot of money like that in there um supplies so curricular supplies uh testing supplies PSAT our um our power school is in here big expensive kind of items and contracts that we have um almost on a yearly basis that we that we renew um you'll find in here as well under the property section for example um that'll be some more student devices um headphones some computers part of the refresh so between the money that the mayor is giving us the 7.5 and what we have an alliance we'll be able to do our next refresh cycle um and I did try to squeeze uh copers in there and it got booted out so I had to I I tried Teresa I really did uh but they they didn't like that it wasn't a student wasn't a student device per se um and then you know regular professional development things that come out over the year um but the but the preponderance is in that salary line and the and the benefit line and that does offload quite a bit of money off of our general fund and has been doing so for years um I had an opportunity so today we had our uh First Alliance District monitoring visit with our new state monitoring uh supervisor and what happens is is we put together a mega deck of information that we go over and um we talk about we talk about the alliance Grant we talk about the performance metrics we talk about strategies and how how we're using the money but also what type of work we're doing in the district and so we talked a lot about also the this the fear really in Alliance that the ECS this is our ECS pass through this is also our ECS allocation but that if you look at the schedule for the alliance it tops out at 2526 so after the 25 26 school year it just levels off and so you know one of the things I always try to point out is that when you have a lot of salary in Grants which we do because of our history of financial uh allocations um you know those go up our contractual obligations go up every single year and so we have to be very careful not to put any more staff in here just you know probably a handful more but we don't want to outspend our allocation uh over time once this Taps out we're not the only District that's concerned about this the state is talking about uh with for the with the alliance districts um on how to handle that situation and at least in the terms of cost of living adjustments and and all of that but um that's definitely on the on the topic of concern for the urban school superintendants I think that's a very important comment to to make car so that we're all aware historically I always look at the alliance is to be fungible it offset a lot of the overages that we couldn't afford in the operational budget fortunate enough to have have the capability of putting in in here but when you continue to load it up with salaries that has a continuing effect yes gotta be youve got to be careful and this is the first time as far as in my tenure that we've ever seen what's been in in the L we being the board people ever seen it so it's part of the the reporting process Mike it should be that when we report on this subject that part of the budget items we should have this reporting in some sort of a an accounting or line number fashion so that we can monitor the expenditures against the proposed proposed uh proposed expenditures in car am I correct in saying that every year you have to or is it more so during the year you have to present this to the state to get approved in order to get funding right so every year you have to you have to re redo the application it's an it's an expectation sort of that we're going to get the money it is an expectation that we'll get the money but the plan itself has to be approved so they what they do is that you submit it and it has to they go through it and vet it for qualified expenses and in line with the Grant and um and then they ask questions and so I go through a process with them um and then they'll either kind of provisionally approve it you know or not or kick back certain items or ask for more detail or ask for more clarity um you know and generally you know they don't you know it's not like the this grant changes all that much but from year to year you know you might swap out um one thing for another or something you move on to a different um curricular resource that's the the better version or the newer you know so but this year because of the the big addition that was definitely a big rewrite in in the grant so it'd be nice if cap the capability of having substantial amount of funds in one-time expenditures so that yeah it help it helps us in the future with the operational bu yeah I think this I think this is a tremendous start and again we make more and more progress in getting to know you know what makes up the the finances of the district does anybody have any questions on this I do okay um The Alliance supervisor what's the name and are they the same every year you're looking at her um I would love to shed this responsibility right now really we just don't have enough hands to I'm yeah I'm still very much involved in the development of the grants the writing the detail I you know this was the first time I actually for this grant hit I hit the submit button so now it was it was quite it was funny because I wrote it and then I had to go down to another office and approve it from from the superintendent's desk so I had to you know so it was a little different and I and it was a good process because there's I've done that with a lot of Grants where I I write the content and the strategies to kind of piece piece uh quilt things together to make things work um but now I'm on the other end also approving them um and there's some extra steps and stuff the insur there's are assurances and things that you have to go through as a superintendent that you know I didn't see before but you know this this is something and I was reading the details in Alliance and that that the board should see the categories they should see the spending by school and that's a recommendation and I don't know that we've done a good job of that over the years or maybe you know just not inadvertently but that's why I wanted to make sure that you saw this you you understood the categories and um you saw where the spending is and you know from time to time from from a strategy perspective you know as as we head into you know next year too you know there's still time to talk about how to use this grant if we you know as a board you know we look at we can't make too many changes to it because we're kind of the the salaries and things we're highly dependent upon a lot of fixed pieces in here to keep those going but um certainly I I use the grant here strategically to align resources to things that we have in our district plan so that there's some funding behind whatever it is that we're rolling out at the time whether it's professional learning or particular curcular resources things like that it's certainly a step in the right direction and it's it's a big number and something that's been you know historically has been a big mystery you know a great just a great job moving will get approved Rich if you will approved with financials I think they should be approved just like the financials get approved so on an annual basis right for this meeting do we have to make a motion or a recommendation to the board that uh that we approve this presentation uh yes that's that we we're hoping that that's on yeah KP put it on for for next week for the before we leave yes so yes that's the intent so then in our in our minutes okay we'll just note that the finance well if we have to take a vote does everybody agree that we the finance committee recommend this to the board to accept um as authorization to to uh for the funding of the alliance bran so should I make a motion to that effect Rich a motion yeah put it yeah you can put it in the in the minute and then it'll be official and if we can make the recommendation to the board so that they could authorize it I second it you want to clean up the motion or gu um I guess I'll make a motion to recommend the alliance Grant report uh beor recommended to the to the board and to be approved annually by by the I'm sorry I just can't hear you guys there's a lot of noise going on I just want to make sure I understand correctly Rich so we're we're making a recommendation for this specific report as well as for you know a future uh future you know annual approval yeah we like the the finance department the committee is recommending to the board that annually they approve the presentation to be a presentation of Alliance expenditures does that say it Cara it does and I'm just I'm just thinking because this is the first time we've done this I'm just wondering if like maybe every October or November whatever month where we do the financials that when you make a motion to approve the October financials that that motion says something like um which includes you know the alliance whatever that just wraps it all up as as as a financial package and if that if that works I mean this time around we could just approve it separately because I think it's written that way but um or or you can you can do it as a actually I don't think it's too late Cara didn't send the she didn't send everything out she could do make a motion to approve the October financials which includes the alliance expenditures okay that's so maybe we'll just do that as a single motion I think so okay so I'll make a motion then to recommend the October 2024 financial report including the alliance Grant expenditures to the board thank you then all in favor would be I hi hi thank you good next item that's on the agenda is the recommendation to the board of ed to withdraw uh the reserve draw down to uh request to the city the 23 the 23 physical year um yeah u a recommendation to the the Board of Ed to withdraw a reserve draw down request to the city to to the city right so this is the balance no so what we're trying to do is is is last year my understanding that the board approved and the the board gave approval for John and and and Kevin to go before the the council or the ad hoc committee to to request a draw down of of reserved monies that they had that request has never been acted upon and that request is is still open and I I asked them we were advis the best way to get that situation just closed and off the calendar so to say is for uh Mike to write a letter uh to then the city council and the mayor Etc withdrawing that request um the the I don't know if we have a copy of your letter Mike with that's what we're going to it's it's not attached it's not attached if you want if you have a copy you want to read it or should I read it um yeah if you have it okay so to the committee members we're looking to and we put here the copy that was sent to the city council that you guys approved last year authorizing John and Kevin to go before the council to request this money again there has never been any action taken on this particular request and it's still an open item on the ad hoc committee so I was concerned and all I wanted to do was to close the book on on this and we were advised the way to do it is a brief letter from the current Finance director p and Mike uh so that we can just close this unfortunately it was late in the afternoon which the the letter was developed so our read you the letter and this is what I think we just have to vote on tomorrow or at the next board meeting to have the board authorize Mike to send this letter as they did back last year to authorize John to send the letter to request the door down so this is a letter that's dated uh November 6 2024 from from Mike and it's going to the city council uh the mayor Dan Dan Garrick uh the finance director uh and it reads on June 26 2023 the Board of Education approved a request to draw down 3, 44,8 eight of educational reserves to supplement the physical 2024 annual operating budget this request was formally made on July 5th 19th 2024 to the city council with John Spang Chief Financial Officer at the present at the present the request was made the superintendent and the cabinet engaged in immediately cost reduction maneu as a result of of these cost R reduction Maneuvers the dist District was was able to the district was able to uh complete the school year without These funds the Danbury public school system is requesting to withdraw the request since it no longer is necessary Michael all we're saying is that we want this thing to be taken off the books and and close the request so I think part of the docket part of the papers car in the next board packet should be this letter and again Kate part of our recommendation should be that the finance committee suggests to the or recommends to the full board that they approve the the the letter to withdraw the prior years Reserve uh fund withdraw sure so Mr Janell I just have a quick question though as you were reading that um and maybe I misheard but I thought you said that the request was made July 19th 2024 is that what the letter in front of you says yeah it should be 2023 or did he meet for the 24 fiscal here it was good cat 24 now so yeah I just want to make sure because the original request was submitted by John Spang on uh July 19 2023 so I just want to make sure as we reference it um that we're referencing that original letter that's all I'll make I'll make a change the okay thank you I appreciate that sure so you're looking for a motion Rich from the finance committee to um recommend to the full board the submission of this letter by uh Finance director Mike Weaver uh to formally withdraw the draw the um draw down request that was made originally yeah so I'll make that motion the reserve indicate the reserve draw down request sorry the reserve draw down request yes so I will make a motion that the finance committee recommend to the full board uh approval uh sorry approval of a letter from Finance director Mike Weaver uh withdrawing the uh draw down request from the reserve funds um made originally by on sorry on July 19th 2023 second yeah somebody have a second Wanita thank you Wanita all in favor I by by thank you and the last item on the it's not the last the audit 20 23 fisical year Financial audit update Are we almost done I'm gonna um I'm going to share my screen I just wanted to give you an update um let's see so this um what we're looking at is um might look familiar from last year this is uh called Sur link it is how RSM who is the um accounting firm that's auditing the city uh communicates their audit requests to us um which are which are many um there are currently through RSM um three audits going on um one is the state single audit um which um it's an audit of um of different various grants that the the city has but we do have some things that they ask for um since our our financials roll up um so all of those requests for uh DPS have been met um I think there's one thing outstanding um it's from the city they're just waiting for an untimely filing notice um the second the second audit is really broken up into two different sections one is kind of the planning um that's when they go in and they ask for a bunch of information which they then synthesize and come back with other requests to actually test the data um so I don't have access to the cities um but I have access to ours uh this is what it looks like um and then as you submit things um they go from um outstanding to fulfilled and then they will either return or accept um we hope that that they accept you can see they made quite a list of uh of requests um and there are still some things that we've submitted that they haven't even looked at um but if you take away the things that um we have sent in and success and successfully submitted and you take away the things that um we fulfilled but they didn't get to look at you'll see that we're we're empty we're done I think the last time I reported out we were about 30% done um so now at this point um we we kind of move on through the fieldwork portion of the audit um and again it looks very similar um just today uh we submitted a request um and they kicked it back so there is currently only one thing that's um that's outstanding that was returned back um there are other requests that are going to come after they have a chance to look at our data they're going to formulate questions and start asking us for payroll registers and um and invoices um POS thing things like that um but currently we only have that that one item um that outstanding which is just a copy of the front and back of the first and last check for the year so um I'm fully confident that we could get that done uh tomorrow for them um and we'll be completely up to speed is this still done by Zoom um yeah we we have teams meetings um with CLA and RSM um on a weekly basis we have two of them um it is it is very much remote our Auditors are um all over the country as a matter of fact that's crap Mike is is um for some reason I'm kicked out and I'm just looking at and advertising for Zoom but the the uh are we still on target to be complet by December as as far as I know I think the um the date got pushed from December 1st to um December 31st I haven't heard anything um different than that um but at at that point um you know they have to put a report together and they you know they issue that that caffer document um and then um we start on the next year the 24 audit um we're hoping to get that one done um quickly as well um and then we'll be finally um completely up to speed um just before we have to start the 25 audit it says we're outstanding 14 um this particular um type of requests is blue um outstanding um is stuff that they haven't selected yet so know see it's kind of like blue over here if you click on it you'll just see um that they haven't made any any selections yet so they're going to come back um for ad dispersements they're going to ask for um not not yet selected they going to come back and they're going to ask for um an absurd amount of invoices they're going to want to see the the POS that belong to that invoice the canceled checks the bank statements with the canceled checks on them um and that's kind of like the the um flipping into high gear that's kind of like the less section so we just have that this one thing um between all three audits left the DPS and that's the first and last check committee members next I think it's next Tuesday at six o'clock yes at City Hall there's the meeting of the audit committee I had requested that at least the finance committee chair but these meetings are open to the public as far as I know so if anybody wants to attend certainly welcome it's six o'clock in room right next to the the conference room room 3C uh and uh has to do with the audit committee so I'm not sure what you'll what more you'll learn but I've asked is that we be included so no that's a good idea Rich yeah like to make that's a good idea to be there and just invite anybody else who wants to who wants to be there I since it's an ad Pary I suspect you're not allowed to talk but could certainly listen M I thank you for that and again I apologize what you stepped into I know you're doing an excellent job uh and it's just a a huge waste of resources in a critical time but it is what it is the we'll push forward the last item on the agenda is a discussion of the type of reporing I had received from Teresa and from Kate um ideas on their part as to the type of reporting that they like to see um you know if any of the committee members and I've asked a couple of times during the board meetings what this point here wants to send me a an email indicating the type of reporting that they'd like to see um is just send it to me what I'm looking to do is I'm going to have the copies of the emails that Teresa and Kate and whoever else quoted to me and then I'm going to summarize it on one sheet in addition to my thoughts so that we could have some sort of a meeting along with Mike to discuss these reports the feasibility of doing them what we'd like to to see and not say what practical um and I think that's going to be a a separate uh amount of time that we're going to have to devote to this particular subject matter so I'm not going to go through and and list the meetings or the pipes at this point here uh I'd rather have the backup and the documentation behind it and and give some of the committee members and the board people a little bit more time to put their request and and then we could look at this this at a separate meeting because it's going to take a while to at least discuss the concept of it the reason for it and the practicality that anybody have any further comments on that particular that being said I think we've concluded the items on on the agenda so nobody else has any any information to add I don't have any any information I would just like to uh just a reminder for board members uh board ofad we give out Christmas gifts to carara and ogre and I'm asking all board members to come on Monday night with $20 so I can do our Christmas gifts to those two people so I I'm expecting all board members to participate and if you don't we'll just make sure that Cara and ogre gets a gift for Christmas okay okay thanks Clen thank you that being said I'll ask for motion to aaren so moved second by I'll second thank you K all in favor

get one good let me ask Pres so you can hand them out to the individual okay we print I I do have it byle I'm good for yeah you were gonna ask me I told for appreciate it trust sorry no problem call me don't call for or we could start it on to maybe I should where's good evening it's November 21st Thursday 2024 it's 5:30 uh p.m. right now we're open up this meeting also this meeting is being recorded uh thank you very much Miss Maribel can I uh you please do roll call today's a special board meeting of November 21st 2024 at 5:30 p.m members of the board can you please do roll call can you hear me trusty Chavez I wasn't hearing the audio you didn't hear it where I now I can can you hear me testing Miss Mari Bell can you hear me can you hear me she can't hear what room is she in can you ask her to come in we're having a little bit of technical difficulties one minute please thank you sir h a chance today today's a special board meeting of November 21st 2024 at 5:30 p.m.

members of the board in attendance president Linda Chavez present vice president Andres Kinto present clerk M fam present member Andrea Flores Shelton she's not here yet members of administration superintendent hman present marel I'm also here no it's okay I just want to make sure that it's reflected in the minutes that I'm here you need a call member coordinator Al present thank you and uh can we all please stand for the pledge allegiance so um so 2011 announcement and public comments regarding items to be um president yes um could I ask that we open the agenda so that we can move some stuff around sure we'll open up the agenda uh at this point I'm requesting that we move uh Clos session and item two uh to after item six that way we can hear from the public and they don't have to be waiting here while we're in close session miss Mar did you get that so we have a motion can you repeat the motion uh the motion is to move um item number two which is all the items in close session to uh after item six so between item six and item seven and that was U my second okay so all in favor of moving uh all of close session items or adopting the agenda pardon or adopting the agenda amended or adopting the agenda as amended um to moving it before 601 uh please raise your hand board President Chavez I'm sorry I have two items to amend to the agenda as well okay um before on what on the Clos session no okay let me just do this and then okay go ahead I apologize I think you're you're voting on amending the agenda so it is item 5.3 okay it should read ratify contract with Precision communication systems to replace the intercom system at Shepard middle school and also item 6.2 instead of approve it should say say ratify memorandum of understanding thank you all in favor with edits uh please raise your hand hold on I have some comments on the item okay go ahead vice president K this brings to light the need to remove items from consent that are for ratification if something already took place and it's being brought to the board to Simply as a formality say yes then in the future and I will be submitting a policy from here is the next board meeting that all items that are for ratification need to be brought into the open into the the regular agenda out of consent so that we can have a discussion as to why it's being ratified and why was it brought at this time and it's maybe it's just needed to because of an emergency um or may have been an oversight but uh it allows us the opportunity to be transparent and clear as to why items are being brought uh for ratification as opposed to being brought in advance uh to the board so so let me get this straight this is what I'm understanding we are going to be pulling 5.3 and 6.2 no we're uh amending it to read ratify rather than approve on both of those that means it's already happened we're just simply saying okay okay let the record reflect that uh truste Andreas Flor Shel just came in at 5:36 okay so um Miss Shelton what we're doing is we're amending the agenda and we're going to be doing close session items from 2.1 uh through 2.4 we we'll be looking at them at the end of um of 6.2 we're just changing close session around okay and so what we're doing right now is we're going to be uh Miss um Teresa Desales just changed 5.3 to approve uh change it to ratify and the 6.2 instead of approve change it to ratify as well okay so we will now be voting on that all in favor raise your hands so 5 Z motion passes to uh motion to adopt the agenda so moving on to it has been requested to move item 4.1 uh to at this time so that the public doesn't have to stay here all night long uh and uh so that we can all hear you and also on the public comments we thank you for sharing your thoughts during public comment while your time is up we truly value your input and and encourage you to email any additional comments to the Board of Trustees and your voice is important to us and we sincerely appreciate your time and your effort however since there's so many speakers and we usually just allow for 20 minutes of speaking time uh since we have so many we're going to allow one minute and the last time instead of 20 we did over an hour and a half and that was plenty of time actually everybody spoke but please concise your message in the time frame if you do need more time please email the board we do we do read everything Believe It or Not uh at least I do um so if you feel the need to express more and thank you for all your sides um please um feel free to email the board thank you so we will be um Mr Carl tripol I don't even know where I can't see you okay can you please uh you like to read can you please read the uh public comment uh for them to so they can understand as well the public comit okay that's on item I don't think it's on the agenda it's not yeah it's not uh would like me to um yes pleas the public know that we have interpretation services available for families thank you Comm status good good afternoon everybody we have interpretation Services inh house in Spanish for the families we have headsets on the table that it's in the in the hallway um we can help the public with Spanish translation up at the podium when the when they want to address the uh the board so just let us know when you need a service up at the podium and I'll be glad to um help you out I recommend that you say your name uh what school you represent and then speak a little slower and pause thank you Madame President and members of support much Madame President can you repeat how much time they're going to have um each member excuse me each person is going to be allowed one minute speaking time and Mr uh superintendent Z that I'm going to need assistance with the timer we can assist I'm going to ask assistant superintendent of HR Mr too who will assist with that thank no I can I can I can superintendent I can share you don't think so I think so okay okay moving on to the superintendent board discussion and interaction the board may take action on any item in this section unless it is designated for information only so 4.1 school closures and school cons consolidation recommendation from the superintendent alternative proposals of school closures and school consolidations from truste minam Mr s would you like to speak yes I I will introduce this one what I'm GNA I'm going to ask uh um uh Mr he's a a superintendent advisor Mr Manny Barbara to come up to the podium so he can go over the consolidation and closure process and then what I will do is then recap my recommendation and share some additional data with the board and the public uh regarding my recommendation of the schools uh that I'll be recommend recommending for closure for consolidation and for uh redesign uh Mr Manny thank you good evening uh board President Chavez members of the board superintendent Serta and members of the cabinet um apologize this you've heard this presentation before but there may be some people here this evening that have not heard this so um I'm going to be repeating what what you've heard before and so let me share first of all some history of how we got to this point um our school district was faced with a $20 million deficit and we basically had enough funds to last for this year and then uh next year and then the district was was facing uh bankruptcy basically running out of funds we have been assigned a fiscal crisis and management assistant team that's fmat they um uh they came they met with the cabinet they've done they did some research on the budget they met with the assistant superintendent of business and they present Senate your find the findings at the last meeting in terms of the need to uh confirming the situation we're at with the budget he's also been assigned a fiscal expert uh who's here this evening who has been also uh monitoring and Advising us throughout this entire process the Santa Clair County Office of Education also required a plan of how we would balance the budget this was submitted to the um to the county office back in October and approved by the board at that time and the board had approved the need for a process to close as much as nine schools and this was based on um the need again to address this deficit that we were facing but this is how we got to this point we wanted to create a process that uh maintained as much as possible the positive aspects of the district culture understanding that no one wants to close schools this there's nothing there's nothing positive about this no one's going to volunteer to have their school recommended for closure it's a very emotional process but we wanted Community input a smoother staff execution plan and then maintaining as much as possible positive community relations so the context is it's important to understand that going through this process and as I mentioned to you last time been through this four times already and it is um a budgetary issue you have to close Fun you have to close the deficit we're not allowed to print money we're not like the federal government districts have to balance budget you approve a budget every June it's also a psychological process it's very emotional it's very intense it upsets everyone in the community no one is not touched uh parents staff student students um board everyone Administration um there's no avoiding it it's a very emotional process and it's also a political process in the sense that um you are elected in your positions and it's a very challenging situation I've said many times there's no elected position more difficult than being a member of a Board of Trustees because you're close to the people there's you're not you know if you ever go to a city council meeting it's not like this they're close you're part of the neighborhood it makes it extra difficult for you from the budget the decision to close schools is necessitated by budget concerns no one does this because they want to the Alternatives um are clear and we need to understand this is a zero sum game it's not don't do this it's if you don't do this then you're choosing the alternative and the alternative is col cut beloved programs um I don't know if you have even have $10 million uh over the next two years in program Cuts but that is an option that you have you could reduce employee compensation opportunities I'm not saying do this I'm only going through what the options might be uh you could try to raise more Revenue which already this community has been very supportive with the partial tax the other option is to look at insolvency which is when the county takes over the district and appoints a district administrator with the sole authority to balance the budget so the situation that you're faced with is again it's a zero sum game a decision not to do anything will result in um you know the the high probability that the county will assign a district administrator um with the authority to balance the budget and they will do that this has happened uh throughout the state when districts um do go bankrupt and uh the board has no longer has any responsibility contracts become null and void and the only thing that matters in that situation is balancing the budget it's psychological because it is a painful emotion experience uh everyone is affected um feelings run hot it's it's it's no one as I mentioned no one wants their schools closed it means something important is ending and so people grieve it they fight for it it's completely understandable it's a very real loss and you can't expect people to react to it in such a way that they're going to um you know voluntarily recommend that their school be closed so you're going to hear uh and you will hear and you have heard and will continue to hear a very adverse reaction to having Face closing schools again it's a very political one as I mentioned uh a school district is a educational it's tion it's also political one any anytime you have elected officials it's a political process and that's a very real uh situation your human beings your um you have to face uh the challenges that come from being in this important position that you're at and um it's just the nature of the situation that you find yourselves in these are the assumptions that we went into the process first of all the Board of Trustees makes the final decision so right now we're we're still making proposals and making recommendations to you the stakeholder committee makes an informed recommendation to the superintendent who in turn makes the recommendation to the board this is important because the committee needs to be um once once their role is done then their role is completed it's a difficult enough process as it is and it is not fair to uh lay to resp responsibility of the recommendations on the people that participated in the U school consolidation School closure committee the superintendent as I mentioned makes the recommendation and the Assumption of course is that no one uh wants to consolidate schools that just goes without saying the committee was composed of a parent from each school um they must reside within the district boundaries I mentioned this as I mentioned last time one member unfortunately was removed from the committee Midway through because it turned out he was not uh living within District bound boundaries this was a very explicit direction from the board when you approved the process we invited Key Community groups neighborhood associations to participate in the process representation from the management team the executive cabinet nonvoting as a resource superintendent participated as a non-voting as the fall back to make the recommendation we also had a marketing consultant who was part of it to help with getting the information out and then uh two facilitators myself and one other person given the size of the group with 31 people um um I've never facilitated a group this large for this complicated a situation so um it was a very large group to try to bring to any kind of an agreement I want to acknowledge the committee itself they put in a significant time commitment uh nine meetings very emotional at times um it is uh very difficult to sit there and look at as again to look at what schools you could potentially be closing includ including what may be your own and they were asked to take a look at the interest of the entire District not just their own school and that they themselves had a considerable psychological and emotional toll when they went through it and they think they need to be acknowledged for their work the administration role was to execute the policies of the Board of Trustees um provided facilitation or the case of uh bringing us on in the Marketing Group and providing the necessary information to the committee with the intent that the superintendent will make the final recommendation to the Board of Trustees the charge of the committee as you can see there because of the decline in student enrollment and um as you have learned from your own present from prior presentations to the board um the district has been losing students on a significant basis it should be mentioned by the way Alam rock is not the only one we've got neighboring districts closing Five schools another one closing three schools and the other districts within the East Side Alliance already having closed schools so this is something that um is part of what's going on within the district as I've mentioned before when uh I first started Eastside Alliance about eight nine years ago there was a total of 82,000 students with the high East Side High School District and the Seven Elementary feeder districts partner districts that number is now down in the low 60s that shows you the the tremendous decline that has happened uh again uh facing a projected budget deficit of $20 million to address this challenge uh the board authorized the school consolidation committee to recommend up to nine schools for closure the committee was charged to provide the recommendation to the superintendent of these nine schools and also mentioned in here and this was made clear by the superintendent the opportunity to reimagine the school district it would be a smaller District a leaner district and the opportunity to start providing increased resources for our students at the last meeting there was some very impassionate pleas about saving visual Performing Arts music programs well this is what this does so um a failure not to close schools means that then programs have to be cut so this is the the options that are available to us so I think it's important to mention that um this is being done exactly for that purpose to maintain these valuable programs that you have already to um within the district I mentioned were were the facilitators and uh Michael Seda was my co- facilitator Heather mcgaan was the marketing consultant these were the meetings and um the committee was presented with all the information um possible to help make this recommendation they would be the most most informed members of the committee other than yourselves the first meeting dealt with a establishing some Norms a budget presentation as to why we are in the situation that we're in now given the um uh the $20 million deficit they then received demographic enrollment information and saw how in the last I believe 5 years we've lost as much as 5,000 students and we're projected within the next four or five years to go from 7,400 students to I believe was at 5,200 5,300 students so we're still projected to lose an additional 2,000 students keep in mind that charter school take their toll as well on the district there's a considerable number of charter schools that have been approved uh by the county that have taken students away from the um um Regular schools within the district and one of the areas we're hoping is that once we have additional resources that will come from this that the schools can be even more competitive with the charter schools that are within within the district I mentioned to you last time I facilitate many many situations not just school closures but issues relative to the math Wars Common Core and so forth this is the most challenging when I've ever been involved in for several reasons number one the size of the committee we're talking about uh 31 people involved when you take into account the number of parent Representatives neighborhood associations um the union associations and administration plus the schools being considered we're looking here almost half of the schools within the district nine schools out of 21 um but even been told that it was impossible to do this is extremely difficult it's not one or two schools three schools we're talking about nine schools and the reason for this is we've run out of Runway um we don't have time I've mentioned this many times that had three schools been closed five years ago we would not be in the situation that we're in right now we're having to close as many schools as we have to and finally the timeline um we had to get the work completed um by December and um we started right there at the uh at the end of September and we had to uh bring those those meetings uh to to a um again bring this here again um you can see we went through the various programs um information that they receed we went to prioritization and you can see the um timeline where last on November 14th we had the public hearing and then on the 21st which is today the board information I want to make sure that that dates right Herm mind is it December 2nd is the board action correct it's a Monday December 2nd sure that's the final dat so it is December 2nd the process uh first the committee received information as I had mentioned they had opportunity for questions discussion prioritizing and finally attempting to reach um agreement on the schools that they would be recommending to the super attended there's several criteria that were used you can see there there how close they were if there's an asterisk next to it it means that the committee consider them um more important than some of the other criteria so how close they were to a charter was there a neighborhood school to receive the students the capacity of school the maintenance cost I know the superintendent will go through some of these when uh when he presents um will Transportation be needed special education facilities I think I should mention because I know this came up last time that does not impact special education programs or IEPs those follow the students so because a special ed program may or may be um impacted by closure that does not affect the students IEPs that follows the students and that's important that everyone understands that any special programs that might be at the school such as U the vapa programs Wellness programs and then uh schools that had Community grants the information to the committee was made available to the community after the meeting all information agendas were posted on parents Square the superintendent also held Town Hall meetings at the school and also districtwide through Zoom um explaining the process that was going on um and also so uh that has continued uh after last week's meeting that the superintendent continue to be having those meetings an opportunity for the community to respond to his recommendation and also for the superintendent to provide the reason and rationale for his recommendations so this was the difficult um challenge the committee reached consensus on six schools and they were elementary schools and I I want to address this because this came up at the last meeting could I could not reach consensus on the final can I correct it was seven seven excuse me well Chavez correct I wasn't there um and um the committee could not reach agreement specifically on the middle schools and so we were bringing it back uh two weeks later for our committee and then a subcommittee met on their own came back with a completely different scenario so we reviewed that scenario in addition to what already had been agreed with two weeks earlier this became a little challenging because the people who were not involved and could not attend that meeting um felt they were left out of the process we tried to process it as much as possible given the time that we had there was our final meeting we had uh basically two and a half hours to um to go through the majority agreed on a set of recommendations but there was a ible group five five uh my notes show five that were not involved in the process they were not comfortable agreeing with that recommendation so it was left back to the superintendent to review and make sense but the committee did read consensus on the seven schools after the um Community meetings the recommendation was made to the superintendent the superintendent needed to either accept the recommendation or modify as I'd mentioned Community meetings were held to allow the community input to the recommendation by the superintendent they were open to the community presenting rationale and allowing for Community input superintendent considered the recommendations with to include the rationale and framing of the recommendation as why it was essential why he decided to do what he did and also how would benefit the entire district and students in the future and this is the critical point no one wants their school closed it's a matter of looking at the entire district and trying to balance and do it in a way that will uh benefit the district and students in the future and going forward having the the available resources to make a difference um with the students in the school November 14th we had our meeting our public hearing the Board of Trustees are hearing information this evening and then on December 2nd um action I should also mention that after um should you accept the recommendations or modify the proposal that'll be your call that the transition process will begin in Earnest this is a very long and um intense process addressing how students will be um welcomed and initiated into new schools as well as students welcoming new students to their school parent groups need to uh get together and begin to work together on how they would support their new school there's a lot of informed Human Resources with the movement of staff from one school to another There's issues dealing with facilities if some facilities may need some modification the movement of instructional materials and then finally at the end an opportunity to uh arrive closure as I mentioned everyone is affected by this there's not a department there's not a stakeholder group no one will be immune from having to go through this process uh moving forward I'll take any questions if you have any at this time do any of the board trustees have any comment uh truste kinaa thank you Manny for that detailed presentation again um and I just want to confirm on the uh there's 31 uh people on the consolidation committee and um I'm going back to that slide for the school's consolidation and I just want to confirm that all of the bargaining units were represented there yes okay yes definitely thank you right any other trusty comment seeing none um any thank you Mr Manny very much any public comment uh please step up to the podium I still have my presentation I'm sorry oh one second please sorry we're gonna one second we're gonna please sit down uh and let me finish um I I over I rushed it a little bit um Mr s superintendent SDA has his presentation go ahead Mr SDA yes can you put the presentation up please do you have the clicker as well thank you for your patience thank you I appreciate it yeah I just want to share some more detailed information uh I made a recommendation last week trustees uh that I want to recap but there was also uh thank you uh trusty fam uh came uh and actually shared an alternative proposal uh with the board and with the public uh as to uh you know whether uh there were other a combination of of you know recommendations from the committee and he also looked at administrative recommendations that I'm making and he came up with the proposal so thank you for putting in all that time I appreciated uh so I want to give you some more information we met with uh trusty fam uh last week assistant superintendent desels and we costed out his um recommendation the alternative recommendation but I also want to share uh my proposal or recommendation to the Board of Trustees as well as uh his proposal and uh then I'll I'll turn it over to President Chavez so uh with that do you have a clicker thank you this work just click yeah go ahead and click only if you have an next copy yes so thank you for your your patience so uh so last week what I recommended based on the recommendations of the uh committee and also the criteria I took um some of the considerations from the committee and made a recommendation to the board last week of which consist which consisted of uh closing seven schools uh and consolidating in two schools uh and redesigning one and the impact on that would be that uh this would be 10 schools uh and a total of 2,815 students that would be approximately impacted uh the immediate savings that I presented last week was $9.7 Million remember that the goal uh that the goal is to get to the $10 million and that's something that uh we need to get to as as far as the savings is concerned and each school is approximately $1 million next uh this is a criteria again uh and I just wanted to clarify I'm not going to go over it again uh super uh I keep on calling him interm superintendent but he's more of a facilitator now uh retired um he went over the criteria with you and just I want to point out seven and eight I just added a little bit more clarity there it's it's really there are no special education IEP students with IEP programs that can't be moved and the other one is there are no special programs you know like the Verizon Labs uh that you know can't be moved next uh these are the schools that uh I'm recommending for for closure um and if you look at the green asterisk uh there are seven schools I did agree with the committee that those would be the schools that I would be recommending for closure uh and those schools that have the asterisk are uh Meer ctin um Lucha painter um Cesar Chavez uh Joseph George and aptitude Academy and it's a combination of closures and a combination of consolidations and uh Eliza uh Cesar Chavez learning center is the one that I'm recommending as a redesign and the other schools that are recommending for closure thank you very much just leave it there um uh what I want to share with you here is that even though I'm recommending some of these schools for closure and or consolidation uh we will be opening up the intradistrict uh permits and what that means is that any student any family can apply for an in District permit so if you're within the district you can apply to any other school and those will be honored because we do have the capacity so I just want to make that very clear we do also take inter district and those are external those are from outside the district and currently we have over 500 interdistrict permits and that's generating millions and millions of dollars from other districts that's keeping us afloat at this moment next these are the number of students it's a breakdown of the schools and the number of schools and the number of students that are being impacted and again like I mentioned is there are 2,850 15 students that will be impacted and we have a total of about 7,300 students and that was a goal is to impact the least amount of students even though it's a lot but this is the least amount of students that this proposal would would impact next this is what it would look like in the year 20125 2026 if this uh proposal were to be approved by the Board of Trustees it's not being approved tonight it's just for information as and a recommendation this is something that the board will take action on on December 2nd but this is what it would look like most of our schools are being are are at their operational capacity is under the 50% this would put some of the schools like I'm not going to go over all of them but like Linda Vista would be at 80 plus% utilization of their operational capacity McCollum it puts McCollum almost at 90% rouso 78% Okala 71% uh I do want to clarify this one Renaissance Academy at Matson um fiser would have the option to combine those programs there at Matson and right now we have it at 42% but the numbers can actually go higher um but I just wanted to explain that a little bit there next this is the just a brief overview remember that the goal is $10 million okay this plan uh impacts the least amount of students impacts 10 schools closes seven but maintains school campuses throughout alumrock and its four quadrants and the immediate sa savings are $9.7 million next uh I I just wanted to add a little bit more uh we are in a deficit of $20 million the goal with the school closures and consolidation is to get $10 million but what I wanted to add here is there are are other reductions that we are making it's impacting the entire District special education staff reductions would equate close to $2 million and this is an estimate at this moment we're being uh conservative correct assistance sou to Sals teacher direct uh reductions we're also being very conservative here because we still have to look at data we're going to have to go through the budget uh development process enrollment Trends where we're at with families where they will be enrolling and currently we're at $1.5 million but that could double uh but I just want to put that out there it's it's we are making some Cuts there district office staff reductions there will be some district office staff reductions in the amount of about 1.8 million the TBD which is based on evaluation of Staffing that will equate to about $4.7 million uh so that it could get get us into the $20 million savings next please and uh Mr Barbara mentioned that uh you know and this is what what we LED with what I've been communicating to the families that you know it is a challenge this is hard it's not easy uh nobody wants to close schools but but in order for us to be a leaner and reimagine a more efficient more efficient alumrock Union School District we have to make some cuts it it's the hardest thing anybody's you know can do uh nobody wants to close especially seven schools you have other districts that are closing Five that are neighboring districts some are closing three but nobody wants to close schools but this is an opportunity for us to maximize our resources and we can do this next please you know the the vapa programs there are vapa clusters and we talked about programs and um I want to talk a little bit about we have proposition 28 funds and currently the proposition 28 funds that we are uh receiving from the state from prop 98 are being spread throughout 22 schools since you're going to have more stud students at each School site the dollar amount that you will that schools will be getting now in prop 28 funds may be doubling from some of the school sites so you will be able to reduce because right now what we have is we have teachers that are being split across three sites that is not maximizing our resources that's actually costing us more so this is a great opportunity for us to also reimagine our visual and Performing Arts programs here in alumrock next please special education uh also this is something that we are also spreading ourselves very very thin and there will be this is an opportunity to to enhance our special education programs remember that the IEP we have to follow the IEP and the students will continue to get their services they will continue to get get their transportation this is going to continue and we are um spreading our staff thin here as well we have speech therapists that are being you know they're going to you know two three different School sites and now we will be able to combine and service more students more efficiently with one speech therapist or two I was over at Okala today for their Turkey Trot and I spoke to to one of the speech therapist there it's got 48 but being split in two different sites and so uh this is a good opportunity for us to to reimagine uh our special education services here in alumrock the the other thing excuse me uh superintendent's providing a presentation uh can we maintain order please ma'am ma'am people are human they have to go and use a restroom thank you I provided you the information you needed now can you please proceed superintendent uh thank you uh vice president Kinto uh the other thing that I wanted to point out uh special education we have an overidentification of our special education students we're at 20% that's double the average of most other districts this is the I've been in education for 30 years and I have never seen it this high in a school district and so last week the Board of Trustees approved a special education uh study that will be analyzing and identifying root causes so that we can put together an action plan and potentially a task force here in alrock so that we could better support our students so that they are not being overidentified in special education and it cost an additional $1,000 to educate a special education student they require more resources more supports and we want to give them that but we have to do it in a very strategic and and way that's going to support them and so that's something that we're going to be doing uh in the next couple of months or so uh next please trans transportation and and um safe routes and I've mentioned this during the town hall meetings that uh we are exploring assistant superintendent uh desels will be working with the uh transportation department to offer some type of shuttle stop uh transportation for our students and that's something we're currently exploring we're evaluating our current transportation system to provide some form of transportation for our students special education again they will be getting their transportation if they have it in their IEP the other thing is I will be meeting and I met with some of the council members I'm meeting with another one also with the mayor and I'm going to be working with them so that we can develop safe routes for our students and and uh a parent yesterday I was at the uh spark meeting last night actually and recommended something to me that I thought made a lot of sense says Mr serto why don't you walk the routes I'm gonna walk them I'm gonna walk them and I will walk the routes so that you can experience it I want to experience it because we want to make the best possible decision for our students and I feel that this recommendation is is the one that disrup the most students uh the Verizon Labs you know these have come up and we do have some sites where we are recommending the uh you know that their schools close and um yeah they we're going to be able to relocate those Verizon labs and maximize those resources and move them and and enhance those Verizon Labs at some of the other sites next please uh just want to go over some of the uh trusty fam's alternate proposal uh this you know this proposal closes uh seven School sites uh one School site for repurposing Fisher to Madson Adelante one and two to fiser school consolidations two schools are recommended for consolidation three schools are recommended for redesign this this affects 13 uh schools it actually impacts uh 13 School schools and a total of of or approximate 3457 students are impacted and the savings that we calculated last week and over the weekend was $8.7 million and remember the goal is $10 million next please these are the schools that are being recommended by by trusty fam uh again thank you trusty fam and uh he also uh agreed with the seven schools correct uh trusty fam that the commit recommended concurrence yeah and there's and and there's uh you know they have an asterisk green asterisk and those are the schools but these are all the schools that would be recommended in that proposal uh these are the number of students broken down by uh School site number of students at each of the school site and also their capacity it would increase the capacity and this is the capacity and also the utilization of their operational capacity for each of their sites this is uh just an overview of of trusty fam's proposal and again the goal is $10 million and the trusty fam's alternate proposal would impact students uh impact 642 more than the one I'm recommending uh also impacts 13 schools as opposed to 10 uh the Fisher facil uh would require and this came up last week but we've confirmed it uh it would cost an additional $6.5 million on top of the $1 13.5 million that the school requires uh for uh deferred maintenance uh to convert it to a tk8 uh and it wouldn't be ready in a year it would be ready in the year 2026 uh if Adelante one and two preschools are moved to Fisher campus it will require new licensing we followed up on this the licensing process also takes up to one year and these costs are not uh reflected in the 6.5 million it also leaves the the central section of the district without a traditional Elementary School displaces one school Community Fisher to bring in a new school Community adante one and two and the immediate savings is 8.7 and um what I'll do now um President Chavez I will turn this over to you um and um vice president can um Madame President we have our colleague here who put his presentation in his plan I think he would be able to speak to his plan or is that ACC or is there part well parts of it you know and I want to thank you know uh the superintendent Mr ser and Mrs delelis for sitting with me on on uh last Friday right and again you know I think that it you know I want to say that uh you know we we came to we came to an agreement on some of the terminology right and I gained a little better understanding about uh you know uh oh I'm so sorry I'm so sorry you know oh okay I'm um you know understanding of a bit of the uh what is it uh how you say the cost of administrative restructuring uh and mind you again uh again uh what is it what is it the old old term I would be czy crazy not to uh not to adjust proposals based upon new information or newly acquired information right so uh you know I I do want to say a few uh I would I would argue that first of all the bulk of the difference is in the movement of children is because the autant are moving to I propose that the AES are moving to a different site and that the middle the middle grades in DEC to8 sites be moved to uh you know traditional Middle School uh and I will say that I you know I propose such even though it is more children moving uh it you know it preserves facilities I think it it moves them to better facilities right so for example uh dorsa merging into hubard would give this give the children of dorsa uh access to the Verizon Innovation Lab at uh hubard allows them to you know allows them access to a soccer pitch allows them to uh what is it to move the piano Lab at dorsa intact for example right those were some of the move though there is a move it was a move in order so that the campuses with the best facilities are made available to our kids uh my principal has has been you know it's better to move moving is better than losing uh so you know there you know so I I concur that there is a greater movement of students under my alternative proposal as a a as brought up last weekend I mean last week I'm sorry about that it's been a long day um I will quibble uh with the issue of you know $6.5 million in reconstruction cost and only because as having previously sat on the bond committee and uh board President Chavez would remember uh construction costs are separate from unrestricted General funds so uh I I you know I'm not trying to you know not arguing that that the costs that there are certain costs to be made in the you know uh in the redesign of a know a renovation of a middle school but it I I feel that it's highly irrelevant to to commingle uh you know con Bond bond funds with un the unrestricted general fund uh you know secondly and I thank you you know for for costing it out uh it gives a greater understanding for the for the public so with that said you know I I did I did learn quite a bit so based upon you know discussions with you and discussions with uh Mrs uh delelis here uh you know I'd like to you know at this time since this is open debate uh introduced them a modified proposal and I want to say uh for the most part I I I've heard from my constituents I should say all our constituents about Renaissance at fiser and uh I agree that I think there's a way you know uh it's a consolidation of Renaissance at you know so I propose instead of a closure it would be a it would be a uh how you say uh consolidation relocation and reorganization so uh I would I would in this case you know in so I'm introducing some mod ifications here uh for Renaissance at fiser it would be a uh to consolidate into Renaissance at Matson relocate at Renaissance at Matson uh and reorganize as a United Renaissance Academy and I understand that you know in this though it de I and I I understand the hurt that that goes through it I mean I'm know people who went to fer or Renaissance at fer it's a quality program I want to preserve that program I think we all share that uh we all share that sentiment uh so you know and I and I believe that uh the you know it takes the sting out of the closure and I think that you know even though it you know it provides some you know some Savings in that area and which I will unveil in a few minutes here uh I think that that's uh you know that honors the traditions of Renaissance at fiser to consolidate and reorganize what Renaissance at Matson as a unified Renaissance Academy uh at Matson yes at Matson at Matson the second part is uh in my original proposal uh I proposed you know as a as a one-year temporary uh temporary uh con you know condition uh that the TK and K at the combined adalante uh be located at Meyer so I would return to concurrence with the savings at Meyer which uh what you had costed which you had costed out in your proposal as presented last week at 92,3 so I can I concur with moving that back as a complete closure but I propose you know my modification would be to uh temporarily locate the tkks of the com of the merged alante at Ryan Elementary which is which remains open under both our prop you know a school that remains open in both our proposals and the third moving part would be that I propose a administrative restructuring at the Linda Vista Elementary it keeps it open but uh it reduces it restructures the school's Administration to reduce uh one assistant principle and this is in line with what you informed me uh Mrs delelis about uh about reduce you know about the C $200,000 cost Savings in redesigning uh the tk8 schools to tk5 schools so at this time I will go ahead and pass down with so with a spreadsheet so oh I've got my own copy there Andrea so if you wouldn't mind pass you know passing that down there I think that with those modifications you know uh B you know using the figures provided by the administration uh I'm proposing you know now proposing 9,825 th000 and or 9,825 3030 in upfront saving yes for for now but uh you know if there are comments after public you know after public comment you know I reserved I reserved you know uh the right to comment at that time as well okay so um I guess we have a comment from trusty era Lera and then the next one after her would be uh trusty Andrea Shelton go ahead and board president just to clarify are we going to do our comments first or public comments you're doing public we're going to do that first do yours first I I know you're facilitating the meeting so we're gonna do that first okay yes I've just called on you um so I have several questions I mean I had several questions on the proposal before and now I just got introduced a new proposal um I haven't even gotten a chance to look at because I get to be here focused uh addressing what was on my agendas so I mean I don't know I don't know I don't think we have um our attorney here but I mean we haven't even looked at at this proposal um until now and we get to make a decision by December 2nd all that to say I guess I'll go back to some of the questions that would apply um and uh my question is to truste fam who did you involve in creating both proposals um yeah who was a part I heard the staff on Friday um and you outline them who else other than them you know uh professionally it would just be I sat down with the superintendent and the assistant superintendent for business services and using the data provided by you know provided in last week's board book as well as you know uh information that uh was clarified to me at the last Friday's meeting again with superintendent s and assistant super tend to sell us did you involve any bargaining units any conversations with our bargaining units uh Madam I mean uh to Madam president uh you know as a board member I do take calls from uh constituents and uh calls from uh the the elected representatives the bargain units although there were no negotiations conducted with any bargaining units or constituents uh you know as elected representatives uh you know I listen I read my constituent emails I read the summary of a super you know the superintendent summary of uh uh you know proceedings but all you know all I say is uh I crafted you know I sat down and crunched the numbers on my own here with you know uh you know and I will say I used to be a legislative Aid so you know I had some ability to do that uh so again I crunched these numbers on my own I did I did take calls from constituents and concern uh members in this community but I in no way shape or form bargained uh with with anyone on this proposal and that's wait a second um I'm going to interrupt uh that's the president's prerogative uh this is not Inquisition this is uh something that he has come up with and as a matter of fact for 18 months when I went to all of the bond meetings the ones who did all of the stats and everything uh pertaining to all the uh numbers was Mr minam so as far as him being questioned right now um I don't I don't see uh that as appropriate right now uh because of the fact fact that he has always done this for this and so please be please be respectful or you will be removed thank you very much so this is why we have security here today so in the board president I'll stop asking him at this time I have further comments though yes go um so if you're gonna keep your I'm stop asking him questions you're going to keep your comments respectful and if you have any inquiries like that please uh let's do this uh not on the Das uh thank you okay with all due respect for President we all got elected the same way um and so with that uh the fact that I earned my seat here and my voice here you need to direct the questions to the chair thank you very much I'm going to the fact that I earned my seat here and my voice here on behalf of the people I want to make sure that I the comments that I make today reflect reflect that I am a union member myself I am a second generation and for me it's important that our union members have a voice here as well and so it had nothing to do with any of the things that were mentioned which now I'm questioning as to why some of those things were even brought up but um for me it's important that union members have a voice in what is being presented so um I won't ask board um trustee fam any more questions it is pretty clear that uh what's happening um and so I'm just going to ask uh our superintendent a question uh superintendent um this new proposal when was when did you see this well this one this one I have not seen um the one that we do have that we worked on is attached to the uh actual agenda and it was uploaded but so this one that was just now with this one change that or couple of changes that he made so just now correct okay thank you for me it's important that Personal Privilege go ahead m fact you know Madam president I want to clarify that uh you know in normal parliamentary procedure and in normal legislative practice uh you know it is accepted that uh elected legislators have the right to introduce modified proposals on the floor or introduce proposals directly on the floor there so again it did you know uh I don't have a as a part-time trust and I say this is a fulltime job listening to constituents visiting our schools but uh I have a full-time job as and just like the rest of the board does and I have you know work on this after hours you know when I have you know come home from working with students at C State East Bay I you know sit at my desk and pour over the board books and pour over the information presented and you know as I've said using using my you know uh experience with the district you know I you know work on a proposal uh again uh you know the fact that I you know again I said this these are Works in progress I you know I want to say that you know I you know the superintendent can confirm and the assistant superintendent of Business Services can confirm I sat with them on Friday afternoon and no other board member was in that room no other Community member was in that room board president I had the word and I keep getting um interrupted and I'm not sure why you you stated one more question I thought that that was your no I had comments that was one question but I had comments finish and then I'll go back to you and then I will go to truste Andrea of personal privilege there so I wanted to clarify that you know do we all get privilege any time we want uh when the board when the chair recognizes you go ahead you know so I want to say that again this I want to say this you know my previous proposal is one in motion I heard new information I'm willing to make modifications to my proposal and again it's these are just that proposals until the board takes action and if you know I'm always welcome to New you know new ideas I will you know uh if the president of area wants to have an appointment with me she knows that you know she's available uh I've met with parents from attitude at GS I've met just met today with parents from adalante uh one and two uh if you'd like an appointment you know please send me an email I will do my best to meet with you but I do want I do want I do want to you know correct for director that uh again elected legis Lors uh always you know in have the right to introduce proposals on the floor and modify proposals as new information comes in thank you madam president thank you thank you doing my best here to to contain my composure uh because we are the first examples to our constituents especially our children and our youth that are sitting and our audience which I'm really I'm glad are here and are just sitting patiently on behalf of the so with with that um I I just want to say that yes you know we're able to bring proposals and we were able to do all that yes we all uh were elected to be here and are able to do these things uh but with that for me it's important that we take our um recommendations from not just the committee that met as we heard um so many times 31 members that took the time to come up with this recommend recation that then went to our superintendent um which I was a part of hiring with and trust him to do the job to come back with a recommendation that makes more sense for our uh our district now is it perfect and is there maybe other areas where um it can grow it's not perfect U you know I mean we wouldn't be here if we had that option um but what I do hope is that each and every one of us works with our Administration to bring back something that collectively we can work together and right now it just feels very you know um a piece here a piece there you know kind of more uh against versus working together and so I look forward um and maybe we don't have it by December 2nd but in other decisions that we get to make that we work with our Administration that we've hired and we trust to do their job um and so with that I'll go ahead and pause that this time trusty Andrea Flor Shelton thank you um I want to thank superintendent Serta for um bringing back a next iteration of the plan that really does respond to a lot of the concerns the board brought up uh vapa um special ed Transportation Verizon Labs um I really appreciate that just a more clarity that we needed um obviously the comparison to the proposal that we received uh last Thursday just very helpful I had um I had concerns about sort of apples and oranges and so it's I I appreciate tonight seeing last week's alternative plan one just being able to compare that um so I do want to just uh dive a little bit deeper into the special ed um piece of it you talk about streamlining resource allocation so in my own conversations with constituents and um as well as my own interest and my own knowledge of special education um you know it is obviously critically important and again I have a deep interest and personal experience being a specialed um parent of a student that you know we have the resources available for them um we also know that kids come to special ed from they have diagnoses right whether it's medical or the psychological all of the sorts of diagnoses but I also know that there's this other box that can be checked and there's this big influx in special ed that I'm concerned behavior management issues are being transferred to special education and what I would like to um I hear you're going to do a study and I hear you could be looking at things in a few months I think this is something that needs to be done very quickly and I would ask that tonight um when there is a motion I would like to see if we can direct the superintendent to have a higher level um member of Staff whether at the director level or at the cabinet level approve all intakes when they have been identified as other because I think we have to get some compliance and control issues and ensure that the special ed funding that we have is going exactly to those that qualify right and if you're talking about cutting special ed services when we have um we have students that absolutely need it and then we have a gray area that I think needs special attention and it needs a higher level of approvals so that um we can get the the resources in in line so I want to throw that out there because um for me this has been sort of a hidden headline for almost the two years that I've spent on this board and um when I'm seeing that we're still need not even getting to the $20 million right I'm very concerned um so I I want to throw that out for the board's um consideration and direction to the superintendent tonight because again I don't think we have time to wait for a special study um and for you all to decide in five months um and U trusty sorry to interrupt you we do have Tony our special education director um that can answer or or I I don't think I have I what I want you all to do is yes maybe to come back and to and and you know I I I don't know if every single person every single student that's coming in and getting an IEP you know what it so maybe you need to look at like how many are other right how many actually we need a behavioral intervention and not a special education intervention maybe it's both but I I think we need to start reallocating these things um and we know classroom management is challenging but we need to like drill down and put things in the right buckets and go ahead that's one of the things that we're looking at as we make some modifications to our special ed programming and how how do we do that across the schools that M beginning next year and how do we effectively um support the students that need to be supported in the way that they need to be supported so I guess the question is what FASTT tracking can happen so that the that that the intake process isn't just you know it that we're we're widening the net when we shouldn't be widening the net no I I look forward for to the direction that the board is is gives me okay um and just a couple other things um I would um this goes back to the the English right the English and and all you know that comes up with closing these schools um you know you're trying to save Lindale by closing dorsa that's what's on the table and the dorsa community doesn't know that and what I would I would I would say that George I'm sorry I have the floor one second let her finish and then I'll let you address that thank you thank you president I am you know we all struggle like when you see these first proposals you know my family has a deep deep connection to citan and George they're on the table so what am I going to do say save them and then throw some other school Under I mean it's just so I deeply believ in the in the commun uh the committee process I deeply believe in the administration's um uh analysis of this because it's based on the criteria that we set forth and nothing is perfect right nothing is going to be perfect but this will pull on every heartstring we will want to save every school right and we will we can so that's why I'm really really struggling um with an alternative when again what we're doing is you're setting now another school on fire to say hey wait I didn't think we're on the list and now dorsa as of tonight is being proposed to be cut so I won't um I'll just say it right now I won't be supporting um fam's alternative proposals as it stands given the The increased number of kids The increased uh dollar amount whether it comes out of the general fund or whether it comes out of the capital budget the capital budget needs to be save or the bond money needs to be saved for um the schools to be as again reimagining um the new school so um again I thank you again for the new information 500 students right are coming into arusd through um through our our special programs right inter District inter District transfers right and we need to create capacity for those programs to grow because again imagine if we didn't have those students coming in here we'd have a $23 million deficit so okay Madam president I want to first of all you know I think that we you know trusty Flores Shelton and I are not quibbling about uh the need to make certain Cuts uh that's not an issue now I I want to say one thing and I want to what is it Lindale elementary school has been the Cornerstone of special education in this district for 60 years when I when I went to Lindale school that's where I met deaf children you you know I as I said last week I'm an adapted PE student you know God gave me a you know difficulties and uh dexterity and motor skills you know uh the special education staff whether it's de children or artistic children at Lendale school or topnotch and those are topnotch facilities uh it's the only School in the district with five classrooms with bathrooms it's the only School in the district with a designated room for adaptive PE I you know as I said in this in the superintendent proposal and as I said I concur more you know I concur a lot with the superintendent and the committee but I do differ because as a former special education student uh you can't afford to take risks when then autistic student needs to use the restroom you can't afford to take risks when you know uh adaptive PE student is balancing on the beam and I take you know and I take umage at uh trusty Flores Shelton's uh accusation that there you know I get it there's you know uh but this is about protecting the most vulnerable of our students our special ed students are not only in the in the dawn of their lives they're also in the shadows of Life uh privilege what accusation did I make what accuse you of oh I would you know you you said that you know because you need to use your words wisely what did I accuse you of well you you're you you said that I'm didn't then I will draw that portion but let me finish but the uh you know but I will say to take you know to take away restrooms from autistic children to take away facilities for special ed you know trusty Flores shame on you pick on pick on someone else you have used words like violent you have in past meetings and now I'm getting shamed for saying my opinion as a trustee I am being very transparent with the community where I stand and if I'm being shamed and accused of being opinionated about where I stand so that everybody knows that where I support folks when we are um literally a week out from voting on this because Thanksgiving week is a and again I am I am disappointed that new schools are being put on the table that and you you are trying to get at what you want to get at and you have every right to do that and I have every right to State my opinion so I don't want to be shamed and I don't want to be accused of doing my job thank you thank you very much I think what I'm going to do is let uh Vice will speak now thank you um unfortunately this is to be expected very very um emotions are going to fly high amongst the community as well as in this board now these are not easy decisions I would ask us to as board members restrain ourselves U choose your words wisely was used against Me by another member of the board not you and I don't appreciate that and so if we can all and I get it there was a lot of back and forth so if we can Madame President if we can direct and you can direct everybody to you that's the way this board this board meeting is supposed to be conducted comments are not to be going between board members supposed to be go from from the board member to you and uh and that's the way in which it's supposed to be connect so we can avoid that back and forth yes that links to to these so um I I'm I I'm appreciative of uh the proposal and the work that went into uh the Alternatives I think we got uh an option that's provided by the superintendent our colleagues spent a significant amount of time it looks like and it required a significant amount of effort meeting with staff and putting and crunching the numbers and so I I'm I'm very grateful for that I I would like to see different options uh and I'm appreciative of the fact that they're here and uh looking forward to reviewing them more in depth uh this is a venue where we as board members have the opportunity to engage you don't have the luxury of speaking to a majority of the board anywhere else other than at a meeting and so it might seem awkward and strange that's the way in which the law of California allows us to conduct ourselves to speak at these meetings um and so it's it and so I'm appreciative of the fact that it's been presented here so that we can't uh so that nobody would say oh you know you showed it to somebody or you did this wrong inappropriate um I just want to make sure we C we're we're absolutely clear under the superintendent plan Renaissance disappears correct Madam president cor correct that's that's where I read it it no it ceases to exist plan the superintendent's plan so okay it's so that's plan has been presented by superintendent I just want to make sure because PE I don't want people out there getting the wrong messages I wasn't sure so we are on we're clear um and so for my colleague for example is very supportive that plan and it and that would mean that the the the site is no longer there it's gone um we turn it into something else and I'm concerned about that it is a one of the largest single sites uh that the district has in terms of land uh Alan brck uh in it in it wisdom uh and being very collaborative with the city chose to invest land so that a library could be built for the children of mrock who went to Fisher and so that that that's a concern that I have and that uh really uh gives me pause with the with the superintendent plan um I'm concerned because of the heavy investment that went in uh I understand some of the other uh issues that have been uh pointed out but uh it weighs on me that it's a it's a it's a very large site uh would be open for other folks I I'm not sure what we would do with that site I'm sure people are already salivating at the MTH like trying to get their a their hands on that land um and I want to make sure that uh they don't have that opportunity um I'm G to go ahead and introduce this poem that was given to me by a child at Renaissance at Fisher our voices are schooled our voices are schooled they say our school must close its doors that Renaissance has outlived its course but we the students have something to say this school is where we grow when we stay the administration tells us we can speak we have the right our voices are sleep but what of that right to be truly heard to listen to our hearts Our Truth our word you speak of Maintenance of issues to fix but the walls stand strong they don't need a quick fix the murals the memories The Pride we have here made by families by teachers by students so dear you say it's a cost to maintain uh too much to maintain but is that the truth or just part of the game we know this place we built it together it's more than bricks it's our Legacy forever we are the community the life blood the soul this school was created to help make us whole it's where we find strength where we learn and we grow where dreams take root and Futures glow so why close the doors what is it for when Renaissance stands as a place to explore we deserve more than just empty words we deserve a future where we're truly heard for our communion our voice our fight we ask ask you please don't take away our light our school is ours not just a space but a home a heart and a safe and strong place thank you to the children that put that together I think it shows that the passion the the pain that's being felt by everyone and uh I would hope that this poem helps us as board members be able to conduct ourselves in a way that allows us to carry out our work uh obviously speak freely about the issues about the concerns but in a manner that uh is not um overshadowed by accusation or things of that sort we have a right to present our options and uh I would encourage any board member who has an idea to do so and bring it forward so that we can have a full transparent uh uh way to review it uh to analyze it and then make our decisions come December 2nd so thank you for the opportunity uh mam president thank you uh so now I'm going to say something um thank you trusty fam for coming up with u all of these figures and the reason I say that is because I know where his heart was his heart was to keep the vapa cluster together right to keep the special ed the best the the school that that does the best job that they come from everywhere for the special programs that they have there and the people there are amazing the people in the vapa programs are amazing trusty fam what he's trying to do is save a lot of stuff for the kids so this is what people don't realize his intent his heart is to provide more for the children and in putting this plan out there he puts himself at risk for some ridicule but for me he puts out a plan that maybe we could tweak it a little bit we agreed on what seven we agreed on those so why are we cling over two if we can come up with something better for the majority of the kids for the kids of the future for the kids now why aren't we all willing to work together for this is we're all Alan Rock let's stop arguing and fighting over things that don't matter what matters is the education of the children and more importantly if we start working together on the big things all these little things they won't be so significant what matters is if we can bring and keep that track at Okala for all those middle school kids if we can provide the busing or different ways to come up with it or maybe fast track a lease so that to bring in more money so that the kids could get a better education so that we can provide better things for the kids that's what it comes down to there's kids here that are just looking towards us to get along to make it better for them that's what I'm here in the spirit of that is to unify Alan Rock too many years we've been not unifying alen Rock let's work together together we're not all going to be happy it's not going to be a win-win for everybody but let's put it this way we need to make it a win-win for all the students as much as we can and tell ourselves did I do the most for all the children some may not have been happy with this decision or that decision but keep in mind we're doing this for all the students and for the special ed students it's harder for them and you know it you know it other kids can go and have an okay time and get over it not the special ed students that's why they call them special but those kids are so special that they're not the ones that are going to complain but we have to make sure that we get those things to them because they can't speak for themselves the other kids if we work hard just as hard for them but in a different manner we can provide those things for them but please don't be divided on everything please come to together for the kids yes but please listen seven of us SE excuse me seven sites we agreed on the other two we didn't we need to tweak it a little bit be respectful not take it personal because this is not personal other than all of our hearts we're they're all in the same place we we want the best for the kids let's unite on that you know we have staff that's worked really hard and diligently so have parents and are the parents going to need help yes are the teachers going to need help yes so let's start working together not inner fighting a lot of the times the media is just here just seeing the circus and they and they talk down about us why we have such great programs here we need to build on those successes we need to build on the student education and we all need to do it together and you know cut the groaning and increase the enthusiasm the mindfulness the caringness that I know that all of you possess thank you so now I'm gonna take public on uh first one step up to the podium want to that one first yeah okay thanks all right we uh we got the timer ready or the timer ready it's ready all right uh please uh share your name and and begin when when you see the timer my name is Rafael Nez and I'm here on behalf of aptitude atos and first I would like to say thank you to Min famam for providing a solution a actual plan that is different than the plan that was provided by the superintendent um it's very very important to our community that you took your time to actually come up with something that makes sense um there was a school obviously aptitude that's on the list which to me didn't make sense we have a large campus with available capacity still we have an established um special ed um program we have H the First Wellness Center that was in the district which made a huge impact um not only for the special ed but for children that were struggling with other issues bowling and I would like to remind Corina era you mentioned yourself that the people voted you back please take that into account because the Community Capital voted for you next speaker please thank you hello everyone uh my name is conin I'm a parent of a student at aptitude um I just want to picky back what uh president trusty Linda is saying so I just want to give a quick definition of subjective and objective okay subjective is based on personal opinion feelings or beliefs influenced by individual experience and bias objective based on facts evidence and measurable data not influenced by personal feelings or opinions I see a lot of subjective individual in this room tonight do the right thing because this is affecting the kids the children and the communities I was here last year and I fought an aptitude is still here this year and for those that are subjective I think you know who you are you know this is affecting the kids and the communities there's no reason based on my data that aptitude should be on this list look at my data thank you for your comments next speaker please good evening my name is Kristen Müller and I've been at Lindell Elementary for since 1997 when I was at the last board meeting I brought up some points from a logistics perspective regarding our campus's proximity to Neighborhood chartering School charter school so I won't repeat them but I did bring my trusty trifold poster back just in case you needed a reference we have an extremely successful preschool autism program on campus no way can you just recreate that at some other venue and simply cutting a few holes and walls for bathroom access won't cut it I know that the district has mentioned a reimaging special ed program where all the special ed kids are on one campus so instead of the special ed students seeing and being seen on a general Ed campus like they are now integrated they'll be isolated the interactions at Lindale are significant not only for our special ed students but for our general ed students I think the one stop approach One-Stop shop approach please reassess it um as far as getting to Russo mcy School you mentioned walking the path I had a student a couple of years ago who was in a fatal car accident right in front of James Lake High School her younger sister was in my class that year thank you for please consider thank next speaker please good evening my name is Veronica Talton I'm a performing arts teacher at George middle and Lindell Elementary I'm going to share some facts about prop 28 prop 28 was passed by voters to provide additional funding for Arts Ed in all K through2 Public Schools funds are required to be used primarily to hire new Arts staff 80% staff 20% instructional materials and supplies there's strict oversight and it requires schools to certify that these funds were spent in addition to existing funding for Arts education programs the vapa teachers are all similar with their certification single subject but we have our preferences we have those things that we prefer to do that must be considered when you're moving vapa teachers from one site to another so you can move a piano lab there but if the teacher doesn't teach piano lab it will not be done effectively for the students please consider that and I call to action the boards look at creat ca.org for details thank you thank you hello yeah okay my name is Yari I'm a teacher uh we know what you're suggesting but let's do the math A1 and A2 produce about 3.5 billion a year in revenue from out of County students due to the program's popularity based off current enrollment numbers moving to fiser only allows for an approximate expansion of 300 students thus not maximizing potential local and outof county or District enrollment and profit Revenue additionally there is a $9 million investment to retrofit and update General facilities if you subtract 19 million from the $40 million facilities Bond you are left with 21 million looking at the review of the facility score chart 21 million would not be enough to e to update even half of the remaining schools considered to stay open at this point we are asking for an increase in debt and putting up the district for higher deficit this decision leaves us vulnerable to County takeover because we are not fixing we are moving the deficit please consider the future Financial repercussions of your decisions thank you hello my name is Lisa dhb TK teacher at painter school I honestly cannot believe that you would choose to close a school that and destroy a fast growing program one that could save our district and bring in money you're planning on keeping a large school open with a capacity of 686 but moving everyone out to have a deserted campus with probably under a 100 students why why when we could be there why can't we consolidate both campuses Shepherd and painter into a prek through eight school with your plan you will drive away the people when we need them more than ever they will go back to their own districts and we will lose them never getting them back I still respectfully disagree painter is one program that can't be moved without destroying it we have a really good thing going here and you're going to destroy it with this plan this is a poor choice we need to do better and make a different Choice please thank you good evening uh Myas adante Academy this this letter is specifically for trustee fan but I believe it resonates with all of you also on behalf of the e8th grade dual language classroom I want to extend my deepest gratitude for taking the time to visit trusty your presence had a profound impact on our students who were excited to Showcase their learning and share their unique perspectives with you they have also Express their appreciation through their letters a project aligned with our writing standards through this activity they practice both their literacy skills and their civic engagement we are aware the district must make some critical decisions regarding school closures our students have expressed concerns about how these changes could impact their sense of belonging the quality of education and support they receive from from their teachers we ask the board considered s student centered Solutions board ugly is ugly remember that when you speak to the your audience the exact people that put you in office so that you could reap all the benefits you have besides just being here in front of us thank you good evening Board of trust superintendent staff my name is Eric and I do planning and data analysis for several high-tech companies I want to highlight that the alternate proposal has some issues primarily if elmrock was to merge the two other schools you will accelerate the need to do additional consolidation AS stand on schools they can each grow to 550 students and it's not shown in in in The Proposal there it's shown as flat but the reality is Atlanta 2 can actually Atlanta 1 Atlant 2 can add an additional 80 to 100 students next year bringing in an additional $1.5 million without moving them the 40 uh to 42 classes at Fisher are not enough to the classes that we are currently using furthermore alant 2 has four classes so they can add an additional track of canra 1 2 and third without so it can get to 550 this additional new revenue is two times what alrock gets from all his current leases and will be key to helping Al alrock to avoid closing three elementary schools and one um in two to three years other they're different thank you next speaker please Linda Beltran adante 2 good evening I am here tonight to express the Deep frustration and disappointment many of our community feel towards how we are being treated Linda Chavez as a board member you were chosen by the people to represent us with Integrity fairness and most importantly respect unfortunately that respect often feels absent our community should feel empowered to speak out during public hearing without fear of dismissal or disrespect yet there is a growing sense of e the role of an elected official is to listen to Advocate and to stand for the people not silence or demean them it is dis disheartening to see the decisions and actions that appear driven by personal agendas and vindictiveness rather than the genuine needs of those that you were elected to serve leadership is not is not an ego it's about humility and commitment as a collective good we are commun we the community expect and demand better and urge you to to readjust your tone with those that who plac their trust in you please let us move forward in a spirit of respect collaboration service and great and good what you give me hope hi my name is De I'm here from alante I'm here to say to leave alante as is do not merge no offense with alante too adant one has existed for 21 years and the program was so good that it created an adant 2 keep the number growing and we can hit capacity but creating a school of over 900 is not what we signed up for and it's not what many of the parents signed up for and at and for many even at 500 we're too big and after that where's the growth there is no growth with Pros pan by trusty F and as parents I ask all of you we need to keep watching this sport this is just phase one after December 2nd is phase two especially when we have these special meetings this meeting has been on the books so we knew about it but when they have meetings on a Friday night at 7 p.m.

the day after school end and we never have meetings at 7 well why at 7 you have to watch for those special meetings because then we don't know what's really going on just because it's legal does not mean it is ethical thank you good evening Borman members my name is Anna Padia Lopez I am a part of alen Rock School District a proud Renaissance School site council president as well as the Dak representative for the school first of all I did email each and every one of you I've got response from two people from the whole board in regards to my disregard as my school is is facing closing Renaissance is the only School in Allen Rock School District as a middle school which place number one within your guys's district and you guys want to take that away that is unacceptable our Renaissance model needs to stay throughout all of our schools why not propose to close down hubard and move those students to Renaissance they have a they have four cohorts that they can move to Renaissance as well as Matson and okola we're the only school that has a library where it's a safe space for our youth our kids are not safe Crossing Okala and cap they're not safe Crossing King and story it is the East Side you guys are a product of the East Side you guys live the east side and you guys know the dangers it is for our youth especially young Latinos thank you very much next speaker hi my name is Mir lamb and I'm an eighth grade student at Renaissance Academy at fiser I wrote this speech with my classmate Janet law what the district is doing is not the best for us for the community all they want is to save money they care more about money than the well-being of their students our education won't be better if we or our parents can't even afford SA transportation to school Renaissance Academy at fer has one of the safest neighborhoods around it with the library next to it you're making kids go to Okala instead have you seen the streets near Okala there are so many cars rushing by you're telling children they have to walk in unsafe Road just to go to school every day you need to take into account whether students will be safe on and off campus parents would you still send your kids to school if their school is way too far away and it's not safe for them to be there thank you good evening my name is solidad Vega proud teacher at San Antonio for 26 years do not consolidate our schools Lucha and San Antonio deserve to be one whole school we are a beautiful campus everyone Des desires to be there but we need to be one school please make Lucha into one school one heart at San Antonio thank you sorry I wasn't expecting to be up so soon um good evening my name is Steve Navaro I'm a parent at atan1 I don't have prepared comments so I'm just going to speak off the cuff um I want to thank the board for the the work and the effort that they've put into this so far um I know it's not a great um thing to do there's no perfect or right answer nobody is happy in any of the actions you guys are going to take one thing I do advise is that you work carefully compassionately and you know try to um balance what you're working through to get at least as close as possible to the right answers because we're counting on you you know I know emotions are running High people are upset angry there's a lot of passion for the schools that that people are fighting for I challenge you to to try to direct and channel that energy to helping solve the problems that we have I also challenge our parents to you know balance the passion for what you feel with what's right for the district we got to work together to to solve these problems it's not all going to be done by Justice board thank you thank you my name is Jasmine um I'm representing Lindo um I want to talk specifically because I have a four-year-old in special ed and I think that moving them to San Antonio would be a really bad idea based on the fact that kids with autism tend to elope and I think San Antonio is a really dangerous spot being on the streets that they're that the school is on um and we have all the gates at lindel that San Antonio doesn't have also the same thing with the um the classrooms with the restrooms I think that's also um something else that needs to be considered as a parent of a kid with autism um um we worry a lot that when they're not in our care they'll and just thinking the r the dangers that he might run at San Antonio is really scary and I really hope that you guys reconsider the closure of Lindo thank you hi Caitlyn sento teacher at Renaissance at Fisher Academy um and also a product of the elmrock school district I want to start by thanking um some of our board members for actually responding to our messages and making the time to hear us out and to the superintendent for coming and visiting our school on Tuesday our community is here tonight again um tired um and I'm happy to just say that it this feels like a different board than we saw a week ago um which is hopeful and scary how quickly things can change um specifically in tone specifically and attitude specifically and how the community is being addressed um I do want to say that I appreciate that you hear us about possibly consolidating the two Renaissance cies I'm not saying that that's something impossible but a Renaissance at Fisher really is something special our team is here and we're ready to stay together um and we hope that you come and visit us and see the amazing things that we come and do thank you we will give two minutes for to allow for translation num SCH hello I am Aurora Ramos and a family um a mother of a family with a child at lindel and I am here not only so you can hear my voice but that you can hear my son's voice it's very sad how you uh see our kids as a number as a money number only in in each of the meeting that we have have you are confirming that and it isn't like that please demonstrate that the students the families and the community the Latino Community is important to you our students uh have value uh the students and special education have value too and do not represent less money for your for your pockets please keep Lindell open my name is Jackie saparo I'm a teacher at Fischer um I also want to thank the the board members who have taken the time to listen to our voices um I don't think that the right solution has been proposed yet um Renaissance at Fischer like uh trusty Cano mentioned does have a lot of amenities but under fam's plan to give those away to arguably sorry Monte more privileged families that's a social justice issue and if you think that our families are going to sit down and roll over on that you're out of your minds we will not let that happen if you think that our families are going to let you give our school away to a school that doesn't even want to be there you're crazy we have three parents that passed out 900 flyers in the past four days we will petition for a recall please do not do that thank you at Ben painter Elementary School the vietamese Dual language does not Thrive without our English duel and our English duel does not Thrive with it with without our viames dual program together we make together we make a whole and together we make a community for our students speaking on behalf of our strong vienamese Community as of right now we have parents in the vietamese program who are unsure if they want to continue and have addressed that they may be better off in the baresa district as a small program trying to thrive every number counts if this consolidation goes through our program will fall apart to our superintendent and the rest of the board members respectfully I strongly strongly ask you to reconsider this as we will lose the students in the program and the work our staff members have worked so hard on we need both the Vietnamese dual language and English dual in order to make us a whole and keep us running please do not separate us and keep us together so we can Thrive and be proud to be a part of the Alan Rock new School District thank you good evening my name is Lisa to Hill I have a parent I'm a parent of a child at Linda Vista so thank you very much for saying you want to revamp that whole system which needs to be done um but I'm here to support Renaissance at Fischer because it is a different program and thank you very much for hearing your community I really appreciate that you were able to do that because as a parent on the committee we do not feel heard and I was very disappointed again in our town hall meeting because what was represented back to us in the parent Square was not what we said was not what happened so I don't know what you guys have heard or what has happened but I don't feel like you guys have been been given the exact data the exact feelings that we have about why we want to keep Renaissance of Fisher it is a different program we it's safe there my the library again I wasn't prepared so sorry but thank you very much for heing us Victor Vasquez um so I'm not here to say what school should be closed but rather our mandate is to make sure you hear that we would like to see schools and mayfer open that's what we're here for to protect that we already received Cuts in the previous round element C Chavis Elementary Lee mats and middle school and we're still receiving changes in Mayfair once again why is it that this area continues to be a Target do people think that it's easy to like talk about our families in a certain way and I want to address some messages that were made last week or last time calling our neighborhoods gang infested criminals that is borderline racist and I I want to make sure that that hateful message does not continue because our families are not that think about what you're saying when you could say neighborhood but it has people in it it has families in it and students I don't believe that our teachers are not preparing our students for the test course I believe that our students need more resources and that's the bottom line so I just want to urge all of us that we take this energy as parents teachers and board and actually go and Lobby City County and the state for more resources instead of fighting each other but we're here to do that thank you my name is Karen McDonnell I had no intention of speaking here today and I'm not going to plug my school I am a a gened teacher I teach kindergarten and I have a new student who's been mainstreamed from a special day class program fits in perfectly little behavior that I need to train up in but I want to thank you board and I want to thank you um President Chavez because the the words that you said about uniting were really important and that's what our team at our I'm not going to say the school but we were talking about this on Friday about renaming our school uh bringing in a new you know set of teachers and students we were welcoming we want to build a new we want to work together thank you you're taking up somebody else's time so I'm going to stop you right there your clock is going to start right now please start the clock you horrible you got five seconds your time is up next speaker please uh please remove yourself from the chalkboard who please step away from the chalkboard security thank you thank you very much uh please continue now uh Miss Olivia thank good even I'm Miss Olivia I'm a parent at reneson at Matson and I have been living in mayfer community for 18 years and For the Love of my community I'm here today to ask you guys to think about closing our schools at Mayfair will be be a huge impact since we have taken closures in the past like someone mentioned earlier sister Chavis was closed couple years ago and mat was closed a couple years ago the same kids are going to re and Matson right now we're part of the close the the closer school at Chavez so having our kids go through a second closure schools in their life of of Education I don't know if that dist want to go that way in history um also every kid Des serves their school not to be closed but that doesn't give people reason to put some schools better or important the other schools all schools are important every single school is important because they have kids and I also I'm asking people to be really careful with the message they're putting out there because it's very dangerous for our kids when they listen that their Community it's G infesta when there's violence when there's gangs there's drugs kids hear that and it's really sad that our community next speaker please those mess out thank you hello my name is Raquel hmel I've been teaching here in alrock for 10 years I just want to say thank you for listening to all of us I speak for my school but I speak for the parents of all the schools I love this place I speak for them the families I've met with parent teacher conference last two weeks they shared their hearts with me I am willing to fight for them to stand up for them and I just want to say thank you for the support and I know this is a very difficult decision I also come from the school has been such an amazing experience I love working with Dr manuco Miss Mai Miss Hannah my team I have never in the 10 years I've worked at alen Rock felt respected felt cared for we sing together we do Multicultural assemblies together we dance and we celebrate it is the most unified global-minded uh how would I say we the people walk the walk and they talk the talk thank you [Laughter] um good evening everyone this I apologize apologize if I said I'm not a public speaker but my name is John balazar I represent oala and my peers they're here today um I'm a member of the closure committee and the committee was formed not to only represent the schools but the community um we've seen superintendent sera's proposal we've seen trustey F's proposal what I ask for the board is to see our proposal The Proposal that we presented to um superintendent Serta um I can guarantee you that it's just as strong if not stronger than the ones that we've seen today so far we believe it's stronger and you know it represents the district the community and the schools and um we'll be happy to send it to you guys if you guys would like to see it and if you guys would like to meet to discuss why we presented these schools as a committee we're happy to do that do that as well am I correct guys so thank you for your time and consideration my name is Cassandra Perez and I go to Renaissance off Fisher I have attended other schools before Renaissance and of all of them Fisher has not has been not only the best academically but provided me with the best experience that I could ever have the adults Fisher clearly care about us and want us and want to see us succeed and Excel providing us with the needed resources and help Renaissance Fisher has not only a safe but also convenient Community with a library next door and a neighboring High School Fisher has made an incredible impact in my life that future students should have Al should also have the right to experience everybody I know who goes or went to fer I'll have stories to tell Fisher is not just a school but it's an experience with all that being said why everybody everybody wants to know why you're closing rft why did you why did you lie and make up false numbers about our school even if those numbers were true what difference would it make to close rap and move the other LS there thank you hello board members superintendent uh I'm a teacher from aptitude Goss I've only been in this district for um nine years but I'm really as a teacher we have to like really look at the positive in people and the positive in things and this is the first time I've really seen this board really focused on problem solving really educating themselves really trying to get to the root of you know Solutions and you're in a rough spot and the parents too and we're rooting for all the parents we're rooting for all the schools and you know we know that there's going to be some hard stuff coming up and I really hope that you guys can be strong and stay together all these parents who've gotten involved who've educated themselves all the kids that are involved because you guys are going to be the ones who are going to heal this District afterwards and so I really appreciate that thank you good evening members of the board my name is D gonalez I am a per two students and an advocate in the community I am here today because it will be wrong once again to close another school in mayfer if we do close another school in mayfer and we leave that quadrant alone it's again replicated red lining oppressive and it's something that it has to stop the other part is that we shouldn't be be dividing each other we shouldn't be talking negative about each other in front of our kids or in front of even us we already going through a lot in that District in a political environment we should not be divided by United I'm urged to this board to stop fighting between each other this was ridiculous today in front of our students in front of parents let's work together let's go to the state let's find funders you have a whole Community willing to back you up willing to go out for our kids let's do this together not alone or dividing each other thank you hi good good night my name is Victoria partia um I am a parent at Adelante 2 and today I want to talk I want to urge you not to combin um adalante one and two as doing so would limit the potential growth I strong strongly believe that once the consolidation is complete or if the Consol once we get through this we stay stay separate we can work with CIO and his marketing team to actively recruit students who have left us I chose to stay in this District because I believe in Alam Rock I want my son to learn Spanish and he is learning very well at adante too the newly available funds will enable us to enhance Sports programs and offer enrich extracurricular courses that will draw students back to our schools these improvements will create an environment so Dynamic and engaging the families will be eager to return back to our district thank you hello everyone I am Angel and alumni at Renaissance at Fisher and I urge you guys to reconsider this because as a kid in this generation social media has easily influenced all of us but because of raph's community they have all United us all together and proven to me and all my classmates from last year that I Overfelt we should be proud of what we're doing what we are and not what the world is doing they have shown me my pride and me to be proud first generation and because of raph's incredible system I've had teachers who have taught me subjects in which I had never even heard of but because of learning these things I have came out to be able to be a strong person and be able to have a teacher like Miss that has taught me how to learn more about myself in my community hello my name is louia Solis my student on Hill peer pressured me into speaking um I would I am a hubard kid I went to Renaissance at fiser I am now I returned I we talk a lot about leaving like I always hear kids say I'm going to make it out the trenes I'm going to leave the hood I hate that I'm like no we got to go back to the hood and like fix it it better it's beautiful already I hate that people are talking crap about the Mayfair Community it's a beauti beautiful Community I've worked there as a teacher I've worked there as um when I work for the city of San Jose but I need you all to realize that people are pitting against each other because we don't have transparency the numbers that are being presented to us I'm looking at them and I'm a smart person right I don't understand them where is the raw data because I've looked for it and I'm like watching 5 hours the video on 2% speed and it's a lot um we're a great school Renaissance at Matson and Renaissance at Fischer are different so don't just say oh well it's fine they'll continue it there I'll send an email thank you wait a minute before you start thank you okay go ahead my name is Lyn Tran I have two kids at Bed painter in the vdi program we are an interdistrict transfer family we first transferred to Franklin mck for their venom dual ersion program then this year transferred to alen rock I'm asking the board to please reconsider the current proposal for BP to split the student population where the regular English structure students are moved out of BP only the vdi students will remain at the current location along with shepher middle what prompted us to transfer to Alan Rock was the strong School culture and parent Community for us above and beyond the academics we want our children to have a balanced Elementary School experience isolating the vdi students here themselves does not promote access and Equity it's been noted that the vdi program is one that is bringing in students from other districts generating critical Ada for the district if the district moves forward with splitting up the school then you are removing half of the children on the Playard you'll be making our children's School less diverse and diminishing that El School experience for all vdi students remaining this would directly jeopardize the quality of the program and risk both losing families and making more difficult to attract families negatively impacting this tremendously valuable program's ability to grow the district is underresourced as it is and I don't have confidence that this current proposal will result in a worthwhile School experience for my family and that of others in the program after speaking with other families in the program I can share that others including myself are hello my name hello my name is Aus and I am a parent at fiser like we told Mr s that we understand that schools need to close yet Renaissance at fiser should not be one of them we have talked about the test scores that they have at the school they are not the same as the Madson Renaissance Academy and they yet they are the same Academy um the Renaissance model matters and we should take that in consideration with the offer that you guys have it will take that model away and many of those students are successful with that model model one of them being my daughter um the children succeed in the core method they have also so many resers in that Community like the high school that is in in close proximity right next door where they can walk and see what it is having a life at a high school the library that doesn't only help with homework but also helps those children that are not bilingual in English or in other language such as Vietnamese and Chinese there is no big street to walk through there's no con construction that they have to cross and the transportation is still a discussion that you guys are still deciding how would my child get to school if she does not have transportation only if she's a special needs child [Music] cap um Gra I'm going to try to say what she said um yes I'm a a parent at aptitude and I I wanted to say to Mr sna that you are a new person in this district and in reality you do not know what our school is like and to miss Corina um I want to ask you how many times you have visited our our school and I wanted to let you know that capital and gos Community we have supported your reelection I have a child who in the past thought about getting about suiciding and due to the bullying that she was experiencing and now after the therapist she got well but now knowing that the school is going to be close she has felt the anxiety coming back to her just to know know that that's happening in her school thank you thank you hello my name is MAA we chose to transfer our sons out of s the unified and I can say I am the proudest mom of a founding student of the first graduating class of adalanta 2 and now a second current second grader with the passion of the parents of Adan 2 we have tried our very best to make it a place we call home however now that we have learned of the district plan to collapse Atlanta 1 and Atlanta 2 into one campus we are heartbroken the school that our family and Community had worked tirelessly to create for more than 10 years will be lost the home we created along with family staff and students will also be lost my oldest son looked forward to going back home after graduating from high school with the rest of the first graduating class to remember all the memories they made on campus my youngest son looked forward to crossing the same they older brother did I urge you to reconsider and leave atanta too where it is please let us keep our home and by the way all of our times are in the other room thank [Music] youen for [Music] make a summary um I'm a a mother at Linda and I have eight children some of my children have gone to the school and they al already have graduated from high school and um I have been very um I have been always supported at the school by the teachers and so that's why I would like to have Linda stay open thank you I don't have anything rich my name is Rebeca and um I just wanted to speak on behalf of Special Ed I have a little boy and he's in fifth grade he's going to be going to middle school and he has Down syndrome he can't join General Ed um I really invite you all to go into the classrooms for special ed so that you can see the ones that have severe the ones that are moderate General Ed I know like someone said they can go and they can play and they will be resilient they're going to adapt our special needs kids they don't adapt taking away their teachers cutting special ed any kind of monetary anything from special it is not good they deserve so much better and they deserve the support from the board from the district I try as much as I can to be involved with him but I implore you please do not make special ed a second thought make them priority make them feel like they're a part of this community and a part of their school he goes to Cassel not g to I'm not going to talk about Cassel because I know they've been on the chopping block for many years for many years because we didn't have a playground for them to play on and I just ask you guys to think about their difficulties in having to deal with life it's not your fault they were born they the way they were but they deserve a lot and they deserve the best education that you guys can give them because you guys are the ones that are in charge of that and I ask you please go visit them see their difficulties but then see how Happ they are right now with all the teachers and the Paras that they have and cutting that will be detrimental to them please think about it my name is Mariah Tapia and I'm speaking as a rra staff member and adalante family member before it was adalante actually when it was alria and Mount Pleasant School District um and the proud teacher of students who organize their own walk out today do to the actions of the district and the school board and I want to start off actually by reading a quote from our president Linda Chavez from 2018 says here um so I decided I'm going to run and why because they were hurting the children referring to the district they had just finished passing all this gay stuff and this is one of the first districts that did it and I looked around and said this is going to go this way not on my watch so I mean as someone who really wants to make sure that all my students will supported I think that families deserve to know the motivations behind you know everyone on this board um and transparency into the groups that elected your school board members and help support their um election to this board and their true motivations for being here in addition as adanta family member I know it is true that while 51% of AD one students are on free and reduced lunch over 80% of mine are at Renaissance at Fisher fames deserve the opportunity to inquire into how these schools have become so politically connected and whether this district has been researching all schs equally also I'm hesitant to trust this District on its constru construction numbers when it couldn't be trusted and managed construction contracts just a few years ago but yeah I think it's really sad to be pitting schools against each other um instead of questioning like how are you in a $20 million deficit this fast and you haven't closed any schools until now thank you next speaker please hello again my name is cace Douglas I've been at many of these meetings Renaissance Fisher has the highest score in middle school that being said I brought my first child and future son not caring about driving them 40 minutes round trip twice a day for their safety not knowing the Renaissance Fisher family takes pride in their students are willing to put the hard work and into the futures of their students education blocking in the students knowledge for their future I'm proud of Renaissance Fisher students today for sticking up for their incredible amazing principal teachers and staff us and US parents will stand by our children and their future to fight for Renaissance Academy Fisher children need need and want this school then now and forever this school is the safest worthy and high quality to keep children having their con confidence in their education from this for them to succeed their future keep Ron's fist open guaranteed I have never helped fight for something so hard passed out flyers door too going to closure meetings speaking in crowds I can say I love this SCH and it has me doing things I would never imagine doing take Renaissance Fisher off your proposal keep it here for our children hi my name is Kayla Martinez um I am a I'm a student Al at renaissant Fisher um I am severe dyslectic I have a problem with reading and writing um I've been going here for a couple months and I have grad off the roof and I hope the school can stay open for me to keep on learning thank you I'm Cindy McDonald and all of you pretty much know who I am the weather foxes and the lessons in humanity need to come back it is it's at the Panter with the vdli and the El glasses multiculturalism that's how we're going to save the world okay it looks like we're now done with public comment moving on to 4 two 4.1 two uh 4.2 don't we have time for a trusty comments on 4.01 uh I think we took it but sure let's take it okay um so truste fam and then me Fam and then trustee um Andrea Flor Shelton uh thank you madam president you know first a couple questions and then I will you know make a comment here uh you know question just on the process uh you know at the last board meeting uh you know Mr freus uh mentioned a a quote from finny Architects for you know so being on the bond committee uh previously my my question uh question to the administration uh before we were even engage finishing up the uh School consolidation process uh by which authority did the administration have to uh seek a quote uh from finny Architects regarding the Renaissance at fiser site sorry uh trusty F you're asking for the quote well I'm asking the pro so on what Authority did the did the administration seek a quote uh regarding the rebuilding of the uh you know the potential cost of renovating fish from you know uh any Architects correct so when we got your uh I'm GNA ask Mark frees to Chief interim Chief can you please uh take the podium when we got your proposal that morning uh I asked uh Mark freaked us to um get a cost estimate on the actual cost of the actual uh what it would cost to convert the TK Kinder booms can you talk about the process after that when I asked you to uh contact the architect please so uh good evening trustees um thank you superintendent Serta um in terms of the process we reached out to an architectural firm that has done work for the district uh for many years and because of the complexity of converting uh a middle school into a a TK through 8 we needed their help to give us the accuracy in terms terms of what's required by the state of California's division of State architect in terms of classrooms in terms of restrooms in terms of play structure and infrastructure that is necessary in order to accommodate that type of student grades that we would be integrating into there so we were validating numbers and costs as well as what is necessary components in order to imp Implement that process Jesse Fam I'm sorry we also have the architect here if you would um we can ask him to go to the podium and yes but but I'm not asking about the I you know not not the estimate itself but the process you know so supplemental question to the administration you know on something this complex you know would it not have been good practice to at least solicit a at least the second quote I mean you know uh just uh a home example uh you know my father and I recently uh redid a sink in vanity there and we sought you know we we shopped around four contractors took estimates from three and then made a decision and it just feels like you know bada bing bada boom you know the board is presented with an estimate of $6.5 million so what you know so I also am curious um uh uh where you know to the administration uh why was it you know wouldn't it not at least been prudent to uh shop around for a second quote so in in terms of being able to I identify itemize and quantify The Proposal that you had submitted prior to the meeting that that short time frame that we've been working with uh we reached out to to one service provider that we use the reason we're not required under the C cupka guidelines to have to get multiple bids for um quotes under 114,000 or Services Under 114,000 if we had a little more time we could have certainly gone out and solicited more but we were trying to meet those Targets in terms of having that information readily available in order for the meetings to to have that ready and and it's also um it would cost us more but at the direction of the board if you would like me to get additional uh quotes we can that would be most appreciated uh H hang on I still have the floor uh trusty Flor Shelton us you know okay uh you know another question uh at the last at last week's board meeting uh what is it I may not be a construction concern but uh you know Mr fedish you you you quoted to to the board in regards of the renovation of restrooms at Lucha suitable for autistic students that you know refresh my memory was the time frame about what uh ready for uh the upcoming 25 26 school year yes that's correct and and what it was is they weren't ready but they required minimal improvements in terms of some of the other school facilities that we are dealing with so because of the proximity of the restrooms to the classrooms the existing TK the existing Kinder who which already have those restrooms in place the the other additional uh rooms for the students that would be merging into there um would be minimal improvements so that's where we're getting can you give examples of what minimal means mark mean means for example the classrooms we've identified um the restroom is is adjacent has an adjacent wall to it and so would only require putting in a doorway and closing off the exterior door and so and then some minimal changing of um of of the Stalls right so we're not bringing in new water lines electrical sanitation lines we're not re Reinventing the wheel necessarily like many other um restrooms going for example from a middle school we'd have to replace the the sink height lower the sink Heights change the stall Dimensions changing the toilets um these things wouldn't need to be uh at at Lucha we wouldn't have to do that extensive uh modification and uh question supplemental question to the administration so is this based on a contractor you know timeline of sorts you know uh I mean I'm not trying to you know but uh you know this you've given the board a timeline of ready by Fall 20 25 is this backed up by an act you know actual contractor's quote or estimate or something like that it's backed up by our professional architect and so that was part of the services that they looked into for us um so our architect is is available here to answer your questions of how that was derived if if needed you know just you know because it's sort of like you know six six months for rest with pluming but to you know and again I'm you know we're on 8.01 so you know you know but so thank you very much so uh question to the administration directly but uh trusty fam I would like to just started to interrupt you if you'd like we can get you a quote from the architect and it would cost money we can I understand that you know it's just good being on the bond committee it's just good business practice to have you know a a written quote uh you know uh also you know thank you for the thorough thorough presentation uh slides there so uh you know last week in your in the administration provided a costing of you know 9.68 million uh this week uh the immediate savings is now 9.75 million could the admin Administration explain you know how did how did we find approximately 70 you know some you know 7 approximately an additional $70,000 in savings can you uh can you speak to that one please the N hello yeah yeah you got it not okay the the 9.75 millions came from our initial estimates um the revised estimate is the 9.68 five million it has to do with the re with the reduction of the savings at Chavez uh since we will still need a part-time custodian there so that's approximately what those that the reduction in the cost savings is okay uh let's see here well you know so you know at this time I'd like to make you know my my comments you know and so thank you very much for the information so you know uh I you know first of all I would like you know thank you for the comments that's what we're here for right to listen to the people of alam Rock listening to the administration and I thank them for for their work as well and I you know again you know there's a there's a concurrence right we're not quibbling over the need to make reductions but we're quibbling over where to make the reductions uh I want to you know and yes uh things did get heated and I and I certainly hope that going forward you know when we're advocating for our schools we hi you know I ask that we highlight the positive things in Alam Rock uh something that I have tried to do uh since I've been on this board I you know few board members have logged more steps in this District than I have and I have had the pleasure of visiting every school in this District I mean uh you all mean more to me than just numbers on a paper and I want to say that uh you know I understand your frustrations and anger in fact this is perhaps the most humiliating thing I've had to do in my life and trust me December 2nd will go down for the rest of my life is probably the most humiliating day of my life you know I bring this proposal forward and again I I want to say I you know hear all the frustrations in some ways I'm trying to you know in consolidating Renaissance Fisher and the Renaissance mson I'm hoping to preserve something of Renaissance Fisher meanwhile you know I will say uh I disagree with the administration on the future use of the uh Ren Fisher site and I concur with my colleague uh board vice president Quintero is that without someone occupying it it's going to be a gaping hole and the hope is to at the very least try to keep it occupied with an active arusd school and you know it could be that but you know I ALS you know in my proposal I also extended uh that that the amenities you know should be made available for use by other arusd schools on a reservation basis because those have always been District assets and in you know and in all the schools the whole point is you know and I think board President Chavez for summing it up to preserve as much of the district's Furniture to the extent possible we you know in the medium term we're unlikely to build a a new middle school that's why I'm you know my proposal preserves you know labs and music rooms and the last true science classroom in the district uh so that so that our kids you know and our wider Community still have have access to them uh you know in the administration's proposal I mean even though we are you know the administration is proposing to spread out vapa everywhere I'm hoping to at least maintain you know in all fairness the rested District at least two campuses in the vaa program I'm hoping to preserve the best possible special education facilities not because I doubt the you know doubt the administration's estimates but as a special education student myself I know that uh delays matter and those are the kids who are unable uh who are ill you know who are ill you know we you know that can be a danger to them and I you know I take um when you know uh I as you know uh when somebody messes with special ed students you know that's where I stand up because I've all you know I am a special ed student you know in a in a former life I you know thank you I thank aptitude for pro providing their data as well and the thing is you know it preserves a wellness center and as well as you know as I can see here uh thousands upon thousands of private donations from a donor who's willing to step up and help improve aptitude uh you know where students are being moved I understand that there are more students being moved under my proposal but it but at the very least I hope that they have they are being moved to the places with the best possible facilities in this District to to give them something that they don't have in this District at this time uh you know setting this you know the hope is to again I want to set Mr sort of up for success I want to set his cabinet up for Success uh you know this is about every part of the district pitching in just a bit so that we come out of this in one piece and I you know uh I thinkk the Ben painter for coming out here tonight and my proposal you know preserves a bit more of Ben painter uh you you know so that it is in a position to grow you know these are tough choices I you know again I wish I didn't have to make him I wish Mr Serta didn't have to come into you know this is not the situation you know I imagine of you know if if the cola did not shrink from 5 and a qu% to 1.07 1.07% we probably would not be in this situation but the co State Cola was cut and as a state funded District that's our life flood and we we are paying the price for it you know because of our property you know property values relative to more affluent areas in the community however you know again though we may quibble you know and again I I based upon Baseline figures from Pro you know provided to me by Administration I'm hoping you know to Pro provide both the slightly greater upfront savings uh than that of the administration and I want to incorporate the best parts of Mr serta's proposals right he talked about transportation and you know there's documentation here and I'm hoping that that will alleviate some of the concerns at you know post consolidation but at the end of the day my plan has always been about preserving as much of this District intact as possible preserving amenities that we're not able to replace in the medium term keeping as many schools in the district as possible and yes keeping and I want to say is a you member of the Union a union and you know someone who who has always carried the area endorsement in his elections to protect as many AR USD teachers and staff to any extent possible so you know it was in that spirit that you know uh again I'm just the part-time truste here who had some legislative experience and you know uh I've met with constituents I've met with the administration I've read your emails uh I've gone to school events and I've tried to meet as many parents in person I've you know I'm going to be you know finish the last leg of my annual tour of alam Rock uh tomorrow and it's in that spirit that you know I propose what I propose and again I believe that you know it's more it's more upfront Savings in the you know in the immediate term preserves as many facilities as possible many amenities as possible and as much of the Alam Rock family that you know I Poss possibly can and so with that you know thank you madam present for allowing me to take this time to speak directly to all Alam rockers and you know uh I you the rest of my time thank you thank you TR and thank you uh three comments so um first off I do want to see if this board um I guess it's about the process between here and December um December 2nd December 2nd is going to be like decision making time so I'd like to um see if there's um appetite for moving a few um emotion related to some other Solutions um related to seeing if this board um is ready to um give direction to the superintendent to start convening with other school districts most likely with the um Eide alliances leadership on figuring out what the long-term advocacy Solutions will be about um Equity funding because we know so that we're you're all not back at this in two years in three years it's that root cause conversation that we had last week um and I know you're all as interested I just feel it gets lost sort of in the this this horrible decision making that you're all going through um so I would like to move um to move that plus um directing the superintendent to um look into more immediate short-term Solutions around special ed as I described earlier um and I just want to really underscore um listening to our community as it relates to special education whether you're at Lindale or Cassel or any of the schools unnamed um from a mother's heart from any parent from the teachers and the Paras and the special ed staff we we know how much um how much we love these kids right and how much we want to go above and beyond this applies to all of our kids but when it comes to our special ed kids um there's something extraordinary that we all want to do um when I have been listening to the proposal about how we can do more more for our special ed students at all of our schools to me from a long-term perspective that is compelling that we would have the facilities at all of our schools that we would be able to where we need um special day class where we need and yes I have been to um uh Lindale and I have seen um the classrooms for this of year um for the children that are experiencing severe issues um I've seen the facilities at Lindale and we should be doing way better we should be doing way better and if Lindale is our special ed Jewel I I I'm that concerns me so I've this is why it's so hard because it's so complex and it's so nuanced but um these are you know these again are the challenges in terms of trying to I am sold by sort of the longer term vision of what we can do for all of our specialed kids at every single school and again at the severe level and if we have an ability to mainstream them with more classroom availability that is compelling to me um in the short term I would like to to see how we can um you know again cap our resources or focus our resources I should say on those um who need it the most um and then the last thing is just again sort of from here to December 2nd so we have two proposals in front of us and I'm going to apologize to you all for losing my pool earlier um but I also will will defend myself when necessary I see that there's two proposals in front of us um in transparency I do you know I heard a lot of interesting ideas um I don't want to ask those questions you know tomorrow and then you know pop up December 2nd say h you know maybe that this and that is something we should consider so I'm going to just ask my question now based on what I've heard tonight and then you all can tell us like so what would come back December 2nd are we going to be looking at two proposals plus anything else that we ask of you like could there be five proposals on December 2nd so well what I need from the board is direct Direction and so what other information do you need do you want to combine because really it's going to be your final decision and so do you need us to because I still need to I just got this proposal with uh some of the changes that trusty fam has made and so we need to cost that out as well need to run then I put something else that I'd like you to cost out and this is not my proposal it's just a like I just want to know you know if you were to move um and this again from the standpoint of putting new schools and creating you know chaos and fear that is not my that is not my hope that is not my but I just need to ask if you were to um move hubard and take the k5s from hubard and move them to dorsa and then move the middle schoolers to fiser what would that what would that cost and and and then I would I would just be interested in seeing that so that I mean that's the kind of like I'm trying to figure out how we do this publicly but also not create you know Chaos on the the second so that's what I'm saying like I'm just so you you would come back with that on December 2D if that's what what the board wants me to absolutely we can get or do we all individual individual I'll take I'll take trust um vice president G first and then uh uh Corina trusta second on I don't appreciate that um Madame President yes I think that from the dis saying give me this give me that would be uh a lot of uh confusion yeah and it's going to set up a situation where we're going to wind up getting mixed signals the superintendent's going to come back with I'm not sure what's going on and we're not going to get what we're asking for I think that the example that we got from our colleague uh uh board clerk fam of submitting and writing so we know exactly what we're asking for yes is probably the best approach and I would suggest that we we uh we we move forward that direction um with regard to the idea of know there's nothing easy here it's always very difficult but to leave that that section of our district with no presence of alam Rock and with two Charter Schools it's a recipe for saying adios to that entire to that section and so um Additionally the Tropicana neighborhood is the most densely my prop no I'm not going to go we KN go back how is my question not one second it has to be board approved I guess um if before something like that happens so if it's just a request of one uh trustee saying it uh do we vote on it uh better to to have that understanding or do we do it hold on uh or do we do it as proposed right now by vice president GTO um I I think we just it's true we shouldn't have so many proposals on the table that's just please that's just just that's just confusing things more so um I think we need to think about that go ahead Madam president my Approach was that everybody submits something in writing and then she submits it as a as a plan and then yeah we've been through the redistricting process or like 10,000 plans well that's that's what it is they put out a plan and the one that ultimately gets the votes is the one that moves forward yeah because I had something but I didn't want to confuse um the board as well or or the administration so I was holding back and trusty Kera go ahead this is going to be tough December 2nd is you know yeah definitely not a favorite date in my book um I think absolutely we should each present something if we think it's best that's our job if we think that it's the best idea for our district um and if we haven't yet you know I appreciate uh you know trusty fam um you know bringing these things but if we haven't yet I encourage us to have our one-on ones with our superintendant and really sit down and hash out and you know I appreciate how trusty fam you know invited staff to talk about money um so we're not on December 2nd getting new proposals um or new ideas or personal opinions um that we that maybe our superintendent hasn't heard before or our staff who are really trying to do their best job with what they have and the direction they have and then you know I don't feel it's fair for us to give them a new Direction at every board meeting uh but but I agree I think each and every one of us you know have earned our time to present what we think is best for our district in order to One affect the least amount of students right we've we know I mean we're um I'm a parent right like my daughter's life is important any child's life they're are most sacred so the least children that can be impacted number one two yes you know we're doing this because we got to save money and unfortunately you know uh some of us we're scared to make decisions way back when when we had you know first proposals and we wouldn't be here with seven schools maybe we would only be here with three schools or maybe none if we would have back then had a backbone to make these tough decisions that's we're here to make those tough decisions and so um moving forward what I'm hoping is again maybe tonight I go to sleep and I'm like I found the you know solution and that I you know whatever it is call hman and honor his time and say let's sit down and you know let's talk and that he doesn't hear it for the first time in the next board meeting so I just encourage each and every one of us to take that time with our staff um and honor their time and honor our community's time and um I I I'm also going to apologize um because I am too human and you know I I I do get charged emotionally when I hear things when I see things um and so I'm going to continue to do my best to hold it together take deep breaths you know before I speak um and I'm glad that we moved this item first so I know that our board president and our superintendent get to make our our um agendas and I just encourage us to maybe move close session back at the end uh so that we don't have to like you know wonder if this is going to happen at at the beginning um so you know asking for that I don't know if we need to again make a decision as a board or not but at least putting it forward that's what I would like to see um and lastly on uh the second I will not be here in person but I will be present so I will be virtually present um and I hope to have the same voice as I would in person um and that's just what I'm asking from my board here I don't know how it's going to work if I'm going be able to raise my hand or what but um please look out for that and I'll work with um there's already a board policy that you can look it up later no that's what I'm saying but I hope I have the same amount of we're gonna well I appreciate that President so um so then um Mr Serta um I guess going forward here maybe you should speak and then I'll speak after you go ahead no go ahead okay uh superintendent s go ahead so I I just want to remind the board we have first interim that we're working on as well and so uh my staff is working on the budget stabilization plan as well that we need to cost out and so I just want to put that out there um I also have uh our uh fisal adviser here D zimmering who can also speak to the actual uh process um if you sure I I would like for for him to just go over the timeline just so that uh because we do have to submit on December 16th the uh budget stabilization plan so I just want to make sure we're clear on that Madam president members of the board and like everyone else I really wish none of us were having to do any of this this is this is not easy I I I ask you to to consider a couple of boards to consider and one is extraordinary and when I was first drafted by Dr dwan to come back back up here for you and she said that you needed to close nearly 40% of your schools and you had a timeline of barely four months I used a different word other than extraordinary it's it's unprecedented so what you're attempting right now is probably never been done in in this state and and I congratulate you on how far you've gotten and I think everybody here needs to know that that this didn't happen because you you guys were were relaxed in saying that the brutal truth is you don't have a lot of time the brutal truth is if you had this had started a year and a half ago then we could be listening to lots of different proposals and having more time but you are on some very very hard timelines uh so your your board's meeting on December 2nd must present a decision so your staff can ad accurately prepare a budget to the county absent that the county has two options to either desertify your budget and make it qualified and or go negative if your budget were to go negative and at the extreme amount of deficit spending you are in right now would be very very likelihood for that uh that point the county has the obligation to assign a fiscal adviser who then would have the stay and recent Authority that uh board board trustee kinta has seen before where you lose the authority to make decisions on expenditures other than things covered by your collective bargaining agreement absent that the next step after that would be if you became insolvent and the state has to come in and provide you a loan in which case the board event essentially is powerless and the state brings in their own trustee to run the district until it is fiscally solvent I know none of you intend for that to happen uh you didn't create the problem in and of itself you inherited it and all the people here who are frustrated need to understand that you're paid virtually nothing to be here and you do this because of your love for kids and your your commitment to this community and that hard decision has to be applauded and and whatever decision you make I think everyone here should appreciate what it takes for you to make that decision thank you very much uh wait a second so I think we've taken enough comment but if it's really urgent and you're going to add something new then I guess we can take one more from you okay I didn't know we had a time limit um so yeah I this is the first that I'm hearing the suggestion that we all submit proposals in writing um but we didn't we if we if that were true we should have had a deadline for ourselves while back and that should have been oh we all were going to bring proposals last week or whatever that is um so that's why I said if you know if there's so I don't support between this meeting and the December 2nd new propo new proposals coming out that's why I was transparently asking tonight you know a question that um could be provided in writing and it could be so I'm not saying it's a new proposal but it's it's basically a new way it's like a modification of his proposal right so that's I mean process is important right so I don't want to walk away from this meeting unclear nobody should be unclear on what to expect on December 2nd so I don't I do not support anybody submitting more proposals unless or questions unless it's here tonight okay um if there is there a second let me get his and then we'll see if we get a second okay is that all right sure okay what I was suggesting is that it be submitted in writing so make your question but submit it and writing so that the superintendent knows exactly what you want and we don't have a situation where the superintendent comes back and says well I thought that you wanted this or I believed you wanted that that way it's very clear as to what you're asking for that's what that's the only suggestion I've have and I would suggest that we proce proceed with if board member fram's uh uh proposal has been submitted and writing we're clear as to what he wants I would suggest that anybody who wants anything and if voice it right now but follow up with an actual written proposal that reflects what you asked for here in the public meeting and I just couldn't be I don't think I was I could be any less clear is if hubard were to move their TK to dorsa and the five and the Middle School to fiser just that that's it and I can put that in writing but I just want everyone to be clear that's all I'm asking as a as a question back to him or to the superintendent again I I'm not here with a lot of I think this is the best or I think it's um I think it's back to um we've just got to be clear about what we're considering um next week and looking at some capacity numbers as people are talking I'm just just like I think it's a question I think it's a fair question to ask and I but I don't think it's great that you know we're doing it tonight right I so I guess I'm frustrated that like we would I just want us to be clear we're not having new new proposals on December 2nd right this is what we're going to be seeing correct no you think there might be new proposals pardon we as have been we've been reminded all night long that we duly elected eled um that you have the right to submit your thoughts and your ideas to your colleagues in written form and uh I I'm gonna move Beyond this and I want to finish my comments um Mr ziming uh I want to make be very clear that I intend to have a decision on December 2nd a decision that clearly is not going to make anybody happy but unfortunately it's very much necessary I've stated this to former superintendent danan uh that we took action back in May I believe and uh we committed to nine sites and I am intending to move forward with that um and that is my commitment to the people of Al Rock to ensure that it is their uh folks that they chose that they elected that are going to make decisions on them for them not an appointed individual that comes in to have to clean up the district um ju to to be clear the the the decisions that we made in the past were collectively done by the entire board are folks here whove been here for six years already on this board and had the opportunity to present proposals to shut down schools they should have done that if they felt they had the opportunity and the political will to do that clearly the political will wasn't there we moved forward with Rogers to consolidate Atlant and it was difficult it was politically very difficult people were angry we Consolidated the the the the the Renaissance schools in on their various sites and it was incredibly difficult process we faced uh a pandemic shutdown that brought in artificially this money that kept us going it was probably in hindsight not a good thing because of the fact that it allowed us to artificially continue to believe that we can we can write the ship just as I believed when uh when I got onto the sport I'm gonna push back and we're going to turn this around we can't and we now are at the position where we have to make these very tough decisions um I am very proud of the fact that Alan Rock has maintained its commitment in program and services at the highest levels even in comparison to our neighboring districts who have chosen to turn away from music who chosen to uh scale Down Sports we have not and where I if I and I know Mr ziming is probably not going to agree with this if I had the opportunity to go back and change it I would not because the kids deserve exactly what they've been receiving a quality and dignified education that we've been able to provide to the best of our abilities here alrock I'll continue to do that once we scale down and we're able to focus those resources on the schools that are left and so um I am committing to everybody here to everybody listening in uh wherever you're at that uh a decision at least for my part I'm ready to make it um what what that is we will see once we continue to engage in dialogue I'm going to continue to reach out to folks get more input from the various folks I've already had uh various meetings and that's part of the process of going out there and engaging and so I am fully committed to coming to a decision on the second that as I stated before probably will not make anybody happy but it will keep us afloat and Keep Us Alive and allow us to right siiz the district to give to continue to give our kids a quality and dignified education thank you um Mr zimmering I've said it before I I have my decisions already made too um I did want to ask one question and because I didn't think of one uh of asking them I've heard their voices but I'm going to make real simple the painter shepher 18 months ago I proposed merum but I guess what I was really not knowing is the figures the savings how much would we save if we left those English students there is it worth just combining the two making it a tk8 which is what my original plan was but if I could see if the savings aren't there then the savings aren't there but can I get that costed out as well if it's going to cost a 100,000 more and make all those uh all that work then uh maybe we can look at maybe just taking out another position somewhere else uh to keep that school intact uh the way they have stated tonight because believe it or not it just because we're looking at you and we're not looking at you that doesn't mean we're not listening we're listening and I've been trying to decipher what that says for the last hour but I will ask her later um but we are listening and we hope that you stay with Alan Rock uh you respect the decisions um you also support the ones that are there's still going to be a lot of unhappy people there's going to be some that are going to just take it with the grain of salt and there's the kids most importantly hopefully they don't get affected so bad and they're still cared for by all these caring people and loving and they still trust them and eventually they could trust the administration and the board again but thank you Mr Sera for coming here and um and we appreciate you here during this time and Mr ziming I know you're only doing your job but you're also here to um make sure that the Ship Sails right and I believe she was next or you were next you guys I'd like to move that the board direct the superintendent to um immediately put in um controls into the special ed um intake process as I discussed earlier and to um come January um the superintendent would engage with um either either just at the state level or with the Eide Alliance on doing um funding reform for a long-term Solution that's my motion a second um all in favor of that of her okay we'll we'll take a comment and then go ahead um I I agree with the motion but I think it's outside of the scope of what's been uh what's been agendized and I would suggest that we direct Administration to put it on the agenda for the next meeting so that we can take action properly then just so that we can um not get I take a second I agree either way I think special ed is in the presentation and then because it's about funding I mean I think it I think it's legit but either way it's thank you for that I was just thinking December 2's a lot okay so like you said January uh is that when you said to bring it back no it it's either we vote on that tonight or you said December 2nd I think December 2nd already has a lot on the agenda so there's a December 19th December 2nd I think the only thing we have on the agenda is the consolidation the recommendation for well yeah it is a lot yeah how about December 19 I'm just I'm thinking items agenda items um okay uh just but yes it was not agendized um I think I would give them more time it's Germain to the it's Germaine to the issue it was addressed okay so go ahead and then if you wanted to say something Gina after I don't see it being too controversial it's just if we bring it back on some second it looks like there's full support here it's just but anything can happen the directive whatever directive board gives me we I will follow it so I know there was a motion in a second I I'm okay with them bringing it second as long as we look at it and address it um if you're okay I know you made the motion I res sended my second I seconded I got third it pass are you okay with that so fine I I don't I yeah I mean as long as it comes back and look at it come back I I'm go back to my comments I haven't had a chance to okay all right so um you know I'm really looking forward to coming to solution-based all the things you know that unite us as a board that you know we're going to face if this is tough then we're going to have to figure out what we're going to do with the sites I mean it's going to be tough like um we've gone through some tough times that was nothing compared to what we're going through and based on some of the like comments that I'm hearing today and like just microaggressions I don't appreciate um especially you know when I was probably you know um you know going back to when I was pushing and saying we couldn't Kick the Can anymore and then I was reprimanded by the same board and taken down from board presidency and the reason behind that was because I wanted to close schools and this was in June so I just don't want any more microaggressions I'm calling you know um with a peaceful heart to say let's come together we're going to have to really bring Solutions forward and D I heard you and all the other community members um I uh make myself available to sit down and work together on behalf of our children and our families to go and talk to City to go and talk to County to go and talk to State and if we need to have the first meeting at aptitude because I think that's the only school I haven't been able to make it to this school year let's have our first meeting there you know um I I I'm I'm committed you know we we can't be placed against one another we got to come together on behalf of our children and future Generations that are counting on us I also commit myself to make that tough decision that some will hate me for the rest of their lives um I get to make it you know like like you've heard before I was elected and I and that's part of my job um and also prevent our district from going into um bankruptcy right so that we can can have an alamro so we can continue to have these conversations and that we can continue to come together and hopefully then also find solutions to bring money and hopefully come you know back and flourish our communities and you know continue to love all of our children from point A to point B one side of the district to the other side you know we all bring value to this district and um nobody's better than anybody else and um stick with us if you have Solutions come to us if we have Partnerships uh if you have you know money and somebody that's willing to you know give if you haven't thought of that person or that you know let us know um here to listen and I've done my best to respond to every email that I've gotten as hard as that may be and you might have gotten some responses at 2 in the morning I've done my best and I apologize if I missed yours but your time is valuable just like ours so thank you keep sending them I will read them and you know let's move forward together thank you um any more trusty comments uh any super intendent com in no I'm I'm ready to go okay uh so moving on to she um 4.2 4.2 uh approv Terra realy advisor contract for November 15 uh June 30th 2025 the cost is 59,500 so I need to recuse myself from this item due to my employer being the city of San Jose and this scope of work has to do with potentially working for the city of San Jose so I'm going to recuse myself okay so did you did you motion no she just recused her no I'm asking oh was there Mo was there no not not yet uh she just uh beat okay move to approve okay for purposes of discussion uh seeing no second substitute motion okay what's the motion direct staff to go out for an RP and come back with three bits for the board's consideration okay we have another motion on the table uh did all the trustees hear that okay um I do I have a second okay there's a first and a second um Miss marel uh could you hear that one yes I want to make sure that the uh executive secretary is getting this um Miss marel uh did you hear on 4.2 that there's a second motion for RFP yes okay okay I'll give you a second we're just making sure that that's heard so that that way it could be documented um in the meantime um public comment and then I will take uh the superintendent's uh after the public comment any public comment seeing none uh superintendent uh s that could you please speak uh yes I'm I'm I guess I'm confused around a request for an RFP uh since it's under the $4,000 threshold um we did interview uh a couple and I added this to the board informational item where we interviewed other uh proposals and so I'm I'm just a little confused around the request so did you get yeah I got it okay I just can't speak because there's something wrong with the the speakers here okay uh so you want to speak on that um I think it's a appropriate uh process to ensure thatting thank you uh I think it's a a good uh policy to ensure that the district's getting the best bang for the buck and that it's being very transparent I think that uh everybody here would agree that uh transparency is the key here and that uh we go out there put it out let folks come back with their uh proposals and uh we get the best options that that we can based upon that very open and transparent process uh that's the reason for my uh motion okay so we have a first and a second um all in favor for this SEC for the motion raise your hand okay uh opposed okay so it's a three to one vote and one absent because she has to step up because she um uh because of conflict of interest okay so motion passes uh for a an RFP another bit uh moving on to uh yes can you please call truste back please um actually I think I'm going to move uh item uh okay let's move on to 4.3 consideration discussion exhibit 9250 first reading renumeration reimbursement and other benefits do I have a motion this this is a first reading oh excuse me reading President Chavez this is the um board bylaw uh 9250 that you requested to add to the agenda okay so I recommend adopting exhibit 9250 renumeration reimbursement and other benefits this CS this csba recommended policy ensures that all trustees absences are approved by the Board of Trustees promoting accountability and consistency so that was just for the first reading thank you moving on to uh public comment any public comment on that item seeing none any trusty comment seeing none uh let's move on to the next one uh so 5.1 Business board discussion andaction the board may take action on any item in this section unless is it is designated for information only approve resolution 22425 regulate move to delegation of authority to approve bids and award contracts for facilities improvements in the event of any unforeseen urgent need uh districtwide I have a motion from truste Corina era loera and a second from uh trustee Andrea Flor Shelton um any public comment on this item 5.1 seeing none any trustee comment on item 5.1 really brief yes um Having learned this lesson the hard way um this requires a super majority of the board I believe four four board members so um and just to make sure that we're all aware and we all remember that uh this is temporary and you got to come back and uh have the board okay anything you do um given the fact that Alam Rock experienced some issues around this a long time ago yeah we don't want to revisit that ever again so those are my comments so um uh truste Andrea thank you um so unforeseen urgent need is different than an emergency question mark yes okay okay so and what is what's the difference the go ahead resolution says emergency itself so so then so then it's really for emergency yeah and so they can't just start you know running up the test okay thank you so um any further trusty comments seeing none uh I will ask for the vote all in favor of approving 5.1 uh five I can't see you 5 Z motion passes unanimously okay moving on to 52 architectural Consulting Services vny Architects are they here there where like go away at me guy okay so um um do you want to say anything Mr or Mr frees can you introduce the item please good evening Madam board president trustees um this is a Consulting uh agreement for up to 30,000 we don't anticipate utilizing nearly any of that uh amount but this is for cons in services to advise us on uh design processes that are necessary and costing of modifications to our schools okay so do I hear any trusty comments move to approve okay I have a motion on the floor second I have a motion in a second um okay uh I guess let's vote call open uh any public comment is she standing up because she's gonna comment or just leaving okay there we go hey that's that's nice fighting um you know uh I'm kind of confused because you know we know that this is the architect that's looking behind joining adante one to Fisher I don't know what this proposal entitles exactly um because it's like the first time we're hearing about this so um for at least for us if it has to do with merging adante one and two to Fisher we prefer it to not be included because we don't want to be merged thank you so if it doesn't include that do we need the second speaker uh just more comment go ahead so um we were talking a little bit about this because we were reading through the materials and the only thing I I wanted to mention was no matter what happens whether adalante 1 and two go to fiser or not if the intent is to repurpose the campus wait a second this is you're not speaking on the item so I'm I'm not being rude I'm just letting you know you have to speak on the item that we're talking about right um okay but it since it doesn't have any anything to do with his work so I'm GNA ask you to stop right there oh okay thank you all right I appreciate you coming up to the board but it it has to be specific to what we're we have on the agenda and and and it doesn't have to do with mergin out no no no that's not what I'm referring to so the the the purpose of the contract is for work to re to um to modify Fisher is isn't that correct am I am I mistaken you're mistaken oh okay that's why I stopped you oh okay oh I AP it no problem thank you for a comment okay so seeing any any trusty comments uh uh just to clarify superintendent Mr frus this design work could be for any of any redesigns at any of our schools post decisions on the second corre yes that's correct thank you thank you okay so we have a motion and a second and no more public comment except for one more uh vice president uh kto uh in line with my previous uh motion uh 4.2 I'd be interested in having an RFP uh that way we can get out there and put it out publicly the questions could be uh Pro possibly answered for our our public who's come out here and said that they weren't aware uh and um it's for that reason I'm not going to be supporting it okay um any further comments I I just want to add make a comment uh trusty that we are moving fast after December 2nd and so um we will need to contract a an architect and so I I just want to make sure I just want to manage expectations that we are uh moving you know after December 2nd we will be mov moving forward with your decision um and we don't know which schools yet but I I I just want to put this out there for you regard we already asked for public comment I'm sorry okay any further but you can direct a question to the administration writing in writing [Laughter] sorry so I call for the question all in favor of approving uh the architectural consulting firm now please raise your hand so the vote is to uh motion doesn't pass so moving on to Five I'll make I'll make a substitute motion to ask Administration immediately move forward with bringing forward an RFP for these Services uh I have a motion on the floor uh second um by uh trusty minam uh any public comment there you go that was going to be actually my my question was if we did approve this would it be earmarked only for this contractor or or architect or would we have the ability to do some Price shopping like men suggested whether it's repurposing or re you know remodeling your bathroom so maybe to continue but also get some other bids that would be just my suggestion or was my question if the board did approve the money so it's thank you thank you uh okay okay regarding this I'm just afraid that we are refering the staff to do all this RFB and they're wasting time we have we we we don't have enough time we have a emergency a crisis of school closures and it just worries me that you guys are just having them to do all this work when there's a lot more other work to do just just putting that out there I know that you know that our but think about also their capacity and the needs that we have at the end of the day it's our kids are thank you good evening um I'm GNA Echo Olivia in the previous Pier words we are in a crash time we you just hire um super Cerna believing that he can do his job I understand that we have a p of people taking advantage of um accountability but I also believe and believing that people that we employed and that are doing their work adding more work and adding more things into their plates I feel it's it's a lot even for our own families and even me sitting down there as an employee I would love to have that trust of my Administration and that people are supervising me to let me do my job and so I lose that that that that trust right um I also understand that there's contracts over 100,000 that needs to come to you and that needs to be overseen this is not an over $100,000 contract if I'm not mistaken and maybe I'm looking wrong right and lastly just cutting off when our staff or our people are speaking to give my word or to and I'm talking to you um president Linda because you just cut off un superet like two times while he was giving his speak I would love to hear what he has to say because it's relevant to that work it's relevant to my schools and it's relevant to my students so please let everybody finish their sentences before we start interrupting each other it's not well seen this is why we have so bad so much bad reputation so let's just work together and let's let let us let them do their work that you hire them and you trust them for thank you I want to thank you for saying that because I didn't see that I cut him off but if I did I apologize and um I would like you to speak now on if I if I did uh and you and I cut you off mid-sentence I didn't feel that I did but go ahead yeah I don't know what I was I don't I don't think you and you don't think so maybe I didn't I don't know but um I'm I uh I'm human if I do it wasn't intentional but um so we're going to now vote uh sure let's do trusty comments um I know she had her hand up a long time but I didn't see okay okay okay go ahead so so um you know just the same thing uh I was gonna everything that said but I'm gonna Echo as a trustee we've hired our superintendent because we trust him and we've gone through a lot but we don't you know we don't have we're not there you know anymore um you know when I was a parent and I was organizing walkouts and I was sitting there you know because the board at the time and the you know lack of transparency but we're better thank God we moved forward and so um with that um you know we're going to vote on this and it's like I don't even know if to vote Yes or no I don't agree you know that we're making our staff do more work in addition to the last item with another RFP process um and then taking their attention away from what's important on our district um this is important and yes you know um it's it's true uh there are certain contracts that should come to us and that I expect are you know come to us but then there's some that we trust and when I heard you know superintendent Sera say in the previous item that he had already had many contracts come to him he reviewed them and out of those he thought that one was the best you know and I don't understand why we don't trust him on this one either um so I mean for purposes of moving this this work forward because yes we're in a crunch time and yes we need this work to be done you know I'm going to be supporting this if this is the only thing the majority will support to move our district forward but I don't agree with this control and power over our staff and not trusting them thank you uh truste thank you um in addition I think when we're talking about um trying to retain the the staff I I don't think that the business office um needs needs another thing I also don't I would also imagine it might cost us $330,000 to RFP a $30,000 contract I mean we're it's starting to like can we're cannibalizing ourselves in many ways um the last thing is this summer we had a study session on our Contracting processes and so we could I'll be very clear about what the thresholds were what we're delegating authority to what is in our purview and if somebody needed to change something um it would have been good to like we were trying I was trying hopefully to have that steady session so if we needed to change something we did it before we got into like crunch time where we needed to just roll out contracts and like you know delegate power and delegate Authority where um we all felt comfortable so um I am concerned that this is distracting and I won't be supporting uh the motion the new motion okay so I do want to support the superintendent and the administration I do not want to give them extra work however um I still feel that we do need an RFP for because this Consulting this Architects as well as any other that we do employ we have to make sure we get it right the first time um before it was just not a not enough eyes and attention and time on it so I I know we're we're rust but I still feel that we need the RFP so if there's any more trusty comments let me know um if not I'll take the vote yeah go ahead I would like to ask um what Mr Zimmer I always I'm sorry I'm terrible at your name and I don't mean to put you on the hot seat but I'm going to put you on the hot seat um just to terms of what our fmat report said last time um just last week our fmat report sort of indicates these are issues I I was actually going to ask if if anyone had been able to take the time to go through the pmat report on the analysis simple statement and I'm just looking at the arithmetic of days ma'am in other cases and and and trusty Cana I I feel what you feel you know that I lived through that past with with all the problems with the contracts you don't have a luxury of time right now if you go to an RFP process you will lose three months think about we are coming to Thanksgiving you have to get your stabilization plan done staff cannot complete this for you for December 2nd that's just a physical impossibility you don't have it by December 2nd you're going to be pushed into January you're going to go through an RFP process requires you to review that's going to take you to February or March before anything can start your staff has gotten this trying to get this fast-tracked because that's what you said you needed done to do anything to delay that now basically blows up their ability to do exactly what you want them to do so I would encourage you to let your staff do what they need to do to deliver on what you decide on December 2nd thank you uh vice president kto seems like a formal RFP is uh we we're um is um is not something that um seems like it's taking too long uh I would ask then if the second would be amenable to to it that we go for an RFQ bring back three proposals and then uh and it wouldn't require going out there and doing all kinds of stuff it would uh just get getting to to others and uh and then letting the board take a look and make a decision I concur with that um okay so we have a first a motion new motion and a second and I uh superintendent s can you please comment uh yes I do want to comment and I also want assistant superintendent desels to uh speak on on this item as well we um we interviewed put it out there for three um companies to to interview for um you know certain contracts um this one here I I'll just leave it at that thank you s superintendent um the RFQ is also a process and will take time so that again will eat up into the time that we need um if you want us to evaluate multiple proposals which I have to tell you I am not anywhere near being done with with first interim and that has to be done and that is fine but I am having my staff work long into the evenings and both Saturday and Sunday okay we can do that to get that done but I am pushing them really hard okay next weekend is Thanksgiving and I'm going to have to ask them to work during Thanksgiving weekend in order to meet your December 2nd deadline so I'm sorry I'm very emotional because that's going to be very hard when my staff has been working weekends and evenings to on these proposals and first interum okay so that's fine I can work long hours I can get you multiple proposals but I need all of you to remember it's not just the numbers this is for our students and when we move and do these modifications it is also about getting the classrooms ready okay trusty fam your proposal means that we're going to have 11 TK Kinder classrooms at the Meer site and two preschools we need to cost that out that is a lot Madam president of additional cost it's not just working on the numbers and and so that's going to take us time now getting back to the RFQ and the RFP process the RFQ is a process and it is very similar to the RFP process so I'm not entirely sure what kind of time we save just by going to the RFQ and then all we're doing is asking for the request for qualifications and then we have to evaluate the proposals as well thank you U vice president thank you for that that very um uh clear and very passionate response I it's very rare that we see it from from uh the cabinet level staff like this and so it's for that reason that I'm you've already gone through three proposal is correct you just said it right now and so please bring them back at the next board meeting and you've already evaluated them correct and so the board will go ahead take a look at them and make a decision based upon those three proposals you've already received you've already evaluated and uh it's at the next meeting would to require you any extra work uh so that the staff is not overwhelmed and uh and and so I I think that's a if if if they have already received three and uh they can just bring it back and have the board take a look at and make a okay so I finish my thought let me just add to that okay so then it'll be you and it'll be men got it okay so so I didn't finish my comment the the the comment I was going to make uh vice president um kto was that we did this for the previous one the tarot we did look at three one of them dropped out and so uh all we had to do was interview and I shared those documents in the previous one and so here this one is more pressing and it did take take us more time with the other three because we had to work around their schedules and that was the example I was going to give you uh and so but I wanted her to speak on uh the time because uh I've been working with my team she's new to her position since September and so we want to make sure we do things right and so uh this is where we're at and um but anyway that that's what I was going to say in my previous comment thank you so men and then yes and I just wanted to make a point uh you know uh again I guess you were you know in you know uh just to correct the record in you know in my most recent proposal tonight you know I concurred with for the record I concurred with the administration and not doing anything with the Meer you know I I I had in you know in in my written written you know in the written version of my proposal I said to you know uh like them uh collocate them at Ryan Elementary School which is a operating school in both proposals so I just wanted to make it clear that there's no work to be done on Meer I apologize trusty fam I meant Ryan because you now are moving the TK Kinders from utante 1 and two to the Ryan site and you also moved um one of the other school sites to Meer so that would be a total of 11 TK Kinder classrooms at my I'm sorry I keep s meire at Ryan and we would have to move the two preschools from adalante 1 and adalante 2 to some site because your plan is to close both of those sites but I just wanted to for for for public record I said R you know in Ryan not it is it is Ryan not Meer I apologize good u v pres CTO um yeah my I a lot A lot has been said I want to get us into the habit of bringing forward multiple proposals I think that winds up giving us security we see that a lot of folks are involved a lot of folks who really aren't um are are are now being really brought into this issue fact of the matter is that if if we continue down this path of like you get a contract you get a contract that is not a healthy situation that sets up a situation like SEO County Community College District which now is going through H because there was a lot of power if we go back into this opportunity where you put out options you don't know who's going to wind up getting what uh that's a that's a Sit that's a scenario where nobody has ultimate Authority not the board not Administration and you go based on whatever it is that's uh whatever the board ultimately decides uh based upon whatever information they've been given um and so I want us to get away from this habit of like here it is and do what I say um it's not about taking power away from the administration it's about setting up checks and balances that allow the district to get the best bank for its buck that allow the district to ensure that nobody's out there and has a direct authority to just say here you go you get a project and I I want to avoid that in the future I'm not saying superintendent's only been here two months so I'm not saying there's been any problems I want to avoid getting into that pattern where somebody already knows that all they have to do is go to someone and they're going to get a contract we we just can avoid that by having a a situation where hey you know what here's the top three that we are recommending and uh the board ultimately conf figure out what it is it wants how it wants to move forward that's the reasoning behind my uh my motions UST and I want to first start by saying I support competition right I support competition um I would suggest though that the board changes its policy then versus um like one by one by one but I also think that um I mean you would need to do that first um but I also think that and I've said this before and I I'm out of here in like a month so I think what vice president ketto is doing is making the situation worse because it politicizes something that if you have competition and you have um an Administration that's overseeing this whether it's you're looking for the lowest bidder or you're looking for the quality program or we took so long that all the three like two of the three people dropped out so we're stuck with what we have but the luxur what you what is being proposed by vice president Kinto is a luxury that this District can't afford and I also think it's it's undermining exactly what an Administration is for and you all know you've sh shared your legislative background I come from an administrative background um they're subject matter expertise that this board doesn't have and um that's why we pay these people big bucks let them do their job and short circuit this um short circuiting this and bringing it to the board I think is a really bad idea so I don't suggest I think you need to follow the policies first um and on this one this board should follow the policy which is Grant Grant it for all the reasons that were said I would move to move approval of the contract again like I would I would try it again because what has been shared is very persuasive it's very persuasive and I hope that this board would take another stab at it to approve this contract tonight because our board policy states that it should be his call not our call it should be his call okay um thank you wait wait wait he's uh vice president G wait wait there I'll I'll go ahead and um R uh retract my motion make a substitute motion to approve uh the recommendation um and um I'll have some comments on okay oh wait a minute I want a second this one so I'm not gonna take your two this this one I want a second okay thank you and um state law doesn't require you to follow this board policy of of you do we have the right as a board to request rfps uh it's written in state law you have the authorization to go uh and and simply go off of what under 114,000 but it still gives the authority to the to the board to go out there and ask for rfps if that's what it so chooses to do uh given the information that we've been provided uh I intend to support uh the recommendation however I'll be introducing a motion so that we begin the policy of bringing forward three competitive bits uh for all that are coming forward um going forward okay so we have a motion from truste kto uh and a second from President Chavez so uh is there any public I already took public comments so all in favor of the motion please raise your hand it's it's just on the item on the agenda yes so this is for approval of the item of the agenda do you want me to read it again for you uh approve architectural Consulting Services finny architects uh for the amount of $30,000 all in favor please raise your hand did you raise your hand oh okay 5 Z it passes unanimously thank you board uh 503 approv delegation of authority to approve a contract to Precision Communication System replace the intercom system oh wait a minute this was ratified so let me uh say that again ratify allegation of authority to approve an award contract to Precision communication system to replace the intercom system at Shepard Middle School do I have a motion in a second move to ratify move to ratify from uh trusty Corina loera do I have a second okay okay so there's a first and a second uh vice president GTO second it is there any uh public comment seeing none is there any trustee comment uh vice president then is next I have a question how did the contract uh get moved forward and we've been having a lot of board meetings lately so can you really walk me through the process of how why are we need to why are we needing to ratify this contract as opposed to have been brought it up at one of the multiple meetings that we've had uh in the last couple months assistant superintendent doel this was actually a true emergency the intercom system at Shepard middle school went down and um our director of MOT maintenance operations and transportation um solicited a bid to fix the intercom system which of course is a um a matter of school safety so we went out and did the work and that's why it we would hope that you ratify this contract for us thank you that's exactly what I was looking for seems like that's exactly what these things are intended for so appreciate the explan okay so we have a board president oh did you want to talk I'm sorry you said him and then me go ahead okay thank you for reminding me yeah thank you uh having been at Shephard twice this past month you know and uh seeing that it wasn't working um I also are there any other schools where the interim uh the intercom is not working and are we looking yes so my my understanding is that Lindale is operating currently we put in a power supply um please let me know if that is not the case but I think it is back up and working so we were able to get a power supply for Lindale which cost less than $ thousand dollar so that that did not need a contract okay thank you yeah I definitely the safety of our children is the most important so thank you okay Vice pres the Joseph George folks brought up those complaints have that has uh has that been looked into they said that they were at risk because they didn't have access to a PA system yeah um I my understanding is that the George PA system is working but I will look into it tomorrow morning is not look into it tomorrow morning okay thank you so much okay so we'll follow pardon no we'll follow up okay any further trusty comments seeing none uh all in favor to approve or ratify please raise your hand uh 5 Z motion passes 503 unanimously okay so moving on to a 6.1 approve acceptance of donations it's consent calendar the consent calendar2 okay so let's do this um let's just do the consent calendar individually uh so let's do uh just 6.1 okay so I have a motion to approve by Christina and a second from um uh truste Min famam so do I have any public comment on 6.1 seeing none any trustee comment seeing none uh all in favor for uh 6.1 approval please raise your hand uh it is approved by 5 Z passes unanimously so I believe 6.2 is ratification of the M the ratification of the 6.2 approv memorandum of understanding that's a rication correct that's y That's not a to ratify okay so I have a motion from there's question there's a question no I could explain it if you need me to please can you explain okay so um Dr jenez and I were asked to be participate in um a committee uh at the SC CCO sco um on um um monitoring lcap progress and at the time I didn't realize there was going to be anou attached to it but because they are going to pay us a stipend at the end not a personal stipend but a stipend to our District budget um it requires anou and so that's why it came late thank you thank you so I have a motion second and a second so uh any any comment on 6.2 uh seeing no public comment any trusty comment on 6.02 okay uh all in favor of approving 6.2 memorandum of understanding please raise your hand by 5.0 motion passes unanimously okay so oh Madam president if I may ask that we could take uh before clo going into close session if we could take a 10minute break for you know restroom needs I'll even give you two minutes more so at 9:40 we will meet in close session so is there any U is there any uh here's the announcement of the uh post session items uh Public Announcement and and public comments regarding items to be to be discussed in close session government code section 54 95 7.7 uh is there any public comment seeing none thank you uh so we will go to uh recess first and close session will start at approximately 9:40 thank you sorry yeah let me I sense that way nobody e yeah did you uh the the audio and video Fe died I can can you can you make it a panelist or make make where about panelist oh on you want me to go over there no no no we had a bunch of technical problem that's what we had last time we came were across street I'm gonna go over there I'm just going to go over there you can't no I know but I can go into another the conference room fore spee fore oh e e e Sandra can you hear me Sandra Sandra can't hear me [Music] Sandra Sandra no she can't hear me yep just make sure speak you know what I'm gonna do after we're done I'm gonna shut down that computer because it keeps on telling me that it needs some some update you think that's the problem uh probably not but um t want to I just want to make sure her microphone was working uh testing one two testing one two can you hear me Louise testing e e e light e T test test test test no there no e e e no never I'm not tting like I'm hey L can you hear me no testing one two no we still can't hear youo said you can or you can't hear me Hey where's this family [Music] from my husband from have you been there I hey Louise can you hear me can you hear me no cannot testing one two it's been a hey yelling out your name turn around I didn't hear you maybe you're trying to avoid conversations no if it was when I got here I had um headset the my Bluetooth in from the car so I couldn't hear you because I was trying to listen to the board meeting Best Thing One Two Best Thing One Two know what that is true I get over it and what do okay than part [Music] we can get you one okay somebody go was that Brett I was like yeah she was like no that wasn't BR I was like no I swear to God that was Brett she was like that wasn't Brett I said but Brad's here and she goes but that wasn't bre make me just was it me no but he was out the door so I just saw I saw and I thought it was is to meet you talks about her kids and her grand she last time she she didn't tell me told me exactly well I tell you all about mine and then y all they tell about your Li hey but e e e he's the one with are my dress up Sho being with so so we're back at Mr can you please out please thank you madam president item 2.3 on motion from board President Chavez seconded by trustee fam the board unanimously denied the appeal of findings in the investigative report there are no more items to report from Clos session okay and so I am going to adjourn the meeting but before I do I want to say that December 2nd is the next board meeting and it's 1052 good night folks