>> You think we're um So, there's a motion to be made to accept the resution. >> It was moved and seconded to accept Justin Bixby's resignation. for principal at Valley High School. All those in favor? >> I I takes care of that. There's also a second course to go back to classroom. Okay. A motion to uh for him to go back to the classroom if they want to not approve his returning to the classroom. You have a second for that. >> Could I amend that one to have the be with the superintendence discretion of where he goes? assignment. >> Yes. >> Well, that the motion was made not to bring back the classroom. If that if that passes, I I can't sign anywhere. If if you guys agree with me about the classroom, then I'll sign worth the spot. >> Is that how it works then?
You've seen year-over-year in my time here, special ed used to cost 800,000. We received 300,000, so we had to contribute five. Now, it costs 1.8 8 million, we still receive 300,000. So, we're contributing 1.5 million. So, right out the gate, if we have more special ed services that are needed, and that has happened, as you've seen the um rates go up at all the districts with more special ed percentages, we won't have extra funding to offset that. So, it's important to get that out there. And then in terms of negotiations for next year, u new positions, if like last year we had to add a TK teacher and a TK aid right before school started. So if something like that were to happen again um or we got an influx of students, we don't have additional funding for that. Um we've had to add several uh special education pareducators due to IEP uh um compliance.
I just wanted to make sure that I understand that, um, fully because I I'm trying to understand like how many students are taking these and what that picture looks like. Yeah, >> sure. So, for our fifth and sixth graders, um, parents have to sign a consent form to allow their children to take the survey, which is something that we saw, I think, inhibit the total participation rate, which as Dr. Joe had mentioned, um, we're going to re-evaluate how that looks when we readminister in the in the spring. >> To collect them all from every student, and we didn't get them all from every student, >> right? Right. And then with our seventh and eighth graders, we notify families that we're doing the survey. And if the families do not want to participate, they can let us know and they can fill out the form to and and I think that's due to how questions are worded >> for the seventh because that it's a 7th through 12th grade survey, you know, so it does get lot a lot more into um LGBTQ and different other types of drugs, drug experiences and whatnot, which is not necessarily involved in the fifth six survey.
>> Well, it seems like we can't get DOE to do anything unless it becomes a law. And when it doesn't become a law, you guys add on, you know, it seems to me that your folks's goal is to add more positions at the executive level that doesn't directly impact student learning. And our goal here is to transform the way education is being delivered in the classroom. So we can engage the student. So it could be a student focused type of learning which is difficult to get DOE to come on board. a simple project as this that would really benefit the title one schools which is what we're trying to do. Members questions >> question. >> Senator the court. >> Thank you. Um Heidi, I just want to correct you. You there seems to be some inconsistency with your written testimony then with your oral testimony.
SB2390 ensures timely, equitable access to clinically supported biomarker testing ordered by qualified health professionals and updated alongside new scientific advances. Coverage policies should never stand between patients and the treatments they need. For these reasons, we respectfully urge your yes vote. Thank you very much. >> Thank you very much. Next, we have American Cancer Society Center Action Network in support. Cynthia Al. >> Cynthia Al ACS can strong support. Biomarker testing is increasingly essential in helping clinicians match patients with the right treatment at the right time for patients to access tests that are medically necessary to guide their treatment decisions. This legislation does not mandate unnecessary or unproven testing. The language limits coverage to circumstances where there is solid evidence-based support and where testing is recommended by rec recognized clinical guidelines. The auditor's report released last January showed that while many plans already cover portions of this testing, coverage remains inconsistent.
Thanks, Devin. First, I want to say thanks to Dr. Brown and the board for this opportunity. Um you know, I was lucky enough to be in the program last year and and and loved it here. So, I've I've coached uh many places in the area and I will tell you guys this this is a great place to coach. So, you guys should be very proud and I know you are. You have a great staff, a great administration. Your facilities are second to none. I brag on those all the time. I brag on the weight room. You know, I've been in University of Louisville football weight room and I said this is a mini UofL weight room. I mean, it's impressive. So, kudos to all of you and everybody that's had a hand in the facilities and giving these athletes, you know, first-class opportunities. So, um and and lastly, but probably more importantly, you guys have great students and we have great kids on the softball team.
Okay. So, I can withdraw my motion and make another one. >> Can the board member speak into a microphone? We can't hear you. Please. I would, but it's not turning on. >> Thank you. Thank you for letting me know. >> Um, I'll withdraw my motion to not to return to the classroom and I'll make a substitute motion um to return to the classroom with the assignment um contingent on the superintendent. >> Second. >> Okay.
So things like that, if they come up, which they have historically each year, we're not going to have extra funding for that. And I'm not trying to be a Debbie Down or anything, but I'm just trying to be realistic and look at our budget as I was hired to do and be fiscally solid. And then of course if we have to adopt any textbooks. Um things like facilities like Diane just mentioned on the warrants if we have a roof leak or any other kind of repairs. Um and of course utilities always comes to mind. So I know personally our rates are always going up for those items and they have been for the district as well. And then technology if there's we need additional alarms, cameras, um devices, things like that. Um we're really going to be uh stuck without receiving any additional funding. So this is a slide that school services provides that I always like to include every year.
Mhm. And I'm curious too for the um bullying and harassment. I was concerned like with the increase as the grade levels go on, is that common like among all schools, not just Beressa? Is that Yeah. >> Yeah. >> And I think the the other thing too, um as we get more familiar with the healthy healthy kids data, um I've utilized this this assessment has been around for many many years, >> so I'm familiar with it. Um, but it does have a good range of questions to see to what degree also the students are experiencing those incidents which is why I was asking about the cyber bullying additions and things like that. Um, because this data also is really helpful to us in terms of our um our well-being resources, our counseling resources, all of those things that we offer. I know you mentioned um Trusty Brewer like Care Solace.
So I'm going to stay with your written testimony that says the department cannot support the bill. Then it says a line down given the fiscal constraints facing the state the department feels that this might be better considered at a future time. Um I I don't you have HSTA that's supporting this bill. You have Teachers for America Hawaii supporting this bill. DOE is the only one opposing this bill. So where are your guys priorities? because I find it to just be flooring that you would have any opposition to this build to this pilot project. I'm hoping that it can be successful so we can bring it over to the west side. So I think that this is a start of a very very great idea. So are you watering down your oral testimony now? Because the written testimony is very clear respectfully the department cannot support the bill.
This bill is needed to ensure equitable access across all health plans so a patients treatment options are not determined by the insurers. refer to Natalie Heman's story that is um she submitted testimony on it. Similar laws have been enacted in 22 other states. These laws like SB2390 apply across disease um areas, not just cancer, and they tie coverage to independent trusted sources of evidence so policies can keep in pace with scientific advances. >> Thank you very much. Okay, I see Kobe Chalk walked in for American um Alzheimer's Association of Hawaii. Please chair sonura and vice chair McKelby Kobe Chuck with the Alzheimer's Association in support. Um for Alzheimer's disease uh biomarkers are the only way to confirm a diagnosis to qualify for the newest treatments that slow down the progression of the disease. Um so we want to make sure that it's covered by insurance um because every time that someone misses a diagnosis or gets delayed um you miss that treatment window and it's just too late.
I I really enjoyed working with those girls last year and we've got a great group that are going to come out this year. Uh we'll have a call out meeting tomorrow and we're expecting probably 25, give or take a few. Those are great numbers. So, we're ready to get started and again, thank you so much. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Welcome, Coach Briley and Coach Morrison. Thank you. And uh to our athletic director, thanks for being here tonight and thank you for managing the last couple of weeks during all of that weather, all of the postponements and scheduling and practices. You did a super job. Very proud of you. I'd also like to introduce the director of safety and security, Mark True, who's here to introduce our new SRO. Mark. Thank you. First of all, I'd like to say, Dr. Brown, thank you and to the board, thank you for giving me the opportunity to introduce a new member to our team.
Any discussion? So the motion is his assignment is going to be dependent upon the superintendent's discretion. >> That makes sense. >> Do I have a second on that? >> Okay. Move the second. All those in favor? >> I That motion carries. Okay. Moving on to 6.2. Review of the student dress code policy regarding hats and headwork. want to speak to that. Yes, please. Yeah. >> So, thank you again for that very difficult you you decision you just made. The tough decisions are usually the right ones and a lot of times they're not popular. But, you know, I give this board credit in the last three and a half years for making a lot of tough decisions that were not popular. So, just the reality, just the reality that you guys made a tough decision. And uh what I'm going to talk about now, please don't interrupt me.
I'm not going to go through it line by line, but I just want to show you when you have lower ADA, it does it equates to a lower COLA. So if you look at the current year there at the top and then the projections for next year and then you look at the numbers along the right there where we calculate our base grant per ADA, it's crazy to think we only receive, you know, 10,000 or so student. Um and then um but our ADA is lower. Look in 2627 because we're using the current projections. You can see we have a little bit more funding over the previous year, but that bottom right box there, we're not getting a 2.4% cola on our LCF funds. It's only about a.9% and that's not move the decimal over like.9% cola because when your ADA is lower, you're funded at that lower rate.
I was just pulling up our report because we receive monthly reports on that data utilization for that service and just to share with you just for our students this year up to this point there have already been over uh almost 1,200 outreaches and that's that's all you know Kerasalis is for folks to do outreach on their own that doesn't include all the in-person contacts our social workers and counselors are having with students on top of this outreach. Um but it it shares with us, you know, um how many cases come out of those initial questions that families might reach out or students might reach out for support that they need. Um but it also shares with us what's that number one reason that um students, families or staff are reaching out for support. And for our students, the number one reason is anxiety related issues.
>> Correct. And we we are not supporting bills due to the fiscal constraints of our state that ask for additional funding. >> Heidi, you guys just asked us for $7 million for engineers at the WHAM briefing. So please, nobody is buying that, but go ahead. >> Well, I I I stand by that testimony and we do support the content of this bill. We do support book publishing. Our schools can do book publishing without a bill. And that's what the department um stands on. >> Yeah, I'm sorry. I have to agree with my colleague. We have to create bills to tell you guys how to do your jobs. Otherwise, you guys continue to rake taxpayers asking for more money upon more money. But finally, when there's a good bill promoting, you folks are the only one opposing. So again, the priorities are really off with the DOE.
So uh for those reasons we stand behind this bill. Thank you Senator. >> Thank you very much. Michael J. Fox Foundation, Jared Geruso Clock in support. I see you on Zoom. Please proceed. You have one minute. >> Hi, good afternoon. Thank you. My name is Jared Jeruso Cloak with the Michael J. Fox Foundation. MJFF is the world's largest nonprofit funer of uh Parkinson's research having invested over 2.5 billion globally to accept to accelerate better treatments and ultimately a cure. I stand on my uh written testimony and um just want to say very quickly that science is finally moving faster than the disease. We now have a biomarker tool that can detect Parkinson's, but without co coverage, there's a real bottleneck in being able to give everybody access to to better treatments. So, we we ask for your support. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next, we have Hawaii Association of Health Plans Rachel Wilkinson providing comments.
And I want to thank you guys for your commitment to safety. You know, um the number one deterrent of acts of violence, criminal activity, and and crime in our area is officer presence. And we're very fortunate throughout our school district to have SROs in every building. Uh and we're about to fill that position so that we do that in every single building that we have. But it's the number one deterrent. Having a physical person officer there who has badge, has a gun, has some experience, has the vehicle that our community can see when they go by. It's comforting as a parent to know that you guys take pride and that you're committed to that. So, thank you for that. I talk like talk a little bit about um the new member to our team. His name's Brian Hall. He is a graduate of Madison Consolidated High School.
This is my time. So, if something is innocuous as a dress code, okay. Um, what I'm really talking about here is apparently the current dress code reads no hats or headgear or something like that with a religious exemption and maybe a medical exemption. I'm paraphrasing. Um, but then it came to my uh attention that headgear was being allowed if it had district logos or names of programs. I don't know. And so that concerned me right away. We have to be fair, firm, and consistent and be the example for the kids. We can't be the left hand not telling the right hand what's going on. That confuses the staff. It confuses the kids, confuses everybody. Um, I did look up, as much as I do not want you to emulate Shasty Union High School, they do have a good dress code and their hats, and I sent it to all of you a couple of days ago, whether you have time or not.
So, it's really important to point out because a lot of people get really excited when they hear, "Oh, we're getting a 2% cola." But if it's offset by lower ADA and lower enrollment, um, it's actually works works in reverse like that. This slide is really important as I had mentioned earlier with the special education funding challenges. This is from um the school services governor's budget workshop, this slide, but it's showing you the cost per this is the cost per student. So SWD means student with disabilities and currently it's around $25,46 per student. So look over to my words there in white on the right. We get around $11,000 per student. That's the base grant plus the additional add-ons, but it's costing $25,46 per student. Am I saying, well, we shouldn't be spending that or that's wrong. No, I'm saying we don't receive enough money, but then if 23% of our students are special ed, how do we make up the difference for that?