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>> Mr. Bulmer, Mr. Zupkco. Motion passes. >> Thank you. Item 16.1. Be it resolved that the Bound Brook Board of Education adjourns. A motion. >> Motion. >> Thank you, Mr. B. A second. >> I'm giving it to Miss High so that we know that it's for real. All in favor? I. We are adjourned. Thank you all. Time. It's 8:32.
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So, let's clarify. Uh, Character Strong is available for all students K8. Um, and then Early Childhood uses a different resource but also has a curriculum. Thank you. I have a question on um the student voice that you guys uh asked for. How were you defining which students you were going to talk to? I mean, obviously, there's some students that aren't able to express some of these larger themes. >> So, we met with our junior high and high schools, and they really gave us a a well-rounded. We had students that were twice exceptional. We had students that were on the autism spectrum, students that were, you know, ADHD. We had a wide variety of of students that we got to speak with. And one of my favorite when I really realized that I was in junior high in interviewing kiddos when we asked, "Do you have anything else that you'd like to share?" And just so the board is aware, they would like more flavor in the mac and cheese because that was very much what they said at the junior high level, I loved it.
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Um, so for families like mine, that connection matters. It builds trust, strengths rel strengthen relationships, and helps ensure that children have the support they need to succeed in the school and beyond. So, I respectfully urge you to pass HB1896 to strengthen strengthen our schools and better support our Hawaii um Hawaii's Kiki and Ohana. Mahalo for the opportunity to testify. Thank you. >> Thank you. See number of written testimonies and support that is all that signed up to in person or on Zoom. Uh let's see. 37 in support for comments. Zero opposition. Anyone else wishing? Please. >> Hello again, chair and vice chair, members of the committee. Um Sarah Millen on behalf of HSTA. >> You say they're always so fast. I'm like I guess the minute it's counting. Um yes, just call me Millie. Um in my dream world, every school is a community school and I think you've had amazing testifiers here after school alliance talking about what these buildings are.
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But we did get a very well-rounded uh group of of of students. having conducted one of them at the high school level as well. I would say like not that it was through their answers I could tell you we had students from self-contained to mainstreamed co-taught all you know everything in between just by the answers that they were sharing you could kind of tell um that it was like all over. >> And did you reach out to the kids at the transition center as well? >> So students at the transition center um they we did not do an individual focus group with them. they did have the opportunity to complete those online surveys. Um something that we're looking at with the next step with committees is getting student voice on those committees. And so some of the feedback that I've received through school connections where board members and Dr.
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um they're living parts of our community and they really do build success stories. I think it's important when families know that the school that we're all on the same team. I would say one of the beautiful things that's not always talked about with community schools is that the teacher retention because if you feel part of a community, you're going to stay in that position. You're going to build up. I I love the fact that as a teacher at my school, I've I've had siblings and cousins and whole members of families where they've all come through my classroom because they they know that I care about them and that we care about each other. So, a community school model is great for all of our schools, but please support this measure. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else wishing to testify on this measure?
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Kgatti come into the buildings um is making sure that our non-traditional programs have students that are serving on those committees. So that's something that we're dedicated to moving forward. >> Awesome. And um one other suggestion I I went to the parent university with the ISBY um presentation. Um is there are there links to that on our website now under the special ed section? >> Okay. >> Yeah, those are there. >> Okay. >> Sorry, I have one more question. Um and this is regarding our multilingual. So I've noticed and just have heard through the community that there is a struggle with translation in regards to either the lack of communication or the communication they are receiving. Is there an opportunity to bridge that gap given that the population continues to increase whether at you know kindergarten through high school? So what does that look like? Are you future planning?
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Okay, hearing none, we are open to questions. Members, any questions? Questions? Senator Decort? >> Uh, DOE. >> Thanks. Uh, are the appropriations from this bill also used to hire the community school coordinator? Um, so my apologies. I'm unsure regarding that, but my assumption would be that the appropriations would be used for the schools in order for them to hire the community school coordinators within the at their schools if that if that's what you're asking. >> Yeah. So the funds are so the funds it's a contract with the schools then and then the school hires the coordinator. >> Correct. So, we do have a vendor list of approved community organizations that are authorized to provide community schools model. And so, schools would be able to use that list in order to um have their contracts with those community organizations to have the community school coordinator on their campus.
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>> When you can you be a little bit more specific? Are you talking about translation? What comes? >> So let's just say we have a new school opportunity whether a new principal or just something that relates and adopts to that particular school. And when we talk about one the communication, are we communicating to our Spanish population, right? And in that communication, are we being transparent where they have that equity and access to what is happening not only at the school level but maybe in their classroom? So I hear there is a lack of so >> so is that multiple or I'm just curious just I want to >> I would presume I'm multilingual is across our district. Right. >> Okay. I want to before you go I want to ask Teresa to speak from a communications broad lens and then we can go there. All right.
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>> So, it's private organizations like nonprofits. >> Nonprofit. >> So, not directly to the school >> but primarily through the private organizations like nonprofits. that money is given to them and then they therefore go ahead and hire the school communities coordinator >> that they assign to the school. >> You're no that that that is correct. I just Yes. >> So it is a so it is a contract between the DOE the department and the nonprofit organizations. >> Correct. >> Okay. So how much uh oversight does the department have when these positions are being hired as example? Well, I'll let you answer. Um I I think it depends on the the corporation, but the existing community school coordinators that I'm aware of, the school has worked with a nonprofit um in conjunction with our partnership with Hawaii After School Alliance and uh and a person is selected and then a person um is assigned to the school to assist the school with whatever they need.
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Thank you. >> Yeah, we have made very intentional strides um and come a long way over the last 10 years I've been here following up directly from an OCR complaint that um originated about 12 years ago. Um we do actually um have software that helps us to scan for accessibility on things that are posted like PDFs and images. Um, we also do a really good job of taking content out of so a classroom teacher or a school might create a flyer for example and try to put that image out that is not accessible. It's not readable. Um, it's not translatable within software. So, we take the content of that and put it on our website and utilize um, Catapult as our primary version for sending out information. Catapult does translate in over 80 languages. um our uh families when they register are allowed to um choose what that that primary language they want to receive communications um is and then by putting content directly into Cataple.
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So, if in the event that community schools coordinator maybe feels like they're being treated unfairly or maybe need to file a grievance, does the department have any kind of oversight on that since it's DOE funds? >> If the the because the the employee is hired by the nonprofit, the nonprofit works um through those situations. >> Okay. So, the department does not get involved if there is correct been harassment, grievances. So I think it depends on the unique situation and and what occurred. >> Yeah. What what would you consider to be a unique situation? >> I I I I I don't know how to broadly answer that question. >> Oh, okay. I I I had only asked because you had brought it up. Uh so I do believe that the department since it is department funds and it is taxpayer funds that there should be oversight on these positions being hired especially if school coordinator excuse me community school coordinators are filing grievances against the school.
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It is translating that into all of those languages. The same with our website. So that's why we don't post just a flyer image. We take the content from that image and make it content directly on the website because then using Google translate our website then is completely translatable as well as have we have alternate images for all um pictures and images that are up there. There's alternate text to read those um for those with um screen readers or other devices in place to help them absorb that information. So yes, we have been very intentional around that. We've been coordinated directly with diverse learners to continue to do that. We held training for all of our um principles over the summer specifically about communication, the importance of both translatability as well as um accessibility. >> Maria, do you want to add to that? That was because I think it's an important question for the public to be aware of.
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So I would just like to recommend that you look into those private organizations or those nonprofits to maybe dig a little bit deeper because we don't want to keep repeating the same cycle. >> Thank you. Thank you chair. >> Any other questions? Uh yes, more questions of course. >> Go ahead. >> So Heidi or whoever can answer this, do you guys have a list of who those community groups are that the B works with that you can provide to us? >> Yes, we do. We can provide that. >> Thank you. >> How many community schools do we have? >> Currently, we have about 22 community schools. >> 22. And with without a measure like this. So it is up to each school to determine um their family community engagement strategy and fund it them and fund it using um they can use it either WSF or also a lot of our title one funds is eligible to be used for these me for this purpose.
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>> It is huge and I think um I want to first say translating and and it's interesting because we think about multilingual learners and where it falls under, right? Translation or providing access to all families is not a multilingual learner department responsibility. it is an entire district right because we have parents who have children who are not in EL who still need that support right so how Teresa said we have the catapult system which the district does very well with and we and um Dr. Dubil and I will put into admin connect um reminding principles of how to utilize that or then make sure that they're taking that content and putting it into um into catapult for our families to have access. Um we also have language line that we utilize for IEP meetings because we know that the language in there we cannot have just a staff member come and translate during an IEP meeting for many reasons.
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>> So what prompts this measure? I I'm I do believe there are a few schools that were funded by grant funding and it is my understanding and I can't speak the numbers specifically but I do believe that some of for some of them the grant is ending this year so I can imagine that would prompt the me prompt the measure. >> Okay. Your first statement in your testimony says that the department supports the intent provided it passage does not adversely impact the priorities established in the U board of education's approved budget. So what do you expect that we're just going to give millions of dollars and it's going to come from the sky? It's got to come somewhere, right? >> Understood. >> And you know that is probably going to come from the DOE budget because you folks have one-third of the budget, state budget.
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Um so we do utilize language line as as a support to support our families during that time. Um, we know that this is an area that while we're we are still we're focused on and we're working with communications and all of our schools in in improving it is an area that we continue to work on improving because we know that the numbers of children in multilingual the demographic is growing and the languages some of them I'm like oh my god what is this language um uh to support our families so um we do everything I know people say Spanish and English well we are technically a dual language district so when you're a dual language district you need to you need to translate in but that English and whatever that language is which is Spanish, right? Um but to answer that, our goal is to always make things accessible for our students and our and our families.
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So how do you reconcile this? >> I I I think we do recognize funding is a priority. I mean funding is is um not in abundance and the department does support community schools. We've seen a lot of successes with um our schools and you've heard some testimony about the advantages um and it it's very difficult for the department when this bill came out not to fully support but we do recognize the funding has to come from somewhere and that's why we put in the testimony um we do fully value community schools and what they do. Um but with limited funds there are other priorities um that we would not want cut in order to fund these positions. >> You think community community schools are the right terminology because the man the mandate for public education is academics. And over the years, we have seen the growth that now teachers are expected and and you've seen that and heard about protection of school workers, harassment, they don't know how to deal with certain kinds of special needs and that we keep putting all of these mental health issues and counselors and so forth into the schools and then mandate that the teachers get educated on some of these issues.
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Um and we continue to work on that to see how we can continue to improve. I want to go back really quickly though, thank you for that question, is also when you talked about the SEAL and you brought that up. While we have a program that supports that for our students, SEAL also comes through instruction, it also comes through um culturally responsive teaching standards and understanding how to leverage our students and make sure that they are participating and being challenged at the way whether it's multilingual, whether it's bed, whether whatever it may be. So um we are working through this comprehensive review that we've identified some of these areas and working as a team to say okay what is the professional development that we need to support our teachers so that that comes out through that that instruction as well. Um because while all of our students need that SEAL support, it also looks different for each of our students and how do we provide opportunities for them to feel safe like you shared and also safe to be able to to participate in a productive struggle that they should be participating in all of our students.
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Um and yet, you know, many times it's inadequate because they're not health workers. They're not um human services workers. And so we keep making the schools become the catchall for everything about a child and the family. So I'm not saying that these types of organizations or concepts are not good but to then put it on top of department of education which is primarily there for the academics of the child to now say that we need to pay attention to everything else. Um, I think that whole concept needs to be really fully discussed before we launch into community schools because we're changing the exact nature of the mandate for public education. >> Do you agree? >> Um, I I do think community supports can benefit um the operations of >> it can come from Department of Health. It can come from many areas. But should it be housed in school?
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So and one more thing you were going to say a transparency about ISBY. So tomorrow we are audit so our ML department is will be participating in our phase two of our audits. We provided them documentation in February. We were told a few a few weeks before that we would be audited uh by the state uh our ML department. So tomorrow and Wednesday they will be visiting us and we will be on on-site visits with ISBY. Um and from that they will provide us with what we're doing well and areas that we need to work on and create an action plan. We know that there's areas that we still need to grow and improve in our district. um uh we have the right people here to make sure that that happens. And I think what the ISBY audit will do will provide us that opportunity to make sure we're in compliance and then work with everyone to say, "Okay, we're not in compliance.
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