001Close. >> I forgot to >> You got five minutes, man. >> It's not late. >> What did I do? >> At least there wasn't traffic stop. Oh, yeah. Okay. Just >> All right. So, here you >> Oh, really? You're not too on the floor. >> Okay. [Music] I'd like to call to order tonight's regular scheduled meeting of the Bever County School Board for tonight, Thursday, September 11th, 2025. Uh, Miss Johnson, I will tell you Mr. Mr. Hullbrook did notify me that he would not be present tonight. So if you will take a roll call. >> Mr. Mhill >> here. >> Mr. Daniels >> here. >> Mrs. Pedroan >> here. >> Mr. Esill >> here. >> Dr. Hubach >> here. >> Mrs. Pervvis >> here. >> Mr. Chairman, you have a quorum. >> Thank you. Do
002I have a motion to approve the agenda as presented? >> So moved. All right. I have a motion by Mr. Daniels. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dr. Any discussion? All right. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. >> Any opposed? Agenda is approved. You will please join me in 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, with liberty and justice for all. If you will please join us in a moment of silence. Thank you. Uh we will go to staff reports 2.01 superintendent report. Mr. Dupe, >> good evening. I want to start with a somber recognition of the events that for ever have left 11th of September
003as a horrific mark in our minds and embedded in our nation's history. Let us not forget the 2,977 individuals who lost their lives at the hands of 19 terrorists with attacks using three American airline flights with three crashes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the crashes in United Airlines flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Um let us never forget and never accept their loss. So rankings are in and I am proud to say that BCPS has moved up the rankings from 36 to 31 for the 24 25 so academic performance scores. Also, Manita Elementary was also recognized as a top 20 school with improvements on pass rate and percentile rank. Overall, BCPS was identified as one of 13 divisions in Virginia that produced the highest state ranking in SO pass rates from 2006 to
0042025. Congratulations to all the BCPS faculty and staff and their hard work and dedication to this endeavor and a huge thank you to the student body for their diligence and academic engagement. Tonight the executive team will make the presentation requested by the BCPS school board in April in an April meeting to redistrict the elementarymentaries of forest zone. The presentation will return to the original proposal from the May 8th 2025 schoolboard meeting that addressed boundary changes to involve Forest Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Otter River Elementary, New London Academy, and Boonesboro Elementary. We will again share the current capacity concerns that show Forest Elementary at a present capacity of 98%. The current and future projections brought before this board need to be addressed and can be addressed as an all-inclusive consideration as presented or on a school
005by school basis. Either decision should address the need to initiate capacity relief to Forest Elementary in the 2526 school year. Also tonight you will hear a revision a revised presentation of our current strategic framework originally developed in the 22 23 school year. Tonight's in version will include an addition of goal five efficient and effective use of resources. In the coming months I will return to the campuses of BCPS with the reply conversations that started with 53 SWAT discussions that occurred. The process of this discussion will be to further discuss the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities and threats that people brought forward and to make update application where appropriate within the revised strategic framework. Once we have updated our goals with board approval, we will begin to report pieces of the strategic plan to the schoolboard meetings
006on a monthly basis. On Wednesday, September 24th, 2025, the executive team will reconvene the superintendent Student School Advisory Board, inviting selected juniors and seniors from Liberty High School, State River High School, and Jefferson Forest for discussion. The topic of the initial meeting will be going back to the student advisories concern from last year regarding vaping on their respective campuses. Um, this last part of my presentation is going to be more of an observation on my part. I'm I've been here now my 14th month and there is something that has concerned me over time and so I want to address that publicly. During the last year, I've noticed an alarming communication in particular a chain of command protocol trend that I am coming to know as acceptable not only but likely for many years prior to
007my tenure. Not only have I heard about it, but I have now experienced it. And what troubles me most is that it seems to be acceptable and tolerated by most levels of the stakeholders. These stakeholders groups include parents, teachers, staff, extracurricular leaders and coaches, mid-level administrators, principles, central office personnel, and executive team members and schoolboard members. In 2022, the Gallup poll conducted a study that looked at the erosion of confidence toward US institutions, which is presently at an all-time low. Confidence in public school education has taken that hit as well with a 28% confidence rating nationally and a 4% declining decline in confidence since 2020. While instituting while institutional clin shows up in about 15 different national institutions, I do not believe that this should be an assumption for Beard County Public Schools and also
008believe that we can turn this perception with a request for collaboration and civility. Let's start this conversation with a discoverer of discussion of what a proper chain of command is. As noted prior, the chain of command is in in education community runs from from the bottom up. Currently, parents, teachers, staff, extracurricular leaders and coaches, mid-level administrators, principles, central office, executive team, and schoolboard members um should in all practicality allow the chain of command to occur in which case it does not always happen. The act alone is one of the most detrimental moves that we can make toward this to substantiate and support our leadership model. Anything out of this order shows disregard for leadership and frankly mirrors if dad doesn't give me the answer I want then surely mom will. So let's just bypass dad
009altogether. Dislike Dislike for policies, procedures, and decisions rendered at the school or division level should should be questioned for accuracy and for respect respectful diplomacy and sh should not be a gotcha moment taken out of context or displayed on social media. There will be moments that the answer no is an appropriate response from a stakeholder above your status on the chain of command. And we need to spend more time understanding the decision and thus more time accepting why some answers are more beneficial for the good of the whole even when they are contrary to what we request. Opposition to school-based decisions, decision policy and or regulations can be challenged. It's acceptable. If you have concerns that warrant a fresh look for the next step of the chain of command, then by all means pursue the
010correct protocol and request a second opinion. That request should be brought in an orderly and respectful fashion. Decisions are not to be whimsical and should not be consider and should be considerate of how they will affect students, schools and stakeholders. In my career over time, I have come up with three non-negotiables. Number one, in all chain of command scenarios, the concerns flow up. Take your initial concern to the immediate person involved in your inquiry and move to the next level. When you cannot get the answer that you think you deserve or the best addresses your individual concern, it is appropriate to ask any person with a concern to consider staying staying in the chain of command. Not only is it appropriate, but it is also the right thing to do. Non-negotiable number two, diplomacy. As
011previously addressed, properly addressing concerns should always travel up through the chain of command. And yet, most often, angst comes down the chain of command when it's done inappropriately. As an example, a teacher who avoids their principal to address their concern above that principal should be redirected back to their principal. Concerns taken through the proper chain of command should always include respectful diplomacy. Always address your concerns in a correct order chain of command with respect and expect respect in return. The third and final again is the situation of given no answer. When you are given the answer no, it it it can be questioned but it cannot be defied. If you have a concern that you still feel is not heard or addressed, take it to the next position on the chain of command respectfully. And
012by all means, if you don't like the answer you receive, taking it to social media does not solve the problem. It only shows your lack of cooperation. I trust that you will all understand the intent behind my heart in this um discussion. Um I think we can do better on a public level and I think each stakeholder can do better uh including my own office. So I want to thank the stakeholders for understanding the intent of my request and I know that BCPS will always put the best interests of our students social, emotional and academic growth first. Thank you for in advance for your cooperation with tonight's information and request. This concludes my report. >> Great 2.02 preliminary so scores. Dr. Prosper. >> Uh, good evening. Uh, tonight I'll be presenting preliminary data from so
013tests that were given in the spring of 2025. So, there's always going to be areas where improvement is needed. I want to echo what Mr. Dupair said. There is a lot to celebrate this year. Our students improved in many areas and in some cases they show drastic growth. Overall, the trend in Bedford County is that we are continuing to move in the right direction. our standing compared to surrounding divisions is strong and we are getting better every year. So the chart displays overall pass rates. This chart's not nearly as nice as the one that he put together. So but it does kind of show the the trends since 2012. Um I did want to highlight that when we look at our rankings as 31st in the state that's compared to 131 other divisions in Virginia.
014Uh, and the other thing that I think is really exciting is we're one of the 13 divisions in the state that has achieved our highest ranking since 2006. Uh, and additionally, our three-year average for Bedford County is actually higher than any other three-year period on record. So, as I said, we have a lot to celebrate. This chart shows pass rates by core subject over the past five years compared to the state. In 25, reading and science were both ranked 26. Reading has remained fairly consistent since 2021, while science has made drastic improvements since then, actually improving by 33 points. Writing was ranked 37 and has remained consistent since 21. And history was ranked 43rd. Uh, but they've also shown great improvements since being ranked 76 in 2022. All subjects improved their standing from last year
015except math, which is ranked 41st. But keep in mind that math was the highest ranked subject in Bedford County in 24. and they have shown steady improvement since 2021. As Mr. Dupair said, we I did want to highlight Manita. They are one of the top 20 schools in the state that demonstrated the largest state rank improvements for SRL pass rates and percentile rankings. Also, Manita and Boonboro were two of the top 10 schools that improved pass rates for students with disability with so pass rates and percentile rankings. So, this is for the CIP consortium. So of 72 schools, school divisions, Manita and Boonboro were in the top 10 improving their students with disabilities. So I commend both of those schools especially. The next few charts will show pass rates by test for Bedford County students.
016Please note that these scores represent raw pass rates. Raw pass rates represent pass and fail rates of tests with no adjustments for growth. Scores that are in parenthesis represent pass rates of students in Virginia that were tested in the same subject. Final accredititation data is not available at this time. They probably will look a little different because accreditation does calculate growth and understand that our team bases support on raw scores since they give us an accurate reflection of where students are based on grade level standards. So looking at English language arts by test over the past three years, our overall English pass rates have risen steadily from 75 to 79. These gains consistently place us at or above the state average across grade levels. The success is especially evident in our middle schools. Grades seven
017and eight reading scores have shown remarkable improvement with both increasing to over 80%. Our high school students also continue to excel with consistently high pass rates both on the EOCC reading and writing exams. Looking at math, this chart shows student performance on the math so test over the past four years. Uh the pass the overall pass rate has shown improvement increasing from 72 to 76 and outperforming the state average every year. Mass scores in grades three through six have also improved and outperformed state averages since 2021. We've seen exceptional growth in our upper grade math scores. Uh for example, grade 8 math, the pass rate has gone from 57 to 79 in just three years, moving from being at the state average to being significantly above it. Our students performance on the algebra test has
018generally been consistent and in line with the state average even though they did take a step back last year. And while our overall pass rate showed a slight dip from 77 to 76% looking at the full picture, Bedford County continued to show growth in key areas like grade 5, which jumped from 74 to 80 and gains in grade 8, moving from 74 to 79. But at the same time, we'll closely watch the decreases we saw in grade four, grade six, and algebra one to understand and address those specific needs. looking at science, this chart shows the progress we've made in science and our overall scores are on a very, very strong upward trajectory. They've climbed steadily from 65 in 2022 to 77% in the current school year. So, we're really proud of these results from
019the recent course sequence changes. The 24-25 school year marks the first time all of our eighth graders took the grade 8 science test. Their performance has been a success with a 77% pass rate. This achievement combined with an impressive jump in grade 5 science to 79% and a strong finish in biology shows science instruction has been solid over the past few years. The chart on the screen shows our division's performance in history so test. This data indicates again consistent increase in our overall history pass rate going from 64 to 70% over the past three years. In each of these years, our overall pass rate has exceeded the state average. Now note the grade out areas on the chart for world history 1 indicate a change in testing sequence. World history 1 has now been moved
020to the high school and world geography was moved to the eighth grade. Virginia study pass rates have shown strong performance consistently exceeding state averages and civics and economic scores have risen to align with or exceed the state average. In the two years of available data, the world geography pass rate has also demonstrated improvement increasing from 73 to 78. So the next few slides will show raw so pass rates for each assessment broken down by zone and by school. for reading the state target was 75% pass rate and the other subjects were 70%. And again I just want to emphasize growth might change these scores and some of our lower performing schools will have a bigger pool of growth to choose from. So their scores will probably see the most significant changes. So starting with elementary
021reading in the fourth zone at Boonboro in 2223 scores started at 81%. They dipped slightly to 79% and then they rose to 84% recovering after that small decline. Forest elementary has consistently demonstrated strong performance beginning at 88% climbing to 90 and then holding steady with the solid 86% last year. New London Academy has a similar pattern of stability going from 86 to 88 before a small drop to 84 this past year. And then Otter River has shown positive growth increasing steadily from 80 to 83% and then to 86% over 3 years. Finally, Thomas Jefferson has remained steady holding between 84 and 86% throughout this time period. So these results reflect stability across the forest zone with there's some schools showing strong upward momentum even where we see some minor dips. The broad picture is one
022of consistency and progress in maintaining solid achievement levels. Looking at the Liberty Zone, Bedford Elementary, the scores just haven't moved as much as we'd like. They've went from 65 to 63 in both of the last two years. Big Island traditionally has strong scores starting at 84% two years ago. They held steady at 82% and then there was a decline this past year to 71%. And then at Nita or excuse me at Montville scores have been consistent starting at 64% rising slightly to 66 and then returning back to 64. So taken together the Liberty Zone schools show stability in those two schools and a more concerning decline at one school. And so the data shows us that while pockets of strength exist, additional division and schoolbased support is going to be needed to have more consistent
023gains across this zone. Going to the Stant River zone at Good View, pass rates rose significantly from 68 to 77% before leveling out at 75 last year. Hules has declined in smaller increments starting at 69, drop to 68, and then down again to 66 this past year. And as I've already shared at Manita, we've seen a very positive trend. The last two years, scores have held steady at 75 and 74 before climbing to 84% last year. This is the highest in the zone, showing strong improvement and sustained momentum. Finally, Stewartsville has seen some declines moving from 72 to 71% and then dropping further to 67. So overall, we do have some bright spots in the Stent River zone showing some significant growth, particularly at Manita and Good View, but there are schools like Huddleston and
024Stewartsville where the performance has declined and they're going to receive closer attention from the school division support team. Looking at the forest zone for math now, so we're going back to the forest zone looking at math path pass rates. Starting in Boonsboro, we see a strong performance in the 22 23 school year um with an 85% pass rate. They jumped to 92% and then returned back to 85% last year. Forest Elementary has been consistent maintaining pass rates between 87 and 88% across all three years. New London has shown high achievement going from 89 to 90 dipping slightly to 85% last year. Otter River showed a positive upward trend starting at 82, increasing to 83 and then making a significant leap to 90 uh last year. And then finally, Thomas Jefferson. They've maintained high performance throughout
025with scores of 89, 90, and 90%. This consistency at the top of the scale is notable and shows a strong instructional foundation. So, while most schools in the forest zone are performing above the state average, the data reveals both areas of sustained success, but there are also some opportunities for improvement, which we'll be looking at. In the Liberty zone, Bedford Elementary has consistently scored in the low 60s with a slight uptick in the 23 24 to 66% followed by a drop to 61% last year. Big Island again began strong with an 86% pass rate, but has since declined to 78 and then to 68% pass rate. Montville showed moderate performance in the first two years, 75 to 78%, but they dropped to 67% last year. is overall the liberty zone unfortunately is trending downward in
026math. So we are focusing a lot of support in math instruction with targeted support at Bedford Elementary and then really looking deeper at the factors contributing to some of the declining scores at Big Island and Montville. So moving to the Stanton River zone, Goodview improved significantly from 71 to 83% before dipping to 75 last year. Um still 70 being the benchmark. That's still solid for Good View. Huddleston has steadily improved from 67 to 64. Then they made a jump to 74%. Again, Manita has shown consistent growth from 75 to 76 and then all the way up to 84% last year. And Steuartsville is one that has declined from 75 to 68 over the last three years. So overall, there are pockets of growth here in the Stanton River zone, but there are some areas of
027concern, especially as we look at Steuartsville scores. Looking at science now in the forest zone, schools like Thomas Jefferson and New London continue to lead with consistently high pass rates on a river also reflects similar upward movement. Boonsboro and Forest Elementary remain stable, though Boonboro has shown some variability from year to year. But overall, the Forest Zone is performing well again in science with several schools exceeding division pass rates. So, we'll continue to focus on sustaining their successes and finding areas to improve where we can. In the Liberty Zone, Big Island did remain strong over the past three years and have been well above the state benchmark. Montville and Bedford Elementary showed moderate performances this year, but they have fluctuated over the past three years. And so the Liberty Zone science scores are trailing behind
028the other two zones as you'll see. In the Stanton River zone, Manita continued their momentum in science and Good View showed upwards trends. Huddleston has fluctuated, but overall still below where they should be. And then Steuartsville has dropped in science scores. So overall, Stant River is mixed. Uh we've got two schools on a very positive trajectory, while the other two are showing that improvement is needed. And finally, looking at history, going back to the forest zone, Boonboro started exceptionally high three years ago with a 91% pass rate. They've since declined sharply to a 77 and then to a 72. So this drop of of nearly 20 points is concerning even while overall scores are still high. Uh I do want to note this still meets state benchmark but we still need to look into um
029what's happened in the last few years. Uh Forest Elementary and New London have maintained relatively stable performance with scores hovering in the 80s and 90s. Honor River again has remained stable starting at 79 jumping to 84 and then back to 79. Thomas Jefferson improved from 82 to 87 and then dipped slightly to 81% last year. So overall the scores in the four zone are strong but there are still a few areas that are going to need some attention. In the Liberty Zone, Bedford Elementary improved from 68 to 76% and went back to 66% this year. In Big Island, they have shown steady improvement. They actually started at 86%. I do want to highlight a mistake that 86 or 23 24 for Big Island should read 81. I apologize. I caught that mistake this morning. So,
030it should say 86 to 81. Um, and then this past year declined to 62%. And then Montville again has started strong, but they've regressed a bit to 78%. It's still solid scores. Um, and they still comfortably met state benchmarks every year. So overall, there's kind of a mixed picture in Liberty Zone. Bedford Elementary and Big Island are below the state benchmark and they're going to need some targeted support. While Montville met the state benchmark, we still want to look at the trend and make sure that we can reverse that and go in the right direction. In the Stanton River zone, Manita went from a 78 to 93% which is a 15 point gain. Uh so I commend them for improvements in all core areas. Huddles has been consistent landing at 71% this past year. Sewsville
031did jump 15% going from 64 to 79%. So I commend them for those efforts. And then Good View, while more stable has hovered in the 70s and their scores are trending upward. So in in some Stanton River has been relatively stable over the years and there have been some significant improvements noted. So the next few slides will show secondary pass rates by school. So first we're going to look at ELA at the secondary level. So Forest Middle improved from 83% two years ago to 88% and they held steady this past year. Liberty Middle showed significant growth and moved from a 56% to 75% over the previous three years. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Hit the wrong button. >> Sorry. >> All right. So, Liberty Middle shown really great growth from 56 to 75. Sentin River Middle
032also grew from 62 to 72% over the last three years. Jefferson Forest High School remains the highest performer, though slightly declining from 93 to 89. Liberty High School dipped in 23 24, but they recovered back to an 85% last year. And Stant River High fluctuated slightly, but ended higher at 83%. So overall, there's been a lot of positive growth in our middle schools. There's been consistently high performance at the high school level. Uh even though there's some slight dips show that we need to continue to maintain that momentum. Now we'll go to math. Force Middle improved 86% and just slightly declined to 82% but still 82% is very strong. Liberty Middle grew from 63 to 77% and held steady last year. Sent River Middle improved in 2324 but they slipped back to a 64% last
033year. Jefferson Forest High School declined from a 88 to 79% over the 3-year period. Liberty High School improved to 84% 23 24 but they dropped to a 77% last year. And then Stant River High saw the sharpest decline going down from 84 to a 67. Uh math achievement is, as you can see, is inconsistent across our secondary schools. Again, I just want to emphasize math achievement is historically very strong in Bedford County. We had a number of unique challenges last year um along with implementation of new standards, which did make math challenging. I I do anticipate returning to the pass rates from previous years, but even so, we will still closely monitor math instruction as we implement our new curriculum. So looking at secondary science, Forest Middle continues to have the strongest scores, peaking at
03488% before going to 84% last year. Liberty Middle made a strong jump from 57 to 78% and they were able to sustain that last year. Sent River Middle rose from 56 to 73% over the 3-year period. Jefferson Forest High School stayed strong. They slipped a little bit from 81 to 79. Liberty High School showed gradual growth, moving from 57 to 67% pass rate. And then Stent River grew steadily going from 54 to 74. So there is a positive trajectory in most of our secondary schools, especially at Liberty Middle and Stent River High where growth is the strongest. And then looking at history, remember that all students don't take a history test in high school. Only the ones that test are the ones that fail the so test in middle school required to take that. So
035for this reason, high school history scores are not shown because we don't believe they accurately represent history achievement in our high schools. So the scores represent rural geography and civic scores that are middle schools. So force middle stayed strong ranging from 84 to 87 before dipping slightly to 82. Liberty Middle showed steady growth from 55 to 77% over 3 years. And then Sent River Middleclined from 70 to 64. So So Liberty Middle has some very clear positives, made over 20 points progress, which is very exciting. Uh there's continued high performance at Forest Middle. Uh, and then we're going to obviously need to look into Stanton River and just continue to monitor and support them to try to get their scores where they need to be. Um, before I finish, I do want to say that
036there are clear areas in need of improvement as you've seen, but overall Bedford County academics are strong and they are improving. Uh, this is due to the hard work of our students, our teachers, our principles, uh, the central office support team. Um, everybody works tirelessly to reach these high expectations we set for them. And so I'm proud of them. I look forward to continued improvement and achievement over the years. So, at this time, I'll be happy to take any questions. >> Questions? >> Thank you for doing that. That was a lot of work, I'm sure. Um, question on the secondary math. It looks like across the board, everyone did more except for maybe Liberty Middle School that held. >> Do Do you guys have any opportunity to assess why that was? Yeah. And and one
037of the the things that we're looking for is the stability. We had new algebra teachers in all of our high schools last year combined with teaching new standards made it really challenging. And what we found is when we've got stability in the classroom, scores are better. So we're we we do have stability this year from previous years. So we're hoping that will improve. I think that was a big part of it. Uh and then again, I just think the math standards were significantly more rigorous. Uh and we knew they would drop a little. That's that's typical. But with with continued focus on alignment and then implementation of the new curriculum, I I think we can get back to where we need to be. >> So these ref reflect the new cut scores then or >>
038not the new cut scores, but the new standards. Uh and so those are already more rigorous and so just teaching them. We're it's it's a lot of work for the teachers to adjust how they taught previously to the new standards. >> So now how's the new curriculum going? >> Well, >> you've implemented the new curriculum. >> The new curriculum. Yeah. It's secondary. I've I've been able to get into a few classrooms. I've been very pleased. Heard a lot of good feedback from our teachers. Um, elementary has been a little more challenging because that's really kind of a shift in thinking to more exploration, inquiry based math. Uh, there's there's been some challenges with getting some of the materials in the classrooms, but we are we're getting there. Um, Miss Boer's done a phenomenal job communicating,
039traveling to schools. So, um, it's it's going we're moving in the right place. Our teachers have been really positive. Uh, and so I I think we're gonna they're going to start to get used to teaching the new curriculum over the next few weeks and hopefully get some good momentum. >> So the elementary teachers are pleased with it as well. I >> I think it's been more of a change for them than secondary. So when you have change, it's hard for a lot of teachers, for anybody. Uh I I will say their attitudes have been very positive though. I mean there's always a lot of frustration, but the feedback we've gotten is they're just willing to roll up their sleeves and keep working and keep trying. So, >> so can you explain the difference? The main
040difference? You had said something and I can catch up. >> Yeah, at the high school it's not so much a curriculum that's scripted. Uh, it's it's more of it's a textbook. There are some resources that they can pull from. Uh, but the teachers do have flexibility to pull in other resources. The elementary, it's a little bit more scripted, not totally, not like our reading curriculum, but it's it's expected they stay a little bit closer to that script. One of the the things that's been different for them is instead of jumping right into the procedures for how you would solve a problem, there's a lot of exploration ahead of time and a lot of a lot of mathematical discourse and discovery and that's just a different way of thinking. I think that does align with our
041new standards, but it's a challenge to get our kids thinking that way, thinking deeply about it and getting them to have that those conversations using mathematical terminology. So I think that's probably been the biggest source of frustration, but also it's why we like the curriculum and once we continue to do it, I think the data is going to show. >> So in layman's terms ter terms, it's not just learning how, but also the why. >> Yes. Learning why. Absolutely. And then being able to justify their answers instead of just solving it. Why did we do that? That's been a big focus with the new standards. >> Excellent. Thank you. >> Any other questions? Yep. I got Okay. >> All right. Well, going from 56 to 36 to 31 is is great. I mean, our jump
042last year we were very pleased with and to see that we've improved another five slots is great. Of course, driving, you know, one of the things that I've been focused on at work and one of the things we've been preaching is get one 1% better every day. So, we just what can we do? So, of course, we're going to share those victories and be very proud. So, where we got a 78, let's get to an 80. Where we got a 90, let's get to Yeah. Let's keep going. But just definitely some questions. So the decline I guess compared to the or just being below the state standards in in seventh grade math and algebra that's going to we're going to equate that to new new teachers and a new new curriculum, right? >> In in
043algebra. >> In algebra. Okay. >> Seventh grade math has always been lower in Bedford and it probably will be. And the reason for that is in our advanced math 7 those students take the math eight test. And so you have a significant group of high achieving students that don't even take the mass 7S so it's kind of a I hate to say low achieving students but um you have a pool that is lower performing historically. Not every division in the state does the same sequence as us. So when I look at math 7 being lower we we anticipate that. Uh it's the math 8 that we really kind of look at to have a better representation. So it's not to say we don't care. We're not concerned with that. But we do expect those to
044be a bit lower just because of our sequence. >> Yeah. Um, and that that's okay to have that expectation, but I don't I don't think we should accept it, right? Like, so what would we >> knowing that and knowing that's been kind of a an area of concern, what do we then do? What do we change in that to to I mean >> I mean, they're nine points off. >> I mean, I I I think like I think we can get them to to this. How how do you think we need to >> think differently on maybe that just and I I don't know so that's why I'm asking the question. >> Yeah. Well and these kids again are historically lower performing so they're the ones that probably have some gaps with number sense and
045just some of the basic skills foundational skills computation. So, it really starts in elementary schools is really filling those gaps. And that's that's one benefit of a unified curriculum K K to 5 because it's the curriculum is consistent. Um, as far as if there are gaps and we know what they are, it's not it's not random, right? >> Um, and so if our teachers can implement with integrity, that's going to go a long way. Yeah. And we do give a lot of support to mass 7. I mean, that's that's a difficult subject to teach anyway. >> All the more reason why it was super important that CPO and you guys work together on that on that curriculum. So, you know, you plant the seeds and you got to you got to reap the the rewards
046uh after that. So, um thank you for that. Um Liberty uh Elementary with reading, math, and history. Any assessment to to why that is? >> Yeah, they they've just it's it's been tough to kind of move them forward in the liberty zone. Um in a lot of areas there have been a lot of challenges with attendance. Um a lot of lot of kind of transient student population. Um it's been some some not a lot of administrative turnover. Um it's that just seems to be the toughest zone right now. Um and so that is where most of our support has been and will continue to be. Um we've just got to kind of form those relationships with teachers, support them in implementing the curriculum and um we're hoping to see them push forward even more. But
047it's it's been frustrating. I mean to to not improve as much as some of our other schools with similar demographics. It's really difficult I think a lot of times where you know each day each lesson and especially in like math and other subjects build upon themselves. So if you're if you're hit or miss if you're coming to school it's going to be really difficult to stay on track to stay on task. So best place to get our students is in the building and they can get there and we can we can teach them we can pull them along. So, I think that's a note like if that's the area we're seeing still lagging behind a little bit when it comes to attendance, let's let's put a fullcourt press, guys. We got to get these kids
048to school and and we can really help them out. So, um two more points for us. History was all lower, but Stanton River history was all up. So, we're teaching the same history in in in those, right? >> Correct. >> Okay. >> History can be fun. So, >> I agree. I mean, you know, let's see. Let's see what we can do. But again, really proud of the work that that has been done from everybody, every stakeholder involved. It's been great. It's uh we need to share that we're 31st. I tell everybody, I think there's other school divisions, other counties that would be very happy to be able to get their kids into Bever County Public Schools. There's a lot to be proud of. We're always going to keep driving to be better. And then when
049we get to number one, someone's going to try to knock us off a number one. So, it's it's hard to defend the title. So, we're going to we're going to keep getting after that. So, kudos to you and the team uh for all the hard work. Thank you. >> I just had one more question. I've noticed on the Big Island Elementary significant drops in almost all the subjects. Have you guys figured out why? >> Yeah, that we're one of the things that's always with such a small school, it doesn't take up that many kids to to fail to drop your score significantly. So, I guess that's the good news is we we're able to identify those students that have fallen behind and so we're able to really start remediation early. Um, it's I think the
050the concerning part is it is across multiple subjects and grade levels. So, we've really got to get in there and figure out, you know, how we can support them. I will say that they have changed their schedule just a bit. They're they've trying to model some of the way their teaching schedule after Manita, which was was phenomenal. Uh, and so that I know that principal has reached out to to Manita's principal. Um, the other thing that they're able to do is is um we've got some division support that's really prioritizing their time there to try to go through some coaching cycles with teachers. So, um, we need to get in there quickly and early like we've done to really identify kind of where the weaknesses are. When scores drop that much, it's almost always an
051issue of alignment. And so, we had new standards in math, uh, history, and English. typically that means teachers haven't adjusted their instruction. They're teaching towards the old standard. So, um that's my assumption. That's kind of what we're going by until we know otherwise. So, I have to give a shout out to uh Miss Lee at Elementary. Wow. >> Yeah, absolutely. She is probably showing up at all admin calls and meetings with a huge smile on her face and she should be. Uh so congratulations Miss Lee if you're watching. Uh and to your team um impressive numbers and impressive growth and just consistency. So uh great job at Manita. Um all great questions that we've had. One of the things that I'll be interested in and I'm not expecting you to answer it tonight and I
052apologize for not reaching out beforehand Dr. Trosper. uh algebra scores at FMS. I'm really interested in those. I know there were some changes made. >> Um and so I'm interested to see what those scores have done over the last same time period. >> Okay. >> So just interested in that and what's being done to put FMS algebra back on track. >> Okay. >> One thing I if you don't mind, I forgot to share this. We have algebra readiness funds from the state. Um that's based on numbers of students in algebra. we have sort of re-evaluated how we distribute that and shift it to the schools that need more support. So that's one thing Miss Voyer and I have spent a lot of time just talking about how to support schools that need it at most.
053So uh hopefully those changes will start to bring us back in the right direction. >> All right. Um we will move on 2.03 BRS audit. Mr. Haggler. >> Yes. Good evening. Uh each year um outside auditors um Brown Edwards comes in and conducts an audit at the central office. Uh the first thing they do is the VRS uh confirming all of our transmissions and our payments into the VRS system. So they do some sample testing as far as bringing employees on. Happy to report that we got a clean uh clean bill of audit on that uh with no discrepancies noted this year on our VRS contributions for our employees. Happy to answer any questions. They do a lot of sampling. So, uh, it takes a while to get that done. >> Any questions? >> All
054right. >> And that's a requirement by the state. So, we have to go through that every year. >> You're up again. School activity off. >> Another audit. We are in the midst of uh going through and probably November, December, I'll present the central office audit on uh the year that we are combined with the county uh from Brown Edwards. But we also do a school activity fund audit each year. So, Brown Edwards goes out to each of our schools, meets with our bookkeepers, and samples uh quite a few of the transactions over the year. Um, as I've said in other years that if you've been here, um, they give a qualified opinion because of internal controls because there's a bookkeeper in each school that receipts the cash, disperse, and does a lot of those things.
055There's not substantial uh, separation of duties, but it's quite common in schools because of limited staff that that happens. uh from the from the central office standpoint, we've put controls in place to help mitigate that, but not enough for us to get a unqualified opinion. Um we actually do the bank reconciliation at the central office to watch over the funds in the schools. Uh that being said, there were a couple um on the school activity. Um other than that, they said everything's presented fairly. There were a couple findings and I'll be going out and meeting with principles and bookkeepers to address a few of those issues. Some of those are very minor. um if a teacher fails to turn in the money within a day, um they get the bookkeeper gets a ding and they
056might turn it in one day late, but they're looking at all the information on that. So, some of those are kind of very minor. Other ones I'll have to address when I go around, but overall very happy with uh the the financial standing of our school activity funds. Be happy to answer any questions you have on that >> questions. All right, moving on toformational items. 3.01 forest redistricting board request executive team. >> Thank you. At the May 8th school board meeting, the executive team presented the beginnings of a proposed redistricting plan based on a request from the school board. At that meeting, we asked the board to extend the timeline of implementation, excuse me, if they wanted to move forward with redistricting. Tonight we're returning with some updated enrollment information and we're asking for discussion
057with the board um if there needs to be some changes or new considerations you'd like us to look at or if the board does not want us to continue looking at redistricting in this area. As we began the work, I'll just kind of remind us what we were looking at. Um when the board requested that we look at the populations um in our forest schools with the current growth that we were anticipating um we were asked to look at not crossing school zones. So, keeping all of that within the forest zone um with larger goals of lowering the populations at New London Academy and Forest Elementary because that is where we were seeing most of the development and most of our growth. Um but also increasing the number of students at Otter River Elementary. Um
058if you've been on the board a while, you know that at Otter River because the population is so small, we typically have to add additional staff. Um, we spend more per pupil at Otter River than any other school in Bedford County because it's so small. So, our goal was to increase the number of students there so it would even out the cost um of what we were putting there. Um, once the decision is made on how you would like to move forward, uh, we can, uh, again present a better timeline moving forward. But I am going to share what um if we were just to move from tonight with what we had talked about in May, what that timeline could look like, but everything is adjustable. Um I'm going to ask Dr. Calbert if she'll
059just do a quick overview of what we proposed in May for the forest zone changes. Okay. So the proposed changes were four areas, two large areas. one being at the bottom of the screen um moving a section of New London, what is currently New London to Otter River. And if you see the line at the bottom of the screen, the red line, um the whole brown section is now New London and it will be moving everything to the left of the red line to Otter River. Um that's one of the major changes. The other major change is up where it has Thomas Jefferson and there's a red arrow in the middle of the screen to the right. Um that is basically Lake Vista. Um currently the right side of Lake Vista goes to Thomas Jefferson
060and the left side of Lake Vista goes to Forest. This proposal says that all of Lake Vista would then go to Thomas Jefferson. The two arrows at the top of the screen >> would go to Forest, right? >> Would go to All of Lake Vista would go to Thomas Jefferson. All of Lake Vista. >> Lake Vista is just to the right of that red line. >> Correct. >> Yes. So, >> okay. So, you're saying some now go to Forest, some go >> the left side of Lake Vista, like Forest Lakes now goes to Forest. The right side goes to TJ. It's kind of like right up through the middle. >> So, all of it would go to TJ. It makes more sense busing wise. Y >> um because we've got two separate buses going in
061there right now. Um at the top of the screen, those are just really minor changes. Up in the top where you see Otter River written OS, there's like four students up in that top section that we're going to forest that we've moving to Otter River. And then we were cleaning up the bus routes. We were working when we did this with Art Lip Lips scum is kind of the coordinator for the bus routes in the forest zone and there's four students in that little crook up there that would be going that were going to forest that now would be going to Boonsboro um just to kind of clean up the route in that area. So the two at the top are very small student changes four and four and then the bottom are more significant
062changes. So I want to just share some current enrollment and capacity numbers. Um I think we in May we were working off projections and predictions. Um I will say that our kindergarten enrollment has come in lower than expected. Um and so I want to just share updated numbers. So if you look at the chart um on this slide, the first column shows the current school enrollment as of um August 30th at each of our Forest Zone schools. Our most concerning capacity numbers are really at Forest Elementary with New London coming in um at 89%. Um, we look and we really feel like we are at capacity at Forest Elementary with just our basic K5 program. Right now, we don't offer any preschools or adaptive programs in Forest Elementary because of the size. Um, uh, we
063are really out of classrooms for more teachers. They were thinking they were going to have more students than actually came in kindergarten. Um, and Mr. Haggler and the maintenance staff are really looking at where would we put additional students. Um what we were considering and what Mrs. Manley had to consider was does she move her music and art classes to a cart where they're moving around the school. Um and if you do music or art, you know, that's really hard to be on a cart. So, um, when we're looking at capacity, we're trying to also make sure we have enough room for our resource teachers to have a place where kids could come and they have places to store all of their art and instruments. Um, but I will say it was very concerning if
064we got a large influx of children at Forest Elementary, um, we would really be running out of room for them and they're at 98%. Um, New London is okay on classroom space at this time. They don't have any resource classes moving between classes. They do have preschool programs and they do have adaptive programs. Um, our concern with New London Academy is the capacity of the cafeteria and the library to accommodate more kids. um they are very very small. And so we've gone in and looked at the capacity of how long it would take us to feed children in that smaller cafeteria. Um and also just even when you put one class in the library, it's very um tight. Um so we still have New London on our radar because of some of the capacity issues.
065Um, I will say, um, there is the possibility that we could move a preschool program if we needed to, uh, depending on how many classes we take at Thomas Jefferson. So, that's always there, um, if we needed to move a preschool classroom at some point. Um, we moved one last year, so we could move another. >> You said moving one I'm sorry, moving one out or one in. >> Moving one out. Yes. >> Sorry. Thank you. >> Um our last capacity concern is Otter River um with an enrollment and capacity that's really too low. Um this is one of our most expensive elementary schools to run as I' I've said due to low numbers. Um so we really um want to get more students there. This year we had to add two additional teachers over
066the staffing standards set by the board to ensure that we didn't have multi-grade classrooms. Um and so some of those classrooms are now have 12 13 students in them which is very advantageous at Otter River but that's really hard when you're putting that money there and you have class sizes of 26 or 27 somewhere else. So that's just the reality of the things that we're dealing with and we'd really like to get more students there so it would balance itself out. Um so if we were to look this next slide, this is capacities with the developments if we don't do any redistricting and these capacity numbers and these development numbers. We got these numbers on what they're estimating with developments from um the county. So they give us these numbers under the planning commission. So
067we're taking a look at current enrollment from slide one and we're adding the expected number of students to each school just due to developments in the forest area. Um if we did not do any redistricting, we have the potential of increased populations over the next few years. Um that would create a bigger issue at Forest Elementary and New London Academy with them actually moving to over capacity. Um this is the concern that brings us to the prospect of needing a redistricting to accommodate all the students not just to fit them in the building but to ensure they have areas that they can go to art and they can go to music. Um that and they have plenty of space for their support staff and in the cafeteria and the libraries. Um, so you see even
068with the developments, Otter River does get up to about a 67%. But we still have really good capacity at Thomas Jefferson. Um, we really go over at New London and Forest already is at capacity, so it'll even get a little bit tighter there. Um, so on the next chart, what we wanted to look at Oh, so sorry. um was the final enrollment projections. If we added what they've told us we're going to get with developments and then we added in our proposed redistricting, what would capacities look like? Um so the final enrollment projection slide adds the projected number of student changes between schools with the plan that we shared with you in May. Um, so you can see in our chart at Boonesboro, we would like to move four students out of Forest Elementary to
069Boonsboro. That that's the four that Leanne was talking about. Um, at Forest Elementary, we'd like to move 52 to Thomas Jefferson, four to Boonesboro, four to Otter River. Um, at New London, we have 83 students that could go over to Otter River. Um at Otter River we would just be putting students not taking any 83 from New London and four from Forest and then we would be taking those 52 from Forest Elementary and putting them at TJ. So by doing that all of our schools would reach uh between an 85 to 91% capacity um which does leave additional room for growth and it balances out the sizes in Forest New London, Otter River and Boonsboro which would really help with some of our staffing concerns when it comes to budgeting time. I do want to
070just bring your attention to one thing at Otter River um that I think our team has been talking about we might need to revisit. Um when we count capacity there that's including one mobile classroom. It's been there. It's been there a long time but our maintenance department is telling us it needs a new roof. So we'd have to put some money in it. So we what we might need to do is just look at that because by moving students we're getting them up to 96% capacity but that's using that one classroom mobile and so we just need to decide do we continue to use it do we move it out of there or what we need to do there. So we know we got a little work to do there. Um, so from the April
071board meeting, we asked for just a little bit more time um and a little bit of a change to our timeline. So I've tried to put in red some of the changes um that have already occurred to our timeline and our timeline that we could do more moving forward. Um so right now tonight you're going to see the policy um from IGA that talks about what do we do in a redistricting as far as school zone transfers and and that sort of thing. Um we also just need a decision. Do you want us to keep looking at this? Do you want us to rethink what we're looking at? Um, but once we kind of have a plan of where you want to go, we'll need to send out letters to families, make sure we get
072information out. We need to hold that public hearing. Um, and then eventually the board would hopefully be able to vote on their decision for redistricting or not by at least October or November. Um, that would give us time to work with our county to update the GIS system. Um, as you know now the GIS system, you can go in there and look at your address and it tells you what school you're in. So, we need to get all that updated. It would also give us time to prepare new bus routes and move some of our bus drivers. Also, we'll need to move some of our teaching staff because the teachers and paras will follow the students. Um, and that would have us ready for implementation in August of 2026. Um, so really what we're asking
073tonight, um, is really just some some discussion about where you would like for us to go at this point. We just kind of need a decision to help us know what's next um, before we go too far. So, we can either move forward with the redistricting plan just like we presented in May. Um, we could change the redistricting plan and propose something new to you. We can take parts of the plan and implement it. We can uh leave some parts of the plan off. Again, our biggest concern as far as elementary because we're feeling that tightness right now and the principal and the staff and the kids are feeling that um tightness. Um so we could do something with Forest, hold off on the other um you may have even another idea of things that
074we could do. um or we could do no more action moving forward on redistricting at all. So really I think for us um we are happy to answer any questions. Um we we'd also love just any questions that you have that might help us with what you want us to do next. And let me let me add that in that third one down, no action moving forward would constitute needing more capacity. And you don't like this and I don't like this, but that means you have to put portables there. And that's not always a good solution because portables uh are are only made for temporary use and they end up being forever >> and and no disrespect, but when we've got availability in buildings. >> No, I get it. Yeah, >> I that's why I
075said I'm not for that. >> Okay. >> Um but but that would be if if you don't make some kind of change and you know before I said you can make one decision or you can split it off. So you know I wrote down here you can move forward with just uh Forest Elementary to TJ or New London to um Otter River or Forest to Otter River or Forest to Boonesboro. you can look at it different ways and the one that we need to address the most is how do we alleviate forest and and where it's going. So that I just want to clarify that you know no action would mean capacity is going to have to be created. Okay. So before we go into questions uh it's right at six o'clock and so I
076want to go ahead and uh switch over to public comment and then we will come back to 3.01 01 uh to continue that that discussion. So um so public comment uh the public comment portion of tonight's agenda is limited to 40 minutes. Speakers are asked to state their name and voting district. School board is here to listen to your comments but will not engage or respond to speakers during this 40-minute period. Please remember that this is a public meeting and that we expect all speakers to refrain from any foul, profane, abusive, or hateful language during their comments or anytime while in attendance during this meeting. We also ask that speakers keep their remarks objective and about the school in nature. Please keep all comments limited to matters related to the public schools and any comments
077that are harassing or amount to a personal attack against any identifiable individual whether board member or staff or student or having the potential to cause unnecessary delay or disruption to this meeting are prohibited. This is a public meeting for public matters. If a speaker is not present when their name is called, we will proceed with the next name on the list. An individual who has not signed up to speak may not substitute for that time slot. Individuals will have four minutes to address the board. An alarm will sound when an individual has 30 seconds remaining. And a second alarm will sound when the allotted four minutes have expired. When this second alarm sounds, please discontinue speaking and allow the next person in line to come to the podium. Should you be unable to finish your
078comments, please send or give them to Miss Johnson and she will give them to board members. Please do not adjust the microphone at the podium as it has been positioned for optimum audio quality. Uh Nathaniel Gil Gileiam >> Gillum. Good evening. My name is Nate Gillum. I'm a resident of District 7. My children are students at Liberty Middle School, Bedford Elementary School, and Bedford Primary School. I'm currently serving as a head coach of cross country at Liberty Middle School. I'm here because I'm concerned about the policy limiting parents from transporting athletes to events. This parental transportation policy limitation is negatively impacting the ability of the cross country teams from fully participating in the Blue Ridge cross country meets. The meet series is an eight meat series. However, there's only transportation approved for five meets. That
079means we can't run three meets of the series. The cross country program is a program that we want to grow. This is the second season that Liberty Middle has participated and the interest is very strong. The runners and parents are very engaged. So, I strongly urge you that you endorse parental transportation as a budgetneutral alternative for this season. I've emailed you all a proposed letter for your review. All I need you to do is sign it. If you delay this or don't act by October, then we will not be able to run any meets after September 25th. That would affect our scheduled meet on October 2nd. Lastly, I ask that the board review the transportation policy in order to clarify it so that it does not contradict the board's 2022-16 resolution. Thank you for your
080time and consideration. If you have any questions for me, you can call me or email me. There are no other uh slots that have been signed up for, but if there's anyone present who would like to speak that I will close public comment for tonight. [Applause] All right, getting back to 3.01 uh forest redistricting board request. So questions. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Um I have a question. Um that was amazing and a lot of work it seemed like went into that and um looked like it could solve the problem, but I was curious with the auto if I had the right school. >> Um could you still move a significant or enough students over without using the mobile um classroom if that was eliminated? Would you still have a >> Yeah, >> we would just
081have to look and um maybe just look at how close um >> Yeah, probably we would Randy and I talked we would probably move the line on the left side of 460 I guess the south side of s 460 because that's the farthest away back towards New London a little bit. we would find enough for 20 kids to stay on the New London side. >> So, but there's other options because what I didn't see is the kids who are currently attending Otter River from the Liberty Zone. You're not moving those. Is that correct? >> We didn't just because we weren't changing anything with zoning, >> right? But that I I just want to make sure the board understands. So, we can get rid of a mobile unit and still have capacity because you've got students
082who are at Otter River and y'all keep me honest, Ottawa River Elementary who could easily go to Beford Primary and Beford Elementary um or Beford or Big Island if if the need were to arise. Okay. So, does that help from a capacity standpoint? So, and I'll wait. Yeah. >> You sure you want me to go next? >> Well, keep in mind we were trying to keep this into one zone. >> Well, well, that's my point. >> And I mean, forest would be one zone, but if Honor River who is currently split, it used to be 4852. I don't know. Or 4258. I don't know if that's still the case. What I'm trying to drive home to the board is that there are capacity um availability at Otter River should we need it if we needed
083to move some of those students who are truly in the Liberty Zone right to their elementary school. >> And what you're saying is there's kids that go to Otter River that follow the path of Liberty Zone. >> That is correct. So that is the only current Liberty Middle, Liberty High School. >> And we didn't look at >> I'm just putting that out there so the board understands that >> and I'll write down every suggestion that we can always come back to >> Yeah, you could go if you want to go next. >> All right. So obviously I got started with the school board fighting redistricting. My opinion has not changed much. Um, a couple of questions I do have is so, uh, you'd mentioned that kindergarten enrollment was lower. What is the going to be
084the outgoing fifth grade? So, if we are scaling lower and we're outgoing fifth graders is more than what we've got incoming, do we have a a >> negative attrition rate or a negative um, >> Ry's birth rate? >> Yeah. Yeah, pretty much it is. >> We do know Randy and I've been well Randy more than I because he's better with math. We've been doing some projections for the next 5 years and Welden Cooper is saying our area our birth rates are going to start to rise again. So we we hopefully will see a positive impact >> because I know in 2223 school year when we did that projection we projected and correct me if my math is wrong quick math. It was 1685 was our projection for the 2223 school year. >> This year and
085this is just the forest zone. Uh this year 2526 we're currently enrolled at 1650ish. So, we're not even hitting the numbers that we were projecting three years ago, >> right? >> Um, and and I know there's a whole myriad of issues that go into that. Um, so I kind of uh number one, my point is we're not trending up as fast as we thought we were, >> right? >> Um, I have an ideological issue with, you know, redistricting out of people that have chosen to live in a certain area. >> You know, my personally, my family, we chose to live in the New London district. That's where I went to school. That's where I want my kids to go to school. you have that. Um the the next thing uh and I I think we
086I obviously agree forest needs to be addressed. Um I don't know that our current compositional board is the one that should be doing that. You know, we've got four four of our seats are up for election in two months. Should we making decisions right now that will impact that board or table it to next winter there? especially if we're projecting down in kindergarten and our fifth graders are are moving up. Um pro providing more room. Again, I think I like the one of the options you had given in there was just go after the forest elementary zone. I think that's the cleanest way. Um obviously I'm more intimately involved in New London. Um I understand what you're saying with the cafeteria capacity and the um library capacity, but I don't know if that's a right
087now concern cuz and obviously on the other side of it um can you go back to the development numbers? Do you have to just the development numbers? Um, and I appreciate community development putting in these these additional students and obviously they're just going off of type of builds, but I know like the only one I'm aware of in the Forest Elementary zone is Grand View Courses who is being funded by Runken Pratt. So, I'm not certain their demographic is looking for people with kids. Um, you've got in the New London zone, the 91. I'm more there's three large developments coming in and they are coming in but they've not broken ground on the first footer yet on any of the three and I know with the largest one they're at least a year behind right
088>> um their schedule for it >> and and this may help you as you're this is what the county gave us this is one of the slides we shared so >> this is what the county gave us what's coming and >> absolutely I just disagree with the county >> u and just from what I know of the the construction. I don't know if we're I think they might be projecting a little aggressively and I'm sure that's what they're being told by builders, >> right? >> But I I know how long it takes to build a development by build developments, >> right? >> They're not as fast. They're not as far along as I think they think they are. >> Um and like I said, Grand View courses, that's that's developed by Run. I don't know
089how many students we're really getting from that. >> No. Um, so I think I I agree we need to probably look at something for Forest Zone pretty quickly. Um, I don't know that the rest of them have to be done by this board right now, especially with a new board coming in the next, you know, three or four months. I think this might be a decision um along with all the other budget decisions for that new board. Um, just my thoughts on that. I'll give you a couple numbers and and you know we're projection we're projecting in the future. So um Dr. Woodford and I have been looking at you know doing projections for next year and five years out we're changing the model a little bit. Welding Coopers uh which is employed by the
090state to do some factoring and looking at birth rates and what to expect. Um I can see where they've been off on their projections going backwards. So when I project forward I'll take a cut off of that based upon how they're missing that mark. But at just at New London the fifth grade going out is 44. the kindergarten was for 54 this year. >> Okay. >> So, it was a little bit up. And then looking at our enrollment trend, um Welden Coopers is looking at um expected kindergarten uh going up to 636 for the 2627 year. 671 in 2728 29 678. They're usually off by about 5%. So, we're we were at actual I think uh 601 this year. So, they are expecting a trend upward. It won't get to that because that we won't
091hit those numbers based upon historical trend. They're a little bit off with what comes into kindergarten, but it is starting. It looks like the birth rate and stuff is going to trend up a little bit. That's for the whole county. I don't know where those kindergarteners are coming. It could be anywhere in the county. So, we take that and apply it to the schools. So, I I just don't know what zones they're in. >> Yeah. Just being honest on that. >> No, I appreciate it. >> You have questions or comments? >> Not at this time. I just had a question. I was Can you show the map again? >> Sure. I I I left all the slides in from when we did the presentation last month. If it's easier for us to just go to
092the maps for >> There's more detailed maps for May more to present. >> No, I don't have more to present. We just had more detailed maps before. >> Oh, no. I don't need the detailed ones. >> Okay. You just want the Okay, let me go back to it. This is like an elevator button. I'm pushing it really fast. There we go. So, um, just looking at the amount of land that Otter River already covers, and I'm just thinking bus routes, time getting there, how early the kids are going to have to be picked up. Have you guys considered that extra because that's a lot of land to cover. Yeah, there are not many children on it. The roads are not honestly >> the house. >> It's not a huge amount of difference like just coming
093in rather than you know dropping them at forest going up just a little bit. If if we were to go with this plan, um I would definitely, you know, south of 460 right there, move into >> I know that's not that many students, >> but that is a big difference of of time on a bus because those are harder places to get into. You go Blackwater, you go in some of those roads, >> it's going to be a little more difficult >> to get in and out, especially even if parents are driving them themselves. So, I would >> couldn't be that many students in that area. Yeah. >> Uh, you know, I think the the amount of the amount of additional time on buses, the amount I don't know if the if the juice is
094worth the squeeze there. >> We we did consult with um some of our uh bus trainers and looking at the routing who are used to the routes and um yeah, it it's a longer ride. I I would admit because I'm used to that area a little bit and coming across between 460 and 221. uh bus driver thought we could do it with within our current constraints of how long a bus rides. It wouldn't be much longer than what we've got right now. Um doesn't mean that one bus would pick up everybody along the road. They would split it up to make sure it wasn't too long. >> But when we were picking this, we had him there the whole time and making the decisions of where we would cut the line and that's some of
095the cleanup up at the top too because of bus routes making more efficient. So, we kind of, you know, took that into consideration, what what they thought was doable. >> And you're right, four kids, you know, if we're not going to do a huge plan, it may not be worth disrupting those four, you know, for just a little bit. I think we were trying to equal out capacity as much as possible. Well, and the forest zone, if you look at it, it's it's that right now, like it's that whole bottom section and then it goes up into that where those arrows are. It's the oddest shaped thing. It's kind of like >> hourglass. >> Yeah, it's like an hourglass. It's like this. It's a very odd shaped zone. >> And I know you is that
096up uh like Charlemont, that sort of area. Yeah, if you go to the >> road sign, if you go Hold on a second. I've got them here. The ones, [Applause] >> the ones that move to Otter River are actually Elk Valley, Old Sciffax Road, and Perry Lane. And then the ones that move to Boonboro are Scarlet Lane, Grassy Mountain Lane, and Tabernacle Lane. So that's just four students. >> Yeah, it's four moving to Otter River and four moving to Boonsboro. And that was really from uh the bus lead saying this is causing us problems right now. Could we move could since we're shifting >> could we clean this up? >> Transportation. >> Clean the transportation up. >> You have comments or questions? I mean, I I totally get Mr. S. Hill's point. Um, maybe we
097don't need to do something over there in New London, but um there are things that need to be done and um money, I don't think we're going to be getting a lot of it to be honest. So, needing extra teachers because we have larger classroom sizes is is is tough to do. um needing extra teachers because we have odd classroom size. So, we have a very small school that has extra teachers for small that's also tough in the budget um to deal with. Um we're here now and I think we can make some good decisions. Um that's what we're here for uh to do. Um, I remember we have not acted several times on things that I feel like we should have acted on and they're very tough and we haven't and then we end
098up spending $2 million on projects and different things that we quite frankly do not have. Um, that being said, um, sometimes making small adjustments may be the may be the way to go. I can be swayed on on anything to see what the best thing is because I don't what I don't know is what I don't know. So, I'm I'm I'm open to listen to any suggestions here. I will say that it is a good idea that if someone is is zoned for the Liberty Zone and they're going to Otter River, um it would make sense to go to the Liberty Zone. Now, I know we did not discuss that, but if we're moving a bunch of kids over there to a school that we're already at 50 something%, that doesn't that also does make
099a lot of sense without having someone other other kids to kind of move in there. So, I just I I definitely am wrestling with a couple of different concerns, but I don't think doing nothing is the answer. We've done nothing for a while, and I don't think it's gotten us anywhere. So, I like the I like the thought process on it. I I think it just everything sort of needs a little bit more discussion. I think that the the TJ moves, I think, makes sense. I think cleaning up the bus routes makes sense. I understand what you're saying with New London, like, well, maybe we don't need to move because the projections aren't there. >> And I'm not saying we never need to move. >> Yeah. But I would say with with the way it
100is currently drawn up, I don't like that map. >> Um I don't know that it g gains us bus efficiency or gains us any real movements that we need, you know, to alleviate. The concern in New London is not the Blackwater area or the, you know, right button up against Hules. The concern in New London is we've got three large developments >> starting to break ground. Um, I don't know that it's going to affect next school year, but it's going to affect a school year. >> Sure. >> Um, and so I think I'm I'm with you. Let's clean up bus routes. Let's move. You know, if you got the left side of the street going to one way and the right, let's change that. Let I mean, let's make some of those. >> The friends
101are the friends are like, well, you go to this school, I go there, right there. That happens somewhere, of course. >> Yeah. >> Not in the middle of >> I'm good with making common sense moves. I just think some of these larger moves that are going to affect, you know, families for a long time coming is one of those things of, you know, and all these are going to affect families to one extent or the other. >> The other concern I have with Otter River, which I've I've I've heard it from people in District 7, and I and I get it. We've got a good school there. We have capacity. some of these moves that we then decide to make. All of a sudden, we're at 96% capacity and you don't have a bus loop
102that's big enough to accommodate parents and you got nowhere really to to put it. So, if you had to lay out where everybody is in this county now and say and we didn't have any schools and say where would you put schools, there's a there's a lot of the schools we have would not be in the in the locations where they are. But that being said, we don't have a billion dollars to build new schools in this spot. So, we want them. So, we have to kind of be smart. I you know so I'm still you know maybe that's the way do you see any other way to um pull kids from New London some is there no breakup >> changes I would like to make a few comments >> okay >> um so I
103want to address a couple things that's been said um do we make changes absolutely this has been a can that this board for the last 10 years has kicked down the road and it's time to get some results It's time for change. It's time to make it happen. You got to rip the band-aid off and you got to make a plan to this board. I've asked you for over a year and a half to make this decision. So, this is nothing new. Nothing new. I asked you back in May to make this decision. I wanted to make it happen in August. Here we are in September and we're talking about not making a decision yet again. I I just think that's uncalled for, you know. Yes, I'm leaving come December, but I'm concerned for this
104board and this county school systems. Money is not something that you have a lot of. And so, you've got to use the resources that we have today. And this is making a plan because unfortunately, the other two areas are not growing. The forest zone is growing. And so, we have got to be prepared for these students who are coming. Yeah, the numbers may change. They may shift, but it's coming. And so I personally walk in Forest Elementary School, and I know some of you have toured it with me. That's a definite change. Is it to say, "Yeah, you know, it's unfortunate that we need to move students from New London to Otter River or from Boonesboro." I I get it. It's a change. I remember when we took kids from Forest Elementary and shipped them
105to Boonboro. You would have thought that was the end of the world, but it was a necessity that needed to take place. I urge this board to take action. Now, I think that we look at this plan and if we want to grandfather current students in, then we say if you're currently attending this school K through five and you want to finish out your years and even if you've got family who want to f, you know, if you've got siblings that they're at the same time and they want to finish out, that's language that we can use. But to me, we've got to make decisions to say this is what's best for forest in order to move forward. And so we continue to kick this can down the road. And I just don't think that's
106the right thing. I know Mr. Hill asked, is this something that this board should be deciding? I can certainly tell you if I was a new board member coming in, I would want the current board to make the decision. So, I can outplay and say, "Hey, this is what the you know, the decision that was made and we move forward." So, I I I get it. Um, but I can tell you that it doesn't matter who's sitting in District 4 seat. When I make a decision, it is for the benefit and the best thing of Bever County Schools and Forest. And I would hope that whoever that is in in my seat would make that same decision. So I don't think that changes from December to January. And so I think our teams again, this
107is like the second or third rendition of what they've brought to us and we've asked for changes and we've said no, no, yes, yes. Um I forgot the number of hours that this executive team has sat down and looked at bus routes and tried to figure out what is the most efficient way to do what we've asked. Um the second thing, another thing I'll add is that mobile unit at Otter River, it should have been moved five years ago. I I have no desire to put any of our kids in a mobile unit. Um, and so especially when we've got schools at 40 and 50% capacity, it makes no sense. Um, and so that's my comment. You know, I I personally, and I'm one of seven, I get it. I think we need to move
108forward with this plan. It's advertised. We do public comments. It doesn't mean we can't tweak onesie twoosies if that that feedback comes back. But I do think that the the the action should be that we consider grandfathering in those changes. You know, for students who are there, families who are there who, you know, have started K through five or fourth, fifth, let them finish. But, you know, looking at five years and 10 years out, this is the best plan to do for the current situation that we're in. I'm going to remind everyone sitting at this table, we asked for $4.2 million. We got $1 million. Money is not coming your way. Period. It's not. As a board, we made decisions to try to um recruit students to be county. And I don't want to use
109the word recruit, but to say, "Hey, we're available. We have um space in our Stanton River area. We're, you know, we've got another school that we chose not to do anything with last year. By the way, it cost us an average of $850,000 a year to run a school that is not even near capacity. Again, you're not getting additional funds. So, I just I think it's the best thing to do is we've got to rip the band-aid off. We got to stop kicking the can down the road. We've got to make decisions that's best for our zones. Forest Middle, New London, they're at the sinks. I mean, and I get it. Yes, we have classroom space, but you got a cafeteria, you got a library issue, and we all talk about how the extracurricular things
110that our students are doing, we want them to be able to have space and to do it. So, that's my comments before we go and try to change this plan. So, I don't know if anyone's interested in moving forward or if you still want to have that conversation to that. >> Absolutely. >> Um I I appreciate where you're coming from, Mr. Hill, but if we rely on the next board to do this, we may get no more traction. We may get less traction. in making that known. If we don't do something now, it's it's going to prevent us from doing something later. Because to follow along what Mr. Hill is saying here is that we need to make we need to do this one and when we're done with this one, they'll kill me, but
111we need to make another tough decision. >> Yeah. and and there needs there there really is when you look at this as a whole there's probably two to three tough decisions that need to be made and and I don't want to put any fear out there right now but they they're right when the money's not there and um we don't have the ability to go put capacities in buildings so to me I think we we we h we need to do something now so that we can then prepare for phase two phase phase one's not going to cut Mhm. >> If we went with this proposed plan, the only way we really could do that to alleviate the then now other side of the pressure on Odd River would be to look at moving those
112kids into the Liberty Zone. >> Correct. >> No, because the 96% capacity includes students coming in from a new development. That's not there. Now at that point then you could say we're going to move students from Otter River to their Liberty Zone. So making this decision does not put you over capacity at Otter River. They're telling you upfront there is a planned development >> but again I want to avoid the mobile unit and then we also have capacity at the other two elementary schools primary and elementary school that could move those students from river to that area. >> Got it. I will say if the board would like us to reook at that 460 corridor, I I would welcome the representatives who live in that area to come meet with the exact team. If you
113you know, you travel the roads, you know them. Um I I feel like our Forest Elementary is so simple and so easy right there with the whole TJ. Um, well, we could also reook at that and bring something back next month. The other thing, the policy on zone transfers and redistricting that's going to come forward tonight allows us to make individual decisions for schools based on what they need. So to address that issue of people who've bought their homes, um you know, we could grandfather those children in but make the announcement to anyone coming in that if you move into this area moving forward, you're going to be going to Otter River, things like that. Um so that gives us some flexibility. So I I think there is some flexibility. I'm happy for any suggestions
114if if you think there's a better cut or a better way. And I think it also may help if you allow us to not just think about keeping everything in the forest zone, but if there's some I mean there's some families who are going to New London who are actually closer to B Elementary. So there are other things that we could look at if the board wishes. >> Couple of questions. Do do those numbers that that you showed us tonight reflect the uh the current zone transfers, the 114 that are already in place? >> Yes. Yes. >> So there may be a large portion of those people who say I'm going back to my zone. >> Um so those those numbers create some additional flux. >> And I did look at specific zone. We've had
115those at New London and Forest Elementary closed for a while, but we do have um about 10 zone transfers at New London and 10 zone transfers at Forest Elementary um that have been allowed through time because it was low class sizes. >> But but this policy would not change the zone transfer. Every every school would then have capacity. Correct. >> Correct. I think the only thing you have to think about is if right now you were to say this is going to happen for Forest Elementary and then we then allow everyone we're saying is moving to TJ to do a zone transfer request and we approve it. We're back to the same. I think that's what the board has to think about. >> Well, but you you wouldn't approve to go over capacity. I apologize.
116Go ahead. I believe that that the the policy that the IG looked at gives allowance for those things and veto power by the superintendent to to nyx zone transfer requests that go against the reasonzoning. Um so I I think those things all need to be considered. It also allows for the grandfathering. Right? If you are happy where you are and your kids are in that school, keep them there because, you know, we're we're not looking at an immediate crunch. We're also looking at Dr. Trosper's uh information tonight. You know, why do we see dips in these numbers? A lot of it is because of instability. And a lot of that instability is overcrowded classrooms. um you know, we're not seeing that in the in the Thomas Jefferson zone, but we're seeing uh instability causing ripples
117in those numbers. Um I've been on the board now almost two years and I've seen the can being kicked and uh I agree that we need to do something. Um and what's what's on the table is I think a good a good option. I'd like to just say >> y >> um I'd like to just say that the best way to save money is zone transferring um not smoke transfer sorry redistricting um and I think that that would gain some respect as well from um the u board of supervisors and hopefully they can see that we're doing all we can. Um, however, I did have a question and that is I know that the trend has been um for for um people to go to homeschooling or other alternative schooling and I think the trend
118is coming back to the public schools but or is it continuing to to go away from public schools? That's that's the thing I I didn't know what it was at Bedford County. >> Um I don't have the specific numbers in front of me. I do know that we've had a lot of families coming back from homeschool and and I'm talking about the families who um not people who are are homeschooling and have a a true belief that that's the best way to um educate their families. These are people who left during the pandemic for fear. um some who were trying to you know avoid truency and we're getting those kids back and we're seeing a little bit that now they're behind so we're going to have to put some extra resources there. We are seeing
119a little bit of a trend of kids coming back from our private schools around us too and I'm not sure why that is but it could be the cost and just the economy. I don't know. But >> do we have >> I got to have somebody say what they want. I can't >> I've got I don't know if I don't want to make an official motion yet, but >> hold on one second. We're not looking for a motion. Correct. We're looking for consensus to >> It is entirely your call, Mr. Chairman. I know you and I have discussed consensus recently. >> Um it has always been the practice of this board to accept consensus by majority even though that's not technically correct um procedure according to Robert's rules. Again, your call because it's been the
120practice board. >> If you want it to be a vote so that there's no question of, >> you know, legitimacy, um then I would suggest someone making a motion to suspend the rules and be very specific. make a motion to suspend the rules for the purpose of taking a or making taking action on the redistricting plan or however you want to word it, but the motion to suspend rules has to be very specific to that and then a motion would have to be made whatever to move forward to put a you know full stop whatever the motion is. >> Thanks. >> I think that we have a few things that we haven't clarified. One is not having the um outer river the extra building >> the trailer. So you're going to have to adjust something
121there. >> Not at this time. >> No, not at this time. >> And this doesn't mean this is the exact plan. What we're trying to say is we are ready to move forward with zone changes. >> We still have to make a public um what's the word I'm looking for, Miss Johnson? on the hearing >> for those who are impacted. So if we decide to move forward, any parent child who are impacted in these changes will receive letters from our executive team saying you will be impacted with the proposed changes. We will do a public hearing. After we have that public hearing, any changes that we recommend that we want to see in our plan before we take action, we can then say we make a motion to do this with these exceptions or these
122changes and then we take a vote and move forward. What I'm trying to do is we have to move something forward so we can start making decisions because what's going to happen is we're going to get to November, December, January, we're going to say, "Well, it's too late to do anything. Let's kick it down the road one more time. And so that's what I'm trying to support. So just because we're moving this forward, we could come back and say that little line that Mr. Esel talked about at the bottom of the New London area, that could be something that we make a proposed change based on public hearing of that is the right thing to do. This is a plan again that our team has spent hours on and made a proposal based on capacity
123requirements that we've asked them to do based on our current facilities. That's that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to move forward. >> So I ask her to put that slide back up because you can accept it as the proposal that we brought or you can make your own recommendations tonight. then that goes to as I understand public hearing and then you can come back and tweak it again and then give us but but what we need is to be able to by November say okay here's the accepted plan it's been through it's been through the you know parent feedback it's been through all of the scrutiny and then we move so tonight you either say you're going to do nothing which I hear you saying is not let's don't kick it down the
124road again or come up with some better solution if you don't choose number one. >> Mr. Chairman, if I can just share with you if the if the goal is to take action like an official vote by the October meeting, um then I was assuming the board would want to hold a public hearing at JF because that's the zone that we're mainly talking about. It does not have to be JF, but just in preparation for that, I did reach out and get the availability of their auditorium. They are only available 2 weeks before the October meeting. One of those weeks um does not give us by law, we have to provide 7 days notice. So, if the board were decide were to decide tonight that we want to hold this public hearing and we want
125to do it before the October meeting and we want to do it at JF, one of those weeks that they're available does not give us that time that we need. So, it would have to be the week of September 22nd. If we want to do it at JF and if you wanted to do it before the October meeting, a lot of ifs, but I want you to have all the information. Now, we could do it here anytime before the October meeting. >> Yeah. I mean, it's up to this board. I mean, to me, it makes sense to have it at JF since it's in there. >> There's not going to be enough room here for sure. >> No. >> Yeah. And then here would just be Yeah. >> Yes. You'd be definitely be limited on
126space here and the larger venue at JF. And it's like I said, the majority of the families, you know, are in that zone. That's the zone we're talking about. So, >> so September 22nd is the date we would need to have. >> No, sir. The week of September 22nd. Any day that week. >> Oh, any day that week. Yes, sir. Just the week of September 22nd. The 22nd is the Monday. >> So that's in two weeks >> and we have to give a 7-day notice. >> So So just to clarify, we're going to present as is to everyone. >> That's if you want to make decision. >> Yeah. That's if we want to make a decision >> and then we can change things later. >> We can. Yes. So we we need to push it
127forward tonight. If that's what this board chooses, we have to have seven days to advertise a public hearing, which Miss Johnson has told us it needs to take place the week of September 22nd based on availability at Forest or Jefferson Forest High School, which I I think that's where it should be since it's in that zone. Then based on feedback and comments, emails that we receive and I encourage the board when you get information, our executive team is available between now and the next meeting. So don't wait until the next meeting to ask questions to get those questions answered or clarified. And then as a board at our October meeting, we will make a motion based on whatever changes we want to make to the plan that we're moving forward to say these are the
128details of our plan. We vote on it, we take action, and it starts to be uh implemented by our executive team for next August of 2026. >> What about the part about possibly sending some of them to the Liberty Zone? That's not that's not an option at this point unless we come back in October and we say you know what we want to go ahead and send all students from you know but we would have to then hold a public hearing for those students correct >> that's phase two >> that would be phase two so >> but it's not a capacity issue at this point for Otter River >> but the but the students at Otter River from the Liberty zone are zone transfers at this point That was an election. >> There are some
129that are zone transfers, but there are 42% and my percentages may be off that are in the Liberty zone who attend Otter River as their elementary school in GIS >> by choice. >> That's the way we have it set up. Okay. >> Yes, sir. So, if I could just say I think um so my thinking about notifying parents and things like that, I think we want to be very specific and be able to show them on a map exactly what we're thinking. I think we also have to be ready to tell them what we're going to do about grandfathering or not grandfathering and we still have that policy to pass. I I think also if if we move forward, I would like to send letters to those like mail letters to those families, not just
130depend on them to get that information on our website or whatever. So I'm I'm I'm not sure September may be rushing yet for the public hearing when I think October would be just I'm just thinking about right now we don't really have an answer about what we want to do about grandfathering in >> what are we going to tell parents in a letter to come to the public hearing >> because what we're what we're saying and sorry to interrupt >> no >> is we're saying in sometime between 11 and 15 days we're going to have a meeting to discuss a major disruption. We got to mail letters which I'm assuming takes if we're mailing out tomorrow. Best case scenario they get them by Tuesday next week. >> Yeah. >> Is best case scenario >> if
131we mail them out tomorrow. Yeah. Which I doubt will happen like that. We got to go back in and list them all. >> Like we got work to do before. And so could we give them I mean I don't know what considered proper notice. >> We just need to we just need to give the public seven day by law. We need to give the public 7 days notice of a public hearing. And the reason those were the dates that I gave I checked with JF principal. Those were the only two weeks that the auditorium was available with with no issues. Um and that's why I say it could be here but it it just makes sense to have >> we also have forest metal. >> Could we do forest metal and maybe back it up
132too much? couple other options. >> I think we could do some others. >> I did not check with any other principles. Only check with >> with uh JF >> Forest Middle another option we have. >> There's also a cafeteria. It doesn't have to be in in the theater. I mean, >> and as far as the time and Mr. Hill, what you were asking, we have to do the 7-day notice. Um I was going off of the um the timeline where it had a vote for for a vote for this at the October meeting. So we needed to have that hearing before the October meeting. So that that was the reason for >> when the you know the public hearing would would have been scheduled for >> Okay. >> No, I was just going to say
133and and we did that timeline. I I I feel confident that a month or two won't make that big a difference in the work we have to do in the spring because there's still a lot of work we need to do to I want to give parents accurate information and you accurate information. I don't want to be standing in a public hearing and someone say that's you gave us the wrong you know I just I want to be sure we've got it. Okay. >> So, you're suggesting that we postpone the public hearing until after the October. >> Um, I'm just saying October meeting or board meeting. >> I think it doesn't have to be after the October board meeting. I think it if we could get it earlier in October, give us a little bit
134more lead time. Um, I just don't want to feel like we're pushing you to rush because I think another even if it is after the October board meeting, it's not. >> If we were to vote in November instead of October for this, you would still get this board voting for it. And it would also give the staff and parents enough time to really review it because I mean I'm I if you're getting a letter in seven days, I don't know about you guys, but I've got soccer and karate and dance and you know it it's it's hard to to organize that in just a few days. >> So, Miss Johnson, if you if you will I'm thinking October 2nd or which is a Thursday night or October 7th, which is a Tuesday night. If you
135can check availability for any of the facilities in Forest area. >> Did you say the second and seventh? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> To seven. >> Okay. I will I will definitely check with JF. Um is is if we do it at forest middle per se, >> are we able to live stream it? >> Okay. We'll we'll check JF. We'll check other facilities. >> So a public hearing I'm just trying to understand. So it needs to be >> no meeting by law has to be live streamed. It's just always been the practice >> for years now and we have always done it. >> And are we saying that the hearing has to be like all of us up front or can it be you come in and we're having discussions looking at maps. >> It
136has to it's it's like you're set up like Ford. >> Okay. And then and then questions and showing etc. >> And the and the public hearing is like public comment. >> Okay. But they speak on that topic only. So the board does not interact. It's just for the public to be heard by the board. Okay. >> You could also do it on the board night. >> Yes. >> Do your regular regular public hearing public comment and then hold a public hearing that same night. We just move the location. >> I if if we're pushing to do that, there's no need to have two separate meetings, >> right? So, just have the public comment or public hearing on the next October board meeting night. And I mean, >> do we have a lot on the >>
137It depends on what the purpose of the hearing is. Is it to give the public a chance to vent their frustration or just they're asking questions, but they get no comment back? uh where is it for us to hear them so that we can make adjustments >> as being their representatives you know so >> also depending on how many people decide to show up we're either going to have we're not going to have enough room depending on >> can we have we're not having >> we would move the meeting to the >> be a very very long meeting if we're doing a board meeting and then that >> I mean it's okay I mean there there's no need to have two sep separate meetings. If we're pushing this out to November, we have one person
138here for public comment tonight. That's it took five or 40 minutes. So, you're great. Come. We want to hear. >> Well, we have other a lot of other things on the agenda. >> We don't have to. I mean, we can set the agenda. >> so that's what you want to plan on? Well, I'm I'm waiting to hear if that's what >> So, if I want to make a motion, it would be a motion to suspend the rules to allow a vote on the force registring >> consensus >> to allow consensus. >> No, to allow you both. Yeah. to allow a vote to >> of course redistricting presented on me. >> And I would even be more specific, sir, if you could as far as because you're not doing a vote on yes, we're approving it.
139My understanding from what the executive presented is a vote on proceed with changes >> possib >> based on feed feedback. Yes, that this is the only thing with suspending the rules motion has to be so very specific. >> Um so which whichever way you're leaning towards uh Mr. Daniels, however you want to make that motion, just as specific as possible. >> And then again, another motion has to be made to actually approve. You see what I'm saying? It's got to be two motions to get this one thing done. >> Well, it's just suspend the rules. Yeah. Yes, >> there is the motion >> correct. >> Suspend them. We have to unsuspend the rules. >> The rules. >> You don't have to unsuspend the rules. That's why you need the specificity in that motion then because
140that covers you. >> Okay. >> All right. I'm going to try it. >> Before you try. Um, do we also want to include in the policy change? Um, I know. >> No. >> That's lazy. >> We're going to vote on this tonight. >> Okay. Here we go. Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we suspend the rules um to proceed with possible feedback on the forest redistricting presented on May 8th, 2025. >> I have a motion by Mr. Daniels. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Have a second by Dr. Hubach. Any discussion? >> All those in favor signify by saying I. >> Any opposed? Nay. Miss Johnson, if you will. >> Miss Pedroan. >> Mr. Daniels. >> Hi. >> Mr. Mhill. >> Yes. >> Mr. Sill. >> No. >> Dr. Hubach.
141>> Hi. >> Mrs. Pervvis. >> Hi. >> The eyes have it, sir. >> All right. So, we had a motion that was approved to suspend the rules to be able to move forward with the redistricting as presented on May 8th, 2025. Do I have a motion? >> The same thing. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, what we just did was suspend the rules to be able to now make a motion to move forward with redistricting as presented with the potential to make possible changes based on the public feedback or public hearing that we're going to conduct at the next school board meeting on October >> 9. I'll second that. >> Yeah. And so what this allows is this allows our team to start communicating with impacted families to say we're having a hearing at this meeting on
142October 9th. It allows us to start getting emails, which we probably already started getting, which is great. And then we it the plan that was presented on May 8th is our starting. It it's it here's what the board here's what the executive team would like to move forward with. This is the information they've given us. We as the board can make tweaks and changes and that's what we're we're saying going forward. Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we uh they approve the plan for forestry district with potential changes um given uh feedback from from the public. at the October 9th meeting. >> At the October 9th meeting, >> M. Johnson, is that clear? >> That is That is good. >> All right. So, I have a motion by Mr. Daniels. Do I
143have a second? >> Second. >> All right. I have a second. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any opposed? >> No. >> Miss Johnson, if you will. >> Miss Pedroan. Yes. >> I'm sorry, ma'am. >> Thank you, Mr. Daniels. >> Yes, >> Mr. Mhill. >> Yes, >> Mr. Hill. >> No, >> Dr. Huba. >> Yes. >> Harvest. >> Yes. >> May the eyes have it again, Mr. Chairman. >> All right. >> Um, you know, before I move on, I just want to thank the executive team. I know you guys have heard this subject and you've worked long hours on it and uh I know there will be some changes um just based on public hearing, but I think it's the right thing for our county and for our
144district. So, uh you hopefully have what you need now to start that and start moving forward. And then we will have public comment on Thursday, October 9th, and we will make motions to then have something to deliver and approve at our November meeting. All right, let's see. Strategic framework 3.02. Mr. Dup here. Okay, I'm going to I'm going to give you a brief summary of this. So, we're not here all night long, but in uh 2022 23, the um school board passed or approved uh the strategic framework. Um that information was brought forth by stakeholders, division teams, and created and they created and wrote strategies and baseline data and all that good stuff. So, um what we're going to attempt to do here tonight is to make a change on goal four and we're going
145to add a fifth goal and I'll explain to you why. So if we go to the second slide, you'll see the four goals listed at the bottom. You'll see the vision building citizens promoting success and the mission. But goal number one is high expectations um which is based on academic uh expectations and support for all our students to attain those those uh obtain those expectations. Number two is safe and supportive learning environment and that really talks about the safety of the campus. It gives the kids not only the comfort of being uh physically and emotionally safe but it also collaborates with things like the sheriff's department and those kinds of things to give us a safe campus. The third is a high quality workforce and that is hiring uh good teachers and also retaining good
146teachers. And so there's some discussions that need to go on. I know we talked about it tonight, but there are discussions that need to go on with the board of supervisors about how important it is that we get our uh teachers up to grade. Also, it it goes into professional development and a lot of different things that train our teachers. And I think Dr. Trosper's talked a lot about that tonight. How do we get our kids to move to that next level? And the fourth goal, which we um which is mutually supportive of partners, that's okay. Um again, I'm going to breeze through this. Um, we're changing that in the future to family and community partnerships and we're changing the wording of that to include uh the student well-being. And the reason that I think
147that this has come about is because of the conversations I've had on in 53 SWAT. Um, I mentioned it last year. I had to slow down a little bit because of we were getting ahead of of the county on mental health. Um and that is huge and and um Mr. Tucker has done an invaluable job of preparing teachers and uh eventually well administrators and teachers on what we're looking for. How do you identify a mental health issue? um there's a lot still to be done there and so but I commend to him for I I watched the the the presentation in the summer with with principles was just outstanding and and so that's kind of the refocus of that is after listening to all of the people and all of the counselors we do have
148a mental health crisis with our kids in certain areas it's bigger in some areas than others but we need to make that as part of our goal so you'll see the changes there family and community partnership um is the new title there and student well-being is one of the new phrases. So when you go to the next slide, the fifth goal that we're adding in really talks about resources, effective and use of resources, efficient and we had no place in the original first four goals to identify those four things uh on the annual, you know, the significance of the annual budget and and in in collaborating with the strategic plan, creating and maintaining a long-term capital improvement plan. and number three, um, exploring cost-saving opportunities. And number four, advocating with state and local representatives to
149fully, uh, fund the mandates that are given to us. So, you're going to, you're going, this is moreformational tonight. You're going to at some point in time, uh, come back and vote on the these changes. Um, and so we just we wanted to be prepared and and explain to you the differences, why those differences occurring. And and then lastly, I would say because we promised you this last year, but here we are revamping it. Um, I believe I made a crass comment. You know, if we don't do anything, if we just put it on the board and we don't do anything with it, it's not that valuable. And and so it's not. Um so what we're committed to doing is making it a live living breathing document and and so um this is the reason
150for the changes and um we will come back monthly to this board and give you updates or give you pieces of it like we'll spend one month on goal one and some of the strategies there another month goal two and some of the strategies there so that you actually understand what it is and if any of you need the document I know I made it um I I gave it to his purpose at one point if you need the docu document once we get these changes done that you can take home and read. It will explain all of the intricacies of what is underneath that small print there that you really can't see, but you can see it on your screen. Um, so that's our goal is to make this a breathing document, >> a
151living document. >> Okay, >> questions, comments. >> Good. Thank you. And just to be clear, we are asking for action on the goals because that is approved. Not tonight. >> Yes, we'll come back. >> But at next month so that we can add that make that change. >> Okay. And that's why I'd say if any of you want the document, I think do we have it electronically for them? >> It is on board docs. >> It's on board doc so you could look at it. I know those revisions are being made but >> you could look at it. >> Make a lot of revisions to goal five until we know that you're okay with approving it. Correct. Uh there's not an in-depth document for that one yet. Sorry. >> I think No, that's okay. I
152think you'll be excited once we start breaking this down as to how it applies to the progression academic progression of our kids and the safety of our kids and the keeping and retaining good staff. I I'm just I I would go from school to school and even today at Bedford Elementary, it was grandparents day there for one grade. And to hear the grandparents speak about their child or grandchild's teacher uh in the cafeteria today is a it's a blessing. We have a lot of good teachers and we need to make sure that we support them as they move these kids. So, when you say it's a living, breathing document, does that mean that you're going to be putting together some kind of rubric to see if you're achieving these goals or >> when you do
153a school improvement plan, you put you put um your strategies, put action plans of dates on them usually >> and so you'll want to see things being accomplished >> and they'll be noted as you know. Now, I mean that's still to be tweaked as we go through this >> more more specific goals and then see for each school or or what are you thinking how >> uh it's generally for the whole population of schools but it could be enforced differently at different levels. I think the key right now, like the copy I gave you, those four pages, if you just understand those four pages, you'll see the the strategies and you'll see some of the actions. We got to make them real. It's not to say that we haven't, but you have to put dates
154on them at some point. >> Any other questions? 3.03 2627 school calendar. Dr. Woodford. Um, so you'll see loaded on board docs is a draft calendar for the 2627 school year. Um, for those of you who've been on the board, you know, uh, the before we did last year's calendar or I guess this year's calendar, we had a calendar committee who got input from schools and we really, um, made some, I think, significant changes and improvements to the calendar and we went um with that flexibility from the state to do 990 instructional hours versus 180 days. Um this calendar is built just like this year's calendar. Um work days for teachers at the end of every nine weeks to do grades and to um get those report cards ready. Also embedded professional development days. Um
155we also have a conference day. Um our Thanksgiving holiday, the two weeks at Christmas. Um, and I think the biggest is that um, professional development day, the day after the Super Bowl in February. I can't believe I was actually looking up the Super Bowl for 2027. Um, but we also have honored the two virtual work days that the board has asked us to give teachers. Um, you'll notice that we're we're starting later next year. That's because Memorial Day falls at the end of the month. So, Memorial Day is on May the 31st. So, graduation is on May the 29th. Um, the last couple of years we've felt like we've started back so early in August. That's because Memorial Day has been pushed up. So, people will be excited, I think, to know we're going to
156start August 19th with the first day of school. Um, which is again a Wednesday start, which I heard a lot of positives about. They got the kids in, got things settled. we got and then we had the weekend to readjust and get ourselves back together. Um, so I'm just giving you this for information. I'm happy to answer any questions. Um, and just asking for a vote next month. >> I have one question. Um, >> and this is very much a recency bias thing. >> Okay. >> Um, open house it's 3 to 7. I I know it used to be longer. Mhm. >> Was there a rationale for that? And then >> honestly, it the rationale was so that teachers from 12 to 3 could go see their children's teachers instead of leaving when parents were
157coming. Um, honestly, it for me it could go either way. have um if the board would rather, we could do a time where teachers go see their kids' teachers the day before or we just do what we did in years past and just allow them to leave and then parents come and sometimes they know like there might be a sign on the door. Um so I I think uh some people liked it a lot. Some people um felt like the parents were rushed through. So I I'm flexible. >> I know if you've got different at different schools, four hours is a stretch. Yes. >> I mean, I've got just my two at one school and you know, obviously take that long, but I would imagine I got some of the feedback of, hey, I've got
158some of the elementary school, some of the middle school. It's hard to >> hard to get everywhere. Yeah, I I would not I I'm happy to change it back to 12 to 7, and then we just allow teachers to go when they can, and that's that's fine. >> I don't have a strong opinion on that. I just wanted to know the answer. >> No, I think it's good feedback. I think we heard some of that too where people were kind of a little uncertain and yeah so >> your negative feedback will be I I went to the classroom and the teacher wasn't there because the teacher jumped over to primary to see their ch child and then jumped back to you know elementary. So that's the negative of it. Would everybody like for me to
159make that change to 12 to 7? I think it's a small change. I do think it it helps parents out, >> you know. >> Yeah. >> If you were to change it back to 12 to 7 for open house for that teacher work day, could we be flexible on the third or or a different day before school starts, maybe the 18th that allows teachers to then take their kids to meet their teachers the next day? Or could we split it to where maybe we don't do 12 to 7, we do 2 to 7 or 1:30. You know, still allowing that time and just shortening that time just a little bit. >> What I don't want to do is take away from our teachers who are parents. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> You know, they should have
160an opportunity to be able to go and meet their teachers, but we also want our teachers to be in the classroom when their students are coming as well. So, >> I I kind of like the 12 to two or either 11 to two for teachers maybe and then the 2 to 7 for parents given five hours. Would that be a >> that works >> that way that you know when the teachers do the class like you've got your classroom ready you're kind of ready for the day to meet kids and stuff. It's hard to do another day too. So I like the maybe just giving a little bit more time on the parents. I think especially if we can push it back to 11 for the uh you know coming on that >> I'll work
161on that and put a new >> draft up. >> Any other questions on the school calendar? >> All right. 3.04 uh 2627 board budget calendar. Mr. Hagen. >> Yes. In front of you is a recommended calendar for adopting the budget for next year. Uh the finance committee, budget and finance committee uh uh reviewed this uh with staff. Uh it is going to be a longer session next year because uh with the election coming in and this will be a brand new bianual budget. So for they're going to be setting a budget for the next two years after this. They usually are in session a little bit longer. Um so I probably will not have very good data. The the data I'll start with is with the outgoing governor and then there could be a lot
162of changes depending on election and what that budget can look at at the state. the state is the biggest driving factor of our budget. Um we get most of our money from there. So the recommendation is uh in front of you. Uh we'll bring this back at the next meeting for uh for discussion or for vote. Um we have public comment in there. And uh we're looking at probably late February superintendent's proposal and then coming back the following week for the board to have one week to look at it and then adopt a preliminary budget to send over to the county in early March. I've already uh talked to the staff at the county and basically this this calendar works for them, too. >> Any questions? >> All right, we just started the year and
163we're working on the budget for next year. >> Sounds good, sir. Uh 3.06 policy updates. Mr. Deair, >> I think we skipped a calendar there. >> Board meeting calendar. My apologies. Uh Mr. Deair, >> um you have before you a um school board calendar. You'll notice uh location is all at the school administration office in here. The reason for that is because Susie G is being used by both Liberty and uh Stanton River for their theater productions and any other productions that they have. So, we don't have the ability, well, we would, but we'd have to literally have them not be set up in those uh months, those quarterly months. So we've elected to go back to this for for the one year and do presentations for recognition. So any other questions policy updates Mr.
164Deir there are about seven policy for information. Um, on August 26th, the IG met and reviewed the following proposals. Uh, DJ small purchasing policy updated to reflect amendment to state law regarding small purchase amounts not requiring competitive sealed bids or competitive negotiation. Number two, GCL professional staff development prof policy updated to reflect amendment to state law to specific or to specify the type of professional development we provide in implementing the Virginia IEP, removal of an outdated dead uh deadline provision, expectations of non-academic training activities for teachers, and changes to wording to maintain consistency with all other policies. The third policy I A instructional goals and objectives policies updated to reflect amendment to state law complying with Virginia Literacy Act and incorporate the passport program and college and career planning. Uh number four, I IG A
165career and technical education policy update to reflect amendment to state law to include details regarding top professions in Virginia as part of each student's academic and career plan and the specifications of industry recognized credentials that are accepted as substitutes for certain credits required for high school graduation consistent with the uh list developed and maintained by the Virginia Board of Education. ation as part of college and career access pathways and partnerships. Number five is a combination IG AE and IG AF uh health education physical education policy update to reflect amendment of state law requiring BCPS to provide students with health and instruction and physical training as prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education and approved by the Virginia Board of Health. Health instructions cover comprehensive health including mental health, well-being, stress management, and the importance of
166seeking help. It may also include prescription drug safety and menstrual education. Additionally, JOTC participate participants. They fulfill 9 to 12 physical education requirements and BCPS offers in-person and virtual hazing prevention instruction for 9th and 10th graders. Lastly, the policy edits include language to convey that recess for K to5 students cannot be time on Chromebooks or devices, but rather physical activity. Number six is uh excuse me IGBA programs for students with disabilities policy updated to reflect amendment to state law that the school board designates a facility member to serve as a special education parent child liaison who serves as a resource to parents and guardians and families. three words information about diplomas for students with disabilities to be clear and changes uh to wording to maintain consistency consistency with all other policies. And the last JFCG
167cell phones and or personal electronic communication devices policies are policy Oh, thank you. Policy updated to reflect amendment to state law regarding specific instances when cell phones and or personal electronic devices, communication devices can be possessed and used on school property. Who is responsible for implementation and enforcement and disciplinary actions related to this policy? Right. Any questions on those policies? And again, that'sformational and we'll take action on those next month. Um action item 6.01 RFP for Stant River High School and Liberty High School HVAC bid. Mr. Haggler. >> Yes. Um on our CIP plan scheduled for next year to begin next year. Will probably take two summers to get this done. Talk to the uh facility committee. Um we had a study done on both of those schools. Um I heard profit looking at what
168we need to do for those HVACs. It is a complicated changeover affecting multiple buildings underneath the roof getting into HVAC units and the controls. They have that study done. It is included in the RFP. We're requesting the board to issue this RFP tomorrow and bring it back to facility committee and the full board for approval later I think in the December meeting I believe. So this would be put out and advertised um on the state web state state website on our website and also on uh we put it out on Facebook and notify people that this is out there. So I have a motion to present the RP for Stant River High School and Liberty High School HVAC bid. >> So moved by Mr. S. Hill. Do I have a second? >> Second by Mr.
169Daniels. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed. All right. Mr. Haggler, you have your approval. 6.02. Approval of policy JCD. Mr. Deair. >> This policy is up for info and action. Tonight, the IG committee met on August 26 to review proposed revisions to the policing following policy. JCD school zone transfer proposed edits include the addition of language to require the superintendent or the superintendent's design to develop and implement administrative procedures to guide the redistricting process for schoolboard review and approval. All right. I have uh do I have a motion for the approval of policy JCD as presented last month? >> So moved. >> I have a motion by Mr. Daniels. Do I have a second? >> Second by Mr. S. Hill. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by
170saying I. I. Any opposed? Policy JCD is approved. 6.03 3 approval of family life curriculum. Dr. Trosber. >> Yes. So, I presented information last week. The only there's one change that was sent in a board memo on August 27 uh based on feedback from the CPO committee. We just added some information about potential risk associated with pornography use. And also there we emphasized there was some information uh talked to students about sexing um and and so we freedom 424 in communication with them. They they will make sure in their training they'll emphasize those. So, um, again, the summary is in a board memo of those changes, but other than that, it's the same as what I presented. >> So, I have a motion to approve family life curriculum as presented with the changes that Dr.
171just discussed. >> So, moved. >> Dr. Hubach. Do we have a second? >> Second by Miss Pervis. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Okay. 6.03 is approved. Do I have a motion to go into close session? >> Mr. Chair, I make a motion that we go into close session uh pursuant to Code of Virginia 2.2-3711A1237 for one discussion, consideration, or interviews of prospective candidates for employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salaries, disciplining, or resignation of specific employees of Bever County Public Schools. Two, for the discussion or consideration of admission or disciplinary matters or any other that would involve the disclosure of information uh contained in scholastic record concerning any student of any um of any public institution or higher education in the Commonwealth or any in any state
172school system being students number 091125A and number 091125B. Three, for the discussion of the acquisition of real estate prop uh real property for public purpose or the disposition of publicly held real property where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body. Seven, for the uh for consultation with legal counsel and briefings by staff members or consultants pertaining to actual or probable litigation where such consultation or briefing in an open meeting would adversely affect the negotiation or litigating posture of the public body. >> Did you want to repeat the mic on? >> So I have a motion by Mr. Daniels. Do I have a second? >> I don't have to have a second by Mr. S. Hill. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying
173I. I. Any opposed? We are in close session. >> I was choking off. I don't know. >> I know. I don't know why I wrote it down. >> Big deal. >> Thank you. I appreciate it. A lot of work. I >> have a motion to come out of close session. >> So move. >> Have a motion by Dr. Cubach. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Have a second by Mr. S. Hill. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? We are out of close session. If you will please certify the closed meeting, Miss Johnson. >> Where's the Beer County School Board has convened a closed meeting on this date pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote in in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act
174where section 2.2-3712, excuse me, 3712D of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by this school board that such closed meeting was conducted in conformed with Virginia law. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Bedford County School Board hereby certifies that to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which the certification applies, and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Uh do I have a motion or action on closed meeting? >> Uh Mr. Chair, I make a motion that we um uphold uh the recommendation for um student 091125A. >> You can do them together or separately. It's up
175to you. and also that we uphold the recommendation for student 091125B. >> So I have a motion by Mr. Daniels. Do I have a second? >> Second by Mr. S. Hill. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. I. >> Any opposed? Motion passes. Do I have a motion for the approval of the consent agenda? >> So moved. >> Have a motion by Mr. S. Hill. Do I have a second? >> Second by Mr. Daniels. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Consent agenda is approved. Matters from the board. Uh committee reports. We will start. >> No. Okay. Mr. >> Yeah, we we've not met this month. I think we're going to meet next month. Is that correct? Yes, sir. >> Yep. >> Purpose. Um
176the the governor school we are still working on um getting a um new I guess I call it a director for the the go school. We had some discussion back and forth about whether the board does it or the supervisors or superintendents do it. And so we decided to put together a hiring committee with two board members and three superintendents or their representatives. And so they are working on that. Right now the applications are at um Lynchburg City uh HR. They were they are going to use a rubric side and show us all of the information on that um as well as not just um the the committee but also the board members and the other supervis or superintendent um so that it's very transparent and then um we'll be choosing from there or the
177hiring committee will be choosing from there. So that's our status there. >> The board makes the final >> the board the they will the the uh hiring committee will bring a recommendation to the final recommendation to the board and then the board makes the final decision. Um then uh with the STEM academy, we went over our strategic plan and there was a part of it that um still had a lot of DEI stuff in it and I brought up the point that we could get sued for that. So we are in discussions on trying to work out um how to go forward and remove the DEI requirements for the STEM Academy. Um, I was assured very strongly that we are doing it based on merit, but that that DEI part of it is still in
178our strategic plan. So, they're going to be discussing how to how to remove that and what to do with that. And then CPO, we have >> Yeah, CPO met uh and we got an update from uh Miss Jennings on the special education indicator report that is an annual event. Um there were no real surprises there and um the some of the preliminary data that you all heard earlier this evening. Um I think the most exciting thing that we are doing is uh talking about strategic planning as to how to incorporate uh education of the parents of our students uh as to some of the uh the evils of cell phones for our kids and the ramping ADHD diagnosis and how those things are linked and uh really just educating the the parents uh how to
179be more involved and proactive with their kids. uh because I think we're going to see more results from our SOS from that than we do from uh any of the other minor tweaks that we do in the classroom. But um so that was exciting. And then IG met and we went over what we were introduced tonight. We meet again. Was it September 23rd? >> 23rd. >> 22nd. >> 22. >> Monday. Yep. Monday. >> Any other updates on yours? Okay. Um I am going to give a shout out for SEAK. Um they are looking for members and participants for all districts. Um but really pushing for representation in the Forest and Stanton River area. We have a um a good number participating from the Liberty Zone. Uh but really want to encourage um parents um who
180want information and need more information to get involved with that SEAK board um special education advisory council just in case anybody was wondering what that stood for. Um there are lots of activities that they do throughout the year. they're um you know wanting to make sure they can share information, look on their Facebook page. We do try to utilize the Bever County site um Bever County Public Schools site to advertise information about SEAK. Um we do meet uh and those meetings are advertised on our site of when we meet. We meet right here in this room. Uh so make sure you're looking at that. Um, I want to encourage parents to get involved. You know, we hear special requests or we hear things about IEPs and information. That's where you're going to learn what what's
181offered to you and and what what can and can't be done. I mean, so there's additional information u for that CAC. So, definitely get involved with that. Um, finance committee meeting is meeting again in October. We did not meet in September, but we will meet in October and uh we'll have more updates by October schoolboard meeting for that. All right. Uh comments and concerns from school board members. Dr. Hubot, we'll start with you. Um, I was able to participate this morning with uh for Patriots Day at Mont Vail Elementary School and that was great to see uh all the kids out there um are interested in being patriots. that is their their mascot name and um they uh were given a lot of education about uh 9/11 and uh the the historic events that happened
182and how um normal people rose to the occasion to um support their communities and to be active citizens and patriots of this country. And uh that was apppropo in in light of the uh assassination of Charlie Kirk last night who regardless of how you feel about his his personal beliefs was a great patriot uh who stood for the uh constitution and uh the rights that that gives us as Americans. and um he espoused the will to make a difference uh and to become involved and be a citizen. And Charlie knew the risks of the message that he brought and um he knew that that his life was on the line and reminded me of the words of Jim Elliott who was martyed in 1956 when he said he is no fool who gives up what
183he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose. And uh God bless Charlie Kirk's family. Uh our thoughts and prayers go out to him. Mine do. And uh uh he will be greatly missed. >> Um I wanted to say something about Charlie too because but from a a spiritual standpoint he I feel like was more than just um an assassination political assassination. He was a a Christian martyr. He shared the the love of Jesus. He shared the gospel. Many people came to know the Lord because of him. And um he used reason. He used um and he was always kind to people. Um even those who were very ugly to him, he was always kind and he's a good example of what what it means to be a Christian. And so I was very
184very upset to see him gone, but I I just want to challenge more and more people to be like him because um we need more people like him in this world. >> I just want to echo what what um board members have shared about Charlie. I think that that's it's definitely affected uh me. I I think that you know we get up here and we're in the public as well. We know a lot of people that are and you want to stand for your beliefs. Um, and if people have disagreements, that's okay to have disagreements. That's how sometimes you get to better answers, but you do things respectfully and you do things civily. And um, this is never the way that it's it's it's supposed to be. And um, he was getting young people involved
185in politics. And you don't if you want to change the direction of the country, we live in a country where you can do that, but you have to be involved in the process. and he encouraged people no matter what to be involved in the process. Um, so I I I certainly hope that continues. You know, prayers are with his family, his young family, with his kids and his wife. And just, you know, I'm sure that we're all going to be lifting them up and in our prayers. On September 11th, um, 2001, I was living in New Jersey um, at the time and where I lived in New Jersey, it was very close to there there was a lot of people would go to the city. Um, so we never called it New York City, just
186says to go into the city. And, um, where I worked, uh, the store that I worked at, there was a a bus like depot nearby, and it would take people to and from the city. And, you know, over the next couple days, it was very, it was very strange for me to look up in the sky, and I live in the tri-state area, and not see any planes flying around. It was eerie. It was eerie how quiet it was. Um, and a lot of those cars sat in that lot and uh, days and weeks would days would go by and nobody was there for those cars. Um, I had a cousin who was working at the World Trade Center um, was able to get was able to survive and get home but has never gone
187back to the city since. Um, it was it was scary. a guy I worked with, his dad was one of the last firefighters out and this was at a time cell phones didn't really work and he was working with me and I sent him home. I said, "Just go be with your mom." His dad was able to get out. We didn't find that out till till later, but it really was hitting close to home for a lot of us there. It it did for it did for everybody. But um there was a and it's so crazy to see how divided that we can be where people can uh do the things what would happen to Charlie. But for that moment on 911 2001 there we were united. It was a short period. You didn't know
188how long it was going to last but it does show that as Americans we can come together. Um, and I think that was the thing that kind of that came out of it for a while. And um, it's it's a shame that it takes some sort of tragedy um, for us to kind of realize that. But I would ask that it be on us to try to live that every day and um, and show what this country can be. I mean, we're working every day to try to make these schools better here in our our little community in in Bedford County, Virginia. And that little difference that we're trying to make makes a big difference. So I I think that we we have that responsibility and we need to take it seriously. That's all I
189got. >> Mr. I have no additional comment. >> Yeah. >> Just thank you for sharing what you uh well said about Charlie Kirk. I know millions are devastated and um so what you said in uh 911. Yeah. You must never forget. So it's important to keep sharing bring it out and encourage. I also echo everything that you guys said uh on on the two topics of Charlie and then also 911. Um there are a couple things um I did um with Dr. Hubac attend Montville Elementary this morning and um it was a special time and um it was good to see that lesson uh while we were remembering 911 but also talking about patriots but also showing that we're teaching about patriotism at our elementary school. So it it was good to see it firsthand
190and live. Uh I I also made a comment to uh to the staff this morning that I used to think that Liberty Middle School had the best view, but I'm not so sure that Montville may not be in the running for that. So, um beautiful campus and and the view which this morning was just amazing. So, um a couple things. Um you know, I want to make sure I bring it up. I've had side conversations, but I think it's important to address. I know there were some social media some slash comments made um from some of our teachers this week. And um I don't want to make light of it, but I want them to understand. I I saw it. I understand. I'm concerned, but I want to make sure that we as a team
191and our staff, you've got your eye on teacher morale, which I know you do. But again, I just want to call it out because it's important to understand what they're going through. They have a tough job. You know, I know that we as a team have state requirements that we have to make sure we're doing and we have to communicate. And so I want to make sure we're doing a really good job when we're delivering to our teachers. Here's why we're doing this or here's why this is coming down. And you know, we talked about it tonight about, you know, classroom sizes and and the implementations. I mean, I just want to make sure we're supporting and I know this board supports and and we're behind supporting our our staff, but I just want to
192make sure we're addressing because A lot of the teachers that I saw, they're seasoned teachers and they care. And and I'm not saying there's a teacher that doesn't care, but what I mean is when you see a seasoned teacher who has been around for a long time, and they're using terms like, I just don't know that this is my profession anymore, or I just don't know that this is what I want to be or what I want to do, or that I want to encourage younger people to do this. I know that's burnout, but I know they care enough because I learned a long time ago, those who say something are the ones who care. And so I don't want to ignore them. And I know you guys are already aware. I've talked to you
193about it. Made my concerns. But um I know a lot of those teachers watch. And so we hear you. We see you. Um you know, keep talking, keep sharing. Um and you know, I I get it. Chain of command. I heard you loud and clear. Um, but I want to make sure that, you know, we're maintaining and keeping our teachers because that's important. Um, so I didn't want to not mention that or say something. The other thing that I want to bring up is the concern about the policy from the coach at Liberty Middle School. Um, I would like to ask that the um, IG team take a look at our current policy. Um, and I know there were some dates given out tonight of we need to implement by certain >> urgency. Yeah. So,
194I just want to make sure the is looking at that. I didn't want the coach or the parent or parents who may have been listening to that to think that we didn't hear it or that we were ignoring it. So, u I would like IGA to take some urgency on that and and take a look to see what we can do. Um, that's all I had. So um do I have a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved. >> Have a motion by Mr. Daniels. Second. >> Second by Miss Pervvis. Any discussion? All in favor signify by saying I. >> I. Any opposed? All right. We are adjourned.