7-27-20 Groton Board of Education Meeting

001recording of the Zoom. >> Mark, we're record. Oh, yeah. I see we are recording. Okay, good. Yeah. Yes. >> Okay. >> All right. So, then I feel more comfortable than moving us on if that's possible. >> Okay. So, um it is my pleasure to call the board of education uh regular board meeting July 27th, 2020 to order and it's about 6:05. Now that I have done that, I realize um in looking at our agenda that the public portion of this agenda was inadvertently left off and um in order this is not a special meeting. So we can if we have twothirds vote, we can add that portion back into um our regular board meeting. And remember, this is our time um that we um do hear information from our con um from members of our

002community. Um and so I would entertain a motion that we add that right before um the student representative report. Um and so if people who are um can I have a second? Liz has seconded it. >> Lee. >> Okay. Thank you, Lee. Um, all those in favor, please just raise your hand. And this is the motion to just add public comment. So, it looks like we have full um cooperation on that. Um, so it has um so that will happen in a couple seconds. Thank you very much, everyone. >> Um, this is always the part that I never know how to run, but it's important to do the pledge of allegiance. And so, um, I am just wondering, Beth, if you would be willing to do that. Um, and, um, it's going to sound kind

003of choppy because we're all going to say it at the same time. Um, but if you can all join us, um, for the pledge of allegiance, please. I pledge althisible [Music] with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you, Beth, for leading us. I appreciate that. Um Dr. Grineer, I do not believe that this is the part that we have the recognition of of uh visitors and particip participants. Is that correct? >> That's that's correct. >> Okay, great. Um and so now >> we could do the comments. I know uh Mike Whitney uh sent a note and I I I have a note that he'd like to read a statement. >> Yep. Um I do know that she's there. Mark, um, how how do you and I how do how are we going to work

004that? Do you know um or am I just going to wait to to see or maybe if you are someone who is in the community that have has an interest in speaking if you could please put that in the chat screen then I would know um how to uh who is next. I do understand and Fran, I heard your voice earlier before we started. Fran, I do know that you have an interest in speaking, Mark. >> Um, I have a lot of people that it's just their phone number. If they hover over the camera, they can put their name in where their phone number is. It'll say rename and we'll know who is who. >> Okay. Um, if Oh, so if you're just on phone, then you're not going to be able to tell me

005in chat, are you? Oh, I'm smart that way, aren't I? All right. So, people um we're just going to have to do the best that we can. So, I'm just going to tell people that this is the portion of the meeting where we um the board of education will receive comments from um those in the citizen. All that we ask is that it pertains to the town of Gen and to the education district. Um, we ask that you keep your comments to five minutes or less, and that before you speak, please state your name, your address, and that it's very important um that you uh submit um a transcript so that um we can have that for the record. How's that for memorization, folks? Yes. All right. So, um if uh Fran, if you can

006hear me and if you would like to speak, I would like to offer the floor to you first. Hi, can you hear me? >> Yes, we can. >> Okay, great. Um, my name is Francis Whitney. I am at 112 Dear Field Ridge Drive in Mystic. Um, and I appreciate that you guys gave me the opportunity to speak tonight. Thank you very much. Um, and thank you for your service. I I hope you're all healthy and well. I know this year probably wasn't like anything you ever would have expected when you took on the job that you have. So, thank you for what you're doing. Um it's been a very challenging year as a parent and an educator. I can tell you that. Um and I appreciate your time and your full consideration because there's a

007lot of >> lost you Fran. Oh, Fran will make sure it protects students, families, faculty, and staff from COVID 19 transmission in schools. Um, the plan needs to include six foot minimum for social distancing because that's the CDC criteria based on scientific data and correct and consistent use of personal protective equipment by students and staff, meal services that meet state guidelines for restaurants, and frequent cleaning and sanitization. I'm thankful that there have been many fewer cases in COVID in our area since the spring, but I feel strongly that we cannot rely on rates to stay low into the fall, and we need a school plan that remains protective when cases increase again. Um, parents need complete details of Graten's plans for in-person distance learning in order to make informed decisions for their children, families. Um,

008we received an email that said that a plan has been made and that we will have it available soon. Um, and I hope that's the case. And I have some questions that I'm hoping that plan will answer. And I'm just going to list those. Now, I also sent an email. I believe it went to all the board of education members that is a longer version of this and um with more details and I'm hoping that everyone got that. Um and if not I can I can certainly read it. Um some of the questions that I have that I think are important for us to know when we make decisions are is the plan is there a plan for testing students or adult in the building prior to the reopening and at checkpoints throughout the year.

009Will masks with at least two or preferably three layers be provided to students and teachers throughout the year? And will there be training to make sure everyone wears masks properly? What are the plans for people who can't wear masks? Is the six-foot distancing going to be required in school buildings and on school grounds? What about eating and drinking and meal services? Because people can't do that with masks. Will there be tests and adjust Will there be tests, I'm sorry, and adjustments made to school ventilation systems to ensure the air quality and rapid air exchange? Have the ventilation problems at Northeast Academy been fixed? And do they cause particular problems for students and staff? What are the plans for areas and activities outside of classrooms, including movement through halls, restrooms, physical education, recess, and class transitions?

010Will the students actually be able to acquire and maintain access to safe hand sanitizers, and disinfectants that are proven effective against the virus that causes CO 19? I wish I could get some of those myself. Will attendance policies be modified to allow students and adults having any COVID symptoms, including congestion, runny nose, headache, upset stomach, fatigue, stay home? Will days be set aside to train teachers to do practice runs of protocols for attending a full school day? Meals included with the same spacing students will experience prior to the students return. Will board of ed members and administrators participate in trial runs for all spacing situations and procedures that accurately practice what the children will be doing prior to the children being put in these situations. Will there be increased support provided for students emotional well-being

011amid this pandemic and with the new way of school potentially causing stress? How are parents, students, and staff going to be notified if COVID cases and when COVID cases arise? At what level of infection within the schools or the community will schools close again to return to distance learning? What are the plans if many teachers are unable to continue coming to work? What are the plans for distance learning and will it look like it did last year? I know these questions are probably just the tip of the iceberg for some of the decisions that have been and will be making and I appreciate your consideration. We parents need to know that you grant public schools are doing all you can to protect children, teachers, staff and families from the spread of this terrible disease while

012supporting educational access for all students. I know this is a challenging task, but safety must be foremost. If you cannot say that all safety guidelines will be followed, then schools should not reopen until they can be. Thank you again for your time, your consideration, and your service. And I wish you all well. Ryan, thank you very much. I appreciate that. >> Thank you. >> Is there anyone else? Um, and before I actually say that, um, Mark, there seems to be people having a hard time getting in using the password that is on the website. >> Right. I I don't know what to tell you. I'm just getting a couple of texts. Um, >> yeah, I sent the same link to everyone and we have 40 people in so I don't know what to say either.

013>> Jim, I've been working >> I've been working with Rita and uh she has the right password and everything. Something something is a there's a glitch someplace. >> Um, it seems that Sher Cutler has passed on a message that said that the new password worked. Um I uh has that been updated on the website? And once again, I apologize guys, but we're just having some people who want to speak and they're not able to get in. >> If the old password is cast on their website, they need to refresh their browser, which will populate the new password. They're probably trying to use the old meeting password. >> Thank you very much, Dennis. Thank you. Sorry. >> What the heck? >> Is there anyone else who would like to make a public comment? [Music] >> Beth.

014>> Thank you. Beth Herler, Graten Education Association. Um, I want to first thank all of the staff and the and especially the teachers and the admin and all of the support staff that have worked so hard over the last few weeks formulating the uh plans through all the subcommittees. But I I want to emphasize that science and safety have to be the driving factor for a decision on reopening schools. And um I truly believe a hybrid uh approach to starting the schools is the best way. I understand that the state has its own thought process on that and they'll make their decision. They did just recently in the last three hours come out with another press statement that they're now understanding that things might change. But at the top priority should be the safety of

015our students and the safety of our staff. In a GA survey, we have 17% of our staff that need some kind of accommodation either for themselves or for people they live with. We asked our teachers for their top three concerns and the main concern was getting or giving COVID to someone. Um especially their young children who might have medical issues or their older parents. Um the isolation that teaching being exposed to so many people can cause because they will then feel that they cannot go and see their extended families. And as one teacher very succinctly put it, my top concern is dying. I never thought I'd have to choose between my profession and my life. So I think those are some of the concerns that we need to keep in mind um as we move

016forward and as um Fran was saying that we aren't even into August yet. We have college students coming back. our tourist season is picking up. So I with that I do want to thank everyone for all of their input and their hard work and the collaboration that we've had that's been phenomenal and the plans that we have for staff training. Um but again the basis of all decisions needs to be science and safety. So thank you. >> Thank you Beth. Thank you. Is there anyone else that would like to address the board? All right. Hearing none. Um I'm going to move from uh because I didn't ask for the agenda for the responses from the board. So I can don't feel comfortable adding that. But I will let um the record know that both Beth

017and Fran really spoke once again to the science and safety of our children and our teachers. And I'm assuming um that that's where the board feels as well. Um and that we're all having trouble um really trepidation on on that. Rita, thank you for it was good to see you, Rita. I'm glad that you're here. >> It was very frustrating signing in this time. It took me 15 minutes. >> I'm but I'm glad. Thank you for persevering. Yes, me too. >> And I'm and I'm glad that you're here. So, I'm now going to move us down to um the student representative reports, but I don't know. Do we have um >> D or do we have Abby? >> I I spoke to uh I spoke to uh Joyce today. We we we do not have

018them and typically we don't invite them. Although I did talk to Mr. Keller and I know we're trying to get a junior representative. So, uh, maybe by the August meeting, we'll we'll be all set. >> Awesome. Great. Um, so I'm now Dr. Grineer, um, you are on. And Dr. Grineer, I do want to start off to say thank you for putting a lot of the information in our board notes in terms of our some of the stuff the business manager because of Ken Knight's um, uh, uh, on vacation. Imagine that. and um but I but but thank you for adding a lot of the information so that it could move our meeting along as much as it can. >> You're welcome. So let me let me start uh with some uh sad news actually. I

019got I got a phone call about 20 minutes ago. Uh Mr. Verion's father passed away. We we he was uh he was receiving hospice care. So I I this does not come as a shock to me but uh I was hoping to have him uh introduce himself. He's a a very experienced athletic he administrator actually teacher health PE teacher. uh he has been for many years an administrator at uh uh Cranston public schools and he's going to uh come in and uh I would I'd rather have him introduce I think you'll be you'll be be very impressed. He he was also going to give you a little bit of the the outline. He's been working with the Eastern Connecticut Conference and of course the CIA and like a lot of things you hear in education

020today there is there is no final decision. What what we know is that the students have been allowed a period of time for conditioning not they have to be social distanced from each other. At this point, I know uh there are there are well there are tentative plans and I think if we if we invite him to to the the meeting uh Chairman Watson on uh August 17th, I I think that that will be a good time to have him weigh out what the state of Connecticut is is thinking. at this at this time I can tell you all the options are on the table in terms of the CIA u whether we're going to but I do I do know that they're talking about having no spectators at sports uh ha having make making

021sure there's limited number of team members uh there are some states that are are flip-fpping baseball with football Rhode Island for example um the idea that baseball may safer to play uh and uh in in the fall and maybe football would be safer to play in the spring. I think everyone I I was I just drove by a park and and I saw 10 kids playing uh fullcourt basketball and you know that obviously our athletes are playing uh so I don't want to be I don't want to be a purist about this but a lot of people are very concerned about bringing the the students in. So we we'll give a I'll I'll keep everybody updated as we go forward and then Mr. Rechion will come in. Uh >> thank you >> on on the

02217th. >> Thanks. Great. >> So the next is the elementary school naming committee. >> Whoops. >> I think I >> I'm gonna ask Susan to brief you. >> Thank you. So I came to the board after our initial um committee had met on numerous occasions but just with two names and um I went back to them and asked for more information that they had and told them that we were going to be doing a survey and then COVID happened. So our next step will be um to reconvene and broaden our committee. Um invite more board members I know who want to be involved. Um invite Jim Streer so that we have a historian on board and take a look at what we have create that survey and then send it out probably in the beginning

023midepptember once we get the plan rolling and we get everybody going. So then I'll be able to come back to the board of education with much more information. Thank you, Susan. I think the next I think the next one is actually yours as well, which is the themes. >> Yes. So, um, if I can share, Mike, I just put I wanted to put up the themes. I analyzed the data in both the teacher and staff report and the parent community board of education report. And interesting, the top three choices were unanimous among both groups. So, I wanted to share with you um Mike, can you give me permission? >> Yeah, I'm spazzing out here. Uh >> don't do that. >> You do have permission. >> You got this. >> Oh, good. Oh, I don't have

024the permission. That's That's why I was spazzing out. Mark has Thank you, Mark. >> Okay, so Whoops. Can you see this? >> Not yet. >> Okay. >> You have to hit the little share button. >> I thought I did that. >> You did for a second and then it left. >> Okay. I apologize. I'm usually quicker at this. >> I definitely think the internet is playing with all of us today. It does look like it says we are viewing your screen, but I'm not seeing anything. >> Okay. >> Do you have the application already running in the background, Susan? >> I've got it now open. Um, >> so have the program open then go to Zoom share screen and choose that application. >> Okay, if I can get back there. >> You can alt tab

025to go through the uh different programs. >> All right. Looks like it's coming. >> I'm not so sure. Do you think that you could talk us through it? I could if I can get you back again. Can you hear me? >> Yeah, we can. >> The number one um the number one theme that came out loud and clear was something called active exploration, play, and ingenuity. And we actually had on the survey links that parents could go to, staff could go to to think about this. And we kind of designed it in two parts. So that there was a prek2 active exploration which had developmentally appropriate um play-based games for learning and active exploration um that strengthened what we called brain pathways for children. And in three through five, it was really like our inquirybased

026problem solving approach that we use in the district. And it would be um something that the staff would then develop so that they were able to experiment and explore and learn major concepts. Um, and students would benefit from this magnet theme like all our magnet themes, making social emotional connections in um, creative hands-on learning environment. So, that really came out number one for both students and staff and students, staff and parents. The second um priority theme was called environmental marine life science and the environmental life science would engage students in daily instruction in core content area combined with what we feel in southeastern Connecticut is a very rich environmental life marine science lab. So really in our setting here in southeastern Connecticut um we have just a wonderful opportunity and we use our partnerships um

027on the Thes River. We use our partnerships with nests all the time um in our schools and we feel that this would be really an exciting way to explore healthy living habits, conservation practices and give an understanding on how um to become more mindful citizens within our community. Um, and students again would have access to daily hands-on opportunities to investigate and connect with life outside the classroom and in the school comm community and outside the school community. The third um choice was the discovery academy which would be nurturing creativity and curiosity. And this was um something that would actually take the work from Renzullian Ree at Yukon on schoolwide enrichment. Dr. Howard Gardner from Harvard on multiple intelligence theory. And the program would nurture every child's I call them passions and proclivities which are their

028gifts and talents, what they love to do and what they're really good at. And um I've done a lot of research myself in this area and um I think this is when we accentuate those positive strengths in children, they just flourish. So um looking at those different um you know the outlined of the multiple intelligences with bodily kinesesthetic, visual, spatial, music, linguistic and intra and intrapersonal and of course logical mathematic and the naturalist that looking at those areas um in our in combination with our core curriculums and giving kids opportunities to share what they know in those different ways so that kids would have a lot of choice. They'd do a lot of research and um development of different ideas. So that's kind of it. The third idea um which came out strong was both

029steam and STEM programming with international balarat primary years but the um active exploration play the marine science and discovery were the top three. And I can send this document. I apologize. I was working very hard on a plan last week. >> Oh, is there a plan that we had to submit? >> I have a plan. We had we had a plan. Are there any questions um for Susan about um the naming committee and or the uh the theme based? >> Yes. Can can you hear me? I have uh questions about the name um the school-based themes. Yes. >> Um for for Susan, when you send out your plan, could you also include in there what type of teachers we'd need to hire in each of those um for those different themes? I know, you know,

030at Northeast Academy, we've scheduled more music, more chorus. At um the Klaskki School, we have, I think, believe more art and more technology. So, what is envisioned for these three themes? And what type of staff would we have to hire? >> So, I would say in our magnet theme with both the middle schools, we've hired at least to get the theme ready. We've hired um a teacher at Cutler who was the arts and humanities coordinator. >> And at um Westside, we hired a STEM coordinator at um Katherryn Kolnowski. We actually have a STEAM coordinator. >> Oh, I know that. What I'm asking you is when you send this out to us, would you just include in there? >> Yes. >> The people we should hire for those three themes. You don't have to tell us

031now, >> right? >> It would be nice to see uh financially what this, you know, is it just one person? Is it more than one? And what their qualifications would be. >> Okay. I certainly will talk to Mike about that and the staff. I really see it as a coordinator to get things started, but there could be additional staffing. I'm not sure. >> Okay, thank you. >> Um, I've got Liz and then Gretchen. Andrea, >> um, is >> and then Andrea, >> I just was wondering if there's because we are an international buckalora, middle school, and high school programs. Is there a way to connect the um the elementary primary years to any one of those themes? because I I I really do believe in a K12 consistent um program and if we're going to

032endorse this international balora and at two out of the three levels of dis of of um education um I was I'm wondering if we can knowing that this the the IB for elementary is is very open to different thematic approaches have we considered or we going to consider adding the IB for the primary years at one of these maybe one of these um elementary schools. Just a question. >> Definitely. >> That's me talking, but from my perspective, I would love to have a PYP so that the district would then have the opportunity for a K12 international baloria. >> I just think it's important to have consistency and continuity. >> Yeah. A and I think it would be an attractive magnet so that we can as we get ready for Mike Zuba and Pat Gal Galler

033tonight, we we want to have magnets that are going to attract kids around town >> and also bring kids back. >> Right. >> Yes. >> Right. Exactly. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Liz. I've got Gretchen and then Andrea. >> No, my question's answered. >> Okay. Thank you, Andrea. >> Fine. Thank you, >> Gretchen. If we go on to a marine science elementary school, we need teachers who are because elementary school teachers are wonderful people, but primarily science is not their gig. They are I can think of I know two, myself included, elementary school teachers who could teach marine science. So, I'm really concerned that we wouldn't be able to do a good job and if we do put a saltwater fish tank t down there, I want to help. >> Thank you,

034Gretchen. >> Thank you. >> We would make sure we had the the the professional staff development for that. It's >> it's not development. It's a long-term knowledge deal on that one. >> Right. Well, whatever theme, everybody would have to be educated in the theme. Any other question for Susan on the themes? Hearing none, I'm going to move us on. Um I think the next is uh staffing and that should be Lori. I know I saw her at some point. >> She's here. >> Lori. >> Hi. Good evening everyone. I'm here. >> She's here. >> So I have a general staffing update for you and and a and a few other comments which I think might answer some of the questions that have been coming up around the elementary theme. So, from a general staffing perspective,

035um we've uh obviously identified all the teacher hires that we needed to make between retirements, resignations. All of those hires were completed in the spring other than we have um three openings left which were very late breaking resignations that we received in the last probably four weeks, two to four weeks. So, we are actually we're our hiring was almost complete except for these last few resignations that have come up. Um, so we're actively working on those and we're getting close to hires on those. So I don't foresee any concerns with teaching staff for the upcoming school year. Um, you know, we're certainly keeping in mind that we have needs both uh inperson and a hybrid model and we're taking that into account as we're looking at our hiring needs. Um, so we do we do

036believe we need all of our teachers, non-certified staff. Um we have a small number of openings in both aids um and paraprofessionals and we're recruiting and hiring for those at the moment. We'll obviously as we get closer we'll continue to monitor that. But even with a hybrid model, we anticipate if students are only in school um let's say a couple days a week, those um staff members are going to have to be redeployed those other days of the week to help with various safety protocols. So, we anticipate um having to continue to need staff um even if we're in the hybrid model hybrid model to staff at a similar level because we'll want to redeploy those resources to help with um anything from uh student transition and movement, six-foot social distancing, additional supervision. Um so,

037there's a number of um things that we certainly have to continue to tackle with the upcoming plans as they get further developed and get more detail to them. Uh but we anticipate the staffing will be able to support those um safety initiatives. Um couple things we um we had a number of elementary openings with retirements and and knowing that we have the elementary schools um consolidating with the new schools coming on board in a year. All of the elementary openings, they were hired as one-year assignments so that everyone coming in knew those were one-year assignments in anticipation that we would have to reestablish what we need for staffing under those magnet themes. So, we do anticipate being able to uh free up resources so that if we need a specific, you know, science focused teacher,

038we'd be able to reassess that for the for the following year once we get through this um uh the construction year. So, um all those staff members ca coming on board have taken those assignments knowing um it's a it's a one year and then we'll have to reassess what our needs are for those new theme schools. Um so you know all in all considering um certainly all the challenges everybody's been through the hiring season has gone you know pretty smoothly overall. I think the district's in very good shape for the upcoming start of the school year with whatever the plan happens to be. Um, so far we have not seen a decline or an inability to hire staff because of the current situation, but again it's still early to tell, but we certainly have been

039successful with our teaching positions and um have not heard any concerns yet for the non-certified staff, but um again, we'll have to get a little closer to the start of school before I think we have a good gauge on that. >> Any questions on staffing for Lori? Um Lori, how many staff have we hired this year? >> Um for teachers, we have hired um we have hired about 23 already and we have >> and what is the breakout for the grades? >> Um I can take a quick look here. Um, I would say it's probably 40% elementary and 60% secondary. Just as a rough idea. Yeah, maybe you can send us the you know the grade levels the staff and you know and send that to us so we know and were there also like

040school psychologists and I think you know other staff members that you hired. >> Yeah, there were a few social workers in there um speech and language pathologists. So we did have a few other special service providers in there. >> Yeah. So we'd be happy to >> and have Dr. maybe include it with board notes if that makes sense. >> Yeah, >> thank you. >> Sure, I'll include it. >> Can I ask that people one second, Liz, can I just ask um that people that if you are not speaking um if you could just mute your microphone so that we could kind of lessen the noise that happens in the background that would be really great. Um Liz, I see that you raised your hand. Lori, I know we should we we are on the diversity

041um committee together for re, you know, recruitment, hiring and retention. And I guess my question is this is how many minority teachers were hired if that's an appropriate question. um because that's as you know the data supports that our numbers are very low and it's an area we want to improve and I was just wondering as part of our initiative for reopening you know what what did it look like what does that look like at this point >> yeah so what I'd like to do is just include I don't have that information right in front of me but what I'd like to do is include it in the report we can share that in the board notes we can show the positions that were hired and provide that information along with it So the folks

042can take a look at it. >> Lori, that's perfect. Thank you. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. Absolutely. Absolutely. >> Thank you, Lori. >> You're welcome. >> Any other questions that we have um on staffing? >> Lori, um I I do have one question, Liz. Actually, that was going to be my one of my questions is in terms of sort of how we were doing with the diversity. Um because I know that that's been an issue for the board to be looking at for um multiple years. Um, and I know Laura, you've been actively trying to pursue that. Um, but my second is is that, um, I know that you're you and Ken are doing a lot of work at sort of defining which pieces are that are helping us with the COVID in terms

043of sort of safety. Um, and I think that would be important for us to kind of have as well. Um because um I guess my question is is um do we um are we having um are COVID funds being used to support those staff position? And once again, I don't I I just would like to have that um there so that this that the board can really begin to sort of understand and then share with the community about what we're what we're having to do to make sure um that we do the right thing, which is to have safety for our children and our staff members, our teachers. >> Sure. Sure. Be happy to provide that information. >> I really appreciate that. Anything else on this? Lori, it's good to see you. Thank you. Um

044Dr. Geneer. >> Well, I am delighted to welcome back Mike Zuba and Pat Gallagher as just a a quick orientation especially for folks who are new. Uh Mike Mike and and Pat work for Malone and Mc Broom and they uh the corporation and Mike as an individual has done outstanding work uh for us and helping to for for many years well before I got here. So, I'll say for the last 10 years, uh they they've really helped us uh to plan and organize. And so, uh, knowing that the two new elementary schools that are coming online, uh, must be, u racially balanced, I asked Mike and and Pat to to look at a few alternatives, uh, for three of our schools, of course, Codchester, Mary Morrison, and SB Butler. Those schools will be closing in

045the fall of 21. So they they need a neighborhood catchment zone or whatever want to call it. So I asked Mike and Pat to take a look at that and they made an initial presentation, but I I know the board was interested in in seeing a few alternatives. And so I I'll turn it over to to Mike and Pat and I am very very grateful for their work because this is this is very important that we get this right. not only for the state reasons but because one of the foundations of the graten 2020 plan was that we were going to solve racial balancing on a essentially on a permanent basis through school choice. So we we have one high school, we have one middle school, there will be racial balance 100%. Uh and with

046our elementary, the the five elementary that will emerge, uh we're going to all five of them will be choice schools. So what what Mike and Pat are going to share with us um will be really instrumental to to achieve that balance. I'll turn it over to Mike. >> Thanks Dr. Grineer. Um if we can get permission to have Pat um share your screen, we could walk you through um the materials we have for tonight. I will say logging on and seeing all the uh construction photos, scrolling through, it was great to see the progress being being made and also um for Suzanne to be able to go through the uh hearing more about the themes potential themes for the magnet schools. Um that was very exciting as well. So, what I want to do tonight

047is I want to just give a recap of what we presented back in June and then walk through the process that we went through of looking at the other four alternatives and talk through through them with you so you could see um what we prepared um what we thought were the major considerations um and how we arrived at what the plan was that we presented as sort of the recommended plan for now. but then really to receive input um from the board um after we present those plans to have a little deeper discussion on all the options as a whole and where we're going to uh go from here and getting that plan for implementation for uh the 2122 school year. Next slide, Pat. as part of our planning process. Anytime we do a school

048master plan, redistricting, reconfiguration, we always rely very heavily on um getting guiding criteria in place, understanding what are those key parameters that we want to follow. Um so when looking at this redistricting plan, we really wanted to be able to look at having that long-term racial balance. um be able to be in compliance with the state laws, but also to create a school landscape that all the schools were very close to each other and reflected each other and reflected the district-wide average um from a racial diversity standpoint. Um we also wanted to be cognizant of right sizing the schools, especially going through the construction grant process. And that's not only from a neighborhood catchment, but also mo more importantly um for those magnet programs that you're going to want to be able to put in

049place to ensure that you have long-term balance where you're not just at the whim of the neighborhood demographics which tend to change over a period of time. And really to be able to dig in and to even though you're going to a five elementary school landscape, the best we can be able to minimize the overall disruption knowing that you know there's going to be a lot of change on the horizon. We're all in uncertain times now, but really to be able to present an option that, you know, really strive to uh to minimize that and to be able to best as we can reconnect and look at some geographic proximity to try to have cohesive attendance zones if possible. So, this is just looking at where you're at today and you know where you're going

050um next year. really looking at that five school system, looking at, you know, being able to update the slides and potentially have some names on the uh westside and Cutler site as that committee works its way through the work. But overall, you know, looking at the major school consolidations that are happening um to be able to facilitate the school construction programs. So, this is a big change going from numerous schools down to five schools. Next slide. So, for those that aren't familiar or those that are watching at home, um the Connecticut State General Statute specifies in a lot more words than we're going to present in these bullet points, but really looking at to ensure that the district's racial balance um reflects that of the overall district. So, each individual school divided by grade groupings

051reflects that of the overall district. And they really have two key categories for that. Um and you'll see where we're referencing those categories. So those schools that are plus or minus 15% from the districtwide average fall into that impending racial balance and those schools that exceed that 25% um deviation from the district-wide average fall into the official racially imbalanced category. According to the latest numbers from the state for October or according to our calculation from the October 1 number approximately 47.4% 4% um diversity across the prek5 elementary student population in Grten. So really that's our benchmark for all of the options that we're looking at is trying to get within um at least the the 20% if not the 15% threshold for that 47.4% for your district-wide minority average. When we went through this exercise,

052we always start with doing some building blocks. So, what we wanted to do was to be able to look at um not only each individual school, but then neighborhood blocks within that school to be able within all your schools to be able to identify, you know, what are those pinch points or what are those areas that exceed either on the higher end as we saw with several neighborhoods, Brford Manor and Long Hill Road, um where, you know, Brford Manor nearly doubled the district-wide average to the lower end where we also had the deviation that exceeded that district-wide average looking at some of the neighborhoods in Noank, Mystic, Graten, and Longpoint. Um these are shown on the next slide where we have a majority of the town sort of colored in this gray area and that

053gray area reflects no racial imbalance for any of those census block groups. Whereas the orange areas represent those neighborhoods um based on the census block groups that either exceeded on the high end as we're seeing over on the city of Grton side or exceeded on the lower end um that we're seeing on the Mystic and Noank side with the bulk of the town in that yellow. So kind of in that 15 to 25% category overall. Next slide Pat. and recognizing the diversity across your community and that we have va v vastly different populations from west side to east side. It did present some challenges but nothing that we didn't feel that can be overcome with the combination of the neighborhood catchments and then the um the magnets overlaid on top of that. Um, so as

054we got into this plan, we wanted to ensure that with Cutler's designation as a diversity school and the greater reimbursement there, um, that we can get the Cutler El the school at the Cutler ele uh, Cutler Elementary site as close to the district-wide average as possible. um be able to correct those disparities long term, but also to be able to have where we're looking at this as sort of the last redistricting plan Graten's going to go through for the foreseeable future as you overlay and implement those magnet programs on top of it. So for this exercise, we wanted to be able to establish enrollment targets and we do recognize that the enrollment targets do not reflect the maximum capacity but represent what we're planning towards. Um, within those enrollment targets, we have some buffer space

055to be able to expand those magnet programming options to be able to, as was mentioned earlier, and it was a great comment, um, to be able to provide some space within there for some of the magnets, the students that are out in the regional magnet schools to return back into Graten. Um, so overall, what we've have established is enrollment target for Kaski and Northeast at 400 students. We do recognize that they have been over that mark and there is some additional flexibility to be able to go above that mark. For Westside and Cutler, those are at just over 600 and Charles Barnum at 375 students. So, I think this map does a great job of highlighting those areas of change that are um going to happen as part of the repositioning of your facilities. Um

056this isn't a redistricting map. What this is is this we just colorcoded the current attendance zones um and grayed out the school attendance zones that are going to remain open and then colorcoded SB Butler in the lower right hand corner. Um red also noting over on the city of Graten side the um satellite area that was part of the PV closure. Claude Chester really taking up the middle of the of the town of Graten and then over on the 95 corridor split north and south um the Mary Morrison school. Um so through the school closure it's roughly about 50% of the overall land area of the community um would be changing some schools overall as part of this uh repositioning of your school system to five elementary schools. And one of the key criteria as

057we begin to look in on this is to be able to look at where possible sort of our proximity of where there could be potential walkers and maybe some neighborhoods that weren't part of uh part of that part of that elementary school community can now be part of it. So looking at these two middle school sites which will now become elementary school sites, putting just the simple halfmile buffer radius around it and looking at opportunities there to be able to, you know, create some greater walking communities within each of those schools. Next slide. So as we mentioned at our June meeting, we did go through an iterative process. We worked with the graten administrators to be able to evaluate four scenarios which we're going to present in detail um tonight in order to be able

058to get towards that recommended scenario. And as we went through this process, we were going against the guiding criteria as well as our analysis of the various neighborhoods by doing a look back of your historic demographics as well as the land use patterns in place. So Pat, if you can flip ahead. So what we did was um we took really your four main criteria, racial balance, um opportunities to have flexibility and space for magnets, the overall redistricting impact, and then proximity to neighborhoods and use those to be able to score each of the options. And what happens all the time, and it's no different here in the redistricting for um Groten, is that um you know, a given scenario may score well in one of those categories and not too well in another car category.

059Um we very rarely see one where we're going to have top scores for a scenario across all the categories. It really becomes a little bit of a give and take, a little bit of a tradeoff. Um, and I think it would be best served because we're going to revisit this matrix at the end after we talk through the options. Um, after we see scenarios one through four as well as the recommended um, we'll revisit this eval evaluation matrix and talk through some of the scoring on there. So overall, we had to craft some assumptions. We used three years of historic enrollment. Um, the kids aren't in place yet for the 2021 school year. So, we were using the 1920 as our most recent enrollment data. Um, we geocoded or address matched all the students across

060the community. Um, looked at where they reside, did some historic trend analysis on that. Um, we're assuming that, you know, as part of the uh as part of the construction project, it's going to stay on time. Um, we've reserved and it will open in 2122. We've reserved 270 prek seats with um guidance from the district that 120 um would be at Cutler and 120 at Westside with 30 remaining at Kaskki. And then overall, we want to ensure that your existing magnet programs, the students that were as part of uh that may have not lived in that neighborhood but attended through the magnet program, we held them harmless and carried them through. Um so any student that was outplaced or part of the magnet programs um we kept those in place as part of the uh

061part of part of this redistricting plan. And we also left um buff buffer space although the buffer space varied between the options. We left buffer space across the board, whether it was through the enrollment targets being slightly below the capacity or just building in a little extra headroom um through the options that we presented itself to be able to provide um those robust magnet programs which will really be the um the educational benefit but also the long-term viability for enrollment management and racial balance for this plan. So, as part of the recommended plan, we recognize that there could be some areas that you'd want to consider for transition or as we're calling them, phaseins. Um, the potential exists to be able to allow the students to stay in place at their um current elementary schools

062and then as they metriculate through um be able to phase those in over time. And it's really at the board and the administrator's discretion to be able to come up with a more detailed program on how they want to handle that. For other districts, we've gone through it where there has been sibling preferences as well as um some level of grandfathering and that would really rely on space availability. It becomes a nuance to the uh redistricting plan itself. So for the plan that we presented back in June um and what we're calling the recommended plan um and all of our maps are structured in the same way. The heavier black lines that you'll see on the screen, those represent your existing boundaries and the new color coding that you're seeing represents what our proposal consists

063of. So, starting over in the northeast corner at Northeast Academy, um, by and large, we've kept majority of that neighborhood attendance zone intact. You will see just north of Route One, the Bellair neighborhood, Inson Drive, um, that we are calling that one of our phasing areas. And on the next slide, when we get there, we could talk to a little greater detail about that. Well, thanks for skipping ahead. >> Yeah, >> I know you're going too fast on me. We'll bump ahead to that in a minute. Um, but overall, you know, that would be a change. We're looking at that neighborhood just north of Route One would move to the new Cutler School as well as um taking a look at the North Road neighborhood and the small streets off of that um that were

064part of Cutler would then shift over um to Northeast Academy. Um Charles Barnum under this scenario would by and large um maintain intact. Um and then really the other key areas over near um the Westside School or the new Westside Elementary School. Um I believe it's Brford Manor, Nathan Hale over court over in there. Um, we're keeping that same division that we had um, previously in place as part of I think it was the 2011 redistricting for racial balance, keeping that same same uh, same boundary there in place with the division between Cutler and Westside School and keeping um, Katherine Kolaski um, intact. Go ahead, Pat. So, these are the two phasing areas we looked at. Um the one is right out front of Westside School. It's really looking at um Branagy A um in

065that corridor in front of the new elementary school. We have about 10 to 15 students historically um come out of that neighborhood. Um that's an area that we're highlighting in blue um which currently goes to Kathern Kaskki which um we think makes some sense to have it as a phase in the west side especially considering um that you know they could potentially be walkers to that school. Um, this would be part of the neighborhood catchment change. Um, we also recognize that as part of the magnet and choice program, students that may not be in that particular catchment can opt in and out of the schools based on whatever um, their interest is in those programs when you eventually land those themes. And the other major area I mentioned earlier was just the uh Cutler phasing

066area and that's really Enson Drive, Belair um part of Noank Leadier Road um and Daniel Brown Drive in those neighborhoods just north of the uh just north of Route One and and the new Cutler Elementary School. So taking a look at the recommended plan, what we did was we did enrollment snapshots. So through the geocoding of the students and we did this for all the options um we looked at what the historical enrollment would have been there if the boundaries were in place um and what we're seeing under the boundary these boundaries is that Kaskki would be right around 420 students so just a little bit over what our target is um but we're also factoring in there the existing magnet students maintaining their status as magnet students so having a little bit of growth

067there for uh the magnet program. Charles Barnum would be right around their enrollment target of 370 um students overall. Cutler um would be right there with about 95% utilization. So having seat capacity there for expansion of the magnets getting to that ultimate um capacity and then in Northeast Academy um there would be some additional space there. Historically operated around 930 or so students. So a little bit of extra headroom there. and then westside at a little bit less of an enrollment at 540 students. So definitely some opportunity for growth, but that was um one of the ones that is really going to depend on um being able to have as Dr. Grineer mentioned that attraction from east to west and west to east as part of the movement of students. um in looking at the

068um racial balance slide on the next page, looking at how this performed overall. And what you'll notice is that in all of these scenarios, we've done two different calculations. Um following suit how the state department of education calculates it. For those schools that have a prek component, um it's the top number in that final tabulation on the bottom. And for those that are just K5, it's just slightly different um in the number. So those that had prek are starred um and those are throughout the scenarios Kaskki Cutler and the elementary at the westside site. So looking overall at our percent deviation going against that benchmark below Katherine Kaskki performed fairly well with only one year impringing upon that um that um impending racial balance category but still below that 15%. Um Cutler um was right

069around the district-wide average. Westside was right around the district-wide average. Um Butler was just about five percentage points above. And then Northeast Academy, although trending downward, um came in at about 18 and a half%. So a marked improvement over where they're at um where they're at today with those slight redistricting changes. Um but adding a magnet program on top of that um especially one that's crafted well can get down near that 15% using up that uh additional headroom there. Next slide. So overall we looked at this scenario. This was one that I believe moved about 44% of the elementary student population. Um and a large percentage of that um were students that were just um ultimately redistricted as part of school closures. Um so really not many auxiliary moves outside of those uh those closures

070in place. We feel the phasing areas do provide some benefits for the board's consideration. Um there is space there to be able to support um your implementation of those magnet programs and that overall and this carries through for sort of the planning process. it's in Graten. It's really going to take a little bit of a the adjustment to the neighborhood boundaries as well as um crafting and managing those magnet programs going forward to ensure that you have that long-term diversity that the that the board, the administrators, and the communities and the community are um seeking. Um, with that, I'll flip it over to um, Pat to be able to walk us through our thought process on some of the other scenarios that we considered and and then finally open it up to uh, Q&A and

071discussion with the board on all those options. >> Thanks, Mike. Um, so, as requested at our meeting in June, we wanted to just give a little bit more background about our process and some of the um, other options that were evaluated as as part of our redistricting uh, process. So, we initially looked at four scenarios and we looked at these uh closely with the administration and evaluated the pros and the cons of each against the guiding criteria. As Mike mentioned, uh there's always a lot of tug-of-war between the different criteria. And so, certain scenarios do a better job at hitting a particular criteria, often at the expense of another. And so through that process of uh kind of learning about the trade-offs through those four scenarios, we're able to kind of take the best of

072each and ultimately put them together into the recommended plan. So I'll start with scenario one. This was very much a uh if if we uh just started from scratch, uh how would the attendance zones look? And so uh this has uh very significant redistricting impacts about 60% of elementary students. Um, but it really strove to kind of create um approximate and um contiguous elementary attendance zones that are a little less gerrymandered than your current. Um, we also um Sorry, can you mute please? Perfect. Thanks, Michael. Um, so looking at our enrollment trends, this one does have some uh some good enrollment balance across all buildings. Um, again, 100% utilization is not a sign of overcrowding. just means it's it's hitting our target. Um, and actually all the buildings have uh have a lot of excess

073space on top of the enrollment target to accommodate uh both magnet and enrollment growth should it occur in the future. Um, the two buildings that we did strive to maintain some extra buffer space were Cutler and Westside um and keeping that extra space available for magnet programs once you filled that out. So for scenario one, um this had a good racial balance, very similar actually to the recommended scenario. Uh west side being the school uh that is in the impending category uh at between 15 and 18% higher than the district average. Um this Northeast Academy attendant zone um is much different than the current one and so we were able to get that below 15% for the last two years, but that comes at the expense of redistricting impacts. So, one of the trade-offs that

074we uncovered during this process is that um the competing criteria of racial balance and disruption are kind of at odds with each other. In order to achieve that better racial balance, um there needs to be greater movement of students. Um and ultimately, we thought the recommended again had a good balance of of not being too disruptive but having some uh some benefits. As I mentioned before, this uh scenario would uh redistrict about 60% of uh elementary students, which is really the the biggest con that we found with this one. Um it does have uh some of the positives. It does have uh uh attendance zones that are more reflective of neighborhoods. Um it does put all of Brford Manor in a single building. Um it improves racial balance at Northeast Academy, but again at the

075expense of some significant uh redistricting impacts. uh and then having some extra space to support your future magnet roll out at Cutler and Westside. Getting into scenario two, this is a slightly different uh iteration where we wanted to um have less disruption than in scenario one. Um so we kept the current Northeast Academy district intact. Um and again strove to try to uh follow neighborhood boundaries wherever possible. So again, on the enrollment balance side, this does a good job. It leaves some excess space at at Barnum, Cutler, and Westside that could eventually be used to fill out the magnet programs while official efficiently using Kaskki and Northeast Academy. On the uh racial balance side, Northeast Academy would be over 20% uh for each of the last three years. uh on a slight downward trend, but

076um uh three school years ago would have been uh 23% lower than the district-wide average, dropping to about 21% lower uh this past school year. Um that is a bit of a concern of Mike and and uh mine uh having done this for both your district and other districts across the state. Um it's difficult to predict racial balance um if not impossible. And our best strategy for ensuring longevity and making sure that you don't have to uh do a racial balance plan again is to get yourself below that 20% threshold. And so this was a little bit above that comfort zone um that that um that that we feel the district um should have. So uh takeaways for scenario two uh this would have Northeast Academy greater than 20% over the last three years. um

077it would have lower redistricting impacts than uh scenario one but would still move over half uh of your elementary students. And again uh this also supports that future roll out of magnets at Cutler and WESA. Scenario three was really focused on minimizing disruption and so we only reassign students who currently attend SB Butler, Mary Morrison, and Claude Chester. The Charles Barnum Northeast Academy and Katherine Kolnazki districts were held harmless under this uh particular option. Um, again like the previous two options, this one has good uh enrollment balance across all buildings uh with some extra space at Barnum, Cutler, and Westside for future magnets as well as uh efficient use of Northeast Academy and Katherine Kaskki. Uh like the previous scenario, because we leave the current Northeast Academy attendance zone intact, uh that school is over

07820% uh lower than the district-wide average each of the last three years. Uh Katherryn Kowski uh would have been in the impending category as well during the 2017 2018 school year before dropping just below the 15% threshold for the last two. So again, one of the the main cons of of this option is uh because our racial uh imbalance is greater than 20% uh there's some concerns over the longevity uh and um not having to go through the uh racial balance planning process again. So this uh minimizes redistricting impacts. If we only reassign the students who attend the three closed buildings, we would move 42% of elementary students um compared to 44% in the recommended plan. So, we moved slightly more. Um those moves in the recommended plan uh really are meant to address some

079of the shortcomings of scenario 3, notably the racial imbalance at Northeast Academy, as well as some of the neighborhood challenges, um the proximity challenges posed by your current attendance zones. Um, so for example, most of the areas surrounding Westside School under scenario three would go to Kathern Kaskki as they currently do. Scenario four, um, this really looks at maximizing the size of the Cutler and Westside attendant zones. So the previous three scenarios, uh, left that buffer space at both buildings so that it could be filled out with magnet students. This tries to fill out both of those attendance zones to its enrollment target of 604 students. Um, which would essentially create um more of a neighborhood-based catchment area with less flexibility for magnet programs. So, as you can see, uh, under this scenario, both Cutler

080and Westside would be over their enrollment target. Um, that results in lower enrollment at Katherryn Kasi, Charles Barnham, and Northeast Academy. One of the drawbacks of this is that the magnet programs at Cutler and Westside would need to be netneutral. That is the number of students uh coming in from other attendance areas would need to equal the number of uh students opting out. Um and so that may be a little more challenging and give the district a little less flexibility in terms of meeting that educational vision for those programs. This option um does have the best racial uh imbalance out of any of the options that we looked at. uh Northeast Academy would be um just over the impending category over each of the last three years ranging from about 15 to 17% and all

081other schools uh if we look at this past school year would have been within 10% of the district-wide average. So very equitable on the racial balance standpoint but again that comes at the expense of a very high redistricting impact. of this option despite having the best racial balance uh disrupts the most students at 64% of elementary students. Um and so again that's kind of the trade-off that we grappled with um when we were looking at the options is how do we best get uh Northeast Academy, you know, below that 20% without necessarily causing a massive uh disruption where you're impacting several hundred more students. Um, hence one of the the reasons why we felt the opt-in areas um were a great tool at accomplishing that while also providing some stability for the students who currently

082live within those attendance areas. As I mentioned previously, one of the the other key drawbacks besides the redistricting impacts for scenario 4 was that the size of the attendance zones here does limit your ability to um to take in uh new students from other areas within the town. And so again, the need for that to be netneutral is another uh con for this option. So through this this process, we were able to to really weigh some of the pros and cons overall, ultimately leading to um our recommended scenario that we presented in June and and again tonight. um which again we felt does a good job at uh minimizing disruption while still improving uh some of those racial imbalances that we find within the Northeast Independence area while also giving you um flexibility uh to

083roll out your future magnet programs. And with that, happy to hear your thoughts and ideas. And if um you have any specific questions on the map, I do have some larger ones that I can pull up on my screen if uh if you want to talk about a particular area. >> Thanks, Pat. You're muted, Kim. >> No, I'm not. Um, I see Gretchen has a question. >> I do. Um, in a bunch of the research, I was doing a literature review this weekend on a totally different subject, but what coming up was school districts and states moving away from racial imbalance to financial imbalance. So, it like moving it not being about skin color anymore but being about equity of finance yeah financial that works okay so I know Connecticut was slower than Rhode Island

084because in the Rhode Island redistricted we didn't redistrict until O'Neal in the 90s so we'll probably be late but how do we know how these redistrics fit in if we if say we s somebody suddenly turns around and says no we need to make sure it's financially equitable in each school in case Connecticut gets the idea of being ahead of the game for >> Mike I can I can take a stab at that >> okay >> when when we when we began this process we knew that students it it the Supreme Court ruled that you couldn't assign students by race I think it was a 2008 eight decision. >> So we we we work with a couple of folks. Rick Kalenburgg came and he is a leader along with Michael Alves in the exactly what

085you're saying uh assigning students by socioeconomic trying to achieve socioeconomically balanced schools. And so we fed all these data to Michael Alves uh and and we we also shared it with with Mike Zuba. It is it is a bit of a a bit of a balancing act. The state of Connecticut says you have to rate balance the schools by race and the Supreme Court says you can't assign students by race. So So Mike and Pat have tried to pull this together by neighborhood which really aligns as Michael Alves would say nearly 100% of socioeconomics. So we we will have schools that are socioeconomically balanced and and all the research on that says that all the groups benefit as opposed to putting a bunch of whether they're the same race or mixed race. When you put

086poor kids together, you you tend black and white poor kids together, you tend to get poor results. It's the it's the balancing of the socioeconomic levels that really rises the tide for all all the students. that meets with the re the reading I was doing lot. >> Thank you. >> Um I know Rita I've got Rita I'm gonna go to Lee since Lee has not um had a chance to speak yet um during the meeting. So Lee >> I would I would like to say that the charts and the graphs are probably the best I've seen in a long time. I I actually can understand what we are looking at and I think that there are going to be some people who are not happy and some that'll be thrilled but I for the first

087time I really understand what we're dealing with. So thank to both of you. >> Thank you Lee. >> Thank you. >> Rita >> um I have three questions for Mike. Um my first question is is um Brford Manor going to be split again down the middle? >> Um uh to that question under our recommended option we do have it split down the middle. Um under Pat what was it scenario um >> what was the scenario that you preferred? I I couldn't tell. You had good good fair. What what is the one that you thought we should go with? Well, we thought the we really liked the one that we recommended. I think when we looked at keeping Brford Manor together, it was one of those major challenges um because there there was such a there's

088such a density of students in there and as we showed in one of the earlier slides, I believe it was about at least that block group was about 87% minority. It really posed a big challenge um in order to achieve that har that diversity balance. Um so I think in most of them I we went through the exercise and realized that um in order to be able to have best long-term balance um we would have to have sort of a split Brford Manor between Brford A and then a Mather Street um as the other component of it and that's just really due to the uniqueness of that development and the density and the number of students um coming from that Rita. Okay. My my second question is you you always have the the max load

089at uh Kathern Konasi and Northeast Academy is 400 whereas Kathern Konowski has a whole wing of classrooms that was never built on Northeast Academy. >> Yeah. >> So I mean it's sort of it doesn't ever make sense to me when you don't um include the really the correct amount of the number of students the that the schools could hold. even with Charles Barnum being at 375. >> Yeah, I think that that and I do recognize that historically they've been a little bit all over a little bit higher than that. And I I do know of the wing of classrooms that were never built at at Northeast. Um what what we wanted to do was to be able to put in good targets right now with not knowing what the robustness and what the size of

090the magnets would look like there which are really ultimately going to drive the future um drive the future enrollment at the buildings. Um so even though we are using 400 you'll see in all the options um we're trending above that um in most of them. I know historically the enrollment at um Northeast has been in the 420s um over the last few years and and we do recognize that. >> Yeah. That there are often many more students in a classroom there >> than there are at some of the other schools. >> Yeah. And that becomes part of the equation as well of when we're looking at this and we're we're sort of not we don't have all of the full programming at the elementary schools in front of us because you're still going through that

091now to be able to determine you know what that ultimate final number would look like. So, we think it's a good planning target and we think it's a good number that has some flexibility should one magnet program be much larger in um attendance or students opting in than another one. Um, >> okay. >> Without having to change the boundary um before you know what the programs are or before you land the program. >> And my third question is how are we going to have focus groups and share this with the community with the parents? So Pat and I were talking about that and I see we had I thought last time I peaked down at 45 participants um part of our meeting now and I do know it's on the local access and that's something

092we need to talk through with the administration. What we've been using for some of our clients is we put it out on a web-based viewer. So, um, we share the link, you put it up on the web page, you type in your address, and it tells you under the options what the impact would be. Do you, you know, if I'm at um 72 Inson Drive, am I moving? Am I not moving? So, parents can e quickly figure out just by almost like googling an address of what the impacts are to them. minutes. Um the board um wants to go forward with that. It's something we could easily have in place for, you know, probably next week, Pat. Right. >> Yep. >> Y >> and and then let's say somebody from Enson Jive that presently goes

093to Northeast Academy and is being redistricted to the school at Cutler and they want to take um part in the um sibling, you know, go continue at Northeast. So then another a bus goes through there and picks up those children and brings them to Northeast. Is that because is that correct? Is that how that would work if if siblings, you know, >> parents wanted younger children to stay? >> Yeah, really good question and um I'm glad you asked. I think that's exactly how we were sort of looking at this um would be that um for all existing and it would be up to the board's discretion to say if they wanted a grandfather in siblings um to provide obviously you have to cut it off somewhere so you know somebody has that third or fourth

094child that's spaced out a little bit much. You don't want to be doing an extra bus run. So you you do it within reason. Um but that was the idea eventually um to be able to have it where they could finish their experience at Northeast and then um ultimately over a couple years that neighborhood becomes part of the Cutler Elementary School. Um and it because it's so close it makes some sense there. So we calculated all of our numbers um based on the fact that the students would stay in that stay in that area. They they would be Yeah, they would. But we didn't go ahead and calculate any grandfathering or anything. Um we didn't >> Oh, you didn't? >> No, because we don't know who has a child that maybe two, three, or four

095in the pipeline. Um so that's something that, you know, would do that more fine grain look um should we get some more direction on um where it's going. Um, in the past we've worked with boards that have sent out, you know, as they got a little further along, sent out a quick survey to those parents asking them, you know, >> would they like to be included, how they feel, and then you'll be able to make those finer grain decisions based on their input. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Gretchen, I got you, but I just want to make sure that there's someone else from the board who would like to ask a question, but I I totally have that. Is there anyone else? Jane. Jane, I think you're muted. >> Snoopy. >> Okay, I'm

096on. And that's Polly 10 pounds lighter. Um, my interest was really in how this would be presented to parents. Um, I'm sure they're going to have concerns and the transition might be difficult for several and that was just pretty much answered for me. >> Thanks, Jane. >> Gretchen. >> Okay. I can also kind of answer the busing issue for Enson Drive through Bair. That's all one neighborhood. Uh when we first moved here, we thought we were districted to Butler, then found out we were districted to know, but there were still kids that were grandfathered in. So, we had many buses. It as long as they're staggered, it's not too bad. Otherwise, you can't move. It just it's a bad it's already a mess in here. So, um my big question is really it's sort of

097in two parts about Northeast and Katherine Konowski. So back in the day when my children were everybody knows at no and my baby was the last one out um they promised vehemently that there would be no more than 400 children in either of those schools ever and we've seen that did not happen. Uh, so I know that that that's just a reminder. We don't want to make promises we don't plan to keep because I know a lot of my friends voted on building those two schools due to that no more than 400 ever we promised. Um, the next thing is how does this is a big question for me because I've been wondering about it for about 10 years. How is it that Northeast and CK have the same number of kids in them when

098they never finish building Northeast? Anybody have an answer to that one? >> I think the question was why they have similar enrollments. >> Yes. >> Even though there's the missing four classrooms on Northeast. I think Rita answered it earlier when she mentioned that some of the class sizes in um Northeast have been a little bit higher than um some of the other schools. So, it's it capacity and enrollment is a function of two things. It's the number of classrooms and then how you load those classrooms. Um the way we're viewing it as part of the enrollment targets is just having sort of an even number of sections per grade moving through um to get to that 400 number. But we recognize that as part of the um neighborhood demographics and the choice programs that you

099may have a bubble year. So rather than having all four sections, so you'll have four classrooms in each grade, you may have a bubble of five in one year or two bubbles where then you get pushed up to the 420 or 430 student enrollment. Um that happens in the in you know that ultimately happens everywhere in schools. Um but it's really that function of you know how many students are in the classroom. Are you loading close to your max class size guidelines or are you not? >> Right. So the four classrooms if we just minimally average our class sizes at 20 which is a little bit low. That's 80 kids. That's not a bubble for the two schools to be jogging 80 80 kids at that's a lot of kids. So, I'm I'm concerned about

100whether this is a redestit place to be talking about this. It just it just had one of the >> wow moments. >> Okay. I just want to make sure that we stay on topic. We have so much on our agenda. >> I'm having just one of those holy cow moments. >> Okay, >> Jay. Okay. So, first of all, thank you uh uh Mike and Pat. Um I know that it's my fault that we're going through all this again. Um but the the review of all the data I have to tell you um it was very well done. I still would like to see um these slides just to review again. I specifically was very interested in I believe it was the first scenario that seemed to have the least disruption of the neighborhoods, but I

101think you said had the most disruption of moving kids, but it sort of reset things back >> to the neighborhoods because my main concern is this splitting of a couple of neighborhoods. Um, even though I know it happened years ago, I was just hoping that since this is going to be our last one that we could straighten it out. Um, and I'm wondering what is the difference in the number of students disrupted in that I think it was scenario one versus the recommended scenario. >> Yeah. Go ahead, Pat. If you >> got the numbers in front of me. So, um, for the recommended scenario, >> put the map up while you're talking. Sure, please share my screen again. All right, everybody see? All right, so the recommended scenario moves 44% of students. Um, that's a

102little bit more than the minimum. Minimum would be uh 42% if only the three closed buildings were reassigned. Uh, scenario one would move uh 60% of your students. So, um, >> could you show us the map, please? >> Sure. >> Yeah. 33 Pat. Oh, >> there's scenario one. >> Oh, >> and I can get the bigger map if you'd want to see a specific area. >> So, so Jay and and and in in this one um where Pat is hovering his pointer now. Hopefully, everybody could see it. Um this is one of the ones that um took Brford Manor and kept it whole and didn't have the split and had that in Westside. Um as well as sort of created the more contiguous blocks. Um, one of the things we did see with this, and

103this is going to be, and this is really what you're hearing and what you're feeling on the, uh, magnet theme programs under this scenario, by having all of Brford Manor together, it then put sort of the, um, racial imbalance pressure over onto Westside, and it would rely on having that magnet movement or choice movement of students in and out of um, Westside to ensure that the longer term um, racial balance was put in place and I believe we did leave some considerable um space in that scenario Pat if I'm correct um for the Westside magnet program as well as the Cutler magnet program there. Um so this would really rather than through the neighborhood catchment component, this would put a little bit of the heavier lift onto the magnet choice programming component to ensure longer

104term racial balance. So, um I think it's a decision and I think it's a good option. I think it's a decision for the board to be able to look at um where you're at within that magnet landscape of what you think the likely movement attractiveness and how you're going to deploy those programs to be able to have the east west and the west to east movement to ensure that you stay at that at that mark and below. So, from the beginning, my concern has been moving half of a neighborhood um of an elementary um school um basically across town. And I know we're already sending them to Claude Chester, but now we're going even further >> by several miles. And so I realize it's more disruptive, but it just seems to me that this is

105just more fair and more clean of a of a final districtricting. Jay, could I make an observation? >> Sure. From Route One to Route 95, you have scores of children that we're going to have to say are not going to Northeast Academy. That that whole area there. Uh, you also have scores of children who I think were very satisfied to go to Charles Barnum and you're going to have to eliminate them and send them all the way across the Northeast Academy and and then you you've got a a Katherryn Kowski area that's going to be very very much altered. And then what what that does to that particular uh magnet program concerns me. My my my personal thought was if we could go back to the C Pat could you show the recommended anyway? So

106you you see what I'm saying that there there are hundreds of children that are not going to go to the same school and and I know that that's always been problematic with with the recommended scenario. BA basically everyone who goes to Northeast Academy stays Northeast Academy. Tell me if I'm wrong, Mike and Pat. Everyone who goes to Charles Barnum goes to Charles Barnum. Everyone who goes to Katherryn Konowski continues to go to Katherryn Konowski. and and we and we create this uh the situation uh where the students who used to go to uh Claude Chester I realized that they traveled away uh but that was a decision that was made uh quite some time ago to to try to achieve racial balance. That's my first observation. My second observation is I've I've done some focus

107groups in in the Westside area and and frankly the attraction of a brand new school at Westside. I'm not sure we're going to be able to come up with such a terrific theme that somebody wouldn't want to like for example I I spoke to the people in the Bridge Street area and they were very happy to go to the new school as opposed to SB Butler because new school is right nearby and SB Butler is quite a ways away. Um, so I'm I I do not want to Well, I'm I I realize I'm on a short leash here, but uh I do not want to rely on what Mike is suggesting to have a have a a really a significant portion of the racial balance rest on our magnet. I I I think that that

108tweaks a good plan, but I don't think it's the heart and soul of it. and and I you know my my hope would be that with minimal changes with with the two uh the two little striped areas here the the phase in areas that that we would be able to open school on September 1st, 2021 and have pretty nearly racially balanced schools and and and then use use the the magnet program which will be attractive But of course, it'll be attractive at two brand new schools. And I think that's going to be actually pretty attractive for people at I'm not sure somebody from the color side of town is going to say, "Wow, I really want to go to West Side." And I'm not sure somebody from the west side of town. some will, but

109um I I I was hoping to achieve racial balance u and and basically use use the socioeconomic balancing of the magnet uh to just to to keep it in balance as opposed to achieve the balance. That's all I have to say. >> Kim, >> yes. Can I can I ask a question? Um, you know, when you look at this scenario, there's a lot of nice very good things about it, but I really have a hard time with the students who would be at Westside who would be bus to Kaskki that live across the street from Westside that could walk there. They're going to be able to see that school but not go to that school. And that to me is not correct. I mean, and you know, is it possible like the the tollgate road,

110is that possible for those kids to go to Charles Barnum because that seems like a community that is a Navy community that should sort of stay together and then somehow redo this down here where the children that are that could see West the new school at Westside could go to that school. I don't know. I just, you know, where you're going to be busing kids to Colonaste because it sits on top of a hill. So, you know, you could draw from different areas, but I just have a very hard time with the kids that could walk to Westside not being able to. It's the same way you're redistricting um that Belair area to cut to the new school at Cutler. >> They could walk there. and uh Rita, we had both of those as phase

111in areas, but I think one of the important things too if um they do want to go to that. >> Yeah. Pat, on slide six, there you go. On slide 16, I know it's a little hard to see, um, but over on west side, we took all of Brandy um, in that corridor and made that a phase in area very similar to the Cutler >> where um, they could they could opt to stay in Kolaski or they can opt to be part of the neighborhood attendance zone um, for u for Westside eventually. So, you know, >> I don't see that on the map though. I I don't see that on, you know, I could see it for the Cutler area, but not the west side. >> Yeah, it's a little Pat. If you could just

112zoom in a little bit. >> I'm gonna actually grab the big map because it is pretty small area. I know it's >> I know it's such a Yeah, such a small little strip there. >> All right. >> Oh, that little tiny one. >> So, yeah. So, we made this nice little um along the corridor outside of Westside as sort of that area that would get phased in from Kaskki to um across the as you put it across the street from Westside um into Westside in the long term. But also, I think one of the important parts of it is that for those that may live within the neighborhoods uh adjacent to it, but not directly across the street, um they could apply for that currently go to Clinaski. they can apply for um choice and

113magnet seats at Westside if they're on Warner Street, Hines, Morris, um officet to be able to then be part of Westside through the magnet program. >> Okay. Yeah, that's very important for for the families to understand that. >> Yeah. And you know, that's what we're trying to like wrap around with the unknown of like, well, what is the size of that going to be? How does that get like? I know that's all yet to come. I think one of the challenges Pat and I had was with Westside and Kolaski right there. I mean, I believe as the crow flies, they're less than a mile away. Um, so we're looking at like a thousand um two schools, we have over a thousand seats um to to be able to fill. And how do you do that

114while having these sort of contiguous what everybody sees as the traditional neighborhood? Um, and it you just it's really difficult. It's just you want to strive for it, but it's something that you really can't achieve when you put in all the other factors. So, we wanted to be able to be cognizant of that, provide some flexibility, um, but also realizing that that magnet and choice are going to be a powerful program for those that may like the program there or may like the idea of walking to school. So I think it serves kind of two purposes >> and and most of the the prek seats there'll be 150 between Konasi and Westside and then 120 did you say at the Cutler? >> Yeah, that's it. >> Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, that's good. Thank you.

115>> You're welcome. >> Anyone else from the board? So, can we talk about next steps? >> Can I ask to be recognized as a grant town counselor to ask a question? >> This is actually a board of ed meeting and we have been spending a lot of time on that, but we will have a point where we can have public comment about that. >> Will it be about this issue to ask these questions? >> Sure. Sure. Unless there is a member of the board that would like to recognize their their their turn. >> So what are our next steps? >> So I think in hearing and seeing the um you know the number of participants we have Kim I think what we're going to do is uh Pat and I are going to work with

116Dr. Geneer to be able to come up with sort of our virtual COVID platform to be able to get this out a little better within the community um and talk through that um we can create the technology side and leverage um the communications that you have. I know parents right now have been hit with every survey or reading every plan. We don't want to overdo it. So, we're going to try to keep it as um concise, informational, and you know, be able to really understand where we're at and the board's at um with as little time at and, you know, to have the parents have to put into it as possible. and hopefully in the next week or so be able to get a platform put out there through your website so they could figure

117out what's going on, what the plan means for them and then be able to provide some comment back on it before um we could come back and and have another meeting on it with you. So, um would this platform allow um as uh Porsche had indicated was is that platform going to allow to have um uh be able to have questions and answers? Um >> yeah, what we've been doing um as part of this is with the um Graten Public Schools domain, we ask that rather than coming into like Milo McBroom or Pat or myself because sometimes what we see is the the questions are of the personal nature, my student has an IEP or something or something or something and you know it can get funneled into um somebody on the administration side that

118can then dish it out to us, the ones that are appropriate for us. Um, so a lot of people, what we do notice, and we did do this pre-COVID for a Shelton school redistricting, we had a packed auditorium. We put out the online platform. Within a few weeks, we had about 2,000 people go and view and then everybody was informed and um, it made for such a a a better process. So, I think in general we can be able to have that email there for people with specific questions, but I think a lot of people in the community just want something to find out what it means for them and want that information. Um, it sounds right now from the board and I think we would need direction on that. Um, do we want to

119share through the viewer all four scenarios plus the recommended? Share the recommended. How do you want us to proceed with that part of it? The other the other point before that question gets answered and I do have a thought about that is um I um a lot of our families don't necessarily always have internet access and so I just want to make sure that um we have a we we have a form I we we try to disseminate this information as much as possible and maybe um and maybe we need to have it more geared towards schools and Maybe um and maybe the board members can hook into with principles and with one of you guys and kind of have these Zoom meetings with with the certain schools so that parents can have a more

120intimate way of of finding out about um the programs. That that's my only guess. The second if you want things to be concise the fact I think that once the board makes a decision about what the recommended is and I don't think that we're in a place yet to do that. Um because I think the board needs to I I think we need to kind of grapple with all of this stuff as well. I think we're going to need to have a couple more meetings. Sorry, Mike. I we just for those of us who have been through this um it is a a really pain as you know it's a very painful process and and I would like to kind of get it right as much as possible. um is I don't know if putting

121out all the plans um makes a lot of sense in terms of whether but I I mean I want to make sure that people understand what's going on but they're not hearing this information like we're hearing it and I think that people could then take information and kind of go with it and and not be in not have all the information to make a a good >> I'm not voting for one of these Democrats on the board of ed again. I raise my hand to excuse me. >> Go ahead, Kim. >> Thank you. Um, so, um, as I was saying, um, I I I think that I think that we need to have a little bit more community conversation as well, but I also think that the board needs to have more com have a

122more conversation about it. Um, going forward, >> I'd like to I really like the idea in and we already have focus groups set up at the schools. I really love the idea of the five elementary schools hosting each school hosting uh a session and that we could we could go through we could roll through some of this stuff once we uh >> once we get going. You know, we we of course have six elementary schools right now and but but I think I I would want to hear, for example, not not just from the three that are closing, but I I would want to hear from the Northeast Academy parents, for example, about the notion of 40 or or so percent of the kids not going to Northeast. Uh I I I think we need

123to find that out. I I want to hear from the Mary Morrison parents and the Charles Barnum parents about uh what the alternatives and then we could feed that back to the board. You know, I think we could I think we could probably pull something like that off certainly within the month of August. Mhm. >> Uh and then by September, Kim, I I think we'd be able to come back to the board and say, "Here's maybe some of the board members could could join us on some of these meetings, but we'd be able to come back to the board and say, "Here's the feedback from the community." And and and then the board maybe with a with a CO, then ultimately with a vote, if if we figure all this out by the last Monday

124in September, I think we'd be in decent shape. Kim. Yes, Rita. That timeline is is too aggressive. Um, I think the community needs more time than August. There's so much going on. I think everybody needs to get back to school and maybe they, you know, we could do something then, but I also think you should present it to the town council like and um the RTM and get input from them. Um, I think it's I mean we've had focus groups, but I mean Mike, you have these focus groups. The board knew nothing about them. I mean, we didn't know that there were f focus groups going on that you had focus groups at Westside. I mean, we're sort of being left out of the equation, >> right? >> And I really feel that the end

125of August or beginning of September is way too soon to vote on this. We don't have to This isn't going to happen for a year. >> Yeah, you're right. You're right. Yeah. No, that >> I mean >> you're relieving my stress. Thank you. >> Oh, good. Yeah, we have time and I think as much as we can hear from the community as possible is what's important. >> Right. Because once again, I think everyone's focused on what's going on right now like to to think about what's happening with the elementary schools are our think. Um with that said, is there any other questions that we have from the board? hearing none, I am going to move us on to the next thing which is our our um redistricting. So um the two of you, thank you

126so much for being part of this conversation and it looks like >> um it um I Yeah, thank you very much, Mike. >> We have some followup to do. I got it. Yeah, thank you. >> I I'll give you a call, Mike. Thank you. >> Sounds good. Thank you. And have a good evening, everyone. >> Thank you. >> Byebye. Um before Mike that you start I just wanted to just to let the board know that um this this next topic is going to be a very large topic as well and we have not even hit um a large part of our um of our agenda and it is already 8:00 and I do want to pay attention to the fact that there's a such thing called Zoom fatigue and so um I might ask us

127once we get through that if we take a look at what's left on our agenda and possibly try to modifi modify that a little bit um to make sure that we get the questions that we the the the votes that we need to do need to have happen but maybe there's some things that maybe we can um kind of scooch to the um to the um to another uh meeting and I don't need to keep on passing the buck but um I'm just I'm concerned about the fact that it's 8 o'clock and um we have another huge topic to go through. With that said, uh Jay, >> I don't know if this is out of order or not, but it just seems to me this plan hasn't even been approved by the state yet, and

128it's already changing as of today. And I just wonder, is it worth spending an hour going through these 30 pages and voting on something that could be changed by tomorrow? I mean, can we just table the whole thing or is there some state law that we have to vote on it tonight? >> No. No. In fact, you you don't have the requirement is that each district submit a three-part plan. one to accommodate all children coming in, one to accommodate a hybrid model like 50% of the children coming in and and one to be prepared for 100% remote learning. Again, um even the state is not going to approve it, Jay. Uh, I think they they wanted it because they they they wanted to to start sharing some of the good ideas like I heard a

129little bit on the governor's uh news conference today. You know, you hear you hear things and you say, "Oh, that's that that that's a a pretty good idea." Let me tell you what I'm I'm doing tomorrow. And this may help with tonight, Kim. Uh I'm I'm posting I'm posting the plan on our on our website. We're going to have a excuse me is it uh there's going to be a section of our website that is going to be called reopening updates and uh the plan will be there and then I've asked each of the principles to uh establish a a focus group uh and I know the secondary folks are going to have uh both a student focus group and a parent focus group. So, we'll have a we'll have a lot of feedback and

130uh and I and Susan and I in the interest of time. Uh the second page of this plan is a is a pretty good overview of the whole deal. And I could talk a little bit about the health measures and and and maybe we leave it there and and because we could we could maybe do this in bite-sized pieces, but you're right, Jay. It's it's a it's a plan that's going to change for sure. Uh and so I'm you know I I told everybody the scores of people who helped to write it that it's it's it's the plan. We're putting it in. I I I'm thinking of it as a draft and we're going to modify it as as as need be. But I think Susan can cover the big part in in in about

131two or three minutes if if that's acceptable. So, Mike, I'm going to lift just that second page because I think that's our talking points here. >> Yeah, I I have it if you want me to do it. >> Well, let's see. Let's let me try it again. >> Okay. >> Do you see this? >> We do. >> Yes. Yes. >> Thank goodness it worked this time. So this is the the plan as Mike had said that hundreds of educators, board members, community members have worked on in our different subgroups as we prepared this road map to re-entry and um >> Oh no. >> And then we were able to put >> your your text is missing. So Mike, I think um one of the interesting points that we have a picture of here is the

132hybrid model. >> Let me excuse me, Susan. Let let me put the document up. >> Okay, >> so stop sharing please and let me see if I can do it. Uh uh that would be >> gotta love Zoom. >> Okay. >> Got to love something. >> Now maybe maybe mine will >> you just need to make it bigger, I think. >> Yes, dear. >> Okay. How's that? >> That's much I can make it a little bigger. All right, a little smaller. Okay, here we go. >> So, I would say that we've had hundreds of educators and um board members and everybody looking at all the elements that needed to go in this template into the state plan. And so, we had all these subgroups, working groups working on this and then we had to bring

133it all together as a consolidated plan. So, that really was most of our work last week um in getting this all put together. But we've had to think about this plan in the three ways that Mike just mentioned. Face-toface with all students in um full-time instruction um during the 2021 year. um so long as all the public health data continues to support the model and if this model will be um supported with more intensive um mitigation there might have to be some changes or cancellations. We also have to follow all the health and safety and we heard a couple parents and people speak to that in bringing them face to face all together. The other possibility is that we would have to go distance learning and we know that we want to be able to

134make sure that we've even improved distance learning so that we provide both asynchronic and synchronized teaching and learning for all students should that happen. But this hybrid model came to our attention and it's really very popular across the whole state of Connecticut. Um and in that you would bring in half of your student population. So you'd have class sizes that are more like 8 to 12 versus 20, you know, up to 24. And it seems like that would be much more manageable. So half the kids would come in on Tuesday prek through 12 by the alphabet and we'd make sure families were together on this. Wednesday would be the deep cleaning, the distance learning where a teacher could bring the whole class together um and work with everybody. Thursday and Friday would be the other

135half of the cohort. So if I'm not in school those two days and I'm working independently and remotely and I'm getting feedback from staff from the teachers and um you know I'm marching through but at least I'm able to be in a classroom with my teacher and with some of my peers so that I can really get adjusted. And our staff has been working on curriculum re-entry. What does that look like in the first six to eight weeks? And a lot of it has to do with social emotional learning. It has to do with what does my what does my reading habits look like in school and what do they look like at home? What does the learning management system that I'm going to be working on, how does that work? So teaching students and

136parents so that if we should go totally remote or even in this hybrid model, how is it working so that we do it even better than done before? Uh and then this plan really has identified um uh >> oh Susan I think you're muted >> I think. Okay. Am I on again? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, we're really proud of this part because we really chose um a plan of reopening that would address inclusion, equity, and um diversity and ac access to all learners with the onetoone, the um hotspots, even the toolkits that we're sending home so that kids would have everything they needed for either the hybrid distance learning or even at school so that they'd have their own materials. And um as part of our social emotional learning, we have over about hundred

137educators working with Jamal Davis, Adah Allen, and Naen Mlin with diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of the action plan. So that's kind of it in a nutshell. This first page really tells the story and then in the 22 pages we give all the details and I'll let Mike speak to that because the health and safety of our kids social emotionally and um physically for our students and our staff is most important. That's what we're looking for. We're looking at what is the most healthy responsive way to bring people back and to take care of them physically and emotionally. So Mike, you want to take it from there? >> Let me just and and Sam can can chime in. I I I've been talking about what I think in terms of health and safety, the

138the big the big six things that we're going to do, and this is what's in the plan. We we have a plan for every every student and and teacher pretty much uh wearing masks, maintaining six-foot distance between students, certainly if we do the hybrid uh making sure that the children are instructed properly and have opportunities to wash their hands with with soap and water on a regular basis. We are recommissioning the ventilation system to make sure it works at the design capacity uh in all of our buildings. Sam has identified and and we purchased uh I guess they're called desk shields that it's a plastic shield is a kind of little study carol uh that the students uh will have. Uh we we bought one for every every elementary child and all the secondary uh

139students uh who who receive special education services. And there's a sixth one, Sam, that I'm hoping you remember. Uh but I'm it's a SC Oh, I know what it is. We we we we hired we we are hiring an additional daytime custodian to continuously clean the hightouch surfaces in all the restrooms. uh all the time that the buildings are occupied. Uh so Kim, in in the interest of time, what what we could do is we could come back at the next CO meeting and we'll talk about that tomorrow uh when that's going to be. But >> right, >> we'll come back at the next meeting and and and maybe I could have uh like Denise and and Jamal and his crew dive into one part of it and Susan and her crew dive into another

140part of it and Lori and Sam and Christie. We really have kind of three parts to this. That's the way we're thinking about it. So, we could we could really do a a nice e explanation to to the board. And uh and as I say, the the board the board in no way is expected tonight, at least from the perspective of the state board of education, to to uh uh to to to vote to approve the plan any more so than they are. It's just we want you to know the plan is there and uh feel free to uh ask questions and we will modify it as as the indicators uh you know as as a health indicators become apparent. >> Yeah, I think I got to Liz. I I think that um you know

141we just have a lot of families who you know we've heard from one of our neighbors that have a plan right like and that's what's going to happen. Um and um and then anyone that has, you know, tuned into any social media or or to whatever have all the other plans. And so my sense is is that there's lots of families in Graten who are trying to make sort of their their lives move forward in terms of employment and etc. And so um and so I I just as soon as we can um that makes it feasible um I think that that we should have something that's um out there. But um I um I'll I'll uh stop talking Liz and then Andrea. >> I have a couple of concerns and um primarily um I

142want to go back to like the hybrid model where you say cohort A is in-person alpha A to M and then co cohort um B is alpha N to Z. Now, um, having taught in all three levels of school, I find that this is an area that would be very difficult, especially in high school, especially when you have all the different types of classes that go in high school. And so, my concern is I mean, I've actually taught classes where I only had, you know, four different letters of the alphabet. So, I'm very concerned about that balance. And I understand that it's all a scheduling thing. The other concern I have is that um and I under you know I know a lot of work and please don't think I I'm being critical. I because

143of my my background too. I look at this and I don't know how our current um schedule can accommodate this. um especially at the middle school high school where they're going to 85 minute classes and then we have and then it's alternating days you know at this rate it looks it just appears that you're only going to see your kids once a once a week >> that's right >> and and that's and to me I don't know is it even worth to go back once a week I I've had a parents contacting me going you know I this is crazy to have we're not sure what's happening then I say you know wait until you see the plan and you know you will have time to to discuss it and that but I don't I

144I very concerned about the the secondary element the the elementary probably is a little easier to do these cohorts I'm not sure I haven't been there in a long time >> you're right >> but um I'm concerned about the middle school and the high school and I was wondering too. Have we considered instead of doing block scheduling is to maybe alter the schedule um for this year to go to a seven period rotation which is very difficult but at least then you would see your kids twice a week which you know would be a little bit easier in that respect to have your kids with you in the class. having taught both models, you know, they both have their benefits. That's one of my major concerns. The other concern I had was um if you

145look on um on page four of the of the document, you're talking about cleaning of facilities and daily operations. And it says once staff and students at the very bottom of the page students have vacated the room ventilated well once students have vacated the room ventilate well before entering and cleaning. Well, we have physical spaces that don't have windows that open beyond 3 in. That's not possible. The high school windows don't open that far. You also have is now who is going to be responsible for cleaning in between each of these periods? Are you telling the classroom teacher that they're going to have to wash all the desks and all the spaces? I mean, I'm just I'm just throwing that out there. I'm not critical. I'm just want is I'm I'm sure you've thought about

146these things, but it's not coming through on the document. And so, I'm just voicing a little bit of concern. Um, I just feel like this would I can see where this is going to work in um especially an elementary situation. possibly the middle school, but I think it's going to be very hard to implement in the high school. Very hard. And that's just my very big concern is I I look at those these kids. Um there's one other thing with um I was wondering, you know, when you talk about distance learning, are we preparing our teachers to have are we part of their PD? Is it going to be part of how to prepare and um these instant these zoom lessons or online lessons? Have we considered another um platform such as goo what is

147it called? Um Google meet. I was talking to a couple of high school teachers from a different district and they actually had Google Meet and they had inlive classes with their high school students using Google Meet where they could actually have the interaction on a regular basis and Zoom is very limiting where we've had the Google Meet they had great success with it. Um final comment districts around the um the country from California, Illinois, Michigan. I have family and friends and all and most of these districts are a lot of them that I've heard from people they're not going back to school for the first quarter and then they're looking at it because it's still the COVID is still such a a hot issue. So, um, that was those are my comments and concerns. I

148did read this quite quite thoroughly and I I just wanted to put that out there. Okay. I don't expect an answer. I just wanted you to hear me. >> Thank you. Um, Liz, I just want to um do Dr. Grineer, is this the best format for us to have th these discussions about the plan? No, I I I would I would like I say I think we need to break it up uh over a period of uh you know and maybe Kim and I by the way everyone uh talked about having a meeting next Monday night. uh we might want to institute that Kim and and and start to march our way through so that the the 3rd, the 10th, and the 17th we would be able to have the line, you know, the the

149majority of this and especially to bring in some of the writers uh that that would be uh I think that would really be helpful. >> Yeah. No, Liz, because your your comments are were um very thoughtful and I'm sure that every single one of us would have very thoughtful questions. I just don't know if this is the if this is the form that we have that and what is the best way of having this form specifically when we just don't know. Um I that's that's my thought. I I think that um if Mike and I can get together tomorrow and kind of go over our agenda for um the possibility of of of doing a meeting. I know, Jay, that you have a finance and facilities meeting um and so maybe we can try to

150work work around that, but if if there's a way that we could um continue to have our uh conversations, Liz, I I I would hope that you would forward your thoughts specifically about the secondary um education. Once again, that's out of my league. Um and I mean, there's so many other parts. I mean, I just sort of felt like what you had to present to the state was like this is an idea of a house plan. like I don't have all the specifics of what's on in the house, but this is a house plan. Um, and that um we're talking now about all the specifics, like you know, where's the rafter, where's the whatever, and eventually we're going to have to get down to what's the curtains, right? Um, but but I think that that's

151such a that such a moving um target at the present moment. So, I don't want to squatchch anyone's voice around this for tonight, but I just I I'm just wondering if it makes sense if we kind of um if Mike and I kind of make a plan about how do we kind of talk about the stuff that's moving forward because like Liz, all of us are getting phone calls about how we how we're going to open up the school. What is that going to look like? And quite frankly, the the answer is we we don't know yet, right? Like um I mean, we have an idea. We have the house, right? we know if it's house A, B, or C. Um, but but then what are all the other details that kind of need to

152have happened in that? >> So, there are a lot of details that are linked into that document. If you opened up all the links, there's probably >> overwhelming. >> Even our schools are looking at each of their school scenarios and how to follow each one of these plans in three different ways. But what would be helpful is if any of you as you go through even the 22page document put together a list of questions that you could send us so that we would be able to then respond and showcase some of the work that's been done related to some of the questions that you have. >> Great idea Susan Andrea and then Rosemary. Andrea, >> this Susan, you you partially answered my question because I wanted to know one of the big things that that

153has come up consistently with parents has been, you know, an inconsistency among presenting curriculum. And my question is, and I I'm hoping that you will include this. I want to know what we're doing with supervision and evaluation and consistency among the schools. How are we? So, please put that on on the list to look at. How are we going to uh supervise and evaluate? >> Well, we do have a plan. We It's called the G plan based on the seed plan, but I can certainly um update the board on what that looks like. >> I'll send you some specific questions. >> Okay, that would be great. Rosemary, >> I'm curious about what are the actual time limits that we have to make some of these decisions by um and um so that we can either

154squish as many meetings as we need to into a time period. >> If I can I can answer that. The next item on the agenda is hugely influential to the answer. Uh The state board of education has given the board permission uh to go from 180 student days to 177. And the board already has 181st day in the calendar. So if if the board decided we could we could have not only the 27th, the 28th of August and and then the 31st and then have the students start on the 1st. We we could actually have those three days plus four more. We could we could actually begin school on the 8th of September, which would give us seven full days. and and I I was on Friday with several board members. I think they Beth

155and members of the core team, virtually everybody said if we could do that, that would be great. So the answer to your question, Rosemary, is obviously we have to make that decision. We have to tell the parents where where we are. I think that's that's important that that gets done pretty soon, perhaps tonight. Uh and then and then as we proceed uh we the you know the the the date that will become huge will be the the Tuesday after after Labor Day. We we'll kind of march our way through that. But but I would say as I said to Kim to to by the 17th of August, I'm confident we can clearly explain all the elements of the plan and and actually take you know like uh some some of the some of the suggestions

156that we're hearing and I heard uh I heard a great deal of flexibility from the governor and the commissioner today. So I I I think the hybrid model if if that is going to meet the needs of the community that is uh very much uh in play. So the board I think the board needs to chew on this and make a decision. I would think Jim we perhaps want to even have a meeting by the 17th because I I don't think we want to tell the parents on the 24th of of August. Surprise surprise, >> right? >> Yeah. >> No, I don't I don't think so. So I I what I hear is is that I I told everyone I got you, Rita. I I told everyone that we were be going to become everyone's

157best friends, and I'm not lying about that in terms of meeting a lot. So just um be prepared for that. Rita, >> um I really liked what Liz said about the seven period day at the high school. I hadn't thought about that, but that really makes a lot of sense to me. Um, I also think that we should have a whole COW devoted to this next Monday night or whenever you want to have it. I think um agree >> it's very important that we have it very soon. And that's all we talk about is >> what we're going to do, what the plan's going to look like and then vote on it the next week. I think even waiting to August 17th is too late for parents to make the decision about whether or not

158they're going to just keep their children out totally, have their children to go, you know, part of the time or so. I mean, there are parents that, you know, are getting pods together so that they can educate their children in small groups at, you know, someone's home. I mean, there's a lot to think about and waiting is is not a good idea. Um, so I think we should do this very soon. >> That's absolutely um been the plan and I didn't I knew that this was going to be a heavy hitter meeting, but I just wanted to at least begin to have a taste about sort of what that plan looked like because we haven't even talked about it since be even before it was submitted. So, and I haven't one more thing. Um, I

159understand about this the teachers would like the seven days frontloaded. I don't understand how later in the agenda you have those days as half days. If it is so important to have those days from September, I believe 1st to 4th. To me, they should be full days and the teachers really really need to work on virtual plans if they have nothing. You know, there's a lot that they're going to have to do. But I I I and I also don't know why we can't still have 180 days even if we start on September 8th. You just have the school year go a little longer. Hopefully we will not have snow days. I mean, snow days could be virtual days. >> If you do if you do that, you have to pay the teachers a whole

160lot more because the teachers would would work for then not 186 days, but they they'd work for 190 days. Well, then maybe we don't do the the three days, you know, the days before and just do it September 1st to the 4th because I, you know, as it is now, the children are not getting the education they deserve. >> So, you know, you have to balance that. What I don't want children to lose more teacher contact time. So that that's my feeling especially when when I saw that you were having half days on those days. It was like wait a minute you know why do we have these seven days if four of them are half days wait time out we've moved on to the next agenda topic. I want to make sure that the

161board is aware that we've moved on to the agenda. We've moved on to um the next agenda place. >> Right. Good stuff. >> Are you still on the plan? >> I I was going to back Liz's ideas up to the >> Okay. So, feel free to write that as as to Susan to say I back up Liz plan. >> Liz. >> All right. >> Schedules list. So, we can too. >> All right. So, uh we're gonna now move on to Sorry, Mike. I now Gretchen, do you have more topic more more to talk about on the agenda of the plan? >> Are we on the number of school days? >> We we we we jumped there without finishing the last one. So, I just am trying to make sure that we are >> I do

162actually have something to say on that. >> Okay. So, we are now moving on to that. someone has their microphone um on and so when you move papers it it um actually overcomes the rest of the the conversation. So I'm not quite sure who that is. Um but if you're not planning to talk, if you could just throw it on on mute, that is just a very helpful process. Um Dr. Grineer, I'm going to recognize and then Gretchen, I'm going to ask for you to uh with your question. Well, I we've already we've already essentially said it that the the state board of education has said that you can uh reduce the number of school days. And uh when I when I put that on the agenda for action, uh I didn't know that the

163school board had had changed it. So, I was thinking half days, but I'm of course I'm not saying that any longer, which is why we're work we're working as as Susan and I say, we're we're building the plane while we fly it. >> All right, Gretchen, I'm going to recognize you for questions about the school days. >> Okay. I know that the universities are changing up their school year. the University of Wyoming J's going in 1 September, coming home at Thanksgiving, and then he's not going back until January, and then they're going to do something similar to condense the spring semester so that kids aren't coming and going and coming and going and bringing things from Hawaii, you know, their spring break hope back, that sort of thing. So we could condense possibly the school

164year, but I know we the unions that Beth may have words to say about that idea. So >> actually the state board of ed says you must have 177 days. >> Hopefully we'll make it. >> Yeah. Well, well, we'll make it one way or the other. We'll make it remotely or we'll make it in person. But >> how we could condense the school year differently possibly. >> Yeah. I don't think we have the authority to do that. >> Probably not. >> All right. So the conversation is then it's not half days, it's going to be full days because that's the new information that we got. Is that correct, Dr. Ger? >> Yes. Yes. So when we have the vote later on um in the meeting that's what the vote is that we will that we

165will change the motion will then read that the uh the third the the first three three days. All right. Is there any question about why or about having that happen? >> Rita Rita you're you're on mute. Are we striking number nine then under new business? Okay. Can we >> That's related to the school days. That's the vote. >> The answer is we'll modify it. >> We're going to modify it. >> Okay. >> Can I just add a point of clarification on why those days are so important upfront and maybe Beth would like to add on to that because we're in total agreement. With the teachers coming back, there is a lot of safety protocol that we have to review. There's a lot of curriculum work that's been done for re-entry that needs to be looked

166at. And um for the first eight weeks, we've made adjustments. We've compacted and accelerated some things. Um and then there's this whole distance learning that we have to make sure with some new technologies. So those three ingredients, never mind that, by the way, we have this new Grten Middle School and we've got teachers moving into a new middle school. So there's a lot on our plate and Mike has said this much more eloquently than I can say it, but anxiety is high and trust gets low. So we're trying to balance this with this hybrid method and by starting slow and growing so that we reduce anxiety and we build trust with all our constituents. and we feel like this is really the best way to do it. And I don't know if Beth can also

167follow up because she has the teacher's ear all the time on this and and hears from them directly as I do. So the um Susan's correct and the other piece of this is the state has asked that those three those three days that we're reducing down to the 177 student contact the three days be used for COVID training. So the co training does include the platforms, distance learning training, hybrid training. Um it also includes the policies and the procedures where if students are eating in the classrooms, we have to have allergen training. Um we might need to have him training. There's a whole bunch of level of training that is addressed throughout the plan when you click click on all those links, but there needs to be time to do that in addition to all

168of the normal stuff that we are doing um at the beginning of the year. So um those days are extremely important. We might even be able towards the end of those seven days bring in the smaller cohorts of students to run through procedures um so they can see it before they have to do it right away. So those seven front-loaded days are absolutely essential for all of our teachers and um our middle school teachers especially. They're trying to get used to a new space. you know, the rest of us, we kind of know our buildings and we know, okay, if we're going one way in the hallway, we know which way to go, but they got to work all of that out in a brand new building, too. >> Thank you, Beth. And there's a

169lot of curriculum adjustments that we have to go through and understand at all levels, K uh prek through 12. >> Liz, >> Bass, I have a question for you. Um, I know in our in the contracts there's nothing there. I don't think there's any um things about duties, but we're now going to have to have duties. Is this going to become a sticking point? >> So, this is something there. We have a an a proposedou that we will be discussing with the negotiations and that's one of the things we have to talk about. It duties are addressed in the uh in the contract in a couple of different places and what they look like. Um you got to remember that elementary in particular it gets a little tricky because our plan time is attached to

170that lunchtime and uh lunches are always duty-free. So there's a lot of things that you know we need to get down to that minutia um which is now forthcoming. Um so there's a lot of things to discuss to write anou because of the impacts to the workday. >> Okay. I just wanted to clarify that with you. >> Oh, yeah. No, we we got it. >> Thank you. >> That's a good introduction, Beth, because um uh those of us who are on negotiation committee, just to want to let you know that we will be having a meeting soon to be discussing those things that that are on that are on our docket. Any other questions or concerns or thoughts about um this is going to be for an upcoming vote um hopefully in a little bit.

171Rosemary. >> Um, we're not having a policy meeting in the first the beginning of um, August. So, maybe we could um, shoehorn a um, an extra meeting in there. So, >> okay. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Rosemary Lee. Uh we we are cancelling the first P policy. We are probably going to find another one for the middle of August. >> Awesome. Thank you. I appreciate it. >> That's because somebody couldn't make it. >> Okay. Thank you, Lee. >> Kim, I I I did a little I look forward and I have a proposal and um you know, we we So anyway, here's my proposal. We we could I think tell me if I'm wrong, Susan, we we could table the old business for tonight and and I have the need there needs there should

172be a vote on Cutler and Westside giving it back to the town because they're going to be knocked down tomorrow and it would be good if the court doesn't own them anymore. And then I would say three, four, and five we table. It would be nice if we had the vote on six and seven. Those are two uh personnel things we need to get moving on. Uh the the plan I mean I would defer to what you said, Jay. There's there's no real reason. The we can get through the plan and maybe vote on it on the 10th, but I do think number nine I changed it to and I'll tell you when we get there. So my my proposal was we we go new business only 1 2 6 7 8 and then a

173new nine. >> That's actually um Mike that's actually what I was just about ready to propose in terms of kind of taking a look at that. Um um but I my concern was um do those policies have to be voted on tonight? Like does the old one second meeting? >> Okay. No, they can be voted on next month. >> All right. Um, so um people when we take a look at the committee meetings, are you comfortable with the fact that we're just going to move that to the following the following time period? Right. So I I'm taking that as a 100% yes on that. Um and uh I would like to once again reiterate what I think is being proposed for the remainder of the meeting and that is on our new business page. We

174are going to do number one and two which is the west side and the Cutler. We are then going to have a um a motion um for the two personnel um uh which were two that were um that uh we had talked about in the committee as a whole and that we are then going to then um uh use the motion for the uh 177 school days. Am I are we in are we in agreement to all of that? >> Um I just want to know we should remove the action items and accept the minutes. >> Oh you did did Joan get to you? No. But that's a very um actually that's a really good point and um you you are now the favored one of Miss Joan. Um I think that Rita does have

175a um actually the legitimacy to accept those um to uh the agenda topic. So please go to the second page um where it says action items um and I will take a motion for acceptance of the consent agenda and it's approval of multiple different um special meetings and I will entertain a second to that um to the motion. I see Liz. >> Is there discussion? Oh, I'll I'll second it. >> Lee, do you have discussion? >> No. >> Lee, is there a discussion? You had your hand up. >> No, no, no. I was going to second. >> Okay. Um, all those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Oppose. Abstain. That motion has carried. Um, there just there's a lot of people that um gave us a lot of donations and I'll make sure

176that that gets said. Um, >> we'll write a note. Kim, >> thank you. I appreciate that. >> We're now moving on to new items of business, which is motion to transfer the Carl Cutler Middle School located at 160 Fishtown Road. It's a Connecticut to the town of Grten effective July 28th, 2020. Can I take a second to that motion? >> I second that. >> I got Rita. Is there any discussion? >> Kind of a moot point, isn't it, Kim? doing is doing the job. All right. Hearing none. All those in favor um of the motion to transfer the call Cutler Middle School located at 160 Fishtown Road, Vistic, Connecticut to the town of Goten effective July 28th, 2020, please say I. >> I. >> Oppos. Abstain. The motion has carried. Now go into a motion

177to transfer the Westside Middle School located at 250 Brande Avenue, Graten, Connecticut to the town of Graten effective July 28th, 2020. Can I have a second to that motion? I see Lee. >> Second. >> Yes. >> She is second to that. Do I have a discussion on that? Hearing none. All those in favor of transferring Westside Middle School located at 250 Brande Avenue, Graten, Connecticut to the town of Gotten effective July 28th, 2020. All those in favor, please say I. I >> I >> oppose abstain. That motion has carried. I'm moving us down to number six, discussion and possible um to approve the addition of one full-time special education teacher to support both the apex academy and the transition academy programs. Can I have a second to that, please? >> Second. >> Are we going

178to do Rosemary? Okay. Have a Do we have a second? I mean, do we have a discussion on this? Once again, remember we spent some time talking about this. Um, you certainly did >> the whole Liz, >> just clarification. Is this one person going to be um responsible for both the apex and the transition as it reads? Just to make sure I'm reading that correctly. >> One person, correct? >> One person. Thank you. I >> That's what it says. >> I'm getting tired. >> Great. No, great clarification. Thank you. Any further discussion on this item? All those in favor of the motion, which is to approve the addition of one full-time special education teacher to support both the Apex Academy and the transition academy programs. Um, all those in favor, please say I. >> I.

179>> Oppose. Abstain. The motion has carried. I'm moving us on to um the seventh, which is the motion to approve the establishment of a full-time student data manager. Can I have a second to that? >> Second. >> I've got Jane. >> Second. >> Do we have any discussion? >> Once again, this was something that we talked a lot about in terms of why we needed this um in our committee of the whole Hearing none. All those in favor of the motion to esta establish a full-time student data manager position, please say I. >> I. >> Uh uh what's it? All those not >> oppose. Stain that motion has carried full. All right. So we are now on number nine which is uh to discussion and possible action regarding modifications to the 20202 school calendar to

180change the calendar indicating that September 1st through September 4th will be early release days. So >> I have a new motion. >> All right. That's why it was a discussion. >> Joan, here's what I'm saying. to modify the 2021 school calendar to indicate that September 8th will be the first day of school for students and the school calendar will consist of 177 student days. >> Can I have a second? There's now a motion on the floor. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> Why can't it be 178 days? It it it uh uh >> I'm just curious if there's 181 days that the teachers is it the teachers are 186 days according to their contract. >> That That's right. So So the the the one the 186 and then we have we have a PD day on

181uh election day and we have a PD day in in March. So that's 184. Um >> um you know I I know Lauren's not going to have that PD day in March. >> Uh >> so >> yeah, >> I I don't know if we need those. >> I don't know. >> Well, if we didn't have that, the board could change that to a student day. I I I I I think the I think the real the real emphasis here is to try to give us time upfront to everything from students coming in to meet their teacher. There might be a one of the one of the seven days might might be allocated to teachers having students come in in small groups just to meet meet the teacher or that that that sort of thing. having

182the seven day it just falls so nicely and then the the board goes back to the calendar which is somewhat ironic of starting on the on the 8th of September but Rita the board the board the board can add those change the PD days to student days if >> can I just >> sure >> intervene >> we already really have um a a social justice warrior on diversity coming in >> on March He's been planned for over a year and so he really goes along with some of the work that we're doing and in November we're starting to plan. We feel like those two goalposts um in the beginning of the year and the end are good recalibration for our teachers to have that level of professional learning. Um especially since we might be we

183might be doing all three plans in one year depending on how this co virus goes. So it's, you know, even if we'd adopted a hybrid plan in the beginning, doesn't mean that's going to be for the whole year. You know, God willing, it's only for a certain amount of time and then we can bring more kids back, you know, but I do think that having those two professional learning days for our staff are so important now more than ever before to just take a breath and be able to make sure that our plans are working and um the way we want them to. So, I would, you know, really recommend that we keep those at least at this point. Um, I think they're important. >> Gretchen, >> um, on a personal note, in December, I

184mean, winter of 7778, we had nowhere near 170 school days. They just kind of, we're done. So, that did not hurt the educational outcome for those students. And most recent research says that it's most important that students have continuity and that the teachers be prepared has a is far more important than the number of days they spend with the teacher. Outcome is directly related to preparedness of the teacher. the calmness of the teacher, the happiness of the teacher, and the consistency, you know, not the consistency of the child, but you they are what they are. They're crunchy or squishy. Um, so >> we we agree with you. So, so what I what I hear um what I hear it's on what's on the table is that to move September 8th, it allows the teachers to

185really kind of frontload a lot of stuff that needs to happen that is just so unusual because of the pandemic, but that we're still recommending that the teachers need to still continue to have professional um development specifically since we already have someone um already scheduled for the March date. Um is that sort of what I hear on the table? >> That's right. That's exactly right. >> Could we have could we have this motion where it's just that the children are starting school on September 8th, the teachers are coming back for those seven days and then not say how many school days the children will be attending. >> Yeah. >> So >> I mean we don't need to say they are only coming 177 days yet. The the big the big thing is the I'm nervous

186that I just I I want to get it out to the parents that we are gonna start after Labor Day. The teachers start >> the teachers will start on the 27th of August and the children will start on the 8th. That gives us seven days to get ready. >> Yeah. So >> So Rita, are you proposing an amendment to the motion >> to Mike's um motion? >> Yes. Yes. I'm I'm striking the second sentence of it. The it would say the amended motion would be to modify the school calendar to indicate that September 8th will be the first day of school for students. >> Yes. >> I mean to me that's the most important what what we need to get out to everybody. Great. >> Is there So, Miss Joan, I don't know if you

187can unmute. I just want to make sure that I am doing this correctly. So, um there's an amendment to there's amendment to the motion. Do I have to have a second on the amendment? >> Joan doesn't have a microphone on her computer. >> I would I would I would definitely say yes, Kim. And then a vote on the amended motion first. >> Okay. So, can I have a second to the amendment, which is um Dr. Grineer, can you please read that one more time so we know what we're voting on? >> To modify the 2021 school calendar indicate that September 8th will be the first day of school for students. >> Can I have a second to that? >> Secondly, >> second. >> All right. I got I got Lee. Any further discussion? All those

188in favor of the amendment which was just read by Mike, please say I >> I >> oppose. Abstain the amendment has carried. Now, do I need to go back to the first? >> No, because it's it's it's it's obsolete now because the first you can't have the first and the second. >> Okay. All right. Andrea, >> motion to adjourn. God bless you. >> Second. >> I've never seen so many seconds. >> Oh my god. Praise the Lord. >> Even Mark, even Mark seconded that one. >> Frankly, guys, if you think about it, in the in the past three hours, we actually got a hell of a lot. um we did a lot and we had a lot of good conversations. So um this is really um big stuff and I really appreciate people's flexibility and

189time um meeting this journey. >> Thank you. See you tomorrow everybody. >> Stay well. >> Good night. >> Bye now.