001Good evening. My name is Tena Stevens Young and I'm the chorus teacher here at Caroline Middle School and at Caroline High School. And to start December's schoolboard meeting, I have my seventh grade core students, a portion of them, who are going to perform three selections for you. The first one is entitled Enza Upendo by Jim Papalis. Second, followed by um Sweet Silent Night by Andy Beck. And then last but not least is Jingle All the Ways, which is a variation on Jingle Bells by Matt and Adam Pod. [applause] [music] Oh my god. >> [music] >> I know >> [music] >> Sing [music] Oh my god. [music] Forever. [music] window [music] open. [music] >> [music] >> Okay. Okay. [music] My [music] head is [music] [music] up. >> [applause] [music] >> is bright [music] suns. of [music]
002shing [music] to the >> [music] >> And the thous. The world is [music] [music] strong. [music] Heavenly star [music] brightness silent. [music] [music] And the smoke comes down to the [music] ground. And the mountain [music] [music] >> [applause] [music] >> Horses [music] we go [singing] all the way. [music] Sing a sleigh song. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh, what fun ride. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. [music] Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. [music] Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. [music] Oh, what fun it is to and heart. [music] I thought [music] I [music] We laugh and sing [music] until our [music] [music] jingle bell. >> [music] [music] >> Oh, [music] jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle Oh [music] What a joy. [music] Oh, jingle bells, jingle
003bells, jingle all the way. Heat. Heat. >> [applause] [applause] >> Good job. Good job as always. Loved it. Love the music. >> Thank you. While we are all getting situated, let's give a warm round of applause to our seventh grade performers and Miss Stevens Young, the coral director. I do believe if I am not mistaken that tomorrow evening is actually their coral concert, a joint event possibly at the high school. Someone give me a head nod if that's correct. Okay, excellent. 7 o'clock start. 6 o'clock start >> 6 o 6 6:30 start. So mark your calendars to hear even more of the great talents of our singing groups. To the flag of the United States of America and to the for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all and you may
004all be seated. >> Okay, that's an example. Now you know who's in charge here. [laughter] >> And I am assuming we have our middle school cheer team that was performing our pledge for us. Do they have a game this evening, Mr. Just? >> They're going back and forth. So, thank you for their due diligence and their assertiveness. I'll turn it over to Chair Taylor to start the meeting. >> Good evening, everybody. And again, thank you to the young folks and to the parents of the young folks because without you, they wouldn't be here. So, we really appreciate what they did. Aren't they lovely? They're gone, but we should still give them a big hand. How about that? [applause] Just goes to show the fine students that we are blessed to have in Carolina. And they
005also are a reflection of their teachers as well. Good evening, school board members, CCPS families, students, staff, and Caroline community. I, Calvin Taylor, chair of the board, would like to call the December school board meeting to order. It is my privilege to welcome those attending in person at Caroline Middle School, as well as those viewing on the CCPS YouTube channel. Each provides an avenue for you to receive information, heightened education, awareness, and involvement. The school board is grateful for your attendance as we continue to move our school division in a forward direction as one car. Again, welcome to the school board meeting. And now, I would like to ask the clerk to call the role. Jay Kellerhurst, student schoolboard representative. Dr. Michael Hubard representing the Bowling Green District. Mr. Lidell Fortune representing the Matapana district.
006Mr. Calvin Taylor representing the Port Royal District. Dr. Sarah Calvaric, superintendent of schools, Dr. Joanda Rollins Fels representing the Rei Church District. Mrs. Allison Sears representing the Western Caroline District. Mr. Shaun Kelly representing the Madison District. And I'm Lisa Stevens, clerk of the board. Mr. Chairum, we have a quorum. >> Thank you very much. We will now have a statement of norms by Mr. Fortune. >> Words of inspiration. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, good evening and thank you for being present tonight. Uh before we we begin our meeting, I would like to offer words of inspiration. As quoted by Edward Hail, together is one of the most inspiring words in the English language. Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress and working together is success. Together, families are stronger. Together, sports
007teams are victorious. Together, friendships are strengthened. Together is better when unity is a priority. Thank you. Thank you. We've already heard our pledge of allegiance. So, that takes us to uh the approval of the uh December 15th agenda. Are there any additions or corrections to the agenda? If not, I will approve a motion to approve the agenda as presented. So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> It's been moved and second that we would approve the agenda as presented. Mr. Clerk, would you call for the vote? >> Mrs. Sears, >> I. >> Mr. Fortune, >> I. >> Dr. Hubard, >> I. >> Mr. Kelly, >> I. >> Dr. Rollins, >> hi. >> Mr. Taylor, >> I and the agenda stands approved. This takes us to achieve 2027 spotlight. Uh, Dr. Cala. Good evening,
008Chair Taylor, Vice Chair Fortune, and members of the board. Caroline Reeds is our countywide call to action for 2026, uniting families, schools, and and the entire community around the power of literacy. Together, we will inspire a love of books, strengthen reading and writing for all ages, and build a brighter future for every Caroline County resident. Join us as we turn the page toward an even more connected, informed, and successful community. So, let's first meet Kristen, our consultant that will be leading the campaign. Kristen, who is standing to my right behind me, currently serves as a dynamic bookstore owner, excelling in customer relation management and social media marketing. Cultivating a loyal community through innovative events and strategic outreach is a specialty area. With years of experience as a diligent educator librarian, Mrs. Hildum brings a background
009in fostering love for reading and learning among students, developing engaging programs that encourage literacy while supporting classroom instruction, and impacting the community through positive literacy opportunities. So tonight, Kristen and I will cover number one, communitywide literacy campaign goals and drivers. Number two, the campaign overview. Number three, programs, events, and activities. And number four, next steps, steps, and a call to action. The time is right. why the general assembly approved the implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act effective July 1, which was supported in part by all-in funding aimed at the development and implementation of an effective Virginia Literacy Act rollout. Additionally, a variety of CCPS post-pandemic literacy data reflect the need to continue building greater literacy access and opportunity both within schools and the greater community. To further accentuate this need, the 2025 planning district 16
010community health assessment resulted in our county having the lowest median income, the lowest household educational attainment, and the highest chronic medical conditions. Ultimately aligning with research that documents high literacy increases graduation rates, boosts access to skilled jobs and higher wages, and strengthens health literacy so individuals can navigate health care, housing, and finances. Proof that a strong reading environment helps break cycles of poverty and build healthier, more stable families and communities. Once we identified the drivers behind this campaign's inception, it was time to set priorities. And for CCPS in Caroline County, we have identified three goals to guide our work. One, foster a culture of reading. Two, build community connections through literacy. And three, improve access and equity in reading opportunities. These goals are the foundational elements or the why behind Caroline reads and to ensure
011that we are this year-long excuse me that this year-long effort aligns with our community's interest and input CCPS will use the following survey to drive some of our work. A survey was presented to our community which closed on Friday, December 12th. This include questions covering the following book clubs, reading incentives, summer reading programs, a bookstore cafe to be opened at the high school, author visits, and other campaign suggestions. And we were thrilled to have approximately 600 respondents provide additional detail and input into how this campaign will info unfold in the year 2026. Before you is an under construction overview of the year-long literacy campaign. Noted on this document are student, adult, and community related events, beginning with the Caroline Cruiser holiday book stops, which took place this past Saturday, to adult book clubs, which will
012kick off in January, to the Main Street kickoff in February, to the reading incentive charity challenge, which will run February through March, to a robust summer reading program, which will occur June and July, to a fall 2026 leveled literacy focus consisting of authoring ing, illustrating, and publishing student books at the elementary level. One book, All Eagles, plus activities at the middle school, and one book, One Academy, plus a project-based learning and field trip associated with the books the students have elected to read. Kristen Hildum, our literacy campaign consultant, will dive more deeply into these carefully curated plans. Kristen, >> first it is a pleasure to be here with you this evening and an honor to work closely with Caroline County stakeholders to increase aptitude and engagement around literacy. Three foundational building blocks to achieving the
013high but attainable goals set forth in this plan are access to ownership of and engagement with books. As we entered the holiday season, there was no better time to provide our parents with the access to new and free books for their scholars. On December 13th, the cruiser was outfitted with bookshelves and filled with new reading materials ranging in age from 0 to 18. Parents climbed aboard the cruiser at Second Mount Zion in the Dawn area, at Lotus Academy in the Ladiesmith area, in Bowling Green at Walgreens, and finally at the Port Royal Library. Caregivers selected two new books for each CCPS student 0 to 18 in their household and then staff bagged the books for holiday gifting. Students who joined their parents and guardians were supervised outside of the cruiser with reading related coloring, readaloud
014and candy canes. The turnout was excellent at all stops and participants were thrilled to leave with new books for their home libraries. Now, increased literacy engagement is a goal for all of Caroline County, not just our students. Adults that are involved in a reading community, model positive reading behaviors for children, and have increased well-being and commitment to their broader community. To that end, we will offer free of charge to participants three adult book clubs meeting in person and virtually throughout 2026. Based on survey responses from the community, genre themes will be chosen, such as mystery, contemporary fiction, and historical fiction. Participants will choose the club that best fits their interests and schedule. The bookstore cafe. Another of the three building blocks to enhance community literacy is book ownership. We want to increase the opportunity for
015community members to purchase books for themselves and their families by offering a discounted local book outlet. As an added bonus, students will lead the development and operation of this bookshop and cafe. Modeled after a thriving program in Hampton Roads, the bookstore cafe will meet the demand for a truly unique literacy experience for the entire community. The [clears throat] final foundational block block of a strong literate community is providing opportunities for engagement around books and reading. Our premier literacy launch event will be the main street kickoff happening in February. Cultivating an atmosphere of excitement around reading and other upcoming literacy events. The kickoff will include interactive activities in partnership with Main Street businesses, a storybook walk, free books, and other prizes for participants. Our charity challenge reading challenge activities are not new to the school environment,
016but we're offering the excitement of a challenge with a twist, a service component. As students read this winter, they will be earning prizes not only for themselves, but for local causes within the community. Students will see firsthand the power of their work as rewards accumulate and organizations accept the gifts. Whether it is dog leashes and cat beds for a local animal shelter or warm socks for a senior center, students will feel proud and of the good that their efforts have made. In June and July, we will have a summer reading program focusing again on the imperative of access to books and personal choice. The summer reading programs will include book selection by students before and during the summer, making sure they are equipped to avoid summer slide and rather make academic gains. During the 2026
01727 school year, we will work directly with students and teachers within the learning environment in a variety of ways. At the elementary level, each student will become authors, editors, and publishers to produce a unique work highlighted at a school or divisionwide event. Middle school students will participate in a onebook experience paired with a variety of interactive activities. Likewise, at the high school level, each academy will engage with a text and participate in project-based learning activities, [clears throat] excuse me, related to that text. And a fitting wrap-up to the year's programs will be another holiday cruiser event, including multiple books stops to offer new books to parents for gifting during the holiday season. And you may be asking, what are the outcomes before you? Increased access and exposure, joy of reading, family engagement, community involvement, heightened
018student achievement, and unified culture. # Caroline reads. Thank you. And at this time, we'd be happy to answer any questions associated with the literacy campaign. >> Do board members have questions at this time regarding the campaign? I don't have a question. I would just like to say thank you. I think it's another example of how we reach out uh in the community to meet the needs of our students and we certainly appreciate all the help that we got in making that happen. So, thank you, >> Mr. Chairman. >> Yes, I had the opportunity to see the cruiser which was rather impressive uh at Walgreens in Bowling Green. Um great idea, great concept. Uh I thought it was tremendous to see the staff on a Saturday uh out uh providing the support for this worthy effort.
019Uh and then of course uh kids and parents coming out of Walgreens uh going over to the bus. So I think we're moving in the right direction. Uh and anything that uh I can do I'm sure uh the board can do um certainly let us know. I'm sure we will be able to make it happen. We will certainly be dialing your number for support throughout 2026. And I am pleased to say that we handed out approximately 300 350 books and serviced um 150 families approximately and we haven't um run our final numbers. Um but we were really grateful. It was bucket filling for all participants and attendees. And all of the monies of course for the literacy campaign are stemming from the all-in Virginia literacy act grant. So grant funded. We will be working with
020our our faith community and some other nonprofit organizations to continue the good work beyond the grant limitations. >> Mr. Chair, I yes, >> I just also want to echo the great work uh that's been put into the creation um of this Caroline Reeds program. Um I am really impressed um with respect to the robust nature um that this approach has taken um that is not only a school or divisionwide program but also a communitywide effort um that encompasses the entire county. So kudos to you um for um launching this uh action. I I do want to ask pointedly, what can we do in order to make this program a success? >> As more marketing materials become available, and some will be produced in the very near future, please crossost on Facebook, join an adult book
021club, and encourage your neighbors to do the same. We will have three rounds, and each of the three rounds has three different genres running at the same time. So, beginning in January will be round one. That's the winter round. Then we will have a summer round and a fall round. And right now, the front runners based on this survey are indeed historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and thriller mystery. Um, and I would be remiss not to um point back to Miss Hildam's background. She is a sole source provider for us, and I worked with Miss Stevens to make sure I was compliant on that component. But when you are looking at someone that has been a public school classroom teacher, a public school librarian, a title one specialist and coordinator, a literacy nonprofit founder for um
022an a organization that deals with domestic abuse and providing books in the hands of families impacted by that um scenario and a small bookstore owner. That's a magical combination and she has really helped us birth and lift and um implement this plan. So I definitely want to give the shout out where the shout out is due. >> Absolutely. One quick question, an additional question regarding the survey. Uh were we able to launch the survey countywide or was the survey um launched uh particularly to our um CCPS community? >> Great question. So um the survey was open for two weeks. As you know, we bundle surveys because we tend to get a better response rate. Um, so we had the calendar, the FY26 budget, and the literacy campaign all as a trifecta um for um the
023two-week uh scheduled survey. And it [music] was posted on Facebook. I'm going to turn and look at our communication specialists. So, it was accessible by all community members and we can certainly let you know what the breakdown was. We had high response rate from parents, high response rate from employees, and a smaller response rate from students and community members, but indeed we did receive some. >> Thank you. >> And there was great interest for the adult book clubs, too, by the way, both virtual and in person. So, we're really excited. >> And again, thank you very much. Appreciate what you do. >> Thank you for your time this evening. >> You're welcome. That takes us to the um board committee updates if there be any at this time. If not, we'll move on to our
024recognition period. We are about to enter the recognition portion of our agenda. We enjoy having our opportunity to recognize staff, students, and community members. We ask that you remain seated until all recognitions are complete and then the board will pause for a quick break for anyone who would like to dismiss. At this time, Dr. Calber, recognition of uh student of the month. >> My apologies. I did not realize I would be back to back or I would have brought my materials with me. Thank you for bearing with me. >> Exposure to excuse me again. Good evening, Chair Taylor, Vice Chair Fortune, and members of the board. Exposure to art is critical to the de development of every child. Art not only teaches students how to express themselves in creative and individual ways, but students who
025participate in regular art related activities perform better academically, develop greater confidence, and sharpen their fine motor skills. Beyond these benefits, our education promotes problem solving, critical thinking, perseverance, growth mindset, collaboration, focus, and accountability. All power skills that CCPS graduates need to be 3E ready, enrolled, employed, and/or enlisted. In cooperation with our amazing art teachers, I have the great fortune to honor one art student a month. Their art will be on display at the schoolboard office for the entire month and then return to the student. Tonight, CMS art teacher Patricia Jackson will now come forward and introduce the superintendent's December art student of the month, Miss Jackson. >> Good evening. Um, I want to introduce Madison. Um she's been a inspiration to her classmates inside and outside the class. art is not just for singing, it's
026for feeling. If you look at her piece, she makes her things come to life. She um is inspired by butterflies, I assume. and her classmates seem to like to copy the things that she does because she does such a good job. She's a pleasure to have [applause] might raise your hand if the parents are here or other family members. Thank you very much for your support [applause] in this endeavor. Thank you. That takes us to uh recognition Cavalier Players participation in the VHSL one act play competition. Dr. Neighbors. >> Good evening, Chair Taylor, Vice Chair Fortune, members of the board, and Dr. Calic. I am not Dr. Neighbors. Dr. Neighbors is under the weather this evening, so I'm filling in for her this evening. But none, I am nonetheless happy to be here tonight to
027celebrate some of our amazing secondary students along with you. An alignment of achieve 2027. These accomplish accomplishments demonstrate goal one teaching and learning objective 1.2 access and opportunities through a variety of opportunities that are offered through our schools and programs. Tonight we would like to [clears throat] recognize the Cavalier Theater Company. To share more about the accolades of these students, Mr. Shawn McBride is going to come to the podium here in just a moment. As a new teacher to Caroline High School, he has done tremendous work with the theater program. With his organization and enthusiasm for the arts, please join me in thanking him. Mr. McBride, come on up. [applause] Thank you. >> Oh, that'd be beautiful >> because I forgot my glasses. >> All right. Theater Arts provides an outlet for students to express
028themselves and explore other walks of life. This year, I had the immense pleasure and honor of directing Fidget, a vignette play about young people moving at warp speed and trapped in their own inner selves. I am announced to I am proud to announce that we received second place at our first VHSL competition this fall. And even though we didn't place high enough at our second competition to move to the final round, our scores and comments from the judges concluded that we told a beautiful, meaningful, and impactful story that touched our judges hearts. I will announce our award-winning team. If you're here, please come forward for your certificate. Going down the list that's on the screen. Era Basset, Maddie Clantazarus, San Nance, I know she's Karisha Mansere, Jordan J. Keller, Oliver Ali Sears, who was also
029a best actor recipient at our first competition as well. Emily Hernandez, Fernandez, Fitz Kern, Kaylee Bishop, Dia George, Nicole, Valencia, Alita, Venoi, Atra Jolly, [applause] Travis Hoy, and Allison Hoover. For our crew members that helped us behind the scenes, we have Aiden Big Red Basset on lights and Asher Drake, who was our stage hand for this production. >> [applause] >> And I do have one final shout out. Um, Emily Ratliff was on props. She wasn't eligible to join us for the actual competition, but she did a lot of work in the classroom putting props together, gluing, cutting, spray painting, all of the things. And so, a special shout out to Emily Rat Ratliff for props. Let's give another round of applause for our players and Mr. McBride. [applause] >> Any parents in the audience? You
030could just raise your hand. I know there's at least one parent up here. So [applause] again, thank you for the support that you give these students and we want to thank these students for the great job that they've done. Next we have the ABC D award. Um, Miss Tucker. Right. Good evening, Chair Fortune, Vice Chair Taylor, members of the board, and Dr. Calvaric. I am thrilled to be here tonight to recognize the exceptional staff members who were nominated for and are being awarded the second quarter above and beyond the call of duty awards for the 2526 school year. The ABCD award honors employees who truly go above and beyond the call of duty in their roles. This includes all staff members, teachers, administrators, support staff, office professionals, instructional assistants, nurses, nutrition services, transportation, and maintenance
031teams. Once nominated, individuals are evaluated based on one or more of the following criteria. Making significant contributions that improve job efficiency, enhance the quality of services, increase safety, or conserve resources, performing humanitarian or heroic acts, or responding proactively by anticipating needs and solving problems without specific direction. I am now pleased to present our award recipients. All right, our first award is for Miss Filma Garcia. Believe she's here. Yes, there she is. Filma is a dedicated and dependable member of the team at Madison Elementary who consistently goes above and beyond her responsibilities. She supports colleagues with a positive attitude, steps in whenever needed, and approaches every situation with professionalism and care. Her genuine commitment to students is clear in the compassion, patience, and attention she brings to her work each day. Filma's flexibility and reliability make
032her someone the school can always count on, whether it's adapting to last minute changes or ensuring students feel supported and valued. She truly embodies teamwork and service. And her hard work, kindness, and selfless dedication make her deeply deserving of this recognition. >> [applause] >> We have Miss Christina Saunders, CTE teacher at Caroline High School. Christina works tirelessly to provide exposure for all students to the three E. She provides field trips to area businesses, classroom speakers, and works to connect our students with community business partners. She also coordinates the career expo and works each quarter to provide a great experience for community members, students, and parents by organi organizing CTE advisory meetings. Her commitment extends even further as she assists with student registration, particularly supporting our dual enrollment students through German, helping them navigate requirements and
033take advantage of advanced academic opportunities. Her passion, leadership, and unwavering support have made a lasting difference in the lives of our students and in the strength of our school to community connections. She is truly deserving of this recognition. [applause] Yeah, >> I apologize for interrupting, but we would be remiss if we did not take a moment to talk about the high school's most recent school performance and support framework rating of distinguished. A new part of this accreditation model is the 3E component. And you know, Caroline has been doing this for quite some time and so we're so grateful accreditation has caught up with us. We not only are distinguished but we are the number one high school in region three. There are over 30 high schools for readiness and that is calculated from enrollment enlistment
034and employment. That woman right there and the woman the woman sitting be right behind her are greatly responsible for our employment work-based learning experiences. So, I couldn't let this opportunity go without publicly acknowledging that. [applause] All right. And I don't think Miss Connor was able to make it, but we'll go ahead and celebrate Samantha Connor. She's a bus driver for transportation. I think she had a an appointment with her kid tonight. But Samantha exemplifies unwavering commitment to students and serves as a reliable, uplifting presence within the school community. As a bus driver, she sets clear expectations for kindness, respect, and safety and consistently celebrates students who meet those expectations. She approaches any conflict with restorative practices and maintains open, positive communication with families to support student growth. Beyond her daily responsibilities, Samantha builds strong connections
035with her students by learning their interests and engaging them in conversation. Her kindness and compassion extend outside the school day as she even attends students athletic events to show her support. Her consistency, care, and genuine dedication make a meaningful difference in the start and end of each student's day. [applause] And we had a great uh selection of nominees this time. I want to make sure we mention all of them. And they will receive a copy of their nomination forms. Keep up the good work doing all things with excellence. Thank you. >> And thank you. At this time, it is my pleasure to recognize a member of our school board for his achievement. And you know, I kind of talk junk about him all the time, but tonight is his night. And we are really happy
036to have him in the spotlight for his achievement. The Caroline County School Board would like to recognize Mr. Sean Kelly for receiving a high honor at the Virginia School Board Association's annual convention in Williamsburg in November. I would like to read an article from the Freelance Star and it reads Virginia School Board Association honors Caroline's Kelly with advocacy award. The Virginia School Board Association recently announced that Caroline County School Board member Shan Kelly is the recipient of the 2025 Virginia School Board Association Advocate for Education Award. This award recognizes schoolboard members who have demonstrated significant and outstanding leadership, commitment, and contribution to public education that has had an impact on their region and the Commonwealth and who have shown active involvement in the local, state, and federal advocacy on behalf of their school division. Virginia
037School Board Association and Public Education. This is the 11th year the award has been presented. Kelly's served the Caroline School Board since 2012 representing the Madison district. He is also a social studies teacher at Spennsylvania High School. According to a release from the Virginia School Board Association, he's driven positive changes through his advocacy and commitment to improve education outcomes. The Virginia School Board Association release said that Kelly's influence extends beyond Caroline, reaching regional and state levels where he champions the importance of equitable, highquality public education for all. Mr. Kelly received his award at the conference, but we wanted to personally congratulate Mr. Kelly for all he has done and know that our school divisions extremely proud of you. Let's give him a round of applause. I want to do more than that. I want to
038stand again. Thank you, Mr. Kelly. That's just an example of the kind of school board that we have. We work together and we get the job done. And Mr. Kelly, we really appreciate what you do. >> I'm not going to be nice to you. All right. Now that takes us to information from the district new cut scores implementation. Mr. Mood. >> Yes. Good evening, Chair Taylor, Vice Chair Fortune, members of the board, and Dr. Calvaric. Before we begin the presentation on um cut on our cut score update, I want to acknowledge that I know you all are aware of the news last week that all of our schools are fully accredited. Yes. [applause] Further, we've provided you with a folder this evening with materials. I have those right. making sure um with the materials reflective
039of our division accreditation and accountability. In each folder, you'll see on the inside cover a um table of contents that will kind of explain each item in the order that we've presented to you. That is for your reading pleasure. Additionally, you have likely seen our Facebook success steer that launched this past weekend deta detailing our accomplishments and highlighting uh specific school accomplishments. I do want to assure you that in January we will be um doing a presentation and coming back to you at that time specifically on accreditation and accountability where we will break down our performance for you as a division and by school. Until then, we will continue to acknowledge and celebrate the great work of our school division. And I have one more item for you. hot off the press and I'm not
040even sure that our principles in the audience are aware of this because this news is so new. We learned just today, this afternoon, that we have been awarded fully funded for literacy grants in the amount of $218,000 to support our literacy efforts at Bowling Green and um Caroline Middle School. So, we are really excited about that. All of this is aligned with um the work that what we'll present to you in January and then what we'll be talking about here too and how we will how we will help prepare for our new cut score implementation. So really excited to share that. So thank you for letting me take an opportunity to share those items before we get started. [clears throat] Tonight's presentation is an update on so cut scores which we first presented to you
041in October. At that meeting, you may recall that Dr. Calveric presented some information to the board regarding pending changes to the s to so cut scores. Tonight, we are here to share with you an update on new cut score on new cut score implementation following the Virginia Board of Education meeting that took place on November 12th where a final version of these changes were approved. Miss Howler is going to start out by sharing information on cut score decisionmaking and then I will share with you more information on communication and next steps. Miss Howler, first what are cut scores? Cut scores are minimum scores required for students to achieve a performance level on an SO test. For grades three through eight, reading, math, and science test, there are four performance levels. Below basic, basic, proficient, and
042advanced. All end of course test, Virginia studies, and civics have three performance levels: fail, proficient, and advanced. Raising cut scores means students will now need higher scores to demonstrate [clears throat] proficiency and receive verified credits for graduation. The Virginia Board of Education had approved a new so proficiency plan which raises the cut scores that determine whether a student is considered proficient in reading and math. However, these higher cut scores will not take effect this school year. The 2025 2026 school year is officially a planning and preparation year. This decision supports students, families, and educators by allowing time to understand the changes, identify needed resources, and provide instructional and intervention services. In this presentation, we will further outline the key details of this change reflected on this slide. These five key details include no changes this
043year, a 4-year phase in model, rules for retakes, no extra testing required for students who already passed, and updated parent score reports coming in the spring of 2026. First, there are no changes that will take place this year. The passing score of 400 remains exactly the same for all reading and math so tests this year. And students will test under the current score requirements in the spring of 2026 and actually also right now in the fall. Beginning in 2026 2027, new cut scores will be introduced gradually over four years. As part of this transition, a temporary approaching proficient performance level will be added. This temporary level will count as passing on all reading and math so test including high school end of course test until full implementation in 2028 2029. After 2028 2029 the temporary
044level will be removed and the new higher expectations will be fully in place. This table represents the Virginia Board of Education provided example for grade five reading. Please refer to this chart as we go through changes we will be seeing in the years ahead. As you can see in the first row of the chart, proficient is 400 in the current school year. With the inclusion of the approaching category in 2026 2027, the proficient performance level increases with a score of 446. With the phased in model, the approaching category counts as passing, but the range of scores in this category decreases until they are phased out with full implementation in 2029 2030. Rules for retakes in this new model include an very important caveat for end of course testers. If a student retakes an SO test,
045the passing score they must meet will be the same same score that was in effect when they first took the test. For example, if the original passing cut score was 400, then the student only needs to earn a 400 on the retake, even if the cut scores change later. Another important detail for students who have already demonstrated proficiency on an high school end of course test or earned a verified credit. They will not need to retake the test or the course even as new cut scores are introduced. I think that's back to me. Updated parent score reports will be coming in spring 2026. The Virginia Board of Education will release new student assessment reports that will clearly explain the new proficiency levels. Provide information about available supports for students. Help families understand how expectations are
046rising and help excuse me. Help help families understand how expectations are rising over the next few years. And what will CCPS be doing in response to this change? Over the next year, CCPS will participate in state-led focus groups to improve student score reports and communication. Share how the new cut scores may impact individual students. Provide expanded supports for all students displaying academic need in reading and/or math. distribute VDOE communication tools, which we will expect to start seeing in January 26, to help families understand changing expectations. In response to student data, we'll ensure that schools have needed resources and that February and March professional learning this year and moving forward that those options include sessions responsive to mid-year data needs. We will also be carefully evaluating state, local, and grant funds to ensure access to necessary
047staff and supports. The Virginia Board of Education's purpose for raising expectations is to ensure that proficient truly reflects readiness for the next grade level, high school coursework, college, or career. With this goal in mind, CCPS is committed to supporting every student, family, and educator throughout the transition process. At this time, we're happy to answer any questions you may have. >> Yes, I I do have a couple of questions, and I I don't know. I guess other board members may as well. Uh, one question that I would have is how does this change impact the curriculum as far as what is actually being taught there? At the moment there would not be any changes to curriculum. It's it's really the uh proficiency level of students demonstrating their understanding of the curriculum. Um, and that's the score
048in the test is is being changed in that way. But no, it the cut score um implementation doesn't have an impact to curriculum. >> So So the test literally stays the same. We're just changing the numbers. Is that is that what we're saying? >> So the the [laughter] so the standards were updated and we went through standard setting last year. So that's you know started this whole process. Um, so it a really good example would be um if a test in the past required that you had like 36 out of 50 and if that was proficient now it would be you know a higher like 42 out of 50. >> Okay. Right. That that's all I have for right now. The other board members have >> Yes, sir. >> Yes. Uh just a quick question
049about extra state support needed. What what does that look like for our school division when we receive extra state support? Is that additional funding? Is there uh additional guidance from the state DOE? Is this mean that we're going to have I know back in the day there used to actually send people to work in the building with staff, but I'm just like for clarity sake, what does it look like to get additional support from the state? I would say most of what you said is is what we would be anticipating. Um certainly professional learning. There's there's I was on a in a webinar recently about um uh some tailored professional learning that members of the um uh at the uh DOE uh in certain content areas were meeting with region three representatives to to tailor
050some some professional learning. really I appreciated that conversation specific to our region um which is a great um direction I think that we're going um in regards to those offerings. Um, in addition to that, things like the literacy grant that we just were awarded, um, those monies, um, along with other grants that will be coming our way, um, certainly are designed to help us with continued school improvement, but our lens on it is also going to be understanding the new cut score, evaluating as a team here at the division office, what is that going to mean, and what supports are our schools, our school leadership going to need, our teachers going to need and how do we need to design and tailor our own professional learning to support that. So I think to sum up
051um using the what the uh DOE will be providing to us in regards to materials, professional learning and grant funding but then tailoring it to what we are are seeing as our needs here in our school division. >> If I could piggyback off of Mr. Mud's response. I do think it's important um for the board to be aware that we are planning to hold small groupoup meetings at all five buildings to review their accreditation and performance levels. Each school will have a one-page summary document. And within that, we certainly can embed an analysis of year one, which would be 2627, and superimpose 2526 data, into that new cut score to give them a very clear understanding of how many students who have in the past been passing at 400, who would now be impacted by
052the increased cut score. Now, keep in mind we have the approaching category that will be in place during the phase in, but we want to aim high and be aware of what that looks like once that that phase in approaching category is removed permanently. >> Okay. Other Dr. How >> uh first of all, thanks for the the uh information with regards to the cut score. This is a moving target. that I I truly understand and appreciate. Um, one of my ongoing concerns is how the movement of the cut scores is going to have uh a drastic impact on students that the data is telling us are struggling right now under the old standard. I specifically mentioned the uh students who are receiving uh our exceptional education students. Uh uh some of our students um certainly
053students of of color and students who are coming from uh uh from an economic scale that's uh not as as as helpful as as perhaps parents would would uh would like. Um, so we we are already challenged. The new cut scores are going to move the mark forward. Let me be clear. I appreciate and respect any opportunity to increase academic rigor uh with our students. That's what they're going to need on the outside. My question to you is, what are we going to do? what plans are we embracing that's going to ensure that all all students are lifted uh and you know because something is going to have to be done. >> Yeah. So um I think we would I would speak for the folks in instruction to say say that we share that same
054concern. Um we are all for high expectations of course um and as you mentioned appreciate increased rigor um but it there is a concern of of certain student groups that may um historically struggle to meet the current expectation. Of course, we have another year of that and then the phase in. Um, and so to answer your question, I think that, and we've had this conversation before, um, the importance of looking at our data, knowing who those students are, particularly um, student groups that historically struggle, and then how do we work to create plans to moving forward to support those students? to some degree we've we've done that for as long as as I've been in this business. I think the question is now that bar goes higher and so what are we going to do
055differently or how will we look at look at that differently. Um and that is a question that we are having in the region as I meet with other assistant superintendent. Um and to some degree the webinar I was in recently um looking to tailor uh professional learning um that was a conversation and part of our discussion particularly subgroups reporting categories um being of concern. Back to what Dr. Dr. Calvaric just mentioned um our immediate plan is to meet with our principles beginning um right in the new year. Breaking down our current um current accreditation status and what that means. But then looking forward um what does that mean for that for them and their school? Part of that conversation is going to be those reporting categories and groups. Um and uh then moving forward it
056will be conversations about what have we historically done and then using our regional partners to determine what more do we need to do. >> Now I'm not one uh who believes that you know money is the answer for all problems in public education. But as we're going through this budgetary process, we just went through an exercise upstairs [clears throat] uh where we're trying to prioritize accordingly. I think it would be well placed if we look at all measures necessary and I think we did a little bit of that upstairs. We we we take into consideration all possible means to get the kids across the finish line. Now, I am not naive to say that we're going to get every single student to uh the the magic number, but we sure of hell can try. And
057I know everyone that's in instruction, everyone that's in this school division wants to get there. So, I don't want anyone walking away saying I I'm I'm browbeating uh our our folks. I'm saying whatever we can do financially, which is within the realm of this board, whatever we can do financially to help uh please ensure that we understand that clearly so that we can make uh the best informed decisions to get all our students across the finish line. >> Yes, that makes sense. >> Thank you, Dr. Hubard. I will say I was not in your work group upstairs, but the work group that I was in, I think very much aligned to the comments you just made specifically wanting to prioritize um positions or andor dollars directly impacting students um for the the reasons that you
058stated there. So, I think there's certainly alignment across the board with that. If I could also piggy back again um on to what has previously been said, it this also will require us to gain additional insight from the incoming um governor and the board of education. We anticipate um some intense dialogue surrounding what has been rolled out and potentially even some additional changes. So, we'll certainly keep our eye on anything that may be coming out of Richmond. Having said that though, a change of this nature, both an accreditation system change, accountability change, the new performance levels, and now new cut scores, this really requires that we do internal audits as well. So certainly we can identify external needs that we may have that will be new because of what we're being charged to do, but
059we also will be re-evaluating where we are currently and what are some inefficiencies that we can be more efficient with. Are we looking at our schools that may be off of track or in need of intensive support? And we're doing a staffing audit to make sure that we don't have our um schools filled with the least seasoned teachers. Are we looking at our bonus structure to draw in highquality education providers? Are we doing an audit of our students with special needs programs to ensure that we have strong tier three programs and that we have all of the resources our teachers need? Are we lifting the educational this the special education specialist role that is brand new this year and making sure that we have strong action plans in in line with what the data is
060showing? Are we continuing to implement response to intervention which we have breathed new life into this year to ensure interventions are datadriven? Are we reviewing lesson plans and templates and pl and giving qu high quality feedback in a timely format? And our students goal setting so that they're keenly aware of their progress as we are tracking their achievement. So there are laundry lists of actions that we have already discussed and are ready to move forward with once additional guidance comes out of the board events. So stay tuned. You'll be hearing about this likely every single month until we go live into the system for 2627 and then some. >> Mr. Chairman, >> yes. >> May I ask one more question? >> Sure. Uh, Miss Stevens, if you could go back to slide seven real quick
061because I'm I'm just really curious because I know there's been efforts made at the state level in order to uh demonstrate growth of students, especially I know at the elementary level, but just to use this as an example, the the last year, the 2029 2030, hypothetically, if it's the summer of 2029, we have uh the data centers here in Caroline County and we have say 20 A1 visas students coming in with their parents. They move in that summer with limited English proficiency and they're going to be taking that so test at the end of the year and English is a second language. A and they're they're not going to be able to get to the 446, but we can demonstrate growth where they come in at say a 350 and they get up to the
062point where they're a 402. Do we get anything from for that? if we can demonstrate growth from where the students were when they started towards the end of the year. >> So in the which we're going to talk about next month but in the model the new performance framework growth is going to be calculated as it was before most likely. Okay. So yes the answer is yes for math and reading >> specifically we could a student could demonstrate growth in that category in the new performance framework. Okay. >> Yes. >> Good. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> A recent change, however, with English language learners that came through the code of Virginia is that we used to have 11 semesters to work with English language learner students. And that in the past legislation was changed
063to three semesters. So, our students have three semesters to be within uh the United States public education system in Virginia and then move forward with assessments. Yes. Any any other questions? I guess the only thing that I would say first of all, thank you for the study. I mean, it's it's answers a lot of questions. Um, the one thing that well, a lot of things concern me, but uh certainly student growth and achievement is why we are here. But I just want to make sure that we don't put our staff in impossible situations. There are some things that cause students not to achieve that staff have no control over. And I don't want to see our staff blamed for things that are not of their own making. Now, don't get me wrong, we we need
064to do everything we can for every child and we need to go the extra mile to see that uh learning and achievement takes place. But some folks ain't going to make it. And I just don't want good teachers to be driven out of this profession because we ask more and more and more every day and they get paid less every day. So I just want to make sure this this not the board this cabin talking. I just want to make sure that we are doing everything we can for students, but we are also protecting the interests of our staff. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> That takes us to information on monthly revenues, expenditures, ADM reports. >> Good evening, Chair Taylor, Vice Chair Fortune, members of the school board, and Dr. Calverick. This evening, I'll
065be be presenting the revenues and expenditures report for November FY26, followed by the November ADM report. First, revenues. Operating revenues for the month of November totaled $3.3 million, bringing the year-to-ate total to 24.9 million or 38.11% of the annual budget. Special fund revenues for November were $489,000 with a year-to- date total of 1.9 million, representing 23.64% of the annual budget. Combined total revenues for all funds in November amounted to 3.8 million, bringing the year-to- date total to 26.8 million or 36.50% of the overall revenue budget. Next, under expenditures, operating expenditures for November were 5.6 6 million with year-to- date expenditures of 23 million or 35.45% of the annual expenditure budget. Special fund expenditures totaled $614,000 for the month with year-to- date totals of 2.5 million or 30.77% of the annual budget. In total, expenditures across
066all funds for November were 6.2 million, bringing the year-to- date total to 25.6 6 million or 34.93% of the annual budget. Lastly, as an update, Miss Marshall Stevens and I are still working with county officials as they close out FY25. We've been informed that the county has brought in an audit consult consultation company called UHY Advisors. We have a meeting with county officials and their consultants tomorrow. be happy to take any questions the board has on the November expenditures and revenues report. Okay. >> Board members have questions regarding expenditures. >> Yes, sir. Mr. Chair. >> Yes. >> Um, so in terms of reconciliation, we're still reconciling last year, >> correct? >> And so we have not even begun to look at this school year. >> We've not received reports from the county uh post June.
067So we received them through June. We need posty year totals. Um we would expect after that that we would start getting FY26 monthby-month reports to the county. We are in a position where we can currently do that now with our records. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Other questions? I not a question as much as a request that could the that could we get a nugget like some information about what your meeting is like tomorrow in the Friday update the superintendent just to get an idea of where we are especially in regards to like any end of year funding or >> absolutely >> our our own like how are we looking for an audit and everything else >> certainly I can give an update now of what I expect the meeting to be tomorrow from what
068I've received from Miss Ernest at the county tomorrow we are going to discuss with the consultant debt entries. They have some questions about debt. That is handled all on the county side. So, I will assist them with what we can. Um, also on getting in yearin entries, which for us for year-end entries are fixed assets that they put on their side of the books and also for our compensatory leave balances. So, we will continue to work through that. So my understanding is we will be be providing them information so they can continue to work on the urine and the audit. >> Mr. Chairman, I have a followup. Is there a projected timeline where the audit would be finished? >> I know um in speaking or at the board of supervisors meeting the other night, Mr.
069Kelly presented that he would like to be able to provide numbers to his board um in January as to what they're looking at year end. >> And one more question, sorry. Um with this extended timeline, do we see major impacts to our budget process? >> I don't see it impacting the mi the budget process coming up for the new year as we will continue moving forward on that. We do produce our own budget in our budget module and our financial system. I do not see that delaying us. We will need to catch up on the reconciliations once we receive reports from the county. So, we will have to focus staff attention to be able to do that. >> Okay. Other board members, >> thank you very much. >> Sure. Next, I'll be presenting the average
070daily membership or ADM update for November 2025. Average daily membership is determined by dividing the total aggregate daily membership by the number of days school is in session during the school year. For November, the principal's ADM report reflects a total of 4,282.234. The year-to-ate total stands at 4,291.250. Be happy to take any questions from the school board regarding the November ADM report. Any questions about the daily membership? >> Seems to be none. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> This takes us to the consent agenda. Are there any items on the consent agenda, items A through E, that any board member would like to pull or question? >> Mr. Chairman, I move for approval of the consent agenda. >> Is there a second? >> Second. It's been moved in public second that we approve the consent
071agenda items A through E as presented. Madame clerk, would you call for the vote? >> Dr. Rollins Fells >> I. >> Mr. Kelly, >> I. >> Dr. Hubard, >> I. >> Mr. Fortune, >> I. >> Mrs. Sears, >> I. >> Mr. Taylor, >> I. The consent agenda stands approved. That takes us to citizen comment period. The Carolina County School Board welcomes public comment during regular meetings and public hearings. Speakers may address an item on the board meeting agenda or an item not on the agenda during this time. All comments should address a matter related to Carolina County Public Schools. Each speaker may speak for up to three minutes. Once you see the red light on the traffic light positioned in front of the clerk, please make your last statement. The school board chair is responsible
072for recognizing all speakers, for maintaining proper order, and for adhering to the time limits stated above. The chair is authorized to stop and or have removed any speaker who uses language that is obscene, constitutes fighting words, true threats or solicitation to commit crimes and incites imminent lawless action. Moreover, the chair may stop and or have removed any person who disrupts the orderly functioning of the meeting by making loud, boisterous or threatening comments. Once you come to the elect turn, if you have not signed in with the clerk, please complete the appearance request form. State your name and your district. At this time, the clerk will call those who have signed up prior to the meeting. Hearing none, are there any citizens in the audience who would like to make citizen comments at this time? Is
073there anyone who would like to make citizen comments at this time? Again, is there anyone who would like to make citizen comments at this time? Since there are no additional comments, no comments at this time, the citizen comment period is closed. This takes us to action. Action FY27 FY31 capital improvements plan. Mr. Codwell. >> Good evening, Chair Taylor, Vice Chair Fortune, members of the board, and Dr. Kaleric. I'm Christopher Caldwell, supervisor of facilities and maintenance, and I'm here this evening to present the second read of the FY27 through FY31 capital improvement plan to seek adoption and to be able to submit the all requests to the county to be included in their [clears throat] capital improvement plan requests. in the prioritization order that was determined through the through conducting activities. This presentation will cover the
074train changes that we have had since the first read and present an updated total figures of all requests. In review, Caroline County Public Schools aligns all capital improvement requests with our strategic plan achieve 2027. This includes goal one, teaching and learning, goal two, relationships, goal three, health and safety, and goal four talent management. As a reminder, many requests do align with multiple goals in our strategic plan. All requests have been updated in board docs for your review. Goal one, teaching and learning. The changes that we have under teaching and learning at Caroline High School is the cosmetology renovation and that is a dollar figure only change along with a scope of work. And Caroline Middle School, it is family and consumer science remodel. That is also a updated scope of work and a dollar change
075on that and that made it so that we could align that those requests into the SCAP grant with the state to apply for that. Under goal two, relationships Caroline Middle School safety renovations of the front office. That is also a figure change and a scope change to allow us to be able to apply for the SCAT grant on that one as well. CIP totals FY27 we had 35 total requests. The new figure is 97 million125,335. The CIP FY27 through31 is a total of 89 requests totaling 161,984,69. [snorts] Capital outlay figures ch stayed the same at $365,000. the top 10 priority selection after conducting all activities. There's slight change in the priority top 10 with Caroline Middle School ADA access to sports fields is number one. Maintenance IQ is number two. Caroline High School elevator modern
076mo modernization is three. Caroline Middle School elevator modernization as number four. Transportation comes in at number five with eight bus eight school bus replacements. Number six, divisionwide sidewalk improvement. Number seven, Madison Elementary School badge reader system that also includes Lewis and Clark. Number eight, Madison current ADA standard upgrades. Number nine, transportation deferred maintenance from our 2024 facility assessment. And coming in in the top 10 priorities, Caroline Middle School auditorium seating. After next steps is after tonight we will finish uploading all CIP requests to the county spreadsheets to include be included in their capital improvement plan requests. We also look forward to being able to present this capital improvement plan to the county at one of their regular scheduled meetings. Thank you for your attention. Take any questions or comments you might have. Board members have
077questions regarding the capital improvements plan. >> Yes, if I may. >> The top 10 priorities uh number three and four, the elevator modernization. >> Yes. >> Are the elevators currently ADA compliant? >> Yes, but not to current standards. So once we touch them, they will be to current standards. >> Okay. So, um, might it not be beneficial to make to to make that notation on here, uh, to comply ad to make them ADA compliant for the modernization? >> It is in the spreadsheet, not on the presentation. >> Okay. >> Yep. >> All right. >> Other questions? >> Um, I just have a comment. I wanted to say thank you um to the staff and all that have prepared all of these documents for um the committee. Um one of the things that I was particularly
078interested in was um our longitudinal track of how long we have um had things come on the list and stay as suggestions. Um, and so I was glad to see that document and then when we put it beside um how we're funding it, it was very um enlightening [clears throat] to me. I think it's good financial stewardship on our part, but also highlights the importance of our reversion funds at the end of the year to then be able to designate funds for CIP projects to be able to move certain things to completion um that were not um necessarily previously approved. So um thank you for capturing this data and the information in the way that it is. It helps us to make informed decisions. So, just wanted to say that and thank you for providing
079me with the information I requested. >> Thank you. >> Other board members, >> just a quick comment. Um, and to go with Dr. Rollins Fels, there are a lot of items that seem to be repeating and I'm glad that we have the documentation for that. And I just issue this word of warning to the board again like I did last month that if we keep using reversion funds for things, we are just going to keep kicking the can down the road um further and further in price. Nothing's going to get cheaper. Um with that being said, Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt the CIP plan as presented. >> Uh just before you do that, Dr. Veric has a question before we get the second >> for clarity for the community on slide six I believe
080no seven excuse me um the 35 total requests for FY27 total $97 million and without a detailed explanation visible on this slide um I just want to confirm and you can say yes or no Mr. Caldwell, if that's easy, this $97 million includes deferred maintenance that was identified for the county's facilities from 2425 2526 and now 2627. >> Yes. And it has a new school in that figure as well. >> And thank you. That was my second point. It includes over a $40 million elementary school being newly constructed. >> Yes. And so those two numbers alone drive that number very high. But this is a needsbased budget request. And then of course the remaining items that have been identified in the prioritize list are also included. >> Yes. >> Thank you. I wanted that clarity
081out there. Also on the next slide, item number two says IQ. Can you please remind the community what IQ stands for and what is driving that? >> Yep. That is uh being that is the indoor air quality. Um and that is being driven by the indoor air quality um law that came into effect on July 1 where we have to test and balance and basically start a recommission process of every building every four years. >> Thank you. And I'm going to invite Mrs. Stevens to the podium to provide the school board with an update associated with the school construction grants that are competitive in nature and require a variety of multi-year old data points not only from the school division but from the local government as well and share the outcome of our applications with
082the school board. >> Absolutely. Good evening. We um applied for the state construction grant again this year um for the fall. We applied for a new elementary school. We applied for the um CTE improvements to the high school for the cosmetology center as well as the middle school for the um family and consumer sciences. And then the third project we applied for was for the front best of office nurse area. All of that combined here at the middle school for safety and flow of traffic into their um human traffic, not vehicle traffic for the front. Um of those we um the uh applications were approved and awarded at the board meeting, VDOE board meeting on Thursday. Caroline did not receive any grant that we had applied for. If we would receive it, we would get
08320% of the funding um based on the project. There are several criterias. VDOE did adjust the criteria some. You must meet a minimum of 65 points. There's several items on the um school side, but also on the county side. It looks at the physical distress of the county. It looks at the property rates of the county as well as a debt service number um in there. So looking at the phys physical stability of the county in those we receive lower points um because of the the wealth of the county and the sound of the financial statements. Um for the schools if we have it in our CIP we get extra credit. Um, if it was a CTE, there was some extra credit. It also looks at your buildings. So, are your buildings based on a
084set criteria as defined by VDOE? Are they excellent, poor, fair condition? And we had to rate them based on that. So, that all information went in. We did not score 65 points. I have reached out to them to ask them to share our scoring um with us. And can you please remind the board the age of the data that is pulled from the local government so they can understand the delay in uh the timeliness of those reports? >> Absolutely. And looking at some of the data points that they require with the county, it's a couple of reports and they are 2022 data that they are utilizing at this time. There are no updated reports for those reports that they are or those data points that they are utilizing in this application process. So that's the
085latest data they have on the state level in order the latest amount that they they use. Thank you. I wanted to be really clear. We continue to try all avenues to fund facility upgrades and new construction. Um but at this point in time and we are not garnering the points that are essential through the competitive school construction grants. But that won't stop us. We'll carry on and we'll get the rubric and do an analysis and hopefully meet with the county administrator for further discussion. >> And they will open up again in spring. So we'll attempt again at that point um and go from there. Thank you. >> Other questions or comments from the board? If not, we can entertain your motion there. Yeah, same motion as before to approve the CIP budget as presented. >>
086Is there a second? >> Second. >> It's been moved and publicly second that we approve the CIP as presented. U Miss Click, would you please call for the vote? >> Dr. Hubard, >> I. >> Mr. Fortune, >> I. >> Mrs. Sears, >> I >> Dr. Rollins Fells, I >> Mr. Kelly, hi. >> Mr. Taylor >> I and the CIP plan has been approved. Takes us to new business. First reading updating CCPS inclement weather codes. Miss Yung. >> Good evening, Chair Taylor, Vice Chair Fortune, members of the board, and Dr. Calvaric. Tonight, I'm here to present a first read of proposed updates to our CCPS weather code policy. Over the past few years, we've experienced a wide variety of weather scenarios, some of which our current codes do not fully address. Our goal with this update
087is to provide clear communication, more flexibility in codes that accur accurately reflect the range of situations we encounter. So, as you can see on this slide, these are our current weather codes. These codes have served us well, but they do not cover all the weather situations. We have run into scenarios that fall somewhere between our existing definitions, which makes it harder for families and staff to know exactly what to expect. And on the next slide, you'll see our proposed new weather codes. So, we have we've added a couple. So, we have code zero, which would be closed. No one reports to work, and we have a systemwide closing. Code one is closed with essential personnel reporting as directed and 12-month employees working virtually. Code two would be closed with essential employees reporting as directed 12-month
088and licensed employees working virtually. Code three is closed with essential employees reporting on time. All 12 month and licensed employees report as directed. Code four is two-hour delay with essential employees reporting on time. Code five would be two-hour delay. Essential and 12-month employees report on time. And finally, code six, which is asynchronous learning. And essential report is directed. All employees work remotely. Um, and we we for example, we needed this. We kind of had to break out the two-hour delay scenario as you can see in code four and five. We we went through all of our old situations we had last year and found that these pretty much covered them all. We believe we had about 12 or 13. I believe last year. Yeah. So, so we thought it would be a little fun if
089um we give you a couple of scenarios to test out our new codes. So, on the next slide, you're going to see a couple of scenarios that represent uh real situations that we've dealt with. So, I want you to see if you can figure out which one of our new codes actually fit these. Um, the first one is schools close remote work for 12-month employees and licensed employees essential report at 10:00 a.m. Any guesses on which code? >> You can cheat and go back to slide three if helpful. I was expecting him to memorize, but okay. Do you want me to I'll repeat it if you'd like since you've gone back a screen. Okay. >> Code three. >> Oh, yeah. Who said code three? Okay, you got it. [laughter] All right. The next one is
090school closed remote work for 12 remote work for 12-month employees. >> [laughter] >> Say it. Go for it. Code one. Hey. [laughter] All right. Code one. So, finally, school's closed. 12-month report in person at 10:00 a.m. No others are required to work. This one's a little tricky. And I have to give Miss Stevens credit for writing these. So if she st she's the one that stumped you. >> That one's tricky. Yeah. All right. Well, I will give you all the answer if you were all stumped. So, that one would fall under code three as well because if you look at code three, if you flip back to that screen, um that one really covers um essentially report on time and then 12 month and license report as directed. That gives the our staff flexibility as
091to what as directed. It could be virtual, it could be two hours late. It just opens up um several scenarios. So, that's right. It's okay. Um, and so finally, if you all have any questions, this would be a policy change, by the way. This is my first time doing a first read, so I failed to mention that, but this is a request for a policy change for this. So, if you have any questions, it's in draft mode. Okay. Okay. It's in draft mode in board docs. Any questions? >> Board members have any questions regarding the codes? >> Well, I know it's a first read. Um, but we have I don't I mean I don't think we're going to get any inclement weather anytime [laughter] soon. I'm jinxing it on purpose because, you know, I think
092we're I think all the all the kids are hoping for code zero. Um, but would we is it in the best interest to because I know we have two weeks off and then we come back and have a week. Is this something that's pressing that we need to change now and wave a first read? >> I'm being told that is not an option. not an option. Okay, >> it's not pressing. Okay. >> Okay. >> Yeah, [laughter] >> I can't read it. >> We we discussed waving first read, but felt it was important for the community and staff to have time to see what our proposed codes are and then to weigh in if there was any concern that maybe we had not had the opportunity to brainstorm in our work session. >> Okay. And also,
093you want to you don't want to play any games with mother nature because if we wave it and go with it, that means we won't get any more inclement weather. >> [laughter] >> So, good call. >> Thank you. >> Wait it out. >> Okay. Well, thank you. >> Okay. Other board members. Thank you very much. Okay. That takes us to school board member comments. Uh board comments. Um I'll start with you. Uh Mr. Kelly. >> Uh thank you, chairman. Um, I do have to give you a word of warning because we had a two-hour delay today, so I did get an extra couple hours of sleep. Uh, number one, cold and flu season. Please be careful. It is going around like crazy. Um, just the number of students that I've seen that have had it.
094Um, no committee meetings. The parade was excellent. I loved it. Lisa Stevens, thank you so much. Can we please give her a round of applause for organizing that? [applause] Um, congratulations to the football team for making the playoffs and being successful all fall sports. We are in winter sports right now. Uh so I am kneedeep into that. Um the Cav Theater Company, I absolutely love that idea and love seeing us be successful right out of the gate in our first year. The literacy campaign excites me probably more than anything else that we have ever done um collectively, collaboratively working within the community and with everybody to get on board. That is that is a a huge huge thing that I think that we as a modern society lose track of with technology and the ease
095of communication. Um the with the budget the elementary schools I didn't I waited for my comments but you can tell that we are still getting kids that are moving into the elementary schools. Um transparency with inclement weather communication. Thank you very much Dr. Cal communication team with getting that out there that I have heard from many constituents that that is a blessing to know in advance and having some clarity as to hey we may go we may not go. We're just giving you the word of warning that that helps a lot. Um kudos to the staff once again. I'll get to this extra stuff. Happy holidays to everybody. Dance floor for holiday music next year. any chance that we could get that because some of that stuff was kicking. Um I know that Trey Haley
096was also jing with me as well thinking the same thing. Um I got a letter from Eugene Vidman at my other job um in regards to the VSBA award and I want to say this because I don't think that I've ever really done anything that's super special or gone out of the way. Um, and I think that I've pretty much been really consistent with the way I've attacked this job, trying to be myself and be sincere with everything that I do. I think this board goes above and beyond the call of duty and we've been recognized multiple times. Let this serve as a warning to Richmond that we're getting that school board of the year award next year. So, help me, we will get that. But we are all willing to learn. We're willing to
097admit when we are wrong. We talk out our problems. not on the DAS, which is the way it should be. Um, Calvin, I've I don't know how many times I've called you when I was the chair and complain. Liddell, I've talked to you, Dr. Huard, I've talked to you, Allison, I've talked to you and Jawanda. Um, yes, more more often than probably anybody else. Um, and of course, Dr. Calic for being the leader that we have. But I feel and I mean this 100% because we went for the V Vsba convention. Our board is wellprepared to answer questions and that speaks volumes to the staff that we have because you give us the information that we need. It is a challenge and sometimes it keeps us on our toes as a board. They will say
098this about the VSBA convention that there are a ton of workshops going on, but most of the learning comes between the workshops talking to other board members. I cannot count the number of times I've been asked about the Caroline way and being able to give that information and sometimes I have to dig and I have to ask Dr. Calvaric or I have to ask Marsha and a lot of times I got to ask Lisa Stevens what's going on. But it is a testament to the people that we have that my name was brought up. And when I got that letter from Eugene Vidman, I read it and I was just feeling blessed not to get the the letter, but to be in a position where I I feel like I can give my best to
099represent the people of Caroline County. And I sincerely thank the staff for keeping us in a place where I hopefully can represent you with honor. Mr. Chairman, that concludes my comments. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everybody. Thank you, Miss S. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, really quick, um, Mr. Kelly touched on the BSBA conference and it was a great time of learning and like Sean said, networking with other schoolboard members and talking and and learning. And so, I just want to thank everyone because I do think we all do a really good job of participating in these workshops and continue to learn and grow in our roles. And I also want to thank and applaud Dr. Rollins Fels as she rounds up her year at the VSB president. Um I think you did
100a fantastic job um not only leading the VSBA but also encouraging and inspiring us to be an amazing board members. Um and I also want to thank you for highlighting all of the champions that you know are in our Commonwealth. um things I attended um last month. Um the fall play, the musical comedy of murders of 1940 was fantastic. If you didn't get to chance to see it, um there is another musical coming up in the spring. I highly recommend and I want to say congratulations to the cast and crew because they did a great job. And I also really want to thank Mr. McBride um for the intense hard work he put in because he was doing the one act competition with several of the cast members and rehearsing for the fall play at
101the same time. Um so it was great and I'm very excited for the spring show. Um winter sports season has begun and I just want to say good luck to all of the athletes and thank you to the coaches and assistant coaches that put in the time um to work with our students. Uh the literacy campaign on Saturday was fantastic. My own children plus a friend um were able they came up on their own accord to get books and they when they got home to tell me about it they were they're all high schoolers so they were excited with the range of books that were offered. It wasn't just like children's books or there was a wide variety. So, I encourage everyone to really get in on these things because it was a great time
102and if my kids came home plus a friend came home to tell me about it. Um, I am sure that other kids are talking about how much fun it was. So, thank you to our staff because it is it takes a lot of time, a lot of work, and to go in on a Saturday. Um, it's just really appreciated and I'm excited to join one of the book clubs and have some some reading and discussion amongst other adults, which will be nice. I hope all the teachers, all of our staff, everyone on this board uh have a very restful and peaceful break um so we can come back in the new year and just keep on keep on rolling. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Rollins. Fail. >> Yes, sir. I think we are all
103on the same page tonight. Um, I prepare my comments as well as we enter the last few weeks of 2025. It's personally a time of reflection and planning and man, it has been a year. We have so much to be proud of, to be thankful for, and so much to celebrate. Um, before I do that, I'll give my brief committee update. Um there were no local committees, but I did um serve on the Virginia Chamber of Commerce advisory board for blueprint 2035. That is completed is now public and it was rolled out to the um governor elect. Unfortunately, school was closed and I was not able to attend that meeting um where the presentation was made, but um I'm pleased with how that turned out. Um and then as has been stated, the VSBA um
104annual conference. So I did a quick list of what I was proud of. Um I am proud that as leaders on this board um as Mr. Kelly said, we remain teachable. Um there that is not always the case across the Commonwealth. And one of the things that I would say is how can we be elected officials charged with governing education and not be willing to attend professional development? that doesn't make sense to me. Um, and so I want to thank this board for remaining teachable, for committing to professional development. Um, and want to just reiterate publicly that Caroline County was recognized as being master board and we are the only board in the state of Virginia that has received that distinction and maintained it. Um, you have to be eligible for that. Um, and so
105it's a moment that I'm proud of. I'm also proud of our forwardinking, strategic, and intentional planning and preparation. And I wanted to take a moment to thank everybody that's sitting in the audience right now because you stay for these meetings. So you can hear firsthand what affects your work. And we have staff that doesn't tell us what we want to hear. They are empowered to give us best practices so that we can make informed decisions. And I'm so proud of the teamwork that's represented here in this audience. I'm also really proud when our community comes together. I was telling Mr. Fortune at the parade, I was like, man, look around. This is why we do what we do when we see our families come together. And I'm proud of our journey as a division. Um,
106I was born and raised here, left, went to school, came back, and taught here. And that is the foundation of my journey. And so I know from my lived experience um how we have grown, how we've developed, and some of the things that we have overcome. And I think I have a good pulse on where we're moving forward. And so I'm very proud of that. And I'm also thankful for it. I'm thankful for the bus drivers who make sure that they're getting up hours ahead to make sure those buses are started, to make sure those buses are clean, um to make sure that they're offering the littles, um you know, that friendly smile. and even our big kids. Um I want you to know that you are seen, you are respected, and we thank you.
107A special shout out to our food um service team as well. Um again, it's not just about administrators and boards. It's about every layer of our system. Um also wanted to say thank you to the Rei Church District in particular for this year. Um my community has been very patient with me. um as there are have been times where state responsibilities have created a bit of a a conflict with my schedule. Um but everywhere I go there is a word of support, there's a word of encouragement and a question about what's happening in the bigger picture and thanking this board for being represented. I also want to thank uh Mr. Mud um and Dr. Calvaric for leadership that focuses on student outcomes and keeping the main thing the main thing. And then last but not
108least, I've already mentioned my journey and so I can tell you firsthand the pressure when accreditation status comes out. It is a hold your breath moment. It is a looking at your colleague and saying it doesn't matter what it says. Keep your chin up. Keep your keep your shoulders back. Um, as long as you come in here every day and you serve to the best of your ability and you can look yourself in the mirror and say that you've done right by every child that you've been graced with and you can lay your head on your pillow, then you've done a great job. I am moved to tears with excitement that we are fully accredited. the years of a half a point of a one point of a newspaper article of what good can come
109out of Caroline. The rooms that we've walked in and had to defend who we are the hard work where we had to look at each other and say until we start saying something positive outside is not going to say something positive. Let's have the hard conversations. Let's have the courageous conversations. Let's look at the data. Let's not make excuses. Let's lean in. Let's move forward. This is that moment. And it makes me emotional for every shoulder that we stand on that's not alive today to see this moment. And that's real. I want to publicly give a shout out to Coach Paulen's family. And this is the moment team that he waited for. This is the moment where he said, "We've got the right people on the bus. Now we got to make sure we got
110the right people in the right seats on the bus and no matter what happens, keep that bus moving forward. We accomplished that and we did it as a team. There's a lot of stuff that's ahead of us and I'm going to close with a poem that's on my refrigerator. And this is for us and for our community as we lean into handling budget, as we lean into overcrowding, as we lean into, you know, are we going to have a new school and when will that be built? It is a moment where we have to turn towards each other and not on each other. We said it during COVID and this community comes together. We know how to do it. And now it is the time that we must, we must, we must. So team, when
111things go wrong, as they sometimes will, when the road you're trudging seems uphill, when the funds are low and the debts are high, and you want to smile, but you have to sigh. When care is pressing you down a bit, rest if you must, but y'all, we can't quit. Those are my comments. >> Thank you, Dr. Fel. Uh Jay, would you like to go now? >> [laughter] >> Um, first of all, happy last schoolboard meeting of 2025 as we move into the new year. I'd say we'd have a very successful first semester as everything starts to come with a close, especially now this week as the high school moves into midterms and starting to close everything up before our break. >> Um, touching on again the VSBA me um, sorry, the VSBA >> conference. Thank
112you. [laughter] Uh, I had the pleasure of attending the student schoolboard representative workshop and I had such an amazing time. I cannot lie. I was a little worried. I was I I didn't know what to expect, but it was so fun. I learned so much and it was just such a great opportunity to talk with so many other students from so many other school boards and hear about how things might look for them and what they're doing and get to talk about a little bit of Caroline and, you know, shout us out a little bit. Um, I'd also like to mention that I'm very excited for the Caroline Reeds and the literacy campaign. I'm especially looking forward to CC the CF cafe. You can use that. No need to credit me. Um, [laughter] I I
113I look I'm very looking forward to this. And unfortunately, I didn't get to go to the cruiser bus like I had hoped, but I did see a bunch of photos and heard from a bunch of people of just how successful it was. So, uh, sorry, I lost my spot. [laughter] shouting out again the theater department and as we had a very successful performance at the high school with the musical comedy mers of 1940 but I'd also like to shout out the middle school who this past weekend or actually yeah this like two days ago had their play the line the wish in the wardrobe which I heard was also very successful and also did quite well. So, and one last thing, shouting out tomorrow again, there will be a choir concert combined with the middle
114school and high school at 6:30 tomorrow at Caroline High School. And as we heard earlier today, some very talented students and that's only the beginning of it. So, I would like to strongly recommend that anyone who can come out tomorrow to see that because it'll be great. And I yield the floor. >> Thank you, Dr. Har. Uh it has been a uh busy uh last several weeks. Um I will say that uh I did have the opportunity to attend the uh Virginia Chamber of Commerce blueprint uh 2035 roll out. Um and I have to tell you that there couldn't have been a better affirmation on what our vision and what we are doing with regards to CTE and themies than going to this event and listening to business leaders, listening to the governor herself, listening
115to uh folks who are saying that the workforce and workforce development is crucial not only to the commonwealth to the localities and to individuals. So, um what we're doing obviously is is working and I would strongly encourage that we continue to uh to reinforce our efforts in themies and with regards to uh CTE. Um the parade uh was was a hit. So, let me applaud [snorts] uh efforts there as well. But let me tell you what I uh enjoyed uh immensely. Uh the kids obviously were out doing what kids do and I that's just fun and it's good it's great to watch. And of course we had our staff out. We saw someone in a Miata that probably should never even think about getting in a vehicle like that. Um but what was I thought
116impressive behind the kids were the parents. They were walking behind them champ you know championing them on and rling them on and in in silence they were just there and that is what we need as we continue to go forward. We have a great many challenges. Everyone has pointed that out. Efforts herculean efforts that you the staff uh and uh the division has has focused on doing is working. But that only works if we can truly hone in the support from the families. So as we're going into the next year, let's take what we have learned from this half and apply it next year and the years to come and let's continue to improve whatever we can do to build better those bonds with our families. the literary effort. I think that's going to be
117uh awesome. Interesting of selection of books or categories, but that's g it's it's still going to be pretty fun. Um and I actually looking forward to that as well. So, um shout out really uh to the parents uh as we continue to to go forward. Uh the SBA conference again, great time. Um I will report that uh uh Sean Kelly was somewhat disciplined uh this goound. uh weren't as many uh outlandish uh fiascals. I'm trying to help you out here, my friend. Uh so it was actually a very good uh time. Next the year is or the semester or term is about to come to an end. Year is about to come to an end. About to take a break. Next year we need to look at new challenges and new opportunities. Anything that we
118can do to better what we have already done will be welcomed. So, get get your rest, do what you need to do to to recharge. Um, and then come back next term ready to go. I thank you and I can tell you that from my constituents in the Bowling Green District, we are very happy with uh the full accreditation uh accomplishments, but as I have told many and will say again, we will not rest on our laurels. While we have accomplished much, we all recognize that we still have work to do. So, let's enjoy this this this celebration of accreditation. Uh it is well-earned, welldeserved. Um and then let's come back and look at ways in which we can do better as we're going forward. So, I would uh extend a very merry Christmas to
119each and every one of you. Get your rest, enjoy your time, and come back ready to go. >> Thank you, Dr. Um, Mr. Fcher. >> Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, so I'll I'll just start off with uh some of my activities since the last um board meeting. Uh, I had the opportunity along with my colleagues to attend the uh hall of fame gayla. It was a um monumentous uh event where we uh inaugurated uh several individuals to our first uh C CPS Hall of Fame. Uh also in the month of November uh I had the opportunity to participate in the uh take your legislator and community leaders uh to school day with our chair. Um that was a a great event where Dr. Calber was uh in a position to give a overview of
120our school division's legislative priorities um as well as a brief overview of the countywide um Caroline Reed initiative u that we all learned more about uh this evening as well as uh giving us the opportunity uh to rotate around several stations where CCPS staff and administrators spotlighted u some of the successes uh that the division um experienced. uh during the year. And finally, there was a BGES uh villa tour that was given to our guests. I want to give a special uh shout out to uh delegate elect um Nicole Cole and board of supervisor members Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Long um for attending this very important event. Uh also as mentioned earlier we all had the wonderful opportunity uh to attend the VSBA annual conference and I also want to take time to congratulate Dr.
121Ronald Fels for leading the VSBA, this statewide organization um with grace and and excellence and your year-long theme of being a champion of impact um I believe will have a longl lasting impact not only on the VSBA um but on every member division of the organization. So, thank you once again for your leadership. I also want to uh congratulate as well Mr. Kelly um for your advocacy award. Um continue to do great things um for the organization and our division. sir. [clears throat] [snorts] And uh as was stated uh Saturday, we had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Bowling Green Christmas in Toland holiday parade. Um, one of the most memorable um, occurrences in the parade was the fact that um, as walking down the um, down Main Street with my Caroline basketball sweatshirt,
122we had one of our littlest learners say, "Wow, that's Shaq out there." [laughter] So, uh, that just brought a smile to my face, [laughter] uh, you know, as we participated in this, uh, community endeavor. >> [laughter] >> So, uh, I definitely had a great time, um, with my colleagues as we shared in that, uh, great event. Um, I thoroughly enjoyed tonight's musical performance and look forward to, um, seeing a full performance on tomorrow. And I also want to congratulate all those who were uh, recognized uh, this evening during our recognition period. Um, I would be remiss if I did not once again express my absolute excitement about the fact that all of our schools are fully accredited. Uh, that is a testament uh to our students, our parents, our guardians, our staff, our administrators, um,
123and our entire community. And I I share Dr. Fels's pride in finally making this happen. um as a as a product of Carolina County Public Schools um and as a son of um parents who have given a majority of their working lives to this division. It does bring me extreme gratitude and pride in in in this accomplishment. It is a an accomplishment to celebrate for sure. There's work to be done, but tonight should be one of of celebration and I am so proud to be a member of this uh board because I know we are well equipped to handle the challenges uh to come and I know that everyone on this dis is 100% committed to making sure that we make the best decisions possible for our students. to be able to be the best
124they can be. And I am so looking forward to the new year. And I want to once again, as everyone on the dasis mentioned, we want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. With that, I yield the floor. Thank you, Mr. Chair. >> Thank you. Um, and again, I uh would like to echo all that's been said uh by my fellow board members. Uh, and I would, as always, like to say thank you to the board and the staff and the great people in Caroline. And we've talked about the the accreditation and we can't acknowledge too much the work of our staff and students and parents because it took all of us working together to to make this happen and it is indeed a proud moment. Um and we've talked
125about a lot of different things with different board members. We mentioned the uh the hall of fame uh the athletic hall of fame which was which was very good and we got to see a a lot of people and to make mention of a lot of great people who have impacted Caroline County and that certainly was a a good thing. Um, some of us had the opportunity to uh uh to go to the Christmas parade. I I wasn't able to get to the parade. I had a previous engagement, but that's the one good thing about this board because there were plenty of people there that the board and the county and the school system was very well represented in that endeavor. Uh because that's what we do. uh we take part in the community. We
126do our work on a daily basis, but we also give of our time on the weekend. And that's a great thing because we all have lives outside of here. But we do what we have to do to be a part of the community and to show the community what kind of system we have and how our children are educated and how much we think of them. Um, and we all serve in many different capacities other than just here. Uh, I'm on the board of directors for the Fredericksburg Food Bank or the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank, which is a region, and we come down into Caroline and we bring food and children actually are being nourished as a result of that. That's one thing that that we do. And I'm not the only board member. Other
127board members are involved in other things as well. Um, the regional council for domestic assault is another board that I've had the pleasure of serving on and it works with young people, children, older people. Domestic violence is real and we have a program where we work throughout the region, not just in Carolina and Fredericksburg, but throughout the region. uh and we have training programs and things that people can do because those problems are real. They affect our school system. They affect the way our children learn. They affect the way our children achieve. And so we try to do what we have to do to build the whole child. It's not just in the classroom. Sometimes we have to take on responsibilities that are not ours. Sometimes we have to be parents. Sometimes we have to
128cook. Sometimes we have to do things that we don't necessarily get paid to do, but we do them because we love what we do and because we want to make a difference. And so, having said that, I appreciate everything that we have accomplished. I appreciate all that we do. Uh we will be having constituent meetings and they will be you'll be seeing more of that or hearing more of that. But as of uh I believe January 15th, we're going to do constituent meetings in different places throughout the county. I know the mix house is one place and I believe Dawn uh library I believe might be another place and I think this the fire station down at Sparta. Uh and you will be seeing more of that uh there'll be information uh about that. another
129example of how we try to reach out into the community to let the community know what we're doing and to get ideas as to what the community feels we need. In closing, I will say this. We are doing a good job because if we weren't, this place would be full. I don't care what people say. People love their children and if they were not satisfied with Caroline County school systems, they will let you know it. Now, I'm not saying we don't have room for improvement because we do. But we are on the right track and we are continuously moving forward and it's because of all that we do. Have a very good holiday. get plenty of rest and let's come back in January ready to forge ahead. Thank you. Having said that, I will ask
130Dr. Kberg if you will >> bring us home. >> Yes. >> All right. Chair Taylor, I'm going to start with a quick game and I'm going to give a wink wink nod to senior staff and say do not call out the answer. Board members and community members, what do all of these things have in common? The Insider, the Hall of Fame, the CCPS Express, CTE Summer Camp, the CHS Career Cohort, Year and Review Booklets, Caroline Women's Business Group, Partners and Education Breakfast, Parade Planner, Canva Queen, and Inclement Weather Phone caller. What do all of these things have in common? Anyone? Anyone? >> Success. >> Well, all of them, yes, sir, have definitely been successful. But any other guesses, Miss Sears? >> Kim Young. >> Absolutely. Kimberly Young, will you please stand for a quick moment?
131Kim Young has been with us for four and a half years. She filled the role of our inaugural communications and community engagement specialist position. We fought long and hard for that role to be part of our leadership team. And what I listed is just a small reflection of the work that she has either spearheaded or worked alongside others on our senior staff to breathe life into. Kim has announced recently that she is moving on to a position that is the director of community engagement for Fredericksburg libraries. and I am confident that she will have a float from the libraries in the Fredericksburg parade. Now, that's an inside joke, but I'm putting it out there because expectations are high even when you're a member of our team or not, Kim. But I do want to take
132this moment to thank you. Thank you for embracing K12 education, which was a new feat for you. And Kim has been saying in multiple venues that she's never seen any organization, nonprofit, public, higher ed, work as hard as K12 individuals. And she was a grinder for four and a half years. And look how far we have come. So thank you very much and we wish you well. [applause] And then I am going to end um just with a quick list of our success series. If you are not tuning into Facebook each day, you are missing out. We started with 100% accredited, which you've heard much about this evening. We then moved into Caroline High School being identified with the performance level of distinguished. We moved into Lewis and Clark Elementary and Madison Elementary being identified
133as on track and meeting all laidout expectations. Beyond that, Caroline High School was noted as number three overall readiness level in region 3, which has 17 divisions. And I went back and fact checked, it was 24 high schools. But beyond that, stay with me, within the category of readiness, we were the number one high school for the employment category. And you saw Christina Saunders be recognized tonight with Melissa Fry sitting right behind her. We also were number three in the region for enlistment. The only E that's not on that list yet is enrollment and we are working hard and we also have on our budget request a career counselor and that may help us achieve that next year. That's the goal. So shout out there. We also have Madison Elementary School being recognized number three
134in the region for math growth. That's a phenomenal data point which I am so proud of. And hear me out. Caroline Middle School, let's sit and stew on this data point for a minute. Caroline Middle School was number one in the region out of 31 middle schools for the lowest chronic absenteeis absenteeism numbers. Number one. Number one middle school. That means that our kids want to come to school, be with their peers, be with our teachers, and the culture of that building has evolved and transformed and kids feel safe and comfortable and a sense of belonging. So, Mr. Just is walking in right now, and we happen to be shouting out CMS and the recognition of being number one in region three for chronic absenteeism decrease. Congratulations on that. And I'm going to yield the
135floor because it doesn't get much better than that. I'm going to drop the mic on. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, rejuvenate, and rest. Thank you so much. I yield the floor. >> Thank you very much. Okay, that takes us to the part of the agenda for um sorry about that close session. Okay, just give me a minute. I need to get to close session. Uh we'll now [clears throat] entertain a motion to move into close session for the superintendent's personnel agenda for the discussion of appointments, stipens, referrals, bonus, resends, retirements, corrections, position changes and substitutes dip discipline cases 11.10.2025.01 and the authorized by Virginia code 2.2-3711 A3. I will entertain a motion to that order. >> Point of order. Point of order. >> Point of order. >> Mr. Chair, there are no discipline cases. So, we're
136going to take that off of the motion. >> Okay. >> Mr. Chairman, I move for approval of close session as amended. >> Okay. Is there a second? >> Second. >> It's moved in public second that we uh go into close session as amended. Uh, Mr. Clerk, would you call for the vote? >> Dr. Rollins Fells, >> I. >> Mr. Kelly, >> I. >> Dr. Hubard, >> I. >> Mr. Fortune, >> I. >> Mrs. Sears, >> I. Mr. Taylor. I and we are now in close session. Chairman, I move for approval return from close session. >> Second. Yeah. >> I so certify. >> And I so certify. Uh I need a motion to approve the superintendent's personnel agenda as presented. >> So moved. >> Second. It's been moved and public second that we approve the superintendent's
137personnel agenda as presented. Uh all in favor let it be known by saying I. >> I. >> All oppose. Motion carries. Motion for adjournment is in order. >> For a German. >> Okay. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay. All in favor let it be known by saying I. I. I. Merry Christmas. >> Okay. Merry Christmas. Okay. Now you can leave.