001All right, welcome everyone to our April 13th, 2026 board meeting. Everyone could please rise for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And if anyone would like to address the board this evening, we do have speaker forms on the table over here. You just need to fill those out and give them to Ms. Dufort on the end over here. I'll the record show everyone is in attendance this evening. Is everyone okay with the agenda? Do we have any communications? No. We do not. Okay. All right, moving on to item seven, board committee update, A, building and facility committee, Ms. Rocky. Thank you, Madam President. Tonight at 6:00, our buildings
002and facilities committee meeting met. In attendance were myself, Mr. Molloy, Ms. Williamson, Mr. Wisnewski, and Mr. Eamons. Items updated were our our middle school athletic field, the fencing is done, and weather permitting on Monday, they're supposed to hopefully pour the cement. We're supposed to have a wet weekend. The fence is up for the high school wood shop staging area. Next week, they're going to be installing the gates. Some transportation buildings and ground updates. We had a lot of wind damage that um destroyed some of the roof of central office. That is about 90% complete. They will be finishing the rest next week. Um We have a new bus that arrived on Thursday. It's already in use. And some super exciting news, Um proud moment. Our red bus driver, Ms. Tanya Clark, she was nominated for
003Wayne Reese's Excellence in Transportation Award, and she was selected to receive an award. So, she's going to have a banquet for her on the 18th, and we are very proud. We have the best bus drivers, and we are very proud of her. Item B, Curriculum Committee, Mr. George. Thank you, Madam President. Tonight, the Curriculum Committee met, and in attendance was myself, Mr. English, Mr. Fisher, Ms. Childress, and Ms. Butterball. We discussed genetics textbook adoption for the high school. Currently, for the class, there is no textbook. It would better align for what is being taught, and it's gone through a review process of multiple teachers. We've also We also discussed a drones class being introduced at the Garden City Middle School. We are partnering with Wayne Reese at the moment to try to get this implemented.
004We discussed the different paths that this could lead to for students, the current student interest among eighth graders. It's really exciting what it could lead to for the students. And lastly, we discussed the curriculum review process for current elementary science materials, and what that looks like going forward. Okay, moving on to item B, Shining Star Above and Beyond, Mr. Fisher. Madam President, thank you very much. We got a nice turnout tonight, and we are eager to recognize our Shining Star students and our Above and Beyond staff members. Leading us off this evening with the Bergeron Awards, we have Ms. Lynette Childress. Thanks. Okay, I'm going to start with Bergeron. I want the bear. Okay. They bring out that cheerleading voice. Okay, going to start with Berger Baylor and our shining star student is Matthew Breedhall.
005Come on up, Matthew. I don't bite, I promise. Here's your award. Turn it around, show everybody why it's Tell everyone how wonderful you are. Matthew has done an excellent job walking in the hallways, waiting his turn in the cafe, and being a positive role model for other students in his class and the school building. Matthew continues to excel at earning his PBIS B bucks and working on his independence at school. We are proud of you. Good job, MATTHEW. AND OUR GO OH, SORRY. I FORGOT I need the mic. Our going above and beyond at Berger Baylor staff member is Shar Acres. Is she here? Okay, I'll tell you about her. Shar continues to step up and fill my place when I am out for meetings and other duties. Shar works amazingly with each student and
006makes sure to bring fun into the classroom. She has developed a strong relationship with each of our students and it shows every single day. Shar is a rock star. And now I'm going to do the Berger Transition Center and our shining star student is Anthony Ferrara. Hi, Anthony. That old Stay here, Anthony. We got to hear how wonderful you are, okay? You ready? Anthony is a student in Terry Tell me what her name is. Bears Bertazio >> Bertazio, thank you for your help. Terry shares, I would like to nominate Anthony as a shining star student of the month. Anthony is always a great example for other students. He is willing to try new things and loves to help all the time. Anthony likes to help other students when they may be struggling and always has
007a smile on his face. He continues to follow the rules of the classroom and the school and leads by example so others know what to do. He is a wonderful help in the food prep class. He likes chopping vegetables and participating in making desserts. His favorite is delivering lunches so he can socialize with others throughout this building. When we are out shopping, Anthony will find items we need, push the cart, and navigate our way around the store. He greets everyone throughout the school and is friendly when we are out in the community. If you are having a bad day, find Anthony and he always has a way of cheering you up. Anthony graduates from Berger this year and he will be thoroughly missed. Congratulations, Anthony. We wish you all the best. And our going above
008and beyond at the Berger Transition Center is Danielle Porter. Hi, Danielle. Come on up. Now, can I tell everybody about you? Elena and Jessica would like to nominate Danielle Porter for the above and beyond staff member for this month. Danielle has really gone above and beyond this year helping us all out and coming up with new ideas for her student. She is always willing to help at any of the students in our classroom and help the staff. Danielle is an amazing para and even more of an amazing person. She deserves so many accolades and for for all that she does for our class. Thank you Danielle for all that you do. Congratulations. Hi, good evening everyone. Today I have the honor of presenting the awards for Lathers and Memorial. First I'm going to start with
009Lathers. We have two shining stars tonight. The first one is Jermaine West. Can you stand up? Hold it up so everybody can see you. I'm going to tell them all about you, okay? Okay. This is I This is Michael Buckley, the teacher. Is that your teacher? Okay. He's the one that nominated you. It says I would like to nominate Jermaine West. Jermaine is a respectful student who is working intensely to grow his love of learning. He's also working hard to overcome some of his challenges that many kindergarteners face. As he learns skills and strategies to navigate the garden kindergarten realm, he will immediately put them to the test. Jermaine keeps the class on its toes by spreading that information to his friends. It is nice to have a student that is as social and as
010inquisitive as Jermaine. For this reason, I am nominating him for the Lathers Shining Star Student. >> And our second student is Emmett Minch. Is Emmett here tonight? Hold it up. Show everybody your award. Emmett was nominated by Jen Downs, teacher. Is that your teacher? Yeah. I would like to nominate Emmett Minch. Emmett is a kind, funny, and thoughtful student. He is always willing to lend a helping hand no matter who needs it or whatever the task. He says hi with a big smile at everyone nearby and everyone checks to make sure his teachers are happy and safe. Emmett, I am proud of all the progress you've made this year and you are the definition of perseverance. Keep it up and don't ever change. For this reason, I am nominating Emmett for Lathers Shining Star Student.
011And then for the Lathers staff member who is going above and beyond is Fatima Hussein, long-term sub. Is she here tonight? Okay. I'll tell you about her as well. I am nominating Fatima Hussein for the Above and Beyond Award because she goes above and beyond by doing it all naturally, lovingly, and without having to be asked. Her presence is always felt by her helpfulness, helpfulness, her intuition, her humor, and her kindness. She is so versatile because she can do it all and she does. Everywhere at Lathers, everyone loves her. For this reason, I am nominating Fatima Hussein for Lathers Above and Beyond Award. All right, now I'm on to Memorial. The shining star student for Memorial is Alana Sarabia. Alana was nominated by Mrs. Jackson. Alana is in Mrs. Joint's class and is hard-working and
012kind student who comes in to school ready to learn every day. She shows respect to classmates and teachers, participates in class activities, and always tries her best. Alana is a great example of what it means to be responsible, respectful, and safe. She truly represents what it means to be a role model in second grade, and I am proud to recognize her as a shining star student. All right, and then our staff member for Memorial once you campus going above and beyond is Darlene Bolen. Darlene was nominated by Rebecca O'Tennen. I am honored to nominate our SEL teacher Darlene Bolen for the above and beyond award. She consistently exceeds expectations to support both staff and students. Darlene generously gives up her planning time to work with my class, helping students strengthen the problem-solving and self-regulation strategies
013they are learning through the SEL. Her calm presence, empathy, and ability to connect with students have made a lasting impact on their confidence and classroom behavior. Beyond her lessons, Darlene collaborates with teachers, shares effective strategies, and steps in wherever support is needed. Her dedication, compassion, and teamwork make our school community so special. Congratulations. Good evening. I have the honor of giving the Shining Star Student Award for Douglas to Jackson Davis. Congratulations. Jackson was nominated by a teacher, Melissa Boydenoff. Jackson has demonstrated tremendous growth this year and is truly deserving of the Shining Star. He is a kind, caring friend who looks out for his classmates, often checking in to make sure that they are okay. Jackson has become increasingly responsible and independent with classroom routines, showing a strong understanding of expectations, and taking pride in
014his role as a student. He has learned that completing his work first allows him to earn his reward. And he follows the routine with consistency. Jackson always shows great responsibility in the library, independently returning his book each week and selecting new ones. His language skills have noticeably improved since last year, and it has been wonderful to see his confidence grow. Additionally, Jackson has made a meaningful progress in self-regulation, independently using tools like a weighted blanket or fidgets fidgets to support him. Jackson is truly a joy to have in class. Congratulations. And the Going Above and beyond award for Douglas uh staff member goes to Jenny Cho, the social worker. Congratulations. Uh she was nominated by Mr. B, the principal. Jenny is such a blessing to the Douglas staff and students. Each day she takes time
015to check in with numerous students who need emotional or behavioral support and some who just need extra attention. In addition, these check-ins, she runs groups on a regular basis working with students who struggle with anger, anxiety, organization, grief, and anything else you can think of that may hinder their ability to focus in the classroom. Jenny does not run her groups like a therapy session. She goes above and beyond to make sure her lessons are riddled with hands-on and practical tools that students can take with them in the classrooms. She makes sure every student has the opportunity to share their feelings and any exciting news with their peers. She makes sure an exceptional amount of positive praise and rewards are given to these students as well. She also works with outside agencies to make sure all
016of our families have gifts for the holidays, hats, coats, and food. She does this by herself including the coordination with the agencies and the parents. Jenny also plays a key role in our PBIS and school safety team. On both teams she offers many great suggestions in ways we can improve the culture at Douglas. Often, she is the person staff goes to for advice and strategies for to help students I'm sorry, to help struggling students. Teachers sing her praise on a regular basis for her great ideas. Finally, she goes above and beyond by serving on our help team. She engages with the parents and makes sure that all the outside resources I'm sorry, they make sure they have all of the outside resources as needed. As you can see, she deserves the staff above and beyond
017award, and we are blessed to have her at Douglas. Congratulations. I am excited to give our shining star student for the student Farmington, and it's Sophia Maddix. Let me tell you about Sophia. She was nominated by her teacher, Ms. Mesner. Ms. Mesner said, "Ms. Sophia Maddix is an excellent student. She works hard on her academics and always tries her best. She follows directions and is prepared for lessons. She has also shown tremendous growth in her academics this year. Although Sophia seems like a shy and quiet student, she does not let that affect her level of participation. She will ask questions when she needs to and will help out when she feels confident in doing so. Sophia is very conscious of other students and their needs. She has a sweet, approachable disposition, which makes her easy
018and enjoyable to work with. I have truly enjoyed her as a student in my classroom. I look forward to her daily shared drawings, conversations, and book sharing. I don't think a day goes by that Sophia does not have a smile on her face. Thank you, Sophia, for working hard and being such a special person. You are truly a shining star. And our going above and beyond staff member is Ms. Christine Mesner. Sophia's teacher, Ms. Mesner. Congratulations. There you go. All right, let me tell you about Ms. Mesner. She was nominated by uh Mr. Robinson, the principal of Farmington. He said, "I'm proud to nominate Ms. Christine Mesner as outstanding an outstanding veteran fifth grade teacher for Farmington's Above and Beyond Staff Award. She exemplifies what it means to be a dedicated educator, a committed colleague,
019and a true pillar of our school community. As a veteran teacher, Ms. Mesner brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and consistency to her classroom and the fifth grade team. Her instruction is thoughtful, engaging, and always centered on what is best for the students. She builds strong relationships and creates a learning environment where all students feel supported, challenged, and valued. Beyond her classroom, her impact is felt throughout the entire building. As an active member of both the PBIS and the school improvement teams, she plays a key role in shaping a positive school culture and driving continuous growth. She is always willing to share ideas, problem-solve, and contribute in meaningful ways that benefit both the students and the staff. She also serves as a mentor to young teachers, offering guidance, encouragement, and practical support. Her willingness to
020invest in others helps strengthen our entire staff and ensures that new teachers feel confident and supported as they grow in the profession. In addition, her deep roots as a community member further enhance her connection to our students and their families. She understands the needs of our community and consistently goes the extra mile to support those that she serves. Ms. Mesner truly goes above and beyond in every aspect of her role, and her leadership, dedication, and heart make our school a better place every day. It is my privilege to give the awards for the middle school, and the Shining Star student is Lauren Dixon. Let me tell you about Lauren. Uh she was nominated by her teacher, Misty Fog. Lauren is doing an exceptional job as she prepares for high school. She has maintained straight A's
021throughout the year and constant and consistently demonstrates dedication to her learning. Although she initially felt nervous about a change in her math placement, she approached the transition with determination and resilience, rising to meet new expectations and confidence. Lauren has shown tremendous growth this year, accomplishing many of her goals she set for herself. She thoughtfully works through challenges, perseveres when things feel difficult, and continues to build independence and confidence in her abilities. Her hard work, positive attitude, and commitment to personal growth make her truly deserving of recognition as a shining star student. So proud of you, Lauren. Congratulations. And our going above and beyond staff member is Terry Koski. Hey. Terry was nominated by our principal, Brandy Boswell. Terry is such a pivotal member of our Garden City Middle School team. Her support of students and
022staff is unwavering. When it comes to supporting admin, Terry is right there asking how she can help with students who are in crisis or need academic guidance and support. While Terry will never be the loudest voice in the room, her leadership and knowledge always add to the outcomes within our building. Outside of the school day, Terry supports students at supports students' academics by running our homework club on Tuesdays and meets monthly with our GSA students, where she serves as our co-director. Terry is always trying to grow in her profession and is often attending trainings and working with outside agencies to better support our students. We are truly fortunate to have such a wonderful and dedicated human being working alongside all of us, making Garden City Middle School a great place to be. Okay, our Shining
023Star student for Garden City High School is Peyton LaHue. Peyton was nominated by Mr. Dalton Alfie as teacher. Peyton embodies work ethic, positive energy and joy. He is extremely polite and respectful to his teachers and peers. Peyton is enthusiastic when he participates in class and is quick to share his thoughts and ideas. Academically, Peyton went from being a C average student in his first semester as a freshman to a straight A-ish student in the second semester. As a teacher, I wish I had a classroom full of Peytons. He's going above and beyond. Staff member for the high school is Master Sergeant Marty Regnone from our AFJROTC. Master Sergeant Regnone was nominated by Sharon Fuller, the principal. Once again, Master Sergeant Regnone has led our AFJROTC to exceeded exceeded expectations in their annual inspection for the
024second year in a row. This has been no easy task. While Captain Murray was out on military assignment, Master Sergeant Regnone took the lead and our group surpassed last year's expectations. Both the group and Master Sergeant Regnone were awarded commendations from the inspector. Marty comes into work with the students on drill nearly every morning at 6:00 and he is there after school working with them on their community service projects. This year he even added an extra Saturday at night to his plate by helping cadets plan and run their first hosted drill meet. He guides the students, drills the students, and cares for the students. It is obvious when you when you see his interactions with the cadets, they both respect and love him as their instructor. You can ask anyone in ROTC, they will tell
025you that they are like family and Marty Regnone is one of the best parents they could ever have. I cannot say how much Master Sergeant Regnone has done for our AFJROTC. We are extremely lucky to have him here and I'm very happy to have him recognized as our above and beyond. All right, tonight I have the honor of presenting Cambridge with our shining star student, that is Ali Khalid. So, Ali was nominated by Mark K, principal. Ali is being recognized for being a positive factor at Cambridge with incredible grades and attendance. The following was a statement made. Ali arrived at Cambridge in the fall of 2025 and has become a favorite of staff and students. Scholastically, Ali has worked hard at completing courses each trimester to earn his credits to graduate, but even more impressive
026is the grades he has achieved. During the first trimester, Ali had a 3.2 GPA and then in trimester three, bumped that up to a 3.92 GPA. Throughout his time in our program, Ali shows himself to be polite, inviting, and pleasant to staff and students. One of Ali's strengths is his willingness to help other students by participating in his classes and getting other students to join in as well. Ali comes to school each day with a smile and a positive attitude. He stays after school most days to play basketball and has shown incredible leadership with the other students who are playing. The students look up to him as a leader. There is no doubt that Ali will leave Cambridge a better place when he is done with his academics and walks across this stage with his
027diploma. Hey. our Cambridge staff members, we have two, Jody Borlitz and Ken Stone from SFE, our food service company. And they were also nominated by Mark K. Since Ken and Judy both work for SFE, the district's food service company, they came to us at the beginning of the school year with excitement, making sure our Cambridge students are fed and ready for school. They can both be found at our front doors before the morning session, helping to greet students and entice them to eat a tasty, nutritious breakfast. After the morning session and as our afternoon students are arriving, Ken is again at the front doors while Judy is in our cafeteria giving out free meals to students. Ken and Judy spend their time between sessions preparing for future meals and creating menus that will interest Cambridge
028students. Most importantly, Ken and Judy care about our students and are often seen having conversations with them and engaging with them about the importance of school along with eating a healthy meal. We are very fortunate that Ken and Judy have been placed at Cambridge as they add smiles to our hallways and cafeteria. Can we get one more round of applause for all of our award winners tonight? And then thank you for all of you who took the time to nominate either a shining star student or above and beyond staff member. Much appreciated. And a president, thank you. Thank you. Moving on to item nine, presentation, Berger Transition Center, Lynn Sossy. >> To move you into our presentation, I'm Dina Jason. I'm the director of Berger Baylor and Berger Transition Center. Brian's here. He's our associate
029director at Berger Baylor and Lynn Saussy would be here if she could be. She is our associate director at BTC. So, if you do see her, I hope you tell her that Brian and I did a really good job in her absence. And if we screw up, don't tell her that we screwed Um something I'm so proud about um working for Garden City is the commitment of fostering leaders and collaboration with the whole community, including our teachers. So, today our presentation is going to come to you from two of our teacher leaders who work really hard with our staffs in each building, and then they come together and report out all the good news at um Baylor and BTC. So, with that we'll start with Nicole Motos from Berger Baylor. She will be followed by
030Katie Aiken from BTC. Brian and I are going to try and make that presentation move as it should. Thank you. Hello. Well, I am one of the teachers at Berger Baylor. Um our very first slide there, we just have a lot of amazing pictures. Our kids are awesome. Um as you see, there's lots of smiles and lots of learning going on. Being a boy. It it's it's signed in on the device. Here comes Katie. You can see some of our students there are practicing their cleaning up skills, which was one of our big school improvement goals. So, we had a lot of practicing. You're doing great. We can skip them. There we go. All right. He's rocking it. Katie is Katie always is. Um our population breakdown, we have 19 students that are from kindergarten
031through sixth grade. Seventh through 12th grade, we have 50. And then we also have 19 that are post secondary 14th grade this year. Other way, Vanna. As you see, we are predominantly a male um centered school. We have 68 males and 20 females. We have five students that are considered completely verbal, 24 that are limited verbal that can communicate with one word or use their AAC device, and then 59 students that are um non-verbal. Our goals. So, our first goal was that our students were going to increase their math proficiency by at least 5% on a um teacher created school improvement assessment. We started at 44.93% with a goal to get to 49.93%. And as you see, in April we had 56.46%. And we achieved it. Very proud. Goal number two. This is where that
032cleaning up task comes in. Our students have been working on that as well as vacuuming. Our goal was at 65.8% to start the year. And then we our goal was to get to 70% 70.8% sorry. And as you see, we achieved it again. 77.62%. And our final goal is about the zones of regulation and keeping those emotions in check. We started at 36.03% for the year. Our goal was to get to 41.03% and we achieved it at 49.22%. One of the big ways that we handle behavior at Virger Beller is through B bucks. Students get to earn them for being safe, responsible, and kind. They get to save them up and use them at the uh school B bucks store, which is open every day. Some students choose to save and only come once a
033week. Some students come every day. We had, as you see, 2,391 just this past March. We are redeeming about 125 a day on average. It's a lot and the students are loving it. Our behavior data, we of course have support calls that are needed. In the very beginning of the year, as we're getting to learn our students, more calls were for support, whereas now more calls are for proactive, those scheduled breaks, and getting those students um off with behavior before escalation, which has been fabulous. And now fun pictures cuz it's the best. So, we do a lot of PBIS parties every single month. Our students love them. Our most recent was at the March reading month and there was a guest reader who got several students up there to participate. You can see in the
034top right, they're having so much fun. He still talks about it. Um and then all the other students are There's the Halloween, there's the Virger Bronco, always a big favorite. And as you see our little old lady, which was our theme of reading month. It has been fun. Uh-oh. Oh, there we go. Halloween is a big time at Virger Beller. Our kids love to dress up. We do a big Halloween parade and everybody likes to get involved. Teachers and staff alike. Teachers and students alike, rather. Winter Carnival is one of our favorite things. Every December, we put on a big party for our kids. We always have animals, we have Santa Claus, we have crafts, we have snacks, we have games. It's just a lot of fun and our kids love it. Yes, that big
035huge turtle, I get to lift him every time he comes and I swear he's getting heavier. Fall Fest is a BASA sponsored event that happens between both buildings in the evening. So, there's some BTC students as well as Baylor students with their families. They get to come enjoy pizza and hang out with each other. It's a lot of fun. And of course, we go on CBI to Lifetown, we go on field trips, we've gone to the movies, we get to go to Sky Zone soon, and our students love to show that they can make great choices out in the community. That's it for me. Here's Katie. All right, thank you. All right, so our population breakdown, I'm not going to even try and read those numbers from here. Um but again, just like um Baylor,
036we are mostly male, um minimally female. I think we have eight female students. Um and we are just over um 50% non-verbal with the rest of our students being verbal. All right, our goals, um our first one is independently completing developmentally appropriate pre-vocational tasks. So, our students are here learning how to be adults and how to be active members of society. So, we are working on those vocational job training skills. Um we have two groups, one doing a preferred and a non-preferred task. As of mid-year, which was taken in January, we had met or exceeded both of our objectives there and are looking to exceed um when we collect our spring data as well. So. Um and our next one is identifying zones. So, zones is a social-emotional curriculum that we use here um to
037help students figure out where they're at, how they're feeling, and then coping skills to get back to that green zone, which is like ready to learn. Um so, different steps within those zones um just working on like being able to actually understand the framework, identify how they're feeling, and then identifying strategies to help them get back. So, again, our mid-year data, they had met or exceeded all of our objectives in that area. So, we're doing good. Um this is behavior data um restricted procedures. So, any kind of seclusion, restraint. We are working February was a challenging month, but we on a on a whole are moving downwards in that area year to year. So, that's good to see. Um and our support team works very very hard daily keeping our students safe and protected and
038moving in the right direction behaviorally. All right. And then this is just our February behavior support log. So, that big blue section is breaks. So, those are breaks that students need if they're having a hard time or as well as our preventative breaks. They have a break schedule. Certain kids, if they have certain times of days that are challenging, they'll go for a break just as a preventative. Um one thing that's huge to note is how small our aggression has gotten over the last couple of years, um which is great. And then again, so this is all the things our behavior support staff does. So, this is hugely on the breaks, hugely on the preventative end, and kind of decreasing in those other areas, which is cool to see. And then this is our B
039Buck redemption. So, similar to Baylor, we have B Bucks that we give out to students that they can spend both on the coffee cart um that I'll show pictures of later, as well as our school store, Blazer's Place. Um and so this is showing how many B Bucks were redeemed. So, we're hitting about average. Um usually we hit a spike towards the end of the year. We have several students that save them all up and wait till like May and then buy a lot all at once. Um but that just kind of shows how many like we were averaging. I think it looks like a thousand. Um close to the last couple of months. So, that's kind of cool to see. And then these are some of the cool things we do here. So, Carrie
040and Tracy right there. They do food prep. Um so, students get to help make lunches for staff. Staff buy lunches, the students make them um and pass them out. Yes. They did. That's on the next slide. Mhm. So, they pass them out twice a week. You can buy staff lunch and the students prepare it and they deliver it to your classroom and it's awesome and it's $5 and I I look forward to it tomorrow. Um Go ahead. The next one uh is baking and coffee cart. So, those cookies that you have in front of you were baked by our students um with our baking class. And not only were they given to you guys, but they are sold daily on the coffee cart. So, students make the cookies. Um they help with the coffee. They
041push the cart around. They go into each classroom. You can see up at the top um some of the students that use AAC devices will come into classrooms and use their AAC device to ask if you want anything from the coffee cart. They handle the money, change, all of that. So, that's another job that we have for students here. They ship over to Baylor, too, and we love them to death. Yes, they do. Um Blaze's Place is our school store. Most of the classes in our building um work at least one shift a week in our school store. They It runs kind of like a miniature 7-Eleven. Um it has all the snacks, candy, drinks, ice cream, all that. Um and they get to work behind the counter. You order, they bring it to you,
042and they can use their V-bucks, but you can also use cash there twice a week and staff frequently use it um as well. So, it's it's like a fully operational store that they run. Um and then the task library, this is those pre-vocational tasks that we were working on in our goals, but all a lot of our students, um, teachers check them out and then they're able to do vocational tasks. So, there's like stocking, there's sorting tasks, there's all kinds of different tasks that the students use, as well as the students that are in that class deliver take the orders and deliver the orders to the classes every week. So, kind of a cool activity. All right, and this is our last one. Um, just like Baylor, we go on CBIs and field trips. Um,
043so once a week the cohort that I'm in either goes to central office or State Farmhouse. Um, we clean, so we got students cleaning the buses. There's another picture of students dusting, um, at central office. We also go to State Farmhouse, and I don't have any pictures from there. And we go to Meijer. Um, one of the other cohorts, they go shopping and they buy all the stuff for Place's Place and for those staff lunches. So, our kids are out and about in the community quite often, um, doing things for their jobs. And we also go on field trips. Earlier this year we went bowling, so and um, we're looking at getting another one on the calendar shortly. So, that's it. That's all I got. Thank you. Thanks to Katie and Nicole. Just our favorite
044event is the Autism Acceptance Walk. You'll be getting a a notice with dates and such in your emails, um, I think tomorrow as soon as I fix the mistake in the slide that I made. Uh, but it is Tuesday, April 28th. Yep, and uh, leaving from BTC from here at 9:45. So, hopefully if you can join us, we'd love to have you. Thanks. >> All right. I thank you guys so much for that great presentation and giving us all the awesome information. Uh we're moving on to item 10, comments from the audience focused on today's agenda, and we have none. Item 11, approval of the general consent agenda items. A, regular meeting minutes of March 23rd, 2026. B, closed meeting minutes of March 23rd, 2026. C, finance committee minutes of March 23rd, 2026. D, policy
045such focus committee minutes of March 23rd, 2026. And E, bills payable. A motion is in order. All in favor? Any opposed? Motion passes. Item 12, new business, human resource report, Stacy Williamson. Thank you, Madam President. Tonight's human resource report contains notification of two retirements upcoming at the end of the school year, as well as two resignations that um are already in effect. So, pending any questions, I recommend that the Board of Education accept the report as presented. Motion is in order. Any discussion? All in favor? Any opposed? Okay, item B, middle school athletic complex phase two recommendation, Mr. Wisneski. Thank you, Madam President. On March 16th, 2026, formal bids were received for the middle school athletic complex phase two project. Phase two involves the construction of a restroom concession area and the plumbing and sewer
046required. A total of two bids were received. Foresite Design has evaluated the proposals for award and has the following recommendation. Proposal A for the general contractor. We recommend Rod Construction Group of Farmington Hills, Michigan to complete the work as identified in proposal A, site work for the contract sum of $963,900. The contract sum is based upon the acceptance of the following. The base bid of $973,900 and they were able to come up with a $10,000 value engineering credit for a total of $963,900. It is It is recommended that Garden City Public Schools budget a contingency of $50,000 to cover miscellaneous general condition and unforeseen site conditions. The amount recommended for award is as follows. Again, Bron Construction Group, $963,900. General conditions contingency of $50,000 for a grand project total of $1,013,900. The recommended motion is
047that the Board of Education accept the bid presented above for the middle school athletic complex phase two for a grand total of $1,013,900. Motion is in order? So moved. Support. Any discussion? One two questions, sorry Mr. And this is sinking fund money, correct? >> This is sinking fund money, that's correct. And then the $50,000 contingency, that's standard practice, correct? Standard practice with foresight. That's what I thought. Thank you. Okay. Uh all in favor? Any opposed? Motion passes. Item C, the 2025-2026 amended budget proposal. Thank you, Madam President. Uh included in this evening's board package are the amended 2025 and 2026 budgets for the general fund and central program fund. These amendments were presented during the Finance Committee meeting on March 23rd, 2026 and reflect modifications made since the initial initial submission last June. I just
048recommended that the Board of Education approve the 2025-2026 amended general appropriations resolution as presented. Motion is in order. Any discussion? All in favor? Any opposed? The motion passes. We got it all in the end. All right, item 13, comments from the audience. And tonight we do have one, Olive Greenfield Bower. If you could come up to the microphone and you do have 3 minutes to speak. Might need to check it yet. I can talk loud enough. There's like five people in this room. Um Okay. Um I just want to start off with saying hi um and thanking you guys for your eyes and time and ears. I hope this finds you well and in a place to consider my point of view and not only mine, but a lot of my classmates, peers, and their
049parents. I have a petition if you guys like to see that. Um my name is Olive and I would consider myself fairly good student. Uh I've taken AP classes since sophomore year, scoring fours and fives on exams. I'm very active in school, varsity captain for the swim team, uh theater improv president, ethics bowl. I do a lot. The school is very important to me. Um Last year, there was no universe in which I would be denied the possibility to go to a pivotal high school event such as prom or on any field trips as a senior. Um but this year, I will be barred from doing any of that because of the attendance policy. The attendance policy, more than 10 days on excused without a court mention or a doctor's note. Um I I this
050unfairly targets students can't afford the $60 copay every time they have a sore throat or they can't keep things down. And I understand attendance is a big issue. I come from a family with an educator for a father. Um, I get it. I really get where you guys are coming from. I do want you guys to think about your students, though. Your students at Garden City High School. I have a couple of statements from a couple of students who reached out to me and asked me to share in their name. Um, the first one comes from Alex Drahmo Drahmo? Glad I butchered that nickname. She says that she lost a parent this year and they were only given a week for the loss of loved ones and then it and then it affects the attendance
051policy. I don't think that a week is enough for anyone when they lose someone so close to them. I'm still grieving but have to show up to school out of fear. I want to go on field trips and I want to go to prom but that doesn't mean that I'm not also grieving anymore. Yes, my grades have improved this year but that's because I'm trying, not because I'm showing up more. And she said coming out of fear. That's not what we want for our students, right? Um, this is from Kayvon Stokes who reached out to me. I don't have medical insurance. I've been denied Medicaid three times. I was diagnosed with multiple blood disorders in September and we are still paying off that hospital visit. I imagine so many others are in the same situation
052as me. I cannot afford to give you a doctor's note for the common cold or the flu. I cannot afford anything. Okay. Um, we're going to move on from students because I have one from um, a parent who reached out to me concerning her senior. Um, Kelly Stollwall. She is a mother of a senior who has been having a lot of health issues this year. I'm also a medical provider, also a provider. As a provider, I witness to how expensive copays can be for an urgent care visit. I'm also witness to how often parents come to my clinic cannot get in for the same day appointments. These copays are often very very It is highly unreasonable for a district to dictate this. Many co-pays are $40, $60, with some insurances $100 for the flu. Just
053for a note to state that the child is excused. It's shameful that after going through our pandemic and having the capability to have online learning that it is not available to these kids on sick days. It also encourages the spread of illness. If a parent can't afford the co-pay, the child has to go to school with a contagious illness. Ooh, I'm skipping cuz I'm running out of time. If you are going to make these demands, then have a school nurse or a school doctor that can excuse these kids when they are ill. Or for the kids who blah blah blah, never mind. Sorry. Okay. So, that's from Kelly Stoll Ball. I can give you guys her information cuz she wants you guys to hear about that. Um but the point is is we come from
054a school that not a lot of us are privileged enough to be able to go to the doctors when we have a stomach bug. And it's ridiculous to say that a kid only has 5 days to grieve for the death of her father because I mean, one of you guys want more than 5 days to grieve for your loved ones before you go straight back into school with that pressure burning on you and carrying on you. I've had the honor to talk to Ms. Kohler about this, and I am pleased to know that she is trying her hardest, but there aren't enough resources available to your students for this attendance policy to be fair. It is so saddening to see so many of my classmates miss out on such a pivotal high school experience, and
055I really hope that we can do more as a community to support them and help them. That's all I have. Thank you. Item 14, review and recommendations, superintendent, other central office administrators. Madam President, thank you. First up, before I move into my comments, I'd like to request a closed session for an update with uh legal counsel on negotiations with the GCEA and the GCAA. Motion is in order. Any discussion? Cathy, may we have a roll call vote? Hi. Uh I do have a field trip tonight. Uh it should come as no surprise that we're getting into the spring that we're going to have a DECA trip, and we do indeed have a DECA trip. Uh Ms. Bommarito submitted this. Uh this trip is for um uh DECA Nationals that is in Atlanta, Georgia. So, that
056is an out-of-state, multiple-night trip with a departure date of 4/22 and a return date of 4/29. Uh everything is in order, and I know that they are excited uh for this. Uh DECA always does really well, and we have a future presentation from DECA when they are at the high school during the month of May. Correct, Ms. Duperon? All right. So, barring any concerns from the board, I will we'll go ahead and move this uh field trip forward. I'd like to thank our high school student for being here tonight. Uh board members, as you're aware, uh there was some outreach specific to the high school's um attendance efforts to promote good attendance. We know that nationally uh we are in the midst of uh managing uh chronic absenteeism post-pandemic. It's not just Garden City High
057School. Uh it's not just Garden City Public Schools. It is a a national issue. Uh we also know that good attendance It could be equates to solid academics. Uh as our student is out of the shared, uh there are some uh pieces in play that are exempt. So, there is a bereavement component, doctor notes, court visits, college visits. All of those do not count towards the 10 days of absences. And Ms. Kohler, just to uh confirm with you, uh there is also a component in there for restorative practice. And kids that are on the edge or maybe have crossed that 10-day threshold, uh they can participate and do some attendance recovery, correct? And jog my memory with second semester, is there 85 or 86 days of instruction once we take out the uh Right. Okay.
058So, right around 80 days of instruction, maybe for seniors. Okay. Thank you. Uh and I and I know that there's students that are uh on edge or maybe in jeopardy of not being able to attend event, just like some of our DECA kids, they've arranged to meet with you so that they can make up that time, correct? All right, thank you. Uh congratulations again to our shining star students and our above and beyond staff members. It was all It's a nice turnout. I'm glad we had such a solid turnout with the warm weather. Uh I also want to thank our Berger team for their great presentation tonight. Brian, you did a nice job flipping those slides there. Well done. Congratulations on that. Great to hear from all of the good things going on at Berger.
059Uh a very important part of academic programming uh across Western Wayne and the number of students we serve not only from Garden City, uh but across the Western Wayne County region. So, I want to really thank the team for their good work tonight and certainly uh throughout the school year. We know that we've got our spring Garden City High School production of Frozen the Broadway musical. That is Friday, April 24th, Saturday, April 25th, Sunday, April 26th. We're looking forward to that performance. Uh board members, as you know, we are going to be bringing folks from the Singer uh senior towers on to the uh Sunday, April 26th matinee. So, you're welcome to join me. We'll be meeting uh at the senior tower with transportation at 1:30. Uh sure to be a great presentation. Uh Mr.
060Bennett also wanted to share there's an opportunity for students to earn some tickets and ask if we could promote the coloring contest the Garden City Theater is partnering with PTA on. All schools are eligible. There are four coloring sheet choices that were sent out last week. Entries are due this Thursday, April 16th. Uh so, just around the corner there. Turn those into the office. And there'll be two winners per grade level. They will receive two tickets each to the play. So, great competition there and a good way to see the play at a greatly reduced price. So, thank you to Mr. Bennett for uh that information. Uh any comments or anything from the cabinet team at all? All right. And cabinet team, when we break for recess, you are free, please. Uh I don't think
061we'll be in closed session long, but please feel free to leave once we go into closed session. Uh we're going to exit the room and go down to uh conference room. Uh next regular board meeting is Monday, April 27th. I apologize last time cuz I gave the wrong venue. I'll be Mr. Duper and I got a little uh cross him in a theoretical thing going on. We were we were so excited to hear from the high school. We thought we were at the high school last time, but obviously we're at BGC. Next board meeting is Monday, April 27th and we are for sure that central office is the venue for that next board meeting. All right. That concludes my comments. Thank you. Okay. 15, item 15, review and recommendations. Anyone have anything they want to
062comment on tonight? Okay. We will uh go into recess. We'll be back. All right, we are back from recess. We will move on to item 16, adjournment. Madam President. Mrs. Rogers. >> I move that we adjourn. Support. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Aye. Good evening. Thank you.