001Everyone rise for the pledge. I aliance 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. Mine, could we do a roll call? Yes. Get my little specs on here. Wonder here. Van here. Steph here. Gardine here. Campbell here. Jan here. Hi Bore here. All present. Thank you. Please note as a courtesy of the members of the audience and the board of education. Please sign your cell phones. Public comment will only be able to speak during public comment if signed up. We have any new ones. Mr. Merkel. Thank you very much. Uh item number one, the approval of the agenda. Can I get a motion? So moved to support. All those in favor? Yes. Opposed? Number two
002is the consent action agenda. Uh, can I get a motion? Some move. All those in favor? Yes. Opposed. All right. First item on here in the regular action agenda is the MHSA membership resolution for 2025 2026. This is recommend the board of education. I'm sorry. Apologize. Got that one. Recommend board of education approve the Michigan High School Athletic Association membership resolution in order to join the association for the 2025 2026 school year. Can I get a motion? So move support. So this is an annual thing. The Michigan High School Athletics Association um asks us to approve this resolution. This resolution allows us to participate in MHSA uh sponsored tournaments for the 2526 school year. Uh there is nothing different on our form other than the change of date. So um all right, any questions or
003discussion? Um I got I got a quick question for you. I got um I had a discussion with a parent yesterday. Um, and I've never read this question before is um why don't we have um a sixth, seventh or eighth baseball team? I said we've never had it. Yeah. Because little league and travel, right? And little league has seniors. Yes. But I don't know if they still do. I don't know cuz seniors used to be ninth and tenth. Yeah. So anyway, okay. I've never had that question before, but yeah, I've never heard that question before from somebody, so I think it's pretty standard practice. I I said I don't name another district that has it and then we can look into it. Yeah. So, yeah. John, did you have something? Uh, I got an email
004from Kimon because I had talked with her. Um, she's going to pick up more her pick up more community football. And I asked her because I talked to the same person about uh baseball and I said, "Do your 80s talk about that?" The middle schools talked about what it looked like a competitive baseball and softball team at the middle school level. And they had some dialogue about it at the last meeting. Um I think it's a it's a step in the right direction to see if you can get there with from a school standpoint, but um they started talking about it and I've never had heard our middle schools talking about that. They talked about it at their last um middle school conference director meeting. Yeah, there's a few parents apparently talking about it and
005so when my son was in eighth grade, we did do a community ad version. We we we set it up through community ed and then we played schools around here that had a community ed team. So, but so Bobby Gable and I set it up through the community ed softball's done that a little bit as well. I don't know if they're doing it this year, but they but that was on the parents. It was on right him and I to do it and then we worked with Granville Little League to have access to their field. We didn't have to pay for it but we had had access to the field. Was that just in lie of doing travel then or how did that go? It was during year. It was like early really early like
006basically in the same time as a high school season. Yeah. Interesting. That's one of the areas playing middle school baseball whatever you can't think about at the same time. You could Yeah. Yeah. I mean that's what that's why community work. That's why it worked. Mhm. What they're looking at is it feasible to do it competitively so that your kids can start playing earlier. It'd be nice if that opportunity did. Yeah. Cool. Thanks, J. Got to have parents like that's your second offer tonight. He would love to. We'll see in a couple weeks how how my workload goes. There you go. Awesome. Any other questions? All right. All those fa All those in favor? Yes. Opposed? Motion passes. Um 3B, uh Kent ISD enhancement mill resolution. Is recommended the board of education approve the attached resolution
007supporting placing the question of a regional enhancement mill restoration/renewal on the ballot on November 4th, 2025. Can I get a motion? So move support. So as mentioned before uh enhancement millillage syncing fund renewal and operation uh will be coming to you. The sinking fund operation will come to you next time. The enhancement is uh something that we had passed before. It's uh it it is something that was quite valuable when it passed for us and still is quite valuable as with the enhancement uh you know the areas that Granville in in specific looks at are safety and security and uh maintaining or lowering class sizes. Um, with these funds, you can see from this for Granville, it equates to about $335 per student. Um, you'll recall our operational mill with the Headley roll back last
008time, two years ago when we talked about that, we talked about how when that gets rolled back, you know, there's there's that portion of the money that you don't get. This is is very similar. Same thing. Um it is in the language the word increase has to be there because they had a headley roll back and they're trying to restore it back to where it was um with this. So um again be on the ballot November 4th, 2025 if the majority of boards in Kent County uh approve this. Um, and like I said, for Granville in particular, the dollars, the $335 per student would go to safety, security, and security technology, as well as maintaining reducing class sizes. And from there, see what questions you might have. Just just out of curiosity, what are the
009safety security things that they are funding for us? They aren't funding for us. This these dollars go directly to us. Okay. And we would use them for safety, security, and maintaining reducing class size. And like I said, I said safety security, but I also said security technology because you know whether it's uh cameras or other systems that help uh strengthen your your structure, your security structure could be used for those cuz don't don't we use them for like our cyber security too, right? Is that a large? Yeah, that's we do. We do use uh yes the ISD has uh personnel for cyber security and we they partner with us as well um right in the cyber security area. Okay. So Raj in the past this has been a 100% pass through. Correct. What's that? They
010don't take a percentage of that. It's 100% pass through to each this goes directly to us our 330 per pupil. Yes. I have a problem with it. And the problem is Headley. I'm going to explain my position because I actually it's one of the reasons I talked to Tim last night because I wanted to get his perspective as well. Um I maybe I'm one of the few board members that appreciate it, but I appreciate the Headley amendment. It is the governor of taxation. It allows for the average property owner to not be harmed. which is why proposal A actually happened years ago is all the local everybody's going for more millages and more millages and they really weren't justified very well overall. I'm not going to say anything about Granville. I wasn't here during that
011time. But to add Headley to all property tax every bit, that's my problem. I'm going to tell you families are struggling. Families are still struggling. They're going to continue to struggle. Last last several years have not been good. So to add that little bit more just for insurance I think is a disservice and not good stewardship. I think something you want to consider though is it it is restoring it back. But if you also notice there are many more districts involved in this particular one versus the last one. Uh that money is getting divided among now within the law. the uh the number of charter schools I see that public chart that's the change are also a part of that. So it it plays into that as well. But again I'm to me I still
012think you got to be a good steward all the time. All the time. I I just believe, you know, this district gives us a lot. Mhm. And I believe that they trust us. And I don't want to mitigate one ounce of that trust. And I feel that with this that it's we're eroding it. I mean, it's going back to what it was previously, though, isn't it? Right. Yeah. So, how is that eroding it? if the taxation based on Headley. So you you've got to you got to play with the fact that why was Headley actually I mean it was to limit the so they couldn't keep going up. Correct. And it it's to actually make sure that um the households the properties the average residential property owner has the ability to not be overt taxed.
013So to me I still think it's overt taxing. I do the headley. I I understand when it wouldn't pass in November then, right? Pardon? It wouldn't So then it wouldn't if the people didn't want it, then it wouldn't pass in November. Correct. All right. Yeah. I mean, I'm just talking a larger You're talking about the larger view of Headley, right? And that the whole um concept of it and the taxation increase is what you're saying. Any tax increase within the state, that's why Headedley was put where it's at to me. I mean, I I was originally against the um the supplemental. I bought into it. You know, we got a lot of we got some people that um commercial property owners that just expect it as part of what they do and they have that
014luxury to adjust their pricing if they have to. Um families don't have that ability. they have a set budget that they have to deal with. And to me, I don't I if if I can help stay that from uh being negatively impacted on them, then that's my voice. This money is you'd already have this in your budget proposal though, right? Yeah. This money um is a general fund revenue. And and tell us again, Heather, where do we start fall in terms of the p the like where we rank in terms of our fidiciary standing regards to the other districts around us? I remember so from the from the debt fund, we're we're third or fourth dependent on the county. I and I guess I I would feel like if we were like in a far
015worse position, I I feel like your your point would be well taken because I agree with you. I'm I'm pretty I'm pretty fiduciarially, monetarily f, you know, fiscally conservative regarding spending money, but the fact is that the track record has been very good in terms of how we've been spending the money and using it and our debt. And I I just don't think it would be I hope it would not be viewed as we're trying to squander or overspend the taxpayers money. um or else we wouldn't be in this position that we were in. So back in when did we go from 3.2 to 505? Uh November of 2019. There you go. The bond. That really changed the tax on individual property owners. This is a county tax. It's not local. It's a county. And
016again, the whole county is going to vote for it. Mhm. But to me it's my my position is my position. I you know whether it's in our budget that is to me that it shouldn't matter. What what what we need to think about is what are we asking to to ask our community to contribute to. So we have three bonds that are coming renewed. Let's give them what we think is the best opportunity for them to succeed. And you may not think this is a lot of money, but to me, it's a negative impact. If the Hadley wasn't in there, I wouldn't have a problem. But the Headley is in there, but it will be a substantial financial impact to our overall school budget. If you take out $335 per head, per student, right? Yes.
017that that's going to make an enormous change in what Heather just proposed to us. My position is not changing. Okay. I'm just saying I know you're taking from the stance of the taxpayer and I appreciate that. I am one of those too. We all are, right? But I'm as the board that 335 per student head is going to drastically bite out of our budget. Drastically. And again, I don't know the details of the budget. I don't know what we're trying to do to maintain well, it's no pain. It's there. I mean, I understand. I don't know the individual details of all the effects of what's going on. The board never knows that. But to have I still think we need to be good stewards. I still and to try and hold all these levers down.
018I I think when you look back in when COVID started and ESSR money came in and all these extra programs came in, you know, think of the big beautiful bill. What what do a lot of people have wrong that that are arguing against that? I think what they want is 2019 numbers given the effects of of relative change, not the massive, and I'm going to say massive, it's my word, the amount of additional programming that this district took on in 2020 and beyond. And to reset to some of those levels, I think is it's fair ask. So my position doesn't change. I just think that's being reasonable. I think what they want us to do is everything we can to provide what we're providing for their kids, which is a great education, phenomenal programming, and
019not not ask for more and more new things. This is not new. This is a part of what we already have, what we've had for some time, and it helps us maintain a lower class size. It helps us in the area of safety, security. I don't know there's anybody in this district that don't doesn't think that those things are important. And we're a not asking for something new. We're just asking to restore what we had. it and I was that's the point I was going to make too because if I look at the districts that were up there right that are have a lower tax burden than what we have right I don't hear and I live very close to one of those districts I don't hear a lot of people saying oh we got
020fantastic schools we have you know we feel good about it right um where people do come to Granville and they're holy cow you guys are doing something right and we're still the third lowest in Ottawa County and fourth lowest in in Kent County and we're still viewed as a destination district, right? As we always like to say, and we're still viewed as that, even though we have a very low. So, I I view it as people are coming here because they like the value that they're getting out of that lower tax burden, that lower overall tax burden. Could it be lower? Always could be. Um, but it also could be a heck of a lot higher like we see out there. And so I think you know again we're in the bottom quarter of both
021Kent and Ottawa County yet we're viewed as a place where people want to be and I think that is because we are balancing that to the best of our ability that fiscal responsibility um along with not you know overburdening our our citizens. That's my view. I mean, I understand understand Bob, but I mean, we're not making the ultimate decision. It's up to the people to decide anyways. So, it's just going back to whether or not. [Music] All right. Any other discussion? All right. All those in favor? Yes. Opposed? No. Motion passes. Uh 3C, the uh transportation paving. Um it is recommended that the board of education approve additional paving updates at the transportation facility for a total of $27,554. Contracts should be issued as follows. Advanced excavating for another $99,550 and Re Riley for $108,04.
022Can I get a motion? So support and Heather and Ryan are here to Yeah. So I'll I'll start off with this and then we can turn it over to Ryan for the technical questions. Um uh as we um continued through this construction project, um the area highlighted in green is what was a bid for uh replacement. And the more and more we've seen what is going on in the area highlighted in purple, it is in need of um replacement as well. Um a lot of the heavy trucks going over it and the buses etc. So um what this will do is it will set us up nicely for the future in terms of when you have to replace you'll be able to replace it versus uh based on like north and south. Um, and in
023addition to that, um, because of the timing and the need to get this going, um, we already have these companies on site and we did do due diligence and, um, get additional pricing. Um, the problem is is that they're already mobilized on the site. So we've already that cost has already been what was previously approved as part of this project. So um there are savings from that aspect to go with who's already on site. Heather um how's the project running with regard to budget? Um this project is is doing well in regards to budget. Um we did we did um strategically do some ad when um about the time that uh Wyoming Bus Garage had their fire. We were um only at the time going to um uh what's it called? I mean um shoot
024sprinklers. Uh sprinklers and then the fire suppress and the and the weller bay only but then decided to to add that. So, we did have a change order for that, but other than that, it's been going it's been going well. Um I there haven't been a ton of change orders for this project. So, um who's doing the majority of the ashvault work there so far? Is it um advanced advance? Yeah. And just to speak, if you can slide it up to the where the purple shown. Yep. at the top there on the top left, the small uh square up there is is currently our or be our new office that's been rebuilt. Um and in that area just to the left of the building A up there, um that whole section has been closed off
025because of proximity to the building. And usually when our buses come in from the left hand side of the page and make their way in, they can circle to the left to go to the canopy which is above the top of the screen there where they park. Um because of the project, the buses for almost the entirety of this school year have had to go down to the right and travel through this purple area that's over here. Um so we essentially doubled the workload that was on the asphalt um with all our buses going through there. Uh we have police and fire that are there that use our pumps that you know it's a shared service that we you know take care of um fuel for them. obviously charging, but um so we increased traffic
026going through there kind of right where those circles are all right where Heather is right there down through there. That area um has started to kind of spiderweb a little bit in the asphalt and you can start to see a bunch of small cracks that are in there and you know that just invites you know for water to make its way in there you know freezing contracting. Um, that's one of those things that as the project went on, uh, as I walk out there, um, repeatedly throughout the school year, kind of seeing that it was as the project got going, it's kind of like, hey, we might want to look at this. And speaking to what Heather said about kind of the north and the south, um, the asphalt that is surrounds the canopy, obviously,
027there's a certain age at a certain point that that will need to eventually be replaced. um by doing this it kind of breaks it almost you know kind of abs it that can be something that we build in later on down the road and then eventually when the the um service life of this as comes to be it will be all one solid area where it can all be done at once. Um, and when you take on a project like this, space to park the buses. Um, we've learned to be extremely creative this year in finding enough spaces to have our buses parked, our personal vehicles parked to make it happen on a daily basis. Um, and so just this breakdown for down the road, if you need to do the asphalt on that side,
028this being done over here, parking everything on this end makes it feasible for a project in the future, um, if you were to split up again. So, like Heather spoke to, you have the equipment, you have the people there, they're on site. Um it's a little additional to what was originally there but there's in my professional opinion there is a need for it at this point with just out of curiosity with the reconfiguration of this there is an um ingress egress correct do does the roofing company share any of those drives or do they have their own so if you will come down here a little bit um they have their own drive. Um, and it runs along our fence line and then this is that's our road, right? So there, this is gated and
029this is where we'll cross and then we'll come down around the storage units and out. Um, and primarily because it's really really tight up here in the current entrance to turn left. So that really opens it up for the buses to turn left and right down here. But there's a road along here that is theirs um that butts up to our property, but this is an easement that we have written into that that purchase. So, thank you. When we do a building, we have like a 10% contingency. Is that is there any reason why we don't use that or is there no difference in terms of budget or we used that already? Well, that's why I put syncing and bond on here because I can tap into that, but because of the dollar amount and
030because of the fact that they're on site and I timing wise, it's really too tight to do a formal twoe bid process. That's why I wanted to bring it to you, which is why I asked where we at with it, right? Because it said seeking and so are we over budget? That was No, we're not. Okay. It's just there in case you need it. Y What's the warranty? Uh do they warranty their work? I mean, I mean, everything interaction I've had with them has been take care of what you need as we're going. But I I haven't had to, you know, put an order to say, "Hey, we're looking at this. This isn't, you know, up to par. or you know I haven't had any experience in my time with them to you know call
031it back or you know or are you talking time no I'm talking I'm talking their the quality of their work it gets real or something starts breaking out we got a year that they come back and take care of it or is it don't usually take care of that anyway because that's quality of their work yeah if they want to get paid they do because you got to sign off on it okay just curious question. Thank you. All right. Any other questions? Can you roll call to do the value of this? Wonder Jim? Yes. Campbell, yes. Vanick, yes. Stuff, yes. Gardin, yes. Donna, yes. Hi, yes. Missy, thank you. On to 3D. Read the 2024 2025 final budget amendment. As recommended, the board of education approve the resolution within the 2024 2025 final budget booklet
032as presented for the following funds. General fund, food service fund, student activity fund, capital projects fund for the sinking fund, and the capital projects fund for the 2020 2022 2024 bond fund. Can I get a motion? So move support. And so as as you know, we had a uh you know, a budget workshop. We reviewed part of this uh and also looked ahead. So uh Heather, anything else you want to add to this? Uh no, I'm just coming down here to the budget summary page um and can take any questions. So, Heather, just real quick from the hearing on the 2015 bonds when we change the millillage, um, when are the 2015 bonds expected? You know, we keep re adjusting. When do you anticipate just off the top of your head that those will be
033paid off? Um, because that was 125. So I know there on 20 on the 2019 there's three years left but that was a smaller issuance amount. The 2015 that we refunded was around gosh was it 23 million or 30 million. So I believe that and I can get you an exact answer but I I think it's probably you're probably looking at like 2033 2034. Okay. I have to look but to be sure but so we're saving a little time on that. Yeah. Yep. um when the mixers decrease. It seems this seems like a first. So you you know I I you know it's it's doubled more than doubled since I've been on the board. Yeah. So like when I started in schools in ' 07 it was right around like 17 or 18% and then
034like you said it just creeps up and then um then they started this unfunded acred liability piece and bought it back back down right and then now it's creeped up and now on that side though right now that they've fully funded the health care side of the retirement um that's giving them the ability to drop that rate. So, I don't know if it'll stay low, but I mean, for right now, it's kind of like, you know, Mark, you put a star on the calendar. Yes. Yes. It's a first since I've been on the board. Mhm. Um the 4% for the mental health and security. What's the likelihood that that's um the mental health and the safety and security? Safety and security. Sorry. I um that is not a 4% increase. That's the same amount we
035got this year basically. Um so there was no increase overall to that line item. The increase of the 4.1% was to at risk funding. So like intervention supports um and CTE which does affect us because I I know that the ISD is you know the big CTE but we're starting to have a lot more programming in CTE in our district. So are we talking the 2024 25 budget or the 2025 2026? I only care about next year right now. Okay. Yeah, we're on the 25. Oh, I apologize. Yeah, that's just what did I miss? I'm ready to go. It all kind of goes. I'm ready to go. I'm not going to have any I'm probably only going to have one more question. It's you know, it's up to you if you want. We can I
036can take questions on both and then you can vote on the first one and then read the Keep on your questions. Let's just get it out. I mean, we won't draw it out then. Okay. I'm still on 20. I mean, you already you do a great job. Great job for everybody that's touched this budget for 2425, you know. Um, so Heather, when we had our last update and we had over an 8% fund balance and now it's we're in the sevens. Will you be able to run the district through the entire year without borrowing any funds? Yes. Yep. So, um Kayla um does a monthly cash flow for us. Um and if if which we I mean when we were down around 5% when Roger first started, that was where we were getting close to
037needing to borrow. And I, you know, we did do some creative things. I may have held a payment or two for the ISD. Um, we switched our payroll dates from 26 pays to 24, 8th and the 23rd to make sure that we had that state aid payment for that second pay. Um, so I mean we we had to do that for a year. Um, in order there is a process to borrow and it's not I mean you we would need to know right now and start applying um this summer if we were going to need to borrow the queue. Yeah. And it's a different it's like we look at cash flow monthly and so if Kayla were ever come to me and be like you know hey look at this like we might have an
038issue. um that's when we would like start those discussions. But I don't at 7.55 we're not going to need to borrow. And and Bob, if that were the case where we were going to have to borrow, we'd be talking about a lot of cuts. We talk about very major cuts before we would, you know, to stay away from that because we know what happens when you borrow. It's a cycle and we've been really good at staying out of that. Our conversations wouldn't be, hey, we were able to take care of what we needed to take care of through attrition for the most part and so on. It would be we'd be having some really tough conversations on this board uh about what to do and not do and what was you know what was essential
039and what wasn't essential um before we'd ever go to the borrowing phase. I, you know, I could keep going back to Ron and when he said, "Trust me, we can bring it down, right? We invested in fiber. We did we did huge investments in infrastructure that came out of and our fund balance dropped significantly. So that was a scary time for me." Mhm. Rightfully so. just because I remember getting here and finding out we had a 4.1 fund balancing going forward. We played we we were moving things all the time and and it it did not feel good. I'm just going to say it didn't feel good. We he he juggled a lot and maybe he had to at the time. Yeah. I think the times were in fairness and I know you're not not
040saying anything negative for Ron 2000 when banking you know we lost two major banks right um huge investment firms um things were really shaky back then they were and what we had to do at the time so that's one of the reasons reasons I always think about this and I always ask you about it is because of that. Well, and two like and I know you you you had said during the discussion about the enhancement mill um the enhancement mill revenue is under that incoming transfers. That's where it's supposed to be coded for the state level. And in that line item or of that 7.8 8 million um 2.3 of that is enhancement mill dollars and so to put it in perspective through the attrition we have were able to save 1.8 million and that
041was 15.8 FTE. So when I get the question about what line items make me nervous, that's the revenue side of things that makes me nervous, right? Because that's not something that's necessarily in our hands. Okay, I'm done with my questions. Thank you. Any other questions? All right, let's do a roll call. The first one, right? The 24 2425 budget. You got it. Yes. Amendment. So, roll call for 2425 final budget. Um, Van, yes. Gardine, yes. Stephus, yes. Wonderjam, yes. Dhan, yes. Campbell, yes. Hibbore, yes. Motion passes. Thank you. Uh, on to the 2025 2026 budget adoption. Um, it is recommended the board of education approve the resolutions for the 2025 2026 budget booklet. Um with all those other funds that we discussed, it is further recommended that the mills to be levied on properties located
042within the Granville public school district will be for the general fund 18 uh on all non-homestead properties, capital projects fund syncing fund at 1.3502 mills on all properties, a headly roll back from uh 1.4 mills and the debt fund of 5.05 mills on all properties. Can I get a motion? So moved. Any discussion on this one? All right, do a roll call. Let's do roll call. Yes. Uh Dhan, yes. Vanek, yes. Campbell, yes. Wonder, yes. Gardin, yes. Stephus, yes. Hibbore, yes. Passes. Great. Thank you very much. That's all of our regular action agenda. And number four is the reports discussion for the engagement strategy report. Claire. Sure. Be fun. I love talking about this stuff. It takes me back a little bit. Um just want to talk a little bit, you know, uh as the
043year's gone on, we talked about um how we were focusing on engagement strategies, looking at different engagement strategies and tomorrow we have our uh retreat with our principles and in the morning I'm going to do a more uh detailed um presentation on clarity and and what that is and it really in a nutshell um when you look at this clarity is being clear about what you want students to know and be able to do. When you look at um what's called a guaranteed and viable curriculum, what's essential for every student to know and be able to do and what do they need to know for now, for the next level of learning, and for life. So, that's a guaranteed viable curriculum. We have been focused on that and looking at engagement strategies tied to that.
044So, where does clarity come in? clearly demonstrating relevant skills and processes that you expect them students to employ is there. But what teacher clarity really is is checking that students have a clear understanding of any new material that's needed to gain success in the lesson. Uh it could be do they have the background knowledge um or the information that helps them know whether they've learned something or not. Um we have focused a lot in our district um on learning targets. You will go into a classroom and the learning target will be up there and you ask a you go in and you ask a student, so what are you learning right now? The the student usually will tell you whatever the learning target is. You know, we're we're you know, learning how to uh follow
045directions. We're learning, you know, at a simple level, whatever it might be. But to really have clarity and to boost achievement and performance, a student should not only know what the learning target is, but how do I know when I've made it? And has that been clear? Has the teacher helped that student understand this is when you know you've got it? This is when you know you're there. Um, and what we've found and what research has found in in classrooms is a lot of times you'll go in and you'll say to a kid, "So, what are you learning?" And like I said, they'll they'll recite that learning target. You know, well, we're learning how we're learning how to add fractions. Well, okay, but what does that have to do? You know, what does that have
046to do with anything other than we're learning how, you know, why are you learning that? If you ask them why, a lot of times they'll go, I I don't know. Um, so that teacher clarity is helping them understand that to use strategies that help them understand that. And the great thing about that is there's no resource you need for that. There's no money you need for that. That's that's something that we can enhance for um our classrooms and for our students so that they have a better understanding of what it is we expect them to know and be able to do. So you can see at the bottom there, teacher clarity ranks among the top interventions that can enhance student learning. And what I noticed, I don't when I go into a classroom, I never
047ask a teacher what what are they learning? I ask a student, so what are you learning? And like I said in in most classrooms, students can tell you what they're learning. They can't tell you why they're learning it or they don't connect it uh you know to that bigger picture of things. So the more we can do to help them do that, the more engaged they're going to be because nothing worse than doing something and you say, "So why are you doing that?" I don't know why I'm doing that. So what are they trying to do? In essence, they're trying to get done with it, right? It's a task and I have to get done with it. But if they know how it connects with things, there's a better chance that they'll be engaged and
048a better chance that they'll be successful. Next slide, Heather. So teacher clarity is about ensuring students understand what they're learning, why it's important, and it m it's involves making learning intentions clear. This is what I'm intending for you to learn. Providing those students with a roadmap for how they'll achieve those goals. Next slide. I'm going to give you an example. And like I said, education can easily have a clarity problem. I'll give you a uh give you a sample. So the learning target you can see here is I can complete a direction task proficiently. So let's say I give you this board of education in Granville. I say complete this task. Ask you back out and go to the end of the road. Turn right. Go to the next stop sign. Turn right. Now drive
049two miles and turn right at the second light. Go 1/4 mile and turn left into the parking lot. All right. Now let's say Mr. Pho comes in and says, "Board of education, what are you learning? What are you going to tell me?" I can I'm learning how to complete a direction task proficiently. Right? If he said, "Well, why are you doing that?" What would you say? Get to typical cow. Nice. You'd think that, but you'd be wrong. Something great idea though. John, I don't know. Something I can't believe you don't you don't know why you're doing this. So, you can see how that can be confusing, right? So, I know what I'm supposed to do, but why why am I doing this? How does you know what what is those things that a teacher could
050give me that give me a little more clarity? Next slide. So, now would it be more effective if we help students realize where they started from, where they're going, and when they know they've reached their destination. So, same learning target. I can complete a direction task proficiently. So, I give you this. You're at Roger's house in his driveway. Now, it'd be even better if if you had that background knowledge of where Roger's house is and you've been to Roger's house. You could go, "Oh, yeah. Okay, that's where I'm at." Right? You learned how to drive a car. You're going to a game at Graanville High School. Okay. Now, you have more information. You You know where you're starting from. You know that you learned how to drive a car because notice before I didn't tell
051you you were driving, right? I just said turn here, turn there. you could have been walking. So, it added more to that, more prior knowledge for you. So, then I give you those and and it's funny because I when I read these, I'm picturing my drive to a Granville High School game. It's it's what I do. It's back out and go to the end of the road, turn right, go to the next stop, turn right, drive about two miles, turn right at the second light. I go a fourth mile and I turn into the Granville High School parking lot. So, I know I've I've arrived, right? And with you, if the success criteria here was when you make, you know, you make it to the Granville High School parking lot, you know you're there, right?
052And like I said, this is a very simple piece, but if kids know that, they know if I if I get to this, I know I've learned this. I know I've arrived. and we often don't uh provide that clarity for them to help them understand that. So this is much much different if I ask you what you're learning because you have some of that knowledge, that background knowledge. You you have more information. It engages you more. When I read these directions, like I said, they mean something very different to me than they did to you when you were just reading directions off, right? So, it helps connect that that piece. And that's what we're trying to do more of. That's um what we're going to try to focus on. Here are some strategies uh teachers
053use. You can see ma a math lesson today. I'll use my problem solving skills. So I can divide whole numbers that have remainders. I got it when I can explain what the remainder means in a word problem. So just using today I will. So I can I got it when that's a strategy to help students have more clarity of what it is that they're learning. Next slide. This is another way people do it. We're learning this so we can do this and we've got it when this. So, like I said, it's not rocket science and it doesn't doesn't require a lot of training. It doesn't require uh a lot of resources. It's just being focused on it. And that's what we're what our goal is going into next year. Is there I'm gonna say sometimes
054something's so simple somebody can't solve it, right? So this is pretty simple. Yeah. But some people can't solve it. So my question is is curriculum been augmented defined to help staff create clarity examples. I think there are things out there and and I'm not saying our staff doesn't. I just I agree with you. Yeah. I just think it's uniform. Yes, we want it uniform. We want to make sure we're focused on the guaranteed and viable curriculum because you can use clarity all you want, but if you're if you're not focused on what's essential for every kid to know and be able to do, then you're kind of missing the boat anyway, right? It's very important that all kids are experiencing what's essential. But using clarity is just being intentional and using the right strategies like
055what I just showed you to help kids understand that you know you've got it really good when you can give them a learning target and you can talk about what you're going to be doing. But also when you have dialogue with kids, how do you know you're going to be there? How do you know when you've got this? kids will tell you even though they haven't experienced it a lot of times they'll tell you what they believe would would help them, you know, would would uh excuse me, demonstrate that they've learned something. And if you can get to that point and get kids in that groove, then as they get older, they get into college as an example, okay, this is what the learning target is. How do I know, you know, what are those
056success criteria where I know I've got this? because I don't know about you, but uh there was a certain person up here that studied hours and hours and hours sometimes and thought I had something and I didn't. And there were other times where I'd go, you know, I don't really have to study that much because I've got it now. Why was that different? It's because I had figured out and the teacher probably helped me figure out, you know, that clear piece, that clarity piece of how do you know when you you've learned this already? What percentage of staff do you think just automatically does this? Oh gosh, I don't know. Um, I think it's e it's an easy part of a lesson to forget because you're so focused on the what. You think kids know
057the why because you know the why, but unless you really spell it out for them and get them in that groove um of being very clear about what you know how how am I going to demonstrate that I've learned this? How do I know that I've learned it? If you haven't really focused on that, um then it it can easily miss the boat. Whereas you thought they got it. That's what happens when, you know, a teacher will have an amazing lesson and then let's say there's a quiz or some kind of uh checking for understanding and the class totally blows, you know, they they totally bomb the whatever the assessment is and the teacher goes, "Man, I that was a great lesson." And a lot of times it just might be the kids weren't clear
058on how were they going to demonstrate that learning that shows that they they understood it, you know. So it's it's just a disconnect. So anyway, we're going to focus a lot on this next year. Starting tomorrow, we'll have very detailed with our um with our principles. We have a few principles. I know Mr. Lanto and Mr. GM are going to talk a lot about guaranteed viable curriculum and how that connects with the clarity piece and then they'll be working with their staffs on the clarity piece as we enter into next year. Just being more intentional. Like I said, it's not rocket science. It's there are plenty of the the examples I showed you right there um that teachers could use to help, you know, ignite that clarity. Well, see, that's why I was I'm asking
059Yeah. No, that's good. Is it in the curriculum? And how many do you think are following it? Yeah. Because I think a teacher with everything on their plate Mhm. as they're trying to get through everything and they're trying to make sure everybody's in their chair or you're stable, especially since co right you got a lot of more active butts, right? You just do um how they're going to be have the right tools or the right direction, right, to actually keep that as a focus point. Yeah. And and a lot of that is building leadership. It's uh your groups within your building that focus on that. Um I know Mr. Merkel over here has has that focus. Um it's just keeping it at the forefront because what gets watered. The the grass is always greener where
060where you water it. Right. So that's what we're going to try to do. We're going to try No, no. It's where you water it. where you want. All right. That phrase, I like it because it what it does is it also engenders, you know, the an empirical thought process. Yeah. You know, and and that's something that I think is really important not only for our students, but for our teachers to get nailed down in their the way they approach a lesson, right? And the way they guide the kids toward the end goal is to see this is where we're starting. This is the methodology that we're using because we're going here. Mhm. And um yeah, I I appreciate that, you know, and one of the things that it I've been thinking a lot about this
061with my youngest is he'll turn a piece of homework in and he'll get a bunch of problems wrong, right? And but you can go back and do test or go back and do corrections on that. When you've only corrected those questions, you've only learned how to do those questions. You haven't mastered the so I can able to now use this and apply it, right? So, it's one of the things I was I've been thinking about is, okay, it's great that they give them the opportunity to correct those those practice questions or even the test questions. Maybe we should also add maybe three more questions to show that they've mastered that capability and not just the factual components of that question of that one or two, three or four questions. Hey, show me now that you
062get it by these three new questions. Yeah. Then I'll give you the credit for doing those test corrections. No, no, just but I think that what that does though is goes to that last piece that now you can apply this learning appropriately as opposed to just reciting something anyway. And like I said, there are plenty of uh strategies like those out there at all the different levels. So um it's you know again sharing providing those our our staff already some use the and might say well you know I use this one or I use that one way. just being able to collaborate and share will make us all better. Well, so in that process when you're doing that, are you going to also because I think some of the biggest components I I think that's
063clear as a bell what you laid out there, but some of the biggest components that come into play then are what are the resources that the teachers use to guide these kids on that path towards that goal. Um you know are is there going to be consistency there? or is there going to be consistency in terms of the their professional training and using those and implementing those tools? I think sometimes as a former teacher that's that's a thing that could be a stumbling block to getting an entire staff on board and to you know to make sure that the percentage of student or teachers that are using this whole methodology pedigogy is is really high because if they don't they might understand that but then they still oh I only have this that I can
064use you know if they feel um unable to move forward. Mhm. into using more creative ideas to prove um mastery. I I think that's sometimes where I have seen in in my experience um where teachers they don't go that next step. Yeah. In following that because they don't feel like they either have enough training or they have enough of really substantial materials to use at their disposal. Mhm. So, I'm just wondering if that's something that's going to be addressed to your Yeah. Well, I think with this the nice thing is there isn't a lot that I mean there's so there's so many of these types of strategies you can use. I think it's it's uh you know whether it's learning at a building level or working across the district at different levels. It'll be sharing
065these strategies, making sure everybody has them, making sure, you know, when when our uh our people do walkthroughs and so on, look, the look for piece, this will be a component because you see learning targets everywhere, like I said. Um, and a lot of times it's just checking with kids to see where, you know, you know what, so what are you learning? And and just seeing what they what they say to you. A lot of times really quick checks like that can tell teachers asking kids so what you know what are we learning right now and just again having them tell you that and I think it's an important strategy to use even as a staff within a school like as a staff what are we learning what is our target goal as a staff
066you know is it to increase you know the mental wellness of our students or is it whatever it is or we're all focusing on math or whatever. And ironically, tomorrow when I do this, I do it in a way with our principles, you exactly the same way. I think it's lovely that you have Mr. Gil because he definitely has a why. And I think in a time when we are all asked, what is your why to make that naturally go into a classroom? What is the why of this lesson? What is the why of our targets? That's just it's great. I'm sure Mike will be. You'll remember when we talked about The Marzano focused model and I observation that fourth tier of you made it for our teachers is related to performance scales. And what
067you saw there are examples of performance success. What level do I go that I've known that I know it and can I walk in and ask the kid, hey, what do you learn? What how does that apply to things? What does that mean? Um, we'll be able to gather quick information and it should by push me back toward the evaluation side help us to stay focused on are we all doing this and if we're not doing this how do we know that we're not doing this because we should be able to pull the hip that tells us that based on the scaling scores that we get for our the highest score they can get inside any one of those elements instruction so that it's it's the right time introduced me to learning targets for Those
068of you that remember, me too. Me too. It was 2003. So, we've been working on and talking about learning targets in professional learning communities for a long time, but we're at a point where it's time to move into that next lesson. Goodness. Was there any data or kind of analysis that led you to sort of decide to focus on this for next year? Yes, there was. So, um, we as superintendents this past year did visitations to other districts and we had discussions around that with uh Tammy Campbell. Tammy's a former superintendent out of Seattle um strong in teaching and learning and um but we would have dialogues and and the thing we found consistent across districts was kids were pretty they really got that what but that connection to you know I'm learning this that'll
069help me do this so that I can do this type of thing to really connect at all um was kind of missing. And then when you would talk to teachers about it, they'd say, you know, yeah, I thought they understood that, but the teacher understands it naturally, but kids, some kids might understand that, but you know, does your kid who's the least engaged in your class understand that? Because if they did, they might be more engaged. it might it might make them more engaged because they understand not just yeah we're adding fractions they know why they're adding fractions um and and that that's again an engagement strategy so so that's what really connected us was just through that um I came back had discussion with our people and and within one of our buildings we
070did that same type of thing and and the responses were very similar you know, oh, we're we're, you know, adding fractions today. Okay. Um, but if you asked them, why are you doing this? A lot of times they were kids, you know, I wouldn't say all kids were, but they were there were a group of kids at times in classrooms that just were unsure. I don't I don't know why I'm doing this. Yeah, doing it because it's a lesson. It's on board, right? So, we want to try to get beyond that. And like I said, it's not it's not it's not that difficult. It's a pretty quick strategy, high engagement, high impact strategy that a teacher can use. And so if we're intentional about spending more time with it, we think we can move the
071needle some hope session. Yeah, I'm excited about it. I look forward to it. Ask what's the what's the Y for calculus? The Y for calculus. Yeah. Mars. Yeah. Uh Michaela, do you know the why for calculus? I think it's I think it's the a lot of the the process, the mathemat standard mathematical practices type stuff. I mean, I had four calculus classes in college and I could I could memorize the steps on how to do it all, but I couldn't tell you how to use any of it. how to apply. You know what I heard once is that math is a second language on understanding functions. So it's like it's a whole new language and you have to learn those music. Understanding what? Music too. Understanding what did you say? Functions. Functions. Yep. Well, I
072I left when we had there was a we had a student teacher. He was and I can't remember what class it was. And uh he did Spanish and he did algebra, but he was like this really super smart kid. He was coaching soccer for us as well. But he was telling us the class he was like calculus 5 with imaginary numbers. I'm like wait how can you do math with imaginary numbers? I don't understand that. You did it. Yeah. I had a 417 math class that with a rush I do was a professor. I cuz I would have to go to his office hours every week just keep to be able to get through it. It was for all the physics, science, physics, perseverances. There you go. With your second language of understanding, like I
073said, Mars. Yeah. Mars. Yes. All right. So, no public comment. Um, so the next regular board, a regular meeting of the Grandification will be Monday, June 16th, 2025, the administration building. We are adjourned.