001So in there's that, right? Yeah. All right. Greetings. Uh we welcome you guys to today's uh May 14th Isle of Wight County School Board meeting. Um to get started, we can go ahead and do the roll call. Mr. Collick. Mrs. Parkins. Here. Mr. Wooster. Here. Mr. Marsh. Here. And Mr. Ford. Here. All right, for the approval of agenda amendments for closed session. Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve the agenda for closed session as presented. Second. Uh call it roll call on that. Mrs. Parkins. >> Yes. Mr. Wooster. Yes. Mr. Marsh. Yes. And Mr. Ford. Uh yes. All right, for the approval of agenda amendments for open session. Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve the agenda for open session as presented. Do I have a second? Second. Roll call. Mrs. Perkins. Yes. Mr. Wooster.
002Yes. Mr. Marsh. Yes. And Mr. Ford. Yes. All right. Uh, the motion to go into closed session. All right. >> [clears throat] >> Mr. Vice Chair, I move to go into closed session to review the personnel report and addendum posted on BoardDocs under personnel tab number 18.1 as authorized by Virginia Code 2.2-3711A1 for purposes of discussion and consideration of prospective candidates of Alleghany Public Schools for employment, contract changes, transfers, salary adjustments, supplemental contracts, deletions, supplemental pay, resignations of Alleghany County Public Schools employees, and I move to go into closed session to discuss and consider the assignment, appointment, performance, and salaries of central office employees as authorized by Virginia Code 2.2-3711A1, and I move to go into closed session to discuss and consider release religious exemption for one student as authorized by Virginia Code 2.2-3711A2 that
003would involve the disclosure of information contained in a scholastic record concerning a student, and >> [clears throat] >> I move to go into closed session to discuss matters involving one foreign exchange student that would involve the disclosure of information contained in a scholastic record concerning a student as authorized by Virginia Code 2.2-3711A2, and I move to go into closed session to discuss and consider one early admission for a student as authorized by Virginia Code 2.2-3711A2 involving the disclosure of information concerning identifiable students of Isle of Wight County Schools. And finally, I move to go into closed session to discuss issues related to a high school student that would involve the disclosure of education record of the student as authorized by Virginia Code 2.2-3711A2. Do you have a second? Second. Uh Madam Clerk. Mrs. Parkins >>
004Yes. Mr. Webster Yes. Mr. Marsh Yes. And Mr. Ford Yes. All right, we'll take um time to go into our closed session and we will be back shortly. Thank you. Is there anyone to speak in closed session? No, sir. Thank you. >> Mhm. >> All right. We call to order our school board meeting for Olive White School Board meeting for May 14th, 2026. Um today we have a few announcements to make. Um first in the absence of our uh chair, uh Mr. John Collick, representing District 5, uh we want to formally announce his resignation. Um he has submitted his resignation just recently, and we want to make sure that uh we get the word out to you all as well as our plans to move forward in his when his resignation is active. So, with
005that being said, in the next few weeks, we'll be putting out information to solicit candidates to replace his role for appointment from his district. We don't have all of the details solidified at this moment, but we will be putting that information out shortly. All right. Okay, so for the certification of the resolution of compliance. Mr. Vice Chair, I move that the closed session meeting was conducted in conformity with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act as required by section 2.2-3712D of the Code of Virginia and certify that only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements were discussed and only such public business matters were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard, discussed, or considered. Second. Madam Clerk. Mrs. Perkins? Yes. Mr. Wooster? Yes. Mr. Marsh?
006Yes. >> And Mr. Ford? Yes. Now for the moment of silence and pledge of allegiance. Would everyone please rise for a moment of silence? And now 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. >> [clears throat] >> Again, we welcome everyone to today's session. Um we can go ahead and get started with the Isle of Wight Achievers. Good evening. The vision for Isle of Wight County Schools is to create a learning environment that will enable every child to discover his or her unique gifts and talents. The Isle of Wight Achievers section of our board meetings gives us an opportunity to recognize and celebrate our students and staff for their
007unique talents and gifts. So, at this time, um we are going to move into some recognitions from Smithfield High School, and I'm going to ask Ms. um Susan Gatts to come up. She's our Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, and she is going to help hand out pins. I'm also going to ask our members on the dais, if you will come down and be part of the pictures with the backdrop. We did that We didn't do that last time cuz we ended up moving to Smithfield High. So, I know if you're wondering, it's why are we still doing Why are we doing that again? We got out of practice, Sarah. So, come on down. It's quite a famous phrase. And as I was looking around, it appears we might be a little light on some of our
008recognitions tonight. I know this time of year um we have a lot We do have a lot of high school recognitions, and this time of year uh is just crazy busy for high school. So, I have a hunch if they're not here tonight, they are probably on a field somewhere. Okay. So, we're going to start. First, we have um Smithfield High School freshman Lilia DeLong, who served as a House of Delegate Page during the 2026 legislative session. The House Page Program gives 13 and 14-year-old students from across Virginia the opportunity to take part in the legislative process while supporting the work of delegates and their staff. As a House Page, Lilia worked approximately 40 hours per week in a paid position delivering materials throughout the Capitol Complex including legislative buildings, offices, and the chamber floor.
009Uh, this experience gave Lilia a meaningful first-hand look at state government and public service and we congratulate Lilia on this impressive accomplishment. So, we want to make sure we're on the record for that. Congratulations, Lilia. Okay. All right. Now, we've got some athletics that actually were winter athletics but due to some of the uh, number uh, meetings where we had large numbers of honorees, we asked them if they would graciously mind us moving them to May and they they they were. So, we are going to start with the wrestling and we are proud to recognize four high school wrestlers who earned the opportunity to compete at the state tournament. Representing the Packers at the state level were and when I call your name, please come up with your certificate and get your pin from Miss
010Getz, shake everybody's hands, and stand over there and we'll get a photo. We have freshman Bentley Yates. Come on up, Bentley. We have sophomore Braven Kelly. >> [applause] >> Freshman Daxon Moroy. And junior Noah Nichols. Congratulations. Um, and of course handing out certificates, we have Coach Gates here with us. So, let me just state that qualifying for the state tournament is a significant accomplishment and reflects the dedication, discipline, and competitive spirit these student athletes demonstrated throughout the season. What makes this achievement especially exciting is that all four state qualifiers are underclassmen, showing that the future continues to look bright for Smithfield wrestling. These students, as I said, were coached by Albert Cates. Please join us in congratulating Bentley, Braven, Daxon, Noah, and Coach Cates on a successful season and this impressive achievement. And I think
011they did some uh historical research and found that it had been since 2013 was the last time they had a had any freshman qualify for the state tournament. So, that's pretty cool. So, I have a hunch they're going to be getting a few more certificates and pins throughout their high school career. And family members, it's the perfect time to come up and get a photo. As soon as Mr. Elliott is done, we'll make sure they don't move until you are done. You can come closer. You Come on. We have them captive right now. They're not going anywhere unless we tell them to. Yep. I know. They're so happy to see all the family members up here taking their pic They love getting their picture taken. That you can see that. >> [laughter] >> Are we
012all good? Did we get everybody? Woah. One more? Are we good? All right. Congratulations. Nicely done. >> [applause] >> Nicely done. All right. Now, we're moving on to swimming. Under the leadership of coaches Kristen Jones and Tanya Blunt, the Packers had another outstanding season and sent 15 swimmers to the state tournament. I know we have Coach Blunt with us tonight. So, come on up, Coach Blunt. Individual state qualifiers include Abby Centerfit Schultz in the 100 freestyle, Elizabeth Shelton in the 500 freestyle. Come on up. Sure. Aiden Bird in the boys 200 freestyle and Colin Hicks in the boys 100 freestyle. Yep. >> [snorts] >> Smithfield was also well represented in relay events with Anna Hornback, Sydney Schipe, Juliana Jones, and Sophia Hodges qualifying in the girls 400 yard freestyle relay. Yep. >> [applause] >> Rowan
013Black, Jake Rudy, Miles Bosemans, and Blake Williford qualified in the boys 400 yard freestyle relay. And Aidan Byrd, Ethan Druding, Braxton Druding, and Will Rudy qualified in the boys 200 yard medley relay. The boys 200 freestyle relay team of Ethan Druding, Aidan Byrd, Colin Hicks, and Will Rudy also broke a strong school record during a swim-off against Grafton High School to advance to the finals at state. So, please join us in congratulating these student athletes and Coach Jones and Coach Blunt on a tremendous season. All right. Mr. Elliott's going to get you all position. Yep, I know you're going to still keep scooting. And once again, family members, this is the perfect time to come on up, get a photo. >> [laughter] >> Do you need Cameron, too? They're some tall guys. Yeah. Yeah, it's
014a good advantage to have swimming. All right, wait, family members. Hang on. You can come on up. It's a big deal. Hang on, one more. >> [laughter] >> Congratulations on an outstanding season. Okay, now we're going to move on to um still Smithfield High School, but indoor track and field. Smithfield High School indoor track and field team had a superb award-winning season that concluded at the state meet in Lynchburg. Throughout the season, the Packers earned numerous team victories and competed in the showcase invitational, the largest high school indoor track and field meet in the country, featuring more than 225 teams from 19 states and four foreign countries. The team was led by head coaches Robert McCoy and Steve Shepherd, along with assistant coaches Lisa Carnes and Eric Bergey. The girls state qualifiers included Simone Carnes
015in the 55-meter dash. Very good. Ella Clove in the 1600-meter run and 4 by 800 relay. Ellie Fetch in the 4 by 800 relay. Juliana Jones in the 4 by 800 relay and the 500-meter dash. Addison Sanders in the 4 by 800 relay. And Emma Hadamer in the 4 by 800 relay and the 500-meter dash, where she placed eighth at the state meet. Very cool. All right, and we're moving on to the boys state qualifiers. They included Anthony Amarillo and Brian Williams in the 4 by 200 relay. Zack Kennedy, who placed eighth in the 1600-meter run and was also part of the 4 by 800 relay relay team that placed sixth at states. And where's Zach here? Eun Kucha who competed in both the 4 by 800 and 4 by 200 relays. I don't know
016if Eun is here. Okay. Lucas Sestir who competed in the 1600 meter run and 4 by 800 relay. Lucas? All right. Caleb Greer who placed fifth in the 1600 meter run and also competed in the 1000 meter run and 4 by 800 relay. No? Daylen Webster who competed in the 300 meter dash, 4 by 200 relay and placed fourth in the 55 meter hurdles after winning both the district and regional titles in that event. Pretty cool. And Dion Bow who competed in the 4 by 200 relay and placed second in both the long jump and triple jump after earning district and regional championships in the triple jump. All right, a few more uh outstanding things about the team. The boys were named Bay Rivers District champions and Region 4A runners-up marking the highest regional finish
017in school history for Smithfield High School indoor track and field. At the state Yep. Yep. At the state championship meet the boys team finished sixth out of 52 class 4 teams which is the highest state finish in program history and the team wishes to thank Smithfield High Athletic Director Patrick Dolan and school administration for the support of the large, very involved team. They also extend thanks to the Smithfield High administration and school board for the support of the continued safety and athletic development of student athletes with the renovation of the track surface for the school for this school year. So, please join us in congratulating these student athletes and coaches. Very good. All right. This is uh photo time. >> [laughter] >> Are we good? Are we good everybody? All right. Outstanding work. Good job.
018Okay. Uh moving on, we have some recognitions in career and technology education. We are excited to recognize several career and tech ed students for their outstanding performance at the Virginia ProStart Invitational, a statewide culinary arts and restaurant management competition hosted by the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association Foundation. Nearly 250 students from top high school CTE programs across Virginia competed in this year's event. Smithfield High students Michaela O'Rell Did I say that right? O'Rell? I did. O'Rell. Awesome. Alexandria Washburn, Sullivan Wabel, Bram Collette come on up and Windsor High School student Maddox Barba Yep. They placed second in the state in the cook-off after preparing a three-course meal under timed competition conditions. In addition, Smithfield High students Michaela O'Rell, Alexandria Washburn, and Addison Gray earned first place in the management competition with their original restaurant
019concept The Looking Glass. >> [applause] >> The Looking Glass is an upscale chef-driven restaurant featuring modern American cuisine, locally sourced ingredients, and an open kitchen design. Their presentation included a floor plan, a SWOT analysis, organizational chart, sample menu, and pricing calculations. With this win, the team advanced to the national competition in Baltimore and the students were coached by culinary arts teachers and certified ProStart instructors Scott Horn and Nick Hagan. Please join us in congratulating the students and instructors on this impressive achievement. >> [cheering and applause] >> And while they're getting all organized for photos, I know Chef Horn would want me to note this was their second year competing at the state level. Last year, they won first place in the uh cook-off and went to nationals. This year, they won first place in the
020management competition. So, that's a pretty uh that's batting a thousand if I did my math right. So, we are very very uh excited and and uh glad to recognize them. And they finished 19th, which is the highest finish for the state of Virginia ever in nationals. So, Virginia was just waiting for us to show up. Good job. Thank you. Thank you. We're glad they're here. This is a very busy time of year for them. Yeah, thanks for being here. We also want to shout out our welding program. Uh I don't know that they're here tonight, but we had a Smith High student Chase Breedon who had outstanding performance in the SkillsUSA welding competition. Chase, he's a second-year welding student. He earned first place at the district level as an individual individual welding competitor, advancing to
021the state competition. At the state level, he continued his impressive showing by earning third place in the individual welding competition and bringing home a bronze medal. This marks the highest placement our welding program has achieved at the SkillsUSA competition, making this a truly exciting accomplishment for both Chase and the division. Chase is taught by welding instructor Paul Miller who shared how proud he is of Chase's hard work and success. So, please join me in congratulating Chase Breedon and Mr. Miller on this outstanding achievement. >> [applause] >> And our final honorees are our seniors of the month, and I know our Smithfield High Senior of the Month could not be here tonight. Uh the Senior of the Month from Smithfield High from May is Ethan Cassiano. Ethan is actually busy accepting in a scholarship. So, we
022gave him a pass for tonight. He is going to come back in June so he can be there in person and we can read all his recognitions then. So, I'm going to pause on reading anything on Ethan, but let me see if our Windsor student uh it is here tonight. Abigail Ladd? Is Abigail here by any chance? No. Okay. So, um Abigail is the Senior of the Month from Windsor High, and we're going to invite her back in June as well. Fortunately, we're going to see both of them, fingers crossed, both of them of the month banquet, which is May 28th. So, we'll get to honor them uh even before the June meeting. And I don't think I'm I'm just going to ask. I didn't leave anybody out. Nobody came in late and missed getting
023recognized, did they? No. All right. So, with that, that's going to conclude our Isle of Wight achievers for the night. Thanks to everybody that was recognized. Thank to family and friends who came out to support them, and thank you board and um liaisons, Dr. Coleman, for coming down here and congratulating them. What you got? Yes, sir. >> [music] >> All right. Um so, next up is a special presentations. Um I own instruction and before we get there, I would just want to say congrats to all the student achievers. Um every school board meeting I'm impressed um by the accomplishments of our students and I hope that if you're in the community listening, you up you continue to uplift our students and encourage them to do more. Thank you. I own instruction. Hello members of the
024school board. Thank you for having us. As part of our media arts class here at GTMS, my fellow students and I have all participated in out and about interviews with members of our school community. We would each like to introduce ourselves and tell you some things we've learned and enjoyed about out and about. I'm AJ. I'm in seventh grade and I have enjoyed participating in out and about because I liked being on camera and I liked interviewing and learning interesting facts about teachers and staff. Hello, my name is Nathan and I really enjoyed getting out about in the building, meeting new teachers I don't really get to talk to every day and getting to know them better. Hello, my name is Mazie and I learned to speak more comfortable on camera and I enjoyed working
025behind the scenes. Hi, I'm Carolyn and I and I'm in 6th grade. What I enjoy about media arts is well, I liked interviewing Mr. Gribble, our gym teacher, and like the production of the video. Hi, my name is Ansley and I enjoyed helping when we were editing the videos. Hi, my name is DJ and I liked controlling the mixing board and the audio and queuing them in and out. Hello, my name's Journey and I'm a 6th grader at GTMS and one thing I learned when doing out and about videos is that you're going to make a lot of mistakes and you're going to do a lot of retakes, but that's a part of the process and you're going to learn from it. Now, we'd like to show you a video that's going to show you
026more about our project. At GTMS, students of the media arts classes have been doing out and about interviews. [music] In this ongoing project, we get to explore our school in a whole new way. >> [music] >> Instead of just sitting in class, we go and talk to real people, teachers, staff, and even other students to learn more about them and their experiences. >> [music] >> When we interview teachers and staff, we ask questions that go beyond school subjects like, what inspired you to become a teacher? What's something students might not know about you? We learn that our teachers have interesting hobbies and even challenges they've overcome just like us. What inspired [music] you to become a PE teacher? Um, well, school college initially inspired me, but then I eventually ended up substituting [music] as a
027PE teacher. We also talk to staff members who help our school run every day. Help us understand that everyone in the building plays an important role even if we don't always see it in the classroom. >> Welcome today at GTMS [music] out and about. We are here in the GTMS nurse room with our nurse, Mrs. Stephanie Marshall. One of the coolest parts is interviewing our older students. Like eighth graders, we ask them questions like, what advice would you give a 6th grader? How can we be successful when the time we get to eighth grade? They share tips about staying organized, time, and not being afraid to ask for help. >> [music] >> While doing these interviews, we don't just ask questions. We are building important skills. We practice communication by speaking clearly and listening carefully.
028We develop confidence by talking to people we don't usually talk to. >> [music] >> We learn teamwork by working together to plan and record interviews. And we use creativity and technology skills while filming and editing our videos. >> [music] >> At first, it can be a little nerve-racking to interview people. But, the more we do it, the easier it gets. It, honestly, it can be really fun. These interviews help us see our school in a different way. We realize that everyone has a story, and we can learn something from each other, no matter what grade we're in. Thanks for watching. Thank you again for having us. If you'd like to see more Out and About videos, go to our GGMS YouTube page. We will accept any questions you have to ask. Great job, guys. This
029is an amazing video. I I really love uh the editing and the work that you guys put into that. Um just a quick question. Um can you guys explain any parts of the process of putting this video together or anything that stood out to you in putting this video together? >> [clears throat] >> When making this video, we did a lot of editing by putting like different interviews that we did together. Um things like um Out and About video videos that we actually did. Um just like behind-the-scenes things. And I was the one who did the voiceover for the video. Um it was just mostly just explaining the things that we did. Um it was a lot of fun because when we're making videos like this, it's just a really long process. But, it's all
030worth it in the end because you get to see what you worked hard for and um it's it's rewarding. It's fun. Great job. Thank you. >> [applause] >> I got one. Nathan, I'm going to pick on you just cuz I know you, bud. >> [laughter] [clears throat] >> Of all the people that you interviewed, is there any one thing that someone shared with you that surprised you? Um probably the band teacher last year, he was in a band like outside of school and I didn't know that. He lives in a van? >> no, he's in a band. >> Oh, in a band. Got it. Interesting. Thank you. I was about to say we need to pay these people more. Right. >> [clears throat] >> I think Mr. Elliott's going to get your picture if you
031step right over here. Great job, guys. I wish she would have said, "Who are you?" >> [clears throat] >> And now for the community public comments portion of our meeting, uh the request to speak. In accordance to policy BDDH-E, presentation of information on any subject will be concluded at the discretion of the board. No person will be recognized to speak more than once. Citizens scheduled on the agenda to speak will be permitted 4 minutes maximum time for their presentation. Delegations will be requested to limit their speakers to two. Persons speaking are asked to be specific, state the issues for the board's consideration, and attach a copy of your prepared remarks. If you have prepared remarks, they should be given to the board clerk. Please do not approach the board members. Any matter relating to specific
032students will be heard by the school board only in a closed meeting. And first we have Janine Sherer. Okay, next we have Alma Mati, maybe? Sorry. Good evening, members of the school board. My name is Alma Mati, a senior from Smithfield High School, and I'm here today to speak about allowing students to wear cords and stoles at Graduation is one of the most meaningful moments in a student's life because it represents years of hard work, growth, and dedication. While every student earns the honor of receiving a diploma, many also spend their their school years going beyond the school the classroom through leadership, service, academics, and extracurricular involvement. Cords and stoles are a way to recognize those experiences and the impact they had on students and our school community. Throughout my time in high school, I've
033been given the opportunity to participate in many organizations such as the Packer Report, Library Advisory Council, DECA, French Honor Society as a few examples. Each of these activities have shaped me in a different way. Through DECA, I learned professionalism, leadership, and teamwork. The Packer Report gave me the opportunity to help inform and connect our student body. The Library Advisory Council allowed me to contribute my idea ideas that improves a student space a a space student rely on every day. Spanish Honor Society reflected my dedication to academic achievement and cultural learning. These organizations were not simply clubs I joined. They were commitments that required time, effort, and passion. They helped me grow into a person I am today. Just as athletics, fine arts, volunteer work, and academic programs have shaped so many other students in this
034graduating class. Allowing students to wear cords and stoles at graduation would give recognition to the hard work and dedication students have shown throughout their high school journey. It also encourages younger students to become more involved in academics, leadership, and service by showing them that their efforts matter and they are valued by the school community. Most importantly, recognizing student achievement through cords and stoles do not take away from the unity of graduation. We will still stand together as one graduating class celebrating the same milestone. The cords and stoles are simply a way to tell the stories of the unique path students take to reach that mile. While I understand that this this decision was not made by the board, I respectfully ask the board to advocate for allowing more approved cords and stoles at graduations so
035students can fully celebrate the accomplishments, organizations, and experiences that define their high school experiences. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Rachel Kelly. >> Do I click this? Mhm. You're good. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Hello. My name is Rachel Kelly. I am a 17-year-old senior currently attending Smithfield High School. Several days ago, a spreadsheet was sent out to all the teachers to be shared with students defining and limiting what regalia would be allowed at graduation, a celebration of student achievement and effort. Through 2 and 1/2 years of commitment, leadership, and work, I've managed to earn the title of student director of the Smithfield High School Choraliers. We've formed a group that goes to endless lengths to bring joy and connection to our community through song. Our advanced group, the Choraliers, even performs for our
036graduation. I remember last year flipping through the graduation program right before we sang. The Choraliers sat up front granting us the perfect bittersweet view of our graduating seniors, each endowed with proof of their hard work and endless drive. I find myself in that same spot now, except for the fact that I may not be allowed to brandish my triumphs across that stage. This doesn't just go for this year's graduates, either. I want to be able to see my little brothers graduating in 2 and 5 years, respectively, crossing the finish line with everything they've earned. To me, my cords and stoles aren't just pieces of fabric and rope. They represent the pieces of myself I've found throughout school, my identity, and things I don't ever want to leave behind. The fact that I'm no longer allowed
037to express my love and pride for this group among the rest of my accomplishments is frankly disheartening. The same spreadsheet defined graduation as a formal ceremony recognizing the accomplishments of all students, and that regalia should reflect earned school achievement, yet limits regalia to only academic and nationally organized organizations, nationally recognized organizations, and not even all of those. The SHS chapter of the Spanish National Honor Society did not make the cut. The point is, those organizations are not the only ones influencing students' lives. It shouldn't matter what looks best when it comes to student earned accomplishments, and it certainly shouldn't matter that regalia is consistent across schools if their ceremonies are held separately, not to mention the fact that they're separate institutions. Do we truly value uniformity over diversity and accomplishment? The point of graduation is
038ceremony to celebrate the achievements of students being let out into the world for their next chapter of life, not uniformity. I know that I'd much prefer colorful embellishments telling of the unique stories of each graduating senior. Regarding this, please help us advocate to the central office in order to display our triumphs during our proudest moment. Thank you for your time and for supporting all of our students. Lilly Santamauro Good evening to the members of the school board, administrators, educators, and community members. My name is Lilly Santamauro, and I will be reading a letter written by SHS alumni Sarah West, who unfortunately could not make it tonight. Firstly, I would like to thank you for allowing me to speak today about something that may seem small on the surface, but carries tremendous meaning for the students
039it represents, which is awarding a graduation stole or cord to students who earn one through choir. At first glance, a stole or cord is just a piece of fabric, but to the students who who earn it, it symbolizes years of dedication, discipline, and growth. It represents early mornings, late evenings, rehearsals that stretch their comfort zones, and performances that strengthen their confidence. It represents teamwork, leadership, and the courage to stand in front of an audience and share something deeply human. Choir is not an extracurricular activity that students simply show up for. It is a commitment. It requires practice, collaboration, and emotional investment. Students learn to breathe together, to listen to one another, and blend their voices into something greater than themselves. These are not just musical skills, they are life skills. Skills that employers value, that
040colleges recognize, and that shape students into empathetic, resilient adults. Many of our neighboring schools already award cords or stoles to students in performing arts programs. They recognize that the arts are not secondary or optional, they are essential. They build community, they they nurture creativity, and they give our students they give students a place to belong. When we deny choir students the same recognition given to athletes, ROTC students, or career and technical education participants, we send an unintended message that their work matters less, and that is simply not true. A stole or cord is not about elevating one group over another. It is about equity. It is about acknowledging that choir students contribute to our school culture in meaningful, measurable ways. They represent our district at concerts, competitions, community events, and ceremonies, and they bring pride
041to our schools through their performances and their professionalism. Most importantly, a stole or cord is a symbol that students carry with them into adulthood. It tells them, "Your dedication mattered, your voice mattered, and you mattered." Tonight I ask you to support this recognition, not because it's flashy or expensive, but because it's right. Because our students deserve to see their hard work honored in the same way we honor the achievements of their peers. Because the the arts are a vital part of education, our policies should reflect that truth. When I was allowed to walk across that stage with my choir stole, my four years of working hard every day were shown to everyone in attendance. Our seniors this year deserve the same satisfaction. I understand that this was not a school board decision, but I urge
042you to fight for advocacy, not change. Thank you for your time, your consideration, and your continued commitment to supporting all the students academically, athletically, and artistically. >> Joshua Cole stock Hello members of the school board. My name is Joshua Cole stock. I'm the president of our school's Spanish Honor Society. Today I will also be talking about graduation regalia and cords. Sorry if I'm a little shaky speaking. I'm not the best at public speaking. I come today as a student of Smithfield High School to ask a question. Why does central office keep trying to restrict graduation cords? I asked my sophomore year and was brushed off. So I come again today to ask why. I want an answer for everything that I keep seeing. I question to myself every day and I'm thinking possible answers and
043I asked questions and I was turned down. I was responded with "We're figuring it out. We are working on a solution." And we come again about 3 years later and we're still facing the same issue. I do not understand the general requirements about cords. They change every year. I don't understand why it was a last minute decision. I don't understand why student comments have not been taken into consideration on this matter. Every almost every senior I have talked to is fired up about this issue and that just leads to more discontent in our school systems with little answers about why such a thing is happening. Therefore, I come here today to just ask the question, why has this become such an intense issue? Bob Hines Good evening. My name is >> [clears throat] >> Bob
044Hines. And um had a 72 degree in liberal degree in sociology from Christopher Newport. Met [clears throat] my wife. She's half Japanese. I have a half Hungarian grandson. He was a star wrestler at Smithfield High School a few years back. Uh some of this is old news to you guys, but for the sake of the others present, what follows is a composite of news articles and my own thinking. A high school student in San Diego got suspended for a day for posting pro-ICE signs with no profanity. School officials deemed the signs as harassment and intimidating. Yet previously the school had allowed an anti-ICE protest replete with students toting profanity-laced signage. This is a clear case of the powers that be taking sides. He filed a lawsuit, school had to back down and expunge the record
045of his suspension. Where's All the White going to fit in this continuum? The Southern Poverty Law Center promotes social justice activism through its Learning for Justice Education arm. They say their agenda's in at least 169 school districts in 42 states. The SBL lesson plans include such topics as queer theory, white privilege, and anti-racism. Some good stuff, some bad stuff. They've stated that in the past more than 500,000 educators read its magazine, screens its films, uh visits the website, and uses its curricula. By promoting and integrating the Learning for Justice content and standards into mental health programming and curricula, the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers Unions give credibility to delivering such liberal content to students. In other words, licensed brainwashing in my opinion. The SPLC has even put parents on its hate map for
046simply raising concerns with their local school districts. I guess they'll soon be on that map. The public use of profanity, while not new, seems to be more and more an accepted norm from law medical all the way up to the current president. Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, Richard Nixon, a Republican, both said to have rather foul mouths at times, but I don't seem to remember public profanity from either one of them. I could be mistaken. Proper public decorum, it seems, is steadily on the wane. The recent protest at SHS seems to some degree to have been an excuse for some of the students simply to engage in recreational public profanity, it seems, with impunity. I think that it is protected speech, but during school hours, is that allowed in classroom? For sure, some students were sincere
047in their desire to protest, but was the language out of bounds of policy? Who has not had um has sat next to a booth in a restaurant engaging in somewhat loud and um unappetizing conversational profanity, but I digress. As I previously stated, free speech certainly, but not any kind of pro or anti demonstration of any topic during school hours. One minute. >> For example, what if Jewish, Muslim, or atheist students wanted to stage a protest that they didn't agree with a particular school board course or RTC participate in Christmas parade. You see, if you allow anything, you've got to allow everything. Finally, has there been any discipline meted out for the profanity? If not, why not? Will there be? If not, why not? How often will such events be allowed? Once a month? Once a
048week? Every day? And who or what entity will decide what is an appropriate exercise of free speech. I want these questions answered. I think the public's does in a straightforward manner. No lip service. No circular attic. Rhetoric. As I stated in Smithfield Times, this is playing with fire and possible litigation at taxpayers' expense. Thank you. Delaney Sanchez. Hi, my name's Delaney. Um, I'm another chorus student. And I'm here to speak about cords and stalls. I'm a freshman who moved to Isle of Wight last summer. And throughout the years I've got in insanely close with my peers. I believe seniors should be allowed to wear their cords and stalls because it is a sign of their accomplishments and the things they love. While getting to know my peers, I had the privilege of being able to
049see them go through their senior year, enjoying the things they love, and I've seen them learn and grow in all of their activities. I've seen all of the work, love, and hours they put into these achievements. Graduation is a time for seniors to show their commitment and to share it with everybody else. I'm privileged to have the opportunity to get to know these students as well as I have. And I believe that they have a right to display their love and dedication to their school. Beyond talking about seniors, it also discourages underclassmen from taking part in the activities that they enjoy. I hope that you will help us advocate for ourselves' expression. Thank you so much for your time. That was the last speaker. Austin, thank you for for comments. Mr. Vice Chair, if I
050may. Yes. I'd just like to ask one question just so I got clarity for myself. Um I graduated in '86. I don't remember cords. Maybe we had them, maybe we didn't. Maybe I just wasn't as good of a student as each one of y'all are. But my question is are these earned during academic achievements throughout the year? Is that my correct understanding? And Mr. Wooster, um if you allow Ms. Getz to go into a little detail about um just overall concerning your question because some individuals may think uh the academic achievement that you're speaking of does register and now the individuals may not. So, we don't want to get into a long discussion concerning what actually qualifies as a academic achievement or not. But um Ms. Getz, would that be correct? >> [clears throat] >>
051Good evening. Oh, am I on? Good evening. Is this on? Yes, it is. Sorry, I couldn't tell. Um yes, Mr. Wooster. Um so, I think what has happened over the years, particularly at Smithville High School, um more and more cords and stoles have been given out for a variety of activities. And so, it's kind of something that has happened at Smithville High School over the years, where it may not have been that way when you graduated. What we um looked at doing 2 years ago was um to bring some organization to cords and stoles. Uh cuz what we were finding is that students were um even purchasing cords and stoles on their own and wearing them. Um they were getting them for any club or activity that they did. And not it wasn't connected to
052an an academic achievement. Um and so we have put an application in place so that a sponsor of any club or activity can complete an application um as to why their club or or activity should receive a cord or a stole. Um we have a committee that reviews the application and makes a decision on the cords and stoles. Um and this is for both high schools. Uh so it's not exactly the same at both high schools. There is some difference. Um but for the most part it's very similar as to who gets a cord and stole. Um a also some history is you know it's it's hard to say who should get one who shouldn't. You know does every does every time you like where do you draw the line and and that's what we
053were running into like where do you say yes and no to? So as a committee they looked at and kind of put some parameters in place uh to say you know is it an organization that's nationally recognized? Is there um a GPA requirement? Are there service hours? Um and so we looked at it that way. Uh we also put in another opportunity that if you are um doing service hours and you're giving community service you could earn a cord that way by doing community service. So there's a number of different pathways um that you can earn a cord and or stole. Um and so what I would encourage um the sponsors of those activities and clubs to do is talk to their principals um about whether or not their organization qualifies. Something else that I
054heard that I do want to address is the late notice. I I do think that that it should not have been this late. We came to learn of the late notice that maybe everyone was not aware of the parameters, the application, and so forth. That wasn't the intent, but that is what ended up happening as far as not everyone was informed. Um, that should not have been the case. It should have been distributed um a 2 years ago. And so we're trying to go back and correct what wasn't already done earlier. Did I leave anything out? Yeah, so 2 years ago when we started this process, um I actually I was involved in the committee at that time and students were also involved to give input um as to what they also thought should earn
055a cord and a stole. And and at the time the students they wanted cords and stoles, but they also agreed that there should be an achievement associated with those. Otherwise does it mean anything if everybody gets a cord and a stole for whatever activity. So they wanted it to mean something. Um, and that's what we went with. So we used their input and we created like the parameters to to give them out. Um, and like I said, I would encourage the sponsors of the clubs and activities to talk to their principals, submit the form if you haven't done so, and we can go from there. Does that answer your question? Pretty much. And I think it's safe to say that everybody up here as well as, you know, everyone in admin knows that I'm definitely
056not a fan of participation trophies. I'm not. If it's something that has been earned through academic achievement, yeah, I'd be on board for supporting it. Um graduation is coming very quickly. Mhm. Um is there anything that we could do in the meantime to you know, if it is an achievement, not not a participation trophy. Is there anything that we could do to kind of uh you know, speed this along and maybe get some approval for it? Cuz I I mean, if you achieve something, you know, it it it means more to you personally. Absolutely. >> what I'm looking at. Yeah, and I would say if if there is something, the the sponsor can submit that application and, you know, they can get an answer within a day or two from that. Um the other thing
057I would say is there is the awards night, the senior awards night. And that is really the night to celebrate seniors and all of their accomplishments, not just academic, but all the accomplishments throughout the years um that they have achieved. So, I would encourage that also to be another avenue to be looked at as opposed to just graduation regalia. Okay, I'm I'm not going to monopolize the time up here. >> can look at it very quickly. would like to have more conversation about it. Okay, yes, sir. Thank you. >> [clears throat] >> All right. And now to hear from our student liaisons. Good afternoon, school board. I don't have a lot to say today. This is our second-to-last meeting of the school year, and as of today there are approximately 27 days until the Windsor
058High School and Smithfield High School graduations. This past week I've received a lot of input from students about their opinion on the new graduation cord policy. As we already heard from many of them today, they don't feel great about it. To briefly rehash what Miss Gets just explained to us, the new cord policy only allows for seniors to wear a certain number of cords to when they walk at graduation, and in addition to this some clubs and activities that have in previously years gotten cords no longer do. Uh now it appears as though like Miss Santamauro, Miss Maddie, and Miss Kelly pointed out, you work all these years, do seven to eight different clubs, and only find out that you get a cord for two or three of those clubs, and it seems as though
059your work has been devalued. I'm aware this isn't entirely a school board issue or really a school board issue at all, but I thought that it would be something worth broaching to you all in addition to the speakers who brought it up today. Additionally, I followed up on Mr. Amarachi's request to look into how our guidance department was doing and got some feedback from students on the matter. I once again spoke to mostly seniors, and everyone who I spoke to told me that they had a positive experience with their guidance counselor. Whether it was college applications or scholarships, students felt supported by their counselors. Alima Maddie, recipient of numerous local scholarships and a full ride to William and Mary, stated that she really appreciated the efforts of her guidance counselor Miss Miller, and Josh Collstock
060also shared some highly favorable opinions of the SHS guidance department. To conclude my remarks, I would like to congratulate Dr. Coleman. It was announced last month that next year Dr. Coleman is going to be superintendent of Isle of Wight County Schools. >> [applause] >> Um you all know his qualifications. I'm not going to go on and on and on. He's He's more than qualified, and he's more than earned the role, and I'm just sad that I won't be here next year to see what he does, but I know he's going to do excellent. And that's all that I really have to say today, so. Great job, Cameron. Also great job to the seniors who spoke tonight uh and the freshmen. I know it's hard to speak publicly. Uh I've I've learned to try to be
061comfortable with it because I do it quite often nowadays, but um it's still uh it's still learning path and great job, guys. Y'all did amazing. Um I have also been concerned about individualism at graduation. I've spoke to Dr. Kramer many times about this. Uh no no definitive answers yet, but I will take your guys' comments and I will take them as far as I can to make sure all of our students have the proper representation. So, thank you guys for your comments. Um good evening, everyone. Uh first I want to thank Dr. Kramer, although he's not here, sadly. Uh recently Dr. Kramer had a regular Zoom meeting with the Region 2 superintendents. In this meeting, they attempted to find a student representative for the region at the state-level student advisory board. I am proud and
062honored to say that Dr. Kramer rushed to make his input on the topic and let him know that he had an excellent candidate for the job. He told the superintendents about the work I've been able to accomplish in just my short time as student liaison. They all voted to appoint me as a Region 2 representative in the Virginia Department of Education's Student Advisory Board. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I hope it's not as hard as it is to say, you know. Um just when I thought Dr. Kramer couldn't get better, he did. Um I send my deepest gratitude gratitude to you, Dr. Kramer, for helping me take small steps toward achieving my life goal, which is to leave a true mark and impact on my community and country. I intend to use this role
063and opportunity to improve and enhance my leadership skills while also being able to properly represent Region 2 and make true success and progress within Virginia's education policies. Even though Dr. Kramer is not here this evening, I would still like to acknowledge him and thank him for his continued support. So, round of applause for Dr. Kramer, everybody. >> [applause] >> Tonight, I would also like to congratulate Dr. Coleman on his appointment as the next superintendent of this amazing county. >> [applause] >> I believe Dr. Coleman will be an excellent representative of the students and staff of Alawait County just as Dr. Kramer has been over the past 4 years. I look forward to continuing to work closely and personally with Dr. Coleman as I complete my high school career in my final year as student liaison.
064I also want to thank Dr. Kramer, Dr. Coleman, and the respective staff for addressing my concerns about repainting the junior lot. When I arrived at school a couple weeks ago, I witnessed the ABM team hard at work painting the lot. You have addressed many of the suggestions I have brought forth from the student body so far and we all sincerely appreciate that, Dr. Coleman. You have treated me not as just a student and kid, but as a genuine representative of a student body with real concerns. Thank you for that. The junior lot is looking fantastic again and that is a result of you all's willingness to listen to the voices of concerned community members. Thank you again. My appreciation for your work is immense. I look forward to collaborating on many other projects in the
065future with you, Dr. Coleman. Finally, um if we have do we have the pictures? Thank you so much. Finally, I would love to share a final update on the plaque we all acquired for Shilo Williams, our cafeteria manager, who passed away in late December. I have been working closely closely and diligently with a Mr. Mosley, one of our CTE teachers at WHS to acquire a plaque in honor of Mr. Williams. A couple of weeks ago, the plaque was delivered to WHS. We had a small ceremony with the cafeteria staff, admin, and some students and me to honor Shilo and all that the ladies continue to do in his absence. I have some images I share with you all. It has been an honor of mine to complete such a meaningful project on behalf of my
066peers and for a man who dedicated his young life to the students and staff of Winter High School. The plaque now hangs in the WHS cafeteria where Shilo will never be forgotten and where his school spirit will always remain. Thank you to Mr. Mosley and all that worked hard and diligently with me to complete this project and that's all I have for tonight. Thank you guys so much. Mr. Vice Chair, hey Cole, when you get up to Richmond you start rubbing elbows with the big wigs see if you can't put a bug in somebody's ear for some more grants. Thank you. Congratulations Cole, man. I'm looking forward to all the positive things that you're going to add to our state statewide office. So, thank you. >> [clears throat] >> All right, now for the presentations
067from the superintendent superintendent staff. Are we going to start with the ERIP extension? Good evening. Yes, so as you all know in April I believe or March you guys approved their ERIP program where we have our retirees that are coming back into our schools as substitutes in exchange for employee coverage for health care and we have the the program you all approve each year is a 5-year program in that participants can can be approved to participate for 5 years. We have from occasionally in years we have a uh participants who would like to extend that and so I come back to you requesting an extension of that and so this will be for one individual to complete a sixth year. Um so, he's person is still not eligible at this point for other coverage and
068so he wants to extend that so that they can serve our school district in exchange for that health insurance coverage. >> [snorts] >> If you guys would like to approve that. Or if you have any questions I can answer for you. Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve an E-rip I move [clears throat] to approve an extension of E-rip for one employee for the 2026-2027 school year. Second. Uh Madam Clerk? Mrs. Perkins? >> Yes. Mr. Wooster? Yes. Mr. Marsh? Yes. >> And Mr. Ford? Yes. Good evening. Is it on? Is it on? Yeah. Uh what's before you um tonight is uh requesting your approval for the 2026-2027 tuition rate. For K-12, we are recommending uh $6,650 per student. It's up about 6.4% from the current year where it was at 6,250. Uh any comments? I
069have one. Uh Ms. Berry, good evening. Yes. Just for the listening audience, I just want to make sure that the proposed tuition rate is the same as the local revenues per pupil. In other words, whatever the local county provides in taxpayers per pupil, that's the equivalent of what's proposed. Uh there is an exception there. Um we do take out um transportation costs. Um because, of course, out-of-area students don't partake in that. So, we do uh remove that, and then we um divide it by the uh ADM that's used for the budget. Got it. But it is just on the local. Mhm. Thank you. That's all I got, Mr. Vice Chair. Do you have a motion? I do. Uh I move to approve the tuition rate of $6,650 per student for all students attending Isle of
070Wight County schools who do not live within the county in accordance with the provisions of section 22.1-5 of the Code of Virginia. Second. Madam Clerk. Mrs. Perkins. Yes. Mr. [clears throat] Wooster. Yes. Mr. Marsh. Yes. Mr. Ford. Yes. And now for the construction management risk for the new Westside Elementary School. Yes, in accordance with the Code of Virginia, um the school board and then the Board of Supervisors um needs to approve the use of the construction management at risk um procurement method. Um and once we get that approval, we will move forward with issuing an RFQ, which is a request for qualifications for the construction side. Um >> Mrs. Go ahead. I'm sorry. It's the This is the same process that was followed for the Hardy Elementary School. Could you give some context as to
071what this um risk procurement uh method is? Briefly. >> [laughter] >> Um I think it it really helps with cost control because one of the greatest things is that um once we First thing we do is we put out a request for qualifications. So contractors will submit and then we will decide um which of the submittals have qualified. Then they will be will be issuing a request for proposal on um the price to build the school. And with the construction management at risk um method, we get a guaranteed maximum price. So, it really helps with cost control because it's not going to go over that certain threshold. Okay. Um do we have a motion? Mr. Vice Chair, I move to authorize the use of the construction management at risk procurement delivery method for the new
072Westside Elementary School. Second. Madam Clerk. Mrs. Perkins. Yes. Mr. Wooster. Yes. Mr. Marsh. Yes. >> Mr. Ford. Yes. And now for our budget amendment for health insurance funds. For the health insurance? First is the additional. Uh actually, excuse me. Yes, for the budget amendment for additional state and local funds. Thank you. >> Yes, sir. Thank you. Um the current fiscal year we budgeted um what the state had had recommended us budget for an ADM of 5,223. At the March 31st ADM came in at 5,298. Accordingly, the state will give us additional revenue based on that increase. So, we got those numbers and um we should be getting an additional 615,000 for operating funds. And then we're also getting 607,578 um for the one-time bonus. Uh additionally, we have received other um I don't want to
073say local funds cuz they're not county local funds, but throughout the year we have received $65,000 from CSEP um to improve the transition and job coaching facilities at Smithfield High. We received 20,000 from the Isle Marine Trades Academy, and that provided various stipends. And we received $39,995 from the sale of surplus equipment, and we feel the those funds would be best used um to go ahead and purchase additional um parts for fleet maintenance. So, all combined um we're requesting the budget be amended by $1,355,977. And this is no additional county money. Any comments? I do have some comments. Um I'm going to frame my question. Um we we've kind of been we we knew that the ADM or we expected the ADM to come out to our uh advantage at the end of the year,
074right? So, we were anticipating some extra funds. Um for the listening audience, I think and I know that you've been in routine communications with the county. This overage is going to help us get forward and progress towards the salaries and in the the final budget. I don't want to open a can of worms, but this is truly to our benefit because we've got more kids than we expected at the onset of the budget. Um no, the it was not planned to you know, poor choice of words. >> Um but our it it's we we would prefer to use it for deferred maintenance. Deferred maintenance, okay. So, then I would expect that next week assuming we do get to move forward with adopting some sort of a budget, this will be a part of that discussion.
075Okay. Correct? Do we have a motion to approve the resolution? Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve the resolution to request an increase in appropriation to the FY 2025 to 2026 budget in the amount of $1 355 dollars I'm $1,355,977 as presented. You have a second? Second. Madam Clerk. Mrs. Perkins. Yes. Mr. Wooster. Yes. Mr. Marsh. Yes. >> And Mr. Ford. Yes. All right. Now for the fiscal year 2026 budget amendment for a health insurance funds. Yes. This board approved a similar one this time last year. The health This is all on the health insurance fund and we will be exceeding our budget. And as you know, we cannot exceed our budget without the appropriation from the county. So this is merely a budget appropriation. It is not requesting any additional county funds. The additional
076monies that are coming through are due to increased employee and employer contributions. So in other words, the budget was a was done before open enrollment last year. So that's how, you know, you can only estimate what you think you're going to receive. The other thing that has come into play significantly cuz we've already received, I think it's about 500,000. We have been recovered costs. We are receiving reimbursements from the stop-loss insurance. Unfortunately, we've had numerous claims this year of large medical claims, but we have the stop-loss insurance that for any claim once it the max that we're going to pay is 125,000. So, any of the expenses go beyond that, we're getting that money back. So, that's another item that has caused the revenue and expenses to to go up. So, this amount that we
077are intend to vote on momentarily is an amount of money that we have to pay for additional claims that have gone beyond what we beyond the coverage that we provide. Well, this is on the revenue and expense side. So, it's not just because we received or have had additional expenses, but we've also had more money going into it. So, in order to spend that, you have to raise your budget. >> Got you. Um, this will be the last year for this because um since we are going to the local choice, we will not have a health insurance fund. However, the health insurance fund will have to be maintained for I believe 24 months to address run-out claims that don't get processed. And I'm still waiting for my consultant to get what that number needs to
078be. That'll be an interesting number to hear. Uh, do we have a motion on this? Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve the resolution to request an increase in appropriation to the FY 2025-26 budget in the amount of 1,675,000 as presented. Second. Madam Clerk. Mrs. Perkins? Yes. Mr. Wooster? Yes. Mr. Marsh? Yes. And Mr. Ford? >> Yes. All right. Now for the budget neutral staffing proposal. Thank you, Vice Chair Ford. Just to jump right into the budget neutral staffing proposal. You can pull it up. All right. So, overall, the adjustment represents a critical cost savings measure and serves as an initial step for a broader organizational realignment plan for the division that you will see later on in the next upcoming months. Now, um additionally, we're going to be moving forward with advertising these positions.
079Now, we expect to maximize the quality of the applicant pool if we do it now. But just to go a little bit further in depth with these. Uh the Deputy Superintendent of Operations position that you see that I did hold, um on July 1, um it has also evolved significantly over time, absorbing responsibilities previously associated with the Executive Director of School Administration and Operations, Director of Operations, Coordinator of Facilities, and additional oversight related to capital projects and capital improvement. With a contract of facilities management firm now in place and the Coordinator of Facilities overseeing daily facility operations, it is appropriate to restructure this position into a Director of Operations and Special Projects role. This position will provide division-wide operational oversight while working closely on major capital and strategic initiatives. The other position that we want
080to talk about is the we're going away from the food service technician position, which was originally designed primarily around record keeping and data management. However, the operational needs of the department have evolved and now require more hands-on and school-based support role focused on directional I mean direct operational assistance within the school nutrition programs. So, these are two of the positions that we're looking at. We're trying to streamline, get more efficient and it's a broader once again organizational realignment plan. You will see the whole plan in the upcoming months, but to get these positions out to get the advertisement for the applicants in, I think that we can get a much larger pool to actually choose from. So, at this time, believe that this is you have any questions concerning this. It is action item. Not
081so much a question, but a comment for the folks that are listening. So, >> uh as you get ready to roll into the position of superintendent, we've all acknowledged numerous times that you can't continue to do everything you're doing plus be the superintendent. And in my interpretation of this, you're dissolving your director of operations position and creating two more at no cost to the county. Yes. The deputy super I'm dissolving the deputy superintendent of operations, but it will be no cost to the county. That's why it's a revenue neutral positions that we're creating. There is no cost to the county at what we're doing. This is all the pri- I mean well, the pre- reorganizational that you will see. I just wanted to say that real loud and clear so that no one loses their
082mind because we just created two new full-time positions. That is correct. It's not the case. We're doing away with one and creating two. Absolutely. And once again, cost neutral. Got it. That's all I got, Mr. Vice Chair. Pending any other comments, I'll make motion. >> Yes, please. Oh, Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve Dr. Coleman's budget neutral staffing proposal as presented. Second. Madam Clerk. Mrs. Parkins. Yes. Mr. Wooster. Yes. Mr. Marsh. Yes. And Mr. Ford. Yes. Uh and now for our report from the uh super superintendent staff on uh the summer school 2026 summer school plan. Good evening, Vice Chairperson, school board members, and Dr. Coleman. Thank you for the opportunity to share information about our 2026 Summer Scholars Academy. This year's theme, as you can see, is a Summer Scholars Academy, a Summer
083of Scientific Wonders, and our goal is to provide students with a highly engaging summer learning experience that combines strong academic or intervention with hands-on science learning. The Summer Scholars Academy is designed to support students in strengthening foundational skills in both literacy and math while also keeping students excited and connected to learning over the summer. Our Summer Scholars Academy will be housed at Windsor Elementary this year and will serve students from preschool through eighth grade. The dates, as you can see, are from for the month of July. We kind of skipped the 4th of July week and we're having it for 16 days this summer. The program will run Monday through Thursday for half a day, 9:00 to 1:00 p.m. And the teacher hours, as you can see. We will have a teacher work day where
084it's a full planning and training day prior to the start of the program to ensure strong consistency in instruction, routines, attendance, and curriculum implementation. We also have coordinated with ESY, which is extended school year for with our special education students to make sure that they have um the support and all participation as the other students. Um a few other things to note. Um summer school is definitely a collaborative effort um not just with school admin, but um also our central office personnel. Um we will have the central office support of um Ms. Cooper or myself um as the elementary coordinators for reading, math, and gifted. And then Dr. Truitt and Ms. Fermela for secondary math and English as well. Um our principals for summer school this year are our current assistant principals at Smithfield High
085School, Ms. Hewitt and Mr. Combs. And we are very lucky this year to have three admin interns. Um Ms. Holland from Hardy Elementary, Ms. Hamrick and Ms. Williford both from Smithfield Middle School. Um allowing them this internship opportunity um is going to help build that pipeline for our leadership um in our division. These are students, right? Those are um current teachers. Teachers? Yeah, Ms. Holland is a gifted teacher at Hardy Elementary. Um Ms. Hamrick is a librarian at Smithfield Middle School, and Ms. Williford is a math teacher at Smithfield Middle School. They're all currently going through programs at universities to get their admin license and endorsements. And they have to have 320 hours, I believe, of admin work in order to get that certification and certificate. Sorry. It's all right. Um we will have a
086total of 14 teachers for our current kindergarten through eighth grade students. Um this helps keep our class size to around 15 kids. Kindergarten, we're a little bit lower. We're trying to keep it at 12 just to have a smaller class size. Um we are continuing again with our gifted enrichment summer symposium. We will have three teachers for those students. And we're very excited this year. We are adding pre-K to summer school. Um adding it in the mix. Um we're doing a jump start for kindergarten. Um and that is intended to reach our neediest incoming kindergarten students um who just need some exposure to school, exposure to learning environment, and being with a teacher all day. Um we just started kindergarten registration this week and we're working on kindergarten screening. And we'll use that screening to
087determine which kids we will be inviting to come to this program in the summer. And that will be capped at 10 students in the classroom um as well. So, we are very excited about that. Um we will have uh reading interventionists as well as math interventionists to provide that small group instruction for all grade levels K-8. And then um we are increasing our numbers a little bit this year um with the United Way grant that Ms. Cooperider will speak to here in a moment. Um we're going to have up to 317 students this year. Um no more than 15 in a class like I said, 12 for that kindergarten, pre-K 10. And then we have 64 who applied for the summer symposium. And so I couldn't cut four kids from that. So, we'll have 64
088kids for that. We wanted to cap it at 60, but um being that kids are so excited about coming, we have a lot of repeat applicants. We um allowed those four additional students. So, it's about 20 um kids, 22 in those gifted enrichment classrooms. And some of this more the the reason why we have more students as well is because we added another kindergarten, first, second, and third grade classroom. So, in the past we were only able to serve about 30 students in K and this year we're able to serve about 45. So, and that's because of the Early Literacy Grant with the United Way. Sorry. It's okay. Um very similar to last year, you know, we are sticking with the science theme. Um we know science is a area of improvement for us. Um
089and so, we will have our math and literacy blocks throughout the day as well as 30 minutes for science instruction. And science will be woven into the math and literacy daily as well. We have um books that will be coming in that are science-based. So, the students will be having that reading that is integrating the science throughout, plus having hands-on science lessons um every day for the duration of the program. We'll also um definitely keep this cross-disciplinary um program going. We are incredibly grateful for the United Way with the Early Literacy Grant. And this partnership has allowed us to expand our opportunities for students and families beyond what traditional summer school would be able to afford for us. First like, we cannot shout from the rafters enough like how wonderful it is that United Way
090has partnered with us. Their investment directly supports both academic intervention and enrichment opportunities that will have a lasting impact on students. Through this partnership, United Way funding has helping us provide additional staffing like I mentioned, intervention support, and instructional resources. Um like I So, we have extra classroom teachers, we have the preschool program that's coming, reading interventionists, and math interventionists. We also through the grant are able to provide high-quality literacy materials for both our teachers, including classroom decodables, take-home decodable packs for K-2 families. So, there's going to be resources for families at home that they can use. And like Mrs. Rogers said, Scholastic book packs that are geared around science, and then Science World for 6-8 magazines. These resources help ensure students continue practicing literacy skills both during the program and at home with their
091families. I think that's the other really exciting thing about the United Way partnership is that they're really big on family engagement and enrichment opportunities at home. So, we get to have two events with our families this year. Families are going to be invited to attend an open house. We've gotten lots of feedback about this like we've always said, "Hey, it would be great if the families could come in to summer school, kind of see the classroom, get the lay of the land and everything before their kids show up on day one." And so, this year we're actually able to do it. And and at the end of the summer school, we're going to have an expo where families get to come back, they get and students get to share all of their learning. In both
092of the open house and expo events for families, we're going to have a Just Right Readers family engagement literacy presentation. They're coming in to do, "Hey, this is how you help your student read at home." So, it's really exciting. Um students will also participate in hands-on investigations like Mrs. Rogers said throughout the program. They're also going to receive science take-home kits. And then they will also um students will participate in the end of program field trip. So, on that very last day, we take our students on a all day field trip. Once again, science related and these experiences help connect the academic learning to real-world applications and then create meaningful memories for the students. What questions do you have for us? Um I'm very interested in the United Way grant. Um you know, I I
093think grant funding is essential to making sure that we have these enrichment programs um and and and in that success. Um quick question, you guys have a total dollar amount of what that United Way grant amounts to for I think it's what six teachers? Is it six additional teachers that that is covering and that's covering for the entire summer program? >> Yes, sir. Awesome. Yes, I believe our total this year that we got was 137,000. That's amazing. Yeah, we we submitted our request for proposal. It was a little over 137 and they gave us the 137. Okay. Awesome. Awesome. >> Yes. Ladies, it seems like every year, at least my this is my third year up here, that the program continues to grow and improve. Uh impressive. Kudos to you both and everybody doing it.
094Um any head herders or hurdles that you're concerned about? Anything you need before go time? Is everything going your way? So far, so good. We've um we're getting through the hiccups of using our new program to identify our students and we actually have a lot of students whose parents have already registered them for the summer interventions, whether it be summer school or determining what intervention is most appropriate for those students is the biggest priority, but um we've had a lot more registrations already this year as we've had in years past. So, um that is definitely a hurdle that we are getting over and it's exciting to see so many parents involved and wanting their kids to get that support needed. So, I don't think so. And we really have a great admin team. So, it's
095been amazing to really facilitate them and they've really just done fantastic things already with running it in smoothly. 317 kids, that's that's almost full house over there. Close to at least half. Yeah. Yeah, we're excited. >> Yes. You think you're going to fill all the seats? Fingers crossed. You were close last year, right? So close. >> We were. Yes. Yes. So, with the addition of the extra kindergarten, first, second, and third grade classrooms, I think we're probably most excited about that and pre-K because reaching those students earlier is going to help them in the long run. So, Yeah. that's exciting. Bridging those gaps. Good for you. One question, ladies. Yes. >> Um this this whole process is really cool to me. Like uh school and summer and like connecting it with real world is so
096cool. Is the expo like are we able to go or is it Would we be allowed? I would love to see what you guys are doing cuz that sounds really cool. July 30th or July 29th, excuse me. Yes. I'll make sure we send it out to you. Okay. Perfect. Thank you guys so much for this. Yes, congratulations and kudos to you both. Um and and thinking about uh some of those positions, those three interns, um I may have a connection to someone that may be able to provide some additional grant funding to pay for those roles. So, That'd be awesome. I'll try to follow up with you guys after this and um you know, we may be able to connect to to make that happen. That would be amazing. Great. Thank you. >> Yes, no
097problem. No problem. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Um and now for the gifted update. Hi, me again. All right. Dr. Truitt and I are here to um give you our annual gifted update. Just to give you some information on what we've been doing this year. Um so, first thing we want to share is our enrollment numbers. Um this year for Governor's School of the Arts, we've had 24 students participating in that program and we've had 11 students at the Governor's School for Science and Technology. Um in terms of identified students, you can see it's broken out there by K-2, 3rd through 5th, 6th through 8th, and then 9th through 12th. We have 455 students in our division who are currently identified and part of our gifted program. That's about 8% of our population that
098is actually identified And when we did a little bit of digging, the national average is about 10% in a school division. So, we're a little bit under. And so, part of what Virginia Department of Education wants us to do is talent development. And so, that's where you see the first and second grade students who are served through classroom lessons, as well as our new ignite talent development program. So, every month our gifted resource teachers go into first and second grade classrooms twice a month, and they do a critical thinking enrichment lesson with all first and second grade students. And that gets those teachers in the classroom so they can see those students, put their eyes on them, and see if they are seeing any of those gifted characteristics in those children. And then our second
099and third grade students, we started a new program this year called ignite, and we use the CogAT screening that we do in second grade, and we identify the top 10 to 15% of students who scored in that that top range who are not identified gifted, and they go with the gifted resource teacher one time a week, and they're doing a very similar curriculum to what our identified students are doing. Hoping to build that thinking and that depth of knowledge with those students who are already scoring high so that when they take the test again, the screener again in fourth grade, they can hit that mark and be referred for further testing. And so, that's why our total served is that 1,349 because of that talent development piece. So, really trying to get in and find
100and reach all of our students who have that gifted ability. Um some more numbers for you. This school year, we have had 144 students in kindergarten through eighth grade who have been referred, and of course those referrals are ongoing, and so far we've identified 72 students um eligible for gifted. And then, like I said, we do our screening every year. This year we did it in second, fourth, and fifth. We have historically done the screening in second grade and fifth grade, but what we found was that in fifth grade, we didn't do the screening until March. So, by the time the letters got home to parents and we got them returned, they weren't getting fully screened and fully tested until they got into sixth grade. So, they are missing that year of elementary where they
101could get that pull out service with the gifted resource teachers. So, this year we bumped it back. We tested fourth and fifth. So, that way we didn't miss the current fourth graders next year when they're in fifth grade. So, now the fourth graders who tested, they tested back in October. They've already Most of them have already been tested and so we know for next year and the remainder of this year who's identified and they'll be able to get services in elementary school before they move on to middle school. Um our services, just to remind you, our students in kindergarten through second grade get pulled out of their classroom a minimum of 90 minutes a week and I'll be fully honest, most of them it's every day for 30 minutes. So, they get 150 minutes a
102week with their gifted resource teacher. Um third through fifth, a minimum of 120. Same thing, they get pulled five days a week for 150 minutes unless something happens like this time of year, SOL testing schedules get a little wonky. Um but it's those minimums we are definitely meet meeting those minimum requirements. Um and then like I said, our ignite talent development pool for second and third grade has gone really well this year and I'm looking forward to continuing that into next year. All right. So, I'm here to talk a little bit about middle and high school gifted options. And so, once students enter middle school, they have the opportunity in sixth and seventh grade to elect to take a academic enrichment course. That course is cross-discipline, so students, I think right now we're doing an
103art history project. Sometimes it's science, math, fine arts, Um, of exploration, there's field trips. Um, but sometimes students want other options, so we don't force them into it. Um, but regardless of whether they're enrolled in that academic enrichment class, they are still getting gifted services through their WIN uh, WIN block or their uh, academic enrichment block, which is about 30 minutes a day. Um, the gifted resource teacher pulls them and they have similar experiences, but kind of modified for time. Uh, in addition, just by the nature of middle school itself, they also have opportunities to engage in advanced coursework. Um, this year we added a math 7 extended course. Um, so students enrolled in that get a little bit of foundational uh, grade 7 math, but also start to build on some of the skills
104that we need in algebra. And then we've also this year added an enriched English 8 course, so that we can set students up to uh, be successful in our AP courses and DE courses in high school. Um, furthermore, students in middle school also have the option of taking algebra 1, which is a credit bearing course, and Spanish 1, which is also a credit bearing course. Uh, when students get to high school, we are continuing to uh, increase our DE uh, options, our AP options, our honors options, and uh, like Ms. Rogers said, students can also apply to for enrollment in GSA, which is our Governor's School for the Arts, and then GSST, which is our Governor's School for Science and Technology. So, we just want to kind of highlight some things that have gone really
105well for the program this year. Uh, for the second year in a row, we held the elementary STEAM day at the Smithfield Center, and you'll get to see a little bit of of a video about that here shortly. Um, that's where students, all identified students from all of the elementary schools, came together at the Smithfield Center, and you would think it was chaos, but it was so so fun. Um, they got to participate in all kinds of hands-on activities. We grouped them across schools, so they weren't just engaging with students that they kind of, you know, interact with all the time. They got to Carrollton students got to meet students from Windsor. You got to form new friendships. I incredible amount of parents support. They were They honestly, the parents led the sessions and the
106teachers were kind of like the chaperones. So, it was just a great way to involve them. And I want to also add we also had middle school student ambassadors come and they also led the sessions. So, we opened it up for our middle school gifted students. They apply, they write an essay about why they would be perfect for the role, and they get to come to the day as well and they help lead those different activities. Absolutely. Um, so then we also have a variety of field trips. Um, middle school students um, have gone to the aquarium where we got to dissect squid. Um, that was interesting. Um, and then I believe Remind me again, state where they're going. Elementary this year is going to um, Owl Creek Landing out in Virginia Beach. It's um,
107kind of a nature area. They have a scavenger hunt. There's a giant slide that they can go down and when they go back they're going to build or plan tree houses. So, they're going to take their experiences from being out in nature and go back and design um, a tree house from it. And of course we have our gifted and talented night which I still stand by the belief that it is our most attended event here in Isle of Wight County Schools. We also include fine arts in that and we're kind of whispering about hopefully maybe one day convincing people to let us uh, extend our gifted program to be gifted and talented and maybe recognize some performing fine and performing arts. Um, fantastic night. Kids pre I think pre I think we even had
108some pre-K kids there. Pre-K through 12 uh, showing their unique gifts and talents. Um, Sail to 50. I'm very excited about this. We have adopted a boat. I don't know if you know this, but Isle of Wight County Schools is the proud adopted parent of the Pride of Baltimore. It's a tall ship, and it will be here as part of Virginia 250 Harborfest. Um our students currently are um designing projects in which they explore the history of this particular ship and its role in kind of like the founding of America and just kind of pi- you know, the difference between pirates and privateers and and all of that kind of incredibly interesting things. In fact, on Monday they are zooming with the crew who are literally out at sea. Um and then on June, I
109believe it's 21st, and I will of course get invites for all of you. Um we get a special tour, uh where it'll just be Isle of Wight County uh students and staff to get to go tour the ship, and we're also going to get to tour two other ships. So, we're very excited about that. Um and then of course we've mentioned some of the other things that are on there as well. So, uh yeah, we definitely have some next steps. Like we we are very proud of the work that, you know, our team has completed, our teachers, our students, and but we know that there's some next big goals that we want to achieve. Um and that is to really kind of increase the offerings for our high school-identified gifted students. We know that they
110have lots of course offerings, but to provide time for them to come together and um just kind of interact with each other because, you know, to be a gifted student is to have your own kind of set of needs and um supports, and we want to continue to foster that in ways that we haven't yet done. And so, um the idea of having like some seminars where they can talk about like, what does it mean to be a college student and be identified as gifted? How do we deal with anxiety? How do we deal with the pressure that you know, that they put on themselves and they're out in the world on their own. So, that's just like a possible topic. And then continuing to uh increase the academic rigor experiences for all students. So,
111leaning on the expertise of our gifted resource teachers to develop some professional learning experiences for all staff because all students deserve to have these opportunities in some way and all students deserve to increase and grow. And so, that's some work that we're going to challenge ourselves to to do better. We do have two GAC meetings every year. Our first semester meeting was held back in December. Um we had our some of our gifted resource teachers share some of their knowledge. Um we talked about the characteristics of a gifted child. We talked about our new program and then a little bit more about the elective program. We are having our second semester meeting on Monday. It will be at 6:00 at the school administration office. We're going to kind of go over some of the same
112information with our parents and then we're also going to talk to them a little bit about the productive struggle um because we know gifted kids, they know a lot, but if they're they should still be struggling if we're not challenging them enough. And they're not struggling a little bit, we need to up our our rigor a little bit kind of going back to what Dr. Truitt said um and just talking about what a good productive struggle is um versus, you know, just knowing everything right off the bat. So, we're looking forward to that meeting on Monday at 6:00. And now we have a video. Um hopefully it will pull up and play um that Dr. Truitt spoke to a little bit earlier kind of highlights our gifted events um that we have. I'm just >>
113[laughter] >> going to let them do it. Let them drive. Being gifted means I think different than other kids, but it still makes me special. >> [music] >> Yeah, I think most of our stakeholders when they hear like the term gifted they think of [music] academic achievement. Um, you know, students who typically get A's or do really well on state tests, but [music] it really is more than that. What truly makes a student gifted is being problem solvers, being comfortable [music] rumbling in a productive struggle, and asking questions that really make the room ponder something deeper. A gifted student is one of those students who thinks outside of the box to solve a problem. They are the ones who are wanting to go above and beyond what is asked of them. They are the creative
114thinkers. They are the ones who will find a truly [music] abstract way of solving a problem. I think gifted means talented. Like really good at something. It means you get to get pulled out a random time of the day and you get to learn stuff that you wouldn't normally learn in regular classroom. Being gifted means I think different than other kids, but it still makes me special. For example, one kid might do addition completely different than I do. It just helps me find the answer a little bit more quick. I think it's important [music] to have a gifted program because the way that it's designed is to allow for a lot of exploration. It's important to give them that space to ponder and to explore their unique gifts and talents because they don't always get
115that opportunity in the classroom. Allowing them this 30 minutes a day to come to the gifted resource teacher's classroom provides them that opportunity where they are getting the instruction at their level and they're given the space to explore, examine, struggle a little bit sometimes even with the concepts that they are working with and talking about, and to build those deep critical thinking skills. We try to do some experiences for them that are separate from their regular classmates that they they interact with on a daily basis. We do have our annual elementary gifted STEAM day. Um it's been held at the Smithfield Center. It's a day where all 100 plus students come together. They intermix with students from across the schools, which gives them opportunity to meet new friends, new kiddos who think just like [music]
116them and are a little bit like them. And then just have a day of hands-on exploration and activities that they get to participate in. Today I'm at Smithfield Center with the state for STEAM day for gifted [music] class. STEAM day stands for science, thinking, art, engineering, mathematics. In science, we made snow. In math, we did addition. Art, we did a flag about ourselves. We made ski jumpers for engineering. And we did a connect the dot for math. So in the normal classroom, we would just do classwork [music] and stuff on paper. And on the STEAM day, we would like do hands-on activities. We would actually get to experience it. [music] It's kind of like a break from school, but I prefer not to think of it like that. I prefer to like think of it,
117[music] oh, this is going to be fun because I'm going to be out of school and learning some new things and putting my brain to the test [music] and finding solutions and even creating new things that I maybe not have tried before. >> [music] >> Additionally, something we started a few years ago in collaboration with the fine arts department is we started back up our gifted and talented night. This year's theme was imagine, and so students got to interpret that in any way that they saw fit. Um they designed a project which uh resulted in a completed product, and then they had to kind of connect that product and what they learned to the theme for the audience that attended the event. We do something like an expo. Today's theme is imagination. We get to
118create like we imagine and create something really cool and creative and interesting. And then we practice it all and and it all comes down to the expo, and then we show our creativity to families and friends. It's a good opportunity um for for them to practice those communication skills, um to get kind of questions thrown their way and having to navigate how to use everything that they learned to answer those questions in a way that's not traditionally uh provided. I think reaching our gifted students is just as important as reaching our students with special education needs. They have learning needs that are different from your atypical student in a classroom. So, making sure we continue to provide our gifted program and our gifted services for these students on a consistent basis, and for us to
119continue to develop and evolve our gifted program >> [music] >> to meet the needs of our students is something that we strive to do every year. Creativity and imagination are important because it helps you think of new ideas um that you could use in the world. Cuz if we all thought the same, then no new inventions No new inventions would be created. Um there wouldn't really be anything new. Um and it just wouldn't be as fun. What questions do you have for us? Mr. Wester? Um for the Governor's School of the Arts and Science and Technology, the discrepancy in the numbers there, is that based on student interest or Um yeah, so we yeah, so right now we are struggling to see the number of applicants for GSST that we have seen in years past.
120Um I do think that's in part because we have expanded our own DE options here at at both of our high schools because the way GSST is um kind of set up, you go to your home-based high school for half the day and then you go to GSST. Where now that we're offering more and more DE classes here in our class, you know, in our schools, students don't want to miss a whole day of school at their high school. Um some do, some are some those who are, you know, want to go to William & Mary and UVA and MIT, like they're going to go to GSST. But for those who, you know, that's not necessarily their path, they have the options right here in our county. Awesome. That's a good problem to have. Yeah.
121And I just want to say that I can see the progression since I've been on the board of the gifted program. Y'all are doing an awesome job. I love getting the updates from y'all. >> Thank you. I'll echo that. A couple years ago we were sitting up here and the conversation came up. Seems like we were focused a lot on catching up kids that were struggling and you ladies have run with this. It's absolutely grown, so kudos to you two and and everybody else for making it happen. Thank you. And I've got a kid at home right now who's a part of that, so good on you. Thank you. Uh great work great work. [clears throat] Uh we really do appreciate all the effort and uh energy that you guys put into this. Thank you.
122Thank you. >> Mr. Vice Chair. One thing. Yes. I want to thank you guys so much for expanding AP and DE courses. Um I know that it's a huge huge thing at Windsor. I know Smithfield, too from being on the student advisory board. Just deep appreciation for you guys and all for that is because that is awesome steps for high schoolers and also shout out to Walker on the video because >> [laughter] >> he knows what's up with missing school for the fun stuff like that. Thank you guys. Yeah, thank you. Thank you. All right. Now for the financial monthly report. The March and April financials were included this month since the the last board meeting it was like on April 2nd and it was it was way too soon to try to get your
123March reports, but there's nothing out of the ordinary to report. Um the health [clears throat] insurance fund, like I mentioned earlier, we're still getting putting more money in than we're taking out. Um and we continue to monitor the food service or cafeteria fund. Um and keep in mind what you're looking at at the end of April, that is we're still we've got one month of revenue, you know, it's one month behind in posting revenue, so um I would say the current deficit is showing 541 and it's probably more like 341 at the end of April. Any questions? One question, ma'am. And you answered it, so I asked you on an email on the check register page 18 about the well-rounded um private holdback. And you answered my question and part of title four part A.
124Could you elaborate a little bit on that? Kind of help me explain it. What What struck me as you said it, these funds represent funds that are required to set aside for private schools within our division. What exactly are we talking about? Yes, so that's part of the grant is that if there's a private school in your division, in your locality, you have to set aside a certain percentage of funds for that private school. And the private school can choose to take advantage of those funds. And in this situation, Alawiada Academy does utilize some of those funds in title four. Okay, that makes sense. Thanks. It just caught my attention. I wasn't quite sure what that was all about. That's all I got, Mr. Vice Chair. Any other comments? All right. Thank you for that
125information. And now for our operations update. >> Ms. DeBerry, could you stay there also? Thank you. Good evening, board members, Dr. Coleman, and liaisons this evening. Ms. DeBerry, I think she's been asked to stay because we are going to talk a little more about money as we look at our CEP information. Do we have the PowerPoint? >> [snorts] >> There we go. Whoop, no. Sorry. In the meantime, I'll just go ahead and share. We're going to talk about CEP as it relates to our budget. As Ms. DeBerry shared earlier, you see child nutrition is in a deficit. And so, I want to explain to you we've been able to look at some historical numbers and really have a good handle on what we think is going on, what's been going on, and we want to
126recoup those funds, and we have some suggestions and ideas that we want to share with you all tonight. >> [snorts] >> Mr. Cooper, I just the support services operations >> [snorts] >> update. There it is. No. It's April 2nd. That's the wrong one. It's April 2nd. That's Yeah, that's the wrong one. That's the one from last month. It's the operations update from He has it now? All right. Can you just brief off your slides while I get this straight? All right, I'll just go ahead and proceed. So, what is CEP? So, CEP is your community eligibility provision, which allows schools that are over a 25% direct certified students They're We are eligible for those schools to be free and reduced lunch for all students. So, right now currently Cole Windsor High School, for example, is
127a CEP school. So, our CEP schools in the district at this time are Hardy Elementary, Carrsville Elementary, Windsor Elementary, Georgie Tyler Middle School, and Windsor High School. How you base that CEP information are those students who are direct certified, which means they are um they receive Those students receive Medicaid. They receive TANF. They're a foster student. They're a homeless student. So, that calculates our students, and that percentage for each school lets us know how many of our schools can qualify for free lunch across the entire school. So, all of the students, even though they don't meet that criteria, are eligible for that. And so, what we're going to do is we're going to talk about those schools and do we need to make some changes moving forward in that, okay? What now? Oh, and it's
128common. All right. Thank you all. All right. So, on the next slide, as you see as a district, and you all are very familiar with a lot of this information as we look at the demographics of Isle of Wight County and how they're changing. Many of you have lived here your entire life, and you know how things are changing as far as our community, the cost of houses, and our demographics. So, as you see, right now we have about 27% of our students across Isle of Wight County receive free lunch. 5% receive reduced lunch. Look at that. 60 roughly 68% of our students in Isle of Wight County do not qualify for free or reduced lunch. That's a big percentage. What I also want to share you is where we get our money for meals.
129So, I did a chart for you all. So, as you see, if a student receives if they're qualified classified as free or reduced, they don't pay anything for lunch, okay? A paid student pays $3.05 for lunch. So, a student at Smithfield High School would pay $3.05 for their lunch. A CEP student, for example, Cole, I'm going to use you as an example for a minute. Cole's at Windsor. Windsor High School's a CEP school. Cole wouldn't pay anything for lunch if he goes through the line and gets a burger or chicken sandwich, okay? The federal reim Yes. All the students or just those that are a a free or reduced? So, at all the five schools that are CEP, regardless of whether you're free, reduced, or the direct certified, everyone gets a free meal at Georgie
130Tyler, Windsor High, Windsor Elementary, Hardy, and Carswell. Understood. So, you know, my niece can Is it Windsor Elementary School? She can go through and get that sausage biscuit, and she doesn't pay anything for that biscuit. And all that revenue is coming from the federal government. >> Well, I'm going to explain that to you, Mr. Morris, because this is why I think we need to change some things. So, when you look at the federal reimbursement, okay? So, what we're receiving back for that free or reduced child is $4.71. Okay? So, that child whose parents complete an application, we receive that $4.71 back for that student. The student who is a paid student, we're receiving that $3.05 for them because mom or dad, grandparents sending them the $3.05, but the federal government is also giving us 55
131students 55 cents for that student. So, we're really getting $3.60 for the student that's paying at a Smithfield High School, a Carrollton, a Westside. CEP schools, okay, Cole, I'm going to use you again. Hope that's okay. Cole doesn't pay for his lunch. He's not a free reduced lunch child. We're only getting $0.55 from the federal government to to reimburse us for Cole's lunch. So, that tells you we're not making the money back on those CEP students. What happens is, Mr. Morris, I see the confusion on your face. I see you're very kind of baffled by this. I see it. What happens is, our school, for example, Windsor High School was only at 26% eligible, and because of that, we're not really fully recouping the money because their direct certification isn't that high. So, we're losing
132money in a sense in our CEP schools where our percentage of direct certified children is low. In other words, every student Windsor High, someone we are paying $3.05 and a nickel per meal. We are as a division. Yes. >> And that money comes from? It comes out of our budget and if we don't fix things, we're going to have to take it out of the general fund. Understood. Okay? With me? Yep. All right. So, we receive I want to share this with the public. We don't receive any money out of the county operating budget at this time. Okay? If we continue to implement CEP services at the five schools we currently are, we're going to continue to see a financial hardship. As you've seen in the financial reports from Ms. Deaver. We are losing money.
133If we continue down that path and looking at the historical data, which she so graciously pulled for me, we're going to be in a bigger deficit than we already are. So, we're recommending at this time that we will take the remaining schools to be CEP as Carrsville, Hardy, and Windsor and remove Georgie Tyler and Windsor High School for the 2026-2027 school year. Those schools that will remain are elementary schools and they're also Title 1 schools. Now, before you get worried a little bit worried, I do want to share with you that if you are a direct certified child, which means you're homeless, Medicaid, TANF, or you qualify based on your parents' application, you still will receive free breakfast and lunch. So, it's only going to affect those students who weren't already qualified will have to
134pay. So, if you qualify, meet the eligibility, we're still going to be able to cover your lunch. And how much savings or how much do you know, rough figure, what we would recoup per student? It It What In doing the calculations with a consultant of ours who's been working closely with us, it could be signi- I don't want to quote exact figures, but it looks like it could be a substantial recoup pending student debt because we do have students who are not paying for lunches, and I cannot deny a student their meal. So, I hope is, Mr. Ford, that because Windsor would be a paying school, and so is Smithfield High, I got to pay at Smithfield High, I've got to pay at Windsor. So, it would equal out, and you've got to pay for
135your meal. That is the hope. I hope I'm not up here begging for money next time this year, but that is the hope. But our elementary schools, those three, would stay CEP, and everyone would eat free for the following year, and then we would look and adjust accordingly. Okay. [snorts] That's lots of moving pieces here. Lots of moving pieces, yes. But when you look at our budget, and thank goodness we have access to Munis for years, you can see from the time the county went CEP, that's when we've seen the negativity appear. So, let's just say, hypothetically, we claw back the two high school the Windsor uh Windsor High School's no longer we're going to give CEP certified students a free lunch. >> Mhm. I will assume that we're going to forfeit that 55 cents
136per student. If they pay, we will get that 305 plus the 55 cents because they're no longer a CEP school. So So CEP isn't something that's mandatory, it's an option. >> It's an option. It's an application we fill out. We're in the preliminary stages. The application isn't due until June 30th. That's why we're coming to you tonight and then we'll come back again next month as well. How's Can we get some additional How's Southampton County handling this? I'm surely they've got some CEP certified schools as well. >> There There Some districts are free across the board. Some districts are free across But But their But their their CEP percentage is a lot higher. >> Absolutely. So when you look at the demographics of school divisions, some school divisions, you know, they're they're they have so
137many more students who qualify for that free and reduced or that direct certification. They're able to do it because if you're over that 50% threshold of direct certified students, you're okay. But for us, for an example, you know, Georgie Tyler is barely holding on right now at 26% anyway. >> Absolutely. Can you flip back to the previous slide? All right. That should go up a little bit more. What's the percentage? Is it 50% that is I throw a 32%? >> You want to be around 50% according to our consultant to be safe. We have no school over 35% and that's Hardy. >> And let me just pinpoint this. One thing that Miss Couch is also saying is in order for a CEP to actually work for the school division and when I say work for
138the school division, to be in the positive, the state I guess looks at it friendly as being over 50% that level. Any of our schools over 50% at this time? >> No, sir. The high The highest one is Hardy at 35. >> So none of our schools over 50% at this time. So as Miss Couch has already pinpointed, so we're already below. So based off of the state measurements, 50%, we are not going to prosper like I shouldn't even say prosper because of course food service cannot make money in that sort, but at the same time we're not going to break even. Um in the beginning when we first started looking at this and not this is probably before Miss Couch. Have to remember we were under food service companies at that time. So, this
139whole uh I guess you could say everything was different. The landscape was different at that time. So, we were we were going toward the CEP schools and and over the last year we were asked to do even more and so that's why we went even more. It was with Miss Deaver's help and Miss Couch all of the investigation that we really started narrowing down exactly what is CEP doing to the division. You've cleaned up the books. Right. With a lot of help from Miss Deaver and a lot of time with a calculator and a pencil. Right. So, I just want to revisit this and make sure I'm capturing this. The state says it's recommended that 50% of your students should be s- certified in order to make it a CEP school. You're eligible at 25%.
140>> You're eligible. >> But they're recommending State doesn't recommend 50. That's that's some outside consulting and looking at our numbers. You want to be closer to 50%. >> for those federal funds that 55 cents a kid at 25%, but you're not mandated to take it. >> We're not mandated, no. Okay. That makes a little more sense. >> [clears throat] >> It it's It's It's It's rolling the dice and looking at where we are. It just it We're going to be in We're going to be in the red even more than we already are. And I don't want to jump too far off topic and and you if you don't have it in um handy, I'm sorry, but do we Do you an estimate as to what our student debt looks like today? It's about $48,000.
141Okay. And so again, for people watching, that doesn't have to be reimbursed. We we can't make anybody pay that back. >> I cannot make anyone do that. I cannot take a prom ticket. I can't take graduation. There's no I cannot penalize and I must feed students the same meal I feed everyone else in the cafeteria. The only difference is if you owe meal debt, you you can't buy snacks. But I might have Johnny buy snacks for me and I can get around it that way. That's all I got, Mr. Vice Chair. Thank you. I I definitely think this is deserves a little bit more discussion. And you know, maybe we could get this on a on a agenda for a later date. One thing, Mr. Vice Chair. Uh Miss Miss Couch, I do want to
142speak with you after if we could take a break whenever whenever. Just Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. Makes me good thing. All All right. Um we're going to go ahead We got a few more things. Okay. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. So, another thing I want to share with you, this is not for a vote tonight. This is just for first viewing for you all are our meal prices for next year. We are only allowed to go up 10 cents per meal per year per VDOE. Another thing that has been um something we have discovered is when we were under a contracted food service provider, they did not go up on meals every year. So, we're playing catch-up and we're only allowed to go up 10 cents on our meals. So, as you see, all
143meals will go up but 10 cents is the biggest cap that they can go up. So, we you will be a that will be an item for you to vote on at your June meeting, but I wanted to share it with you tonight as well. All right. >> Next slide. I'm also here tonight for transportation and I'm going to share with you that the county is pleased to announce two really awesome updates. The first one as you see in the picture is the installation of the upgraded fuel island systems at Smithfield High School, Windsor High School, and the annex. This is a wonderful addition. I've used it myself when I've had to fill the county car up at the annex. You go up there, I swipe my fob, get my gas. It's so convenient and
144it's wonderful and it's so much it helps us track fuel. I have to put in my badge number, so then they're able to check in transportation who got fuel, how much I got, what car I was in, and it's just very efficient and it helps um transportation keep a track of the fuel that's being used. Additionally, and you see those systems, like I said, they're really easy to use. It's punch. You can see it before everything was faded out and you can read it and put your little fob in. It's been incredible. And then last for you, we have the fifth and final school bus from the FY26 replacement. Um it was delivered on May 7th. It's currently under final inspections um by fleet services and it's expected to be on the road as early
145as May 21st. So before the end of the school year, this bus will be zooming down the roads of Isle of Wight County. Um the division extends sincere appreciation to you all the board for your continued vision and steadfast support of student transportation initiatives, fleet modernization efforts, and infrastructure improvements and directly support the safe and efficient travel of our students across Isle of Wight County. And it has definitely been a joy to see new buses. I've watched over the years as a principal those old buses pull into Windsor and you prayed that they would start back up when they left. And so this is wonderful news. Um my niece is actually on one of the new buses this year and she said, "Lala, we don't have to worry about it you know, cutting off when
146we're at a stop sign, so it's wonderful. So, thank you. All right. Any questions? Any comments, questions? And for the board, of course, we'll get back to you with more information concerning the child nutrition as it relates to CEP, just to fill you in a little bit more. Um, thank you. No problem. Um, all right, uh, for the land acquisition discussion. All right. We're going to roll right into the land acquisition discussion. Of course, I know that our board members have been receiving information, um, from the land acquisition and had a couple of newspaper articles, different things of that nature. I just want to ensure that we clarify, um, our stance and different things of that nature. Give you the general viewing public, uh, understanding the background, transparency of what was going on. So, um,
147tonight I want to speak directly to the community about the purchase of the future new Westside Elementary School property, located in the Benz Grant area. Understand that whenever public land is purchased, questions naturally follow. Taxpayers deserve transparency, facts, and context. As the future superintendent, I want our community to clearly understand why this purchase was not only appropriate, but why it was a responsible and strategic investment in the future of Alloy County schools. First and foremost, importantly, the property was independently appraised. Approximately 6.5 million by Dominion Realty Advisors, a certified professional appraisal firm with extensive experience throughout the Hampton Roads area. After negotiations, the division secured the property for approximately $6 million. That means the school division negotiated a purchase price that came in roughly half of a million dollars below the appraised market value. In
148today's growing economy, especially in one of the fastest growing corridors in Hampton Roads, purchasing land below appraised value is significant and demonstrates sound stewardship of public resources. It is also important to understand exactly what we are purchasing. We're not buying isolated farmland in the middle of nowhere. We're purchasing strategically located site directly adjacent to Riverside Smithfield Hospital. Existing mixed-use development made the roadway improvements, public water, public sewer, natural gas, electrical infrastructure, storm water systems, and established transportation corridors. The site already benefits from millions of dollars of infrastructure investments that taxpayers would otherwise have to help create somewhere else. In fact, the existing regional storm water management system alone represents a 1.4 million in avoided costs for the division. Additionally, the property already has access to public utilities, transportation infrastructure, and dramatically reduce future construction complexity.
149Reduce long-term operational costs and improve fire protection capability, and accelerate the timeline for delivering a school to our students and families. This location also aligns directly with the county's long-term growth growth planning. The appraisal report specifically identifies this corridor as one of the primary growth and development areas in Isle of Wight County. The surrounding area also contains established neighborhoods, apartments, townhomes, commercial development, and continued residential expansion. Simply put, this is where growth is occurring. And school systems must plan ahead, not after overcrowding becomes a crisis. Also, want our community to understand the historical significance of this moment. At this uh this is the first time in approximately 30 um 30 years, and possibly one of the few times in our division's history, that Isle of Wight County has directly purchased land for specifically for a
150new school site. Windsor Elementary School land was donated in 2003. Hardy Elementary School land was donated in 2000 1961. Georgie Tyler Middle School was constructed on the foundation of the former Windsor Middle School property and Smithfield High School property was originated through eminent domain proceedings in 1980. This movement is historically different because the division is proactively securing land for the future before opportunity disappear and prices increase even further. And perhaps most importantly for our taxpayers, the funding for this acquisition is covered through the Virginia School Construction Assistant Program, commonly known as SCAP. The Commonwealth of Virginia specifically identified site acquisition as one of the allowable uses of these funds. This means local taxpayers are not carrying the direct burden of the land purchase itself. This is That is a major distinction and an opportunity that
151divisions across Virginia competed for aggressively. The reality is this. Land in high-growth corridors with infrastructure already in place does not become cheaper over time. Over the last 15 to 20 year land values, infrastructure costs, and utility extensions, roadway construction, and stormwater requires have all risen dramatically. Waiting would have not saved money. Waiting likely would have cost the community substantially more. My responsibility is not to simply think about today. My responsibility is to think about where this division would be in 10, 20, and 30 years. Responsible leadership means positioning our school division ahead of growth instead of constantly reacting behind it. This property gives Isle of Wight County schools the ability to build a modern elementary school in a location that supports students, families, transportation, and long-term operational sustainability. Most important, it represents an investment in
152our children. Hopefully that message gets across to letter on understand why we're moving in that direction, why the land was looked at, why why the land appraised, and any questions that has been in the local papers and different things bring it to a a close. Are there any questions concerning that discussion? Uh Thank you for packaging that up. I think I don't think I hope a lot of people read that. If you haven't, you might send it to the newspaper. Get them to print that. Um while I try to stay off social media, it's hard not to watch the comments. A lot of people are rightly were are upset that we spent $6 million on a piece of land. I would say that uh this board, the Board of Supervisors, all of our staff, county
153staff have been working on this and this just hasn't happened in a vacuum. And this has been going on for goodness gracious, couple two, three years now. Yes. >> We started by uh trying to get a handle and a good understanding on the county's growth. We created policies to establish parameters so that we could help the Board of Supervisors deal with some of these housing proposals. Um there's been a whole lot that's led up to this and frankly I'm I'm very proud to be sitting up here tonight knowing that we are in the process what we've been working on for a couple years is starting to come to fruition. Bottom line, we're working towards replacing Westside Elementary School. Should have been done years ago. In my unpolished opinion, in my unpolished opinion, this county, and
154I won't poke fingers at anybody in particular, but the county as a whole has historically not addressed these kind of issues head-on. We're sitting up here tonight dealing with it head-on. It's not easy. It's not comfortable. Not everybody's going to like it. Uh there's a reason why this school isn't your traditional elementary school. We've got oddball grade structures in here, Carrollton, Hardy. This has all been coming into a I think I think a plan. If I don't say anything else, know this. We are looking forward in making a plan rather than being a reactionary. So I'll just let it rest on that, but I'm again I'm proud of being a part of this, and I think we're moving in the right direction. Any additional comments? I thank you for the explanation, and I and I
155would just like to note for the record, I thoroughly inte- I interrogated the cost. I interrogated the placement. Um and you know, there have been uh explanations that have, you know, clarified my understanding and of of the strategy and why it was placed there. Still have a little bit of pushback, but I'm in agreement, and I'm just saying this for the record because you know, I was late to this process, but you know, being able to be in a part of those conversations, there is some clarity that is brought to me about why we chose where we chose for this land. And that SCAP grant is is too precious to, you know, kind of let go. So, you know, a lot of the other processes would have pushed us right up against the wall as
156far as meeting a deadline, and we want to make sure that we steer clear of that with dealing with this amount of grant money. So Oh yeah, the SCAP grant it's up to $14 million given the projected uh project cost of $70 million. Yeah, 20% of whatever the project cost. And have those project cost changed any? They're they're fluctuating and they will continue to fluctuate until as Mr. Berry pointed out, until we get the overall cost for the project. When we have the the CM are the locked in, that's when we know exactly how much the SCAT going to be. Other than that, it continues to fluctuate depending upon market prices. Okay, so for the public, right? A lot of this information isn't set in stone, right? A lot of these numbers are still uh
157subject to change, so please keep that in mind as we move forward in any further acquisitions or um executions in this in this process. Yes, sir. All right. Um now for the report from the superintendent. All right. I'm going to try to do my best. I'll be like Dr. Kramer here. All right. Next slide. All right, the Owl Awards. The Inspire Award, GTMS uh Exploratory Team, Miss Smith, Miss Gribble, Miss Travis, Mr. Russo, Michelle, and Miss Laycore. To the right, we have the Succeed Award, Hardy Improvement Plan Team, Miss Denson, uh Miss Thornton, Miss Wilkerson, and Alicia Reeves. Uh the Lead Award, we're at the Taste of Smithfield um and have all of the individuals there. And then there's the Empower Award with Miss Audrey Goodwin. So, all of these will make up the Owl
158Awards. The next slide will is the ALC Pathways to Possibility Speaker Series. The IWCS Alternative Learning Center recently launched the Pathways to Possibility Speaker Series designed to connect students with professionals, community leaders, and mentors. Through weekly guest speakers, students gain exposure to career pathways, life experiences, and practical skills that support college, career, and life readiness. The series reflects our community that to helping students discover their potential while reinforcing our L values, inspire, succeed, lead, and empower. And I do see some of those speakers out here at this time in the audience. Next is the IWCS Rookie Teacher of the Year. IWCS is proud to recognize Gabriel "Gabby" Parker, seventh grade English teacher at Smithfield Middle School, as our 2025-2026 Rookie Teacher of the Year. In her first year, Ms. Parker has created a classroom environment
159where students feel supported, challenged, and inspired. A graduate of Smithfield High School and Norfolk State University, she represents the strong educators who continue giving back to the communities they shape. We congratulate Ms. Parker on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to her continued impact on IWCS. IWCS Support Employee of the Year. IWCS is proud to announce Ms. Ann Wright, instructional assistant at Carrollton Elementary School, as our 2026 Support Employee of the Year. Ms. Wright is recognized for her exceptional dedication to students, staff, and families through both instructional support and service to our school and community. Her leadership, compassion, and commitment to students success truly represent the best of IWCS. Congratulations to Ms. Wright on this well-deserved honor. Smithfield Foods Volunteers at Hardy Elementary School. During National Volunteer Week, employees from Smithfield Foods partnered with the
160United Way for a day of action at Hardy Elementary School. Volunteers supported the school through landscaping, classroom organization, and care campus improvement projects that helped create an even more welcoming environment for students and staff. We are incredibly grateful for the continued partnership and investment of Smithfield Foods and United Way um making an in our school and community every day. Windsor High School track meet. Windsor High School hosted a track Trevor Rivers District track meet on Wednesday, May 6th. There were a total of nine schools participating in this event. Seven schools are from the Trevor Rivers District and two schools are from the Eastern Shore. This is the first track meet we have hosted since having the track redone. I would like to give a sincere thank you to those individuals who helped make this event
161a success. WHS admin, WHS coaches, event workers, our girls basketball team, and A Taste of T and S Catering for providing concessions, and Ms. Leticia Kia with Kia Snap Photography and the incredible pictures that were taken during this event. CTE Signing Day. On May 8th, IWCS proudly recognized 14 students during our CTE Signing Day as they committed to employment, apprenticeships, and military affiliated training pathways, and continued educational opportunities. The event celebrated the real-world skills and career readiness students have developed through our career and technical education programs and business partnerships. We also recognized eight students who received $500 honorariums from the Smithfield Rotary in support of their future career goals. We are grateful to our business and community partners, staff, and families for helping create a meaningful pathways that prepare students for college, careers, life, and
162readiness. Lastly, as I close tonight, I want to share something that I believe speaks directly to the future of Isle of Wight County schools and the future of our community. Some of you might know Fleet Services is officially launching our new Fleet Service Technicians Internship Program. This summer we anticipate selecting one student from each high school to work directly alongside our certified technicians to gain real-world experience in vehicle maintenance, inspections, and repair. What makes this job so exciting is that it's more than just a summer job. This is a workforce development happening in real-time. These students will be learning hands-on skills, understanding the importance of safety and reliability in student transportation, and gaining exposure to a high-demand career field that is critically important across the region and nation. The internship will allow students to work
163up to 12 weeks, earn competitive pay, and experience what is what it means to be a part of a professional fleet operation that supports the transportation of our children every single day. This program also reflects the direction we are moving as a division. We are committed to creating opportunities where students can connect classroom learning to real careers, real certification, and real life sort of and real life experiences, I apologize. Whether students choose college, workforce, military service, or technical trades, we want them leaving Isle of Wight County Schools with meaningful experiences and marketable skills. I especially want to thank Mr. Andrew Sullivan, our Fleet Service Coordinator, for his leadership and vision in helping move this initiative from an idea into reality. I also want to thank Ms. DeBerry, our CFO, along with our HR department, CTE
164staff, operations team, and Fleet Service Technicians, and all those who have worked extremely hard behind the scenes to make this opportunity possible for students. Programs like this do not happen overnight. It took true collaboration across multiple departments to bring this to fruition. Programs like this strengthen not only our school division, but the entire community by building the next generation of skilled professionals right here in Isle of Wight. This is the kind of innovative, hands-on opportunity that should make all of us feel excited about the future. That ends the superintendent's report. All right, thank you for that, Dr. Comen. All right, now for our action on closed session items. Um 18.1, personnel report and addendum. Do I have a motion? >> [clears throat] >> Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve the personnel report and addendum
165as presented, a copy of which can be obtained from the school board clerk. Second. Madam Clerk. Mrs. Perkins. >> Yes. Mr. Wooster. >> Yes. Mr. Marsh. Yes. >> Mr. Ford. Yes. All right, uh student matter 18.2. Do I have a motion? Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve the superintendent's recommendation on student matter EA-2627-01. Second. Madam Clerk. Mrs. Perkins. Yes. Mr. Wooster. >> Yes. Mr. Marsh. Yes. >> Mr. Ford. Yes. Um the 18.3, the exchange student. Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve the superintendent's recommendation for exchange student 2627-02. Second. Madam Clerk. Mrs. Perkins. Yes. Mr. Wooster. Yes. Mr. Marsh. Yes. Mr. Ford. Yes. And 18.4, record uh request for religious exemption. Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve religious exemption REX-2627-01. Second. Mrs. Perkins. >> Yes. Mr. Wooster? Yes. Mr. Marsh? Yes. >> Mr.
166Ford? Yes. All right. Uh for section 19, action on old business, uh consent agenda. Do I have a motion? Mr. Vice Chair, I move to approve the consent agenda as attached and presented. Second. Mr. Vice Chair, if you could, please, sir. I want to pull up the uh donation memo here. Okay. I apologize. Where you at? There it is. So, I I think it's important to recognize our donors. And I will say that once again, this month, the Women's Club of Windsor donated another $400 to GTMS. While Windsor doesn't have a Smithfield, and I'm extremely grateful to have Smithfield on this end of the county, we don't have that out in the south end of the county, so uh you know, as a resident of Windsor, I'm extremely grateful for folks like the Women's Club
167of Windsor who donate time after time. So, thanks thanks to all of our donors. That's it. Uh thank you for that. We do have a second on the floor, so Madam Clerk. Mrs. Parkins? Yes. Mr. Wooster? Yes. Mr. Marsh? Yes. Mr. Ford? Yes. All right. Um any uh comments from the board? Student Liaison? Mr. Vice Chair, I ask for Mrs. Lynn Briggs to come up for 1 second. That's fine. >> Sorry. Yes, thank you, Dr. Coleman. Um it was announced earlier tonight that Mr. Colak, who has been on our board since 2022, uh is officially resigning at the end of this month, and unfortunately, he's not able to be with us tonight because I believe he's under the weather. Nonetheless, we want to go on the record and uh publicly thank him for his service
168and dedication to the the children and families of all of White County Schools, uh especially with District 5. Uh when he came on, it was the Carrsville district, so he has been on during the transition to District 5. We did have We do have a beautiful plaque to present to him, and we'll make sure he gets this. And this was done lovingly by the students in the Smithfield High School Makerspace. And it does say, "Isle of Wight County School Board recognizes John Colak in appreciation for being a dedicated public servant and for doing what's best for all children, District 5, 2022-2026." And it has the names of Jason P. Marsh, Jared Ford, Mark Wooster, Brandy Perkins, Dr. Theo Cramer, Superintendent. And it says, "Presented May 14th, 2026" because that's what we had intended to do,
169but we will make sure he gets this as a proud uh momento from his many years of service and hours uh of dedication to the Isle of Wight County School Board. Thank you for giving me that opportunity, Dr. Coleman. >> No problem. Uh thank You want to say something? Uh thank you, John, if you're listening. I'm sure you are. Uh thank you for your hard work and dedication to the students in this county, um and to the citizens of the county. Um and personally, it's been great to work along with you um on this board. Um and I anticipate you continuing to work for the constituents here in Isle of Wight County and I look forward to hearing great things and being a part of any initiatives or work that you do for our people
170here in Isle of Wight. Thank you, John. I do hope he's listening. So, John he was the guy who kind of helped me slide into my seat when I was first elected up here. Um I learned a lot about the man. I know he learned a lot about me. He frustrated me repeatedly and I know that I have frustrated him repeatedly. But one thing I could always count on when I called John Collick was an honest, straightforward conversation. We didn't always agree, but we could have an adult conversation and agree to disagree. And I think that speaks volumes about anybody. And I will say that I hate to see him leave, but I understand why he's leaving and he is undoubtedly the most generous person I've ever met with his time. He gives up his
171time to the community like no one else I know. And so for that I I salute John and I wish him well and hate to see him go. Thanks. All right, I would be remiss without officially congratulating our upcoming superintendent, Dr. Chris Coleman. And I've only been on the board since January and our relationship has blossomed. I'm I'm very excited for what's to come. The work that you've done, the time that you've been here in Isle of Wight has done nothing but improve what we can offer to our students and our constituents here. And so thank you for that. Congratulations Um, and we look forward to next year and seeing what you're bringing to the table. Even more. >> [laughter] >> Um, if there are no more uh comments or suggestions or concerns, I would
172like to go ahead and adjourn today's meeting.