School Board Meeting 2/12/2026

001The meeting of the Alawite County School Board is hereby called to order. Today is Thursday, February 12th, 2026. This meeting is being held at Westside Elementary School, 800 West Main Street in Smithville, Virginia. Isawite County Schools is preparing students to be college, career, and life ready. Madame clerk, please take the roll call. >> Mrs. Perkins >> here. >> Mr. Worster >> here. >> Mr. Marsh >> here. >> Mr. Ford >> here. >> And Mr. Collic >> here. Next, you have the approval of the agenda or amendments for closed session. >> I move to approve the agenda for closed session as presented. >> Second. We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. Madame clerk, please conduct the vote. >> Mrs. Perkins, >> yes. >> Mr. Wooster, >> yes. >> Mr. Marsh,

002>> yes. >> Mr. Ford, >> yes. >> And Mr. Collic, >> yes. Next, we'll have the approval of the agenda or amendments for open session. >> I move to approve the agenda for open session as presented. >> Second. We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. Madame clerk, please take the vote. >> Mrs. Perkins? >> Yes. >> Mr. Worster? >> Yes. >> Mr. Marsh? >> Yes. >> Mr. Ford? >> Yes. >> And Mr. Coll? >> Yes. >> I make a motion to go into close session. >> Now you got to read. >> Here you go. Uh, I move to go into close session to review personal report posted on board docs under personnel tab number 18.1 as authorized by Virginia code 2.2-3711A1 for purpose of discussion and consideration of prospective

003candidates of Isawike public schools for employment contract changes transfers salary adjustments supplemental contracts deletion supplemental pay resignations of Isa County Public Schools and move to go into close session to discuss the acquisition of land for purposes of school construction. where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body as authorized by Virginia code 2.23711 A3. >> Second. >> We have a motion and second. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. Madame clerk, please take the vote. >> Mrs. Perkins, >> yes. >> Mr. Worster, >> yes. >> Mr. Marsh, >> yes. >> Mr. Ford, >> yes. >> And Mr. Coller, >> yes. >> And Mrs. Whit low. Is anyone registered to speak in closed session? >> No, sir. >> Okay. >> The board will go into closed session.

004The meeting of the Alawway County School Board is hereby reconvened in open session. I move that the closed meeting was conducted in conformity with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act as required by section 2.23712D 23712D of code of of the code of Virginia and certify that only public business matters lawfully exempted from the from open meeting requirements were discussed and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard discussed or considered. >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? >> Okay. Hearing none. Madam clerk, conduct a vote. >> Mrs. Perkins. >> Yes. Mr. Worster. >> Yes. >> Mr. Marsh, >> yes. >> Mr. Ford, >> yes. >> And Mr. Collet, >> yes. Now, the vice

005chair will lead a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance. >> If we would all stand for the moment of silence. And now for the pledge of allegiance. >> 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. Good evening everyone. Like to welcome everyone to our monthly business meeting. Now last month we were briefed on a portion of the compensation study uh for teachers. This evening we're going to hear the results of the entire compensation study. Now I have heard from some of you. I've seen what's being posted on social media about teachers pay and I've read the recent poll in the Smithfield Times. I want to assure you that the

006school board is working hard to adjust salaries appropriately so we can retain all of our teachers, administrators, and support staff. The vice chair and I are working closely with the board of supervisors, chair, and vice chair on this because it takes each of you to remain the best school division in the region. So we are working hard on that. Now we'll begin the meeting with the Alawite achievers. Good evening. Um if you would I would ask the board and schoolboard liaison to plea and Dr. Kramer to please come down um in front of the backdrop and we are going to do our achievers. And as you're coming down, I'll let folks know the vision for is of White County Schools is to create a learning environment that will enable every child to discover his or

007her unique gifts and talents. And the Isisle of White Achievers um section of our board meeting gives us an opportunity to recognize and celebrate our students and staff for their unique talents and gifts. And we are kind of light on recognitions tonight. Let's see. All right, there we go. So, we're actually gonna jump right into our seniors of the month and we are going to start with Windsor High and I will announce the senior of the month for February from Windsor High School is Lana Janice. But Lana as a senior is at um an event tonight where it's senior night, so she's unable to join us. So, I promised her we would have her come in March and we'll do her full recognition in March. But I did want to publicly announce that Lana Janice

008is the February senior of the month from Windsor High and we'll congratulate her appropriately. Okay. So, moving on to our senior of the month for February from Smithfield High School and that is Miss Jada Johnson. Jada Johnson stands out as an exceptional leader whose service, compassion, and commitment to inclusion have made a lasting impact at Smithville High School. As president of Best Buddies during her senior year, Jada has gone beyond holding a title to actively fostering belonging and meaningful connections for students across grade levels. She consistently leads with empathy and purpose, ensuring that every student feels valued, supported, and included in the life of the school. In addition to Best Buddies, Jada serves as student advisory representative, advocating for her peers and contributing thoughtfully to schoolwide discussions. Her involvement in debate club, key club, green

009club, and as a drama club helper reflects a student who engages fully academically, creatively, and civically. Jada takes initiative in everything she does from organizing a celebration and activity day for Best Buddies uh to developing a schedule of events for the current school year. Her positive energy, creativity, and genuine care for others have earned her deep respect throughout the school community. Quote, "Jada has a natural way of stepping up and taking charge. Yet, she does so with patience and understanding. Whether working with our special needs students or supporting her peers, she shows genuine care and dedication, making a lasting impact on everyone around her." And that's from art teacher Alyssa Kennedy. After graduation, Jada plans to pursue a career in law and has applied to Virginia Commonwealth University, Christopher Newport University, and the University of

010Virginia. We're so proud of you, Jada. Congratulations. And if there are any friends or family that want to come up and get a picture as well, um, while Jada's up here, Yep. And I'll I'll add while y'all are taking photos. When Dr. Kramer first got here and started his superintendent's advisory committee with students, Jada was on there representing Smithville Middle School and um she made quite an impression, at least I know, on me and on Dr. Kramer as well. So, we're very proud of you. Very good. Thank you, Jada, for being here tonight. All right, next. >> Look at that lovely picture up there. There's a reason I did that. In case people weren't aware, February is designated as schoolboard appreciation month in Virginia. And we appreciate you every day. You know that. But we're

011going to acknowledge you this month. So, as citizen leaders, school board members face complex and demanding challenges. Yet, few people fully understand the scope and far-reaching implications of board members responsibilities. Tonight, we'd like to recognize the vital contributions of our schoolboard members and focus attention on the crucial role these elected public officials play in the education of our children. Their job is to establish a vision for the education program, design a structure to achieve that vision, ensure schools are accountable to the community, and strongly advocate continuous improvement in student learning. That job entails an endless string of meetings and school functions to attend, lengthy reports, agendas, proposals, and other information to read and study, and a host of difficult decisions to make. The time spent in board meetings represents just a small fraction of the

012hours schoolboard members spend leading the division. They also work hard at seminars and training sessions to keep informed of the latest trends in educational leadership, are deeply involved in community activities, and spend time in the schools and at extracurricular events. Their love for learning and concern and caring for students, staff, and community drives our board members desire to lead so students can achieve. In recognition of the dedicated service of the schoolboard members throughout Virginia, February has been designated schoolboard appreciation month. This is the time to show our recognition and to increase our understanding of how local board members work together to provide a better future for our children. Tonight, we want each of you to know that your hard work is noticed and truly appreciated. Uh so just to give you uh official recognition, I'm

013going to introduce each of you. Chair John Collik from district 5, vice chair Jared Ford from district 3, Jason Marsh from district 4, Brandy Perkins from district 1, Mark Worster from district 2, and we also want to thank our school board liaison for providing a student voice on the board. From Smithville High School, senior Cameron Hicks, and from Windsor High School, junior Cole Munford. Thank y'all very much for all you do. Now, there's one other little Oh, sorry. Now, that's a Christmas card photo. That's very good. All right. And next, the behind the scenes making it all happen. The ducks calm on the surface with those feet paddling beneath the water. If I could get our clerk and deputy clerk, Jessica Whitlo, Miss Casey Pulley, Jessica on your right. Um, Mr. Collic and Mr. Ford

014are going to present a little something while I read something here for our clerks. February 9th through 13th is school board clerk appreciation week. In honor of this week, we are recognizing our clerk Jessica Whitllo and Deputy Clerk Casey Pulley. Board clerks are tasked with maintaining accurate records of schoolboard meetings and official acts. But they are more than record keepers for the board. They make sure the board has the materials necessary for their meetings in a timely manner. They serve as a point of contact for parents, employees, and the community on behalf of the school board and superintendent, and they work additional hours attending meetings like tonight. We would like to thank Jessica and Casey for their dedication and service to the school board of Is of White County. Thank you. And you color coordinated

015tonight. That's wonderful. >> Thank you. Congratulations. And that's going to conclude achievers. Thanks to those that came out tonight for recognition. What's the bulldog? Good evening school board members and Dr. Kramer. My name is Satie Van Wson, a fifth grade student at Carwell Elementary School. I am junior junior vice president for beta. I am also in the safety patrol to I am here tonight with other fifth grade students that will be telling you and all the other members about our what we have been cultivating leadership at our school. These other fifth graders will be telling you a little bit about theirelves and their roles that they do at Carsville. >> My name is Tanner Landis and I am a safety patrol member and a junior beta club member. >> My name is Miranda Ward and

016I'm a junior beta club member and the safety patrol patrol. I'm lieutenant. >> Hello, my name is Riley Holt and I am a safety patrol member. >> My name is Prince MJ and I'm a safety patrol member. >> My name is Leona Johnson and I'm a military connected ambassador and I'm a safety patrol member. >> Hello, my name is Lane Dejurna and I'm a part of Junior Beta and safety patrol member. Over the last three years, Carzel has gained a lot of opportunities to show leadership, including junior jun um junior beta safety patrol and school ambassador. Over the past several years, our Junior Bitter Club has grown from not only having monthly meetings, but competing in our local convention, participating in com community events such as producing hygiene products for homeless, doing bark in the

017park in Camptown. We even did our own induction ceremony this past October. We fed the foot high school football team dinner before their home game. And in fact, we several of our junior beta club members went to the convention yesterday. I have a leadership role as the lieutenant of the safety patrol. And we do all kinds of things to help to help to keep our school safe and respectful and responsible, which are school right expectations. And one thing that we do is that we have um meet monthly meetings and we explain safety topics such as um electing um jobs for for some of our members and and inducting new ones and but special of all we have the golden badge award which is only elected to to this to um the safety patrol members that

018go above and beyond. We make sure our school is well cared for and and help and help everyone feel feel belonged and make sure make sure everyone is safe including our younger ones which might which might need a helping hand. We we have all kinds um we we are on patrol in the hallway m making sure our schools school's also safe and we we show our show our pride to our nation and our state by raising the flags any every morning high in the sky. Now, other other safety patrol members would like to share their experiences. At the beginning of the school year, I inquired about a safety patrol member doing the morning announcements. Beginning in October, I was assigned this task and now each month, a new safety patrol member is designated to do

019the morning announcements. It is a great opportunity for us to build our speaking and communications. Many of our safety patrol members are assigned to the hallways where we follow our schoolwide expectations, respectful, responsible, and safe. I'm assigned to the front hallway near the library where I greet all the students that come in in the morning. I get the opportunity to walk prek down to their breakfast and classroom. >> Hello, I am a military connected ambassador. I welcome new students and tour them around Carsville Elementary. Going to a new school can be hard, so we want them to feel comfortable and safe. Having someone help them feel welcome makes a big difference. Throughout the last two school years, students at Windsor High School have been partnering up with Carsville Elementary to provide us with collaborative opportunities

020and help us grow leadership. We look forward to seeing our students on campus each month and look up to them as leaders and role models. And I look forward to knowing that I will continue growing leadership when I become a Windsor High School Duke. >> At Carsville, we have been cultivating a community of excellence and excellence since 1871. It's a Carsville thing. That was well done. He's playing student. Is that beautiful? >> Good evening. My name is Ashton McCller and I am the current president for Duke Academy at Windsor High School. I wanted to first say great job to Carsville Elementary School. We really enjoyed y'all's presentation. I would also like to say thank you to everyone here today to help us share a bit about our program at Windsor High School. And now I

021will give the microphone to my fellow officers to present themselves. >> Hello, my name is Tal Duck and I'm a student liaison in the Duke Academy. >> Hello, my name is Cole Montford and I am also a student liazison for Duke Academy. Good evening. My name is Reagan Carr and I'm the secretary for Duke Academy. >> Good evening. My name is Aiden Mills and I am the reporter for Duke Academy. >> Good evening. My name is Jamie Scott and I am the vice president of Duke Academy. A small little overview of Duke Academy. It was brought to us spring of 2025. It's a after it's a after school activity that we get to go to Carsville Elementary and mentor our young kids as they come Windor Dukes or Smithfield Packers. We currently have a class

022that's under us and that's our sophomores. So, as we are mentoring their elementary kids, we are also mentoring our sophomores as well. We go to we do different activities with the kids, get them out of school, not out of school, but out of class. get them out of class and get them a different learning environment. We are currently doing the grit program. So each time we go to Carsville, it's a different letter of grit that we do. And I would like to also thank Reagan Carr and Aiden Mills for the presentation that we will be showing you the real overview of Duke Academy. Duke Academy is built on the belief that strong character is just as important as strong academics. As mentors, our focus is to guide students through challenging situations even when they feel

023discouraged while encouraging teamwork and helping them step outside their comfort zones. Everything we do in Duke Academy is structured around the core values of grit which stands for gumption, resilience, integrity, and tenacity. What do you like most about Duke Academy? I like most about Duke Academy because it involves teamwork and we use words to make it sound good and well we we can do teamwork and challenges and it makes it really fun. >> Gumption is about having the confidence to try even when you're not sure it'll work. The activities we plan encourage students to take initiative, adapt when problems arise, and work together to find solutions. Resilience means understanding that mistakes happen. And that's okay. We show students how to learn from setbacks, support one another, and come back stronger after challenges don't go their

024way. Activities are designed to teach students that making mistakes is a natural part of learning. And we help them understand the importance of bouncing back and growing stronger after setbacks. Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one's watching. We challenge students to be honest, take responsibility, and make choices they can be proud of on and off the activity floor. Through Duke Academy activities, students learn the importance of being truthful and making the right choices, even when they may not face immediate consequences. Tenacity is about staying calm and focused when pressure hits. We help students slow down, think things through, and keep pushing forward without giving up. The plan challenges are designed to help fifth graders remain calm under pressure and strengthen their problem solving skills without panicking. >> Your leaders in Duke Academy

025inspire you. >> They inspire me to be more like myself and they help me learn lessons. >> What is integrity? >> You do what you're supposed to do even somebody's office. help me develop leadership, a lot of patience, and a way to hear everybody's voice in the room. >> Duke Academy has helped me become more social, grow in my bubble, and become more patient with kids. >> Um, being at Duke Academy, I enjoy it inspire inspires me to be a better person. And seeing the growth in all the kids, it's just really an inspiration. >> Duke Academy is more than a program. It's a team, a mindset, and a community. We're building leaders, shaping character, and passing on grit, one challenge at a time. We're not just teaching these traits. We're modeling them, living them,

026and passing them on. So, each of the activities that you've seen in the video represent a letter in grit. As you saw when the students were having a balloon in the gym and they were having to hold it up in the air and try and keep it up in the air, that activity represented represented resilience. And while some some of them faced challenges trying to keep that balloon up where some of them popped or even they just kept landing on the floor, um they were able to just keep going and we were able to teach them that you should never give up even in the face of challenges. Another example of this is our most recent activity which involved integrity. I was tasked along with my peers to come up with an activity that shows

027integrity. For this activity, we came up with an idea to have these scripts that offered scenarios where the student had to decide which best showed integrity. For example, one of the scripts was if you found a wallet on the ground and you knew it wasn't yours, would you keep it or would you turn it into your teacher? And the students would be given a script with lines and they were given a character and they would go up on stage and they would perform. And after their performance, they were tasked with coming up with a question to ask their other peers. So for example, one of the questions would be, "Have you ever been in a situation like this?" Or, "If you were to ever be in a situation like this, what would you do?" And

028I think this was a really creative way for the students to a have fun and show their creative side with a little bit of acting and also to really practice on what you do when you're not being watched or like in school. I think not only for the students but for us it was a great reminder of what it means to have grit. I know when we were younger we hear about grit and we're just like okay this little acronym that we all hear about. But now having to teach and lead by example to these kids. I think this has really given us an amazing opportunity to kind of refresh and really have a new meaning to what it means to have grit and integrity. Again, thank you guys for your time and at this

029time we like to ask or welcome any questions you guys may have. >> First, a big round of applause. I don't really have a comment or question so much as a comment. So, I've been sitting up here for three years and every month there's a group of kids that come up here and they are forced out of their comfort zone. And I think it was uh Miss Duck that drew attention to that. That's a huge part of what we're doing here every night is is preparing these kids to get out of their comfort zone. That's part of growing up, right? So Awak County School's mission statement is to prepare students for college, career, and life. So kudos to you for being a part of that. So being a mentor and an example is a huge

030part of that. So thank you. >> Okay. Thank you very much. That was great. the fog. >> Okay. You ready? >> You ready? >> Okay. Next, we have request to speak. Madam clerk, >> 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 four 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 students

031will be heard by the school board only in a closed meeting. And first we have Deanna Hubble. Thank you um schoolboard members Dr. Kramer for this opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Dana Hubble. I teach third grade at Carsville Elementary School. While I have taught for 21 years, this is my sixth year in the district. I was last year's district teacher of the year as well as the Virginia region 2 teacher of the year. Most importantly, I am a county resident and taxpayer. Teaching is not for the weak. It requires resilience, creativity, emotional intelligence, and constant problemolving. Teachers make hundreds of decisions a day, often under pressure, often without pause, and always with the children at the center. And still we teach when the days are wild. Still we teach when a fire drill

032happens in the middle of a test. Still we teach when we don't get a bathroom break. Still we teach when technology fails, the copier jams, or the air conditioner stops working. Still we teach. When our students come to us hungry, tired, angry, or hurting, still we teach. The work doesn't end at dismissal. It continues at night, on weekends, during the summer, planning, learning, adjusting, and worrying how to better serve our students. Recently, a district commission salary study confirmed what many of us already know. Teacher pay in Alawite is below the market average in neighboring districts. And that matters. Teachers don't leave because they don't love students. They leave when the workload becomes unsustainable and the compensation no longer reflects the reality of the job. Teachers leave when they cannot afford to stay. When experienced teachers

033leave, students lose consistency. When positions go unfilled, class sizes grow and workloads increase. And when salaries remain below the regional average, recruiting and retaining highquality educators becomes harder, even in a district with strong leadership and supportive schools. Bringing teacher salaries closer to the market and local average is not about extras. It's about sustainability. It's about stability for our schools. And it's about protecting the learning environment of our students and what they deserve. Because no matter the challenges, still we teach. Still we teach because our students need us. But commitment alone cannot sustain a school system. If we want stable classrooms and consistent learning, teacher pay must reflect the reality of the work. When educators can afford to stay, students benefit. Thank you for your time. Amy Carr. So, yay. I lost my voice last night.

034Um, good evening. My name is Amy Carr and I am a fifth grade teacher at Windsor Elementary School. Tonight, I urge you to support your teachers in Alawway County by ensuring that teacher raises are the number one priority in the budget you present to the board of supervisors. You often ask, can we afford these raises? But as we look at our neighbors in Suffach who have already moved toward a $60,000 starting salary, the real question is, can we afford to lose our teachers? Recruitment and retention of teachers needs to be at the forefront of the upcoming budget. Whether you are recruiting new teachers who have just spent over $100,000 on their teaching degree or veteran teachers who have years of experience, they are going to go where the money is. Isle of White is one

035of the fastest growing counties in Virginia and our high-erforming schools are the main reason for that growth. But a revolving door of teachers is a silent killer of that success. Students, especially those in high need or rural areas like Alawite, perform better when they have stable long-term relationships with adults they trust. Research shows that when a veteran teacher leaves, students lose a year of highlevel instructional expertise. Frequent turnover breaks the curriculum coherence our schools rely on, leading to gaps in learning and higher student absenteeism. To protect our c our county's future, we must pay our teachers as the professionals that they are. In the economy that we're living in today, teachers will be financially forced to seek better pay. You shouldn't want to lose me or my dedicated colleagues to neighboring districts. We deserve to

036make a salary that will help support our families. We are feeling the stress, not only in the classroom, but also in our bank accounts. I did a little research. Did you know that a teacher making $54,000 a year can afford less than 8% of the houses listed on the market in Hampton Roads? Did you know that the median house sales in Alawway County are around $450,000? We are educating this community's children, but we cannot afford to live in the community we serve. So why should you pay us more? Why should this be your number one priority? We the teachers play a vital and crucial role in preparing the students of Alawway County to be college and career ready. We lay the groundwork for their success now and in the future. Not only are we educating

037our students in academics, we are helping them build character, values, and social skills. Our profession requires a degree from a 4-year college or university, continued extensive training, long hours outside of the school day, and the ability to navigate emotional situations that require a significant amount of patience and flexibility. Increasing teacher salaries for Alowake County will attract dedicated educators, whether they be fresh from college or veteran teachers like myself with decades of experience. Higher pay is crucial for teacher retention, improving improving student performance and closing educational gaps. So my question is, will you make teacher pay raises a number one priority in Alawway County? Are you going to put your teachers first and show them that you support them in the job that they are doing? I'll leave you with this. I'll leave you with this

038thought from history. I read this week on Dr. Brad Johnson's Facebook page. In the 1800s, Horus man pushed for women to replace men to staff public schools. This was done because women were cheaper than the men who demanded higher pay. This has locked teaching into a lowcost model for the last two centuries. It is time for Aloway County to lead the change. It is time for the teaching profession to be funded appropriately. >> Time. >> Read the last two sentences. Summer Dawkins. Good evening. And I'm going to do my best not to get choked up because I'm going to talk about something that's very near and dear to my heart. But I stand before you today with experience from very two very important aspects. First and most importantly, I am a mother of two amazing

039young children who attend Al of White County School. My daughter's in the first grade and my son is in Little Sprouts. Their father is a graduate of this school system and chose to return to his hometown of Windsor, Virginia to raise his children in a community in a school system that he was proud of. I joined him as a Brunswick County Public School graduate and I furthered my education to become an educator myself. I wholeheartedly believe in the values of this county. But there are things that I've seen in recent years that need to be addressed. Like any parent, we would do anything for our children. And sadly over the past year we my husband and I have contemplated whether our child is in the right placement. Not because of the teachers and not because

040of the administrators and not because of the wonderful people in our central office but because of the things that are happening around her because of the lack of support in those schools. For that reason our child is suffering. My child loves school. She loves to learn, but too many times her learning is interrupted due to the unmet needs of others. Her teacher has been incredible, and the care and dedication shown to all of her students is unmatched. However, the circumstances around her have made her feel less safe than she should due to the due to underst staffing, which is unacceptable. When a child with emotional needs does not get the individualized support that they need because of underst staffing, children are children are put in bad situations. Children are put on the back burner and

041their needs are also not met. My child's needs are not being met. Too many times the instruction has stopped. The general education classroom teachers are burdened with balancing the vast needs of our students. And in the process, groups of children are not receiving the proper education. Our special educators are overwhelmed with large case loads with students who have various needs as well. Please visit our schools, step into those classrooms, and see for yourself. Hearing the stories is nothing compared to seeing them. My child is living through the stories that you are hearing. This brings me to my second perspective. I am a reading interventionist in this county and I have dedicated seven of my 12 years of education to this county. In 2014 when I graduated with my dual license in general education and special

042education, there were no jobs open and that continued until I got finally hired in 2019. Today, our applicant pool is nearly if not completely empty. From the lens of a staff member, I can tell you exactly what's happening. We are seeing a rise in student behavior needs and a rise in diverse student population. Educators are exhausted. They are under supported by the outside stakeholders who are making decisions about their roles and their pay and they're asking you to do more with what we are trying to do more, but we don't have the manpower and we don't have the resources and we need those things. I'm going to skip to the end, but I will be emailing this to everyone. And if you do have questions, please feel free to email me and ask me those

043questions. But I want you to know that our children are worth it. Our teachers are worth it. And we need to feel that way. Okay. Thank you, Shante Densen. Good evening, dear members of Alawite County School Board, board chair, and members of the community. My name is Shante Densen and I am writing to you as an educator of Alawite County Schools, a parent and a community resident with more than 22 years of service in public education. During my career, I've served as an elementary teacher, title one teacher, dual enrollment specialist, assistant principal, and currently the principal of Hardy Elementary School. Over the course of my career, I have watched educational policies evolve, accountability increase, and expectations expand. What has not changed is our commitment to children. What has changed is the level of responsibility, risk,

044and strain placed on educators and administrators. Over the course of my career, I have been kicked, hit, spat on, punched, kicked in the stomach while I was pregnant, and in countless other encounters that shall remain nameless. Most recently, I sustained a tendon injury to my foot while intervening to assure a student's safety. Verbally, I have been called the N-word, the B-word, and a host of other remarks by students and parents. And last, but certainly not least, I would be remiss if I did not include the public humiliation and defamation of character on social media due to my requirement to follow policy and do what's right for children. Given my position, I was unable to respond or provide an explanation. And yes, I continue to show up with my head held high and ready for work

045each day. My teachers have also experienced some if not all of the above behaviors that I just mentioned. Specifically, they have been bitten, kicked, called names, racial slurs, chairs, and deaths thrown at them during instruction, physical assaults, and concussions, bullying by parents, and they have also been victims of insults on social media. Yet, they return each morning because they believe in children. I do not share these realities for your sympathy. I share them to be honest. The work has changed in our schools. The demands have intensified and the risks are real. Despite these challenges, as educators, we retend we return to our classrooms and school leash day. We do so again because we believe in our students and the mission of public education. However, do not mistake dedication for I'm sorry. However, dedication should not

046be mistaken for the ability to endure strain. Talented teachers are walking away and leaving education. Specifically in Alawite County schools, not because they don't care, but because they can't afford to stay. Given the current teacher loss, it hurts our students, our schools, and our community. At a time when neighboring divisions are offering sign on bonuses, salaries exceeding ours by $5,000 or more, out of county schools, we are struggling to recruit and retain highquality teachers and administrators. As principles in Alawite County schools, we often find ourselves interviewing the same candidates across multiple schools. And instead of focusing solely on the instructional fit for our school, it almost feels as though we are salesmen trying to convince the candidate to choose our school despite lower compensation. This should not be the case, but it is our reality.

047It is increasingly difficult to compete for talent for vacancies, resignations. It impacts student learning stability and our staff morale. We need to compensate teachers but also all educators including administrators for their work experience and the conditions in which they serve. This is not simply a budget issue. It's a sustainability issue. I will email the rest to you. Thank you so much. Elizabeth Everett. Okay, good evening. My name is Elizabeth Everett. I'm a teacher at Windsor Elementary. I'm not here tonight to discuss the issues of what's happening in the building and the reasons why we need more funding. I have many eloquent colleagues that are going to do that. Instead, I'm here to focus on this board, what we've seen so far, and what we would like to see going forward. I want it to be

048known that the thoughts I'm going to share are based on the statements that this board made publicly last month. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors, but these are based on your own words. I want to start off by saying I along with many other teachers want to thank Mr. Ford for the question he asked after the compensation study was presented. when he asked about how we could get to 80% and what it would cost. We understand 80% is more than likely not possible, especially after watching the reaction from the 70%. But it was the only positive question asked the entire meeting. So, we wanted to say thank you. We felt supported. Other statements that were made were, "Well, that's just money we simply don't have, and we need to consider how this

049may raise taxes and affect the elderly on a fixed income." I want you to consider how this is going to be interpreted by the staff in your school system. There are several concerns about this attitude and statements that were presented last month. One particular statement that's brought up that we feel is a disconnect is the concern of te taxes. There are two points I want to make. First, the school board is not the governing body that decides how the county spends its money. That is a board of supervisor decision. A school board is to support its community's voice, vision as the visions, policy, and goals regarding the school district. According to a poll taken in the Times last week, the community voted to pay us what the compensation study is stating by an overwhelming 92%.

050That may or may not be what you individually think we should do, but you represent the community, not yourselves. The other point to make is that the study stated we already have the financial power to make this happen. No one even mentioned raising taxes. So why is that the first statement made when the study was shown? We know we have to go to the board of supervisor meeting and make the same pitch to them. What's frustrating for us is that we feel like we have to make the pitch to this board. What we would like to see from the board going forward first go ask for the money. All of it. Shoot for the moon. Let them turn you down if that's what they're going to do. This board was ready to freeze our step

051last year until a handful of us spoke out and we got it. You can't get something if you don't at least ask for it. The entire mindset of this board needs to be a problem-solving go-getter attitude. Not a defeist it's not going to happen attitude. The attitude is exactly why we're here in the first place. We've been neglected by the board of supervisors for years. We would like to see you being willing to stick your neck out and advocate for us. Imagine if teachers in your county had this attitude every time we ran across students who didn't perform at grade level or had unstable home lives. In education world, there's something called the power of yet. When a student says, "I can't read," we say, "Yet. I can't do this math yet." This is what

052we would like to see from the school board. We don't have the money yet. Let's figure out a way to go get it or at the very least try. Everyone wants to say that teachers deserve more pay, and believe me, we do. But when it's time for people to put their money where their mouth is for teachers, our society seems to always fall short on this. If you want to advocate for us, here's your opportunity. You ask yourself, why did you take this board position? Is it out of love for children and educators? Because if that's your reason for truly being here, this is your chance to prove it. Thank you. Shauna Vanskyver. >> Good evening. Shortly after coming back from break in January, my family received a letter from Mr. Johnson at Westside letting

053us know that my daughter's English teacher quit. It was almost ironic to me last year I stood at this podium begging for a step-up raise and the 10% pay increase that Miss Sullivan said we needed to be able to recruit dedicated seasoned teachers and quality new teachers to our schools. And here I am now with a young girl in a class of 27 students navigating an upheaval due to situations that are out of my control but could have been in yours. Prior prioritizing staff pay retains the quality that we have and we know we have it. Our test scores prove it and opens the door for quality dedicated seasoned teachers to make the move to Isle of White. It will also help with recruitment of quality new teachers that are willing to stay when the

054going gets tough. Miss Sullivan has stated numerous times that it is hard to find applicants to fill vacancies, particularly in specialty areas such as the library that has been vacant all year at Windsor Elementary. There are how it's also been mentioned that applicants often decline offers with reasoning that they can make more money in our neighboring areas. Not only are schools feeling the staffing pressures resulting in higher class sizes and positions being unfilled, some parents are feeling the devastating reality of losing a teacher in the middle of the year. In the recent poll in the Smithville Times, 92% of respondents, which by the way were not only teachers, because I know they told me that they a lot of them said that, you know, they were my friends, um, their parents, not only teachers, said

055that this needs to happen. It should be now, not a slow roll out over a few years. That will be too late. Divisions around us talked about 10% raises last year. SUFFK was big on that. They really drove for that. They didn't get it. Most of them fell about the in the same range that we did last year. But I think the discussion for raises are going to continue where they left off with others around us asking for more, which will put us even further behind if it isn't a top priority. Now, I'm a school counselor. Over the years, I have watched numerous school counseling positions remain open for entire school years unfilled. There is a reason for that. A school counselor's pay falls on the teacher pay scale, and that's pretty standard anywhere that

056you go. Um, lower pay is a contributing factor to our VA vacancies, but also the role of a school counselor looks very different in our county than a majority of the counties referenced in the compensation compensation study, particularly in reference to the amount of time managing paperwork. I have messaged the board me some of you board members regarding this and the use of our role in the past. A few years ago, counselor stood up here and advocated for STF positions with guidance that STFs would handle the 504 504 responsibilities at school. We worked toward that for a few years. In the past four years, STF positions have been inconsistently filled in some schools, leaving counselors in charge of all 504 paperwork. Now, now the STFs are in charge of a lot more assessments, and we

057are all left to split these 504 duties. According to the American School Counselor Association, school counselors should advocate for students with 504 plans by participating on teams, helping identify eligible students, and collaborating on accommodations. However, counselors should not act as 504 coordinators, case managers, or be responsible for writing and managing plans. The separation avoids role conflicts and ensures counselors can support students, not just all students, not just those with disabilities. At this time, I have found that Suffach, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfol, York County, and Newport News, I haven't been able to confirm the rest, counselors do not participate in testing or 504 case management. These counties also offer higher pay. Is it possible to look at what who they use to manage these responsibilities? The mental health needs for our students and families over the

058last few years have increased exponentially. We partner and collaborate with outside agencies, work with healthcare providers, and want to be able to be in classrooms working with students to support them more frequently than is currently achievable. We want to support all stakeholders, teachers, students, parents, and guardians. This cannot be fully achieved sitting behind a computer doing paperwork. Lori McGurn. Good evening, school board members and Dr. Kramer. My name is Lori McGurn and I am proud to work at Windsor Elementary School. I have been with the district for eight years teaching both both first grade and third grade. Some of you may recognize me as I have taught your child or grandchild. I am also a proud parent of two students at Windsor Elementary School. I left a neighboring district to come to Isle of White

059because of the positive things I had heard throughout the years and from former colleagues who had moved to the district. When I accepted the position, I could not have been more excited to join Isle of White and the Windsor Elementary family. After eight years in the building, it is crazy to think that I am one of the teachers who has stuck it out. Within my team alone, I have watched colleagues move on to new opportunities, whether it is within the building or to leave education entirely. There has not been one year on the third grade team where we have remained consistent due to staff turnover. Teacher pay being questioned honestly amazes me. We consistently show the state just how amazing we are. Our entire district is accredited and that is huge and a big part

060of that is due to your teachers. You know those teachers that you are questioning on whether they deserve to be paid like neighboring districts. Those teachers are quitting. They're going to those neighboring districts. They're going where the money is or they're just quitting because being a teacher is hard. I can only speak for elementary teachers. That is what I am. I work hard daily to make sure to not only be a teacher, but I am also a nurse, a therapist, and sometimes I am a mom to my students. I wear many hats each day. And over the last few years, it has taken a toll on me physically and mentally. A new stressor is the rising cost of living. As I watch prices for everything else rise around me, while my pay remains the same,

061it is disheartening. It is time for a change. It is time to pay teachers what they deserve. It is time to show Hampton Roads just how amazing it is to work in Isle of White, not only for the people, but for the pay as well. Thank you for your time. Herb Degraph. Mr. Chairman, board members, Herb Deist 5. Uh my concerns this evening have to do with policies, the financial statements, the capital improvement program, the Westside Scap application, and pending architectural and engineering contract for Westside. Number one, under the 31 January 26 financial report, please explain why the cafeteria fund has a deficit of $495,283. Number two, was the SHS's band room renovation and or the SHS building renovation in the IWCSCIP that was approved by the IWCS board on 11th September 25. These are

062foyer requests. Alsai IWCS board. I'm making a foyer request for an electronic copy to be sent to my email address of the IWCS SCAP application that superintendent submitted to VDOE on 19 November of 25 and all other accompanying information pertaining to the SCAP grant. At the 11th September 25 board meeting video, it documents that Dr. Coleman during his CIP presentation told y'all in the public the reason why there was a question mark for projected cost for new WESs and S and SHs's renovation was I quote because we don't have architectural plans, drawings or designs that give us an idea of how much exactly what that project will cost. Remember Chair Mary's had told the board on 7 October of 25 that RRMM was under contract with IWCS. So they must have provided architectural plans, drawings

063or designs to come up with the projected cost of 70 million for a new westside to be submitted to VDOE for the Scap grant on 19th November. Miss Perkins said on 9 October options are going to include generalized costs for renovations, a smaller school, a larger school. Kind of like we did for maintenance, question mark. Dr. Kramer responded to her by saying we will be providing ongoing updates as we go through this process. Miss Perkins, the board will be apprised where we are in the process and what phase we're in. But at the end of the day, you the board will have to make those determinations based on recommendations from our team, the experts. But yes, no decision be made from us or the firms that we are going to be consulting. That decision is

064going to be made by the respective boards. End of quote. And then Mr. Worster on non- October said, Dr. Coleman, when we're looking at a new westside versus a renovation, putting out this RFP for our typical design is going to be needed for either option. Is that correct? question mark and Dr. Coleman replied that is correct. That's a decision that we can make to ask the architect to do both. The original one and I'm not going to say the original one but the one from 2018 that was mentioned at the meeting. He's referring to that seven October joint meeting board meeting at Hardy Elementary that was performed by an architect that we had at the time. School records document that the IWCS architect from 2018 was our RMM. They were awarded the contract in building

065the new Hardy. So Dr. Coleman has basically stated that the RFP for architectural service for Hardy was done by our awarded the contract as the exceeded the budget by significant millions when it started out at 27 million. So hey, we got a real problem. We have a problem in not having effective cost control management on this school board and this school administration. And that's why you have these teachers asking about their pay. The pay in this county used to be dang competitive back earlier in this past decade. What happened? It's because we haven't effectively made good control, cost control management a part of the process. So, let's think about that. I sent this in an email to you all about 1710 today. And those of you on a military background, that's 510. So, uh, please,

066uh, read that and I look forward to the responses to my, uh, foyer request and, uh, congratulations teachers. Give them a hell. >> Caitlyn Britt. Hello, I'm Caitlyn Britt, a teacher and parent at WES Windsor Elementary School. I had a hard time deciding what to say up here tonight because on the one hand, there are so many challenges that the employees in the school are facing as many of my colleagues have stated and will state tonight. On the other hand, I want to remain hopeful that we can alleviate some of these challenges if we act now. We need to see some real change in pay, not just teachers, but all employees. I went back and reread my remarks from last year to see what has changed. I could have almost reused my speech from the

067budget meetings last year. Teachers and IAS are still leaving and we have vacant positions in our schools. Last year, I was worried about a revolving door of new teachers. This year, I'm worried about finding teachers at all. We have several vacancies in our building right now. This is due to positions not being filled from the beginning of this year and staff members leaving midy year. Let's take a little walk down memory lane. I began my teaching career in 2012. Having grown up in Alawway County, I wanted to get a job here. I met the director of human resources at the time at a job fair at Longwood where I was finishing up my teaching degree. I stayed in contact with her and even had a preliminary interview with her in May when I graduated. But

068there were so few teacher openings that as a new teacher, I was unable to start my career here. You couldn't even get your foot in the door. I started in a neighboring district and gained a few years of experience before trying again in 2016 when I was able to continue my career here. Back to the present. We'd be lucky to get a brand new teacher with a degree in education to come work in the school system. It used to be unheard of for teachers to leave in the middle of the year. This year and last year, we've had to shuffle staff members around in the middle of the year to try to plug holes from other staff members leaving. I heard it standing right here last year. We've interviewed the person was qualified and offered

069the job but turned down due to lack of pay. Starting each day in a deficit should not be accepted as our normal. Paying our staff members their market value should. You could approve more positions to help lighten the load, but would we even be able to fill and keep those positions filled? Teachers, IAS, administrators, central office staff are all wearing multiple hats and taking on jobs that are not theirs due to these vacancies. For example, our librarian media specialist position has been vacant all year. Sure, we've had some amazing subs step in when they can, but the ramifications are farreaching. Resource classes are often having to be split or coaches, counselors, even me as a reading interventionist have covered resource classes. Students at our school did not have the opportunity to check out books from

070the library for about two months because our library had to be closed. Two instructional coordinators worked for weeks to restore our library. The effects of this one position can be felt from students to teachers all the way up to central office. And this is just one position. It reaches from the top down to the bottom up. One argument I've heard is that we're too topheavy. I disagree with that statement. Everyone is doing multiple jobs because of the inability of our school system to keep employees. I'm asking you, the board, to fight for us. We understand that the board of supervisors has to allocate more money. Last year, we got here late in the game. This year, we are coming to you in advance. And while we're here, let's make a plan to include IAS and

071central office staff in the very near future. Let's head in the direction of being competitive again like we were when I started my career 14 years ago. Thank you Jennifer Obenchain. Am I saying that correctly? Oh, okay. Good evening members of the Alawite State Board um school board and also good evening Dr. Kramer. I'm here truly to express my sincere appreciation for the opportunity to serve as a nurse within Alawite County Schools. Throughout my 16 years in nursing, I have to say this role has actually been the most rewarding um throughout my entire career. I am proud to work alongside not only just dedicated teachers, my administrators and support staff who constantly prioritize the well-being and success of our students. I respectfully uh bring forward a consideration regarding nursing compensation within our division. In reviewing

072regional salary comparisons, it appears that current compensation levels for school nurses are lower than those of neighboring divisions. While many of us are committed to Isle White because of its positive culture, strong sense of community, composition plays an important role not only just both with recruitment but also for long-term retention of qualified nursing professionals. And I think with our nursing division or any positions that are available for the children, consistency for them is truthfully the key. It's something that I believe they rely on. And it's always wonderful for the student to continuously to see the same face every day. Every day. School nurses provide far more uh routine care than just band-aids and ice packs. We manage complex manage um manage uh medical diagnosis, medical needs. We respond to emergencies. That could be just for

073our students, but for anyone in the building. We also help try to support student attendance and their academic performance. As we know, their illness and their academic performance comes handinand as a critical link um between families and healthcare providers in the school system. Our school nurses are playing a huge role as well. Retaining experienced nurses ensures continuity of care, student safety number one, and institutional knowledge that benefits the entire division. I share this perspective not as a complaint, but as a thoughtful consideration for the continued strength and stability of our student health services in our schools. Evaluating nursing compensation in the light of the competitive regional market would support retention of current staff and help attract highly qualified candidates for the future. Thank you for your time, your leadership, and continued dedication to the students,

074community, and the staff of Al White. I'm grateful to be part of this division and remain devoted to continue to support my local school community. Thank you. Kimberly Nolan trying to say I'm short. My name is Kim Nolan. I'm a fifth grade teacher currently teaching in Isle of White County schools and am someone who cares deeply about the well-being of our students and staff. I appreciate the time and effort you have devoted to studying teacher compensation and I respectfully urge you to prioritize teacher raises for the upcoming school year. The recent compensation study presented to the school board confirmed that olive white teacher pay is below the regional market average for all but the most experienced educators. As you now know, nine of the 12 surrounding school divisions offer higher pay for teachers through their

07521st year of experience. For early and mid-career teachers, this makes it increasingly difficult to remain in a division we love. At my school, understaffing has become a serious and ongoing challenge. We currently rely on grade level special education teachers and special education instructional assistants to cover other self-contained classrooms due to vacancies. As a result, entire grade levels are left without consistent special education services. These are not occasional disruptions. They are daily realities that directly affect students who rely on legally required and carefully planned support. In addition, we have vacancies in resource teaching positions. To compensate, students are sometimes split among remaining resource classes, increasing class sizes up to 32 students and placing additional strain on the remaining resource teachers and the substitutes who are asked to step in. These educators are doing everything they can,

076but the situation is not sustainable. The stress placed on staff and the inconsistency for students are taking a real toll on everyone. The compensation study makes it clear that Olive White's current pay scale contributes to these challenges. Our starting salary of $52,520 is below the regional average and significantly lower than neighboring divisions such as SUFFK, who offers a $60,000 starting salary. If teachers and support staff were offered competitive pay, the district would be in a stronger position to fill vacancies, stabilize schools, and ensure students receive the services they deserve. As a fifth grade teacher, I see firsthand how staffing shortages affect learning, behavior, and emotional well-being. Students thrive on stability, structure, and strong relationships. When positions go unfilled and teachers are constantly reassigned to cover gaps, it is our students who ultimately pay the price.

077I respectfully ask the school board to take meaningful action by funding teacher raises for the coming school year and moving is of White closer to the 70th percentile recommended in the compensation study. Investing in competitive pay is an investment in our teachers, our students, and ultimately the long-term success of our schools and community. Thank you for your time, leadership, and commitment to Isle of White County Schools. I hope you will continue to stand with educators as we work together to meet the needs of every student. Sheay Wy. Good evening, Chairman Collic, school board members, and Dr. Kramer. My name is Shay Wy. I am an instructional coach here at Westside, a resident of Smithfield, and a 20 plus year veteran educator with 10 years right here in Island White County. I stand before you tonight

078because I believe deeply in our schools, our teachers, and most importantly, our children. Our schools are excelling. They are growing academically, socially, and emotionally. They are learning to think critically, solve problems, and become future leaders. But their success is not accidental. It happens because teachers show up every single day willing to give more than is what is asked of them. They take risks for their students. They stay late. They arrive early. They spend weekends planning, preparing, and worrying about children who are not their own, but who they feel like they are. Tonight, I am asking you to take the a risk for them. I am asking you to fully fund the school division's request to raise teacher pay and restore steps. Taking a risk is often misunderstood. A risk is not reckless. A risk is

079an act of courage. It is choosing to invest in something you believe is worth protecting. Our teachers and the students they serve are absolutely worth protecting. Right now, many teachers are funding their classrooms, clubs with their own paychecks. They are writing grants late in the night. They are searching for donations just to provide meaningful learning opportunities and realworld experiences. They do this quietly without a complaint because they love their students. But love and dedication should never require financial sacrifice. And the reality is heartbreaking. We are losing incredible teachers. We are losing mentors, role models, and experienced educators to surrounding divisions that can offer them financial stability. When teachers leave, students lose relationships they depend on. They lose consistency. They lose trusted adults who know their strengths, struggles, and stories. You cannot replace that with a

080job posting. If we truly want our schools to be the best place for students to learn, they must also be the best place for teachers to build their careers and their lives. Every child in this division deserves an opportunity. Every teacher in this division deserves respect that is reflected in competitive pay. Every family member in this community deserves confidence that their teacher will still be here next year. Tonight, I am asking you to choose courage over comfort. Choose investment over delay. Choose to stand behind the educators who stand behind our children every single day. Fund teacher pay raises. Restore steps. Take a risk of investment. Some risks change lives. Some risks shape futures. This is one of them. Our students are counting on you. Our teachers are counting on you. The future of this community

081is depending on you. Thank you, Britney Winslow. Good evening, Chairman Collik, school board members, and Dr. Kramer. My name is Britney Winslow, and I serve as the reading coach here at Westside Elementary. In my role, I have the privilege of working alongside teachers every single day in their classrooms, in planning meetings, and in moments that no one outside these walls ever sees. I stand before you tonight just not as one educator but as a witness to the extraordinary dedication of hundreds. Every day I watch teachers arrive early and stay late. I watch them analyze student data, redesign lessons and retach skills over and over. Not because it is easy, but because they refuse to let a child fall behind. I watch them celebrate the smallest victories. A student reading their first chapter book. A struggling

082learner finally gaining confidence and a child who once said, "I can't begin to believe maybe I can." Teaching is not a job that ends when the bell rings. It follows them home. It lives in their thoughts at night. It shows up in the extra hours spent planning, worrying, and caring. As a reading coach, I see the invisible work, the emotional labor, the relentless commitment, the refusal to give up on children, no matter how heavy the demands become. And yet, despite this unwavering dedication, we are asking these same teachers to continue doing more while being paid significantly less than neighboring districts. We have completed a compensation study. We now have the data. We know objectively that Isa White County is falling behind. This is no longer a matter of perception. It is a fact. Our teachers

083know it. Our neighboring districts know it. And increasingly, we are losing talented educators because they simply cannot afford to stay. This is not because they lack passion. It is not because they lack commitment. It is because passion does not pay a mortgage. And commitment does not cover rising grocery bills. Dedication alone cannot sustain a family. Every time a teacher leaves, the loss is profound. We lose expertise. We lose mentorship. We lose stability for our students and the weight shifts to those who remain. Those who continue to give more, stretch further, and carry the system forward. But there is a limit to how long people can carry the weight without support. As a reading coach, I am tasked with improving literacy outcomes. I work to help teachers go, to strengthen instruction, and to ensure students learn

084to read at high levels. But the truth is, literacy outcomes do not improve without retaining strong teachers. Progress cannot be sustained when experience walks out the door. We cannot coach our way out of a compensation problem. We cannot professional develop our way out of a retention crisis. We want strong schools. We must invest in the people who make them strong. This is not about asking for something extra. This is about correcting what we now know is inequitable. It is honoring the professionals who dedicate their lives to serving this community's children. Our teachers are not asking to be applauded. They are asking to be valued. They are asking to be able to stay. They're asking to continue doing the work they love without being forced to choose between their passion and their financial stability. You now

085have the data and you now have the study. you have the opportunity to act. Invest in your teachers. Invest in retention. Invest in the stability and future of Isa White County Schools. Because when we invest in teachers, we invest in every child who walks through our doors. Thank you, Katherine Wilcox. No. That's it. Mr. H. I want to thank everyone for coming out and speaking tonight. Um, I know it was probably difficult for some of you to come up here and and speak. um this board last year, you know, uh commissioned this study because in our guts we felt that the pay wasn't adequate. Um so now we have the data like a few of you have mentioned and um I don't know what the budget's going to look like two months from now, but

086rest assured that study is not going to be put on a shelf. We will be using that as we develop the budget. So, um, we're going to do what we can for you and we're g we're going to fight real hard and we're going to find every penny we can. Um, and we're going to do the absolute best that we can. Thank you. Next, we'll have the reports from the student liaison. Cameron, >> uh, good afternoon, school board. This month, February, is Black History Month. Uh the first semester just recently ended, so we're in the second semester now. Uh which means that grade point averages, transcripts, and class ranks have all updated as we've transitioned from one set of classes to another. Also, it's around this time of year when most students begin hearing back

087from colleges and commit to where they're going to go. Our guidance department, as per usual, has been doing a great job at looking into scholarships and finding those to help students finance this transition to post-secary education. Uh earlier in the month, if you remember, we did experience a few snow days, the 26th, the 27th, and then we got the second of this month. So, thank you so much. We we did appreciate that over at Smithfield High School. Um but since then, the weather has cleared up. We were able to get back in, finish up our exams, and everything's been going smoothly as we've transitioned to the new semester. On next Monday, February 16th, we'll be off for President's Day. And then tomorrow, on Friday the 13th, SHS will return back to Beta Convention for the

088second year in a row. And when we return at our next meeting, I should have the updates about how that went for you all. Uh outside of that, there is really nothing much is going on at Smithfield. And have a good Valentine's Day since I won't see you all for the weekend. But that's all there is for me to update soon. >> Uh good evening everyone. Uh I feel I would fall short of my role as student liaison if I did not address uh the emotional opinions and feelings that students feel for student comp or for teacher compensation. Uh as a former bulldog of Carsville, as a former Titan of GTMS, and as a current Windsor High School Duke, I cannot voice uh for my peers and for the people I represent enough that our

089teachers are worth it. Um, we we feel that, we see that, and we hear that every day of the week, all month long, all school year long. Um, I heard a lot of uh things that really moved me. Um, yet I can't do this yet. Uh, I I've I've felt that my whole 11 years in school, and I feel that this county needs to move forward to saying yet for teacher pay. Um, choose courage over comfort. That is amazing. Um, love and dedication should never have financial sacrifice and we are worth the ris risk. Um, I had a lot to say tonight but I feel it would fall short of my role of the people I represent if I did not voice their perspective on this topic because we are the people who see teachers

090every day who are in the classroom all day long. And um, that's all I'm going to have to say tonight. Thank you. To add on to what Cole said, I was also very moved by everything that the community had to say regarding teacher pay. Uh, Miss Densson's words particularly struck home with me and I thought that everything that you all had to say was just amazing. Next, we'll have the president. We're going to take a fivem minute break. Okay. Okay, the Alawite School Board is back in session. We'll have the presentations by the superintendent staff and Okay. Good evening, Mr. Chair, members of the board, Dr. Kramer. Uh, tonight we're going to share some information about Hardy's uh plan that we are submitting. Um, as we previously shared, Hardy is federally identified as a targeted

091support and improvement school in the area of students with disabilities. This means that on the new school performance and support framework, students with disabilities did not meet the threshold scores for reading and math. Even though the overall framework score for Hardy was the second highest elementary school score. As a result of this, they must complete a support plan which has been provided to you all. Tonight, Miss Densen will provide you with a brief overview of the plan and then we will ask that you vote to approve it so that we can submit it to VDOE. In addition, Dr. Sith Johnson will share a grant that corresponds with the initiatives laid out in the plan. Through VDOE, we can request up to $45,000 to support the plan. Um, which we also have and you have before

092you tonight as well. The plan does not need to be the plan has to be approved by you. The grant does not. So tonight, a after the presentation, we do ask that you vote to approve the plan. >> Thank you, Miss Sensson. >> Good evening again. As mentioned by uh Miss Susan Gets, um we were federally identified um as a school being off track due to our subgroup of students with disabilities. Um, but I also want to add to that that we are fully accredited according to the state of Virginia. And so I know some listeners out there may not understand the difference between the two, but again we are fully accredited. However, we were identified by the US Department of Education, the federal government. So with our plan, Hardy Elementary administrative staff and our

093division leaders, we met and we discussed what is the best route for us to take in order to I guess you would say get out of this hole. And so we reviewed the evidence-based interventions that were provided to us by the federal government, US Department of Education. And again, as a team, we reviewed interventions for reading, math, and attendance because attendance was also a concern. However, it they it was only a concern specifically with our students with disabilities. And so, just to give you some background, if students with disabilities are suspended, that can possibly increase our chronic absenteeism rate. So, in the areas of reading, the evidence-based reading intervention that we selected was Lexia Core 5. Lexia Core 5 is an evidence-based reading program. It is recommended by the US Department of Education. It is

094also recommended by the Virginia Department of Education. We actually had Lexia Core 5 in our schools last year. Again, it was recommended by VDOE. We did not select to use the program this year. However, um due to us having to select an evidence based an evidence-based intervention, we decided to go back. And so all students in grades kindergarten through fourth grade will have Lexia core 5 incorporated within their reading and writing block. Specifically in grades three and four which are the so grades at Hardy Elementary. We will hire tutors and those tutors will uh be placed in our third and fourth grade inclusion classes to support students specifically in the subgroup of students with disabilities but also all students. Those tutors will work for four days a week um five hours a day and so

095right now we have one tutor and she actually started I believe on Tuesday. In the area of math, uh we are using the evidence-based intervention of Zern. >> Our initial presentation on the findings of the study were presented virtually on January 15th. I've come back this evening to share with you the uh final numbers with respect to the other groups that we did not discuss outside of the teachers at the last meeting on the 15th. I do want to open up uh by saying there's an adjustment to the teacher financial impact. Uh it was initially uh estimated to be 4.2 million. After uh meeting with uh Lisel and Laura, we realized that we had included in our analysis the teacher education supplements which the teachers are already receiving. So we had to back those out.

096And so after we backed those out, the cost was adjusted downward to 3.6 million uh which is about a 12.8% 8% uh increase. Um in addition to the uh teacher salary scale, we also developed a scale for the clinicians and we set the clinician scale up uh similar to the teacher scale. As you know with teachers uh the approach is to look uh at uniformity and to uh do a comparative analysis of other uh teacher schedules and neighboring and regional districts and that approach was utilized for the clinicians as well. Uh we also keep the same uh increment increases between the steps. Uh steps 0 through 15 are at 1 and a.5 uh% uh 16 through 29 are at 1.25 and 30 through 35 are at 1 and a.5% uh for that particular group. The

097clinicians the financial impact there uh to place them on the proper step and add one additional step uh is $152,462 uh which represents an increase in payroll of 10.2 2%. As with the case with the teachers, that number does not include any fringe benefit costs associated with it. So that would have to be added on to uh for the uh total financial impact. Now with the other two groups, the administrators and the support staff, uh we took a different approach to developing the uh new pay plans for those groups. um those groups uh entail a great deal of diversity in terms of the different jobs that comprise the administrators as well as a support uh staff's uh schedule. So we were uh looking at in addition to the market data for the comparative analysis, we

098were also looking at and documenting the complexity associated with the different positions and using the job factors you see before you uh to actually uh analyze and rank the positions uh based on the presence of the job factors relative to the job duties and responsibilities. And so what you see before you are the criteria or factors we use to build the pay plans for the administrators and the support staff personnel. There are 14 job factors that we use to uh grade those positions. Uh starting with data uh responsibility which looks at the different types of uh data in the forms of reports whether it's a simple as an incident report or as complex as a strategic plan or budget document. We also looked at judgment, people responsibility in terms of type of supervision, uh the

099complexity of the work, asset responsibility, whether it's formally managing a budget or being able to uh commit funds on behalf of the district. Uh we looked at the impact of decision- making, not only in a routine, but in a non-rine uh situation, and what's the impact? Could there be some uh injury to an employee or student or some type of legal exposure to the district? We looked at the level of education, experience that's needed for the position, not necessarily what the individual holds. We look at the equipment that's utilized in the performance of the position. Everything from uh hardware, software, computer equipment to operating uh diagnostic uh tools as well as uh something as simple as a a district vehicle. We looked at any physical requirements in terms of uh lifting, carrying or toing. uh

100communication looking at who the employees are interacting with internally and externally in order to fulfill the job duties of the position. Any mathematical or statistical computation associated with the position. Any unavoidable hazards which are those things that the employee could be exposed to that could physically harm them. Any uh safety requirements that are associated with the position. Uh there of the 14 job factors, they're weighted. Some carry more weight than others. As a consultant, I go through and I assign a rating score that ranges from 1 to 10 in each one of those categories. And as each position accumulates a total quantitative point score, it's assigned to a pay grade which has a salary range which is ultimately uh consistent of a minimum, midpoint and a maximum salary value for that job. And then we

101converted that into a step table uh for the positions on the administrator and support staff schedule based on our market findings for the administrator and support staff schedule. Uh that group currently rests at about the 58th percentile and we're advocating to move uh that those two groups based on the recommended pay structures to the 65th uh percentile to aid in recruitment and retention. What you see before you is what uh the uh pay plan looks like in its initial form. Uh if you can see to the left hand side, there's a pay grade assigned to each job. As you go to the right, you'll see the job title, and then the salary range consisting of a minimum, which is an entry- level salary, then a midpoint, which is considered the market average, and then the

102maximum value for that position at this point in time. And so there are 47 uh positions on the administrator uh pay plan. And then we took those uh salary ranges, the mid minimums, midpoint, maximums, and converted them into a 36 uh 35 step table to match the teachers and clinicians. The grades are across the top horizontally and the steps are down the left hand side uh vertically. uh there's a 1 and a.5% increment in between uh the steps on the administrative table. Before you is the support staff uh pay plan which was developed using the same uh job factors that were used to develop the administrator uh plan uh with the same uh setup with respect to pay grades and salary ranges. And then those were converted into a step table uh with grades horizontally

103across the top and the uh step values on the left hand side vertically. When we look at those two uh employee groups, the goal, as I said, is to get them to the 65th percentile. The financial impact is 1.3 million uh dollars to implement the recommendations to get them to the 65th percentile, which represents about a 7 uh 96% increase to the current payroll and again French benefits would have to be added on uh for the the total financial impact for that group. Um as I sat here and listened to the uh uh passionate uh statements from the teachers um I hope that the board will take every uh opportunity to find the financing to implement the salary schedules. During the course of the four months we've worked on the study. We've had a opportunity

104to interact with some fantastic employees uh here in the district. We think the leadership uh with uh uh Dr. Kramer and his staff is topnotch. And I'd like to uh ask Dr. Kramer if he would reach out to his counterpart over in the uh uh Portsouth School District. When we completed their study last year, the financial impact was about $14 million. And so, uh, they had to go to city council, uh, and request funding as you do with your your board of, uh, county supervisors, and they were able to secure the entire amount that they needed to fund this, uh, the study, uh, combining the state funds as well as the city funds. And so, it might be worth a phone call just to see what uh, strategies they uh, utilize to uh, get the

105council on board to help fund uh, the needed uh, uh, increases in that district. Um that in a nutshell uh is what we've come back with. Um I'm going to be optimistic and say when you implement the study I think you're going to see that there will be uh much more robust applicant pools for teachers, administrators, and support staff. uh I think you will not have the situation you have now where uh you don't get uh as many people applying for positions whether it be the classroom or non-classroom positions uh have you as you've had over the last couple of years. It'll go back to where it was probably seven or eight years ago when uh you didn't have to go looking for staff. Staff were coming wanting to be a part of uh the

106great things that are going on in this district. Uh we'll always be available if there are follow-up questions or assistance that's needed. Um if there are any uh questions relative to the other groups that uh I shared with you tonight in terms of how their positions came out with the uh final report, I'll be happy to address those. >> M Mr. Chair, I got one question, Doc. um on the job factors in in the labor market survey of the peer groups for the positions aside from the teachers. This the second half of what we're presenting tonight did when you say peer groups that's just other school divisions. These are positions in other >> Yes. >> school divisions. >> Yes. Is there is there any comparison to a comparable position a CFO or an IT administrator

107in a civilian sector outside of public education? >> Uh we did not go outside of of public education. Uh for those positions, it was strictly focused on school divisions in the neighboring districts and the region. >> Okay. And and just to make sure I'm understanding this, for any one of these given positions, it's incumbent upon us, I guess, to look at individual positions because we've just looked at the lows, the mids, and the highs, right? One of the things I would uh caution you not to do that we've seen some other organizations do uh sometimes uh when it comes to implementation is looking at uh certain groups in terms of a phase in uh which tends to pit different employee groups against each other. We would recommend that if you have to phase it in,

108you do something for all all groups equally uh at each phase and not prioritize uh uh one group over another if you if you can if you can help it. So that's that's interesting feedback because one of the reasons we got to the compensation study because last during the budget season and folks up here can keep me honest, we were competing back and forth between different subgroups and we didn't know if we were supposed to give it to the bus drivers or the teachers or the nurses or whoever. So that's how we ended up unanimously asking to do this so we could get rid of all that. And to steal a word from Dr. Kramer what he told me this morning to get an independent perspective. I think by far and large the board already

109knew we had shortfalls with compensation. We just needed someone with an independent perspective to come in and point that out for us. >> Yes. It's been an accumulation over the past several years of not keeping pace. >> That's all I got, Mr. Chair. >> Thank you. Anybody else? >> Mr. Chair, >> if I may, while others are contemplating their questions, I appreciate the recommendation uh Dr. Campbell to reach out to uh my friend and colleague in Portsmouth. I also know that you conducted the u compensation study for Picosen. I have been in touch with them and I know they gave a very uh substantial u raise last year across the board to their employees. So, thank you for that recommendation and I think I will take that advice and and we'll reach out to them.

110Anybody else? I I read this uh for about an hour this afternoon. Um Dr. Campbell um there's a lot to digest in there. Um, and I I think there's a lot uh that that we can use definitely and I appreciate uh you taking the time and coming here tonight to explain this to us. Um, and I'm just hopeful that we can fully implement it. Um, if not this year, over over two years, uh, at least. Um, we, you know, we need the teachers. We need we need them to stay, you know. um and we can't afford to lose them. So, I want to thank you for your hard work on this and uh if we have questions, we'll definitely be calling. >> And I just want to say thank you to Lisa, your CFO, and

111Lauri, your HR director. Uh their support and assistance was invaluable in putting this whole thing together. So, I want to say thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. Appreciate that. >> Okay. Thank you. If I may make one other point as they're leaving, I too would like to thank uh our outstanding staff, our head of HR, director of HR, and our CFO for lots of work they've done to uh support this study. I think it's also important to note um what you said, Dr. Campbell, and that is if there are other questions, we will certainly re-engage uh with you um as we move forward. So, thank you for making mention of that as well. >> Sure, sir. Okay, next we're going to have an overview of the special education inclusion programs. There we go.

112Good evening, chair, school board members, and Dr. Kramer. We are doing our presentation on co-eing and SDI in special education, supporting inclusive classrooms through collaboration and the use of specially designed instruction. My name is Shauna Bloodgood and I am the educational diagnostician for the for the county. My name is Rachel Bats and I am the special education instruction and curriculum um spe coach for Isle of White County Schools and we were both co-teers at the elementary level at one time. And good evening. I'm Marcy Pernos, one of the special education coordinators. All right. Inclusion through co-eing. In special education, most students receive services in inclusive settings as regulations require that students are to be educated in the least restrictive environment. Inclusion and co-eing work together by inclusion sets the goal. Students with disabilities learn with

113their peers in general education classrooms whenever appropriate and co-eing is what makes it happen. Co-eing is an instructional approach in which two educators, typically a general education teacher and a special education teacher, share responsibilities for planning, delivering, and assessing instruction for a diverse group of students within the same classroom. There are many benefits for students when co-eing is used successfully. One benefit is academic support. With two educators, instruction is more responsive, allowing lessons to be adjusted to meet the students needs as they arise. Student perception data shows students feel they learn more and are more confident in parallel station and team teaching models. Social skills are improved through co-eing because it allows students to practice social skills naturally through group work, discussions, and shared problem solving. According to a study published by St. Cloud University.

114The non-disabled students developed a more positive attitude toward working with students identified as special needs learners. They exhibited empathy for the struggling learners and were willing to help them with their academic struggles. Not only does co-eing benefit students, but studies have shown that teachers benefit as well. Co-eing allows teachers to collaborate, which ensures both content knowledge and instructional strategies are applied. Through co-eing, teachers grow professionally by observing, modeling, and reflecting with one another daily through shared planning and feedback. Co-eing improves classroom management. When there are two teachers in the room, behaviors are able to be addressed proactively, allowing for instruction to continue without disrupting the whole class. Co-eing helps every learner thrive because no student has to face the challenges alone. The main focus of our schools this year is the co-eing model. A state

115audit last year revealed that Isa White County schools does use the co-eing model. However, we primarily are using the one teach one support approach. Ideally, we would like to be using these other four models. Team teaching, parallel teaching, station teaching, and alternative teaching. These upcoming pictures will show that we are able to use these co-eing models at certain moments during the day. Unfortunately, we do not have the staff to do this consistently across all grades and all schools. In order for co-eing to be effective, each inclusion class will need one special education teacher and one general education teacher. The following slides will show pictures of what co-eing looks like in Isa White County schools. This slide shows team teaching. Team teaching allows shared instructional ownership and models collaboration and brings instructional strategies together. In this

116picture, a teacher is using parallel teaching. This allows for smaller group size and more personalized attention. It also reduces the student teacher ratio. This model requires two teachers to be involved in instruction for the duration of the lessons which right now we do not have for all inclusion classrooms. And in these pictures, station teaching is occurring. There's a general education teacher and a special education teacher working with a student or group of students. When station teaching occurs, differentiation and targeted support can happen. It also enables varied learning activities. Discoing model also would require two teachers. Alternative teaching allows for differentiation and targeted support. It also allows for pre-teaching or reeaching for students who may need more focus support. In my 19 years of teaching, I had the privilege of co-eing with outstanding educators in a

117truly collaborative model. Using parallel station and team teaching, we shared equal responsibility for all students. When you walked into our classroom, you couldn't distinguish between the general education and the special education teacher because every student belonged to both of us. In my 21 years as a special education teacher, I was in a co-eing classroom for 13 of those years. In those classrooms, we both took ownership of every student. Many years later, after talking with former students, they stated they just thought they had two teachers and never realized they were even in an inclusion classroom. Whether it is the co-eing setting or in a pullout classroom, speciallydesed instruction is how we are closing the gaps. Specially designed instruction is the individualized instruction outlined in a student's IEP that adapts teaching methods or materials to ensure access

118to and progress in the general education curriculum. It has high expectations, targeted instruction, and student progress. Specially designed instruction is not a place. It is a promise to meet individual needs. Isab White uses a variety of curriculum to meet the need needs of students with disabilities. Each curriculum is designed to fill certain gaps. We use Touch Math in grades K through two. IXL in grades 3 through 12 for math. My View My Focus Intervention grades K through five reading comprehension. Spire grades K through eight decoding and Lexia in grades 6 through 12 reading comprehension. SDI unlocks strengths turning challenges into opportunities. Touch math is used for our students with disabilities in K through2. The signature feature of touch math is the use of touch math points. This allows the numeral itself to become a man

119manipulative help bridging the gap from concrete to abstract. My daughter at the age of 24 learned touch math and as a civil engineer she still uses the touch points in her head today. L is the SDI curriculum we are using for math in grades 3 through 12. There are many ways to use. Students enter the arena weekly. This arena gives students a few questions to assess overall growth in all categories including number operations, geometry, algebraic thinking, fractions, measurement, and data. Students can also enter a group jam, a game environment to practice specified skills from their IEP goals as well as grade level skills. Students are given instant feedback for each question. And in this picture, the students had entered a group jam and as they were answering the questions, the teacher was reviewing how they

120how to get to the um solution, even though their screen also shows whether they got it right or wrong and gives them the steps on how to solve it correctly. My focus intervention provides explic explicit step-by-step instructional plans for individual lessons. My focus intervention targets word study, fluency, text analysis as well as writing. These lessons align with the core programs anchor text and skills. This SDI can be used within the inclusion co-eing classroom. Spire. We were both part of a pilot program to bring Spire to the district many years ago. Spire is a systematic approach to teaching students how to decode and is approved by the VA as a tier three intervention. Students show significant gains in reading accuracy leading to increased fluency and comprehension. Spire uses color-coded phonogram cards, color-coded magnetile manipulatives, and workbooks

121with words and stories to reinforce each skill. This program also has embedded review so that all skills are constantly reinforced from level one all the way to level six. We are currently using Lexia in grades 6 through 12 to reinforce phonic skills after Spire vocabulary fluency and comprehension. Teachers can select lessons to teach on targeted skills and then assign reinforcing lessons on the computer. In one picture, the teacher was leading a lesson using timelines to create a summary. And in the second picture, the teacher was using a lesson to teach cause and effect. These pictures are just a small snapshot of how our teachers are co-eing and using SDI across the district. The true success of our special education program lies within the SDI and the co-eing models which require the necessary staff at all

122schools. Thank you for your time today. Are there any questions? >> Thanks, ladies. >> This will be redundant for those that have watched me. I I I do have a question, kind of a comment really. Um I'm sorry. One of the things I've learned here after being up here a couple years is that year overyear our sped population increases. What what I my take away from this is that you need more bodies in classrooms. Right. So can you give us an idea of how much the sped population continues to increase year-over-year? >> There she is. I knew she had my numbers. >> I am the numbers person. So, I actually took a look at numbers recently, and looking back uh at the 2021 school year forward to now, our special education population has increased by

12315%. Looking at an actual number, it's 117 students, which is significant, especially when we have caps on how many students can be, you know, taught by one teacher in certain situations. Um to give you an example when I further dug about 30% of that 117 were students with significant disabilities that required special education settings. So self-contained settings. The cap on those settings is eight students. So of that 117, that's about 35 students. I can only have eight students in a class if they're all the same grade level. And who knows if we get a kindergartener versus a 12th grader. They can't be together. So that that number 35 while it might require you know eight separate classroom or four separate classrooms could potentially be eight separate classrooms given the grade levels and that's just one

124sort of situation that we face when we have this significant increases that we've seen over the past years. So, and I'm trying to I'm exhausted, so bear with me. 115 kids with special needs. Roughly 30 35 of those are >> self-contained. And that's an eight 8 to1 ratio. >> Correct. >> Minimum. >> Yes. >> So, you've got 70 80 that are not self-contained. What's the ratio with those students? >> Um, by law, a teacher can have up to 20. >> So, they're in any classroom. Those are the inclusions. >> Those are the students who can are included. Correct. >> And so of the inclusion students that we have today and and I understand there may be some classes that have collapsed due to vacancies, but how many of our current inclusion classes do we have

125enough people to co-e? >> We currently don't have enough to co-e in any of our grade levels. >> Zero. >> Um those that are doing it have planned very strategically. Um, but it pulls those teachers from other classrooms where we then have to staff those classrooms with instructional assistance. >> So, the big takeaway tonight is that you're you're in a perfect world, you have enough teachers to co-e in every classroom that had inclusion students. >> We are staffed at compliance, which is bare minimum. Uh, and we do need a significant number of teachers to be able to have an appropriate co-eing model in this division. Yes. >> I'm going to put you on the spot and I don't like playing stump the chump so forgive me. >> Of the the positions that you need, how

126many of them are just vacancies? Do you know that? >> I believe we're full. >> You're full of the positions. >> Yes. >> So, you need new positions. >> I need new positions. >> How many? >> We are asking for >> How many do you need? >> Yeah, we're putting you on the spot here. And I know Dr. If if I can help you out just a little bit, we do have that information and we are we will if I can I don't want to put you on the spot. I'm going to >> sort of defend you a little bit here because she's already provided that information to us in anticipation of our 221 meetings for next week. We will I will assure you that we will get you that information prior to our our

127meetings next week. >> I don't want her to give you uh a number. I know she has it. We have it. I I just want to make certain that it's uh absolutely accurate, but we have it for each of the positions and the need. And I moreover, I will ask that Mrs. Magna be a part of those meetings when we start discussing this next week. >> Yes. >> And to this man's credit, he has done his due diligence to make sure that the five of us up here are well aware of those needs. So, we're on it. We're conscious of it. Great. >> Thanks, Mr. Chair. Does anyone else have any questions? Thank you. >> Okay, next we have the financial reports. just have a few comments uh for you this evening. Um financials are

128looking good. There are no surprises. Um I do want to point out that our health fund is looking healthy. Um if you'll notice that we are still receiving in more money than we are are putting out. Um if you look at the health insurance fund on the It shows that this time last year we had approximately $579,000 in the fund and currently we are at uh 2.37 million. >> So it's it's doing a a lot better in a much better place. Uh we are experiencing about a 10.8% increase in claims. So you you can go ahead and that will be forthcoming in your budget that we do have another um increase in health insurance costs. The cafeteria fund um as was mentioned earlier is reflecting a deficit year to date, but as I've mentioned in

129each of the last several meetings, um I'm working closely with Mrs. Couch. you know, there are a lot of upfront costs that happen at the very beginning of the year. And then, of course, December is a u it's a we don't have school for two weeks, so we aren't going to be getting in the same amount of revenue. Um, and then, of course, January, we had some days off there, too, so we didn't get get that in. So, we are expecting it to pick up the revenue and, um, you know, hope that we end on a a positive note. >> If I may, Mr. chair. Um that is because that's separate from the operating budget. There is a reserve there as well. Correct. >> Yes, there is. It started um we started the year with

130about 780,000 I believe in reserve. >> And at this moment that reserve would be enough to actually cover whatever deficit we might have. >> Correct. >> Thank you. Um, I mentioned to you previously that we were behind uh or we weren't behind, but we couldn't submit reimbursements for the title one grant because we were waiting for VDOE to allocate the funds. And happy to say we submitted that yesterday. Uh, taking us from July 1st through the end of December. So, I'm pleased with that. Um, tomorrow, uh, we are expect to receive the bids in on the health insurance because we put that out to bid and so those bids are due in tomorrow, I think at noon. I checked with the county earlier today on the status of the audit and the auditors have informed

131them they expect a at least a draft by the end of February. So, I'm not sure we'll have it for you at your March meeting. >> And if I may as well and you didn't plan, you didn't ask me to ask these questions. So, the there was an article actually in the Smithfield Times. So, we are delayed because of what reason? uh because of the changes in the county staff um turnover um and their CFO left but um it's not delayed on the school's part at all. And the last thing is I wanted to um we had sent you out an a revised uh budget calendar with the dates for the meetings and if we could put that or maybe I have access to that And Mr. Chair, if there as she's pulling up the

132calendar, uh, we see at the very bottom it says all dates are tentative. Um, so if the is you as chair, if the board elects to add or remove or make any changes, that is certainly within um your authority. Uh but as current we've made multiple uh adjustments obviously because of the weather in part um and as you'll see here currently uh I as superintendent will be uh presenting the superintendent's recommended budget on February 26 and we've also tried to um respect your time and the public's time and we tried to couple uh some of the work sessions with other uh meetings. So, uh, when I present February 26th, that's also a work session date. And then the next meeting, March 5th, uh, we will have to have a public hearing for the community. And

133that will also be coupled with a work session. And again, if there's need to add, uh, any work sessions, uh, that's at your discretion as chair. >> Yeah, I I looked at it. I didn't see any issues with it. Is everybody else okay with it? >> We're good. Yeah, it we're good. >> Okay. >> May I answer any questions on the financials? >> I just got one. Really? You've already answered my question. So, I noted that there was a $17,191 charge on the check register for Remind. >> That's a subscription for the entire division, correct? >> Yes. division. >> Whole division. >> Yeah, that amount is the is the division and it's for every teacher. >> Got it. >> has access to. >> Well, I first saw it, I was like, that's a lot of

134money. But I have no doubt that they're getting their money's worth. >> Absolutely. >> I don't Yes. We have to have if not that system, we have to have something else. >> It's quite literally the the kingpin to parental engagement as far as I'm concerned. >> It is it is it is absolutely key especially for our elementary. They use it like crazy. >> Just an observation. >> Yes. >> Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm done. >> Okay. Okay. Thank you. Next, we have the operations update with Dr. Coleman and Mr. Cooprider. Mr. Chair, school board members, the operations update. Uh tonight uh want I'm pleased to provide a brief operations update highlighting uh some key performance indicators across technology, cyber security and facilities. Now our division continues to manage a significant operational workload while maintaining system reliability

135and responsiveness. So I want to go into more detail concerning uh the technology department and how we have utilized the technology department across the division over the past five to six years. Now our director of technology has uh architect and designed the last two major division projects including infrastructure planning system system integration facility technology by design and by leveraging internal inter uh integration facility technology design. Now instead of relying on outside individuals the last several projects that we have performed in the division we have had the technology team to provide the technology and I don't know if you uh if you understand the cost savings in this similar to Westside Elementary School um the from the cost of Westside Elementary School oh I'm just oh I apologize Hardy Elementary School what you see right there

136is the cost savings from the 36 million was the architectural design for the technology schematic at Hardy. Technology did the whole entire project. We pulled it out and the workers and the staff from technology designed it and went through it. Same thing with school administration office that we have now and moving forward when we do design the new west side technology will have a uh a heavy hand in that also with that designation. Now, what this has allowed us to do was actually gain a better alignment between the structural needs, infrastructure design, and also reduce the consulting expenditures. Um, we're going to go into a little bit more detail over the next couple of months when we get into more of the architectural designs and engineering of how pulling out this is going to save

137us thousands and thousands of dollars. Once again, right here, Mr. Cooper. So this example that we wanted to make you aware of is for Hardy Elementary School and we'll follow the same plan for Westside should we move forward with that. Um to give you an idea there was estimated somewhere between 1.4 and 2 million originally for technology and we managed to save by building it all inhouse uh me getting contracts for all the items um by bidding it uh to the procurement system and then uh doing all the work inhouse with a minimal amount of contractors. We saved an estimated $230,000. So that's a significant amount when you're working with a $1.4 to $2 million budget. And then this is Smith High School's band room. This was just another example of one of the projects

138that technology built out. So this is what it originally looked like and with collaboration with Dr. Coleman and facilities um Mr. Smith. We have redesigned the band room into this particular area. This is the construction drawing. I'm sorry, it's the best one I could really find to show the new building, but you'll see that there's a new wall being put over the electrical panels. There's a significant new space for band as well as uniform and instrument storage. And all those areas, you can see there's doors, there's audio systems, there's um badge readers, there's cameras, there's all kinds of things that go into these areas. and we're doing all that work inhouse. So, both of those are just examples of how we save the division significant money just by using our in-house expertise. Um, and finally,

139just as a normal, uh, KPI notification to the board, uh, this is my normal notification, I wanted to bring up FY25 first to show you the number of work orders closed between 7124 and 6:3025, as well as help desk calls. That's to our live help desk that operates 8:00 a.m. to 400 p.m. on normal student days. And um a new indicator that I wanted to bring to the board's attention was cyber security alerts and incidents. So those are defined as concerning actions that happened on your network or your accounts versus how many actually resulted in full investigations. And this was all of last year. And you'll see a significant so this is half the year. Um, so right now we're on slate to about go up about 40% on work orders. Our help desk calls

140are going up about uh I think it's 14% and our cyber security alerts have gone through the roof. Um where last year we had as you can see 292 for a 12-month period. We've already had 658 up to 130 26 with 32 resulting in full investigations. >> So Mr. Chair, if What are the alerts you're seeing? Are these fishing attempts or what what's going on? >> Oh, lots of different things. One would be fishing that we had an incident on that kind of spread around a little bit. One was um so the alerts we get are all over the place. For example, we got an alert. Hey, this person's account logged in from Puerto Rico. Well, that's different. We get a hold of that person over voice and they're like, "Oh, yeah. I'm on vacation."

141Oh, okay. That's cool. So, we just close that alert out. But if that wasn't them, then we go into a full investigation. We figure out how far someone got into the network and then what we have to do to mitigate the action. Um the 32 incidents were confirmed mostly students, let's be clear, but confirmed actions where they got into something. Um if it gets significant enough, we do contact our lawyer to do uh professional level investigation with um optional uh credit monitoring if it gets that far, which has only happened a couple of times. >> Do you implemented on us the multiffactor authentication last year? Is that the same thing for students in their accounts? Students do not have multiffactor authentication because it's not definitive whether or not they would have a second device in

142hand. >> Got it. >> Plus, they're not allowed to hold cell phones during the school. >> Do you think the students are up to speed and educated on all the vulnerabilities and stuff that's out there trying to get into our network? In other words, do we do we provide them with enough backbone to know what fishing is and how to identify bogus web links and stuff like that? >> As a general, that would be difficult to say yes. I know in the technology classes they do. Um but if my particular child is any edif any knowledge, she doesn't care. Um she will share her information with anybody that asks. She shares her location with all of her friends. It's a different generation these days, I believe. If my daughter has any indication, security is not

143as high a concern as it was. >> I yield, Mr. Chair. >> Go back twice. >> Can you would like me to come back twice? >> Any other questions? >> And Mr. chair just wanted to make sure that a pinpoint and um it was some information that was put out that was earlier tonight that was uh false and I want to make sure we clarify it for the listening audience. Um mostly all projects that in the last eight years that IWCS uh actually move forward with. We use the CM process the the CM process with that we have a structured uh non-negotiable um uh price. If the price goes over that, the contractor pays for it. So there's absolutely no way that we can go over in the projects like Hardy and like New Westside,

144different things of that nature because it's a set price from the beginning and if one penny goes over, the contractor pays for it, not IWS. And I just want to clarify it. I know a lot of listening of audience. I don't want any confusion out there concerning what's going on, especially now during budget season. Appreciate that. Thank you. >> Yes, sir. >> Are there any other questions? >> Nope. That's it. Thank you, gentlemen. >> All right. >> Thank you, sir. >> And next, we'll have the proposed school calendar for the next school year. Miss Briggs, >> good evening. Every survey is fine. Um just going to share with you um information from a survey we did regarding a draft calendar and you should have this but I'm going to go through it. It's fairly self-explanatory.

145We did have almost 600 people participate in the survey which I thought was a really good response. You can see the breakdown there between uh parents employees. We did have a separate category for people that are both a parent or an and an employee. Um, so we could look break those out. And the second question was very straightforward. We gave them a draft calendar to look at and said, "Do you have any recommended revisions?" And you can see 75% said no revisions. Liked it like it was very >> very nice, clean three quarters to one quarter. >> Then we we had a breakout where we said, "Are there if you do have recommended revisions, what are what are those dates that you really want us to look at?" And these were the two that were

146kind of the highest that stood out. But I I did put the number of people that identified these dates because when I the first bullet there, February 4th and 5th, those are the dates between the semesters. You can see that while that was identified as as um maybe a a concern, it was a concern for 47 people out of 596. So, just to give you some perspective, um, and and there were the comments, uh, we did try to explain to folks why we have the different dates we have for work days, PD days. Um, what some people may not realize is our high schools aren't a a 4x4 semester. So, when they start second semester, they are literally resetting for a new year. They're getting on new students, may have new preps, new resources that

147they've got to set. uh set up. So those dates, even when we weren't 4x4, back in the dark ages, we always had a day between semester to close one out and start the new one. When we went to 4x4, we added another day for reset. So they're really resetting for the year. We did scale back. We've typically had three in the past several years. We scaled back to two so we could put that third one elsewhere in the in the calendar. So we did get some feedback. And the asynchronous days, once again, 37 out of 596 commented on that. Um a still um not a significant number but I did want to make you aware. Uh then interesting question we asked what do you think about a pre-LOR day or post Labor Day start? We

148have been post Labor Day for a very long time. This year post Labor Day comes late September 8th we had 64% in favor of sticking with post Labor Day while 36% um like a pre-LOR day. So, still the majority would like to stay with what what we currently have. I will say the people that were more for a pre-Labor Day start commented they would ideally like to see first semester end at winter break. Now, I will tell I will tell you to make that happen, you would eventually have to creep your start date back to the beginning of August, the first week of August. >> So, it's not and that wouldn't be some that would have to be a gradual start. The people that prefer the way it is now um indicated they would like

149to preserve the traditional August family vacation time avoid and avoid a broken routine right at the start of the year. Meaning the students would come for four days then be off. And Virginia code says if you do start now before Labor Day, you have to have that Friday off. Just as little tidbit of information that's in the law, so you would have that. uh parents actually had a higher percent 68% wanted to keep it post Labor Day. It was the employees that were a little more break even. Still still a bit majority on the um the post Labor Day, but I thought that was interesting. Uh key positive takeaways, a lot of appreciation for specific breaks, Thanksgiving and winter. They liked having a full week for Thanksgiving. We've done that for parents and students for

150the past several years. The proposal this coming year would be to do that for staff. They've had a a workday and then a virtual day for the past couple years. Very appreciative to have that. And they said they thought it was essential for both families and staff to quote reset and recharge. And staff was very appreciative of having staff days immediately before after major breaks like coming back from Christmas break, winter break, excuse me, and having a workday so they could get settled without having to sacrif sacrifice vacation time. Same at spring break. People were very appreciative of the process of us asking them their opinion. And even though if they had some differences, they were very respectful in their responses. And I always like that about our community. They they are very respectful even

151if they don't always agree with you. Uh they thought the calendar was very well thought out. And an employee noted that the calendar is one of the quote best perks of working for White County Schools. So, um I know there's another perk that they're interested in as well, but I just wanted to pass along that the calendar the calendar does help. Um so, our next steps, if there are any revisions that the board deems necessary, we can incorporate those revisions. It will come back to you at the March 12th school board meeting for approval hopefully and then we can push that out to the community and employees to let them know what our calendar is for the next year. And I'm available if you have any questions about the proposal or the process. Anybody have

152any comments? Mr. Marsh, >> I have a question for Doc Kramer here because I did get a very compelling email from one of our teachers at Windsor High about PD days and Mrs. Gats gave a very a good explanation as to why. The question is, do we have enough PD days? Are they getting everything they need? You guys put the calendar together, so I assume the answer is yes. But >> yeah, I I'm going to uh defer to my wonderful staff here, Miss Gets. Um I think yes, I think we have a very supportive calendar. Our students, I met uh probably two years ago actually met with students and they also greatly appreciated the calendar with the time built in. Uh many of our students is uh you know Cameron and Cole uh are engaged

153in extracurricular activities. they some work. Um, so they also appreciated the additional time that we have in the calendar. So I would say yes, but I will certainly ask uh Mrs. Gets to respond as our deputy superintendent for instruction. >> Yeah, great question. Um, I think we are in a good spot. Um, it's always challenging because you are balancing the needs of veteran staff who may have been teaching for 25, 30 years with that of firstear teachers. And no question, first year teachers, first few years, they need way more professional development than that of a 25-y year veteran. But that is not to say that they can't also benefit from professional development. So I'm a firm believer you have to continue to learn every single day. Um, so yeah, I think we have an appropriate

154amount and and we try really hard to make it valuable for everyone that you can find something that you can get out of it. and m and uh Mr. Marsh, I meet with the employee advisory committee members where probably I think 22 teachers uh and other uh staff members and they've shared those concerns with me as well. I I wouldn't say it's a lot of individuals, but a few have shared uh that concern. I think some would like more teacher work days than than the PD days. So, it's something that we will certainly look at and and how do we balance that, as Miss Gad stated, to meet the needs of all of our staff. Um, some have different needs and I think it's our job to sort of look at how do we create

155uh a calendar that meets the needs of all of all. >> No, I would assume as long as you know about it and you're addressing it, that's your burden to bear, sir. That's all, Mr. Chair. >> All right, Mr. Ford. >> Yes. Thank you. Um, do we know how we compare to the surrounding school districts in those uh transitional uh moments between semesters? >> Yeah, it it appears that a majority of the the school divisions are doing at least two days before semesters and uh between semesters. I and I do not think they are 4x4. I think the only other division that's 4x4 is Chesapeake suffix 4x4s. Okay. Hybrid, sorry. Uh so it's not unusual to have those days between. Sometimes they fall at different times depending on the school division. We we don't always

156align. Um we because we do have some of those divisions in our region that are starting pre-LOR day um where we're post Chesapeake is still post labor day with us. So we tend to fall in line a little more with them. >> Okay. And um for the PD days uh instead of the one the the one PD day, I guess my question would be um how much time do teachers get uh during that day to prepare or um you know handle their classroom management? >> Well, on the professional development day, >> yeah. Yeah. >> If it is designated as a professional development day, it typically is a full day of PD. And I I keep looking at Miss Gats because she that's the instructional side. Um, you know, we have a lot of required training

157that our teachers have to go through. And one of the things we've really worked hard with regarding the calendar in the past several years is moving things off of after school. You know, having people stay late after school or doing a half a day, which half a days are not the most effective things with students and staff and they're still staying late. So, we've really tried to accommodate where we're giving them dedicated time to get that professional development in and taking away distractions that might be happening during the day. I'm going to move the mic to Miss Get so she can add to that. No, well said. Um, yes, the professional development days that are designated are typically the entire day. Um, you'll see on some of the calendars we might split it where they

158have half workday, half PD day. Um, but typically that's how that works. Um and then at the the beginning of the year before school starts, we do it's a mixture. Um last year we we tried to do less professional development and give them more time in their classrooms. Um teachers would really probably like it if we gave them all the days in their classroom before school started and and I and I understand um been there, done that. Um, so we do try to find a balance and and give them as much time as we can while still completing all of the things that we need to get done before school starts because we certainly don't want to ask them to stay after school once school gets started. We try to avoid that. >> Right. Absolutely.

159Thank you. Thank you for your answers. >> Thank you. Anything else? >> Thank you, ladies. >> Thank you kindly. >> Dr. Kramer. >> Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. uh colleague and good evening everyone. I guess it's night at this moment. Uh so as always let's start with our awards whenever Mr. Ur gets a chance to pull me up there. Thank you sir. Um the inspire award was presented to the Carsville Volunteer Fire Department upper left. Uh the succeed award was presented to the education foundation for Isa White County schools upper right. Uh the lead awards award was presented to Smithfield Middle civics teachers, Mrs. Heather Serell and Mr. Brian G. And bottom right, uh the empower award was presented to Isa White County SRO and sheriff deputy um Mariah Sepeda at Windsor Elementary. So

160uh congratulations to all of our very deserving recipients and let's give them a round of applause. Next, I'll move through this as quickly as I can. Looking at the time here, as some of you may know, between January 13th and 15th, teachers across Isa White County Schools were surprised in their classrooms with incredible news. They were awarded uh teacher grants from the Education Foundation for Isa White County Schools. And as you see those elated educators on the screen there, uh thanks to the generosity of our community, the foundation awarded 37 grants totaling more than $36,000 to teachers at eight absolutely eight isawide county schools. Uh these grants will fund innovative projects, classroom resources, and hands-on learning experiences that directly support student success. Uh funding for these grants was made possible through the foundation's annual event

161and this year it was a masquerade ball where more than $65,000 was raised uh this year to benefit our students and educators. Uh the education foundation is powered by dedicated volunteers who believe deeply in our teachers and students and they're always looking for new supporters uh to join the mission. So if you're out there and would like to assist uh we will connect you to them. Uh, congratulations again to all of our grant recipients and thank you to the education foundation for continuing to invest in bright ideas, bright brighter futures in Isa White County schools. Uh, next, the United Way Gold Trailblazer Award. We are honored uh to be recognized as a gold trailblazer award recipient by the United Way of Southampton Roads. The award recognizes recipients who have gone above and beyond for the

162Southampton Roads community through their workforce workplace pardon campaigns campaigns and have shown just how important it is when employees come together to give back. Thank you to the United Way uh of Hampton Roads for the incredible work you do to strengthen our community. This recognition reflects the power of working together to make a meaningful impact. So, thank you, United Way of Hampton Roads. Next, our annual Gifted Steam Day. On Wednesday, January 21st, gifted students from all five elementary schools came together at the Smithfield Center for the second annual Steam Day. Throughout the day, students rotated through hands-on stations featuring Winter Olympics themed activities in science, thinking, engineering, art, and mathematics. There were eight middle school gifted students who served as mentors uh leading the stations alongside parent volunteers and supporting younger students in their learning.

163The event provided a wonderful opportunity for students to collaborate, build new friendships, and learn with peers from across the division. Next, we have our divisionwide PD PD talking about professional development. On January 30th, our recent divisionwide professional learning day showcased the strength of our educators and the power of collaboration across schools and roles. The day centered on teacher-led sessions, creating space for educators to share effective practices, innovative strategies, and lessons learned directly from their classrooms by learning with and from one another. Participants engaged in meaningful dialogue, problem solving, and reflection that was immediately relevant to their work with students. The collaborative structure honored teacher expertise, encouraged crosscurric crosschool connections, and reinforced our shared commitment to continuous improvement. This model of professional learning not only elevated instructional practice, but also strengthened relationships and collective ownership for

164student success across the division. Next, the SRO and SSO training. And this question was actually asked of me earlier by by a community member. On January 30th, Isa White County Public Schools hosted a joint training for our school resource officers, both SRO's and the newly contracted school security officers, SSOs. This training was an important step in strengthening collaboration, consistency, and preparedness across all of our school buildings. So, uh, you see the training occurring there. Middle school weapons detection roll out. I am very pleased to say that we have begun using the weapons detection devices at the middle school level. Uh to prepare the students for this new procedure, a video was created, I should say recreated uh by our communications department to align with the middle school needs and sent out to students and parents

165at the end of January. It appears that the roll out has been successful at both middle schools. Students and staff has have adjusted well and I extend a huge thank you to Mr. Brinkley, uh, principles Luck and Dr. Culp and to the students and staff at both middle schools. So, and thank you board members for making that a priority and and putting that in the budget uh, last year. Uh, so that is currently u in effect. Next, the Smithfield Riverside Hospital Gala at the Smithfield Center. I had the privilege uh of attending the first annual Riverside Hospital Gala with my wife at the Smithfield Center and I think we had some other staff members there. I think Miss Briggs was there uh that evening as well. This event was very well attended and the event

166served as a fundraiser for the Smithfield Riverside Hospital Foundation and I am sure this will become an annual event for our community as we support our new hospital. Next, uh, the IWCS, we hosted the region 2 human resources meeting. Uh, on February 10th, uh, Isa White County Schools hosted the region 2 human resources departments at the school administration office for their quarterly meeting. Uh, leaders from these respective HR departments gathered to discuss regional HR topics, shared practices, and emerging issues. Uh, thank you for leading the effort to host the regional meeting, Mrs. Sullivan. And next uh we have uh Amanda Browder receiving a leadership award. Amanda Browder at uh Smithfield Middle School. So, please join us in congratulating Amanda Browder, instructional coach at Smithville Middle School, who has been named the 2026 leadership award recipient

167by the Virginia Association for Teaching, Learning, and Leading, a prestigious statewide honor recognizing outstanding instructional leadership. Uh she was formally recognized during the awards lunchon and ceremony held on February 6 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. We're so proud of you uh Mrs. Brower. And yes, let's give her a well-deserved round of applause. Quite an honor for our county. And last, but certainly not least, um our IWCS division teacher of the year. Uh we are proud to announce that Mr. Chris Johnson, English and speech teacher at Windsor High School, has been named Isa White County Schools Division Teacher of the Year. Uh he was also selected as Windsor High School's teacher of the year and the division's high school teacher of the year. With an incredible 34-year career spanning elementary, middle, and

168high school classrooms, Mr. Johnson has made a lasting impact on students across the globe. Interestingly, from Hampton Roads to Kiev, Ukraine and Barcelona, Spain. Who knew? A Windsor native and Windsor High School graduate. He is now in his fifth year serving Windsor High School and is county schools. Beyond the classroom, Mr. Johnson has served as a beta sponsor, Windsor speech team coach, and he's served in numerous leadership roles. He credits his success to the strong relationships he's he builds with students, families, and colleagues. his commitment to inspiring curiosity and lifelong learning. Mr. Johnson will now represent Isa White County Schools in the Virginia Teacher of the Year program. So, please join us in congratulating Mr. Johnson on this well-deserved honor. And chair uh colleague, with that, that concludes my superintendent update. >> Thank you, Dr.

169Kramer. Uh we're going to go right into action on close session items. We'll start with the personnel report. >> I move to approve the personnel report as presented, a copy of which can be obtained from the school board clerk. >> Second. >> We have a motion, a second. Is there any discussion? >> Hearing none. Madam clerk, please conduct the vote. >> Mrs. Perkins, >> yes. >> Mr. Worster, >> yes. >> Mr. Marsh, >> yes. >> Mr. Ford, >> yes. >> And Mr. Collet, >> and I will abstain. Next is the action on the old business, the consent agenda. >> I move to approve the consent agenda as attached and presented. >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, the clerk will take the vote. >> Mrs. Perkins,

170>> yes. >> Mr. Worster, >> yes. >> Mr. Marsh, >> yes. >> Mr. Ford, >> yes. >> And Mr. Collic, >> yes. And I'm going to go ahead and read the donation memo. Um, the Women's Club of Windsor donated $50 for the art classroom and the Smithfield Lions Club $100 for the art classroom to Georgie Tyler Middle School. The Little Zion Baptist Church donated a $100 gift card to the Westside Elementary School. And the Women's Club of Windsor donated $50 for the art program at Windsor Elementary School. And thanks to everyone who made these donations. Next we have the action on the new business. So the policies for first read and if anyone had doesn't have any questions we'll go to the policies for second read. >> I move to approve the policies for second

171read as presented. >> Second. >> We have motion a second. Do we have any discussion? There is no discussion. Madame clerk, please conduct the vote. >> Mrs. Perkins, >> yes. >> Mr. Worster, >> yes. >> Mr. Marsh, >> yes. >> Mr. Ford, >> yes. >> And Mr. Collic, >> yes. And finally, we have board member comments. We'll start with district one. >> I have nothing. >> District two. I have nothing. We'll go to district four. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know y'all are tired, but you're going to endure me a little bit more. Uh Monday, we went to the Maritime Trades Academy quarterly meeting went with Dr. Kramer. Uh I think everything is on track. Probably the biggest item for discussion was how to carry over some funds from the first fiscal year into

172the second. So, I think everything's on track. I get a nod from Dr. Kramer's. Um, last night I went to the Junior Beta Convention at the Hampton Convention Center. It's my second year doing that. And there was quite a bit of representation there from IWCS staff. And just to paint a picture for anyone who's never been to one of those, the convention center is huge and it is flooded with middle school kids running all over the place. It's like controlled chaos. Um, and Mrs. April Griffith, teacher at Georgie Tyler, she led or coached my daughter's junior beta club. And to kind of give you a picture of that lady's day, bless her heart. I don't know what time she got up, but she loaded somewhere in the tune of 30 plus kids in a uh

173what do you call it? The uh activity bus. I know she didn't want to drive that activity bus because we talked about it when I saw her. She shuttled those kids all the way across the river and she had eight chaperones and she was hurting cats all day long. And when I finally saw her last night at like 5:30, I I got nothing but salutes and respect for that lady and I think IWCS in whole represented very well. So kudos to all involved, teachers, chaperones, students alike. Um, that's it. Thank you. >> Thank you, sir. Mr. Ford. >> Yes. I'd just like to say uh thank you to those who spoke up about teacher pay. Um, and thank you to the staff that presented tonight. Thank you. >> Okay. And I'll close it out. Uh,

174you know, biggest thing I did uh this week was go to the SAK meeting. Uh, and I I think we're going to have a lot of uh folks from that meeting at our budget hearing uh advocating for the positions that Mrs. Magner u couldn't tell us the number about tonight. >> Um I think I know the number. Uh but um it was a good meeting. I was very impressed. I had gone to the meetings a couple years ago and they have come a long ways and I was very impressed with how it's being run. Uh and with that we will adjourn