001e e alette County school board's in session that wasn't very loud check check better it's not Madam clerk we take the role uhhuh Mr colck here Mr Cunningham here M Mrs Perkins here Mr wer here and Mr Marsh here Mr chair I'll move to approve the agenda for Open Session as presented second a motion and the second any discussion hearing none Madam clerk Mr colck yes Mr Cunningham yes Mrs Parkins yes Mr wster yes and Mr Marsh yes motion passes would everyone please stand for a moment of silence and the pledge of Al Allegiance it's okay just do it all at once okay ladies and gentlemen it is with profound sadness that I share heartbreaking news yesterday beloved Smithfield beloved Smithfield School PE teacher Mrs Kristen phelts was involved in a car accident and tragically
002did not survive her injuries we know this news is incredibly difficult to process her absence will be deeply felt throughout the school Community we ask that you keep her friends and family in your thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time please join us in the board in a moment of silence by standing and observing in honor of Mrs felz followed by the Pledge of Allegiance flag the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all thank you so that's a tough way to start the meeting it is March 6 2025 we're in Westside Elementary School and we're here tonight to hold our uh fy2 public hearing for the budget and we'll just start right off with our comments and Madam clerk
003if you could in accordance to policy bdd h-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 sched 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 will be heard by the school board only in a closed meeting first we have Tiffany Parker KJ wimbush hello okay dear school board members and Dr Kramer I stand
004before you today with deep passion and strong commitment of the work I do in ALA County Public Schools my name is kaasi wiish and I'm here to advocate for the continuation of my position as a registered Behavior technician this is more than just a job for me it's a calling it is about making a lasting impact on students who need support to succeed academically and socially Behavior program is not a luxury it is an essential foundation for Student Success and without it students especially those with behavioral challenges struggle to regulate their emotions engage with peers and teachers and focus on learning through intentional targeted interventions I help create a supportive environment that removes barriers in education and equips students with the skills they need to thrive both inside and out inside the classroom in just
005my first 39 days I worked with 93 students 56 in the special education department and 37 in general education across 24 classrooms this includes implementing Behavior plans conducting functional Behavior assessments and providing direct support for deescalation and crisis response I also Mentor students and collaborate with staff to ensure every student receives the guidance they need to succeed the loss of my position would severely limit our capacity to support those students in stretching already limited team even thinner beyond my role in Behavior Support I am deeply invested in the community and the students I serve from coaching the great computer challenge to funding founding the young men of Excellence mentorship program I am actively working to create opportunities for growth leadership and Community involvement these initiatives have changed lives and made a tangible impact on the
006community but they are at risk if my position is cut I grew up in this County and I'm committed to giving back to the place that shaped me losing this position would not just affect my job it would take away critical support from students who need it most I urge you to invest in the future of alette County schools by approving the continuation of my position thank you sir hold on please for the clarification for the board you said you were involved in deescalation yes do you do you work alongside the ssos I do not okay keep thank you thank you Bard do you mind if I call Miss Parker if she's here Tiffany Parker good evening chairman Mark Marsh members of the board Dr Kramer and everyone in attendance my name is Tiffany Parker
007I'm an executive board member of Hardy element PTA and I am a parent of two Hardy elementary students and I come before you tonight as a concerned parent a Community member and an advocate for the safety and well-being of our students I want to take a moment to share a personal experience that illustrates why I wholeheartedly support Dr Kramer's proposed budget particularly the funding allocated for transportation improvements a few months ago my 5-year-old daughter a kindergartner was placed on the wrong bus as a parent you can imagine the fear and panic that set in when I realized my child was not where she was supposed to be a mixup like this is more than just an inconvenience it's a serious safety concern the transportation department is doing their best with the resources they have but
008they are stretched too thin additionally funding would allow for improvements in Staffing and enhanced tracking systems to ensure that no student especially our youngest students are never misplaced again but this isn't just about my daughter's experience yes just yesterday we had another incident a school bu bus broke down leaving students stranded what's even more concerning is that parents were not immediately informed we re rely on these buses not just to transport our children but to do so safely and efficiently when breakdowns occur communication needs to be Swift and transparent the proposed budget would help replace aging Bud budgets excuse me aging buses reducing the risk of mechanical failures and improve communication systems so that parents are never left in the dark we can all agree that our students deserve a to feel safe and we
009as parents deserve Peace of Mind Investing in our transportation system is not a luxury it's a necessity I urge you to fully support Dr Kramer's budget because every dollar invested in transportation is a dollar invested in the safe safety and success of our children thank you thank you ma'am Greg Brown good evening Dr Kramer board members happy to see everybody here um I'm also a member of the Hardy Elementary PTA although I'm not on the executive board I got two kids on our schools one at Hardy one here at Westside I'd like to start by thanking Dr Kramer Dr Coleman and the rest of the staff for continuing to look for innovative ways to fill the needs of our school system in the most cost-effective way possible uh I got to tour the old Hardy
010that's now been converted into the new central office and that was a great move they even salvaged the doors and Frames from the old office here and took them over to save money they sourced some used office furniture to save money they've done a great job taking care of our taxpayer dollars and using what we have to fill the needs as best they can and it that's been a huge success that's great it also moves the technology department over there so that's going to free up classrooms at Smithfield High that they can then use over there so just all around an amazing job they did it with State funds so we didn't even have to pay for it locally um bunch of key points I saw in the budget and I'll try not to talk
011too fast glad to see we're asking for five buses a year um for the next three years we got five last year um I suspect by the end of that time some of the buses that we have now are going to need to rotate out of service so this will be an ongoing need um I did note in the discussion there was a some talk about a line item for engine replacement and I believe Mr rooster pointed out you know it's questionable how much value we get out of putting an engine into an old bus but we may have to do that if we can't get new buses in fast enough to take the old ones out of service so that's just another point point that we need to keep rotating buses in so we
012can get the old ones off the road um the idea for converting the old Boiler Room at Smithfield hide in the new Band Room great idea more thinking outside the box to make effective use of our resources and again that's going to free up some more classrooms that can be used for instruction for other areas um I was really happy to see accessibility in the budget with the new Ada bleachers at Smithfield High um one thing that I like to point out is accessibility helps lots of people not just people with disabilities um my kids aren't that far out of being inst strollers like have having ramps and sidewalks helps parents with young kids it helps anybody that's getting older and having a hard time getting upstairs anybody just recovering from an injury that has
013a harder time getting around it it helps a lot of people uh pay raises and benefits for teachers and staff we absolutely need to stay competitive as a school district uh and I think Mr KCK mentioned that we need to make sure we're taking care of the staff and teachers we have now um because because it's really disheartening as an employee if you've been working your tail off somewhere and then you see new hires coming in the door getting what you've been working for five or 10 years to get so we need to make sure we're taking care of the people we got um smartboards I volunteer at Hardy pretty extensively and I see those boards being used in every single classroom I help in so they do get used student devices at I'm old
014school too I like pencil and paper but is the 21st century and having students learn how to use technology safely and effectively is just part of the society we live in um and then lastly we all celebrated the recent Award of the teacher quality Grant and I understand now that this grant funding is frozen and our teachers are unable to apply for this program so what actions are we taking to get this funding freed up I am trying to call our Congress person and Senators every day and I would urge you to do the same both individually and as a board thank you very much thanks Mr Brown Shauna van skyver I'm glad there's a timer good evening Schoolboard members Dr Kramer and guest my name is Shauna van skyver I reside in the Carolton
015district and I'm a school counselor at Windsor Elementary I have the pleasure of working with dedicated skilled teachers caring staff members and IAS and supportive administrators I find myself frustrated during budget discuss discussions each year two years ago I raise concerns about the teacher pay increases not accounting for the step increases we deserve our percentage raise replaced our step keeping our salaries lower than those in surrounding areas last year the board reiterated that our raise would also replace our step prioritizing other needs over teacher pay this year I heard the words across the board um 3% raises does that mean each line of the current pay scale will increase by 3% or does it mean that the 3% will rep replace our step up it's doubtful we will receive both but it would be a
016step in the right direction last year I expressed my discontent when the board approved a $110,000 raise for school clinicians not because I thought the clinicians did not deserve it but because the justification was that they needed a $10,000 raise to be competitive with other divisions or some clinicians would leave my argument was that teachers could also earn higher salaries elsewhere but that fell on deaf ears this year I heard the word unfair said to Mr woster regarding raises for nurses While others would get minimum I see re resources allocated for new buses HVAC systems and Facilities but teachers continue to receive the bare minimum rise set forth by the government or the governor excuse me will they stay Miss Sullivan reported challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers stating that rpay ranks 14th compared to
017neighboring areas is requiring a 10% increase to be competitive Mr collock noted that 3% is insufficient to keep a PA up the pace with the living costs while the board seeks creative funding methods for Capital Improvements they fall short inadequately funding teacher salaries can we get a one-time allocation to make teacher pay competitive so we can recruit the most recruit and most importantly retain retain the teachers that we have there should be a balance lower pay should ideally then mean better working conditions unfortunately that's not the case teachers often go without breaks due to planning requirements for the reading and math curriculum and lack duty-free lunch they also monitor recess with 22 to 23 kindergarteners and 27 fifth graders per class teachers are strained to meet the diverse needs of students teachers frequently stop instruction
018to manage student Behavior at times requiring multiple staff members to address significant needs removing removing positions like rbts increas increases stress for sped teachers who have large case loads counselors who are managing mental health needs and increased 504 referrals and paperwork associat and administrators who are working hard to assist all stakeholders teachers are even cleaning their classrooms due to insufficient cleaning services we still can't seem to get tables wiped and floors swept and mopped unless the teachers are doing it this year I've seen teachers lead the profession entirely our Educational Foundation is crumbling in the last meeting you suggested we should only ask for what we think we can get would we ever tell a child to limit their aspirations we would never discourage them from reaching for the stars I urge you to make
019a fair decision in this budget raise the salaries for teachers nurses Clinic assistants as you did for clinicians adequately staff our clinics and retain the rbcs to support overloaded teachers I challenge the Schoolboard members to engage with us directly instead of asking Dr Kramer and his staff what to cut visit our schools to understand our needs come hang out in our schools for more than just a few minutes spend time in our classrooms to see the daily realities of what teachers face we must advocate for them our children my children your children our grandchildren need them and this year they left a lot of them did what is the return on investment because I heard that a lot too now that I know that I have more time what is the return on investment we
020need to invest in our teachers because that is where it starts the foundation thank you I'm going to try not to mess this up sorry um Aaron Fitz morrice Maurice I hope I didn't butcher it thank you okay I'm sorry yes hi my name is Aaron Fitz Maris I am a special resources IIA here at at Westside Elementary I myself am new to education with this only being my second year however in those two years I have learned a lot I have learned compassion on an entirely different level patience beyond what I ever thought possible and most importantly how much heart goes in to what teachers and IAS do on a daily basis working with the children that we work with is incredibly challenging but also immensely re rewarding I've seen a student go from
021non-verbal to speaking in full sentences a student written off by most work hard at Behavior goals and is honestly knocking it out of the park I've seen closed off students open their hearts and let others in I love my job I love the people I work with the county the children and the look of accomplishment when a new task is mastered and the old overwhelming Pride that goes along with that that being said my eyes have also been opened I now ask my own children rather disturbing questions when you consider that I'm asking them about their school day in just two years of time I have racked up a few workman's comp claims I have been cursed at screamed at spit at I have been bit hit punched kicked I have had scissors full water
022bottles books chairs desks pretty much anything that resides in a classroom launched at me with surprising force my hair is always up because I've had handfuls of hair ripped from my head I have been threatened with actions that go beyond what I've already listed honestly sometimes all of this happens in a single day sometimes within just an hour more often than I care to admit Ras are asked to cover classes and still be able to fulfill their own responsibilities and we do this with limited resources we don't even get computers to work on and we don't even get go Guardian access which something as simple as that would make our day run much more smoothly yet after a moment where we have high emotions and things are going on in the classroom and things have
023calmed down we work together to make the rest of the day better previous behaviors are left in the past and every minute is new and previous actions are never held against the student every IIA I know has gone through this at some point we work together as a collective whole to make sure our students have every opportunity that they need and we don't let each other struggle one minute I often hear retention and how to increase it being mentioned at Schoolboard meetings right now I could go work at Burger King as a line worker in Newport News and make $19 an hour and that is $3 more than what I make now it also comes with a lot less stress and a lot less mental exhaustion our IAS here we show up every day we
024care for our kids we would not be here showing up every day if we did not and we show up because we know what we do matters and we want to see our children succeed yet we struggle individually to support our own family with this I have to support Trish Magner and ask the IAS receive a receive a pay increase that matches what we bring to IA White County school system thank you thank you before we proceed Dr Cramer can you tell me what go Guardian is Mr it's he will help us out thank you sir yes sir uh goguardian that she is referring to is a monitoring program for Chromebooks so that they can see their screens copy thanks yes sir Kimberly Brown hi um my name is Kimberly Brown I am a homeowner
025in carsville and I am here to um speak about the lack of a special needs classroom in carsville elementary school um I have four children three um are in the school system now one being at the high school the middle and the elementary level in carsville and Windor my youngest is 5 years old she's special needs and is not enrolled in school she goes to walk-in services at carsville elementary and receives OT PT and speech therapy we have toured Windsor Elementary's um special needs classroom which is where everyone gets diverted to every single special needs children in our community in Isle of white all get diverted to one school with one classroom with one set of teachers that are overwhelmed and underprepared for every single student Windsor or excuse me carsville has an extensive um
026special needs classroom a sensory classroom with a large amount of money that was spent for this classroom that is not being used to its full potential because we lack those students while um we enjoy Windsor and we were met with you know smiling faces and kind people when we toured that classroom it was a full classroom a very small classroom with only two people these children have completely different needs being in um carsville puts me at a much bigger distance for traveling for Windsor versus carsville while I'm willing to go to any links for any time my daughter has more than just special needs she also has a heart condition and she also has seizures so in the event that one of those events happened then I would be able to get to her much
027quicker than I would if she was at Windsor um if I'm honest I've never came and spoke at one of these I'm not going to sound as eloquently as all those people but I just really um am hoping because it's been in the budget twice in Prior years and never made you know important that we just take time for our most important and most sensitive community members these children have needs we need the rbts we need the special needs teachers we need the classrooms every single child needs a a chance they were not equipped to be able to take care of Khloe's needs in the Windsor School carsville is much smaller she's been there for two years using those services and I just ask that you make that a permanent position for a full day
028of class which is what's required of them she should have started school this past September and because they were not equipped enough in Windsor we did not feel safe doing that and we are continuing to utilize all of the um therapies that she can receive but come September I have to have her signed up somewhere and I'm hoping it can be carsville and this is not just about Chloe this is not just about her minute and I'm just hoping that you consider everyone she's autism level three she's non-verbal um she has a heart condition that you usually gives a lifespan of between 7 and 12 um and instead of letting that limit her we want to use that time to get what she deserves and it's your responsibility to set all of our children up
029especially our special needs children that cannot speak up for their own needs so I'm just asking that that's considered for the budget and put into place thank you thank you Mrs Brown her gr herb to gr District 5 uh board members is earlier this afternoon about 5:00 I sent you an email so I'd appreciate it if You' take a look at that later on when you get on because a little more detailed than what I'm going to make a few comments about here this evening but I have a copy here of a member membership report over the last 10 years and you know one thing that really jumps out at you what the cost per student was in 2015 in 2015 compared to what the proposed budget will result in a cost per student in
030fiscal year 26 it's 50% more wow and I don't think we've had that kind of inflation over the last 10 years in any case cost control management is not something that comes easy to professional Educators in fact I think it's antha to most and it's not something they get involved in but if you really want to do justice to teachers and specific support Personnel you will have a professional well done compensation and benefit study that is done so that you know that you're paying people what is competitive in the greater Hampton Roads area and if you compare as I did years ago when I was on the school board I just compared the people that were working in the central office making the five and six figure salaries it was amazing how any number of
031our central office people were making more than the five other districts that u i compared them to and I was always astounded at that but it really does take doing a compensation study professionally and you have somebody on your staff in the central office who can do that and I mentioned this to her a little while ago when I first came in so uh I will leave that up to her as to whether she volunteers to do that for yall and for the superintendent but it's really important because teachers need to be competitive in the area certain jobs within the central office need to be competitive in the area and you've heard it before the nurses in the school to be competitive and from what I've heard they certainly aren't and the last thing that
032you probably ought to consider after I listen to the one lady I think you may have to pay combat pay to some of these teachers now those of us that have been in the military know why you get combat pay because you get shot at well getting spit on having thrown things thrown at you and having your hair pulled Etc that's Ain to it in a quiet domestic civilian occupation i' have never dreamed of that when I was a kid back in the 50s man my dad would have worn my britches out and it's unfortunate that parents today don't do that because teachers need that support and they need the support from yall when it comes to making sure that the discipline enacted gets rid of these people and they don't stay in the Alaway
033County School System fact refer him to J&D Court and let him go do some hard time in a nice facility where they they learn to respect authority so again last thing cost Control Management most of you up there know what that's about because of the time of jobs that you've had or have see if you can help the superintendent become a cost control manager and go out there and have a real compensation study done lastly you know if they have Doge at the federal level why not have an ala White County school board School government efficiency School efficiency study done particularly in the central office might find that you got more people there and you could combine some jobs and save some money thank you very much thanks sir that was it I don't know
034if anybody came in after the is there anybody else would like to speak tonight floor is open come on up ma'am thank you good evening Dr Kramer and board members my name is Judy mcor um I work at Smithfield High School as an instructional assistant um this is my 15th year there when I first started in ' 09 we had like 10 IIA days um at this point right now for regular General classes not self-contained um right now we're down to four um and we're all over the place trying to help out and do our jobs um I work um mostly with the Math teachers and algebra and geometry uh love helping the students in that um and for being here for this is my 15th year um I think a person coming is 155
035or $16 um an hour um when they come in new I'm only at $20 um I feel that I should and other IAS who are in the same situation that I am should be probably making a little bit more than that um and oh the other thing is we don't get iPad uh laptops um IAS are given iPads uh my iPad is now obsolete it won't update um I use it for Desmos I use it um you know to look up uh information that I need to help students in math um I'm trying to think if it was anything else but uh and we're busy all day long uh moving from class to class thank you thank you [Applause] ma'am anyone else come on up Sir Chief sorry come on up Chief uh good evening
036Dr Kramer board uh my name's uh Timothy Paul uh I wasn't planning on speaking so this will be a quick uh free flow uh what our previous speakers were talking about about the violence that occurs in the classrooms is uh absolutely true so I am a uh sped inclusion kindergarten in first grade and my last 3 days I would say um probably 7 hours of being spit hit slapped kicked objects thrown it's uh it's a really tough job I was in the military for 23 years in the Coast Guard and I will say this is tougher than that was without question um as far as pay you know I'm a I'm brand new so I'm at the bottom of the barrel and I do all right with my retirement and stuff but some of these
037guys shouldn't have to work two jobs or three jobs just to get by um also um one thing I haven't really heard a lot of I I watch the meetings um there is a very high cost to replace an employee that leaves um so that we're all aware of that um it's not just a oneon-one you lose institutional knowledge experience and it's a high cost it's worth keeping them and it's worth keeping us thank you thank you come on up sir good evening board members Dr Kramer um I want to talk to you about a couple of things first thing I want to talk about again is the bus transportation I'm sorry tell us who you are yeah okay I'm apologize my name is Ken Parker I'm a parent of hard Elementary two two students
038of hard Elementary I'm also a director of youth programs for the Department of the Navy so I'm kind of speaking from a professional and from a parent standpoint um I to entrusted on trying to transport children to and from school every day in p and cheste school districts so I understand one of the things that I employ upon my program is child safety that's one of the biggest things I preach to my staff my program to everybody I'm around um before you can do anything you have to make sure a child is safe and a safe environment so as a parent and as a programmer I want to make sure that I am doing everything possible to have my children safe like right now Transportation right now is a is a key concern for me
039as a parent when I don't know what school bus is going to bring my child home because of different Transportation changes daily um how reputable that bus is is going to break down between the school and my home things of that nature make me have a pause for concern like the other day we had a storm come in yesterday I was so more concerned about is that bus going to get my home child home safely that I stopped everything left work early so I can go pick my children up from the school from my safety and from my mental standpoint so as a parent I'm imploring you to think about that when you're doing your budget to ensure that we have a peace of mind as a parent when I'm at work when I'm doing
040my things I can I can know that my two children my heart that's working on outside of my body is going to get to where they need to be safely that's my first thing the second thing doing budgets myself I know you going to have different priorities I understand that you got to think some things are top of the line versus some of the things that a little bit more low hanging fruit but make sure that you when you're doing those things think about people first think about the children that we are entrusted to and the and the teachers that we are employing that we employing without those two no school district can be successful so I want you to make sure you're understanding that I understand about efficiency with cost and everything like that
041but also remember that without them without those basic um foundational blocks you will not have a house to stand with so that's all I have thank you thank you [Applause] sir anybody else don't be bashful now your chance going once going twice all right appreciate everybody coming out um unless there's any comments I believe we'll close this meeting out don't run off because we're going to transition into a work session so I think we'll probably address many of your concerns and comments this evening um um so I think we should adjourn take five and come back is five good enough for everybody all right