001Good evening everybody. I'd like to call the April 15th, 2025 Picosen City Public Schools School Board meeting to order. Uh the first thing up, uh Mr. Lamagi, could you please uh lead us in the uh pledge of allegiance and moment of silence? Please stand 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. Now for a moment of silence. Please be seated. This Saturday marks the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the Revolutionary War at the battles of Lexington and Conquered, a conflict that shaped our early nation and the people who would fight for its independence. In commemoration of this event, the great poet Ralph Wuardo Emerson wrote his
002most famous work, The Conquered Hymn. Its first stanza calls to mind that defining moment. By the rude bridge that arched the flood, their flag to April's breeze unfurled. Here, once the embattled farmers stood and fired, the shot heard round the world. Thank you. Okay. Um, thank you. Uh, moving on to, uh, let's see, Miss Carol, are there any additions and or modifications to the agenda? Uh, Chair Burbage, there are no additions or modifications tonight. Okay, thank you. Uh, moving on to recognitions. Uh, Miss Perie, Chair Burridge, members of the board, colleagues, and community members, thank you for joining us this evening. We have a few things to celebrate. Um, the first of which is going to be our April Senior of the Month. The April senior of the month is an exceptional student, consistently displaying
003a strong work ethic and commitment to excellence in all of her endeavors. Her dedication and diligence have allowed her to excel very well at academically at PHS. But beyond her academic accomplishments, Zana is an active and engaged member of our school community. Her passion for the performing arts is evident in her involvement in the PHS Evolution Show Choir, where she not only shines as a performer, but has also taken on leadership roles such as dance captain. Zena has displayed her stage presence and talent through various solos and has participated in multiple drama and musical productions while at PHS. Additionally, she's won many accolades for her performances, too many to list. Zana's commitment to extracurricular activities extends beyond the performing arts realm. She has played an active role in many clubs and organizations while at PHS,
004which include the anti-bullying committee, sidebyside diversity club, the empowerment paper, key club, Leo club, Excel club, student to student club. I can keep going with Spanish club and SCA. Additionally, she is a proud member of several honor societies such as the National Honor Society, the Science National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor, Royal Cappa Social Studies Honor, Spanish Honor, and the Thespian Honor Society. Zana's devotion to community service is beyond commendable as she volunteers at numerous places such as the transitions family violence services center for paws animal rescue peninsula regional animal shelter and sister cities of Newport News. Her outstanding commitment to make making a positive impact on the lives of others is truly inspiring. Please join me in congratulating Miss Zana Williams as the April senior of the month. Congratulations. [Music] We are
005proud tonight to recognize both the Picosen Middle School and Picosen High School for once again receiving the prestigious Virginia Music Educators Association Blue Ribbon Award. This honor is the highest award given to a school music programs in the Commonwealth and is a testament to the outstanding musical instruction and performance excellence in our schools. To receive this award, both the band and course programs must earn superior ratings at district assessments. And once again, our music programs have delivered. The foundation of our students musical success begins at Picosa Middle School, where our exceptional band and course programs are second to none. Our middle school band director goes above and beyond offering additional ensembles and performance opportunities beyond the school day, an opportunity not commonly found in surrounding middle schools. Likewise, our course director brings unique insight, having
006also previously served as a high school level. This perspective allows her to guide students with the end goals in mind, creating a supportive, encouraging environment while maintaining the high expectations that help our students thrive. The result of these efforts is a middle school program that not only develops strong musicians, but also inspires a love of music that continues into high school and beyond. At this time, I would like to invite directors Randall Lawson and Rebecca Wade to be recognized for their dedication. Congratulations. At Picosen High School, our music educators continue the legacy of excellence building on the strong foundation laid at the middle school level. Our high school course continues to shine with strong student enthusiasm and a dedication guided by a director who fosters both technical skill and artistic expression. Her students feel challenged
007and thoroughly engaged in a myriad of vocal opportunities from singing the national anthem at events, participating in school musicals, and of course in evolution the PHS show choir which has also been a very successful program. These additional opportunities deepen our students skills and love of music. Our band program continues its tradition of excellence under the leadership of our dedicated band director who will retire this year after 37 years of service. His leadership and passion have shaped generations of student musicians and contributed to the strong reputation our music program holds across the region. The high school music department exemplifies the culmination of years of growth, guidance, and dedication from our entire instructional team. At this point, I would like to invite Rose Reed and Doug Sproul up front to be recognized for their achievements. Thank you.
008We congratulate our middle school and high school music departments for their continued commitment to excellence and representing Picosen City Public Schools with pride and distinction. Thank you for everything that you do. That concludes our recognition for the evening. Thank you, M. Uh moving on to presentations and reports. um for the instructional update. Uh Miss I All right. Good evening members of the school board, superintendent, community members, and colleagues. This evening, I will be presenting an overview of VTSS and Bossen, the Perkins Grant, and the special education annual plan. My first update, however, starts with the focus on the important connection we share with the military community in our area. From deployments to new schools, military children are faced with unique challenges that ordinary youth their age never experience. Their ability to adapt to present to
009present and future challenges deserves our respect and admiration. In an effort to recognize the hard work and applaud the courage of our military children, the Department of Defense has deemed April as a month of the military child. Today we celebrate purple up day. Why purple? The National Military Family Association states that purple symbolizes all of the branches of the military in their colors. Coast Guard blue, army green, navy blue, marine red, and air force blue. On behalf of Picosen City Public Schools family, I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our active and retired service members and their families in our community. We are grateful for you and your service and sacrifice. So, as we recognize the month of the military child, we're reminded of the strength, adaptability, unique challenges faced
010by our military connected students. Frequent moves, transitions between schools, and adjusting to new communities can disrupt learning and create gaps in both academic and social emotional needs. That's why it's so important that we have a consistent divisionwide system in place to support all of our students and especially those who may need additional layers of care and instruction. This brings us to our work with MTSS, the multi multi-tered system of supports. MTSS is a systematic data-driven approach that allows schools and divisions to provide evidence-based practices and interventions tailored to the needs of their students. It is built on clearly defined processes and implemented to fidelity by all stakeholders in the school community. The goal is to ensure that students receive the right support at the right time, whether it's academically, behaviorally, or socially. Our efforts are
011supported through VTSS, or the Virginia Tiered Systems of Support. VTSS is a collective of organizations funded and led by the Virginia Department of Education that helps school divisions like ours implement and sustain MTSS effectively. The primary implementation partners include the VTSS research and implementation center at Virginia Commonwealth University, the VTSS evaluation team at Old Dominion University, and our regional training and technical assistance partners, which we call TTAC. This collaboration provides PCPS with expert guidance, technical assistance, and professional learning opportunities to build and sustain a system where every student has access to highquality instruction, timely interventions in a supportive learning environment, no matter their background or school placement. And so now we'll share how we bring MTSS to life in Pakosen. Our division VTSS team consists of myself, our director of student services, Heather Worerin, our
012special education coordinator, Heather Hopkins, our school psychologists, Lynn Herd and Haley Wearsba, and our school social worker, Ellen Christ. Currently, Lynn Herd serves as a district coordinator for VTSS and Picosen. We meet on a monthly basis with our VTSS coaches to review data, discuss the work happening at our schools, plan professional development, and ensure alignment with our strategic plan. To ensure every student receives the support they need to succeed, our schools use a tiered system of instruction and intervention. Tier one is the core instruction that every student receives. When it's working well, about 80% of our students should succeed with just this level of support. Next, we have tier 2, which is targeted support for students who need a little bit more. This should consist of about 15% of our students. If more students need
013tier 2, it may signal we need to readjust tier 1. And of course, we have tier three, which is an intensive support for about 5% of our students. But it's important to remember tier 3 is not special education. We label the intervention and not the student. Tier 1 is the foundation of teaching and learning. It represents the highquality core instruction and support that every student receives daily. This includes a standards aligned curriculum delivered through in effect effective instructional practices, strong classroom management, and an inviting climate that fosters student engagement and belonging. Clear schoolwide expectations and policies that support both academic success and positive behavior. A focus on regular school attendance as a key component of student engagement and achievement. and a commitment to continuous improvement through the ongoing academic, behavioral, and attendance review to ensure
014tier 1 is meeting the needs of at least 80% of our students. Tier 2 provides targeted support for students who need more than core instruction to be successful. These are students who are not meeting the benchmarks despite strong tier one practices. This includes supplemental small groupoup instruction, targeted behavior supports, positive inclusive climates, attendance interventions, and of course ongoing data review. Tier 2 supports typically serve again about 10 to 15% of students. If we have more than that, we would want to go back to our tier one to re-evaluate. And of course, these tier 2 supports are in addition to core instruction, not instead of. They're designed to close gap gaps quickly and focused on shortterm interventions, excuse me. Tier 3 provides intensive individualized support for students with the greatest academic, behavioral, or attendance needs. These
015supports are delivered in addition to tier 1 and tier 2 and are carefully designed based on each student's specific challenges. This may include individualized instruction, intensive behavioral intervention such as behavior intervention plans, and of course continuing that supportive and inclusive classroom. Could be personalized attendance plans if chronic absenteeism is the concern. And frequent data collection and analysis is key. Typically, again, we're looking at about 5% of our students. And this does not signal a special education designation. It's signaling signaling an intensity and type of intervention, not the student. And of course, we hope that they only need tier three for a short period of time as well. One of our key priorities this year in VTSS has been aligning our tiered system of support with the new state requirements under the Virginia Literacy Act, VA.
016The VA now requires a student reading plan for students in need of literacy intervention. Rather than creating multiple documents, we've been working to integrate this required reading plan with our division's broader MTSS documentation. School-based teams in collaboration with the VTSS coaches have been working to redesign and streamline our student assistance plan and procedures for the 2526 school year. This updated process will not only meet the VA requirements for literacy support, but will also provide a more unified system to track and document intervention interventions across academic areas, math, behavior, reading, whatever the concern may be. This work reflects our commitment in reducing redundancy for our teachers, increasing clarity for families, and ensuring that all student supports are documented consistently and aligned with evidence-based practices. Ultimately, this integrated approach strengthens our MTSS framework and helps ensure that
017every student's needs are being met in a coordinated way. We also wanted to highlight that this tiered attendance support is another example our VTSS team created this year with chronic absenteeism identified as a key area of focus. This resource was designed to help school-based teams provide structured tiered support to students and families. And of course, I'd like to express appreciation to Ellen Christ and Heather Hopkins who really worked together to develop this document which our teams appreciate. We do have some requirements with VTSS and I'm going to explain two of those with you. School leaders in collaboration with our VTSS coaches must use two reflective tools to evaluate the effectiveness of our current practices and the supports that we put in place for our students. So again, that continuous improvement is what we're looking for.
018The first tool is called the district capacity assessment, the DCA. This tool measures a division's ability to support school-based teams by identifying existing strengths and areas in need of additional resources. The DCA guides the development of a divisionwide action plan focused on building capaci capacity to implement VTSS effectively across a division. Capacity in this context refers to the systems, activities, and resources a division must have in place to enable schools to adopt and implement sustained BTSS. Examples how the how the DCA may inform action. Identifying professional development needs, selecting additional academic or behavioral interventions, developing or refining our communication plan could be examples. The second tool is a tiered fidelity inventory, the TFI. The TFI is used to assess BTSS implementation at the school level, specifically focusing on positive behavioral interventions and supports, PBIS. During
019this process, coaches visit schools and meet with staff to evaluate how effectively key PBIS components are being implemented. This tool provides schools with actionable feedback and helps identify areas of growth to strengthen tier 1, tier 2, or tier three practices. Examples could be a schoolwide discipline matrix, articulated schoolwide behavioral expectations and students being able to articulate them, clearly defined attendance procedures and incentive programs, and school-based behavioral interventions. So, now we get to see it in action in each of our schools. So, at the primary school, as part of tier 1, the primary school has implemented several positive behavior initiatives, and they provided me so much evidence I could not include it all in tonight's board meeting. So, know that I did appreciate everything that was provided. For example, we have golden bull tickets. Classes can
020earn golden bulls for collectively demonstrating expected behaviors. And once a class reaches a set number, they vote on a class reward such as pajama day or time at Kids Island. Bucket filler recognitions where individual students are acknowledged for embodying our three schoolwide expectations. Be safe, be respons, respectful, be responsible, and they get to wear that bucket filler badge or sticker. Quarterly celebrations at the end of each grading period where all students have the opportunity to participate in a fun schoolwide celebration that reinforces a sense of community and success. In the first quarter, students enjoyed a glow party in the gym. The second quarter, a shark attack game and the third one is still being planned. And of course, there's academic intervention such as reading intervention. Students who are at high risk are going to get
021that additional reading support daily by a specialist, special education teacher, PAR educator, or other trained staff. At the elementary school, they have implemented several MTSS strategies. Again, positive office referral. Students who demonstrate the three Rs, respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness, are recognized by their teachers with a positive office referral. They're called down to the office to celebrate and have their photo taken, which is then included in the weekly family newsletter. They also have bull bucks, which classes earn bull bucks for distri uh demonstrating, excuse me, positive behavior throughout the building. As they reach milestones, 50, 100, they vote on a reward from a menu of incentives. They have kindness connections and bullying prevention lessons and afterchool tutoring to meet that academic need which is a 20week long program for identified students. At the middle school they
022have the all-in bulli and students can earn golden bull tickets for demonstrating respect, responsibility and resilience. And they redeem these for school supplies, snacks or prizes. It's open once a month through at lunch and it's facilitated by the school counselors and volunteers. The Golden Bull student of the month where they are nominated by teachers and staff for demonstrating the three Rs and once the nominations are in they vote on them and to recognize the student of the month and they also have the reading and math all-in tutoring at the high school. The one lunch is an intentional strategy aligned with our implementation of the Virginia tiered systems of supports. This structured schoolwide lunch period provides all students with a shared time in the middle of the day offering built-in opportunities for academic, behavioral, and social
023emotional needs. So we have the tier one universal supports ranging from access to clubs, academic review sections, interest based activities, teacher office hours to tier 2, targeted interventions such as small groupoup instruction, check-ins with mentors or counselors to tier three for students needing more individualized support. It offers that protected time to schedule that academic tutoring if needed. Now we're moving on to a bit more of the administrative side. So once a year we get to review the Perkins grant and the special education annual plan. Ask a question about the last topic. So it the tier 2 and the tier three are not part of the special education program. Are students who have individual educational uh plans or special ed IEP, are they eligible for tier 2 and tier three? in addition to the other services
024identified on their plan. Absolutely. The scheduling of that, but they every student is entitled to tier one and tier 2 into tier three and that special education would be in addition to that. Thank you. Depending on the minutes and their IEP, of course, it's a good question. So, the Carl D. Perkins grant um is for career and technical education. And again, we review this annually as the funding in the statute requires us to do so. So this data here is related specifically to CTE completers and those are students who have met the requirements for a CTE concentration which is a sequence of courses and all requirements for high school graduation or an approved alternative education program. Picosen for the 23 24 completers exceeded the Virginia target data in on-time graduation rates, proficiency in reading, math,
025science, and post-graduation. In all of the categories, we exceeded um the Virginia agreed upon performance levels. And these are measured by end of course testing, some surveys, and a college and career readiness uh index as well. And then this slide shows you where they plan to use the money from the grant and how it would be allocated. And um Kim Montalvo, who could not be here tonight, she runs the CTE meetings and the committee helps decide and shape what is up here. Um after careful carefully reviewing local industry trends, data from the past year, and input from teachers about course needs, the CTE advisory committee has selected the following items for the Perkins grant funding. this year's proposed budget reflects a well-rounded investment in both staff and students. As highlighted before, you'll see our required
026allocation to New Horizons. In addition, a larger portion of funds is dedicated to professional development, empowering our on-site CTE teachers with the tools and training to stay current and effective. And they've also included several technical resources such as a new 3D printer, color printer to enhance student learning and technical drawing and marketing. Software to support key competencies and simulationbased learning is included for both middle school and high school. And finally, part of the budget supports career connected learning, bringing in guest speakers, organizing field trips, and creating realworld connections for our students. Additionally, each year PCPS applies for federal funding through the special education annual plan established under IDA part B. These funds are designated exclusively for special education services and are used to support special education personnel and service providers who work directly with our
027students receiving special education. Federal funding is broken down into two streaming sources. 611 supports school age students with disabilities while 619 focuses on our preschool students with disabilities. And this just shows you again how that funding is broken down or where it's going. You can see that seven parap parap my gosh paraprofessionals two special education bus assistants purchase services which could include related services such as occupational therapy physical therapy as long as they're not funded from Medicaid because you can't double dip would be from here and other materials and supplies is the bulk of that funding and you can see where preschool is just a very small portion two separate funding sources is the PCPS special education department will focus on co-eing, co-planning, specialized instruction within the general education setting and creating appropriate services for
028each identified student in order to develop a strong continuum of services. Again, it feels like a lot tonight. I have a question about So, Carl Perkins is a federal grant, correct? So, in the event that a school system doesn't use all the money that was allocated in their grant, they have to revert that, right? Yes. Okay. So, I'll just whenever we get I'll ask it again when I actually look at how much we had this year compared to if any. I we're very careful to spend every dollar. But you're correct. It does have to be removed. And when it's about $23,000, it's quite easy for us to also find ways to make sure we don't send any back. Thanks. So, I had one question about the uh SEAK uh the program 619. Okay. Kids um
029are those kids that are identified through the IPO program or are they preschool students with disabilities? Okay. So, is it just IPOP or does it go younger than you know IPOP is um four? No, it starts at about two we can identify at the age of two for those services. Okay. All right. I was just curious. Yes. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Miss. Uh, now for the operations update. Uh, Mr. Roberts. Good evening, members of the board, Superintendent Mr. Tilllet, staff, and community members. I want to start off um as usual with food services. Last month, we successfully uh completed our USDA audit with no findings and received very positive feedback. I want to take a moment to thank all of our manager, staff, and partners for their continued hard work and dedication
030to ensuring our students receive highquality meals every day. Air Mark did a phenomenal job and Key Oland from our staff did a phenomenal job with that um audit. In your board packet, you'll find a reading file that includes a request for the superintendent to be granted approval to sign the renewal contract with Airart for the 2526 school year. We've had a strong positive uh partnership with Airart for the past 14 years and we've been very pleased with the services they've provided. The new contract includes a proposed 5cent increase in both breakfast and lunch meal prices excluding reduced price meals. Even with this increase, our prices will remain lower than most of our neighboring divisions and will only exceed those of a few divisions that participate in the community eligibility provision, which where pricing is affected
031by the local economic status. You'll also see a comparison chart of meal prices between our division and others included in the packet. This modest increase is necessary to help us address rising food and operational costs that are impacting all divisions. Importantly, Airark will continue to provide a financial guarantee as part of this new contract, which will help fund future equipment, other needs within our food service program. All right, on to the wellness policy. Um, during our recent FPAR review that was earlier in the uh school year that we've discussed u that was conducted by VOE, it was noted that our local wellness policy was missing several required components to be fully compliant. In response, we reviewed the VDO VDOE's guidelines and convened a meeting with some of our wellness committee members. This included administrators, PE
032teachers, nurses, student service staff, food service representatives, and staff from the schoolboard office. Together, we revised the policy to address the identified gaps. What we discovered was the required practices were already taking place in our schools. They simply hadn't been formally written into the policy. The key updates we made include specifying who is responsible for overseeing the policy and ensuring its implementation as well as clearly defining our four core core goals which were nutrition education, nutrition promotion, physical education and physical activities and other activities that support student wellness. The local wellness policy is shaped by the state and federal guidelines and aligns with the SOS. By updating the policy to reflect both our current practice and the compliance requirements, we are creating a clear roadmap for our school wellness committees to follow. This will help
033guide their efforts in planning and implementing wellness activities that support healthier lifestyles for our students, staff, and community. The revised policy is included as a reading file in the board packet today. We are requesting approval to move forward in the second reading. However, if the board prefers, you may make a motion to wave the second reading and approve the policy at this time. on to transportation. Um the Kosan Police Department is currently working with the city to establish an ordinance that will allow us to install bus stop cam or arm cams. Um this initiative comes in response to a recurring issue where drivers are illegally passing stop school buses creating an unsafe situation for both our students and staff. If the ordinance is approved, we are prepared to partner with a company that will not
034only provide the stop arm cameras, but also equip each bus with additional interior exterior cameras. These cameras will be capable of live streaming and storing footage, giving administrators access to support student safety and discipline efforts. We greatly appreciate the collaboration support from both our police department and the city as we move forward with this important project. In addition to the camera um enhancements, we are also beginning GPS training for our buses this month. This is an essential step towards launching a new parent app that will provide real-time updates on bus arrival times and helping families better plan their mornings and afternoons. Two of our sub uh bus drivers that are in training are now preparing to take their final exams, which is the final kind of check off um in their um list of things
035to do. Once they are certified, they will be able to help us cover um currently uncovered routes and bring muchneeded support to our transportation team. So, we're very excited about that. You also notice in the board packet today a reading file requesting final approval for the purchase of four new school buses. These buses were previously approved through capital funding, but because the total cost exceeds $100,000, the city has requested that the school board gives one last final approval. The purchase includes three large capacity buses and one uh new special needs bus. These new additions are critical as we are currently four buses have four buses that exceed the state's recommended 15-year age limit. We've had to rely on these older buses this year while other buses were undergoing repairs or preventative maintenance. With board approval,
036we anticipate receiving these new buses in two phases. One delivery in June and the other in November. These new vehicles will enhance the overall safety, comfort, and efficiency of our fleet and will help us better serve our students, especially as we continue to manage driver shortages and the need to combine runs. And that's all I have for you today, unless you have questions. I know that was a lot, too. I was just curious, the 377 passenger buses, what is the current capacity of our buses? Like, how many more? Yeah, we do have some of the uh current 77 passenger buses, but some of them are the 60some passenger buses and then those are the older ones. So, we're trying to phase those out to increase capacities for our normal day-to-day runs and our activities. Um,
037you know, we have some large teams that go far. So, yep. I I had one question with the the airark contract renewal. It's just a one-year term. Yeah, they're all one-year terms. We had up to four renew renewal cycles and uh this upcoming year, next year would be our last year to renew that. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Roberts. Um finance and budget update. Uh yes, I'm going to be a spare tire tonight. Um Tracy is uh not well this evening. So, um like a uh the new small spare tires on your car. Um it I'll get you there, but it might be a bumpy ride. Um for a very brief budget update, as you know, the general assembly uh finished their work on April the 2nd and sent uh the
038budget back to the governor's office and he has until the 2nd of May to um make some decisions based on that budget. Um I'm going to um share a few components that are relevant to Picosen school's budget. Uh related to that um on March 24th, Governor Yncan released his proposed amended budget for FY26 which includes a red a reduction in the funding for the support cap compared to the amounts proposed by the House and Senate. Specifically, I think the House and Senate had about 223 million in that um budget. Um and the governor's amended proposal was around 86 million. So it's a significant cut in that. Um and for Picosen schools that equates to somewhere around $390,000. Uh during the reconvene general assembly session on April 2nd, the House of Delegates passed on several amendments,
039including the one related to the support cap. Since the House took no action on this amendment, it did not proceed to the Senate. As a result, the budget returns to the governor unchanged with the original full funding for the support cap intact. So, the governor again has until May 2nd to accept uh that budget in total, veto the entire bill or veto specific items in the bill u under the governor's um authority. Um but the key takeaway from that is early May we should have some answer to the support cap um question that again um has significant funding for Picosian schools. Um, as you know, funding requests to the city from your budget um of one uh almost $1.5 million um is included in the school's FY26 budget um to support the compensation package increase
040for all employees. The city's proposed budget that we learned about um from last night's uh city's meeting uh city council meeting um includes $600,000 in funding. Um, if the governor's final FY26 approved budget includes the recommended funding increase from the House and Senate's budget, PCP and PCPS health insurance increase is lowered to 17% versus the 24% that we included in the budget from the first proposal. that will reduce the budget shortfall to $247,42 [Music] um which is the hopeful um place to be in light of the $600,000 from the city budget. Now again, the city that's only the the city manager's proposed budget. Uh city council will take this budget up, I'm told, on the their first meeting in May. So, we're um hopeful to, you know, to have increase in funding there. I know
041that um from all of our work on the backside with city manager and the mayor and city council, they're going to do everything they can um to get as close to our request as possible. Um they are incredible funding partners for us and completely supportive of our work. But it is an ambitious budget that we presented and um we remain hopeful on both the state level and the city level. um to be able to um fund this um extraordinary effort in compensation for our our staff. Available for any questions. Thank you. Thank you, Ari. Okay. Um let's move on to public comments. Uh Miss Carol, do we have any public comments tonight? We have one speaker tonight. Okay. All right. Just give me a second. I've got to read a statement. Okay. Public comment statement.
042The Picosen school board welcomes public comment during regular meetings. School board members do not respond to public comment during a meeting. All comments be addressed should address a matter related to Picosen public schools. The school board will not hear public comment that involves an individual student related matter, the disclosure of which would violate applicable confidentiality requirements. The school board expects that each speaker will be courteous, modeling for our students how one can respectfully disagree with others views. Speakers will address their comments to the entire school board and not to one individual board member nor to the superintendent, a staff member or the audience. Speakers are encouraged not to engage in personal attacks. Speakers will present their comments from the podium. To follow schoolboard policy, time allotted to the speaker shall be three minutes. Our speaker
043is Jennifer Ward from Warham Farm Road. Hi members of the school board. Thanks for the opportunity to talk. Last month, two parents spoke about their children's experiences in classrooms where a disruptive student was causing re classroom evacuations and was endangering the physical safety of their classmates. Since this is I've been informed this is not the appropriate venue for questions. I just want to express parents continuing interest in what you guys as a school board um have whether you've been able to investigate further these instance these incidents and also whether you've been able to identify any solutions or possible preventative measures to improve our school system in this regard. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Warden. Okay. Um, we're going to move on to the consent agenda, but I am going to ask for a motion and
044a second uh to separate out the uh approval of personnel action. Um, so what I'd like to do is have the first vote be items A, B, and D. That's approval of financial reports, authorization to change appropriation, and to accept and expend funds in accordance with attached request. And then the last one is approval of minutes for March's regular meeting. Um, so can I? So moved. So moved. Thank you. Uh, can I have a second? Any discussion? Okay, Miss Carol, can we have the vote? Dr. Bartlett, I. Mr. Claude, I. Vice Chair Deose, I. Miss Jones, I. Mr. Maxwell, I. Chair Burbage, I. Vote passes 6. Okay. All right. So the I guess let's go ahead and do the uh items A, B, and D. Uh so for sake of time, can I get a
045motion and a second to approve consent items A, B, and D? So move, Mr. Chair. Second. Second. Oh, you can't. You made the motion. Who? Who? Second. Oh, okay. Thank you. Sorry, I missed that. Didn't hear who said. Uh, Miss Carol, can we have the vote? Dr. Bartlett, I. Mr. Claude, I. Vice Chair Dubose, I. Miss Jones, I. Mr. Maxwell, I. Chair Burb, I. Vote passes 6. Okay. All right. So, this next vote will be for consent agenda item part C. This is approval of personnel action. Uh, can I get a motion and a second? So moved, Mr. Chair. Second. Thank you. Any discussion? Okay. Uh, I think I I'll go ahead and add that um the reason we're doing this is because uh of a staff member that's being in the uh approval of
046personnel action who is related to one of the board members. So uh can we go ahead and have Can I just clarify that there is no concern with that? I mean just publicly that is we don't have a concern about the personnel action with a relationship to a board member. Correct. That is correct. This is uh we're following completely our policy. Um, but it it's a g general practice, not actually necessary, but uh legally, but a general practice that the the if the relative is on the board, they generally abstain from the vote. Okay. Any other questions or concerns? Okay, Miss Carol, can we have the vote? Dr. Bartlett, I. Mr. Claude, I. Vice Chair Dubose, abstain. Miss Jones, I. Mr. Maxwell, I. Chair Barbage. I vote passes. Five yes, one abstain. Thank you, Miss
047Carol. Okay. Uh let's move on to other matters for consideration. Uh item 8A is consideration of approval of proclamation for teacher appreciation week. Uh can I get a motion and a second? Second. Okay. Any questions or concerns? M. Carroll. The vote. Dr. Bartlett. I. Mr. Claude. I. Vice Chair Deose. I. Miss. Jones. I. Mr. Maxwell. I. Chair Burbage. I. Vote passes 6. Thank you. Uh, item 8B is consideration of approval of special education plan for school year 2025 2026. Can I get a motion and a second? Second. Okay, you got that. Mike Mike made the motion and I second it. Okay, I'll chair. Any uh questions or concerns? Uh, Miss Carol, the vote. Dr. Bartlett, I. Mr. Claude, I. Vice Chair Deose, I. Miss Jones, I. Mr. Maxwell, I. Chair Burbage, I. Vote passes 6.
048Okay. Moving on to item C is consideration of approval of Perkins grant for school year 2025 2026. Can I get a motion and a second? So move, Mr. Chair. Second. Any questions or concerns? Uh, Miss Carol, the vote. Dr. Bartlett, I. Mr. Claude, I. Vice Chair Dubose I. Miss Jones, I. Mr. Maxwell, I. Chair Barbage, I. Vote passes 6. Okay. Thank you. Uh, last item. Item D is consideration of approval of wellness policy update. Can I get a motion and a second? Oh, we got Oh, ENF. I forgot about those. All right. Um, we're on item D right now. So, uh, can I get a motion and a second for that? Mr. Chair, I make a motion, uh, for the approval of the wellness, uh, policy update. Like to make that motion as approval for
049the first read as the first reading. Okay, that's right. As set aside, the second reading would be Do we want to wave the second reading or wave the second reading? like yes. Okay. So, let's adjust. Um, can you restate the motion? Yes. So, I'd like to move uh for approval of the consideration of approval for wellness policy update. Um, this being the first reading, wave the second reading and approve it as presented tonight. Okay. Thank you. Can I have a second? Second. Any questions or concerns? I have a question. Yes. Unless I misread it, it seems like it's a heavy ch like there's a lot of yellow on it marking all the changes or additions. It's a huge addition. My only question is I mean none of it seemed outrageous or or questionable to me,
050but have you had any push back from anybody in the public or for these huge changes? Yeah. What's uh not clear uh in the fact that it is a lot of changes is the fact that all of these are required by law and they have been in practice for many many years. For example, one of the uh uh policy highlights there is that uh you have to use approved um smart snacks while during the school day. That's been in place for I'm thinking 15 close to 20 years. and it's federal law. So, in order to receive federal funding for your school nutrition program, you have to comply with that. Uh, all of those um components in there, time for health and PE, time for recess, are all have been in practice for many years and
051are grounded in law. They just have been omitted for whatever reason from uh this particular wellness policy. Almost all of those are also covered in other policies throughout our policy manual. So they're there um for example the health and PE requirements are in our healthful living policy uh but not in our wellness policy. So um they're there but if it through this audit it became apparent that it was wise for us to put it all together in the wellness policy. So that's why they're all uh they've all culminated in that policy. They're not new in practice or in uh and also grounded in the law. So, uh, otherwise we would be, um, uh, hearing from folks if we were adding that many things to a policy that was not a current practice. But so, very
052good point. But yes, every one of those are covered in existing policy somewhere and also grounded in the law and have been the practice for many years. Thank you. Thanks. Any questions? Okay. U, Miss Carol, can we have the vote? Dr. Bartlett, I. Mr. Claude. Hi, Vice Chair Deose. Hi, Miss Jones. Hi, Mr. Maxwell. Hi, Chair Burbage. I vote passes 6. Okay. Uh, moving on to items E. There were two more. They were on the next page. I didn't see them. Uh, item E is consideration of approval of contract renewal with Aramark. Can I get a motion and a second? So, moved. Second. Any questions or concerns? Okay. Uh, Miss Carol, the vote. Dr. Bartlett, I. Mr. Claude, I. Vice Chair Deose, I. Miss Jones, I. Mr. Maxwell, I. Chair Burbage, I. Vote passes 6.
053Okay. Thank you. Uh, last item, item F is consideration of approval to purchase four buses. Can I get a motion and a second? So move, Mr. here. Second. Okay. Any questions or concerns? Okay. Uh, Miss Carol, the vote. Dr. Bartlett, I. Mr. Claude, I. Vice Chair Deose, I. Miss Jones, I. Mr. Maxwell, I. Chair Burbage, I. Vote passes 6. Thank you, Miss Carol. Okay. uh communications and or other matters by school board and or superintendent. [Music] Um that I guess is uh Mr. Lamagi. Do you want ahead and start? Of course. Here are the reports from Beosen City Public Schools. From the primary school at Picosen Primary School, we were very busy before spring break with a variety of special learning experiences. Just a few we would like to highlight are our second grade music
054program. An awesome musical program created by Miss Ferris, our music teacher, was presented set to the book the day the crayons quit. It was another packed house and our students did an amazing job. March Madness unit in Miss Alv's first grade classroom. They engaged in basketball themed literacy, math, and STEM activities and did their own March Madness bracket to select their favorite readaloud book. The winner was Dragons Love Tacos, too. A Starbucks Day in Miss Craft's second grade classroom. Thanks to a PEF grant, Miss Craft and her students were able to celebrate a Starbucks day with aprons and cups and all. They designed their own new drink, wrote a descriptive paragraph about it, and decorated their own cup. They also imagined their own dream coffee shop in Reed and reviewed several books. Thanks PEF for
055funding this awesome learning experience. PEES readers, Mrs. Steerwald's fourth grade class at PEES shared their own original Porquoy tales with Miss Tenti's second grade students via Google Meet. We loved to hear the fourth grade student friends read aloud to their younger peers. Schwah day. Miss Torrent's students also dressed in PJs to represent how they were unstressed, just like the schwah sounds that they have been learning about. They found schwah words in passages, made headbands, and identified schwah words in their names. Sorry, sounds in their names. It's funny. And here are some more great learning experiences yet to come. Kindergarteners will soon be graphing Oreo cookie flavors. Which is your favorite? The PHS STEM Club will be coming back to PPS once again this week to work with our second grade students. Rainbow Puppets is bringing
056an assembly to PPS this Wednesday thanks to our PPS PTO. We are excited to see the support our students and staff shower on our military families during their month of the military child spirit week. This week on Monday we wore red, white, and blue. And today our division purpled up. Tomorrow don't forget to wear your camo or camo colors. Please send in your active duty military family photos to Mrs. Perie if you haven't already done so. Next week we will be hosting our spring book fair and we'll hold a family night on on Thursday, April 24th. On this night, families will be able to, of course, purchase books from the bookf fair, but will also be able to visit classrooms and take home some hands-on math home support resources, as well as to visit the
057Bayport Credit Union table for information about financial literacy. At this age, there will also be a spirit night at Los Compadres that evening. We end our week with a joint