001How you doing? >> Okay. We good? We good? >> I'll be good. >> Yes, we good. >> The February 10th, 2026 school board regular meeting is called to order. Miss Tresy, please call the role. >> Mr. Cherry, >> here. >> Mr. Link, >> here. >> Dr. Jameson, >> here. Miss Quintana >> here, >> Miss Trigg here, >> Mrs. Watkins, Mrs. Apo >> here. Thank you to all of those attending the meeting in person and those that are joining us via the RCPS YouTube channel this evening. Next is the approval of the agenda. Is there a motion and a second to amend the agenda to change the item titled targeted school improvement update multi-year school support plans from a discussion item to an action item for vote and to approve the agenda as amended? >> Move.
002>> Second. >> Moved by Mr. Cherry, seconded by Miss Trigg. Is there any discussion? >> Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed say no. And the motion carries. The agenda is approved as amended. Please keep the following in your thoughts. Family and friends of Ms. Beth Miller, who served as RCPS's print shop technician for 11 years on her passing. Family and friends of Mr. Lewis M. Nelson Jr. who served the Rono City School Board from 1973 until 1985 on his passing. Please join me in a moment of silence. Thank you. Please rise and join me in the pledge to the flag. I aliance to the republics one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Okay. Um, next on our agenda is the fiscal year 2026 to 2027
003budget development. Before we dive into the numbers, I want to ground us in our purpose, our students. To know every student by name, need, and strength. As a board, we take our role as stewards of your tax dollars very seriously. While it is not in our power to generate revenue, we conscientiously align ourselves with our strategic plan and strive to develop a budget that ensures all of our students in RCPS have access to an excellent education. And yes, we've referenced the business of education sometimes because there's payroll and there's HR and there's operations and we're one of the top five largest employers in the Rowan Oak Valley. But again, I'm gonna steal from my vice chair. We keep the main thing the main thing, and that's education. And every dollar expended is a dollar invested
004not in a product, but in a future. So, with that said, Dr. White, I will turn it over to you for the budget presentation. >> Thank you. And good evening, Madam Chair, Mr. Vice Chair, and members of the school board. At this time, I would like to invite our chief financial officer, Mrs. Cath Kathleen Jackson to come forward to share an update on the development of the 2026 2027 budget ahead of uh your public hearing on the budget. Before she begins, I want to take a moment to thank our families, our staff members, our community members who joined us for last week's virtual budget town hall meeting. uh nearly 300 people participated live and many more an additional 400 have watched the recording online on our YouTube channel afterwards. So in keeping with our commitment
005uh towards transparency uh we've worked to provide clear context, answer questions and create space for dialogue through both the Q&A and small groupoup uh discussions. We heard many ideas and most of all we heard a strong desire to help and as I shared that evening uh that is what I love most about Reno uh because it's not just what are you going to do but it's about how can I help and that's one of the things that I love most about us. Uh to date we have also received more than 150 submissions through our feedback form along with many thoughtful emails. We will keep the form open until 5:00 pm this Friday, February 13th, because your voices matter. And we are carefully reviewing every comment to help guide our decisions. And I encourage the public
006to visit rcps.info/provide your input to weigh in on using the form um to weigh in using the form and to view a copy of the town hall and to answer um and answers to frequently asked questions. So with that, Mrs. Jackson, I'll turn it over to you. >> Thank you. Good evening, U. Madam Chair, Mrs. Apel, Mr. Vice Chair, uh, Cherry, members of the school board, and Superintendent White. Um, we want to bring to you this evening an update, um, on kind of where we are in the process. Of course, this is a a fluid process. As we get new information, we want to make sure we're sharing that with you and with the public. So, um, I'll start out with the revenue outlook. We do not have new information uh in the last two
007weeks from when we uh discussed this last on January 27th. So, um you do see here we have a little bit of an increase projected from both the state and the city. Um and we're kind of at this point keeping our revenue on the athletic side flat. We do have a significant decrease we need to budget for in terms of other revenue because we no longer can count on the interest income from the the money that we had in the bank and the the fund balance that was there. I know we've talked about that. So, um just a unfortunately a relatively small year-over-year increase at this point, um with the revenue information we have so far of just over a million dollars to work with. Um so, just kind of a reminder of the cost
008drivers that we've talked about thus far. Um employee compensation is um is the biggest of course. Um the majority of our costs are personnel related. So, at this point, we do have uh a 2% raise included in the budget. That is certainly um a an item for discussion. Um but we do have that because there is funding in the current state budget to partially fund that. So, that's why we went ahead and included that at this point. So, we would not be leaving state money on the table. Um we do have an almost offsetting um positive variance in terms of Virginia retirement system. The Virginia retirement system updates the rates every bienium. So we are starting a new bianium and those rates have gone down a little bit. So that is um that's a good
009thing. That's a favorable adjustment um that helps uh on that that cost line there uh quite significantly as you can see. And then the other big area is health uh and dental benefits for employees. So, we are currently estimating a 10% increase um year-over-year there uh which amounts to about a $1.3 million increase. So, all of that netting to an additional $1.4 million uh on on compensation. Then, just in summary, the items that we discussed last meeting um add up to just under $6 million additional dollars. Um uh biggest chunk there is related to our increasing population for of students with disabilities and requirements that relate to making sure we're meeting those needs as well as um some changes in in requirements under the idea funding. Um that means some of the items that we
010had been able to fund through those grant dollars um there's not enough money in the grant to fund those to so to continue those services. Some of that would have to be absorbed. Um utility rates going up. Um, we do have some other positions that are funded out of uh temporary all-in Virginia state money that that is ending at the end of this year. Um, which I we can certainly discuss uh whether or not to to continue with positions that are grant funded, but some of that needs to be looked at carefully because we reading specialists, for example, there are standards of quality requirements. So, we need to make sure um we are meeting those requirements. So, that's uh still something for consideration. And then of course just general uh increases in particularly transportation and
011fuel costs and we had some increases in curriculum resources uh particularly in the areas of math and uh social studies included. So that got us to where we are at this moment um of a 16.5 million deficit projection. So, I think it's important to remember um I did note uh that we are projecting a bit of an increase in uh local funding and state funding. Um but a big piece of that deficit that we are uh needing to fill is um related to not next year so much as this year. Um because we did adopt a budget with a $10 million um deficit that we filled with money from savings in the current year um as a gap because we were flatfunded. um so no increase in the current year. So we're building off of
012um a lower number. So that's that's part of um why that deficit is as big as it is. So I just think it's important to um put that in perspective and uh remember kind of how that it's sort of a two-year. It's not just a one-year uh variance there. Okay. So some updates. Um, as I said, this is kind of a a a moving uh project as we every day we get new information and we're continually uh scouring our budget to look for ways that we can save. So, I do have some updates on that front, some good, some bad, um, to update you on. Um, on on the positive side, we have uh been notified that we've gotten a state grant that can offset uh the cost of textbooks in the math area. So,
013that was very good news. we can take that out of the general operating budget because we can use those grant funds. Um so that is a favorable adjustment. Um we also um again with the the CIS requirements under our idea funds, there are some other costs that we can use that portion of those funds to uh provide. So some positions that we can move into the CIS portion of those funds. So that um would amount to a positive variance of about $630,000 to use those grant funds to offset existing costs. Um uh on the um the other side of the coin, as we continued to look at how we were budgeting for utilities um and and the cost the rate increases that we that have already happened or that we're anticipating, um we do feel
014like we may have underbudgeted there a little bit. So we have a projection of just over 200,000 additional there. And then the biggest um going the wrong direction item that I have included is a contingency. So as we were sitting there kind of grappling with are we budgeting enough um kind of you know came to that realization that we don't have a cushion per se of of sort of money in the in the bank anymore to uh to work with and perhaps even budget a bit of use for which we had done in the past. um to ensure that we have a little bit of of leeway for all of those unknowns that as as much as we try to budget as accurately as possible. Of course, it's difficult to predict exactly um how much
015certain cost areas will come in as health insurance is a big one where we had a a major unexpected uh year-end variance this past year, as you'll remember. Um those kinds of things. So, we do have a a proposal to add a $ 1.3 million contingency to the budget. Um that's about half a percent of the projected budget at this point. Um sort of best practice recommendations are to have a contingency between 1 and 5%. Um but that in these tight times uh just feels like too much. So that um is probably actually a little bit less than it should be. But we do feel like um it's important to propose at least some contingency for those unknowns so that we don't end the year um going over budget. So that is added. Um and
016then we have a couple of other adjustments uh that are favor well um good and bad. Um we have a 300 a little over $300,000 uh reduction to the general fund budget based on the local match requirement for the state grant funds that fund our summer programs. Why that's sort of a a pro and a con is that that number goes down because unfort we did get a grant um but unfortunately we got a much lower number uh uh level of funding than we've gotten in the past. So the the proportionate local match requirement is also lower as a result. So it helps the the general operating budget, but unfortunately it means overall less money um to support our summer programs uh in uh not not so much affecting this current uh this coming summer,
017but summer of 27. Um and then lastly, we have identified just again as we're scouring the budget um working through things that um were requested and areas where maybe we can say does this absolutely have to happen this year? um and have about a $460,000 savings there. So all of those things net still do net together uh in the favorable side uh saving us about a half a million. So just kind of updating where we are based on those items added that gets us down a little below $16 million in terms of the variance that we're we're working to address. So, a couple of other again kind of working through our process and making some updates and um uh kind of updating where we are. This list kind of summarizes the items we've already talked
018about. So, we've looked at some possibilities for reductions that added up to a little over $4 million um at our last meeting. We do want to bring for Sorry. Bring forward um for consideration some adjustments um to that one. The uh the biggest at the top of the page um would be removing the community empowerment center from consideration. That came to our attention as we started looking at the sort of unintended consequences if we were to move forward with um shutting down those efforts. Um, we do have long-term savings tied in with uh power purchase agreements related to solar that kind of depend on all of the buildings that um we've moved forward with with solar energy um moving forward and fulfilling those savings, right? So, um we we do need to to move forward
019if we're truly going to realize the long-term benefit um of those savings with those buildings which include the community empowerment center. Um, additionally, we've recently gotten a grant, I think we talked about at a recent schoolboard meeting, a community schools grant that supports the work there. So, we would be uh we would not be able to make use of those funds if we did not continue with the services that that grant was intended to support. So, so those are some of the reasons why um we revisited that recommendation and um looked to see if there were other ways that maybe we could come up with that uh amount of savings to offset that. And um our uh maintenance and operations team did come through and identify some ways that primarily in our grounds maintenance that
020we feel like we could probably reduce our efforts there um reduce our mowing frequency and uh defer some of the grounds maintenance items um that were originally included in the original budget to offset that change. Um, a couple other areas. Um, also recommending that we add back a little bit of the cuts that we originally proposed to you, about $55,000 in the athletics area. Um, just because looking carefully at those items for um, equipment, realize that some of those are related to lease obligations that we certainly um, want to move forward with and continue those uh, resources. So, so a little bit of a reduction uh to the savings proposed there. And then a few additional items for consideration. Um [clears throat] we are looking at the possibility of using existing staff to provide crossing
021guard services instead of contracting that out. We think that could save us a little over $100,000. Um eliminating lease for one of the evolve systems, not totally doing away with it. Those are the um the weapon detection systems that we pop up occasionally as needed um at schools and events. That would save about $70,000. We're looking at about a 10% reduction in our building allocations, which would also save a little over $100,000. Um that's the allocation of local funds that we provide out to schools uh using a formula that's based on enrollment for just kind of the the operational needs throughout the year. your copy paper, your uh your copier use um any kind of you know additional classroom supplies, that kind of thing is what that's used for. So an across the board reduction
022there is being proposed um as well as um basically removing the event space costs of an in-person convocation. So that's chiefly the facility rental and um audiovisisual cost there. Um it it doesn't usually cost up to to 55,000 but that is what um the various departments that have a piece in uh putting that event on had in the budget at this point. So we are proposing um removing that. So all of that brings our kind of net reduction up a little bit about $280,000 to 2.34 million. So, that's kind of an update on where we are on kind of the non-personnel or programmatic items that are on the table for consideration. Um, but I know we want to talk about what is our process related to personnel as well because as as we've said and
023we know the vast majority of our budget is personnel about 75%. So, um, there we can't get close to a $16 million, uh, deficit without ultimately having to talk about positions and people. So, um, with that, I'm going to invite, um, our chief human resource officer, Dominic McKe, to come up and share a little bit about the process for making those evaluations. >> Thank you, Miss Jackson. Good evening, um, Madame Chair, Mr. Vice Chair, members of the board, student representative, Superintendent Dr. White. Um, as you know, we um have heard from a lot of our employees and this is a very difficult time for them in terms of going through a range of emotions from fear to anxiety um to anger. Um so we want to try to make sure that we come up with
024a a a subjective way in which we identify the positions and objective excuse me objective way [laughter] to to come up with um how we identify these positions. So I'm going to talk a little about the criteria we're going to use moving forward. So as you know students are our utmost importance in terms of going through this process. So the first one is is this position currently vacant filled or do we um know that it would be vacant for the 2026 27 school year. So we do we we we receive intent forms. We got about 99% of our intent forms back. Um so we know we we know some of the vacancies that will be out there. The second consideration is how's this position funded? Is it is it in the um general fund general
025funds or is it a grant-f funded position? The next criteria is is this position above the number of positions required or is it not required by the standards of quality. The third the fourth one is is this position in a subject or field that is designated as a hard to staff position. And the last criteria would be is this position uh mission critical based on student achievement data and strategic plan goals. And we think that the the this five criteria can we can use this to be objective in terms of when we're looking at both vacant and filled positions moving into 2627. So now I want to talk a little about the timeline. So we're asking um for the board to approve approval is needed for the preliminary category high level budget on March the
02610th and we're asking for uh the board to approve the reappointment list on March 24th 20 uh for the 26 27th school year. this is pushed up. Typically, we ask this the reappointment list to be uh we submitted on in the first meet board meeting in April. Um with that being said, once the reappoint list has been approved and this is for um administrators, for professional staff and also for classified staff um once that list is approved, we can then get contracts out to our employees uh starting on March 25th through March 27th. That's right before spring break. And then we'll we'll send that through Town Net or Powers School. And then we're asking the contracts to be due back by April the 10th. That's the week after we get back from spring break that
027Friday. And through all this entire process, we'll make sure we adhere to our employment laws. And if if it comes down to it, we also have to look into our reduction in force um reduction force policy. So with that being said, I'll I'll see if you have any questions. And if not, I'll stand here awkwardly or give it back to Miss Jackson. >> Does the board have any questions for Mr. McKe about his presentation. Okay, thank you. >> Okay, thank you. >> Okay, we just had um sort of one final slide with with some additional timeline information kind of um specific to budget development. Um as Mr. McKe said, um we will have opportunity to for discussion and and input um at your work session at the end of this month. the March 10 is
028when we do need to have approval of the preliminary budget so that we can meet um our requirement to provide um that budget estimate to the city on or before March 15th as is required by the city charter. Um but I it's important to note that that is not the end of the process. Um we will still be getting updated information I'm sure both from the city and the state about revenue. we will be continuing our work um in trying to um hone the details on the expenditure side. So um so that that is just sort of the first step in the process to ensure that the school board approves where we are at that point for forwarding to the city for consideration. I did also want to note that um budget Sunday is what
029it's typically called is kind of the the point when both houses of the general assembly are supposed to have their budgets done and and made available is February 22nd. So um so that's kind of right in that time frame. So we'll have to see kind of how much detail becomes available and how soon after that. But certainly um we'll bring whatever we have available to that work session and and of course the March meeting as we get those updates uh on the state side. So >> all right, thank you Miss Jackson. Um Miss Trigg, any questions for Miss Jackson at this time on this side? Miss Kintana, >> I don't have a question. your link. [clears throat] Dr. Jameson >> questions. >> Um I did have a question myself um regarding the contingency budget line
030item. I just wanted to note um or that we this is a new line item in consideration for the budget. Not because we didn't plan for contingencies before, but this will this coming fiscal year 26 27 is the first year we do not have a fund balance um at play when we are budgeting. So by policy to date it still is a policy that the board has. We actually have a minimum value that we were required to keep our fund balance at so that we always had monies for emergency purposes. um to access at the board, you know. Um so that is something that it's new here, but it wasn't something that the division failed to budget for appropriately. Um and that dollar amount, I think we had kind of adjusted it on a percent,
031but I know the dollar amount for that fund balance policy had adjusted over the last couple years um due to, you know, inflation and costs and budgets. And that was that sat at around 12 to$13 million as opposed to what was in this budget of um I think 1.3. So >> yeah, thank you for that point. I think that's important to know. It's just sort of we're having to sort of change how how we operate and so uh you know need to look at this. I I did um my team did take a little bit of time to look into kind of how see if we could benchmark against some other school divisions and um you know we did find anywhere from um a 2% so less than what we're proposing um at some school
032divisions to about a 1% at some some don't don't do it at all. I I did note that those that were on the smaller end are school divisions that are allowed to maintain their fund balance. So, my guess is they probably sort of manage that um that risk and that unknown the way we used to. Um but but I I did find didn't look at every school division in Virginia, but um that it was not uncommon to see at least some portion um budgeted to uh attempt to prepare for just the unknown. >> Thank you, Mr. Link. You had an extra note or cut. >> I did and she answered it exactly. >> Ah, okay. >> Thank you. >> All right. Madam Chair, I'll just say again, thank you u for raising that point. That's
033a that's such an incredibly good point about the contingency. It is important for the board to note and to realize that u budgeting even at a half percent is a risk. Uh and that's a risk because again because of the abrupt change in the city council's um school funding policy that we we don't have an off-ramp, right? there's no there was no ability to kind of long-term plan or to even phase um and where we had a fund balance before that could serve if we had cost overruns in utility costs or in uh health care costs uh then we would have been able to to utilize that there. So because of this abrupt kind of policy change now we've had to um plan differently. And so this contingency while 1.3 million seems like a lot
034it still may not be enough um given that the industry standard is to plan and budget for about 1 to 5%. And thank you Mrs. Jackson you and your team um really for handling all of this kind of last minute. Uh you guys have done so beautifully. But just to to think about and to benchmark us against other divisions to see what they typically do for a contingency and a fund balance. Um again, we're looking at a half percent. Uh that is our recommendation uh to you to look at at least a half percent to budget for that so that we can try to guard against um overspending uh and and cost overrun. So, I just want to to say that um just for your consideration as you're moving forward with the budget uh and
035in this budget development process, we do have to we've been very careful with our budget over the years and we haven't um over spent our budget because we have planned accordingly and we've planned well. So, I do think we should at least have that half percent contingency in there for cost overruns uh if not more than that. Um, thank you. Uh, Dr. J, thank you. Um, Dr. White, what do we have multiple? Sorry. Your list. So, we can start with Dr. Jaden. >> Well, all I was going to suggest is on that note is to remind ourselves as well as the public, for example, last year, which is affect affecting everybody, health care costs escalated, and had we not had fund balance available, we would have found ourselves with $5 million worth of problems. >>
036That's what I was going to. That's uh so that was the only point I was going to make. >> Thank you, Mr. Link. >> I guess I I was going to remind myself out loud and you just did the heavy lifting for me. Um half a percent doesn't feel like enough of a cushion and we could look back to our own operating history uh to cost overruns that have overshot that. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Call it overspending. And I think the point we're getting at is it's not an overspending problem. It's the potential of a variable volatile market and changing prices. >> Yeah, thank you. >> If I used words otherwise, I'd probably >> No, I mean a lot of times we don't know what those health care costs are going to actually come
037out to be until we get the bills like until we see where employees are at the end of the day um and what costs are come in kind of at year end. Same thing with utility costs. Everybody understands that those utility costs kind of fluctuate. So, um, some of those things are a little unpredictable and so we've had a fund balance before where we were able to kind of rightsize if we needed to. Given that we had to return the fund balance to the city, we no longer have that. So, our recommendation is that we still build in some contingency for just in case. >> Um, Miss Kintana, did you >> Well, technically, Dr. Jameson and Mr. link said the same thing, but I'm just going to repeat it again for layman's terms. We had
038this money we had to give back, but that money we were supposed to be allowed to use it in moments like this. Correct. Yes. And I just want to make sure everybody understands that just in lame terms. Just to clarify, the fund balance ideal was proposed by the city council. >> Correct. >> Yes. With this the the uh um funding policy that was amended back in 2011, the first amended school um funding policy. Yes. Thank you. Did either of our student representatives want to um contribute or have any questions? Thank you. My apologies for waiting so long to get to you. Um so, uh Dr. White, are we ready to move on to the next portion? >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll turn it back over to you to open it up for public hearing.
039Got it. So, um onee, this is the public hearing on the fiscal year 2026 2027 budget. This is a public hearing, which means your voice is a critical part of the process. We are here to listen to your feedback. Public input is not just a formality. It is a vital part of the budget development process and in fact all of the processes that we go through here as a division. Um it just it also reinforces our commitment to transparency and communication. In that vein, I would like to remind the public as Dr. White already has done that. You can continue submitting questions and comments regarding the 2026 2027 budget um through the budget feedback form that's located on the RCPS web page. Um I believe it was also pushed out through the text notification from
040Ron Oak City Public Schools as well. And that will remain open until Friday the 13th at 5:00 pm. So with that said, Mr. Cherry, >> Friday the 13th is a good day. Yes, Mr. Chair, do we have any signups for the public hearing on the 2026 2027 budget? >> Yes, we do. And the school board values open communication and we look forward to receiving your comments. Uh we encourage all participants to engage in civil discourse and asks that you keep your comments respectful in helping us achieve this goal. Uh this ensures regular opportunities for the public to address the board and allows the board sufficient time to conduct its business. Citizen comments offer an opportunity for the public to inform the board. The board and superintendent generally do not respond to comments made or questions
041posed. All individuals are urged to provide written copies of their comments or other material supporting their views to the clerk of the board who will ensure dissemination to board members. staff present at the board meeting and whenever possible we'll assist you with your inquiry. Uh when you get to uh that center uh podium, please state your name for the record and state whether you reside in Rono City or not. We ask that you keep your comments to three minutes. Speakers may not seed their time to another individual. There is a light at the center of the podium. That light will turn yellow when you have about a minute left. And then let me just say this now. I apologize if I say any of your names wrong. All right. Just please correct me and uh
042we'll go ahead and get started. All right. Is Derek Kakniss here? All right. Excuse me, Madam Chair. Are you opening the public hearing? >> Yes. Um the public hearing is now open. Good evening. My name is Derek Hacknes. I live in Maiden Lane over in Raleigh Court. I have a 5-year-old daughter who will be attending Virginia Heights beginning in the fall. I want to take this chance just to say thank you to this board for the work that you've done. I know it's been a stressful last 12 months and particularly last three months or so. I wanted to take the opportunity to uh bring to the board's attention. You probably are aware of some of these, but there's a couple initiatives that uh I've been involved with here locally that I think maybe provide an
043opportunity to look a little bit more optimistically for the next 12 months um than some of the other discussions we've had. One of those is a uh new guidelines published by the VDOE that was sponsored by legislation from our own delegation Sam Rousul around fle seat time flexibility. So you know I would commend I think this board and this district has done a very good job of investing in CTE particularly the day uh facility seat time flexibility is a major major innovation guidelines were published in the fall that can allow for programmatic capacity instead of uh physical capacity. The second is a a federal program that got passed down to the state called the Virginia health trans rural health transformation program. This is a billion dollar funding opportunity over the next five years coming uh
044coming down to the state of Virginia specifically focusing on rural health transformations and one of the initiatives is workforce development specifically building pipelines from public high schools to careers in healthcare. That's about $130 million. Rowan Oak is one of only six regions in the state that's eligible for it because we're considered rural. Uh that is a front-loaded initiative. There's something like 10 to 15 million in funding available this year. I've been working with the economic development authority as well as some other stakeholders, particularly Virginia Western here. Again, the investments that this district has made in the CTE programs position it really, really well to capitalize on those both this year and the next five years. And then the third one is a project that I'm specifically involved in uh about workforce housing development here in
045Rowan Oak. So we were actually in conjunction with the economic development authority and um total action for progress were awarded $2.5 million from the state to provide down payment assistance for uh local employer assisted housing programs. So this is for uh forale housing for people to buy homes earning roughly less than $80,000 a year in household income. Our number one target for that is public school teachers. Obviously when facing these type of fiscal constraints probably going to be limited on what we can do from cash compensation. These are sort of alternative benefits that we can provide that both improve quality of life uh improve retention and then also uh help anchor teachers working uh living where they're working. So I'll see the rest of my time but just wanted to give those three as sort
046of positive updates on the horizon as opposed to only looking at budgetary cuts here. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Right. Next we have Adrien Ostrander. Good evening members of the school board. My name is Adrien Ostrander and I'm a third grade student at Highland Park Elementary. I know you are facing hard choices right now and I want to thank you for the work you do. I'm here tonight to speak for myself and my classmates because these decisions affect us directly and our voices matter. It makes me sad that so many programs are at risk. Every program on the list helps a different student find their place. For me, that place is Play Plato because of my amazing teachers and my friends. Play-Doh is the reason I am excited to
047come to school every day. This program is important because it challenges us and helps us grow. Every student deserves to be challenged at the right level so they can reach their full potential. Plato teaches us how to think creatively and solve the kind of complex problems our community will need us to solve one day. I wish we could fix these funding challenges without losing any of these special programs. Maybe the city, the school board, and families could work together to find creative solutions because these programs matter to students like me and to the future of our community. Thank you for listening to me and for considering the voices of the students you serve. Steve, you and my daughter go to class, go to school together. All right. Next is Jackson Gunter. >> And I'm going
048to cry by the end of this. >> I I just almost did. Yeah. My name is Jackson Gunto and I am a third grader in the Plato program at Highland Park Elementary. And I am here to ask city council to please not cut money from all schools. And I am also here to ask the school board not to get rid of Plato. It is very important to me and my friends. When I started Plato, I made so many new friends. Everyone, everyone is kind and we help other each other learn. To me, it feels like a real community where I belong and accepted for who I am, and that makes me excited to come to school every day. I did feel like this at my old school, but not as much. I was in the
049talented and gifted program at my old school, but it was only once a week. It wasn't so it wasn't like enough for my brain. Plato is so special because it challenges me to think harder and learn new things in ways that make sense in my head. We don't just repeat work that we already know. The teachers help us do our best and push ourselves. It makes learning fun instead of boring. Another reason Play-Doh matters is because we don't spend as much time on computers and iPads like we did at my old school. We talk, think, and learn together, which helps us understand things better, and work as a team. Please let me and my friends at least finish elementary school in Plato. We love our learning. We love our community. We love our teachers. And
050we hope you will support us in our schools. Rihanna Gunter. >> Hi everyone. Thank you for letting us all talk. My name is Brianna Gunter and I am Jackson's mom. He's a third grader at Highland Park Elementary Program. as he said, I am deeply disturbed by city council's decision to defund education while prioritizing more short-term choices over our students. Um, and I can't imagine the position that you all face. Programs like Plato are not extras. They strengthen our entire community. They attract families to Ronoke, improve educational outcomes, and build a culture of excellence that benefits everyone. Cutting funding from our schools may look good today, but it weakens our foundation for tomorrow. My son Jackson is an incredibly bright and curious individual. Before Plato, sorry, I do not like public speaking as much as my
051son. [laughter] Before Plato, he was fine academically, but he was disengaged. He would finish his work early, felt bored, would get in trouble for being a distraction, and spent long periods waiting for others to catch up. His curiosity wasn't met and over time his motivation suffered. Since entering Plato, we have watched him thrive. He comes home excited about what he's learning and eager to return to school each day. The increased rigor has strengthened his confidence, perseverance, and love of learning. And being surrounded by intellectual peers has helped him feel understood, socially engaged, and comfortable being himself. This program has made a measurable difference in his well-being and sense of belonging. Plato serves students needs. Sorry. Plato serves students whose educational needs are just as real as any other group. As we've seen with Jackson, these
052students require depth, challenge, and appropriate pacing. Needs that general classrooms just cannot meet. When those needs go unmet, we lose potential. Students disengage, underachieve, and in some cases, which I'm afraid might happen, families leave the system entirely. Cutting funding to our schools is not a responsible solution by city council. And I'm hoping that they're listening to all these messages tonight. If these programs can't truly be funded, I hope that they step up and give RCPS the resources to at least fund these out responsibly. Abrupt closures are going to cause lasting academic, social, and emotional harm to students, families, and this community. I am not asking for a privilege for my son, Jackson. I am asking for him to receive an appropriate education. Our responsibility is not to level down opportunity, but to protect what truly
053matters. If Rono is really ready to show a better way forward, one that protects children and strengthens families like Mayor Cobb mentioned, then I really urge our leaders to make sorry, urge our leaders not to make a permanent decision based on temporary numbers. Thank you for your time. Are they all right? >> Nelson uh Lefon. Did I say it right? >> Uh good evening members of the board and Dr. White. My name is Nelson Lefon. I am a resident of the city of Reno. Uh I'm here to express my concerns about the potential discontinuation of the uh Plato program both at Fairview and Highland Park Elementary School. I have a daughter in third grade at Highland Park Plato program and a son at Woodro Wilson Middle School right now who completed third through fifth grade
054at the Highland Park uh Plato program. And despite being really very different kids, which I think they would admit, uh my son and daughter have both found fit a good fit in the program. My daughter has gained a lot of confidence in all the subjects and has found increased joy in learning like she never had before. My son found the engagement and the challenge he needed and the dividends are really paying off now that he's in middle school. I've been really impressed overall at many of Ronuk's innovations to meet kids where they are in their learning journey. And to me, that's the real genius of Plato. Um meeting kids where they are and then bringing them into a common space where their diverse abilities can be engaged. So, as you move move forward, I hope
055you'll to continue to consider us parents as a resource. I know you will. And I've spoken to several other parents of Plato children, uh, whose first thought for our predicament was, can we have a fundraiser? And that's probably not sustainable in this situation, but the heart is there. I just want you to know that. So, and I can certainly appreciate the difficulty all of you are in, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak tonight. Our last speaker is Olive Colestone. >> Hello, my name is Copplestone and I am 8 years old and I am in the third grade Play-Doh program. I think that we should keep Play-Doh because it allows you to go at your own pace and it can help you challenge your mind. My experience in my experiences in Plato have been wonderful
056so far. It can help you have a stronger mind. I think small people such as me should try to make a difference. Thank you so much for listening to me. >> Grabbed that mic, didn't he? Thank you all for your comments and uh we appreciate the support. So, we're in this together. >> Yes. And and really um thank you to everyone for taking the time to speak with us and to submit your feedback. Um as we said earlier, we really value the feedback of our community. Public input is important as we make decisions on behalf of all students in Rono City Public Schools. All right. And on to the next section, our recognitions. Um, we always look forward to our recognitions. Mr. Williams, executive director of technology, would you please come forward and introduce our
057first recognition of the evening? Good evening, Chair April, Vice Chair Cherry, members of the board, Dr. White. To those in attendance and to those joining us online, I have the honor and the privilege to introduce to you tonight Mr. Lucas Fraer, our coordinator of technology, information security, and connections 2025 IT Superhero Award winner. Connection is a Fortune 1000 global solutions provider. Their mission is to connect people with technology to enhance growth, elevate productivity, and empower innovation. Connection has twice been recognized by Newsweek as one of America's most trustworthy companies. Connection is proud to honor it superheroes, the overachievers who work behind the scenes to save the day time and time again without ever asking for fame or glory. They provide awards to recognize the hard work of IT professionals who help keep the lights on
058as they feel everyone in IT deserves recognition for their efforts. Lucas Rainard was nominated as the best rookie for Connection's fifth annual IT Superhero Awards. The category for best rookie describes, and I quote, "A fresh IT pro who performs like a season pro end quote." In September of last year, we were informed that Lucas had won the best rookie category for 2025. Lucas was selected from hundreds of nominations. connection received as part of the program. And to congratulate Lucas on winning this prestigious award, he received an IT Superhero Award trophy displayed here. It also doubles down as his own personal jingga block. And Connection made a $1,500 donation in his name to Feeding America. Lucas's name was announced as one of Connection's five category award winners during their technology summit event in Phoenix, Arizona this
059past October. Lucas performed so much like a season pro that when connection emailed him to say he had won an award and a donation was being made in his name, he flagged it as spam and deleted it. Story Luckily, they blind copied me. So, >> and you opened it. >> I had to break the secret. I broke the secret. I told Lucas I had nominated him at the and that the award was in fact legitimate. Lucas, I cannot be more proud of you. the work that you do to keep all of us safe from cyber attacks, the commitment he has shown to me, my technology team in the back corner and Rowan Oak City Public Schools. Lucas, >> good afternoon. I just want to thank the school board, Dr. White, Wesy Williams, Chris Perkins, and
060the technology team back in the corner uh for their unwavering support of information security. As you say with our children, it takes a village. Uh the same holds true here in information security. Uh having well-trained staff and tools to allow us to stay ahead of emerging threats has been a huge reason RCPS is leading the charge in the data privacy sphere. Thank you again. The whole tech team had their own dance over there just now. Can y'all do it again? >> Yeah. >> Oh, that's Please come for you. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Is well deserved. All right. And next we have the Consortium for School Networking or Kosen Trusted Learning Environment um seal for the RCPS technology department. I'd like to invite Mr. Chris Perkins, Chief Operations Officer to please come forward and
061introduce the technology team that has received the Kosen Trusted Learning Environment seal. >> Thank you, Madame Chair, Mr. Vice Chair, Dr. White. Members of the board, I have the honor uh to uh repeat what the board chair just announced that Reno City Public Schools has been awarded the Consortium for School Networking or Kosen Trusted Learning Environment Seal for work in helping to protect student data. The TLE or trusted learning environment helps K12 schools and districts build strong and effective privacy programs and a culture of trust and transparency. Earning the TLA seal is a mark of distinction signaling the recipient has taken a strong and measurable steps to protect for the protection of student privacy and the data related to school uh to schools. The TLC application process is rigorous and earning the TLC TLE seal
062requires the Department of Technology to meet specific criteria on behalf of the the district or the division. We also must demonstrate commitment by reertifying every two years for to maintain the seal. So on behalf of Reno City School Board and Dr. White. I have the privilege of recognizing the following individuals in our technology department who worked [snorts] on this prestigious honor. First, if you will come and join me as I call your name and stand behind till I call everyone. If we could hold our applause because this is significant. First, Mr. Josh Adams, Mr. Jason Carter, Mr. Steven Dean, Miss Stacy Horn, Mr. Lucas Renard again, Mr. Britt Simmons, Mr. Dan Smith, Mr. Howard Swank, Mr. David Whiting, Mr. Keith Nukem, Mr. Ernie Arnett, and our executive director, Mr. Wesley Williams. Ladies and gentlemen, the
063IT team. Thank you, Mr. Perkins. Madame Chair, Dr. White, our technology team strives to create, support, and maintain a dependable technology infrastructure across the division. We encourage a collaborative environment for planning, problem solving, not only within our team, but with all staff, students, and parents. We strive to be proactive and responsive with a professional approach to all levels of interaction. That is our team's mission. And earning the trusted learning environment seal from Kosen brought us one step closer to it. Earning this seal was actually one of our strategic plan goals that we had marked to complete by the spring of 2027. And this could not have been possible without everyone represented here tonight. And especially my wonderful technology team, some of whom you just heard got acknowledged. And for those if you're watching online and
064couldn't enjoy this, we see you out there as well. From keeping the systems up to date to reinforcing our standard operating procedures to assisting with new hire orientation, leadership practices, business practices, data security practices, professional development practices, classroom practices, and so much more. All of this was submitted as part of the application process, which actually took us two years to complete. And as a matter of fact, Lucas brought the idea to me a couple years back after attending the Kosen annual conference. Many of the projects and daily tasks we focus on as a technology department were directly related to proving that our data privacy practices, processes, and procedures were being implemented across the division. This is a big win for our team and a huge huge win for the division. Again, I can cannot be
065more proud to say definitively that we are providing a secure tech enabled environment where our staff, our families, our students, and the community can thrive. It's with sincere gratitude that I say thank you to all of you. Thank you to everyone who helped in this effort from Lucas to the schools to Carrie Gates, Claire Mitell, Dr. Poland, our staff for putting up with the MFA request. We see you. Thank you. Dr. Durham, Patty Sheidi, Dr. Sebert, for those who have worked through the 20 question software approval process, we see you too. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am truly humbled by this achievement. That said, I do think it's important to state that this seal does not inherently prevent us from being attacked. The practices, processes, and procedures we have in place, >> are
066preventative measures, not a cloak of armor. >> This underscores the continued need to prioritize technology training initiatives to keep our students and staff safe. Thank you so much. And we do have a recognition flag. And then you know Miss Nit will make you get a picture. [laughter] >> Yes. >> Congratulations. >> Great job. >> Oh yeah. super great again. >> Great job. >> Yes. about that. Thanks for everything you >> congratulations. Congratulations. >> Got to get the picture for you. Well done. Well done. >> Oh, the picture. >> Appreciate you. Thank you. That's right. >> All right. >> And next, >> we'd like to invite Mr. Archie Freeman to please come forward and introduce the featured school for this evening. >> Good evening, Madame Chair, Mr. Vice Chair, Dr. White, members of the boards and
067student representatives. I know we have not had our featured school in a while, but tonight we're excited to have John P. Fishwick Middle School here um to present. And we have Mr. Loose, the proud principal, who will be coming to share his information regarding John P. Fishwick. >> Good evening, Madam Chair, Mr. Chair, student representative, school members, Dr. White. I want to say a couple things first before we get started. >> That was amazing to hear from these kids. >> Yes. If that doesn't impact you, nothing will. >> And the other thing is Wesley and his group's not in here, but one thing that sticks out to me that they always said is if you move your feet, hit control delete. So you can you can remind them that when they come back in here.
068>> They said that in a meeting. I don't know if it was Lucas or Wesley, but we're going to give Lucas credit tonight because he does such a great job with security. anytime we call him at the schools, if we have an issue, he's right over there because that is our number one priority is safety and security for our kids and our staff. So, great honor for that team. So, I appreciate that. All right, so guess hit this button. All right, so I appreciate the opportunity to be able to talk tonight. Just a little uh information about John P. Fishwick. We have a very diverse population. We have about 450 students right now. We have 10 different countries represented and seven different languages spoken at our school. Um, our school overview, one thing we're very
069proud of, we are no longer identified as a TSI school anymore. So, yes, we are very excited about that. And we were we were top five in region six in reading growth of all the schools in region six. So, we're very happy to see that come through. Also, some of the interventions that we've been using this year, we've been using Lexia. We have our Saturday school program where we do about 23 Saturday schools. We average about 20 to 30 kids every Saturday in that program. So, we provide them a breakfast. We have them come in um and we have them work on their uh they can work on Lexio, they can work on a program on the computer. Um we're doing our ILT meetings and our monthly department meetings. Uh we do those weekly and
070strategies are increasing our achievement. We're using authentic literacy across subject areas. We're doing peer interaction learning opportunities that enhances that critical thinking. And also, since I've been at Fishwick, we've been my 10 years that I've been there as administrator, we've always done bell-to-bell instruction. If you ever been over there, we don't waste time between classes. We're rotating the kids really quick, so we maximize as much instruction as we can. Some of the clubs that we started this year, we started a Lego club, which is really, really neat. Um, that runs on Tuesday mornings. if you're ever over there in Southeast, come over and see what the kids are doing. We've had people donate Lego um sets for our kids. So, they're in the cafeteria with the chess club at the same time. Um we started
071a yearbook club this year. Um Miss Shaver's taking that endeavor on, my new instructional coach. Um and they're working very hard on that. This will be our first yearbook that we've had since before COVID. So, I know I don't like to mention that word, but uh we're getting back into being able to do that. And we have our kids in the community and our community builders program. Kids in the community. That is a program that Miss Hughes started uh before COVID. Um this gives students the opportunity to directly impact the Southeast community. They do a lot of stuff and in the few short months of the school already. They've really impacted the community. As you can see, they did 802 pairs of socks for the homeless. So, we collect those throughout the month and then
072we donate those off to the rescue mission. They made Thanksgiving baskets for the Friendship uh House Nursing Home. Um multiple community cleanups. We have the Southeast Plers where they go out every week um and they're with IHeart Southeast. They work with Sunny a little bit. So they go out and they pick up trash in the community. We actually made the front page of the Rono Times when they were dressed up in their Halloween outfits while they were out there picking up trash. It was great. It hangs in my office, so if you're ever over there, I'll show it to you. And uh they made Christmas cards for the veterans. Also, these are some pictures of some stuff that they were doing. Um this is when they put the bags together and also when they uh
073went around the community cleaning up. So, we have a short video here. The kids didn't want to come up and talk. They're here. I'm going to bring them up later, but they were afraid to talk. So, we made a video so they felt more comfortable with that. Who are we? This past October marks our sixth year of our annual sock drive to help the homeless stay warm and safe. This year we passed our goal of 500 pairs of socks. We collected over 800 pairs of socks and that we donated to our rescue mission right here in Southeast Rono. For the past seven years, we made our Thanksgiving bags and had and have donated them to nursing homes in the area. What it really means to me and really reminds me of is Thanksgiving and what
074you're really thankful for and to always be thankful and grateful for what you have. I love that we are making Christmas cards for all veterans. I'm thankful for all for the service they have done for us and I also like all the different ideas we have for the cards. We have all different colors and merry Christmas for merry Christmas to all the veterans forward day is a worldwide event that takes place on April 21st. We held our first annual pay it for day last year. The concept of pay it for day is to do something nice for someone else and start a chain reaction. Pay it for day is just simply a wonderful day. In the fall of 2021, Sunny Pervian and iHeart Southeast welcomed kids in the community as their official junior clockers. A
075pler is someone who picks up litter while walking. We've had a blast flocking in our southeast neighborhood every Monday afternoon during the school year. >> I love how I get to help people. I love our little snack that we get to eat. I love the teachers and the people that I get to help. From the little things to the big things, I love Casey Community. Are putting that video together. Our other program they have in the building is Community Builders. Um we have another 15 to 20 kids that are in that program and they they do some activities in the in the community also and they have partnered with um our other group and they have helped put the rocks together where they have sayings on them and they'll set them out in southeast. Um
076on this slide just some of the things that community builders have done. They've done the ignite your future girls and fuel your future boys conference. Um they've created the rocks as I said they've helped write the Christmas or the Christmas cards for the the veterans and um they've collaborated with the tree planted counseling group and Miss McIntyre has been running that group for us. So we appreciate her support in that. Um some student engagement and input that we've been doing this year is we have the kids have a word every day. They have it on the announcements and we have it on our video boards. Um, we've done some student feedback surveys where we're getting input from the kids like what kind of clubs do they want to see in the school or what kind
077of activities would they like to be after school. So, we've kind of included them and we also have our Lexia when the kids complete their units with that. We have a little board for them to put their name on it. And we have the quarterly incentives that we do uh to reward the kids for good behavior, good attendance, um, and and good grace. So, I have a picture of some of our students. I'm going to have them come up in a minute. And I can't say enough about our amazing educators at our school. I'm blessed. I've been at Fishwick, as I said, for 10 years. The staff that I have is what makes me a good principal. Without them, I'm not that good. So, I need them every day. They show up to work um
078and they support me. And it is true. You're only as good as the people that you surround yourself with. I have people that will challenge me and not always agree with me and I want people to do that to hold me accountable and that's what helps me be a good principal. So I appreciate everything that every all my staff does. So we had holiday cards for you guys because we're supposed to be here in December. So you guys can either open them up next holiday or you can open them up now. And we also brought you some candygrams that the kids are doing right now for for Valentine's Day. Thank you for this opportunity. >> I don't know what it is. >> Come on in. Come on. Nice. You are super super nice. >> Thank
079you. Please challenge. >> See you. Thank you. >> Oh my god. I love this. You are the cheese to my cheeseburger. >> Love me. >> Sweet. >> Thank you, Mia. >> Thank you. >> So amazing. >> Thank you, Paul. And we got a Christmas card inside. >> Yes. >> That is so sweet. Wonderful. All right. >> Okay. We will now continue with the personnel list. Um is there a motion in a second to approve the personnel list as presented? >> Second. >> Moved by Mr. Cherry, seconded by Ms. Kintana. Um all those is there any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I. >> Any opposed say no. All right. The motion carries and the personnel list is approved. >> The next item on the agenda is the consent agenda. Is there a
080motion and a second to approve the consent agenda as presented? >> Moved. >> Second. >> Moved by Mr. Cherry. Seconded by Miss Kintana. Is there any discussion? >> Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. I. Any oppose say no. All right. The motion carries and the consent agenda is approved. Um and Mr. Cherry, were there do we have any signups for the um sorry let me make sure I Okay, on to citizen participation on agenda and non-aggenda items. Mr. Chair, do we have any signups for agenda or non-aggenda items this evening? We do not have signups, but I do want to acknowledge uh one of our city councilmen uh is here. Councilman Hagen, it's good to see you and uh thank you for being here today. But there are >> and thank
081you for voting against cutting the funding for the schools. >> Okay, >> we appreciate it. Thank you. >> And I per I perfectly cannot see him. [laughter] Hello. So, I can see a purple arm. [laughter] So, um all right. Um moving on to the superintendence reports. Um Dr. White, please provide your superintendent updates. >> Very good. Good evening again, everyone. And this evening, we're bringing forth two items for your information uh and your consideration as well. approval of the multi-year school support plans and an update on the boundaries study and uh Mr. Perkins will also give you an update on where we are with Preston Park Elementary School. So, before we get to our agenda items, I would like to highlight a few items for the board and for the public's information. Last week, our
082English language arts department hosted our annual RCPS spelling bee at Lucy Addison Middle School. Congratulations to all of our middle school students who participated. Matilda Schlepner, an eighth grader at James Madison Middle School, won in 19 rounds with the word Medusa. Uh, and Nicholas Ralph, a seventh grader at Woodra Wilson Middle School, was the runner up. Matilda will now complete compete in the regional spelling bee at Radford University in March. So, let's give both of them a round of applause. Good. Congratulations to them. I also want to encourage the community to attend Woodra Wilson Middle School's production of The Wizard of Oz this coming weekend with four public performances, 700 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and a matinea on Saturday at 2 p.m. So, there are plenty of opportunities to follow the the the
083yellow brick road, if you will. So, uh, congratulations and good luck to the 75 students involved with the production and thank you to the teachers and staff members who are helping to make this production possible. We appreciate you. This is a testament to our AAA approach. You know, I talk about the academics, the arts, and the athletics, all of which are important uh to a well-rounded education, we believe. So, we're proud to support theater at the middle school level. Finally, preschool applications for the 2026 2027 school year are now open and kindergarten registration will open on February 23rd. Our academics and community engagement departments will be hosting events throughout the spring to support our families with enrolling in school and we encourage you to attend. More information is available at rcps.info and on our social
084media pages as well. I'll now ask Mr. RT Freeman, our chief instructional and administrative officer to share an overview of the multi-year school support plans for seven of our schools for your approval. So, Mr. Freeman. >> Thank you, Dr. White. Good evening once again, Madame Chair, Vice Chair Cherry, members of the board, student representatives, and Dr. White. Uh thank you for your continued collaboration as we conclude a discussion that we began at our previous schoolboard meeting regarding federally identified schools with a particular focus on targeted school improvement on which we always say TSI. I want to say I have the part tonight on academics and funding. As shared during the meeting, there is a new federal requirement that the multi-year school support plans, which used to be CSSPs, they're now MSSPS, be presented to and
085approved by the school board. These plans outline evidence-based strategies aligned with the Department of Education guidance and the intervention supports being implemented at each inter each identified school. The plan will also be actively monitored to ensure fidelity of implementation and progress toward improvement goals. In alignment with this requirement and our commitment to transparency, the plans have been supplied to you and they also will be made available on the division's website. I want to take this moment to thank Mr. Kevin Bowman and Dr. Lori Wimbush for their efforts in ensuring that we are in compliance with working with our principles even during the time they were out of the office working at home to ensure we have these completed. This evening, we're requesting the board's approval of the multi-year school support plans presented. Approval will also
086allow us to move forward with the application process to secure funding designated for school improvement based on each school's identified reporting group. Upon board rep approval tonight, Dr. White will sign the plans for submission to the Virginia Department of Education's Office of School Quality. Thank you for your time and continued support for our schools and our students. At this time, we ask that the board will receive this as approval for the multi-year school support plans as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Freeman. Does the board have any questions or comments um regarding these plans for Mr. Freeman at this time? Nope. Hearing none. Is there a motion and a second to approve the multi-year school support plans as presented? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Oh gosh. Um moved by Mr. Link, seconded by Miss Trig
087that movement, too. >> Yeah. Um >> All right. Um is there any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> Any opposed say no. >> And the motion carries. The presented multi-year school support plans are approved. Thank you. >> Right. Thank you, Mr. Freeman. At night, next I'd like to I'd say that I can't say I can't speak tonight. I'd like to ask our chief operations officer, Mr. Chris Perkins, to provide an update on the boundary study as well as uh an update on Preston Park Elementary School. >> Good evening again, Madam Chair, Mr. Vice Chair, members of the board. Thank you, Dr. White. Uh I will be brief. Miss Canana will be happy with that. So, first the boundary study. Uh the weather did put us behind about two weeks. We
088expect to make that up. Thanks to Mr. Jeff Shaver who set in with our uh our provider uh this today at 2 o'clock. Uh so we hope to catch up on that. Uh second, Preston Park is about five and a half weeks behind. However, we do, as I mentioned at a previous update, because we are encapsulated now in that building, we believe that we can catch up on that time. Uh, but the weather did uh impact us. I mean, 7 ines of snow will do that. But five and a half weeks is about a half week better than what we were, but we do anticipate opening that in uh the uh summer. Now, uh the reason the boundary study is very important, if you remember, we have three phases for that boundary study. The first
089phase is to rightsize Preston Park Elementary when we do open it. Uh that is a uh going to be our premier uh elementary project that we have been working on and we hope to open that as I said this summer and uh our team with and along with future think uh will give us the right size for that and how we will address the boundaries to relieve some pressure on Monterey Round and West Side on the our north side of town. I'll take any questions if you have them. >> That was it. [laughter] >> I did that just for you, Miss Kana. >> I was going to say, did you find out it was my birthday this week? Is that what happened? >> Happy birth. Happy birthday. >> Oh, well, thank that was the best
090gift I've gotten. [laughter] [laughter] >> Thank you, Mr. Perkins. Does the board have any questions at this time? Not opening for comments. >> I do. >> Just kidding. Just kidding. Susie. >> No question. No comments. Just a question. Um, >> so when do you think we can expect because there's a boundary committee to after you when do you expect that to convene? >> I expect in the next two weeks to convene that committee to have their first review >> even though we were two weeks behind. We we should have been this week at that point. Okay. uh but uh you know we want to make sure that we get it right uh from future think and and hand it over and the weather impeded us uh a little bit with that as well. So in
091about two weeks we expect to have that committee convene. Uh that 20 person committee will look at the first phase on how we uh well how our uh third party is proposing we do that and then are going to work through four scenarios. And just a kind of as a reminder, we've already talked about this before, that the members of that committee certainly include uh um a couple members of this board, but it is a representative committee of voices, >> parents, students, staff at all levels, uh and of course the board. >> Thank you. >> Um I also that did remind me I had a question. So the third party contractor you said is future think. Um and so the studies that they've done those will be made available to us at some point. >>
092You will receive a presentation uh that will explain the scenarios that the committee is reviewing. Uh the the good news is that even at the high moderate or low expectation we stay overcrowded in our high schools. I say that's good news because we've been saying that all along and uh we just need to be funded to address that. So, >> okay. >> Thank you very much. Any further questions or comments for Mr. Perkins? Okay. Um, thank you very much. Appreciate it. >> Thank you, Mr. Perkins. And Madam Chair, that ends my concludes my report. Hi there. >> You're a clapping machine. >> Yes. >> All right. >> Moving on to the division financial perspective. Let's take a look at the financial forecast. Mrs. Jackson, could you please present the financial forecast to us? Yes ma'am.
093Thank you. Good evening again. Um so we are bringing to you this evening um our monthly financial update for the current year um reporting through the month of December. So we'll jump right in um looking at our general operating budget. Um on the revenue side, we are forecast to be about $6 million below budget when we compare against the three-year average and importantly when we take into consideration the current state budget projections. Um, I know we talked about that at the last meeting, uh, the the update that came as of December. So, this is reporting on December. Um, that we do want to make sure we're taking that into consideration. Of course, it's not finalized yet. Um, but we do want to make sure that we're keeping an eye on um the updates to the
094revenue forecast so that we can um adjust if needed accordingly. So, I I will make sure that I'm updating this as, you know, the general assembly work happens. if that changes um we'll make sure we reflect that. So we're staying current um with our projection. Um on the expenditure side, fortunately, we are also um forecasting to be below budget on that side. Um forecast to be about 5.8 million below based on comparing against um the three-year average of where we were halfway through the year, the last three years. So, um, we always like to look at importantly where we are compared to the amount that was appropriated to the school board, which of course we're in good shape there. Um, the the adopted budget was even below that that number. So, we're certainly um on
095the expenditure side forecast to be well within that at this point. Um, but I did add a little information again just kind of taking into consideration that um, adjustment in state funding potential there to make sure that we're able to kind of keep an eye on on what that looks like. So, at this point, you know, forecasting to potentially be about $6 million below what we thought we would have uh, on the revenue side. expenditure uh variance there makes up uh most of that, but we would be projected to potentially be about $200,000 over uh over spent with revenue exceeding uh excuse me with expenditures exceeding revenue potentially. So that is absolutely something we'll want to keep an eye on. Um certainly in the grand scheme of a roughly $270 million general operating budget, $200,000
096variance doesn't make me uh too worried at this moment, but it's absolutely something we want to make sure we're we're reporting to you on and keeping an eye on. So um that's where we are in the general operating budget at this point. So moving on to the food services fund, um we are forecast to be about $36,000 below um budget on the revenue side. So um a little very small basically meeting budget very small variance projected there. Um we do have a a larger variance um favorable on the expenditure side forecast to be almost half a million dollars below budget on the expenditure side based on uh our experience through December when we compare against the three-year average of uh experience for the first half of the year over the last three years. So um
097also looking at our appropriated amount on that side again um looking looking fine in terms of coming in under that appropriation uh in the food services fund and then we are required to maintain a fund balance uh in that fund. The food services uh dollars are federal dollars required to only be used on food service. So we did adopt a budget that projected to use about $730,000 out of fund balance um on food service and kitchen needs. So, were we to end the year based on our experience um that we've seen thus far through the first half of the year, we would only be using about 280,000 out of that budget. So, we'll see how that moves forward. Um and then lastly, we like to look at where we are in terms of our capital
098fund and the appropriated amount that um was appropriated at the uh in May of last year for the projects that were approved in our capital improvement plan. Um, so we did use almost 10 million of that last year. Um, have used about 620,000 so far this year. About 7 million left. The vast majority of that is Preston Park as you just heard about that um is ongoing. And so um, you know, expect the majority of that to be used up between now and the summer when we open that school. So that is what I have for you this evening, but I'm happy to take questions or comments. >> Thank you very much, Miss Jackson. Um, on this side, Mr. Wade or Miss Trigg. Any questions for Miss Jackson? Okay, great. Um, on this side, Mr.
099Lopez or Ortiz or Miss Canana, Mr. L? Dr. Okay, Vice Chair Cherry. >> No, thank you so much for your report. Thank you for all the work that you and your team are doing. >> Thank you very much. Thank you. >> Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> And staying right there, let's look at the financial statements. Miss Jackson, is there anything unusual to report this month? >> I I don't have anything really to add for the detailed statements unless there are questions other than to mention that every quarter we do add a little bit of information and provide the details of our um our purchasing activity. Um and so that is that is in the report this time. So I just commend that to you as a little bit of additional
100um details for you this quarter. Okay. >> Thank you very much. So the the statements will be received and filed. Thank you, Miss Jackson. Thank you. >> Okay. Um on to committee reports. Um we'll start from this side. Do we have any um reports to come out or for our student representatives? Did we have any reports from your schools? Okay. Okay. That's true. >> That's right. >> Okay. Got it. >> Okay. And all right, Miss Trigg, any um committees to report out from you? >> No reports for me. >> Got it. Uh, Miss Kintana, any any committee reports? >> Mr. Link, >> no reports. Maybe in two weeks after the committee boundary committees. What? >> Wonderful. Um, Dr. Jameson, >> uh, two two brief reports. Uh, one that our audit committee has our next meeting
101scheduled in March. So, we will have a report on that then. Uh, second, the uh, uh, Ron Valley Governor School did meet. I was unable to attend. So, if I get anything wrong here, I'll be looking at Miss Winterwear or Dr. White for all of this. But it sounds like it was a very productive meeting in part because they named a different chair. It's not me. So, [laughter] >> so that was good. Uh, Project Forum was last Saturday and um it it was a really good representation of Project Forum students from Rono City as well as the other divisions, but really quite an impressive list. Um, I couldn't be there because I was at the Comic Con with a bunch of my own students from Virginia Tech, but I but the lists of projects that
102we submitted were fantastic. Um, also, uh, recently, I believe I reported out at our last meeting that the gov school had went recently went through an evaluation, uh, performed by the VOE, um, which happens periodically. Um and the outcome of that was that uh you know they talked to community members, superintendents, schoolboard members, uh parents, all kinds of people to get input on our gov school and the eval evaluation team reported that it was very positive and one of their best evaluation visits. Um there were some minor tweaks which is to be expected but all all around um the commendations by the team exceeded the last evaluation visit. Um and so we should be very proud of the work being done at the Ronic Valley Governor School. Um I think uh oh in terms of
103recruitment uh they seem quite pleased with the uh number of recruities that they have found for next year's about 232 students have registered to apply to gov school for next year so far and the next meeting will be Monday April 13th. >> Thank you very much Dr. Jameson. Um uh vice chair cherry. All right. Um the and then for me I was going to note the audit committee but Dr. Jameson did that and um the technology committee we have rescheduled for a couple weeks from now I believe and um PG&L the policy governance and legislative priorities. There will be a lot of forthcoming updates too during the legislative session. I know the city's legislative committee met. We're looking I think the next meeting of the city's um legislative committee which includes Miss Trig and myself
104I believe is scheduled for March 2nd off the top of my head. Um is that does that sound right? And um I also wanted to note that there was the school board city council joint task force uh uh joint finance task force uh that work has been concluded and so there are no future meetings scheduled for that committee. Um all right so as far as ongoing business did did we get all the committees I think. Okay. Um as far as ongoing business I wanted to note um that of course the budget development is ongoing and there have been a number of dates that have been shared um including that this Friday is the when the um the link will close for public input that is written. Um there's I also know that their middle school
105basketball playoffs were supposed to be during the snow week and so I think that those may have presumably happened by now. Um okay. Um and the basketball for high school and winter sports are kind of wrapping up and also Dr. Jameson noted project forum which was this past weekend. Um but the city science fair will be happening this Thursday at William Fleming. So those are some of various ongoing events and also we heard about the uh middle one of the middle school's um performances. Um so moving on to future business um we do have our spring retreat um next week. So for the board, please be um keeping track of your emails because there will be some pre-work leading up to that, including a survey that uh Miss Trresy sent out today, just a very
106brief one. Um, and then as noted, we have the board workshop which will be more budget discussion. And then March 10th is our board meeting where we approve the budget that is then sent off to city council. Um, and hearing no other few uh further business, this meeting is adjourned. >> Thank you everyone. Remarkable. Yeah.