001All right. The May 13, 2025 school board meeting is called to order. Mrs. Tresy, will you please call the role? Mrs. Apal, here. Mr. Cherry. Mr. Link, here. Miss Quintana here. Miss Trigg here. Mrs. Watkins here. Dr. Jameson here. Is there a motion and a second to approve the agenda as amended? The addition of a closed meeting was added to the agenda. So moved. Second. Second by Miss Watkins. Is there any discussion? Those in favor say I. I. Opposed. All right. We have a closed meeting this evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Maria Burke who served Ronoke City Public Schools for 48 years as a school secretary at William Ruffner Middle School, Morningside Elementary School, and Virginia Heights Elementary School. Please join me in a moment of silence. Thank
002you. Please rise and join me in a pledge to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisibley and justice for all. Very good. This evening we are pleased to have some recognitions and we are going to begin this evening by asking Miss Whitney Johnson, can you please come forward and tell us about our first recognition this evening? Good evening, Madame Chair, Madame Vice Chair, members of the school board, student representatives, and Dr. White Rowan Oak City Public School Board School Board would like to recognize Mr. Pedro Cet on the occasion of his retirement from the Southwest Virginia Ballet. Mr. Salet has been an invaluable partner to our school division, bringing the beauty, discipline, and cultural richness of
003dance to our students through the dance espanol program. Rono City Public Schools is grateful for the partnership with Southwest Virginia Ballet and Mr. Pedro Salet. Dance Espanol is a year-long educational outreach program that was designed specifically by Mr. Salet for fourth grade students. It teaches discipline, dedication, and self-awareness through the joy of dance. Dance espanol is not a ballet program, but a way to teach students the benefits of applying themselves to a task involving both mental and physical challenges. And as the name suggests, Dan Espanol also provides students with a deeper appreciation for the Spanish language and cultural diversity. For many years, fourth grade students from Highland Park, Hurt Park, Lincoln Terrace, Morningside, and Wsina elementary schools have spent time throughout the school year learning about dance, music, and life skills such as teamwork through
004this program. This culminates in a spring performance that is so well attended it had to be moved to the Berglin Center in recent years. Beyond his artistic abilities, Mr. Salet shines in his unique gift of bringing out the best in everyone he interacts with daily. Mr. Salet's genuine kindness is evident in his interactions with not only students but also staff members, parents, and community members. Mr. Pedro as the students call him approach with students is supportive yet challenging. Motivating students to push their limits and achieve their very best. His enthusiasm and patience with students is contagious, engaging and inspiring. He has a unique ability to combine his skills with imagination resulting in student performances that are original and captivating. His work has left a lasting legacy of inclusion, expression, and educational enrichment in our schools.
005The school board recognizes and expresses deep appreciation to Pedro Salet for his remarkable contributions to the arts and education in Rowan Oak City Public Schools and extends his our best wishes for his retirement and future endeavors. [Applause] While he's coming around, I also just want to say thank you to Pedro for everything. He has been wonderful and such a wonderful advocate for our children. I [Laughter] thank you. Appreciate it. I believe Mr. Pedro that Miss Mitchell somewhere will want to get your picture. And I believe Miss Johnson. Wait, there's more. There's more fine arts acknowledgements tonight. Yes. U such a great such a great month. Congratulations to the Rowan Oak City Public Schools high school and middle school bands and orchestras for receiving a Patrick Henry and William Fleming bands participated in the 2025 VBODA
006district concert assessment at Heritage High School Lynchburg on March 5th. And I'm going to give out the results. The Patrick Henry Band received the highest rating of superior. So, Alex Schmidt, come on [Applause] up. But not only did they just get the highest rating of Superior, additionally, Patrick Henry received the prestigious Virginia Honor Band Award, and that's a big deal for their high ratings. PH Band is directed by Mr. Alex Schmidt. Thank you. Do you have any comments? You like me? If you want to say anything, that's a big deal. I'm a band teacher. You never walk away from a microphone, you know. Uh thank you so much uh to the superintendent, to the board, to Whitney, to all of my uh PH colleagues um and dear friends for this making this happen. This is
007a team effort. Uh it's a team thing and just very grateful to to teach here and be a part of this team. So thank you. Thank you. Congratulations. These are everything you [Laughter] congratulations. Congratulations. All right. Thank you. The William Fleming Band received a unanimous overall superior rating. And before we call up Mr. Will Satwite, this was Fleming's first unanimous rating in more than 20 years. And we are just so excited and such a big cheerleader and the wonderful things he's doing with that program. Mr. Will Satarite, please join us. Thank you all. Um, I'll echo what Alex has said, um, but also add that this is my first year in Reno City Public Schools and I'm very glad to be here. Um, and I'm very excited to start a journey here with William Fleming's
008band program and to be in a place that values the arts and puts their money where their mouth is. So, thank you all for that support. Thank you. All right, now we're on to orchestra. The PH Concert Orchestra earned a superior rating and the PH Chamber Orchestra earned an excellent rating. Please join uh us up here, Mr. Jeff Midkiff. [Applause] Thank you all for your continued support of the fine arts. There's nothing more important. Please keep it up. [Applause] and the William Fleming Orchestra received a superior rating this year. Uh Fleming director, the orchestra director is directed by Miss Yeiwin Evans. She is not able to be heard here this evening, but we will make sure that she gets her award. So, we're so excited for William Fleming Orchestra as well. Let's give them a
009hand. Now on to choir because we just are fantastic in all of the elements of the arts. Uh both Patrick Henry and William Fleming's choirs participated in the all district choir assessment on March 21st in Christensburg. The PH Chamber choir and women's choir received a superior rating. The PH Men's Choir received an excellent rating. And of course, the PH choir is directed by Mr. for Brandon Mck. [Applause] Brandon's probably going to be embarrassed while I say this, but he's going to sprint out of here because he has to go play the piano at one of our concerts this evening. Congratulations. So, he's going to go really quickly to go play uh for Fleming's choir. Thank you, Brandon. And that is where Mr. Mock is heading to. Uh, the William Fleming Choir director, Mrs. Hannah Herview,
010is unable to be here because her singers are singing on the Fleming stage this evening, but that fantastic Fleming choir received a superior rating, and we are so proud of them. Okay, now on to art. Two Phart students, Mary Clark and Rachel Turnbull, won gold at the national level for Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Both students have been invited along with their teachers Sue Thomas and Jennifer Fowler to receive their award at Carnegie Hall in New York City this June. This is the first time an RCPS student has won gold at the national level. Mary's painting Essence to Mary won gold in the painting category and Rachel's sculpture won gold in the ceramics and glass category. Uh if we could please join me and I the students are here this evening as well. If we
011could please have Sue and Jen Fowler please join us. Thank you. And Mary and Rachel come on up. The only thing I have to say is please come to our art show next Wednesday the 24th at 5:30 and see all of the amazing pieces that the students have created. Thank you. Please come up. Love to shake your hand. Oh yes, please. I just want to say our students are amazing. They're really, really talented and we are so proud of them. So, thank you. You can go first. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congrats. Congratulations. You're going out with Congratulations. Congratulations, Mary. Rachel. Rachel. Congratulations. That's really great job. Congratulations. Congratulations. Thank you for all your hard work. Congratulations. I love it. Which location? PH. And I know Claire wants all all recipients if we can please meet for
012photos. And just thank you. Thank you for everything you do to support the arts. We feel it. We see it. And we are so thankful. Thank you. [Applause] All right. The next thing we are doing this evening, I'm pausing for station identification. Hold, please. There we go. Okay. So, we are very excited this evening um to celebrate some of our own. We are delighted that we have been able to for the last couple of years to uh have our student representatives join us on uh now this deis. So you will be our inaugural group here on this deis. Um so we are e the school board is proud to select one student each year from Patrick Henry High School and one student from William Fleming High School to serve one-year terms as student representatives to
013the school board. They have been involved in the roles of governance, leadership and decision-making processes. They provide a direct link between the board and the students that we are responsible for. Uh the current student representatives to the school board July 1st as of July 1st, 2024 through June 30, 2025 are William Dwire, a senior at Patrick Henry High School and Josiah English Bay, a senior at William Sing High School. The board extends its sincere appreciation to William and Josiah for their exemplary leadership, commitment, and valuable contributions during their term. Their voices and perspectives have have enriched school discussions and reflected the strength and potential of Rono City Public Schools student body. We congratulate them on their com accomplishments and wish them the very best in all the future endeavors. My uh editorial would be also
014you provide us all hope for the future. and we wish you all the best. So, and I have to come to your and we have we well you're going to have to get down there. So, why don't you come this way and you come that way and give us hugs and then you got to go there because we have some for and as they're doing that we have small tokens for them. It is a college survival kit. They have a band-aid for when life gets rough. Chocolate kisses to remind you that you are loved. An eraser. It's okay to make mistakes, just don't give up. Gum. Stick to your goals. KitKat breaks or breaks are always good to take. Marker. Leave a good mark wherever you go. Peanuts. Some days will be nuts, but tomorrow
015is a new day. Pencil. List your blessings every day. Penny for good luck when wherever you go in life. Post-it notes to help you remember what's important. Rubber bands, stretch your mind and be flexible. Smarties, be smart and work hard. Snickers, laughter is the best medicine. And Starburst, always remember to reach for the stars. Congratulations. Congratulations. [Applause] We are delighted tonight to celebrate William and Josiah and we look forward to our new two newest student representatives for July 1, 2025 to June 3, 2026. We look forward for to the next group to build on the legacy you have left. Um, tonight we'd like to ask Dr. White if you would introduce your student advisory council. Absolutely. It's my pleasure. You know, during the 2022 2023 school year, I developed the superintendent student advisory council uh
016for students to have a voice in Reno City public schools. And so the advisory council was formed and um so that we could discuss and receive input from our students on items and such as feedback on the start of the school year, thoughts about the uh the first semester, considerations for the second semester and the end of the year, reflections. We've talked about everything from school safety to transportation to and let me just tell you our students are fantastic because they tell me the truth and William and Josiah can attest to that, right? So, uh, so even when it's a little hard to hear, they tell me they're they're really um honest and forthright and I love the fact that we are able to hear from our students. And so, this is the time where
017we're going to I'd love to recognize our student advisory council. Now, we know that some had conflicts with other activities tonight. Um, but we have quite quite a few. So, Dr. Poland, um, we do have some advisory council members here with us tonight. So, I'll ask Dr. Poland who has been instrumental in pulling the advisory council together. I want to thank our principles and all of our counselors and teachers um, for making sure that our that we can meet regularly uh, with our student advisory council. So, Dr. Poland, I'll turn it over to you. Thank you. We do have four of our students here. We have quite a few that are also performing with our um choir this evening. Um Faith Parte from James Breenidge Middle School William Dwire. A [Applause] Harper Rouse from Patrick
018Henry High School [Applause] and Josiah English Bay from William. There she's doing a sneak Congratulations. Appreciate you. I mean, Dr. Poland, we have about 30 35 students um who meet with us regularly to give us feedback. So, just a hand to all of our student advisory All right. Uh, now we are going to move on to uh, uh, an exciting recognition of one of our outstanding students, Sydney Anderson, a senior at Patrick County High School. Sydney was recently named a National Merit finalist and had has received a prestigious National Merit Scholarship. As a result of her academic excellence, she has been awarded a full academic scholarship to West Virginia University. Congratulations, Sydney. Mr. Mr. Bowen, the principal of Patrick Henry is here to accept a recognition on behalf of Sydney. It's a it's a privilege
019for me to accept this on her behalf. She couldn't be here this evening because of family commitments, but I can tell you she's an amazing student, an amazing human being, and we're so proud of her at Patrick Henry. So, I'll make sure that uh when she comes back to PH, we let her know how proud we are of her and your recognition tonight. [Applause] All right. Next, we have the 2025 support staff of the year recognition. Mr. John Michael Deeds will be introducing this for us this evening. Good evening, Chair Dr. Jameson, Vice Chair Pel, members of the board, student representatives, and superintendent White. My name is John Michael Deeds and I have the privilege of serving as the director of employee relations for our distinguished district. Tonight I am honored to share the highlights
020from our third annual support staff of the year celebration held on Thursday, April 24th at the Jefferson Center. Each year, this award honors a classified employee whose dedication and professionalism set the standard for our entire community. Candidates are evaluated based on the following criteria: an exemplary work ethic, positive attitude, and unwavering professionalism. A demonstrated ability to foster cooperative, supportive relationships with students, colleagues, and the broader community, and contributions to Reno City Public Schools that go above and beyond the ordinary. That said, it is my great pleasure to announce that our 2024 25 support staff of the year recipient is Mr. Perba Tamang of Monterey Elementary School. Known affectionately as Mr. Perba, he has faithfully served as custodian honor for the past seven years. His commitment extends far beyond routine duties. He arrives early, stays late,
021and routinely inspects the campus on weekends to ensure the safety and cleanliness of the learning environment. Mr. Perva's consistency and flexibility are hallmarks of his service. Whether it's accommodating last minute needs, repairing furniture, assisting in the cafeteria, or conducting safety walkthroughs, he tackles every task with energy and a calm smile. Even in the face of unexpected challenges like spills or tending to ill students, his willingness to collaborate with a building manager and fellow staff ensures that classrooms are common areas remain orderly and welcoming every day. Beyond his custodial duties, Mr. Pera builds genuine connections with our families. He often translates community members in the native language, making certain that everyone stays informed and feels safe during school and district events. As one nominator aptly observed, Monteray would not be the same, nor would it function
022nearly as well without Mr. Perba. Throughout the selection process, our judges were especially impressed with Mr. Perba's quiet pride in his work and his readiness to go the extra mile, always without complaint. His tireless dedication exemplifies the very best of Reno City Public Schools. At this time, I invite you to turn your attention to the screen for a brief video highlighting his outstanding contributions to our school district. [Music] I like my po. That's why I'm here. So, Mr. Perba is one of our lead custodians at Monterey. Uh he is a fantastic um just leader in our school. He is always there to help. We can call him anytime day or night. The cleaning if I tell you you know about the cleaning it's a long story also too many things need to clean right is
023endless job the trash sweep the floor male sometime throw up. You see uh that's not a big deal for me. It's easy. And I think the most special thing about Mr. Perba is the relationships that he has with our students. You know, I love to, you know, engage with them in a cafeteria. He knows students by name. They know him. They know that he they can go to him and ask them him for anything that they may need. Yes, his job title is custodian. Uh but he is so much more than that in our school community. Uh I was evicted from Bhutan when I was a kid, right? Uh because of the political situation in Bhutan and we were exiled in eastern part of Nepal as a refugee. I got education over there in the
024camp and we spent more than 17 year as a refugee. It was a miserable life and we got opportunity to come United State through M. I came here 2009 and 2017 I apply a job here and I got it. Everybody nice and our principles building manager you know they are very familiar. I feel like this is my home. Second home, we would defer to him to say a few words, but yeah, thank you for everything. Thank you so much for everything. Thank you. I may love that video even more now. Congratulations. Thank you all for all you've done. Thank you. And once again, uh, congratulations to Mr. Terba Tamang, our 2024-25 support staff of the year recipient for Rono City Public Schools. Thank you. All right. Um, we will move on now. Um, unless you
025have more recognitions. That was fun. Uh, is there a motion and a second to approve the personnel list as presented? Moved. Second. Second. I think by Miss Kana. Uh, and all is there any discussion? All those in favor? I. Those opposed? Dr. White, do you have any announcements for us? Absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you, Madam Chair, and good evening, everyone. Um, it is my pleasure to uh to introduce Dr. Natasha Wed. Dr. Natasha Wed has been recommended for and has accepted the position of principal of Fallon Park Elementary [Music] School. Dr. Wedle was will start well she's already started pretty much. She's interim now and uh but officially July 1st, 2025. Currently, she serves as the interim principal at Fallon Park Elementary School. Dr. Wedle holds a bachelor of arts degree in marketing communications and a
026master of arts and teaching from Mary Baldwin College, uh, education specialist in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Tech and a doctor of education and educational leadership from Liberty University. Prior to serving as the interim principal at Fallon Park Elementary School, Dr. Wedle served in the following roles. Assistant principal at Westside Elementary School, instructional coach at Westside Elementary School, fourth grade math teacher at Lincoln Terrace Elementary School, elementary title one instructional coach in Bedford County Public Schools, kindergarten, first, second, third, and fourth grade teacher and math specialist at Steuartsville Elementary School in Bedford County Public Schools. These opportunities provided Dr. Dr. Wedle with an admin with administrative leadership and teaching experiences which make her a great fit for this position. Congratulations Dr. [Applause] Okay. Good evening. Um Madame Chair, Dr. Jameson, U. Madame Vice Chair, Mrs.
027Pel, members of the board, student representatives, and Dr. White. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as the principal of Fallon Park Elementary School. I look forward to working with the students, parents, community, and all stakeholders uh to ensure that we focus on utilizing our resources to provide effective first instruction for all students. At Fallon Park, our vision is rooted in the belief that every student can learn and thrive when instruction is personalized, engaging, and responsive to individual needs. Our goal is to create a learning environment where students are not only recipients of knowledge, but active participants in their own learning journey. Together, we will build a school where every student is challenged, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential. I'm excited for the journey ahead and deeply committed to making Fallon Park a
028place where excellence is not just a goal, but a daily reality. Thank you for this incredible opportunity. Congratulations. All right. It's also my pleasure to introduce Mr. Tim Mohler. Tim Mohler has been recommended for and has accepted the position of principal at Fishburn Park Elementary School. Currently, Mr. Mohler serves as an assistant principal at Christiansburg Middle School in Montgomery County Public Schools. Mr. Mohler holds a bachelor of business administration and marketing from Bradford University, master of education and curriculum instruction, and an instructional specialist degree in administration and supervision from the University of Virginia. Prior to serving as the assistant principal at Christiansburg Middle School, Mr. Mohler served in the following roles. Principal Brywood Elementary School in Irvine Unified School District in Irvine, California. Uh, principal Belleview Elementary School in Montgomery County Public Schools. Assistant principal
029Floyd Elementary School in in elementary school in Floyd County Public Schools. fourth and fifth grade teacher at Mount Pleasant and Fort Lewis elementary schools in Reno County public schools. Fourth and fifth grade at Greenfield Elementary and sixth grade at Reed Mountain Middle School in Bodatat County Public Schools. These experiences and opportunities provided Mr. Mohler with administrative leadership and teaching experiences which make him a great fit for this position. Congratulations. Thank you. Very excited. Right, that was quite a list. Um, but what I was saying good evening, madame chair, uh, Dr. Jameson, madame vice chair, Mrs. Ael, members of the board, student representatives, um, and Dr. White. Um, thank you for the opportunity to serve as principal of Fishburn Park Elementary School. I look forward to working with students, parents, community, and all stakeholders to ensure
030we focus on utilizing our resources to provide effective first instruction for our students. Um, as I step into this role, my goal is really to ensure that every child has access to the right tools, support, and opportunities to succeed. It includes academic growth, confidence, curiosity, and a strong sense of self. Um, we meet all students where they are using real world culturally responsive strategies to support their learning. At Fishburn Park, we're going to focus on creating active student centered classrooms where high engagement strategies such as project-based learning, inquirydriven lessons, and hands-on exploration keep students deeply connected to their learning. Teachers will use data and feedback to make real-time adjustments that respond to the diverse needs of our kids and keep them invested in their own progress. STEM will remain a central focus to our mission,
031helping students explore, create, and problem solve in ways that mirror the world they're entering. We'll teach students not just content, but how to think critically, take risks, and persist through challenges. Every child deserves tools and strategies that fit their individual path because one pro approach is not right for every student. I'm excited to lead this next chapter with purpose and positivity and I deeply believe in what our students can accomplish. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I am very excited to join you. Um thank you. Thank you. Congratulations. Madam Chair, it's also my my pleasure to introduce Mr. Steve Seismore. Steve Seismore has been recommended for and has accepted the position of principal of Round Hill Elementary School. Currently, Mr. Seismore serves as the assistant principal at Fairview Elementary School. Mr. Seismore holds a
032bachelor of arts in history with a concentration in education prek through 8 from Renuk College and a master of science and educational leadership from Radford University. Prior to serving as the assistant principal at Fairview Elementary School, Mr. Seismore served in the following roles. Director of elementary education in Montgomery County public schools, principal at Harding Avenue Elementary School in Montgomery County Public Schools, principal at Valley Elementary School in Bath County Public Schools, assistant principal at Lucy Addison Middle School in Reno City Public Schools. Assistant principal at Westside Elementary School in Reno City. um sixth grade history, math and science teacher, seventh grade history, and eighth grade civics teacher at William Bird Middle School in Reno County Public Schools, and special education teacher at Herman L. Horn Elementary School in Renault County Public Schools. These opportunities have
033prepared Mr. Seismore uh for this leadership role and his experiences as well and which make him a great fit for this position. Congratulations, Mr. Thank you. Good evening, Madam Chair, Dr. Jameson, Madame Vice Chair, Miss Apel, members of the board, student representatives, and Dr. White. Thank you again. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as principal of Round Hill Elementary School. I look forward to working with the students, parents, community, and stakeholders to ensure that we focus on utilizing our resources to provide effective instruction for all students. I'm truly excited to become a part of the Rocket Learning community. I believe deeply in the potential of every student, every teacher, and this entire community to grow into exactly what we need to be to move all students forward. My mission is to build a school
034community where every child feels safe, supported, inspired, and inspired to learn. Where teachers feel empowered, valued, and look forward to coming to work. And where families are true partners in our shared success. And yes, along the way, I hope we can have some fun. This work will take effort. It will take trust, but I promise you this. I will listen. I will lead with respect. And I will always put our students first. Thank you for allowing me to be around Hill Rocket. Thank you, Madam Chair. All right. Uh, Mrs. Apel, do we have any signups for agenda or non-aggenda items this evening? Yes, ma'am, we do. Um, the school board values open communication and we look forward to receiving your comments. We encourage all participants to engage in civil discourse and ask that you keep
035your comments respectful in helping us achieve this goal. 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 posed. If you would like answers to questions, please present them in writing to the clerks after speaking. Staff present at the board meeting and whenever possible will assist you with your inquiry. Please state your name for the record and state whether you reside in Rowan Oak City or not. We ask that you keep your comments to 3 minutes. There is a light at the center of the podium. That light will turn yellow when you have about 30 seconds left. and then red when time is up. And in order to respect privacy and confidentiality, please refrain from using any student names. Our
036first speaker is Jonathan Pate. Are you ready? I'm ready. Okay. Madame Chair, Vice Chair, Dr. White School Board. Thank you for letting us come and really just highlight some of the partnerships that we have, strong partnerships we have uh with the Reno City Public Schools. Uh the YMCA Virginia Blue Ridge is honored to uh be a partner and uh just we uh Alicia Kendrick who is the branch executive from the Kirk family YMCA as well as myself the branch executive from the Gainesboro Y just wanted to highlight us uh for me middle school programs called the Beacons program. We have three of the middle schools that we serve. Uh we had 200 kids registered in those three uh uh programs. uh and we are just delighted to be able to expose those kids to uh
037STEM, working with Virginia Western Community College and their professors doing extensive uh STEM projects there as well as the science museum. So, we're not residents, we are part of the YMCA and we just wanted to thank you for such a strong partnership that we have with you. I'm going to let Alicia speak a little bit about the relationship with Kirk and and Reno City Public Schools. Good evening. Um so real quickly we have been servicing Y afterchool programs um services kindergarten through fifth grade students. Uh we're in nine locations nine elementary schools right we've serviced uh 248 students this year we hope to continue expanding that in the upcoming year. A big focus this year I am new to the area um has been our lesson plans that we're doing to help bridge gap um
038for out of school time. So STEM has been a big focus. this we're going to start dabbling in some career opportunities to start exposing them at a young age. Um, quickly moving on to Ysplash. Ysplash is our learn to swim program. We teach every second grade student in Rowan Oak City Schools. Uh, they come through the Kirk family Y. Anybody that does not uh, pass the instructional and swim lesson portion. We do offer free swim lessons during the summer. And finally, summer camp. We will be operating summer camp all 10 weeks out of Woodro Wilson Middle School this year. Um summer camp theme is summer re-imagined. Staff are currently working on very robust lesson plans um to keep those kids active, engaged, and again help bridge that learning loss gap that happens during out of
039school time. So thank you. Appreciate the partnership. All right, our second speaker, Hannah Turnbull. All right, are you ready? Do you can get the microphone set? You good? Yeah. Okay. And then watch for the little lights. Yeah. Here we go. Hello, my name is Hannah Turble. I live in Reno City and attend Woodro Wilson. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. I want to respectfully share just a few of the concerns I and many of my peers have about policies that directly affect our comfort, safety, and dignity at school. The sexualization of girls through dress codes. One of the biggest issues is how the current dress code policies often make girls feel sexualized and ashamed of our bodies. We do not choose the bodies we're born with. Our genes determine that. And yet
040we are often told that our natural appearance is distracting or inappropriate. Wearing a tank top, crop top, or having visible st bra straps should not be a reason for us to be pulled from class or ashamed. These are common comfortable clothing choices, especially in warm weather and during physical activity. If if someone is distracted by a girl's shoulders, back or stomach, the solution shouldn't be to police what she wears. Instead, we should be teaching all students, especially boys, how to respect others and manage their behavior appropriately. It's not fair or effective to put that burden on girls. We want to feel conf confident and comfortable in our own bodies. Being told to cover up or change sends a message that we are the problem. That shouldn't be the lesson that school teaches us. Two, bathroom
041access and menstrual health. Another major major concern is bathroom access, especially for students who administrate. I've personally experienced consequences of not being allowed to use restroom when I needed to. On three separate occasions, I had to call my mom to bring me a change of clothes because I wasn't allowed to leave class in time. That's not just embarrassing, it's harmful. Some girls have heavy periods. For us, frequent and timely access to the bathroom is a medical need, not a convenience. No one should have to worry about bleeding through their clothes or sitting in class in pain or fear. Having to advocate for basic health needs during school hours shouldn't be necessary, but it is. It's time to take this seriously and implement compassionate, flexible policies. In conclusion, these issues may seem small from the outside,
042but to students, they're part of our daily reality. All we're asking for is respect, understanding, and a learning environment that supports us, not shames us. I hope you'll consider these concerns not just as complaints, but as opportunities to improve the way our schools treat and support all students. We plan to return to the school board prior to the start of the school year to hear your plans to resolve these situations. If you'd like us to help, we're happy to participate. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Our third speaker is Gray Strawn. [Applause] Hello, my name is Grace Strawn. I live in Rono, Virginia and I attend Woodro Wilson Middle School. Good evening, members of the school board and staff. Thank you for giving me the chance to speak. I am here to address a few
043concerns that me that my peers and I have about the dress codes in our schools. So, with all due respect, these are my concerns. She was pulled out of class, not for disrespecting the lesson or breaking the rules, but because her shoulders were showing. In a room full of young minds eager to learn, it was her body, not her voice, that drew the most attention. Why are we teaching girls that their education is secondary to someone else's comfort? In the hallways of our schools, institutions meant to nurture critical thought and personal growth, girls are being taught a dangerous lesson that their bodies are distractions and that their clothing choices are responsible for the thoughts and actions of others. School dress codes often cloaked in the language of professionalism or decency and they disproportionately target girls
044sending the message that their appearance is more important than their intellect and that their bodies are inherently sexual even before they have the opport even before they have the chance to grow into them. Girls are tired of hearing that boys will be boys and just being told to cover up rather than telling the boy to keep his eyes to himself. This is not discipline. It's indoctrination and it must be challenged. At first glance, dress codes seem innocuous, even practical. After all, isn't it important to maintain a focused learning environment. But beneath that surface lies a double standard that unfairly polices girls bodies while excusing the behavior of others. Rules banning spaghetti straps, short skirts, and tight clothing often focus almost exclusively on girls, reinforcing a toxic ideology that the mere sight of a girl's shoulder
045or midriff is enough to derail a boy's education. This not only objectifies girls, but also insults boys by implying that they are incapable of self-control. What's even more troubling is how early these messages begin. Middle schoolers, some barely into puberty, are pulled from class, written up, or even shamed publicly for minor infractions. A bra strap peeking out becomes an offense, or a skirt an inch too short results in humiliation. And during these moments, the girl's education is literally interrupted to preserve someone else's comfort. We must ask whose education is truly being prioritized. Furthermore, sexualizing dress codes are inherently racialized and classisted. Black and brown girls are more likely to be penalized for the same things that their white peers wear without consequence due to their biases that are that hyper that hypersexualize their bodies. Similarly,
046girls from lower income families may not have may not access the constantly shifting standards of appropriate attire placing an unfair burden on them for simply existing. Supporters of strict dress codes argue that the schools are preparing students for the professional world. But the corporate world is not the classroom and teenagers are not miniature adults. The primary purpose of school should be education, not indoctrination. Sexist double standards. If anything, school should not be preparing students to challenge un should be preparing students to challenge unjust systems, not conform to them. It is time for a cultural shift in how we view dress codes in school. Rather than controlling what girls wear, we should be fostering an environment that encourages respect, autonomy, and mutual responsibility. Jessco should be gender neutral, culturally sensitive, and focused on genuine what and
047focused on genuine safety, not moral panic. Most importantly, they should never come at the cost of a young person's dignity or education. In the end, the fabric of a girl's shirt should not determine the fabric of her future. It's time we stop teaching girls to cover up and start teaching society to grow up. Thank you. And our last speaker, Izzy Bryant. [Applause] Ready? Yes, ma'am. Hello, my name is Elizabeth Bryant and I live in Ron, Virginia. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. Insecurity flooded her mind as she was singled out and humiliated simply for showing her shoulders. Since 1969, women have been sexualized for how they dress and express themselves. If she wore a crop top, she's asking for it. 56 years later, and we're still policing girls appearances and projecting shame
048onto their own bodies. You never know the internal battle someone is facing. It makes it even worse by someone's careless comment about her thighs. When she shows her shoulders, it's a distraction, but when a guy does it, it's not an issue. Not to mention that it notes all men are pigs who can't control themselves. All girls want is respect. We don't want to worry about inappropriate remarks by an adult just because a bit of her stomach is revealed. No one seems to notice how disrespected a girl feels when someone comments on her body because no one cares. While guys face few, if any restrictions, girls are buried under an endless list of rules. Deep down, we know this isn't right. It makes no sense why girls have so many restrictions when they just want to
049feel comfortable at school and safe at school while getting an education. Another thing about the dress code is that it's racist. A student who will not be named is wearing shorts that were just a bit above finger length and got dress coded. A white student wore shorts even shorter than that and was told nothing. The guys at school act like wild animals and get away with it. Their pants will be falling yet no one addresses it. There are times they are told to pull their pants up. They don't listen. This is unfair to young women who just want the ability to move comfortably in their own clothes. Another student wore a a tank top on a hot day and got dress coated. Overheating is very dangerous. You can black out or have a heat stroke.
050These jokes may not happen everyday now and then, but the chances of it happening can always be a surprise. This is a serious matter. For some reason, we are focused on the skin a girl is showing and not the health problems that come with it. Part of middle school is making memories. Imagine the good memories you were supposed to make turn into a list of meaningless rules you had to follow about what you wear. Another thing is the dress code can cause body image issues. Seeing a girl's body and how it say saying things about a girl's body and how it's a distraction or causing issues in class can lead to her thinking she's the problem. 53% of teen girls struggle with body image issues. If we keep this up, who knows how much higher
051it will go. Body image issues can lead to body dysmorphia. If you don't know what that is, body dysmorphia is when you look in the mirror and something changes every time. After a while, you can't look in the mirror anymore because it makes you sick. The moment a girl gets her period, she is classified as a young woman. We as girls need comfort both when bleeding and otherwise. We shouldn't be punished for moving comfortably and existing our own bodies. Moving comfortably in our clothes and existing our own bodies. When we ask to use the bathroom, it's not about makeup fixes or getting out of class. It is a medical need. We don't we can't control our utus or bladder. And it's physically painful and struggling when a teacher or administrator feels the need to say
052no and neglect our basic needs. Letting us use the bathroom and not waiting until the end of class is a necessity. Teachers are allowed to give students no access to the bathroom. That is unfair because we don't have time to go to the bathroom in between classes. Sports and opp sport opportunities are far from une from equal. Just because Oh, thank you. Just because just because we just because we are girls doesn't mean we are any less capable than any boy when it comes to athletics in any sport. For over 50 years, women have been playing have been fighting for equal access to sports. And yet, we are still denied the chance to play football in schools simply because of outdated rules and biased thinking. This isn't just a problem in one school or one
053state. It's happening everywhere. Girls are just as skilled, just as competitive, and just as dedicated as boys. The girl can throw a football, hit a baseball, or play any sport at the same strength and technique as a guy. Sometimes even better. But too often we're overlooked, dismissed, and told we don't belong simply because that's how it's always been. Enough is enough. Ignoring female athletes has become so normalized in our society that we don't even realize the damage it causes. It's time that we It's time we break that cycle. We must challenge these outdated beliefs and stand up for what is right. Not just for ourselves, but for every girl who wants the chance to compete and be seen equal. Thank you. Thank you. On behalf of the school board, I want to thank everyone for
054taking the time to speak to us and it's very courageous for our um youth to come up here in front of the panel as well. Um as we said earlier, we value the feedback of our community. Public input is important as we make decisions on behalf of all students in Rowan Oak City Public Schools. Good. All right. Thank you all this evening. Uh we'll move on to the consent agenda. Is there a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda as presented? Move. Second. Moved by Miss Kintana and seconded by Miss Ael. Is there any discussion? All those in favor? I opposed. All right. Miss Watkins, would you like to tell us about the gifts that have been received? Madam Chair, thank you. Um, the board happily and excitedly accepts with gratitude the following
055donations. The Virginia Education Foundation provided a total of 16,870 new books to RCPS with an estimated value of over $300,000. These books were donated with the sole purpose of giving them to students. The books will be distributed to all students for students to take home. Thank you so much to the Virginia Education Foundation. RCPS CTE Foundation provided $10,000 in support of the forthcoming community empowerment center. Thank you so much to the CTE Foundation. Uh Imagine Learning donated three Kindle Fires for the Spring Early Literacy Academy. Imagine Learning also provided a catered dinner from Chick-fil-A for volunteer for volunteers at the literacy event. The total cost of the donations was 1,400 over $1,400. I just want to again I say it every time. I want to thank you um to all of our community partners. um
056your belief in um the work that RCPS is doing and your your um desire to be involved is to be commended and we thank you so very very much for seeing us and partnering with us and we welcome any other um sponsors or community partners that would like to um help us move our um students education forward. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Thank you. All right, we'll move on to the superintendent's updates. All right. All right. Thank you and good evening again, Madam Chair, madame vice chair, members of the school board, our student representatives. This evening, we are bringing forward items for your consideration and information, including approval of the Excellence and Workforce Readiness Award, approval of the 2026 2027 school year calendar, an update on the professional learning initiatives, approval of an amendment to
057the 2425 general fund expenditure budget, and an update on the development of the 2526 um budget as well. So before we get to our agenda, I would like to highlight a few items for the board and for the public's information. I am proud to announce that Ronok City Public Schools uh was the recipient of nine best of 2024 awards in the Ronoker magazine. [Applause] Two schools in RCPS received best public schools awards. That was Fishburn Park Elementary School received the platinum award and Her Park received the gold award. Yes, Fishburn Park also received the gold award for best preschool. Daytech received platinum for best vocational school and ROE received gold. Candace Rippy of Lincoln Terrace received platinum for best educator. Iana Fields of Her Park received silver for both best educator and female star of
058the star city. He's going to kill me for this. And yes, our very own Chris Perkins was named the platinum winner of the Mail Star of the Stepar City Award. He was featured in a story in the magazine for his legacy of service to our city. And Mr. Perkins, we are proud to have you on our team. So, please join me again in a round of applause for all of those awardes. So, just yesterday, we were notified that RCPS has been named one of the 2025 best communities for music education by the NM Foundation. This is the 13th year in a row. So, we are so proud um of of what I call the AAA approach, you know, the academics, the arts, and the athletics. And so, we are very proud of that distinction because
059we're only 23 there. We are one of 23 uh school divisions in Virginia to receive this distinction and only one of three in Southwest Virginia. So, so congratulations to our music teachers. And as you heard during our recognitions, we've also been very busy celebrating our amazing students and staff. Last week was teacher appreciation week and national school nurse day and we celebrated our educators and staff all week long. If you could just join me and give our teachers and staff members another round of applause for all of their hard work. Also had our support staff of the year banquet at the end of April. And just last night, we celebrated our retiring staff members. And so, hats off to HR team and to our communications team for having hosting that retirement dinner. Alto together our
060retirees years of service to RCPS total 1,157 hours of service. So, thank you for all of your service. We are grateful for all that you've done. So to begin our report this evening, I will ask our director of communications and public relations, Claire Mitell, to come forward to present the VSBA excellence and workforce readiness award application for your approval. So Miss Mitsell, good evening, Madame Chair, Madame Vice Chair, members of the board, our student representatives, and Dr. White. I am delighted. I think that would be an appropriate word to be here tonight to present for your approval for your consideration of your approval of our submission for the 2025 VSBA's excellence and workforce readiness award which this year we would like to submit community builders. And if you recall last year we submitted daytech and
061received third place. So we would like to continue that streak or maybe receive first or second this year. Um, so as you know, Community Builders is an innovative two-year pilot program um, really aimed at a cohort of our eighth graders. Um, it is designed to increase academic success, decrease chronic absenteeism, and really, as the name suggests, build up our community, right? Um, and as part of that, we have wrapped in from the ground up our community and business partners. They have been integral to this approach. We have worked since the start of the program last summer with more than two dozen community and business partners. Um, and community builders, it it's not just workforce readiness, you know, it's academics, arts, athletics, the workforce readiness, the community engagement, which really makes it truly an innovative program
062that has those wraparound services. Um, we this program really wouldn't exist without those partnerships. And this award particularly um honors and and recognizes innovative programs that emphasize engagement with the business and and sort of those community partnerships. Um students have been able to visit businesses. They've toured businesses. They've had business leaders come visit them. They've been able to visit ROTE and Daytech and really start kind of working on that resume piece of the diploma and resume that Dr. White so often talks about. And so if this feels like déja vu, that's because I was just here a couple months ago to ask for your your approval of the other award related to community engagement. So again, this shows that this is a really innovative program that's wrapping in multiple components. So I am happy to
063answer any questions you have and we appreciate your support. Good. Well, thank you. Uh Miss Mitzell, does the board have any comments or questions about this submission? I'm just going to say that is awesome because I've been able to witness it and see you guys and it is such a good program and yes, hopefully we get first or second place this year. Well, any other comments or questions? All right. Is there a motion and a second to approve and authorize Claire Mitzell, director of communications and public relations, to obtain signatures and to submit the application for the VSB excellence in work face work force readiness award? So moved. Second, second by Miss Trig. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? I. Those opposed. All right, let's go get an order. Thank you
064very much. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Mitzell. I'll now ask our chief instructional administrative officer, Archie Freeman, to come forward to present the 2627 school year calendar for your approval. Mr. Freeman. Good evening, Madam Chair Jameson, Madame Vice Chair, Mrs. Apill, members of the board, student representatives, and Dr. White. Before I present the information regarding the calendar this evening, I want to first say thank you to the calendar committee um that served this year. We did things a little bit differently. We had multiple individuals from throughout the division, um, principles, administrators, professional staff, classified staff, and parents. And I even had the opportunity, um, Dr. Jameson and Miss Apel was there to, um, hijack a little bit of Mrs. Blay's, um, Blandy's PTA meeting in order to get some information and to get it out
065there in front of the parents. So, we do appreciate that. And I want to personally thank the Oasis team, which is by the leadership of Dr. Jonathan Schultz for working collaboratively and taking everything that was heard and went back and made adjustments to make sure we were in compliance what was needed by the state but also make a calendar that would be conducive for all of us. The committee met and shared guidelines for developing the calendar options and when building the calendar just wanted to point out a couple of things. The calendar must have 180 days and in the 180 days we must have a minimum of 990 instructional hours. And of course for the length of our days and 180 days we do exceed the 990. So we still have a opportunity to have
066time built into our calendar for inclement weather and emergency closings. Three calendar three calendars were developed for voting and two of the options allow the semester to end before winter break. But that also make means we have to start a week earlier than we normally would. Um, also one of the options that you had seen and been shown to you in your Friday packet are something similar to what we have now. So when we looked at the information in order to look at what would be best in interest for our students and make sure we was in compliance, we starting a week early, ends us before winter break for the whole semester. So it's an opportunity for in information for the grading and all the systems done before winter break. When we come back, we
067start fresh on our second semester. And when we start our second semester, the good thing about the second semester, you will see there's days off, professional development days in there. You also see that the semester will end before Memorial Day weekend. So, graduation would take place. Um, a lot of questions will come up and it came up in our meeting. How does it look compared to the um surrounding districts? It would almost align directly with the com um surrounding districts. Also, when you look at the calendar, this is for 2627. I got to point that out again so everybody that's listening publicly would know. Um it also aligns with our spring break. everything falls into place. So, this calendar worked out very well and I appreciated all those that were um participating. A survey was
068created to solicit public opinion for the 2627 school calendar and it consisted of a page that explained the respondent what was requested to select the preferred calendar from the three choices and you will see the information. We did advertise on all our social media outlets and the votes are in calendar option one um calendar option two and option three. I have to say this. This is the first time in a long time that I've seen so many people vote. That's great. We were at 1,800 votes. So, it was very important and I think they knew it was a big change here. And as you will see on tonight, option three, which allows us to start a week earlier, ending winter break for the semester and ending before Memorial Day weekend with 56% of employees voting
069and 44% of parents voting. That's great. Wow. Nice. So on tonight, I would ask that you would approve the 2627 calendar with option number three. Awesome. Very good. Thank you, Mr. Freeman. Does the board have any comments or questions? I do. I'm not starting with you. Students, sorry about that. I just want to say that I wish I could graduate like but you know understandable I will say that that was the first thing she said she said I wish we had that very good now I I I just wanted to commend you guys for all of the work that you've done um on this and the community engagement I want to thank the the the the um the parents and um the staff members that spoke up. I'm so loving the journey that we have
070been on with our transparency and the engagement and it's really paying off. Um there was a student that spoke on um having to come back after break and having to finish out the semester and this answers that. I I I just I thank you so much for being so thoughtful and leading this charge and for all of the folks involved. So, thank you guys so much for making it work. Any other comments or questions? Yeah, I'm a big fan of this calendar. I have been able to teach on this calendar before and I especially looked to see if you got that work day after the holiday the winter break and it's there. So, um, so anyways, so thank you to everyone who participated in the survey as well and the committee and I'd like to
071echo what everyone said, but I love the fact that Miss Watkins pointed out was just first thing I was thinking this calendar looks thoughtful. It looks thoughtful across the board as far as giving the teachers a little break and the consistency of the breaks for students and their families to be able to plan vacations. Thank you. All right. I I I can't resist having a comment. Mr. Freeman and I have been talking about the calendar for as long as I've been on this board. Thank you for getting us here. I appreciate that. It seems like it should be simple. It is not, but this uh feels academically focused uh in a way that will benefit um our students and and I also like the thoughtfulness of it as well. So, thank you and uh for
072years of conversation about this, too. So, is there a motion and a second to approve the presented calendar option number three for the 2026 2027 school year? So moved. Second. Save. I'll second by Miss T. Is there any discussion? All those in favor? I opposed. All right. Thank you, Mr. Freeman. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Freeman. And I do want to say a special thank you to Mr. Freeman for um his leadership with the school calendar. Uh, as you said, Dr. Jameson, it's, you know, we had a lot of feedback, which is fantastic. That's what we want, but that's a lot of opinions and a lot of things to pull together and synthesize. And so, I want to thank Mr. Freeman for his hard work on that. And the committee, the the thank you to
073the committee as well. Um, now I will ask our chief human resources officer, Dominic McKe, and Executive Director Professional Learning, Carrie Gates, to come forward for an update on professional learning initiatives. Or is it Miss Gates, just you? Okay, there you go. It's just me this evening. Very good. Very good. So, thank you. Uh good evening, uh Chairperson Jameson, Vice Chair Appel, Superintendent White, Student Representatives, and uh members of the school board. So, I'm absolutely thrilled to be here this evening to share and highlight some of the good work being done by so many in regards to professional learning. So, you have all been provided with the professional learning course catalog um that lists all of our course offerings to date. um the descriptions of those courses um all the wonderful instructors that teach them
074and of course that alignment to the strategic plan. Um tonight I will cover three areas the importance and why of professional learning in the organization. I will provide specific examples of growth opportunities within our organization and then finally I want to discuss a little bit about how we ensure we are meeting the needs of our employees. So first um I want to talk about the importance of growth opportunities from the organization's perspective. So if you look on the left hand side of the slide I want to talk about um under organization want to talk about recruitment. So when people are looking for employment a key consideration is how the organization will help them grow and develop and this is really true across all generations. And then I want to go down to employee retention. So
075providing opportunities that promote uh that promote growth employ in in enhances employee retention and then according to a LinkedIn 2025 workplace learning report 93% of people will said they would stay longer if their career development was supported. And then just quickly I want to move over to the right hand side of my slide. From the employee perspective, when we talk about um professional and personal growth, it really signals to our employees that they matter and we value that their success matters to them. And so the second point I just want to make on this slide is when we talk about relevance to job, people want to do well in their jobs. They want to come to work and they want to do a good job. So it's very important to provide opportunities to upgrade skills
076um to adapt to changing work requirements. Okay. Over the next few slides, I will share some specific examples of growth opportunities within our organization. And so our strategic plan says we will create professional opportunities for staff to connect with other out with other employees outside of their work site. One example is that we offer ongoing professional learning opportunities throughout the year, many of which are open to all staff. Um, our well-being courses as well as a variety of technology courses usually have staff members from diverse roles participating. In our mid-year survey with Great Beginnings Mentors, we found that the um being a part of the mentor professional learning community was the second most valuable aspect of that program, which I'm sure which you can guess what the first would be is working with our new
077teachers. That was the most important thing. And so some employees want to grow in their current role while others want to aspire to move into new roles. And so it's really important as an organization to provide opportunities for both. And so one example I want to talk about tonight is the Radford University administrator cohort. In this program, teachers are working um to earn their degree in educational leadership. The goal is hopefully that these employees will pursue roles as assistant principles and other leadership positions. So I just want to mention that two key components of this program are as we have some of our leaders that are teaching these courses. Some of them are sitting right here behind me this evening. And what that does is allows us to cater content specifically to Rowan Oak. The
078second piece of this program is that all these individuals have signed three-year stay agreements with us so that after they finish the program, they will stay with us, thus helping with our retention efforts. And then just the final example I wanted to share on this slide is the Southwest Virginia Teacher Apprenticeship Consortium. Um I talked in December about the apprentice we had working at Hurt Park. And so I'm really pleased to be able to report to you that that apprentice is finishing up. She will graduate in May and we have hired her to work with us next year. So that's a great [Applause] win. Something to be celebrated for sure. All right. So I mentioned providing opportunities for staffs to grow in the role. And so the following are just a few examples of all
079staff opportunities. So Microsoft co-pilot and Canva are tools that our employees that all employees have access to. So it is important to to teach staff how to use tools in their role. The uh permission to feel book study provides an opportunity to grow personally, professionally through the ruler skills which are recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing and regulating emotions. And then um an example of targeted professional growth was collaborating effective instruction. We did this in collaboration with our academic team and this s session was designed for principles, assistant principles and instructional leaders to calibrate on what effective instruction looks like, feels like and sounds like in practice. And then in pathway six, goal two, that states that we will know our employees and learn what matters to them. Well, we really cannot do that without asking them,
080can we? And so re recently our employees just completed a divisionwide um educational needs assessment. The window was open from March 6th to April 4th. The results were analyzed and right now we're in the process of reviewing those results and planning professional learning to respond to the data collected. Another way to meet the needs of our employees is to receive and monitor feedback through our session evaluations. And I just want to share with you just a few things of what our employees are telling us. Someone from our leadership conference said,"I value the opportunity to grow professionally within the division." A participant from our Microsoft Office 365 class said, "I learned how to use Office 365 more effectively in my job." And then finally, someone from our building uh confident educators educator session says, "I have
081some new tools for my teaching toolbox." So in conclusion, I just want to say this is I talked and shared with you a lot of good work done by many people this evening and there's a lot of good work that occurs in our division and really that happens because of the support and commitment and dedication um by you all. So in conclusion, I really just want to say thank you and thank you and thank you that we appreciate everything you do not just for professional learning but for all of us. So, thank you very much and I'd be happy to take any questions. Thank you. Are there any questions this evening for Miss Gates? This is a uh a been a a vast and big journey really for our professional development here at public school.
082So, congratulations to you and everybody who have created it's a team such a robust effort. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you, Miss Gates. Thank you. Thank you. a lot of good work happening in professional learning. So, thank you, Miss Gates, for that. Uh, now I'll ask Mrs. Jackson, our chief um financial officer, to come forward really for two issues. Um, the first is the FY25 budget amendment and then we'll get into a budget update. So, we'll start with the the budget amendment related to your approval um hopefully uh for purchasing textbooks. So, Mrs. Jackson, let me turn it over to you. Sure. Thank you. Good evening. Um, thank you for that introduction, Dr. White. Good evening, Chair Dr. Jameson, Vice Chair Miss Sapel, members of the board, student representatives, um, and those
083watching here or at home. Um, as Dr. White shared, we have, um, a little bit of current year budget information to talk about as well as next year. So, we'll start with the current year. Um, and well, okay, there we go. Uh, all right. All right. So, I wanted to first start off with some things that we have talked about of kind of where we are in our current year um in terms of what we've expended thus far and this is as of April 30th. Um and what is encumbered? How does that compare to uh the funds that were appropriated to us at the beginning of the year? Um so, as you can see, if we were to spend every dime that is encumbered, um all the expenditures of course that have already happened, um
084we would still be to the good. Now, I do have that second box up there of the things that are coming that we certainly want to have on our radar. Um, and we certainly want to be able to move forward with capital projects that are multi-year. So, um, as you know, we've been in conversation with city council to make sure that we um, uh, follow the procedures for reappropriating uh, the local portion of funds that we were intending to utilize for some of those capital projects. That is on the city council agenda for the 19th. So with that um we will be well positioned to ensure that we do not exceed an appropriate uh the appropriation amounts and can move forward with those projects. So I did want to share that um and update the
085full board on where that stands. Now where do those textbooks that are on there uh come into play? Of course we we learned more detail about the the adoption process at the last meeting. Um but we need to make sure that we have the funds available ideally in the current year to be able to move forward that with that purch purchase partially from a budgetary standpoint. Of course we've talked a lot about the challenges of uh meeting budget for next year but also so that we can have those resources in hand be prepared to have professional learning over the summer have all that taken care of in time for the new school year. So u moving forward as soon as possible is important for that reason. So we are proposing to you um and asking
086for your approval this evening uh a budget uh amendment which is just a transfer between categories. So we have identifi identified unspent funds in the current year budget uh the majority of which are already in our instructional category that are available to help us move forward with this purchase but not quite all. Um, so we do have some unspent funds that we um have identified as available in our administration, attendance, health, and technology category um that we are asking your permission to move $800,000 out of administration and into instruction so that uh sufficient funding is available in the right category uh to allow us to move forward with this purchase. So, it's important to note this does not change the total budget at all. um it it it just moves money from one category to
087the to the other. So um I will pause there and certainly am happy to take any questions um before we request uh approval. Very good. And I would uh just my own little editorial before I take comments. Those of us who've been on the board a while will know that from time to time we do this at year end. this what we're being asked to do is is not an uh uncommon thing that we are doing. But are there any questions for Miss Jackson's? I guess just to say out loud and make sure moving these funds do not harm the division's ability in any way to carry out its administrative functions. No sir. Um we've identified the available funds through um partially we have grant funds that are funding some of our security positions that
088we had originally budgeted. So that grant meant that we did not need those funds and unfortunately on the downside we've had some positions that we've struggled to fill. Okay. So we've had some savings in that way as well. Okay. Yes. Any other questions? All right. Would you like us to discuss the motion for this now or at the end of the presentation? Very good. So then let's yeah very good. So then let's ask is there a motion and a second to approve the amendment to the 2024 2025 general fund expenditure budget as presented. So move second move by Miss Kantana second by Miss Watkins. Any further discussion hearing? None. All those in favor? I. Those opposed. All right. Move the money. Yeah. Great. So don't go anywhere. Mrs. Jackson because I'll come right back to
089you. Uh I've also asked Mr. Jackson to uh provide an update on the FY26 budget development process, especially now that the city has um voted on its budget. So before I turn it back over to her, I do want to take a moment to thank Mrs. Jackson and her team for all that you've done. And I want to thank the school board as well for your engagement and for those who uh have been involved in the budget development process and those who are now kind of newly curious in the budget development process. And I have gotten a couple of questions uh from those about where to find you know our our budget and um all of that. So if you are curious about the budget I just want to say again that our budget is
090available uh on board docs. So if you are curious about the budget or if you want to see uh the budget development process and see all of the various presentations all of that is online uh the audits everything depends on how deep you want to go uh but it's all there so if you are curious about that you can find that all on our website and you can find it on board docs and again thank you to Mrs. Jackson to our fiscal services team for your hard work throughout the process. Um because this is important work. You know, as you know, we have a growing student body. Uh we have more students uh this year than we had last year. And so, you know, when I got here five years ago, um we were told
091that we would have declining enrollment, but that is not the case. We do have growing enrollment. And so, we're very proud of that that our families continue to choose Reno City Public Schools. So, we're very, very proud of that. But with all of our students, they all come with unique personalities, unique needs. Whether or not those needs are academic needs or behavioral or social um emotional, you can have twins and as you know, you can dress them alike and feed them the same, but they are different, right? So, um so we are proud to be able to um provide resources that would really meet those individual and unique student needs. So, we u will continue to advocate for the funding that goes along with those needs. And so I just want to thank everyone for
092your investment in this topic because it's it's critically important as we move forward. We will continue with our communication um when it comes to communicating with the city. Again, these are critical um conversations to have and so um we are we are going to have those conversations because at the end of the day it's about our students and staff members and uh we are looking forward to continuing those um conversations in a positive way. So Mrs. Jackson, I'll turn it back over to you for the update. Thank you very much. So, we'll jump back in um if we can please and um continue on. Thank you. Um with looking at some updated information related to next fiscal year's budget. So, I want to start with an update on uh the revenue picture. Um the um
093the governor did veto several line items of the budget, but the funding that would um eliminate the support staff cap was not vetoed. So that um that was good news. Um that's something um that you may recall or for the communities um understanding when the great recession happened many years ago um that the number of support positions that are partially funded by state funds was capped. So even though the standards of quality identified a certain level of staffing that was required um that was initially intended to be a temporary reduction um for cost savings but that cap remained. So over the years um the general assembly has has taken some action to move certain positions out from under that cap. Um this action this year finally removes that completely. So that certainly was good news
094and exciting that the governor um chose to keep that in the budget. So, um, when we learned about the amendments that the governor had proposed that that would have reduced the funding in this area, um, we began reducing the the state revenue that we were working with uh, in our budgeting models by about $1.3 million in case that went through. So, um, so that is certainly favorable that we can put that back in um, to our state funding uh, estimate. Um, however, uh, as Dr. White mentioned, we do now have our, uh, March 31 average daily membership numbers. And so that funded ADM is chiefly what defines how much money we receive from the state. Um, and as Dr. White mentioned, that number is is up about 114 students from last year. But um when
095we compare that the 1290 almost four um to the estimate for next year that the state has been using um which is 13080 that feels like a bit of a large jump. That would be anticipating that we would add an additional 176 students next year. That feels a little bit aggressive. Um, we usually like to be a bit more conservative when we're uh estimating funding because certainly um I would love to be able to say our enrollment is higher than we thought. So therefore, we're going to receive more state money than we thought rather than the other way around. So uh so based on that um we are uh recommending that we pull back a little bit on the average daily membership that we use when we're when we're budgeting and calculating uh projected state
096revenue to 129.84. So, so that will reduce our projected state funding um by just over $880,000. So, that's still a net to the good. We put that 1.3 million back, but then we're taking 8 880 out. So, um so I did want to share that on the local side as Dr. White mentioned. So, um we do have an approved uh budget at the local level now uh that was approved yesterday. It does keep funding of education at the 2425 level. So, um just under $107 million. Um also, uh some changes to the school funding policy were approved yesterday. So, I just have that included just for your reference of what was changed. um just just the first couple of paragraphs um actually the first paragraph and then then a new second paragraph was added to
097um reflect the um the changes for this year at least the coming year to flat fund the school division at the the current year level. Um and then that first sentence was changed um to formerly said an amount equal to 40% of local taxes. Now it says up to um 40%. So those are the two changes um that were approved by city council yesterday um on the local level relative to schools. So to to kind of summarize where we are um on the next slide um I have sort of a a highle comparison of um our initial budget estimate from March and then where we are today. So you see that um we have been able to identify some savings um and some areas of of cutting on the expenditure side and then I have
098noted um the variances in revenue that we just discussed um in terms of where we are. So, um, that does in the second to last line, uh, make a change for to the potential use of fund balance that would be needed, um, to to move forward with the the the programming as it currently exists in the budget. And I'll I'll say more about kind of what is and is not included in that um, in a few more slides. So, so just to to pause on there um, and say a little bit more about use of fund balance. So um it of course has been uh previously a long-standing practice uh that we would that money invested in the schools stayed invested in schools um for for future year uh uses. So when we did present
099the initial estimate in March, it did propose uh even though it was using the the former funding formula that would have included about 6.7 million more local dollars for education. It also proposed a portion of of existing fund balance uh to be used um just under $4 million. So that's where that difference comes in. Uh if if state money is a little bit less than we anticipated, if local funding is less than we anticipated, then we would propose we have cut expenses some, but we would still propose um utilizing a larger portion of fund balance um to to make ends meet for the coming year. So um same information kind of illustrated a little bit of a different way. Our original budget that was presented in March um proposed using about 3.8 million um if
100we add the variance uh between the initially proposed um the initial formulas proposed funding of schools for the local level um and the the the variance in state funding. reduce the expenditures that we've already identified to pull out. That gets us to that $9 almost $4 million of use of fund balance that based on where we are right now, we would be requesting to utilize um to get us through next year's budget. So, the big question is um what is and is not included in all of that. Um, so just as a reminder, I know we've talked about um all these things quite a bit, but just to to put it all together and kind of summarize the main points, of course, we have quite a few additional positions included. We are required to add
101um 40 additional uh English learner teachers based on changes that were made to the standards of quality requirements and our enrollment of of English learner students and their proficiency levels. um our staffing meetings that um happen every year, working with our principles to look at projected enrollments have resulted in quite a few additional positions um that would be needed to maintain uh reasonable class sizes. Um we do have included two new English uh language instructional coaches part to work with all of these new EL teachers. Um four were requested. We've we've brought that down to two. Um and then of course an an average two two and a half percent raise um across all employees, excuse me, a combination of a scale and step raise. So what's not included in the these numbers? Um the
10213 elementary Spanish teaching positions which we've discussed previously potentially needing to utilize to help us fill those English learner position uh vacancies that are created. At this point, we do have included that we would increase our uh deductible on our health our HA health insurance plan. Um, currently 2,000 for individual, 4,000 for family, moving that up to 3,000 per individual or 6,000 per family. Um, we don't have funding for activity buses currently included. Um, and we have a reduction of about 10% to our budget for uh facility maintenance. And and you can see here kind of the the levers um the dollar uh amounts that those impact our budget by taking them out. Um uh reducing the level of individualized transportation service that we've um that has has increased over the last couple of years
103and for special circumstances. And then finally, um just a note of something we've talked about, not necessarily directly related to next year's budget, but certainly as a need, um and that is that there is not funding currently included for any um modulars at the high schools to address overcrowding. So, so lastly, um just kind of a summary of where we are. Um as Dr. White said, "We are still in in ongoing communication with the city to get um additional guidance on um changes on in how our funding will work and um that sort of thing. And we will bring to you sort of final considerations for the budget uh at the workshop at the end of this this month for further consideration and discussion in advance of of bringing you a budget for hopeful hopefully
104for approval at the June 10th meeting. So, that is what I have for you this evening, and I'm happy to take questions or comments. Very good. Thank you, Miss Jackson. Yes. Uh, questions? Yes, I don't have a question. I just have to tell you, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Because I know it has been rough. It's been long days, long nights, and you have kept us on our lane and letting us know what we need. So, I appreciate that. Thank you for your transparency. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions? Thank you, Miss Watkins. Uh, two questions. Two questions. Um, the first one is what's the total of the items that were pulled out? If you don't, it's okay. I can do the math later. I'll do that's okay. I'll do the math later. Um,
105and then, um, can you give me one example of for the things I pulled up? using it. You want to see the list of costs? Yeah. Yeah. If you could just back up to We're not in charge here. I was going to say yes. Who's and then I can move it around. But is that right? Okay. I'm sorry that are out. It's um Miss Watkins, are you talking about the which slide are you talking? The one with the costs that are in and the costs that are out. Costs that are out and there was a um um Hang on. It's coming. It's coming. This one right there. The one before that one right there. um the special circumstances uh the level of individ uh individualized transportation services provided in special circumstances. Can you give me
106Sure. Um over the last couple years, it started um really uh intensifying last year when we were having difficulties with bus transportation and and so we began to use ser uh private services for providing transportation quite a bit more and um and that's really accelerated and is quite costly. Um so if we have in and there could be a variety of reasons. It might be a a student with special needs um McKenna students um receive services to ensure that they can get to uh their their home school which which to be clear, we're not proposing not providing transportation services in those instances. We just need to bring those costs back down um and look at other alternative methods especially now that we have um stable transportation uh in place and fully staffed um school bus
107transportation services. So that that's really a a focus and goal. Uh do you unfair question but do you anticipate this impact in our ontime arrivals and all the things that we've built up to? Yes. Oh. Oh. Thank you. Okay. I'm sad. That's the end of my question. Thank you. Uh Mr. Um so I know you said the cost is reduced or not included. So is it possible with the Spanish teaching positions? Is this going to be not included or are we working on a plan on just a reduction and still kind of incorporating it? at this moment kind of where we are in the budget development those positions are are budgeted to convert to an EL position all all of them are so you know certainly we don't have a final budget yet so that's
108certainly up for discussion but at this point um that's that's how we've considered it and with the after school bus activities are is that get reduced and kind of combined or we removing that that would be removed yes that would be no longer providing the after school activity buses. So, how do we propose to remove activity buses with parents not being able to get to kids, kids being needing these activities after school? Um, I think I told you all last time how it would put me in a bond to I have a very active middle schooler and just alone, it's a comforting knowing I know he's safe. He's going to get home and I'm able to transition and not have to come in here probably looking like I just ran out the rain from trying
109to get everything taken care of as a single parent. Um, I just can't imagine some of the other students that definitely need these activities just to stay out of trouble and not be elsewhere because they have other options. and the ones that are choosing. Um, I attended the middle school city meet and just to see so many kids starting to come back out and be in sports and track alone. I couldn't imagine what's going to happen if we lose some of those kids because they don't have a ride. And I I'll chime in here as well, too. And and thank you, Miss Trig. I mean that's we we've prided ourselves on u being able to provide that kind of um transportation and service for our families. What I and and thank you to Mrs. Jackson
110for really trying to kind of illustrate where we are um at this point. Just for clarification for a visual I'm a visual learner as well and so thank you for that graphic. I always look at this with level funding. Um that means in you know a lot of times people using the $6.7 million um figure that that we're um that we've been discussing. Keep in mind that um $6.7 million that is what we would need to take out a fund balance to get us to level to get us just to get us to level. Correct. Uh and so what we had proposed was about $4 million. In addition to that, with a growing student population and growing student needs, that's why we were proposing an additional $4 million out of fund balance to on, you
111know, to on top of um our regular um budget proposal that we had um proposed. And so, so when you look at taking that six and just get us to level, we still have that like additional needs. And so that's why we're we're talking about this list is kind of the list of the, you know, of priorities for the district and they're all priorities for us, but this this is where the hard decisions have to come in come into play. Um and so we looked at this in terms of the the new costs particularly those that we know that we are required to do those that are uh associated with accreditation those that are associated with class sizes those that are associated with um payraises that we've committed to. And so that's why you see
112those new costs that have been included in in this proposal. They and again um this isn't etched in stone yet. This is the point of discussion. These are the discussion points and the decision points that still have to be made that we are just trying to lay out so that um everyone is kind of fully aware of of the decisions that that need to be made. Um and so the items that are not included are not any less important. They are important. Um, and so we just have to um be clear about what we're what we're talking about and um and then decide from here uh where to go. And so that's why your input is so critically important in this process as well. Sure. Sure. Also with the activity school bus costs, is that
113based off of not paying the drivers and the fuel combination of both? So this could impact their monthly employment funds that come into their houses. I think this is um highlights the needs of our students. Um we have told everybody you can't compare us to peer communities around us. Um we are unique in that the needs of our students require us to do more but yet no other jurisdiction around us has the level of service that we provide. So to answer your question directly, yes, it will impact uh the drivers who who want to drive those routes, who volunteer to drive those routes. It will save us in fuel uh to drive those routes. Um uh it's but it is one of those things that nobody wants to do but uh it is something that
114you know at this point um is it's a tough decision and I think we're just going to sit and talk about it and so people understand the needs of our kids are much greater than any peer jurisdiction around us that they want to compare us to. And another I'm sorry I got a lot of questions with the level of indivi individualized transportation services that pretty much gears to like our special education students that go to get the services they need and then able to go back to their home school. Is that what that is? Um it's not exclu ex exclusively but um that that is a large portion of of the funding that um that we would for depending on whatever the need might happen to be um that that our our response has been
115to to contract with an outside provider as opposed to using our our school bus uh transportation provider. Um over the last couple of years I know the high school we just I'm sorry. Um, so I I think I'm just really ignorant on this, so apologies for my ignorance, but for the activity buses that were used this year, is that still with the same program that we use for like the buses like with the bus app that we have this year, is that still the same program or is that like a different uh same company? Okay. Yes, this is the same company. That's correct. Okay. And by removing that like that would just be removing costs from that company in a sense. Correct. Okay. Which we pay for. So we would have that would reduce our
116costs in that manner. Okay. All right. That's all. Thank you. What? Before you go down. Yes. Sorry, I did do the math. Okay. $8 million. Oh, told us on an earlier slide that it's really nine that we need, not 6 point whatever. Right. Right. This $8 million is above the nine. Correct. And we could use that out of fund balance if we were allowed to keep it. Correct. But then that means we're pulling $17 million, right? Out of fund balance, correct? To get our needs-based budget, right? Yes. Fully funded, right? We need permission to use that. Yes. That's that would be a onetime thing. So that's that's another consideration is right. um you know just I I have this conversation again in a few months um if we if we could use onetime money and
117and that that exists for the things that are already in the budget but um you know so that is some of the consideration is trying to um crank it down keep that that challenge reasonable for the next year when those funds are used up they're gone right yeah it's really important I think to emphasize that point uh we have been diligent for as long as I've been on this board of not ever using the fund balance for recurring costs. Uh that they have been isolated, predictable, they have an end date. Um and that's held us in goodstead. Um so that I think it's a really important point which you're pulling out now to to point to is that yeah even if we cover which we won't be able to cover all of these things there'd
118have to be more public hearings and proc there there'd be a lot of uh there's a lot of hard decisions coming um I think uh and that's the question is orders of magnitude hard at this point they based on the amount of money that will be available to us. I I I believe that toward orders of magnitude. Well, I've got a a calculator in my hand that also makes phone calls. Um, of the 17 million that we're describing right now that we would have to pull out of fund balance to meet our needs-based budget. Can you remind me what that total budget value is? Fun balance. No, not total fund. What what is the the total of the needsbased budget that we are talking about funding? 75. Well, we started at 275 that actually So,
119of course, we had things like the um the modulars in there that was not in our original needsbased budget. So, um so we have of course as new information comes to light, our budget has changed and sure um things come in and things um are go out as we are honing those numbers. So, um, so that got us and and I believe that I don't have that number off the top of my head, but, um, we looked at that kind of all-in number at on the 22nd, I believe. So, um, I I'll just refer to that. Um, if you'd like to see that that that was kind of everything that has had come to our attention would would get us to that that roughly $18 million, which is more than we can do. That would
120actually put us over the one the 275. So that would require um additional approval. Okay. Beyond what the city council just approved yesterday. So um there's there's a couple reasons why we can't go that high. Okay. Yeah. I I was just trying to get some sense of what percentage of our budget is being funded out of the fund balance. Got it. Okay. I have a question. Um, and I'm not sure if it's you or Chris Perkins, but if we do the reduction of facility maintenance, how is that going to affect our high schools that we know are overcrowded right now? Well, keep in mind right now that money is not anywhere in this for the overcrowded for the high schools, which mean we we had initially at a last meeting we had mentioned uh doing
121the modulars for that, but right now that's not there. uh that the rest of that money uh as for as example the chiller's broken in this room uh that would be what we would spend on the that $600,000 to fix this. So imagine being in a classroom with this heat. So that's why the schools come first and that's why it will definitely impact us for 600,000 in maintenance that we will have to push aside. I'm sorry I'm not. So, not only we will not be able to provide after school activity buses, they might be in a hot classroom and more overcrowding. Keep keep in mind that's an example of what I know, but that's, you know, it's it's a big possibility right now where we are right now in conversations. It's a realistic possibility. Wow.
122Thank you. And I I will just for clarity point out on that and I I should have made it more clear what was a reduction versus an elimination, but that that does not completely remove all of our budget for maintenance. So we would still have some funding budgeted for maintenance. It's just a pretty significant reduction. Yes, I understand. Thank you. Um thank you for always being so thorough. Um, can you remind me did we land on something with regards to technology and a lease or a um with leasing our technology equipment or um have we um we did move forward with um we have been leasing our our technology equipment. We did move forward to help with our budget um at at this moment and take some of those leased uh computers out of the
123lease temporarily because we did have some grant funds that were available to us kind of on a one-time basis. So, we did um see some savings in that manner by making use of those grant funds. And so then that that bought us a couple years when those those pieces of equipment um age out. Then we would have to uh be prepared to re-engage with a lease to ensure that we continue to have the the onetoone availability for our students. Um I also um wanted to applaud your department for it. you noted a couple different times in your presentation where we actually got to kind of put money back into the budget because of grant funds and I think things like afterchool activity but um buses um and facility maintenance these are things that there's potentially
124grant money and I know that your department and other departments will explore those options and like you have with you know the security personnel and v you know and various things so um it's not things that we budget on but is things that help us to build up or use less of our projected expenditures. So um additionally things like the individualized transportation services is something that was noted as an overly large expense that has kind of you know as our transportation services by Zoom have made us more stabilized. something that to be fiscally responsible, we would be re-evaluating this anyways to make sure that we are, you know, using our money wisely to get our kids to school. Um, and just because we might not be able to afford it now with regards to the
125modulars or however that's going to go, it's not going to go off the table as something that needs focus by our division. So, we'll continue to keep it at the forefront and be looking for solutions to that that are both fiscally responsible and meet the needs of our students for decades to come because we we know the kids are coming. You know, we've seen the projections on the population. So, um, that's one thing I do appreciate is that this is, you know, we get the the backwards glance, right, with our emotion that we had today, looking at monies from this year and how we, you know, are making them agree with proper line items and also keeping in mind for next year, but then also future thinking that we're always considering all aspects of our
126budget and how best to meet the needs now and into the future. So, I have one more and then I'll shut up. I don't remember the 4.3 million that's being shown as funding for adding the modulars. Is that a onetime cost? Start up not maintenance. Okay. Right. That so that would be the initial year. So it would be a little bit higher in the first year to get them established, but then it it wouldn't go down as much as I would have thought to maintain them in remember that off the top of your head what it would be a recurring cost. I don't but I I have that I can certainly get it to you. It it's okay. It wouldn't be 4.3, but it's also not going to it it would still be millions. Okay.
127Okay. Okay. I can get you the exact estimate. Any other questions? Thank you for giving us the extra time to to get our thoughts out. No, I think I I think it's significant. I mean, I think um as I listen to this, it's it's it's complicated, right? I mean, this is is complicated in any year and it's extra complicated this year. Um, I think if I'm if I'm doing the math in my head, uh, approximately right, um, the original budget we proposed would have still left us about three millionish short of meeting all of these needs. Three to four million short of meeting these needs. Um, but now the challenge becomes, and I'm just putting a fine point on it. I mean, I think it's important that you keep putting this before us to talk
128about and really think through these are hard choices because the difference of not having a fully of having flat flat funding this year means that we are making more choices with non-renewable money and that's that's the impact. So, so you know, we all heard about the possibility of of being appropriated that money for next year, but that is those are still one-time monies now as opposed to recurring monies. And that makes a big difference for planning and strategic motion in our world. So I think that's really important so that people understand the budget we proposed even if we end up with the same amount of money which would be great. Yes. The way you get the money when the way we do these things matters and the way we might get this money is is
129different for planning purposes. So for clarity, I think it's really important that we come to that understanding because these are important. I mean, shoot, we're not even talking about the increase of the deductible for our employees. I mean, that every single one of these has a deep personal cost. Um, and ultimately, we're going to have to figure out what we're going to prove. It's just bugging me. Um, if we If we got everything that we needed to get for this year and we don't have that fund balance, don't we pay for some things upfront and use the fund balance or use some type of don't we have some expenses that we have to pay for up front and then reimburse ourselves for later? Like how do we how do we manage that without somewhere to
130pull it from? Well, that I mean that's part of the ongoing conversations that we we need a little bit more clarity al ultimately um once we understand kind of what the direction that city council chooses to go. Um that is absolutely an an important point. Um there there's a lot of our expenses actually that happen prior to certain revenues coming in. Um you know almost all of our grant funds are are paid on a reimbursement basis. So we have to spend those those monies up front and then request reimbursement out of the grant funds. So, so that is that is one of the ways that that that fund balance uh sitting there has helped us to to manage cash flow to manage the the ins and outs and ensure that um just because maybe maybe
131some state money that doesn't start coming till January, we haven't gotten it yet. We still have to make payroll in September and October. So, uh so that is definitely a use for that. So, that's something that um we'll we'll have to get more information on depending on what the decision is. Okay. Um yeah, yeah, that was bugging me. Thank you. And thank you. Yeah. Balance is fluid and and utilized. Okay. That's what I thought. Okay. Yeah. No, I I think it's really important. Are there any additional questions? Because I mean by our next meeting, we're going to get a preview and we will be voting on a budget in June. June June. Yeah. Our June meeting. So now is the time to really be thinking these things through. There's still some things to come into
132play, but it is now is the time to be asking questions. Oh, for sure. And especially because of the the really the domino effect because I know we're talking about um the next fiscal year, but we we really need to think even a year ahead of that, right? Um particularly if the percentage is changing. So instead of exactly 40% 40%. So we'll end if we're kind of really tapping into the fund balance now and and then thinking about some of those expenses that where we of going in and out of fund balance throughout the school year. Well, if those funds are not there and then we have less going forward. So again, this year this discussion will impact the next one. So, um, that's why it's it's critically important that when we're making decisions about
133these ongoing costs, we're considering not only the next fiscal year, but the year after that. Thank you. I have a question. Yes. I'm sorry. So what Miss Watkins said um that we have to put forth certain payments um with everything that is going in the state and federal government, do we know that we are still going to get those refunds in the same time length as before? Um we we don't know for certain. At this moment, I don't have a reason to think that would change only because um already most of what our federal dollars come to us through the state. So, we're actually reimbursed by the state. So, I I can't say for certain that the state receiving the funds couldn't be affected, but um but at this point, the I would anticipate that
134the process will stay fairly similar um regardless of what changes happen at the federal because we are already accustomed and have procedures in place that we follow that are administered by the Virginia Department of Education. Okay, any other questions? Thank you for everything that you do. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you very much for all your hard work. We certainly appreciate the time you spent with us on this this evening, too. Thank you. Yes. Sorry, but thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Jackson. And Madam Chair, that ends my report. All right. Um, Miss Jackson, I I feel badly because you just got a chance to sit down, but would you please present the financial forecast and fund balance? Yes, ma'am. changed my papers. Um but thank you. Good evening again. So uh bringing to you
135this evening our our monthly report um of where we stand. This is our our financial report based on uh experience through the end of the month of March. So there we go. Um so in our looking at our uh general operating fund um you see that we continue to track really close to budget um when we compare against that three-year average um of prior year actual experience. So we were um only forecast to be about $50,000 below budget uh based on our experience through March. So um still tracking very close there. Um on the expenditure side, we are are continuing uh to be below budget, which um is what allowed us to do what we asked you to do earlier in the meeting so that we can move forward with those textbook purchases. Um so
136as of the end of March, we were forecast to be uh just over $4 million better than budget on the expenditure side uh when we compare against that three-year average. So, um, we did, uh, adopt a budget initially that proposed using about $1.75 million out of fund balance in the current year. So, were we to, um, end the year based on our experience through March and not buy a bunch of textbooks, um, we would likely be in a position, uh, to end the year adding a little over $2 million to our fund balance. So, well positioned to be able to move forward, fortunately, with those textbooks that are required. Um so when we look graphically at our total fund balance over time um how that's changed and uh the portion that's committed um would be
137up a little bit if we weren't doing that uh purchase that we are now anticipating. So then I'll move forward with food services fund and um when we look at our revenue um that's kind of moved up and down when we compare against that three-year average but based on experience through March we are forecast to be about $70,000 below budget on the revenue. Um but we are also forecast to be uh below budget on the expenditure side. Um forecast to be about $600,000 better than budget based on our experience through March. Um, we did adopt a budget for the current year in food service that proposed using about $ 1.5 million out of fund balance. So, um, were we to in the year uh, based on our experience through March, we would only use a
138little bit less than a million of that um, but still make use of those funds. So, um, and then you see graphically there our fund balance in that fund over time. So, that's where we are through March and I will happily take any questions or comments. Very good. I would uh I'm going to take a little editorial license really quickly just as a reminder. I think I do this about every other year. Um when we look at um what we put back into fund balance, I would just this is something that has come up over and over again in my tenure on the board. When we look at what we put back to fund, I would just like to remind everybody when we're talking about putting back the million dollars, that is a lot of
139money to you and me. That is less than 1% of our total budget. That is tight financial budgeting. Um I I just want to be clear that to and and I know and you know do such a great job of making sure we take the conservative side of that path always. So although it may look like we're giving a lot of money back, but you know when you see $500,000 under that these are really tight margins and that are really excellently managed and it just feels like a good opportunity to mention. Yes, in my pocketbook, a million dollars back into the bank would be a lot of money, but in the context of the size of our budget, it is a it is a remarkably small percent. So I just would take that. And then
140with that I will ask if anybody else has any comments. I just had wanted to say you know this is finishing out what it would be my the third year my third year on this board and the financial forecast has been a part of every board meeting that I've been. So, I've not known anything different, but I did um you know take a little time to do some research and just to know how you know how long have we been following this practice where we get to see are we on track for the year? Are there things that are unexpected that have come up? How is it impacting you know our expenditures and our revenues during the year? And as far as I can tell, um this level of fiscal stewardship and monitoring has been
141going on since I think since you took your position. And I'm not exactly sure when she but I October of 2013 on a monthly basis. So um you know predates me actually got it I I adopted in large part this format that you see and so you know if it's not Rogan don't fix it. So so yeah that's that definitely predates me. Got it. Well, and so I just appreciate the constant monitoring of how we use our money and even how we monitor it because I know we adjusted is it three years or fiveyear average that we're comparing against in light of COVID and things like that and always trying to fine-tune how are we doing on our budget budgeting properly and on our expenditures and our revenues and being responsible fiscal stewards with the
142monies that we get on behalf of our students and staff. Thank you. Thank you so much for all of your hard work. H is there anything unusual to report with our financial statements? Um nothing unusual, but I will point out every quarter we add a little bit of information and we do have um more specific details included this time on our purchasing. Um so I I I'm happy to take questions, but I just commend that to you as a little bit of additional um background that's available this time. Any questions? All right, those statements will be received and filed. Thank you again, Mr. Certainly appreciate it. Oh, again your report is still us. The the reports from committees this evening. Uh we'll go through does I know that the audit committee meets tomorrow, but are
143there any we'll just go down the line if there are any committees to report out this evening? I'll take us I don't know who's head meeting. Mint, you have a report. Yes, I have um from the policy govern the superintendence policy governance and legislative priorities committing report. The superintendence policy, governance and legislative PGL committee met on April 15, 2025 to review and consider midyear policy recommendations as part of the Virginia School Board Association's winter policy update. Excuse me. The committee's recommendations were presented to the board for first review on April 22nd and for consideration for adoption earlier this evening. The PGL committee reviewed its legislative engagement calendar and was briefed regarding the outcomes of the general assembly veto session, including actions on the governor's proposed amendments to the state budget. The committee also received an
144update regarding the current community feedback feedback system software application ethics point by NavX. The current system is entering the fifth year of a 5-year contract with the vendor which provides an opportunity to evaluate the solution and consider alternatives that may be more costeffective and or provide additional features for the division. Lastly, the committee was informed of staffing changes at the board's current legislative consultant advances strategies and anticipates that future meetings of the committee will involve consideration of both alternative software solutions for the community feedback system and additional discussion regarding the cost and benefits related to the Adventist strategies agreement prior to renewal for 2026. Thank you. Hey, Mr. Gandana. Uh, any reports this evening, Mr. Link? No ma'am. All right. Uh, Miss Ael, any reports this evening? Yes, I'm going to report out for um
145Mr. Cher's um community engagement committee, which met um today, May 13th. Um they met to discuss the progress and remaining action steps necessary to open the community empowerment center at Booker T. Washington this July. Um facility improvements continue to be underway and are on schedule um ex with the exception of one electrical component but this is not expected to delay opening and um all parties involved in facilities and maintenance. The staff are working diligently to clean and prepare the spaces to welcome partners, families and the public. Um focus group meetings are being held to develop and streamline processes, flows and communication between schools and staff at the center. Committee members recommended preparing a set of videos highlighting the partnerships and services at the center. There's a wide range of partnerships um of organizations that have
146committed to providing programs um services and resources um upwards of a dozen at this time and this list will continue to grow leading up to and even after opening the center such as Rono Public Libraries, Grow Greater Rowan Oak Workforce Development Board, Star City Robotics Club and more. Um several projects are underway to honor the facil's history as the former Lucy Addison High School and Booker T. Washington Junior High. Um including potentially um installation of a history wall in the main corridor, legacy voices video story project that will feature past educators and students, historical marker and historical register applications, and the committee will schedule an in-person meeting in June at the community empowerment center. Very good. And then um the budget and capital expense committee met this morning and basically um we got the same
147information that you all saw saw tonight um from Miss Jackson um regarding the state of our budget at this time. and then curriculum and instruction committee um actually met back in April on April 15th. And at that time we discussed um some simulations and data updates and principal meetings um with data analysis down to the student level. There was um there were updates about textbook adoptions which we have since um taken action on um with regards to English language arts or that we are in the adoption process. Um so um English language arts, math and history and social sciences. Um the early literacy academy has now taken place on April 29th but that was previewed at that meeting. Um that was the third event of the year. There were summer update uh programming updates regarding
148the star program and when invitation letters were to go out and that has already taken place now as well at the end of April. Um there was information on updates as far as learning walks and how that is informing staff development to those results. Um, there were some previews of restorative practices and how our discipline numbers are looking and um, I know we got a preview, I think, at the retreat and the numbers were way down on our out of school suspensions, but they're even more significantly down. So, um, so I think whenever we get those numbers, it's going to be pretty staggering whether that's, you know, a combination of transportation, restorative practices, cell phone policy, um, parent engagement, all of those things. Um and then also it was previewed um the all hands on
149deck initiative at the um at the division level to get people from all walks of the division um engaged to help as we go into our so testing session season which is now currently underway and there were a number of staff from all all various departments helping with you know tutoring, proctoring, testing um you name it. So that was previewed um also at that meeting. Very good. Okay, I'd like to report out on the technology committee meeting that was held on May 8th. The committee covered important updates in cyber security, artificial intelligence, and data governance. uh as it relates to the cyber as it relates to cyber security uh RCPS is closely monitoring changes to the federal cyber security support programs and is working through an RFP process to select vendors that will help us
150enhance digital resource management, implement multiffactor authentications for students um student identities and conduct a comprehensive network audit. Um, we want to remind staff to stay vigilant uh and to avoid clicking on unfamiliar links. Um, as K uh 12 schools continue to be frequently targeted by cyber attacks. Uh, in the first quarter of this year, over 800 advanced threats and 450,000 fishing emails were blocked. um a new standard operating procedure is being developed internally to further prioritize the privacy and security of our students and our staff's data. Um RCPS um also um continues to gather feedback about AI usage in our division and recently surveyed um 750 staff members about their familiarity with AI and our draft implementation plan. The majority of the respondents found um the draft plan clear and actionable. They appreciated the list
151of pre-approval um pre-approved tools and the use of smart goals. Um some staff expressed the need for additional professional learning and clearer eth um ethical guidelines. Um many are already using AI and are eager eager for more training on responsible and effective use. And I did notice um that in the um professional learning offerings there there are some um AI courses. So we are moving in the right direction provide our staff what uh staff and students you know staff um what they need um to uh handle uh AI a little bit better. Um as well as um we're working on that plan for um uh our stand our new sta standard operating procedures will help folks know you know exactly what they can and cannot do and what they should and should not do when
152it comes to fishing um threats. So thank you. All right, any reports? Have any reports? Um okay, Dr. Right. I know. I have breaking news. Breaking I have breaking news. I felt your dances. Hot off the presses and and one of our RCPS family members will kill me too for saying this, but um as many of you may know that United Way of Virginia's Blue Ridge um recognizes she's already upset recognizes 100 heroes. And so we just I just want to extend congratulations to five of our RCPS family members for being recognized as education heroes by the United Way. Um including Mrs. Doris Enis and including our very own Jessica Bland. Also congratulations to Jason Long of Woodrow Wilson, Kelly Irving of Hurt Park, and Thomas Kivian of Hurt Park. So, congratulations. Thank you, Madam
153Chair. Excellent. That That's a great I just couldn't hold it. Nope. That's super. That's super. Uh I think the only thing I would uh RVGS uh regional board did not meet this last time because we did not have a quorum. So, uh their senior dinner tonight and they have their senior dinner tonight. And I have asked somebody to check calendars next. They had it last night. Maybe they had it last night. Last night. Yeah, last night. Which we will celebrate our retirees. So, it was more, right? That's right. Um, and I guess that would be what I would have to say for ongoing business. Is there any other ongoing business? And before I close out in terms of ongoing business, I would offer our student representatives on this evening of all their accolades and recognition.
154If there is anything you would like to say at this time, we would love to hear you because I' I've been mindful reminded of the time. Uh, Josiah, do you want to go first or should I go first? [Laughter] You go first. I think you should go first. He's over. Um, I think one of the things I'm just really grateful for is just the opportunity to serve as student representative. Just like the opportunities of people who I've been able to meet and also just like what I've been able to experience and been able to either have impact on or just be able to like relate to. So, I just again just like to uh be thankful for Reno City for the opportunity and for like who it's made me become. And I just like to
155thank uh again just everyone who who's been able to impact my life and also I I wish good luck to the next student representatives so for next year. Oh yeah. I just want to encourage other um future seniors to please take take this opportunity. Please take this opportunity. Um I know there's a lot of questions about it. I know there's a lot of discussions about it about how ways they think can be fixed. I've heard my peers loud and clear, but I really don't think they understand about how many opportunities is offered because of this and how it it can actually impact you physically when it comes to being prepared for whatever you do outside of school. And I just really hope whoever joins the whoever joins student representative next year that they love it
156just as much as I did. Even when I was sick and I had to go, but I was like kind of disappointed. Um, but when we this it is important and it does make a big impact and even if you don't see it and even if you don't think that they're listening, they are 100% listening. They have made that very clear to me. when I was in when I was I was in in the beginning and I just yeah just take full advantage of it and whoever becomes the next student representative I wish you the best of luck and yeah thank you very good um very good as we look ahead at the reminders there's a number of events that are coming up and that are listed on the agenda um and of course on
157uh June 5th and 6th, the graduation of our student representatives is right around the corner. Um and several meetings. Uh I'll just call out specifically May 22nd, the CTE extravaganza at Daytech. Um so um a lot of cool things going on as and busy things as we round out the school year. Um now we actually have a closed meeting. Is there a motion for that closed meeting? I move that the board convene in a closed meeting to discuss specific Reno City public school officers, appointees or employees for the purpose of considering such persons, assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salary, discipline, or resignation pursuant to section 2.2-3711A1 of the code of Virginia. Is there a second? Second. Miss Tresy, will you please call the role? Mrs. Apal, yes. Mr. Link, yes. Miss Quintana, yes. Miss Trigg,
158yes. Mrs. Watkins, yes. Dr. Jameson, yes. And we will not take any action at the conclusion of the closed meeting. Thank you all. You said I don't get to bang the hammer. Not yet. Not yet. Just like it's coming.