BOE Business Meeting - Feb. 3, 2026

001Good evening and welcome to the board of education business meeting. It is February 3rd, 2026 and it is 7:16. Um so I will call the meeting to order and uh first ask you to join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, with us tonight we have board of education members Nelly Cole, Sherry McCriedi Pritchard, Ashley Gulas, board president Howard, Howard Wright, sorry Howard. We have Superintendent Dr. Estraa. We have Mary Ellen Flity Ledwick. Ledwick having a moment. Uh we have Diana Carpio, Jasmine Presi, and Marcus J. Jamie or Himey. Hi. Thank you. Okay, so uh next item on the agenda is the spotlight. And

002so I'd turn that over to Ashley. >> Okay, thank you. Um we have two spotlights this evening. First, Norwok Board of Education celebrates mentors serving NPS students. The Norwok Board of Education proudly recognizes the dedicated mentors who support and guide Norwok public school students as well as the teachers and staff who mentor students every day in our schools. Through their commitment, care, and leadership, these individuals play a vital role in helping students succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. Norwok Public Schools is fortunate to partner with two exceptional mentorship programs. the Norwok mentor program through the her human services council and the district's my sister's keeper and my brother's keeper programs together these initiatives provide meaningful mentorship to hundreds of NPS students for nearly 40 years NPS has partnered with the Norwok mentor program which currently serves

003435 students matched with mentors from across the community these mentors contribute more than 10,000 hours annually and have helped students in the program achieve a 100% gradu graduation rate. Beyond academics, mentors serve as trusted role models and motivators, helping address challenges such as chronic absenteeism and supporting students overall well-being. We'd like to give special recognition tonight to the school liaison of the year from Nathan Hail, Dorene Maher. In recent years, my sister's keeper and my brother's keeper have continued to grow as powerful spaces where students of color can thrive through mentorship, leadership, development, service, and social emotional learning. Led by Lashante James, assistant principal of Brian McMahon High School, My Sister's Keeper empowers young women to discover their strengths, build confidence, and develop skills that prepare them for success in school and beyond. Mentors foster

004meaningful relationships that support critical thinking, communication, and resilience. Led by Kadir Abdul Salam, assistant principal of PEK Norwok, My Brother's Keeper supports young men of color through strong mentoring relationships, leadership development, core values, and a rights of passage program that promotes social emotional growth, community service, and academic engagement. The board of education extends its sincere gratitude to the Norwok mentor program, the My Sisters Keeper and My Brothers Keepers mentors, and to all NPS teachers and staff who serve as mentors throughout the year. Your dedication and commitment make a lasting difference in the lives of our students and our school community. I would like to ask um Miss Lashante James and Kadir Abdus Salam to join me to sharing a few words of the mentorship program with MSK as well as um Dr. Danielle Williams who

005has been supporting the program as well. We also have Darene Maher from our partnership with human service council in our mentorship program uh that one of our board members Jasmine Prey leads um and we want them to share a few words. So I would like to ask first um Dorine Mah to join us to share a few words. >> Hi, good evening. I want to thank you for inviting me to be here tonight as you spotlight some amazing programs that we have here in Norwok. My name is Dorene Maher and I'm the Nathan Hill Middle School liaison for the Norwok mentor program and I'm completely out of my comfort zone standing up here speaking, but if what I say compels even one adult to sign up to be a mentor, then I'm okay with how

006I'm feeling in the moment. The Norwok Mentor Program is a program that I hold very close to my heart. I've been a mentor and I'm truly honored to be part of a program that has been impacting lives of our Norwok children and youth for 40 years. Being the liaison at Nathan Hale has given me the opportunity to see and feel the impact firsthand. To see connections made between our students and caring adults. To see the emotional growth in students who truly benefit from having an additional person on their side showing up for them with consistency. To see students who light up in their own way, knowing today is the day that their mentor is coming to see them. to see children who might be struggling in school and in life feel a sense of calm

007when their mentor enters the room. These connections are powerful and life-changing. There are so many more children who could benefit from having a mentor. So finally, I would like to say to all the adults out there that are listening to this, if you have one hour each school week, roughly 40 hours a year to become that connection, that light, that calm for a child, please, please sign up to be a mentor. Thank you. >> And now I would like to welcome the MBK MSK team. Uh good evening um Mr. Howard White, members of the board, Dr. Estraa, and members of our Norwell community. Uh my name is Kadir Abdul Salam, and I have the privilege of serving as the district facilitator for the Norwalk Public Schools My Brother's Keeper program. For those [snorts] that don't

008know, uh, My Brother's Keeper began as a national initiative created by President Barack Obama to address opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color. Here in Norwalk, however, it has become something deeply personal. It is a district-wide effort rooted in a simple belief. When students are supported, connected, and truly seen, they rise. This work is built on consistency, relationships. Each month, our scholars and mentors come together for district events focused on core values like leadership, resilience, and service. These gatherings combine team building, academic team building, academic skill building, and social emotional learning while giving students meaningful opportunities to connect beyond the classroom. At the school level, mentors meet regularly with their mentees, offering guidance and steady support as students navigate academic and social challenges. These are not one-time interactions. They are intentional relationships built

009over time. Relationships that create trust and a sense of belonging. Everything we do is grounded in core values. Brotherhood, empathy, compassion, integrity, student leadership, resilience, service, and teamwork. These values are not abstract. They are lived daily by our students and shape how they see themselves and their role in the community. At its core, My Brother's Keeper or MBK is about making sure our young men know they matter, that they belong, and that the true sense of brotherhood is walking alongside them with our ancestors. It is about building belief in who they are and who they can become. When students feel that level of connection and support, it changes how they show up in school and in life. Thank you for standing with us and for continuing to invest in the relationships and opportunities that help

010our students grow through the power of mentorship. >> Good evening. My name is Leante James. I'm the district facilitator for my sister's keeper and I think Kadir captured uh the program and its essence. Uh but I would like to extend on that in terms of my sister's keeper. Uh we were given the opportunity to develop a program or build one out for our female students and I'm fortunate to have uh mentors that span across different um professionals or professions in the district. So, we have non-certified and certified who volunteered their time to support our students. I'd like to acknowledge the mentors in the room. There are some who came back tonight just to be here and uh to be spotlighted for their work. And um this morning I was looking through a news segment. And

011it's ironic that the quote came up that impact is invisible unless it shows up in someone's story. And I am fortunate to work with students across grades 8 through 12. And we were talking about it in the back of the room and it's been four and a half years that we've been able to offer this program for more than 100 students over four and a half years. Some of the students have been in the program since middle school. And so when we think about our impact that is showing up in the stories of our students, I can say it's no longer invisible. I have students writing me letters, students who show up in my office, stu students who show up for other mentors who are looking for support. And we are truly grateful for the

012opportunity to not only foster their sense of belonging, but ours. There are adults in the program who feel connected, who feel supported, and who belong in our district. So, thank you so much to the board for your support and the opportunity to serve in this capacity. and thank you for the spotlight. >> Thank you for your leadership in these programs and for helping our scholars. Got this one working. Um we have a second spotlight this evening. Um and the second spotlight is Black History Month, February 2026. The Norwok Board of Education proudly recognizes Black History Month across Norwok public schools. Throughout February, we encourage our schools, educators, students, and community to honor the history, achievements, and lasting contributions of black Americans. This year marks a significant milestone, 100 years of black commemorations. In 1926, historian

013Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week to elevate the contributions of black Americans, selecting February in recognition of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. That observance expanded in 1976 to Black History Month and has since been recognized annually at the national level. In recognition of this milestone, Norwok Public Schools has selected the theme 100 years of Black Commemorations for the district's 4th annual Black History and Heritage Festival. The festival will take place on Thursday, February 26th from 5:45 to 8:00 p.m. at Norwok High School. The community is invited to join us for an evening celebrating black history, culture, and excellence through student performances, presentations, and the return of our Black Wall Street highlighting local blackowned businesses across the district. Black History Month is celebrated in classrooms through lessons that highlight influential historical

014figures, educators, inventors, authors, poets, and civil rights leaders, helping students understand the impact of black Americans on our nation's past and present. Now more than ever, the education and preservation of black history is essential. By reflecting on both the challenges and achievements of the past, we strengthen our commitment to a [clears throat] future grounded in equity, inclusion, and respect for the diverse contributions that shape our shared American story. The Norwok Board of Education encourages all schools to participate in activities and learning opportunities throughout February that honor generations of black Americans who have enriched our community and our country. And now moving on to public comment. >> Good evening everyone. Just going to read a friendly reminder. The Norwalk Board of Education welcome to public comment at this meeting. Persons addressing the board during public comment

015should state their name and their address and they should then limit their comments to three minutes. Speakers attending the meeting in person must sign up at the podium to speak during the first five minutes of the meeting. The speaker attending the meeting remotely must use the raise hand feature on the Zoom during the first five minutes of the meeting. At the conclusion of the public comment by the speaker attending the meeting in person, the person attending the meeting by electrical electrical means who have asked to speak will be recognized individually. Given the public comment, it is the opportunity for the board members to hear the public. Board members will not respond or speak during a public comment. I would like to also address and just be mindful that one of the main things that we

016want to just remind each and everyone as you're speaking let's respect each and everyone at the podium that is their time respect that time for whatever reason during this session as we move forward whatever comments you have I ask please keep your comments to yourself this is not the time to interrupt We will definitely address whatever needs to be addressed at a later date, but I just want to be mindful that the respect aspect is to be respectful for each and every one of us. We up here are going to respect your wishes and I'm expecting everyone to respect ours as well. Thank you. >> Um the first speaker or first public comment is uh Lyn Moore. Len Moore, 813 Foxboro Drive, Norwalk, Connecticut. To the members of the BOE, as you work on the

017budget, please ask Mr. asi to provide you all the budget details related to the 300, 400, and 500 series of the NPS 2627 operating budgets as well as all contracts or written agreements associated with the individuals or companies that are paid from these particular sections. On another matter, did you know that without a BOE vote, the district has entered into three-year contracts with Mr. Pennington, Mr. Valenzi, Miss Fyois, Mr. Asmani. In the past, the contracts of members of the superintendent uh cabinets worked under one-year contracts. So, what is that about? as a BOE uh member, it might be almost impossible to cut those positions. You would have to find a workaround regarding the three-year contracts. Please ask Mr. Esmani about the raises of the cabinet members and the exorbitant mileage allowances that members of the

018cabinet receive. Ask for the contracts. Some of those raises ranged from 8,000 to 20,000. The impression is that the BOE would rather put money into the salaries of cabinet members than into the classrooms with teachers in Paris. But maybe the BOE did not know. If that is the case, then there must be a stronger oversight of the district by the BOE. Whenever a union settles its contract with the BOE, the contract must be approved by the BOE. Why are the contracts of the cabinet members not approved by the BOE at a BOE meeting? Thank you for your time. >> Um, next we have Hope Wyatt. Good evening members of the board of ed. I stand here on behalf of the NOG Federation of Educational Personnel and I am very disappointed in the fact that there

019was no heat in Jefferson Elementary School on yesterday. And upon several attempts to get answers, it wasn't until 5:00 p.m. that we received an answer from Mrs. Fyos. It is unacceptable to have children and staff members in classrooms. There is contractual violations and we would like to see those addressed. The next thing is our 10-month employees. Our non-certified staff are one of the most important bargaining units in the district. We are the glue that hold buildings together. And it is very disappointing that we would have so many snow days where these least paid people don't get paid for the days that snow days are called. We hope that this will change. Thank you. Next, we have Mary Jordan. >> Good evening, Mary Jordan, 9M Avenue. I wanted to speak on behalf of the Norwok Federation

020of Teachers uh related to the topic of special education. Our special educators and service providers uh deliver very high quality services here under very challenging conditions sometimes and we're very proud of our work. We successfully serve many students in district who would be outplaced if they were in a different district. At the same time, the current conditions are not sustainable. Students can be better served in some cases. We can do better. Special education staff are often stretched way too thin. While new hires are often wellqualified, they need clear district protocols. They need ongoing support. Edsite data shows that attrition at NPS for regular all kinds of certified staff is double the state average. Resignation rates we know among our specialized learning staff are even higher than that of the regular certified staff. Just recently a

021special education teacher started and resigned on the same day. It is a signal that the system is not working. We know what improves outcomes for students. Manageable case loads, stable staffing, clearly defined roles and responsibilities. These allow programs to function more effectively. Consistent protocols improve service delivery, compliance, and staff retention. They also promote equity by ensuring students receive services based on need, not on a family's ability to advocate or hire legal representation. Capacity is a budget decision. When staffing levels and case loads are not well supported, when they are underfunded, the district experiences missed services, burnout, complaints, and increased reliance on costly outofdist placements. These conditions widen inequities and cost more over time. Our ask is straightforward. Please prioritize funding for specialized for adequate specialized special education staffing and manageable case loads. Please support the

022development of clear protocols, roles, and responsibilities so special education programming is effective and equitable with targeted investments. Now, we can stabilize the workforce, >> strengthen equity of services, and ensure that every student receives the services that he or she is entitled to and needs. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next, we have Jess Hopkins. Good evening. My name is Jessica Hopkins. I live at 34 Union Avenue. Good morning. Good evening, members of the board. I am a parent of a fourth grade student in the dual language program at Silvermine Elementary School. My daughter has attended Silvermine since kindergarten. Coming from a monolingual home, enrolling her in a bilingual program was something we were truly excited about. It felt like giving her a gift, the opportunity to learn another language, experience another culture, and open doors

023for her future. Over time, however, the excitement has turned into serious concern. To be completely honest, I have no real understanding of my daughter's academic progress in Spanish. In English, I received testing results, benchmarks, and clear communication about where she stands. In Spanish, I received none of that. No assessment, no progress report, no measurable outcomes. I know my daughter can speak in intelligent, complete sentences filled with information and detail, but that context is in English. My only real evidence of her Spanish ability is that she can order one great taco from the neighborhood taco truck. While that's cute and impressive, it is not an academic measurement. Instead of transparency and data, parents are repeatedly reassured that there's no reason to be concerned. While meaningful questions go unanswered, let me walk you through my repeated attempts

024to get clarity. On August 26th, I emailed asking how the dual language program was functioning as a 50/50 model in grades four and five when students were spending roughly 2/3 of the day with English teachers and only onethird in Spanish. And during that Spanish block, my daughter has recess lunch and specials. On September 2nd, Miss Perez responded that she wanted to speak by the phone. I respectively asked her to continue the conversation via email so both my husband and I could remain informed. After that request, I received no response. I followed up on September 9th. I followed up on September 15th. On se September 15th, Miss Shepard apologized that she had not received a reply. Finally, on September 16th, 21 days after my question, I received a response stating, and I quote, "Students continue >>

025students receive to receive equal time in English language arts and Spanish language arts, maintaining the balance that has always been the core of our bilingual mission. Yet on December 29th through parent square, family received a different message explaining the adjustment to the current program. Over the course of next of the week, the results is approximately 50% 58% English and 42% Spanish balance for fourth and fifth grade. My question is simple. >> So time's up. Okay. >> Thank you. >> Um next we have Stephanie Nelu. Good evening everyone. Um I'm speaking on behalf of my sister. Um this is Stephanie Nelson. I'm Cammy Julie Nelson Benjamin. Um we come before you because we have a um Oh, and our address is 24 Shelling Road. Um we come before you because of my nephew um Ethan um

026which is her son. Um he attends Foxrun um elementary school and um he has not been treated the way that he should be treated and we would like your help in um pursuing more help with his um education. um multiple times my sister has reached out to the school um to help him um academically because the thing is um and she's had asked multiple times for the 2G test things like the board of education not better um the um special ed the special ed education um program they she has asked them multiple times to um test him for ADHD and and um other problematic um problems that he may have have. They have told her multiple times that the testing won't be done because the testing is too hard. He won't be able to handle

027it. So, she has reached out multiple times to multiple people in the facility, but she has not gotten um any help with him. They would suspend him as a kindergartener. They would suspend him. they would um ask her to take him like keep him home. If he goes to a field trip, he cannot go if she's not there. And she's a working mother. She cannot stop working to go on a field trip with him. Um so she's not getting the help that she needs with her son. And um just a side note, me myself, I would um came to from from Haiti to here and all my experiences in the board of education from Fox Run to Poness and from um to McMahon, I've had fun phenomenal teachers who helped me um establish who I

028am today. And um I can say that um I would like the same help with my nephew today. It shouldn't be a difference because it's the same exact school. So I am asking >> seconds. >> Yep. I am asking for you guys to help um help us to um pursue more um more help for my nephew. And we do have all the documentations where she has reached out to them what they have said and from the documentations from his pediatrician that he needs to help. He doesn't need to be staying home. He doesn't need to be sent back to um preschool. He just needs that opportunity to grow in his um >> in himself. >> Thank you. Do do we have anyone online? >> Yes, >> we have we have two people online. Um, first

029is Daisy Sebastian. Please state your name and your address and I'm allowing you to talk now. >> Good evening. My name is Daisy Sebastian. Can you confirm you can hear me? Hello, >> Daisy. Sebastian, >> we cannot hear you. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Hello? Okay, I we do not hear you. Um, one moment. All right, Daisy, we will come back to you. I think we're having problems through the room. I think we can hear her in the Zoom room. Um, can we try Daisy? We'll come back to you. Can we try Angela Geraldo? I'm going to allow you to speak. Daisy moment. >> Yes. Hello. Can you hear me? Angela, can you >> Yes. C, can you hear me? Hi, good evening. Can you hear me? Good evening. My name is Angela

030Heraldo, 158 Perry Avenue. At the last meeting, bilingual and dual language programs were praised by district officials. Yet, the lived experiences. >> Okay, Angela, can you try one more time? >> Good evening. Can you hear me? >> There you go. >> Good evening. My name is Angela Heraldo, 158 Perry Avenue. At the last BOE meeting, bilingual and dual language programs were praised by district officials. Yet, the lived experience of students and families tell a very different story. Over the last three years, Superman's dual language program has experienced systemic lapses and de that deviate from what was advertised to families. Dedicated Spanish intervention services have been eliminated. Spanish assessments are inconsistent and families have not received Spanish assessment results in over a year. Spanish instruction in core subjects have been partially replaced by Spanish art every

031four days. And Spanish sprinkled gym, music, and library, none of which substitute for daily immersive instruction by certified Spanish teachers. Key framework components such as total physical response are no longer mandatory and training for new teachers in this specific model is no longer provided. Fourth and fifth grade classrooms also lack full bilingual staffing. Even if one bilingual teacher splits the day between Spanish and English, this staffing model does not provide the immersion required for an effective dual language program. Despite these lapses, families continue to be told that Supermind offers a dual language immersion program. Teachers have been hired. Teachers have been hired without proper certification, which is inconsistent with dual language magnet program requirements. In addition, claims that grade three smarter balance math proficiency improved were used to justify moving math instruction to English only.

032However, state data shows overall math proficiency declined, fourth grade scores dropped, and coher data indicate students lose ground as they advance. Family engagement has also been insufficient. December meetings did not allow parents to meaningfully respond to staffing or schedule changes, relying instead on brief sticky note feedback to generalize questions. As a result, Supermind program is operating operating without required staffing or approvals, disrupting instruction, limiting transparency, and creating audit funding and civil rights risks. Prompt action is essential to protect students and program integrity. I respectfully ask the board to restore the approved 5050 dual language model and core framework components. Fully staff the program with certified trained dual language teachers. Restore Spanish intervention services and standardize Spanish assessments. Ensure transparent, meaningful parent engagement and order an independent compliance and financial review of program fidelity, civil rights

033obligations, assessment data, and magnet fund use. >> Thank you. >> With ongoing monitoring. Thank you, >> Daisy. Back to you. Good evening. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Yes. >> Okay. Good evening. I'm Daisy Sebastian and I live at 127 Perry Avenue. I would like to begin by giving a heartfelt thank you to the board members and Mayor Smith for finally making the Silvermind community feel heard. While there's still work to be done, having a new leader in the building is a great first step. Dr. Mr. Estraa, as the superintendent, it would be beneficial to hear from you in regards to how you are going to help rebuild not only the 50/50 dual language program at Silvermine, but also the trust of the staff. We have already lost about 27 staff members over the course

034of the last few years, and we cannot afford to lose anymore. The staff needs to know that Miss Prettis is not coming back so they may begin to heal from enduring an emotionally unsafe work environment. If this is not communicated, I fear by the end of the year, many more staff members will either resign or request a school transfer. Also, it is clear that central sta office staff need to be educated on the 50/50 dual language programs at Silvermine and Westerox Middle Schools. At last month's board meeting, there was a PowerPoint presentation that shared data in regards to the district's MLL program. And for some reason, our dual language program was included in this presentation. The primary goal of MLL services is to help non-English-speaking students to access academic content and navigate the English dominant

035school setting. You have also created these one-way dual language classrooms. This again is not a dual language program and should not be compared to us. This service again is to help non-English-speaking students to access academic content and navigate the English dominant school setting. These are both helpful in the district like Norwok. However, these services are meant to end when the child has reached English proficiency. I will repeat that. It is an imperative to understand that both of these services are meant to end when the student has reached English proficiency. Dr. Estraa, these services are vastly different from the 50/50 dual language programs at Westerox and Silvermine. The goal of the dual language programs are designed to teach biliteracy, bilingualism, and cross-cultural competence for English and Spanish dominant students equally. These students together learn to read,

036write, speak, and understand two languages simultaneously. There is also not an end date to this learning. These students from kindergarten are preparing to take the the Connecticut state seal of biiteracy and high school. Our dual language programs not only require principles who are entrusted to implement this important work and understand the differences between our program and MLL services, but we also need central office staff to be educated on the differences so they are not providing the board of education incorrect information as I saw at last month's board meeting. Thank you, Dr. Estraa, in advance for helping educate the staff that work for you. Thank you. Those are all the members of the public online. >> Now we're going to go into the superintendent report. >> Good evening. Thank you everyone for joining us um for

037this board meeting. I want to start off by first um celebrating uh the great accomplishment that we had this evening a few minutes ago about an hour almost now. We had the joy of hosting the future ready graduation where we had our scholars um cross the aisle. Um unfortunately because of the storm we had to reschedule but it was so great to be with them and celebrate with their families. The room was filled with joy and um laughter after our scholars reached such a a critical milestone, particularly because many of our students in that in these programs have a lot of adultting responsibilities and despite that have been able to beat the odds and cross over the stage. Every year upon our June graduation, I always um think about those kids that don't have the

038opportunity to cross the stage. And as a district, having programs that allow our scholars to do that um brings a lot of joy to me. So, I just want to start my superintendent report just by highlighting that little p piece of celebration that I think is so important. And I want to thank the board for supporting this critical um work that we do on behalf of our scholars alongside the teachers, PAR educators and other staff that make this uh work possible. I want to um have u Mr. Pennington join me for my superintendent report which I will be providing an update around special education services across the district. We have been um immersed in a lot of conversation around special education over the course several months. Um some tied to programming structures, other tied to

039um our budget planning moving forward. As you know, as um the pandemic occurred, the number of students needing um services has increased not only in Norwok but statewide and across the nation. Also, the cost for providing services have um increased exponentially and um the amount of funding that we receive to uh support these services have not increased at the same magnitude. In some cases, many of the grants that have supported this work have actually diminished rather than um increased with time and increased to the same level in which the services have um elevated their cost. In the board package this evening, I included I'm sorry. Thank you. I included a document from Shipman and Goodman that highlights many of the state mandates. many of which are special education mandates and some of which are an

040array of different um mandates that we have across the across the organization. And this is a very substantive document that um Shipman and Goodman in collaboration with capes um and other partners have been working to create to build awareness around the number of services that we as a school system have to provide yet don't receive funding to provide these services. And in many cases, special education services are one of the many of the legislative elements within this document that um we have to provide services and we don't get the funding from the state level when those mandates or even from the federal level at the rate in which these mandates require them to um provide them adequately. So I just wanted to like point that out. I wanted to share this document with the board.

041This is an ongoing conversation across superintendent in the state and just elevating awareness around all of the expectations that we as um a system have to abide by. A good example that might be fresh in board members memories is when the age of our 18 to22 program the exit age was adjusted and just the first year cost us $900,000 more to provide the services. And that's just one of many examples in which we have to make adjustments in our programs that require additional funding that we will have to rely on on our taxpayers because the state does not fund. So, we will continue to have conversations at the state level among superintendent and um CAPES is going to help us advocate in regards to how to most effectively support systems with all of these unbanded

042mandates and finding ways for these mandates to be funded because it creates a great strain in our system. With that, I want to go then now transition into a conversation around our special education um programs. Ralph, this is going to be hard for me to like this. This is not working. It's fine if it like I'm going to get started. Don't worry about it. It's fine. I have my PowerPoint here. I just Oh, but you Oh, but the board can see also because it's behind them. Appreciate that. I apologize. We went from having the graduation right into the board meeting. So, our apologies. Many of these slides are things that we've discussed already. This is just in a a followup. So, um can thank you. So, one of the things I want to talk um

043start with is around special education. Uh we wanted to really reshift across the district the mindset around how people were thinking about special education services because in many cases people were seeing it as a permanent placement not a service and we wanted to shift the mindset that all students are general education students and special education is a service that we provide to students. We also wanted to ensure that when we were supporting students particular particularly in advancing their academic aptitude that we understood that the curriculum that we were using should be universal across the organization with the appropriate scaffolds for students because in the past the curriculum that we were using was not the same in special education as it was in um our general education settings. And in order for us to effectively support

044students receiving special education services, we need to ensure that students are being challenged with the same level of standard aligned curricula as any student in the organization. So we made an enormous shift in terms of teaching and learning and the tools that were being used. Understanding that for students receiving special education services, there needed to be scaffolds built in. that's why they're receiving the service so that they can have access to the tools. We also made it very clear and supported the organization around understanding that the goal is and this is also a conversation with our parents that students are in the least restrictive environment. The last thing that we want to do is overprescribe services to students that build a dependence that they build a dependence on and then don't gradually learn how to

045move away from those services in a way that will build their independence and um self-directed learning. So we really try particularly in PPT conversations and when we have parent workshops around special education services when we are providing professional learning experiences for our staff that we do it in a manner that reiterates this idea and again like already spoke about the importance of scaffolds because we want to make sure we meet students where they are. We also reestablished our vision around the work making sure that what we were do the processes that we were building were um equitable where students are having experiences similar to their um peers not receiving services but most importantly that every student in the program had the capacity to aspire to their hopes and dreams and be able to be self-sufficient

046in life. Particularly for those students that were that we that are part of our 18 to22 program that are really focused in building life skills, going out in the field and receiving services and experiencing the world and receiving services interconnect in an interconnected way so that they could become independent adults. Our special education vision also aligns to our overarching mission as a as a district around servicing all students and making sure that they're in a path for graduation and beyond. So I'm going to now go into some of the data and um some of the patterns that we've seen. I'm going to ask Mr. Pennington to speak a little bit about prevailance and how we've managed this um component as our our need has increased in terms of most effectively providing services. >> Hi, good

047evening Mayor Smith, chair this chairman White and other board members. So our prevalence rate as you can see in the number of students that we are servicing um with for their IEP goals and objectives has increased over the last 5 years. If we go back into 202021 we had 1689 students and our prevalence rate was roughly at 14%. We are now this year our prevalence rate is at 18%. If you look at last year, the state doesn't release their data and we won't have that information until October 1st of next year. So I can only share where we are currently as a district. And so you can see that our number of students is roughly the same, but the prevalence rate because it's determined by the total population and and then the number of students

048with IEPs. So you can see that increase over time. I think it's important to just share some surrounding districts and their prevalence rates so you can have a comparison. You can see we have a wider range of different schools that we have pulled from. Bridgeport, Danbury, Darianne, Greenwich. Some are higher, some are lower. Um, and you can see as a district we are at 17% and the state average as of last year was 17.8%. So we are below the state average and we are comparable with some towns. We are below some towns. We are above some towns. And I think that it's just it's something that we are continually looking at is how are we comparing to other communities and the number of students has an impact on number of staff. And I think there's

049a a really good correlation to the next slide which is going to show our special education teachers over the last few years. So if you were to look, you can see going back to 2122, we had 127 special education teachers. We are currently at 156.7. And so I did have someone ask me the other day, how do you get a seven? And so a point we we can have a 0.5 teacher, but we also have tried to be creative. We have a retired educator who comes back one day a week and she helps uh with assessments at various schools. So she doesn't want to work full-time, but she comes and she supports the district one day a week and it it's been a a huge asset for the teachers in the district and and she's

050been great to have on our team. So this is definitely something that we are constantly looking at the number of students, the number of teachers and how are and you can see that over the last few years that number is continually rising. Some of that has to do with the prevalence rate. Some of it has to do with the development of programs because every program needs a teacher. So, I I do think that that is something to to share and to highlight and we're constantly looking to add where we can. I think that we heard this evening more staff and I I think that that is something that we are constantly looking at. Every year we have a uh we do a case load audit and I I think it's important to say it's only

051one moment in time because where the case load is in October is different than where it is in December which is different than where it is in March. But we do a case load audit um in collaboration with the teachers union where we come together we look at the case loads across schools and see how the how it's fairing out. And we've made adjustments midyear. This year in particular, we when we looked at the case load, we saw a school where they their allocation was two and a half teachers. However, those two and a half teachers had very high hours of service. And so based on the the audit, we made an adjustment and that school now has three full-time teachers. So that is something that we we do every year and every time we

052have done it there has been adjust an adjustment in a school that we that we work through. So it is something we're constantly analyzing. We are constantly working in collaboration to see how we're doing and see where we need to make adjustments and I think it's important that we do make adjustments when needed. So I that is uh important. We also have new teachers and new teachers do need to be supported. We know that um special education is a challenging field and our teachers do work tremendously hard and I want to give them a huge shout out because they are every day doing great work for kids. So one of the things that the special education department developed is a monthly new teacher academy. So and this is for special educators and every month there

053is a new criteria new category where our special ed teachers can come. I think the one challenge if I was going to share a challenge is it is during the school day. So they do um come for a half a day of professional learning and you can see the wide range of topics that are scheduled for this year from PPT best practices to writing present levels using data to progress monitoring to self-care. So these are things and this is a way that something that was developed last year uh new to support our new teachers >> and this is created um in collaboration with some of our staff who uh with who are experienced to support the work. I think another um worthy thing to mention about uh uh not only teacher development but also our

054par educators, we worked in collaboration with Hope Wyatt and FEP to build in professional learning experiences for our paras. So, um I want to thank Miss Wyatt for like having the creativity and willingness to work with us around building those uh learning opportunities because our paras also play an instrumental role in building our um students capacity. They actually sometimes have the most one-on-one interactions with our kids and having the opportunity to professionally develop them was something that was very important to me. and we collaborated with uh NFP and and now we offer a series of workshops for our educ for our par educators that I uh think is very beneficial and based on the surveys um is very well received by them as well. >> Yes. And I think just to your point, one other

055piece to add is that these topics are run by our special ed administrators, but also some of our what I would say is mentor specialed teachers. So it we are pulling from our experts in the field in Norwok to provide these trainings. And I think that that is really exciting for us as an organization to be able to offer these this level of support. Now, we know and that uh recruitment is important. One of the new initiatives that I've had the pleasure of working with Mary Jordan and Hope Wyatt on these two projects is a crossendorsement opportunity for current teachers and I was interested to see how many people would be interested in participating in a cross endorsement and I have been blown away by the level of interest the questions And so this is

056going to start in the summer where special uh current teachers will be able to start their coursework this summer. It'll be paid for by the district. They will be able to work this summer to earn enough hours to then be DSAP to become a special educator in the fall. Uh and then they will finish their work and become fully certified in that role. Part of the part of the agreement is that they will have the opportunity to we pay for the coursework. They will get a movement on their salary step for uh learning and they will commit to three years in special education. So it it is a it's a what I would say is a win-win. And this I'm calling this a grow your own initiative. And then the other opportunity is with central

057Connecticut state and that is for our para educators who have a bachelor's degree. And so we are going to offer people with a bachelor's degree an opportunity to go into special education. They will have courses that will start this summer. It will take a little bit longer for them to get through the program. So, they wouldn't be able to say be be desp. And just so in case you're wondering what that is, despage area permit. And in in a shortage area, you can get this permit to teach um while you're finishing your certification. So, that is and that's not just in special ed, that's in other high needs areas. And >> I think >> Go ahead, Alex. I was just going to say I I think that these are really great opportunities for both our

058teachers and for our PAR educators, but ultimately it's a great idea for the district um in a way to help keep our teachers because we want to be able to continue to build our special ed program. And I think um one of the things that uh we really uh were supportive of is rethinking as we negotiated the last NF NFT contract making sure that our salaries remain competitive particularly at the entry level and I think we made some strides in that area. One of the challenges that we have as an organization is um where we stood at one point in terms of the salary scale and losing staff because other districts were paying more to their special to special education um teachers in some cases giving them entry bonuses um and other incentives that we

059don't have um the luxury to to provide. So part of our challenge is finding other creative ways in which we can um provide incentives to our current staff to want to continue their education so that we can um expand our pool. Particularly when the competition is so high because everyone is is going towards the same people within the same universities and programs. There's only so many people that we can tap into. and when they're paying more and providing additional incentives. Um we have we have a lot of um challenges trying to recruit because of the additional resources that other places are affording uh teacher candidates. Let me just hang on. All right. I I think this is a good point to stop and take questions from the board. Um I just wanted to comment. I

060really liked that you have self-care on the program for the for the new special education teachers because I think that there you know with the high case loads there is a good amount of burnout uh with with special education teachers. So I liked seeing that. A quick question is um what uh universities are available or you know programs are available for the that summer coursework to get the dual certification? >> Okay. So for the teachers it's it's through um it's an alternative route to certification. So it's through a resk it's not through a university for the parah educator it's through central Connecticut state and one of >> the key pieces at least for me was um both of those programs are on the other end of the state and because we are able to get

061so many people involved that that we're going to have a cohort here in Fairfield County. So people that are working locally, they don't have to travel say to Hartford, which is if you've ever been on I95, it's not a fun ride sometimes. So I think that that is an important piece. And then when they are in the fall, when they have classes, it's it's remote, it's virtual. And so, and I think one of the pro parts of the that I really appreciated about the PAR educator residency program is that they can continue working while they're going through this program. They don't have to stop working, which I think is really important. in an effort to understand this uh rather complicated uh position we're in trying to get more special needs teachers um and grow our

062own. Um could you just explain a little bit more about what REST provides? um you said on the other side of the state of of course we have CES on this side of the state but they are not providing this particular uh program and I think that's a very interesting thing for the community to understand the how the state can support us in meaningful ways. >> Sure. So this program it's through ASUS which is another resk in on the other end of the state and they have the alternative route program whereas CES does not have that type of program here and it it's a they have great opportunities. They have great professional learning. We have partnerships with CES where they can help out in certain areas. I mean they have a an outofd district placement

063program and I know that we we have students that attend that program. That program from uh a cost standpoint is less than other private outofd district programs. So they're they're a really good partner. We've used them in some of our mental health work. We've used them in different areas. They it it's nice to be able to have risks across the state that have different offerings to help districts. >> Rob, uh what protocols in place uh for special education self-contained classrooms? >> So, we're going to get into self-contained programs. Uh and and I'll make sure that I answer that when we get into that part. That's our next part of the presentation. Jasmine, >> could you um expound on the case load audits? Like how would a staff member raise that concern like when it's not

064like during the touch points where that is automatic? So we have special ed administrators that support the different schools and there are times where they will come and say we're looking at case load at this school and it hit a what they will call a tipping point because one of the pieces is throughout the year new students can get identified um because at any time you can go through the PPT process and so we look at a couple different factors right no two students are the same so we look at students but we also look at their hours of service and we use that hours of service to determine the tipping point. At any time like I've had special ed administrators say at this school we have a a teacher who has hit a what

065we might call like a breaking point and then we look at the situation and we make adjustments as needed and we could still add at that point. It's not like this is the only time we can add. Um, an example would be last year, uh, before the audit, we knew that CGS had an increased number of students and their allocation at the time was 1.5 special ed teachers and we said we can't we can't do this. It it needed to go and so it went up to 2.0. And so that is something that we're we are constantly looking at. And what's nice is when there's work at the school level like where they'll try and work out the case load piece. And I I want to say it's it's not a perfect science because at

066a school if I have two I mean just think of I have two special ed teachers and we or let's say three we have three special ed teachers and six grades. It's easy to say, well, teacher A is going to support kindergarten and first grade, teacher B is going to support second and third grade, and teacher C is going to support fourth and fifth grade. But the number of students requiring services may be imbalanced in that model. The number of hours service may be imbalanced. So, it's something that there's constant discussion around and and looking at and sometimes it's not, you know, perfect because I'm teacher A and I have 14 students and 34 hours of service and teacher B has 18 students and 48 hours of service. And so, like when you're looking at

067two teachers, there is a well, they have less than I have. But at the same time, we're also looking at how can we best support because a teacher might not be an expert in kindergarten, first grade, second like so that teacher schools will try and set up a structure that will best work. >> All right, other questions before we move to the next. >> Hello. Hi. Hi, Rob. How are you? Um, so going back to the um I know you had a series of workshops for special education teachers. I noticed that in May there's a OG VNV inspired reading. Can you elaborate more on that? Is that just a training where special education teachers receive strategies or will those teachers do we have any plans to get more certified OG staff? because I think certifying

068more OG staff will prevent more special education. >> That's a great question. >> So, this um this year we actually have 20 teachers. We tried to make sure that we could get one person per building who will have an OG level one certification. So, we partnered with um a clinic out of Westport and they provided that training at the start of this school year. And now to just get the full certification piece of it, they have to provide service hours. And then once they put that in, then we will because we're trying to build more, but our goal is to have at least one OG classroom teacher, one in every building and I think that would be beneficial for all of our schools. >> But that is something that we we are doing this year.

069>> Can you make sure to explain what OG is for those who don't know that acronym? >> Absolutely. The OG is Orton Gillingham and it's really these concrete reading strategies and it's what I would say it's like the best program for students who have dyslexia. I think coupled with that I think it's important to also highlight that um overarchingly we have been training cohorts of teachers in um the science of reading which I think is really important because providing those tier one supports early on are just as critical and we have spent an array a number of years now building grade by grade the capacity of our teachers around teaching the science of reading as well and it's something that we continue to cycle through to make sure that all of our staff has that

070training in collaboration with making sure that we have the OG providers and we'll talk more later about how we're further expanding that as well. The other piece that I would just add is that we do have an OG associate in the district who works out at supporting schools around reading strategies and she's currently in more training to become an OG trainer and then once she becomes an OG trainer we will be able to provide that training and certification inhouse. So we are very lucky that we have her on our team and she's not tied to one school. She's part of her role is to support teachers across the district and so she's in many schools throughout the week and she's providing training and support as needed. >> One last question on that. Um when I'm

071looking at the new teachers, could you give us a sense of how many new teachers do we have? And then over the we went through that graph kind of quickly. We have increased the need for more teachers, but I'm not sure how I it was hard to read. How many teachers have we added in the last say two or three years? >> Sure. So two years ago we had 140.2 teachers and now we have 156.7. So we in the last two years we've added 16 and a half teachers. So, and it's it's something that I mean I think there's two factors well three factors I think. Number one factor number one is we have more students that are requiring services. Num factor number two is we are developing u more programs and so as you

072develop programs you need more teachers and then factor number three is that as we are analyzing and looking at our services and our hours and there's adjustments which goes back to point one around more students equals more service. And we're constantly looking and how can we continue to build and how can we continue to add as as we need. I mean, I can think of, you know, in our high school, we we had a specialized program that had two um covered two grades. And principal said, I really want this to be focused on one grade, grade level content. And we were able to do that. And but it we had had add staff to make sure that that happened. But it was like 100% what we want to do and it was, you know, great

073that a principal was able to advocate and we were able to work together to make that happen. >> Would you mind going back to the slide that shows the increase um you know and the comparison with other districts? >> This one? >> Yeah. Yeah. So, um, I'm just curious if you've done an analysis, I I imagine you have, an analysis of why specifically we had such an increase from 2019 to 2020. Were we possibly underidentifying students in that time period? Um, or do you see um the need in a specific area why it's grown? You know, I know, you know, we're not, you know, we're fairly in line with the state um at this point. >> Well, we're under the we're under the state. Uh yeah, under the Yeah. And I see that except for

074>> I I will say one area and Dr. Sha can add to it, but one area that I think we've gotten better at is our MTSS SRBI system that was not in place. And that SRBI system has helped us to better identify students whereas maybe before they were not identified as much. And so when you're going through tier 2 interventions and then you're going into tier three interventions and we're not seeing progress, the natural next step would be to uh convene a PPT. >> That makes sense. >> And one of the things that we heard um when we were having u parent uh little small conversations with parents across the district that had students receiving special education services was that they were selfidentifying their kids into services because we didn't have an SRVI system in

075the district. So we spent five years to build that's why we have the interventionist and I've um spoken a lot to the board over the course of um the past several years that there were some fundamental elements in our school structures that we were lacking that we needed to build on. Fortunately during the pandemic we had the resources to um fund some of these programs which is why as we are thinking about the budget um this this year and we continue to we've continued to advocate in prior years is the importance of maintaining these interventionists and these coaches that are making sure that the adequate the appropriate processes are happening particularly around identification and in before identification the proper interventions to get to that point because the frustration that we heard from a lot of

076our parents was that they had to self-identify rather than the system providing those tier one, two, three supports and then realizing that the child at that point needs additional services or a special education recommendation. We were not getting s um internal system recommendations into special education at all. They were mostly coming from parents with some exceptions. You're on. It just takes a >> moment. Hold on. I'm sorry. Did it turn off? >> Uh, okay. Uh, specifically uh in relation to the pandemic. This is a thing that uh was commented on by many people within the disability community is that suddenly because of the pandemic because uh those who needed these accessibility options was much more than just the disability community itself a lot more became available. And so that includes you know the funding for

077certain things that weren't wasn't there suddenly is. And so you have a lot more people within the disability a community being able to uh advocate for themselves, having the tools there. And now it's now that a lot more identification is happening, it's a matter of making sure that we can maintain that level of being able to be there and provide that for these kids. >> And I think when we look at national trends, we the nation as a whole, we've been we saw after the pandemic velop a trajectory in terms of u special education services across the across the country. So the state and uh our pattern is to par with what what has been happening nationally as well. >> I think nationally prior to the pandemic um to after the pandemic there was a

0784% increase in prevalence rate. So just to give a context around what the national prevalence rate adjusted and and looked at and I do think the pandemic created a lot of you know concern because students were in school out of school remote and so we definitely see that across the entire nation >> and I think um we will transition into now talking about programs I we've been very fortunate as a district to invest and build capacity internally to provide services for our scholars. I'm a very firm believer that um students where where possible should be educated in their neighborhood schools in their community and not have to go to uh other places to receive their learning experience socially and for an array of different factors is just good for for kids. Um, so I commend

079um the district as well as the city for being committed in in making sure that we build our programs around special education services to ensure that services are in-house. Um, and we'll speak more about some of those commitments that started early on that allowed us to build those programs. But it um overarchingly saves the city money in ter per pupil over time because it is more cost effective to provide those services inhouse versus outsourcing those services. It provides opportunities for students to have um familiarity in the community and build those connections that are critical for their not only their academic development but the social emotional development and their connection to um their peers. It creates opportunity for other students in the learning environment to develop empathy and learning how to work with diverse um student

080groups. It also um has afforded us the opportunity to increase opportunities for our teachers to enhance their capacity and how to serve as diverse um student learners across uh the district. And it also has allowed us to create a a standard and model that allows us um to kind of part like um partner with not only other agencies and organizations and how to most effectively provide the services but align to like state and national trends where most systems are trying to bring services in-house versus um taking them outside of the district for for the reasons um named. And um we've included a a glossery of all of the programs across the district that we offer as early as prek um expanding all the way into high school and as uh all the way into age

08122. I'm gonna start with just like program determination because I think um just chairperson white asked the question and I think just starting there would be a good place to start. So everything is determined through the planning and placement team. They would review a student's present level of performance. This data drives their goals and objectives. They then the team then determines the services that are um they then determine the services required in order to meet those goals. Type, frequency, duration, location, delivery model. Um an example of that could be math or reading instruction. Three times 30, which means three 30 minutes three times a week they would get specialized reading or a specialized math program. um or this in this case 40 minutes in a resource room or a small group. In some cases, a

082a student cannot be serviced with in that delivery model and we'll need to the team will then recommend a specialized program. So, and parents sit on that uh team. They're an important part of the team. Um and I think as Dr. Australa mentioned earlier, we are always considering the least restrictive environment for the student. Um, a specialized program is more restrictive than a co-alk classroom, which is more restrictive than a gened classroom. So I think it's important to that's something that is really important to us is what is the student's least restrictive environment to be successful and sometimes for the student to be successful it might need a more restrictive environment. So I just wanted to just frame how we get into like a place of going into a specialized program. And as Dr. first

083mentioned we do have a glossery and I want to highlight because she mentioned this at the beginning about unfunded mandates and that the our prek5 classroom was developed because the state passed a new law that said you have to be five years old by September 1 to start. There are um exceptions a family can say I want my child to start. we give them an assessment and in Norwok a student can then go into kindergarten. However, there are families who say my child is turning five in October and he or she is not ready for kindergarten. Well, in terms of a district, we have to provide that student services if they are identified. And so from that new law, we created a prek5 classroom. This preK5 classroom is housed at Fox Run. And there it's

084a morning there's a morning program and an afternoon program. If more and more students were taking advantage of that, we would have to develop a second classroom. So I think it's important because that program opened um just recently last year and that was something that was a a teacher and that was two PAR educators. So just from a staffing when we talk about staffing, but that was something that we did add as a district to meet our legal requirements based on a new state law. >> And sometimes we have to make those decisions past the budget being approved and in the middle of a fiscal year and those mandates have not been accounted for as we are budgeting as we um design the program and have to finance it. So, it it's a very fluid

085process when we um think about how much we're allocating particularly in special education because depending on who the students are that come in that are new to us, we we cannot predetermine that and if the number is at a po the tipping point like Mr. Pennington outlined, we would have to create a new class, which means additional costs that we might not have accounted for during the budgeting process. >> Some of our classrooms, we have our ICT, which is our integrated co-eing. And so we have at this point almost three three of our elementaryaries that have a full integrated co-eing model. and that um is a special ed teacher co-eing with a gened teacher. And our other models of support are resource. So many of our elementary schools have resource support. When we look at

086middle and high school, it is really centered more on co-eing. And as we're getting into like content specific, they usually will help support literacy or they'll support math so that they can really focus because as you go up in grade, the content gets more complex. We have our LEAP program which is a self-contained program that supports students with autism. And that program has expanded exponentially over the last few years. and we'll look at a timeline so we can see what the timeline of program development was. And then we also have a literacy academy classroom which is for students with dyslexia or language based ability disabilities. And that is for students in fourth and fifth grade. And I think one piece that we have been really discussing as a team is fourth and fifth grade seems

087to be too late. And so part of our um budget and program development is to look at a second third grade lit academy for next year. And so that's in our request and you can we'll get to that piece. We have our stars program. Our stars program really focuses on f foundational and communication skills. It is um students with varying disabilities. Um but it is a program that we have in so it's um elementary school we have two programs at Rowaton and then we have two middle school programs at uh Nathan Hale and at Ponis and then that leads us into our practical skills program at the high school and both of our comprehensive high schools have a practical skills program. So um you can see the continuum of service. We have our success classroom

088and this is for students who need uh behavioral support sometimes externalizing sometimes internalizing. And we have that continuum that goes from elementary all the way through high school. We have our triumph program that we've talked about a lot because it was a new program developed last year for middle schools and it's really under the mantra that we're not trying to fit our students into the programs we have. We're trying to look at our students that we have and developing program to best meet the needs of uh the students. And this is uh this triumph program is at Nathan Hale. And then looking into next year, we are looking for a a literacy academy for second and third graders. And then the momentum program, and this is really uh more externalizing behavior because our success program

089in the high school focuses on internalizing behaviors. So that's where we're looking to develop next year. And I think just looking at our continuum going back to 20 2016 when the city made a $3 million investment into Norwok public schools um through a special appropriation to help develop programs because the number of students that were outplaced was uh astronomical at that time. And we've looked at where we were and where we would be now if we never developed these programs. Um, and you can see this is 2016 to 2020 classrooms, classes that were developed. Um, and we've continued that work 21 all the way into 2026. We've added classrooms. We've add, you can see in 2022, we added the OG associate. We've added um ICT at at different schools. We have added our Triumph classroom.

090We've expanded LEAP. Um in 2024 we uh put a classroom at Kendall 2025 we had a classroom at Fox Run and prior to um those two years we had one program it was at Wolfpit at one point it went to Cranberry. So right now we have four elementary lead classrooms and then we have a preschool leap classroom as well and then proposed programming for next year. So, it's something we're constantly thinking about um and how are we developing these programs and supporting them as we develop them. >> I think important um piece for the board to know is that as we're developing programs, particularly in the lower grades, they continue to grow over time. So, this has been an ongoing process that started when like Rob articulated, we got the special allocation, but continues to

091be uh a project in development. Yet the cost savings for us as a system is monumentous because the amount of money that we would have to pay per child and as a lump sum over time is in the millions and millions of dollars. >> And so this just outlines you can see over time that the number of students being serviced and in in some classrooms it's um stagnant. And I don't want to forget our 18 to 21 program. Next Steps and Project Search. Those programs what that those have expanded in in the short time that we're been we've been here. We have a program that is uh Project Search that's at the college. We have we've added another program at the hospital and then we have our next steps program that um is currently housed

092at the family center. And what's really unique about this program is we actually take students from other communities as well. And so it brings in some a funding source for us as well. It it's um a great program. We have great partners with the program and um Veronica Lensen, one of our ed administrators for specialized learning really has been monumental in developing and building that program and the success of that program. And so we're not just thinking about our student, we are thinking about our students on a continuum from three years of age all the way until the end of their 22nd birthday school year. And so we're constantly looking is how do we meet the needs of all of our students um from grades three to or from age 3 to 22. And we

093can see like I said the numbers in some of the programs shift depending on the number of students in the class and as we add programs we're able like ICT you've seen a continual increase in that program because we are we can't bring we can't hire six special educators and put them into one building um for every grade to have a co-taught. So we've been developing that year over year. So we start with kindergarten and then the next year we add first grade and then the next year we add second grade and so on and so forth. Foxrun is a school that has co-taught in our in our classes. They were the first they started um years ago and that now Jefferson and Kendall are developing over time >> and it aligns with our philosophy

094that we want kids in the least restrictive environment. Before we continue, let's pause here for questions from the board. I think um Nelly has a question. >> Absolutely. >> There we go. Um so two points. Uh one, uh it's a linguistic uh uh bit is uh the preferred language is autistic students, not students with autism. Um it's person first. Um the other is uh I and what other options are we looking to other than ABA because um ABA has a bit of a complicated uh uh history within the autism community. Uh there there's been looks to make it uh obviously better But uh on some levels it and this is actually a point of contention uh with groups like Autism Speaks that like push ABA because uh some aspects of it can be viewed as

095abusive. Um and so it's it's being careful about uh how we uh implement that uh so that it doesn't actually further traumatize uh any autistic students. One area that I do think um I I will say that is unique more unique to Norwok than across the state is that we do have nine BCBAs across the district. Um our BCBAS are instrumental in supporting our RBTs. So I a lot of acronyms and so I'll try and just explain. Um, we have our board certified behavior analysis, uh, BCBAS and our RBTs, registered behavior technicians. Our register RBTs are they work with our students. And so even when we're talking about para educator support, we are looking at a continuum of services. And so we have shared paras, we have onetoone paras, and then we have RBTs. And

096each level is more um I I'm going to say more a higher level of support but also more restrictive because one of the pieces that we're constantly working on is how are we building independence and some of the pieces that we have can see is that a student becomes very reliant on their uh onetoone support or RBT support. So we're constantly looking and even when part of the uh process one piece is that like every student who has a 1:1 or an RBT there should be a fading plan so that like we're building independence as we go and so that's something that I do think is unique because I know a town that might have one BCBA that supports the entire district. And so the fact that we have BCBAs um in our district and

097who have high levels of um learning, many of them are doctors, they are really working boots on the ground and supporting our students in um many of our programs. So an example will be at Cranberry where we do have two leap classrooms. they have a full-time BCBA supporting that school which is unique because usually a BCBA will support multiple schools depending on the number of uh students or the number of RBTs in that building but we are intentional to be able to provide that level of behavioral uh support in our schools that have more um you know more needs from the board Before we continue, thank you. >> I think one area that I did want to share is our graduation rate and you can see over the last four years we've seen an increase.

098There is a caveat to this and so I want to I want to make sure that I share that with you. So the caveat to this is students who and I don't want to say it like graduate high school and go to the 18 to 21 program they are not considered graduated because they are still in our system. So I think that that's important because that has a negative hit on our specialized learning graduation rate. Um, I've talked with the state about this because the state looks at four-year graduation rate and six-year graduation rate. And if you go into the 18 to 21 program, you will technically not graduate for eight years. And so they they've shared that that's why the target for a district is 95% and not 100%. Um I I just but

099we analyze this information. So if we're looking um you know at our rate and the number of students fluctuates but last year the number of students was a 14% increase. So it was a higher number. So if we were to add that um I think the special ed administrators would be mad if I didn't say it's 14.2. So if our actual rate would have been 91.8 but I just it changes. So I can't say this next year it might only be 1% or 2% because it depends on the number of students that we have as a district going into that program and it that specialed um graduation rate is dependent on the number of students with IEPs who are graduating that year and so then you take that number of students going into the 18

100to 21 program and that will then reduce that number. So I just want to share that piece of it. We have seen like I said 8% growth over those four years but that that is one caveat to um specialized learning graduation rate and I just wanted to make sure that I shared that piece >> and now we open it to the board for final questions. >> Are there some specialized learners who do complete it in four years? >> Yeah. Right. So right we have a we have a lot of students who gra our graduation rate was 77. So the 18 to 22 what is the determination what >> it's based on IEP and next level of services >> and there are certain that require a lot a lot of um interventions and um are focused

101on we're focused on developing their life skills >> correct >> more than we are on uh exposure to the >> students in that program a lot of them go out and they're working in the community they'll take public transportation And so then they'll go to a work site and they will work at a work site and it is really developing life skills um independent skills work skills in that program but it is determined by the students IEP. So I don't want to categorize why but and it is like I said I think that it's an amazing program that we have here in Norwok. Um but it does like I said in the graduation piece I just want to share and I think that um we get a report that just says what is the act

102like what is the federal graduation rate but the state has a very it's stuck on four years six years and because they don't exit the system they're they technically say that they did not graduate. So I just want to share that not uh >> do they still like they so they participate in graduation. Yeah, we have >> it would be their senior year. >> Correct. >> They just aren't included in that number. >> Correct. >> And the thing to know too in terms of the higher number. So at any given point in the year, you can get somebody who moves here from another state, right, with a complete package of where he or she needs to continue their education >> with their lawyers. And we really don't have a whole lot of push on that.

103Correct. And and and then have to fund it. So you could logically get somebody here in February. >> We we get >> we get them all the time all year and and I want I think people but I want to say we also have students that may move >> might move. So, but I I will say that um last like two years ago in particular, we had an exorbitant amount of students moving in >> from other communities that had some like substantial needs or and we we've worked with them to support them, but it does have an impact um on the budget as well. >> Rob, um this is two-part question. one of the uh second questions. Basically, you really showed it, but I'm just going to ask you from a number standpoint. The first

104one, what is the d what's driving a higher um average of staff turnover in our district? I think that there are multitude of factors and and I I'll try and highlight some of them. Um this year in particular, I know that we had a handful of teachers that and and they they told us that's like the only reason that I know that um left us to go to another district and what they said was that their salary would be $15,000 more. And so that is substantial, right? I And I think that that is something that when someone says that, you hear that. I think special education it is you you have to love what you do every day. It is hard work and you know I think we heard Miss Jordan speak our special educators

105are working their tails off every day. They're working very very hard. um but it is it it's a field that is um has demands and is required and so that is I think sometimes people may go into special education and realize it's not for them or they want something different um and I and we've had that and I think that our job and what we're constantly looking at is how do we build conditions that um creates retainment and recruitment into our district and how do we support them in that process. And I think I was able to talk a little bit about some of those things. But there are there are different factors that lead to why I mean we lost a teacher this year who had a family emergency and moved to Pennsylvania. Um

106loved Norwok public schools, loved the work she was doing, but had an emergency and needed to move. Like there's a multitude of reasons. I'm not going to but there are different factors that um create that turnover. >> I think competitiveness plays a big role because we can't give them what other districts are offering which I think is also a big part of the challenge and why it's sometimes really hard to find staff um and attract people to want to come to the district as well. And I mean high high turnover in special ed is not a Norwok specific problem. I mean I know that there are we are looking at our numbers but I mean I know a lot of educators in a lot of areas special ed is high turnover everywhere for the reasons

107you mentioned. >> It is a common trend. But I do think that um one of the missions of the specialized learning department and they talk about it all the time is how do we keep getting better at um supporting our educators to do the hard work that they're doing every day and that's something that we're we're committed to doing. >> From another standpoint, you indicated that you know next year did you guys work with the unions as far as uh trying to figure out and try to help increase those numbers? right now as far as how many stu I mean excuse me how many teachers are registered or showing interest as far as next school year is concerned >> in you're talking about in the alternative program >> yes >> endorsed >> what was that

108>> is that what you're talking about that are going to get cross endorsed >> so we have 16 teachers right now that are interested um I think when we planned it we planned it for eight um but we have 16 I think in the initial um ask I think we had 25 to 30 I think it's 28 to be exact but the second we had a um we had a session like an information session where they were able to come together and offer that program and um be able to provide that level and so but from there we have a good number interested >> Rob I'd like to go back uh to the unfunded mandates. >> Sure. >> You gave us two examples of where special needs um were were uh mandated for the 5-year-old

109going into kindergarten and then the extended to 22 years old. Um, I we had a chance to look at at this, but I got through it for about a half an hour and my eyes started crossing and I'm wondering uh and this these mandates include many things besides uh special education. I'm wondering are there another two mandates that we're not aware of that we're feeling the pressure? There's one but I I don't want to say it's not we were actually ahead of the curve before it became a mandate and that's what Dr. Estraa mentioned and that is um professional learning opportunities for parah educators before that ever became a law um Dr. Australa and uh hope work together to build out a system and I I mean I'm lucky enough to be able to work

110and provide that level of training at our PD days and coordinate and bring people together to continue to build capacity through things like crisis prevention training, which is um CPI training and and restraint training to make sure all of our people are protected and know how to deescalate because I think it's not about restraint, it's about deescalation. And so we offer that training um at every professional learning opportunity. And then we've brought in different people. Uh Dr. Kimberly Ericson who's leading our portrait of a graduate work did a whole keynote session for our paras on on the portrait of a graduate. And I think it's this idea that professional learning isn't just for one group of people. It's for the whole organization. How are we all learning? how are we all continuing to grow and

111get better? That became a mandate, but after we already had it in place. Um, so I don't necessarily want to say that. And >> so we're not staring down another 10 mandate unfunded mandates in special. >> It's it's funny legislation session is just getting ready to get started. So >> we will there will be some >> tomorrow. I knew it was this week. I want to know what the >> what what I can't uh you know won't be able to sleep >> and and if you recall from this past session there there was a a whole booklet of mandates that we had to engage in that we make the board aware of and this is why um the policy committee is sometimes working through the summer. It's probably one of the only committees that sometimes

112works through the summer because we get new legislation that impacts our policies and we have to make adjustments uh around that. So, it's an a revolving process and this is why sometimes people that are in the finance in the private sector and have a finance background sometimes don't understand the complexities of school budgeting or district budgeting because there are so many nuances that we have to keep top of mind as we're planning forward that we have to do irregardless of, right? And uh as we think through the work, we always have to keep top of mind these um requirements to be a to be able to do the work. On the piece of professional development, you know, sometimes people are like, oh, eliminate professional development and don't see the value around that component of the

113work. But a system that doesn't develop its people will become stagnant. And there is very critical for us to continuously develop the team so that the team continues to have the state-of-the-art research, the up-to-date information of how to most effectively support. Anelli brought up a good question about ABA and what the research says now and things that we have to consider. It is ever evolving because new information comes. We constantly have to build capacity within the organization. There was a time in Norwalk that people were not being professionally developed and we've made a concerted effort over the course of the past six years to really focus on developing our our people. It it is critical and I I think highlighting that in the context of the work that we have to do particularly in special

114education becomes most critical. And when we are just final point and when we also are uh bringing in staff that are working on their credentials that don't have their full credentials yet we need to make sure that we build their capacity as they're getting their their credentials so that when they come in they're best equipped to support our students. Sorry. >> I was just going to ask about the teacher academy. I know you mentioned that it's um during the school day like how is the attendance with that and are we having any challenges with um getting the people to get um there to get those >> so I do think that to your point I think one challenge with the model I mean I think it's an amazing program but teachers feel I have to

115come I'm going to miss providing services to children that then I then have to make up and So that is that adds a level of stress and so the team is really thinking about how can we use um different opportunities maybe an early dismissal day that we have PD on or different components where it's not impacting during the school day. It is well attended. Um I would love to have more more teachers come but I mean in the morning session at the last one I think we had 18 and then in the afternoon session I think we had like six or seven. Um but it is it is something we are getting a good number of staff coming to. Uh I I think that they leave feeling um that they have an opportunity. It's it's

116yes it's professional learning but they also have an affinity group because everyone in that session is newer and they have a group that they might not have at their building because they might be the only new person that's there. And so it does give them an opportunity as well to build um relationships with other special educators who are in the same same boat as them. >> How does a district uh tracking in real time um whether the students are receiving all their services? >> Sure. So there's a couple different uh factors that happen. Our educators complete service logs and those service logs uh track the services that they provide and that's special ed uh related service speech OTP PT um our psychologist they so they have a service log that's tracked. We also have progress

117monitoring um where there's opportunities where we're coming together looking at our students. How are they doing? What are they doing? And how can we um because one piece that I think is um something that we're constantly talking about if a student isn't progressing in their goals and objectives we should be having a PPT because we have to adjust because what we're doing isn't working in that support of that child. So there are progress monitoring opportunities as well. So those are the two different factors and like I said every building has a um special ed administrator that supports uh and it is we also have compliance monitors in every single building. So that's another uh factor. uh compliance monitor is a special educator uh special educator, could be social worker, could be teacher, but they get

118a they get a stipend and part of their goal is to monitor um our IEP compliance so that we stay in compliance. >> Absolutely. >> Any other questions? >> I just have a quick question. Um, going back to the 18 to 21 program, those 20 22, sorry. Um, those students, they graduate with a regular diploma or an IEP diploma. >> Oh, they get regular diploma. >> Okay, cool. >> It's unlike other states that they don't graduate with a regular diploma. Connecticut treats it differently, but it takes eight years. So, that's why they they're not accounted for under graduation scope. Any further questions? >> So, um, that concludes >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you, uh, Mr. Pennington. That concludes my superintendent report. I turn it back to you, uh, chairperson White. >> Thank you.

119Thank you, Rob, for that as well. Now, we're going to move on to action uh, consent. That's number three. This is the approval of the three items. First one is personnel actions. Do we have any questions or anything in reference to the personnel? We also have approval of trips, one to uh Boston, one to uh China as well. Any other questions? Anybody have any questions in reference to that? We have approval of minutes from the last meeting which was on uh 120 Any questions on that as well? >> No question. But there was like one small correction as I was going through. I think it said that Diana gave the library report and I gave the library report like little thing little thing like that. >> Okay. Not so for a motion by Jasmine. First

120one second by Ashley. All in favor? >> I approve. Second, we're going to go to action. Your approval of programs studies. Are there any questions? in your folder you will see the um item for that that was also part of that committee as well which was a a great session which Rob conducted as well. >> I don't have any questions but it was really cool. Rob made a point of sending us some of the particular changes and some of the new um new courses that are going to be offered and I'm just excited to see some of the offerings um at the high schools in the coming year. Uh I would like to underscore that I was uh able to hear all of the um uh educational leaders explain the new new um offerings they

121were uh they had devised. Um that was exciting as you said. But um when you look at what is possible in the the four high schools, it it just gives you that feeling of, you know, wonderful um exploring. And one of the interesting things, this kind of goes back to um state mandating, um is that a year or two ago, the state mandated that high school students should have uh financial personal finances. And I found it interesting in in this uh unit of study, they the different high schools offer two or three or four um ways you could get that half a credit that.5 credit. So it's not just one personal finance, but but several and some of them uh looked really really interesting. So it's a great body of work. A lot of credit

122goes to all the educational leaders that put that together. Appreciate it. >> Rob, what is the just the synopsis of it? Just the down and dirty. is can you just give me a brief summary and then just tell me what are the benefits and if there are any any changes that are prevalent of courses that came was really this idea of schools looking at more higher advanced courses. So, dual enrollment classes. We saw a a lot of schools uh adding courses that will count towards higher level uh course work. It's one of our accountability metrics. Um I I can speak at Norwalk High. They have beer tracks to college and they have been adding courses over the last couple of years. So, if you look, you can see a dual enrollment course for financial literacy.

123So this is something that people are being intentional about. Um at Brian McMahon IB for all uh is something that they have really been looking to expand and CGS. A lot of CGS had just um course name changes to make their courses IB named courses because they're an school. So in uh 9th and 10th grade, you're taking my year four and my year 5 because my starts in sixth grade. And so you take years 1, two, and three in in middle school. And then in ninth grade and 10th grade, you're taking my four and five. So you see that uh adjustment to their courses. But even even CGS, they're expanding some of their IB language courses to offer more advanced coursework. And I think that it is one of the big difference between a dual

124enrollment course and an AP course is to get college credit in an AP course, you need to pass the AP exam. And it depends on the college. They give credit. Some schools give credit for a three. Some schools only give credit for a four and five. Whereas in a dual enrollment course, you get the credit for passing the course. And this doesn't happen without the work of our educators who are willing to be able to become certified to teach those courses. And so I just want to highlight that piece. But I mean, you could you could see all the different courses that that were proposed and came through and for approval. And um really this idea that we're constantly looking and adjusting and changing our offerings to provide a wide range. I mean if you

125look at the program of study it is a large document um 170 pages. No, no, I didn't. Well, that's why I tried to give a synopsis um via email, but yes, it just that is really the key. And like I said, schools are constantly looking at this work. This work just it's really work that happens at the school level with our instructional leads, with our uh principles, and then it our curriculum team works in collaboration with them. So, it's a really high team effort. As I said in my email, a huge shout out goes to Kyle Helip, assistant principal at Norwalk High. Um Shirley Rockwell, assistant principal at Brian McMahon. Um Jen Spiro, the assistant principal at CGS. And then we also have Deb Costello who is school counselor at PEK because they are really

126involved in the program of study and it doesn't come together without their work. So I do want to highlight them. Can I just say one more thing that when we want to talk about rigorous education, you know, the rigor of the course and there can be no question if you're taking courses that are college courses when you're in high school and you get college credit, you are actually, you know, pedal to the metal. you are you are really learning how to organize yourself and and um do very rigorous academic work and so that's that opportunity is just bouncing in the high schools that many many through IB or through the dual dual credit so great good going >> I just wanted to just highlight also the fact that we've been over the course of the

127past several years making sure that there was course alignment across the organization because we wanted to ensure that regardless of where students were in the district that if we have a certain type of course that there's that there is um consistency across the the different high schools and that's something I know over the past few years we've been working partic particularly on those um fundamental courses that all students have to take across the organization. Uh, I just Okay. Yeah. Sorry. Um, a a couple points. Um, I appreciate the amount of, uh, AP courses that are now available. Um, but, uh, one thing that I've I I know that we've expanded our languages through this CGS with both, uh, Mandarin and Arabic. Um but I was wondering um are we I I know that we we

128used to um uh have uh amongst our languages uh German, Greek and uh Latin. Is there any consideration for or is there just no interest in those or is that something that we are just completely off the table? >> Well, I can speak about Latin. And I know Latin was something that we had and a couple of years ago we ended up um we just didn't have the level of number of students taking those classes and so like it was reduced. We had a Latin teacher at both high schools and then it was.5 at at each of the comprehensive high schools. And so we do I mean we h we have courses and we're constantly tweaking and adding different courses. I know um I think it was a couple years ago that PEK was looking

129to bring in uh Mandarin as as a program but then they didn't end up finding someone for that class. So it it it's something that schools the world language department like as they work towards the different classes it is some like but we do not I mean we do not currently have that class but I just wanted to give some context because we we didn't quote unquote get rid of Latin be >> just because you felt like it it no I I I figured that was the case but I I I just wanted to ask >> yeah and one of the things that we look at is Um particularly because we want to be uh uh responsible budgetarily is making sure that our courses are at a minimum 15 students just to make sure that

130we're getting our biggest bang for for the resources that we're putting forward. I and I also appreciate that uh kids are now actually getting credit for things like jazz ensemble. I mean they do put in the hours. Yeah. Any other questions? Can I have a motion to approve program studies? One my mark second by Ashley. Let's go to item B. All in favor? Sorry. I sorry. Let's go to motion B. the approval of the power purchase agreement for the rooftop solar project installment at NAK High School PEC and rigorous with the city solar developer. Any questions in reference to that? >> I have a question. So, I'm going to ask I assume this is for Sandra. [laughter] So, do we already have any contracts with this company? Because I know that we've got the solar

131over at Cranberry, right? So, is this the same company? Okay. My other question was so basically just >> sorry can can um can Sandra answer the question on on the podium just so make the people um >> yes they're the provider that we have also for um Ponis Jefferson Cranberry. >> So basically this rooftop project so just kind of give me the cliffnotes version. So it's going to drive all of our or is this a supplement to >> No it's a supplement. It's a supplement to the the power that will be used at the new um facility, the new Norach High Pack. >> And do you have to still use Eversource for transmission? Isn't there is there still uh a need to have a connection with the power company? Yes, >> you do, right? I

132thought so. >> We do. We still will pay that. you end up reaping the the savings of this after many years because you end up doing a lease with them and they they we because we are a public entity, we can't get the tax rebate. So, the company actually gets the tax rebate. Um, and after many years, you end up getting on the back end. It's kind of like when you do it in your own home at the back end is when you start to reap the savings. >> Right. because I know a lot of uh community members will come out and they'll talk about, you know, sustainability and how come we're not doing these kinds of projects. And so, it's good to see that we're >> we do do it on all the roofs.

133So, our old roofs, what we've explained in the past is that if you start drilling holes into our old roofs that we do not have the ability to actually make sure that not only that those solar panels will survive, but that the roof itself will survive because They're old. >> But all the new projects include solar. >> Thank you. >> Of course. >> Any other questions? >> Thank you. >> Can I have a motion for approval of power purchase agreement for the rooftop solar project inst um installation at no high school PEK? >> Diana second. Nelly. All in favor? >> I I approve. Okay, we're going to go into the information of reports. We're going to go to community representative reports. Do we have any community representative reports? >> I have one. It's a continuation

134on CES. uh last time I reported um and that it it's such a a large consortium group that um while we do you we do send four four or five or six people uh students excuse me our scholars there for some special services. Um it also provides a it's something called RCA and that is a regional creative arts. We we could uh Norwok students could go there but mo mostly it's closer to Trumbull where CES is located Bridgeport and Shel Shelton around that area. And what it entails is it it's an afternoon. If you're in high school, you spend your afternoon at RCS or RCA for drama, uh, dance production, and they put on six or seven productions through the year. So, it's a tremendous um, resource for artistic kids, and they get full high

135school credit. So it's it's half a year, a half a day they're at their home school and then they come over for um the afternoon and for their productions. So I just wanted to say that was one other uh offering from there and the last thing I'll mention is that um they do offer professional development. Uh I have gone to many of their professional development opportunities when I was a a teacher a few years ago and they have um offered some we've been talking about parah education and and after they they uh been offering some of the courses and these are uh without charge. So I'm just wanted to mention that that it's quite a resource and it's one of one of of the rest. I think there are four or five in this the

136whole uh state. So that's my report. >> Thank you. Anyone else? >> I just want to make a comment and and what made me think about it was the document that you provided with regard to the unfunded mandates. But what I want to remind people of is that per Connecticut law and our federal government, we are required to educate students. And I think I've said this before, no matter what their immigration status is, given the time that we're in with all of the discussion around undocumented students and people conflating budgetary issues with us educating students who may be undocumented. I just want to remind people that it is the law that we educate all students no matter what their documentation status is and and we're not to ask about it either and period. That's what

137it is. Thank you. Are there any other reports? Go to number B. Board member announcements. Are there any other board member announcements? >> I'd like to make an announcement. I just wanted to um share my gratitude for the district support of the Norwok mentor program. I have been a leader there for almost six years now and the program would not be as successful without the district's um partnership and [clears throat] also the vision to allow the school liaison. So the um the school leaison that one that is an added role to her already full plate. So she goes the extra mile to be able to help the mentors in the building the mentors and the mentees in the in the building. And also the mentor program had a celebration I think about two weeks ago

138and I had support of my board members that were there. So I really appreciate that and I also want to highlight highlight that Ashley is a mentor as well. So with all of her things on her plate, she does volunteer an hour a week to mentor a student in a no public school. And we also have two city council members who are me um me mentors as well. So definitely takes a village and I'm appreciative of all the support within the NOG mentor program. Um, I want to say that on February 13th, Friday, it's going to be 10 years that Night to Shine has been in effect. Night to Shine is actually a prom for students with special needs. Um, I have been a volunteer for eight years. My son did it for four years.

139It's a wonderful, wonderful event. It takes a lot of volunteers, but it also takes a lot of buddies. And those are students that are matched up with other students to be able to have a great time. We crown all the children. We have kings and queens. Everybody gets a crown. Tim Tibo does a big announcement on Zoom and this is worldwide and team uh Tim Tibo surprises a different school every year. And with that, I also want to say thank you to all the NPS students that have registered to be buddies this year. We have over 100 guests coming and we still have a waiting list for buddies. So, if you're out there and you have a student that wants to register, please reach out to Night to Shine in New Kanan. Anyone else? Thank

140you. Before we move on, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank those uh who stepped up for public speaking. Thank those who are attending right here as well. Thank my board members as well. It's been a long day. We've been here uh since uh graduation for those who are here take the opportunity for the leadership and help and the support as well. So as we should move forward just be mindful that you know in order for us to be successful at what we need to do we need to make sure that we're doing it accordingly in the propagness for the students and also for the support and to continue to give Dr. Australia and her staff the support that they need. With that in mind, I'd like to just close out if um I

141have a motion to adjourn this meeting. Ashley second. Mary Ellen. All in favor? >> Great. Have a good night.