001All right, good evening everybody. We're going to call the regular board meeting of the Brandy Wine School District to order. It's Monday, May 18th, 7 p.m. We're in the auditorium at Brandy Wine High School. Mr. Naji, can we have a 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. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve the agenda? >> So moved. >> Mr. Lavoy. >> Second. >> Mr. Scrubot. All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries. >> I don't know if she's expecting this, but on the agenda next is a welcome from our principal of Brinan High School, Mrs. Reio and team. We had to jazz it up this
002time with the whole team. So, good evening board members, Dr. Lawson, and community members. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Brandy Wine High School again. I have been fortunate to welcome you here multiple times this year, and throughout the year, you've heard me say that Brandy Wine is the place to be. So, tonight, we would like to highlight some very specific reasons why Brandy Wine truly lives up to that statement. I am joined this evening by my administrative team to assist in this task. Miss Josha Tabbrron, assistant principal, Mr. William Wells, assistant principal, and Mr. Robert Holt, assistant principal. I will begin with the first reason Brandy Wine is the place to be, and that is our parents and families. You would not believe that just two nights ago, this building was
003transformed into the SS Bulldog for our afterprom. Countless parents dedicated hours on Friday and Saturday turning our building into a live cruise ship experience, including a full arcade, shuffleboard, a casino, putt putt, a tiki bar, a live camel, goldfish hunting, and a full Polynesian performance group featuring hoola lessons and fire twirling. It was truly remarkable. However, the support from our families goes far beyond after prom. Our parents consistently support Brandy Wine through PTO involvement, volunteering, boosters, attending concerts and athletic events, and reinforcing the importance of education and school expectations at home. To all of our parents and families, thank you for an outstanding school year. The second reason Brandy Wine is the place to be is our students. Every day we see a strong sense of community and pride our students create within this building.
004Beyond that we observe internally beyond what we observe internally. We hear from our outside neighborhood about the character and behavior of our students. Our bus drivers frequently tell us that Brandy Wine students are some of the best and our community members often comment on how respectful, kind, and considerate our students are both inside and outside of school. Our students continue to represent Breny Wine with pride and we could not be more proud of them. Third, our staff. Our staff has also decided that Brandywine is the place to be. While the national teacher attrition rate averages approximately 7% annually, the majority of teacher departures at Brandy Wine over the past several years have been due to retirement. Brandywine has remained fully staffed, which is a significant accomplishment considering Delaware continues to experience educator shortages and approximately
0052 and a half% statewide vacancies. Our staff is deeply committed to students, supportive of one another, and dedicated to creating meaningful experiences for our students every day. Finally, our community. Whether it is the countless organizations and groups that utilize our facilities each day, local businesses that donate resources and support our events, or community members who continually invest in our students. We are reminded that Brandy Wine extends far beyond the walls of this building. Just recently, the manager of Seasons donated more than 40 pizzas for our teacher appreciation week simply to show support of our staff. Acts like these reflect the strong relationships and sense of pride that exist within the Brandy Wine community. >> At Brandy Wine High School, we are proud of what we have built together. Students, staff, families, and community members alike.
006It truly takes all of us working together to create the culture and the opportunities that make Brandywine the place to be. Thank you. >> You can leave it on. You're up. Thank you, Mrs. Reio and thanks for hosting us so much this year. By the way, the camel's name was Stella and she loved her trip here it sounds like. All right, that brings us to our student reporters and their last report of the school year. We're going to start with Molly and Michaela from Conquer. Good evening everyone. I am President Michaela Michaelelsson and I am Vice President Molly Andrews of the Conquered High School Student Council. We're excited to bring you up to speed on the amazing things that have happened at Conquered over the past month. To begin the month, we would first like
007to recognize several outstanding students for their achievements. A special congratulations to Samantha Berth, Chase Dearz, Ahmad Goodman, and Irma Kionz for owning the 2026 Talent for Writing and Creativity Award from Young Writers USA. Their 100word horror stories will be published in the nationally recognized Young Writers Anthology, an incredible accomplishment and testament to their creativity and talent. We also celebrate our educating rising seniors who have recently signed letters of intent at the old state house in dover committing to pursue postsecary educ degrees degrees in education. It is exciting to see these students take their next step to becoming the future leaders. Innovation was also on display during our high school annuals engineering design day where students in the engineering pathway showcased the projects they had worked on develop they had worked hard to develop throughout the
008year. Students had the opportunity to present their designs to parents, staff, and community members while sharing the problem problem-solving skills, creativity, and technical knowledge that went into their work. For our seniors, the excitement of planning their future continued with May 1st Decision Day, where students proudly celebrated the college's careers, and opportunities that await them after graduation. The celebrations didn't stop there. Seniors also enjoyed a memorable overnight sleepover in the parking lot filled with tents, s'mores, games, and plenty of laughter, creating lasting memories as they prepare to close this chapter and begin a new one. Next slide, please. Thank you. As things are winding down for the school year, Conquered continues to thrive. A couple weeks ago, our junior class threw an amazing spring fling that really got everyone in the spring spirit. Speaking of spring,
009with the warmer weather finally here, we have seen so much excitement and activity outdoors. Just last week, our conquered high school golf team had an incredible opportunity to attend the PGA Championship at Aron Munich Golf Course thanks to Conquered alumni Robert Smith, class of 2001. Rob gave the students a behind-the-scenes look at the game of golf, as well as an insight into careers in digital marketing, media, and journalism. Staying on par with the golf theme, Conquered Booster Sports Boosters hosted its second annual golf outing yesterday. It was a huge success in raising over $9,500 for our spring sports pro or for our sports programs. We were even joined by our superintendent, Dr. Lawson, and we are incredibly grateful for everyone who came out to support the event. Moving on to other sports news, we'd like
010to welcome three athletes into the 100 club. Ella Lucy from the lacrosse team scored her 100th career point during a conquered win 16-2 over Christiana. Morgan Cook recorded her 100th career hit in softball during a 6-0 win over Adessa. Blake Herman earned his 100th career kill in volleyball during a 3 to2 victory over Mount Pleasant. Wrapping up with our sports news, congratulations to the Conquered High School girls tennis team on an undefeated season and becoming Blate B Conference champs. We also want to wish all of our girls competing in the state champion best championships best of luck. As the year continues to close, we are looking forward to the upcoming senior events, including senior awards, prom, and graduation. With all that being said, we would like to thank you guys all for your time and
011attention throughout all of our awesome board reports this year. We are so proud to be BSD. >> Thank you. I know we're going to recognize everybody separately later, but I just wanted to thank you both for um everything this year. We have a great group of student reporters this year. >> Anybody have any questions or comments? Oh, when I heard about the sleepover, it sounded great from >> Yeah, we had a lot of fun. >> Yeah, I just wanted to congratulate the conquered boys volleyball team for being the team of the week in the news journal this past week. >> Yes, that was awesome. >> Any other questions? I have some comments, but I think I'll wait until um all of the seniors get a chance to go. >> Thanks. >> Thank you so much.
012>> That brings us to Mount Pleasant, Steven and Bridget. >> Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Steven Rice >> and my name is British Schneider. >> We are so excited to be here tonight to share another incredible month at Mount Pleasant High School. >> We'd like to begin by highlighting several opportunities our students had to grow outside of the classroom this month. Students involved in the YW leaders program traveled to Legislative Hall in Dover through a year-long partnership between our Black Student Union, Archmare Academy, and the YW.CA Delaware. During the visit, students learned about advocacy, policy, and leadership while continuing conversations about social change and equity. We also want to recognize our teacher academy students who recently visited Bush Early Learning Center in Darly Road for Preschool Special Olympics Day. Stu students assisted
013with activities throughout the event and gained invaluable hands-on experience working with younger students in supporting inclusive education. Another exciting event this month was our senior prank which brought class spirit and creativity to the building in a fun and memorable way for the class of 2026. Along with that, our student voice advisory students participated in the final retreat of the year where they discussed student experiences, analyzed school data, and prepared to present their findings to faculty and administration. We are also so proud of our students who represented Mount Pleasant through athletics and inclusion in activities. This month during autism accept acceptance week and the Special Olympics unified soccer tournament. Students demonstrated an incredible school spirit, teamwork, and support for inclusion. Multiple adults at the tournament specifically complimented Mount Pleasant students on their sportsmanship and positive representation
014of our school's community. This month also showcased the strength of our academic and career focused programs. Students in our business program had the opportunity to visit JP Morgan Chase where they learned more about careers in finance and professional leadership. Our AVID students also participated in several exciting experiences including a field trip to Villanova University, senior financial lessons, and AVID field day activities that promoted both college readiness and collaboration. Our IB sophomore students also presented their personal project exhibitions this month, showcasing months of independent research, creativity, and problem solving. Additionally, our AP and IB art students displayed their incredible work during their annual art exhibition, highlighting the artistic talent and dedication presented throughout Mount Pleasant. Our music department has also had an incredibly successful month. Students participated in the spring coral concert, both of our spring
015instrumental concerts. the steel pan jamboree and our music awards ceremony. We als we are especially proud to share our music ensembles receive superior ratings for all of their performances at Hershey Park. These accomplishments reflect the hard work and commitment of both our students and their directors. >> We would also like to recognize several additional accomplice accomplishments that are not pictured on the slides. Our track team competed at Penn Relays. Our boys tennis team continues to have a strong season and our BSU students celebrated the graduation of this year's YW leaders cohort. We also want to congratulate John Mirini for being elected president of the national JAG organization. An incredible achievement representing Mount Pleasant on a national level. Finally, we'd like to recognize our seniors as we continue celebrating decision day awards ceremonies and the many
016and the many accomplishments of the class of 2026. As graduation gets closer, excitement around the building is definitely growing. Seniors are especially looking forward to prom and graduation as we prepare to celebrate the end of an unforgettable year together. To conclude this past month, this past month has truly highlighted the strength of Mount Pleasant community throughout leadership, inclusion, and academics, athletics, and the arts. >> Thank you for your time, and as always, >> we are Mount. Any questions from the board? >> Thank you both, Stephen, and good luck in the future. Bridget, will we see you back next year? >> No, I'm a senior. >> You're a senior? I thought you I don't know why I keep thinking you're a junior. All right. Anybody else have any comments? >> All right. Thank you, Stephen and
017Bridget. >> Thank you so much. All right. And that brings us to Logan and Julian from Brandy Wine. >> Hello everyone. My name is Logan Scott and I am Brainy Wine Student Council President. >> I'm Julia Moroni. I'm the vice president. >> We have a lot of fun things to talk about here today. First, we would like to congratulate our teacher, Miss Diana Rossi, on winning a 2026 Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Teacher Award. We would also like to congratulate Angelina Mangano on reaching 100 career goals and over 200 career points in soccer. Recently, we recognized our amazing and hardworking teachers with teacher appreciation week. Teachers celebrated with coffee, snacks, dirty sodas, brandy wine themed coloring books, and more. We are so grateful for all of the hard work our wonderful teachers do. Last Saturday, our seniors
018celebrated prom. Prom took place at the waterfall where students ate, took pictures, and danced the night away. Following the event, students came to Brandy Wine for after prom and discovered the school had been turned into a cruise ship complete with an arcade, mini golf, a casino, and more. Some stops along the way included Mexico, a Morocco, Mexico, Morocco, where there was a real camel. I hear Miss Reio mentioned it. Her name was Stella. I got to pet her. It was the best thing I've ever done. Um, and Hawaii students ended the night participating in a traditional and interactive Polynesian dance followed by a Polynesian fire show. It was certainly a night to remember. I'll pass it over to Julian. As our school year is coming to an end, we have a few final events I'd
019like to highlight. In the world of Brandy Wine sports, volleyball took on Odyssey in the quarterfinals of the state tournament, the furthest team either team has ever gotten to. Girls soccer won the Blue Hen Conference with Angelina Mangino scoring 26 goals in just 15 games. Other teams that also made the playoffs were boys lacrosse and softball. The art show is May 20th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the um at Branduan featuring some of our students finest pieces. Our field day is May 29th. Students who qualify to participate will have the opportunity to play outside with friends and nice weather. Our senior class celebrated their senior prank with a uh heartwarming grill out in the parking lot. It was it was a great way to bring the whole class together for one last meal uh
020and their final day. We also have a bulldoging fundraiser organized by our junior student council to celebrate the class 2026 graduates. Juniors will will drive to seniors houses and plant graduation stakes in their yard and leave them there for a day. On the topic of graduation, brand new on graduation is coming up next Sunday at 2 pm and we're so excited to uh celebrate our seniors four years and you know push them on to the next chapter of their lives. That's all from me. Thank you. >> Go dogs. Any question from the ward? >> Thank you. And wish you guys both the best of luck just because we're in Brandy Wine. Um I had read previously I saw Miss Rossy's award by the Phillies teacher of the year. I read that there were hundreds of
021nominations around the greater Philadelphia area and they only selected the top 10 uh to win that award. So it really kind of drives home >> how good BSD is. >> I I had a few comments, Jason. Um so so this is kind of for the seniors. Um, so first of all, thank you all because you've been so impressive this year uh with your reports and for the time and effort that you've taken with the community and to keep us informed about what's what's going on in the community and I I know you had some questions that were kind of difficult uh to answer, but you you did great with all of those and um I I know you know we're so proud of you guys um and everything that you're going to do when you
022move on uh with you know after you graduate and you get to school. So, I did want to read uh a couple of lines from a book, short story that I think are really helpful. Um, as I read these, some of you may think that sounds like Bruce Springsteen song Glory Days. Um, because it's all about uh what to do, excuse me, when you're young and you have the time and the opportunity to do it. Um, so let let me just set the stage first. Uh in this um the narrator is talking about a time when he was uh shipwrecked and and the the troubles he had to go through, right? Um so he says, excuse me, I remember the heat, the deluge of rain squalls that kept us bailing for dear life and I
023remember 16 hours on end with a mouth dry as a cinder and a steering war over the stern to keep my first command head onto a breaking sea. I did not know how good a man I was till then. I remember the drawn faces, the dejected figures of my two men. And I remember my youth and the feeling that will never come back anymore. The feeling that I could last forever, outlast the sea, the earth, and all men. The deceitful feelings that lures us on to joys, to perils, to love, to vain effort to death. The triumphant conviction of strength and the heat of life in the handful of dust. the glow in the heart that with every year grows dim, grows cold, grows small, and expires and expires too soon before life itself. And
024I think the lesson there is, you know, as you get older, you're like, I should have done this. I should have done that. You guys have the time now to do it. Take advantage of every opportunity. Make the opportunities you can when you get off to to college and university, associate with people you wouldn't associate with. Learn ideas you wouldn't have exposed yourself to. All right? And just take in everything that you can and learn from it. and you guys are going to do great. So, thank you again. >> Any other question? Thank you. And now we're going to move on to our formal recognition of our high school reporters. I think you can sit until Dr. O'Hanland calls you up. And then just for the high school reporters and their families after this recognition,
025if you can all report to the lobby, we'll do some more formal photos with uh the students and their parents that might be here. Good evening everybody. I'm honored to be here tonight to recognize these incredible students you just uh listened to and have been listening to and and seeing these past couple months throughout the school year. They have 1,000% uh demonstrated exceptional dedication, professionalism, and a genuine passion uh for their community. These student board reporters represented the Brand School District each of our board meetings this past year and they've done an incredible job with it. Each month, our student board reporters stood before this board and delivered presentations on what was happening in their schools, the events, the achievements, the programs, and the stories that make up the daily life of our students. They
026were a voice of their school communities in this room. And that is no small thing. Standing before a public school board, presenting clearly and confidently on behalf of their peers month after month, it takes preparation. It takes poise. It takes a real sense of responsibility. And these students brought all of that every single time. So through their presentations, this board stay connected to the heartbeat of our schools. Board members didn't just hear from staff, they heard directly from students. The connection, that connection is invaluable and exists because of the young people that we're recognizing here tonight. So to each of you, to our board reporters, every time you stepped up to this podium here, you represented your school with pride and your peers with care. And you showed this board and this community, all of
027us uh adults here this evening, what Brandy Wine students are made of. And we hope this experience, as fun as it was, uh has given you the skills and the confidence you will need uh to go beyond these four walls here. So, if I could call the student board reporters up, congratulations for your service next week. Thank you all. Congratulations. And if there's families or administrators from their school that want to head out for the photos with Mick, that would be great. All right. And that keeps us with Dr. O'Hanlin. >> Oh, there he is. Got um for recognition of Mount Pleasant High School and the Medallion Program. >> And I apologize you're stuck with me. I'm actually uh pleased this evening to call up uh Miss Barbara Corte Watson. If you could come up
028and she's going to they're going to present an award uh to Mount Pleasant High School. >> No, actually sorry. My name is um Good evening. My name is Pam White and I have the privilege of being the host mother to Selene Borgie, a CBYX exchange student from Germany who's finishing her year at Mount Pleasant High School. CBYX stands for Congress Bundist Youth Exchange, a federally funded competitive scholarship program jointly supported by the US and German governments. Each year just 200 students are selected from each country through a rigorous application process and it is a tremendous honor to be chosen. The program has been running for over 40 years and has connected tens of thousands of young people between our two countries. I chose to host because I was a CBYX student myself in high school
029and I know firsthand what a life-changing experience it can be for a teenager. By hosting Seline, not only did we gain a new family member, but we learned about food, traditions, and holidays we never would have encountered otherwise. Just as importantly, Selene became a youth ambassador in her school, sparking curiosity in other students. The friendships she has formed here will go home with her and will shape how she sees the US for the rest of her life. So we are here today to present the state department medallion certificate. Um so this program recognizes US high schools who welcome students participating in department of state sponsored exchanges. It's a reflection of the importance our government places on people-to-people diplomacy and international understanding. It is my honor to present the certificate to Mount Pleasant High School and
030the Brandy Wine School District in recognition of supporting a student funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. I want to especially thank the faculty and staff who have been part of Selen's experience here this year. And I don't know if you on the spot um but the mand this is specifically made out to Mount Pleasant High School, but I wanted to make sure the board was aware. So, Mount Pleasant now can officially use this medallion on any electronic communications that you have. Um, it's a it's a really nice recognition from um the Department of State and the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs is actually the same bureau that oversees the Fulbright scholars. So, just to give you an idea of of what that means. Um, so thank you. >> Thank you. >>
031And so, uh, now I'd like to introduce Selene. um the young woman at the center of all this. So Selene, if you have just a couple minutes. >> Hi guys, my name is Seline and to be honest, I didn't expect to like stand here in front of like a rator and in front of people. When they told me there is a board meeting, I thought there is like a like circle like a table and I'm going to just going to talk to a few people. So I'm a little bit unprepared. I thought I just can't talk about my experience and then just like go. So now I'm a little bit on the spot, but I wrote a letter um to the governor actually um a few months ago and I asked something and I never
032got a like answer back. But so I'm just going to use this letter and like read it to you guys. I think that describes my um experience pretty good. and then after that I'm just going to like like talk. So in August 2024 I asked my father what he thought about me spending a whole year abroad. I had seen a poster about a full scholarship called CBYX which sent about 200 students to America each year to represent their country. My father said it was a once in life opportunity and that I had ab that I absolutely had to apply without really having a plan. I applied that evening. We are immigrants and we came to Germany from Iran in 2018. Because of this, I had doubts about whether I would even be selected. I wondered
033how I would represent Germany when I myself was often seen as a forerunner. Nevertheless, this spontaneous application quickly turned into a big dream to grow, meet new people, and step outside of my comfort zone. And after three rounds of selections and a lot of paperwork, I received a confirmation of my scholarship on January 31st, 2025. Shortly afterwards, a war broke out in Iran. While I while I was stimulaneously applying for my visa, my visa application was rejected once verbally and once in writing. In June 2025, I finally received a call informing me that I probably wouldn't be able to do my exchanger because my German passport said that I was born in Iran. In August, I finally brought a plane to the US. A year after that, I had the opportunity. A year after I
034spontaneously applied, I was filled with dreams, excitement, and also a bit of fear of the unknown. I received an inc incredibly warm welcome here. I'm 17 years old and was therefore registered as a junior. But since this is my only year of school here, I ended up in many senior classes. Over the months, I made close friendships here. I also participated in school sports teams like volleyball, swimming, and now tennis. There too, I spent most of my time with seniors and was honored as a senior at the end of the season. Being an exchange student is emot is an emotional roller coaster, but I'm incredibly grateful to have become a part of American culture. Things like the yellow school buses, homecoming, Thanksgiving, and prom are special moments for me. Thanksgiving one was one of my
035highlights and I already know that every year no matter where in the world I am, the first thing that I will do is baking a pumpkin pie. And so um through my liaison who is like my local coordinator and she works like for the government. I really don't know what she's doing. I got the opportunity to stand here and to talk about my experience. So because of that I also wanted to use this opportunity to like sorry guys to ask something um as you just read something and you said in your youth age you should take every opportunity and you won't regret it in your future life and our just our seniors read about how excited they are about their graduation and about their senior year. So I asked my um principal and like people
036in my school of course said that it's not their fault but because I'm registered as a junior I not able to walk at the graduation. Um but when you come to the US um on the exchange student posters there's like always this picture of a cap and gown and everything. So we don't have that in Germany. I'm going to high school high school for nine years. So I have one more year in Germany. When I go back, I have still two years. So I graduate with 19. And after that, I'm just going to go to school and get my graduation letter and I'm just going to go home. So this big picture of like American graduation is like in my head and in everybody's head when we come. And so I wanted to ask if
037I'm just being able to sit with my friends that are just like seniors and just like wear the cap and gown. I don't even need to walk. And for this point, I asked my teachers if they would be they would like to just write a short message or a short paragraph to the board meter meeting for you guys. Why they think um you should let me walk or even just like sit with my friends that I made this year to like close my experience and just like have the full American experience. Like I just like did everything as a jun senior. So, I just wanted to like have the full like this is the only thing I can do. So, um I have the letters here and I'm just going to give it to you,
038I guess. Thank you for having me here. >> Thank you, Selene. And if you uh if if Dr. Lawson and Mr. Dr. Rivera and Mr. Paladinetti can work on that, we'll we can get back to you with an official answer. Yes. hopefully uh quickly on how we can accommodate that. >> Thank you. And I also thank you Selene. I also wanted to note that the scholarship goes both ways. So um we also have American students 200 from the country going to Germany fully funded. Um sorry Mia to give a shout out to you as well. We actually have a Delaware student who is selected for next year from Brandy Wine. Um, and >> also if anyone in the audience is interested in hosting, I have a couple um, profiles of CBYX students who are looking
039to find homes for next year as well. Um, you can come find me if anyone has any questions. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Any questions from the board? >> No questions, but your enthusiasm is contagious and clearly this has been a great experience for you. Um, so thank you for joining us and uh we're glad that we were able to share this experience with you. >> Appreciate it. >> Thank you for having us. >> Thank you again. >> Anyone else? >> Thank you. >> And that brings us to Dr. Lawson with district news and updates. Good evening, board president Heler, members of the board, members of our audience and community. As we continue our deeper dive into student outcomes data this month, we take a closer look at Delaware's 11th grade
040federal accountability measure, the SAT. For context, every state is required to test students in 11th grade. What assessment you choose is up to each state. Delaware is one of seven states to require the SAT as its 11th grade accountability measure. This means that all 11th grade students, regardless of their post high school plans, must sit down during the school day to take the SAT. Seven other states structure it the way Delaware does by offering it at no cost during the school day, but it's not mandatory or required for accountability purposes. It's optional, and they use another assessment for their 11th grade accountability measure. As a result of this different structure among states in our country, Delaware's reported SAT scores as compared to those of other states nationally are misleading. 14 states and Washington DC contract
041with the College Board to offer this SAT on school days to all juniors at no cost. This results in high participation rates across all states clustered on the left side of the graph as shown by the trend line near 100%. We actually get sanctioned if we fall below participation rates um that the state requires. However, this also depresses average SAT scores because all juniors, regardless of their intent to attend a four-year college, are required to take the test. So states with the highest participation rates have the lowest average scores. Inversely, as SAT participation rates decline within a state, average scores rise. The states clustered on the right side of this graph, which exhibit the highest average SAT scores, have the lowest participation rates. In fact, the state with the highest average SAT scores shown here
042only report the top 1% of scores within their respective state. This is sampling bias, not comparing apples to apples. Yet, it continues to be shared nationally as if the comparison is equitable. Back home in Brandywine, our average SAT score went from 924 in school year 25 to 933 in school year 26, a gain of nine points. This was driven by an increase of five points in reading and writing and four points in math. The average reading scores this year is the highest earned by Brandy Wine students since the redesign of the SAT in 2024. And while math is down four points since school year 24, it is up four points from last year, even though the state average dropped by two points. It speaks to our collective effort to not only return to preandemic achievement
043levels, but also work very hard to surpass them across a broader range of our student population. Let's dive one level deeper into Brandy Wine's SAT scores to test our hypothesis as to whether the point gains in our average scores reflected broad improvements for students, which we desire, or a skewing effect of a few higher student scores. After analyzing our score distributions, especially compared to the state, we can see that our rise in points was a result of broad improvements for students across the system because we have fewer students in the lower score ranges and a higher concentration in the higher score ranges. May 4th through May 8th, we celebrated teacher appreciation week across the Brandy Wine School District. The love, support, care, and appreciation exhibited through the hard work of our PTAs, PTOs, volunteer families,
044students, community organizations was humbling. We cannot thank our villages and communities surrounding our 16 schools and site program enough for giving their time and appreciation to our fabulous educators. We know that the single greatest impact in education is a child's teacher. We are eternally grateful to those who dedicate their professional careers to the art and science of teaching. On May 6, we celebrated National School Nurse Day and recognize the impact our school nurses have across the Brandy Wine School District. Every day, our nurses do far more than care for students who are feeling ill. They support the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of our students, respond to emergencies, manage complex medical needs, and help ensure students are healthy, safe, and ready to return to class. We are grateful for their collective expertise, compassion, professionalism, and
045dedication to our schools each day. Thank you, BSD nurses, for the important work you do for our students, staff, and families. On May 1st, we recognized School Lunch Hero Day and celebrated the incredible cafeteria teams across the Brandy Wine School District. Every day, these dedicated staff members work to serve a variety of nutritious yet delicious meals, create welcoming environments for students, and help ensure our children are ready to learn and succeed. From early mornings to busy lunch periods, our nutrition services staff work hard behind the scenes in our cafeterias to care for our students with kindness and professionalism. Thank you school lunch heroes for everything you do for our students and schools each day. And as always, we end with a monthly video by Mick. Sound effects trigger show utilize Oh, heat, heat. Hey guys,
046>> how are you? >> It's always a pleasure to come to forward. We come out with the canines. Uh most recently with uh with our our wellness dog Barry. Uh we like to visit the classrooms. Hey, how's everybody? >> You know, we want to get the kids to be comfortable with us. We like to explain what we do as police officers to keep them safe. Um so it's always nice to kind of have a dog. It's a little foot in the door. The kids love the dogs. They have great questions and then it segus into other police questions. But it's good mental health for them as well as for the officers uh from the K9 teams that come out to these schools. Heat. Heat. President Heler, this concludes my monthly report. >> Dr. Lawson, just
047uh quickly following up. Um, I just got this today. Senate Joint Resolution 15 directing the Delaware Department of Education to re-evaluate the use of the SAT in Delaware, engage educators in modernizing the state accountability framework, including development of a coherent high school assessment system, and develop additional measures of student achievement and readiness. >> Yes, sir. >> So, they're listening and do over. >> Thank you. >> Any other questions or comments for Dr. Lson? Right, that brings us to public comment. The public comment period of the meeting allows members of the general public to address the board of education on any agenda item or educational topic. Please note the following that two minutes is allotted per speaker um which will be displayed behind me on the screen and the microphone will automatically shut off after 2
048minutes. Members of the public may address the board just one time during each meeting and may not yield time to others. There are no virtual attendees tonight. Um, and this a lot of time is for the public commenter to share their thoughts with the board, not necessarily for the board to engage in a two-way dialogue. Just keep in mind that comments include profanity andor defame or demean the character of any individual person are not permitted. Um, we have no online public commenters, but a several in-person public commenters. Uh, starting with Mr. Andrews. My apologies, Miss Andrews. >> Hello. >> You can go to that microphone right there. Yeah. And then now I hear you. >> I left my glasses at work and I thought it said Neil. I apologize. >> I I was thinking you
049were going to say null, but I'm sorry. We're good. Thank you. Okay. Good evening, port officials, Dr. Lawson, and members of the Bernie Wine School District community. My name is Noel Andrews and I am the mother of four and have been in the district for 21 years. My daughter Molly is the youngest and will be graduating in the class of 2026. I'm here tonight with gratitude and I'm incredibly thankful for the education provided for my children. With special appreciation to Mrs. Kristen Blair, Mr. John Pedicon, Miss Loretta Riley, Miss Millian, Coach Hamburger, and Mrs. Julia Overly. just a few of the many wonderful teachers. There is another unsung hero that I believe goes above and beyond for the community at conquered high school. With her balance of her own home life as having a father
050with Parkinson's disease, a sister with special needs, I am so in awe of how this person is able to do all that she does. She sacrifices her own personal time to support the students at conquered in various ways. This person is Dr. Carrie Riches. Whether it's supporting the parent or the student and the parent, Dr. Rich has helped so many of our families with her kind, caring heart. She is a true angel among us. Conquer is so fortunate to have someone as selfless, strong, dedicated as Dr. Riches. I could give you so many examples of the good she has done for so many, but I would be here until midnight. I just want to thank all that have done so much and just don't get recognized. The district has done so much for many of
051our children and I'm just so grateful and appreciative of all the teachers and all that they have done for our kids. So, this is my last child. So, 21 years and I just thank everyone. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Andrews. Our next speaker is Miss Mcgherk. Good evening, everyone. I am a proud fifth grade teacher at Lombard Lombardi Elementary. Um, and as usual, there are many stories in the news about public education, including recently the annual education scorecard report. This report has stated that many ed what many educators knew already that declining scores on standardized tests did not start with COVID. What I'm alarmed about this particular report is that it poses a theory that one of the reasons for the decline is the fade out of testbased accountability. I think in Delaware, we
052know this is simply false. BSD's board recognized early on the problems with the overuse of standardized assessments. In December of 2019, your board issued a resolution calling on the Secretary of Education and the State Board of Education to re-examine the use of standardized testing because, as you stated, it has reduced a love of learning, leading to a school culture that is steeped in unnecessary stress and anxiety for students and staff. This has not changed. in fifth grade, the three NWA MAP tests in ELA and math, plus the two Smarter Balance tests for those subjects, three social studies uh smarter balance tests, one science, and the Nagliier tests for gifted and talented that are now given in class to all the fifth graders add up to between 22 and 29 instructional hours. It's impossible to develop
053a culture of attendance without addressing the overuse of these assessments. Thankfully, the state of Delaware has begun a process of assessment reform, and I hope that you as board members will revisit your resolution and again share your opinions with the state and also use your voices to correct anyone who falsely claims that testbased accountability has been faded out. Thank you. >> Thank you, M. I apologize that I can't read the last name without my glasses, but the first name for the next speaker is Gabriella. Hello. Good evening. Um, all of these comments and this whole thing has been so joyful. I'm sorry to uh throw a grenade. Um, my child was strangled by a classmate at his elementary school last month in April. There is video evidence that he was strangled and that it was
054witnessed by a teacher clear as day. My child stated that this teacher told the classmate to take his hands off of my child and then asked my child if he was okay. No matter no matter how many times he is questioned or from what angle, his story has never changed. None of this was reported by the teacher and this teacher denies seeing or saying anything. We have been through numerous investigations and it all comes down to one thing. There's no audio on the tape. So, we can't prove anything. Due to the lack of audio, this has enabled the teacher to not be held accountable for their actions. Because of this, I am proposing that audio be added to all school security system tapes in the Brandy Wine School District. The school district says that accountability
055is high with these pri with the priority list. So therefore, adding audio to all videotapes will allow for greater accountability across the district. If this was your child, what would you do? Thanks for your time. >> Thank you. Right. It appears there's no other public comment which brings us to board business. Mr. Acriman is first with the Delaware School Boards Association Executive Board. >> The executive board met on the first Wednesday of May. We had a quorum. Uh we discussed the dues for the coming year as well as the dues for this year. There will be no change in DSBA dues. Our dues actually went down slightly uh since we had a few less units than we had in the past. So, we were getting a little bit of a break next year. Uh in
056addition to that, um we did put together a slate of officers for next year, which are all the current officers are going to continue in their positions if they're elected at our next meeting. Uh we do have one new person joining the team uh for our legislative chair. Matt Booker is not running for reelection on his board seat, but um Jason Snow from Smyrna is going to be the legislative chair for the next school year for DSBA. Thank you, Mr. Ekerman. Mr. Scarbot, district finance. >> Uh, district finance committee met last week uh May 13th uh where we discussed the monthly financial report for April. Um, also, uh, conversation, the I think I mentioned last month the district finance committee made up of members of the public as well as some district representation, but it's
057a communitydriven group and they've been very uh, intentional over the last couple years um, with regards to referendum and being mindful of how that is delivered and approached and communicated to the public. So, we're going to it's going to be a continuing theme in the near future. Um, last referendum we went to the public and told them that we would, you know, it would be money that would last three years at least. Um, we'll be doing what we can to stretch those dollars out, but as that three-year window approaches. Uh just wanted to share with the board that it is top of mind for the committee and uh those conversations will start to uh you know accelerate as uh as needed. And our next meeting is scheduled for uh Wednesday, June 10th, 5:00 p.m. uh
058online as well as in the district uh boardroom. >> Thank you. Maintenance advisory committee, Mr. Senator Jimmy. >> Uh we had a meeting on May 5th at Conquered High School. We went over with Mr. Reid the uh grounds, the new uh grass, Bermuda grass that had been put in. And we also looked at the uh HVAC system that needed some emergency repairs. Uh we actually just toured parts of Conquered High School and it was a really good um kind of introduction to all aspects of uh what was going on with uh how the building works and and how it runs. So it was a really good experience. I want to say that our next meeting is June 2nd. Let me double check where we will be having it. Uh oh, this is actually very interesting.
059It'll be June 2nd. We're actually touring the Pritchette Academy, which if you know anything, it's not in our district. It's in the Christina district. Um, but they have made a lot of uh really wonderful upgrades to that building. I had a chance to go there uh last year and it's uh it's a really interesting place. It's an interesting model for uh looking at the future and seeing what what buildings can look like and I'm sure we're also going to see if there are any things there that we want to avoid in terms of uh changing our building. So June 2nd at the Bridget Academy. >> Thank you. Now, Miss Stock is not present for parent and citizens advisory committee, but I am aware that the next meeting for that group won't be until the fall.
060Um, Mr. Lavoy is going to be presenting for parent council for students with disabilities. >> Thank you. And this was the last meeting uh of this council for students with disabilities for the school year and it met on May 11th. Um BSD welcomed families for an evening focused on connection, collaboration, and support for students with disabilities and their caregivers. Parents participated in presentations and breakout sessions designed to strengthen family school partnerships and provide practical information and resources. Pardon me. The evening featured guest speaker Karen James, parent advocate and founder of Speaking of Special Needs, who shared personal experiences raising a child with significant disabilities. Her presentation highlighted the importance of empathy, communication, and collaboration between schools and families while also providing insight into the daily experiences and advocacy efforts of parents of children with disabilities.
061Parents also received updates from Mr. John Reid, Brandy Wine School District's director of facilities on district accessibility and inclusion projects, including ADA improvements, inclusive playground initiatives, accessibility renovations, and future facility planning to better support students with disabilities across the Brandy Wine School District schools and programs. Additional break breakout sessions then provided families with information on understanding autism and available supports and services and behavior assessments and how they guide support. Families had opportunities to ask questions, network with other parents, and provide feedback on future parent council topics and supports. The parent council continues to provide an important forum for family engagement and collaboration of our BSD, excuse me, as BSD works continuously to ensure inclusive and supportive learning environments for all of our students. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Lavoy. Uh Mr. Nimmy, Wilmington Learning
062Collaborative. Uh yes, we had a meeting on the 27th of April. We had another meeting on the 6th of May and there was another event on the 12th of May and there will be another one on the 20th of May. Um there's a lot of things going on in the WLC. There's finalization of the budget. Um trying to reconcile what has been spent and what has been u kind of encumbered if not spent yet. So, there's a lot of things going on in the WLC. Uh, as everyone knows, Harlland is our one school that is part of the WLC and, uh, there are some pretty tangible financial benefits that Harland has been able to reap because of its membership in the WLC. Um, but there are a lot of things going on in that uh,
063organization um, that, you know, are trying trying to determine how it's going to really go forward during the summer and into the next year. a lot of programs uh for people involved, for the teachers and administrators involved and uh it's moving in a in a direction to really serve the schools that it's it it has in its program uh during the summer and onto next year. >> Thank you. And then district success plan committee, Mr. Jordan and Mr. Lavoy. >> Uh thank you, President Heler. Um so the success plan committee has met um the past several Thursdays at Mount Pleasant Elementary from 5:30 to 7:30. Uh we we've had approximately 14 to 15 people attend our meetings and um and during and it's been a big cross-section of the community. We've had um students from
064our high schools attend. We have had uh teachers attend. We have had former teachers attend. We have had members of the community attend. And during these sessions, we have led um breakout groups to discuss uh the success plan around four different categories including um student achievement, culture, climate, and community, uh teacher retention, and uh financial stewardship. Um during those conversations, we've been um hearing a lot of ideas uh about what the community is looking for with this uh success plan. Um and we have continued those uh most recently last Thursday where we we again met at Mount Pleasant Elementary um to talk more broadly about these categories and how we're going to format this success plan. Um those conversations will continue before we get to the drafting stage. The next meeting um is Thursday, June
06511th, 5:30 to 7:30. Um the public is encouraged to attend uh and to make any comments that it wishes. Um it can always reach out to us. Uh we've also distributed a uh survey um to members of the community whether through our uh the school district's social media or um we've also teamed up with uh the CCOH organization uh to distribute that survey and are looking for um participants to to take those uh because all of that information is going to be useful when it comes time to actually drafting the success plan. So again, um just to repeat, uh next th I'm sorry, not next Thursday, but Thursday, June 11th will be the next meeting. Thank you. >> Thank you. Are there any other board member reports? That brings us to the consent agenda. Is
066there a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion a second. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed or abstensions? Uh, I I'm going to abstain because I was not available for the executive session. Okay. Roll call, please. Miss Harris. >> Mr. >> Yay. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Mr. Jordan. >> Abstain. Mr. >> Yes. Thank you. A motion carries. That'll bring us to personnel matters. Is there a motion to accept the personnel report as discussed in executive session? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion a second. All in favor? >> I. >> Any oppose or abstensions? >> I'm afraid I have to abstain again. >> Roll call, please. Miss Harris. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Mr.
067>> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Mr. Abstain. All right, motion carries. That brings us to student matters. Is there a motion to approve student matters? Let's just go with a roll call, please, Miss Harris. >> Sorry. Is there a motion first? >> So moved. >> A second. >> Second. >> All right. Could we have a roll call, please, Miss Harris? >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes. I must regretfully abstain. >> Thank you. That brings us to 9A. Old business. Dr. O'Hanlin. The BSD revisions to the calendar for 2627 school year. Thank you for your patience. I was trying to run down here out of excitement, so I apologize for taking my time. Um, so good evening everybody. I'd like to bring up an attention to an update to the uh uh calendar
068for the uh 26 27, excuse me, uh for the upcoming school year. As you may be aware, the state has moved the professional development day from October uh 9th to September 15th. And as a result of that, October 9th will no longer be a professional development day and will now be a regular instructional day for students. Uh the calendar has been updated to reflect this change. We'll do our uh communicate with this with our staff and our community and our parents. Um so that's that. I just also want to inform the board that moving forward I'm going to be stepping into the role as uh the chair of the calendar committee and I certainly welcome any thoughts and feedback from the board regarding the calendar. Um and in additional we're going to be emailing families
069PSC families uh the in the coming weeks a survey regarding the 2728 calendar calendar in order to gather feedback uh about that. So happy to be on board. >> Thank you. Is there a motion to accept the change to the calendar? So moved. >> Second. Motion a second. All in favor? I >> I. >> Any oppose or abstensions? Motion carries. Thank you. >> Dr. Rivera, the Boys and Girls Club, Lisa Denim. >> Good evening. There's only one minor um update I would like to give to the presentation um and the draft that you saw last month. There was an edit. there was a change. It's very minor that you probably did not pick up on the uh through our negotiations since the last board meeting. Uh the Boys and Girls Club asked for additional storage
070space having a closet two closet spaces which increased the percent of the lease from 24% to 25% which is represented in the amount that they were also being built. So that number increased as well. So that was the only change. We did follow up on the question, President Heler, you asked about uh facilities use in the evening. They said they use it usually as late as 900 p.m. every night. However, they did say they have been allowing another organization to use the gym on Sundays, which I said now that they need to go through our facilities use and will be charged for that usage. So, those are the two updates. >> Thanks. And you were looking for approval tonight, correct? >> Yes. >> All right. Correct. Is there a motion to approve the lease for
071the Boys and Girls Club? >> just to clarify, there is language in that contract that prevents them from subleasasing or subleting. >> Correct. Our leases have that language in it. >> That's thought. Okay. Thank you. >> Move to accept. >> There's a motion. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Motion to second. All in favor? >> I. >> Any oppose or abstensions? Motion carries. Dr. McKini. Oh, there you are, Dr. McKini. Uh, for the student code of conduct, second readal approval. >> Good evening, President Heler, Superintendent Lawson, members of the board, those of you who are assembled here, those of you who are joining us virtually. I am Dr. Yolanda McKini. I'm here tonight seeking board approval for the 2627 student code of conduct. Last month you had the opportunity to hear from members of
072the committee to review the proposed changes and thank you to all of you for providing feedback and comments on our working Google doc. So tonight I'm just here to ask if you have any final questions or comments and then I will be seeking your approval to move forward with the 2627 student code of conduct. I'm concerned with the uh changes under search and seizure. I don't think I can vote for this until we've had our attorney review it. Um I'm not I I don't like all this right and this and that and blah blah blah. Um that's to me just too much. I don't want to burden school staff. If there's a problem, I want them to be able to deal with it. Um, so I would like to move to table this until next
073month after our attorney reviews it and provides us feedback. >> Thank you. >> What section is that, Mr. Eman? >> It's page 21 of the code of conduct. >> Uh, if you look at board doc's um change of COC is what code of conduct final approval is. >> I got it. Page 21. Um, could I could I suggest that if we are going to do that or if that's something that's going to happen, can we have a kind of a schedule so that uh our attorneys can take our attorney can take a look at it? But then, you know, whatever you feel needs to have happen, but I just don't want it to float out until the next meeting. I'd like to make sure that whatever you feel needs to happen actually happens and whoever
074needs to discuss it. I I I would just like to make sure that if we are going to table it that it is um that there's a very concrete plan so that the next meeting there is no such concern. >> And can I just just so that everybody's referencing the exact same document the the second attachment under 9 C says board docs COC final approval. Um that one has this proposed language change in it I believe. >> Mr. President, can we have it uh maybe come back to us at the workshop so that we are ready at the regular meeting to make sure we can approve it. This way we have you know additional time to discuss and you know pick it apart. Um and I would appreciate uh if if we attach the entire
075code of conduct just in board docs just so it's easy and I can see it in context as well as just you know it's great to see the changes. I I love it. And by the way, welcome back, Dr. McKenna. I haven't seen you in a while. Glad to see you. >> Thank you. >> Um, >> but I think it'd be good to have the whole thing so I just kind of look at it as a whole. >> Yeah, great to I was going to suggest that we finalize what Lang if we wanted to go to the attorney tonight, but that's a much better use of the time. So, we'll just put this item on the workshop agenda so we can discuss it fully and then know what we're asking the attorney to look at.
076Sound good, everybody? >> Yeah. I I mean I sorry >> I don't want to rush anybody to a decision but I just wanted just for clarification like what is our communication time frames to um you know go to print communicate to students by the summer and if there's any constraints there would Mr. Mr. Acriman or anyone else be open to approving it with the exception of this section? Um, so we can just focus on this section and approve the other areas. >> I'm told that if we approve it in June, we're still okay on the timeline. >> We are. And I am able to send sections of the code to the printer. Um, so however you guys decide you'd like to do it, if you'd like to approve it pending this part, I'm okay with
077sending that. the part that's been approved. If you decide you want to talk about it at the your retreat and then you want to port the whole thing, June is fine. We still have time to get it to the printer and get it to schools by August. >> So there's no advantage of approving it portions of it. There's no advantage to us approving it in parts as opposed to a whole. Correct. >> No, either would work. >> Mr. Jordan, I think you had a question. Sorry. Um, no. But if I I'm not sure though after Mr. Scrobot's comment if we are going to vote to approve all but the search and seizure part that's on here. And if that's the case, I would suggest the entire search and seizure section be withheld. Not just the
078part here because if we change something on there, it could change something else in that section. So, not just the proposed language, but that entire search and seizure seizure seizure section, excuse me, should be withheld if we're going to >> But I think we have some legal obligations to include it. Correct. >> There's a that the conflict is that what's proposed here goes beyond what the legal obligation. >> Okay. >> Yes. Okay. >> It's to get clarification on on that. I would just ask that other members of the board to if I don't want to come back in June and then have questions or concerns about another area of the code of conduct. If if we're going to postpone it, I would like it to be specifically for this section and not keep postponing this.
079If anything else were to come up, I'd like us to all be certain of our thoughts on any other areas as well. >> I agree. Does anybody have any thoughts on other areas? I do I do think it's cleanest to approve an actual final document though instead of sections. If anybody does anybody disagreeing, can you restate your motion, please? >> Um I I'm good either way. I I could go with your route, Mr. Scrobot, or I can go with just, you know, reviewing it at our workshop and then >> I think one and done is fine. I'd rather not peacemail it. >> Okay. So the mot the motion is to table this until the June meeting but we'll discuss it at the next workshop. >> Yes. Is that correct? >> Pending pending legal review >>
080pending legal >> of the search and Caesar session. >> Is there a second uh for that? So the motion is to table the vote on the code of conduct until the June meeting but it will be added to the June 1st workshop agenda for discussion. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Okay. There's a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I I >> I. >> Any opposed or abstensions? Motion carries. Thank you, Dr. Well, we'll have it next month. >> All right. New business. Um the I don't know if I have the correct. Is this the correct attachment? >> 267. Yeah, we don't have the attachment. >> I think we have the wrong attachment. >> Yeah, it's the incorrect attachment. >> Miss Harris, are you able to email the board the proposed dates? Is
081there >> this is the our meeting? >> Our meeting schedule. >> Oh, I see is um since it wasn't published on the agenda, would somebody entertain a motion to table this to the June meeting? So moved. >> Second. Second. All in favor? I >> I. >> Any opposed or abstensions? Motion carries. We'll move that to the regular June meeting to approve. And that brings us to Mr. McCoy to close out the night with the monthly financial report. Lawson board members on board members and audience members. The only item I have for your consideration tonight is the April 30th, 2026 monthly financial report. Look, excuse me. Looking at the current expense receipts on page one, we have surpassed the amount of tax receipts we budgeted to collect and we will continue to climb as we collect
082the second installment of the senior property tax credit and any remaining real estate tax payments for the next two months. It's worth reiterating that this is due to the delay in appeal settlements and mid-year changes to Brenywine School District's assessed value. As of April 30th, there are 390 appeals remaining for the current school year for Brainy Wine School District, which could lead to a decline of roughly 420 million of assessed value in the district, equating to a tax revenue of roughly $3.5 million. Additionally, for next school year, there's a new aotment of appeals, 177 new appeals for next year with another $75 million of assessment at risk or roughly $2 million in tax revenues. With that said, there are state bills that have passed that allow districts to reset their tax rate to a revenue
083neutral level for fiscal year 2027. And that should help us counteract some of the impacts we're seeing from these appeals. Many of the appeals we have planned for, but we're seeing that some of the appeals are landing at values lower than we anticipated. Line two, interest. Uh, it looks like we will surpass what we budgeted for interest. Um, I was worried earlier in the year. I I stood up here and I said we may not make that budget number because I expected our interest rate to decline. However, the interest rate has stayed steady in the 4% range and it finally started to decline in um, May. So, we'll see probably lesser interest per month, but we should still meet our budget. Looking through the remainder of the revenue report, the percent received in all categories
084looks quite solid. There's no areas of concern from a revenue standpoint. So, if there are no questions regarding revenue, I'll just keep it moving to the expenditure side. All right. So, moving on to page three. Expenditure lines one and two combined are at 82.85% obligated which is very much in line with the same time period last year which was at 82.83%. Uh you'll see that the board of ed line three is overspent and I did just want to add some context to that. This is because of the change from board docs to diligent which was forced upon us by the vendor. It was the same vendor for both programs. So, they made a switch to diligent and with that came an additional $10,000 fee. Um, we also spent $5,000 on accessibility technology for board meetings.
085So, that pushed us over where we expected to be. That number will get a little higher over budget as there's a few board meetings remaining. For April, there were no other areas of concern on page three that we haven't previously discussed. Total operating expenditures are 78.46%. 46% obligated compared to 84.80 for the same time period last year. Uh just a quick look ahead into May. This uh special education operating unit line 12, you'll see it over spent next month. There were a large amount of change orders and purchase orders that came through in early May to finish out the school year. Um on page four, keeping with the special education trend, line 29, special education tuition tax remains over spent. However, it was previously at $2 million and we were able to reduce it by
086300,000 through uh what are called payroll funding adjustments where we can code pair professionals into vacant teacher units and that will move their pay from local to state line items. Overall, special education costs have become a significant challenge for the district's budget. Uh the special education director, Dr. Hess and her team have worked non-stop to control the costs, but the needs of our children in the district, and the costs associated with those needs outweigh the cost control efforts that we've been able to implement for this school year. As we begin to plan fiscal year 2027, special education costs will be a priority item for our review. >> Quick question. Can um I know not looking for a individual breakdown but can you say what the costs are in terms of is it personnel equipment just
087things of that nature and do we anticipate it being yeartoyear or you know a grand outlay for one year will you know maybe carry over value to the subsequent years. >> So the major cost driver that we're seeing this year are contractors. Um, as we have difficulties filling special education teacher vacancies, we then have to fill those roles with contractors, as we new students enter our district that have needs that we can't accommodate with current staffing levels, we then have to staff up to accommodate those needs. So, it's it the main priority is contractor costs. Um, will that hang around next year? I I don't have the answer to that. Uh but it's something that we're going to really dive into and make sure we have our hands wrapped around it. Uh moving on to
088page five, it shows the individual school building budgets. All are within their budget with um most that are are well below their budget. Conquered High School will be a bit tight for the remainder of the school year since they're at 94.75%. But uh we have made them aware of their spending limitations for the year and through that process they've identified fair amount of ways to cut spending in fiscal year 27 so that they are not up against their budget towards year's end. Moving on to page six, it shows the district's use of prior year funds. The big ticket item on this page that um changes the most month-to-month is line 28, the unique alternatives line. This is state funding for when BSD places students with disabilities in an alternative learning environment. The state funds us
089with prior year money during the current year, which is why you see a large balance and a large amount of spending and incumbrances on this prior year report. The remainder of things have been relatively unchanged from month to month. Uh, are there any questions on expenditures before I move on to the cash flow statement? All right, looking at the cash flow statement on page seven, you'll see that the ending balance is now $9.1 million. Uh, this is the second month in a row that we've seen a decline in the ending balance. The reason for the decline is that I'm just a little hesitant um with all of the appeals that seem to be settling lately. We've had some big ones settle. Um I'm not sure if those large prop parcels are asking for a refund
090or a credit. Um if they ask for a refund, it there is a possibility that it could be pulled out of this year's tax receipts. However, um the big unknown in that process is if the county has the capacity to handle those refunds from now until the end of the year. I think there is still a major backlog of refunds from the the first goaround of when we reset our tax rate. So >> Mr. McCoy, do you have the examples that you shared with the district finance committee to share with the board? >> Yes. >> Just the two examples of the non-residential properties. >> So there were two major non-residential properties that settled within the past couple weeks, the past few weeks. The first one is the Briny Wine Country Club property that um we
091now will hopefully share soon with Brandine Country Club Apartments LLC. The previous assessment when it was originally assessed was $24.5 million. Um, they requested a value of $12.3 million in the appeals process and they were I guess I will say they were awarded an $8.1 million assessed value. So, they asked for $12 million and they landed at $8.1 million. That's a decrease in assessment of $16.4 million which is um $171,000 in tax revenue. The other even larger one is the uh conquered mall parcel that was valued at $70.2 million. Through the appeal process, they were reduced by $47 million and their new total is $23 million. Um the decrease represents a decrease of $489,000 in district tax revenue. So that's kind of what we're seeing. the the remaining appeals from from this school year are
092mostly commercial and larger dollar amount. Um that's why we still have such a huge uh amount out there that we could we could still lose in our total assessment. And so we will be very lucky that we have the ability to reset our tax rate to account for these types of situations. Had we not had that ability, I I do not know what we would have done. >> Um, >> Mr. McCoy, could you just clarify what body made those decisions about the re >> Sure. >> assessment. >> So, these parcels appeal to Newcastle County to reduce their assessment. Um, Newcastle County then hires a third party to go out and do um, uh, valuation of the property. And that valuation they they send back to Newcastle County with recommendations of where the assessed value should
093land and Newcastle County takes that information and turns it into their their new assessment. >> You don't have the name of the company that they hired, do you? >> I do not have it off the top of my head, but I could get it for you. >> Thank you. >> Yep. more of a statement than a question, but I wonder how many residential appeals came in 30 40 50% lower than uh even what they were asking. Uh seems an interesting process that a commercial property would recommend a value and the county would come in even lower than that when I'm sure if you turned around the insured values of these properties would be a lot closer to the uh original assessments. The one thing that we have going for us in for the Brandy Wine
094Country Club is that obviously they will build many residential properties on there and that will slowly build up the assessed value as those become complete. >> As well as provide children for our schools. >> Yes. Um so another item that I wanted to note on the cash flow statement um is we have the header over May that it is a three pay month. Um the first pay in May was on May 1st. Um that means the cash was pulled from our accounts on April 30th. Because of that the month of April actually shows the cash impact of three pays. As you can see in the expenditure line um in April where it's $9 million of expenditures. That's because there were three pays. So, I adjusted May downwards to only factor in two pays. Um, so
095it now has the header that it has three pays, but it has a lesser amount because one of the three pays was pushed back into April for cash flow purposes. Um, and if there are no questions on that, the district finance committee approved. >> One second, Mr. Is there any benefit just to and I missed this at district finance committee but for the three pay even though May has the pays but it comes out in April. Is there anything asterisk or a footnote for this? >> Um I did add the little note in in red at the bottom. >> Oh red plain as day. Thank you. >> Yeah. Sorry. >> It's very tiny font though, so I could see how it was easily missed. >> Put my glasses back on my forehead. Thank you. Uh,
096so the district finance committee approved the April 30th, 2026 monthly financial report at their May 13th meeting. >> Dr. Lawson, I do notice as um Mr. McCoy went through the report that we are spending $5.8 million to support charter schools, which is lower than the amount we budgeted. So that's great. Um, are do we actually know all the students that are attending the charter schools? Do we have their enrollment information? We do, sir. >> So, can we market to them to come back to our district? Maybe like do special open houses or guided tours. I mean, I think it's time to compete. Um, you know, the one school that comes to mind for me is Odyssey Charter when they clog up Green Street in the afternoon. They stop their bus in the middle of Green
097Street and their cars all around that bus and the kids get off the bus and they go to cars. So, they were literally, you know, sucking kids out of the neighborhood. um and causing a problem in the neighborhood at the same time. But I think we should market to those people because I think we we definitely have things to offer parents. Um and I'll tell you some odyssey stories later that I heard from a co-orker whose wife is a teacher there, but don't public session. But you know, nothing to say bad about them per se, but I just think we should try to compete and you know, go after those students to bring them back to the Brandy Wine School District. We are officially competing. >> We are >> good to know. >> Move to
098accept the recommendation of the financial report subject to audit. Is there a second? >> Second. >> All right. Motion a second. All in favor? >> I. >> Any oppose or abstensions? Motion carries. That brings us to our Thank you, Mr. That brings us to our general information. The board workshop that we've mentioned will be on June 1st at Mount Pleasant Elementary. Our next regular board meeting is June 16th at Mount Pleasant Elementary. And then assuming we approve the calendar, the following board meeting will be Monday, July 20th, also at Mount Pleasant Elementary. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> Quick quick comment. Graduation on the 30th. I want to make sure you know Frank and everybody on 31st. Sorry. I'm going to my friend's engagement party on the 30th. That's why. Uh but yeah, I
099just wanted to make sure everybody knew, you know, 31st we're going to be there. Um and it's going to be quite the event. So look forward. >> Best day of the year. Yes. Best day of the year. >> 31st. >> Thank you. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> So move. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> All right. All in favor? I >> motion carries. Have a great night, everybody.