001Good evening everyone. We're going to uh call the meeting to order. It's 7:01 p.m. We are at Mount Pleasant High School in the auditorium. I'm going to ask Mr. Scrobot to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. >> 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. >> Second. >> Mr. Arian, Mr. Scorbot. All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries. I'd like to welcome the principal of Mount Pleasant High School, Evanthia Fill up to welcome us. [applause] >> Thank you for being such a gracious host. >> Thank you. All right. Okay. So, Brandy Wine School District Board of Education, Dr.
002Lawson, District Office of NBSD representatives, and all guests. Good evening and welcome to Mount Pleasant High School. At Mount, we are many things. We are inclusive, musical, athletic, academic, and talented. We are avid. We are IB. Most importantly, we are accountable, respectful, and engaged. Over the past year, as a cohesive unit, we have placed an emphasis on strengthening school climate and building our sense of community. We model and reinforce we are daily and hope that this shared language has helped create a more positive inclusive environment where students take ownership of their learning, grasp the opportunities available to them and contribute to a culture of belonging and high expectations. We encourage all to join us in this journey and experience the amazing growth of and talent of our students by attending an upcoming event that showcases
003both our climate and our school spirit. In addition to getting to listen to and hear a few of our students later on this evening, there will also be quite a few opportunities in the near future. First, we have a variety show tomorrow evening which showcases our musical talent. Then at the end of this month sponsored by BSU and Girls Empowered, we have our Greek nightstep showcase. We also have MMA Mia, which will be at the end of March. And of course, we have our winter athletics slowing down, but don't worry, spring is right around the corner with more sports and spring concerts. Thank you again again for joining us tonight and for your continued commitment to our success, both to our students and the Brandy Wine School District in general. We look forward to seeing
004you at a Mount event in the near future. Thank you. [applause] >> Thank you. Thank you. And I'd like to recognize the steel drum group that was performing when we came and they were incredible. Thank you. [applause] That brings us to our school spotlights. We're going to start with Conquered High School, Michaela Michaelelsson and Molly Andrews. >> Good evening everyone. I am President Michaela Michaelelsson and I am Vice President Molly Andrews of Conquered High School Student Council. We are so excited to bring you up to speed on all the amazing things that have happened at Conquered over the last month. We are so happy to be back to school after our snowation. Before we dive in, we want to give a huge thank you to our amazing conquered faculty staff for the hard working so
005hard to get us back to school quickly and safely. Switching gears from the snow mode to sports mode, conquered athletics has also been thriving. Our boys and girls swim team captured the Blue Hen Conference B Championship just a few weeks ago. The boys basketball team has also been making waves. Currently ranked 10th in the state with an impressive 12 and4 record and a major victory over last year's state champion Sanford School. Girls basketball is also holding a strong and promising record of 11 and5. Wrestling stands 10 and six and Anna Wade, last week's stellar athlete of the week candidate along with the swim team holds an outstanding 10-1 record. But enough bragging about sports. Let's talk about even more Raider talent. Three BSD students were recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists and writers as
006gold key awardees and the 2026 Delaware regional scholastic art awards. And all three of those students were conquered Raiders. We are incredibly proud of each and every one of our students for continuing to demonstrate the Raider way both in and out of the classroom. In the month of February, we recognize Black History Month, and Conquered has been working hard to honor Black History, culture, and achievements. Currently displayed in the hallway is a wonderful periodic table of black history highlighting influential black leaders, innovators, artists, activists, and trailblazers from the past and today. In addition, in February, JDG students took a field trip to the teen warehouse where they learned more about financial literacy. The music department also had an outstanding accomplishment with eight students earning a place in the Delaware All State Chorus. Continuing the theme
007of achievements, several students have made decisions about their future. Congratulations to Anthony No, Briana Kan, Brody Bell, Sarah Dawson who will be playing softball, Anna Fergil who will be playing golf, Drew Lazortek and Avery Schneider who are both playing lacrosse and Sienna Commodorei who is playing gymn doing gymnastics and continuing their academics and athletics at the following schools. University of Delaware, Winer University, Townson University, Kings College, Newman University, and Thomas Jefferson University. That concludes our February board report. Are there any questions for the board? >> Thank you. Any questions? >> All right. Thank you. >> I I did have a question. um when when the board met tonight, we we met at the library at um of Mount Pleasant and there was a question, a would you rather question in the library for students to
008drop uh you know a coin or whatever and and I thought it was a great one particularly for for now. So, I ask you two, uh, would you rather, and and the choices are, would you rather have attended, um, Martin Luther King Jr's I have a dream speech or walk along with Harriet Tubman along the Underground Railroad? It's a It's a very difficult question. >> You want to answer first? >> I'm going Martin Luther King speech. I feel like that's a good one. I feel like I would choose Harriet Tman with the Underground Burrow Road because when we were learning about that growing up, I always thought that was cool and learn. >> Great. Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Next is our hosts, Mount Pleasant High School, Kamani Beetle, and Steven Rice.
009[applause] Or Stephen and guest. I assume you'll introduce your guest. Um, hi. I'm Stephen Rice. >> And my name is Scarlett Egleston. >> We are so glad to see everyone here and tell you all about another amazing month at Mount Pleasant High School. >> First things first, we would love to mention the visit that Mayor John Carney made to our one and only WPHS radio station. He he was interviewed by Mount Pleasant's Franchesca and Annie about the city's homeless initiatives and the city of Wilmington's partnership with the Friendship House, which supports education and community building. Along with that, we would love to acknowledge our IB level 2 student Payton Curtain, who started the engineering for sustainability team with a goal to create a hands-free gardening system for lowincome families. After submitting their design, they went
010on to be nationally recognized with the promising Stern innov STEM Innovation Award. So, we would love to send a congratulations to Payton and his team for all of their hard work and dedication. >> I would like to mention all the art students that were recognized with the 2026 Scholastic Art Award. Their work was judged by a team of creative professionals who selected entries from all over the region. And as winter sports season is heading to an end, we would love to both send lots of love to our winter athletes for an amazing season. Especially being sure to shout out the wonderful Kelly Bradley who has won boys swim coach of the year. And as someone who has been coached by her for the past four years, I'm so grateful for her support and teachings. And
011we would like her to know that she will be missed and we wish you the best in your retirement. We would also like to send out a shout out to Kylie Perkins for winning Delaware online athlete of the month and also her accomplishments at Bluehand Conference. [applause] [cheering] As always, the Mount Pleasant music department is in full swing. We would love to congratulate Nihala Anishh and Atlas W Kowalsski for making it into the all state orchestra as well as Christopher Green and Brendan Kohley for making it into all state band. We would also like to mention as Miss Fu just did that Mount Pleasant is having their annual variety show here at Mount Pleasant. It will take place tomorrow night at 7 p.m. and we would love to see you there. I would also like
012to mention the trip that some of our Mount Pleasant faculty took to New York to see The Great Gatsby. We love to see that they are more than just co-workers. They're a community. >> And as you know, February is Black History Month, and our wonderful BSU has created a Black History Spirit week to help show our school's diversity and community. >> And to conclude our report, we we'd like to say a thank you for joining us here at Mount Pleasant High School. We hope to see you soon and enjoy the rest of your night. And as always, we are >> Mount. >> Any questions from the board? [applause] >> Thank you, Stephen and Charlotte. Any questions? >> Uh, I have a couple. Um, are you guys going to perform tomorrow night in the >> Yes,
013we will both be there. >> You both be there. Okay, that's great. Um, and I'll ask you the same question um I asked earlier about the would you rather. So, would you rather have attended Martin Luther King Jr.'s I have a dream speech or worked with Harriet Tubman along the Underground Railroad? >> Um, I think I would love to see Dr. King's speech. I think it's just an important part of American history and I would love to see it. >> Um, I would have to go with Walk with Harriet Tubman. >> Yeah. >> Great. Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Next up is Brandy Wine High School. Logan Scott and Julian Moroni. >> Hello everyone. I'm Logan Scott, Brandywine Student Council President. >> And I'm Julian Moroni. I'm the vice president of Brand Student
014Council. >> And we are so excited to share all of the wonderful things that have been happening at Brandy Wine High School this month. As a result of the snow days we had, many students had the opportunity to go outside and enjoy the snowy weather. We are very thankful for our custodial staff and their hard work clearing the parking lot and walkways so that students could have a very safe return to school. Brandy Wine held a ceremony to celebrate our new students who have been inducted into one or more of our many national honor societies. In addition, we hosted our soup herbal event where our culinary and art students teamed up to sell bowls of soup. Brandywine High School recently earned silver AP school honoral recognition. Sorry, I lost my place. Representing Brandy Wine's dedication
015to expanding access to AP classes as well as supporting our hardworking students in these advanced courses. We would also like to congratulate student Drienne Howell on reaching an incredible sports milestone, recently scoring his 1,000th career point for our boys basketball team. >> [applause] >> Last week, our Branduine High School staff participated in traumainformed courses hosted by the DEA to grow their abilities to support all of our students. Additionally, we are proud of our several students representing Brandy Wine's dedication to the Special Olympics at their leadership conference. I will now pass it over to Vice President Julian Good evening, members of the board. I'd like to share a few highlights and upcoming events at Brandywine. Two weeks ago, students participated in a ski trip to Elk Mountain, which was a great opportunity for us to get
016out of our houses and have some fun during our snow week. >> [clears throat] >> Looking ahead, we're excited for our BHS pop invent incentive featuring performances from our school bands and showcasing the talent of our music students. We also have the Matilda musical coming up with showtimes later this month. The class of 27 has has been hosting a Valentine's Day soft pretzel sale to support class activities and engage our student our school community. Finally, as winter sports wind down, we have started spring sports signup with an exciting season on the way. That's all from me. Thank you. >> Are there any questions from the board? >> Thank you, Logan and Julian. >> Any questions? >> Um, yeah, I had a couple. Are either one of you guys going to perform in Matilda or do
017stage crew? You are. Yeah. Okay, fantastic. Um, and same question to you guys that I asked before, but would you rather have seen Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, I have a dream speech, or participated uh walked with Harriet Tubman along the Underground Railroad? >> I would have to go for the uh speech. I don't think I could uh walk the Underground Railroad. See, I would go with Walking with Harriet Tubman because I think a lot of people really underestimate how difficult it was to walk along that path to escape slavery. And I think that it would definitely be a learning experience and just make it seem so much more impactful if I was able to walk along with her. >> Yeah. I mean, I think so, too. And um she has Delaware ties, too, working
018with Thomas Garrett. Um if you don't know that story, it's one to read, too. It's really good. Yeah. >> Thank you, Logan and Julian. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Excited about our next item on the agenda. This is uh new this year. We have um students who are going to present our Black History Month presentation and um talk about a century of Black History. So, we're going to bring up um Ashley Dodson, Lauren Hollis, and London Benson. Good evening everyone. We are Mount Pleasant student voice advisory facilitators. I am Ashley Dodson. >> My name is Lauren Hollis. >> And my name is London Benson. And as he said, we are here this evening to talk about the significance of Black History Month. Black History Month began as a response to exclusion from mainstream history. In
0192026, as we hit the 100red-year milestone, we are reminded that recognition was fought for and not freely given. While progress has been made, representation is still uneven to this day. Honoring black excellence today means not only remembering the past, but committing to equity in the present and the future. In 20 in 1926, historian Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week to address the absence of black history in American education. These dates were February 7th to February 14th. He believed education could challenge inequality and promote understanding. In 1976, this effort grew into what we know today, recognized as Black History Month. During the Jim Crow laws, black students were underfunded and overcrowded. Howard High School was the only black school in our area for black students, and they had to travel long distances to attend. These
020inequalities led to cases like Belton B. Goart. >> In 1954, Brown versus Board of Education ruled segregation unconstitutional. Despite this, many states resisted integration, leading to federal enforcement, followed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banning racial discrimination in federally funded schools. White flight and the rise of private schools led to resegregation in many districts. As a result, policies like No Child Left Behind placed more pressure on already underfunded urban schools. In Delaware, the Neighborhood Schools Act of 2001 further reinforce segregation through housing patterns and reclining. However, with inequalities still to this day, significant progress has been made through policy changes, advocacy, and increased awareness. As we reach 2026, this reminds us that progress is possible, but it requires continued commitment. Next slide, please. Thank you. As you can see, um the African-American culture has
021three main key factors. one being food, one being music, and one being art. For example, fried chicken is known as a staple or comfort food brought from West Africa and now rooted in our daily southern life. Similar to the history of art and music in the African-American culture, all brought to blend African traditions into the life of America. Next slide, please. We see black excellence in our teachers, students, and alumni. Also in our leaders who have broken barriers such as Barack and Michelle Obama, Kla Harris in showing us all the importance of representation in our leadership roles. John Lewis, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ketta Scott Shetta Scott King, sorry, showed courage and commitment during the civil rights movement. Today, Delaware Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester continues to inspire us in Delaware. Across the
022Brandy Wine School District, Newcastle County, and Delaware, our black leaders, educators, students continue to the astounding legacy of excellence, perseverance, and ingenuity. From our advocates, first responders, and so much more have all shaped our state. Our school reflects all of this and so much more. The local impact shows us that black history is present, living, growing, and here in our community. Why Black History Matters today. Black History Month is not only about recognizing the full story, but also making sure the struggles and achievements of black individuals are acknowledged. Reviewing and celebrating the history of our culture helps us honor the growth we've made. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Thank you. I just want to um comment every everyone knows that public speaking is not easy. That was an excellent presentation. I really appreciated the way
023that you shared it was amazing [applause] and thank you for your service on student voice. Um any questions or comments for the ladies, >> right? >> Um I I thought that was fantastic. I mean really fantastic. Um the only thing I would say I don't know if you've been out to Hookass school 107C, but if you haven't, you should really get out there because that was the school that led to the uh the Getart decision in Delaware for desegregation and it's turned into something of a little mini museum. Um, but some of the students who went there are still alive today. Now, they're they're in their 90s, but if you go there, they will come and tell you what life was like for them. Um, it's moving and and it's really a a great place.
024So, Hoken School 107C, it's they have a website. Um, they had a little mini documentary um a few years ago with Newcastle County, but it it's it's really incredible. >> Thank you. Do you know what the one school district in Newcastle County that did not resee with the Neighborhood Schools Act? >> No. Can you please educate me? >> Brandy Wine. >> I'm already knowing. >> Any other questions or comments? I would just like to acknowledge these three young ladies in putting themselves forth to be part of the student voice advisory which we've had for several years now in BSD and also acknowledge Dr. Yolanda McKenna and Miss Adrienne Stanberry who lead that group. Thank you for what you do. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Oh >> wait, there was another >> Do you know why
025February? Well, she had um talked about the uh specific um >> the week >> specifically. >> Why that week? >> I do not know about that. >> Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas's birthday are se celebrated on those days. >> Wow. Thank you. >> Very cool. >> Thank you again. [applause] Next, we have uh special recognition of some special staff members. I'm going to ask Dr. O'Hanland to come up. Good evening everybody. Throughout the year, we've been recognizing um individuals and organizations that have been instrumental um in our community. Um and this evening, we would like to recognize two individuals. So I can get my stuff out here. Yeah. I think one of the kids took it. [laughter] >> And I think one of the Yeah, the students took it. Anybody [laughter] >> So we have
026prepared remarks. I believe it may have been taken by one of the other presenters about Mr. Mrs. Bradley. Um we we do want to rec and one of the students may [laughter] >> [gasps] >> Oh dear lord. This is what I get for preparing I guess uh you know ahead of time. >> Wonderful. There we go. [laughter] >> Andrew for the next meeting. make sure we have some Jeopardy music queued up for uh on the ready. >> You guys are lucky. I don't do that for everybody. So, just so you know, just so you know as well. So, throughout the year, uh we honor individuals or organizations that have uh dedicated years of service to the Brandy Wine School District, whether it be through uh our athletic programs, our extra uh curricular activities, or just
027overall service to the Brandy Wine School District community. Uh contrary to my physique, I was not a swimmer for for Dave and Kelly. So, I just want to make clarify that before before I start speaking here. Um, but we're here tonight to honor Dave and Kelly Bradley for their years of service to the Brandy Wine School District. Not necessarily for their teaching, which is an amazing uh tenure of service, but their their uh swimming uh career and coaching in the Brandy Wine School District. So, I'm just going to read a few few remarks here. Since 1989, the pool deck at Mount Pleasant High School has been more than just a place for competition. It has been a classroom for life. Led by the steady hand and inspiring heart of Kelly Bradley. As this season draws
028to a close, so does an extraordinary era of leadership, mentorship, and athletic achievement. Kelly's tenure has been defined by a rare balance of competitive drive and genuine care for her students. Her influence has extended far beyond W's edge, earning her prestigious recognition that speaks to her dedication as an educator. These notable achievements include district teacher of the year, which was a testament to her ability to engage minds in the classroom just as effectively as she has coached athletes on the board. She was also named an Eagles pro allpro teacher recognizing her as a standout professional who consistently went birds, right? Who consistently went above and beyond the Mount Pleasant community. There's always next year and there's over we'll be back. Don't worry. [laughter] For nearly four decades, Kelly has been the backbone of the swimming
029and diving programs. She didn't just coach swimmers. She shaped young adults. And her legacy includes navigating decades of early morning practices and late night meets with unwavering energy, inspiring generations of Eagles uh to find their confidence whenever they are perfecting their back dive or or shaving seconds off a personal best and building a culture of sportsmanship and pride that has become synonymous with Mount Pleasant High School. says, "A note of gratitude, uh, Kelly, as you hang up the whistle in the end of this season, you leave behind a trail of inspired alumni, colleagues, and colleagues who admire your work ethic and a program that stands stronger because of your service. You have taught us that while medals are grand, the discipline, the resilience, and the character build strong along the way are the true prizes."
030Mr. Bradley, Dave Bradley as well, for 53 years, Mr. Bradley uh students, parents, and fellow teachers in the Brandy School District and throughout the city of Delaware have been graced by a gifted and dedicated educator, coach, and advocate in Dave Bradley. Dave taught social studies and life skills throughout his remarkable career to students of all ability levels, from those with complex learning needs to those in advanced high school courses at Mount Pleasant High School. Dave coached both tennis for 12 years and girls swim for 37 years, during which time he was selected the Delaware swimming coach of the year in 1992 and his team was crowned the Blue Hen Conference Champion for 5 years straight from 2011 to 2016. Dave also served for eight years as the Brandy Wine Education Associ advocating for fellow teachers
031amid a variety of challenges to public education. And while he was a pioneer in introducing computers as valuable learning tool back in the 1990s, since retiring as a Mount Pleasant teacher, Mr. Bradley has for the past 12 years continued to educate students at Delaware Technical and Community College and also by publishing Beyond the Grade and posting a regular blog about teaching and learning. Dave has also been a steady and clarion voice for student agency founding and leading the Brandy Wine School District student council joint student council for 10 years and he has served on a variety of district committee is helping all of us to keep a laser focus on student growth. So it's with deep gratitude gratitude and as well as regret uh Mr. Mrs. Bradley that we recognize your retirement from coaching, but
032we know that you will continue to serve and cheer on our students and the athletes in your roles as devoted citizens. Mr. Mr. Bradley, if I could walk me up here. [applause] >> [applause] >> Go ahead. Here. Take those. Hang on. [applause] >> Thank you so much for uh all of your service. [applause] Enjoy the well welldeserved retirement. Thank you. That brings us to Dr. Lawson with district news and updates. Oh, sorry. Uh, my own daughter benefited from, uh, Mr. and Mrs. Bradley's coaching expertise as she graduated in 2022. So, congratulations again. Good evening, board president Heler, Vice President Scrobot, members of the board, our audience, and community. As we remain focused on student outcomes data, this month's feature is our midyear NWA MAP data. As a reminder, NWA MAP is a formative assessment given
033three times per year in the fall, winter, and spring to tell us how we're doing in math and reading compared to how like peers are doing nationally related to to growth toward proficiency. NWA map progress helps us predict how we will perform on smarter balance because of the strong correlation between the two. This year we are using updated 2025 growth norms from NWA map that reflect how students nationally have been growing in the most recent years post pandemic. Between fall testing in September and winter testing in January of this year, BSD elementary students in kindergarten through 5th grew at the 56th percentile in math and the 59th percentile in reading. Remember that growing at the 50th percentile assumes students are learning just like the average American student. So, anything beyond the 50th percentile is accelerating
034at them beyond typical growth into stretch growth, synonymous with running past others in a race. Brandy Wine School District's elementary students are six and nine points above the national average growth in both math and reading, respectively. This data continues to validate the changes we made to curriculum and pacing for our early education learners in kindergarten through 2 grade. At the secondary level, students in grades 6 through 10 grew right at the national average in math and four points above it in reading. To dig deeper into this discussion, I return us to our most recent smarter balanced achievement level data and its correlation with the NWA map data I just showed you. Growing students beyond the 50th percentile in NWA MAP increases students growth to proficiency potential. When you look at students who've nearly met the
035cut point for Smarter Balance, the more students grow beyond the 50th percentile in the MAP data, the more likely we are to see more students cross the cut point of meeting standards as they are tied to Smarter Balance. The faster the growth rate, the more content students learn and master in the same amount of time. However, that correlation is just that, a correlation. A student has to sit down and take the Smarter Balance test in good testing conditions and try their very best to get there. Last week, students across our schools across our district and the nation observed National School Counseling Week, a time dedicated to recognizing the vital role school counselors play in education and the positive impact they have on students lives. We are thankful to our school counselors for their support of
036students academic, behavioral, and social emotional successes as well as for their career planning assistance in shaping future opportunities. On behalf of our district, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our school counselors for their unwavering dedication to student success. And we once again would like to extend sincere appreciation to our facilities and transportation teams for their exceptional work during the recent snowstorm, then ice over and current freeze out in conditions we've not seen the like of in many, many years. These essential staff members put in long hours, collaborated with external state and county agencies, and worked closely across departments to step in whenever needed. Their collective efforts were instrumental in ensuring that our buildings were ready to welcome back students safely and quickly as possible. The level of teamwork, dedication, and care for our community reflects
037the very best of our district, and they need to know that it does not go unnoticed. Special thanks to Director John Reid and Supervisor of Transportation Clarence Smith. And so, finally, our monthly sizzle video. >> [music] >> Take two. One, two, and [music] ready. [singing] [music] Yeah. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Halloween. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. >> [music] [music] >> President Heler, this concludes my monthly report. >> Thank you. Any questions for Dr. Lawson? Next on the agenda is public comment. There are no in-person or virtual comment requests, which brings us to board business. Starting with Mr. Acriman, DSBA executive. Uh the executive board has not met and we'll meet again in March. Um however, I did uh attend the NSBA advocacy
038institute in DC on the 2nd and the 3. Um, executive director Tall and I then went to Capitol Hill to uh meet with Congresswoman McBride. We met with the staffs of our two senators, uh, Blunt Rochester and Coons, uh, to kind of express, um, the general NSBA concern that IDA is still not funded at 100% of what was promised 50 years ago. So, you know, there are definitely proposals for full funding. Uh, but that's not happening. I think any funding would be great. Uh, we also acknowledge the fact that we understand that there's a lot of debt involved in in the government in general, but we do think education is important. If you look at the pie of federal spending, um, education is a very very tiny slice of that pie. And increasing it to
039take care of our neediest kids is not really going to break the federal government. But it was a very uh productive visit and I look forward to the NSBA annual conference coming up in April and our executive director's meeting in March. >> Quick comment for Mr. Acriman. Um, I don't know if I saw a news article or what the if it was new legislation being put forward or just conversations are getting a little deeper, but it seems like the general assembly is finally getting some traction on removing the SAT kind of as a measure in state performance numbers. I don't know if they're just going to take that out of the count or rethinking um using that as a measure. So, I just kind of wanted to make sure um that's on DSBA's radar and
040I would like to see uh their influence to work towards removing that measure with the argument we've talked about for a long time being that you know originally when that was started there was a big push for uh kids going to college and less emphasis on the career readiness uh being that all students um the SAT is a measure for students who are going to college and forcing kids to take it who had no interest and you know post high school education kind of was a you know drawing the stats down uh unfairly compared to our neighbors. So just wanted to kind of see where that legislation goes and make sure that we get updates on that moving forward. >> Uh point well taken. Um I'll I'll let Mr. Lavoy cover from the legislative committee
041perspective, but it is one of the goals of DSBA to eliminate the SAT as the sole measure of high school ELA and math performance. >> Yes, my apologies. That should have fallen under legislative. Ditto to you, Mr. Lavoy. [laughter] >> That brings us to Mr. Lavoy. The SBA. >> So, the uh DSBA legislative committee uh has the job of reviewing ongoing legislation or or upcoming legislation and providing some kind of a uh a schoolboard association's approval or opposition. Uh on February 4th at 6:15 in Dover, uh we had a legislative committee meeting. 13 of the 16 districts sent representatives. We considered about 15 different bills that will be brought to the general assembly this season. There was general agreement after some lively discussion and a lot of um contentious discussion um and some questions, legitimate
042questions, and we decided to support eight, oppose five, and table one. Uh I wanted to highlight though there was uh a 7 to6 split between the northern and the southern districts over representative Kim Williams House Bill 243 that authorizes school districts to set different rates for residential and non-residential properties. Seven southern districts opposed the bill. Uh six northern districts supported it. Uh so we'll see what the the committee recommendations will now be delivered to the DSPA executive committee who will then decide at their March 4th meeting which bills the organization officially supports or opposes. So we'll see how that goes down. The next meeting of the SBA Legislative Committee will be April 22nd and do over. I just want to add that in the executive board meeting districts uh votes are weighted based on the
043number of units and your dues. So in the case of Brandy Wine, our units gets us three votes at uh the executive board and me being president gets us a fourth vote. Uh Christina I think has the most votes followed by Red Clay followed by Colonial followed by Aquinamic. So, I did ask the question how the vote would turn out if we put that math into it, but I'm going to ask that question again in March. So, our position on that bill may indeed change. >> Mr. I'll just [clears throat] add that the bill may be revised to reflect only Newcastle County too. That was also floated at least in the superintendent meeting. It may be a bill that's specific to Newcastle County. Was there any reason given for the southern states the southern districts
044uh apparently not wanting the that degree of flexibility? Was there anything that was >> Yes. Because their reassessment processes went fine. So they didn't feel as if there was a need to readjust how residential and non-residential paid because the process went very smoothly and they felt that it was very fair and even. We were the ones that that were challenged up here in Newcastle County in the county building and so that's why >> but the the proposed legislation didn't require them to do something. It just allowed them to correct like they could split the rates. that didn't require them to or didn't require them to I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No, please. >> The legislation would allow a school board to set different rates. Doesn't require them to. >> So, it was originally drafted for the
045whole state, but I think after seeing how folks were weighing in, it may be that the bill is revised to just be a Newcastle County bill, much like the original legislation was. and the board members who were expressing um the reasons that they didn't support that was they felt that it was not businessfriendly and they'd like to attract more business to the area. Of course, you know, I don't know. I read the state news and all all I see going up down there are housing developments. So, I'm not quite sure how that how that all fits, but you know, that was the rationale that people gave as as feedback. >> Great. Um next is district finance committee with Mr. Scarbot. >> Uh, district finance committee met on February 4th. Uh, unfortunately, I did not attend
046that meeting. Uh, Mr. McCoy, uh, can fill us in, but it looks like they did revise uh, review the January 31st monthly financial report. Um, and if there's any other items of note, uh, Mr. McQuick can share that as well. Our next meeting will be March 11th at 5:00 p.m. uh, at the district office conference room. >> Thanks. Um, next is health and wellness. That's me. I shared the minutes with the board because they were quite lengthy this month. Um, we spent a bulk of the time talking over the panorama survey results which is um, essent essentially the surveys that we do each year to gauge students mental health and wellness. Um, Dr. McKini reviewed the wellness section questions and um, some highle data. We um talked about some potential additional questions in future years
047and that was the bulk of the time. Um there is a subcommittee that I'm on that is working on updating the district wellness policy. Um so we gave a brief update on on where that committee stands. We've only held um one meeting so far. We have another one this week. Um, and then there was some more conversation around House Bill 71, which is the bill that requires um additional uh CPR, AED, and first aid training for coaches and accessible AEDs at all athletic venues in where sports that are regulated by DIAA are held. Um, one of the talking points and I've gotten some more data since then is that there there was no money tied to this bill and the cost to be compliant with the bill is in the tune of hundreds of thousands
048of dollars per district. So, we're talking through how to be in compliance and or um provide some feedback on maybe modifying that bill to provide funding. The next health and wellness committee meeting is March 19th at 4 pm. >> That brings us to Mr. Nimmy with maintenance advisory. >> Actually, I'll take that one. U maintenance advisory committee met on January 20th at Carcraftoft Elementary. Uh we reviewed some environmental compliance and regulations uh as they apply to construction projects across the district uh as well as any new projects upcoming. Um just to make sure that you know the district is aware and in compliance with you know current rules and regs. Um Mr. Mr. Reed also informed us that in the month of August, the district performed a series of indoor air quality tests in all
049of our schools and all of our uh all the tests passed with no concerns. Um if many of you remember dating back to the days of COVID, we were well ahead um in terms of our air quality and HVAC and air handling system. So, good to know that we're still there. Uh the committee also reviewed the terms and conditions for two uh long-term leases coming up with conquered soccer and Tallyville softball. Uh the committee made some recommend recommendations uh that'll be outlined in the proposed contracts which are before us I believe for a first read this evening. Um, so we have those and our next meeting is scheduled for February 17th at 6 PM at Tally Middle School. Uh, look forward to seeing everyone there. >> Great. Uh, thank you, uh, Mr. Jordan, parent council
050for students with disabilities. >> Uh, thank you, President Heler. Unfortunately, uh, thanks to the snowstorm, our uh, scheduled meeting was cancelled. Um, but the next meeting will be March 9th. It's a Monday. Uh, that is at Mount Pleasant Elementary as usual, 5:30 to 6:30. Um, there will be refreshments and I believe transportation and child care is available as well uh for those families who need it. So hopefully I will see everyone there March 9th. >> Great. Thank you. Uh, Miss Stock, Parent and Citizens Advisory Committee. >> Yes. Also due to the extreme weather um that meeting was also cancelled. Um however our next meeting will have the same topic and I believe that next meeting is is it March March March 26? March 26 at Mount Pleasant Elementary. Also child care, transportation and a very
051good dinner will be provided too. Thank you, Mr. Nimmy. Wilmington Learning Collaborative. Well, [clears throat] >> we had a meeting on February 4th uh with the WLC. Uh they gave us an update to some of the projects that the WLC had been funding um some BSD so you know some social studies programs and things of that nature. Uh with a grant, three-year grant from the Library of Congress. It was a very interesting and uh really kind of what the WLC was created to to be part of and to to be, you know, their their their goals and their objectives. Um Harland Elementary, the students had an assembly uh where they discussed uh Ruby Bridges and they were able to uh really bring the social studies uh to life and it was a very good experience
052and something that we're all looking forward to. Um, we have a budget hearing on the 18th for the WLC. That's going to be very interesting to see how that progresses. I know I've mentioned before how there's been some money saved up from previous years. It still needs to be spent. I think that this is part going to be part and parcel of determining where that money goes uh and what happens with it. So, the 18th, we also have a workshop, a council retreat on the 18th as well. Um, I know I will be part of it. uh believe Superintendent Lawson will also be and we also have our next WLC meeting will be let me double check but I want to say it will be March March 4th and we will be discussing again things
053that we discussed in the retreat and the budgeting process going forward. So, uh, again, if there are any projects, again, any projects that that might be really appropriate for Harlem WLC, have them in the hopper ready to go and it'll benefit us just to be able to have it. >> Thank you. Next is Mr. Lavoy 91.7 WH. >> The uh the last meeting was uh November 10th of 1920 19. Yeah. 2025 and the next advisory board meeting will be March 9th u at 6 p.m. at the Mount Pleasant High School radio station. Uh nothing new to remember. We're still looking for a good manager. Uh and just remember to tune in to Super 91.7 FM at home or in your car or by streaming wmp.net net for a robust menu of student generated news, interviews,
054[clears throat] sports coverage, and a broad spectrum of musical favorites. >> And you can check that out right in the lobby here of Mount Pleasant High School as well. >> Yes, you can. >> All right. Um Mr. Acriman for the new board policy review committee. >> Yes. Uh we closed out the um call we've made to parents uh as of last Friday. Uh so we have some folks to review. Um Mr. Lavoy and I will kind of go through that list and and see who we like and then we'll bring it back uh to you President Heler to uh bless it and we should have our first meeting sometime in March. And I would think that, you know, we'll start with reviewing at least one or two policies and then possibly talking about a new
055policy uh in or updating our communication device policy uh to comply with the mandate from the state that we have a cell phone policy. >> Great. I was pleasantly I don't know surprised is the right word, but I was very happy to see the number of community members that applied. there was more than usual I would say the uh engagement so that that made me happy. Thank you. Um and then just a a note at the board workshop last week um we had talked about that the topic of the workshop was a district success plan. Um and the group had kind of decided at the workshop that the best path forward on updating or revamping or replacing the district success plan is to create a um committee to focus on that work. So um officially
056I guess I'm going to appoint Mr. Jordan and Mr. Lavoy to lead that committee and then hopefully they will um same thing we're going to we're going to have some community members on that committee staff uh executive team members um and and hopefully they can come back next month and give us a little bit of update on the formation and how we're going to get started with that committee. Um for a little bit of background, the last time that the board was involved in the update of the district success plan was back when Dr. Hollik was superintendent. So it's been um quite a while. I think it was my first year. So in the 201617 um neighborhood was the last time the board was involved in that. So I'm excited to to get it updated.
057Um next is our I'm sorry any other board member >> Mr. Her I just like to say as one of the co-chairs of that we're interested in all voices having some kind of say. So if you out there are interested and anybody who's listening in contact you through Mr. Jordan or myself. Uh we'd be interested to hear from you. >> Yes, I agree. >> But but Frank, also um maybe we could get something on 91.7, an advertisement or something to spread the word that way. >> Yeah. Work with Dr. O'Hanlin on um on the process of collecting interest. Any other board member reports? All right, that brings us to the consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? So moved. >> Second. >> Mr. Arman and Mr. Scarbot. All in favor? [snorts]
058>> I motion carries. Um student matters. Is there a motion to approve student matters as discussed in executive session? >> So moved. >> Second by >> Mr. Ni. All in favor? >> I. Any opposed or abstensions? Motion carries. Uh 9A, the monthly personnel report. Is there a motion to accept the monthly personnel report as discussed in executive session? >> So moved. >> Second, >> Mr. Scrat, Mr. Acrian. All in favor? >> I. >> Any oppose or abstensions? Motion carries. 9B, employee matter 26-011. Is there a motion to approve the superintendent's recommendation as discussed in executive session? >> So moved. Second. [snorts] >> I give that to Mr. Jordan and then Mr. Acriman. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed or abstensions? Motion carries. That brings us to old business. Uh Dr. Cut. The second
059read of the 2627 calendar revisions. >> Good evening. Good evening. Can you hear me? There we go. Thank you. Good evening, President Heler. Vice President Scrobot, SE Superintendent Lawson, board members, uh I am here on behalf of Lvina Jones Davis to lead you through the second read of the 2627 calendar. So in front of you you'll see uh the beginning dates and just want to call out uh because Labor Day falls late um and the appearance of where the our normal beginning of the year would start um feels a little early. Uh we were looking to make some changes which you would see reflected in the latter part of the August calendar. On August 19th and 20th are the first two days of the teacher professional development and as usual we would have the 21st
060off. We would pick up the additional two days which we normally have of professional development for teachers on the 24th and 25th and then begin on the 26th for students for transitional year. So that would be 1st through 6th, 9th, 12th sight and kindergarten orientation. And then everyone would be in person on the 27th. That's August. Takes us to September. I do want to call out September 15th, which right now is representative as a professional development day in district because it is the state primary day and we are not to have students in on that day. So, we had it not noted as a professional development day. We did just receive information this past week regarding and if you could go to the next slide, October, the October state PD day. Thank you. So, if
061you see that on October 9th, we have that held. You can see the asterisk. This day may move depending on the state. Well, the state moved it and now it's back in September on the primary day, September 15th. So, just wanted to call that out and note that at this time that the uh state day will be on September 15th. Uh we'll continue in October. Uh as usual, we have the parent teacher conferences later in the month and the end of the marking period. for November, just to call out the professional responsibility day backing up to the election day for this year with that is where schools would be closed and offices also closed so we could go vote. And Veterans Day again is always on the 11th and the full week uh for uh
062Thanksgiving off for students and noted on the 24th and 25th as a PIP and trade-in day which is a placeholder for professional development for teachers to conduct on their own. December winter break. Uh we return uh on the Monday on the 4th and then on the 18th Martin Luther King Jr. Day and schools are offices closed. With the end of the marking period comes professional responsibility day on the 25th. Parent teacher conferences for PK8 on the 12th. President's Day on the 15th. would like to note that that is the year we have off after Super Bowl. Thought I'd get applause and Super Bowl will be on Yep. Valentine's Day next year. Just put it in your calendar. [laughter] Uh also March 3rd is an async day for seniors only. Uh that's a day that we
063have the SAT and PSAT and pretty much that uh controls the day in our high school buildings. Um March we have E at clo schools are closed offices are open. Uh and then which brings us to uh spring break starting on the 26th going through the 2nd schools back on the 5th that controlled typically by where Easter falls. Then with the end of the third marking period, we have professional responsibilities on the 9th. Uh with April, we do have a professional development day on the 21st and then we roll right into May. And you'll see at the bottom are the half days for the senior exams. Memorial Day on May 31st and then June begins and we wrap things up for the last student day on June 10th, professional uh responsibilities day for K8 and
064professional development on for 912 on the 11th. Professional development 14th 15th and we close things out. >> Are there questions from the board? Um, so October 9th, that will be a regular school day. >> Uh, because the news is so new, we haven't had an opportunity to discuss it yet. >> Okay. So, we're not voting on October 9th. That'll come back again. >> We We will be We would be happy to bring you back information regarding what we've decided. Yes. >> Okay. >> Any other questions or comments? And is there a motion to approve the revised draft of the 2627 calendar? >> So moved. >> Second, >> Mr. Akan and Mr. Lavoy. All in favor? >> I. >> Any abstensions or nos? Motion carries. And um thank you. >> Thank you, >> President Heler. >>
065Yes. Can >> I just make one comment? And as I look through the calendar, I think we've done our children a disservice by moving from 180 school days to minutes of instruction. Um, it just seems like there's a lot of time off. There's a lot of holes in the schedule. There's a lot of not full weeks, which I like when it comes to work, but I think when it comes to school, uh, you really need to have kids there a lot. And I think we're shortch changing our kids and we should possibly lobby the legislature to go back to requiring 180 school days. >> Is that something the legislative committee could take up perhaps? >> I will bring it to DSPA when I go there with Mr. Lavoy >> for our next uh meeting. >>
066Any other comments? Right, that brings us to 10B reading redistricting update. Um, I'll share from a board perspective, the board has not been provided any updates of any kind since the December vote. Um, so I'm going to ask Dr. Lawson, who sits on the committee, if there's any update she can share. >> So, we too did not have an update since the December 16th vote. I did uh receive a phone call from one of the co-chairs uh giving me a verbal update right before a press release um came out. The press release was dated January 28th, but it actually didn't get released until the first week in February um at least to to my email. I received the email on February the 5th. Um, I'll just paraphrase. Since the December 16th vote to propose a
067bold plan that would consolidate consolidate Delaware's four northernmost school districts, leaders of the consortion consortium have been working around the clock to prepare for our next steps. Uh, next steps include drafting a redistricting resource transition and implementation plan based on the northern Newcastle County Consolidated District model, which responds to our 13 legislativelymandated stipulations, presenting plan drafts during public meetings for feedback, and voting on a final draft of the plan to send to the state board of education for approval. It indicates here that once the state board of education votes to approve the plan, it will come before the general assembly in the form of legislation to be worked through the legislative process. While we had previously charted a notably tight timeline to take action, we recognize that the work of the consortium is not happening
068in a vacuum. Several of our colleagues in the legislature are working on additional education reforms this year, all of which should be taken in consideration as a whole. That said, we have shared us we have a shared sense of urgency in completing all of the necessary work to put forward a comprehensive equity focused district consolidation plan this year. Um it indicates that there will be a public meeting which was announced uh officially last Thursday for this Thursday February 12th I believe that is um and it says during which we will establish some clarity around our composition and timeline moving forward. >> If I Rick wasn't the was the original plan to present at the state board of education by the end of February correct? So their next meeting's February 19th. Do is the plan do
069you know still to present there? >> I assume no because I have not seen a draft of a plan, but it looks like we're going to find out more information um from those who have been meeting um on Thursday. >> [snorts] >> I think it's pretty important for members of the public who are listening as well as this board and those who work for the district. The renting consortium, it took them about five years to come up with an idea of a plan. And based on what Dr. Lawson just shared, it sounds like they're looking to have that plan formulated within one year. That seems kind of backwards to me how they're, you know, it took them five years to get an idea of a plan and now they're going to work out all the
070details of consolidating multiple districts within our county and all the moving pieces and the other legislation uh education legislation that's happening at the same time. That sounds like a disaster to me. So, just something everybody should keep their eye on. I I think we need to um put together a resolution that we can all agree on that states our position when it comes to the idea of consolidation. I failed to understand why Newcastle County should be treated differently than Sussex or Kent County. Um to me there's a due process argument. If Kent and Sussex County can decide for themselves, why do we have to have a Poland bureau commission come up with a plan for us versus us voluntarily coming up with a plan? I think we need to point this out. I think we
071need to state it loud and I'm proud of this district and I'm sorry that our students didn't know that our district was the only one that didn't uh resegregate when the neighborhood schools act came out, but that's okay. we can educate them as we as I tried to earlier just to make sure they knew that we did things a little bit differently than other districts, but I think we've done things differently than other districts, which is one of the reasons that our district is more successful than some. Uh, and I think it's time that we, you know, put the rubber to the road and put something out there and not just let this happen to us. uh just whatever the legislature and these these pullet bureau I call it pullet bureau because to me it
072sounds like some kind of a communist plot to come up with this big district you know or you know we're we're going to have equity equity where the equity for the citizens of my district who voted for a tax referendum are we going to take Christina's tax rate are we going to combine the tax rates are we going to now pay for the Christina schools to be renovated where we've paid for our own I don't know so many questions questions in my mind. This district is big enough as it is. We have a great staff. We have great teachers. And you know, I I can't help it if other districts don't have that. And I can't help it if you know, the city hasn't done its job when it comes to education and and they
073haven't done their job when it comes to crime and housing and and all the things that go into causing problems for our city residents. But I think we need to stand up for our district, stand up for our country, and do something, not just let it happen and provide updates. Just my two cents. Thank you. Any other comments? That brings us to new business. Dr. Rivera and Mr. Reed Conquered Soccer Association and Tallyville softball leases. >> Okay. Uh good evening. Uh we're here to present um a some leases that are coming due to expire and they are for um next slide. um couple properties here. The school district had a couple properties being the old Shannon site and the old old mill site. Um had uh buildings sitting on them that had been closed for
074decades. Um that picture there is not people standing in front of a Mayan ruin. That was the old Shannon school which was covered with vegetation. The state paid to have those buildings raised. We removed the buildings um which opened these sites up for um youth sports leagues. youth sports leagues are very important North Wilmington and many of them don't exist if it wasn't for the BSD and our property um in the leases moving forward. Um one of the things we also want to do is um sign these properties so people know that it's BSD property but anything that happens on these properties is pre-approved by the district before it occurs. Next slide. Um this shows the property. Upper lefthand corner is Conquered Soccer on Neman's Road. That used to be the site of Channon Elementary.
075Uh to the right hand upper slide, that is Old Mill Lane, which is uh very near Carcraftoft Elementary, that's Tallyville Softball. Each site is roughly 10 acres. Lower leftand corner, which we're not discussing tonight, but will be coming up, is Dyer Field at um which is Brandy Wine Little League at Darly Road. That's a 27 acre site. Uh the baseball fields occupies about 11 acres of it. And then over there on the right bottom is Neon's Little League which you see on 202. Neon's little league has a total of five field. Three of their fields are on our Brandy Wine operations site which is roughly 9 acres and they occupy roughly four acres of that site. And while we're here tonight to talk about two of these sites, leases, because the lease is up, I
076do want to note that we have a very strong relationship and partnership with many other organizations in our community. And I was just noting a few that Sophia Sanchez and I work with every week. Um, just to give you a list and these groups use our facilities, not a lease, but through our buildings through the facilities user rental. St. St. Mary Mattis and IHM have many sports used in our facilities every night. Bernie uh Blackhawk Lacrosse, Bernie Wine Warriors football, Bernie Wine Warriors cheerleading, Diamond State Aquatics, Delaware Swim Team, Wington Aquatics Club, USA Tennis, Wington City Recre Recreation, Special Olympics Track, Special Olympics Wizards Basketball, Delora Seniors Basketball League, Bad Bitten Club, Soccer Shots, Delaware Outlaws Fast Pitch, World Win Tracks Club, and I'm sure there are more. These are just the ones that I
077knew off top of my head when I was sitting here. So, we have a very close relationship with our community um organizations and we're very proud of that and we're very happy to continue that. So, for the leases that are expiring this spring, um we are making a couple of uh changes to that lease. The first, the most substantial one is that the district is proposing a moving from a county held subleasase model to a direct lease agreement with the community organizations using the property. We believe this provides clearer accountability, simpler administration, and consistency with how we manage the other district facilities. This suggestion actually stem from the maintenance advisory committee that was mentioned earlier tonight and there was unanimous agreement from all parties including the county and the organizations to do this. We've had
078many great conversations with them over this month um about this shift. Uh these updates clarify existing expectations and they do not expand the use of the property or introduce new programming. The recreational and athletic purpose of the property remains unchanged. The one notable update is around signage and John just mentioned this. We are looking to put into the lease uh the ability to add a sign at the properties indicating that BSD owns property and is leasing it. Um, we also are would like language in here that district property is not to be used to promote enrollment in nondist K12 schools or program. The language is now explicit in the lease because the district is contracting directly with organizations rather than through the county. So the last steps is finalizing the language and our legal council
079has already updated the current lease agreement to ensure clarity and consistency and the appropriate usage of district property without the major changes. Uh once these term provisions are finalized, we will share the language with you in hopes of board approval next month. Our goal is for this lease to be a blueprint to use for lease agreements as they come up for renewal with other organizations in future years. Any questions for us? Mr. >> Uh thank you Dr. Rivera. Um the standardized signage requirements, we're not talking about how big they can be, right? You said it's about who can advertise and that's we're talking about commercial speech, right? Not political speech. And so this has been been considered and um has at least some legal support >> some legal support behind it that we can say
080in fact if you're not a a Brandine school district uh if you're outside of the district and you're an educational charter school, private school, anything like that, we can put limits on their advertising on our property. >> That is correct. >> Okay, that's the only question I had. Thanks. Any other questions? Thank you. Look forward to seeing it next month. That brings us to Mr. McCoy for the monthly financial report. >> Good evening, board president Heler, Vice President Scrobot, Superintendent Dr. Lawson, board members, and audience members. >> [clears throat and cough] >> Uh just a quick note on the district finance committee meeting. Uh the the group is working on putting a document together that outlines term limits. Um the draft of that document made it very obvious that we could use some more members.
081So if when you're out and about in the district, if you want to put up in a PSA for the district finance committee, have them reach out to me. I would appreciate that. Uh so tonight we will be reviewing the January 31st, 2026 monthly financial report. There are two notable changes from the previous month. The first item is that we have finally received a vast majority of our tax receipts and the second is that the budget columns have been updated to reflect the 2025 2026 final budget that was approved last month. Looking at page one of the report on the first line, current expense tax tax receipts are now 96.8% collected. This time last year, we were at 95.1%. In addition to 47 million in tax receipts for this month, we also received 1.9 million
082for the first portion of the senior tax credit from the state and our share of the Newcastle County tax pool, which was $967,000. These are all included in that current expense tax receipt line. In total, state and local revenues are 93.3% collected compared to 88.9% at this same time last year. On page two of the report, an item of note is the minor capital improvements line in the match tax MCI section on the middle of the page. This line shows that we have only collected 5.3% of what we expect to collect from the state while this time last year we were over 100% collected. These funds we expect for the year were sent by the state in early February. So you'll see them appear on next month's report. Moving down the report to the federal
083funds section, we have received some additional grant funds for title one and Perkins which have been which have put the percent collected over 100%. These are grants that administration must apply for each year and can be dependent upon a building's performance. Because of that and because of the timing of the receipt of the funds, we did not include them in our base budget. Are there any questions on the revenues? >> Yeah. Um, you had mentioned before the interest issue with not having tax receipts. So, it looks like we're about a half a million dollars behind where we were last year on interest. Do we expect that just to continue through the end of the year or now that we have those tax receipts, will that increase a bit? >> The interest will speed up a
084little bit, but we'll never get to where we were last year. We should reach the um budgeted number. >> Okay. So moving on to page three, the expenditures. Salaries are at 57.97% obligated compared to 57.33 at this time last year. And this is in line with um the percent of pay dates that have passed for this school year. At the bottom of page three, our total obligated funds are at 58.23% 23% compared to 63.77% at this time last year. A few of our big ticket budget lines are trending lower than last year, such as line 16, facilities, line 18, utilities, line 19, transportation, and even line 25, the individual school budgets are doing better than they were last year. Some of this may be due to timing. Um, we'll we'll see how it plays out
085as the year continues on. I'm just going to keep moving along. If there's any questions, feel free to interrupt. On page four, looking at the summary numbers towards the bottom, total expenses are 58.03% obligated as of February 31st compared to 57.07 at the same period last year. A contributing factor to being higher than last year is the section above the totals. Our federal fund spending has been faster than it was in previous years. And that's on page four. I think we're a page ahead. So you can see the federal funds section the the spending is uh moving a little faster than it was at this time last year, but um that is not something that is of concern. Page five shows the individual school buildings. All are looking very comfortable at this point. In fact,
086some of the buildings that we had difficulties with last year are staying well under budget this year. So, that is a positive sign. Are there any questions on the expenditure pages? Yes. It >> is it too soon to estimate how much more money we're going to spend on energy because of this deep freeze recently? Uh, I would say yes. I don't know that we could estimate that. We'll know. We know when we get the bill, unfortunately. >> All right. >> Um, just a quick question. Why is there somewhat of a wide difference in the percentage obligated between some of the schools? So, for instance, Hanbe's 25% and Carcraftoft 68%. And is that just a matter of timing of payments, uh timing of of contracts coming in or or is it is there something structural? >>
087A lot of it is just how the principal decides to spend their money. So some people who are very comfortable with spending their money and know how to manage their budget will spend earlier in the year and just kind of roll out the year. Whereas some of the newer principles are a little hesitant about how to manage the budget and they kind of take their time and see what they have left towards the end of the year. All right. On page six we have the prior year appropriations. Uh there's no major changes from last month. At this point, I expected many of the buildings and departments um their incumbrances from the prior year to be zero. That's that first column. Uh because of this, the business office has requested buildings and departments to review prior
088year purchase orders and let us know what purchase orders should stay open. Uh we're going to close any purchase order that we have not been directed to keep open. And that should free up some of these smaller amounts that we see in the columns for individual schools. They shouldn't really have purchase orders from the prior year that are still open in now February. On the last page, page seven, the cash flow statement. So despite current real estate tax collections of 48 million in January in the January actual column, the ending local balance shown at the top of the February column is $35 million. This is due to the fact that we utilize $14.9 million of state funds to cover expenditures during the delayed u tax deadline period. There is legislation that I think is moving
089quickly through for Newcastle County to kind of do a quality control check on some parcels in Newcastle County. And part of that would once again push the tax payment deadline back to December 31st. So we'll be in the same scenario where we have to rely on states monies to carry us through the first part of the year. So the projected ending balance for local funds has dipped a bit to 8.76 million. Uh this is because January's actual expenditures were higher than forecasted. It's likely that some of the expenditures currently hitting our local funds can be recoded from local funding to state funding. As we approach the later part of the year, we'll be able to see how much of our state appropriations we have spent and we can move fund expenditures from our local coding
090to our state coding and bring the local expenditures down which will likely push us to the projected balance of 8.8. Uh the district finance committee approved the January 31st, 2026 monthly financial report at their February 4th meeting. And if there are no other questions, that concludes my report. >> Thank you. My um my only question, I don't know if you would have this offh hand, but maybe you can send it to us if you don't. Do you remember in the last referendum what we had projected our ending balance to be for this year? >> The goal was 8.8. >> Okay. I thought we projected higher for this year and then it would whittle down to 8.8 like in the next two years. I don't know if >> I can look back and try to get
091you a more concrete answer. >> Any other questions? Motion to approve the monthly financial report subject to audit. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Robot. Mr. NI. All in favor? >> I. Motion carries. Thank you. Um, that brings us to general information. Our next board workshop is March 2nd at Mount Pleasant Elementary School. Maybe that's a great time to talk about Mr. Acriman's resolution um idea and then our next regular board meeting headed to the elementary schools. We will be March 16th at Carcraftoft. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> No. Okay. Mr. Mr. Jordan second. >> Mr. Scarbot. All in favor? I >> I motion to adjurnn. Thank you everybody.