001So to kick off our recap, let's talk about college decision day. So our seniors came dressed in their future college gear or care for career attire. was such a fun and exciting way to celebrate our next. Next up, a big shout out to our driver education competition team. Noah Lincoln and Nathan Paul placed second overall in their competition. Incredible job representing Brain Line. We also hosted the annual BSD engineering design day, a two-day event bringing together students from all three high schools engineering paths. These students gave formal presentations to real industry professionals from across Delaware. It was such a powerful and inspiring experience for all those who participated. And speaking of inspiring, huge congratulations to Sam Duke and Molly Miller on their amazing high school sports careers. Sam currently has 227 goals and Molly Miller
002has 256. Both committed to play lacrosse at a college level. [Applause] Another Brandy Wine sports star is Angelina Manioni who wrapped up her junior career with 71 goals and just recently committed to the College of New Jersey to play soccer. Go Bulldogs. And we cannot forget that Brandine lacrosse team crushed it under the lights conquered 15 to9 amazing win. We also celebrated teacher appreciation week with lots of fun including ice water games, prizes, gifts, and even a coffee truck for a muchneeded pickme up which is on the next slide. Um, we just want to say we love our teachers and everything that they have done for us. And finally, since this is our last board meeting as seniors, thank you all for such an incredible year. It's been an honor representing Brandy Wine. Go Bulldogs.
003[Applause] Are there any questions, comments, or concerns from the board? Yes. So, I'm committed to High Point University for elementary education. Um, I'm committed to Westchester for swimming and I'm doing criminal justice. Thank you for Thank you for Thank you. Next we will hear from Conquered High School. [Music] Good evening BSD board members, families, and staff. For the last time, I'm Maggie Hokowski, Concrete High School student council president. And I'm Raine Sur, Concrete High School student council vice president. To start off with something fun, we had a student versus staff basketball game. To say that it was hype is an understatement. The staff defeated the students 48 to 28. It's not only our students that follow the conquered way, but our staff, too. Next, our music department took a trip to Chicago where they performed
004at the Mu Field Museum and had fun exploring the city. Additionally, some students participated in the Cristiana wershed cleanup. Their mission has always been the removal of man-made debris from within the beautiful wershed while raising public awareness for our pollution prevention. We also recently had our NHS induction for our newest inductees to celebrate their accomplishments and achieve future volunteering goals. Students from our Italian and Spanish classes participated in the 2025 DEC TFL World Language Showcase at at the University of Delaware. These students competed individually and in teams on the topics of language proficiency, culture, and an interpretive escape room challenge. Many students won first, second, and third place. Finally, a bittersweet goodbye to our lovely seniors who are going to college. Students wore college apparel and designed jeans based on their college for a sweet
005memory to be remembered with friends. We are beyond proud of everyone's accomplishments. Next slide, please. In sports news, our spring sports teams have been flourishing and have had some big wins in the last month. Boys lacrosse just had two big wins last week against Hodson VOTE with a score of 16 to12 and a win over Delcastle 13 to9. Boys baseball also just had some major wins over the Charter School of Wilmington and Wilmington Friends School along with the girls softball being on a sixgame win streak. Way to go Raiders. Last Friday night our school sprang into spring with our spring fling. Our students dressed up and joined together for a fun spring dance to celebrate spring and the end of the school year. Additionally, last month the student council put up the Be the Eye
006in Kind poster for students to pose as the I in kind to spread kindness and mental health awareness schoolwide. Teachers, students, faculty, and staff posed as the eye in kind with their Shaun's House apparel. Some of their amazing pictures are showcased on our slides. Lastly, going into our last couple weeks, our conquered family has been flourishing this spring and we are excited to finish out the rest of the spring year, the last of the school year with a bang. Thank you so much for listening and we hope you have a wonderful e evening. Pres and vice pres for the class of 2025. Maggie and Raine signing out. Thank you. Questions from the board. Would you guys like to share your plans? Sure. Um, so I'm going to the Pennsylvania State University and I'm man majoring
007in mechanical engineering in the Shrier Honors College. And I'm going to University of Delaware and I'm majoring in neuroscience in the Honors College. Next we'll have Mount Pleasant High School. Hello all. I can't believe that this is the end. Well, we have one last treat for you. Our theme this month is memorable melodies and a very special guest joins me to help me present tonight. Meet Kmani Beetle, Mount Pleasant student council president for the 2025 to 2026 school year. Ky, take it away. Our music program has been here, there, and everywhere this past month. Our Triam Honors Music Society put on a stellar performance at the Bell Font Cafe. Don't worry if you missed out the tunes. We'll be having a coffee house 2.0 at the Bell Font Cafe this Thursday, May 15th, from 8:00
008to 10:00 p.m. We hope to see you there. Our music hits also just wrapped up our spring concerts. Our choir concert was made up of four ensembles with music ranging from pop pop to spiritual and music in different languages including Arabic. Our instrumental instrumental ensembles also showed off with performances in steel pan orchestra guitar, jazz band and record band. Wrapping up our musical escapades, our honors orchestra and band Corral and upper level steel pan went to New Jersey for our annual thrills and thrills competition. Corral and steel pan walked away with the superior award and banded orchestra with the excellent award. All students enjoyed their victory at Six Flags. Outside of music, three nights have been uniting and creating community. On the next slide, we will see our teachers and students come together for our
0097th annual NHS blood drive. Our Mount family donated an estimated 49 pints of blood to the blood bank of Delm Marva. Sadly, our spring sports are wrapping up this season. We congratulate all seniors for their time and dedication as a Green Knight and all of our students who will be recognized at the sports awards this Thursday. If you're free, come on Tuesday for our softball senior night and Wednesday for our boys tennis senior night. Our boys tennis team is on fire, going 12 and 0 on the season and winning first doubles and second singles at the Blue Hen Conference Championships. Additionally, we wish good luck to our boys volleyball team as they head into the first round of the playoffs this Wednesday. Our Green Knights shed their armor for new school colors on May 1st
010for decision day. Students painted their clothes and wore their best college gear. We also had activities at lunch for students to create college pennants and take pictures out in the courtyard. Three Mount seniors showed that they are all about breaking ceilings at the UD Horn entrepreneurship Limitless World Summit. We previously talked about Jaylen Wilson, Leighton Nembar, and Wilson Conte at the March meeting for their at pocket wealth, which incorporates module-based learning, gamification and engagement, direct mentorship, and an AI adaptable savings plan to teach kids financial literacy. Now, they look they took their creation to the big stage. While they might not have won an award, there's a possibility you will see pocket wells and class link soon. The boys received support to establish their app in Delaware High School districts upon it completion. Lastly, we
011finish up our report with a thank you to our seniors. They have worked tremendously hard and it has paid off. In the coming months, the class of 2025 will become the class of 2029 at some major amazing colleges and schools. These commitments include UPEN, Boston University, Rutgers, TUS, the Ohio State University, Hampton, William and Mary, Berkeley College of Music, Yukon, and CU Boulder. Additionally, our students are going off to culinary school, trade school, cosmetology school, and the military. They are direct evidence of Mount's pursuit in achieving well-rounded green knights who are prepared for many different paths in life. Well, that concludes my last senior report. And I have to go off script here. If I'm completely honest with you, most people become student council president because of the accolades or the fact that they can
012put it on their college resume. And if I'm honest, I put I ran for student council president because for three years I believe the consensus of many of my schoolmates and that is that unfortunately the student perception is that we see Mount Go under reppresented. We feel that oftentimes we can be seen as the black sheep, the ugly duckling. It's obvious we have our fair share of difficulties, but that doesn't stop the amazing things that we have going on as green lights. And so when I came here, I said, I want to make sure that the achievements and accolades of mount that I've seen for the past three years can get to the level of the school board and to the level of the state. and I did so and I got to watch as
013well as my student council got to see the increase in engagement and representation that we felt from you guys here this year. Uh especially a huge shout out to Dr. Lawson and Dr. Jeeday. I ran into many paths with you guys at school and at the state level. So I just want to say thank you and I pass baton to KB and our student council vice president Steven Rice who's over there. And while I may not be here, I am super excited because I know that you guys will be left in good hands to see many more of the amazing athletes. I'm so proud to be a Groo Knight. I almost didn't come here and I cannot imagine my life without it. So, thank you. [Applause] And while this may be my goodbye, it's the
014start of a new beginning for our next student council presidents. Thank you. Any questions? Would you like to hear your future plans? Yes. So, I will be attending the Ohio State University. Yes. Football National Champions. I'm super excited. Um, and I will be majoring in city and regional planning on the pre-law track with a double minor in political science and economics. I'm a moral scholar, so I received a full tuition ride to practice racial. [Applause] Thank you. Thank you. I received the moral scholarship. So, I'll be practicing racial and social justice at Ohio State in the greater Columbus area. And I'm also a Mount Leadership Society scholar. So, I'll be doing co-curricular work to work with community service in the greater city of Columbus. And my vice president Shawn is going to Delaware State University
015for business management where he hopes to start a boys volleyball team. So, thank you so much. I just I just want to say um I want to say congratulations to all of you and particularly to Melinda because I have told her multiple times this school year that she is going to be the president like not just of the university but of the United States. If we could do it next year that would be great. Uh, but I just want to encourage you to keep fighting, keep pushing past the barriers, past the limits, and don't let anybody put you in a box. You have represented well all of you student leaders, and we're proud to have your [Applause] BSD. So, let's now recognize Dr. Ohio who's going to be recognizing our student reporters. If I could
016ask the student reporters just come back up [Applause] here. So tonight I'd like to take a moment to recognize sincerely thank each of you. Um you guys are a special group of students who have made a meaningful contribution to our uh district this school year. You guys are our student board reporters. Each month, these students have stood before the board to deliver thoughtful, informative, and enthusiastic updates about the incredible things happening in our schools. From academic accomplishments and athletic highlights to performing arts productions, volunteer efforts, and student led initiatives, they've been the eyes and ears inside the walls of our high schools. More than just updates, their reports have reflected school pride, leadership, and a deep commitment to community. and they've helped our board and our community stay connected to the heart of our schools,
017our students. We are so proud of you guys and your professionalism, the consistency that you've shown all year long. You've balanced academics, extracurricular activities, and everything else that comes with high school. That's no small task. Yet, you all have taken on the added responsibility of representing your schools and your peers at the district level. So, we thank you for your time, your voice, and your service. You made a great impact on all of us this year and we hope this experience has been as meaningful for you as it's been for us. If you can join me again and give a round of applause for our student board reporters. Thank you guys. Thank you all for being super informative all year to keep us up to date on what's going on in your schools. Moving down
018to um we're going to honor Jack Ver. Mr. to give us honor to please. Good evening everyone. Just wanted to thank the Vinegar family for joining us tonight uh to allow us to honor Jack. Uh known the Vinegar family a long time. Went to school with his two youngest children. Uh played soccer with Andy for a year at Brandy Wine. Meredith and I share many mutual friends. It wasn't until I joined the school board uh that I truly got to know Jack through his volunteer service on our district finance team. He was often the elder statesman in the room. His career and long-standing history within Brandy School District uh earned him our respect. Jack carried himself with the effort effortless wisdom of a sage. It was never intentional, but it was certainly undeniable. Once CO
019hit and we moved to Zoom meetings, Jack would often join us in his comfortable chair, pipe in hand, smoking away. Is it there was ever any doubt that Jack was cool? That image right there certified. Uh Jack's contributions to the finance committee were immense. His years of experience in education, whether it was with the Brandy School District, Wilmington University, Brock's Hebrew School, Hebrew High School, gave him invaluable insight. He had just about seen it all and done it all. He had reviewed enough budgets in his lifetime that very few things could surprise him. His contributions were always thoughtful, always measured, and one thing was clear. He always had students best interests at heart. When Jack passed, I had the privilege of attending his service. His children delivered beautiful eulogies. The essence of their words was
020clear. His was a life well-lived. A constant theme was evident throughout their words. His unwavering commitment to education and giving back to his community. He gave back his time, his experience, and his wisdom. His son shared a quote. I can't recall if it was his own words or a song or just simply words that he lived by. But the quote was, "Let the life I led speak for me." I love that sentiment. Think about it often. I can't imagine a better motto or approach to life. So on behalf of the district finance committee in the Brandy Wine School District, let me say that Jack's life speaks volumes. Thank you for sharing Jack with us. We honor his years of service and commitment to education. To everyone in the room and on Zoom, be like Jack.
021Let the life you lead speak. We have a nice [Applause] little We have a nice little plaque, glass plaque that says, "In memory of Jack Vineker, a devoted Brandy Wine School District educator, a longtime member of the district finance committee, and a valued community member. Jack's impact on the Brandy Wine community is immeasurable. His legacy will be remembered for generations throughout our district and across Newcastle County, Delaware. [Applause] Thank you, Mr. Thank you. That'll move us down to recognizing our behavioral health professionals of the year, Miss McIntyre and Ms. Armor. Thank you, President Acriman. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, to our distinguished board members, President Acman, Dr. uh superintendent Lisa Lawson as well as to all of our guests in the audience and those on Zoom tonight. We in BSD have so much to be
022proud of. Our students are amazing and they are a reflection of the awesome educators that work with them throughout their academic careers. We get to celebrate them which is an awesome thing. to celebrate those who have served uh us well. And it now gives me uh pleasure as the director of human resources to present to you some staff that have done and earned amazing things and should be celebrated as well. Prior to this event, we did acknowledge our building winners for our behavioral health professionals of the year for 2025. Those of you that were able to and may remain in the room. Please come up and join me just so that folks online can see who you are. A couple of you said please come on up and join [Applause] me. And in addition to
023that, we reserve our district winners recognition for this time. Now, it gives me the most immense pleasure to invite up Mr. Jeffrey Lawson, principal of TAI Middle School, as well as his admin [Applause] team. And I would like you to help me to acknowledge, to celebrate, and to shout out a very deserving district winner among some amazing educators, M. Stephanie Stifle. Come on [Applause] up. Come all the way up. Thank you district and we'll hang on to those roses for you. And now we're going to invite Mr. Lawson to tell you a little bit of why She is such an amazing school counselor and why she is our 2025 Brandy Wine School District behavior health professional of the year. Good evening executive team president Arian and the many members of the BSD school community. My
024name is Jeff Lawson and I have the honor of being the principal at Tally Middle School. Tonight we all have the privilege of celebrating Mrs. Stephanie Steel, our 2024 2025 Brandy Wine School District Behavioral Health Professional of the Year. 16 years ago, by way of the Big Apple, Mrs. Steel started her career in BSD as an ELA teacher and eventually transitioned to her role as a guidance counselor three years later. After 11 years at Tally and seven years as an building administrator, I've had a front row seat in watching Mrs. Steeple work her magic. As many of us in this room know, the role of a school counselor is so much more than meets the eye. It's one of those positions where unless you've been in it, you don't truly grasp how many hats are
025worn, how many quiet crisises are managed, or how much hope and healing are quietly offered day after day. The counselor we're honoring tonight doesn't just fulfill the duties of a counselor. She redefes them. In a time when students face increasing pressure academically, socially, emotionally, and even at home, Mrs. Steel has consistently created a space that is safe, supportive, and empowering. Mrs. Stifa has not only helped navigate a new school and new grade, she has helped students navigate grief, anxiety, identity, self-doubt, and so much more. Whether it's helping an eighth grader believe in their future or sitting with a sixth grader who's suffering their first middle school panic attack, Mrs. Steele does it all with compassion, skill, and an unshakable presence. Mrs. Steel is described by colleagues as a rock, a confidant, and quite simply the
026heartbeat of Tally Middle School. Students line up at her door not because they have to, but because they want to, because they know that Mrs. Stifl is someone who will actually listen, someone who sees them fully, and someone who believes in them when they don't believe in themselves. Beyond one-on-one support, Mrs. Steel has led schoolwide mental health initiatives, schoolwide community outreach, built bridges with families, collaborated with teachers to support student well-being, and advocated for every single student, especially those who are in danger of falling through our cracks. Mrs. Steeple's commitment to equity, empathy, and excellence doesn't just impact students. It inspires the entire Tally Middle School culture. She often reminds us that academic success cannot be separated from emotional wellness. Mrs. Stiffel does all of this not for recognition, but because she believes every student
027deserves someone in their corner. Well, tonight, Mrs. Stif we are here in your corner to say thank you to acknowledge you for your extraordinary contributions and to celebrate the difference that only one person can make in so many Mrs. Steel Tali Middle School proud of you. We share this pride with your mom, your sister, your husband, your nephews, your dad, and most importantly Maggie, your golden retriever. We wish you the best in the state competition and are proud to call you the 2024 2025 Brandy Wine School District behavioral health professional of the year a true tally tiger. Congratulations [Applause] Thank you so much. And just for those that may want to uh watch online, next Monday night is the state competition. So, please help us root on Miss Hall as she competes to become the
028state one. Thank you all. [Applause] This time if our high school reporters are still here and they would like to leave, they're welcome to also give our honor as well. [Music] to me was because of all that stuff that happened a few months ago, but that's okay. In 2008, I graduated from the University of Delaware. I had actually gotten a degree in elementary education, which is what I was originally going for. Growing up, I love the idea of psychology and talking to people, so school counselor was kind of a natural choice for me. In 2012, I was officially offered a position as full-time counselor at Cali, and I have been here ever since. We're going to inventory all the items on here. I really have a lot of respect for teachers in the classroom because
029managing 30 middle school personalities, I know is a lot. And I often say that I get to see another side of those students because one-on-one talking about things that are a little bit more personal. You get to know them in a way that gives you just more insight into what makes them tick. I still have days where I see things and lesson plans and I think, oh, if I was in the classroom, I would love to do that. But I'm really fortunate in what I get to do um just in helping students socioeotional education being compassionate towards children I see as something that makes a really big difference in their social life but also academically and there's one person that really helps you get this correct. I really wasn't expecting the recognition at a district
030level. Truly, I would have been happy just to win at a building level. And I think there are so many people in this entire district that do so much. I'm just really honored to be able to represent everybody. Uh, and it makes me want to work even harder and start new things moving forward. Now that the dust has settled, I'm really focused on what more I can do. Um, and also what I can add to the things that I'm currently working on. Uh, because I think that's really the meaning of the award. You have to be motivated to do even more and move forward. um you know to really showcase the meaning of a behavioral health professional. See you in a little bit. I am proud to be BSD because from the time I started
031working here, this district has given me nothing but love and support and the creative autonomy. So, it really makes a difference throughout the years of my career that I've worked with the most supportive people from at the top of district office uh to everybody at the building level. You know, I've never been told no when I have an idea and I know how lucky I am. [Music] Okay, that will move us down to the superintendent reporting, President Ari, members of the board, and members of our audience and community. This month's feature of student outcomes data is graduation and college and career readiness. Timely. One of the leading indicators used to predict high school student outcomes is called on track to graduate. This is a measurement within the Delaware School Success Framework reported by the Department
032of Education for 9th graders after their first year in high school. Across our three high schools in BSD, 89% of freshmen last year earned enough core credits to remain on track for graduation. Students are considered on track to graduate after 9th grade if they earn a full credit in at least four of the five core subjects of ELA, math, social studies, and world language. The SAT, another indicator, is the assessment that Delaware selected to meet their 11th grade federal accountability requirement to test English language arts and mathematics in high school. This means that all Delaware public education students are required to take the SAT regardless of whether or not they plan to go to college. There are only a handful of other states in the nation that choose SAT for 11th grade accountability. So comparing
033Delaware results to other states who do not use it as their 11th grade accountability measure is not an applesto apples comparison. The average overall SAT score this year in Brandy Wine is 19 points higher than the Delaware public school average. Let's look at the breakdown on the SAT reading and writing test this year. The average in Brandy Wine is 10 points higher than the Delaware public school average. On SAT math, Brandy Wine students scored nine points higher on average than Delaware public school students overall, while the average overall score dropped 10 points between school year 24 and school year 25. We also saw increased participation rates this year, which means the data is a truer representation of outcomes for all students. Advanced courses help prepare students for the rigors of college and offer the opportunity
034to earn college credits in high school. Here you see Brandy Wine's number of students enrolled in each of our three types of advanced high school course offerings where students can earn college credits. Dual enrollment, international balorate, and advanced placement. Delaware provides many options for seniors to demonstrate college and career readiness. Some of these are proficiency on the SAT on the SAT SA or the armed services vocational aptitude battery, also called ASAP, attaining a B or better in a dual enrollment course, scoring a three or better on an AP exam or a four or better on an IP on an IB exam, acquiring an industry recognized credential, completing co-op or work-based learning, or rece receiving a certificate of multi-iteracy which we presented them last month. Four out of five BSD's 2024 graduating seniors demonstrated college and
035career readiness. Score is an online platform that helps students and schools navigate the college admissions admissions process. As you can see, 91% of BSD seniors registered with score in 2024. Our last indicator of college and career readiness that we are sharing this evening within our state accountability measure is graduation rate. Here you see graduation rates for our district dating back to precoid year of 2019. While the Brandy Wine School District experienced a twopoint dip in graduation rates in 2024 from the year prior, we remain two percentage points higher than we were prior to the pandemic. On April 12th, 2025, our joint student councils from Brandy Wine, Conquered, and Mount proudly hosted the annual BSD Fest. This community celebration united students, families, staff, and community members for a day filled with engaging activities, entertainment, and opportunities
036to build meaningful connections. BSDFest emphasizes our commitment to fostering community spirit, celebrating the diversity and talents within our schools, and strengthening a sense of belonging across the district. This year's gathering highlighted student leadership, creativity, and collaboration, reinforcing our district's mission to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all. Special thanks to those dedicated students, staff, and families, as well as our community partners whose hard work and enthusiasm made the BSD Fest an outstanding success. This week, May 5th, we enthusiastically celebrated teacher appreciation week across the Brandy School District. Throughout the district, schools organize special activities, events, and heartfelt gestures to recognize and honor the extraordinary work of our teachers. Students, families, and community partners express their gratitude through personal notes, creative artwork, appreciation meals, and social media highlights showcasing the inspiring contributions of our dedicated
037educators. On behalf of the entire district leadership team and the board of education, we extend our deepest appreciation and heartfelt thanks to all our BSD teachers for their exceptional commitment to our students and families. May 7th was recognized across BSD as National School Nurse Appreciation Day. We celebrated and honored our dedicated school nurses who play a crucial role in ensuring the health, safety, and overall well-being of our students and staff throughout the district. Students, staff, families, and school communities express their appreciation through gestures, notes of gratitude, acknowledgements, social media highlights recognizing the important contributions our school nurses make each day. We are very fortunate to have such caring health professionals serving our schools. On behalf of our entire district, we extend heartfelt gratitude to our school nurses for their invaluable service, dedication, and support. And
038lastly, on Friday, May 2nd, BSD celebrated school lunch hero day, recognizing the dedicated professionals in our school cafeterias. This year, our nutrition department highlighted the event with a fun theme cafeteria squad, reflecting the exceptional efforts of our cafeteria staff. Our lunch heroes go above and beyond to ensure students receive nutritious, tasty meals every day. Their roles extend beyond, far beyond preparing food. They create welcoming spaces and they provide meals that fuel our students minds and bodies significantly contributing to student health and overall wellbeing. Please join us in thanking our outstanding cafeteria staff for their enthusiasm, dedication and care. Whether they are serving meals or greeting students, their impact reaches far beyond the lunchtime. We proudly celebrate our cafeteria staff as essential members of our educational community. President report That'll move us through to public comment.
039There are no virtual speakers tonight. So, I will go to the speakers that I have cards for. First, I have Michaela Mson. Did I say that right? Is it Michael? Hi, my name is Michaela Michaelelsson and I rise today on behalf of the concerned students at Conquered High School regarding the recent appointment of our new principal. We want and expect that the leaders that we have elected into your positions will give the voice to the voicelessness. We know that you as board members would not be here if you didn't care about what's best for students in this district. Tonight, I am grateful to be a voice for many. So, please listen to our concerns. We are very frustrated that the position was filled without a chance for all candidates to apply. At Mount Pleasant High
040School, the principal position is being filled throughout a transparent interview process. So why wasn't the same opportunity granted for Conquer? We know this process has worked well in the past and we're fortunate enough to gain Mr. Podinetti, who has been an incredible leader for our school. His selection showed us what a fair and thoughtful hiring process can bring to a school. There may be other candidates out there that are extremely qualified and want this position, but students are being potentially robbed of the opportunity to be led by the most qualified candidates because of personal connections. A petition I made was signed by 952 students, parents, and community members. That is almost 1,000 voices saying that this is not right. We want to believe that qualifications, experience, and leadership matter more than personal connection. But this
041decision sends the wrong message to our generation. When we enter the workforce one day, we hope that hard work and being qualified will give us a fair shot. Instead, we're being taught who you know potentially matters more than what you know. This is the example being set to us you. We deserve to see a system where hard work is recognized, transparency is upheld, and advancement is earned, not inherited. We are asking you to do what is right for every student learning what leadership looks like. Thank you. Next, I would like to ask Molly Andrews to come up. Good evening everyone. It is truly a privilege to stand before you tonight. My name is Molly Andrews and I'm a very proud and involved student at Coner High School. Conquered has become more than just a school.
042It is a second home in a place where I've always felt seen in support. That kind of environment doesn't happen by accident. It is built every day by the people who show up with dedication, compassion, and a vision. Principal Palinetti is one of those people. I am proud to see that his leadership is being rewarded knowing that a smooth process would find his next successor. similarly to how he was originally appointed and found. I have no doubt in the process myself and hundreds of other faculty members and students were truly dumbfounded by the news that the role was immediately given to Dr. Wson Sun just Jeff Wson. No announcement, no opportunity for community input and worst of all, no fair consideration for other qualified candidates. And that is why this decision hurts. Not because somebody
043new is joining us. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about Mr. but because how this decision was made. At the very least, they deserve transparency and a fair process. This is not just about one individual being overlooked. It speaks to a larger issue. The leadership, the way leadership decisions are being made in our district. When a decision is made in such non-transparent way, it sends a wrong message, not just to staff, but to us students who are watching and learning what leadership is supposed to look like and even the taxpayers who support our district. We are looking for a district to do what is best for us and not themselves. I ask those in position of power to recognize the importance of transparency in the decision-m process. If Mount Pleasant can offer a fair and
044transparent process, why can't we do the same here? We deserve the same level of respect and consideration. As a board member, you hold great amount of power and responsibility. You are not responsible for deciding whether an $8,425 pay raise is a lateral move and why a move can be made in a transparent and ethical process. Our picture is in your hands. Thank you. Next, I would like to ask Tracy Woodson Good evening. My name is Tracy Woodson and I'm a candidate for the school board from district E. In 25 hours, the citizens of the Brandy Wine School District community will vote for three board members. All six candidates for the board, including myself, have spent the last three months canvasing across the entire district, high and low, far and wide, searching for votes. I ask
045you, the members, please take the time tomorrow to exercise your right to vote. You can vote from 7:00 a.m. till 8:00 p.m. On behalf of myself and all the candidates, I want to thank you. Next, I'd like to ask Brian Jordan, members of the board, Dr. Lawson, White School District. My name is Brian Jordan. I too am a candidate school board the election tomorrow. I wanted to get up today to remind everyone to make a You've got 11 polling places. Most of the schools are polling place. So is pline library. During this campaign, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Lawson and Dr. about concerns that we had that conquer was not a polling place. With Dr. Lawson's encouragement, I reached out to Congress principal asked if those students who are eligible to vote
046would be excused to vote. And he responded with an enthusiastic yes. More importantly, the conquered high school counselor made a video get out and vote video that he also if you haven't seen it it's awesome it really shows the power of what these students can do they're excited to vote and I hope all of you join that vote the last thing I'll mention is a piece of gratitude to my wife the Cheyenne they stood with me through all of this and it's been a lot we still made soccer practice homework work get done uh and they have survived. So I know that they're listening. Thank you. You do still have to go to school tomorrow and you do have to go to school Wednesday no matter the outcome regardless. So if like members of the
047community you believe that schools build communities, Tuesday is the day to turn out and vote. Thank you. I have Mr. Alex and Jenn. Good evening. I'm also running for the board of education as well as being a member district A and for three months Tracy right up the district talking to people let them know who we are letting them know who they are. It's been a lot. It's been a lot. Um Ryan's right. It's not easy when you have two kids, but it's a lot easier when you have a lovely wife help you out in every way possible. So, you know, everything else is done. Policy be what it is, whatever. Just go out and vote, okay? Tomorrow, 7 to 8, go out and vote. You're 18 years old and you live in the BSD.
048Go out and do it. Okay? Can't complain about what happens afterwards. You made it happen. Just make it [Applause] happen. Thank you. That'll move us down to the uh board business board leaison report. The first one is the SBA executive board. We met last week. We did have a forum. There were some boards who had shipped their meetings and couldn't attend the meeting. Uh we did put together the slate for next year. Uh everybody is continuing in their positions except for um Adele who came on. Unfortunately, one person could not continue. We also affirmed legislative committee report that and that was basically the SBA. There is no legislative committee report tonight. District finance committee. Mr. SC finance committee has announced that last meeting did not meet today. Our next schedule. Thank you, Mr. Hel. You
049said there's no health and wellness or maintenance advisory. We also do not have a parents and citizens advisory. Do we have a parents uh students for disabil on the meeting was led by Dr. Council and information about services. gather input for that 256 member of the and they have presentation. Thank you. Any questions from the board? Wington Learning Collaborative. Mr. Jen, we attempted to have a meeting on the 6th of May. We cannot have enough people for a forum. So, we just internally discussed the budget and the future of the WLC and uh education in general in Northern Delaware. Yeah, the next meeting is next month. I believe it's on the 12th or 13th and we'll report back. Thank you. I know there was not an advisory for 917 WNP, but just want to make
050an announcement as to the honor that was received. Yeah. Well, just give a teaser. I didn't want to make the echo now who were trying to information came in late last week that we have some Mount Pleasant students winners of the DPA High School Communications Awards. We're going to June meeting, but the information too late to do that this evening. So stay tuned and join us next month for that. But until then, right around town, tune in to super 917 WM. Thank you. Are there additional board member reports? I just want to share briefly. There's been a lot of writing consortium lately and I've incredible amount of outreach. There is a ready social meeting tonight. I I do understand that we are planning a PSD specific meeting, but I don't know if the details are
051confirmed enough to share, but there will be a PSD specific ready to end. Yes, the second meeting is actually the same as behavioral health specialist. We'll leave that alone. That'll move us to the consent agenda. Actually, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So, um I am making a statement on behalf. I am the board representative for the advisory and assessment committee on equity. And um as you know, the committee was assigned to conduct work to review the district uh the work that we're doing in the district and how it promotes equity. Equity is a large part of the district success plan. It's something that we monitor um that we actually hold high value to and it's also um a part of the performance evaluation for our superintendent. Um I would like to as the board representative of
052that committee make a statement and as I've shared with my fellow board members I think that as the members of the board well not I think our responsibility as the board uh is a few things we have three responsibilities. The first one is to select and supervise the superintendent. The second is to create and approve the board budget or the the district budget. And the third is to uh do policies to establish policies. I believe I'm sorry all my alarms are like buzzing on my wrist, my my phone. Um I this is my second year on the school board and repeatedly I have suggested that we take seriously our responsibility to establish policies for the district that protect the district and limit um the one to promote the aspects of our district success plan equity
053being one of them and two to limit the uh risk that happens within the district. I want to say that I believe I'll ask again. I've asked um previously when we went through the process of the superintendent being selected, I asked the board to establish policies that would create transparent policies across the district related to HR. I asked the district to establish something that could be held consistent from person to person. It wasn't about the superintendent at that time. I said it over and over again. And here we are again. I'm asking the district to do the same thing. As our through our assessment of the district for the equity committee, we learned about equity champions that exist in every school building. Those equity champions have the responsibility of making sure that all of the
054processes at the school level support the equity um the goals of the district regard to equity. We also have a student advisory um group and that student voice group makes sure that every student's voice is included in the decisions that we make as a district. I want to thank the conqueror students for coming here tonight and the staff because regardless of whether we agree with each other, the fact of the matter is that we drill over and over again in our students that you need to lift up your voice and we need to hear you. So, thank you for being here. I want to repeat it again. I'm finishing up my term on the school board. I'm leaving um the end of June and I leave disappointed. I'll just be honest. Um because I came
055on the board with the goal of creating a fair and an equitable district. And the only way that I believe that we can do that through my experience, I have more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit organizations, government organizations. I've worked for the mayor of Washington DC. I've worked in businesses. I've built district school district programs. I've built an online program in DC. I know people like to believe I'm new to the board and I don't know what I'm talking about, but I have experience policies establish guard rails. When we have policies in place and we follow those policies with trans with with fidelity and we follow those policies in a transparent way, it creates an equitable district. And so I encourage you, the reason why I didn't run again was because I was
056exhausted. It became a mental health challenge for me because over and over again I watched what I felt were inequitable practices and I tried to call people and inspire people to speak up and to take their district back and over and over again the same thing happened over and over again. And so tomorrow is the board vote. the way that things happen here, it we would like to believe that it's about doing just what's right. We would like to believe that it's about, you know, being true to fair policies, but the fact of the matter is whatever gets forward votes passes. That's the way this work. So, tomorrow we've got three open seats. If you can do anything, so many people inbox me and it's like, Dr. I wish you would run again because we
057need your voice. So many people inboxed me over the course of these two years and shared their stories and said, "I'm afraid to speak up." Including in this last week, the number of people, their fellow colleagues who said, "I'm afraid." Our goal as a board is to establish psychological safety. We are celebrating behavioral health professionals tonight and yet we create an environment for our staff where they are afraid to speak up and need their own behavioral health therapist just to get through working in the district. And so tomorrow there's three seats opening up and I could feel the stairs. That's why I'm I'm like so nervous. This has been my experience for two years. But you know what? I don't anymore because while I was here on this board, I recommended a whistleblower policy because
058when we were going through the whole superintendent process, so many people sent me their stories and said, "I'm you." There's no time limit. There's no time limit on Are you giving us a report on the equity committee? Excuse me. You're out of order. You're out of order. So you're out of order. There's Gohead limit on I am speaking on committee reports and I am the representative of the committee report committee. So I'm speaking on equity and as the vice president of this board, there are no time limits on committee reports. I'm just asking you to stick to the equity report. What I what I am saying is that we can be right as much as we want. We can sit and we can inbox each other. That doesn't make things happen on this board. What
059happens is when you get an a majority amount of people who will fight for what's right. You have three seats open tomorrow. You can either vote for the people who will get here and just keep co-signing foolishness or you can take your district back. If you want your teachers and your staff people to be able to show up to work and know that they're valued, to know that they too have a fair chance at a succession plan. If you want your students to be able to know that their voice is heard and it's not just about hearsay and it's not just about putting numbers on a board, it's about hearing the voice of the people that we serve. If that's what you want, I encourage you to vote for change tomorrow because tonight we are
060going to vote and you're going to watch and you're going to see how every person at this table votes. Don't listen to campaign speeches. Watch. Look at the track record of how people has voted and look at how they vote tonight. [Applause] Okay, that will move us to the consent agenda. I will take a motion to accept the consent agenda. So move. I have a motion. Do I have a second? Are there any objections or abstensions? Consent agenda carries. I'll move us to the personnel monthly report. I will take a motion to accept the personal monthly report. [Music] Do I have a second? Second. I have a motion and a second for the personnel monthly report. Um, Miss Paris, you do a roll call. I just wanted to you the last thing that you said
061to her. The last thing that you said to her and the last thing that you said to me prior to starting this meeting was that you I was standing there with Yes. Because I was trying to accommodate a board member. No, you weren't trying to accommodate one board member request. What you were doing was me as the vice president. I pointed you tried to add an item to the agenda tonight for an action for a vote. And I told you that that was not allowed because in order for an item to be on the agenda, it had to be publicized. Excuse me. It had to be. We are then voting as is. But you don't get to just eeny meeny miny mog voting as is. I didn't change anything. Well, the board decided the board
062decided. You went around from member to member and you asked. And the last thing once you figured out that you did not have the votes to pass it, you went to Tia and you asked her to remove it from the agenda. And so now in the meeting, now that you're upset because I shared, this is the kind of stuff that happens. I'm glad you're doing it publicly because you literally are now changing the agenda because you're frustrated. I have not changed the agenda. Um Okay. Uh what I Yes, please. Yes. [Applause] No. Yes. Thank you. That'll move us down to student matters. I will take a motion to accept student matters A and B as No, first I want to know how what happens when we vote on an item that is not in accord
063to policy because what you just asked the reason why you out of order. No, we were out of order when we voted on something that was not legal. We were out of order when we voted on something. voted on what was in the agenda. The contract requires that any additional positions that are added the agenda. Well, then I will be out of order because the contract requires that any additional positions added by this superintendent have to be approved by the board prior prior to making it onto the report that you guys just approved. It did not happen, which is why you said to take it off of the the agenda because the board did not was never approved for that position to be established. We never saw a job description. We never knew what the
064budget of it was for. We never approved it. So, how can four people, one who is running for race for your v vote tomorrow, how can they vote on a position that the board did not approve when it's written in a superintendent's contract that it must be approved? Make that make sense. We We just approved it. We just approved it. [Music] But it's just been approved. It It wasn't approved. What has to No, it it What What needs to be approved is that the position first be created before you can announce that it's been filled and before you can put that person's name on a personnel report, the position in and of itself has to be approved. If you'd like us to pull up the contract which you yourself just read, Mr. Le Jamie, we
065can do that and read it so that people can decide. What the contract says is that the position anytime there's a title change, it has to be approved. There was a title change and it was not approved prior to tonight. We came into tonight as a board member not even knowing what the new title was. I was simply told by on via a phone call that someone had been hired. Yeah. To recess to executive session. May I have a motion, please? So move. Second. Any objections or abstensions to executive session Okay, that'll move us down to student matters. I will take a motion on student matters A and B. Do I have a second? Second. I have a motion and a second on student matters A and B. Choice and choice of pause. Are there
066any objections or resolutions? Motion carries. I'll move us down to old business. First item is the draft 2526 student code of conduct. Dr. [Applause] Good evening, President Aman, Vice President Jeday, Superintendent Lawson, members of the board, those of you assembled here, and those of us who those of you who are joining us virtually. My name again is Dr. Yolanda McKenna. I'm here tonight seeking your approval for the 2025 2026 student code of conduct. Last month, you were provided an opportunity to review the proposed changes, provide comments and feedback based on your suggestions. The working Google doc that I provided for you was updated. If there aren't any further questions from me, I ask that you approve the 2025 2026 student code of conduct. question from I have a motion and a second there discussion on
067the final draft of the or second read. Thank you. You're welcome. Question. Um, how often do you envision uh reviewing the code of conduct? Um, every year we review the code of conduct. Thank you. I have a motion and a second. Is there additional board discussion? Are there obsession? Motion carries. Thank you. That'll move us to the draft 2627 calendar. Good evening, President Acriman, Superintendent Lawson, distinguished board members, our BEA BSD employees, and our great community. My name is Lavina Jones Davis and I serve as the chairperson for the Brandy Wine School District calendar committee. This evening I am here to seek your approval for changes in the 2526 district calendar and approval for the district proposed calendar for 2627. Next slide, please. These were the changes for the 256. Again, the when we discussed
068this last month, asynchronous day moved from March 5th to March 4th and the trade in day, which we discussed instead of printed as trade in day is actually winter break. And then we we moved from the calendar where has eidat a which is a Muslim holiday u schools are now open. Our district actually acknowledge eh so we just made that adjustment and we added professional development on April 20. If you could show a glance right there. didn't really see that much, but I just prepared this for you. This has not um been published yet just where the changes were made. Those were some minor changes for the calendar. Go back to the Okay, this is a followup. We had some um discussion points in our last meeting. So I wanted to make sure I followed
069up on those discussions. There was a question around can dates for the BSD school board election be included on the district calendar. The state of Delaware department of educ department of election does not provide the exact date of school school board elections two years in advance. However, BSD will continue to post elections on our district website. Next, if you could go back to the question, the second question, can the trade in day that occurs the day before Thanksgiving move to Monday of the Thanksgiving week? Per the EA contract article 19.7.1 the first trade in day will be scheduled on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The next question what is the status on whether the September state primary election will move to April's presidential primary election which is bill 65. House Bill 65 is still pending in the
070Senate. if passed will go into effect after December 31st, 2026. Next slide. And please stop me if you have any questions. This is just to clarify uh there was a question around exactly which Muslim holiday does the Brandy Wine School District recognize and basically this just clarifies that on our calendar we recognize it. So that was correct for our board. So we did make the adjustment on the upcoming calendar and also on 2627. Next please. So now we're going to look at the 2627. Next slide should actually show. So I I went through this last time last month. So I'm not going to go through all of it, but I'm just I just I just would like to present uh a few highlights. So if you don't have any questions or if you do, please
071stop me. If we can advance to the next slide next month, November, October. So we didn't make any changes on here. Advance to November, please. So everything that I've already discussed, it's highlighted here. The trade in days stay the day before Thanksgiving. We can advance to December. Oops. All right. On December 23rd before it read trade in day, but according to the contract agreement, um, our BEA union receives one trade in day. So December 23rd instead of as trade in it is winter break. If you can advance to February. Okay. February 26 for our 256. And then we can go to March. You will see that change that we already discussed. Um actually it was before it's just the asynchronous day which is on March 3rd. So all of the changes that we discussed in
072April have been entered onto the calendar. We can take this the following month. Next slide. All of that is the same. The following month should be the last That concludes my presentation this evening. Do you have any questions? If there are no questions, uh I seek your approval for the two calendars that I presented this evening. them separately. I'll take a motion on the 26 27 calendar. Second. Any additional discussion? Are there any abstensions or calendar passes and let's go down to the Oh, I'm sorry. And we'll go to the 2526 motion and a second for 2526. Are there any extensions or names? If not, motion carries. Thank you. Thank you. future uh the uh school board school districts getting more and more more diverse. Uh I was wondering are we going to start seeing
073some different religious tradition holidays on there as well? Well, that is something that we can discuss at the committee but it is diverse. I mean we recently added the missing holiday which was actually um presented to us by students high school students. So I do applaud that. diverse, but we will continue to um research with you and bring it forward to the world. us to do business and first item draft tentative board meeting dates. Cyrus has worked through those dates. Our regular will be July 9th. So tax warrants 23 and then we're trying Thursday unless that falls on holiday. I will take a motion to accept the board meeting dates for 256. I have a motion and a second for the meeting for 2526. Are there any abstensions or motion carries? General information. Our regular
074board meeting will be Monday, June 16th, and we'll be at Brandy High School for retirement celebration that we'll be doing and then the regular board meeting in July will be on July 9th. With that, I will take a motion to adjourn. Any objections or abstensions?