January 13, 2026, Board of Education Meeting

001Do I have a motion to move to exit executive session for the purpose of discussing legal matters where no votes were taken? >> So moved. >> Board member US makes the motion. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Board member Hearnen seconds the motion. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? >> I chair votes I. Any opposed? The motion carries unanimously. We will now call this pre-work session to order at 1:39 p.m. >> Yeah, because >> Okay. I am the chair, Carmen Sultan, and I am present. When I call your name, please indicate if you are present. >> Vice Chair Uts, >> present. >> Board member Anderson, >> present. Board member H. Hearnden >> present. >> Board member Lorraine Irier >> present. >> Thank you. Thank you for joining us today for

002our board of education pre-work session. Our board me cadence allows board members to prepare for upcoming regular meetings through pre-work sessions. These sessions are typically more casual and are primarily for information gathering. No formal votes will be taken board. Our first item on the agenda is our board norms. Annually we review the superintendent and board communication norms for the new member on our board Lorraine Irier. It is most benefiting that we discuss the norms and recommit for some new and newly commit some for Lorraine. All right. So board as you have in front of you also on assembly these are our board communication norms. The board communication norms are uh divided into different sections. So we'll just kind of go section by section. Uh the first section is governance roles and responsibilities. Any comments? >>

003No question. So when I'm looking at um letter C, the government team agrees to solve the code of ethics and disclose any conflicts of interest. And so if we're disclosing a conflict of interest and it's determined or we're disclosing a possible conflict, right, and it's determined there is one, then do we have to recuse ourselves from a vote? >> That's a good question actually. >> And the reason I'm asking this is because I believe in the whole time I've served, I've seen only one instance in which someone had to recuse themselves from a vote. And I think that was the October uh TFA, the bond. And so I'm just trying to figure out when we do that, are we announcing it publicly as well or is it just something that's shared because I didn't notice

004I went back and listened to the October meeting. And so the only way I knew of the recusal is because it's in the minutes. So I I do think maybe there's some language that we would add around what to do in the event that there is a conflict of interest. So you're you're getting at if there is a conflict of interest around a matter that is being voted on that we need to recuse. Um, >> I assume that the reason for a recusal and like an abstension, but maybe someone else can inform this, is because there is a conflict of interest. And so when I was looking thinking about it, I'm not aware of any other vote except for the October 14th one in which there was a recusal. And then I just wondered, is

005that just something that's noted in the minutes? because I went back and listened to our board meeting >> and so it was I don't I never heard it announced and so I just wondered what is the actual communication norm there and procedure. I had envisioned having many I mean for AP essays I guess if we started betting for AP exams I might have a seeming self-interest I don't know >> I think maybe what we could um maybe maybe what we need to talk about is defining what we think is a conflict of interest because conflict of interest could be anything you know >> my guess is if we could direct it to the lawyers for a second my guess is that there is probably very clear law and language around what constitutes a conflict of

006interest. We don't need to invent it ourselves. I think we should reference when it exists. >> I'm more interested in and I think this is to board member Anderson's point if we do determine that there is one, how do we communicate it and then what steps do we take? To be clear, I have a conflict of interest when it comes for folks dealing with Davenport because I work in an industry with Davenport is a competitor. I have no conflict of interest from the school's perspective, but for the FCC and FINRA, I should not publicly participate in vote on bond hearing. That's it. When I was elected and discussed this with uh our attorneys, it was like, yeah, that's on them. >> Um I think that's very different than the school >> determining it. That was

007my understanding. I haven't revisited it since. I just haven't publicly >> Let's take a hypothetical situation, right? Let's say that somebody that is elected to this board owns a construction company and that construction company is bidding on a project within the school system. That individual on the board should not be able to vote in approval of any contract related to that. Right. >> And so but but we are clear on here how they communicate that out to the public and then what steps to take. And I I do think maybe there's some value in adding a little language around if a conflict of interest is determined to exist, this is how it gets announced, this is the step that the individual must take. That sort of clarification I think is is a good idea. >>

008There it goes. There it goes. Okay. Um people if you'd like to adopt that in your >> Okay. >> Yeah, that sounds great. So, we'll add uh a link to policy BHA, which is a board member conflict of interest, and we'll also add the language from uh Robert Swall's order. Okay. Anything else in this section? Okay. Communication by superintendent to board members. Anything here? Okay. Information requests of board members. Okay. Or superintendent team relationship. Nothing >> constituent requests and issues. >> This area has just some input on because we read the document in a whole, you know, actually as a new board member. I want to make sure that I'm following the rules that are in here and the norms. Um it doesn't, you know, it rings especially to that things that we're going to

009go through the chain of command to the superintendent of course, but obviously as schoolboard members, we're also here um as constituent representatives and we're here to, you know, take communication and input from the community. So, I'm just wondering if we can add that role in here, too. It is a balance. Then I looked at some other school districts um Gwet County and I think even Brian County and they their policies um on communication norms for the board have some language in there about um just you know that we are here to for ongoing transparent communication with community stakeholders um while maintaining confidentiality regarding sensitive matters. But I I just feel like if we could include that, too, just to acknowledge that we're also here to listen and communicate with our constituents, that would be helpful.

010>> What if you make that its own like subheading like >> Yeah, that could be communication with stakeholders and community. I've seen that in a couple school boards because this I guess when you're reading the entire document, it doesn't have that kind of language in there yet. It just kind of talks about the chain of command of course. So >> I like using sorry I like um adding a subsection C and including that language >> under constituent request. >> Yes. >> Okay. But yeah it was uh >> it was its own complete section. >> Well it was communication with stakeholders and community and um I have the modeling so we can follow that. I'm happy with I think >> okay >> this just seems more to do with the chain of command and that's how

011I've seen this similar language in other um billboards >> okay >> well and I think the one it's not an easy thing right because um it is in the best interest of the school district right that individual board members aren't just replying either at whim or you know with an idea right totally accept that but I also think there's room to fill something in where you know I I know this as a teacher I know this as a citizen there is nothing more defeating than contacting people and you know suggesting ideas sharing concerns and you know basically being met with a you know thank you and check you kind of thing and yet sometimes it has to be right so again I'm not dismissing the valid reasons why um one for operational reason and two

012to protect the school district and so you know there were a few things I wondered like in under letter A uh read the board chair should reply to constituent emails so you know my understanding is if the board is responding to we all kind of get at least a reviewer say and I just wondered when the board chairs reply to constituents is there a a a similar process in place so I get to see it after the fact but I don't get to see it ahead of time and it's not necessarily that Tracy gets to see it but we do have five people on the board and I just wonder why we wouldn't want a similar not FYI review after but a review before especially if it's something that multiple constituents are emailing about >>

013right and just something not operational in nature >> I understand that's a response that's a response that the board chair is composing on behalf of the entire board when we get you know a question to the entire board but if somebody's just emailing me directly, I can respond in in that too. >> Well, so if somebody is emailing you directly with a a let's say they're emailing you directly about an issue that they found in the school, >> the norm is that gets forwarded to the entire board and copied to the superintendent with the language stating that that that is the administration's role to follow up. Right? So that's necessary. That's that's a norm and that's that's one that we're going to I personally feel fairly inflexible on. I think we do need to ensure

014that we're clear where there are operational things. It's understandable that somebody might reach out to us with an operational thing, but it does have to get directed to the norm I believe should stay. if they're asking for a policy question. When we respond individually to a constituent asking a policy question, it has the appearance that that is the perspective of the full board. And so I do also think when there is a policy question or something related to that, it needs to be sent to the full board and then the board chair needs to respond. >> So that's just to meet us individually. >> Oh yeah. No, I think we do. >> That's Yeah, we all do that. Yeah. Great. Um, Tracy's point, I'm sorry, board member Anderson's point is >> Tracy, I'm happy. >>

015That's I'm trying to be formal, but okay. Appreciate it. Um, the board member I'm sorry. So, there's a balancing act, right? I do actually get the perspective that maybe if it is being responded to on behalf of the whole board, the whole board ought to have the chance to weigh in on it. Um, but man, that slow >> way I could do that in a 48 hour turnaround. I would have to adjust I think well I think a couple of things the way that this >> works most of the time is if I get a series of emails that all have the same theme. So if it's multiple emails especially in a short time frame that all have the same theme um the reality of it is that the response may have a theme to

016it. Then I work on a response. I get the help of the superintendent if it requires factual basis to it. And then I almost always get the help of the communication team and then I always send it out to you and then so that I can stay within that window. I will give you a timeline. I will tell you that you have to reply back to me within an hour or two hours or certain number of days and if I don't hear back I assume it's a go. Otherwise, like Hans is saying, it it it will it will slow down the response process, which was a big criticism of us in the past was that we would not reply. So, I've tried to make sure that I can get those emails out now. Well, let

017me finish now that sometimes we will get emails that are completely unrelated topics. Maybe they're about and I know in New York if the ask is that before I reply to those which maybe are not thematic emails everybody weighs in then maybe that is a discussion point before I reply to those everybody gives me a reply that I totally okay with that then we may have to go back and think about the turnaround time because it may be difficult to do that and yeah or even 96 it may be difficult to do that craft it, take everybody's feedback, go through draft, and then get the email out in 48 hours. >> Yeah. I I I am inclined to suggest that we lean towards when there is a response that is the voice of the full

018board that the full board get a chance to weigh in on it. And then I would expand it from 48 hours to 96 hours in the times that it's going to require us to respond. and and maybe there is a a form response that says this will be responded to within a window of time. Please expect it within blah blah blah 96 hours. But I do think we have to be practic I do I am super sensitive to the fact that if we're going to bring the full board on >> that that you get the extra time to be able to respond. The other thing too is what I've learned in looking at some of these emails, a lot of them really don't have to do with the board at all. Um, some of them

019may not require response from me at all. So, we could, although it's addressed to us, we could be more judicious about forwarding them on to the proper cabinet member, we could just forward them on and not give our own reply. So like some are some of the past emails I think maybe 90% I've gotten in the past um 48 hours although they were addressed to us the theme of the email could have gone to a cabinet member then maybe when I'm so I I agree um ones that are so um objectively operational in nature or just kind of a no-brainer because obviously each of us is up here and we understand our respons responsibilities. So from that standpoint, you I see no need for us to review it because we all know if someone's emailing

020about X program or you know, I don't know the um lunch, that's not our purview. But we do have to acknowledge that we are also decision makers. And so I would argue that the emails I'm referring to are not the ones that are operational in nature. And I think we're all sensible to the issues that constituents may be one more involved in because we see the number of emails we're getting. Um and two we know the emotional and intellectual combination. That's what I'm referring to. I'm not talking about operations. >> Yep. Well, so I mean are we are we generally as a body okay with with with establishing a norm where if the chair is responding in the voice of the board in all of those cases the board has a chance to review but

021the the there is going to be a time limit on us to review and that time limit if we and the chair gets an extra two days to respond in that case. I I I'm okay with that. 96 hours we get a chance to review. If we don't respond, that's a yes and we move forward. >> And that would relate only to emails that implicate the board. >> Well, that's also where I'm a little unclear here because I think a lot of the emails that I get, although addressed to us and although many have an emotional tone to them, if you read through it, much of it does not have to do with policy. It doesn't have to do with budget. Many of those emails could be forwarded onto a cabinet member. So um some

022of them may have to do with um I don't know if you may have to do with K2. Um we could forward that on to a cabinet member who is actually working on those particular issues. I could um so that's where I need a little bit more guidance as to what you are wanting me to do. >> Right. Well, >> right. I I can I can reply and we can work on a response, but the actual nature of what some of these folks are asking really is not they're not although they're addressing it to us, I could forward it on, >> but actually the K through two is specifically something that is within our purview right now and we're going to finish discussing it today. >> I just use that I just use that as

023an example. I said some of those emails if you read them what they are hitting at although emotional in tone some of the question in detail is really could be directed to a cabinet member for proper to be properly answered. >> Well I think I think I I mean I guess I would weigh in and say let's apply the same index that we have now for how we respond. just take the extra two days and give us the chance to to see your response and weigh in on it. >> Okay? >> And that that way we're informed, the constituent gets a response. And actually, frankly, in some of those situations, it gives us the opportunity to say, "Hey, actually, Dr. Sultan, I think maybe this should go to Jarvis instead of be responded to from

024us." And that gives us a chance to weigh in on. >> Can I go from >> Sorry, I just wanted to clarify one other thing because and I know it's again probably the English teacher and me because we use the word community a lot. We use it as an adjective and we use it as a noun and at times we use it as like a person now, a collective group. And so I would just like us to be more attentive when we are communicating with constituents because there is like the city of Decator, right? there's the the cater community, but at times I worry when we're using the phrase the community because we know that our community is comprised of different people, different neighborhoods. So that would be my one ask in our response to

025constituents that maybe we're not talking about the community because we don't really know who that is, right? We have individuals speaking and they may be talking about community impression. What what is the >> I don't like the emails specifically. >> No, I understand. So, so can you frame that as a norm that you change or language that you'd want to see or is that something that that would just be the feedback you provide when you have this answer you >> helping students writing essays if it's been an argumentative essay they don't need to say I think or I feel you just move to the idea right so it's really not about the community if you know Bob Jones sorry Bob Jones I don't think you exist indicator emails and wants to know how does how

026do people get to inform the K through2 process or how do they get to inform the budget then you know they just say hey these are the particular resources you have >> so so that feels to me correct me if I'm wrong board member but it feels to me like that that's not a norm that feels like that's great input with your leads and skill set to weigh in on the email when we have a chance to review that is that right I just want to make sure that we capture the thought >> sure >> okay thank you >> so looking at constituent requests and issues. Number three, number one or A31. For governance issues that may have policy implications, the board chair shall consult with other members of the board. Um, we're adding to

027that and or looking at five where it says response to email should be made within 48 hours. I think those are the two places where we're either adding something additional or making a modification. So, I want to be sure to capture. >> Yes, I think that is correct. >> And I think then the automatic reply needs to reflect that they may not get a response for three to four business days. >> Yeah, three or four. >> Okay. Would that capture Lorraine, your concern about >> Yeah, I'm not sure it did or or we may add another section. I think we talked about communication with stakeholders or >> I I heard you saying and correct me if I'm wrong, a little bit of guidance in the norms on how to respond to reach out from constituents

028on how the board will respond, >> right? Because just reading this, it sounds like everything goes to superintendent want to have maybe a section in there that acknowledges >> we have communication with constituents. Yeah, I would love I would love to see what other if you've already done the work on what other >> Yeah, I found a couple um that I liked. Brian County and Gwynette County. I'm not sure if they pulled it from GSBA. Um I was trying to look there and they had a section that I can read or share with you. >> That would be really helpful because I don't I don't and I like your point like that's something we do more than almost anything other than >> meeting. Yeah. Because when I was just reading this, it seemed like, okay,

029where's the communication, which I know I'm people are already trying to talk to me. >> Of course they are. And but I I I want to say out loud that when you go through board training and and legal stuff, the examples of email getting schoolboard systems or cities in trouble because emails are sent that apologize for something or or say something or just one in a thousand. So I appreciate everyone being on board with the fact that while I want people to be heard financial liability for this system and its children because we an email too quick. So thank you all for that norm and >> recognizing that that sometimes it's hard to not respond to an email that you want to respond to. Um and the last thing I'll say is can I handle

030all emails sent to the wrong dictator? We can lobby almost and I would say regularly and I would like to volunteer my services uh >> twice a week. It's safe to say that if that's okay with the rest of the board. >> I would agree with that. Thank you board member Hearnen. >> Thank you. >> Twice a week angry. >> Is that it for this section? and more. >> Board member relationships with employees. >> I saw maybe a typo in section E. Any complaint or agreement made against the superintendent must be shared with the board? or it has to be handshared with the board. >> No, no, no, no. So, if there are if there are grievances made against the superintendent that aren't shared with the board, there's a whole process that manages that. It

031doesn't need to come to us. But it's when grievances are filed against the superintendent that have been shared with us. We aren't responding to those. That goes to HR. It is a personnel and HR issue. What I'd imagine is that there might be superintendent grievances that we don't know about. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Well, now I'm just curious. So obviously then we don't need to know about it because well I'm I'm comfortable with this because now I feel like it's suggesting something. So I don't know of anything but just theoretically the idea is that if there's nothing there then there's nothing there. I mean is that why it's written that way? >> Well that that that there is a clear grievance process right >> we are not a part of the grievance process until

032it arrives in front of us and we do not want to insert ourselves in that process. Right. So yeah, >> that it for that section. >> Board member meeting preparation and protocol. >> I've got a few notes here. Um and our student rep isn't here. So note two on the back page. still wondering how the student board rep is um given as much information as allow. I know we've talked about this multiple times. I know the student board rep cannot have access to personnel matters, but I still don't understand board rep is as informed as we are when we're discussing matters that are not personnel or legal because the student board rep doesn't appear to have access to the emails that we get. So the student board rep actually meets with uh cabinet members two

033time pretty much two times a week and in preparation for the board meeting they have board prep with me just like you do >> right but so in that case then is the student board rep getting a readout of you know this week the board received or rather this month right because we meet monthly so the board received 15 emails and you know 14 of them were about the TRS. Um, so is the board rep getting or the student board rep getting any readout on the communications not I feel strongly that's something that needs to be recognized and implemented in some way but if I'm the only board member who feels that way then doesn't matter. >> I don't disagree. I think the question is how is she getting that information? I mean, we get

034our information through, you know, these vehicles up here. But I think what I've always heard and maybe was an assumption was that that she got her information through Amanda and through kind of going a one time and through, you know, almost like a class kind of setting because this is a class for them. Um, so because I don't sit in on those, I can't make a judgment as to what she's not getting um because we're not there. But, um, so I think the question though is, you know, we're looking at our norms. We're looking at the processes we have in place. What is the process in place for the student board rep to capitalize on that rep role that is like I think was referencing in terms of kind of the constituent element. >> So,

035so can we ground ourselves really quickly in why the student board rep isn't able to have access to the email? because I think it's important to understand why that exists if we're going to try to figure a workaround, right? So, so what is the what is the basic issue with giving that student rep full access to email >> personnel matters and legal matters? >> Yeah. Yeah. That's what I want us to be transparent about. So, the public where we're speaking about it publicly, the public should be aware of this that there are personal matters. There are a number of things that show up in emails that we we just we we have no way to actually filter that out for the student rep. So, this is why the student rep does not have the same

036access to constituent emails that we do. And so, you're asking, how do we then effectively brief the student rep on the content of what the emails are that we're seeing as they as they come forward? Should we call out that we that a part of the preparation that the student a rep goes through is a summarized uh and and uh what's the word? Not sanitized, but a but a like a a summary of the emails with all of the things that would not be permitted for the rep to see a summarized set of that. Well, >> and I I also wonder is the constituent that the student represents other students and not adults because >> that is who the student is actually elected by. The student is elected by students. >> So, and to follow

037that that logic, her constituents are the students at her high school. that. So I do understand that, but I I do feel like the best preparation possible would be to allow that rep to have some understanding of kind of the larger conversation in the community and and I mean the reality is they do >> but they don't they don't have the >> specific access to the emails. So I'm wondering if there is like just a sort of like by the way this is the main topic that the rest of the board is hearing about. >> Yes. And she does. She does. So, one for board prep. Um, as I said, I do meet with the students prior to board just like I meet with you prior to to board and explain everything on the agenda

038and talk through it. But as I said before, her teacher, her actual teacher that teaches her what it means to be on the board inclusive of current matters is and so the chief of staff does provide that context for her um in her role as chief of staff and and teacher of record as well. I think the final thing though I've been thinking about and I think we've talked about this before is and James you made a really good point when because I didn't know what it was like I had no idea kind of maybe um and I think it was the email issue you know email is an easy way to communicate and then I think you cited co and you know I've now through different things that have gone on gotten to see

039what happens when you get mass numbers of emails but I also feel like each of us is relying on our own understanding of how many emails we got. Um, at times what those emails said, it's, you know, 38 are coming in in a matter of 24 hours or 57 are coming in in a matter of two weeks. And so I still see an opportunity for us because we know that all the emails that are sent to us are sent to the district too, right? I think Dr. Whitaker, you're on it. And so I guess I feel like whatever process would allow us a more kind of objectively identified um mechanism for the common theme um questions would be useful and then that would just be read out to the student anyway. Could she do that

040at the end of every week? Like get a synopsis of what because some weeks I feel like we get very few and then some weeks it could be hundred, you know. Um I feel like those weeks she probably does need some understanding of and usually I find most of the time, like I said, there's a theme. >> Um there's it's rare that we get like a hundred emails and there's a hundred different questions. There's usually a theme to it. Uh, so in those scenarios, she probably does need to know exactly what see I'm assuming also that that's not happening and it it very well may be. I don't know, but maybe at the end of the week if she could get some kind of a summary of >> this is what your fellow >> what's

041in my inbox like that kind of something like that maybe. >> Okay. >> And then I had another question. Um, letter E. So the calendar of dates for board agenda prep, activities, deadlines, etc. Is that published publicly? And then where do we have it? >> The boply. >> Okay. Um, >> it's the BMP's on Sindly. >> All right. So E is referring to the BOP. Is that correct? >> Yeah. Do we want to I mean I it might it maybe it's helpful to put up the Sly link to the BOP in E. That that would probably help if people happen to find it there. But does it I mean maybe I'm wrong. Sorry. Um I don't recall seeing like this agenda finalized. >> It's always the Tuesday before. >> Okay. The agenda is finalized the

042Tuesday before. >> Always the week >> and then we get it when Yeah. So like So you get the agenda? >> Yeah. Because this says um you get it in your packet. date the agenda is finalized for the board and then the date the agenda is made available to the public. So we get it on Friday and it goes public on Friday. >> Okay. >> But it's always a Tuesday. >> So I I think I explained this to Lorraine. You can obviously add anything you want to the agenda. We just have to know before the agenda is set because if it's after the agenda is published, especially if it goes out to the public, then then you'd have to make a motion to modify the agenda in real time. >> So then if we're looking

043at that, which you also can. >> Sure. So if we're looking at that, the agenda is actually finalized on Tuesday, not Friday. So the change would be on Tuesday, not the Friday when the board gets it and then it's posted publicly. the the after the agenda is posted publicly Friday, >> any change after that has to be done through a motion in a formal like the rules of order, whatever that's called. >> Yes. >> But but if if you want to change on Wednesday and you raise it to our attention, I mean it would be better to do it before Tuesday, but it hasn't been posted publicly. So there is possibility, right? like that it is possible for us to engage until it's posted publicly at which point then it has to be a a

044motion to change >> and we board members are using the BOP to know what's on the agenda. >> You're using the BBOT to know the way I think about it is the theme of what's going to be on there. So maybe it's going to be discipline, maybe it's going to be K to2, maybe it's going to be well I feel like you do finance every single time but don't >> feel that way. It is that way. >> Yeah. Hamous. >> Yeah. But whatever. Use that kind of as your your your kind of guide rails. But maybe there's one particular thing you want to discuss. And that's totally fine. You get one other board member to support you and then you just send an email and say I want this agenda item item added. If you

045do it before the Tuesday where we finalize the agenda, then we just put it on and then we can and that also I feel like is at least is at least what I figured out is a you know the earlier you do it the more of a courtesy it is the rest of the staff because they may have to pull slides or data or something to make it meaningful. That's one little discussion point and they can make it what you're looking for. But essentially then you know what I find sometimes is people and I'm thinking of that public um comment time survey we had I think at the beginning of this year. So if people want to know when we're talking about X or when we're talking about Y agenda wise they can predict that

046or they can see through M. >> Yes definitely. >> Yes. Thank you. Anything else thereinity evaluation? The only thing I thought of in this particular section which I think we had talked about before was publicly creating instrument. So, um I don't know if that's something we want to discuss, but um obviously anything else is confidential, but having the actual just like we're doing now, our evaluation instrument, um we do that publicly, but having the actual creation of said evaluation, >> I'm I'm open to publicly having a conversation about the uh we will just have to be extraordinarily disciplined about that not tipping over into talk about the actual evaluation itself. >> Right. >> Tell me what you mean. >> Well, like as we're creating a factor and saying, "Hey, we're going to hold the superintendent

047accountable to this thing. We're not also having a conversation about whether we think that she's doing a good job on that thing." Like that that just we just have to be super cognizant of that. No, I think it's just like Yeah. creating a rubric or anything else. >> All right. Do we want to set that as a as a one of the Is it a work session? Is it the main meeting? Where what how do you >> I think that's something you would do in a work session. >> Yeah, I think so. Different. >> So, explain what that would include. I I think the document that we use for your evaluation, not the evaluation itself, but the framework for each of the items that we are going to be holding you accountable to. We will

048do that in a public session and have that conversation as a body. And and in reality, we're we're basically doing the the minor editing that we do each year around look that item that was there for two years because that wasn't in place, but we actually that box has been checked. That thing can come off. We need to talk about something else, right? We can build the evaluation instrument publicly. Although to that end then I think the where I think we're going to need more guidance is like just what you said like that thing was rolled off but the actual creating in terms of um you know there's KPIs or BOP stuff like that I think is particularly useful but I think you've kind of just evidenced why we need to make sure that >>

049yeah we yeah >> understood understood you're right I mean things are going to roll off and things are going to be added and we have to be very careful about not talking about why they're rolling off or why they're >> being added. Do you see what like it does get a tiny bit tricky talking about it publicly and so I think some conversation around how to do that is important. I am uh generally indexed to having that conversation publicly. I think that's good for the public to see it but but just so long as we aren't actually talking about performance in that conversation >> kind of like you like the teacher keys instrument or the leadership keys instrument. um that's what I'm seeing or hearing. >> So uh I will I will suggest that that

050is something that is led and guided just as it has been by Georgia school board >> as it has been. >> Yeah, I think that's a good idea. All right. Anything else here? >> I think that's the end. >> That is the end. >> Okay. Anything else? Okay. >> All right. To summarize, we agreed to add language to board member code of ethics under governance roles and responsibilities. To add language regarding communication with constituents for board members to listen to stakeholders, modify response time to three to four business days for constituent requests and issues. Add a re add a readout that will be provided to the student board rep weekly by staff. Georgia's School Board of Association will lead the superintendent evaluation creation with the board and we will bring the board norms back in

051February for signature. Dr. Whitaker, please introduce the next item. >> Thank you, Chair Sultan. I would like to call on Mrs. Amanda Lynch, chief of staff, to gain your feedback on policies, financial personnel, and social media. >> Good afternoon, board chair Dr. consultant, vice chair, senior members of the board, and superintendent Dr. Whitaker. Today, we will be discussing one policy with needed revisions in response to legislation as well as numerous policies that are part of our process to review our oldest existing policies. While individual policies address different strategic accelerators, overall policy development contributes to strategic accelerator 4, organizational effectiveness and excellence. First up is a revision to an existing policy, policy ISBG, internet acceptable use. These revisions are needed in response to 2024's SB 351, also known as the Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media

052Act. This bill has required several policy adjustments with different deadlines in September. Today, additional revisions are being introduced to meet the requirement that boards of education adopt specific policy language by April 1st, barring students from accessing social media on district-owned equipment except under limited circumstances. The redline version of the policy incorporates language directly from the statute and would bring us into compliance with this aspect of SB 351. Do you have any questions or additional feedback that should be considered regarding the proposed revisions to policy ifg my only and I apologize for not sharing this previously is um does not technically define social media. Um, and I don't think you can come up with a list for acceptable platforms, but my head like if I'm going to go to does Reddit count all AI is is

053just asking Reddit. And so technically social media, technically not. I'm not sure. So a definition of social media I think would help with if this became a policy we wanted to enforce. >> Noted. I was also curious about um the establishment of appropriate measures when students are found to violate and how they tie into the code of conduct just so we're making sure that businesses are disciplinedly. >> Yes. So that's um we when we looked at this one even before we made sure the language all mirrored exactly what the law itself said. Um I think we talked about it was um Mr. Mr. H. Hearnden had brought it up about uh progressive discipline and things like that that we've talked about in the past. So all of that is consistent with the language of the

054law and is outlined in our student handbook. >> And I'm guessing you know it might depend on what they're found to be, right? Some things they might be looking at would be you know unacceptable depending on that situation. >> We can get you more information on exactly how that looks. as this. So, the students take the Chromebook home, right? Um, and I'm I think I should um they we have measures in place to help direct students to the appropriate um sites. And but when we're looking at number one here, um under room eight, it's effectively looking just at school, right? Are you talking on the bus? You're not talking about the red lines where you're not talking about the additions. No, >> you're talking about a prior existing piece of >> But I mean I

055think I just I'm trying to confirm, you know, ultimately each student is getting a Chromebook. They do take them home to do school work, but we have measures in place to help them find the correct, the safe, the appropriate sites. My best read on them. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> And if I'm reading this correctly, this is saying that they can access whatever social media sites they want, Reddit, YouTube, whatever, as long as the teacher allows it. Yeah, it prohibits it, but it did it does say, you know, unless, you know, directed by school personnel. So, if as the teacher I'm directing a student to access something because it is part of my lesson, that would be permissible. >> And I guess to Tracy's point, is it just on the Chromebooks? Because could they pull

056out their phones and do it because that I mean there's also a policy that doesn't allow them to use their phones. >> Yeah. They don't have access to their phones now. So that that well high school does currently but >> only on the >> so this is implying that it's only on CSD devices. >> Yes is >> equipment services act internet that is operated on leased and made available. All right, >> thank you for that feedback. We will so adding the minor revision of the definition of social media. >> Good luck. >> Yeah. Do you want to put some boundaries around that? I mean like does it exist even? Is there a common legal definition of what social media >> gets around it by saying that the school should provide a list of appropriate ones

057or nonappropriate ones? I just don't want I just envision a student going online given an assignment and then stumbles their way on the Reddit because that has a good answer. Is that prohibited or not? I would want it in writing maybe to start each school year. Maybe that's how you approach it. Delegate to the school coming up with a list of appropriate things. Um another alternative is just explicitly bl b four or five of them like that in the classroom or whatever. That would be another potential approach to it. And I'm sure we're not the only people battling with uh SB 351 does have a definition of social media platform within it. It's linked to another code section. So, we'll have to review that code section, but it has in it. >> All right. Yeah,

058let me just make sure that link exists in ours. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Excellent. All right. Next, I will invite discussion on D financial management policies. >> So, we're going to move this to first three minor revision. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> It'll be first. Yep. It'll be first stream with a minor revision on the financial management policies. This year, as part of good policy practice, we are reviewing existing policies that have been in place since the 2022 2023 school year with no updates. During the 2022 2023 school year, the policy manual was rebuilt. This work was supported by the Georgia School Boards Association, GSBA. The majority of the policies adopted at that time were based on the GSBA model policies. However, regular policy review is consistent with our policy BD policy development and also

059contributes to strategic accelerator 4. We have six D policies for discussion. The seventh policy on this list, DJ purchasing, has already been discussed and was approved for first read in December. It is currently available for public comment in the assembly. Each of these six financial management policies were reviewed by finance staff and the legal team and no revisions were identified. Since the December meeting, board members were presented with an environmental scan of these policies and a comparison of our policies with those of other districts. we at a time so that board members can consider whether they have any recommendations for each policy. For each policy, we will make one of three determinations. If it is determined that no changes are needed, the policy can be added to the regular board meeting agenda in February to

060acknowledge the review and approve an updated an update to the last review date. Two, if it is determined that minor revisions are needed, the policy will be added to the work session agenda in February. A redlinined version will be presented with a recommendation for first read. Or three, if it is determined that more discussion time is needed, then the policy can be added to the pre-work agenda in February to allow for this discussion. I have invited Dr. Lonita Broom, chief financial officer, to join me as a subject matter expert on these policies. First is D CK level of budgetary control. I'd like to invite discussion at this time. I have one Oh, is this for me or >> Yeah, sorry. I have one question. um this and I can't say that other school districts are

061doing this but the substantial deviation needs some type of objective descriptor like a percentage or an amount. >> It's in the sorry it's in the last sentence shall provide timely notice to the board of any actual or anticipated substantial deviations from the adopted budget. We provide a monthly budget literally a monthly budget report. So >> and that >> currently it's been interpreted as >> yeah really we let you know >> but Tracy is correct. >> Yeah. >> I would hate for someone to feel comfortable. Dr. Broom would never. But we are talking about policies here saying well I didn't tell you all that because it's only $100,000. >> So let's do this. Let's just remove the word substantial. Okay. >> Anything else on that on DCK? >> All right. Next is DCL fund balance. >>

062So DC, let me make this real clear. So for DCK, we'll move it to first read minor revisions with the substantial eliminated at this point. That'll be next month in work session. And next up is DCL fund balance. Any feedback on that? Well, or it's just a question and it may be for others as well. So for number five, unassigned. The goal of the school district is to maintain unassigned fund balance between 4% to 15% based on an annual budgeted expenditures. And I just wondered what guides that percentage in that range that the map has require. >> Thank you. >> The the reason the state has required that is they want to make sure that we have several months of >> minimum >> operatable income that we can use. Yeah. >> Thank you. >> A

063minimum of two s two month. >> That's true. I think in one of the other environmental scans they had a descriptor of each of these non-spendable restricted committed assigned. It didn't say what you had to do necessarily, but it kind of gave a oneliner as to what this is, what potentially falls in that category that might be helpful. >> Okay, so down lower. Okay, just saying we have committed and assigned, but next to each one just a simple definition of what that >> Yeah, I think it was into cabs. They just kind of said briefly, not not to commit you necessarily. I think one of them was very descriptive like this has to go here, this has to go here. I thought that was maybe a little too rigid, but at least for folks that

064are reading this, they may not know what committed mean at the bottom at the responsibility the committee keep. >> Yeah, I think like I said in the other it was it was up here. It was just a oneliner that was right here next to each one. You know what I mean? instead of down here was the oneliner that was there. >> So we'll move those up and make sure each of them have a a brief description. >> Okay. Yeah. Yeah. >> Right. So for that one, same thing. We'll bring those revisions as a red line to work session for minor revisions first read next month. All right. Now I invite discussion on DFC federal funds. like a federal fund. >> All right. >> You see Francis over there? >> Yeah. >> Right. So this one

065then we will move to second read. There's no changes. It will just update the last reviewed by date so that that's so that we know that we've looked at it in the current Um, next up is policy DFK, gifts and requests. Any feedback? >> I don't necessarily love that the board can just accept the donation that suggesting that uh if someone called Hans wants to donate some money, he can say like, "Yep, we'll take it." >> You mean I shouldn't have said that? I think there was I think it may have been DAB that had a lot more specificity behind this. Maybe we can just put a little bit more structure to it. It said that if somebody wanted to give um like money, they had to specify what it was going to um if

066they wanted to give an amount above this um it had to like I don't know go to the DDF or something like that. There was just a little bit more structure to it. So maybe that's what you're >> No, I for just paragraph one. It should be called to the board that the board or the superintendent or designate shall accept or deny donations to the school system from any sort. >> My reading of this is that if Tracy gets to offer a million dollars, he be like, "No, I don't want it." He doesn't have to tell anyone that's official policy. I have no idea why a board or a board member >> No, no, no. So, I I think I think the next the next paragraph actually clarifies. So, so any donations that come to

067us that obligate us in some way approved by this body. >> Any other donations are not brought to this body. It's the super >> I think to James' point that the first sentence seems to be reading >> that either we as the board or the superintendent then say yes we want it or no we don't. I think it's the last what about the just the last one says in accordance with the following provision. So they can do it based on these next provisions listed. >> Yeah. >> Even then I don't weird. >> It's unnecessary. It could just say board of education. It should just say the boardification that the superintendent or design shall accept or deny donations and the board gets involved if that donation obligates us to future operating or upkeep costs. Any gift

068that doesn't involve future obligations of keep cost can simply be approved by the superintendent or >> that was really fast. >> Yeah, just that the board. >> Yeah. Okay. >> I I have just one one question because it is linked to the state law at the bottom Georgia constitution articles 8 five paragraph six. I want legal to weigh in. I don't want us to create policy >> unfair >> that >> illegal. >> Yeah. >> And I will say there we always bring it back to legal too. So there will be times where we'll come back and say, "Oh, this isn't reflected because as we looked at the statute and live and simply um all of these always bring in any of the related codes and laws and things like that so that you can link

069to them as well." So that's a nice feature. But what I'm hearing is maybe some de some clarity in that first sent in maybe some additional specificity legal to make sure any of the proposed language is still in alignment with >> I yeah because to point I think all other gifts or donations may be approved but so it does seem to take care of itself but then it just makes that phrase >> any other feedback back. All right. So, this one will come back for first read minor revisions next month and then we will move on to policy DIE fraud prevention. All right. I I don't hear any feedback right now. So, what we will do is we'll move that one to second read next month. No changes to update the last review date. And

070finally, for our Z policies, we have DJCB salary deductions. E9. Yeah. >> All right. So, this one will also move to second read. No changes for next month. And that is the that for D policies. Thank you, Dr. Broom. Now that we have tackled the D policies, we are going to repeat the same process with G personnel policies that have a last review date from the 2022 2023 school year. There are 10 G policies that meet this criteria and you can see them listed here. Each of these policies were reviewed by human resources staff and the legal team. Needed revisions were identified for eight of these policies. These policies with propose proposed revisions are indicated on the I will again invite discussion on each policy one at a time so the board can make a

071determination whether the policy should move to second read first read or be will be discussed again in the February pre-work session. I will briefly highlight any of the recommended changes which are captured on the redline versions of the policies invited Mrs. Adena Walker, chief of human resources to join me as the subject matter expert. The G A D professional learning opportunities. There were no recommended changes to this policy. I invite any discussion at this time. Just wondered about one thing. Feel like I saw this in a few other school districts. um an enumerated number of hours and yet I can also see why a school district may not want to have that stipulated in policy. So I guess I just wondered why we don't. >> A lot of times that was in um coordination with

072the state and PSC and PSC no longer requires us to report that. So that was something that we just waved it here. >> Thank you. back when the PLC required the hours in order for you to renew your certification. >> That's fine. >> I don't know. >> Right. So, it sounds like G A has no revisions. So, it will move to second read no changes for next month. Next up is GA AE complaints and grievances. There were minor changes recommended to this. Most of it was clarity of language as you can see in the red line version. But I invite any discussion. All right. Hearing none, this one still needs to go to first read minor revisions for complaints and grievances because we brought forth those red line revisions. Y >> next up is GAB,

073sexual harassment of employees. Minor changes were given to this including a correction to a meaningful typo 1 day to 10 days and changes to ensure alignment with the current definition of supportive measures. invite any additional questions or feedback. >> Um, I have one question. Is there was there a length of time specified here to when a person can or should file or I I looked through it. I didn't know if that language is there or if it should be. >> Absolutely. Normally we we try to in alignment. >> There's not >> there's none but necessarily we look at within a year or so. Um, but there's no specified time. >> Okay. Thank you. Should there be >> it wasn't caught in the review, but we can look and make sure. >> I don't know. >>

074We would have to look at the um definition section. I don't believe there is. >> Yeah, there's there's like very specific timelines all throughout. I didn't. >> So, the the other thing that jumped out to me on this one, uh, generally I really prefer having definitions, but sexual harassment is such like a a concrete legal thing in and of itself. I just want to make sure that we are referencing some sort of standard legally understood definition of this and not making it up ourselves, right? Like what is is this in state law? like how how are we determining this language and can we just make sure we have that reference? >> Yeah, I will just defer to legal but I feel very confident that they would have pulled the definition or been consistent with that.

075>> Yeah, I just wanted to clarify. >> One comment I had too because I know that this policy parallels the student policy and it can get complicated if you have a student who's an employee or vice versa. Maybe we should recommend both. It seems like they both kind of run parallel with the same definitions. >> But are you saying that that we need to make sure the definitions are the same? >> They are. I mean, I read both just to compare online applies to both employees and students. And so you might have a student on student, which you know would be the student policy, but you might have aation that gets an employee versus a student. And so they kind of run parallel. And then if it's an employee, you know, there's title seven, which

076is employment law getting legal. >> No, no, no. I'm just trying to understand what the suggested change or requested. >> I guess referencing also the policy that we have related to sexual harassment they run. >> Normally we don't necessarily do that because these are personnel policies. We would have that separate for the student but like you said it is mo mainly in alignment with the same language right and we try to do that mirror that language but eventually that >> yeah because it can get confusing if you're a student thinking to where which one does it go to but when it's an employee >> obligation >> yes I think yeah I think I think because this is a G policy so the way the policy manual is organized through GSBA is that This is the

077personnel policy. I love that you've looked and it's it's mirrored and we're correct and in line with our student policy as well, but and I get that there's a lot of overlap because this one doesn't address students because it is a policy code G, which by definition through GSP is a personnel process. So, um I don't know if it's I can look and see if it's like referenced in the automatic. What we what it does link to is JGI which is child abuse or neglect because that is the responsibility of the employee the because this is the G policy. The G policy is for the the employee side >> but it doesn't represent um reference the JCAC I think is the sexual harassment which I would >> does that make sense? >> Yeah. So, I

078can't control on my side which ones pull in and are subreerenced in like the footer, if you will. That's all done through GSBA. I would be more than happy to speak with them about, you know, that decision. Um, but or if you wanted >> a line in here that says, you know, for students, you know, policy, we could put a line in here about the student policy, but it's not really personel. So, >> can figure out okay. >> I understand. Okay. I was not. >> Okay. Yeah. I think it's it it is. So I I I totally get it now. So thinking it from the perspective of a parent that is wanting to understand our policy because maybe they had an issue and they find themselves in this policy and don't understand why they aren't

079seeing something about a student, add a line that says if you are concerned about a student issue, here is the link to that public. >> Well, they can both apply, you know. >> Fair. Yeah. But I think I mean I don't know maybe this is irrelevant. If you look at simply effectively they're categorized by um personnel, financial and board. So I you know unless someone's just kind of wandering in simply they're discreetly different. >> Yeah J I'm getting confused as to why why we want to add anything. Oh, just you might have a sexual harassment incident that involves both students and employees. >> And so in those situations, it's good to know that both of them apply. >> I see. I see. >> We will draft some language to send to you all to make

080sure we capture the spirit of what you're saying. And then we will bring this that the red lines that currently exist along with that piece of red line um to first read next month for the revisions. All right. So then next up is uh GAK1 criminal background check. This had minor changes mostly to improve clarity of language for independent contractor background checks. >> Yes. >> Right. So this one we will move to uh we will put on first read because of the red lines we brought to you because there are changes to the policy. All right. Next up is GA infectious diseases. This had minor changes including the addition of PPE and some language around student infectious diseases. Can I just ask a question about I like it, but I just want to make sure

081I understand it. So, you know, in the event that I don't know, there's a super flu raging and it's determined that through the air and particles, this that a mask could be used or some kind of air filtration system or whatever the superintendent decides is in the best interest of the students and staff. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. >> I'm sorry. Can we go back to the criminal background check? Give me a second. Find it. Um, in the first paragraph it mentions volunteers. Um, and I know, you know, I've been in the school a lot. I think, you know, in asking questions, it's really has to do with volunteers who are overnight, right? Not every single one. So, I'm wondering if we can Yeah, specify. >> Yeah, great question. Um we had a good discussion about

082this between ourselves and also with the legal team. Um and I think there is a need for some additional clarity around volunteers. We had the conversation however that it belongs probably in in a different policy because once again this is a GA personnel policy. So we've begun to do some research about where other districts house for example in visitors to schools or in volunteer. And so it lives in a couple different places than others. Um, so staff has kind of recognized that to bring to the board for possible future policy considerations as well. Um, but the decision because they this is a that G policy in the policy manual that we kind of just talked about is that it wouldn't necessarily belong here. >> So we'll take out and volunteers from this >> uh for

083this policy >> right up here. >> Yes. >> Okay, that makes sense. >> I think it's because it's still talking about full-time and part-time. So yes. >> But wait, I mean, but we are going in some cases going to be conducting criminal background checks for volunteers. >> Yeah. >> And so and so we need to leave the volunteers in this. >> But it doesn't make sense to me because a volunteer isn't a an paid employee. Like someone who's showing up to donate books isn't getting paid. So if this is a personnel policy, why do we have volunteer in here at all? There are volunteer personnel like assistant football coaches or assistant debate coaches or people that instructors have contact with. Okay. >> So the clarification she gave is under the rubric of personnel. There are

084volunteer personnel where we would want our assistant debate coach to have a background check because they're spending substantial time with children. This does not include non-personnel volunteers like your dad at the marshmallow roast that should >> So should we say including temporary employees and personnel volunteers just so that we're clear. >> Got it. But they're not employed. >> Okay. But then >> we need to clarify that. >> That doesn't >> Well, no. I'm just wondering. No, but I think the crux of it is that how the book background check is handled should still be the same. So like a debate coach versus dad coming to the classroom for a day, it's different. >> Yeah. >> All right. So that doesn't change our action on that. So I'm filling out the chart. So that will still

085be a first read minor revision. And then we had started our conversation on GANA. Any other discussion on GANA infectious diseases? >> Are lice an infectious disease? >> Good god. Yes. >> Non pathogenic infection infectious disease. I had this you know question too but I think there's some reference to the state definition. You can't be informing everybody about every little cult. >> So infectious disease as3 has specific definitions around infectious disease as an illness due to an infectious agent or its toxic product which is transferred to a person from an effective per infected person. There's a whole lot of other definitions in here, but that's the definition. >> It talks about CD. >> To be clear, I really like the policy and and think that everything about it makes sense to me except for I

086just we immediately notifying the student an appropriate medical evaluation that we have suspicion of lice. >> Well, I mean, I think I think what we're saying is that we are designating the superintendent, authorizing the superintendent to develop procedures around it. It doesn't have to be called out of the policy, but the superintendent can create that level of detail >> and she has to look back at these particular rules to figure out how to do so. So, things like me are life is handled different shall require the following actions which includes notifying >> based on guidelines or recommendations from the previous guidelines. >> Yeah. That's more limited pediatrician. >> It depends on what it is. >> Some require immediate removal immediate removal of pool. Some require EMS. Some require just notice my parents by letter. >>

087I I do have a question Noah and only because brought it up. So the way it's written require the following action. Does that imply all or is it that the actions in this order? So otherwise, I think back to James's question, you get to number five and like, you know, >> but that's fine. That's >> I don't really know if it matters. I'm just wondering why it's >> no one else. >> I Yeah, I mean, I will say this one emerged from the GSA model policy and legal has reviewed it. So like within my scope of expertise, I defer to those policies and legal team. If they haven't caught it, I usually feel pretty good about it. All right. So this will be first read minor revisions given the red line and we will move

088on to GBC uh professional personnel recruitment. There were minor changes including language adjustments to align with federal compliance of protected classes. I have a question which is this one in the third paragraph. So available certificated position shall be announced in writing within the school sub system and submitted to a statewide online jobs database. Is there a time frame? Is it an hour, a week, a month like >> sent to the position? So whenever we have an open position that is sent to uh teach Georgia and that is that public database that we submit to. But is it standard to at least have a certain amount of times for which a job is posted? Because right now it's just saying it's announced in writing and that could be a >> announce it today, gone tomorrow. >>

089Absolutely. >> For our uh local um posting on our website, we do at least seven days um for that. But like I said, until the position is is filled. But that is the minimum. >> So the seven days is a practice, not a policy. Correct. >> So we have to meet at a minimum the federal standard. Are we able to exceed it? >> Sorry, I missed that. So the federal standard is seven days. >> No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm I'm I'm that was my bad. Let me clarify. The recruitment and selection of personnel shall be conducted in such a manner as to ensure non-discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, religion, age, or disability. that is spelled out in the whatever the EOC standards are. Those are the protected classes, right?

090So that's the minimum. This is our policy. Are we allowed to exceed the minimum if we wanted to put sexual orientation in there? If we wanted to put other other things in there, >> is that So I'm I'm looking to legal right now to make sure that it's okay to do that. >> Sorry. violates state form. >> Yeah. Um, currently sexual orientation can fall within the definition of gender. I think one of our Supreme Court cases highlighted that. Um, so it would already fall. I'm gonna ask gender. I don't think that >> that's what I'm saying. Gender. >> Yeah. Gender falls within sex and sexual orientation falls. It would be nice. So there legally sexual orientation falls under gender. My everything I have ever understood is that gender orientation and sexual orientation are two very

091separate things. >> This is the way the law is written. >> I know. But this is our policy. >> Yeah. >> I' I'd be open to being explicit about it as long as we are able to be. I'd like to >> Can we be explicit about this? >> Can we add those specifically? >> We can take it uh under advisement and we'll provide you with some feedback on that. >> So what we take under advisement, I would like to add sexual or gender identification as a class that we will not discriminate against. >> Don't we have that in our school student policy? >> Sure. But I'd rather >> I agree. It should be there, too. >> Yeah. >> All right. We will add this to first read minor revisions for next month and uh legally

092follow up. Right. Next is GBIA teacher evaluation appeals. minor changes were made for clarity of language specifically on the second level review process. Um there was also stricken there was something about when it was effective which actually didn't make sense for when this was adopted. So just some cleaning up of the policy as well. Any feedback? I guess my one question here is it's teacher by job. Um so you know I ask this all the time because we have maybe 513 teachers But you know that can be a coordinator that can be you know exposition. So is this roster teacher or all employees who call teachers? >> My understanding it would be part of your job title and classroom teacher under that or you evaluate it on the instructional level. >> Do we do is

093this something you'd want to have more explicitly called out like that definition more explicitly? Well, I I think it invited and I don't know if this is relevant to the policy at this point, but it just invited those questions for me because again, we have like teacher by funding, but then you have job title by position and so >> and then also is is okay. >> All right. We will bring the existing red lines to first read next month. All right. Next up is GBRC professional personnel workloads. There were no recommend change recommended changes to this but I invite any board feedback. I have some um and I you know I looked at others so I don't know if there's anything actionable to put here but I am just going to kind of throw it

094out because you know for the most part the school day is largely what it was in the 50s um even though we have online or we have regrade or so I just I would love to understand more of how teachers in particular like your schoolbased employees who have the most limited resource possible at times which is time right how that workload and maybe that's veering into operations and so then I just need to be quiet but it's it's a pretty broad workload >> your job >> it's it's pretty much twofold because when you're looking at teachers that is a professional career and that is really under the fairly respect and so that is what makes them that exist status and so out for many hours it takes a position or job with a short ability

095that is why it's under debt unfortunately. All right. So there are no red lines to this. So we will bring it to second read to update the last review date next month. All right. Next up is GB RI federal family and medical leave act. There were changes for additional clarity and specificity throughout the policy. There are some additions of new sections at the end. This was prohibition on retaliation, confidentiality of records, and fraud and misuse of FMLA lead. I invite any board feedback on this policy. I'm um looking at letter H. Um I guess it's just a little bit confused why there are special provisions for instructional employees. So, I kind of go back to that thing where it appears that an instructional employee has a different application of this than a non. So, this

096is certified or all certified and classified. >> And a lot of times it's with the continuity of the student classroom. But if you have someone that's been out for the most of the time and you're coming back at the end of the semester, this is best for that continuous of learning of that person that's been in the classroom that is disruption of instruction is there. That's where protect the students in. >> Yeah. No, I get that. I guess I just wondered so like a different employee who doesn't fall into the instructional category gets to use it but a teacher doesn't use the the >> well so it says here when an instructional employee seeks intermittent leave or leave on a reduced schedule in connection with a family or personal >> serious health condition or to

097care for a covered service member that would constituate at least 20% of the total number of working days. So it seems like there's a an identified percentage of work time missed but only for instructional employees. >> Having said that as time look at one and two I believe will last you know to the last three weeks or returning during that last period grading period but it doesn't discriminate as far as who can be able to use the FMLA policy. the same provisions under if it falls at the end of a semester, it would be best for the students to continue with the instruction that they are. All right, this will be added to first read for next month with a revision. And last is GCRD, classified personnel overtime pay. There were minor changes recommended uh

098for clarification any feedback. >> All right. Then this policy will also be added for next month. Thank you for your engagement and discussion. Are there any further questions about the pre-work policy today? >> Thank you. >> All right. >> Thank you, Mrs. Lynch. To summarize, we discussed many policies during today's pre-work session. Based on the discussion, we will move to second read with no changes for next board meeting the following policies. Hold on. Wait. Okay. DFD federal funds, DIE fraud prevention, DJ CB salary deductions, GA A professional learning opportunities, GBRC professional personnel workloads. Based on the discussion, we expect to see the following policies for first read next month with minor revisions in our work session. IFBG internet acceptable use. B C level of budgetary control. DL fund balance. BFK gifts and bequest. G AE

099complaints and grievances. G A E B sexual harassment of employees. G A K criminal background check. G A NA infectious diseases. GBC, Professional Personnel Recruitment. GBIA, Teacher Evaluation Appeals. GB RI, Family Federal Family and Medical Leave Act. GCRD, Classified Personnel Overtime Pay. And based on our discussion, we will not continue. Let's see, hold on. Based on our discussion, we will not continue any policies to our pre-work next month. Did I get that right? >> Yes. No more pre-work. >> All right. Thank you board members for your engagement. Last month, we hope to engage in our board board self assessment, but we will move that to our board retreat on February 24th. Board members, please complete the self- assessment assembly prior to the retreat. Following our self- assessment, we will also request that an exemplary committee

100conduct an assessment. We will review their recommendation for further consideration in the spring. This is aligned with the Georgia School Board Association's criteria for exemplary board recognition. There being no further business, this pre-work session is adjourned at 3:11 p.m. We will begin our work session at 3:25. We will now call this work session to order at 3:24 p.m. Thank you for joining us today for our monthly work session. Work sessions are designed for in-depth discussion, study, and planning regarding and upcoming decisions. Many items are presented in a work session inform future board meeting agenda items such as consent agenda. Dr. Whitaker, please introduce the first presentation. Thank you, Chair Sultan. I would like to call on Mrs. Adena Walker, chief human resources officer, to present um an update on FY27 compensation plan. Good afternoon board

101chair Dr. Sultan vice chair other esteemed members of the board representative superintendent Dr. GMA Twitter. Today's presentation continues our work in year three of the five-year strategic plan represents part two of our compensation reform process. The compensation first look was introduced at the November board of education retreat. At this time, we will review salary rankings and compensation options for both teacher and non-teer positions to ensure competitiveness. In this next phase, we are presenting the cost of living adjustments, also known as COLA, proposal options that are built upon the board compensation priorities to ensure all employees are competitively compensated and positioned within the top quartile of total compensation inclusive of the district contribution to health care, social security, TRS, and Medicare. The compensation process aligns with the strategic accelerator cultivating and retaining high quality professionals. As

102we move toward move forward focus on compensation reform, it's important to reflect on a historical look back of salary increases across all certificate levels. From FY23 to FY24, increases were minimal and largely subsidized by the state. However, in the beginning of FY24, under the leadership of our current administration and board, we have seen significant increases across all certificate levels, representing some of the most substantial compensation investments in the past decade. As shown in the chart to the right, each certificate level has increased by nearly $10,000 with notable in the percentage gains in addition to eligible step increases. This progress reflects the board in this administration's continued commitment to competitive compensation and sustained priority in this area. In year three, our salary only ranking among metro area districts has improved from eight out of nine to

103five out of nine, reflecting significant gains in a relatively short amount of time. Our continued goal is to position total compensation within the top quartortile among metro area districts within our res cohort in alignment with the goals of the strategic plan. This chart illustrates our current net 26 current total compensation by certificate level in years of service. The numbers at the top of the box reflect the numbers of certificated staff paid on the teacher scale within each subgroup. As shown in the center boxes, there are 512 total certificated employees of which 439 are classroom teachers. The remaining certificated employees may include instructional coaches, psychologists, social workers, and counselors. Currently at the entry level, bachelor's and master degree holders rank one out of nine, while master's and doctorate holders rank three out of nine. For mid-career

104educators who hold a bachelor's and master's degree, they rank three out of nine, placing them within the top quartile. Meanwhile, masters and doctors holders are just shy of our top cile goal. that rank four, I'm sorry, that rank four out of nine. At the top of the scale, bachelor's, masters, and specialist levels rank four out of nine with doctorate holders ranking three out of nine. Here's an overview of the considerations for priorities for FY27, which are to give all staff between 2% and a 3% COLA increase, give all eligible staff a step increase along with the COLA, look at positions for the lowest ranking and prioritize these positions. This year, we are focusing on bus drivers who currently rank six out of nine and K2 school managers who rank eight out of nine. to increase

105transportation hourly rates to be more competitive competitive with other local districts and to adjust salaries to ensure market competitiveness and support internal equity. Although the proposed cola applies to all employees, we always ensure that we look closely at our teachers and where they ran considering when considering cola options for the upcoming fiscal year. We will examine So this option and their impact on the teacher compensation rankings. Here we show the teacher total compensation rankings for the proposed 2% cola increase for our district. The rankings reflect where CSV will fall by certificate level and years of service assuming that all other districts listed remain the same. The blue blue box on the right summarizes the ranking for certificate level with highlighting with the highlighted rankings indicating categories that have improved. At the entry level, specialists have

106improved from three out of nine to two out of nine. For mid mid-career educators, which are around 12 years of service, specialists and doctors holders improved from four out of nine to three out of nine. And at the top of the scale 25 years and beyond bachelors, masters and specialists levels in improves from four out of nine to three out of five. Here we show the total concentration ranking with the proposed 3% cola for our district. Under this option, specialists join the the bachelor's and master's degree levels which are all ranked one out of nine with this proposed increase. Mid-year teachers remain consistent across all certificate levels ranking three out of nine while the top of skill bachelor's and master's degree levels improve further to two out of nine. Under both 2% and 3% COLA

107proposals, all certificate levels are positioned within the top quartile among metro area districts which is working toward our goal of uh compensation goals. As outlined in the annual priority uh for the strategic plan, we have consistently focused on job categories that are less competitive within the metro area. In year three, our focus is on K2 manual managers due to expanded responsibility and job and bus drivers giving current market competitive challenges. Here this slide represents the level setting options for bus drivers. During the November board retreat will review options of a $1.50 50 per hour and $2 per hour increase based on the board's priority to ensure transportation staff are competitively ranked. There was a consensus that two that the $2 an hour or $4 an hour increase would be more appropriate options. $2 per hour

108option $37,157. This slide highlights the $4 per hour option while illustrating the salary only financial impact of both options for comparison. This is a level set adjustment mean this is a level set adjustment meaning that it will be applied in addition to the cola and any eligible step increases. The boxes below reflect the total compensation rankings for both options assuming that other districts remain the same. Here we show the K2 school manager level setting proposal which moves these positions to the OS5 salary scale to better align compensation with their current duties and responsibilities. Level setting amount for this option is $24,548. This amount is an addition to the COLA and any eligible step increase. The box below again reflects the total compensation rankings assuming that other districts again are remaining unchanged. The board's request. This

109slide represents the administrative compensation rankings for district leaders including principles and assistant principles as well as executive cabinet including assistant superintendent and the deputy superintendent. Each table reflects total compensation for those respective roles. To provide additional and more comparative variables, the tables also include daily rates based on contracted work days and whether the districts pay offer paid vacation for each position. Paid vacation whe if this paid vacation is offered. The tables also reflect the minimal approved annual vacation days with a plus sign indicating a graduated scale of additional pro approved vacation days are applied depending on the years of service within that district. There are currently three offc contract metro area districts where compensation is annualized with unpaid food rates which are CSD, Rockville and CL. Our category holds ninth position out of nine among

110our districts. This indicates that none of our administrative categories currently fulfill the board's objective having positions ranked within the top quartile of school districts in the metro area. Here are all the options that have been presented. This slide represents the summary provides a summary of proposed investments for FY2 compensation reform including both COLA proposals, the bus driver hourly increase options and the K2 school managers moving to the S OS5 scale and the and the continued differentiated pay for adaptive uh special education teachers and pair professionals. So, here are the two proposed uh highlevel options. The most conservative options includes the 2% cola districtwide, a $2 per hour bus driver level set, and all of the proposed increases with an estimated salary cost of approximately 1.8 million. The most aggressive option includes a 3% COLA districtwide,

111a 4% bus driver level set, and all other proposed increases with an estimated salary only cost of just over 2 million prior to benefits. The next step step in our compensation review during today's work session, the board will assess compensation options for teachers, non-teer positions, specific uh support job categories and increase differentiated uh fed teacher and pair professional salary schedules and assess affordability and sustainability for options and compensation priorities. This information will then be shared with the finance department for analysis of the overall budget impact. Dr. Broom will return in March with the first draft budget presentation that includes the total compensated estimated cost as a part of the overall budget presentation. Thank you. And at this time, I'm available to questions you may. I've got a few and maybe they're for everyone as well.

112So, I was looking at the FY 2027 budget feedback. I think I tallied about 70 people. So, thank you for anyone who um put your comments in. And one person asked, I think they identified as a teacher. I think something that I tried to ask last year which is can and we please not compare our increase to the existing salaries because when we do so it can be kind of misleading right so I understand factually we can't know what any of the other districts are doing but when we present this it gives a different impression right so you know you all tell me what you saw but I was looking at got one slide where you were showing where we move up, right? And I guess it's slide five. Okay, so slide five is total

113compensation where we are now, >> right? And then so you know I see a lot of for the most part like right when we look at beginning teacher with a bachelor's or a beginning teacher with a master's were first. But pretty much everywhere else we're third or fourth. And when we start looking at what this could look like with 2% or 3%. So now we go to slide 80. It looks to me like we're just kind of maintaining the status quo. We're still like third. U maybe we move up one line. And I think to the person's question, put it in there. That's with 2026 salaries. So, we're still going to be third and fourth next year is what it appears. You know, this is what I asked last year and I feel like I'm

114looking at the same thing again. And so, I just want to know why. And this may be a question for my fellow board members. This is the best way to look at these compensation rankings because when we go back to the first slide that compared FY23 to FY24 to FY256, it is it looks good, right? Wow, $11,000 more dollars or $10,000 more dollars. But if I did the math, a teacher with a masters who starts at 54,000 in FY23, it looks like we've doubled the COLA. And maybe that is a good thing, right? if the COA increase is typically 3% or we're looking at a possibility. And so I just feel like I'm just kind of moving the deck chairs like we we're still hovering in this same kind of lane with the teacher compensation.

115>> Articulated. >> So there's two ways to look at it. >> The first one was the raw data which the tone changed a little bit. I didn't understand that. So I mean concretely brand new got my MA. I want to become a teacher. FI23 you made 54. In FY17, you made 42. 48. >> FYI26 you made 65. Period. I don't need to compare that to anyone. Agree. >> Oh yeah. Beginning teacher. Absolutely. You're going to get more money when you start. >> Yes. I agree. >> All of them have gone through large jumps like that. All of them. >> Right. But am I or tell me if I'm reading this incorrectly. If you just took that starting salary, right? Read the first one, I guess. Yeah. >> And you add a 3% increase and then

116you add a 3% increase the next year. And so I believe you're looking at like 1,600 a year, right? So I'm just trying to figure out is it really >> But you also have to look at >> Yeah. Starting starting teacher is no longer starting teacher. They're now the what you were just saying the 3% that's an addition moving down. If a starting teacher was still a starting teacher, they would still make 12,000. They've also got a step increase, which averages three or 4%, which we went over last year to. So, in theory, that fifth year teacher >> does not have a $12,000 increase in their take-home. Their increase in their take-home is $12,000 >> plus 4% every year for the last four years. >> So, you got the 12,000 and then it's 4% each

117year >> on top of that. I I think also to to board member Hearnen's point is that it's two different comparators here. We could look at kind of the same position year over year over year and see how they've grown or we can look at one comparison compared to other districts. And I I I do agree. It is it is hard to look at where we fall with other districts and we don't know if they're going to raise, you know, throw 2% 3% a 2% cola plus a 2% raise. Like we just simply don't know. But um but it it is what we we have and and she did say multiple times that's assuming this is where they this is assuming where they are. But I think, you know, when other districts present their compensation

118data, they're looking at us the same way. They're looking at where we stand right now. Um, so I appreciate that it does have a limitation, but um, it's the data that we have from other districts. They're not going to tell us. >> To finish my thought, I think you you looked at the first one. That's great. I I'm very excited that a starting teacher makes $60,000. I agree. >> And I'm very excited that I I did it. And I can't I hate these skill sites because you can't read it. But like I looked at it to myself. If I was a 12th year with my masters, if I had stuck in teaching, I'd be making about $93,000 as a teacher right now. I'm going to be honest, my response to that is regret. To their

119point, comparing it to other districts is tough because they will always move. >> Yeah. >> But that's what we want to do. We want to be competitive and we can't wait until they some districts will give 12%. The coolest part about this holistically, Trey, as teachers, you know, and then if I'm not still in it like you are, as teachers, it's really cool that starting teaching Atlanta nails make $60,000. Like they everyone is rising. Like that is a good thing overall. If they hadn't moved and we were paying 60, we would have our every teacher in the entire state would be running to Decatur. Thankfully, they're they're we're pushing them along as well. And so, we got to keep doing it. And uh but to their point and yours, you're right. Next year that says

120we are second to two, if Har city just decides to back a brain struck up to new teachers, we we may drop below them again. >> What what I' I'd like to do if we look at slide five really quickly, which is where we're at now, right? >> Yeah. >> Um you know, the difference between a two or 3% raise is is relatively small. I mean I don't but in either scenario whether or not other districts move we aren't really moving the big bulk of the teachers up right that master's the second row second column master's degree teachers with I forget what that is five years experience would have been >> I thought the boxes were 10 10 >> 10 10 >> am I wrong looking at for the first 12 beginning and then the

121the middle role is starting at 12. >> With the master's degree is 133 teachers. That's our biggest grouping of of teachers. >> How do we move them up to the top without turning our entry level teachers into $120,000 a year positions? Right? And I think the answer there, if I'm not mistaken, is that we need to start cleaning some of the steps up that's between these positions. And so I would like I think we've done a really really good job on providing a very significant starting base and we've made some I think pleasant movement for some of these larger groups. But I think it's time now to start looking at uh rather than across the board large raises, start figuring out how to clean those steps up so that all of those groupings are at

122the top uh with a particular focus on the largest number of them with that masters, right? And so, um, my general index is to think of a smaller cola and clean those steps up. And the net impact to the teachers, the largest number of teachers would be a pretty substantial pay change. And it would move it would move it would move some of those groups up so that they're uh more competitive across other districts. Uh, and so that that's my basic feedback right here is I'd like to see us start looking at some of those numbers and what I also recognize when you start moving step things around for 133 teachers, you you're millions of you start playing around with lots of money and so we need to know kind of what that looks like.

123It's probably a multi-year process, not a one-year process, but that I think it's time to start that conversation. >> I agree. I think the other um the other issue to tackle is some of your principles. Um like your middle school principles, your high school principles, they're just way at the bottom. Um I think we talked about this briefly at the board retreat. Even your elementary school principles, they're way principles. Um and the elementary schools, all of them. although they're not in large as large a number as the individuals we just talked about um the chiefs that are sitting in here, they're way at the bottom. Um I I never like the conversation that in order to um give teachers raises, administrators have to take a pay cut. I think it's a both and not an

124either or. Um, but you know, I think especially like looking at your principal, they're think it's a conversation we need to have to make sure that they are getting the raises and the compensation that they deserve as well. I don't know if this part can be answered, but if we go back to five because I don't think this it's pretty clear, you know, we have what is it eight or nine? I'm so tired. um you know schools with principles but and I hate to be a stickler about this but it is important. So we have teacher here and I think I tallied 512 but I believe we have 445 can't remember the number don't quote me classroom teachers those are the teachers with rostered students so I'm just curious about these salaries because the classroom

125teachers have I believe 190 calendar work days but some of those other teachers have an additional month. So where does is this like average salary or how does that work? >> Yeah, this is all the teacher salary but they have additional work days and those are calculated with those additional work days on a daily rate. >> So then I'm sorry maybe I'm just not seeing it. Where do they fall in this? So, we're comparing the Cobb teacher and the DICAD teacher. And you know, to my knowledge, all center school districts have the same number of calendar work days, which is different from what we're looking at the administrative. But so, where are those non classroom teachers, that teachers without rosters, where do they fit in this? >> They are on the teachers. >> Okay. But

126then they're getting an additional month's pay in addition to the salary we're seeing there if they work. Well, you have to remember we're a 190 employee. They have acrewed time, too. So, they're being paid for all 12 months. They're just not working those 12 months. >> So, you have a crew pay. Anytime you get paid, >> there's money set aside for those summer months. >> Oh, yeah. No, I totally understand that. >> They're not like they're not getting >> But this is a reflection of the 190day scale, right? Some of the people that are in this 190day scale do actually work, not a crew, >> 225 days. >> Yeah. But so this is only reflective of the 190day scale those and so it is apples to apples in the way that we're talking about it.

127We just happen to know that somebody that might be in one of those positions that works that extra month gets another I don't know whatever that amount >> I just wonder where that ranking falls if it's not in the admin comparison is it here in the teacher salary. >> The state of Georgia requires that you this is published for 190 days teacher salary when you call it a teacher salary. just pulling that down. >> Yeah. Yeah. Um how what would be required like for us to get the step some options on step cleanup? Like what I'm what I'm not wanting to do is accidentally sign you up for a monstrous load of work between next now and next. You know what I like if we need to bring a compensation study team in or something

128like what what is going to be required to actually put together a potentially multi-year step cleanup plan that we can start evaluating this year >> do just that bringing somebody and we we do work with some of our consultants our conservation consultants um looking at the different areas uh districts and looking at those pay scales that's why we got for the last couple years we presented those those cleanups and amounts between the scales. Um we can take the current scales now and just apply what we have already done in previous um compensation studies and see how much it would really cost salary only and then work with the finance team and get that overall amount when you're talking about the increased amounts for benefits as well. So with me I guess my question >> I

129think that I think you're trying to do you want to say do you want to pick a scale and then go for cleanup or like so when I say pick a scale you have the T4 T5 T6 T7 and multi-year process of you're cleaning up one scale. So if I were to say take the second column 133 teachers who are sitting in third place on this scale >> and to Tracy's point, we don't know what other groups are going to do, but if we said we're going to make whatever cleanup decisions we need to do that moves them into the second position. All right, that's going to be a salary increase and it's going to be a salary increase on a quarter of our teachers basically. How does that propagate through the rest of the

130scales? And what's that dollar amount? >> Exactly. Because what I don't want is for our skills to start collapsing. >> Oh, no. No. I get I get you have to and and you know, so if it's a $5 million change, maybe maybe we figure out how to do two of that this year, but you know what I mean? And we look at it as a three-year process. But let's What would that look like? >> So taking yellow or orange across as a scale. I mean, I wrote that down in something. I barely have it written down here some for a multi-year thing because part of that is to create the incentive for teachers to get additional certification, which we all are on board for. So, announcing that that is where we're heading and what we're

131going to do, if I heard about it in the future, I may spend my summer working on that specialist degree, which I otherwise might not find the time for. >> Um, but I do think that that is the priority. >> Yeah, it's it's that and it's retention, right? I mean, because that's longevity. That's that's and so I think that serves all of our needs. I I right now a little I mean I have no idea if we're talking about a $2 million change or a $10 million change and so it' be good to have some kind of understanding of the scale so that we can start making some decisions. >> All right. So getting understanding really looking at that master's degree that T5 scale and middle of the career focus in there. >> Yeah. Move

132them up a position. Mhm. >> But is only the masters just I mean >> well no no no if we if we move the masters it's going to propagate through everything else so that you keep the right distancing between scales that but but if we say hey this is a quarter of our teachers are in this bucket we want to move them up comparatively what does that mean that we have to do to all of the other buckets >> and what's the dollar amount for that fix and and the high probability well I don't want to say that I don't actually have the information there is a chance that we're not going to be able to afford to move an entire position up, but let's put the multi-year plan in place so that we know

133what that'll be over the next couple of years. >> Yeah. >> Who who will move when and knowing >> how that order? Yeah. the go I think we've done in short I think we've done a very good job on upfront salary changes and consistent colas so that our entrylevel folks are number one in the district or I mean in the resa area very very competitive for bringing on early teachers let's push a pause on accelerating there it's now time to actually look at the longer venyard and career teachers and start moving them up in a in a structured way as well >> looking at slide 15. >> Oh, was trying to get himself ready for the next one. >> Okay. So, out of the gate, I want to do the bus drivers at four. Um,

134but I don't know. I don't know what I want the cola to be. Okay. Unless I know what the costs of those step changes are. >> Great. Okay. I just wanted to >> Yeah. >> get get the clarification specifically on that bus driver piece. Um, because all of that >> So, I'm not as well. >> I'm good. You guys are everybody's okay with $4 with the Yeah. >> Oh, absolutely. >> Yeah. Option two, I think is >> and the school manager. >> Correct. >> All that too. Okay. >> And the special ed and the pair of professionals to go back one one go back one so that they can all Yes. So, the $2,000 supplement is what we've done in the past and and all of that stuff. >> Okay. >> All righty. And so,

135all of that is a go. And then for this for the cola, that would be a cause to bring back the options of >> what the step fixes might be. Yeah. And just I'm sorry >> just to clarify you're asking which I understand you're asking for her to kind of smooth out the steps looking at the master's teachers kind of as your first cohort right >> that's what I'm asking >> that's what that's what that's your ask right >> it well so with the understanding that fixing that cohort is going to propagate into all of the others right because that you do want there to be some evenness from those steps, right? What you But in other words, it's not going to be going into that that center box of 133 teachers and moving them

136up a bucket and then nothing happens for anybody else. Start you start getting really uneven jumps between scales. So if you move that bucket up, what is what has to happen to all the buckets around it in order to keep those scales fairly consistent? And that ends up being pay increases for everybody else >> such that they may not need the Is that what you're saying? >> Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. It may not or or maybe we want to do a 1% cola because there's a there we'll do a cola that's a half a million dollars, but then there's a $2.5 million salary change because of the SE. I don't know what those numbers are. I just wanted to I just wanted to clarify for people who were listening that we weren't saying

137that only that group was going to get adjustment and then the other group surrounding it would not get a cola. That could have been >> No, no, no. That >> I did hear you say something about you want the optimal position would be second out of those masters. >> Well, they've been consistently for the last several years at three. And so if we really want to make a change, so if it's a $15 million change, then you know, unfortunately, no, that's going to take a couple of years. But but if it's a $2 million change, yeah, I mean, I'm open to that. And so that's that just having a sense of the scale. Right now, we don't have a sense of the scale. And so that's important. >> But I I want to make sure

138because I thought what we were talking about is looking at the middle in general. And so if we're looking at the middle, those are your teachers who got their tenure, right? They're getting comfortable. Maybe they have children in the school district. They're going to stick around. And the masters, the all the middle column, we have 133 teachers right now with masters, they rank third. We have 63 teachers with specialists, they rank fourth. We have 16 teachers with doctorates, and they rank fourth. And then it's the same thing. It's basically the longer you're committed um the more likely you are just flatlining third and fourth in the metro. So no, I don't want to look only at masters. I want it to be the middle in general. I want it to be the teachers that have

139been here. >> That's exactly what I'm saying >> because I thought you said masters and there's a difference between masters and teachers with 12 plus. If you if we look at this is hypothetical because we haven't run the numbers but if we look at that largest bucket the 133 teachers what what is the terminology that T5 masters right so if we look at the T5 masters block of 133 and run the numbers on what it would take to move them up one position and then maintain the correct spacing between all other steps throughout the rest of the table which means pay changes for everybody else down on that table. What does that do to everyone's position? What does that cost in terms of budget impact? And knowing that number, we can say this is able

140to be done in one year or this is going to take us three years, but we can begin the process of figuring that out. It will result uh board member Anderson and everybody across the the thing. And then once we've done that, we come back and we say, "Okay, now who is left at fourth? maybe we want to move them to second and that's going to require another shuffling, right? But that that's the this is why it's always anytime you start messing around with the step spacing, you're talking about a five-year project. But but we we do want I think to start being a little more focused. The flat cola is great for entry level, but to to board members Anderson's point, it's not really changing the needle for the people that have been here

141a long time, and now it's time to start looking at people that have been here for a while. to clarify. I understand this too. This is all new to me. Like we're just picking the point of the master's degree, you know, mid level 12 years and then that'll ripple and affect everyone >> if we're trying to bring them up. That's what I understand. >> Yeah. And the reason it has to ripple is because you just changed that box. This weird thing would happen where >> year 11 is done, I get a major raise, and then year 13 happens and I get a a cut. >> Exactly. >> So, you have to everybody regardless if you're a masters, a specialist, a doctor, whatever. And that makes sense to me because it's sad that yeah, you're right.

142Midlevel or later career people are behind. >> I want I have one question for Dina. >> I want to be clear on terminology, not behind. They are still in the top quartortile. This is a huge opening the the entry level. >> I know, but that's because we've done so much change on entry level. That's what I know, >> right? Yeah. Okay, great. What's a specialist? >> That is yes. A specialist is your six your sixth year of of education. So you have your fiveyear masters, six year specialist and then you >> you can get I have it in instructional technology. You can get it in I think curriculum. Um >> so it's an additional certification. >> It's after your masters and it adds to the certificate level. >> Okay. So Adena uh Mrs. Walker that

143last thing when looking at slide the last slide based upon the conversation that we've had thus far this smoothing out portion one more one more slide. >> Okay. when will you be able to provide that smooth out portion as a possibility knowing we have the other things of you have a January and you have a March there. So are you >> putting you on the spot? >> Yeah, I I just want us to be clear if this is something that you think would be available based upon what we have done already for February or do you think it would be in addition to what will happen in March? So with the understanding of knowing where we're focusing, the other previous studies we've done was everybody. So it would be more of a concentrated look and

144then seeing how it does affect the other scales. So it would be a little the work would be a little different. Um >> okay. >> Would it help if you had a an idea of how much money go towards this increase? Um, so I'm not hearing much push back to like one point despite all the emails that $900,000 a year will end the school system. I'm not hearing much push back for an extra 1.8 um towards school stuff. Started with a goal of 1.2 and found 600,000 targeted at teachers who have been here for 12 years or started with 800,000 with teachers who have been here. That would make your work on the table a little easier. Uh because Han said 15, we don't have 15 million a but I but I I think generally

145the board would support playing with that 1.2 as a cola and then you know 6 to 800,000 which would be the 3% if it was target. The the concern I have there uh board member Hernand is that when you start playing with the steps you it it's not the linear percentage like the cola you start getting really quickly into some exponential changes >> and and I don't I don't $600,000 will get lost in the noise. We actually won't really make much of a change. I I would rather the other way around. I'd rather I say hey we actually all part in terms of and can we include a cola at the end of that right and and what are the if we want to make a meaningful I mean maybe I should ask it this

146way if we want to move them a position what is that number because if that number is like I said 15 and we know we're going to be talking about a much smaller set of changes If that's a $3 million number, we can actually have a conversation about whether we can tolerate 3 million or we can say, "Hey, 3 million's too much. We're going to do a million dollars a year for the next three years and by the end of three years have them move." But without knowing what that number is, it's very hard to say what I think we're comfortable with. >> We will come back to you. February. Okay. >> February. >> I just think um knowing I wanted to pull this slide back up and I do thank you for all of

147your feedback on all of this because this presentation primarily focused on compensation but it's part of a larger timeline because the first draft of the budget is coming to you in March >> and this informs the first part uh the first draft of the budget. Yes. >> So, next month we'll hear once again this this part, but we'll also hear from our Dicab County uh tax commissioner's office. You know, we do have a new tax commissioner here. >> Uh yes. Uh uh sworn in earlier this month. The city of Decatur manager will be here as well. and then we will have our five-year historical look back um as far as presentations regarding finance. March's presentations from CSC staff will include also the use of federal, state and splass funds. Additionally, we'll we do look to

148present that first draft of the budget uh in March for FY27 for general funds. all of this, all of what we've been talking about regarding the compensation options will help us develop that budget. So, thank you so much. >> Can I ask one other question? And I'm not sure if it's for now or later or at all. Um, since I know some of the comparisons have things like vacation days, you know, we do this social security adjusted. So, as we're looking at uh staff being able to send their children to the cater school um possibly reduced or I can't even remember if it's reduced or non-paying um for early learning. I do we need to look at that in the compensation benefit package. I don't know is that standard fair that all metro school districts

149allow their um >> courtesy tuition for for employees um dependent upon enrollment of the school system and it's um whether or not they are at capacity. So um it depending upon school district is really how that works. >> Thank you Mrs. Walker, it is great that we are able to address compensation for our K to2 school managers and bus drivers with this year's budget. We look forward to learning the fiscal impact in March. Dr. Whitaker, please introduce the next presentation. >> Thank you, Sheriff Alton. I would like to call on Mr. Jarvis Adams, chief operations officer, to continue the discussion on the K2 building utilization study. Last month, we determined the CSB statement of need and worked towards the success criteria. This month, we seek your guidance on the required data analysis, key strategies to

150explore, guard rails, and planning phases before the community-led committees begin their work. >> Thank you. Good afternoon, board chair, Dr. So, vice chair, esteemed board members, student representative Botra. Tonight's work session continues our focus on K2 school utilization. In December, you began a planning worksheet to clarify the K2 utilization problem criteria and guard rails. We are we were not able to complete that work at the last board meeting. session is to complete the worksheet together, ensuring that staff, committees, and the community have clear guidance from the board as we move forward with the K2 ele I mean as we move forward with the elementary utilization study. As always, I want to ground this work in our strategic plan this most clearly in a strategic accelerator number four organizational effectiveness and excellence. We are in and

151resources, but our goal is the same as the other accelerators. To sustain success for all in all areas, to protect and strengthen our engaging and inclusive culture, and to ensure our facilities support future ready classrooms for every student. Elementary utilization is one of the ways we align our facilities and operations with our long-term academic vision. Slide three frames tonight's work. This session is to clarify the elementary utilization problem and scope, confirming guard rails, goals in a target decision month, agreeing on criteria in an engagement process to keep students at the center. This session is not a vote to close or reconfigure any school, a decision that will affect the 2627 school year or or discussion about early childhood learning center location decisions. Tonight is about finishing our planning framework, not choosing a specific scenario. As

152we move through the worksheet, I ask that you focus on the direction you want to give staff and committees. staff will refine any wording after this session. Slide four list the board actions requested in December. You made progress on the first two steps. Identifying key issues. You redefined and agreed upon the elementary utilization problem statement. Define success criteria. You began discussing shared success criteria for evaluating scenarios. Tonight we continue the remaining steps confirm guard rails for the planning phase and for any future scenarios. We'll finalize the planning process including the committee structure required data and transparency expectations. And finally we will seek final approval by setting a target month for receiving a final recommendation and a decision. The worksheet at your sheet. The worksheet at your seat is organized around these five actions. Our goal

153tonight is for you to finish the that worksheet as a board. So it becomes your written direction to the staff and the elementary committee that we will be meeting with. Slide five summarizes the target planning schedule. In December, you indicated during the win uh this winter, you wanted to refine and adopt a clear problem statement and success criteria, confirm guard rails including no impact on the 26 27 school year and a process separate from early childhood center decisions and set a target month for a final recommendation. From winter to spring of 2026, committees will meet, review data, and host listening sessions. A public data hub will be updated with summaries and FAQs, and you'll receive regular board updates as scheduled at scheduled meetings. The expectation is that the staff will bring scenarios plus a recommendation

154in November 2026 and that any implementation will begin after the 2627 school year. Tonight's worksheet will look will look will lock in the schedule and the expectations around it. Slide six shows the statement of needs that you agreed upon on December 9th. It is also printed at the top of your worksheet. It reads, "Ensure fiscal responsibility of elementary school utilization by evaluating total enrollment figures, building usage, and staff resources all while sustaining sustainability and honoring the unique culture of Decator small neighborhood schools. This is the board's agreed upon statement. So, let's move on to success criteria. Please look at slide seven and section two of your worksheet. Success criteria. In December, you affirm three central ideas. Student experiences must remain conducive for learning. Financial impact should be manageable and sustainable over time and operational impact

155should be manageable and sustainable over time. In addition, you you raised important considerations. Student experience should promote equitable outcomes. Student experiences should promote successful academic outcomes and school should be walkable and easily accessible for families. Based on your December feedback, the staff proposal you your first success criterion read student experience academic outcomes including safe to and from school for walkability and safe routes. Staff would not define those measures alone. We will partner with Atlanta regional commission and cater safe schools I mean safe routes for school committees the regional experts in walkability and biking infrastructure to develop specific metrics and maps for the data hub. That statement in red is the recommendation um for your recommended change for your success criteria. what you recommended in our last meeting. Again, it reads, "Student experience are conducive to

156successful academic outcomes, including safe and accessible paths to and from school. Next, slide eight in section three of your worksheet, required data analysis. Here we are identifying the data that must be brought to you and to the planning committees as you consider any future scenarios. This slide list school building utilization, rooms, capacity and uses. Key themes from community engagement opportunities, average per pup for operating cost by school, projected student enrollment by school and grade level, FTE counts across multiple years, including the latest years of 2023, 24, 25, and the future 2026. The existing number of non-resident tuition seats that are occupied versus estimated allocations. the estimated number of prek seats approved per school build. These items incorporate the two quantitative topics you flagged in December. So they are treated as an as analysis input, not

157standalone success criteria. In addition, walkability and travel patterns will be analyzed with support from the Atlanta Atlanta regional commission and the city of the cater safe routes and school committee. two will help develop the metrics and maps for walking and biking routes, typical and maximum travel times by zone, and safety considerations for students and families. On section three of your worksheet, please place a check next to each data category you believe is required and use the space provided to add any additional data you would like staff and committee to bring back to you. I will pause for a moment while you mark those and offer any comments. >> Before uh board member, let me anyone >> need a I'm a prepared teacher. I love coffee. Thank you. >> Another coffee. should have started with this.

158You have your >> All right. So, board, we're on section three, I believe. Board member Anderson have the floor. >> Yeah. I I wondered if we could articulate the SLTs in some way. I mean, I'm I'm guessing um I just I see key themes from humanity engagement sessions, which sounds good, but I think James, you can speak to this because you were on an SLT. It seems like that would be a really good starting point or resource. Um because, you know, the SLT is going to go to school and right >> maybe be able to help facilitate some of that. So I thought of SLP that's one two um non-resident do we need to articulate so that non-resident can be tuition paying but can't non-resident also be staff children and so it seems like there

159might be an opportunity to um distinguish between the two so we could see the trends like does it turn out that the elementary school you know has the 200 students but it's comprised of 40 staff. Yeah, I have no idea. I just felt like I wanted to know the difference you the groupings or subgroups of those non-resident um or staff children. Maybe that's needs to be an additional data point. >> Yeah. So to that point, just a clarifying question when we say FTE counts. >> Yes. >> FTE counts include all of these categories and subcategories of students. Correct. And so I think I think we could probably roll a couple of these ones into one. So we would say FTE counts for past years and projected by every one of the subcategories. So you can

160just see every category of FTE that preschool tuition paying residents, tuition paying non-residents, you know, you know, uh what's the word? >> Courtesy. Like we can just see that count. >> Yep. historic and projected all FTE and that that's everything. That's like four of the bullet points here. >> One of the fine points about courtesy might be where they're housed to um and not and um tuition paying students where they're going on the map, >> right? You can provide all that in one place or they kind of might be. >> So, so then yeah, that that basically is the FTE counts. I would add to the FE counts projections its existing number of non-resident tuition seats plus the details that board member Anderson asked for and the estimated number of prek seats per building. The

161other thing I wondered um since it is not like the building operating costs, right, but the per pupil operating cost, do we need to recognize that a um particular school may have programs or needs uh by virtue of perhaps the population or circumstances and that may be a fluid thing. Iate that, but I'm not comfortable with just being a hard number absent of context. >> I was going to 100% add to that. Thank you for bringing that up. If you're Let's talk about it specifically. Claremont's a title one school. If you were to layer in all of the costs associated with serving that there, you're going to have a higher per student cost, but that doesn't mean that we should be targeting Claremont. Like that's just the nature of the population that's being served. And

162so I I also share that concern like that that to me is not a decision point like without that context that's not let me think it is not due to the building itself that that is the case right and we just need to be very careful about that I I would just modify bullet point three average per pupil operating cost by school to the district >> so get federal grants and state grants in particular >> the other other that I would want we throw around walkability a lot. I would love some data on how many people are walking to each of these schools in terms of walkability. I've always heard that thrown out, never had it. I feel like we could measure, you know, 20% of Oak walks there, 30% of Glenwood walks there. I

163would like to know that. Um, that's something that he have no idea. >> I'm sorry. Go ahead. question I have about FTE counts because we're looking at it asking for 2026, but I mean I guess the big question here is the estimates moving forward because they're dropping >> such >> that's what I meant by projected. Yeah. >> Yeah. How many years can we go out? That's where if we see it stabilize over several years. >> So >> you can get a projection 10 years out. That's not gonna be good 10 years out. >> Yeah. Five. >> So, your sweet spot is that three to five years. >> Yeah. >> Um and so it's it's good to have that 10 year projection, but to understand that your focus needs to be towards that three or five

164years. >> Yeah. Seeing if it's going up or down or, you know, if it's worth >> all this effort if you're considering >> and I think the first bullet point um is a good one, building utilization, room capacity uses. I think I might also add overuse. those schools that are in trailers are still utilizing um maybe two plat two classroom uses to one or some measure of overuse. >> Yeah. >> You guys ready to move on? >> Well, I I do have one question. I realize that we are identifying the set criteria, but if the committees come back with something we haven't factored in, where does that fall? >> Great, great question. I know I don't expect you to remember every time I come up, but that was one of the ask that I have

165for the board. >> Yeah. >> Um, as we meet with committees later, we'll talk about when I come back to give feedback to you all. as the committee has new ideas or things that we have not thought of that you guys would consider accepting those ideas and making any changes. >> Yes. >> As as we see fit because it'll be impossible for us in this short time to think of all things. >> Okay. >> Um I just wanted to clarify in the summary that y'all had for um success criteria. I think correct me if I'm wrong. I think the word equitable got removed. I know we had discussion about that, but I did want to see like um we just talked about like title one schools. Are we interested in adding any kind of like

166income data or racial data to like the data we're looking at? Anything like that? Go back. Yeah. Do you want to put equitable in that first bullet? >> I mean, I would love to hear y'all's thoughts on it because I I just can't remember how the conversation went, but I know we've like had a small debate about that word. >> Can I refresh a little bit on >> the conversation around things being equable? So it was around making sure that we don't lose the service that we already toss of the K and the conversation was if we say hey to keep this we're going to lose art at one school. So since we're going to lose art at one school let's lose art at all schools because that would make a difference. I don't think

167the the conversation never I don't remember the conversation being to treat one group better than the other. They talked about the services around what we offer in in our schools. That's what that's what took it out um took the word equitable out and that's how you came up with academic outcomes because we wanted to be very clear on making sure outcomes were being met. >> But I think to her point I think under the data points it would be great to look at some racial demographics data >> all of your schools here. So students that are on free or lunch um all those things um the entire school >> there's a yeah like a a basic demographic data set per school >> inside of the FTE perfectly what you're asking excuse me when we start

168breaking out FCE with subgroups and everything we can just make sure all that's captured that's >> that way you have a full picture >> so you want to recap at what's and what's not. >> All right. So, if I'm hearing correctly, we're checking everything other and we're adding. All right. And so, for FTE, we want a breakdown of all subgroups inside of FceE. >> Um, and we also want to know building cost, not just per people. the cost of running the building without the federal money. What the city schools of the cater pay to operate a school, not what the federal not the total budget, you take out total budget and just look at what comes out of city schools with the caterers account. >> Are are we checking the fourth point around enrollment and

169the percent stabilization? >> Say that one more time. Are we checking the fourth point around? So the fourth point that says student enrollment is stabilized with a desired minimum of at least 200 students and remains within a percent of recommended utilization levels. One that's not actually analysis, right? That's a guideline. Um and so >> how far out are we going? >> I would basically say we don't need to check that one. I would argue against >> I agree with you for now until we get the information. >> Yeah. >> Right. I mean that's not data analysis. That's a guideline. And I would >> information he'll get the answer. >> So is a lot of that is projection. So you have your past numbers and then you have your projections that's going to tell you does

170the school meet 200? If 200 is the number, that's a board decision. When we're looking at schools, what size does the board want a school to be before we start considering 180? Few years later, it's at 202. A year later, it's at 17. Like, demographers would give us a preview, but time tells the truth. Um but the demographers give us good information to use for planning. >> Two thoughts there. One, we're are we continuing tuition paying students this year, right? >> Yeah. >> So I I think we have to include that if we look at our timeline, we don't have it right now, but we will see some point in the spring, right? how many families now which are new they're not going to be in the existing data because they're not there yet so

171I think that needs to be included and then maybe this is complicating things and this will be the committee but when you start looking at like you know I remember when my neighbors moved in with their two young children so uh is that a committee thing like sales and who's moving in which is different again from the existing kids who are here and maybe that's going to be in historical data but it doesn't feel like >> no projected data. So the FTEES if we look at the FTE counts and we project the 3 to 5 years out as well not just historical but three five years out as well it should capture all of that. It should capture people moving in. It should capture births. It should capture all of that. And so I I

172think that that stays in under the FTE counts historical and projected. I I pretty strongly think student enrollment is stabilized at the desired minimum. That is a success criteria >> and I am not ready to check that box. I think we don't know yet. >> Which of these is provide? I thought that that was just saying we want a projection of current and future enrollment. That not on the list if we get rid of that one. >> Well, FE counts is historic and future. >> Goes to 2016. >> No, no, no. I we just we just said that we're going to project out three and five years. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> So, we'll add the tuition and the time when it's available. >> The projections over the next three and five years will include

173every FTE subgroup that is tuition paying by all the categories that is that is preschool that's everything. >> I totally understand that. If we are selling Decater, for lack of a better word, and we have an influx of 75 tuition paying kindergarters, they're not going to show up here because those parents haven't applied yet. So, that's an additional point that's not captured in the FTE. >> So, or am I wrong about that? If I can add a point of clarity around tuition. >> Tuition is used to maximize teacher aotments, not to fill >> fill up a school. >> Oh yeah. No, I I don't want to suggest that's what we're trying to do. Sorry. >> So it if teacher Adams is allotted 19 students for the a lotment guidelines, only have 15. Four tuition seats

174will be offered. Maybe three. So, we leave one in case a kid moves in. Um, but it wouldn't be a school. But to what the board member Anderson's point, when we the very next thing that we're going to talk about when we talk about key strategies to explore, one of those is non-resident tuition. Whatever projections we give on school enrollment going forward should include the results of the strategies that we select that we want to evaluate. >> Oh yes. >> Okay. the the unchecked box which was number four that was originally I think in success criteria. >> I was going to say that move down. >> Yeah, I was I'm just >> you guys asked me to move it down to >> because you you were looking for a percentage. You wanted us to provide

175a data percentage there and I I think we're saying that right now we're we we're we aren't. We need to run the analysis before we decide that. You guys agree with them? Yeah. >> Okay. Okay. >> All right. Let's slide nine, section four of your worksheet addresses key strategies to explore. The goal here is not to choose a scenario tonight. Instead, you are telling staff and planning committees which categories of strategies you want studied and brought back to you with pros, cons, and tradeoffs. This slide lists status quo baseline prek relocation to K2 school buildings noting that the Georgia Department of Education already accounts for city schools of the cases prek students without relocation and assigns prek students to existing K2 schools based on addresses in the prek application process. Next, a non-resident tuition student

176enrollment campaign, adjustments to school program placement and/or student support services, school reconfigurations by grade level, attendance zone boundary adjustments, and community generated strategy considerations. On section four of your worksheet, please check the strategy areas that you agree should be in scope for committee study and leave uncheck any areas you believe should be out of scope. You may also use the other line to add any additional strategy categories you want to explore. I will pause here to allow time for marking and brief discussion. One question I have I I understood from prior meetings is that each of the committees were also going to be looking through different lens like facilities, finance, human experience, right? >> That's still true because it seems like this kind of overlap >> looking at, >> right? And so the four committees

177look at kind of like directions of the companies. They're going to look at things from different lenses on what we're looking at. >> So they'll have this entire list Yeah. >> Right. They may focus on finance. They may focus on safety. Yeah. >> Is there any reason why we wouldn't look at all of these? >> Yeah. It just seems a little bit >> I would also say the one glaring missing option here, not saying that this is the one that I want. I want to be very clear with the public but that it is appropriate to evaluate is also a closure and if we did actually consolidate right I think it has to be evaluated if for no other reason than to have the data why we wouldn't choose that >> I need some clarification

178about prek I think that has been talked about multiple times in multiple veins now what we're showing here is that um GDO is saying that they will not add any prek classrooms for the next for the 26 27th school year. Is that what I'm reading correctly? >> Right from the start. >> Okay. Yes. >> Right from the start says the prek classes as we have them now or the pre-k classes we >> we're also saying that the headcount as we have now at college height are already accounted for in their home school. >> Yes. >> Right. So when goes into prek, she's already counted into one. >> Yes. >> Okay. So then I just need and maybe other people have insight. What is the benefit other than moving kids closer to their home school of

179relocating prek? >> I just assumed it then there and I shouldn't have that is there a pay option or is there a tiered opt? So am I correct in what you just said that GDAU already limits. Right. >> Right. Um, but that's fed funded, right? Or is prek like I don't know is it copyrighted? You can't call it prek if it's not >> the I think the challenge is if right from the start does not count that child as an FTE. They may be paying tuition, but if they do not count it as an FTE, then it doesn't go towards the 200 student count threshold that we're trying to hit. >> And if they are, >> but that might be okay, right? like if they actually are paying then it may offset some costs that

180make it less necessary to worry about the 200 student count threshold. We don't know because we don't have that analysis. >> But one thing to think about is when we talked earlier, board member Hearnen asked, hey, what do we pay from city schools of education? We subsidize what the state gives us for prek. So prek is still at a cost to the school district. Um, and I don't think I mean we could look and explore what we would have to charge to break even on prek but we subsidized already. >> Idea was to add prek potentially to a school. >> We don't for public school we can't do that. >> That's going to be given to us from right from the start. They determine how many seats we have. >> If we're capable of showing

181the demand, does that influence right from the start? So, I think we all understand next year, no, that we've got our seats assigned next year, >> but two years out. If we're demonstrating substantial demand because we have increased capac you like a lot of parents in Westchester, for example, well, I mean, no, because I just found out that Westchester in fact does send a ton of kids over to to uh uh the College Heights. I know my experience at Glenn down to College Heights to try to get my kids there when there's a preschool literally a block from my house at the, you know, First United Methodist. But if I had preschool at Glenwood, I would 100% preschool at Glenwood. Now, that doesn't show up in the data until you have those preschools open in

182the schools. So, we're saying it is possible year one. No, but year two we may be able to demonstrate substantial enough demand that right from the start would then increase our allowable preschool counts that should be accounted for. >> Yes. So because that is weightless data that right from the start is collecting. So, right from the start is collecting your weight list data not only in the city schools that they cater prek but the weight list data at uh the first United Methodist and every other prek site in Georgia. So, they collect the weight list to determine if that's part of their analysis of demand. So, and I'm totally fine to keep this on here. I just wanted some clarification. So, I guess that to offset that until you get to that point, could you

183have a prek, say, at Glenwood that maybe only had seven kids and that's not enough to make a classroom. Could you fill that up with tuition paying prek kids so that you could keep a prek at potentially every school? Some with resident students and then some with non-resident students until you because it's going to take a year or two until you start to pull some of those kids off of waiting lists and get them in >> or with resident students that are willing to pay tuition. I mean, I paid tuition to go to the >> That's what I mean. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. is >> our our allowable resident nature is due to us being K12 meaning we can pay tuition non-residents can pay tuition for K12 because that is under what the guidance is

184from good right from the start is a different level of guidance and so that is where that is something that we would have to asked right from the start around whether or not you can have tuition paying prek as well as lottery funded prek >> in the same class >> or the same building >> in the same entity because you're then going to potentially have like yeah we have to ask them I I don't know if that's allowed >> you will be to deeply right from the start to explore different prek models But can I ask that we get the bright list right from the start weight list for Decar and then any relevant areas? I don't know if they do it in all of Decap County or the neighboring part of Decap County. Did

185they do it for all of APS or the part that borders us because that seems kind of relevant, >> right? And I think that's what we would get from the meeting with right from the start. I think my experience with dealing with anyone in education, any different entity, we just need to sit down and tell them, hey, this is the plan that we're trying to push forward, tell us yay, nay, or how to make how to get to a yay. Sometimes it is a no, but there's a way to get to a yes. And they can tell you if if you ask the right way, they can tell you if there's a true way to get to a yes or if this is just certain things you cannot be creative inside of education because it

186comes with an orange jumpsuit. Um school reconfiguration by grade level. Do we just mean K2 to K3 or are there other possibilities within that? >> Well, from early we don't want to limit any possibility. >> Okay, that's fine. So I mean you guys can give guidance on that >> but I think what we discussed prior to we just go into the meeting >> as as long as the reconfigurations come with the full fiscal analysis in terms of both savings and costs right because there's substantive costs around changing that allocation. >> All right. >> Okay. We good? Yeah. Slide four. And we checked everything >> plus and added >> other to meet with K mean right from the start to discuss different preK models and added uh evaluating closure. New things we're adding right from the

187start meeting and possible consolidation. Slide 10 in section five in your worksheet focuses on guard rails. Guard rails are conditions that you want honored throughout the planning process regardless of which scenario may eventually be recommended. The slide currently includes several draft guard rails including a focus on a certain type on focus on certain types of strategies. A commitment that no proposed change will affect the 2627 school year. a planning phase that runs through November 2026 and preservation of existing CSD grade configurations prek2 35 68 and 912 based on board direction. Staff understands that you want to move away from the phrase keep open and instead strengthen and sustain sustain neighborhood schools while still allowing you to study a full range of options. On section five of your worksheet, I invite you check the guardrails you

188want to keep as written. Adjust the wording of the first guardrail so that it reflects or any guardrail reflects your updated language and intent. Add any additional guardrails that you believe are important such as exceptions around equity, communication, family engagement, and use of external experts like ARC which is Atlanta Regional Commission. Uh we will capture your edits and reflect those in the final written sur. >> I have a question about the preserving the existing rate configuration. >> Um I don't understand I mean maybe it's not enough but we're just talking about the salaries and how you know if you kind of move one it affects others. So what is this hard and fast preserve this? I mean, you we're talking about fiscal responsibility. We're talking about students in schools. I'm just kind of curious as

189to why we're only looking at K. >> I don't know. And not considering >> Yeah. I I think I think because on the previous one we picked fork school reconfiguration by grade levels as a preferred strategy to see. >> Okay. >> We can't check preserve existing like we we've already said as a strategy we want to look at everything. >> Take that one off. >> Yeah. Exactly. And and then I would would I would check the other three. >> So we check in box one, two, and three. >> Yeah. Four. >> Not four. >> Do we have other? >> And then um so the original timeline I believe had November and you know we needed more time to do this. You know does that matter like the existing were a month off, which may not

190even be an issue. Maybe a month was just cushioning, but I'm just curious if anyone else if that matters, right? Because we didn't get it done in December and I believe the committees haven't met yet. Well, I think it was always the plan for the committees after we adjusted course to meet in January, but I speaking just for myself here, but I would put it to the board if the committees come back and say, "Hey, look, it's going to be December before we issue this analysis." I think just be flexible about that. Okay. Are we ready to move on? >> Yeah. >> So, finally, slide 11 and section section six of your worksheet addresses the planning phase target completion and check in. The draft text set the planning phase target completion of November 10th, 2026.

191That's a board meeting. At that time, key findings and recommendations from the planning committees and CSD staff will be presented to the board for consideration and review at the November 20 26 board meeting. Below you see four proposed check-in windows. In the winter, I mean this January, we will start the committee kickoff. That'll be a virtual meeting. After we get everything tonight, we'll reach out to the different committee leaders. Um, and then we'll start that that kickoff with committee chairs with a plan expected plan to start February 5th with our first committee meeting with an update at the next upcoming board meeting in March, June, and September with the final recommendation in November. And to you guys point, if we need to push, if it's not getting done, you would know in March, June, September

192that October is look, I mean, November is not looking. So on section six of your worksheet, please check the windows when you would like those formal updates and note any additional check-in points or reporting expectations that you want to set. And why would we not just do all of that? >> Yeah, I think all of them. >> I think they're all good. The only thing I think about is, you know, June people are out. They're on vacation. They're gone. And so, just from a it's great. You know, we board, we meet, staff are here, but I'm just kind of curious how that works. >> Just go through the spring, correct? So, they'll end I'm guessing. >> So, we'll pick up I'm sorry. We'll pick up with committee work uh once we come back in August.

193There won't be a committee committee meeting in June, July, but in I'm sorry, there will be a meeting the first week in June. Um the SK the expect the hope is that we can meet the week prior and then that way that gives us enough time to get the board update on what >> would would May be easier if it be March May and take the whole question. >> I mean that's what I was like even if we took June off I could give you the update of April and May in June. But I mean remember that May is the giant budget meeting like it's the hours and hours long budget meeting and so I mean please check in with us. Is that correct? >> Yes. If the committee decides that June doesn't work for

194them and they want to do it the third week in May they >> we will listen to that recommendation. >> Feel like we're asking about we're not mandating the committee meets. We're telling Mr. Adams, we would like a report on >> Yeah, works. >> The committ would be running all the way through the number. >> Yes. I would um Okay. So, I just have a general comment if you're if you're ready to move to that. I I would like to um I'd like to meet the chairs. I mean, I I think it would be great in some of the updates to have the chairs of the committees attend as well to the extent that they are interested in presenting any of the information. I'd love to hear from them. I'd like to interact with the

195community members. I know that there's some questions out there like there are people waiting for information and maybe not to do this out. So, the sooner that we can communicate that we've kind of established the parameters and we're ready to go, I think the better. Are you saying like have the committee chairs present to us during because I don't understand what you mean by I'd like to meet with the >> Oh, no, no, no, no. Yes. Sorry. Sorry. Yes. Come be in front of us as a body, not me specifically. >> So, similar when I would bring the construction company up or a different vendor. >> So, we are checking all boxes. And so rebalancing. And one of the things we talked about before we get into the questions is me and my team will

196go out and we will canvas the city of the cape. All right. And we're going to look to spread the committees, add more people to the committees from different corners of the cape. that is to make sure that we hear the voice of all of the cap. And before we get into questions, that brings us to the final slide. To summarize, this evening, you have reaffirmed a clear statement of need for the elementary utilization study. You refined success criteria that center student experience, equity, and sustainability. He confirmed the data, strategies, and guard rails that will guide committee work and set expectations for timelines and check-in through November 2026. As part of the elementary school utilization study, we will work to ensure that all voices from the city of decor heard doing committee work. We will

197be expanding outreach to HOAs, neighborhood associations, faith-based organizations, PTAs, PTOs, and other key community groups to join our committees. Thank you for your time and guidance. I'm happy to answer any questions or receive any additional directions from the board. Board, I want to give you guys a compliment. Good job, this much better than December 9th. Thank you board for your guidance. The utilization study is about strengthening our schools. We look forward to engaging the entire city in the co-creation of building utilization. >> Thank you, Mr. Adams. I appreciate the rebalancing effort including each you share all constituents you know should be a part of this process. Dr. Whitaker, please introduce the next presentation. >> Thank you, Sheriff Sultan. I would like to call on Mr. Esten Melton, chief of safety and technology services to bring

198the annual state of the division. >> Good afternoon, board chair Dr. Sultan, vice chairs, esteemed members of the board, student representative, uh, and superintendent Dr. Whitaker. It's a pleasure to bring you an annual state of report for the safety and technology services division. Like other support areas, our division exists to help realize student success in all areas, but on a day-to-day basis, our work happens in the areas of organizational effectiveness. Additionally, as you know, safety is now a domain in the standards for effective board governance set by the state board of education. These standards focus on student and staff physical safety and mental health. Several divisions in addition to mine contribute to this area and we believe the governance team is situated to meet these standards. We'll discuss the standards with you all next month

199so that you are equipped to complete your GSBA self assessment at the February board retreats. For the balance of my presentation, I'll update you on the division's work since our report in January 2025 and look ahead to 26 or so. Let's first close the loop on a few projects I shared with you last year. Crisis GO has matured beyond Wilson Center communications and school leaders have it and their toolkit for emergency events to communicate with site leadership and Wilson Center support. Examples of how we're using it are coordinating responses to medical issues, threats, injuries, bus accidents, weapons screening events, students running off campus to name just a few. This system has accelerated communication between schools and central office supports and within schools, reducing the time it takes to respond in situations where time is critical.

200Visitor management is deployed at all schools with the Wilson Center set to come online this month. The system runs an instant background check on visitors against the sex offender registry and the visitor lanyard allows office staff to locate those guests on campus. The system has accurately identified several individuals who are on such a registry who should not be on campus. In all cases, building leaders implemented documented response procedures. Those folks have left campus without further incident. The updated DHS security camera system has significantly reduced challenges in monitoring the environment and investigating incidents. When a motorist drove their car down an embankment and through a courtyard, school and district leaders pulled that footage within moments, including on their cell phones, a feat that would have been impossible to accomplish with previous system. and vestibules. Lefco was

201a wonderful design build partner we brought to the board in February to help us design secure entry vestibules so visitor check-in and background checks could, for example, occur before someone has actual access to a school's interior. Leco brought construction partners in and together they provided a guaranteed maximum price for each facility to be renovated at that front entryway. We had hoped that FY26 quote one-time security grant funds could go toward addressing at least some of the schools. However, errors, the overhead associated with projects happening at isolated sites and not all at once, and complications arising from working on very old buildings cause even the least expensive projects uh to likely exceed the total grant allocation. We appreciate the excellent designs that we developed and they're available for future use and of note some of the

202conversations and decisions made during this transfer to the design of the new early learning center. For example, establishing a baseline specification for impact resistant glazing on windows and window framing um which are easier to provide during new construction rather than retrofit. And the new early learning center design does include a secure entry vestibule from the get-go. I'll add too that per another recent requirement from the state board, we've had several touch points with city police and fire leadership as the new ELC design has matured, ensuring the building meets current code and best practices at inception. Shortly after last year's division report, we jointly hosted our first annual safety summit alongside our partners with the city. Dr. Whitaker and our director of safety and security were joined on stage by the chief of police Richards and

203Fire Chief Washington. And in addition to that partnership with the city, the student support services division shared a pair of breakout sessions around mental health and threat assessment. And I'll have information on next month's second annual security summit at the end of this presentation. In February 2025, the board retreat included robust discussions around weapon screening, school resource officers. We shared an environmental scan and data with the board and we appreciate the direction that allowed us to resuscitate the SRO relationship with the city and to procure weapon screening systems for the middle school, high school in the Wilson Center. Wilson screen, I'm sorry, weapons screening, as we shared, meant hiring additional safety staff to prevent it from becoming overly burdensome on teachers and other school personnel. We already had a pair of safety and security associates,

204both of whom are former law enforcement. This summer we hired three more. One of whom a former Navy surface warfare officer you heard from during uh Miss Walker's presentation on the state of of HR. Um with this talent in place, we could train staff and deploy weapon screening at the middle and the high school. We hoped to orchestrate a staff adjustment during the day to cover weapon screening at the Wilson Center, but the induced demand of having additional safety personnel um in the schoolhouse has made us reluctant to pull that individual to the Wilson Center. The weapon screening program launched with some delays as anticipated those first few weeks. Uh but those delays evaporated by the end of the first full week of school. The weapon screening system operates both as a detector and a

205deterrent. Frankly, we would prefer any number of other factors to deter students from bringing weapons on campus. We are aware of students who have secreted dangerous materials outside of the schoolhouse so as not to have it detected by the screening regimen. And as a detector, I can report that the screening system has detected dangerous items, including knives carried by students during arrival and pistols. We've had firearms detected carried by licensed adults come into extracurricular activities. In these instances, staff have have reacted accordingly to ensure the safety of those campuses. And in partnership with the operations division, we've also expanded weapon screening to major sporting and extracurricular events on some of our campuses. We also revised theouou and revived the program that places uniformed city of Decator police officers on our middle and our high school

206as school resource officers. We had hoped for three and we appreciate Chief Richard stating at the city commission meeting where they voted to approve theou that he believes two SRO's would be appropriate for the high school. Our SRO's have become welcome additions to our schools and their presence on campus and in immediate communication with city police has been critical in several instances. For example, when an anonymous caller claimed someone had a weapon in the DH parking lot earlier this year, the SRO was instantly in contact with the 911 call center to ascertain specific details from the call that were critical in crafting our response. for fortunately events like this remain rare and in the times in between SRO's provide students and staff with education on the law and critically for many students become trusted go

207to adults on campus and we also open the school year uh this year with a new fleet of district-wide radios unlike siloed systems that we have purchased in the past um voice communication system allow safety and security and transportation and school the same hardware. We ever need to evacuate a school to another site, these radios will work on not only our other campuses, but everywhere else you have a cellular signal. I do want to share with you some student voice when it comes to safety and security uh reflected here in last year's school climate survey which ran from January to March ahead of when many of these visible solutions were put into place. And we're treating this as some baseline data. Let me walk you through a little bit. The first column shows um four

208of the safety questions asked by the surveys. Um the surveys include some additional safety related ones, but we think these four are foundational. And what I've captured here is of the five possible responses to each of these questions, what are the two that are most positive? So for the first question on the screen, how safe do you feel in classrooms? Two most positive possible responses are very safe or extremely safe. For the second and the third, the two most positive or preferred responses are very well or extremely well. And for the fourth, which is phrased a little differently, how easy is it for someone to get into the building even if they are not authorized to be there? Two most preferred are slightly easy or not easy. Got some columns that show CSD student responses

209and then we have our comparison to statewide averages. So for the first three items, CSD students report higher levels of feeling safe relative to the state average and the gap between us and the state as a whole increases with our older students. We do see and we want to draw your attention to real areas of opportunity around addressing perceptions of how easy it is to gain unauthorized access to school. We expect that some of the initiatives launched this year that I just mentioned at the middle and the high school will strongly influence these figures. And we also appreciate and I want to call out the leadership undertaken by our school principles to continue to develop a culture of safety on their campuses and recommitting to school safety team for example and bringing safety minds to

210the forefront of their instructional leadership. Looking ahead on February 4th, on February 4th, uh we will have another our second annual safety summit. Uh we'll again be joined by first responder leadership, Chief Richards and Chief Washington. Um on the stage, a big theme for the balance of the year's compliance with last year's HB268. I meant to bring as a prompt my 60page copy pink post-it notes of handwritten small notes that I have most places but not with your but not right now. Um we have been ahead of the game in some respon in some instances. For example, uh we are ahead of the game with the statutoily required panic alert system safety plan additions and policy updates. Thank you for voting on those earlier this year. But the work continues. One item to fulfill by

211July 1 is updated and ongoing mapping of our school's emergency resources that first responders can immediately access if they show up to one of our abilities to do their work. We have the tool. Entering and adopting a program to maintain its accuracy is now part of our work. We're also in the midst of training on and implementing an anonymous reporting tool provided to us at no cost by the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation. Today was actually a critical milestone date for us to test the receipt of those messages and our counselors and our school leaders to be able to see those and log into the system to track them. Um, I'm up here speaking about that, but a lot of credit for stewarding the work belongs to assistant superintendent and hers. The Sandy Hook Promise Partnership

212also includes resources for violence prevention instruction and support for school-based violence prevention clubs as required by the law. The anonymous reporting system also includes mechanisms and coordination for life safety emergencies to be promptly reported to Decar 911 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We've had several city of Decar police leaders on those calls again, including Chief Richards, who's become a familiar face. Additionally, HP268 requires us to add language to strengthen student data privacy protections um in theou that governs the school resource officer program. We're grateful by the hard work by our colleagues at WMD and their counterparts in the city council. One of the action items on your agenda for this evening is to approve text privacy and outline some mutual expectations. Another recent legislative act requires districts to conduct two AED or

213automatic external defibrillator readiness events. This year we partnered with the student health team last month and schools conducted either AED drills or tabletop activities. Um many of the AED drills occurred immediately after a shelter drill to try to simulate the people out of place um conditions that might exist during an actual emergency. And speaking of our colleagues in student health, we are in possession of multiple doses of Nlloxxone, also known under the brand name Narcan, to administer to anyone on our campus is suspected of having a narcotic overdose episode. And we're grateful to the partnership with the city of Decar Fire and Rescue for helping us secure those resources. Pivoting to technology. I had the opportunity this fall to share with you work on interoperable data systems. So I won't dwell here too long, but

214I will share two important updates. The first is that in conjunction with the finance and HR teams, we published the revised RFP for a new enterprise resource platform last month and hosted a re a pre-submission conference last week. It was well attended and we are um encouraged by the folks who showed up. In my previous report, I had said we anticipated bringing a procurement recommendation in the win in the winter, but that time frame has slipped to the May 14th. What is on track is our work deploying Edu Climber, a data visualization and warehousing tool to support instructional decision makers. It's the baseball card view I showed back in August. I believe it is in the hands of our Wilson Center leaders, principles, and as of the first day back uh last week, our classroom

215educators. Initial visualizations created by Wilson center leaders are in those decision makers hands and you will see the first data surfaced with greater ease via educ climber later tonight. We open this year with two massive equipments deployments. We replaced staff laptops and the student devices at the middle and the high school. Both procurements came in on time and under budget. between all the equipments coming in and the equipment going out, it was over 8,000 computers for our staff to touch and get in or get out of the way. And in conjunction with the elementary fleet replacement last year, that means the vast majority of students and staff devices, the entirety staff of student devices is new within the last two years. Most of the equipment that was replaced was procured just before or during the

216pandemic. We appreciate its service and are glad to see it go. Although we have repurposed large tranches of that year um to find a second life. So for example, many old student Chromebooks are now serving as strategic visitor visitor check-in kiosk or time clock machines. Doesn't just go to the e-waste file. And we also reinvisioned one of our key uh PL mechanisms around reducing cyber security risk via fishing. And as a refresher, fishing, those are the messages that ostensively come from a trusted authority trying to get you to install software, give up your money, give up valuable information. We've had really good fishing awareness numbers over the last several years, but they were stagnant. So, in partnership with the DOE, we shifted from a surprise gotcha approach to a we are about to initiate an

217awareness campaign. We want you to know what the signs are and know how to respond appropriately. And we shifted our focus from that gotcha component to trying to target the folks who might have seen the suspicious message, but rather than reporting it, actually alert us to its presence because that first alert might make the difference between us being able to contain it and get rid of it versus someone clicking on a malicious link. By the way, if any of you get a suspicious message to your CSV account, please forward it to [email protected]. Uh there are two more people besides me on that list. Send it to me if you want, but you'll get a fast response probably from Jason and Kit. So, what next? These in glorious looking pallets contain several dozen new network switches.

218Appreciate the board's support in procuring these. They showed up right before Christmas break. Switches. They sit in closets that no one really opens the door to, but they're critical not only for connectivity, but also for cyber security. Um, it's non-trivial to replace these, but we're pursuing that work over the course of uh the balance of the year. We're also deploying a completely re-engineered Wi-Fi environment that launched last semester at the high school. It's one of those rare opportunities to introduce increased performance, increased availability, and increased security at no additional cost, just elbow grease. We're also continuing our work towards CIS controls level one. We are not, repeat, not immune from any type of really targeted cyber attack, but we're pres we're postured pretty well to the point where our outside experts that consult with us

219and formal adoption of the cyber security framework is the next best step for us. And this logo probably looks familiar because I showed it to you last year. We have um addressed the vast majority of the policy, not board policy, the procedural and the technical requirements for CIS controls and are on that long tail of a few technical issues that have a higher degree of change management required before we can knock them out. We want to knock them out. There are not that many school districts out there that have formally adopted or been certified on an industry standard cyber security framework. Um, but we will join that small list in short order. And lastly, this image up here is one of several that resulted when I asked Google Gemini, our enterprise tier generative AI tool,

220to create a self-portrait. The two Januaries ago, I presented a series of AI principles to the board developed by staff and community experts. Since then, those uh principles along with an administrative regulation governing employee use of generative AI have been foundational tools for building employee capacity with AI. I offer a lot of credit to the middle and the high school instructional technology coaches for leading that work. However, at the district level, we realize that we've not sufficiently factored in student voice and how we approach AI. Um, and I appreciate Miss Botra's advocacy and being a student voice when it comes to AI. So, Dr. Whitaker, the executive director of curriculum and instruction, and I have joined a national network of district leaders focusing on maturing AI practices. Um, and that work again has further reinforced

221the necessity of elevating student voice even further. And as such, our board apprentice member will work this year to gather a broad and representative swath of student input on possible policy and and regulatory uh recommendations to drive our ongoing AI work. perhaps not only focusing strictly on AI, but also to articulate our values, your values as a board, our values as a learning community, and how we approach whatever the next technological earthshattering innovation might be. Um, it's possible over the last few minutes, the way I've structured this presentation, it might sound that safety and technology are two separate houses. Um, but that's not accurate. We've made large strides in the last year to bring both groups work into sync and mutual support. Each week, a single joint leadership team reviews after actions, identifies tendencies, and

222works together to develop our skills around change and project management for the organization. This year, we brought safety systems into our incident IQ system, not only for support management, but also for inventory tracking and to set and to monitor service level agreements to further evaluate our data. And some of each discipline's ideas and principles translate well into each other's language. For example, if the idea of pre-announced monthly fishing campaigns with reminders of what to do sounds a bit like pre-announced monthly fire drills, that's on purpose. We took that idea from the safety world. And if that idea sounds like a stretch, it is in fact the model that Google uses to build fishing awareness around their employees. Um, encouraging not encouraging staff not to ignore a suspicious message, but to report it is the cyber

223security equivalent of one of Director Brown's favorite mantras. And I hope you all will say it with me. Q. See something. >> I heard it from the audience too. That's lovely. Thank you all. >> See it. See it. >> And bringing you back to interoperable data systems. We've begun the research in the marketplace um with our new life safety partner Convergent on the best approach to mature our access control systems integrating tools like new high school cameras, strategics and crisis go for everyone listening. Please take note here of the particulars for next month's safety summit or visit the CSD website. Board members, I am grateful for your time and attention as always and I invite your questions. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Melton, for the update. We look forward to the community joining us

224at our second annual safety summit scheduled for February the 4th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center of Decar High School. Thank you, Mr. Milton, for the update. The Georgia State Board of Education at its November 5th and 6th meeting approved a ninth domain school safety. There are four new standards completely devoted to school safety. Based on today's presentation, I believe next month on this new standard at our February board retreat. Dr. Whitaker, please introduce the next presentation. Carol, I would like to call on Mrs. Amanda Lynch, chief of staff, to discuss one policy for First Street. >> Good afternoon, board chair Dr. consult vice chair oath esteemed members of the board student representative botra and superintendent Dr. would occur. Today we have one policy on the agenda for today's work session.

225This is policy DJA purchasing authority. Policies presented in work session are being presented for first read. Policy DJA purchasing authority is an existing policy that was originally adopted in November 2024. Revisions to DJA are necess are needed to align with the proposed revisions to related policy DJ purchasing which was approved for first read last month. Specifically, the revisions reduce the threshold for board approval for purchases from budgeted firms from $100,000 to $75,000. If approved for first read, DJA will be available for public comment through assembly. Additionally, DJ will remain available for public comment. Both policies will be brought to the board together for second read action in February to ensure that we do not have conflicting policies in place. As a reminder, stakeholders can access any policies open for public comment on the right hand

226side of the assembly homepage and assembly is linked under our CSD website under the board. May I read the recommendation? >> Yes, please. The recommendation being made is that city schools of Decator Board of Education accept policy DJA purchasing authority for first read. Do I have a motion to approve the recommendation of policy DJA purchasing authority for first read? >> So moved. >> Board member US makes the motion. Is there any second? >> Second. >> Board member H. Hearnen seconds the motion. Is there any discussion? >> Yeah, I have questions. So I'm sorry I should if it's first read then we talk about it or don't and then it goes to the public. Correct. So the only change to this one, we brought it directly to first read because of the discussion that happened in

227the prior short assistance months around changing that threshold in DJ to 100 down to 75. In doing so, we realized this policy also had that specified and so therefore brought it to first read today so that we can make them both available for public comment together and so that one wouldn't have been accepted and the other not. >> Okay. because that's what I was initially going to ask about because I kept putting this in the DJ. So then it goes out for the public and then we come back and talk about it. Yes. So then it would be second read. So you would either I would I would provide you with feedback as it comes in as typical. Um if there is any public comment um if there's any other changes we would highlight them

228you know before second read and then you would vote to approve or not. So I think the the questions I still have or the confusion is admittedly I was looking at um you know Buford and Marietta they don't even seem to have a DJ a unless I'm incorrect they just have DJ that's possible and then I noticed these distinctions between the budgeted funds or unbudgeted funds and I'm still stuck though on this high or threshold of 75k when Buford says at 30K and Marriotted at 15K. And again, fill in any of my, you know, misunderstandings here. But when we initially talked about this, I thought one of the questions we had is like, where is this in the budget? Right? Am I correct that our first discussion of this policy was kind of like, well,

229where is it in that bucket or that bucket or that bucket? So we we have a budget of like let's say 110 million right but how do we ever know where the you know my calculation is 4 1.5 to 5 a.5 million right um and that is for the 59 purchases that are greater than 75,000 if I use 75k as the lowest amount and 95k as the highest amount. Right? So where is it? So we have a budget of 110 million, but we line item our budget. So we show that we're spending 60s something million on instruction and you know 2 and a.5 million for and I'm making up the numbers so don't quote me after that but you know >> well they would be they would each particular contract would be in a different

230operating budget depending on what that contract was for. >> But do we ever see those >> at that level? Not not within a budget. No, we wouldn't necessarily see it at that. I mean, when a budget is presented to us in aggregate or even at a functional level, it's understood that there are a number of contracts budgeted in there for differing amounts. What we're saying is anytime any one of those contracts exceeds 75, we need to vocally approve it in in this meeting. >> And I think last time when we discussed this, Dr. Broom came and gave us kind of an overview of how many contracts that would be and generally where they would be coming from. We were looking at I don't know like nine so nine a month. >> Yeah, I know. I

231get that. But I mean, you know, Buford's a comparably sized district and they must have the same issue and theirs is 30k or Marriott is bigger and unless I'm misreading it's 15k. So, you know, I get it. It's just like, you know, you sorry you got bigger classes this year. So besides the workload, I'm just wondering from like a a financial decision making why we're higher than comparable districts. >> I'm I'm blown away that Marriott is at 15K. >> Unless I'm misreading it. >> No, no, no. It's I mean it's entirely possible that they are. That is absolutely an incredible amount of work that I I I'm stunned that an organization that large puts it at a 15K threshold. Like that that's that you generally wouldn't do that. >> That's what I was going to

232ask. Is it a percentage of the budget? So if if our budget's 110 million and my calculations are without knowing absolutes, you know, it's anywhere from 8 million and change to 11 million, then that's 10% of the budget or 5%. So do we have any determination besides workloads and number of vendor purchases to decide? We did talk about the state law and everything last time too. So this um you know um this policy was just updated to reflect a conversation that happened among you guys at the board last time. Um but it was we did talk about you know the Marietta policy being very old you know so there's that we talked about you know the number of purchases that occur at each um as well as you know we talked a little bit about

233how what the state statute was as well. Um, so that I, you know, my understanding is that was the conversation that had kind of happened to help make the decision last month and then this policy would just be bringing it in line with the conversation um that impacted DJ. >> I think my understanding is that it's not going to change the budget necessarily. It's not going to change what gets spent. It's just now contracts that are below this or above this threshold rather are going to have to come to us to be approved. I think some of the benefit is that now it'll be in that packet and then it will be there for people to see. >> Correct. >> But it's not going to change the budget necessarily, but it will have to come

234to us. >> No, I Yeah, I understand all that. I think my point then and now is that it still changes what we see. So, if we're telling uh you we're we're saying that what is it 60 something% of our general fund budget goes to instruction and it turns out because we didn't fill some of those positions and we had money here really maybe 63% or 64 I'm making up those numbers actually went to instruction because our purchasing practices allowed that >> the every time you voted on a purchase thing since you've been elected. >> Yeah. >> It has a line in there that tells you this has already been budgeted. >> Yeah. No, I understand it's been budgeted. That's never been my question. We're we're in agreement for the spending of money that as

235a collective number we have agreed to. But it it's still fuzzy to me where it is. >> You mean with what budget category? >> Yeah. My recollection is when we first discussed this back in October and November and I think Dr. Broom is at Phoenix >> that is when we learned we don't really know. So then I think the next question was well let's look at the number of purchasing um purchases right and those financial ranges which I believe got us to the 75k threshold because we saw,50 purchases 877 were below 50 96 here 37 here but still in terms you know we got a great budget book I just want to understand where the money is. >> But so we're approving how many tonight in the board meeting? I think it's seven. All of

236those listed where they were budgeted from. >> Okay. So we then we do So then that was the I think my misunderstanding. So we always know where these purchases are coming from. Which budget category? >> Like I said, it'll be in the packet. >> It all in the packet and in the thing we approve. I I do think it says, correct me if I'm wrong, this is from already budgeted categories or it says this is not and I don't I don't know that I've seen one in three years that was like and this is from something that hasn't been maybe safety and security did something. >> Yeah, when there's when there's large amounts of then that would specify. >> Okay, >> by the way, we had to pull this. Here you go. Shut up and

237we'll be told the correct answer. I we can start putting the funding source on there in the consent agenda when you vote on it so you'll know which which fund come >> answering your question. >> Well, it does now. That was that was initially my question. Where is it? So, okay. >> Right now, it just says already allocated unless it wasn't allocated, then it tells you where it would be. >> Any further discussion? All right. All those in favor? I >> chair votes I. Any opposed? The motion carries unanimously. Thank you, Mrs. Lynch. We encourage the public to review this policy and DJ, which is purchasing posted on assembly. This concludes our work session. As a reminder, the work sessions are designed for in-depth discussion, study, and planning regarding district policies, issues, and upcoming decisions.

238Many items presented at a work session inform board meeting agenda items including consent agenda. We will recess and return in five minutes to begin our regular board meeting. The purpose of the board meeting and school board governance is to conduct the official business of the school district through discussion and formal voting ensuring legal and transparent decisionmaking on policies, budgets, and district priorities. There being no further business, this work session is adjourned at 528. We will now call this meeting to order at 5:34 p.m. We ask that you silence all cell phones at this time. We will now begin with a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance. At this time, I ask that everyone join me in a moment of silent reflection. Thank you. Now I ask all who are able to please

239stand for the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Our mission is to inspire and enable student growth through meaningful and engaging learning experiences supported by highly qualified and caring educators in a safe and inviting environment. At this time, I will seek control of the meeting to Dr. Whitaker to accept nominations for board chair for 2026. Are there any motions from the board for the board chair for 2026? I move to nominate Dr. Carmen Sultan for board chair of 2026. >> Board member UTS makes the motion for board member chair uh chair uh Dr. Sultan. Is there a second? >> I second. >> Okay. Board member Iriè

240second. Board members, please complete your ballots. I am pleased to announce that Dr. Coleman Sultan has been elected as board chair effective today, January the 13th at 5:36 p.m. through the upcoming year with a vote of 1 2 3 4 5 0. I will now uh see the meeting to chair Sultan to accept nominations for vice chair. Are there any nominations for vice chair? >> I'll nominate uh current vice chair on >> All right. Board member H. Hearnden makes a motion. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Board member Arriier seconds the motion. Uh board members, please complete your ballots. I am pleased to announce that vice chair has been elected board vice chair effective today, January 13th at 5:37 p.m. through the upcoming year with a vote of 520. Congratulations. We will pause

241and shift our seats. We don't have to go anywhere. All right. Uh the first item on the agenda is the agenda. Board members, are there any revisions to the agenda this evening? >> No. Uh do I have a motion to approve the agenda? >> Move. >> Board member UTS makes a motion. Is there a second? Uh board member Anderson seconds the motion. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? >> I. >> Chair votes I. Any opposed? The motion carries unanimously. Our next agenda item is the approval of the minutes from previous board meetings. Do I have a motion to approve December's regular board meeting? >> So move. >> Board member US makes the motion. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Uh board member Hearnen seconds the motion. Is there any discussion?

242Hearing none. All those in favor? >> I chair votes I. Any opposed? That motion also carries unanimously. Dr. Whitaker, I see we have some people who have joined us. Do we have recognitions tonight? Yes, Chair Sultan. To facilitate tonight's recognitions, I would like to call upon deputy superintendent Karen Me. >> Thank you, board chair, Dr. Sultan, >> Vice Chair, esteemed members of the board, and superintendent, Dr. General Whitaker. We do have some obligations this evening. We are starting just a little behind. So I would like to ask the board and superintendent Whitaker to come down so that we can take pictures as we recognize um our honores this evening to expedite time so that the commitments elsewhere can be honored. >> This evening I am honored to share three presentations from Decada High School, Oak

243and Beacon Hill Middle. As we honor each individual, please come up with your principal, in this case, athletic director, um, so that we can recognize you and take a photograph with you and the board. Up first is Decar High School Principal Sproul and our athletic director, Rodney Thomas. Please come forward. We would like to recognize the Kada High School softball team for an exceptional season as region champs. Their accomplishments extend well beyond team success. We would like to highlight their coach, coach Taran Williams. Come on up and slap her. Coach Williams was named region coach of the year and congratulations >> and co- coach of the year for the CA county. Several of her team members. Several of the team members earned first team all county honors and were named second team all county. In

244addition, team members were also recognized as all region players tonight. Um, joining her, joining coach Taran Williams are two of her assistant coaches. if you would join her up front. We would like to congratulate these coaches and the team on an outstanding season and a welldeserved recognition. Get everybody else. Okay, next up is principal trigger. >> We are proud to recognize Aaron Guerreri Elementary School. Come on up, Aaron. >> Aaron has been selected to present at the 2026 Georgia Association for Gifted Children's Conference. Her session, future proving finger, advanced media literacy strategies for the elementary classroom, will equip educators with essential tools for navigating today's evolving. This honor adds to her impressive record of presentations at both national and state conferences. Miss Carrera's leadership and commitment to professional excellence continue to elevate learning for students

245and educators alike. And we thank her for representing our district with distinction. >> Congratulations, Aaron. We would like to invite our interim principal of Beacon Hill Middle School, Alexis Glenn, to join us up front. We are delighted to celebrate student creativity and school pride at Beacon Middle School. We are proud to announce that sixth grader Duncan Welch is the winner of the Beacon Hill Middle School craft design contest. Come on up, Duncan. If you look at the screen, you will see Duncan unveiling the crest and you will see a picture of the credit. >> Duncan's design beautifully represents the spirit and values of the school highlighting the performing arts, athletic, the bark values of best effort, accountability, respect, and kindness kindness and the school's IB identity. His motto, be a beacon, reminds us all to

246be a source of light and hope within our community. Congratulations to Duncan on this meaningful and lasting contribution to his school. Please join us in one last round of applause. Congratulating all Thank you, Mrs. Newton Scott. Dr. Whitaker, do you have a superintendence report? >> Yes, Chair Sultan. Happy New Year, City Schools of Decar. I trust everyone had a safe and enjoyable break. In late December, districts were notified that the Georgia Department of Education planned to issue the statewide press release highlighting the 2025 CTA pathway graduation rate. That release occurred today. I am pla pleas pleased to share that our CTA pathway graduation rate was an impressive 98.99% and we will share more details about the results next month at our state of CTAE presentation as indicated on the board management oversight plan or FEMA.

247At this time, I invite Deputy Superintendent Karen Newton Scott back to the front to provide the midyear star data. Good evening again, board chair Dr. Sultan, Chair UTS, members of the board, student representative Botra, and Superintendent Dr. Gimma Whitaker. Tonight, I'm excited to share the story behind our 2025 CCPI results. A story of progress, persistence, and the impact of coherent systems across citizens of Decator. These results are more than just numbers. They demonstrate how our students are progressing academically and develop. Tonight, I'm sharing our STAR midyear growth results, which give us an important checkpoint on how students are progressing from fall to winter across literacy and math. This data directly connects to our strategic accelerator student success in all areas by focusing on student growth and by showing how well our system level investments are

248supporting consistent progress across grade bands, content areas, and student groups. I want to begin by grounding us in what growth means. Star growth percentiles compare a student's progress to peers who start at the same place. This slideshow shows how star growth percentiles work by comparing two students who started at the same score. Jane and John both began in the fall with a score of 853. By winter, both improved, but Jane's growth is at the 75th percentile, meaning she grew more than 75% of her peers who started at the same place. John's growth is at the 50th percentile, which represents expected growth. With that understanding, we look at our STAR data. When we look at our star data, we combine students demonstrating typical and high growth to give us a clear highle view of how well

249our system is supporting student success and student progress overall. When approximately 65% or more of students demonstrate typical or better growth, it signals that our instructional systems are functioning as intended. across the dis the district we continue to see that pattern of stability and pockets of acceleration. I'll start with early literacy because this is where we see the strongest connection between between strategy and outcomes. From preK through third grade, nearly 69% of students demonstrated typical or better growth from fall to winter. This is an improvement from last year. Kindergarten and second grade showed the strongest growth and overall growth in lower elementary exceeded that in upper elementary. This is an important cohort story embedded here. Across kindergarten, first and second grade, where all teachers have engaged in science of reading, approximately 70% of our students

250are meeting or exceeding anticipated growth. Within this context, the students who began kindergarten in 2023 along with our current kindergarten and first grade students are demonstrating some of the strongest growth performance in the district. This matters because these cohort cohorts are the first to experience our most consistent implementation of science of reading aligned instruction, professional learning and instructional resources from the very beginning of their academic journey, affirming the impact of sustained aligned investment in early literacy. However, at the same time, the data points to an important equity consideration with at least otherwise strong results. As we zoom in on student groups, economically disadvantaged outcomes continue to lag in growth compared to their peers. The in size for our economic group varies by age group, but the number of students qualified under economically disadvantage ranges from

251around 175 to around 200 students. The outcomes here for early literacy reinforces the urgency of expanding early access. Students who have not yet benefited from high quality early learning opportunities are more likely to need intervention later rather than experiencing the acceleration we are seeing in students who entered with stronger early foundations. The trend is possible when early literacy instruction, science of reading, professional development and aligned resources are consistently in place. And it clarifies where we must focus next to ensure those opportunities reach all students. As we progressed to grades two through fi two through five in reading, approximately 71% of students demonstrated typical or better growth consistent with last year's results. Fourth and fifth grade students led the district and upper elementary students overall show strong performance. While several subgroups exceeded the 70% mark, economically

252disadvantaged students again emerged as a group requiring continued targeted instructional support. In K5 math, growth remained stable at just under 72% with kindergarten standing out once more. Nearly 87% of kindergarten students demonstrated typical or better growth in math. This reflects strong early numeracy instruction and reinforces the importance of coherent early learning experiences that integrate both literacy and mathematics. In our subgroup performance, we continue to see gaps in growth for both black students and economically disadvantaged student outcomes. At the middle school level, growth remains solid and steady. About twothirds of students demonstrated typical or better growth in both reading and math. Sixth and seventh grades had the highest percentage of growth exceeding the benchmark. The data in math was slightly higher than reading with 69% of students at typical or higher growth levels. Seventh grade continues

253to show and nearly all subgroups met or exceeded the expected 65% benchmark with economically disadvantaged students remaining an area for focus attention as we planned for second semester. In high school, growth patterns remain stable. About twothirds of students demonstrated typical or better growth in both reading and math with ninth grade leading the way in reading and 10th grade leading the way in math. Notably, more than onethird of students demonstrated high growth in math, indicating that when instructional conditions are right, students can significantly accelerate their learning. Our economic dis has is has smaller differences in outcomes at the high school level. However, the pattern is clear that there is more work to be done across the board. Taken together, this incoherent story, our system is stable and our early investments in early literacy and early childhood

254are beginning to show measurable impact. At the same time, the persistent pattern of economically disadvantaged students lagging in growth even as overall performance remains strong calls us to act with intention and courage. Our data represents us standing at a crossroads in which a student in a student's educational journey. One path reflects what has worked for many and affirms real progress. The other path asks us to look more closely and intentionally support those who are not yet benefiting in the same way. As we move into the second semester, our responsibility is to choose both paths to expand opportunity for all to grow. That means tightening interventions, moving more students from typical to high growth, and broadening access to early learning experiences for students who have not yet had that early start. This will ensure that success

255is not just elective, but it is shared by all. Are there any questions? Can you provide examples of targeted instructional strategies that we might expect for some students that are not in the high growth but we think could get >> yes at one particular school um we worked before the break on a plan to target low growth for the entire school. there are some high achieving students who are not experiencing growth. Um and then there are some kids who are not yet um at that achievement bar that are experiencing most growth. So we decided to take our win time and reimagine win time. Use our STAR data to identify what the focus skills were that students had not yet mastered and hit those skills really intentionally and really fast because we shouldn't spend a whole

256semester on remediating or filling gaps. Um, in order to know that we're doing that work really fa really well, we need to have assessments. Not having students sit for hours for the test, but quick ways to know that we've mastered those skills and move on. And then checkpoints every two weeks to say, "How's it going? Do we need to switch gears? Um, do we need to bring more people in? What support is needed for the school?" Because without a p a plan that's tight, we could have lofty goals, but if we don't monitor it closely, you know, it could all be for not. So the first that raises a question for me about the bullet point number one like aligning leadership along those lines. So that obviously means bringing principles and instructional coaches on board.

257What else does it mean? It it means also helping leaders um develop that plan very tightly. Um we have very skilled teachers, very skilled intervention um support, but bringing that all together and a clear articulate plan to see growth is the work of the leaders of the building. And so we support them in knowing how to build that plan, knowing how to monitor that plan, and having um support to carry that plan out. >> Um and is it am I interpreting this here that the lowest amount of growth across all of these sides has been students of color in prek to third in early literacy? >> Yes. um for students of for black students in particular that would be true. That's the lowest performing area. Um and also for students who qualified as economically specific

258those two areas are the lowest across the board. But we do we do have we do have places where the gap is in growth isn't as wide. So if we look here at um second grade fifth grade reading for our black students, we don't see as wide of a gap as we see for economically. So each grade band content area kind of varies basically. But but just to to piggyback on that question, if you could go back to that that one slide of prek uh to third literacy, the the subgroups that we're looking here that are where we want to provide some focused attention >> absolutely >> are would you say highest probabilities who had not had access to or exposure to prek. Yes. And we also have students who have that exposure that are

259represented in some of the student groups that are performing. So we also have to look at all students whether but definitely if students have not attended prek um >> we see this show up in the data here. >> Yep. We see that they say that is pre right >> besides what you described about what we're doing to make sure that gap um is there anything additional that we're doing that seems to be significant. >> All of our efforts um to date have been targeted in those areas. So I don't want to discount the work that the schools and the teachers do and the time and attention they give to data that shows us where those areas are. So there are many things that are happening. I could spend up here for another 45 minutes and

260outline all of those things. And when we receive our assessment results, it's important that we look at that to say how well are we doing and when we see that we haven't met our goals and what's a very targeted plan that we can that we can um implement in order to help make gains in those areas. Um generally that's how we approach that. But we have all kinds of support. We have our communities in school that supports beyond the four walls of the school. We have our social workers and our school counselors who support other affected need. We have the district support that help with things like chronic absenteeism. Um many things that are in work that are above and beyond is the academic. >> Now I have a question because this is early literacy

261and then the next slide is star for second. So there's an overlap, right? It's that includes second and third graders. >> Yes. >> There were assessed using the STAR test. >> But then when you go back to the early liters, so all of those second to fifth graders getting star tested, I'm sorry, all of the second and third graders in that group that are getting star tested are also reflected in the previous slides early. Yes. Are they? I mean is that correct? >> Yes. >> So maybe the tool doesn't matter but now I am curious what is the tool for early literacy if we're using star second grade then there must be something different for the prek and why is there an overlap? >> So they test different aspects of literacy. >> What is the

262test for early literacy if it's not star? STAR is the early literacy or assessment. It just it tests those early foundational >> um and then STAR reading test more of your comprehension. >> Thank you, Mrs. Newton Scott. We've come a long way on this journey of the science of reading. That's really the questions you were just asking. Uh, Sunday's article in the New York Times, the Mississippi Miracle, is a remarkable success story. I want to reassure you that it strategies such as the assessments you were just mentioning are very much on our radar and influences our work indicator. And um the Georgia Early Literacy Act, which is known as House Bill 538, was closely modeled after the successful work pioneered in Mississippi. This legislation focuses on the science of reading, structured literacy, early intervention, assessment,

263all of which are the core components of our current instructional support approach here in CSD. I am deeply committed to the literacy m mission. Before I came to CSD, I actually testified before the Georgia Senate Committee on Early Lit literacy as an advocate for high quality instruction and support for our ear for our youngest readers. I've also visited Hazelhurst, Mississippi in March of 2024 to observe their strategies in action uh bringing back their best practices to the city schools of Decar and I am co-presenting with Dr. Gar the superintendent in Hazelhurst at the AASA National Conference on Education in February. We will share the stage to highlight the incredible hard work that our students and our teachers are doing here in CSD. Because CSD continues to be a leader in our state for literacy. CSD

264is ranked either number one or number two in the state for grades 3 through 8 in English language arts. So, if you would turn to the screen, uh, just yesterday, the Georgia Department of Education released results showing that CSD has an accountability 94.4. This is the highest state accountability score in the state of Georgia out of 181 school districts and the highest for CSD ever. CSD was an 85. I want to repeat the accountability score for 2025 is now four. I encourage the community to visit the GDAU website to review the 2025 CCPI results for your own information. Chair Sultan, I'm also pleased to announce that the Government Finance Officers Association, GAPO, has awarded the City Schools of Decar its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for our FY2526 budget book. This is the second consecutive award

265since the district began publishing this book two years ago with the express intention of providing full transparency on the district's finances. To receive the budget award, CSD has to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. Budget documents had to be rated proficient in all four categories and in the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories to receive the award. These guidelines are designed to assess how well our budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device. In addition to representing a significant achievement by CSC, this award also reflects our commitment of the governing body. This board and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. Congratulations to our CFO, Dr. Lonita Broom and her team as well as the communications team and all cabinet members who provided

266information and the support in creating this book. Her board policy, the budget book, will be published annually and is available for public review on the finance section of the CSC website. I also want to personally extend an invitation to two superintendent listening sessions. The first one will be virtual and has been rescheduled from January 20th to January 22nd, but it's still at 11:30 a.m. The second listening session will be held in person on February 2nd at 5:30 at the Decatur Holiday Authority Community Resource Center. Open enrollment will also begin on February 2nd for new students, non-resident tuition students, courtesy tuition students and prek currently enrolled CSD students do not to need to reenroll. And then finally, I want to invite the community to please also save the date for the City Schools of Decar and

267the City of Decar second annual safety summit scheduled for February 4th at 5:30 to 7:30 in the Performing Arts Center at Decar High School. School safety remains a top priority for our school district and a major ongoing priority at the Georgia General Assembly. Events across the country and locally continue to remind us of the critical importance of remaining vigilant and working together to maintain safety in and around our schools and community. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions or topics they would like to see addressed in advance of the meeting. The link is available on the district website and in the CSD weekly even if you have no specific items for discussion. Complete the form because this will help assess attendance and ensure a successful gathering. As I conclude my remarks, one of the highlights of

268my break was it was uh actually moving the very moving visit of the Buddhist monks during their 120day uh 2,300mile walk for peace from Texas to Washington DC. When explaining why they decided to begin their journey and how they selected their route, they said they chose states with really sad histories where ancestors had sacrificed their lives for freedom and peace. Yet we are heal here still struggling with our lives carrying that hatred and anger from generation to generation. The monks said it is because of hatred and anger that this world is chaotic. We are constantly fighting with each other. They also emphasize that they are walking not to stir the pot. They want to share this message. If there is no love and kindness, there is no peace. If there is no compassion, there is

269no peace. With love and kindness, we love everyone equally. There is no separation between mine and yours. To have peace within ourselves, we must be on every single act. What we verbalize. Without this, we will never have peace within ourselves. Direct quote. as they continue their journey and as we prepare to celebrate the life of our con uh Atlanta's son which would be Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. My hope is that we will live this message within CSD Sultan that completes my report. >> Thank you. Good evening. On behalf of the City Schools of Decar Board of Education, I welcome everyone back from the break and thank you for joining us in person and virtually to learn about the progress of our strategic goals. To get today began with a swearing in ceremony for myself,

270board member UTS, and our newest board member, Lorraine >> Arriier got it right. Two out of three. I am pleased and honored to serve another term to congratulate and officially welcome Miss Arrier to the board. We look forward to working with you and ensure the success of every CSB student and school. I would also like to thank my fellow board members for reelecting me to chair this distinguished governing body. As board chair, I have become increasingly aware of my role on this governing board to ensure what is in the best educational interest of every student within the guidelines established for the board members by the state of Georgia. I look forward to continuing to work with each board member, superintendent, and the CSC students, staff, families, and community to achieve positive academic and social emotional

271outcomes for all students. This evening's meeting is our first board meeting of the new year. During the pre-work session, we conducted the annual review of our board and superintendent communication norms and working agreement. The board also discussed revisions to a policy related to internet acceptable use based on recent legislation. We also conducted a review polic process of policies related to finance and human resources for possible revisions. These policies were last reviewed during the 2022 2023 school year. The board heard three presentations during work session. As we enter year three of all indicator strategic plans, the first presentation coincided with our strategic accelerator of cultivating and retaining quality professionals. As the board continues to work toward ensuring competitive compensation for all staff, the presentation provided concepts for next school year's salaries. During the next presentation, the

272board worked to complete the K to2 school utilization study criteria which will guide the work of the community-led committees. Our final presentation was an annual report on the safety and technology division. The board also accepted one policy on purchasing authority for first read. The presentations for all board meetings are available on the district's website in assembly. Every month, the board looks forward to celebrating our schools and the achievements of our students and staff. At tonight's meeting, we recognize the Beacon Hill Middle School softball team for being region champs, the sixth grader who won the inaugural BHMS Crest Design Contest, and a teacher at Oakhurst who was selected to present at the 2026 Georgia Association for Gifted Children Conference. We applaud all students and staff for their achievements. Now that second semester is underway, I encourage

273our families in the community to continue to support our students and schools. Check the CSSE weekly for school newsletters to stay informed about upcoming events and activities. The board invites all families and community to please mark your calendars for the following upcoming dates. The next board of education community meeting is on January 21st at 6:30 p.m. at Tally Street Elementary School. The agenda will include a discussion on fiscal year 2027 budget priorities and parameters, school aotment guidelines, and CSC's KTO2 utilization study. January 27th, I will present on behalf of CSE at the annual state of the city event. Finally, the next board meeting will be Tuesday, February 10th, 2026. Before I end my remarks, I would like to address the concerns regarding current board actions and decisions. Some are asking why we aren't making these

274decisions and why we why they are being made now. Others are questioning whether the board is being forthcoming about the district's financial decisions and overall financial stability. In 2023, the board implemented a five-year strategic plan. The plan is available for review on the CSC website under the board of education section which includes four primary strategic accelerators. Every decision is made or under consideration by this board align with this plan. This answers the question of why. Now, admittedly, we have more to do in the final two years of our strategic plan, including enhancing community engagement. However, over the past two years since the beginning of this administration, the remarkable achievements we have seen from our traditionally high achievers and subgroups are evident that our efforts are working. Our high employee retention rates despite a very competitive

275market are evident that our evidence our efforts are working. Financially, as Dr. Whitaker mentioned the CSC budget book which is completed annually to enhance the district's financial transparency has received nationally award award winning commendations from external agencies on its first and now second editions. As a reminder, the full annual budget book is now available on the CSC website for review. Additionally, CSC received the highest bond rating possible for a school district of our size. Later, you will hear that CSD has received another clean external financial audit report. This is evidence that CSD is not only financially sound and in good standing, but that the board is working diligently with this administration to achieve financial transparency and sustainability. While acknowledging areas for improvement, decisions are made to ensure all students in CSD achieve regardless of socioeconomic

276status, race, gender, or disabilities. Our focus is on maintaining financial stability while addressing educational needs, increasing student achievement and enrollment, maximizing state capital support for aging facilities, and funding new priorities to help all learners succeed. These achievements are widely publicized. However, a video is circulating that portrays the board as if we are attempting to deceive the community or hide a decision from the community about closing a school and using the funds toward a new ECLC. Pieces of information do not tell a full story. The board's consideration of funding options for the early childhood learning s center did coincide with the initiation of the K to2 utilization study. The discussions were being held simultaneously, but the building of a new ECLC was not the cause for a conversation about closing the schools. We have stated the

277consideration of a school closure was due to inclining enrollment. Let me be clear. The board is evaluating the fact that CSC has two K to2 schools less than a mile apart with enrollment of fewer than 100. A letter referenced in this video specifically recommended the closure of Westchester. The letter was a sample letter that was not drafted by the district. No recommendation or decision has ever been made by this board or administration to close Westchester or any other school. If a recommendation had been made by the board, it would have been made at a board meeting and public input would have been scheduled prior to any final decision. This video also contains text messages between certain board members, city officials, and community experts. To clarify, board members may engage in one-on-one discussions with other board

278members, elected officials, legal counsel, and subject matter experts to gather information, conduct research, and make informed decisions. It is our responsibility to come prepared to have these discussions publicly with the board. However, these discussions are not board decisions or votes of any kind. We may not have 100% agreement on the decision made, but we are not engaging in any illegal or unethical activities. We are also not deliberately trying to mislead the community. We are parents first, professionals within our own expertise and members of this community. We make decisions wholeheartedly with one focus, student success for all. And that concludes my remarks for this evening. Board members, do you have any thoughts that you wish to share? >> Yes, I do because I believe that exemplifies what we talked about earlier with communication norms. So to

279the question that I asked earlier tonight in terms of the review process either for a constituent email or um communication from the board. When was the board given those comments to review? Cuz I don't recall seeing them. >> What comments are you? >> The comments you just made as the chair. So, are you speaking as the chair? Are you speaking for the board? >> I'm speaking as the chair. These are chair's reports, chair's comments. And the way that it works is that those come out to myself and the vice chair prior to the meeting. Because I I think the one thing I would like to have us clarify more publicly and this may be a community meeting. This may be another meeting where we have to continue a discussion of norms is I think any

280reasonable person in our city understands that we are people first. We have neighbors who have friends. But when it comes to communications that some board members are having with some city commissioners, I I think we need a clearer understanding of how that works. So there's a big difference between my and I'll just cite Kelly Walsh because she's no longer a city commissioner saying, "Hey, Kelly, you want to go for a walk? We're going to talk about a 5K." And then in the process of talking about a 5K, we discuss the ECLC versus me texting a city commissioner to ask them for support. That's not a collegial discussion that I'm aware of as Tracy Anderson, someone who lives in Decar and has an acquaintance or a relationship. So, if we're going to bring up the text

281messages, then I I think we need a clearer understanding and maybe that's more that we need to delineate in our norms at another time. So, I just want to be clear there's two let me let me just speed it up. I think the first one was if you're you're proposing that board chair comments be available to the comments. >> As long as there's the chair's comments, then they're not mine and that's fine. If they are speaking on behalf of the board, then yes, I would like to see them ahead of time. >> Okay. Um and then the second one is you want clarity around how any of us not any one of us but but each of us are communicating by a text. >> Well >> with other or not text whatever however we communicate

282where however we may have conversations but where we are talking as board >> members members to other elected officials and what's our process because there's more than one city commissioner more than two Because if we are going to tell the public, they want to just make sure that the public as well as I as a board member understands exactly how those communications aren't work. >> But no decisions get made between two people like that. This is what a quorum is for, right? Like the rules around a quorum are pretty clear, right? >> I totally understand that. So, I would be I think it's it's normal for people with relationships that are in these different positions to have kind of open conversations with each other. >> I understand. >> But a text is a conversation, right?

283I mean, and so and so that that is normal. If a decision is made, if a decision that has legislative weight, which is what a quorum is capable of doing, is happening, I'm 100% I'm 100% in agreement with you, 100%. But but literally the the the mechanisms of governance would grind to a halt if we can't have open conversations with each other with other community members and with with other commissioners in a non-corum manner. >> Sure. So then when are we having those open conversations? So I know that board member so and so and so. When do we find out collectively then exactly who was appealed to and who was not talked to? >> I usually tell you who I'm talking to and why. Most of I always tell you who I'm talking to and

284why. But but even I mean I I just want to um the practical implication of what you're suggest I mean by the terms of what you're suggesting then you would have to let us know that you went and had a walk with Kelly Walsh and I don't know that >> because the difference is and I'm sorry Kelly Walsh for bringing your name up but you know if Kelly and I are talking about our experiences as soccer parents >> sure >> that has nothing to do with my role at the board >> but If I had texting Kelly when she was, which I didn't, to say, "Hey, I really want your support in opposing this or I really want your support in supporting this." That's a board practice. That's not Tracy as a parent. And so,

285I realize there will be some fuzzy areas, but this might be a reason why we review these comments before we discuss them publicly because I was not prepared to hear a discussion of text messages. and you are well within your rights to have whatever discussion you would like to have here. If you would like to see the board script, which is my portion, you are also more I have no trouble with you having it. You can have it prior to I usually we've had this conversation and you know we have we've had this conversation before. I don't usually get the board script until Monday night before I go to work. So, if you would like to have it at Monday night before I go to work, just like I do, you're you're welcome to have

286it. It is also worth mentioning that via any text message that I have with Lisa Mayor, Tony Powers, um Andre Dick, whomever, there is no there is no vote taken. There is no discussion being made. They are well within their rights to not respond at all. I think it's important for me to just draw a distinction here between what is legally allowed and what would be a board norm because legally you are permitted to speak to each other one on- one because you are not in a quorum. So if there are text messages between board members that is not illegal. You are legally permitted to speak to the city council members because it would be almost impossible for government to work if you couldn't talk to them one on- one outside of a form. Board

287norms as to how you're going to operate internally is what I think Miss Anderson you are asking. Absolutely. Okay. And that is an entirely separate issue from what is legally permissible and what is not. So I want to make it clear that texting each other or texting council members, there is nothing nothing legally impermissible about that. >> Totally get it. Is that >> Yeah. So, so I don't know that that right now is the moment to do it, but it sounds like there is an extension conversation about the norms where maybe we include a norm around board chair comments being shared with the full board prior to them being made. Uh, and then I'm not sure what the language might be, but I would be interested in understanding what you think the proposed language should

288be around how things get shared that have been shared, right? like like because I think we're going to very quickly get into a quagmire of having to draw delineations between things, but draft what you think that should be and let's have that conversation. >> Does it make sense? >> Thank you. >> Okay, it's 6:31, so we're going to move to public comment. Does anybody have any objection to that? The following information is included in the board policy manual and members of the public also acknowledge this information when they sign up to serve as a reminder for all speakers and members of the audience. The opportunity to address the board during public comment is limited to district parents, students, residents, employees, and businesses of organizations. Persons wishing to address the board during public comment must sign

289up by 5:30 p.m. and to state their connection to CSC andor the city of Decatur to allow time for the board's other business. Public comment will be ordinarily limited to 1 hour or 20 speakers at the board's discretion. Public comment the public comment period may be extended for a specified amount of time or a specific number of additional speakers. The time limit for all speakers will be three minutes. Persons speaking during public comment will not be permitted to yield the floor or transfer unused time to other speakers. Comments during public comment should be addressed to the board as a body and not to any individual board members. At the chair or chair's discretion, persons violating this policy may be asked to step down. Speakers should be courteous and professional. Speakers are not to list complaints

290about specific personnel or individuals connected with the district in a public session. The board strictly prohibits abusive language, threats, comments, jeers, applause, or shouts from the floor. Disruptive persons will be asked to leave the meeting room. The chair may terminate public comments that are profane, ver vulgar, defamatory, or disruptive. If any speaker comments begin to verge into the areas of hate speech or defamation, I will ask the speaker to end their comments. Speakers may not address confidential student or personnel matters, but concerns to the superintendent in writing. Members of the board will not address persons presenting public comment or speak to the substance of any comments made during public comment. Instead, a member of the administrative team will follow the person speaking at the board meeting. Dr. Rico, will you please call our first speaker?

291Yes. The first speaker is Caroline Morgan Bertchuk. >> Okay. This is Molly. Um, and thank you for the opportunity to speak. Uh, Molly was born on election day and she attended her first committee meeting at 9 days old. So, she's a CSU veteran at this point. Um and I want to start by saying something clearly that we are all on the same team and we share the same goal which is to provide excellent and equitable education for every single child indicator. And the debate has never been whether we do that. The debate has been how and debate we must because in the letter and the spirit of our community and our charter and the president here the board our school governance councils they're not just responsible for policy but also practice it says school operations

292in our charter across that and I say that because this responsibility is shared it's shared with parents and educators and community and this work was and it is intended to be done together. The moment is no longer about a single project or process. And it sounds like there are some questions about interpretations of facts and debate. I actually kind of want to put that aside because for me it's less about that and it's more about trust. And independent of that interpretation of facts, there's a trust problem in the community that doesn't seem up for debate. And we can maybe debate how we got there, but I think the best thing to do is to figure out how do we move on? How do we where do we go from here? At this point, continuing forward

293as if trusted intact is actually going to make collaboration really challenging for everyone. Um, a community cannot be asked and it's going to be hard to engage in committees and long-range planning in good faith when the foundation is pretty fractured until we truly build it back together again. And I want to be clear, many of us are ready to do the work. We are here. We are continue to show up. We care deeply about the schools in the town. Whatever the outcomes are of these processes, it is about being able to participate more than and we will accept whatever decisions come out of it if the process is sound and we are prepared to dig in to collaborate and to move forward together by doing so requires right posture from everyone. You know, right now

294um it doesn't feel like there is a rush to redistrict. The most responsible step I think would be to pause. Not to delay accountability, but to really create space for it. To listen, truly listen, not just explain and not just check a box, but we can reflect together to show some humility and some contrition when it's warranted. Provide a genuine desire to rebuild that trust. This is not an us versus them moment. This is a leadership moment in our town. And if we can recept if we can re-engage authentically and we can commit to a shared responsibility for setting and executing the strategy of all the schools that we love, I do believe we can move forward together and do it well. But it needs all of us. The next speaker is Thomas Moore. Good

295evening. Uh, the last time I was up here, I um gave some credit for attempting to get to a place where I think we can press. Um unfortunately I think there have been things that have come to light that mention just previously made that a little bit more difficult. Um there's a foundation of belief in moral philosophy that basically says that human beings are not things and we can't and should since 2023. We've seen our assistant principal position especially the the lower schools eliminated. Uh we've seen students who needed medical care not receive it. There aren't nurses. In fact, just recently my son um bang his head at a teacher at her whole pack her lunch. Um all for what? For fiscal responsibility. Is it for organizational effectiveness? we have on on our slides. And

296when parents, teachers, and and community members bring up these concerns through the the email that you've received, you were inundated most recently. Um, a lot of times it seemed we're met with common attention or called names by by board members. We're met with dismissal. we get copy and pasted responses that seem to be sold directly from the superintendent's office don't really address any of the concerns and I was kind of disheartened to learn from the board norm conversation that it doesn't even seem the board is aware what they can communicate and how they can I think worst of all sometimes we're just met with silence don't get any answers there's no accountability and then when things come to a head we have meetings like tonight and the retentions are high um but it seems like

297we go back to the same we get more common we get more dismissal and um we get the board and superintendent that treat our community members, our teachers and our students as going to something bigger, be it um a line on a resume or a balanced budget. So, I think that what I what I hope is that if this financial stewardship and administrative achievements are as important as you say they are, then you treat those means as important as they are. And you give them, you give those people, you give us that respect and that dignity. I can promise you we'll give it back. Thank you. The next person is Skip Fost. It's listed as in person. Can you hear >> Mr. Faucet? >> Yes, I'm I'm here via Zoom. Can you hear me? >>

298Yes, you're good to go. >> All right. My name is Skip Faucet. I'm a lifelong resident of Decar. I was a student at Winona Park through sixth grade. Seventh grade, I attended what was then Epster while Renfro Middle School, now Beacon, was constructed. I graduated with the first eighth grade class at Renfro and then graduated from Decatur High as did both my daughters. My father also graduated from what was then Decar Boy High. I'm speaking to oppose your proposal to close facilities and schools. I will defer to my neighbors for detailed arguments and datas. They have done extensive work on this subject. The premises you're attempting to sell with this proposal make no sense. The proposal is simply illogical. Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Almost

29925 years ago, I and other community members met at Renfro Middle School regarding a proposed school reconfiguration. We had meetings, broke into small groups, and came up with numerous proposals. In the end, after a stirring speech by a local neighbor, that process shifted to the discussion from facts and hard issues and turned to feelings and opinions. collaboration predict predictively dis disintegrated. It led to bad decisions and negative consequences. Today, this sounds familiar. After all that, the school board paid two different consulting firms. Later, a superintendent was hired from outside the area. Shortly after arrival, the new superintendent enored the advice and recommendations of both consulting firms and moved to a dedicated four five academy model which then only existed in one or two other system in the entire US. The strength of Decar has always

300been neighborhood schools. Good schools are important to students and homeowners, also known as taxpayers, both of whom are your customers. Unfortunately, neighborhood schools have been diluted so much that the longest time any kid or parent spends on a in one school is the four years in high school. Think about that. My neighbor has three sons who all go to different schools in our four square mile city. And now there's a proposal to build another multi-million dollar facility where costs will likely exceed those proposed. All built on the premise of closing existing schools and their facilities. You said they're not connected, but the conclusion is still the same. That's insanity. I understand the superintendent is a big proponent of this. Please remember the superintendent works for the students as well as the taxpayer payers in conjunction

301with and under you. As a board, you are direct representatives. Please listen to those whom you serve. True leadership is needed here. I urge you to recalibrate and to think outside the box. such an expensive and illogical proposal as this is an equation where the >> Thank you. >> The next speaker is Jessica Senos. I want to start by saying this clearly. What we are dealing with is no longer about a single decision, a single project or a single misunderstanding. And like the monks, we must be mindful of every single act. You took away our assistant principles in the lower elementaryaries and you took away some of our nurses and you tried to close a school on a ridiculous timeline and you announced a keep open strategy and then you tossed it away weeks later.

302So you can continue to gaslight us about what records show or what they say or what they do not say, but we can all read the words. And the issue is that the records don't say what you're telling us now. And look, we can word dismiss this all day long. But these are open records that were legally requested. They are not leaked documents. And it's part of the job. I used to be a government official as well. They're part of the job. The parents didn't imagine it. We didn't misread it. And we're not confused. So please stop telling us there's nothing to see here. And when we ask questions, you either get give us cut and paste responses or you scold us. We are done pretending that this is normal or acceptable. And you don't

303get unlimited doovers when the consequences fall on our children, on the educators, and on our community. You don't rebuild trust by rewriting rewriting the facts. You cannot fix systemic problems by doubling down and you do it a lot. The district doesn't need better communication. It needs leadership that understands trust is earned through actions, not through intimidation or dismissing parents and community members for asking hard questions. I can explain that to you, but I can't help you understand it. And we can stand with our children and we will stand with our children. We will stand with our teachers. We will stand with our staff because they are the people who are the glue of this district. But we cannot stand with a board that says one thing and does another. You have spent your credibility and

304we can't take your word anymore. Accountability is not disruption. It's responsibility. And it's not going away. We're not going away. And what happens next is entirely up to you. >> The next speaker is Eva Boseman. >> My name is Etha. I have a student at Westchester. Um, when news of the potential K2 closure first broke, I went into problemsolving mode and found many other community members who shared the same goal, keep all K2 schools open. I was heartened when data and solutions compiled by the community were brought forth to the board. And when we were told repeatedly that no decision had been made on what school, if any, would be closed. The formation of committees facilitated by schoolboard administration and operations officers felt like a collaborative step in the right direction. As a co-chair of

305the newly formed safety and operations committee, I patiently waited for directives on next steps and was ready to start the work. In the interim, troubling developments have occurred to fracture what little community trust was left for this administration to do the right thing. Draft letter to parents informing of Westchester closure was the first. After repeated assurance that no decision had been made and no school was elected, the draft letter from 106 2025 showed the board plan to announce Westchester was closing without any prior warning to the public. Why did the board think they could close the school behind our backs and then mislead the public about their plans? Course correcting to an honest avenue was available right then and there. If you brought this predetermined decision to the community, it could have been a catalyst

306for transparent and collaborative problem solving moving forward. Instead, confusing language like plan A and plan B were broadcast with no actual information on what those plans entailed. I think this further confused the community and solidified distrust and multiprocess. Two, K through2 utilization committees being reconfigured and the participants handpicked by the board and operations officers. We followed a committee process that was designed and implemented by CSC leadership. Volunteering our time. Replacing committee members after committees have been informed doesn't seem transparent. These actions lead to low trust that the administration has any intention of pursuing an objective to keep an objective keep open mindset when it comes to utilization of lower elementary schools. Intentionally diminishing who rallied together to keep all schools open is wrong. The pool of participants for the original committees were of course going

307to be parents who want their kids' school to stay open. Staffing the deck after the fact seems closed to manipulation to achieve a previously determined outcome. I'm asking that any process that could lead to a K through2 schools closure be stopped entirely until after the next school board election takes place. Can trust be rebuilt in the time between now and then? I hope so. But that takes real action action, not just words. an election can decide who the community is willing to trust. In that time, let's also see how changes in the housing market, increased access to early childhood education, and the implementation of tuition paying students could impact the district. Thank you for listening and hopefully for your reflection and consideration. >> The next speaker is Rudy Colbert. Good evening. I've shared before nonprofit

308serving in the Hispanic community of five corporate boards rest for charter and ethics code. Understand your responsibilities, demographic decisions. Leadership is tough. You are held to a higher standard. You must be mindful of every act what you think, do and verbalize. That is hard. Step down. Past two years, one board member has consistently fulfilled the prophi and operational oversight, independent governance, showing ethics, transparency, safe thoughtfulness, and accountability. willing to ask tough questions and share suggestions even when dismissed by peers. That bright spot beyond that much needs fixing. This is the moment to address what you say and do but especially how you deserve better. So the Kish editorial was spot on. What are you doing? The last two years gave us a cheesecake a blockage enclosure project and more turned a worthy important cause for

309early childhood education with loaded cost building back door maneuvering managing the process so poorly fractured the community on something that should be misled or dismiss parents teachers the community officials DFA the press even threaten lawsuits your actions and communications from and within this board speak for themselves. A corporate board misled and treated shareholders like this board. Shareholders would quickly replace the board, including anyone from management on the board. A nonprofit board misled and dismiss donors. It would flaw back donations, compromising the mission. Both scenarios would likely face regulatory and legal consequences. Talk stops with leadership. Leadership define what a board or administration does, how it operates, what ends, sets the tone for and guide how it engages stakeholders and each other. The last two years, especially the last three months, individuals in this board and

310of CFD enabled and participated, misleading and us. It has held basic board duties and responsibilities of governance, transparency, respect and more. So DSD and board leaders in the last two years pause and reflect on the impact your actions or way of operating communicated has impacted this community. Call all major strategic and capital decisions indefinitely. Loss of trust and confidence and the right to make those decisions. Do not double down on your current path and methods or more fuel on the fire. And if you cannot shift your path and tone immediately, do the tough honest thing and resign. We need change for a better future. Thank you. >> The next speaker is Phillip McInness. Although I've spoken to you personally before, but tonight, not only am I here as a parent and a resident, but also

311as a president of the Westchester Neighborhood Association. Looking forward, the Westchester community would like to regain trust in PSD by having meaningful answers, transparency, and true participation in decision making that directly impacts us. First, the board can start to regain our trust by acknowledging missteps regarding funding of the for the ECLC. acknowledge that plans to close a school were intended to benefit development and/or operation of the ECLC and explain how and why the consultant came prepared with a draft letter announcing a specific school closure. Second, many in our community feel that legitimate questions regarding design, budgeting, and costs been met with insinuations that uh that they are against helping underprivileged or underserved communities. specifically illustrated by members of this board in prior public meetings by racial undertones. Let's tone down the rhetoric and provide meaningful

312answers to seemingly easy questions like who was on the design of the design team representing CSD? How competitive was the design process? How does the office space and full cafeteria meet the needs of 0 to three year olds? and how was pricing developed. When asking what other options were explored, we would like to know public private partnerships explored to build operator a facility. Why is immediately available space not a viable option to serve the community? How is it that the ETLC is nearly twice the size of comparable centers but will serve fewer children? Finally, thank you for delaying the school closure and providing space for community-led committees to help navigate a path forward. The board has that the Westchester community is over represented. This may be due to the fact that we have firsthand experience

313with the impact of school. We don't want our neighbors to experience it and we don't want to relive it. The next person is Andrew Navatil. >> Good evening. Good evening. >> Thank you for the opportunity to speak to the board. Trust. I uh I've almost lost count of how many times we've heard that word so far in public comment tonight. And I have one simple message for the board, one request, which is stop the K2 school consolidation process. Don't pause it. Don't adjust the timeline by a few months. Don't retool the committees, but stop it because trust is something this board needs. Trust is something CSD should want and trust needs to be rebuilt. You know, whether the truth of of the news story indicatorish, the truth of the video, the truth of the editorial

314aside, it really doesn't matter. I think the point is that many of your constituents at this point have lost trust and the committee process and community involvement in the the school consolidation requires that trust to be effective to get true perspectives to reach good outcomes that we all want and that's not going to happen without time and so I would ask you to stop the process I would ask you to stop the process until the ECLC is resolved. And here's why. If it is built, everyone in this this meeting, everyone on this call, and everyone in our community, if it is built, wants it to be a success. We want it to be success for the students. We want to help close the achievement gap indicator. We want it to be financially successful as well.

315And we don't want the the cloud of of distrust from the school consolidation process thus far to be hanging over the opening of that new ECLC. So please listen to what folks are saying. I I listen to your work session tonight. I appreciate some of the ways feedback is is being incorporated. I also appreciate the honest acknowledgement from the board that school closure is an option that may be on the table, but now is not the time to continue with that. Now is a time to stop it, to step back, let the moment pass, redirect, focus on the priority of the ECLC, and address this at a later time when trust has been restored. And the people of Decar can decide for themselves based on how the ECLC is doing whether these two priorities were

316linked or not. Thank you. >> Thank you. The next speaker is Veronica Edwards. The next speaker is wari. Uh, imagine a scenario where you could go to the people of Decatur and say, "We have $10 million of extra capital funding to fix and improve our schools." That'd be a win, right? I think anyone in this room would take that due now. Imagine that you could go to the people educator who need it most and say, "We're fulfilling our promise to build a place of learning and empowerment. We're building a brand new top-of-the-line ELC for $13 million." At $13 million, we'd be spending almost $5 million more than it costs to build a brand new fancy pants primrose or gddard school, which top out at 8.7 million. At 13 million, we'd be spending more than the

317facility this project was based on. Y'all toured the early childhood learning laboratory uh at Grand Rapids Community College as the model for the ECLC. That cost $7.2 million to build back in 2017. Even at the most generous construction inflation numbers, that's 11.5 million today. So spending just $13 million would already be 15% more than that. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing to build a state-of-the-art ECLC right here for $13 million and have $10 million more capital funds available for our schools? But we aren't spending 13 million. We're spending 23 million. Why spend double the cost of the UAB Early Learning Center in Birmingham, which was opened a couple years ago, almost double the capacity of our ECLC, includes teaching labs, observation rooms, just like ours, and cost $11 million to build. Why are we spending

318well over double the cost of the new Chattam County ELC in Savannah under construction right now for $10.3 million? And there's so many more examples that I just don't have time to include here. I'm happy to send them to you if you want. All the data shows that a world-class facility is 100% possible for 13 million or less. Why does this matter? Because at the same time we're proposing to overspend here by 10 million. We're talking about dis closing a neighborhood school. Not because it's broke, not because there's a budget gap, but for one reason because it has fewer than 200 students, disqualifying it from capital outlay. We're discussing tearing apart a community for to chase a theoretical $400,000 maybe over the next decade while overspending 10 billion on this building. That makes sense to

319anyone? I'm asking you to pause, consult the architects, challenge the contractors, ask them why is our price tag double the cost of similar facilities? Where's the disconnect? Something's wrong here. This doesn't add up. You have the chance to be heroes here. You can deliver the state-of-the-art center you promised and you can save 10 million or more to invest in our school system. You can build a future where every child learns and grows, not just at PSLC, but every school in this district. Please take a step back and rethink this. It is not too late to do the right thing. Please, >> we would like to thank all of the speakers for taking the time to be here tonight. As board members, it is important for us to hear the concerns um from our communities. We

320will take your comments into consideration. We're going back to the financial audit report. Yes. All right. Dr. Dr. Whitaker, please introduce the next presentation. >> Thank you, Chair Sultan. I would like to call on Dr. Lonita Broom, chief financial officer, to introduce our auditing firm, Malden and Jenkins, to share the results from of our FY25 audit. >> Good evening, board chair Dr. Coulson, vice chair, esteemed members of the board, board student representative, superintendent Dr. Whitaker, community and college. The district engaged the firm of Maldin and Jenkins LLC to perform the annual audit as required by the official code of Georgia annotated 56-6. The audit was conducted in accordance with the generally adopted governmental accounting standard and an unmodified opinion was expressed on the district's financial statement. The use of a third party or independent auditor

321ensures a poor financial review on an annual basis. The finance department then utilizes the information learned from the audit much like schools use their improvement plan and various assessments to chart a course for improvement over future years. During the fiscal year 25 audit, the district did not receive any. One item was noted as a management recommendation. Fiscal year 25 fund balance exceeded 15% of the fiscical year 26 general fund budget by 5.11 million. One of the contributing factors to the increase in fund balance was the three plus million of unexpected and unbudgeted tax revenue received from the county in fiscal year 25. The remaining 2 million was due primarily to vacant positions throughout the year. I'm pleased to announce that City Schools of Decada continue to enjoy a strong financial position with the healthy reserve.

322We have seen positive tax digest growth over the last few years and remain hopeful that it will continue. Educational funding from the state of Georgia is expected to remain at a conservatively low level. The district remains confident in our ability to maximize resources so that we may provide the best possible educational experience for all our students. A copy of the audit report is located in assembly and will be provided for public view on the district finance website. If there are no questions, Mr. Christopher McKeler, partner at Malden and Jenkins, will now provide additional details on the district's fiscal year 25 financial aid. All right. Thank you, Dr. Broom, and thank you, board, for having me here this evening. Uh, like Dr. Broom said, my name is Christopher McKeler. I was the lead engagement partner uh

323for the audit uh the fiscal year ended June 30th, 2025. And I I believe you all should have the uh presentation as well. I won't go through all of it, but I'll just hit a few highlights. So, just a little bit about Malden Jenkins. So we audit over 725 governments throughout the southeast, provide over 156,000 hours annually to our governmental clients, and it's about 60% of our assurance practice. So it's a good bit of what we do. We have dedicated teams that that's all they do all year long is governmental assurance auditing. The financial statements are the responsibility of management and our responsibility as external auditors is to provide an opinion based on our audit about the free and fair presentation of the financial statement. What I'm sure you all would like to know is

324how did the school district do? Uh we did issue an unmodified or clean opinion which means that the financial statements from all material respects. Just a a quick financial highlight. This is the statement of net position or the entitywide full acral financial statements which includes uh capital assets and debt. As you can see there, the total assets and deferred outflows of resources were approximately 20 or 267.5 million. Whereas liabilities and to total deferred outflows of resources were approximately 221 million which leaves a net position of 46.4 46.5 um in net position. To further break that down though, the.3 million of that net position that is restricted by outside sources and then approximately 130.3 million uh which is net investment capital assets and this includes all your capital assets less any related debt. Uh the change

325in net position was a decrease of approximately 2.2 million. As Dr. Broom mentioned, there was one management recommendation and I'll expound on that a little bit. Um, so according to state law, uh, school districts should have less than 15% of fund balance or expenditures in fund balance. Whereas GFOA or the Government Finance Officers Association says it should be 2 to 3 months or 17 to 25%. And as you'll see on a later slide, uh the school district is within that range for the general fund. I often tell people I would be cautious getting below that 15% uh because you could have another housing crisis or pandemic where the fund balance dramatically decreased across the state as we saw. So, just to hit on a few required communications. I I won't read through all of these.

326Uh, but we received full cooperation with management and staff. Uh, they were ready when we showed up. They were an open book for anything we asked for uh throughout the audit process and there were no disagreements with management on accounting issues or financial reporting matters. Uh there were no unrecorded or past adjustments. So all adjustments have been recorded as part of the financial statements that you all have. And Malden Jenkins is independent of the school district which is required by AICPA standards and is frankly what you would want from your external funding. So this is the slide here I was mentioning and as you could see uh the general fund uh fund balance as a percentage of total expenditures was right around 22 23% u so it's within the GFOA uh recommended range but is

327uh it does exceed the 15% uh that the state says. Just a few upcoming Gatsby pronouncements. I won't go into detail on these, but the Gatsby statement number 103 with the financial reporting model improvements. This is really just changing the format some of the management's discussion and analysis and the budget schedules that's included in the required supplementary information. It it takes some out of the management discussion and analysis and puts it in the actual budget schedule to give a narrative of budget changes. Um, so it it won't change really any numbers. It's just some of the format of the financial statements. And then the Gatsby statement number 104 with the disclosure of certain capital assets. Uh, really this boils down to uh including assets that are being held for sale and certain uh categories of

328capital assets being disclosed separately. So there again uh no number changes just formatting changes and that is all I have for you unless there are any questions on presentation or uh the financial report. Uh we did also perform a SPLS performance audit uh which goes through eight objectives. Uh we didn't have any recommendations on those either. All right. >> Thank you. Thank you >> board. Thank you for your support as we work to ensure financial transparency and accuracy. When I began, we were at a 10% variance and a finding from our thirdparty auditor. The key performance indicator for the finance department is a variance of 2% between budgeted and actual general fund only. This does not include an additional funds um any additional funds that could be collected from schools through their local activities such

329as their athletic events or even field trips. In two years, we have produced award-winning budget books, reduced the variance from 10% to 5% to now 2.4% 4% received the highest credit rating possible for a school system of our size from S&P and Moody stating it is due to healthy reserve levels and prudent budget management. When I began, we did not have a clean opinion by Molden and Jenkins. But with your support, we now have a comproller and an audit with a clean opinion for the past two years in a row. Dr. Whitaker and Dr. Broom, congratulations on a clean audit two years in a row. During pre-work, we reviewed six financial policies. During the work session, we moved one financial policy to first read. During the work session, we discussed the new Georgia School Board

330Association governance domain safety to frame the presentation by Dr. McKeler. This board seeks to provide guidance to the superintendent and sets sound fiscal policy so that the school system is an effective steward of all resources to support student achievement and organizational effectiveness. That is not only the financial governance domain but the first and last strategic accelerators accelerators of all indicator are five-year strategic plan board. We will now now move on to consent agenda items which include monthly agenda items such as financial nutrition and personnel report. The first item includes a report. There will be a motion to accept the consent agenda item in totality. Dr. Whitaker, do we have a monthly financial report? Yes, your consultant Dr. Lonuda Broom, chief financial officer, will present the monthly financial report. >> Good evening again. The November 2025

331financial reports and definitions of function codes are located in the assembly agenda. The finance department operates based on the district's four strategic accelerators with a specific focus on accelerator 4, organizational effectiveness and ethics. for the general fund. As of November, the district collected 39% or approximately $6 million of the budgeted revenue year to date, which is the same percentage that was collected this time last year. Expenditures are normal for this time of the year. The district has expended 34% of the overall budget or approximately $9 million year to date. Last year, this time, the district had expended 36% of the overall budget. The majority of November expenditures are for salaries and benefits which make up 86% of the budget for the month of November. That was the deficit of approximately $3 million which means the

332district expenditures for the month were $3 million more than the monthly revenue. Last year at this time the deficit was approximately $2.8 billion. The approximately $3 million has been deducted from the fund balance which is normal for this time of the year. Overall year to date, there's a surplus of approximately $5 million. Last year, this time, there was a surplus of approximately $4.8 million. The surplus of revenue is normal for this time of the year. The general fund bond balance as of November 2025 was $28 million, which includes the current fund balance of $4.6 million and the beginning fund balance of approximately $23.6 million. The 2025 fiscal year ended fund balance projection with the unbudgeted and unanticipated three plus million dollars from Decap County was approximately $21 million. The remaining beginning fund balance comes from

333the 2% variance in the fiscal year 25 final budget. November revenue for capital funds consisted of approximately $581,000 from slot six proceeds and earnings on investment. Approximately $140,000 was expended which is significantly lower than the $823,000 that was expended last year. At this time the $441,000 surplus was added to the fund balance. The district collected 33% of budgeted revenue and expended 40% of budgeted expenditures. Special revenue funds consist mainly of federal, local, and state grants not budgeted in general funds. The district collected 26% of the budget revenue and expended 33% of the budgeted expenditures. Reimbursement. Reimburseable grants require the district to spend the funds prior to receiving reimbursement. Food nutrition revenue and expenditures are trending within the same range as previous years. For the month of November, 37% of the budgeted revenue was received and

33433% of the budgeted expenditures were spent. School nutrition operated at a deficit of approximately $18,000, which has been deducted from the fund balance. As of November, the school nutrition fund balance was approximately $1.6 million. This time last year, the fund balance was $1.9 million. I will be happy to respond to any questions or provide clarification as needed. All right, board. The practice of presenting the monthly financial report has begun under my leadership. The monthly presentation takes time but it keeps the board and the public informed of the financial fund balance is traditionally two months of expenditures. As Dr. Brun stated, the cab county corrected an error in revenues last year which resulted in a $3 million increase in revenues. All school systems rely heavily on local taxes, but this is especially prudent for the city

335schools of Decar because we do not qualify to earn proportionate federal funding. During the periods when we are awaiting tax dispersements, districts will often take out a tax anticipation note, short-term loan that school systems use to manage cash flow that must be repaid within the same fiscal year, otherwise known as a TAN. This is not the case in the city schools of Decar. We have financial integrity and it has been evidenced by the audit report and credit ratings over the past few months. Next month, Dr. Broom will present the five-year review that will include analysis of the fund balance. >> Thank you, Dr. Broom. Any comments from board members? >> All right, this item is on to consent. Chair Sultan, I request uh to remove an item from the consent agenda. Agenda item number seven,

336Beacon Hill dust bowl is requested to be removed due to an error. Swan, may I read the recommendation? >> Yes, please. >> I recommend that the chair that the city schools of Decar Board of Education approve the consent agenda items 1 through six. Do >> I have a motion to approve consent agenda items 1 through six? >> Move. >> Board member US makes the motion. Is there a second? Board member Anderson seconds the motion. Is there any discussion? >> Like to hear from the U marching band. They went to Hollywood at some point before meeting and then we approved that field trip and uh >> it'll be a recognition. >> Thank you. >> Any further discussion? >> Hearing none. All those in favor? >> I chair votes I. Any opposed? The motion carries unanimously. Dr.

337Whitaker, the next item, Chair Sultan, the next item is a change to the board calendar for the 2025 2026 school year. The Georgia School Board Association summer conference will be held June 8th through 10th in Savannah, Georgia. This is also the second Tuesday, which is our traditional and scheduled board pre-work work session and regular meeting day. Therefore, it is recommended that the board calendar be amended to accommodate attendance at the whole board governance training. The recommended date is June 2nd, 2026. >> Or is there any discussion on this item? >> Francis looking at my calendar, right? >> No. Okay. Sheriff Sultan, may I read the recommendation? >> Yes, please. >> It is recommended that the city schools of Decar Board of Education approve the amended 2025 2026 board calendar. Do I have a motion to

338approve the amended 2025 2026 board calendar? Member US makes the motion. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Board member. I was doing it at the beginning. Seconds the motion. Any discussion here? Hearing none. All those in favor? >> I chair votes I. Any opposed? The motion carries unanimously. >> All right. Our next board meeting will be held here at the Wilson Center on February 10th, 2026. The board of education's winter community meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. also at Tally Street Upper Elementary School. There being no further business, this meeting is adjourned at 7:25 p.m.