001e e e [Music] good evening everyone I'm going to call the March 12th Schoolboard meeting to order at 7 pm if everyone could please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance roll call Joshua Allard Melissa bacon here Suzanne Bower here Mark cardano here Elizabeth day here Michelle feletti Anastasia Ferguson here Eric Garrison Jody Lane here Jennifer Mayo here Amy Morrison here Wes finny here Adam tangway Angela tardiff Judith vasel Dominic vermet Walker Vivian here we have a quorum with 16 directors present uh for adjustments to the agenda I would make a motion to remove this second executive session as that is no longer needed we have a motion and a second to remove the second executive session is there any discussion all in favor take that off the agenda next up approval of the minutes from
002February 26 do we have a motion to approve oh I'm sorry I apologize let me back up the consent agenda do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda we have a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda is there any discussion all in favor motion carries now do we have a motion to approve the minutes from February second Adam thank any discussion questions Corrections on those minutes all in favor motion carries next up public comment public comment provides opportunity to address the school board on any subject specific to our schools and educational matters allowing members of the public a fair and adequate opportunity to be heard and to provide information and opinion the school board welcomes constructive comments that will help to understand the speaker's point of view and encourages comments
003focusing on the issue rather than comments that disparage or attack individuals or groups we ask that you be respectful and honor rules of decorum speakers will not be permitted to make defamatory comments or use abusive or vulgar language disruptive individuals will forfeit their time to speak each speaker will be allowed a maximum speaking time of three minutes if speakers do not complete their comments within the allotted three minutes they may submit a written statement to the board written statements are also accepted from those who who do not wish to speak publicly comments or discussion of matters involving individual students is not allowed and comments regarding staff members either by name or specifically identifiable position are not allowed these are confidential matters which the school board is not permitted to hear in public session we ask
004that each speaker Begin by identifying themselves by name and town of residence the public comments portion of the meeting is an opportunity for the school board to listen to the public and is not a time for debate or conversation should additional discussion regarding an issue be necessary that can be added to a future agenda so thank you for joining us this evening uh we look forward to hearing from you if there is any public comment please step up good evening if you push the button the right button with the little person on it I can turn that microphone on for you all right go ahead thank you good evening evening board my name is Jessica peek Lindsay and I am from Waterboro and I hope you all received my letter I sent a letter today
005thank you in the early 2000s I was involved with adverb Productions arts and education which was a professional touring company that used theater to address social issues and create change topics addressed included Eating Disorders Dating Violence and substance use and misuse I toured high schools colleges and conferences in the one woman play The Thin Line on the subject of Eating Disorders my first time on the Massabesic High School campus was when I was invited to perform the Thin Line in the auditorium to several classes Eating Disorders were and still are recognized to be the mental health disorder with the highest mortality rate it is a disease of Mental Health where the individual suffers in silence but its effects are far-reaching impacting friends family and sometimes the whole Community encouraging dialogue and educating the school Community
006through a question and answer period with a panel of local experts following the performance The Thin Line was an effective tool to address the issue of eating disorders and keep students safe my early career as an actor informed what I do today I am a doctor of acupuncture and Integrative Health with a specialization in traumatic stress care I am also a parent and a volunteer in the community the health and safety of students in rsu57 is a concern to me especially that of mental health we are doing a poor job of protecting our students with gender dysphoria we use terms such as gender identity or identify students as trans thus perpetuating the belief that these students are healthy when what we are doing is avoiding the seriousness of a mental health condition that carries with
007it an increased mortality rate we as a school district and state need to start using correct terminology when discussing mental health because once we identify it we can work toward helping the individuals who are in a battle for their lives because just as we do not affirm the anorex by agreeing to their belief that they are fat and assist them in restricting caloric intake so too must we cease any attempt to affirm individuals who suffer with gender dysphoria from assisting them in participating an activities reserved for individuals of the opposite biological gender by Illuminating the root of the problem we can address it and keep our students safe thank you thank you do we have any other public comment this evening thank you um moving on to the board chair report we will go start
008off with recognitions and celebrations because we have the uh Mass music High School girls wrestling team with us tonight I'm Danny Lawrence I'm the Middle School and High School athletic director good evening members of the school board administrators faculty and community members is an absolute honor to stand before you tonight to recognize a truly historic achievement in Massabesic High School athletics this year the women's wrestling team brought home the 20125 main state championship marking an incredible milestone in school's athletic history but their success did not stop there two of our outstanding athletes went on to claim New England Championship making history as the first women in Mass history to earn the title and bringing home our School's First New England titles men's or women's since 1977 at this time I want to recognize the dedicated
009and talented athletes who made this historic season possible ASA [Applause] Brock Sydney [Applause] seer Desiree duet Olivia [Applause] Goodrich Sophie [Applause] grub Navea grov Captain Savannah thing these young women demonstrated an extraordinary level of commitment grit and perseverance throughout their season wrestling is one of the toughest Sports requiring both physical and mental endurance and this team has set a new standard for excellence at Massabesic a special congratulations goes to Sophie grov and her sister NAA grov whose dominance on the mat extended Beyond Maine to the entire new England region their titles are not just personal victories but a testament to the strength and talent of our entire program winning a New England Championship is a rare and prestigious accomplishment and they have cemented their place in mic's athletic history of course behind every great team
010is an outstanding coaching staff a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated coaches head coach Joe on and assistant coaches Leo amille and Lucas lavy their leadership expertise and belief in these athletes have been instrumental in the team's success coaching is about more than just teaching technique it's about instilling discipline resilience and confidence their hard work and dedication have helped shape these athletes into Champions both on and off the map this season was about more than just winning it was about Paving the way for future generations of female athletes at massic this team has set a new bar proving with dedication teamwork and rela L pursuit of Excellence anything is possible to our Champions your legacy will inspire young athletes for years to come you have made your school your families and your community incredibly proud
011we celebrate you tonight not just for your victories but for the way you represented Massabesic with heart humility and perseverance once again congratulations to the 2025 Women's mainstate Champions our two New England Champions um they also took third at new englands out of 999 teams for the women's program so great job to our [Applause] athletes can we get a can we get a group picture with the coaches and Mr Lawrence we'll get everybody all together all right you are all welcome to stay for the meeting but you don't have to stay for the meeting if you don't want to thank you congratulations again that's fantastic all right I have a couple things this evening for you on my board chair report a reminder uh we are having a school board workshop on Monday March 17th
012at 6 p.m. right here in the East building this will be due to discuss the student well-being anal analysis um a reminder of the budget review session on March 24th which is the following Monday at 6:30 pm right here in this room this will um be a public review of the budget and I will have Colin at the following meeting on the 26th give a real brief recap of it but if you want the full um budget review please come to the March 24th um session and finally I want to thank Dominic verett for his many many many many years of service on the school board tonight's his last school board meeting so he will certainly be missed but I did want to say thank [Applause] you and that's all I have I'm GNA turn
013things over to Dr Marquee for the superintendent's report hey we're going to begin with Walker Vivian okay good evening everyone so in the uh latest edition of the uh student representative report um the read Across America program was uh discussed Shaway Memorial in particular had a month filled with a fun reading literacy based activities and spirit days uh they will be supporting the Boomer book Works program where students can uh track their reading um as they uh round the bases and when they reach home plate they're able to win tickets to see the Sanford Mayers play at home Chaple is concluding their month of kindness with a pet food drive for local shelters and responsibility will be their focus for the month of March at Waterboro Elementary there were 25 model Mustangs selected in February
014and on the 28th those students had a great time at their at the principal's lunch to celebrate their achievement the Junior Achievement of Maine is a program that introduces students to Wesson's centered around financial literacy and Entrepreneurship at Alfred Elementary the upper grades have been learning about a lot of these skills on March 3rd the prek through 2 grade began read Across America week with a cat and the hat reading followed around a rotation to different stations that were doctor sus related School social worker appreciation week began on Monday March 3rd and ran through the 7th social workers throughout the entire District had this chance to be recognized and thanked for their great dedication and contribution to the well-being of the student body every day they put their best effort forward and make significant impacts
015on the schools where they work due to illnesses the Massabesic High School theater Trope rescheduled their performances of their player clowns Tale the first showing on Tuesday March 4th was well attended and all of the actors did very well and were really able to transform into their characters there were 110 hours of scheduled rehearsals leading into this performance so everyone was able to was happy to be able to show off their hard work over the last few months memorizing lines and learning how to become their characters on March 7th and 8th they will be at the regional one act festival at thoron Academy and they performed Saturday March 8th at 7:15 p.m course selection sheets were handed out to high school students during the week beginning on February 24th each grade received a different form
016with the classes available for them to take they filled those out and turned them into the guidance office which will begin to craft the master schedule for the next school year on Monday March 10th the Finance Authority of Maine hosted an online Workshop to discuss the financial aid process with Juniors and any underclassmen who are interested in learning about that the workshop was advertised at the high school and on Friday March 14th the first progress report for the second semester will be released that's all I have for you tonight thank you thank you very much Walker um I'd like to begin by also thanking uh Dominic for met for his years of service to the board um Dominic uh I recall vividly where I was sitting where um Dominic was sitting where colum were sitting
017when I interviewed um I think probably within a few days of four years ago today so uh it's been a real pleasure pleasure working with you your stewardship support guidance um to me and our district has been really invaluable so thank you um as Walker shared the one act play at clowns uh tale um our actors performed at Thorton on Saturday night and uh I had the Good Fortune to be able to go over and attend that and our our high school kids were just so amazing under the uh direction of Mrs levit and it was really uh amazing our kids did so so well and uh what the culminating part of it was as I was walking out and I was talking to some of the kids and and Miss levit she said you
018know that was by far the best they've ever done and they could not have done better and that's really a great way to kind of end that experience um the wrestlers I think uh Mr Lawrence might have been incorrect when he said there were 99 teams I counted 124 as I tracked the event there were a lot of teams that were tied at 99 for a while um the way they do the scoring but to have uh our kids um and and Lucas Mr Labby is one of the coaches uh those girls did really really well and uh it's quite exciting to to have that happen to come in third and to be so close to being New England Champs the the first four teams were all neck and neck and uh I do not
019know anything about wrestling I have no clue on the scoring it's not as easy as did you score or not score like a hoop or a basket or a goal um or run the fastest or jump the furthest I have no idea how they score those events and uh I kept asking Mr lence and he he's like man you're not all that smart and I would have to agree um um speaking of Athletics there there's one other element that I wanted to share with you each um uh as a sequence the main principles Association meets with athletic directors um to talk about classification classification is like um uh based on the size of schools typically sometimes schools May petition to go up in class sometimes they may petition to go down in class um and
020and in Maine in most sports there are um two three or four divisions depending on the the type of sport and um we are in a POS position where um there's been some discussion about moving us up to the larger class in football um or and in some sports we may want to move down and it's really about um having a competitive atmosphere that allows our kids to be successful while also not gaming the system and trying to go too low but in any given year in the state of Maine um a team that's really small could actually be very competitive I recall about 20 years ago Valley High School a high school with like 50 boys their boys basketball team had eighth graders on it and they beat both Dearing and Bangor who were
021in the state championship class a division and they beat up on both of those teams that year because they had some great athletes so they're here tonight and I believe we'll talk uh just very briefly I just wanted to have them share why we would like to uh remain in particular with football in a particular class rather than change um Danny or Mr lbby either of you want to share some thoughts um just so the board is aware of any where we would like to be uh yeah it's the button on the right like with a little person on it okay thank you all right I'm uh coach Labby Lucas Labby I work at the high school um and I've been fortunate enough to be the head coach of the football program for the last
022four seasons um I just want to thank Dr Marquee um ad Danny Lawrence and and the board for allowing me to speak to this um when I first heard that we were going to be um bounced up to class A my my first thought um was cool perfect um that's where we belong I I want to play in the best division um I want the kids to compete at that level I think they can compete at that level uh and some of that might have been my own stuff though um as I was walking around the hallways in the school um you start hearing from the kids a little bit and it kind of brought me back down to why I started coaching in the first place and it's always been for the kids and
023and their experience in in sport and particularly in the football program um and there was some some real apprehension around what that might look like to to move up uh into class A where you have kind of perennial powerhouses like Thorton Academy and Bonnie Eagle um that we' now be competing against um I think we have a really vibrant youth program that that has a lot of kids um and they have found some success doesn't always translate at the high school level um but I didn't want to just say like well I'm gonna lead you right in that class A Direction and and not take into consideration your your fears or your unknown much of their Collective memory I would argue um growing up as a kid in this district is Us in class A
02410 years prior to us going to class B um was was very challenging I think we had a collective record of of 16 and 65 from 2009 to 2018 when we were in class A and so my memory of us in class A was that we were a dominant Powerhouse football team that could could play with ta that could beat ta that could win championships so that's how I view Massa football um but their vision of it is you know we really struggled there for a long time we didn't make the playoffs for nine years down there um and hadn't won a playoff game since 2005 and then if you fast forward to um that 2019 season when we officially move moved to B South um we found some competition we were six- two went
025to the playoffs we didn't win that year um so finished six and three but it was competitive and we were kind of right in the mix um Co hit um I ended up coming on as a coach at that point and and really kind of struggled through my first year um as did a lot of programs because of the covid hiccup which extends to a lot of different things um we bounced back in 2022 went six and two won our first playoff game in that you know roughly 20e span it seemed like um and to see the look on those kids faces when they when they got that first W is is something I'll never forget um real exciting see the kids compete and believe in themselves and believe that they can win um last
026then we went four and four but we made it to the Conference finals went all the way to the Western Main finals um came up short in that game but again we were taking steps in the right direction then last year we went s and3 overall won another playoff game came up short um in the semi-finals everything tracking towards kind of building program back and so when we got when we got news that we were going to a again initially let's go you know we got to get ready to make this jump um but taking that step back and reflecting on it a little bit um we sent a poll out to roughly you know 200 stakeholders within our football program uh and I think it's something like 60 63% want us to remain in
027B if possible 37% of those people um are okay with with staying in a or moving to a and so ultimately it's the npa's decision um whether we stay in a or we or whether we get bumped to a or we remain in b um I'm prepared to be competitive with our kids uh in A or B uh but just trying to be mindful that you know there's a lot of other people's voices and and and concerns that I want to be mindful of uh I feel like I'd be doing it a disservice the program a disservice and our kids a disservice um if I didn't at least bring up some of the the concerns that I've been hearing and then some of the history behind you know why we're in B South and until
028we start kind of running through b South which that's not an easy task um I don't know if Class A is the right fit for us at this point in the future I hope so so the question and you weren't given prior notice um but I thought this would be sufficient notice because um really we're looking to Mr Lawrence and and and Coach to to think about this and um we we just want our kids to be successful and enjoy the experience and we have found in some of our our sporting uh sport offerings um we've we have some real tough competition and there there will be kids in some of our sports that likely will go through their High School experience maybe winning a game or two out of 70 um so that's the
029reality so we want to try to maintain um some positive momentum and we do have um some project projected um uh declines in some of our upper classmen um which would also probably create some challenges with our program for the next couple years we have done really really well and we're really fortunate to have Coach Labby um really supporting kids in all sorts of ways and in this particular case with football so if there's not objection we would actually ask Mr Lawrence to um petition to the main principles Association our ability to remain in um Class B South Miss coach what factors go in is it just uh school size is it just population yes yes sir they don't take anything else into consideration no in the past I know they've put some of the
030coaches have gotten together and put together proposals for the NPA to consider other things like socio economics and you know size of school um the geographical locations of schools and they've had some you know complex like formulas that they've said like this is how we should determine um classification it's never been adopted by the mpa and so most recently they just they're looking at just population size so right now it's 850 students plus would be in that class a uh Division and I think it's like 649 or 650 to like 849 would be Class B um I think right now we're the smallest we'd be the smallest School in class a um and with projected uh enrollment numbers perhaps dropping by the time we started fall of 2026 we might actually be under 850 um
031so it's it's all stuff that we try to take into consideration but um again it's the mpa's decision to make and is it cuton I support you and and certainly you know best uh and I would vote to support your view to stay in B but is it just a cut and dry here's the number and that's it are we likely to lose this we are likely to lose this I would say okay but we can fight it we can try we can try and that's one of the things like I just want the kids to like you know know that I got their back um I heard their concerns I went to bat the end of the day if the MP says it's still Class A then we'll be ready for that but I
032can straight face it to them and say you know I heard you guys you know we went to the school board we advocated we petitioned the NPA and then if the NPA doesn't want to make the adjustment then we'll move forward um but if they are willing to make the adjustment um then then great we'll compete in B too so part of the policy or the procedure that has happened thus far um is when this first started coming up um coach and I were in conversations of what that might look like and kind of getting on the same page um obviously that got out pretty quickly um and the community started speaking about what that might look like uh coach Lobby brought all the football players into the auditorium for a meeting um just to
033try to dispel some of the the fiction the the stuff that wasn't true that um and then from there coach sent out a survey to the community um and now presenting to the board here uh again we want to make sure that the the students and Community know we're advocating for what they would like us to do um and coach lbby and I are on the same page where if the mpa says no we've done everything possible to do what's best for our kids um and we're going to play in class A and we're going to compete there and we're going to do well um but we're going to do everything we can in the meantime um schedules have been created tentatively for the all um the odds of them redoing all of the football
034schedules are unlikely um they do consider what our eighth grade program or what's incoming looks like uh and we've had a lot of success in a certain division so they are considering that as what's coming up um coach can uh correct me if I'm wrong but I think two years ago we lost 17 seniors and again this year was nearly 17 seniors um that's a lot and those seniors were very talented um so we will I do anticipate a lull coming up here um and if you combine that with going to class A and competing against you know Bonnie eagle and Thorton Academy and Portland and um it's going to be a struggle and that can halt momentum very quickly U but again at the end of the day coach and I want to just
035tell everyone we're going to do everything possible um and if at the end of the day they say the NPA says no well at least we know we did everything we could there is one demographical um uniqueness that would happen with large rural schools that might have large populations um that you might want to put into your petition would be the fact that we actually have um I believe a much higher number of students who actually um are find jobs have to work they're not participating in athletics they have cars they need Transportation so it's not like you can compare eight all 850 schools are not built the same and that's one of the things that might work against us a little bit um if we petition for B and they deny us and we
036have a losing season will they drop us back down or we have to continue to petition each year just because of the number yeah good good question um it they're going to revisit classification in a couple of years so at that point there can be some negotiation um they might have a different system at that point too where they consider other factors like Dr Marquee was mentioning um so we would be in a we'd be locked in a for 2026 and and then potentially in 2028 depending on success or lack thereof population size or enrollment size we might be back in be and so and then like what you said if we if enrollment come next school well when school starts in the fall if we are under the threshold do we automat do they
037have to change the scheduling and drop us back down to B because we're at 830 and not 850 no and that was one of the concerns that a lot of the coaches that I work with have had is like you know we under this threshold um but once they make their decision it's we're locked in for that two-year period And if we Trend downward then then we'd be be you know unless we petition to stay in a you know if we can find success but but yeah we're locked in for two years if they say we have to all right thank you um so at this time I would I would look for direction from the board on how we want to proceed on this if we are supportive do we have a motion to
038support the petition uh Mark go ahead I make a motion that we support this petition all right so we have a motion and a second to support the petition to remain in B South I didn't want to see the round uh any discussion any other questions all in favor opposed motion carries thank you you okay all right next up standing committees we're going to be quick we're on a time crunch here so we're going to start Finance building and maintenance West I'm gonna combine push your button weting very simar he's learning I'm learning he's new at this all right okay hit it last week and this week's uh meetings were very similar so I'm combining them um uh the uh modules were discussed both weeks uh punch list of items are being pursued and um
039they're working toward a successful completion of the project um Lyman land issue came up last week there was no inquiries but this week the seller has reached out and is interested in a meeting Colin will be meeting with our attorney there might be a potential executive session uh to discuss those issues next week chapley Elementary School leechfield design and drawings are done RFP is being prepared project will be presented to uh the financing board for approval the uh budget update we've had the budget presented to us um we reviewed expenditures and revenues last week and again this week last week we requested uh Dr M and um coling to uh take a look at presenting close to a$1 A5 million cut to what was presented originally looking to get us somewhere at a five to
040seven per uh uh increase to the uh FY 26 budget um all items that are in the budget are based on risk assessment and safety issues and balancing meeting the needs of rsu57 as well as the impact on our taxpayers next week the meetings at um 5:30 31925 we'll be going over making some final decisions on the budget so that we're ready to present to the public meeting on 32425 in this room at 6:30 thanks Wes any questions for Wes Judith um this really doesn't have anything to do with what you were talking about um back in November December there was mention of naming the roads did we ever do that and did I miss a meeting and miss that yep we did we did go over that um you wanna can you update I
041know my memory or can Colin give a quick update on it okay I know I can't remember all the details either thanks Colin yeah and I don't remember the exact names I'd have to go back to my notes the board it was brought out of finance and it was brought to the board the board did go through that process and vote on naming them um and we're waiting until Springtime which we're getting close to in order to get the signage up there's two roads there's the road that's going down towards the bus barn is one road and then there's the circle so to speak coming into to um the East Building here um I can certainly get that to you Judith and have that sent out to the entire board as to what those names
042are thank you you're welcome I'm waiting to do curriculum anything anything else for Wes next up curriculum Anastasia we met last night um we had a pretty big agenda so I'll will go through this fast I will deal with questions after the meeting we had Elementary programming mtss report um it was just an overview of what the programming is what the mtss is um we had a comprehensive needs assessment input information from Mary we also had long conversations about our community forum and how we plan on doing it our advertising will start next month that Community Forum will be May 13th at 6m and C uh curriculum will follow right after but our next meeting is May April 8th at PM any questions for Anastasia next up human re Human Resources Anastasia we have not
043met we meet next Thursday the 20th at 6 pm and we're still doing teacher negotiations great uh next up is policy we met last week we reviewed several of our a policies foundations and basic commitments those are coming forward for a first read later on this evening and then we started review of the B policies these are our Schoolboard governance and operations this is the second largest section of policies in our policy manual um so these will take us right through the end of the year and into next fall and a couple of those will be coming to you for a first read tonight as well um and as I told the policy committee last week our next meeting is April 1st at 6m and that's no joke next up public relations technology Suzanne we
044have not met since our last board meeting but we will be meeting next week on Tuesday the 18th at 6m perfect any questions for Susan and transportation Jen we have met since the last meeting we meet again on March 25th at 6:m Great any questions for Jen all right old business seeing none new business first read of policies so I will give you all an update on these and why they are here for a first read this evening and then we can um move those for a first read so AC ACAA ACAA R1 acab AC ab- R1 and a are all before you for a first read because we were advised by legal to revert those back to the 2020 title n rules so that's what we did we went back to our previous versions
045these were um revised and went through uh first and second read in the fall so we have just backed those up to where they were before then and so those are the versions of those policies in front of you and with that there's a couple others that will be coming once all of these go through the second read there will be a couple coming to you for removal because of those changes uh the next one BBB da School Board declared vacancy caused by absenteeism these are changes recommended by msma and those changes um outline action for the board to take a step-by-step action if there is um unexcused absences and then the final one BBB unex unexpired term fulfillment and vacancies these are also changes recommended by msma and clarification on when a vacancy shall
046be declared and then when a vacancy can be declared or can be considered by the school board and I think that that was an important change to make so those are the first reads we'll look to bring the those back for a second read at the March 12th meeting um but if I could get a motion I mean the March 26th meeting I'm sorry um uh so if I could get a motion to accept the first reads we have a motion and a second to accept the first reads are there any questions uh discussion Mark just quickly I think the board um those who are't in policy should know why we're rolling them back to the 2020 Title 9 rules um so we were advised by Drummond woodsom to um um let's see I'm glad
047that I pulled this open so um let me I don't want to have to read this whole email to you so per our communication from legal um after Federal Court vacated the 2024 rules the above guidance makes it clear that schools should now move back to complying with the 2020 rules so it was recommended that we reopt those policies to the versions that we had in place between August of 2020 and August of 2024 um and then the US Department of Education so effective immediately it was on Friday January AR 31st effective immediately the US Department of Education will enforce Title 9 under the provisions of the 2020 Title 9 rule so that's why those are reverting back to their previous versions any other discussion so we have a motion and a second to accept
048the first reads uh all in favor opposed motion carries next up school board self-evaluation so I gave you hard copies of this this evening I'm going to point out a couple of things to you and then I will open it up for discussion so as a school board we conduct our self- evaluation in public session uh because we are a public board so the evaluation there's three sections to it I gave you the average score for each question on the evaluation those are the first two pages in order of the questions the next two pages I sorted those by the lowest average to the highest so that we can take a look at those lower averages to really try and focus on our goals and then uh the third part is a summary of the
049comments really with just bullet points of items to consider as far as um strengths and areas for improvement and some additional comments so looking at page one just for reference we did a spring check-in on the evaluation and I took a look at those numbers and the first eight questions our score went up our average went up the next couple our average went down uh 11 through 15 the average went up 16 and 17 stayed the same 18 19 went up uh 20 through 22 went down 23 24 went up 25 26 27 went down and the next two went up I just wanted to quickly like so but what really is important to note is that last year our two lowest averages were question seven that was the lowest one that's the board participates
050in activities that further develop the boardmills and then the second lowest average last spring was the board makes use of data from the district to provide information to students parents and the public those two flipped on this one um but it's still so there's definitely been expression from all of you that you want more data and that we want that data to um provide information and to drive our decisions and also more opportunities for boardmills and I think that this is where I would really love to get some feedback because I think that we all view those development of boardmills maybe differently so I think that if we can Define what that question is actually asking um then maybe we can we can narrow down in on those opportunities so um and then real quick
051through the comments they were all very you guys all kind of think very alike they were all very similar a lot of repetition through the comments which is why I just wanted to highlight bullet point so um Effectiveness falls under the Strategic plan a lot of good things to say about that are highlighting students and staff and recognizing achievement um increased visibility at school activities an effective relationship with Administration um our working committee and consistency and then areas for improvement this is something we can further discuss regarding Schoolboard goals is uh communication and engagement with the community meeting attendance continuation of dat driven decision making that was really repeated throughout that second comment section is um really looking for for data to drive our decisions um there was requests for information on specific teaching methods
052um and then just a little um a couple comments about meeting efficiency and trying to stay on track um and then some additional comments that the district is moving in the right direction uh a couple requests for more student and teacher-led present ations and hearing from students um more and getting more students in front of us so that's the more feedback from students so that's my overview of it and I'm going to open it up for any questions or comments or ideas for Schoolboard goals because they're you know we we have a policy about setting Schoolboard goals and we we talk about them and we set some general goals every you know at the beginning of every year but I think that there is a desire from board members for us to really set some
053specific goals that we can work towards through the year so and I'd be happy to take any and all ideas so the floor is yours Wes I was wondering from a percentage of involvement did a large majority of us respond to the survey you got it 14 out of 16 so very good response um so yeah I was happy to see that that and all all but one of those 14 I think one came in a day late and that was so that was good as well um and I think that giving you guys that whole you know that time to do it at home at your convenience and to really take the time to do it as is definitely helpful Mark um I do think that um whenever we have students and I would
054like to see more staff as well but the students particularly is so powerful for me and I'm assuming for most the board members all the board members um even tonight I didn't want to put her on the spot because that's just wrong but you know it would have been wonderful to hear from the team wrestling Captain just just to say you know how'd the year go what did you you know her passion I would have appreciated I'm sure she would have been passionate but we're certainly not going to put ever put a student on the spot you know and and ask her to speak without a chance to know if she's going to be asked speak so I would like to see when we do do all that recognition which I love maybe that we
055can hear from the kids as well as the coaches or the athletic director um yeah if we give them a heads up beforehand okay like we had um MH I just love that night I know I want to I'm keeping track of the number and I told everyone at the staff breakfast that I was going to beat last year's count on recognitions and celebrations so we got to got to get a move on um anything else any uh go ahead Suzanne um one thing I am curious about um just because um my kids are now just at the beginning of college so I'm not um as in touch with the elementary school kids but you know how I just would like to know how are they doing how is their literacy rate doing how is
056their math facts doing just get a sense of that because I I again it's just my Social Circles are different now and I I don't hear anything so that's that's something I would really like and I think that's part of your data driven too how are they ranking also yeah so that's desire I have and there was um a request like I did you know bullet points but there was a request like can we get some of our younger students in here to recognize then can we get some more academic recognitions and the elementary school kids may be a little tougher to bring in for recognition at a meeting just because it starts at seven and um but but we certainly can start to look at you know getting more of those younger kids in
057and even if they're not able to be here because you know we certainly can still recognize them and and sure appreciation so um Michelle I think even on that point um bringing in school counselors are the ones that see the kids they're on the front lines with their kids they have whatever issues that there are but be able to hear from them and be able to support them in their work and what they're seeing on the front lines with the kids especially the littles um because I think that's where you can make the biggest impact when they're small right and if there's something they're seeing as a repeat or at a certain generation or a certain age due to maybe covid like fourth graders or third graders and um then as how it changed when
058the kids started right after covid um seeing their view on how the kids are doing and potential things that we're not seeing as a school board that could potentially help them along the way yeah Josh um yeah as far as the data I think everybody likes you know receiving the number especially from the superintendent's report um one thing that I would like to see more of is the negative data I feel like we always see positive data but um I it stuck with me one of the meetings when Steve brought up that we have a a large homeschool population in this District that chooses not to come to the school that was something that you know I know there's homeschool kids in the district but to hear it from an administrator that it's a large
059group there might be some areas of improvement to the school or the quality of school to bring those kids back um so when we talk even to an athletic director there's a declining population in a certain sport what sport is that what are the numbers how long has the coach been in place are we fill in that coaching position you know I think it would help with the Strategic plan to make the school better if we actually got a lot more on the unfortunately like a negative data you know not just you know what always what we're doing great you know it would be nice to see where we could really improve based on numbers and you know goals and again like literacy levels at the lower grades and you know yep so Dr Mar
060actually just shared with me that at our meeting on the 26th we'll be getting academic data the full spectum so ask and you shall receive Mark um you asked specifically about boardsmy skills my definition in part is I not everyone in the room is an educator you know um we don't know the jargon and we don't know necessarily how instruction is delivered um I I think it would be to me very exciting to see teachers uh presenting best practices or uh you know how how is reading taught in Mass specic um and again I know we're not in charge of the day-to-day uh but it we have to make decisions that are based on you know what that day-to-day instruction does or does not accomplish as you know Josh was saying you know the we
061we need to know we need to have a clear picture but we also need to have um there's an awful lot of jargon in education and there's an awful lot of terminology that we should probably be a little more fluent with yeah and there was um there was also a comment about just teaching methods like specific teaching methods because I think a lot of us went through school a long time ago and things have changed since yep y uh Wes last last night at the uh curriculum committee meeting we had great presentations from the elementary schools and they reminded us that they're having Community Family nights starting tomorrow night and going through May and that they'd love to see members of the school board attend some of those family community nights and it would be
062a way of us being able to reach out and recognize the good work that's happening uh at that level yep uh Katie's sending out an event calendar now so that we are aware of when those are happening and are able to attend it and I still will maintain that the adult ed graduation is one of the best events to attend all right anything else that we want to discuss so we um oh I did want to clear one thing up just because there was a couple of questions that had a really strong like I'm not not sure answer you know from several of you so um so I did want to one of them was uh the board is aware of and provides information as necessary to state legislators to support public education in the
063local school Community there was a lot of I'm not sure um so that is something that the district you know does a lot of communication and I know that Dr Marquee has shared with us a couple times of of some communication going on but that I think is just a matter of making the full board aware more of when that happens it's not that it's not happening I think it's just um a communication and then um and then the other one was the one about school board member orientation there was several uh the question um the board provides a comprehensive orientation to new board members to familiar them with their role in board procedures um I think the reason that this one scored so high is because there was a lot of I'm not Shores
064and then the people that do know all scored fives um so we do Dr Mar and I schedule a new school board member orientation with everyone when they join the board we hold that before they come to their first board meeting um Katie sends out a notice to all of you that it's happening you're always welcome to come to that if you want a refresh and um or you know if you want to listen to me talk about policy because that's what I do at the Schoolboard member orientation um but we try and make it as comprehensive as possible it's a lot of information that we share with new board members um so we try and and help them prepare to come to their first meeting and really know like their role their responsibility so
065so when I saw a lot of I don't knows on that question I wanted to share that with you that that is happening and you guys are all welcome to attend and um with limr voting this week shapley was Voting last week we will have some new board members coming in um so there will be one coming up soon um so and you're welcome to attend that Mark well I I think we do have to address it the board it promotes constructive relations with the media clearly we all don't feel that that's happening to the level it might I I I would just say that I I think we should we always need to be as transparent as possible um we literally bend over backwards to try and do that I realize there's often confidential
066confidentiality issues right but I I think that um whenever we're just honest and transparent um we're gonna you know in the end we're going to get good media um because we're trying to do our best and no one can knock that yeah and we can always have room for improvement but I think we need to you know that needs to be looked at right and when I guess this is one also that we can have some further conversation about is that are you thinking media like mainstream Media or are you thinking more Hometown media you know like our Facebook page and our that type of thing because there's social media and then there's like kind of the more mainstream media so what exactly is that question asking is are we and and that's something we
067can dive a little bit more into I think on on what direction to go in anything else anyone good and um so the this will go in with the minutes I'm also happy to talk with any of you at any point if you want to dive in if you have questions um feel free to reach out to me but that um I think that with the timing of this one I don't feel like there's a need for a spring check in like we did last year last year we did the evaluation I think in January so then we did a spring check in if you guys are all okay with us calling it good and then but next fall um I think they'll need to be some real hard conversation about what our school board
068goals are for next year and really some smart goals um so a reminder workshop on the 17th 6: PM uh budget review session March 20 4th so that will wrap up our school board self- evaluation and we will go on to um I'd look for a motion to enter into executive session to consult with legal pursuant to 1M RSA e Anastasia Beth that was you any discussion all in favor motion carries we are in executive session at 8:00 pm some discussion real quick there will be no action taking on conclusion of this executive session so I'm going to have Shane shut down the live feed um because we're not going to be taking any action other than to adjourn the meeting so I just wanted to make sure that that was out there