BOE Meeting 3/9/2026

001How are you? Good. How are you? Oh my god, it feels really good up here. It was so hot in the room. It was boiling. I'm dying. And the sun is like reflecting off of the Like it's so nice. Yeah, I was like I kind of enjoyed it. Yeah, they just said Jose is caught in traffic, so we're just waiting a couple minutes to When you get on the Yeah, I'm on the I'm on the data now. Oh. Yeah. I was going to say thank you for stopping cuz it's a good grounding spot. Yeah. I think it's so doable though. We can We can do this in a systematic way. Um okay. Yeah. It's Well, yeah, it is. It's kind of a weird in between. Sarah, that does break OMA. Um having everyone in the

002same room. Okay. Wait, what? Did you just say it's important to have everyone in the same No, it breaks OMA when we have that many in the Oh, I thought you said I thought [laughter] you meant like for the next discussion to like approve what we're talking about. Here's the thing. I don't You were told a lawyer by a lawyer it was. I was told by a lawyer it was not as long as the people don't participate in it. Just like Right. Like just We're allowed to go on I got on retreats Not related to So like the all of Kentwood's team goes and I think we should do this to MASB. That's their one year they spend together. So that's the only conference they do. Yeah, that's It's quite warm. It's cool in here

003though. But they're not allowed to talk about any business outside of the So there's like we It's like if we all go to the same place I know. I asked specifically. I know. You told me after that, but I was literally like 2 weeks prior told it was okay to do it. the Yeah. Yes, it depends on who you ask. But they couldn't I know that they could not pursue a problem unless the person did. Hello. Hello. Thank you. Long time Oh, I know. What did I say? Long time no see. I don't know. Long time no see, you got it. I know, as much time as I spend at Baxter, I never see you. What do you mean? Oh, yeah. I'm there like every other week. >> Y'all got to come downstairs. I want

004to see the babies. The most beautifulest part of Baxter. It's Okay, let me see. Do you Does it open to a browser for you or does it not? She's really wearing a mask. More people come down. Oh, okay. Then did you do the guest card? Yeah. Apparently now we all feel good, you just put on a mask. I had on a mask last week because I had a root canal and I was talking sideways, so I just wore a mask because I Yeah, there's another one. Mhm. >> [laughter] >> Cuz it knows I was asking questions. Mhm, man. Yep. You can You can have mine. So, it's definitely not Perfect. I'm sorry you feel bad. Okay. Is it going to be a couple hours? I mean, we're having trouble with >> [laughter] >> Yeah, but

005today But I just been checking auditorium phones. There's another one cuz there's a lock on it. It might just be in my office. It's the same as our >> All right, good evening folks. We're going to get started with our meeting in just a few seconds here. All right, good evening and welcome to the uh Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education meeting. Today is Monday, March 9th, 2026. We welcome and appreciate your presence at this meeting of the Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education. We respectfully request individuals silence cell phones and refrain from clapping, cheering, or making audible comments during the meeting. If you wish to formally address the board, please fill out a public comment card which is located at the entrance and place the completed card in the provided basket. I

006will announce the time in which public comment cards will need to be submitted for participation. Um it looks like I will have the secretary uh count these to see if we may need to reduce to two minutes, but I will announce that at the time that I um call for last minute uh public comment cards. And uh so yeah, so we'll have a three-minute maximum, but we'll see if we have to reduce that today. So I will have the secretary um do a roll call. All right, Trustee Kilpatrick. I am here. Am I audible at the moment? No. Got to get close. All right, Trustee Melton. Here. Trustee Moreno. Present. Trustee Van Dyke. Here. VP Wade. Present. Trustee Williams. Present. Trustee Williamson. Present. President Rodriguez. Here. We are here. We have a quorum. Thank you.

007All right, next is the approval of the agenda. Do I have a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. That was my And I'll support that. All right. All those in favor? I. I. Any opposed? That motion passes. All right. So, today we have Dr. Brandy Love Lady Mitchell in place for Dr. Roby and she's going to get us started today with our celebrations. That's right. Good evening, President Rodriguez and members of the board. We have two celebrations tonight. I'd like to ask Chief Area Instructional Leader Kelly Noel Green to come forward with Principal Joseph Alcaraz and his team of students. They will present Sergeant Moses Adams Memorial Middle School Brochure Contest. Welcome. Hi. Good evening. Dr. Love Lady Mitchell, President Rodriguez and members of the board. It is my pleasure to be here tonight.

008I am the Chief Area Instructional Leader for the Northwest and we are really actually here to celebrate a couple amazing scholars um from Shamblet Hills. So, I don't want to delay their celebration and so I want to introduce the principal, Mr. Joseph Alcaraz from Shamblet and he will talk a little bit more about what we're celebrating. Good evening, everyone. I'm thrilled to be here to celebrate some of our Shamblet Hills scholars. This school year we have been focused on empowering our students um to give to lift their voices, their and engagement. And at this time, I'm pleased to introduce our middle school ELA teacher, Mrs. Dryer, who she will share how she's um focusing on supporting our student work. I think you. Okay, thank you. All right, hello. My name is Sarah Dryer, and this

009is my 13th year at Shawmut Hills, but my 26th with GRPS. And um my second year with participating in the Sergeant Moses Adams Memorial Brochure Contest. Um this contest is named after Sergeant Moses Adams. He was a soldier in um from Massachusetts who served in the American Revolutionary War and died in the winter at Valley Forge. He first joined the fight as a minuteman in 1775 and later earned the rank of sergeant in the 13th Massachusetts Regiment. This contest is in honor of his service to our country. And it is aimed towards 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students across the United States who are learning about the American Revolution. It the consistent theme each year focuses on five foundational documents. Um some of them include the Declaration of Independence, our um Uh I'm sorry. Uh

010Washington's Farewell Address and a few others. And they add a few other um documents a variety of documents that are also impactful from this time period. This contest was introduced to me last year, and that was our first uh time we ever participated. We were able to enter 10 brochures last year, and we did have one winner. This year, it was evident that our 8th graders were going to participate in that contest again, as they were very creative and very ingenious. The project was presented to the scholars and broken into intentional steps to ensure their confidence with their approach and to improve their overall performance. This year we had three winners from Charm at all's and I'm so proud of all of them. I love this project because it gives them voice and agency in

011their own learning um and their research and um providing them opportunities to exercise their choice and shape the direction of their learning and foster ownership, strengthening their engagement and supporting deeper investment in the process. It allows them to select from a list of nine topics and have authentic ownership. I watched them make strategic decisions about how to represent their ideas and information learning along the way. This brochure permits um cross-curricular connections because we incorporate our connections with our ELA content. We incorporate our art department as well. So, this is just a phenomenal opportunity for our scholars. Unfortunately, one of our winners was unable to make it tonight, but I do have two of our other scholars with us that would like to share just the impact that this project has on them. Yes, I have

012Gabrielle Wilson and I have Ashley Leon Garcia. Uh yeah, so Gabby, you want to start with yours? Yeah. She is proud of herself. You should. We're proud of you. Uh Uh Right in the microphone. Okay. Oh. It's okay. Um My My brochure about the Declaration of Independence really impacted me because like when I first learned about it, I first started by introducing the formal letter to Great Britain stating its permanent departure from the tyrannical king. I then proposed and answered some historical questions such as whether there were any lessons learned. So, to that, yes, there were many. First, or finishing, I introduced the signers, or more formally known as the framers, with the hand-drawn portrait and some more proposed questions and facts. The impact this contest had on me was quite beneficial in its own

013way. I learned more about the Declaration of Independence as well as the challenges the main organizers faced along the way. It really helped me see how hard it was to fight for freedom, but how the hard work and effort paid off in the end, even to this day. I really liked the challenges that I faced along the way, and I'd gladly do it again. Okay. It impacts on what happened, why the colonies were upset about the British act and taxes on the IT. And how they dumped the tea into the harbor. Impacts it had. It also talks about how this event helped learn to the American Revolution. And also the reason why I include me in the Boston Tea Party was because making the impact helped me get better in researching and writing. Organizing. My

014ideas and being um creative. It improved my writing and drawing skills and helped me learn on how I I can explain my history to my own self. Okay, great job. >> [applause] >> The next slide shows the covers of their brochures. The insides are phenomenal. Moving forward, the next steps Shamit Hills will continue to participate in this contest since it's been introduced to us. It allows our scholars to apply their learning in different ways and to be encouraged with some sense of competition because I am the queen of competition in the Shamong Hills Middle School program. The Sons the local Sons of American Revolution chapter also hope to have more schools participate in the contest. As of right now, there's only just a few schools that do participate. So we'd also like to foster that

015as well. And as for Payton Goodson who is not here tonight, she not only was our first place winner in the local contest, but she's also the first place winner in the state contest. >> [applause] >> Yeah. So her project is being presented at the national level right now. Um we are waiting to hear news on whether how she fits in that in that category. Um but since she did win the the state contest, her brochure will be um presented uh at the state capital building from now until July of 2026 so that all visitors can see her work. So thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Colleagues, is there any any questions? Any comments you would like to for our scholars? Yeah, Trustee Williamson. Yeah, I just like to thank you guys um all

016three of you including Payton who's not here, but all of you guys for engaging in your social studies education and stick with it. Um history is fun and it'll open up a whole world to you. Um and thank you for taking this so seriously. Thank you. Any other comments? I will say I'll echo that. When I was your age, I I was not interested in history at all and now as an adult I think you start to have a lot more appreciation for it. And so I'm grateful that you all have the appreciation at such a young age. So congratulations and great job. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you so much. And President Rodriguez, next we would like to invite curriculum director Jennifer Brock, ELA specialist Nanette Herzberger um to come forward to provide

017information on the 19th annual Kiwanis dictionary donation. Um Shawnee Hills, might you come back? Kelly Noel, might you bring your group back to the presentation? I'd like to take a >> We saw y'all taking a photo, we said we want to be a part of that, too. Yeah, let's have them come right up here and we'll we'll join y'all. They want you, too. Yep. We'll have you stand right here and you Is that right? >> Yeah, Mr. Styron will direct you. Everybody ready? Perfect. One, two, three. >> Hello. Hello again. >> Welcome back. Well, thank you very much. It's very nice of you to welcome us. We're always glad to be part of your your group here. Absolutely. And uh congratulations to you going from trustee to president. Thank you. Well, good evening, Dr. Lovelady

018Mitchell and President Frederick Reese and um the rest of the uh school board. Um this evening I have Nanette uh Hershberger who is going to um share with us a celebration of a very generous donation from Kiwanis to our GRPS scholars. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. I am here with a special member of the Golden K Kiwanis Club, Keith Satterthwaite. Yes. Getting that. He's a long-time member of the Grand Rapids Golden K Kiwanis Club and we are here to share the good news of the 19th year of the donation of dictionaries to all GRPS third grade students. So, some of you that are GRPS students might remember getting your dictionaries. So, I have a few pictures um that I'll share with you and then I would love for Pete to share how this project

019is near and dear to him as he's championed it over the years. One more photo. Just a few notes and I'll turn it over to Pete. Again, this is a 19-year partnership that we've had with the Grand Rapids Golden K Kiwanis Club to provide all third graders dictionaries. And it's not just any dictionary. I'll let Pete tell you about what is also inside the dictionary, but this year we we gave away 1,140 dictionaries to all third-grade students. So, if you think about over the last 19 years, that's a that's a lot of dictionaries. That's a lot of words. But, their goal is really focusing on language development, vocabulary growth, and just fostering an overall love of text. So, with that, I will share I will let share let Pete share his journey in this project.

020May I? Well, it's it's a pleasure to be here. I was just mentioning to the ladies here that I've had a lot of experience here at this auditorium because I had the experience of watching the wonderful students of Ottawa Hills High School put on the play that was Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, which was equal to any Broadway Theater Guild presentation. The director of music in here at that time went to building after here, but he was just an excellent individual. And then I also had the pleasure of watching the students go wild when Floyd Mayweather came here and spoke to the students trying to inspire them of the importance of an education and things like that. He excited them that way. But, it's a pleasure to have done this for the Grand Rapids Public

021Schools. It's we feel honored that uh, and her offices and your offices of the Board of Education accepted the fact that we wanted to partner with you and continue to offer our way of trying to what you might say help our community be just a little bit better than what it already is. It's a great community. Your board works with all kinds of countries who have students who have come here from other countries. Uh, I think when uh superintendent Robbie, Dr. Robbie, took over, there were some like 80 different countries represented in the student body of of this school system. And that's just an amazing an amazing thing. And to keep those individuals understanding the country that they've joined it was a pleasure to give a dictionary that has as uh, Nanette uh, said more

022than just a dictionary. And this book it has a gazetteer in the back of it. And I'll just read some of the things that are in the gazetteer. And it's a it's a civics lesson in the back of it. And one of the things that's going to come up this year is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. And that's in this book. And it gives you a uh, reference and the students are referenced long after that. And there'll be numerous things that'll come over the what you might say that's news about the Constitution being signed later and put into practice and so forth. So, it's a lot of information for your students plus an awful lot about the states. And and uh it gives them things like they might like to look at.

023When did the union go from 47 to 48 states? Well, when Arizona came into the United States. When did it go into 49 and 50? They can look that and they'll see that it was with Alaska, the 49th, and Hawaii, the 50th state. So, I mean, it gives them a frame of reference to sort of help their ship as they learn a lot Well, a lot of things from the wonderful board that you will provide and the wonderful thing that your faculties have provided over the years to these students in Grand Rapids. And it's a nice reference book, and it has all that in here besides the periodic table, which all of you know, that's all the elements in there added and there's some that have been added since then, but but we have been

024honored to do this. And uh as uh your supervisor of curriculum mentioned, we've been doing it for 19 years, and that's over 26,000 dictionaries that we've provided third graders in the Grand Rapids public school system. And I think that's a nice track record, and I think I even though my cohort, Tom Fitzgerald, who's president of our club now, wasn't able to join us or maybe was intimidated by the long stairs and things like that. I think he's coming. I think Tom is coming maybe now. You made it. But that that's a bit of an intimidation. It's a little different than the normal Yeah. the normal uh auditorium over at Franklin campus. Hi, Tom. Hi. This is our president, Tom Fitzgerald. Welcome. >> [applause] >> I have Well, he's he's also celebrating as you know last

025year we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the ending of World War II and you allowed us to give all your teachers and everything. You may have remembered the brochure that came through last year with uh John Pileman and and John Pileman was a B-50 B-24 pilot or navigator actually in in that war. He since has passed away. He was 100 years old. But Tom Fitzgerald is part of that group in the Golden K which we call our dinosaurs because they're all over 90. >> [laughter] >> And Tom's over 90 and I'll let him say a few words. Thank you, Peter. Uh I just want to say that uh I this is a course the first year I did anything with the dictionaries and I went to one of the schools and we had two third

026grades to give the dictionaries to. And I never saw any students who were more happy than those third graders when they got their dictionaries. And uh then the lady that was helping me gave her some gave them some pages to look at and they looked at them and and used them for what they were. Like one of them was sign language. You know, and they you could see them there. All of the sudden So, uh we're happy to do this every year if that we can and uh we know they're going to good use. Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks. Colleagues, is there any questions or comments? Thank you for the work you do. And think and the one thing I do want to say I just as I just said to our scholars is,

027you know, we you you come to have a a better appreciation as you get older for history and this is such a great gift for our third graders to to have all of this civics you know, in the back of it, right? So, it it shares a or or or serves a double purpose and so we really appreciate it and thank you so much for the long-standing partnership with URPS. We appreciate it. >> Thank you for allowing us to do it. >> Absolutely. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Yes, thank you, Randy. All right, thank you to Kiwanis once again. Um next we are moving on to our scholar representative reports. Um so, we will start with Ms. Martinez Ayon. Thank you. Thank you. All right, and then Mr. Beasley. Uh I got

028to attend the um African-American male conference, which was a good conference last Friday. Seniors, make sure you're applying for scholarships. That's coming up soon. That's all I got for tonight. All right, thank you both so much. Next, we are moving to our secretary's report, Trustee Kilpatrick. Yeah, happy to share. So, we have a finance committee meeting happening on March 23rd uh at 4:30 at GRPS University. And that's uh at 1400 Fuller, if you didn't already know. And then our next ad hoc facilities committee committee meeting is scheduled for April 13th at 5:00, uh and that will be back at the district office um at the library building, room 112. And that's the secretary's report. All right, thank you. Um committee chair reports is next on the agenda. We're going to start with finance committee, Treasurer

029Moreno. Do you have anything to share with Um I I know the kind of hot topic from our finance uh that you'll see in our purchasing agendas is the instructional um the instructional section. I know there was a lot of questions, but I did send y'all some notes around it. Um I'm going to try to stay consistent and be on top of sending you kind of those big topics we chat about uh in advance um so there's not hopefully not a lot of discussion. Um but those were the kind of hot topic. All right, thank you. And then uh ad hoc facilities, do you have a report for us today, Trustee Yes, thank you, Mr. President. Um so, today we had a great discussion about um a more in-depth discussion about our summer projects as

030we move those along. Um really uh I mean, you know, a list of a lot of great projects at Chavez, Dickinson, Kent Hills, the Northeast Elementary, Ottawa Hills, Ken-O-Sha, and then also some other district playground projects as we go through the first round on a lot of our bond projects. Um Yeah, and things are I mean I think the overall all report is things are moving along at and ahead of schedule and within budget and the district team's working really hard along with the contractors to get those done. So, that's wonderful. And then we also had a really I think valuable discussion about the the value of a sinking fund for the district. Obviously, a lot of our bond projects are deferred maintenance and things that the districts needed to do, but as we continue,

031you know, those those bond dollars aren't going to solve accomplish everything. So, the use of the sinking fund as we move forward into the future of the district, you know, the estimated revenue from that each year would be able to help us continue to work towards that and and fill much of that need. So, a lot of value with the sinking fund. And then finally, we discussed as we consider some of these properties of their next best use that no longer have schools inside of them. Really good thorough discussion among committee members around what criteria we'd like to see when we start looking to what those next properties are going to be. So, we look forward to continuing to work with the district team on that and then hopefully have some more information for the

032whole board in the future. All right, thank you. Is there any questions or comments on either update? Sorry, I forgot to say that for Treasurer Moreno. All right, seeing none, we are going to move into the superintendent's report. President Rodriguez and members of the board, Dr. Roby has one report tonight. So, as a result, I'd like to call Chief Area Instructional Leader Bridget Cheney and Mrs. Stephanie Andrews to come forward to provide a GRPS Foundation update, please. Good evening, Dr. Loveley Mitchell, President Rodriguez, distinguished members of the board. I am here alone as you will see. Uh Stephanie had something that came up and was not able to join us. So, I still wanted to take the opportunity to remind everyone, if you have not already seen it, that Mind Share is coming up. I

033know it seems like a long ways away, but it is not. May 7th is the date. So, we are excited about that and it will be held at GRPS University on May 7th. If you have not already, anybody here or behind us in the audience, uh purchased your ticket, you are more than welcome to do so. The GRPSF website has the the link on it. And then the other thing we wanted to be able to report out tonight is the progress that's being made for the Teacher Innovation Funds through the Foundation and also the Teresa Weatherall Neal Principal's Fund. In the thick of those right now, teachers and principals were asked, invited to send in a proposal or a request uh to be granted some some funds through the Foundation to accomplish something either in

034their classroom or for the school. So, we are in the midst of that season right now and at the next report, I know Stephanie will have lots to share out. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. All right, that brings us to our public comment portion. Um and I'm realizing it was all of this was so quick. Um, if you do have any cards to submit, please do so to our executive assistant, Ms. Anderson. Otherwise, she's bringing some more. Thank you. Um, we will be keeping it at a 3-minute time limit for public comment. We didn't quite hit that threshold, so we've we've got the full 3 minutes this evening. Thank you. And we're going to have Secretary Kilpatrick read us into public comment. All right. Welcome again, everyone. Um, if

035you are making a public comment tonight, we ask that speakers refrain from making any disrespectful or abusive statements. If you do have a complaint regarding a board member, an employee, a volunteer within the district, um, you can utilize an appropriate process outlined in our board policy 9450 for that. Uh, you will be invited to address the board coming up to this podium that you see down uh, near the auditorium stairs seats, rather. Um, 3 minutes as mentioned, and when you do come up to speak, please state your full name so that we can get that in the official minutes. And then just a reminder, if this is your first time joining us for public comment, we do not engage in dialogue. We will sit up here and listen to your comment and then make sure

036that it is followed up with appropriately. Um, and also just want to make mention that public speaking is a brave act, so thank you for being here tonight to share your comments. Thank you. Thank you, Secretary Kilpatrick. So, we've got 3 minutes on the clock. And we've got our first scholar to speak is Aruna Aruna Korai. I hope I'm saying that correctly. And then Marley Kier is on deck. >> Is it on? It's not on. Luke is on his way. Thank you, Luke. Would you like to come up closer to us, Rooney? You could come up to this table and speak. Until we get that figured out. Yeah. Welcome. Great job. Good evening, Dr. Love, Lady Mitchell, and board trustees. I'm Aruna Kura and I go to City High Middle School. I'm a GRPS student

037athlete. I've been playing soccer since I was about 2 years old. Through this sport, I've made so many fun memories, found something I love doing, and made lots of friends. In fact, when I moved to Grand Rapids during the pandemic, I didn't really know anyone. Joining a soccer team and playing soccer helped me cultivate a lot of my friendships that I have today. Besides that, I I getting outside and running around at practices and games after sitting at school for 7 hours. Another thing I love about soccer is that magical feeling of scoring a goal. However, soccer isn't fun if you barely get to play, which brings me to my next point. When I heard that we would only have one team and almost 30 girls were signed up for soccer, I was very disappointed

038because I realized that we would barely have any playing time in the games. This would not be the only consequence. Adequate playing time is necessary if we want to practice our skills and get better at soccer. I think the size of a team is important not only so that players like me can grow in their skills and enjoy the game, but also so that less experienced players can be passed to more, score goals, not feel overshadowed by more experienced players, and not feel like a burden to the team. I hope to play for Union in high school. In order to achieve this, I would need plenty of coaching and playing time in 7th and 8th grade. Being able to have two teams would allow for all of this to happen. Finally, I would like to

039point out that the boys soccer team in the fall had two teams. It would be unfair to us if we don't have the same benefits of two teams. Please reconsider the decision to downsize girls soccer. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right. Marley. And then we've got Sarah Corryell-Deck. Hi. My name is Marley Kurt. I'm the 7th grade student class president at City High Middle School. My main sport is basketball, but I played soccer at City last year. And I personally find it unjust that we may have one team per school for all sports, especially because it's the end of the year and you're just starting this now. So, why? Last year, when I played on the girls soccer team, we all had an equal amount of playing time. Think about how much

040that playing time will be cut down with so many girls. This also Um This This also makes it inequitable to coaches. They have to watch over about 30 athletes. Statistically statistically speaking, City is made up of 57% girls and 43% boys. So, if there are more girls than boys at City, why would it be fair if the boys have two teams and the girls have one? We deserve better. So, please tell me how you plan to change this. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you. All right, Sarah Karai and Shanika Washington on deck. Good evening, Dr. Love-Lady Mitchell and Board Trustees. My name is Sarah Karai and I am a middle school parent and a voter. I also enthusiastically participate in the Turkey Trot each year, which raises hundreds of thousands of dollars

041for GRPS Athletics. The GRPS school The GRPS website poses the question, "Why participate in athletics?" It says, "As a district, we believe that participation in athletic programs is essential for scholars to develop teamwork and self-discipline while building self-confidence, skills that help prepare scholars for the real world." We strive to provide an environment where our scholars are encouraged to learn new skills, dedicated to practicing those skills and rewarded for their hard work. Athletics allow scholars to build positive relationships with their peers by learning sportsmanship and competition. And I couldn't agree with this more. Furthermore, the Reimagined GR with us strategic plan sets clear goals of increasing student empowerment, belonging, and agency, and meeting holistic student needs. You state clearly, "It is our respons- responsibility to acknowledge and support our students emotional, behavioral, mental, and physical health.

042You set an objective to increase student engagement and influence. Another theme, ensure equitable access and outcomes. You state, "While our students do not have the same needs and interests, they must all have equitable learning experiences and opportunities that lead to success." And the final theme that is relevant is create a culture of trust, collaboration, and stewardship. Your objective is to ensure open, responsive, and transparent practices. There is simply no way the decision to abruptly slash the budget for middle school athletics, resulting in the elimination of some sports and the downsizing of a girl's sport, is consistent with your stated goals in your strategic plan. Providing fewer fewer athletic opportunities for middle schoolers does not support their mental and physical health, and does not increase their empowerment or sense of belonging. Targeting girls soccer, while promoting

043providing the boys with adequate coaching staff, does not ensure equitable access to opportunities that lead to success, or reward our girls for their hard work. Slashing middle school sports behind closed doors without collaborating with families or even coaches erode what little trust we have in the administration and the school board. If you wonder why families feel cynical about GRPS, this is why. The first girl's soccer game is on April 13th. The good news is, you still have time to fix this. Thank you. Thank [applause] you. Thank you. Shaniqua Washington on deck. Jane Niemann. Hello, my name is Shaniqua Washington, and I am here again urging that you guys again look into the auto hill sports. Specifically the girls as we ended the season with one and 22. We won one game and it's not that

044we don't have the athletes and that our girls are not good enough. Again, I'm urging that you look into the finances. Why do we have a DJ at two games every week? Yet we're begging on the internet to feed our children because we don't have money to provide food for our kids for a banquet. Also the fact that our girls don't even have a banquet listed yet. Uh the boys is already planned but when I questioned when is the girls banquet going to be is we have to wait until the winter sports are over. I'm not understanding why we have to wait but the boys don't. Again, I'm just asking that we look into the sports and start making changes as the parents are making changes. We have six of our girls who have tried

045out for AAU coming up for the spring. We have three of those six girls who are also doing my double training. We also have other girls who are doing other sports. So, we're making changes as parents. We're trying hard to make sure that our kids have the adequate needs for their sports and we're begging that you guys look and make changes and see why we again hired coaches that have never coached a day before in their life over coaches who are already employed with GRPS who have won championships and have held undefeated teams. Yet those people were overlooked for people who have never coached a day before in their life. Again, our kids were split up and we're begging that again this is looked into. I've tried reaching out to several people. Um I've tried

046reaching out to Larry Johnson. I've also tried reaching out to the superintendent without any phone calls back. Um Larry Johnson agreed that our children are not as good as the other players and that's why we're not winning because parents aren't doing enough and our kids just simply aren't that great. And again, our children are being told that they are not that great, which is not acceptable because I personally believe that we have some of the best students here in GRPS and that we should be speaking life into our children and not speaking down on our kids and telling them that they're not as good as the others when we know our children are the best because we have the best here at GRPS. So again, I'm urging you guys to look into that department and

047make some changes for our children because our girls deserve the best and our parents are doing our part and it's time that you guys do your part and make sure our girls have the best this next up and coming season. You guys have a great day. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right, Jane Niemann and then we've got Celeste Reitsma on deck. Good evening. Dr. Love Lady Mitchell, members of the board, you know me. I am Jane Niemann, vice president of GREA, teacher at Union High School and former varsity volleyball coach for 7 years at Union High School. I have coached middle school, freshman, JV, and varsity volleyball for many years. And I was originally going to talk about a different topic, but I'm going to take a minute and a half right

048now to reiterate what is I had just heard and speak to you from the perspective of someone who has coached and had three successful freshman through varsity teams, who has moved her team up from last place in their conference to fourth, and also has had academic All American teams as part of my volleyball teams at Union High School and have won uh coach of the of the year awards and team of the year awards from this district. And I can tell you that there is an inequity between girls sports and boys sports. There is an inequity in coaching pay right now. According to appendix C, soccer coaches do not make as much as other coaches do Neither they volleyball coaches. This was something I brought up in bargaining and I firmly believe that we need

049to take another look in our next negotiation with the pay for coaches. We eliminated Dr. Johnson's position as Chief of Athletic Director. Where are those funds being distributed to if they are still available? And if not, do we need to pay athletic directors six figures when we need to pay our coaches more and provide uh perhaps snacks or other opportunities for another team for our middle school girls? Competition is important at any level. It brings out those athletes who have the potential to lead and competition we learn things in competition that we don't learn in practice. And it is very important that we have equity in our district. We lose a lot of good families and students to other districts because their athletic programs are stronger and I think that is something that needs to

050be looked at by this board and this administration moving forward. The other thing I would like to speak to you about and I only have a minute to do it so I'm going to make it fast is board policy 6100. As you know, we had 18 months of recent negotiations and we're coming back to the table everybody in 9 months. My request on behalf of the contract campaign committee and the educated and professional certified staff of GREA is that you amend board policy 6100 to eliminate the words outside consultants because I can tell you the reason that our negotiations take longer and are somewhat painful to say the least and that might be short changing a little is because we have a lawyer as the chief negotia- negotiator for the district instead of an educator.

051I would rather sit across the table from Dr. Love-Lady Mitchell or someone else in this district who has been in the classroom, who is an educator, and who knows our students in our district. A lawyer does not know those things. They do not know our kids, they do not know our district, and they do not know the jobs. So, I respectfully request that you consider amending that policy 6100. Thank Thank you. Celeste Reitsma uh Mark Margaret Kearney on deck. Thank you for hearing me today. Um I just wanted to first state that I had no idea what was going on with the middle school sports. And I'm I'm very embarrassed to not know about it, and my heart is with them. I stand with them. I think it is important to have equity amongst all

052of our students. Um yeah, that said, um I guess I'm going to go on to uh the topic of co-op co-ops and sports. And um about few A few months ago, I spoke with Mr. Harris. I think he's an AD or assistant AD at Union. And um he explained the logistics and budgets for boy or men's volleyball. And he said with the logistics and budget challenges, they would not be able to provide this support or this sport. Um so, I wanted to bring to the attention that Kenowa Hills is ready to co-op with GRPS. They need players, and we have players that want to play. And um he's ready to go. Uh the athletic director there, he said that he would uh fast-track this. And um so, I didn't know what this was until last

053Friday. And um I I called, I left a voicemail, I wrote many emails. I haven't heard back. Um and in my pursuit, I sought my community for support, and then I learned from other parents that they have attempted a co-op when the sport wasn't available in GRPS. And so, um with that, I I just wanted to bring that to your attention that there have been roadblocks. Um Kenowa Hills, I think last year, wanted to co-op with GRPS for hockey, and uh because we wouldn't do that, GRPS wouldn't, um uh Kenowa Hills uh had to cancel their program because they didn't have enough players. We had plenty of talent here in GRPS, but um just not the go-ahead to to do so. And anyways, uh Oh, I know it How do I Okay. Uh I know

054that uh in every facet of our lives, we are constantly asked uh to do more with less. None of us are free from this, um but our neighbors, Kenowa Hills, has offered to swiftly move it forward with a co-op, and I feel that we're doing a disservice to our community by not taking their offer. Um our kids want so badly Uh we have an after-school volleyball club where boys show up, and I took a poll today of who would opt in for this co-op, and we had like four or five kids were like, "I'm I'm down. I'm down." And so, yeah, I'm here for them, um to speak for them, and if we can somehow get through to Mr. Johnson about the co-op, that would be great. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Margaret

055Kierny, Kierny, and then Amelia McKee on deck. Good evening. My name is Margaret Kierny, and I'm a parent of three GRPS students, including a daughter who played middle school soccer in the spring last spring, and intends to play this spring. I'm also a GRPS graduate, and was a student athlete who played for the Central High Lady Rams. When I was in middle school, sports were not available like they are now, and from what we're hearing tonight, I don't think anyone can disagree with the premise that middle school sports opportunities provide an avalanche of benefits to our GRPS community. I am here tonight because I believe that this board has a direct responsibility to be engaged in this decision, not to defer to administration. And I want to explain why. The facts as provided to us

056are straightforward. City Middle fielded two boys soccer teams in fall 2024 and fall 2025. No cut. City Middle fielded two girls soccer teams in spring 2025. This spring, girls are being cut to one team. The district's own communications describe this as a similar adjustment to boys soccer. With respect, that is factually incorrect. Boys soccer was not cut. Girls soccer was. This is not simply an administrative decision. This is a potential Title IX violation. Title IX requires that female athletes receive equivalent opportunities to male athletes. When a district reduces girls teams while maintaining boys teams at the same level and cites budget and resource constraints that apparently did not apply to boys, that disparity is exactly what Title IX was designed to prevent. This is why the board must be engaged. I understand that the board

057generally defers to administration on operational matters, and that is appropriate most of the time. But Title IX compliance is a legal obligation of the district and ultimately of this board. If GRPS is found to be in violation, it is not the athletic coordinator who is accountable to the Department of Education. It is the district, and it is this board. On February 24th, I requested a meeting with the athletic coordinator. On March 4th, I requested relevant information from GRPS about the disparate treatment for girls and boys soccer. I have not received a response to either request. Tonight, I am asking the board to first, direct staff to provide answers to the specific questions in my email of March 4 before the spring soccer season begins. Two, confirm on the record that middle school sport cuts were

058reviewed for Title IX compliance before the decision was made. Three, require that any reduction in girls athletic opportunities be accompanied by a written equity analysis going forward. The board sets policy. The board is accountable for legal compliance. This is exactly the kind of situation where board oversight is not just appropriate, it is required. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] Amelia. Um, next time, look for the yellow card you're a scholar, correct? Next time, look for the yellow card so we can call you up first, okay? Sound good? Um, and then Keith Milanowski is on deck. Are there other scholars who filled out a white card who are intending to speak? Okay, thank you. Hello and good evening. I'm Amelia McKee and I'm a seventh grade student at City High Middle. I'm here to acknowledge and discuss

059City having one team for sports. As an athlete for City, this concerns me, especially for my upcoming favorite sport, girls soccer. According to the City Highlights, City girls soccer sport will have one team. This aggravates me because why start now? Why did this have to start with City girls soccer? Now, I have Now, now I have gathered from email correspondence with the middle school athletic director, Mr. Brody Larson, that the reason we are having one team is financially motivated. Costs include paying the coaches, officials, and transportation. I understand this, but no matter what, money will always be a problem. Guess what? It has not stopped you before from improving children's well-being. Having one team will not improve anyone's well-being. Having one team is driving people away. Having one team is just going to ultimately downgrade

060everyone's experience on the team. From my point of view, there are two ways this can go. One, there are multiple cuts made and athletes who are interested in the sport are robbed of the opportunity. Two, the team's extremely large and people on the team are having very little play time. In this scenario, people who are serious about the sport will have to be brought down by people who take who do not take the sport seriously. Thank you very much. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. >> [applause] >> All right, Keith Milanowski and then Jennifer Milanowski on deck. All right. >> [clears throat] >> Excuse me. Hi, my name is Keith Milanowski. I'm a proud GRPs parent. In the past four seasons, I've had the privilege to coach the middle school of soccer team for

061both the boys and the girls in our GRPs. I'm here to talk to you tonight about the decision to limit schools to field more than one team in a particular season. I compare this decision to one of my teams losing a playoff game. How much it hurts when my team loses a playoff game, just the loss itself. But, I'm also saddened by the fact that my team doesn't get to advance to play more, the opportunity to play more games. That's exactly what this decision is doing. It's taking away my opportunity for us to advance. This after this decision is likely going to have long-lasting ramifications not only for today's players in this season, but well into their high school their high school careers. I urge you to rethink this decision and bring back sports and

062bring back the school's ability to field more than one team and bring back sports like bowling, softball, and baseball. And I just want to leave with one word, and it's opportunity. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Jennifer Milanowski, Monica Rainey on deck. Good evening. My name is Jennifer Milanowski, and I am here to three current or former GRPS students who participated in the in the middle and high school sports. I'm here to urge you to reconsider your decision to scale back or eliminate sports in the middle school. The disparity in resources for our sports programs compared to suburban districts is already a reason for people to choose alternatives to GRPS. I fear that eliminating opportunities for middle school sports will further push families out of the district, while also

063putting high school athletes at a competitive disadvantage, as they will not have the additional training middle school can provide. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Monica, and then Jesse Emdin Hill on deck. All right, sorry about that. Hi, I'm Monica Rainey, um a parent of two GRPS scholars. I just wanted to speak tonight in support of the proposal being spearheaded by the West Grand organization to turn the closed Stocking Elementary School into a vibrant community hub. Stocking had the reputation of a thriving neighborhood school, so it only makes sense to return it to a space that once again would be community focused and serve the population that lives in the surrounding area. The variety of programs and services that would potentially be offered there would serve all sectors of the population and provide a

064place in the center of the neighborhood to bring families, seniors, and students together to the benefit of the community as a whole. I also wasn't planning to speak on the middle school sports situation, but hearing all the public comment about this, I don't think it's something that we can afford to wait on moving forward with. Um the Title IX implications alone make this a very, very serious situation, um and I hope that the board will take some time to discuss this and see what they can do moving forward. Thank you so much. Have a great night. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Jessie Emdin Hill, Kristen Freeland is on deck. Hello. My name is Jessie. Um recently, um my oldest daughter has started to be thinking about middle school. Um she went to the GRPS Expo,

065and it was a really exciting to see her um start, you know, asking questions at different pavilions. Um but one of the questions she was asking was what are we going to wait to be my sports options? All right, an athletic absent pigeon. She loves sports currently. She just finished the GRPS elementary basketball. Um one of the best at her ability. At recess, she's out playing sports all the whole time. She was one of the few girls that have done the elementary football. Um and so I know this is a big passion for her, and I'm really disappointed to learn that some of the options we heard about may no longer be even accurate um from the expo. And what's even more frustrating is I had to hear about it from a friend who has

066a current middle schooler. This was not um this news that cutbacks was not shared widely, um including it was also not um upper elementary students who are currently making middle school decisions next year were not told. Um but cutting sports was in general, especially girls sports, um for middle school is a huge disappointment. Um girls who play sports have higher confidence. They have lower rates of depression and anxiety. They have better grades, higher graduation rates, enhanced leadership skills. They say 94% of 94% of women in CC leadership positions played sports as a kid. They They are healthier. They have improved fitness. One study found that 60% There's a 60% reduction reduction of breast cancer reduction for girls who play sports. However, in middle school, girls are twice as likely to quit sports due to reasons

067from fear of judgment, lack of confidence, discomfort with their body changes during puberty. So, we should not though have lack of access be another reason that someone may quit sports. My daughter could not make it tonight, but she did send me with a quote that said Sadie said not to cut sports. So, and I will go out to say that I know in fact what she would really want is her biggest passion of the sports is flag football and she would like that added maybe possibly what we were saying with a co-op. She would just love the opportunity that I know for girls flag football. And finally, I know that budgets are tough, but I think everyone would have found this to be an easier pill to swallow if we saw some cuts on the

068top as well and not just for students that are losing what they like most. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Kristen Freeland and then Kim Baron on deck. Hello. Oh. Hi, I'm Kristen Freeland. I am the founder of a local nonprofit here in Grand Rapids that's called Kids Park Bloom. We work with neighbors to create community garden gardens and educational spaces that bring people together, but most importantly, I am a mom of two GRPS scholars. I'm here tonight to express my support for the proposal to repurpose the former Stocking Elementary building into a community center neighborhood hub led by Westside Non-Profit Partners. I think we all know schools are often the heart of a neighborhood and when they close communities lose more than a building. Um they lose a place where people

069gather, connect, and support one another. Um this proposal is being developed for the Stocking site that offers an opportunity to bring that sense of purpose back. Instead of an empty building, the space could become a hub where families can access services, young people find mentorship and learning opportunities, and neighbors come together in ways that strengthen the community. Um organizations like ours hope to contribute by creating gardens and outdoor learning spaces that connect people with food, nature, and each other. Um what is especially encouraging is that many community members are already expressing support for this vision. People across Grand Rapids care about seeing this space serve families again. I respectfully encourage the board to support moving this proposal forward. The Stocking building is a public asset and it's and this proposal offers a chance to put

070it back to work for the people that was meant to serve. Thanks. Thank you. Kim Barron followed by Allison McKee. Good evening, Board of Education and Dr. Leadrienne Mitchell. My name is Kim Barron. I am a GRPS parent and I was a student athlete growing up. I'm here tonight to share concerns with the community um about the recent decisions to reduce the athletic offerings at the middle school level. I'm concerned because I believe this will deter students from attending GRPS and that this decision was made without parent or student input. Um I want to talk about the Eureka report again. The Eureka report lists the goals of the project which include making GRPS a choice making the district a choice for students and the suggested project measures include increased enrollment, increased scholar retention, and scholar

071and parent satisfaction. And then moving down into the reimagining GRPS with scholars section of the report, it lists what the scholars asked the scholars what do they most like about their school and in that list of nine things included playing sports. Um and when asked the when the um I guess the interviewers asked the scholars if they could wave a magic wand to create the um best school possible, there were 15 things that they listed and one of those 15 included organized sports and adding additional extracurricular activities. Um the recommendations at the end of the Eureka report include implementing communication plans ahead of transitions to ensure physical, social, emotional well-being and a recommendation to adopt a a collaborative problem-solving framework to co-develop action plans related to the dominant themes in the report, one of which

072is ensuring that scholars have access to resources and supports required for success. I want this district to be a desirable district that offers really great opportunities for all of our students and our middle school sports are really popular. Some school sport some of the school sports were drawing enough students to field two and three teams in a single season. City, Burton, Southwest um particularly girls soccer in the recent years have each of those schools have had up to three teams in the spring. Um Most of our scholars do not have access to club sports like some of our surrounding districts due to cost and transportation limitations. So, extracurricular activities and and athletic opportunities um that we know support future success, they have to come from our school district. Decreasing funding to middle school sports um

073will likely have a negative impact on participation, skill development, that will impact high school sports down the road. It'll decrease enrollment and retention for our scholar athletes. All of this contradicts what was named as a priority in the Eureka report. Please rethink this decision to cut funding to resources that directly improve the lives of our scholars and rather look for savings in places where there is less direct scholar impact. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Next we've got Allison McKee and Mark McKee on deck. Hello. My name is Allison McKee and I'm a parent of two students at GRPS, a seventh grader and a fifth grader. And first as a not so gentle reminder, Dr. Robey has reiterated to me that GRPS policy is for staff to respond to emails within two days.

074First I want to highlight some numbers. GRPS recently spent 1.5 million on improvements for Briggs Field and 5.1 million on improvements for Houseman Field. The K-8 K-8 athletic program received an estimated 400,000 from the GRPS Foundation this year. There were multiple schools this year that sponsored more than one team for a sport. Now I want to share some personal a personal experience with middle school athletics. It's especially ironic that this conversation is happening the day after International Women's Day. Last year for my daughter's first year in middle school, she was able to participate in multiple middle school sports. Prior to sixth grade, she had been focused primarily on soccer. So, we were surprised when she signed up for sideline cheer for boys basketball. We attended all of her games and were happy to see her

075thoroughly enjoying this new experience. When winter came, she decided again to sign up for something new and went out for basketball for the first time when she joined the sixth grade CFE team. In the spring, she played soccer on the 6-7 team and had a blast playing with the older girls and playing against the eighth grade city team in the semi-finals. When speaking to other families about GRPS, our daughter's experience with athletics was something that I brought up often. I spoke about how we were impressed with the coaches' dedication to the students and to the sport. I also reiterated how it was great that she got to experience the opportunity to try sports that she had never played before in a welcoming and comfortable environment with friends from her school. She made connections and bonded

076with girls that she didn't know previously and gained confidence in herself athletically. She wasn't the only one who benefited from this. It was during those games that I got to meet the families of the girls that I had been hearing about from my daughter. Phone numbers were exchanged with parents and it allowed me to build a community at a new school. I learned that unlike last year, and unlike the other middle school sports of the year, girls soccer would only allow one team per school. I was surprised and disappointed and emailed both the city athletic director and the middle school athletic director. I received a response from the city's and it was said that it was due to budget cuts and with the team this large, it would most likely result in less playing time

077for the players. I have yet to get a response from the middle school athletic director. I ask that you please reconsider this change in policy as it negatively affects our scholars and halts any momentum that GRPS athletics has made within the past two years. That's time. Thank you. Mark McKee and then Martha Johnson. Good evening. Thank you for having all of us here. Um my name is Mark McKee. I have two kids with GRPS as well. Um first off as another student said, you know, if it's decided to be one team whether you add a whole bunch of kids onto that team or just end up having to cut a bunch of kids, it it does a disservice either way. You're either leaving a bunch of kids out that aren't allowed to play or you

078have a team with way too many kids that it's just not going to work out in a positive way for them. Um I also spent a lot of time today looking at the GRPR GRPS website. Um you see the reimagined GRPS with us telling us about the $305 million that are being invested to improve schools and enhance programming. Also on the website is the GRPS vision for athletics. Grand Rapids Public Schools will create educational opportunities and experiences through athletics that will enhance scholar achievement, scholar development, and school culture. Why participate in athletics on the GRPS website? As a district, we believe that the participation in athletic programs is essential for scholars to develop teamwork and self-discipline while building self-confidence skills that help prepare scholars for the real world. We strive to provide an environment where

079our scholars are encouraged to learn new skills, dedicated to practicing those skills, and rewarded for their hard work. Athletics allows scholars to build positive relationships with their peers by learning sportsmanship. That sounds really great. It matches up with a lot of other things I found online coming from the National Institute of Health. Team sports are highly important in public schools offering comprehensive benefits that span physical health, academic performance, and emotional development. It helps support academic and cognitive boost, social and emotional development, health and lifestyle habits, inclusivity and community, and behavioral benefits. I read and look at all of that and then I'd ask myself and a question for you all, why are we reimagining GRPS athletics with less student athletes? Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right. Close us out. All right, just

080wanted to show off some of my athletic skills there and shimmying across. Oh, we're starting already. All right. You're speaking. >> Um hello, I'm Marta Johnson. Uh thank you for allowing me to close our out our public comment. Um to all the girls here, I want to say uh organizing for equal access to soccer is actually my organizing origin story in the second grade. If you want any ideas, supports, or tips, I'm now a professional organizer uh for climate, but also would be happy to help you uh continue to build power and was able to overturn the policy that did not allow girls to play soccer when I was in second grade by getting my whole school to sign a petition and uh building power through relational organizing. So, um I I think thank you.

081Uh but I want to just reiterate how crucial it is to follow up on the Title IX concerns. Um I think all this also points to a lot of the concerns that many of us have been raising for years related to the Eureka Group report um which means which basically point to the the need for inclusion and transparency. I think we all deserve to understand how we got here, um to understand the discrepancies between schools, between genders, between um all of this uh and how decisions are actually being made. Um I also want to uplift Celeste. You are a baddie and uh we need you to continue to be a an advocate and organizer. Um thank you so much for going above and beyond for our students. That's uh incredible and she's an asset. I

082hope uh the board and uh district leadership uh partner with her um and others to to find creative solutions. I think what's been so frustrating as a parent who's been advocating and organizing and having hundreds and hundreds of one-on-one conversations with folks is how challenging it is to come and speak up and try to find solutions, organize for me bike buses, organize all sorts of things and to have it go nowhere, to have meeting requests, to have partnership requests go unanswered. That remains a a constant and chronic issue in this district and I hope you address this. I want to address a few questions that I've lifted up before and want to continue to be able to to ask for your leadership on this. One is budget transparency. I think we were uh told and

083informed we just don't understand budgets. Um so I would like to ask the district and uh Trustee Moreno, please lead on uh having publicly accessible trainings on how our school budget is made um so that we can better understand. I think I'd also like to see early transparency on the proposed budgets that are happening um so that we can have an opportunity to engage and see how we're prioritized. Additionally, the Eureka report points out that these things always seem to happen in in closed doors, budget decisions. All of a sudden we have cuts that are mostly impacting students, but we have not had any answers yet on executive directors, what they do, and how we can better right-size the the executive uh structure so that we can make sure we're prioritizing students. I also want

084to reiterate that Jane's request to make sure that we change that board policy to allow for better contract negotiations is also a crucial thing for all of you to be considering. Thank you so much and I am done. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right, that concludes our public comment portion. Next, we're moving on to our agenda or our action item, excuse me, for the day. Um and we just have the purchasing agenda. Um colleagues, is there any questions or comments on the purchasing agenda? I just want to thank Trustee Moreno, Treasurer Moreno, for getting back to the board with the with the response to the questions that we had. So, thank you for all of that. And thank you for asking. I I still I just need to put out that

085in I the process of bringing forth 2.4 million dollars for curriculum, I still have to decline to vote yes. I have to vote no because it needs to be a more public um it needs to be publicly displayed how the process happened to get us from the curriculum multiple choices that are out there to where we are. And by no means does the board make the decision, but it's just to me there still has to be the process pre- presented in a public way before I can say yes to any curriculum. So, I just want to publicly um state my hope that we can shift so that we have maybe a policy in place that requires that exposure to what's happening so that all of us who are in charge of approving curricula can say

086that we've spent 2.4 million dollars in a way that aligns all of the things that we work for every day. Thank you, Sarah. Thank you for those comments. Go ahead. Sarah, did I hear you say that you'll be interested in a policy that calls for us to have more transparency in how we how curriculums are chosen like for a for the public? Yeah, because I think it happened. I think there is a process that was followed and there is an internal instructional leadership team. I think there was some piloting happening, but I'm only hearing that. I don't know for sure. None of it has been presented to us. So, the decision to go from all of the curricula to the one that we have the policy I'm sorry the Michigan schools asked requires that the

087board can see the connection between curricula and graduation requirements and state standards and without any presentation I can't vote yes on that. I can't say that it is. Yes, so yeah just to clarify trustee Melton are you asking you're not necessarily asking for a new policy you're just asking that the work that's been done by the district leadership team be presented. Sure and and because it's it hasn't been in a while and I've been asked this is the fourth year different curricula have come up and I've said the same thing. I think maybe it just needs to go into a policy which doesn't happen right now, but I just need to make public that as a board member I cannot say yes on something that does not been presented to me fully. And I hear

088you know of course there is so much that happens with you know that that we have we we hire folks to to take care of right as operational procedure, but I also hear the you know, we always should have healthy curiosity right and to know hey you know could I could I be presented this because it is a huge ask. Yeah, I would say more than curiosity it's a responsibility that you see that there is an alignment and it is not our job to make that decision, but it is the job to ensure that that happens. That's literally the language that's used for us. Absolutely. I I do not disagree with that point. And I hear you and I I think we can all work to to get better in that area um of inquiry.

089So. That was something that the academic achievement committee used to present, right? Like they used to present kind of those processes regularly and things. Um and we had talked you all had talked about that recently, right? Like restarting that committee. >> Um so I do wonder if that that'll be a space in the future. Yeah, but that's potentially. For 5 years, you know, we >> Right. down the road. Yeah, absolutely. huge ask in this time where we have new leadership coming on, where we have um all sorts of cuts being made. So I'm wondering about the timing of it. Um in in both of those ways in addition to just the process. Is there any and I guess I'll refer this to you as well, Dr. Lovett. Is there a uh a plan to review

090this um cuz I know the academic achievement committee doesn't meet as regularly as we we did in the past. I think the cadence is a little different. So it was a board decision to disband the academic achievement meeting and I think it was um committee and I think it was because we were um trying to really focus in on our global ends. And in living that out for about what, a year or so, I think we learned that the absence of that committee um hurt some of the flow of information or communication. Our first academic achievement meeting is actually March 30, if I'm remembering correctly, where we certainly can bring that up and there are a series of topics that we have planned. And so what I'll make sure you have in Dr. Roby's next

091publication is a forecasting of some of those topics. And we certainly did talk about um updates and the processes that we engaged that was inclusive of end users and pilots and things like that. So, yes, we can do that and I'll make sure the full board gets the forecasting of topics. The other thing that we did during the academic achievement meeting is kind of try to negotiate what the topics were that you know, we had a menu of things but also said what else might you want to hear and so that was added in. So, yes. And so well, you know, I'll just ask the question. Is is there any other Uh and I I know that there was an email that went out for more clarification for trustee Moreno and and other folks involved

092in this decision but is there is there any other folks who are um who would need more information to to make a decision or can we move forward with this? I guess I'm just I hear your concerns. Yeah, I guess so I'm I'm I guess I would formally make a motion to remove the three points on our purchasing agenda that relate to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Am I saying that correctly? In reading purchases. And that could be the way that people say whether they're interested in that or not. So, I I cannot hear you. >> that impact scholars? >> So, I guess I'm making a formal motion. >> I was before you make that motion, sorry. And yeah, trustee trustee Williams said she can't hear you down there. So, I know these are a little hard.

093I guess what yeah, what would be the the considerations to to understand around this decision or stalling of this decision? I didn't hear what Sarah said. She's asking to remove the items from the purchasing agenda that pertain to curriculum. Just so that we can have a presentation. >> want to add some information. Every time we delay a decision about securing materials and or resources, The potential implication is a delay of the materials and or the access landing in the district. Do I know specifically the route of the particular things? I do not. Do I understand um wanting to understand the processes and protocols? I do. And yet um that is that there are implications to pushing this back. Sure. Yeah. So And I think what we have I I like to open that part of

094it for you is not ours. It is for the district to do that and bring it to us. And that um they are the ones who have the educational expertise specifically around this. And we have also charged them to do the research, to do the background, and bring forth the best options for us. So I think when That's better. sit and say um that um your your work it almost like we're paying your work to how valuable you've been doing this more versus if indeed um we had financed quite a while ago, then that could have been brought forward more immediate to the point that those questions and things could be unpacked and give you answers in advance. But to continue to stall work that we need to forward and budget when we are talking

095about money, um time is money, and those different ways do cost us money. And I I do urge us to um there has to be a level of trust to be able to allow the district to do these uh uh research with regards to the curriculum that they are bringing forth. Now, if we have found that there is a failing there, I think that's different, and I think that should be spoke to specifically. But if we have not found that, then there should be an element of trust with regards to what the staff bring forth. Yeah. I'm glad you clarified that. So I am not at all suggesting that anything is wrong, just that it hasn't been presented at all. So, there is nothing at all that I'm mistrusting or questioning about the decision, but

096the process for um what I'm suggesting is that the process for school boards would be to have presented the process that they went through, what the input from those involved in the pilots were, and then what they decided. So, that kind of procedure would be pretty normal to present to us. We do have a uh work session coming up in 2 weeks. If that helps anybody, but on my end, I just I'm asking for it to be pulled out. You guys do not have to agree. It's just something I keep asking for. Yeah, uh yes, sir, uh Trustee Melton. I don't disagree that a present a more formalized presentation, like to create a policy or procedure for us. I I fully agree, like we didn't have that at finance at the level I thought we

097would, which is why we had posed those questions via email. So, what I hear you say is to create that opportunity and process. So, to what Dr. Love-Lady Mitchell is saying now, like can we agree that we have enough information now in hopes to put processes forward? No, is what you >> I do not have enough information. >> Yeah, and I think that that is one of the um frustrations that I get coming from things like this with the board. We didn't ask for that. And so, now we're we're saying to the district, have something we didn't ask for in 2 weeks, and you we're delaying um purchases that because of something we never asked for in a process that we don't have. I I bet you >> have But, that's that has happened before.

098When we had academic achievement, we've had these presentations around curriculum during academic achievement. And so, >> is the I don't remember having a large curriculum purchased since academic achievement. Yeah, I know Mr. Atkins presented at one point on an attendance approach and there have been other times where we've done SEL purchases and we were told there's an instructional team with a rubric and so we've been asking for that just to sort of be presented to us. But again, No, I'm not trying to pressure anyone else to make this decision. Sarah, you asking and the board asking is two different things. I just want to clarify that. The board hasn't said this. Like you might have uplifted it, but if us as a board hasn't made it clear that's our expectation and it's not fair to

099the people doing the work. And Well, hopefully it's not extra work. It would just be that I'm asking for it to be So, I'm just going to I'm going to call the question and and let us if you would like to make a motion, you surely can. If there's a second, we can move forward in that process. If not, then it's done there. You cut off conversation and I think I I I am I think the points have been made for I will say that unnecessarily. These comments are are a voice so I think it is appropriate to leave some room for them to get their thoughts out and put it on the record and the way we have done this in the past is to allow people to speak freely and if we're going

100to change that process, then we need to establish a formal change of process. But if not, then it's only fair to be to continue with what has been in place, which is allow people to speak and it sound like this way has the board chair. So, I am the board chair and I can decide. I mean, You can decide that I can't speak. I Yes, I can. I'm the board chair. But if if you have more to say, I we can continue the conversation. I do control the meeting and if I want to decide that we're going to put it to a vote, we're going to put it to a vote, but go ahead. Well, I have I take exception with that because it comes to a vote when the board puts a motion, someone

101puts a motion on the floor. It is not just simply at the direction of the clerk. And you do control the flow, but however, if you have not put restrictions in place on how many times you can speak about the topic, it shouldn't take place in real time. That's not fair and that has not allowed people to actually prepare for that type of change. So, all I'm asking is if No, and Yes. Just like we ask we say to the public, we're going to give you advance notice about a change about the time, you should do the same with your colleagues. Oh, absolutely. Yep, and I'm and I'm respecting that and VP White, if you'd like to continue, you may. But, I I think again, I I thought we had everything we had to say

102done, but my mistake. You may continue. I'm all set. All set? Trustee Melton, would you like to make a motion? No, I'm fine. Um I make a motion to remove the three points uh from the purchasing agenda on curricula in order for us to have time to have the process presented uh to arrive at this curriculum. Do I have a second? All right, that motion fails. Is there any other discussion on the purchasing agenda before we vote? Move that we put forward the purchasing agenda as is. Do I have a second? Second. All right, all those in favor say I. I. >> I. Any opposed? No. I mean, I got you. All right, that motion passes. Next, we've got the consent agenda grouping. Um folks, is there any uh conversation, questions, or comments on the

103consent agenda? I move that we accept the consent agenda hearing no objection. All right. Seconded. Second. Let me wait. Hang on. Yep. Sorry. Okay. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The motion passes. So, next we've got uh board president announcements. Um The only announcement I have today is uh we've got um Dr. Barrage, who is doing Dr. Stephanie Barrage, [music] who is doing our um board retreat work. She'll be reaching out to you individually to discuss um just, you know, some some thoughts she's got moving into the into the training on March 28th. Um other than that, I think that's all I've got for you all. Um She So, Dr. Roby is going to send you an email. She is just getting back um When is she back? Tomorrow? Wednesday. And then

104she'll send an email to connect you all. Yep. Um and that's all I've got. So, superintendent comments. Um No comments. No comments. All right. Um now we will move to board member comments. Secretary Kilpatrick, will you read the list? Yeah, and I think I will get to go first. All right. All right. Perfect. >> [laughter] >> So, um I I guess I want to just um make note publicly of what I'm hearing this evening that uh pertains to our board work and just personal commitments in my own seat as a board member. But, I'm hearing that um you know, some board members may bring a concern forward and then it doesn't get followed up upon. And I I'd like to get really clear on how we are able to bring forward a concern or a

105priority and have it taken seriously and sincerely because I'm hearing that if one person doesn't that does it that that's not necessarily enough and I understand building consensus and so how are we going to commit to building consensus and bringing forward those ideas and concerns in a way that they are brought to fruition or or importance. Um I'm Oh gosh. Yeah, I I I love the idea of a publicly accessible budget conversation. I love the creative solutions being offered by some of our public commenters. Thank you for that. I also my heart is broken that we're not providing opportunities for our middle school athletics in ways that I think that it should be. So I think we as a board should look into that Title IX violation implication and also just get really clear on

106why it is that we are why this cut is happening and be able to communicate that clearly and if we can't then I don't see why we're cutting sports for especially our middle school. Um scholars. Um And then I think lastly on the topic of our board retreat coming up, I did send an email to the board asking if we're going to do these again, I would really love that we forecast that out in a way that everyone can be in attendance. Thank you. Is somebody not going to be in attendance? I'll ask that. Yep. Um next we've got Trustee Mountain. Um I guess I'll just comment on and making sure that I'm really clear about why I'm asking for transparency on things like our budget and expenditures on curricula and it is absolutely because

107I want to support the decisions of our district. I am not at at all trying to question them. Some of the things that are really important to our community that they've spoken about though is that the processes that we use are elevated in such a way that people can see them and engage in them. Um so I will keep you know, asking for more transparency for the things that we do as a board that really are essential work, vision casting, curricula approval, um direction setting. Like those are just essential policy setting. Um and so for us to make sure we have time to do those really important things is essential to me and I'll keep advocating for them in awkward ways sometimes. Thank you. Uh trustee Moreno. Um I uh when I was entering the

108building today I got to walk in with uh Ashley who is one of the award winners today and her family and it was just like the most darling moment of my day because they were lost and they didn't know where to go. Um but uh I was able to talk to the parent in Spanish and it just kind of continues to like remind me uh how we like make this space more accessible because I could see mom recording the moment and we didn't say anything in Spanish and so I just want to make sure that we're being as cognizant as we can uh for our other families who maybe don't speak English. Um and then the other thing uh sports and clubs uh you know, when I that was my favorite part of school um

109and so I hear our scholars and our families coming uh and like uplifting that need and so definitely want to continue exploring that conversation. Uh I'm a little bummed that um Stephanie wasn't here from the foundation so I look forward to a future presentation to figure out where some of that conversation can continue to ensure that we create those third spaces for our for our kiddos uh and and their families. Uh that's where community happens outside of school and I know what that meant for me and I'm sure you know hearing our our scholars talk about that what means for them. I just want to uplift some of the grief in our community. I've been spending a lot of time. I feel fortunate to spend a lot of time with the Johnson family Daequan Johnson

110and to be with his family has just been something special and heartbreaking and you know our community is grieving for another black man to be murdered so you know I just want to uplift him in our space together. Um Yeah, that's all I have. Thank you. Um next we are going with Trustee Van Dyke. Thank you. Um I thought ahead of this meeting about what I wanted to say because this was my first closing comment as as a board member and so just a couple of things thanks especially to the students who came and gave public comments tonight. I know Trustee Williamson and I were were really impressed particularly with a couple of them and I'm just really it's always so wonderful to hear students come and advocate for themselves. Um I also want to

111uplift on our consent agenda there was a note that there was a resolution for March is reading month and I've been able to sign up for a couple of special reader slots across the district and I hope you know that you know my my board colleagues can do the same and community members as well. A lot of the school Facebook pages have have links where you can go and sign up for those things and that's it's just a fun and easy way to bring some of your some of your favorite books in in front of our scholars and then I just wanted to share to say thank you to a couple of the teachers that that made it so I ended up here. In particular Barb Musil who was my third grade teacher um Sue

112Garza, who was my first and favorite librarian, um Mr. Kevin De Bree, who was my high school science teacher, um Doctors Donna Henderson King and Danielle De Muth, um who were super influential for me when I was at Grand Valley, um Doctors Jenna Watley Neal, Robin Miller, and Sajay Harrell at MSU, um the staff at West Elementary and particularly Sibley and Cesar Chavez Elementary, which are the three GRPS or the two GRPS schools where I spent the most time working. Um I'm just really grateful for them um in this space. Thanks. Thank you. Uh next we've got VP Wade. I want to thank the scholars that came out today to advocate for themselves and their peers, and also their parents. I want to um say a congratulations to the uh scholars who presented today, and

113um I just want to uplift the concern I have about the um consistent um silencing of black women's voices on this board. Several times I've felt that my contributions um have been interrupted, minimized, and not meaningfully engaged with, and um that's all I have. Thank you. Uh next we've got Trustee Williams. I just want to say thanks to everyone for coming out and being with us. We appreciate you uh taking time from your schedule to be with us and share your thoughts and concerns. Uh congratulations to those scholars who won uh for their work with regards to the Declaration of Independence. Um I am hopeful as we are in this year of uh 250 and we are seeing all of these growing pains, that we um choose to grow together, um and not uh allow

114the divisions that we see out here in our um wider community to impact how we uh serve the families and students of Little Rock Public Schools. Thank you. >> [clears throat] >> Trustee Williamson. Thank you. Um so, I want to give special recognition to uh the students who did the uh History of Our Shire competition, Payton, Gabrielle, and Ashley. Um largely cuz I think there's I just want to recognize the value of the study of history and and what it does for us. Not only understanding the stories and the facts and what happened, but also just the the practice of inquiry and the practice of historical understanding and research. Um and that spirit's really guided me personally through my life, through my career. Um history, if you don't know, I'm a big history nerd and

115that plays a big role in my life, but just that that spirit of inquiry. And I want to uplift that cuz I do think we always walk kind of a fine line as board members between um you know, what is when is when are we inquiring about appropriate things and when are we digging too deeply and and getting into things that our wonderful district staff across the board are doing. Um but I don't want that spirit of inquiry to ever be diminished in our roles. And I I want to be challenged on this, but I I I I struggle to think of what questions or what what wonderings we could have as board members and as a whole board that aren't relevant. Um that can't help uh guide this district as we uh do do

116that vision setting and and leading into the future. So, I just think that spirit of inquiry is very valuable and I I hope my other colleagues value it in the same way that I do. I know that you all do, but I think it's worth uplifting. So, thank you. All right. And so, I'll close this out and just say um yeah, congrats to our scholars who um placed uh first, second, and third, and honorable mention. Um, like I said, you know, history is is important. Knowing our history and and also understanding how we choose to move forward with that knowledge. Um, to echo something that Trustee Moreno said, I also got to spend um the weekend with Angelica Daequan Johnson's mother in Kalamazoo. Um, and she is a powerful woman. Um, and I'm just grateful

117to her and her leadership through such a hard time for that family. Um, you know, I hope that our community can wrap our our arms around her as she seeks justice. Um, and it's just something that I don't think any of us would ever fathom, you know, going through. Um, and then finally, um yeah, it is, you know, Women's History Month. It was International Women's Day. I do also sense the irony of, you know, some of our girl sports, especially even on the uh national and international stage with the Olympics, uh with women's basketball, right? So, there's so many things going on with women's sports, and I think what we need to do right now is uplift women's sports, um middle school sports, high school sports, um because our girls are watching. And so, I

118think that really is important, and so I hope that we can meet the moment um as we're tasked with this uh with this issue. So, if there is nothing else to be said, we are adjourned for the evening. Thank you, everyone. What did you What did you learn?