BOE Meeting 2/9/2026 Spanish

001Good evening everyone. Good night. Good night. Welcome. Today is Monday, February 9, 2026. The Great Rapiz Public Schools Board of Education is about to begin. We greatly appreciate your presence today with the Grand Rap Public Schools Board of Education. We kindly ask that you please silence your phones, refrain from making audible comments, and refrain from applauding during the meeting. If you need to make a comment, please fill out the cards at the entrance; you can place the completed card in the ones we have provided. We're going to tell you what time you need to be on our side to make comments, and we're going to give you up to 3 minutes, 103 minutes maximum. Let's begin. calling the list. Secretary Kill Patrick will do it for us. Very good. Trusty Bullcheck here. Trusty Melton is

002not present today. Moreno here. Vice President Williams. Jess Williamson present and President Rodriguez here. Great, the next step is to approve our program. Today we have some discussion on this point. I want to mention that it says we have our meeting from the agenda from the 13th to the 17th, which includes session 16, and that is an area in which we need to have discussion because it is the discussion of the application. I do n't know if we want to put it in the consent section or not. The discussion will take place here in the open, but it is to approve the process on which we will have a process. Any other questions? So, I have a motion to approve our program today. We have a motion, we have support. Who are in favor? Does

003anyone guess? The motion passes. They were the trusty Williams and Williamson of Bullshek. Thank you. We will begin our meeting today with a closed session. Secretary, if you wish, please call for a closed session. Very good. I request that the board be allowed to hold a closed meeting to discuss a legal opinion that is exempt from point 13 of freedom of information. This is regarding the act of open meetings. Does anyone support us? We have support. Very good. So, let's call them one by one. Tricul C. Trical Patrick C. Trusty Melton, Treasurer Moreno, Vice President Wade, TR Williams, Jess Williamson, and President Rodriguez, yes. Very good. So, let's have a closed session and approve the motion. Those are really clear directions. Hi, my name's Aaron Shadow. I'm the principal at CA Frost Environmental Science Academy

004and Blanford School. Kids are really fun. They're really amazing. They have interesting quirky views on the world. They had the best questions. I had so many teachers and adults who really poured into me, always saw the best in me and supported me. Originally, I thought I wanted to go to law school realizing that so much had been invested in me and it was time for me to do something with everything that had been invested in me. I was a teach for America core member in Detroit hot second and third graders and then I moved to Brooklyn New York where I spent the next 10 years teaching every grade K through 3 and then moving into administrative rule. CA Frost and Blanford have an environmental science theme focus on getting the kids outdoors and learning and

005appreciating nature in our natural world. So many schools think that we either value the outdoors and play or we value academics. And actually they're very much connected having a family of my own. I really wanted my son to have some of the core memories that I got to have growing up here. Michigan's a really special place and I'm really excited to live here again. Doing the syllables in then. I want them to have a sense that they are seen for who they are, that they're appreciated for who they are, that they can be themselves, and that they belong here. Do you see what the mistake is in that one? We have really high expectations for them because we believe in them. The most important job in a school is being a teacher. Everything that you

006do as a leader needs to be around thinking how do I help my teachers be set up for success and do their jobs really well. We want to make sure that any kid who comes to this school is going to be successful and be able to make choices in their life when they leave us. It's a privilege to have this role and to be able to work with our community kids. I love coming to work every day. It's great. Looking for a way to get ahead and have a blast this summer. Sign up today for Ignite Summer Learning at GRPS. This is the ultimate summer experience where kids explore, learn, play, and grow together. From hands-on classroom learning to real world experiences at places like the Kids Food Basket Farm and West Michigan Center for

007Arts and Technology. This sixweek program is designed for scholars kindergarten through eight grade. Ignite your child's love for learning this summer. Sign up today at grps.org/summer. My favorite thing about CA Frost is the fact that it's so small. Everything is a tool and everything is super useful that I've learned here at Frost. It has done so much for me because I've been in a space where I can be myself. I've done so many cool things here at Frost. I started two businesses frosty coffee. We had like regular customers. We had ice coffee, hot coffee that class taught me the most about like running a business and just life because we had to work with students that I'd never interacted with. Math professor is one of my roots that I would go. I would also love

008to keep going with the horse's business. That has been super fun. I have so much art just around my life. It would be really cool to go to school for art. I never thought that I could be a 4.0 student and being here it's been able to push me to be able to do that. I'm very excited to graduate and I'm very sad. cuz I like this place so much. My name is Birth class of 2026 at CA middle High School. like 200 people I We are here at City High Middle School to honor the state band teacher of Mr. Matthew Paul Mary and I have Senior J who is one of his band students. What makes Mr. Paul Mary such a special teacher in class? He's very energetic. I can really feel the passion

009he has for the band. If I have an issue with my instrument, I'll come to him. He'll help me out. You have a teacher who not only loves his craft, but cares about his students and makes sure that he gives you tips. Should we go surprise him? Yes. All right, let's go. We have a coffee mug for you as well as a $50 gift card to Lucy's which is a restaurant right across the street. Thank you so much for the work that you do. We continue to lift you up and are so glad that you have made GRPS your choice. Congratulations. Hi, I'm Dan Moris and I'm principal at North Park Monasore and Wellwood early childhood center. Nice. School can be such a sanctuary for young people. I know it was certainly for me somewhere

010that I've always felt like I belonged and I want to make sure that all of our scholars here at North Park feel that way. My mom graduated from Union 1969. She taught at the SH Park oral def program for about 30 years. I graduate high school 2006. Same year my mom retired. Attended Central Michigan University and returned in 2011. Social studies my first year at Creston High School. Taught at Innovation Central High School for about seven or eight years, three years as assistant principal at Green Rapids Monasory. This is absolutely home for me. So my wife is also an educator. She teaches at Ottawa Hills High School. We live a few minutes from there. My daughter's 2 and a half and she certainly will be a grand public school student as well. I went through

011a Montasory school since I was 3 through sixth grade before attending city high. I really fell in love with education when I got to select what I was studying. And I want to give those same opportunities that I was given and that I was able to have within my schools to the scholars that we serve now today. I hope that they can see my smiling face, can see my enthusiasm for the day each morning. I like to greet them outside the cafeteria doors, making sure that everyone is going to have a good morning here at North Park, whether it's myself or our future leaders that we are truly pushing for an inclusive but rigorous environment for our scholars. A place where people can come together to learn high quality education and just feel comfortable being

012themselves. I am blessed to work with just fantastic staff here and work with fantastic families that support the school because you know it's cliché to say that it takes a village to raise a child but the more experience I have within education the more I understand why that became a cliché because it is so true. I think we're just very blessed here to have that village truly wrapping their arms around Scars here in North Park. I 've been at Gis Mon K1 career. I had a very busy high school with JRTC being vice president for student council being a head for be nice and dual enrollment. It's preparing me very well for the future. The handson work has driven me to have a stronger ethic work outside of school and uh has influenced the way

013I am as a person. It's been great. It's been a fun year. Uh fun little era of my life that I'm ready to kind of close and step out into a new one. I do want to go to college. I'm not sure where at the moment. I want to be a zoologist, but I've connected a lot with the faculty and a lot of the people here. Thank you for making me and making me a better version of myself every year. I am Matthew Beer, classic 2026 at Grab Monory. I don't like my face. We are in a great place of Hills to build to restore pride. My football journey has been very important to me, very impactful in my life, and it's made me who I am today. I ended up playing 78 for Hills

014in the Eh grade. Came to AT, played a couple games of JV and then got moved up to Bar as a freshman and uh never looked back from there. Football was everything for me. It changed my life in high school. Graduating from Ottawa, going to play college football for a year. When I came home, the first thing I did was partner with my defensive coordinator from high school. He became the head coach of CR. Then I ended up coming back to Ottawa know coach R for a few years bounced around a little bit after that. It was a very overwhelming feeling when they told me that they wanted me to become the football coach here. It's a dream, a passion, a desire for mine to help these young men in our community. I tell everybody

015the same thing. Do you want to play for me? I've got a spot for you. We hope to run an up tempo fast pace offense let make plays. You know, we want to put our kids in positions to succeed. It's going to be tough. It's going to be difficult, but as long as you put the effort in, I'm going to put the effort in for you as well. There's studies out that showing a great football program drives your academics. I think a lot of our kids want to be part of something. We have to develop a foundation and a culture here that kids want to be a part of. I have longterm relationships with my high school coaches. Those are the types of relationships I want to establish here with the kids that play underneath.

016It's not an overnight process that we think about. We're thinking about long term, not the short term. It's a culture change that's happening here. It's changing the face of what we do. Like when you look at us, you want to see Hills. I want to get started. I want to get going. I'm eager. I'm excited to get the process rolling. I am James Jones, the head football coach, the Oliver Hills Boss. Okay. and then Those are really clear directions. Hi, my name's Aaron Shadow. I'm the principal at CA Frost Environmental Science Academy and Blanford School. Kids are really fun. They're really amazing. They have interesting quirky views on the world. They had the best questions. I had so many teachers and adults who really poured into me, always saw the best in me and supported

017me. Originally, I thought I wanted to go to law school realizing that so much had been invested in me and it was time for me to do something with everything that had been invested in me. I was a teach for America core member in Detroit, hot, second and third graders. And then I moved to Brooklyn, New York where I spent the next 10 years teaching every grade K through 3 and then moving into administrative rule. C Frost and Blanford have an environmental science theme focus on getting the kids outdoors and learning and appreciating nature in our natural world. So many schools think that we either value the outdoors and play or we value academics. And actually they're very much connected having a family of my own. I really wanted my son to have some of

018the core memories that I got to have growing up here. Michigan's a really special place and I'm really excited to live here again. Doing the syllables in then. I want them to have a sense that they are seen for who they are, that they're appreciated for who they are. that they can be themselves and that they belong here. Do you see what the mistake is in that one? We have really high expectations for them because we believe in them. The most important job in a school is being a teacher. Everything that you do as a leader needs to be around thinking how do I help my teachers be set up for success and do their jobs really really well. We want to make sure that any kid who comes to this school is going to

019be successful and be able to make choices in their life when they leave us. It's a privilege to have this role and to be able to work with our community's kids. I love coming to work every day. It's great. Yes. Looking for a way to get ahead and have a blast this summer? Sign up today for Ignite Summer Learning at GRPS. This is the ultimate summer experience where kids explore, learn, play, and grow together. From hands-on classroom learning to real world experiences at places like the Kids Food Basket Farm and West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology. This sixweek program is designed for scholars kindergarten through eighth grade. Ignite your child's love for learning this summer. Sign up today at grps.org/summer. My favorite thing about CA Frost is the fact that it's so small. Everything

020is a tool and everything is super useful that I've learned here at Frost. It has done so much for me because I've been in a space where I can be myself. I've done so many cool things here at Frost. I started two businesses frosty coffee. We had like regular customers. We had ice coffee, hot coffee that class taught me the most about like running a business and just life because we had to work with students that I'd never interacted with. Math professor was one of my roots that I would go. I would also love to keep going with the horse's business. That has been super fun. I have so much art just around my life. It would be really cool to go to school for art. I never thought that I could be a 4.0

021student and being here, it's been able to push me to be able to do that. I'm very excited to graduate and I'm very sad. cuz I like this place so much. My name is Bor class of 2026 at CA Middle High School. We are here at City High Middle School to honor the state band teacher of the year, Mr. Matthew Paul Mary. And I have senior JH is one of his band students. What makes Mr. Paul Mary such a special teacher? In class, he's very energetic. I can really feel the passion he has for the band. If I have an issue with my instrument, I'll come to him. You 'll get me out. You have a teacher who not only loves his craft, but cares about his students and makes sure that he gives you

022tips. Should we go surprise him? Yes. All right, let's go. We have a coffee mug for you as well as a $50 gift card to Lucy's which is a restaurant right across the street. Thank you so much for the work that you do. We continue to lift you up and are so glad that you have made GRPS your choice. Congratulations Hi, I'm Dan Morse and I'm the principal at North Park Monasore and Wellwood Early childhood Center. Nice. School can be such a sanctuary for young people. I know it was certainly for me somewhere that I've always felt like I belonged and I wanted to make sure that all of our scholars here at North Park feel that way. My mom graduated from Union 1969. She taught at the Shaw Park oral Death program for about

02330 years. I graduated high school 2006. Same year my mom retired attended Central Michigan University and returned in 2011. Taught social studies my first year at Creston High School. Tata innovation central high school for about seven or eight years, three years as assistant principal at Green Rapids Monasory. This is absolutely home for me. So my wife is also an educator. She teaches at Ottawa Hills High School. We live a few minutes from there. My daughter's 2 and a half and she certainly will be a great public school student as well. I went through a monasory school since I was 3 through sixth grade before attending city high. I really fell in love with education when I got to select what I was studying. And I want to give those same opportunities that I was given

024and that I was able to have within my schools to the scholars that we serve now today. I hope that they can see my smiling face, can see my enthusiasm for the day. Each morning. I like to greet them outside the cafeteria doors, making sure that everyone is going to have a good morning here at North Park, whether it's myself or our future leaders, that we are truly pushing for an inclusive but rigorous environment for our scholars. A place where people can come together to learn high quality education and just feel comfortable being themselves. I am blessed to work with just fantastic staff here and work with fantastic families that support the school because you know it's cliché to say that it takes a village to raise a child but the more experience I have

025within education the more I understand why that became a cliché because it is so true. I think we're just very blessed here to have that village truly wrapping their arms around scholars here in North Park. I've been at Monosy for my entire K through 12 career. I had a very busy high school with JRTC being vice president for ST council being a head for be nice and duel enrollment. It's preparing me very well for the future. The handson work has driven me to have a stronger ethic work outside of school and uh has influenced the way I am as a person. It's been great. It's been a fun year. Uh fun little era of my life that I'm ready to kind of close and step out into a new one. I do want to go

026to college. I'm not sure where at the moment. I want to be a zoologist, but I've connected a lot with the faculty and a lot of the people here. Thank you for making me and making me a better version of myself every year. I am Matthew Beer, class of 2026 at Grab's Monory. We are in a great place of Auto Hills to build to restore pride. My football journey has been very important to me, very impactful in my life and it's made me who I am today. I ended up playing 78ers for Ottawa Hills in the eth grade. Came to Ottawa, played a couple games to JV, and then got moved up to Bar as a freshman and uh never looked back from there. Football was everything for me. It changed my life in high

027school. Graduating from Ottawa, going to play college football for a year. When I came home, the first thing I did was partner with my defensive coordinator from high school as he became the head coach of Creson. Then I ended up coming back to Ottawa, you know, coach R for a few years. Bounced around a little bit after that. It was a very overwhelming feeling when they told me that they wanted me to become the football coach here. It's a dream, a passion, a desire for mine to help these young men in our community. I tell everybody the same thing. Do you want to play for me? Got a spot for you. We hope to run an up tempo fast pace offense, let them make plays. You know, we want to put our kids in positions

028to succeed. It's going to be tough. It's going to be difficult, but as long as you put the effort in, I'm going to put the effort in for you as well. There are studies out that showing a great football program drives your academics. I think a lot of our kids want to be part of something. We have to develop a foundation and a culture here that kids want to be a part of. I have longterm relationships with my high school coaches. Those are the types of relationships I want to establish here with the kids that play under me. It's not an overnight process that we're thinking about. We're thinking about it long term, not the short term. It's a culture change that's happening here. It's changing the face of what we do. Like when you

029look at us, you want to see Hills. I want to get started. I want to get going. I'm eager. I'm excited to get the process rolling. I am James Jones, the head football coach of the OT Hills Bengles. Those are really clear directions. Hi, my name's Aaron Shadow. I'm the principal at CA Frost Environmental Science Academy and Blanford School. Kids are really fun. They're really amazing. They have interesting quirky views on the world. They had the best questions. I had so many teachers and adults who really poured into me, always saw the best in me and supported me. Originally, I thought I wanted to go to law school realizing that so much had been invested in me and it was time for me to do something with everything that had been invested in me. I

030was a teach for America core member in Detroit, hot second and third graders. And then I moved to Brooklyn, New York, where I spent the next 10 years teaching every grade K through3 and then moving into administrative rule. C Frost and Blantford have an environmental science theme focus on getting the kids outdoors and learning and appreciating nature in our natural world. So many schools think that we either value the outdoors and play or we value academics. And actually they're very much connected having a family of my own. I really wanted my son to have some of the core memories that I got to have growing up here. Michigan's a really special place and I'm really excited to live here again. Doing the syllables in then. I want them to have a sense that they are

031seen for who they are that they're appreciated for who they are. that they can be themselves and that they belong here. Do you see what the mistake is in that one? We have really high expectations for them because we believe in them. The most important job in a school is being a teacher. Everything that you do as a leader needs to be around thinking, how do I help my teachers be set up for success and do their jobs really, really well. We want to make sure that any kid who comes to this school is going to be successful and be able to make choices in their life when they leave us. It's a privilege to have this role and to be able to work with our community's kids. I love coming to work every day.

032It's great. looking for a way to get ahead and have a blast this summer. Sign up today for Ignite Summer Learning at GRPS. This is the ultimate summer experience where kids explore, learn, play, and grow together. From hands-on classroom learning to real world experiences at places like the kids Food Basket Farm and West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology. This six-week program is designed for scholars kindergarten through eth grade. Ignite your child's love for learning this summer. Sign up today at grps.org/summer. My favorite thing about CA Frost is the fact that it's so small. Everything is a tool and everything is super useful that I've learned here at Frost. It has done so much for me because I've been in a space where I can be myself. I've done so many cool things here at

033Frost. I started two businesses frosty coffee. We had like regular customers. We had ice coffee, hot coffee that class taught me the most about like running a business and just life because we had to work with students that I'd never interacted with. Math professor one of my roots that I would go. I would also love to keep going with the horse the business. That has been super fun. I have so much art just around my life. It would be really cool to go to school for art. I never thought that I could be a 4.0 student and being here it's been able to push me to be able to do that. I'm very excited to graduate and I'm very sad. cuz I like this place so much. My name is Bor, class of 2026 at

034CA Frost Middle High School. Let's go We are here at City High Middle School to honor the state band teacher of the year, Mr. Matthew Paul Mary. And I have senior JH is one of his band students. What makes Mr. Paul Mary such a special teacher? In class, he's very energetic. I can really feel the passion he has for the band. If I have an issue with my instrument, I'll come to him. You 'll help me out. You have a teacher who not only loves his craft, but cares about his students and makes sure that he gives you tips. Should we go surprise him? Yes. All right, let's go. We have a coffee mug for you as well as a $50 gift card to Lucy's which is a restaurant right across the street. Thank you

035so much for the work that you do. We continue to lift you up and are so glad that you have made GRPS your choice. Congratulations Hi, I'm Dan Morse and I'm the principal at North Park Monasore and Wellwood Early childhood Center. Nice. School can be such a sanctuary for young people. I know it was certainly for me somewhere that I've always felt like I belonged and I wanted to make sure that all of our scholars here at North Park feel that way. My mom graduated from Union 1969. She taught at the SH Park oral def program for about 30 years. I graduated high school 2006. Same year my mom retired attended Central Michigan University and returned in 2011. So social studies my first year at Creston High School. Tata Innovation Central High School for about

036seven or eight years, three years as assistant principal at Green Rapfords Monasory. This is absolutely home for me. So my wife is also an educator. She teaches at Ottawa Hills High School. We live a few minutes from there. My daughter's 2 and a half and she certainly will be a great public school student as well. I went through a Monasory school since I was 3 through sixth grade before attending city high. I really fell in love with education when I got to select what I was studying. And I want to give those same opportunities that I was given and that I was able to have within my schools to the scholars that we serve now today. I hope that they can see my smiling face, can see my enthusiasm for the day. Each morning. I

037like to greet them outside the cafeteria doors, making sure that everyone is going to have a good morning here at North Park, whether it's myself or our future leaders, that we are truly pushing for an inclusive but rigorous environment for our scholars. A place where people can come together to learn high quality education and just feel comfortable being themselves. I am blessed to work with just fantastic staff here and work with fantastic families that support the school because you know it's cliché to say that it takes a village to raise a child but the more experience I have within education the more I understand why that became a cliché because it is so true. I think we're just very blessed here to have that village truly wrapping their arms around scholars here in North Park.

038I've been at Grapis Monasory my entire K through 12 career. I had a very busy high school with JRTC being vice president for student council being a head for be nice and duel enrollment. It's preparing me very well for the future. The handson work has driven me to have a stronger ethic work outside of school and uh has influenced the way I am as a person. It's been great. It's been a fun year. Uh fun little era of my life that I'm ready to kind of close and step out into a new one. I do want to go to college. I'm not sure where at the moment. I want to be a zoologist, but I've connected a lot with the faculty and a lot of the people here. Thank you for making me and making

039me a better version of myself every year. I am Matthew Beer, class of 2026 at Grab's Monosauri. We are in a great place of Auto Hills to build to restore pride. My football journey has been very important to me, very impactful in my life and it's made me who I am today. I ended up playing 78ers for Ottawa Hills in the eth grade. Came to Ottawa, played a couple games to JV, and then got moved up to Bars as a freshman and uh never looked back from there. Football was everything for me. It changed my life in high school. Graduating from Ottawa, going to play college football for a year. When I came home, the first thing I did was partner with my defensive coordinator from high school as he became the head coach of

040Creson. Then I ended up coming back to Ottawa coach R for a few years. Bounced around a little bit after that. It was a very overwhelming feeling when they told me that they wanted me to become the football coach here. It's a dream, a passion, a desire for mine to help these young men in our community. I tell everybody the same thing. Do you want to play for me? Got a spot for you. We hope to run an up tempo fast pace offense, let them make plays. You know, we want to put our kids in positions to succeed. It's going to be tough. It's going to be difficult, but as long as you put the effort in, I'm going to put the effort in for you as well. There's studies out that showing a great

041football program drives your academics. I think a lot of our kids want to be part of something. We have to develop a foundation and a culture here that kids want to be a part of. I have longterm relationships with my high school coaches. Those are the types of relationships I want to establish here with the kids that play under me. It's not an overnight process that we're thinking about. We're thinking about the long term, not the short term. It's a culture change that's happening here. It's changing the face of what we do. Like when you look at us, you want to see Hills. I want to get started. I want to get going. I'm eager. I'm excited to get the process rolling. I am James Jones, the head football coach of the OT Hills Bingles.

042Those are really clear directions. Hi, my name's Aaron Shadow. I'm the principal at CA Frost Environmental Science Academy and Blanford School. Kids are really fun. They're really amazing. They have interesting quirky views on the world. They have the best questions. I had so many teachers and adults who really poured into me, always saw the best in me and supported me. Originally, I thought I wanted to go to law school realizing that so much had been invested in me and it was time for me to do something with everything that had been invested in me. I was a teach for America core member in Detroit, hot, second and third graders. And then I moved to Brooklyn, New York, where I spent the next 10 years teaching every grade K through 3 and then moving into administrative

043rule. C Frost and Blanford have an environmental science theme focus on getting the kids outdoors and learning and appreciating nature in our natural world. So many schools think that we either value the outdoors and Oh wow I can't I don't know where it's hard to see. Thank you so much for your patience with us while we took care of some business matters. We're going to the celebrations. I'm going to give the floor to Superintendent Roby. Good evening everyone. Let's begin our first celebration with our board members. If Mr. Aric Davis is available, please come up to the podium. Correct. Thank you all so much for this moment to share a few words. I come before you filled, filled with gratitude forever. I will be grateful for a community that has trusted me to serve in

044the same place that helped raise me. The foundation I received as a student taught me to dream big. Those same aspirations today lead me to a new adventure and a new place. Thank you for extending your grace and understanding as I make this important decision. I am very proud of what I have accomplished and what we have accomplished together as colleagues, including the historic investment made in our educators. Last year has given me a clear vision of the incredible work our district does, far beyond what I had imagined. Every day the students and staff always have high expectations and show us what is possible when support and high expectations come together. When I campaigned to sit here on the board, I said that my priorities were conscious and inclusive leadership. Superintendent Lon Roby and her

045leadership have given us all a better shape in our future. Thanks to the work being done today, it will bear fruit for future generations. Today I am leaving, but I ask that you continue to support our students, staff, and leadership. Thank you for the trust you have placed in me, the opportunity to serve the community, and this will always be my home. And I did that without crying. So thank you very much, Mr. David. If you can come here to be recognized, we would all like to have one last photo with you here, and thank you for your service. 3, two, Our next celebration. I'm going to ask Mr. Melkins to come here and he's going to talk to us about the social justice competition about Martin LK and the winners. If you can come

046here, please. Good evening, President Rodriguez, Roby Superintendent, board members. My name is Mkins, I am the executive director of the other students. I have the pleasure of introducing Antonio Mesías, she is the coordinator of the innovation and community outreach program . Thank you. Good evening, present. Rodriguez, Dr. Robin, board members. Good evening and thank you for the opportunity to celebrate our students tonight. I am Char Macías, I am the coordinator for the opportunities and innovation department of the Gran Rapez public schools department. As we celebrate our 21st year, we have taken the honor of continuing this competition and continuing to work together in the future. We want to thank the people who have brought us all the contributions. We also want to thank the museum, the Gran Raps museum school. Thank you so much for

047your generosity. We were given tickets for The Lion King, as well as an iPad, and third place also received headphones. We would like to express how impressed we are with our students for their dedication to social justice. Congratulations to our winners! First place, Lian Anderson from Northg Montes, second place, My Welch Mon, and third place, Rose World Montes. Let's listen to what our winners have to share. For me, the dream was a dream that I also wanted. He has also changed the way everyone thinks about black people. He wanted everyone to speak their minds and raise their voices and be treated equally. For me, his words are not just words, they are dreams he wanted, a dream that I still want. He wanted everyone to raise their voice. and wanted everyone to be treated equally.

048Even though his enemies didn't like his words, he still treated everyone equally. This competition has existed for over 21 years and has given everyone the skills to be able to express themselves. We have nine schools participating across the district with 183 submissions. I was quite nervous, but as I did it, it got easier. I have about 100 ideas. I didn't even know what I was going to do. I wrote an essay about privilege. These are privileges that I've been noticing more and more. Our world has many problems, but every person has the power to change them. At my age, I don't have anything wrong with me. White people have more privileges than people of other colors. When I was in third grade, we can all make a difference, and I want people to be able

049to talk about these problems and recognize them so they can be addressed. I am very proud that I was able to be a sculpture. I really paid attention to the details and I was very excited to have been able to do it. This gave me the opportunity to learn more about Markel Luther Ken. I hope they see the inspiration because even though he is no longer here, it doesn't mean his legacy is not present. I feel that I understand a lot of what he did. We want to have confidence in ourselves like my mother, learning to bake bread like my dad. I want to feel safe like my pets or like my dad when he spends time with me. We don't want to feel scared like when I see things that shouldn't be there. We

050want to be treated like everyone else, like when Tor tried to sleep in his own bed. I hope we can think about how wrong it is to treat someone differently because of the color of their skin. Because people see art that expresses this. They may think and say, "Hm, these kids are changing, why shouldn't I change?" What always amazes me is the ideas of our students. Do you think sixth-grade children don't know? But they do see, and they see deeply. This makes me want to make a change in the community. Social justice is something we cannot explain because we haven't done it, but I hope that one day we can say, Dr. Kin would like this. When students do their research you can see the work they have done, you say, this person who is

051a wonderful human being, started this movement that is still alive. If people don't learn that we have to treat others differently, we'll never see a better world. Many congratulations. This year we received 183 entries in addition to the three winners. We have about 40 honorable mentions. They received a certificate, a poster, and were recognized for their compassion and leadership. We had students participating from nine different districts. Iberde Frost Grand Rapid Montes Harrison North Park Richmore Park Riverside yuprep in celebration of Black History Month invites you to visit the Grand Rapids Public Museum where the pieces of these winners are also on display. If any of the winners are here, please stand up. I want to quickly thank our wonderful students who participated in the contest. Their creativity and effort have shone through. These posters tell

052their story, the words of integrity, compassion, and courageously serving others. This represents justice and speaking out for what is right. And it has also represented optimism and justice, fairness for all. Keep growing, keep believing in others. We are extremely proud of you and thank you very much. Thank you and congratulations again to the two students who were recognized tonight. I know our board members will do their best. so that they can go and see these exhibitions. Next up is the report from the representatives, from the students, and we're going to start with Miss Phil Patrick. I wanted to report a lot about the student leadership that I see at my school. I want to say that a couple of things will be happening this month. We have the Museum of African American History and I'm

053seeing so many of my peers raising funds so they can have memorable experiences. We're also starting our second theatre program and we're going to do a musical. The musical will be called Billus. This will be later in the year, but if you want to come and see it, I think it's going to be very, very good. Read and consult with the superintendents. We went to Kids Basket to work as volunteers. It is an organization that packs up to 10,000 lunches a day for students in the community, and this motivates us to continue doing this work even after high school. Thanks a lot. Next up is Miss Martinezon. Hello. At the moment our council is facing competition in order to raise more money. They're setting up mini coffee shops and we're raising money for our event.

054And I are super excited about the upcoming event, which also includes the superintendent's council, and we are very grateful to both of you. Next up is the secretary's report . A couple of things we want to report. February 23 at 4:30 at GRPS University. We will be having one of our next meetings, the committee meeting will be on March 9th here in Argils at 5 pm. Thank you so much. And finally, we have, or rather, I haven't given you the time by which we should have the comment cards. I expect to have them all after the directors' report. If you have any last-minute comment cards, please take them to our executive assistant so she can bring them to you. Let's look at the finance committee first. Many of the things I'm going to mention today

055are points that we'll be voting on in our agenda. I just wanted to mention that in our purchasing agenda, we have a lot of money coming from our partners. If you see them coming to the public comments, it would be good to mention it and mention consistency. The FFUN project is also on the purchasing agenda, and it will guide us in this next round. We will be tracking some of the food service dollars. We know they were going to increase. We will continue to observe them closely. I will probably email you later to hear from you what you want to see from the finance department. So please, our superintendent already knows that every two weeks he will be receiving this type of information at the state level. We will continue to raise this information. Colleagues,

056do you have any questions or comments? Very well, let's go to the Adhog committee then . It was held today. We were talking about Kenochet, the construction project we're going to have this summer. We are very excited about this. I know the team will have some updates on other projects. We also had a discussion about the community opinion sessions we held for Alexander in Stocking, and I was privileged to be able to attend two of them. I know that some of you went too, and we got a lot of information from the community. They are different as potential partners. A couple of things I want to mention are that the themes were green spaces, housing, amenities, as well as a community center or shared space. We will be accepting those requests until April 1st, which

057is when we will close. After that, we also had a discussion, a very good discussion, about some of our properties that are currently vacant, meaning they don't have a school. Some of them, we have programs in the district that don't have students there, but they are using that space, and as we move forward with these properties, whatever we're going to do with them, we want to make sure that we maintain those relationships and work collaboratively, and that's all I have. Thank you very much, colleagues. Any questions? Since we don't have any, we continue with the superintendent's report. I'm going to ask Mr. Alex Smart, the CEO of facilities and operations. He's going to give us an update on the construction. Every quarter we want him to come and give us an update on the projects

058that are happening right now and what we'll see for them in the future. I'm glad to see him introducing people. As you know, we have been very busy preparing and starting to launch these projects. If you have any questions, please let me know. We will review the answers. I was trying to gather what they had in terms of projects. Those are the projects I brought earlier, the one by Kenhills, the one by Dickenson and César Chávez. We started these projects last year. This is going to be the second summer for each project. passing to Kenhills. We are doing upgrades, electrical system, uh also heating air conditioning in Dekan also carpet. We're going to keep working on that. August 1st is the estimated date to finish that project. Everything is going well so far. Next project.

059A new elementary school. We are excited to see that they have already started working on the construction. And we see that they are working through this very cold winter at this site. We have seen that they are making progress in terms of laying the foundation; it is 80% complete. Putting on drainage brickwork. June 2027 is when we think this project will be finished. The auditorium at the school is also included. This has given me gray hairs. We want to finish everything on time. We're doing well. Regarding the schedule, the tests will also be available to check the system in April. In February, we believe, early March, we will have the construction finished, but we will have to do the tests and make adjustments. You can see that there are seats, there's a balcony, everything looks

060great. I'm excited for them to come and see what we 've accomplished so far. Then there are two more projects we have here. The Arba high school where we are right now, there are some tasks that we are doing. Let me review my notes. Initially we started with three to four projects that we began. to do it, but then we started thinking it would be better to combine these projects and start the projects at the same time. We have the project for what the high school is. We are in the renewal process, which is delayed until August. We want to have finished by August 1st. This auditorium is another component of this project. Uh, there's more delay there. We believe that we will have finished the renovation by October. We need to figure out exactly

061how it's going to turn out in terms of the schedule for these projects. Ah, and then ah, what a field for athletics. We think it will happen in the spring of the 26th to the 27th. You'll hear more from me in the future about my projects and how everything is going. It is a project that will include bathrooms for the preschool. They are going to change the floors inside the building with paint. We are going to put in recreation areas for preschool and also for kindergarten. We want to start in June 26th and hope to finish finishing, sorry, clarifying, clarifying the pre-kindergarten ages, the rules are different based on the ages and the type of equipment they can use. So it will be separate so that everyone has their own safe space to play based

062on their age. Thank you for telling me that. Now, speaking of Ken Williamson, I'll explain quite clearly what we're seeing there. This project will be within our budget. We have worked together with another team to be able to do that project based on the available budget. What we want is to submit all of this to the Finance Council this spring, and then next month we'll think about updating you further on this project. We've already started the demolition, so that's already begun. Regarding the Montessori programs, there are some budget challenges, so we are currently working to determine more possibilities, looking at the different viable options, and we will update you with more news later. That's coming. The project that makes me a little nervous, as I mentioned before, is the elevators. We have 16 elevators in

06319 buildings. We can't do all the work in one summer, so we're going to do it during the school year. That's what makes me nervous. Uh, because we need the services for those in special education, administrators. We need to ensure that everyone has access to all spaces. There is a lot of work to be done. We are ready for this task and we will accomplish it. We are planning to finish this project by August 28th. This is a mandate from the State. We need to update this system. The following is what makes everyone smile. We are talking about the recreation areas. We want to be able to do those two projects this summer. Jer Ford is in conjunction with another group, another foundation. I'm not 100% sure how the schedule is going with this project,

064but as soon as we know more we'll share it with you. I don't think I want to say much more because Trustin Williamson already gave us a very good summary. One thing I would add is that different committees are passing through the building, so we've done some patrols and we've asked for close monitoring to see who is passing through and when. There is a lot of work we still need to do on this project. We also want to have the budgets available by April 1st, 2026 for those interested. And that would be it for me at this point. Quickly. You mentioned the improvements here to the football field, track and field, and the swimming pool. I think it's going to be for all three of us in the spring. Uh, the pool won't be open

065until the fall. We're going to start in the spring and work until the spring of 2027. Uh, and the reason for that is that we need to plant grass seed. We can't afford the expense of buying grass that already comes in rolls. There are other places where we can send our teams of athletes to do their practices, no problem. Questions, comments. Thank you. Thank you so much. Very good. Then come the audience comments. Patrick's secretary is going to write down the comments. Welcome everyone. We ask that the speakers who come do not speak ill or make derogatory comments about any staff here or anyone who works with or for the school, please, one by one you can speak for 2 minutes. Please provide your full name before commenting so we can include it in the

066meeting minutes. We on the Technical Council are not going to answer or respond, but I do want to mention that we have a number of golden cards. the voices of the students and also many other people. I know very well that what many Americans fear most is public speaking. So I want to acknowledge that what you do is something of great value. We're only going to do 2 minutes. If we could ask the Lord or ask the assistant to please change it for 2 minutes. Thank you. While we wait for this, I'm going to invite the first student who comes to speak. Kchi and then Maya. Give us a minute, please. Thank you for your patience. If we have to put it on the phone, on the cell phone, is that okay? Or we can

067do it minute by minute. Keep the time in mind. Let's do 2 minutes. When we get to one minute, you know it's going to be your time. Okay, go ahead. Good night. I am a student at Siri High who wants to fight for the environment. Last year I became part of a national student group. This is a national group that is in charge of running campaigns. During the summer, we even went to the Capitol to talk about this pilot program, which is an initiative that brings schools meals with better and healthier options. This is why I believe we should bring this program to schools on Mondays where only vegetarian meals are served. our menus. We have vegetarian versions as an option, but we ask that vegetables be the main focus on Mondays and we start

068implementing a program. Yes, here at RPS. Thank you. to wolf. Following. My name is Maya Lobo. I am a senior at City High and I am also one of the climate justice activists. In our schools we always have some kind of meat. Sometimes we have chicken nuggets, sometimes we have minced meat, and these show that a pound of beef can make many more emissions into the environment. By doing this, if we make Mondays meat-free, we can maintain these goals and cut our environmental damage by up to 40%. Through this we can make teri, we can use many other options, they can be very delicious dinners that will at the same time protect the environment. Brown and then one of her Brown. My name is Camil Brown. I would like to talk about my school. I

069would like to have a shop where my parents can buy things after school. I would like to be able to have a picnic in the school area and to be able to have other things and other activities at the same school. Thank you. Then Brown. Okay, let's have the other students ready here and please say your names when you come up to her. Forward. Hi, I go to Union High School and I would like to have more active programs for students my age. I would like us to become a little more connected in the school environment. Thank you. I am Ner Brown. I want to share my certificate with you. I am the student of the month. This made me feel really good. And I'm doing things right now because it makes me feel good

070and I like feeling recognized. I want to show this certificate and I believe that difficult things can be done. I can do difficult things by working even harder in my class. I am extremely grateful for my school and for the teachers who have helped me to do things right. And we want to say thank you. Coming soon we have Mari Thompson and J Hendrix. Hello, superintendent and board members. I wanted to take this time to say that we need other programs where Black students like myself are recognized. I believe that if there were activities in which I could have represented myself, this would give me much more motivation or I would feel much more represented and welcome. Would you consider these types of programs? please. Thank you, Jay Hendrix. And then we have Les. My

071name is Hendrix. I'm going to Oro. I wish my school had a few more different things. This was going to make me feel much more confident. We have Lisa Lee and then Seth More. Good evening, I'm Lisa Le, I'm a special education teacher here in the district. I just wanted to talk about the last session. We had an update on how we are filling the vacancies, the vacancies we have at the moment. Eh 53.2 Two of these are from special education staff. 34 of our teachers, 19 and a half are from other subjects. And then we have two more who are social workers. Um, in the support staff category we have 60 vacancies and we also need a special education director. I want to reflect on these numbers for a moment because with these vacancies

072there are many services that continue. They are being completed, but our program is working, our professionals are working too hard. Recently we had to make a change and instead of removing the special education programs, we are pushing them into the classrooms. Basically, this means I have two full-time jobs, my mornings and my afternoon classes. In other words, they've been changed and now we have three different buildings that I have to serve. Fridays are the days when I have to do other types of meetings and collaborations, and all the documents I have to do about Lexia and other things. This is happening. We have buildings and all that work. Time's up. Then we have Seth Moore and then D. Jones. Hi, I'm Seth More. I am here tonight to ask you to please not renew the

073contract with Dr. Roby. It's not about personality or politics, but about leadership, urgency and demandingness. She is a boss, a CEO. This means we need to have the ability to decide when problems are serious. The board is aware of many investigations involving many of this leadership, but Dr. Roby's conduct during these situations matters. There has been a consistent failure in how trust can be restored. This is the culture that is being created under Dr. Bobby's leadership. Many have felt that they cannot speak openly and cannot voice their concerns because they feel that something bad will happen. When people can't tell the truth, there's a problem. If the house is on fire and the leadership is watching you burn, that becomes an urgent situation. What we are seeing is a delay in tolerance. This same lack

074of urgency is shown in how the district has had the different improvements. We paid for the Ubrica report and we still haven't received it. Effective leadership needs to have goals that we can count on, that are specific and that we can achieve. Otherwise, we are seeing overly broad statements and it is not clear that a solution to a problem is actually being provided at any point, although this is no longer about individual situations. The staff feel silenced. It's time. Okay. Then we have D Jones. Then comes Ned. How are you? It's Black History Day , so we want to mention all the Black people here today. First of all, I would like to say, I am very excited to be working with you here today on increasing digital equity for students. I am working with

075the Urban League and we want to be able to do some infrastructure work that really needs to happen. I am also a member of the GR Chamber of Commerce . I am part of the resources and infrastructure committee for the cameras of Gran Rapis, but I am also on the committee for taxis, taxes and regulations. Why am I telling you this? Because people don't know it, but amwei says the American way and the American way is the African American way. So I'm going to the infrastructure of the systemic problem that's affecting our community and we're having so much trouble at the chamber level. I'm also looking forward to seeing or continuing to work with you. I went to do a car show at the voice show and they were in front of me. I spoke

076with them. If they have a cooperation program, they can be in a program where they can have a traditional electronic program and they would do their first year and be paid between 55 and 75 for doing the same work that is done for the profession they want to enter. Whether that job is in Atlanta, in Houston, in Chicago, or in another state, they also pay for housing and for the job. I want to be able to help you make these changes, but I want to be paid for this because I have been giving you free education and trying to improve opportunities for students. I also want to be able to help them with this. Thank you. Marshall Booker Junior follows. Good afternoon everyone. My name is Net, I live in Aquí a la Vuelta. I'm

077here tonight to congratulate all of you and Dr. Roby as well. We know that during 2020 when we were in the COVID stage it was a very tough time. She started here with us under very difficult circumstances. I would also say that there is a very difficult ecosystem in this nation today. Dr. Roby faces that too. We are a society where we sometimes look for someone to attack, like how I see that the public schools in Grand Raps have improved under the leadership of the doctor. There are hundreds of millions of dollars that have come into our system. And the number of male students graduating has improved. I have seen that under this technical advice and leadership of the doctor, everything has been improving. Then people say, "Well, but change is slow. Uh, what we're

078going to do is, uh, we're going to cut everything, burn everything, start over. I want everyone to take a step back and see what the ecosystem of the Grand Rapids area is like. Under the difficult circumstances we're living through, the Grand Rapids schools have improved. More students are graduating, and I want to congratulate the doctor. I want you to think about the future for 5, 10, 15 minutes. Think about what you can do today to achieve what we want in the future." And that's it. Thank you. Next up is Marshall Ber Jr. Greetings to everyone. I'm Merkel Boso Jr., a citizen of Grand Rapids, and I also graduated from Grand Rapids public schools. First, I want to thank the Technical Council for their hard work and for improving our schools. I also want to congratulate

079those who won the Mart Luther King Award. To those who participated but didn't receive awards, I acknowledge you. Also, what Dr. Roby asked... I've come to support her in what she 's asked for. Thank you for what you've done for the students of Grand Rapers Public Schools. You inherited many things when you arrived here, and you continue to improve along with the technical council. So, in short, I want to support you and thank you for the support you've given to everyone who works here and to the students. Thank you very much. Next up is Federico Brown. Hello, good afternoon. Um, I'm from Grand Rapers Montessori School. I've come this afternoon to talk about renewing the one-year contract. I recognize and agree that we need stability, which the one-year contract can give us while we look

080for another superintendent. Oh, I want to talk about a salary increase. Looking at the numbers since 2020, the superintendent has had a salary increase of $4,000. With that, we could pay one or one and a half teachers. Remember that this year there was an increase in expenses, but that also had to do with those who help out here. To maintain control in the school, social workers. We continue to pay them inequitable wages. I would like to see more people receive raises, not just the person in the highest position. I would like a 3% raise for those of us who work directly with the children. Six years for the days when they close due to snow weather. After the sixth day, those of us who work here don't receive pay for the days when there are

081no classes due to the weather. Federico Brown and Jack Neman. Good afternoon, Madam Superintendent, members of the Technical Council. I have three students in different schools. First, I want to talk about the good things that are happening, but I believe there is still more to be done. My son has received an award for teaching about hope, his values, the work he has done, and it has all been worthwhile, and I am very proud of him. I am very grateful to his teachers, principals, and everyone who has worked with them. Now I want to talk about something important that we don't talk about enough for many students when they transition from high school to... Prep school is a very big transition. What I've realized is that my children need me more, and I have to be

082even more involved. I need my son to understand that if he's having trouble with a subject, he needs to reach out to the school staff and he needs to tell me too. I'm grateful to the school staff, and I appreciate that I've been able to talk to you about my concerns. I'm grateful to everyone who works with the students, for everything they do. I would like more people to talk about the positive aspects, to share positive stories about achievements, about what they see as good in schools. Thank you. Now, Jane Iman will speak, followed by Mary Bat Jokes. Good afternoon, Superintendent, members of the Technical Council. I'm Jamie Even. I'm here with the teachers' association. I want to say that this afternoon, with the Northwest area, we had a very good practice. We also talked

083about, so to speak, complaints, things we need to improve. We're looking for relationships built on trust. I realize that the two We've been able to come together, make commitments, and work together. I want to ask you to continue with her contract so she can keep working with us. I'm very grateful that you hired her. I also want to say that I hope in this coming year that we continue building this relationship and that we can see something that has more to do with the interests of the school, instead of always thinking only about the total budget. I would like us to be able to come together regarding budgets and build trust. Oh, I also want to mention that it's very difficult for us who are here because of those who have left, those who support

084us. I want to encourage you to talk to the people as a district to resolve this problem. Thank you. Mir is next. Shik Washington is next. I'm Merbeth Job. I'm here to support the consideration of extending Dr. Roby's contract, and I recommend this based on my experience as a contracts attorney who worked for the city. My husband and I have been volunteers since 1983. When we arrived, there had been a scandal with the superintendent who He was present, and in recent years there has been constantly changing leadership. The distribution, the sales, uh, what they're going to be like in terms of ownership changes. I want you to think very carefully about how you're going to do this. Ah, some have done it and are only thinking in the short term, in the long term, they

085use another strategy, but the central thing is that uh, it's something that causes chaos and it's difficult to maintain continuity with the people who work here in this district. While I understand there will be a public vote regarding the school budget, we have to think about what the leadership change this year means. And I would like to say that those who have loved us, even as volunteers, when our children were in private schools, we have always been there. Thank you. Your time is up. Washington, and then, hello, my name is Nick Washington. I am a graduate of Orillos. I am here to talk to you about sports and what is happening. We have been having situations with the Director of Athletics and the coaches who have not been taking opportunities to help these girls improve.

086We are offering opportunities for the Coaches and trainers come and train the girls at no cost. And I tell them, we understand what this means for the community and how it helps children and how they want to continue improving their grades. And for us, we've had to keep asking them over and over again. So many times we don't see a valid reason why they can't work here or why we can't have those coaches there when the parents are willing to pay themselves. Seven points. Seven points in four quarters. And our Athletic Director and the coaches are telling us, or the kids, that they've won and all, and I understand that we're not going to be able to win every game, but we can't deal with telling them that winning is everything, because before they even

087go, we're already telling them, well, if you do n't win, it's okay. And we 're also telling them, you're competing against the best. We're basically destroying them before they even step out there. We want better for our kids. We want coaches who want to come and volunteer, who do n't They are able to come. If we want to see these children earn more, we have to raise our voices. We want change. Thank you. Klin Homewood and Ground follow. Good evening, everyone. Congratulations to those in this position. My name is Helen Home, and I'm here to speak with you today about our superintendent's request for an extension. This request comes from one of the highest-paid superintendents on the contract. There are many commitments, such as the report that hasn't yet been submitted regarding the lack of

088protocols and having the lowest-paid teachers in the county. We know consistency matters, but we have to measure it against existing improvements. This district likes to mention the things they've accomplished, but not the areas where they need to improve. Fifty percent of our graduates, I believe, are still not at the grade level they need to be at. Any decision regarding the contract must prioritize change in the schools. We have to prioritize the students and the staff who are working directly with them, because our resources are not being put directly to the students as much as humanly possible. For those who thought that The salary was 220, it was 220, 234 in 2022, 294, 404 in 2024. This is an increase of $74,404 and 33.8% compared to something that started less than 6 years ago, and 600

089from 2022 to 2024. What metrics are we using for this? Graduation has increased 1.9%, but in the 6 years prior to that, there was an increase of 31.3%. We worked hard, and I was here. Thank you. Eric Brown is next, and then we have Victor Williams. Good evening. Thank you so much for letting me be here. My name is Eric Brown. I'm a longtime resident of this city. I'm a graduate . Every time I'm here, I tell you that I 'm a producer of what this system can produce. I've been able to experience a lot of life because of the things I've seen here in this district, and I'm seeing this happening again. I really appreciate the young people who were here raising Their voices, and they can raise their voices and be heard. I

090appreciate them very much. I support continuing Dr. Roby's contract for another 12 months and for whatever terms she requests. Honestly, I think it could go longer than that, because we've seen times when this school has had teachers for the first time in 15 years. We're talking about stability. Stability is important, but we also need transformation in leadership. We've had many years of neglect of our populations and the way we even allocate funding to our schools. These are historic investments. The highest graduation rates in decades, also, for the first time, standardized courses. These are all things we can measure, things that can be measured about the progress under Dr. Roby's leadership. Thank you. Okay, we have Victor Williams and then Erica. Hello, hello. I'm also a GRPS graduate, and for the people who have been here

091their whole lives, we GRPS students have seen it time and time again. Again. The problem with GRPS is the change, change, and more change, because we can't allow superintendents to stay and then whoever comes in has to start from scratch. We want everything to be perfect, and we know that everything isn't going to be perfect. We have to give people time to work through the problems. She came here during Cover, one of the most turbulent times this district has ever had. A horrible time to start a job, but she essentially stopped the Titanic from sinking into the ice. I've been here, and I've seen almost the entire administration leave at some point. They've left the district, and she's been the only one who's stayed. She came from another state, and she's improved this district and

092prevented its destruction for the first time. The numbers are good. She's perfect. No, there are things I'd like to see differently, things I'd like to see done, but I like where we are, and I'd like to see Hills and the teachers staying here. It's time. Thank you. We'll try to get her to stay longer , Erik. Then, Then Daniel Smith. Good evening, my name is Erica. I used to be a student here at GPS, and I wanted to mention a concern that was recently brought to my attention regarding mice. There are students and teachers who are worried about coming to school because of this, because there is also fecal matter throughout the school. There is a lot of fecal matter throughout the school right now . They have tried to address some of these issues,

093but this hasn't been completely resolved. I wanted to bring this to your attention, and there are young people here in the schools, and these are mice that are crawling all over their feet in the classroom. And when they open a book, when they do anything, they 'll look in a certain spot, and there it is. They have to be shown what mouse droppings look like. Don't touch it, don't do anything with it, and they have to explain this to them constantly, and they say, "We're working on it, but I don't know, nothing has really happened." Thank you." Then we have Daniel Smith, and then we have Jerry Bishop. I want to thank God that you are all well today. It's an honor to be able to hear different perspectives from the community. We are a

094very diverse city; we have a very diverse background. I want to say that I want to be in support of Dr. Ruby. And as for the board, you have important decisions to make. But you're asking me to consider that some of these decisions be based on data, but not on other things. We have a good group of people. What Dr. Ruby has asked for is a tiny thing in terms of what's around us. And I think if we want to be an example of what this city stands for, it starts with leadership. And if we don't treat our leadership well, what if we don't treat our leader well? And I also understand, and I think I can say this here. I believe that in many situations, this is treated as a black and white issue,

095and I'm really asking you to look beyond discrimination and racial issues and look at the person. This woman has This school district has done a tremendous job , even with all the barriers. We need to look at the work. Very good. And then Pastor Bishop. Good evening, and thank you so much for being here this afternoon. This presents an opportunity. I'm here to advocate for an extension of the superintendent's contract . We met a week ago, and more than a few of you spoke very favorably about our superintendent during a good evaluation. She has done a good job these last 14 months. She has seen many of us make inappropriate comments that no one— no mother, no wife, no woman—should ever have to experience. I also hope that in this final segment of her contract,

096we recognize the need for continuity so that it is not a public embarrassment to the district not to renew the superintendent's contract, which will harm the process of finding someone who can take her place. She is also representative of the district's demographics. Okay, with that, we'll finish our portion of public comments. Now we're going to move on to the action items. So, the first action item is the superintendent's contract. Colleagues, Is there any discussion on this point? In our last meeting, I mentioned something, and I want to mention it again, especially if we're thinking about salaries and such. I believe, as we've mentioned, that we 're thinking a lot about equity and have focused on this. There are other units, there's other staff who are paid less. My vote is specifically this: I want everyone

097to be able to receive their pay fairly . We have lower enrollments; we've received some money from the state, but we know and have been informed that we may not have the money to make these decisions. I'm casting my vote in that direction. Thank you. Any other comments or questions? As far as I can see, none. Now we'll see the motion to approve the superintendent's contract, as written. There's a second one approved. Very good. Let's take a roll call vote. Trustee: Yes. Secretary: Patrick Milton, no response. Treasurer: No. CPW: Yes. Trustee Williamson: Yes. Trustee Williamson: Yes. President Rodriguez: Yes. The motion passes. Now we move on to the resolution Authorizing what is West Michigan health insurance . Join that group. Anything to practice? There is no motion for approval. Approved. I support. Everyone in favor.

098Someone who is opposed. Passes the motion. Next, the agenda regarding purchases. Anything you want to discuss regarding the agenda regarding purchases today ? There is no motion to approve the purchasing agenda. I approve. I support. Everyone in favor. Someone opposed. That motion passes. Next, the adoption of the amendment for what is the general expenses fund. Any comments? No. Motion to test. I support. Okay, I support. Everyone in favor. Someone who dissents, passes this motion. Finally, the adoption of the budget for a special fund. How come there is no motion to test? I support it. Everyone in favor. Anyone dissenting? Finally, what is the agenda for the groups. Thank you, student representatives. We hope you have a nice evening. 13.1 to 17.0. Ah, approval for everyone in favor. Anyone who disagrees? This motion passes. Now we're

099going to review the approval process for the vacancies we have here on the technical council. Dr. Reb is going to explain how this process works. Good afternoon. What we want to make sure we do on the Technical Council as part of this process is to review each viable candidate. There are 20 members of the community who meet the requirements to be considered for this vacant position. It's for Trustee Art Davas, who has left this project. This position will run from February until December 2026. Since there are elections in November, his position will be open for a two- year term, which would be the end of his term in November. So, if there are more people interested in that two-year term, we have to follow that process. But for now, we're reviewing the candidates, the people

100who have already submitted their names for these positions. Everyone on the Technical Council has been given the task of... We'll see the six favorites who are considered as candidates, and there are 20 in total who applied for this position. Speaking of history, in the past, when a technical council submits its proposal, it's almost always between one and five candidates. Now, all the people who have applied for this position are listed alphabetically, and the assignment is based on that order . Then, when it's time to name the people we're going to interview, we'll talk privately with each candidate. We want to see the most positive aspects and also consider the current standards and who can meet those requirements, highlighting the most positive aspects of each candidate. I'm going to share this with everyone and give you

101a quick rundown. It has to be policy analysis, critical thinking, fun, diversity, and activity. They need to know about Grand Raps, the public schools, and understand what academic achievements are and what vocation means for students. (I'll be passing the papers around.) My recommendation, excuse me, while you're going through that... The process is, I repeat, look at the candidate you 've selected and also the order in which you've placed them, and comment on what 's positive about each candidate. Miss Anderson will be monitoring. Which six get the top six spots? Or, excuse me, Miss Patrick will be...? So, President Rodriguez is going to tell us now. For clarity, only Secretary Patrick and I have this matrix. But as we discussed the primary candidates, we'll start with number one, but we can openly discuss how many candidates

102we should interview, who has the best qualities we need here on the Technical Council. Then the secretary will fill out the matrix, and then we'll decide which candidates get the top spots. Ah, that decision will be made by the Technical Council. I have questions about what you said. So, let's think about the total votes we have for each person. Thank you for clarifying. We're going to vote as we've already assigned them a place, for example, one point, two points, and so on. Below. Based on the number we gave them, it carries that associated weight. I ask, doesn't it seem to give us room to advocate for a candidate we think would be very good for the Technical Council? And I'm also concerned that if there's any complaint or something we see as negative about a

103candidate, I do n't think there's a way to discuss it. I think the best way, the cleanest way, is to give those numbers to each candidate so they can see what position they're currently in, because then we can practice. Then, those who are in the first approved positions, we can discuss it. Everything is open for discussion, and then we'll discuss it again. We can do it like this. Secretary Patrick, I'm going to pass this sheet to you. We're going to do a round, then we'll open it up for more discussions, then, if necessary, if changes need to be made. Perhaps we might hear something that makes us change our minds about candidates, so in order. Alphabetical order. You want. Ah, very good. So, we're going to take attendance, and I want each person to tell

104me which ones are The numbers of the six people who meet the qualifications for this position. Ah, we're going to name them by their letter, not their name. Number one would be the letter P for Pablo. Thank you. Second. Then A in second place. Three. M. Thank you. Four. H. Five. B for Bravo. Six. Thank you. I want to clarify something, Patrick, to make this as consistent as possible. So, when we look at the numbers, it should be the lowest score. Your first choice received six points on our sheet. Uh, it says that number one has to be the strongest recommendation based on the number they get. Excuse me, Secretary Patrick, go ahead. It's my first, R, second, K, third, P which is fourth, M is fifth, H is sixth. Good, very good. Now then,

105Treasurer Moreno. R is my first. Repeat. R is first. O is second. M third. B for Bravo. For fourth. P for fifth and H. H is the last one, sorry. Yes, Thank you. Very good. Pepe Wito. This, oh sorry, is it B or D? It's P. The P for Pablo. Thank you. P is first. H is second. G is third. M is fourth. R is fifth. A is sixth. Five is R. Sixth is A. Going back. I have four, not six. P number one. A number two. G number three. H is four. H. Very good. Willon. Number one is P. 2 R 3 H 4 B 5 K 6 T. Can you repeat that, please? I missed a couple. Two R, 3 H 4 BK 6T. Me with those bingos. President Rodríguez 1 or 2

106R 3 K 4 M 5 B 6 P. Very good, now that we have the first round, I'm going to open it up for discussion, colleagues. Let's share the totals. I 'm still counting them. And for the level of process, my suggestion is that the people who didn't have anyone give them a rank, well, we don't have to discuss them. Okay. Very good. I'm going to go from the top of the list. I'm going to go alphabetically. A, 11 points. Bs, 1 point. G8, 17 points. H, 10. K, 10. M, 20. O, 17. P, 30. R, 23. T1. Okay. If it makes sense for us to eliminate those with one point, we're comfortable with that to give those who did vote for these candidates a chance to continue that part of the discussion. I was

107going to propose that if we can get down to 10, we can eliminate one of those two . I think we can do that. If we go with 10 and below, we already have candidates A, H, K, O, E, P. I have K with 10. I think we have M, O, P, and R. We're looking at a total of six candidates still, right? We're counting H, M, P, and R. I'd prefer if we brought the number down a bit more . I think we have some pretty high numbers here still. Maybe even discuss the 17 H. I actually have a question because I think the degree of separation— and this is just a question—is that people feel very strong, and because of the separation that we have put in place, I just wonder if this

108is something. I wonder if we have to continue moving forward. This individual, many of the candidates didn't speak up about whether they were going to be on the campaign or not. Our job is to fill this position, and the public is the one who's going to decide. We're thinking about whether they want to do the role or not. And our role is to determine who we have to put here so that the public can do their role of determining who is going to sit there. Oh, after we mention this, it also speaks to commitment and consistency. I think that with these people, they have shown the commitment to help us move forward. I have to make a correction regarding the candidate. Amen. I think we have a high number, but I feel that the way

109we presented this process is that we were going to do interviews, and it's fair that we have the interview process. Because an application and the summary are part of the story. I I don't think we need to interview them all. Maybe we'll talk to all 217 and try to narrow it down to just three or four candidates . Does that sound good to you? Again, I think these two have enough separation between them and the rest that if we were going to do it, I might look at these two because they've provided enough separation. If we didn't have someone missing, I would agree with you. We could include her. I'd like to remain a little more curious at this point. I don't know what Tressy Melton has, but yes. I think it would be good

110if we narrowed it down to the first four candidates and interviewed them. That seems like a good idea. And I'd like a little more discussion between these two, and I think the difference between them and their ability to achieve what we need, I think this is distinctly different. And I think one brings much greater value than the other . I'll take that feedback. I only want to speak positively about all the candidates. No, I'm just comparing. I'd like to vote for H. That person brings something unique to the technical council, I think. Everything we've seen presented by that person seems independent. You can tell they've put a lot of thought into it . I think that adds to the overall value of the technical council. I would also say regarding H, right, the experience, both

111with technology and the systems in relative terms, not only with the public schools in Gran Rap, but also with other systems in our area. I don't disagree with what's been said about H. I just want to draw attention to the fun. I appreciate the public's comment about representation, the dynamics, I think. Ah, for example, on the technical council we can see what O can offer. Compared to other candidates. We're only looking at the four who are in the top spots. I'm confused. What can this person bring to the technical council that the others can't? We're just talking right now, and I hope they'll talk about the whole picture, not just those two. The diversity in the other three... It exists. So, what can that person bring that P and R don't bring, don't offer? Listen

112to the question. I'd like to know—I do n't disagree with the question and where we're going with this—but I think it's an opportunity to have representation for many people of color. There are many people on the current technical council who represent those groups, and I think if we continue with what O offers in terms of education and experience, O offers that. H knows a lot about factual information, but O has more education, more studies about racial equity. But I'm saying, what makes that candidate stand out is, what attributes can they offer beyond the other candidates? Speaking again about the selection process, it says that this person understands what inclusion of all groups is. I think H is a very strong candidate. I'd also like to investigate a little more what she means by demonstrating those

113values ​​in her life experience, in her work, and honestly, everything that has to do with those people. I think for me personally, O demonstrates That's if we're only talking about H and O, and even more so if we're talking about P and R. I think demonstrating those values in life, at work, everything related to that person, is very important to me . I'd like to discuss this with Treasurer Moreno, and I'm not sure if I'm speaking clearly about what he's asking. He's shaking his head from side to side. Could you clarify the reason for the doubt? Well, I hear that a person who values ​​diversity—I've already said that we have three candidates who demonstrate that. So, what would be the difference between this person— well, this person is even more special? Point number two, demonstrates

114the values ​​of equity and inclusion. Perhaps we have different definitions of what these are, and that's why we haven't understood each other very well. Well, to clarify, there wo n't be one person who has everything we're looking for in the person who will fill this position: critical thinking, investment, inclusion, and someone who brings perspectives for... A person whose race might be a skill they possess, their knowledge of our schools, their technical expertise, a team player, someone who understands the community, who knows how to advocate, and understands what academic achievements are. So, think about it when you're selecting a person. I know you can see a person looking great, let's say, on a piece of paper, but we might get to know one person better than another. But let's think based on the criteria we have

115here in front of us, and we'll choose the best candidates. Option O is one of my choices, but I do think I want to advocate for option H, and I'm wondering if we should offer interviews to four people. So, what do you think about us interviewing four people? Let's vote to see if we approve what you're going to vote on, which is to do three or four interviews with different people. Then we'll share their names with them personally, privately, and then we'll do the interviews. I don't want people to hear their names and not be able to say, "Well, am I still interested in this position?" If someone says they no longer want the position, then we'll vote for interviews with four individuals. Oh, and if someone does n't want the position, then it would

116just be three interviews with three individuals. I listen to what CR Duchak has to say. HLP and R are making moves. We're going to invite them for an interview. There is a second one. I am second. Everyone in favor. Anyone who disagrees? Okay , that feeling has passed. The next phase will be that we will communicate, or rather, contact them personally so that they know we are going to interview them. Are we going to stick with these or are we only going to think about the first five? Okay, very good. Thank you, colleagues. in the Technical Council for doing this work. I am very grateful. I know that we came here thinking a lot and with a lot of intention. Can I ask a question to clarify the questions we'll be asking in the interviews?

117Dr. Ruby, do you think Julie is coming now with some questions that we already have? While Miss Anderson swallows the questions like the candidates we've talked to, we'll do our best to—I mean, we're going to keep this list— under our discretion. We don't want to give anyone an advantage because someone might be here to hear the questions we're going to ask while we're talking, and they might say, "No, I prefer person X over person X. " We will take all of this into account when formulating the questions we are going to ask. Now, those are just example questions, or we're not going to ask all of them. There are some questions they like more than others. They feel that they are aligned with what the criteria are. Those are going to be the questions we

118use. The dial would consist of between 8 and 10 questions. I think there are 16 questions right now, and you can choose which ones you want. I see there's a number 17 too, which is another question. Is there anything else you'd like to add? Shall we talk about it? Oh, what a good question. I do n't want to give an unfair advantage to one person, but we have to decide. Well, two things. These are sample questions. We believe they are appropriate. I would like you to review those questions first. If you think there's something missing, I would say, uh, regarding the category of finances, student achievements, community, if you feel there's something we should include, that isn't coming up in the questions. Very good, colleagues. Ah, is there anything you'd like to comment on regarding

119the questions, or do you need more time to review them? Hey, take note of the interview questions you like the most. There's one I do n't like. Number six seems quite soft to me. The other questions are more direct, they get straight to the point. One thing I want people to be able to communicate is the way it was written. I think we have other questions. also in which we can do this in a better way. I think maybe number two answers that question. No, I disagree. I see what you mean, but even though it seems like a different question, you know? Yes, I need at least one of those two. I don't know if number four is necessary. I also want to suggest that we eliminate nine. I believe that was already discussed in

120the letters they sent us. For number one, I also crossed all the others after the first question. I think we already receive a lot of information . I like the way they said it. Do you want to keep it that way? I like number nine. It's one of the ones I had circulated. I believe that in an interview that is an opportunity to answer it in a very different way. The only reason I disagree is because if there is a candidate, I expect that to be exactly what we want to see, and if not, then the candidate we would support or not is like giving them what we're asking for instead of waiting for them to bring it to us. I don't know if we want to know the answer; we have to ask the

121question, right? And I think that many times when we let the person say what they want to say, well, sometimes we don't understand where we want to go. When we ask that question, it allows us to see how the person responds, and if the person responds, we sometimes say to ourselves, "What part did you answer, what part did you not answer?" And I think that's important. I like number two too. I think it partners with six, but I think it's kind of different at the same time. I like three, I think because I also like question number two. I wonder if that perhaps eliminates the need for the question. 15. I do n't like four. I think that's something we would need to work on together. I'm already 15 and 16. Sometimes when we review

122the rules, I want to see if some of these are covered here or not. I see the board's will in some of these questions, but okay, I agree with that. Let's see in line 17, if anyone sees anything in these questions, I do n't know if you're seeing the best or if you're just wanting to. I like some of these questions, but I prefer to hear questions that are based more on evidence than not. And I'm not seeing many of these. I like it when people can tell us about a time when, and I don't see that, because when people tell us how they have dealt with a situation, instead of telling me what you would do, what you have already done tells me a lot about what you will do in the future. I

123don't see that here. Sometimes that's done as a way of being transparent. She is referring to sincerity. If I'm going to be interviewed, I'll make it up. I don't want to know about a time when something happened, but rather evidence that something like this could have happened. Tell us a time when you did A B C D. What do you think of question number 12? The second sentence. Instead of being a question, it can be a tell us about this, which also leads us to question seven. Maybe I'd like to reorganize it. I circulated number 11 because that speaks to the will of the board. What do we mean? Are we referring to the board's rules, or are we trying to limit them to just a few questions? We're at 13. We can leave it

124at 10. One. The first part of that question, two and six are combined. I did n't hear anyone talking about question three. We circled number three and also number one. And that seems fine to me, doesn't it? Alright. 1 2 3. We can delete four and six. It has been combined. 78. Doctor Roby, can you tell me the 7? For example, tell us about a time when you have and then we'll try to believe you. Number 12 is also another dinosaur about another time when you have been in terms of the skills mentioned. So, how do you feel about the number 13? I don't like 14 either. No, we already closed it. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. I have a question that I think when we talk about this, I think it's a

125space that we're missing and I think we could maybe consider adding it and maybe removing another one, but I do n't think we're missing something. But what is it about? It's about finance, not about advocacy or defense. And I think it can also be reviewed in question number 15. Does it make sense in terms of how one would deal with those situations? Juli and I, we'll work on that tomorrow. Another piece is the most important part of question 12, but I think this question doesn't allow us to learn the perspective of the honest candidate in question 12. But I don't know if we can see exactly how this is done here, you see? Perhaps instead of saying how we can ask them, explain. What are you talking about? Give an example. She's referring to the

126style they might bring here. Second sentence. It's style. What's your style? Yes, I agree. Do you agree? Those are our 10. So, we're going to make sure that I inform these four people that the interviews will then be on Wednesday, February 18th at the University of Grand Rapids Public Schools, to be consistent. I suggest that for each interview, the Technical Council should have points. They have passed on what they know about a person before each person arrives to be listening to the person who follows with clear, clean ears. Yes, let me explain. What I'm saying makes sense. Miss Anderson will give each of you a question and a space to write down your vote, or later the final sheet for the candidates of your choice, first through fourth. Any questions, comments related to that. Miss

127Anderson, can we say the names or should you continue? He said it very well. The interviews will be in person, only in person. Thank you all. Ah, we've gathered the sheets with the questions. It is not in alphabetical order. It's chance. He believes that if we put them in alphabetical order it will be easier to distinguish them, so let's put them in alphabetical order and name them. Very well, agreed. Thank you all for enduring this process, for staying with us. The finalists for the vacancy are Eric Vendike, Robert Hovenck for the position on the technical council. Congratulations to them for this step and we will conduct the interviews at the Grand Rapers Public Schools College on the date and time. Ah, as I said before. Thank you all. As we started earlier, we have 20

128applications. We reviewed very carefully his letters, his summaries. We want the public schools in Grand Rap to be the best they can be. Wednesday, February 11th, is our favorite day of the whole year. It's the day of the count. Please spread the word. Of course we want the students to be in school every day, but the count day is very important because it's about the funds we receive for our school; there will also be a little juice. Friday, Saturday 2728, uh, they are going to present their work at 2 pm, at 7 pm. We will support our students in the best way we can. And finally, in fact, I think that would be all. Yes. Yes. City Metal High. The City Metal High concert. His concert is tomorrow, right here. They won't know what time.

129At 7:30 in the evening at Hills School, it's the Grand Rapid Symphony. Thank you so much for that. Or comments from the superintendent. Uh, I thank you again for this opportunity to continue serving you. It's something I take very seriously. There is a lot of work to be done in that district. I want to continue supporting the organization collectively. I am aware that there are many things we have to do together, that work is difficult and challenging, and it also brings rewards; it is not easy. Yes, listen to other people's frustrations . We want to do everything collectively, but I do appreciate the opportunity to continue serving you. I serve with gratitude. I also want to thank the community for their support and also for their interest in filling this position we have on the

130Technical Council. It's a lot of work, a lot of reading, a lot of work, so we appreciate the people who have shown interest. Now, comments from the Technical Council, Secretary, is there anything you'd like to add? Yes, I will follow what President Rodriguez said about the theater. If he's also going to do his play the first weekend of March, the one by Charlot Web. I want to encourage everyone to come and support them. They also have a wonderful theatre program. I also want to say that I am very happy to know that you, Dr. Roble, will be with us again next year. I'm happy because I'm going to continue working with you. Uh, I was shocked by how many people applied for these positions, for this position. So go through the applications this weekend, how

131many more wonderful candidates! I want to encourage those candidates who are considering running for election. Well, the number of people was double what I 've seen in other elections, so it's encouraging to know that there are people who are actually running. Ah, stop, uh, stop those positions when there are so many things we can say are negative in the political world right now . I also want to thank the students who took to the microphone to give their opinions. How much value. Ah, thank you for telling us about your comments, your needs, and also the comment that gave us good news, and I loved that. Please, get closer and closer to those things. Regarding public commentary, I would like to hear new voices, so please bring more people to raise their voices at our meetings.

132Thank you, Dr. Roby, thank you for giving us another year. I follow the wishes of the technical council and I am pleased that you will guide us and I am excited to see the excellence that we can see from the data that we will see in this coming year. I was a polar bear in the class of 2007, gratitude to Mr. Devas who accompanied us and shared, who shared so many wonderful things that he shared. Ah, colleagues, there's a call to attend many events. Oh, and the museum too, I want to mention the opportunity to see the young people sharing their joy because it was very valuable. I also like that the students talk about what they ask for. Ah, they're going to have a talk about gun violence. I also want to share the

133opportunity I had two weeks ago with a group of leaders from our community. We were able to go to Birmingham in Alabama. The issue there was the danger of a single or isolated story. and we talked about stories from all over the world. Often we only hear one perspective, and I want us to focus on the whole story. Uh, I hope you can read more about this. Thank you, Vice President W. It was going to be a very long speech, but I think we all want to go home, so I want to thank everyone for coming. Oh, I also want to thank the students who came to talk with us. and also the award winners. I'm excited to go see the work they've done. I also hope someone creates a calendar for all these things,

134these events, so that I do n't forget any of them. Um, I want to thank the public for coming out to support our superintendent. Ah, thank you for all the hard work you've done. I'm proud of you and I want you to know that I support you. And congratulations also to the candidates for the council text. Ah, I would like that and I'm happy because we're going to know more about each other in the future. Trusty Williams. I just want to thank everyone for coming, for sharing everything with us tonight. I also want to talk about some very alarming information regarding athletic teams. I think we need to take some time to investigate this because the score was difficult to determine. I'm very confused about that. He tells me that there's something else we need

135to work on in that area. I hope we can take care of that task. We want the athletic programs to be the best they can be. We want to continue attracting students who want to participate in sports. Also the young man who came to show us his certificate, which he demonstrated to us. It's a shame I'm not here anymore, but I hope you see this later. Congratulations! His name. Very well, Williamon, thank you. When I was preparing the agenda for this afternoon, there were many things we've talked about and been dealing with . The technical council, the district, the school, the agenda was very adult and sometimes it's necessary, but I want to reflect the fact that everyone in the district and many in the community, we must not lose sight of why we do

136this. Children, the world, the news. It's easy to let adults make a lot of noise, to talk a lot, and we need to remember that the work we do in public education is about children, and we always need to remember that. Thank you. Okay, it's my turn. Okay, thanks. I can thank so many people. It has to be quick because we don't all want to go home. Thank you to the students, the Technical Council, the superintendent, the Arabo Hill induction ceremony, naming the people who were present, among others who work at the school. We want to have these programs and make them as strong as possible because we saw that people are very competitive, athletic, and eager for opportunities. I want to continue that legacy as well, and congratulations to the candidates who are going

137to take the next step. And Bad Bunny too, excellent at the Super Bowl, incredible. I think it's important for people to see that everyone can be very successful. Uh, black coffees. Ah, I liked that about him. Ah, and with that we conclude tonight's session. Thank you all very much. Thank