11/17/2025 Ferndale Public Schools Regular Board Meeting

001This meeting is called to order at 7:01 p.m. Good evening. This is a regular meeting of the Ferndale School Board of Education being held on Monday, September 17th, [clears throat] November 17th, 2025. Our meeting is being video recorded and will be posted on the Ferndale Schools YouTube channel. All meetings in the Ferndale schools are held in public in compliance with the Open Meetings Act. Print printed documents discussed in tonight's meeting are available to the public upon request with the exception of any information protected by student or employee privacy rights. Board meeting information is posted on our website at www.ferndaleschools.org. If you do not have enter if you do not have internet access and need information, please contact the board offices at 2485868652 by Thursday of the week prior to the meeting and the district staff

002will do their best to work with you. Roll call. Shepard >> from >> here. >> Art here. Newman >> here. >> President Dy >> here. >> Thank you. >> Item 1.2 approval of the agenda. After review of the agenda, are there any items that anyone wants to update? Then without objection and with unanimous consent, the agenda is approved. Which brings us to item two, presentation of building the trienal update for elementary. She [laughter] don't pull mine up. Good evening. [laughter] There we go. So, I'll report on reach tonight for Flower. Those of you that do not know me, I'm Diana Keith, full principal at Flower Burnell Lower Elementary kindergarten through 2 grade building. Okay, first one, our relevant and responsive staff development. So, uh when we grow our people, we grow our students and um

003our measurement of success is that at least 85% of staff report that PD is relevant. So, to date when um I did the presentation, uh PD survey results shows 84. So, oh, close, but we'll hit it next time. Um PD is staff development that we do on Wednesdays. It is um things that we send staff to but I think it's all written down here. So um our school leadership team meets monthly and discusses building needs. We look at data. We look at individual support that's needed. We um design PD around that. >> All right. We're trying to get it all. >> Keep going or no? >> Nope. Nope. Nope. Keep going. Go back. >> Okay. So, we designed PD around that. >> We apologize. [laughter] >> I'm trying to make it smaller. >> That's why

004I brought my paper copies. >> If you go option min option minus might work on these. >> Yeah. >> Control. Yes. >> It's my Mac. >> Yeah. Control minus. So, go presentation. Okay. Control minus. >> Yeah. It's when we go into present. >> Yeah. >> One second. I pull up the actions. >> Let's keep going. Okay. So, along with our leadership team designing that and and helping to facilitate that too, our lead teachers or our implementation teams for the different curriculum, they'll do small groups um with PD in their teams. outside PD is always a great opportunity. Uh teaching and learning will share with me different opportunities that are out there or my staff will find them or I'll find them. So we'll send uh teachers to that based on my budget and teach and

005learning budget. So and then any information that they gain from that uh they come back and share it with the school which is always helpful. So um Elen Schools is a great resource too for professional development. We uh have a lot of staff that attend out there which is helpful. But I really wanted just to highlight that um I had I didn't put it in there but Wednesday early release is so so beneficial for us. Um that is a great time for our staff who are the experts to share with each other. And so uh thank you for that commitment to providing that time for our staff to work together and and have that PD uh together as a staff. That's really helpful. So I'm looking forward to higher than 84% next time. Uh engaged

006and empowered students. Uh so the belief is that uh every student must be present, supported, and thriving. And we will increase the percentage of students that report that they feel like they belong at their school. The question on our survey that we uh just gave in the fall is I am part of my school family. we had 93% students uh report they belong at their school with the the top smiley face that they do and um so I think that's a that's a great percentage. So everyone feels part of our school family and that's a culture that we want to continue. So in order to continue we need to next slide. we first want to uh break out the 7% that that didn't feel welcome or didn't feel like they belong and figure out what

007what is that where's that coming from? What's the sense of belonging for them and and seek the support for them and maybe it's just building a stronger connection a a better relationship with them. But uh the response to that is that we want to build uh schoolwide our school family culture. Uh we want to soar. We want to have that daily video so that they see they hear that information. They they know who the staff are. We want to um remain visible. Want to continue with our solid uh seal and just strengthen our class family cultures and continue to build those relationships but especially targeting those 7%. So we know that every child needs a trusted adult in our school and focus on belonging for all is really important. So, uh, if you've ever looked

008at, uh, Rita Pearson's video about being a champion, that is just something that sticks in my mind. So powerful that everyone needs that trusted adult and uh, that one one very special relationship can um, make sure that that they're going down the right path of success. And I think that's what reaching and soar is all about. So supporting supporting each and everyone aligned instructional vision. Every student, every subject, every year deserves high expectations. So annually increase the percentage of students exceeding one-year growth on the I Ready benchmark assessment by at least 15%. So these are spring scores. So the top three are math and the bottom one is reading. So when I when I look at those and break them out between math and reading, I know our celebration is that for the past se

009few years, um the district and the staff has really focused on that reading instruction. Um making sure that the curriculum is aligned, making sure that our PD is aligned with with that and all of the instructional routines are solid. So um and then along with that, the progress monitoring that we have with Aadian. So uh this is 60 this 67% shows the success and the result of that work and that learning. So now what is the next step? So and now we need to look at that math. So for math um I say the opportunities are continue with our forward movement in reading but transfer some of the best practices that we have to math. Now, we've already created a look for document similar to what we did in uh reading. So, that what does

010it look like and sound like for math instruction in our classrooms. So, that's been really powerful. And then we took it a ne the next step further getting our teachers in each other's classrooms for learning labs and labs with UDL and then they're having that dialogue. Well, well, why did you do this? Why did you do that? and we just we strengthen our teachers with our teachers. They're again I said they're all experts and they're supporting each other. So learning labs have been really powerful. Those have been within our school setting and then also within our school setting with support from Oakland schools again which is powerful. So uh we've increased our math PD. We we used to just do language arts, reading, writing, all of that all of the time but we have to

011do the math. So, we've really increased that already this year uh across K5. Um as well as just our conversations around math. So, um and I know um as um principal evaluating teachers, I see the shift in math instruction this year. I hear the increased studentto student discourse in math. It it used to be just in language arts. Now, it's in math. They're agreeing. They're disagreeing. they're telling each other why they're deepening that understanding. So, I think that that's really powerful to move our math instruction. Uh my response is that I look forward to increasing our math scores because of the necessary work that we're doing, increasing that knowledge by building those foundational skills that are needed. Um important to note that this was just our second year using I Ready and it is a

012different type of assessment. So, there's a little bit of a learning curve. uh with taking it with our little ones. Um but I am excited that along with I Ready we have that learning pathways that targets that instruction right at their level. Like if they missed all the fractions then the fractions are the questions that they're working on to try to fill those holes. So um we do have the learning pathways this year and it supports targeting those skills that they missed and helps them just to move forward. cultivating collective pride. You know, this is my jam. I love this. Um Maya Angelou said it best. Uh people will forget what you said, what you did, but they will not forget how you made them feel. So, I want everyone to feel the the love,

013the joy that I have in Ferndale. I I've been here a long time. I I stay because I love it. Like, I I don't stay just to stay. I stay because I love it. And I think we're doing good work. So, um, and and that's contagious. So, but we want to with this one, we want to, um, create that unity, that confidence, and the momentum for Ferndale. I can't tell you how many times I've been at, um, Oakland schools, a PD, a state conference, and um, they're talking about something, I think, oh yeah, we've got that going on. We've we're solid with that. We've got that. We're amazing. So, um I'm just excited about um continuing my work here in Ferndale, but we want to make sure that we're increasing uh participation of underrepresented families

014by 20%. We had 278 parents participate in the survey in the spring. So, we want to increase that. So, my response is first increase uh survey responses so that everyone has a voice. We can have different access points to that survey uh such as Seessaw or use paper for some families. Provide the opportunity at events such as conferences, concerts, or family night. I know I I did um it came out last year during a music concert. So, I had that QR code and I was walking around because that that's easy, right? We have our phones and we can do it right then and there. So um increase that access so so that everyone has that access to it because we want to hear from everyone. Um and then continue with events that are successful and

015well attended by stakeholders. Events include we had a a really marvelous second grade reading night um back in October. It was it was well attended. Uh PTA skate nights have been amazing. Conferences 95%. I think that's great. I'm still looking for that 100% though. We're still working on it. Um, when teachers are involved in the event or plan the event, we see families. So, I want to continue to have uh teachers part of that as much as we can, continue with our partnerships with families, provide that solid communication in a variety of ways. Want to share our stories, be visible and approachable as staff. We want to want to hear from everyone. harnessing data to drive that improvement. When we see data as truth, we turn insight into action and growth. Always want to be

016reaching forward, moving forward, that the momentum, right? So, by June uh 2028, we want to redesign and implement staff climate and encouragement engagement, sorry, surveys with 75% or higher response. So, my first response is I'm happy to support that. Redesign the survey, be on that committee. I'm your gal. Um, as a whole school, whole child school with a strong seal focus culture is ongoing and supported for both students and staff. Really, the whole school family being a school family involves all and providing opportunities for voice is important. I have 12 staff members who serve on our leadership team and that collective effort from everyone. Their ideas are important to be heard so that we can grow and develop. There's no I in team. We've heard that before. Together. Together as a group. And just a

017bunch of cute little pictures there that go along with each of the letters. R E A C H. And then the last slide talks about reaching higher. And I just wanted to share a story from years and years ago when we went from um K3 to K2. I said, "Oh, I I won't be able to have a safety squad. I won't be able to have a green team. I I won't be able to have all of these things." Like those third graders, they did all of that. And lo and behold, when you expect when you have them reach higher and empower them, they can soar. They're eagles. They're going to soar. We have green team. We have safety. We have all those things still. They're able they get those kindergarteners to the bus. They can

018do it all. So just raise the bar and those students will soar because we're Ferndale. >> Thanks for listening tonight. >> Thank you. Good. Good evening. >> Good evening. [clears throat] >> All right. I'm Katie Jeffrey, principal of Ferndale Upper. Uh, and this is our fall um board presentation. So, just like uh the rest of the district, we are focusing on our reach strategic pillars. What you'll notice about uh uppers uh the A there are several more goals uh aligned than the K2 because we are the first building uh first age group when they take MSTEP which is the state assessment. All right for our relevant and responsive staff development. So the goal is 85% of staff report PD is relevant and actionable. That is our strategic plan or dynamic plan goal. Um current status

019we are at 81% as of the end of October. Uh which is great. So those are from staff uh surveys both on districtled professional development um professional development or staff meetings that I lead. Uh and then we've also started um giving them out monthly for their grade level team PLC's which are led by their ILTs. Um so feedback at different levels. So we'll be able to take it down and look like okay what is the most relevant? what is the best use of that PLC time. Our school improvement team meets monthly uh to revise our PL plan to ensure relevance and effectiveness um both at the staff level and team level and that's for both our FEA and our UAW. So our paras we're working closely with our special education department to make that PLC

020time more relevant for them as well and build their capacity. Uh we're also continuing to build the leadership and leading PLC's. So Diana spoke to this um but really trying to encourage more peer-to-peer. Um we have incredible teachers in in Ferndale. I've Ferndale graduate. I felt that back in the day. I still I I put our teachers against anyone. Um and so I think getting them out of their silos that can exist in classrooms and roles, especially uh we're big schools, you know, we're 500 um over 500 kids, 65 plus staff members. they need to um learn from each other more. So, uh examples this year big time for fuel talk about in the A, but really including building thinking classrooms, mathematics PLC's. So, Michelle Harris, fifth grade, Jodie Prince, third grade, our epic um

021uh math instructional leads, so they are going to be leading and have been a lot of PL already. Um, and then MTSS behavior PLC's, our mental health specialists and social worker just led an incredible uh, MTSS uh, PLC during our um, election day PD um, looking at both student behavior and staff responses and what happens in the brains of both and was really fabulous. So, Mr. George, if you know him, he's been working in Ferndale schools for 30, I can't tell you, he'll be mad at me. uh lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of years and he said it was one of the most relevant PLs that he's ever attended and he had a lot to take away which is saying a lot after the amount of years that you

022have in education. Uh all right on to our E uh engaged and empowered students. So this is the sweet spot especially 345. This is when school starts to get hard period. Um, it's when you move from, you know, learning to read to reading to learn from math that can be done very quickly in your head to you must have to use really intense strategies sometimes in order to be able to access. Um, so our goal is to annually increase the percentage of students that report they have an adult within their school that they can go to for support or guidance because if you feel supported, if you feel uh that you have a trusted adult even when things get hard, like that's our big focus this year with our strive theme. Even when things get

023hard, I have somebody I can go to and I can I can reach out to so that I can get back in the classroom or I can get back to regulated so that I can learn. Um so in our fall this is uh pretty high for uh early September but 81% of our students felt that they have adults in their school they can go to so it's great um as a celebration this is a high starting point it suggests that our school improvement team so we work very hard on the first four days of school we do very directed activities across grade level within grade level every staff member that is a support staff member like in their face like who is Miss Jeffrey who is Miss George who's who are these people that we

024can go to um we focus on our morning meetings classroom chart starters about how we want to feel at school. We do weekly shoutout videos. So, those are announcements um but also students can shout out each other um and their teachers or vice versa for being on a roll instead of honor role. Uh and yeah, I did [laughter] I did not come up with anything. Uh but this is, you know, I'm good at pushing it out, not so much that make it uh and then the kindness or kindness shout out. So we have kind of a two focus and this year because we're really focusing we're noticing that perseverance has really been missing the last few years. Um so we're really focusing on um we have a new thing called mistake of the week which

025focuses on like you screw up it's okay this is what you do this is how you fix that. Um so those things I think really help to establish clear connections uh particularly for incoming and new students. When we look at our a data you're going to hear me talk about that this this data is all our kits. Some of them have been in the building or in our district for 10 days by the time they've taken these assessments. I have 40 new students this year. So that's 8% of my population. So a lot of that is like it is really important that we have strong cultural events in the beginning of the year so that our new students feel accepted, welcome and loved at the beginning too. Um and the way these surveys work in

026Panorama, so Diana surveys are a little bit different. The SEAL surveys don't start until third grade. also uh it's a really big long survey and the the middle the somewhat like the kid that's a three on a liyker scale that does not get counted as favorable. So when you drill down into this data only 8% reported that they disagreed or strongly agreed. So 91% feel pretty good in September or above and that 8% um are the ones we need to look at. I also like to see that all cohorts were within a few percentage points of each other. Um, in this question, our black and Hispanic students reported the highest responses. Next, opportunity disagregation of our data showed that 8% of students who did not feel they have a trusted adult. So, how do we

027get down and look at that? So, the teachers did their own personal data dig um because I can't look at that at the school level. Exactly. Student by students. So, they were going in and then that's part of our check-ins like who are they and what's next. Um this is the clear area of strength for our school and one we pride ourselves on a big focus of our first nine years this is year 10 was to focus on the whole child. Our vision highlights this. So we talk about we are centered on helping to fuel their engagement, empowerment and joy in their learning by focusing on those relationships. So to me this data suggests we are looking into them. All right E again and the second question in the dynamic plan is um students who

028report that they feel like they belong at school. So in our fall data, 67% of our upper al students report they feel they belong at school as measured by panorama. Uh if again if we include the somewhat or middle category, this percentage jumps to 84% of students. Um so this speaks again to the positive culture and feel of the building. Um and ways in which again these initiatives that we have specifically intentionally created are hope are helping students feel safe and welcome in those first few weeks of school. Um, by cohort, our third graders also had the highest favorable percentage of 71%. Which is kind of surprising because they're new to school. So, um, I liked that. So, heavy boy class. So, I'm glad they're feeling good. [laughter] >> Uh, annually, let's see. So, are

029we on East? Okay. Opportunity opportunities in this data set that include a larger GRA gap between special education students. So that sat at 60% and general education was 68. So I think that's important. And in here we did have a little bit of a racial difference. 63% of black students and 67% of white students. Um the percentage also decreases as students get older. Um I have thoughts on that but yeah again disagregation of data and identify students and the disagree and strongly disagree is what we are doing now. Um our committee will meet to disagregate that and again look at specific students like who are those 10 10-ish 12ish percent. Um our school improvement initiative we also started a new attendance initiative this year but it really focuses on school culture and belonging too called

030passion projects. Um it's a half-day initiative. Uh students got to pick well teachers chose a passion project something they're passionate about gardening healthy cooking the sound of the science of music in movies I don't like crazy there wild passions out there s silent reading room was mine uh and [laughter] it was awesome um but then students signed up for a top five every student in the building got one of their top five choices with fifth graders you know getting first choice and then on down um because they're only in the building one more Um, and so we think this is a great example of of a culture initiative. It's an attendance initiative. It's culture initiative. Like can you find people with those similar passions? Is there an adult? This is third grade teachers teaching third,

031fourth, fifth, and monastery kids. Right? It's a really nice way to break the school together. And then we have tons of student groups, after school groups, student created groups. I mean, so many. So students can write a proposal. They can then start a group. It runs for six weeks during lunches. Another way that they are um empowered run by our lunch and learn. I don't have Oh, >> I can take somebody's computer. I >> was going to say you can. >> No, no, no. No, it's a Mac. [laughter] >> We're right in time for the data. [laughter] Let me check. I got it. Okay. Good. All right. Series of slides on our aligned instructional vision. So, similarly to the other ones, uh this is set up with current status and a celebration. And then what's

032an area of improvement? There is a lot to improve on here. Um so the first is annual increase the percentage of met benchmark MSTEP ELA for black students in each grade level by 5% uh over the course of the dynamic plan. So um our current data you can see for ELA this is ELA yep um 15% in third grade 23% in fourth 17% in black. So you can see the state averages um for context 16 19 and 20. So we're higher uh above the state in fourth grade last year which are current fifth graders um a little bit below in uh third and fifth. Um so while proficiency rates may remain lower than for other groups our ELA growth index for black students so I want to point this out. So, this is data you

033might not know how to get, but uh our ELA growth index. So, this is black students against themselves against students who also scored the same way in the state of Michigan like them in third grade. Does that make sense? So, our fourth and fifth grades growth against themselves um actually went up last year from 38.5% to 51.06. So, this is a big gain. Um so this just suggests that we're starting to close gaps in student growth um students against themselves. Fourth grade students outscored the state average um as well. Um but again it's not it's not high enough. It's far um below our white student proficiency uh and our overall student proficiency. So um go to the next slide for so um we're in our second year of implementation for our ELA curriculum which leverages

034much higher interest in higher rigor higher rigor quality literature um to improve comprehension. Um we've got literacy co literacy coach Tracy Yaks who works with our team um small group instruction across tiers. So that's tier one is like for all students, your tier two is students a little extra reteing and then your tier three knew that intensive support. Uh and then we also especially at at the K2 level which I think has resulted in our higher ELA scores over the last several years um the letters training um in how uh teachers teach reading, right? So improving teacher understanding of how to teach. These are not things we're actually taught. you'd be surprised in at the university level. Um so these free trainings that the state is providing in the science of reading um in literacy

035instruction are really making an impact. Um also there has to be our response at my level is accountability of instructional routines across classrooms. Um progress monitoring. We have a tool that shows students if they are multiple years below grade level they are being progress monitored every week. Um so who's not growing? Why aren't they growing? what's the next step and using our MTSS um process for that I meet with uh staff monthly every classroom teacher monthly to look student by student at data and that is where we are going to start moving kids one by one by one um because we are small enough we're big but we are small enough to do that um math is much worse so I I have no celebrations in this data set so um we are below the

036state average and all three grade levels for our black students. Now, uh again, context, we are below state average in math for all three grade levels as well. Okay, for all students. So, this is an area uh of um intensive focus, which we have already made some shifts uh with our PL plan that we talked about earlier. So, um while our literacy continues to rise, our math needs to also um change and that that comes down to tier one instruction. So, and that's for all students. This is a black student goal based on a dynamic plan, but this is across the board. So, opportunities are many. So, the first end is that a commitment to our professional learning plan. We needed to improve our literacy. Can't really do anything else if your literacy is not,

037you know, strong. Um, and so we have we made big big changes. I think looking at our MSTEP data in ELA across time, it's like doubled since school since fuel opened. um you know which I think we had one of the highest growth in the county. So um there's been a lot of success there and so now we just need to keep that going like Mrs. Keefe said but also then turn more of our attention to what does what is strong tier one math instruction. So, I already spoke to this, but this building thinking classrooms work, which is a secondary initiative that we're now introducing at Fuel. Uh, two new math leadership positions with Oakland schools with Jod and Michelle, dedicated learning time, walkthroughs in each other's classrooms, and dedicated time um to work on

038math essentials and math instruction. Uh, with the guidance of teaching and learning department, we will dedicate that we are dedicating. I mean, that's what we're doing. Um I'm already seeing immediate immediate impact in student engagement in math when um on the BTC work. So these are the vertical whiteboards working in small groups. Everybody is able to access the material. Excited to see that so many uh annually increase the percentage of students exceeding one year of growth on IAT. So this is a district-wide benchmark. So Diana spoke to that at the K2 level. So you can see here um I did them a little differently. So third and third, fourth and fourth, fifth and fifth. So our third um this is the end of last year. So 64% met growth in reading but 37% in math.

03944% of fourth graders and 34% in math. 44% in reading and 42% in math. Spring data. I would have liked to look at uh winter. So I'm excited to see the winter data. Spring data is tough for my third, fourth, and fifth graders. they have just come off of 10 to 20 hours of MSTEP testing when they then also take the spring I ready. So I'm not sure all the time if this is always exactly how they do at the end of the year but it is the data speaks. So um fuel we met our we did meet our continuous improvement plan goal for I Ready last year 106% total growth um which is part of the dynamic plan. So 100% is expected and moved from 38% fall proficiency to 55 which is great. We

040also outperformed the state of Michigan on ELA in all three grade levels for the first time in our school's history. In I Ready Math, all grade levels doubled or more their fall at or above student proficiencies in the spring. So, we moved from 16% in the fall to 39%. Um, I don't do fast math, but I actually think that's higher growth than it needs. Um, so we were on track in winter for math, but then we ended up at 78% instead of that 100%. We were at 50 in the winter. So again, got to figure out how to keep them motivated through the end of that really tough testing season. Um, this informed our intentional planning of our PL plan. And then in addition to professional learning, we do now have the I Ready individualized

041my path program with which provides students with individualized learning plans three to four times a week. um we don't want to overuse that, but that is um a way that gives them individualized like lessons in their skill gaps, not just what they're learning in class at that time. Um so it could be they just didn't ever pick up like area for a fifth grader and so they they will be working on that or 2 by two edition for a third grade. And then same thing, our monthly check-ins will look at that. Okay, cultivating collective pride. Um, increased participation of our underrepresented families by 20% on district surveys. So, we used the panorama last year. Fall, we had 96 uh responses, 72% white, 18% black, 10% other or not listed. Winter, 57 responses with a similar

042breakdown. And spring, >> 10 responses total. So, I mean, I've never done a survey for my kids school, but I think I [laughter] haven't. That is true. Um, but the problem, part of the problem is it's a big survey, benchmark surveys, national surveys. You have to do them. You have to do them the way they are or then our data is meaningless. So, maybe we switch only twice a year for this long one and we do more smaller surveys along the way like about the different experiences or different initiatives. So, I think there's a big way to increase uh participation for all of our families by keeping the national surveys so that we have longitudinal data, but then also digging deeper into like smaller surveys that I can give you a quick QR code in

043Caroline, which Mrs. Keefe is great at that. I've learned a lot from her. Um, you know, quick QR code, quick surveys that give me better real-time feedback than these kind of autopsy like MSTEP is like an autopsy, right? It's the end of year and then we go into summer. So these how do we do more interim benchmarks like we do for everything else. Um and there is like I said there is a disparity in our current school enrollment. Um you know this is our our ethnicity breakdown. So you can see there's a gap in the by about 20% in the survey results our school improvement team. So this will come to our um December school improvement team meeting on what else can we do? How could we do this differently? And then uh as Miss

044Keef said, gate nights, car lines, spring concerts, those are highest attended events, June fair and things like that. But again, too late. So um I think those are where we could really get more feedback. All right. And then um the fine one is harnessing data to drive improvement. I think you've heard tonight we do this a lot. Like I think sometimes think we don't look at like ah we look at our data a lot. Uh and so this is a long-term goal. So this one is and the dynamic plan is not till 2728. Um and this specific one is about looking at staff climate climate and engagement surveys um to help increase like teacher feedback on what we're doing. So um for me this is a cornerstone of what we do. Our school improvement team

045has a staff member from every instructional group. So not just our classroom teachers but intervention special education our essentials teachers. Uh and they drive our professional learning plan and the feedback we give to the district. The monthly check-ins with each staff also ensures that I have a pulse on the culture and climate and can address their needs as well. I stole Miss Keith's idea. There's a passion project in there. You can see the building thinking classrooms board members to the right. If you haven't seen that, the one on the bottom right is an example of that. So, those are the vertical whiteboards in an elementary room. You see them all over the uh Ferndale High School and UHS. Some passion projects in the middle. Our staff's ridiculous Halloween costume. um the new science on the

046bottom left. So that's them looking at a squirrel skull. The new science is incredible for student engagement. I think that really hits our E big time. [laughter] >> It's just a squirrel skull. >> That is upper. >> Thank you. >> Any questions? I just want to either >> call out real quick that I really really appreciate the effort that it takes to put these because these don't write themselves and I'm pretty sure you don't get like you know 3 4 hours in your office with your door shut during the day for quiet time to finish something like this. So it's like I really really appreciate it and also I appreciate the fact that I was able to look at this instead of the Lions game last night. So thank you again. Appreciate it. Thank you

047so much. This is huge. Love it. Great. Um, that takes us to item three, public comment. Uh, this is a time for public participation in the meeting. The board of education intends for the public to have many opportunities to address the board and administration of their school district. These include email, phone calls, face-to-face meetings, community gatherings, public hearings, and other public meetings. We welcome individual and group input into the important issues that confront our schools. As noted at the top of the agenda, this is a meeting of the school board open to the public. We want to provide fair and impartial guidelines for participation as required by the Open Meetings Act and to encourage transparency and equal treatment for everyone in attendance. We also recognize that an effective meeting facilitates better decisions and promotes openness

048by allowing more people to stay for the full length of the meeting. To meet these goals, please note the following. We ask that you identify yourself and list contact information on a comment sheet to help administrators follow up with you on your comment. If you do not wish to do so in writing, please identify yourself at the podium. And if you need a response, please provide contact information with administrator after the meeting. I will call on people who have completed comment sheets first. Each person will have one opportunity to address the board for up to three minutes. Comments or questions should be directed to the board president. Um, we have a timer on the screen. I'll raise my hand when you're within 15 seconds of expiring. Um, this period of public comment is for both

049non-aggenda items and issues that are on the agenda. Public comments will end at the close of this part of the agenda in the event that the number of people wishing to comment requires longer than 30 minutes. Public comment will be temporarily postponed after 30 minutes and time will be added to the end of the meeting for those who did not get a chance to speak. Complaints about staff should be made outside of board meetings and should follow the applicable board policy. Please contact the superintendent's office. If you have any questions regarding this item, the board cannot respond to complaints about employees in public. This is meant to promote fairness to the staff person and the complainant. Uh the Ferndale public schools community acts with great civility toward one another. Uh please help us maintain that

050tradition during public comment. So, the first comment sheet is for uh Cammy Webb. >> Hi, good evening. My name is Cammy Webb. Um I'm a member of the PTA advoc advocacy committee. Can you guys hear me? Okay. I hate public speaking. That's why I'm all nervous. Okay. Um I was born and raised in Ferndale. I'm an FHS graduate. Um, this building was actually my elementary school. Um, and my kid is now a student in the district. Um, and I'm going to run out of here as soon as I'm done to get to his band concert. Um, which starts right now. Um, and I this was too important to miss though, so I I needed to be here. Um, I'm here to ask you to vote yes on the resolution to support the invest in my

051kids proposal. Um, so it was in a US history class um that I took at CASSA um where I actually first learned that we founded a system of public education in the United States to prepare our young people to be good citizens. Um because it was understood that well-educated informed citizens are necessary for the functioning and protection of democracy. I I believe that today we find ourselves in a country rapidly descending into fascism where the wealth hoarded by the richest 01% of Americans has surpassed guilded age levels. [clears throat] We also find ourselves in a state where our public schools are underfunded by $4.5 billion dollar and the top 1% of earners in Michigan pay a lower effective tax rate than everyday Michiganders. The fact that these are all occurring simultaneously is, I believe, no

052coincidence. Adequately funded public education for all our children is the key to protecting democracy, and it's the least of what our young people and hardworking educators deserve from us. The invest in my kids initiative is an incredible opportunity for the people of Michigan to stand up for our children and their future and to do it not by further burdening burdening working families but by requiring the most privileged among us to contribute equitably to our communities. And the endorsement you're going to vote on is a wonderful opportunity for Ferndale to demonstrate muchneeded leadership. If you vote yes to endorse, we will become the second school district in Oakland County to do so. There are many things I love about this initiative. Um and one of them is that it's statewide. It demonstrates an understanding that when

053we all do better, we all do better. Over the last three months, I've been collecting signatures for this petition, and the depth and breadth of support has been wonderful to experience. Our community, I think, understands that the way forward, the path to an equitable, democratic, free, and just future for us all, is to meaningfully invest in our children. So, I'm asking you to vote yes, endorse, invest in my kids, um, and play a part in leading us toward building the beautiful world our beautiful young people deserve. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Up next, uh, Lily Pink Shapiro. Hi everybody. I'm Lily Fin Shapiro. I am both a mom and as a public health professional and like all of you in this room, I am committa I'm committed to advocating for the health

054and well-being of every student. Over the past year, I have really appreciated having opportunities to communicate with a range of administrators, many of you here, about technology use in school. The district's teaching and learning team has consistently assured me that technology is being used strategically, that every learning app has been carefully vetted, and that neighboring school districts are doing the same. However, I am here tonight because what I experience is a disconnect between how this topic is discussed in meetings and the lived reality of students in our district. Concern among parents about technology use in our school is widespread and growing. A typical first grade class for a typical first grader arrives at school, hangs up their backpack on their hook. Soon, they're likely to put on headphones and log into their individual iPad. Later,

055the class typically takes a brain break, often a highly stimulating video on the Smartboard. Then in gym class, the students are once again asked to look at a screen to copy exercises or throw balls at an interactive display. Around noon, the class will head to the cafeteria where a movie is sometimes playing during lunch. I hear that some first graders get so distracted by the movie that they do not eat the free meal, which as you know exacerbates food insecurity. Other students might engage what public health professionals call mindless eating, which is also tied to adverse health outcomes. Later in art class, students may watch a YouTube video on how to draw a dragon. During math, the teacher may ceue up a video lesson on the Smartboard, and then with a few extra minutes before

056dismissal, the class likely watches a TV show. Data suggests that after school, many of those students may spend an additional 5 hours looking at screens. Taken individually, a short video or a well-designed educational app might enhance education. But together, the cumulative effects of all the screen time are significant and harmful. We must ask, what is being lost when a child's attention is continually drawn to the digital world? This question is even more urgent when we consider last year's district-wide panorama survey, which showed that one in four students in our district does not feel a sense of belonging. Data suggests that harms from overuse of technology will not be distributed evenly. I'm almost done. Lowincome students will bear the greatest burden. I urge Fernando public schools to adopt clear and intentional policy addressing specific use of

057digital tools. and I am here. I am ready to collaborate with the district to make that happen. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Up next, uh Sarah Cricut. >> Hi, I'm Sarah, a Ferndale resident, parent, and mental health professional. I'm here tonight because Invest in My Kids offers a path away from a system where communities are continually asked to raise our own taxes just to keep essential services functioning. That model creates instability, uncertainty, and leaves too many people behind, especially those who rely most on strong schools, public health, and community support systems. As someone who works in mental health, I see every day how critical consistent, reliable public funding is. When our institutions are underresourced, our residents feel it in their stress levels, in their access to care, and in the overall health of the

058community. Invest in my kids is an opportunity to build a statewide funding model that recognizes the value of our schools, cities, and social services, and provides them with durable, predictable investment they deserve. This is about creating a community where people can thrive without placing the entire burden on local taxpayers. I strongly support invest in my kids and hope you'll continue in moving it forward. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Uh Ariel Halper. >> Evening. My name is Ariel Halper. Uh I'm an associate professor of political science at Wayne State University. I study classical Greek political philosophy, which means I spent a lot of time thinking about the meaning of education. Uh, but I'm here because my son Oscar is a second grader in the monastery program in Ferndale Upper. And I wish to add my

059voice this evening to those of my fellow constituents who are concerned about the extent and the character of the use of technology in our schools. Like many parents of my generation, uh, I do what I can to limit screen time for my kids. If my local public schools had a no screens policy, I would be the envy of all my friends to whom I would be constantly praying. And I know I'm not alone in feeling that way. We are of course very far away from that. But I appreciate that it's not enough merely to express a preference. We need to be clear about why we want what we want for our communities. When it comes to technology, that's hard because it's a multi multifaceted issue. There are reasons not to want students to be distracted

060by their cell phones in class, to want to limit their exposure to social media, to want them to know how to take handwritten notes or to compose an essay without the use of AI and so on and so on. But each of these issues is a different discussion and some are more important to some people than to others. And meanwhile, there's always the apparently reasonable rebuttal waiting. What about all the ways we can use technology to make education easier and more engaging? So, let's be clear about this. The question is not whether technology can make things easier. Live in 2025 100 times a day in a 100 ways. Technology helps us make things easier. What's important is to be aware of what we lose by refusing to do things the hard way. I'm going to

061give you a silly example from my own life. I don't use GPS when I drive. As a result, I sometimes make wrong turns or miss my exit. But from every such mistake, I learn new things about how to get around. And ultimately, I'm not as efficient, but I understand things better, and I'm not dependent on technology to think and to know things for me. Technology can give you shortcuts. Those shortcuts don't generally add up to better or deeper learning. We want our schools to create a structure within which children can play, learn, and work together. We wish for teachers who will impart wisdom and character, who help young hearts and minds to process the world, to live in it with thought, and with purpose. school therefore as a training ground of constant interpersonal interactions both

062within the activity of learning and outside. I want my kids school to be a place where they learn from constant daily experience and practice to look other people in the eye, listen to them and learn from them to articulate and discuss their own thoughts and feelings. Not a place where they learn to prefer the company of cartoon characters who won't tax their 30 secondond attentions. I'll bet they are engaged by materials presented on screens. I bet my son would also love it if the screen was dipped in sugar. My job as a parent is not to give him what he wants, but what's best for him. Let's not lose sight of the importance of being able to do things the heart. >> Thank you. >> Eddie Sabatini. [clears throat] >> Good evening, my neighbors board.

063Thanks for having me. Uh my name is Eddie Sabatini. I'm a city council member elect for the city of Ferndale and a Ferndale resident at 103 Pearson Street. Uh, I'm here to speak about the importance of Invest in My Kids. Invest in My Kids is a ballot initiative that proposes a constitutional amendment to create a progressive income tax in Michigan by adding a 5% sir charge of income over half a million dollars for single filers or over a million dollars for short for joint filers. The revenue generated from this search charge would be dedicated exclusively to public schools. It aims to raise an estimated one to$1.7 billion annually. It's designed to close our state's long-standing school funding shortfall and support critical needs like career and technical education as well as recruiting and retaining the teachers

064who keep our classroom strong. Signatures are being gathered in order to have it on the November 2026 ballot. This is more than a policy discussion. It's a commitment to fixing what's fundamentally broken in Michigan's funding model. For years, state revenue sharing has been unpredictable and insufficient, leaving cities like ours scrambling and forcing residents to repeatedly tax ourselves just to maintain essential services. That's not stability. That's not sustainability, and it's far from equitable. Best of my kids is important not just for what it funds, but for what it represents. This is an opportunity for elected officials at every level to demonstrate a real commitment to long-term funding solutions for our our essential public institutions. Solutions that don't rely solely on the political will of our community to keep taxing ourselves. We can't keep asking residents to

065shoulder the burden of systemic underfunding. We need to stop moving money around from one bucket to another. We need to grow the pie. The Invest in My Kids Ballot initiative aims to do exactly that. creating the durable statewide investment that strong schools, cities, libraries, and community services demand. Michigan needs a future where public institutions have stable, predictable funding, not one-year fixes, and not local communities left to fend for themselves. Invest in my kids is a meaningful step toward that future, and I'm proud to stand in strong support of it. Thank you. >> Thank you. Up next, Adam Mgram. [clears throat] >> Hello everyone. >> My name is Adam Mgram. I have a second grader and a kindergartener. I'm also the treasurer of the elementary PTA. Um I'm just here in a personal capacity tonight, not

066on behalf of PTA, which I think maybe is a rule I have to say, but either way, it seems good. Um, I came to talk about technology, but I also want to voice my support for the invest in MI uh resolutions. We should fund our schools well, so everyone has what they need to do a good job. Um, including managing our technology policy. Um, you've heard us talk about a lot of issues tonight. Um, and I hear from a lot of parents and I think that what we're asking for is some clear policy and governance uh from the school board that can be used by the school leadership, by the teachers uh to know what to expect, what is okay. Right now, it's up to every teacher individually and every parent to try to understand

067what's going on. Um some of the issues that have come up from talking to parents and that we would I think like to see addressed in a clear policy um include movie screenings. What's being shown? How do we know what's being shown? Is it okay for our kids? Um you know, different kids have different tolerances, different parents, and uh right now it seems that there's really no way for anyone to know um what's being shown when and to whom. um transparency about when screens are used. I ask my kids, they can't really answer the question. Well, I ask the teachers and they give me kind of anecdotal information. It's unclear how often, what they're being used for, whether it's an effective solution, you know, is listening to a screen read you a story or get

068a phonics lesson instead of the teacher in the classroom the best way to do that? I don't know. it would be helpful to just understand what the policy is about how it should be used and why. Um AI uh I think AI is going to play an important role in all of our lives. Um but it's also very dangerous and unregulated and unclear um what people see what the effects are and I know it's particularly harmful for children. So I think we need to be clear about where it's being allowed to be used and how uh make sure that's being governed. Uh passive screen time. So screen time in schools that is not curriculum related. Are there any um governance about when that can be used or how often or how much and what value

069is it adding? Um it doesn't seem there there's really much awareness or governance over that right now. Um certainly not what I sent my kids to school for. Um and then cell phones um which I know there is an existing policy but um from the parents that I talked to people don't know about it. They don't know what to expect. Um so I guess as far as implementing all policies for all these things obviously communication with the community and this and the school staff is essential. >> Thank you. Uh, and Jamie Solomon. >> Hi, my name is Jamie Solomon and I have twin third graders at Fuel. Professionally, I worked in education for close to 20 years now. So, I come to you today both as a parent and as a fellow educator with grave

070concerns about the use of screens and tech in our district. I trust that everyone here tonight values social emotional learning for our students. And I'm here because I believe that our school's current use of screens is in direct conflict with the social emotional learning that Ferndale prides itself on. the very worthy goals of developing resilience and a growth mindset, building self-regulation skills and impulse control, relationship skills and a sense of community are directly undermined by our school's use of technology. For example, screens are regularly used as a reward. Movie clips for good behavior and free computer time for students who complete their work with time to spare. Screens are flipped on during transition time and used for brain breaks. How will children learn self-regulation if screens are doing that work for them? How will children

071connect and build relationships if they are interacting with the screen more than one another? Knowing that Ferndale's seal approach is based in brain research, I hope we can use brain research to better inform classroom practices. For instance, a brain break should not occur with a screen. FPS describes their social emotional learning as grounded in whole child philosophy. Yet many learning opportunities that are crucial in a child's development are getting swallowed up by the screens. At Flower, children practice hand eye coordination with a screen and gym as opposed to learning to coordinate with a peer. Learning to read social cues and enjoy the connection that one experiences with a fellow human being, not a screen. In two and a half years, I've heard countless stories from Ferndale parents that shed light on some troubling patterns. One

072is the lack of clear and consistent intentionality behind screen use. Screen screens are used as a classroom management tool, minimizing the already very minimal time that students have to socialize and connect. Second, parents express skepticism of the edte tools. Many of the apps are gamified with dings, rewards, and leveling up meant to hook users, increase engagement, and market to children. One Silicon Valley tech executive quoted by the NY Times cautions, "The benefits of screens as a learning tool are overblown, and the risks for addiction and stunting development seem high." Ferndale's strategic plan promises to use data as a flashlight to inform decisions and drive improvement. I also value evidence-based approaches and the research is clear. Technology use is linked to decreased social interactions and increases in behavior issues, attention problems, anxiety, and depression. As educators,

073we take a hypocratic oath to do no harm. It is incumbent on us to take a hard look at how big tech has infiltrated our schools and is harming our kids. Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. Is there anyone else here for public comments? My name is Shri Ready. You can call me Shri. Uh I don't have prepared speeches for bear with me. But um I can remember a time uh well first I I just wanted to say it's great having this forum because uh it's about accountability and uh being able to you know everybody's accountable, right? So uh make our presentations, we show them what we've done, how far we've come uh and so forth. So um you know if in light of that I just wanted to also talk a little bit

074about technology and how we can improve you know the kids experience. Um I'm old enough that I remember uh our teachers bringing in realtore film projectors into classrooms. So and then uh also we've all we had film strips with like tape recorders. So, you know, we've had screens for a long time >> and uh my first experience on a computer was a TRS80 with a blinking cursor. So, you know, goes back a long time. >> But anyway, um what I wanted to uh you know say is that there's a lot of studies indicating that increase in screen time has negative um physical and mental. [clears throat] So, that is really clear. Um having said that the devil is actually so you can use screens judiciously. Uh screens can be used to challenge uh uh a

075kid at the level that they're at. A lot of times uh you know some kids have learn faster and some kids learn slower and it's hard to accommodate the classroom. So you could use technology to to uh to improve that. Um so you know but it's basically keeping a kid's attention in classroom for a teacher is sometimes difficult and sometimes you have to mix it up sometimes you have to use screen so you know a variety is the spice of life so you know a little variety probably doesn't hurt um but you know it's it's the judicious use of the screen that's really important. Um, time matters. How much time does a kid spend on on a screen? And when I think about time, I think about budgets, right? I mean, everybody has a budget

076in your personal life. And you have a budget in your uh how much you eat. You know, you have a 2,000 calorie budget. You can't have your chocolate cake and your uh, you know, milkshake at the same on the same day. It's just not going to work. Same thing with can't go on a expensive vacation and at the same time buy a new car. It's not going to work. So with this screen should be treated the same way. What's the budget that we're talking about? Uh how much you know screen should be allocated to this classroom or that classroom. And if you run out that's not good. And that's the that's the um the job of us to figure out how much that is. And and you know, kind of force. So, that's my >>

077Thank you. Anyone else for public comment? Public comment is now closed. Brings us to item four, the consent agenda. Item 4.1, the request to approve minutes of the special meeting committee of the whole Monday, October 6, 2025. Item 4.2, the request to approve minutes of the special meeting. Uh board interviews on Monday, October 13, 2025. Item 4.3, request to approve minutes of the regular meeting Monday, October 20th, 2025. Item 4.4, request to approve new hires, resignations, and transfers. And item 4.5, request to approve bills and accounts for October 2025. Does anyone wish to remove an item from the consent agenda for questions or discussion later? Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda as approve as presented. >> Moved by Jessica, >> seconded by David. Uh roll call adjusted. >> Yes. Newman.

078>> Yes. Yes. Thank you. With four yes votes, the motion passes and the consent agenda is approved. Brings us to item five action items. Item 5.1 request to approve the architectural architectural services recommendation. >> Good evening. >> This agenda item was presented to the school board during its committee of the whole. Okay. >> Um the district uh sought proposals for architectural engineering services for um design and implementation of its 2025 bond. We received um proposals from seven firms. Quinn Evans, Fanning Howy, GMBB is currently the incumbent. uh Bari King Scott Associates IDs and Wake. After uh after um review of those proposals, the district's making a recommendation that a contract be awarded to uh Fanny Howie um which is a resident architectural engineering firm here in Ferndale um for design implementation um related to the

079Ferndale Middle and High School under the 2025. >> [snorts] >> I'll entertain a motion to approve item 5.1, the request to approve the architectural services recommendation. So moved >> by Jackie. >> Second by David. Any discussion on the motion? >> Thank you for sharing the highlights of our meeting a couple weeks ago. Can you tell us a little bit more about why Danny Howie stood out? >> Sure. actually as a part of this um recommendation we do have a um a presentation. So as I mentioned GMBB is our current architectural firm. It's helping with design on the 2020 uh bond proposal. Um this gives a timeline of of the RFP process and then the firms that actually bid the work. Um the evaluation committee rated Fanning Highway the highest. There were three firms ranked in

080one, two, three. The second being GMBB and the third being Wakeley. I should note that GMBB and Wakeley currently work within the district. Wakeley does a lot of the project design for our sinking fund. Um proposals were evaluated based on the firm's proposed team experience as related to similar projects of what we're embarking upon for the middle school and high school. Uh evidence of capabilities to perform all the requirements as reflected in the RFP. their fee structure uh project approach which was very unique and innovative and and you'll learn that later on. Uh client references and then acceptance of the contract terms. This is to note the uh percentage fee structure based on about $und00 million of um of the bond work um and if they've had a prior relationship within the district. Um the

081reading reasons why Fanny Howie um obviously being one primary is a hometown partner. Um the company really did a wonderful job of reimagining the middle school and high school um campus that we had not seen prior and they really took care and did some diligence in um I I imagine being a resident of Ferndale in their approach and they've also done this work for uh 6 through 12 campuses um throughout the country. um added value is that they partner with Zois Zois create creative and um they have a partnership with authentic learning and leadership um that again really echoed some of what's already highlighted in our dynamic plan. it really aligned and they've also offered our students a summer internship as a part of their pro as a part of their u commitment to the

082district which we can't wait for our kids to have exposure to the architectural uh field. Um but primarily um being a a resident of Ferndale um being residents of Ferndale, having uh the firm here in Ferndale, it it really um uh really echoed what we're attempting to do on that campus and for our students and staff there. >> Thank you for that. >> Yes, ma'am. Um yeah, I I uh really appreciated the fact that you were here to present um to us that it is a local firm and that you showed us what we didn't know was possible. So I really appreciate the fact that um you went above and beyond in your RFP to to share with the team and uh looking forward to working And I love that you were integrating the students

083in the construction. >> Not not that they were working, but that they could see the progress [laughter] to be fair. >> And then I I would have to add the fact that you've uh included elements of that campus. You've paid homage to them by keeping them in the design, >> i.e. the elephant steps. Um uh it's just really it's inspiring to see. And so I I can't wait to see how this all turns out and I can't wait to engage the community on this process. >> Caller Park. Yes. Newman. Yes. From Ry. >> Yes. >> President. >> Yes. Thank you. With four yes votes, the motion passes. And item 5.1, the request to approve the architectural services recommendation is approved. Item 5.2 two request to approve FECC heating pump and heating coil replacement. >> Thank

084you. >> All right. So, um this was not presented to you all during the committee of the whole. This is a walk-on agenda item because of its urgency. Um we commissioned the boilers at all of our schools and the startup for FECC has been less than stellar. um we've lost heat in four classrooms there and are currently using temporary heat. And during that same time, we lost one of the circulating pumps. Um and so we've been able to um look to our current uh contractors working in the district on construction projects and we sought um three proposals um for this work. Um the first being Air King and came in with a proposal $73,695. Alli Building Services is currently one of our firms that helps us to maintain the buildings. They came in at $73,470

085and Miller Bolt came in at $64,248. Um, we're making a recommendation to award contract to Miller Bolt with a contingency of 15% um making the total amount not to exceed $73,885. Um the funds again used for this project due to um the life cycle of the equipment would be bond funds. Um and so we're looking to um based on the re based on tonight's recommendation and approval, we're hoping to have this work done over the Christmas uh holiday break. Are there any questions or >> I'll entertain a motion to approve item 5.2, two, the request to approve the FECC heating pump and heating coil replacement. >> Moved by Jessica. >> Seconded by David. Any discussion on the motion? >> How old was the pumps? I I looked for the age of them. I I couldn't

086find any of the name plates. A lot of the plates are rubbed off and I I couldn't tell. They they they've had a life. They are in that in that state. >> My initials are probably next to >> Yeah. [laughter] >> back when I was in the >> Cleveland Harding was the administrative building. It's been some time Shepard Newman. >> Yes. >> President D. >> Yes. >> Thank you. With four yes votes, the motion passes. And item 5.2, 2, the request to approve the FBCC heating pump and heating oil replacement uh is approved. Item 5.3, the request to approve second semester schools of choice for UHS. >> Good evening everybody. >> Good evening. >> Hello. Uh my pleasure to come back to you tonight to request approval for second semester school choice for University High

087School uh as presented to the committee of the board of this month. As you know, it's a long-standing practice to uh fill available seats at University High School in January at the semester mark uh due largely to uh you know in in a lot of ways even though we receive less funding in the second semester for students it still allows us to get a jump start on numbers for the following years and we're um we do so also to take advantage of existing capacities. So uh the numbers that are uh that you're being asked to approve tonight uh we have the capacity with our current staffing to uh to maintain that. So the uh so essentially we can uh bring these students to the district to receive this funding without incurring costs for additional staff.

088So it's our recommendation that the board adopt uh this these numbers and then we begin the school choice window in December uh for January enrollments. Happy to answer questions. >> I entertain a motion to approve item 5.3, the request to approve second semester schools of choice for UHS. >> Moved by Jackie. >> Thanks. >> Seconded by Jack Jessica. Any discussion on the motion? >> Leading the enrollment here. >> My best roll call. >> Yes. President. Yes. Thank you. With four yes votes, the motion passes and item 5.3, the request to approve second semester schools of choice for UHS is approved. Item 5.4. Thank you, Tom. >> Thank you. >> Item 5.4, the request to approve the 31A resolution. Thank you. Um, good evening. Um in the uh board book premiere there is a different version

089that does have um a little bit more filled in. It just says Ferndale public schools etc etc. So it is filled in. Um just as a a reminder the 31A grant is um for mental health and safety. Um this year um it was some new boilerplate language that was included in the um that each district must sign in order to receive the funds. Um and the language that is used is in the event of a mass casualty um that the um the district would re um would not have their legal privileges um in the event of an investigation. Um so what is in front of the board at this time is a resolution to decline the 31A um funds. Just want to highlight specifically in the resolutions number five, excuse me, number six and then

090number one. Number six states, after careful deliberation, the board has determined while it fully supports initiatives to enhance school safety and student mental health, it is in the district's best interest to preserve its legal privileges and make deliberate informed election regarding participation in 31A funding. Then it says, "Now therefore be it resolved that the board hereby resolves to decline 31A funding in order to preser preserve attorney client privilege or other applicable privileges that would otherwise be subject to waiver under the conditions imposed. So I just wanted to highlight two specific parts that I think gets to the real core um of the declining of the funds and the resolution that is presented in front. I'll entertain a motion to approve item 5.4 the request to approve the 31A resolution point of word. Will we do

091that? Can we amend the wording to clarify specify that we're approving resolution B [clears throat] the decline optin option? There's two resolutions that we could choose from. Okay. Resolution B. Yeah. Resolution B opt in. Okay. So, I'll entertain a motion to approve item 5.4, the request to approve 31A, resolution B, uh, decline optin. So, move. >> Second. >> Moved by Jackie, seconded by David. Any discussion on the motion? >> I [laughter] would just I would just add that since this has been added to the board packet, we are informed that a act a lawsuit is um is happening um from several districts in southeast Michigan um including the entire MCOME ISD. Um what the districts are doing is they are suing the state of Michigan both as the district and as individuals. Um so it

092is um going to be very interesting to see what happens. Um but again um as I mentioned there is no reason for us to believe that the governor is going to change the boilerplate language. It's been shared with us that that language is essential. Roll Shepard. >> Yes. Crim. >> Yes. >> President Duke. >> Yes. Thank you. With four yes votes, the motion passes and item 5.4 request to approve the 31A resolution B decline optin is approved. Uh item 5.5, the request to approve the resolution to support the invest in my kids proposal. >> Good evening again. Um so as we heard from um public comment this comment this evening um as we have been discussing this matter um in great detail. Um we need to fund schools fully. Um, and we believe that this

093proposal um is a step in that direction. Um, and so we're hoping for full support from the board this evening. >> Okay. Okay. So, go >> resolution. [laughter] >> So, where notes, but I don't have here. So, go ahead. Whereas the board of education of Ferndale public schools acknowledges that Michigan's public schools are the cornerstone of our communities and the foundation of our children's future. And whereas that whereas the board of education of Ferndale public schools believes strong public schools attract families, boost property values, and strengthen the workplace, benefiting everyone. And whereas Michigan public schools are underfunded by 4.5 billion and more than threequarters of all Michigan public school students attend schools in districts that are over $2,000 per pupil below adequacy. And whereas funding for Michigan's school aid fund has significantly decreased over the

094last two decades. And between 2015 and 2022, seven studies found Michigan does not provide enough money for the state's public schools. And whereas that in the 2021 2022 school year, Michigan offered the lowest starting teacher scap salary in the Great Lakes region. And whereas the top 1% earners in Michigan pay a lower effective tax rate than everyday people pay. And whereas the lifetime earnings of Michigan's current K12 student could students could increase by 27 billion if their educational achievement matched the national average. And whereas a 10% increase [clears throat] in per pupil spending improved lowincome students graduation rates by 7% percentage points and their adult hourly wages by 13%. Therefore, be it resolved that the Ferndale Public Schools Board of Education hereby endorses the invest in Michigan kids proposed amendment to the Michigan Constitution to

095impose a 5% fair share search charge on annual taxable income over $1 million for joint filers and over $500,000 for single filers to raise funds for career and technical education, reducing class size, and attracting and retaining educators in public schools across the state and is subject to an annual audit. I'll entertain a motion to approve item 5.5, request to approve the resolution to support the invest in my kids proposal. >> Salute moved by Jessica. >> Second by David. Any discussion on the motion? >> I think this is a critical move to make sure that we're fully and fairly funding ourselves. Roll call comment. Sheepard >> Newman. Yes. From Ryan. >> Yes. President. >> Yes. Thank you. With four yes votes, the motion passes. And item 5.5, the request to approve the resolution to support the

096investor in my case proposal is approved. Item six, the superintendent update. Good evening again. Um so as mentioned and as a reminder to the community and to the board, my superintendent spotlights um spotlight new and developing um uh opportunities across the district from um after school programming to um new staff. Um and this e evening I'm so excited to share more about our brand new unified sports program. Um it has truly been a labor of love. We've been discussing this for years and we're excited to see it actually launching. Um I do want to give credit where credit is due from um uh Deputy Superintendent Wright to Juan Rickman and especially to um Alicia Bird, director of special education who I'm going to ask to come up and speak a little bit more about our

097newi um unified sports program. >> [snorts] >> I cannot see that. [laughter] >> Sorry. Yes. share a little bit information this evening um about unified sports coming to Ferndale High School. Um we are excited to share that we are planning to launch our unified sports team at FHS beginning with winter basketball as our first sport. Um, unified sports is a partnership with the Special Olympics and it brings together students with and without disabilities to train, compete, and build meaningful connections through athletics. Um, there are lots of different sports all year long. So, we're starting with basketball just more more popular, more um open for more participation. Um, this team that we're starting will be open to all FHS students within my including those in our adult transition program who are 18 to 26 years old.

098We will also recruit general education peers who will join the team and create opportunities for that friendship, teamwork and inclusion both on and off the court. Um, so far we have five students from our self-contained classes and we're hoping that our volunteers, um, our coaches who are Stacy Shock and Lita Walker, that they will also help us recruit some general education peers to join the team. Um, currently we are seeking a grant from the Special Olympics to help us fund uniforms, pay our coaches, and also pay for transportation. Um we have five games already scheduled starting in December through February. So you will get a schedule. You can hopefully come and join us and cheer for us. Um we will also be participating in a unified basketball tournament in March at Grove High School which

099will be all teams from county. Um so we just looking forward to this is very exciting opportunity for our students. They are excited. The parents are excited and I just I think deputy superintendent right and she was like I think I want to do this. Um and I was like I guess let's do it. And so just from there we've been working collectively to make it happen. >> Thank you. So Miss Bird isn't going to say it as directly as what I will but I would just say that this is a startup program and funds are appreciated. Um um we are fundraising um for um you know it's a startup program so we do need um funding for paying our coaches as she mentioned uniforms. We have some ideas should we not get the grant.

100Um but I just wanted to make sure that the community knows has an opportunity to support us. Um, we'll talk with Dawn and see where we might have some opportunities to share more ways like exactly if we can set up through school pay or etc., etc., if the community were to want to support, I'm sure that they will. Um, so we'll be working with that to publicize a little bit bigger. Um, but this is so exciting. I'm just I'm just beaming with excitement. Do you want to add anything, Mr. Ray? >> I I do. I was actually surprised that we didn't have it here because a lot of our surrounding districts have it. Royal O, Berkeley, Troy, and we went to a meeting at Groves last week, right? And we were just, oh, Ferndale, oh,

101you're here. It was so nice. I think it was another district, I want to say Rochester that showed up for the first time and they were so happy to see you, so welcoming. And it seems like we have a lot of support. We have been talking about it close to a year >> about doing this and so I really hope that our families get behind it. I hope the students have some interest and I think they will once they see it. Um the games will be played in between uh junior varsity and varsity so we have a audience right and we also have support. So, we really want everybody to come out and support the games and we're looking forward to the competition looking at community partnerships or business. >> Absolutely. >> Sponsorship. >> Um,

102yeah, because we're probably the only district that does not pay to play. Like, so I want us to continue that and >> Okay. make sure that we don't make that absolutely, >> you know, a way that people or students shouldn't or wouldn't be able to participate because of costs. >> Understood. >> So stay tuned. We'll um be publicizing a lot more, but again, this is hot off the press, so we were just so excited, wanted to share it publicly. >> Thank you, Miss B. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. Item seven,formational item 7.1, budget to actual report. This is the budget for October 31st. And um I wanted to point out that in October we had three pays instead of two pays. Some most months we have two pays, some months we have

103three pays. So this month we had three pays which if you look down at the bottom of the percent remaining on October 31st 25 that's saying we were spending more than the prior year but it's mainly due to having three pays next year. So in November we'll have two pays and then it should be back back questions. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Thank you. Item eight, consideration of any pools consent agenda items. We had none. Item nine, our next committee of the whole is Monday, December 1st, 2025 at 6 p.m. Item 10, our next regular board meeting is Monday, December 15th at 7 p.m. Item 11, Eagle's point surprise for comments. >> I can start. I mean, I already said mine because they were here, but as again just point out the speed, Miss Jeffrey,

104the amount of effort it takes to do that and and it it's it's it's a big deal. It's not not those aren't easy to put together and that kind of stuff is huge for me. I love looking at that stuff. The good and the bad. >> Two, if I may. Um, I thought that the resource fair was wonderful. I'm sorry. It was lovely to see all of those groups coming together, meet parents, um, meet folks who are really engaged in community. And today was lovely. The public comment and and the involvement in coordinating if we did more of that. um quite a few but I think after hearing about the the unified sports I just want to shout out our athletic department um and not even part our students and our teams from the volleyball

105the girls volleyball team swim team and then coach Jackson being nominated and winning >> the um Oakland County Association uh coach of the year. So, we have a phenomenal um program. And so, >> our volleyball coach won too. >> Oh, she did? >> I thought so. I I think I saw [clears throat] it. >> So, kudos to the team and you for helping the organization buy this program and moving us forward. >> Thank you. >> So, I I'll go next. I don't know why I never remember where I'm supposed where I'm supposed to be. Um, but I would also like to to shout out the athletic uh department and the students. They've done really well. They work really hard uh this semester and it shows uh a big shout out to our volleyball coach. Um

106so uh Mr. Rickman and I were talking about her in a good way and that you know everybody was a little like h she's so strict and and she's that for a reason because she produces results, right? And I think that the young ladies that play really really are enjoying the team. Um I love how they cheer each other on. They have a little thing when they when they make a >> when they make a volley, right? And then they kind of huddle together. And I just like it. I I like that. And they're really supportive of each other. She's really built a a really good um camaraderie around the team. It's my shout out. It's volleyball, right? >> [snorts] >> It's my turn and I'm still not certain yet, so I'll just start talking.

107Um I I would this is going to sound away, but I just want to shout out the entire Ferndale community. So like including public schools, um including uh city government, um including um we have a new youth uh sports uh football team um in Ferndale this year. And um all of those organizations I've mentioned within the last two weeks I've had um direct contact with and I'm just so always so in awe of how supportive this community is. Um how important that they uh show how important the the students in the community are to them um by the way that they give back and the way that they show up and all of the things. Um, so I'm just um really proud today um and just appreciative of being a part of this break. Uh

108I am going to shout out the new uh honor honor society inductees at both Ferndale High School and University High School. Um just congratulations and keep up the good work. Um, and so with that, we're adjourned at 8:38 p.m.