001[music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] >> [music] >> Hey, [music] hey, hey. >> [music] [music] >> My name is Haley. I'm a senior and I attend [music] Mccclure High School. Um, what made me decide to join [music] the Bill Roman program was when I found out that I know that I knew I can earn my associates [music] degree. sign up. When I first signed up, it was smooth and easy. Everything went nice. But then when it came to coming to my first class, I was a little confused cuz I [music] was new. So, I didn't know where to go and everything. [music] >> [music] >> Um, I want my school to become a place where everybody feels included, supported, and excited to learn in. For like example, we can have student voice
002programs [music] and maybe like mental health resources and like career based clubs and [music] college prep to help students like plan early for stuff. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. [music] Hey. Hey. Hey. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Hey, hey, hey. [music] [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. [music] Hey. Hey. Hey. [music] Heat. Heat. N. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. N. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. [music] Hey, Heat. >> [music] [music] >> Hi, my name is Haley. [music] I'm a senior and I attend Mccclure High School. Um, what made me decide to [music] join the digital enrollment program was when I found out that I know that I knew I can earn my associates degree. Sign up. [music] When
003I first signed up, it was smooth and easy. Everything went nice. But then when it came to coming to my first class, I was a little confused cuz [music] I was new. So, I didn't know where to go and everything. >> [music] [music] >> Um, I want my school to become a place where everybody [music] feels included, supported, and excited to learn in. For like example, we can have student voice programs and [music] maybe like mental health resources and like career based clubs and college prep [music] to help students like plan early for stuff. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. N. [music] [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. [music] Hey, Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. [music] Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. N. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat.
004[music] >> [music] [music] >> Hey, hey, hey. [music] Heat. Heat. N. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Hi, my name is Haley. I'm a senior and I attend Mccclure High School. >> [music] >> Um, what made me decide to join the Bill Roman program was when I found out that I know that I knew I can earn my associates [music] degree. Sign up. When I first signed up, it was smooth and easy. Everything went [music] nice. But then when it came to coming to my first class, I was a little confused cuz [music] I was new. So I didn't know where to go and everything. [music] Um I want my school to become a place where everybody feels included, supported and excited to learn in. For like example, we
005can have student voice [music] programs and maybe like mental health resources and like career based clubs and college prep to help students like [music] plan early for stuff. [music] Heat. Heat. N. [music] Hey, hey, hey. [music] >> [music] [music] >> I'm sorry, my mic wasn't on. Let's stand for the pledge. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. Thank you all for being here this very cold and windy night. We appreciate it. and you out there in TV land, thank you for for joining us today. At this time, under the provisions of the public law of the state of Missouri, the board must adopt a roll call vote, an agenda
006that includes the time, date, place, and tenative agenda for the meeting. A copy of the notice and agenda for this meeting was posted on Tuesday, December 9th, 2025 at the administration center located at 8855 Dun Road, Hazerwood, Missouri online and sent to local newspapers. May I have a recommendation to adopt the agenda as posted? So moved. >> Second. >> It's called for the vote. Madam President, uh, are you >> Oh, I'm sorry. I was just going to What was the I'm sorry for >> you call. You said Madam President can what? >> No, no, no. I was uh going to let you know that I need a moment. >> Okay. Okay. Sorry about that. Hopefully everyone had a pretty good Thanksgiving break and safe travels and all of that. >> I did. >> Good for
007you. Glad to see you back. >> That's always good. Dr. Martin, >> yes. >> Mrs. Mansery, >> yes. >> Dr. Graves, >> yes. >> Mr. Bailey, >> yes. >> Mr. Tyson, >> yes. >> Secretary Votes, yes. Dr. Thurman, >> yes. >> At this time, we will have the Missouri School Board Association update. Welcome to the December edition of the Missouri School Boards Association's Board Report. We begin with a look at MSBA's third AI symposium held in October in Kansas City just prior to the 2025 MSBA annual conference. MSBA's director of digital initiatives, Mark Henderson, planned the symposium, and he says that with a topic as broad as AI, the symposium needed to be designed for a broad audience. the AI symposium. We had our third one in October and it really was about getting people
008together, getting minds together of folks from all around Missouri, school board members, superintendent, all kinds of district staff to really explore the broad topics of AI. you know, it's a very positive environment looking at ways that districts are really harnessing it with their teachers, with their students, looking at ways it's being used responsibly, addressing some of the concerns as well. But, you know, it's it's such a broad topic. Every year we try to address more and more. In addition to the symposium, MSBA offers many ways to help school districts and staff in their implementation of AI, regardless of where a district is in its journey. >> A lot of people feel guilty. They say we're not as far along as we should be. And they always say the fact that you're talking about it is
009good. You know, obviously the best time to start was three years ago, but realistically, most people couldn't do that. So MSBA is here to help you. We've been doing this work for 3 years now. You know, we've got an AI policy. We just put out a new version of it based on feedback that we received from districts. We've got our free AI toolkit. We do AI training webinars, things like that. We try to stay on the pulse of what schools really need to know about AI. That way, they don't have to worry about it themselves. >> The symposium's lunch session consisted of an outstanding student panel. Attendees had a chance to hear from students and understand how they use and view AI. Cali of Holden High School says that AI is here to stay and
010will be an integral part of their future education and careers. >> It's inevitable. It's going to be in every job. It's going to be in the world. It's everywhere around us in our everyday lives. If we ban it in schools, if we're not allowed to use it, we are going to fall behind. We need to use it as a tool to advance our world because it is the future. >> Mark collaborated with Katherine Harrison of MSBA's leadership development team to create a document specifically for schoolboard members to help them identify questions to ask in their districts about AI. And we developed a list of governance level questions about AI that schoolboard members can ask so that they don't have to be in the weeds. They also don't have to know everything there is to know
011about AI, but they can be sure that their district's on the right track. And that document's available for free on our website, mossba.org/ai. Speaking of Katherine Harrison, she is conducting the first statewide research study focused entirely on board president leadership in Missouri. Board presidents carry an enormous responsibility guiding their board, partnering with the superintendent, and helping set the course for an entire school district. Yet, there's no current leadership framework or guidance for that role. To create these resources, Katherine says she needs your help. There's a brief survey for all board members and superintendents that will ultimately help create resources for board presidents to lead confidently, collaboratively, and effectively. So, the survey is trying to figure out what should board leadership look like, what should board president leadership look like? And I've tried to create a
012360 evaluation um where board presidents rate themselves on how good of a leader they think they are. But then I need board members to go in and take the survey to think about their board president and how good are they at these things. And then I also really need superintendent to give that third level of insight into, you know, what do they need from their board president because that's their boss. It's one of their bosses. And so what do they need um in terms of leadership from their board president as well? And so that's why I'm really trying to get board presidents, board members, and superintendents. I want to create this whole 360 image of what does a board president do? Um and how do they lead this governance team? >> Catherine says that the
013information from the survey and her research can ultimately benefit the entire governance team. So, I'm really hoping the results of this survey lead to an actual framework to train board presidents, support board presidents, help boards understand what they should be looking at when they decide to appoint their board president. What kind of leadership qualities does your board president need to have to be successful, and really making something that is so gray more black and white and easily attainable for people? >> Katherine says that a research study like this truly is the first of its kind and is greatly needed. Um, so we know that being a board member and a board president is unbelievably difficult. Um, and so that's why we have new board member training so that board members know what they should be
014doing. But we need board president training so that board presidents know what they should be doing as well. And so that's the whole goal of this. And the fact that it really doesn't exist in other states really could make Missouri the first to really build this out and then begin to support other states throughout the country, which is really exciting. Use this QR code to access the survey. That's it for this month's edition of the MSBA board report. Thank you for allowing us to have some time at your board meeting and we'll see you in January of 2026 for the next MSBA board report. >> Okay, moving right along. Um, declaration of candidacy filing opened on December 9th for Ferguson Florison School Board election. Ferguson, Florida residents interested in running for the April 7th, 2026
015Ferguson, Flores Board of Education uh will need to file for candidacy in the St. Louis County Board of Elections located at 7:25 Northwest Plaza Drive in St. Anne. The filing period for the April 7th election be began on Tuesday, December 9th, and closes at 5:00 p. p.m. on Tuesday, December 30th. Three positions will be on the ballot. The three terms are for Donna Plet Thurman, myself, Kevin Martin, and Jamal Bailey. Missouri law requires a person to be a US citizen, at least 24 years old, a resident taxpayer of the district and to have uh resided in Missouri for one year immediately preceding the election. In addition, the candidate must follow these procedures. file the declaration of candidacy file pursuant to district policy BBB2. The Ferguson Florescent School District Board election um in April 2026 will
016be conducted by cumulative voting, a change ordered by the federal court. And cumulative voting, the voters may cast as many votes as there are seats. Voters are not limited to giving only one vote to a candidate. Instead, they can give their vote to one or more candidates. For instance, in this election for three open board seats, voters could choose to give one vote to each by three different candidates or to three different ga candidates, two votes to one and one vote to another candidate, or three votes to a single candidate. If you have any questions or concerns regarding board candidate filing, please contact uh call this number 3146871912. 314-6871912. Okay. Now we will go to our public comments. Pursuant to policy BDDH1, public participation at uh board meetings, the board allocates a portion of each
017meeting to allow stakeholders the opportunity to comment on agenda items. The board president will read aloud comments that may have been submitted in advance. Uh in all written comments will be included in the board materials for this evening and may be viewed under public comments. The board may limit the number of comments read aloud based on length or repetition. The total time allocated for in-person public comments shall not exceed 30 minutes before the public comments uh period begins. In-person participation are in participants are asked to complete a comment card including their name, address, phone number, and email address and the topic to be addressed. Speakers will be allowed up to three minutes to present their their remarks. Individuals wishing to address the board are asked to speak from the podium, identify themselves and in keeping
018with policy BDDH and in person in personnel law refrain from making personal identifiable or negative comments about individuals. While the board will not direct directly respond to public to speakers during the public comment period, the board president may provide brief clarifying remarks at the end of the session to correct any misstatement of facts. Following the meeting, Dr. Fields will confer with the leadership team of the Ferguson Florescent School District and privately assign a staff member to respond to the public comments. If a response has not been received within five business days, please contact Dr. Fields directly. And at this time, I think we have one comment from the floor and we have three written comments. So, I'm going to do the re written one first and then I'll I'll call up for the uh one
019in person. And this is from K Bay. Hello, I'm a new family member to Ferguson Florison District. Very grateful to be a part of of the one leading education system in Missouri. Hope to be present in events and community activities. This message is to bring up the food chains or local farmers and markets. When will the children begin to receive adequate and nutritional support? Some can't provide at home and some some can't provide it at home and some can't uh give much to others. Can families volunteer to donate food for other families or even to serve um with donations? Um, thank you for that that um your note um Miss Bay and you will be getting um response from our leadership team. As a matter of fact, that's one of the things that we're cutting
020the ribbon on tomorrow. Right. Okay. Uh Lesie, and I'm try not to butcher this name. Kazek. Kazuzac, the last uh SSD board meeting mentioned that they are in discussion with FSD about SSD taking over our early childhood special education department. What is the status of this? When will early childhood special ed staff find out um further details? again. Uh, Leslie, you will be getting that information from the leadership team and Dr. Fields. Matthew Martin. Good evening. I'm writing um I'm writing an educator. I'm writing an educator in the district. I don't think. And as a citizen of Florison. I guess he's writing as an educator in the district. Okay. Our new HR department responded quickly to my question about whether teachers can move up multiple steps if not all if not all steps were granted
021at the time of hire. I really appreciate the prompt email back. I learned from that response that the district has a policy prohibiting teachers from moving multiple steps. Would the board of education consider reviewing that policy to help retain teachers who have been in the district for multiple years? Unfortunately, neighboring districts are honoring all years of service. I hope the school district retains seasoned educators as we face teacher shortages. Thank you, uh, Mr. Martin. Matt, we will get back to you on >> Okay. At this time, we'll go to our public comments in person. And Mr. Doug Jackson is up and he's going to be talking about educational outcomes. Hey, Doug. >> Hello. >> How are you? >> I'm good. It's been a minute since uh I know. >> Is this on? >> Yeah. >>
022Can you hear? Okay. >> All right. Um [clears throat] so, I'm here to talk about um educational outcomes in our district. And I want to use an example recently that I've uh heard about recently, which has been kind of called the Mississippi miracle. Um for 30 years, Mississippi has been at the bottom um of reading and math scores. And in less than 10 years, they [clears throat] are now uh with black children third, with Hispanic children first, and with all under um uh pover uh children in poverty their number one. And they call it a miracle, but it really wasn't a miracle. It was hard work and it was holding people accountable, including students, um to make sure that these kids were set up for success early on. In kindergarten, they did assessments for their
023reading abilities and immediately started uh uh you know, with with interventions when they saw that there was a deficiency. um in third grade they tested them and if they didn't test out of the reading uh level at that time they were held back. Only [clears throat] about six to 9% of students were held back in any given year. Um but with that hard work and going back to some kind of you know old school kind of teaching methods they got the job done. They went back to phonics. They went back to drilling and practicing. Um because if you don't have those those foundational pieces, you're not going to be successful down the road. You know, if you're if you know your times tables, we all hated it. We all, you know, know our times tables.
024If you know long division, if you know the the the basic concepts and can do them well, then you're going to be successful when you're confronted with more complex topics. Um and again, they didn't they still spend almost the least amount per student. um it wasn't free, but they didn't have to spend billions. They spent between 15 and 20 million a year as a state um to get where they are. And it was all about coaches and early interventions and making sure the kids were set up for success. And the reason I bring this up is because Mississippi's numbers prior to this change in focus are very similar to ours. You know, about a quarter of our kids are proficient at grade level when they leave our district. um that's not setting kids up for
025success. And I've talked about this before, but now we have a real world example that we can look at and study um and potentially implement here. Um and again, it's not a miracle. It's just hard work. We just have to do the difficult part of checking our blind spots, realizing that we're not going in the right direction, and say, "We're going to do something different and be brave and do what's necessary for our kids." Thank you. >> Thank you, Doug. And I have two um relatives in Mississippi who are administrators and I saw them go through this whole process and it was very uh interesting to see h how their schools improved uh with the hard work that went into it and mainly they did go back to the basics. Okay. Um, up next is
026Carnell, Timothy Carnell, and he's going to be talking about good good manner meeting. Is that Did I say that right? >> Hi, how are you? >> How you doing there? >> New superintendent. What's up there? I just want to start off by saying the good matter meeting I I really asked the state representative for NEA about a meeting having a meeting because it's always that when one called into the human resource office is always on some complaint. So why one can't call a meeting just on a good manner meeting just to you know collaborate or just to share or converse uh the ideas of concerns of what that person or whoever have uh this goes back to July like I say news the news you know the $25 million that that they say Franken Florison
027was seeking uh that as well of course innovation shut down we know all that that's put me without a home school at the time being, which of course I know I got one now, you know, but the point being that when that was closed, that's set me off to somewhere else. You understand what I'm saying? Because y'all closed it down. Having that said, then I'm looking back for it over to this for sure at the time of the deficit and all the money that y'all say that was missing or came up missing that that wasn't there. the 71 people that was uh uh uh being paid on payroll that that didn't nobody know who they was. And I'm looking at this like, okay, so they paying all these people this money and don't know who
028it is, but I just asked for high school pay and y'all shut that down. Okay, all of that. And then you're looking at all these executive topheavy or executive names that that everybody have that that's a whole lot of money in itself. budget. Uh, everybody jumped off the Titanic that that I see not even here no more. Well, we know why. Y'all know why. Y'all know why. I know why. Uh, Close Innovation, of course, displaced custodian. That's me. Of course. Mike uh uh uh at uh Look, he got his money. Uh I I I hear that. I And like I told him, hey, kudos to you, man. I'm glad for him. Uh the new guy that came in, the technology guy, probably got it for him. They that it worked. Um whoever did, they he
029got it. I didn't get mine, but that's a whole another story. We know we know about that one. But then on top of that, why is like all our HVAC people leaving? Why why why is people steady leaving? And these was some good AVAC guys. I like really want to know because that's like why y'all losing people like that? Do y'all really care? I mean that's three, four people gone in what two or three months in the span. But the point being, I just want to say this. Hey, listen. this on for real talk. God is present. God is here. He's on the scene. And hey, he says, "Dust say the Lord." >> Okay. Thank you so much. We appreciate your comments. >> Yeah. >> Does say the Lord, vengeance is his. And >> thank
030you again. >> Look at it. Look at it like this. This the bottom line. This the bottom line. The bottom line. Okay, I get that. But hey, a storm is coming. A storm is coming. Okay. >> No, I'm sorry. Let me go back. I'm I'm missing one. Uh process to update for student uh representation. The board. Okay. Oh, Charlie Moore is going to be uh reporting on the process for updating uh our student representatives. Good evening everybody. Good evening board members, Dr. fields and members of the community. The board of education recognizes the valuable insight and the unique perspectives that students bring to discussions that about issues that affect the district. Their firsthand experience with the academic, social, and extracurricular environment provides an essential viewpoint that helps inform decision-making at the governance level. To ensure
031that student voices are meaningfully represented and considered, the board has established a provision for a high school student of the district to serve as a non- voting representative. Tonight, I'm standing to provide a brief overview of the updated student board representative selection process. I want to first begin by thanking Mr. Isaac Gates who is at the end of his term and he has served well. The process Yes. The process begins with an open application period that is currently happening for all sophomores and juniors who are enrolled full-time and meet behavior eligibility requirements. Interested students will submit a one-page essay using a common prompt and rubric focused on leadership representation and their vision for supporting students across the district. Uh that email went out today. I will be the person that they email. So parents, if
032you um if your students are interested, please make sure that they adhere to that email that was sent today. The three finalists, I'm sorry, essays will be blindly reviewed by a first round committee which will include one administrator from each high school, the superintendent or his design, and one member of the board of education. This committee will select one finalist from each high school to advance to the next phase. The three finalists will then complete a pre-recorded one-quest interview that is shared with all students across the district. They will then deliver a one-minute speech to the student voice superintendent advisory. A studentled selection committee which includes representatives, an equal amount of representatives from all middle schools and all high schools will review both the interview and the speeches. And then this committee will cast the
033final vote to select who the next student board representative will be. The selected student will begin their term in January and will serve through December of the same school year. The goal of this process is to ensure that student leadership is encouraged, that perspectives from across the districts are also included, and that the final selection is driven by our student voice. Thank you. And I'm happy to answer any questions about the process. >> Or do you have any questions? This is for information. Thank you. >> This it has been an asset to have students on on the board. So, um students, if you're listening out there, please put in your applications, do what you need to do, and we we can't welcome we can't wait to welcome you on the board. >> Yes, ma'am. And
034that deadline is next Thursday by 5:00 p.m. >> Thursday next week. >> What's the date on that? When was the date? >> 18th. >> The 18th. Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Now, we'll go to FFNA. All right. Good evening, Board of Education members, Superintendent Dr. Fields, FFNA members, Ferguson Flores, and family and community partners. As we prepare to begin winter break in just seven days, it is important that we also prepare for how we will welcome our students and staff back in January. A successful return requires more than simply reopening our doors. It requires a deliberate midyear reset, a coordinated effort to strengthen school climate, reinforce expectations, and reestablish the routines that allow teaching and learning to thrive. Winter break offers a natural pause in the school year
035and with that pause comes a valuable opportunity. The return in January is not merely a continuation of the semester. It is a chance to realign, refocus, and re-engage. Our collective goal as educators and as those who support educators is to ensure that every student enters a school environment that is structured, supportive, and truly conducive to high levels of learning. How do we achieve this? First, we must recommmit to the foundational routines that anchor a safe and productive school environment. This includes retteing hallway expectations, reinforcing classroom norms, reviewing safe behaviors, and clarifying consequences in ways that are consistent, predictable, and aligned with board policy. When expectations are clear and consistently upheld, students experience greater security and teachers are free to focus on instruction rather than correction. Next, we must continue to prioritize relationships and well-being. Winter
036break may be restorative for some students and staff, but for others, it brings significant challenges. With the recent discontinuation of Hazel Health services in our schools, our counselors, social workers, and support teams will need adequate time built into their schedules to check in with those who may require additional care. Reconnection matters. Students learn best when they feel seen, supported, and valued. And the same is true for staff. A strong school year depends on the well-being of the adults who serve our children every day. Finally, as we enter the second half of the academic year, we must commit to ongoing collaboration and communication. Families should know what to expect. Staff should feel prepared and supported, and students should feel confident in the structure and care surrounding them every day. A successful reset requires shared ownership, consistent
037district-wide alignment, unified schoolwide systems, and clear, intentional messaging from all of us. In closing, I want to express sincere appreciation to the Ferguson Flores Board of Education and to Dr. Fields for recognizing the dedicated work of our teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses, building administrators, transportation drivers, cafe workers, technology specialists, security officers, custodians, maintenance and facility staff, and office professionals. These individuals work tirelessly to create welcoming, safe, and productive learning environments for every student every day. With intentional planning and collective effort, we can and will ensure that the second half of the school year is even stronger than the first. Thank you and enjoy your winter break. >> Thank you. And thank you for your support through FFNA. We appreciate your support and what you do for our teachers and staff at Ferguson Flores. So, at
038this time, we're going to move on to superintendence updates. >> Hi, Dr. Fields. >> Good evening, Madam President. Um, you're staying warm, which I am appreciative. The reason why I have this scarf on as well. So, we're going to be as efficient as possible. I'm going to first turn over to um An to share some celebrations and recognitions for the Ferguson Florison School District. >> Good evening, board superintendent Dr. Fields and members of our community. Thank you for giving us a few moments this evening to share some of the district's celebrations and recognitions. Tonight, we are proud to recognize several uh Ferguson Flores schools that have been awarded grant funding to expand learning opportunities for our students through technology and instructional tools. These schools are recipients of the 2025 Catapult grant recipients. The grants are
039provided through the ITA fund which stands for innovative technology education fund and ITF provides funding for innovative technology use in K12 settings. First we have Griffith Intermediate who was awarded a $30,000 grant and they will be bringing an exciting new innovation lab. This space will support 3D printing, virtual reality integration, and curriculum instructional design, allowing students to design and print prototypes that will explore ecosystems and historical sites. Wedgewood Sixth Grade Center received a $14,400 grant, and they will use that to purchase student Chromebooks and charging carts and stations. Steam Middle received a $16,530 grant and they will use that to purchase projection mapping software, gaming laptops, projectors, software licenses, portable speakers, projection materials for students to explore uniting science, computer science, and the arts through visual mapping and projection design. Ferguson Middle received a 15,31.50
04050 cent grant and they will use that to fund pre-wired Chromebook charging stations and carts at the school. And Mccclure High School received a $12,000 grant and they will provide Nikon cameras, studio lighting kits, backdrops, lenses, tripods, microphones, headsets, photov video capable laptops, iPads, photo printer, and a green screen for students who previously relied on cell phone cameras for journalism and yearbook photography. And lastly, we have Restoration and Wellness Center, who received a $3,600 grant to purchase iPads that will support students in geometry through drawing, diagramming, and charting. Congratulations to all of our schools for this outstanding work on behalf of students. Before an continues, not that it's a competition or anything, but out of the 10 recipients, the Ferguson Florison School District received six. Um, no other district came close. So, I think that's
041a a reason for not only a celebration, but for those individuals that put in for the grant, thank you so much because that's going to make a tremendous um difference for our students. So, I do want to celebrate the Ferguson Florison School District for having the most 6 out of 10 or 60% of the recipients is an amazing feat. It is. Next, we want to recognize three Ferguson Flores schools for academic growth as reflected in the most recent APR results. Wedgewood Sixth Grade Center has earned 100% of the possible growth points for the second year in a row, demonstrating their y strong academic growth for students. Ferguson Middle School continues to make its academic progress with the school's APR increasing two years in a row from 49.5% in 2023 to 51.6% in 2024 and climbing
042to nearly 62% in 2025. This growth reflects reflects focused instruction and strong systems of support along with students hard work and teachers um instructional path. And lastly, we have Mccclure North that made strong APR gains rising from 68% to 75.3%. Students earned 100% of possible growth points in ELA, math, science, and social studies. College and career readiness increased by 50% and the school once again achieved a 100% graduation rate. We are proud of each of these schools teachers, staff, and students and families for the work they continue to do. Let's give them another round of applause. [applause] And lastly, we would like to recognize Theodore TJ Smith. He's an eighth grade student at Cross Keys Middle School for his outstanding achievement in music and the arts. TJ, who is known by his stage name TJazz,
043is a dedicated multi-instrumentalist who plays the clarinet, tener sachs, and trumpet, and he's also performed with the Cross Keys drum line. But his talents go far beyond just performance. TJ is also a published young author, having written the book A Boy Called Me. At the end of seventh grade, TJ earned a spot in the prestigious Jazz U program after a successful audition. He now rehearses regularly with his jazz combo and continues to grow as a young musician. TJ's passion for the arts reflect the best of what our students can achieve. Congratulations to Theodore TJ Smith. [applause] And this concludes our celebrations and recognitions. And thank you for allowing us some time to celebrate the great things happening in our district. There are a lot of good things going on in our district and I'm glad
044that we're telling our story. You know, we hear the bad things but too often and I'm I'm glad that we're telling our story about the good things that are happening in our district. So, thank you Dr. Fields. >> Thank you, Madam President. Good evening, Board of Education, members of the community as well as colleagues. Today I will provide you with an update for Ferg floor forward. For those of us um that may not remember when I first started on July 1, I had what's called a 100-day plan which was part of the interview process. And what it did was basically looking at all the areas in which all candidates were interviewed. You had to come up with a plan in which you would implement the first 100 days. After the first 100 days, we had
045the state of the district address. Many of you were there for that and I really appreciate it. And during the state of the district address, I brought up this newer initiative. What I like to say a continuation of the work that had already started with Ferg floor forward. Now with Ferg floor forward, more specifically, it is a commitment to immediate strategic steps that I will lead to help our district overcome current and existing challenges while simultaneously making sure that all learners graduate believing that anything is possible and prepared to realize those possibilities. With those particular goal areas, you have goal one, which is to create a new future together. I'll talk more about that here momentarily. You have expand community partnerships with intentionality. I am so excited to announce a partnership um that we are
046um just happy for our students and I'll talk more about that as well. And we also have the area which with respect to maximize every resource for learning and I'll have a brief presentation that will assist through phase one as it relates to area number one which is create a new future together. There are a number of areas that we would like to discuss before today. I do want to put the emphasis on launch a student staff and community advisory group to shape the district's future. I've had a pleasure of speaking with many of our student voice groups as well as on Tuesday, I want to say, of this week, we had our staff and community advisory group. And so, I want to thank all of those that um decided to show up. We had
047to reschedule it because of the snow day from last week. And then this was Zoom, but this was an opportunity for us to capture feedback from staff as well as community board of education. Um, you would have been excited to hear that a number of individuals shared that they appreciated the transparency, feeling like the communication and being in the loop, but there were also areas that came up that we have to address, such as making sure that all students feel safe at school. And so safety and security, if you remember from the state of the district address, that was the number one area I believe in terms of opportunities andor challenges that we have. It is not too late for you to join the advisory group for either staff andor community. Our next meeting will
048be here at the administration center on January the 22nd. We will meet from 5 to 6 as a district staff and we will meet from 6:15 to 7:15. Um those of us we would like for you to come. We will have Mr. chance our CFO discuss the upcoming preliminary budget for the 27 I'm sorry 2627 school year and we will ask the team what are some things that should be considerations for the budget and so again if you can join us please we ask that you scan that QR code or visit the link that you'll see below because at the end of the day we want as many voices as possible in these advisory groups the second area that I want to highlight and we are excited to talk about speaks to partnerships, specifically partnerships
049with higher education, healthc care, businesses, and faith-based sectors. Tonight, the board of education will have in consent something which is called Prime. We are thrilled to announce a transformative new partnership we will have with Washington University School of Medicine and Integrated Health Network. Through this new prime program, our students will gain unprecedented access to workforce development and clinical careers, including 4-week summer internships at the university. And let me be clear, these are paid internships. I even heard today that yes, we have to get them there, but they pay for the gas. I have relatives that don't pay for gas when I pick them up and take them away. So, they really want our students. If I can give another plug, many of us are familiar with the Red Tail Cadet program. It is essentially what
050we're trying to have the equivalent of the Red Tail Cadet program for students who would like to go into advanced um work in the medical field. And so again, this will be part of the consent item tonight that we are excited about. Um Washington University School of Medicine and Integrated Health, they could have gone to any district in the area. Bless you. They could have gone to any district, but they are here with us. And so we really appreciate these types of partnerships because it truly does take a community. Together we are opening the doors for our students roughly around 10 or so in this first cohort to become the next generation of health care leaders. And the third area which is to maximize every resource for learning. I have a brief follow-up um subsequent
051slides that I'm going to go into with regards to staffing and the alignment of staffing and finances, but also continue to be transparent about the fiscal needs of the district. One of the reasons why we want to continue to be transparent, it's the right thing to do, but also we want to make sure that taxpayers know that we are being great stewards with taxpayer funds. And at the same time, as we talk about some of those things that come up in the advisory meetings, as we talk about some of those things that have been brought up in many of the public comments, we want to ensure that our schools are the beacon of the community. And so, we're doing everything we can, but we may need some community support and we'll be having those conversations
052moving forward. But for the sake of the remaining time that I have today, I do want to talk about a restructure, specifically phase one, which is for the senior leadership team here in the Ferguson Florison School District. Now, you may ask the question, why is restructuring needed specifically at the senior level? My response to that would be first and foremost, persistent deficit spending. Seven out of the last years have included deficit spending, including the last two years. And then the current year based off of the approved budget would mark a third consecutive deficit spending year. The initial 2526 um budget again showed deficit spending and we will receive an update here momentarily from Mr. Chance. In addition to that, we want to align everything through Ferg floor forward. If we're not anything else, we want
053to make sure we are intentional. And so goal area number one which speaks to creating a new future together as well as maximizing every resource for learning is one of the impetus for this restructuring phase one again at the senior leadership level. And we also want to u make sure it is designed to protect studentf facing supports while modernizing senior leadership. As part of the interview process, um I believe one of the prompts or question came up in terms of restructuring and what I said was that we would do everything we can to ensure that we would restructure furthest away from the classroom. And I do want to make sure I'm being held accountable to that. And part of that is to provide such information as what you are receiving today. Now, some historical staffing
054versus the um DESIE guidelines. This is through the DESIE MSIP 6 which is the Missouri school improvement um program in its sixth cycle. They have some numbers for class size administration counselor etc. But what they also have is essentially some recommendations for senior level leaders. So if you take out the superintendent role and you look at associate, assistant, assistant superintendent, deputy, chief, and or executive directors, there's a breakdown that shows certified staff, which is typically certificated teachers and/or certificated positions as well as those administrators. What is the total? And for every hundred, what DESIE is essentially saying that there should be at least one of those individuals that I just spoke to in terms of column number two, you will see based off of the trend data that was gathered in 202021, there were 15
055what I like to call senior level administrators. In 2122, it would be 12. 22 23 10 10 remained in 23 24 25 there were 12 and then this current year nine and you will see the certified staff desi recommendations are to the right and you will see that we're over now I do want to be clear because of the financial situation that we are in um our district has many needs just like many others and so when you look at these numbers it doesn't necessarily compare apples to apples that I want to be clear our needs are unique and this is essentially the bare minimum in terms of administrative support at the senior leadership level. However, we can't cherrypick the numbers in terms of what Desi is saying. And in this particular regard, just like
056we presented the staff student ratios and all of that, class sizes, etc. We still have to look at and seriously consider adhering to the DESIE guidelines for senior level leadership. the current senior level leadership with the nine that were spoken to. These are the actual positions that make up the senior level leadership and what I will ask the board to approve later on in consent by the 2728 school year. We would be in alignment with DESIE recommendations. So what you will see are the seven different positions. You will see the executive director of support services, the chief financial officer, the chief of staff and operations, the chief human resource officer, the chief of school leadership, the executive director of curriculum and instruction, and the executive director of communication as well as marketing. And again, this
057would be by the 2728 school year. Rather than have us look at all of the various jobs, this slide provides you with a snapshot in terms of what are the shifts to go from 9 to 7. How is that even accomplished? Well, for K through 12 principal supervision, um it would merge into one chief of school leadership position. Currently, we have two executive directors. Operations realignment, as we talk a lot about finances right now, um Tony does a spectacular job as the CFO. We want to remove one of those O's and let Tony focus specifically on finances. There are line items for absolutely everything. And if you are doing two things, we want you to focus on one thing in particular. So the operations component of Tony's role would be yielded over to the chief
058of staff so finance can focus solely on financial planning not just right now but in the years to come which is an incredibly important portion of school finance federal programs duties um by the 2728 school year will be redistributed to the CFO as well as the CNI um the technology would be moved underneath the curriculum and instruction uction for alignment for teaching and learning as opposed to operations and then communications would no longer report to the chief of staff. This particular position will report directly to the superintendent. as it relates to the job description reality. The job descriptions that are in the packets um for the information that has been submitted to the board, these are draft job descriptions, but I do want to make sure they have been created because many of the positions
059coming in, as you can imagine, I am looking for job descriptions as well as what are the roles and responsibilities. However, we are not in a position where we have as many updated or current job descriptions as one would like. And so with the legal and um operational risks identified by Dr. Chambers, our new CHRO of human resources, the interim solution is to draft the updated draft job descriptions that you all will see in excuse me the board information. Now the full analysis which is an entire process of meeting with the individuals, getting feedback on the roles that they do and then updating the systemwide job descriptions. It is projected for that process to start in the 2627 school year. As you can imagine, there are cost savings just from phase one alone. That information
060is broken down by the projections for the salary benefits as well as the annual savings. And then, and this is important as we go through phase one, phase two, we do anticipate additional cost savings for the district. Lastly, before I uh round out this um presentation, we are in a marketplace of comparisons. We do compete with other districts as it pertains to talent, etc. Our current district marketplace, which is really regional more so, you have Hazeswood, Jennings, Normandy, um Patentville, Rittner, Riverview, Gardens, and University City. Well, by looking at this marketplace, most of these districts currently operate with five to eight senior leaders, even though many of them have a lot less students than what we have. And currently, as it stands, the Ferguson Florison School District has nine, which is among the highest. And
061so if the board decides to accept the consent as stated um by the 2728 school year we would both be in alignment with what DESIE recommends for a district our size as well as we would not be among the highest in that marketplace. So tonight I am presenting phase one to the board as well as to the community. Tomorrow we would begin the department level review which would be nonschool-based departments seeking areas in terms of what is happening and what is not. Frankly, we would begin individual meetings and final phase 2 decisions by January the 8th. At the next board meeting, I will present phase two as part of the superintendent update and ongoing continuing to speak with legal for both review and alignment with Ferg floor forward. With that, I will yield over to
062Madame President to facilitate any questions you may have. Thank you and thank you for the work that you're doing to um get us where we need to be in this upcoming school year. board. Are there any questions or comments or anything that you we need to share with Dr. Fields? >> I just appreciate the transparent process and um >> certainly looking at I think one thing we've had a discussion with the board over the time is just how do we align with requirements if we are over in the upper and then yet our counselors are servicing way more how does that look from a perception our teachers are over servicing. So I think it's important that appreciate you looking at the top and working your way down to see how we can uh align best
063practices. So, thank you for your work and transparency. >> Thank you. >> Not an easy easy thing to do. Okay. >> Do you um foresee any challenges or barriers in implementing uh phase one? >> I think there is always a challenge from the standpoint of anytime you make any shifts from a system our size. However, one thing um that I appreciate with the board and with this team that I get a pleasure of working with by moving forward as deliberately as possible, there are opportunities for us to identify some of those shifts in some of those areas. So, my level of quote unquote concern right now with implementation of phase one would be relatively low right now. Um, as we continue to support our students and make very difficult decisions to ensure that the teaching
064and learning stays placed in the manner that it is right now, we will continue to review data and if we need to come back when we're in a little bit better financial situation to see some of those areas, then certainly we would come back and and ask the board um for some amendments. But for right now, to the essence of your question, my concern with implementation of phase one would be very little very low. Thank you. or comments. >> Thank you for your leadership. We really appreciate you. And I'll speak as one voice for the board, but I'm sure the other six would chime in. But um thank you again for your leadership. >> Likewise. Thank you. At this time, I'm asking us to go to the consent agenda and asking that um there be
065a recommendation to approve the consent agenda as presented. >> So move. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any oppose? Eyes have it. We have one item that was pulled from consent and I think that uh Dr. Martin's going to speak to this one and do you want to just pull it? >> No, I just move to approve 9A. >> Okay. >> I pulled it originally but we got clarification. I move to approve 9A. >> Do I have a second? >> So move. Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor? >> Any oppose? The eyes have it. Thank you. Dispersements. >> Hi there, Mr. Chance. How are you doing? >> Good evening. >> All right, we go. We're All right. Well, good evening, Board of Education, Dr. Fields, administration, and community
066members. Tonight, I'm going to be presenting the dispersements for the month of October 2025. The mission of the Ferguson Florison School District is to provide highquality instruction to every student in every neighborhood while prioritizing equity and compassionate relationships. The vision of Ferguson Flores School District is for all learners to graduate believing that anything is possible and prepared to realize those possibilities. Payroll for October 2025 is 12,253,67862. Operational dispersements are 3,268,48948 which gives a total monthly expense of $15,522,16810. These are the descriptions of the four funds used in the budgetary process. Uh total revenues we see the current revenues as of uh as of October is 26 million $852,488 and that represents 18% of all collected revenue thus far. We will be receiving uh local tax revenue very very soon. We've got a small amount so
067far and the rest of December and January we should receive the a large chunk of that. This graph shows the actual revenue to date compared with budget by fund. Total expenditures to date uh total expenses as of October are $40,174,969. Available budget is $117,19,86 and represents 25 a.5% of overall expenses. This graph shows the actual expenditures to date compared with budget by fund. These are the descriptions of the six object categories used in the budgetary process. So total salaries for the month of October is 24 million88,486. Available budget is 66,458,792 which is 27% of the overall budget. benefits. We have expended thus far 7,429,69 which leaves an available budget of $24,139,935 and that is 24% of the overall budget. Oops, sorry. Uh purchase services expens expenditures to date are 3,948,811 with an available budget of
06813,900,619 and that is 22% of the budget. supplies. To date, 3,357 3,357 has been spent thus far with an available budget of 5,54,132 and that is 35% of the overall budget. Capital outlay to date $813,647. The avail the available budget is $4,256,853 and that is 16% of the budget. The long and short-term debt for the district to date, $894,600 has been spent, which leaves a an available budget of 3,691,863. and that is 24% of the debt budget. The district is currently ahead of its collections in the amount as compared to this time last year by a little over $126,000. And that is dispersements for this evening. We seek approval for the dispersements report for October 2025. >> We have recommendation. >> Second discussion or questions. >> Thank you, Mr. Chance. Just a very quick question.
069Are we um for reconciliations? Where are we at October yet or are we still in >> No, we are complete through July of 2025. >> Got it. >> Which will um help with the um audit process. >> So we still have to do August, September, October, November. >> We are working those have been uh reconciled by each month. It's just continuing on from fiscal year end. So, it should be a very easy and quick process. >> I only ask because that came up in the audit the last couple years. So, I'm just that that we weren't timely with getting reconciliations done. So, >> yeah. >> You think in the next couple months we'll be done with reconciliations or >> I believe that's correct. Yes. >> The major was getting done fiscal year 202425. >> Thank
070you. >> Any other questions? Seeing none, all in favor? Any opposed? Thank you. Thank you. And you're up again for um >> yes, >> the amended budget. Okay. So again, we've we've discussed the miss mission and the vision for the for the school district. Um so the construction um the philosophy that was used for the budget amendment, the budget amendment is based on several key assumptions and reflects the most accurate information available at the time of presentation. It incorporates historical data and financial outcomes, current year-to-ate revenues and expenditures, extrapolated spending trends, and takes into account the timing of annual and periodic transactions. The amendment represents a forecast of the district's financial position at the close of fiscal year 2026. With seven months remaining in the fiscal year, many factors could influence the final results. unforeseen
071events and circumstances beyond the district's control may impact how closely actual year-end financials align with these projections. So, the assumptions that went into the budget amendment for revenues, local taxes are projected to be more than previously budgeted. This incorporates delinquent local taxes that have not been historically included in previous years collection rate calculations. The basic formula is projected to be received as budgeted as well as the federal funding is expected to be received as budgeted. Expenditure assump assumptions. The most current staff salary and benefit data through November 2025 was used. Positions with vacancies are included in salary calculations as placeholders. Current expenditures to date and spending trends were also taken into account. District nursing staff utilization utilizing contracted services throughout the second semester were added. Virtual teaching staff salaries were also added. Addition of the
072ELLL coordinator position was input and the addition of an administrative substitute position was also added. Um this is just a a brief synopsis of what a fund balance is. So a fund balance in school district refers to the remaining amount of money left over after subtracting all liabilities from the district's assets essentially representing the district's available finance res financial reserves that can be used for future expenses similar to a savings account and is calculated by taking the difference between total revenues received and total expenditures incurred throughout the fiscal year. A positive fund balance indicates financial stability while a negative one indicates a deficit. Fund balances are used to manage cash flow, cover unexpected costs like major maintenance and stabilize operations during economic downturns. Healthy fund balances are viewed positively by credit rating agencies potentially leading
073to lower borrowing costs for the district. So this next slide represents uh the ending fund balances for the district throughout the last um nine years. So you can see in the last three years we've had a trend of having lower and lower ending fund balances. Uh this is a comparison with other St. Louis County school districts in what kind of ending fund balances they have compared to Ferguson Florison. You'll see we ended the 2425 school year with 10.09%. Uh the next closest one had over 20% ending fund balances. And you can see in the list how they progress towards the highest one that has roughly 72% ending fund balances. So the budget amendment uh variances uh that went into the calculations are as follows. for revenues. Uh current taxes, all funds, there will be an
074increase of approximately $3,241,000. Oh, I'll preface by saying there's two other attachments to your board agenda that shows the expenditure and the revenue uh summaries which gives a little bit more detail on where these numbers come from. see the uh SB90 senior tax freeze all funds. Um that will be um a detriment to the district in the amount of $276,000. That numbers directly from the uh county uh collector revenue. um in this um other districts were affected much more than Ferguson Florison. So we didn't receive as much of a hit from SP190 as others in the county did. The senior tax freeze also has a potential of increasing in future years, which means the district could see future losses of local tax revenue. So, what happens is that um part of the law was that
075the um the the bill says that um seniors don't have to sign up again. Was it once once you've signed up, you're um available for that as long as you own that particular residence. So, anyone who comes in and additionally puts in an application uh under this particular bill uh at the county level, they will additionally receive the um tax freeze on their residents. So, it could just as long as um those people who are seniors uh own their residences and um more happen to fill out applications, it could continue to increase even above this this amount that that we have now. uh federal funding. Uh we have uh three different grants that we did not uh expect for the fiscal year. The first is SR3 general revenue funds. Um we also received SR3 capital
076revenue funds. Now these uh funds that came from ESSER are reimbursement for indirect cost. So um they're only onetime money. So after this distribution, the money we received, all of ESER is done. We won't receive any of that in the future. That grant is complete. Um and that total for the extra federal federal funding was just short of $2.4 million. As for the expenditures, so uh all salaries in total for the district uh we will see we will see a decrease of about1,131 $132,000. So the documents that I referenced before your summary uh you may notice that there's a disparity uh between the certified salaries and the administrator salaries when looking at the expenditure. summary report. Uh, some building administrators are still coded um to the certified salary line item instead of being an administrator
077line item. Uh, therefore, you may notice an overage variance in certified salaries and a deficiency variance in administrator salary line items. Uh as we still endeavor to clear up um how staff salaries are coded within the budget, uh we will continue to make necessary changes and will also include um corrected placement of positions in future budgets and amendments. This will not change the total salary variance for the what's being presented in the budget amendment. Additionally contained within the substitute teacher salary account is the budget for administrative substitutes in the amount of approximately $83,000. Uh benefits you'll see associated with the salaries savings. Um there will also be se um benefit savings of about $983,000 purchase services u which includes um these particular um line items u but not limited to consultants, legal services, contracted school
078resource officers, contracted maintenance services, property and liab liability insurance. will see a decrease in those expenditures of a little over $2 million. Uh supplies and materials. Um looking at trends, spending trends uh within the district currently we're uh projected to see an increase of about $274,000. That category includes but not limited to general supplies, office supplies, library book resources, electricity and natural gas. There was no change in capital out outlay that was projected and in long and short-term debt there'll be an increase of a little over uh $3.9 million. If you remember last board meeting, that's basically due to the refunding that we just did and we took out of our uh debt service fund balances a little over $4 million. Okay. So, the recommended budget amendment um you'll see um I've broken out the
079two major line items for uh sub substitutes underneath the salaries. Um all salaries you'll see um that are regular salaries are in that first line. certified subs and non-certified subs are in the next two lines which total the whole um salary budget. So the ending fund balance for the 202425 fiscal year ended up being 10.9 10.09%. Um the original budget for 2526 was projected at an ending fund balance of 5.43%. That's because there was a a deficit spending originally. So with the adjustments that were made with the proposed budget, uh that ending fund balance will increase to a little over 12%. So in the adopted budget, the operations funds, the general fund and the teachers fund have a deficit of approximately $4.8 million. The capital projects fund also has a deficit of about $1.8 million.
080The capital projects deficit necessitates a transfer from operating fund to the capital projects fund to bring the ending fund balance to zero. You notice in those center rows that there's a transfer from and a transfer to the ASBR. That's because the ASBR does not allow a negative ending fund balance in any of the four funds. You'll see that we started off in the capital projects with no uh with a zero fund balance. Um and so anything related to uh the revenues and expenditures um would actually affect the ending fund balance for that year. So since we were def deficit spending there was a a transfer that was necessary to go from operations to the capital projects fund. All right. Oops. So based on the current projections, we anticipate a fund balance of 17,798,630 as of
081June 30th, 2026. This equates to a fund balance percentage of 12.29%. To avoid future need for short-term borrowing, it's anticipated that a minimum fund balance of 20% will be needed. At current budgetary levels, this equates to an additional $12 million over and above the current unrestricted ending fund balance or $29 million in total. So, this is an update with where we are with our tax anticipation note. Uh, the original borrow the original balance that was made available was $25 million. The amount borrowed to date is 10 million, which leaves a current balance of $15 million. As I mentioned before in the dispersements report, we are right on the cusp of starting to receive that large chunk of local funds. So hopefully we won't have to dip into the TAN anymore. So recommendation uh the administration
082is requesting approval of the proposed budget amendment. >> May I have a motion to approve? >> Some moved. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> I just had a quick question about the um the federal dollars that um we didn't account for. Mhm. >> Um is that um like service based or do we just get that um full check or how how does that part work? >> Oh, it it comes in distribution from Desi. >> So we receive that. >> Okay. So but we don't have to do something like to to send it back or anything. >> No. Okay. >> It's already received. Yes. >> Thank you for answering the questions ahead of time. Uh and I appreciate you diving in a little bit about the salaries for administrators. I know the board talked about that before
083and appreciate that. My one question was I just for and I apologize if you don't know the answer because I didn't ask it ahead of time about the virtual teacher. I thought we got rid of virtual teachers. Can you just help me understand what that expense was added for from? >> Um >> and if you don't know Dr. >> I personally don't. I think we have Mr. Murray may know >> proximity virtual teachers contract that the board approved several months ago for about $200,000. Got it. That makes sense. I thought I was reading is that so it's more of a purchase of service for someone, not act. I was I was thinking we're adding virtual teachers back. I'm like, wait a minute. I thought we got rid of Thank you for that clarification. >> Good.
084>> Are there any other questions or observations or comments? >> I just want to thank um Mr. Chance and his entire team and I do want to just bring the community back to um the amount of work that's taken place. Um, essentially we were projected with the original 2526 adopted budget to end the school year with a fund balance of 5.43 and having a deficit of um deficit spending still of 5.4 million. Um, through a lot of questions from the from the board and and making sure we are diving into absolutely everything, that number is not 5.4 million. We are still projected to deficit spend. So, we want to do everything we can to not deficit spend. But is it my understanding um Mr. Chance that we are now projected to deficit spend in the
085amount of not 5 million but $133,000. Is that correct? >> Yes. Now, that also takes into account the refunding >> that we had which is part of the service. [clears throat] which would mean that with us in our current situation, we would have potentially reversed the amount in terms of heading that tread line the other way for our fund balance percentages. Is that correct? >> That is correct. >> Okay. That might mean you're doing a really good job. So, I just wanted to highlight that. So, thank you. >> I want to echo uh what Dr. Phil said is saying on behalf of the board. Thank you for your your work and the transparency and I am so glad that we're having these reports uh so that the community can hear where we are financially and
086that we are uh being very um focused on making sure that this this budget improves and it looks as though it is. So, thank you for your work and on your your partners >> who are help. >> I want to thank the board for their support as well as we go through this process. >> And just one more thing, Mr. Chance, as I stated before, during the uh phase one and phase two, that should show up, correct me if I'm wrong, in the preliminary budget and then actual budget that is adopted for 2627 school year. And the reason why I want to confirm that is because yes, these are very difficult decisions, but at the end of the day, we have to stop deficit spending and we have to get our fund balance to a
087healthy amount. So, I don't want um the community or staff to hear my presentation and then see that as annexed from this presentation. They are all the same in terms of making sure we are in a healthy fiscal situation. >> Correct. the ending fund balances are the jumping off point and become the beginning balances for the next budget season. So, >> thank you. >> Yes. >> Any other questions or comments? Hearing none, seeing none. Um, all in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion passes. Thank you. Is there any new business? Speak now or forever hold your peace. I know. I know. If there's no new business, may I have a motion to adjurnn? >> Some moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? Well, >> I'm sorry. No, we can do that. All in favor?
088>> Any opposed? Thank you all community. Thank you so much for for um coming in through through Zoom and if you have any questions, please make sure you let us know. Thank you for those who came in person. Really appreciate you. Uh you all take care and if we don't see you with the holiday coming up, have a nice holiday. Kelly Ward, it's good to see you here.