Board of Education Meeting May 14 2025

001with the restoration and wellness center. Recognizing that well-being is vital for academic success, the district prioritizes the health and social emotional well-being of its students and staff. The district has a partnership with Hazel Health that offers comprehensive health care and teleaotherapy services, ensuring that students have access to medical care and mental health support during the school day. Additionally, Ferg Floor Care Health Clinic provides free health care services to district employees, demonstrating the district's commitment to the well-being of its faculty and staff. The board of education has made equity a priority in the Ferguson Florison School District. In 2018, the board adopted an equity resolution. And between 2020 and 2022, the district examined inequities and racism in policies and practices, culminating in the board's adoption of the Ferguson Florison School District's anti-racist standards for social justice

002and anti-racist schools. From early childhood education to advanced scientific exploration, from personalized learning opportunities to comprehensive healthcare services, the Ferguson Florison School District continues to lead the way in providing an exceptional educational experience that truly is providing equity and access for all [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] The Ferguson Florison School District located in suburban St. Louis serves more than 10,000 students from preschool through 12th grade with an excellent comprehensive educational program. Fully accredited by the state of Missouri, the Ferguson Florison School District operates seven pre kindergarten through 2 grade schools, six intermediate schools, two sixth grade centers, three middle schools, including a cutting edge steam middle school, which was ranked the number two school in

003Missouri this year, two A+ and NCACI accredited high schools, the Innovation High School, a big picture learning school, and Esteee High School focused on preparing students in fields including science, technology, and engineering. In August, US News and World Report named Steam Academy at Mccclure South Berkeley High School as one of the best high schools in America, placing the school in the top 12% of high schools in Missouri and in the top 35% of high schools nationally. As a district leading the charge in high school transformation, there are a lot of pathways to success. All of our high schools are Project Lead the Way schools. We offer many programs and opportunities such as dual enrollment, dual credit, international balorate, AVID, and elevate St. Louis. Our red tail cadet program has also secured private pilots licenses for

004students before they even graduate. The number of FFSD students enrolled in advanced placement courses has also dramatically increased. The district has intentionally focused on college and career readiness and has increased the 4-year graduation rate to 93%. Besides the secondary school coursework, the district ensured opportunities for each population of students in an effort to support the goal of college readiness. In addition, the district includes a nationally recognized early education program, the award-winning challenger learning center space education facility, and the Little Creek Nature Area, a 97 acre nature preserve that offers experiential learning opportunities for students in science, biology, ecology, and related areas of study. Through our partnership with varsity tutors, all students and teachers will have access to live tutors on demand. The district has also transformed alternative education with the restoration and wellness center. Recognizing

005that well-being is vital for academic success, the district prioritizes the health and social emotional well-being of its students and staff. The district has a partnership with Hazel Health that offers comprehensive health care and teleaotherapy services, ensuring that students have access to medical care and mental health support during the school day. Additionally, Ferglo Floor Care Health Clinic provides free health care services to district employees, demonstrating the district's commitment to the well-being of its faculty and staff. The board of education has made equity a priority in the Ferguson Flores School District. In 2018, the board adopted an equity resolution. And between 2020 and 2022, the district examined inequities and racism in policies and practices, culminating in the board's adoption of the Ferguson Florison School District's anti-racist standards for social justice and anti-racist schools. From early childhood education

006to advanced scientific exploration, from personalized learning opportunities to comprehensive healthcare services, the Ferguson Florison School District continues to lead the way in providing an exceptional educational experience that truly is providing equity and access for all. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] We're going to call our meeting to order. And thank you. and board, I want you to make sure that you uh remember our norms. And at this time, I would like for all of us to stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Adoption of the

007agenda for the regular meeting. Under the provisions of the public meeting law of the state of Missouri, the board must adopt a roll call vote and agenda that includes the time, the date, the place and tentative agenda for the meeting. A couple a copy of the notice and the agenda for this meeting was posted on Monday May 12th 2025 at the administration center 8855 Dun Road Hazlewood Missouri online and sent to local newspapers. May I have a motion to adopt the agenda as posted? So move second. Mr. Bailey, yes. Dr. Graves, yes. Dr. Martin, yes. Mrs. Manserie, yes. Mr. Tyson, yes. Secretary votes yes. Madame President, yes. This is the time now that we will have the Missouri School Board um update. Are we ready? Welcome to the May edition of the Missouri School Boards

008Association's Board Report. If you're a newly elected board member, welcome aboard. If you've been around a while, this time of year is your chance to keep growing with multiple training opportunities from MSBA's leadership development team. MSBA's leadership development associate executive director, Katherine Whitaker, says that new board member training is about more than just fulfilling those training hours. So, the first big thing is new board member training. Um, that is something that is legally required. It's in state statute, 18 and a half hours, which is a lot of training, but I think that's good. It's really important. Um, it's also a great way to make connections. um we are an association for school board members and then also get connected to other school board members who are serving for the first time as well. During MSBA

009summer summit, there will be a workshop just for school board presidents. And so during that workshop, we're going to cover parliamentary procedure, which I think is great for anyone who's a new leader or someone who's vice president for the first time looking to be president at some point. Um just to know how to run meetings because you may have to do it if the president's not there. Um, we're also going to talk about how to onboard new um, board members during the workshop and then also just talk about leadership as a board president in general. It's really hard to do that job and I don't think we talk about it enough. For all board members, Katherine says that there are some misconceptions about refresher training and when to take that. So, there's a common misconception

010about both kind of new board member training and refresher training that somehow it lines up like with a calendar year or with the school year. Um but actually refresher training or board required training resets every election so in April. And so the new new board member training begins now. And so same with refresher training. Refresher training the new one begins now for 2526. And so even if you finished refresher training a a month ago in March or two months ago in March, um it's now time to go ahead and do the 2526. You might as well knock it out now so you have don't have to do it until the next election in April. Katherine also says that as summer approaches, it's a great time for boards to engage in professional development. Um, so districts

011kind of take the summer off or students get the summer off. Um, but teachers actually do professional development. Administrators do professional development. I believe schoolboard members should also take the summer to do professional development. And having a summer retreat, I think, is totally valuable, especially if you have a new superintendent. Having that retreat with them in July to set expectations, you're onboarding a new employee. I think that's really important. Um, but also you may have a new board um or a new board member. And so getting you guys as tight as you can during the summer when it's a little less stressful will really help you all survive the es and flows of the school year moving forward. Visit the MSBA website for the dates and times for all of the training opportunities that Katherine

012mentioned. One of those opportunities will be during MSBA summer summit in June. Make plans now to attend June 16th through the 18th in Branson at the exciting new venue for this year, the Hilton Branson Convention Center on the Landing. Join schoolboard members and leaders from across Missouri to learn about emerging trends and hot topics in education. The summit's general session features Gan Becker, who was President George HW Bush's chief of staff for nearly 25 years. She's the editor of Pearls of Wisdom by Barbara Bush and the New York Times best-selling author of The Man I Knew. Her latest book is Character Matters and Other Life Lessons from George HW Bush. Also, be sure your board is represented at the June Delegate Assembly to be held in conjunction with the summer summit. Delegates will be electing

013state officers for the coming year at that meeting. Registration information for the summer summit is also posted on the MSBA website. And finally, if you follow MSBA's Facebook page, you may have seen that Neoso had a ribbon cutting ceremony for a brand new state-of-the-art agricultural center on May 1st. Watch the Facebook page for that full story coming soon. Like and follow the MSBA page to see stories of the amazing things happening in Missouri schools every day. That's it for this month. Thanks for allowing us to have some time at your board meeting, and we'll see you in June for the next MSBA board report. [Music] We need to make an announcement. Um, it's a fire hazard to have people standing on the walls. So, either you have to find a seat or we have to

014do a spillover. The room, pardon me, the the overflow room. The overflow room is ready. The the guards will show you where you need to go. It's in the cafeteria. Sorry. Are there any more seats that are open? If you have a seat like in church, raise your hand if there's a seat next to you because no one can stand on the walls, guys. You're about to present them. So, Thank you all so much. Now we're going to have board recognitions and Mr. Charlie Moore, are you going to be shorting? Good evening, Ferguson Florison Board of Education and Ferguson Flores and stakeholders. I am Brad Johnson, director of CTE, and we are going to start uh this evening with recognizing some of our phenomenal students. We are proud to recognize and celebrate six remarkable young

015women from the Ferguson Florison School District who have been selected for induction into the fifth class of the prestigious Red Tail Cadet program. [Applause] These students will represent our district in this rigorous six-week aviation and leadership training program designed to prepare high potential high school students for success in the future careers in aviation. This year's class 5 is especially significant, marking the first all female cohort in the history of the program. The students were selected through a highly competitive process. These 10th and 11th graders stood out for their academic achievement, leadership potential, and dedication to growth. As I So, they're over here on the wall. Okay. So, as I you all come on up here up front. Come on up front. I'm going to call their name. So, this is uh we have ATA. Come

016on up front. Come on up front. Right up there. So they can see you. We need Yeah. Go on the front. [Applause] So we have Aiana Umina, Amiria Turner, Leila Williams, McKenzie Manser, Yolena Dominguez Striml, and Janae Patterson. [Applause] soon. Three, two, one. Two. [Applause] Awesome, awesome, awesome. Congratulations. We are excited about this. All done. Okay. Good evening board, colleagues, and Ferguson Florison community. I'm Dr. Ebony Shaw, the executive director of the Ferguson Florison Foundation for Education. And I have a lot to read. So, if you were moved to the other room and you're an award recipient, it's a perfect time to walk over. You have time to get here. Let's see. This spring, the foundation proudly completed its inaugural grant cycle. We invited applicants from the Ferguson Florison School District faculty and staff who

017had innovative projects, field trips, or classroom enhancements designed to directly benefit our students. We received 31 grant applications. Of those 31, 27 were eligible for review and each was evaluated by three different community members. The group of volunteers were made up of foundation advisory board, alumni staff, retirees, parents, business owners, and others. All the reviewers use the same scoring rubric to ensure fairness and consistency. Let's see. Each score was out of 20 points, and the final scores were averaged to rank applications highest to lowest. The advisory board this year voted to distribute 4% of the foundation's fund balance. This allocation was a total of $22,623. Based on the rankings and available funds, 23 grant proposals were either fully or partially funded. So, each grant recipient is also required to submit a follow-up report on how

018their grant was expended. But before we recognize our grant recipients, I just wanted to take a moment to thank our advisory board. I don't know if any of you are here tonight, but if you are, if you could please stand. Thank you so much. We appreciate your leadership, dedication, and your hours of volunteer service. And now we are proud to celebrate our 23 grant awardees for their creativity, dedication, and commitment to enriching the educational experience for our students. As I read your uh school and project title, please stand and remain standing in your place so we can recognize you all as a group. Our first school is Common Lane Primary. The future leaders of impact and promise, also known as the Flip Project, teaches students about leadership, character, and impact. And this project is year-long

019and students will develop schoolwide celebrations and learn about problem solving and leadership qualities. For this, they have been awarded $1,000. Combmes and Robinwood Intermediate. They received two grants for both the orchestra and for a mystery trip. The orchestra rooms at Combmes and Robinwood will be receiving new instrument racks for their large instruments like cellos. They have been awarded $250. The fifth graders at Robinwood are headed on a mystery trip. In honor of their promotion to the sixth grade, they have been awarded $1,000. Hosairy um intermediate fairy students have spent the year reading 10 books to prepare for the St. Louis area book battle. It's a competition of 23 area schools testing book trivia. The book battle competition is tomorrow, so wish them luck. And this grant of $600 will cover transportation, t-shirts, and a piece

020of celebration. Lee Hamilton has been awarded four grants. Pottery is coming to Lee Hamilton. Each grade level will have the opportunity to choose a project and incorporate a pottery unit into the classroom, which helps foster creativity, fine motor skills, and emotional expression in young learners. They have been awarded $289. Um, Lee Hamilton is also getting a mount to mount their projector in the gym for which they have been awarded awarded $580. And the elementary orchestras at Lee Hamilton and Griffith will receive new strings for all of their instruments. This grant will allow for a change of strings on 49 violins, two vias, and one cello for which they have been awarded $99848. Also, and finally at Lee Hamilton, they are getting a library refresh refresh. A well-maintained diverse library collection provides access to current relevant

021information and supports the academic and personal growth of students while also supporting career curriculum development and providing teachers with current text. For this, they have been awarded $1,000. Our friends at Little Creek. At Little Creek, they will now have 24 new fishing poles to inspire lifelong outdoor exploration. Also, it has been a longtime goal of Little Creek to have an apple orchid to teach students where their food comes from. So, with this grant, they will also purchase 10 apple trees so that the future generations can understand where their fruit comes from and have an appreciation for what trees provide for us. It's also important to note that the fishing poles at Little Creek have been donated by Dr. to Courtney Graves and her family in memory of her father, our neighborhood fisherman. Vote Ellen Vote

022the social worker team at vote. [Applause] They will be maintaining proper personal hygiene, which is essential for students health, confidence, and overall well-being. As a part of their efforts to educate students on general hygiene practices, the district social worker team will be conducting class presentations covering essential hygiene habits. To reinforce these lessons and support students who may have limited access to hygiene items, travel size deodorant, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes will be distributed after each presentation to students. For this, they have been awarded $1,500. Mr. Brad Johnson in the college and career readiness decision day. Decision day provides an important time for seniors to declare to students, staff, and other stakeholders their post-secary plans and celebrate with their peers. Specifically, this moment encapsulates the district's vision which they students are prepared to realize their post-secary possibilities.

023Students are will be supported with essentials including resources for their dorm or gift cards. Additionally, they will be immersed in activities such as assembly where they will acknowledge their peers decisions and create a climate that inspires their younger peers to be college and career ready. For this, they have been awarded $3,000 which will be divided between all high schools. Mccclure High School has been awarded three grants. A vibrant vegetable garden is coming to Mccclure. The interdisciplinary project will engage the woodworking class in constructing the raised beds, environmental science students in cultivation and family and consumer science students in utilizing the fresh produce. They also envision sharing their excess produce with families and community members through a fall harvest event. And they will have $2,000 to start this project. The AAA pledge student field trip. Students

024will engage in a special field trip to visit some sites around St. Louis that they have been studying at AVID over the school year. Those sites include Mil Creek Valley, the Veil, the Missouri History Museum, and the World's Fair Pavilion. And it will end with a picnic lunch on Art Hill. For this, they have been awarded $650. And finally, the football team in Mcclura High School. Those team members will all be receiving new socks and t-shirts to wear so that they look uniformed while competing. The team will also receive laundry detergent to wash the young men's practice clothes and maybe they'll be visited by the social work team. In addition, Coach Brown has been gifted 10 weeks of free washing and drying by the Hendricks family. Um that will take 10 weeks during during the

025football season at the laundromat on Airport Road. Thank you. Mccclure North High School has been awarded six grants. The Spanish 2 through five exams. The assessment of performance towards proficiency and language exam qualifies the upper level students for the seal of biiteracy. The test gives students a nonpartial concrete rating of their current skills in four modes of communication. interpersonal speaking and listening, interpretive reading, interpretive listening, and pres presentational writing. They've been awarded $1,560. Choir members at Mccclure North are going to Six Flag St. Louis to participate in music in the parks. The choir will appear before a panel of judges who will provide constructive feedback, highlighting their strengths and identifying areas of growth. The choir will also perform at a local school in Eureka and they have been awarded $640 for this uh trip. Um

026all students at Mccclure North will participate in a mental health activities day for mental health awareness month. For this they have been awarded $600. The boys basketball team and the wrestling team at Mccclure North, I believe it's the girls wrestling team um have been each received a partial award of $1,000. The boys basketball team will receive new uniforms, practice gear, team bags, team travel gear, and a basketball shooting machine to assist during practice. So, it's also important to know for everyone that was awarded a partial um award, they had to fund raise to get the balance, and everybody did it. Everybody who received a partial award has already fully fundraised their balance. Um, also the wrestling team, Mccclure North wrestling team will get new uniforms and warm-up outfits. The athletic department at Mccclure North will

027be receiving new equipment from resist resistance bands to weightlifting equipment and they have also been granted travel expenses to go to local universities and sports related events for the months of May, June and July. They have been awarded a thousand $1,000. And then our last school is Steam Academy. They received they received two awards. Dr. Dr. Harvey Love and his career education students will attend the Gloria Missouri Awards in Jeff City. The primary goal of this trip is to provide students recognition for achievement while fostering a culture of excellence and motivation within the Ferguson Florison educational environment. For this trip, they have been awarded $500. And then finally, the girls basketball steam academy has been partially funded, $1,000 to support new uniforms and warm-up outfits for the 2526 season. Those are all of our awardees.

028Congratulations to each of you and thank you for the work that you do every day. So, if all if the awardies will come up front, we're going to do one big group photo. Come on [Applause] down right here. How you doing? Good to see you. This is interesting. All right. Three, two, one. One more. Three, two, one. [Applause] Congratulations. Thank you for your hard work. Good evening board and Ferguson Florison School District community members. I'm Sean Joyce, assistant superintendent of elementary school leadership and I'm here with Dr. Crawford, assistant superintendent of secondary school leadership. And we'd like to take a moment to recognize and acknowledge our building teacher of the year for the 2425 school year. These educators have made a lasting impact through their work in the classroom and the relationships that they build

029with students and families. As I call your name, please stand and remaining standing until all honores have been recognized. So we are proud proud to acknowledge our elementary teacher leaders from Bermuda, Hope Bird from Central, Patrick Crangle from Commons Lane, D'Angelo Favl from Duchain, Janelle Smith from Holman, Vicky Jones All right. So, we'll start. Hope Patrick D'Angelo come on up to the stage. Janelle Smith, Vicky Jones Homeman, Sarah Tianne from Parker Road, Glenda Coley from Walnut Grove, Len Extram from Berkeley, Shiron Dhy from Combmes, Rebecca Lee from Halls Ferry, Lacy Scott from Griffith, Stacy Robinson from Lee Hamilton, L'Oreal Willilhigh from Robinwood and Donald Gibson from Little Creek. So those are our elementary, our primary and intermediate school teachers of the year for the 2425 school year. Sure. All right. We will hold that photo

030until after we've we've announced the secondary. So, I'm proud to announce the secondary school teachers of the year for each of our secondary buildings this year. And we have April Grobe for John Johnson [Music] Wabash, Rebecca Keller for Wedgewood, Reagan Williams for Ferguson Middle School. Yolanda Reeves, Cross Keys. Alyssa Rhodess Steam Middle Tim Ryan Mccclure North Brienne Scoggins Mccclure Harvey Love Steam [Applause] High Alexis Stanley Innovation and YK Beyond from Restoration and [Applause] Wellness. Congratulations teachers of the year. Next, the Ferguson Flores School District is excited to support our high school graduates post-secondary endeavors with the generous support of alumni, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders. FFSD is awarding $38,250 in scholarships from named and general scholarship funds. Please join me in recognizing these scholars. Students, as I call your name, please join us up

031here on the stage. First is Adrienne Burr. She's receiving the Mccclure class of 1968 scholarship. Next is Selene Wumazila, who is receiving both the FFSD general scholarship and the Chuck Folk Scholarship. Christopher Johnson is receiving the Mccclure class of 1968 scholarship. Colt Gates is receiving the Mccclure class of 1968 scholarship. Deniah Galmore is receiving the Mccclure class of 1968 scholarship. Deniah Robinson is receiving the Mccclure class of 1968 scholarship. Ireie Owens is receiving the Mccclure Alumni Club scholarship. Jabori Mley is receiving the Charles May scholarship. Caprice Booker is receiving the ML Mccclure class of 1968 scholarship. Karen Smith rece is receiving the Mccclure class of 1968 scholarship. Marquira Patton is receiving the Charles May scholarship. Summer Harrison is receiving the Mccclure class of 1968 scholarship. Tori House is receiving the Linda Cox scholarship. Xavier Stagall

032is receiving the Charles May scholarship. Jordan Buckley is receiving the Ferguson Florison School District general scholarship. Michaela Dunn Dullan is receiving the Ellis Shaw scholarship. Agarius Simpson Johnson is receiving the Ferguson Station Business Scholarship. Briana Ramspot is receiving the Shirley King scholarship. Sincere Buckley is receiving the Ferg Floor General Scholarship. Danny Streley is receiving the Ferg General Scholarship. DeAndre Brown is receiving the Ferg Floor General [Applause] Scholarship. Denise Rodriguez Monroy is receiving the Bob Fritz scholarship. Dylan Merkel is receiving the Ferguson Station Business Scholarship. Emily Dickerson, I'm sorry, Esley Dickerson is receiving the Ferg floor general scholarship. Haley Crrael is receiving the Ferg General Scholarship. Haley Gibson is receiving the Charles May scholarship. Jamaiah Petty is receiving the James Lawrence scholarship. Jonathan Rayfort is receiving the Ferg floor general scholarship. Jordan Ivy is receiving the

033Bob Fritz scholarship. Carla Felipe Lorenzo is receiving the Fergor General Scholarship. Leilani Bilips is receiving the Shirley King scholarship. Leilani Williams is receiving the Ferguson Florison General Scholarship. Ludavine Renade is receiving the Ferguson Station Business Scholarship. Natada Amarui is receiving the Bob Fritz scholarship. You all scoot down or start forming a row here on the floor for me. Nvea Pearson is receiving the Ferg floor scholarship. Reginald Gully II is receiving the Ferg floor general scholarship. And last is Theo Pettis who is receiving the Ferg floor general scholarship. Please join me in giving him a round of applause. We can do better than that. Let's give them a standing ovation. These students are shining stars. Yes. [Applause] As we capture these pictures, it is noteworthy that approximately 73% of the applicants were awarded the Ferguson Florison

034School District scholarships and we're excited about their next steps in a few years. We look forward to them starting a named scholarship for the class of 2025. [Applause] Good job. [Applause] We have a lot of great things going on in Ferguson Florison School District and it's just evidence of that happening right here. So, let's give them another round of applause as they say exit. Congratulations to each and every every recipient. [Music] It's It's Wait a minute. Okay. At this time, we're going to We have all the recognitions done, right? Thank you, Dr. Shaw. Oh, let me do that. Now, we do have one. We do have one other recognition. Ferguson Florison School District's commitment to sporting students college and career readiness was on display on Monday during the superintendent's breakfast at St. Louis Community College

035award ceremony. For the 24-25 school year, the district saved high school students and families over a million dollars in college expenses as the district pays an eligible dual credit and dual enrollment expenses. Additionally, among our other nominations, the district was recognized as having the highest percent of enrollment growth for dual credit and dual enrollment partnerships and the highest enrollment growth for dual credit students. So, that absolutely is a bonus. And one more piece is the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has announced eight Missouri Gold Star Schools for 2025. This program, which aligns with the National Blue Ribbon Schools program sponsored by the United States Department of Education, recognizes schools for outstanding academic achievement or for performing at high levels while serving a significant portion of disadvantaged students. This year, we are proud to recognize

036Steam Academy Middle as being one of the gold star schools for the country. [Applause] Thank you so much. That is awesome. Do you all understand how big that is? Well, let's show it. Congratulations. Is Dr. in here? Is she in here tonight? Okay. Oh, she's at a concert. She's working overtime. Okay. Well, we do want to say thank you um to them for all the hard work, all the teachers and everyone who played a part in earning this prestigious award because it is pretty pretty huge. And again, I want to say there are a lot of things going on great here in Ferguson, Florison School District. So, um of course, we will be looking forward to her getting that that uh award and we will be there to Absolutely. Yes. to cheer her on. At

037this time, we are going to have public comments. The board allocates this portion of the meeting to allow stakeholders the opportunity to comment on both agenda items and non-aggenda items. At the start of each board meeting, the board president will read aloud any comments that have previously been submitted. While all the comments will be included in the board materials this evening and may be found under public comments, the board may limit the number of comments read aloud based on length and repetition. Prior to public comment period, in-person participants are asked to fill out a a comment card with their name with their name, address, phone number, and email address and topics to be addressed and will be allowed up to three minutes to speak. Members of the audience who wish to speak to the board

038are requested to speak from the podium, identify themselves and in speak in in keeping with the district policy 405459 and in personnel law should refrain from making negative comments that are personally identifiable. While the board will not direct directly respond to the speakers during the public comment period, the board president may make clarifying remarks at the end of the comment session to correct any misstatement of facts. Responses to the public comments will be found in the meetings and agenda section in the district website within 14 days of the meeting. So at this time I will call your name if you have given a green card and have you come up to the podium. You know I'm going to start off with um one of the letters that was written in it's and then we'll go

039to the comments here and this letter came from Todd Oberlin. Three years ago, with the help of some stellar students, I began the Tri Music Honor Society at Mccclure North. This necessitated the opening of a new fundraising account shortly after. However, this account has been has seen withdrawals from items that have not that have nothing to do with the organization. In January of this year, I asked for an updated balance to ensure all deposits and expenditures had been documented. To my surprise, the account was nearly $1,500 in the negative. After some research with the help of other buildings buildings bookkeeper building bookkeepers, we noticed that payments for professional develop professional development had erroneously been taken from this account stemming from a group of teachers attending the PBIS training in the summer of 2025. members of

040the finance office were immediately notified including but not limited to um I won't say names here even uh stepped in in February of the 7th to hear of this year to ensure I got a reply to date this issue has yet to be resolved as recently as April 10th the account has still um well is still well in the negative my question is when will the 142 $24.68 mistakenly charged to the Mccclure North Try activity account be replaced. Thank you. Um, who will be getting in touch with it? Would that be Mr. Single Dr. Singleton? So, Mr. Overberlin, Mr. Singleton will be getting in touch with you. This letter comes from Michelle Hack. I think that's correct. Yes. Good. Good evening. I'm writing in again in regards to un to the uniform policy. I commented

041back in March about the policy and how it is not being followed at Mccclure North. At that time, I would say about 50 to 60% of the student body were not adhering to the policy. At this point, I would say it's about 90 80 to 90% of the student body not adhering to the policy. As a parent, I want to know what you're going to do about this. With school ending soon and a new school year coming in a in a few months, I want to know if this is something that is going to be discussed and worked on. My daughter and many others continue to follow your policies and it's not fair for the same 10 to 20% to follow the rules while the other 80 90% get by with breaking the rules and

042not h to and not have consequences. If you are not going to stand behind your no tolerance uniform policy, then ditch the policy. Michelle Hack, I think it's Hackle and who will be getting in touch with Dr. Crawford. Okay, we have Linda Murphy. you want to come up? She's uh talking about proposals regarding counselors and I have my my people with me. Good evening stakeholders and members of the Ferguson Florescent School Board. My name is Linda Murphy and I'm honored to serve as the full-time counselor at Robinwood Intermediate. Tonight I stand before you alongside our district mental health leadership team representing the dedicated counselors and social workers who support our students and families each and every day. We recognize the immense challenges that the board face is facing in balancing the district's budget and making

043difficult decisions. These are not easy times for anyone. However, I stand here tonight encouraging all of you to consider the deep human impact of the following proposals. The first proposal of raising the studentto counselor ratio to the national average of 376 students to every one counselor is detrimental to our students and our families. It might address immediate financial concerns, but at what cost? In Ferguson Florescent, adversity is not an exception. It's a daily reality. Food insecurity, unstable housing, mental health struggles, access to essential community resources, intervention planning, and child advocacy are just a few of the challenges that our students face on a daily basis. We are a highnee district and a high need district requires more support, not less. Raising the ratio would compromise critical services and undermine our students ability to thrive and

044succeed. We believe that Ferguson Florescent is better than that because protecting our students is a necessity. It's not an option. Another proposal considers reassigning highly qualified counselors to classroom teaching positions. Again, I ask you, at what cost? While it may appear to provide budget relief, the long-term consequences would be devastating. Less counseling support means more behavioral issues, higher absenteeism, and increased dropout rates. These outcomes will lead to greater financial burdens in the long run, such as the need for alternative education programs, legal resources, and intervention services. and those costs will far outweigh any short-term savings that we would experience. Tonight, we are using our voice, which is a strong one, to urge the board to take these considerations way off of the table and uphold a vision of education that supports the whole child academically,

045socially, and emotionally. School counselors are not a luxury. We are a lifeline. We are a lifeline for our students, for our families, and for our community. And a lot of times for our staff. Let us work together to prioritize our students well-being without sacrificing the invaluable services that make our schools strong. We welcome further discussions and collaboration to do what is best for our students and families. Thank you for your time and your commitment. Thank you. Thank you. I want [Applause] to Brent Mitchell will be getting in touch with you and I also have other letters um that are pretty close to what you read and you did such a great job uh just covering some of the the topics that they covered. Uh Teresa Casmmer Casmmerzik Casmarzik Marzik. Thank you. Uh, also it's a

046two-pager, Latasha Chanel West, a school counselor from somewhere else. And then also Erica Hayden. So, thank you for your comments and Mr. Mitchell will be in touch with you. Let's see. This is coming from M uh Maline Mitchell Perry. Good afternoon. The issue of student use of electronic devices has been a topic of discussion for years. Recently during an internet outage I observed the students that students were not only unable to use their Chromebooks but also faced the challenges with accessing other devices like their iPads and cell phones. This led me to conclude that if the district were to change the passcode and stop dis distributing it to students, unauthorized use of electronic devices could be minimized. who would be getting in touch with Crawford. U Miss Craw, Dr. Crawford will be in touch with

047Maline Mitchell Perry. Okay. from about vote school. Is it JA Lewis Harris? Good evening. I'm Dr. Lewis Harris and uh I'm speaking on behalf of a large group of people in Ferguson who have asked that vote school be transferred or given or supplied for the community because we wanted to do a wraparound program there. We have many um in fact we have eight nonprofit groups that would like to have residents there. We'd also like to have art classes there with Art St. Lewis and other other groups. And so the alumni, the Ferguson Historical Society and and also several other groups in that area have asked that we talk to the school board and I they have uh corresponded with the school board for specifics for the for the place itself because we're looking at grants.

048We're talking to uh different corporations in the area which might help us to manage it and we're also in uh conversation with the city manager to see if we can't keep that school as a education of sorts for the community. So that's it for tonight. Thank you. And who will be getting in touch? Miss Mr. O'Neal. Terry O'Neal will be getting in touch with you. Can you put that on there? Okay. You don't work for the Okay. Uh, Superintendent Bobby, I cannot read the small heckles. Hi, good evening. First, I want to say thanks to Dr. P. Walker and Mr. Brett Mitchell for the job that they have taken on to keep our district moving forward. [Applause] Secondly, I received a disturbing email, a couple of them in regards to certain people since I won't

049mention names since Dr. Thurman didn't in regards to um in so many words, staff stating that they're being bullied. And what I want to say is you are here to do a job. And because you're being held accountable, you should not feel like you're being bullied. If you're doing your job, you're doing your job and that's what you're being paid for because we have over 8,000 students here. We all are here representing the children which are for our future. I can say when Dr. Davis was here, Dr. Davis was a bully. I know that for a fact because I got it from several administrators. There was no complaints. You guys took it. So again, when you're being held accountable, you should not send out emails to different staff members talking about higher up. If you're

050doing your job, do your job and you shouldn't have to worry about anything. Thank you. Hey, would you like for anyone to be in touch with you? Absolutely. Okay. Okay. Well, Dr. P. Walker will be in touch with you. Oh, let's see. Maybe I'll read one. How about Erica Brooks? Get Erica to come up. Erica Brooks. Yes. Good evening. I am uh standing here. I I know my son has graduated and my daughter's graduated from the school district, but as a parent and as a resident of Ferguson and also a community activist uh that's been very engaged in Ferguson and and and see the different things that are going on on real STTO news uh with the young people and the you know violence and the guns and what all this extra stuff that's going

051on in the community. I'm hoping that there's some programs that are available for our young people this summer to where you all can keep them fully engaged in something that's not just educational, but it's paying money. You're able to get jobs for these young people this summer because it's going to be a very active summer. Very active. With all the economy problems already for the grown people, the parents think about, like I said, as a school district. I know I was at the city council meeting last night asking them to be able to have a liaison with this school board right here before those doors closed for the summer because I know I'm seeing too many young people having access to AKA 47s 40 whatever they are and all the rest of them and holding

052people up and it doesn't make sense because they should have you all and me you know as a community to be held accountable to keep them invested mentally and physically. into their future, which is right now. And I know a lot of them want to get paid. They want to get paid just like us, you know. So, I'm hoping that you all have something. It should be something where you all not only engage with the city of Ferguson and Florison, but also the county to where they can have jobs lined up for these students, lined up for them so that they can use some of these, you know, uh um you know, like the vocational school skills, something to where they can work and and and be a part of, you know, uh loving their

053community, uh keeping it clean, um whatever, you know, shadowing you all throughout the summer learning how to be, you know, human resource administrators, financial directors, uh, whoever, but keeping their minds and their bodies physically engaged in their future, which is right now. So, please get with the city of Ferguson because they said they have a liaison, but I'm not sure that it's really, you know, effective. So, please get engaged with our kids for the summer and don't leave them behind waiting for them to come in the fall. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you so much. We appreciate your efforts and Miss P Dr. P. Walker will be in touch with you. Okay. Timothy Cornwell. Car. Okay, that's an N. Carnell, come on up. Come on up, Timothy. Mr. Carell, I'm sorry. Boy, once again, y'all know

054who I am. Um, the thing about it is it's not like I'm just finding these things out just because I want to. You turn on the news and who do y'all see? Ferguson Florison. Of course, the deficit, they they mention that again. All I was asking for once again, high school pay. Put two and two together. You know how I'm thinking like, okay, millions of dollars, but all I want level five high school pay. Right. Right. So getting to the big part of it. Titanic sinking and everybody look like they jumping overboard. 30 days. Still no response. Who was told that was going to reach out to me? He's not here. 30 days I've been waiting. Still no response. Oh, I know. I'mma throw this in for free. I already know. We know. Y'all know

055he leaving. He returned. Whatever. We I get that. That's not the point. The point is he was the one that blocked me from getting my high school pay. Terry, of course, we know that. Y'all know that. I know that. Period. But when it came to the buses and the interim uh custodians that that was a go period unconcerned too back to the snow me by myself safety housing. I had to dig my way into Cool Valley where this snow was up here. Remember I had to dig my way in just to get to the snow plow or the snow blower. Again, unconcerned. Me myself, I feel like the one that was over the custodian and the maintenance should have made one path through just for the custodians to make it to the the the shed

056to get the snowblower. But once again, what if something would have happened? Who would have known? Once again, I got stuck. The man told me the second day I called Cool Valley. They on their way with a tow truck to tow your stuff. He thought my stuff was abandoned. I'm at work doing my job task for Ferguson Florence and what I get paid to do. But come to find out, how you think I feel? Was Fergus Florison going to question was Fergus Florison going to pay for my toe to get my core out of toe that that was being told that I didn't know nothing about? No. So, somebody can talk to me. We can sit down and converse. I'm good with that. But we know Terry ain't okay. Period. We will period Dr. Haywood

057would be in touch with you and I'm sorry that you were not contacted but someone will be in touch. If not, write me. I'm serious. Okay. Okay. I don't I'm sorry, Henry. I don't know how to Can you say your last name? Thank you. Sorry about that. Good evening board and uh stakeholders and members of the community. My name is Henry Wafer. I'm a former educator and a former elected official and work for the uh socket court. I'm in support of Dr. uh Jackie Lewis's uh vet school uh conversation uh with the school board. The objective what I have planned that I want to share is what elude eluded by Miss um Erica the concept we had a long time ago was vocational education not everybody's going to get a PhD not everybody going to

058go to college but everyone who has training as a heating and cooling electrician plumbing can take care of their family and so I have a program called Vocatines means focus on 18 14 to 18 years old. The objective is to the kids that are having problems in school that we can pull them into this vocational training with businesses around and the school district because they also need to get their general education. So that's what we would like to do with that building. would like to uh have access to that building and I don't know how possible it is but that's a conversation we that I would like to uh all the members would like to have with the school board to see what we can do to help uh the people that will pay our

059social security because I need to get mine. So um and the only way they can pay it is if they are working. So, um I'm happy that you guys give us g gave us the opportunity to talk, but um I went to uh DC in 2013 with Calvin Adams. We went to look at public board in schools because teachers have the kids. There's nothing wrong with the kids. It's the environmental factors. What can we do with a kid that doesn't have a father in the house or doesn't even have food and no running water and you bring him to school? He's not interested in learning. He's interested in eating basic human needs. So those are the things that my years of experience as a teacher gave me an insight to walk with juveniles in in

060the soccer court. And when I get the kid and they say, "Oh, he's carrying an AK-47." The only thing he needs to do is to survive. And the only way he or she can survive is either still in a society where all the goods and services are all purchased in the store. To buy it, you need skill. To get the skill, you need training. To get the training, you need the opportunities, which is the schools and the community provide. So hopefully uh we can have the conversation and we can uh have a place for our kids that who will not go to Harvard, but they can fix your heating and cooling problem. Thank you for the time. [Applause] Thank you so much. And um Mr. O'Neal, Terry O'Neal will be in touch with you. I

061will read another letter. Hello to the Ferguson Florison board members, staff and families. This is a reference to superintendent search. Why are you reaching out from the west to the east to the north and south when you have gifted golden a gifted golden man as acting co- superintendent he has been ordained gifted golden man he has been ordained into the position and seeking his degree he also lives in our district I have complete confidence and admiration for this man he seeks solutions to get jobs done he listens and acts. He is kind. The position calls for stable, proactive, confident, caring and intelligent individual. Uh he is ready to work and he has a huge following of supporters. Thank you. And that is [Music] from Mary Schmidt. She talking I I don't know. So, Prince Mitchell

062will be in touch with Okay. We have several who which are the pretty much the same and I think this that's a different one. Okay, this one this group all of this is together. Okay, Teesha Davis and she wants to talk about Coach Roads. Is she here? Good evening. My name is Erica Hart. Um, Teesha Davis had to leave, but I will be speaking on her behalf regarding Coach Roads. Is that okay or should I fill out? I'll have to call someone else out. Okay. Sorry about that. Renee Scott [Applause] Kane. Good evening board members. My name is Renee Scott Kaine and I'm proudly and I proudly serve as the athletics and activities secretary at Steam Academy at Mccclure South Berkeley. For the past 10 years, I've had the distinct privilege of working alongside Mr.

063Keith Rhodess and I was hopeful we would share an 11th. I speak tonight not only as a colleague, but as someone who has witnessed day in and day out his steadfast dedication to our students, our athletes, and our school community. Mr. Rhodess is the last remaining staff member who has served at all three campuses, Berkeley High, Mccclure South Berkeley, and now Steam Academy at Mccclure South Berkeley. His legacy spans nearly three decades. And [Applause] throughout And throughout that time, his unwavering commitment to education and athletics has set a standard that is rare and invaluable. As athletic director, Mr. Rhodess routinely works 12 to 14 hour days. Not because it's expected, but because he holds himself accountable to students and coaches who rely on his leadership. He is a visionary who never settles. He doesn't accept

064we've done all we can. In his view, there is always another way to recruit, to connect with student athletes, to build a better program and growth. And as he grows, his programs have grown with him. Beyond his professional contributions, Mr. Rhodess has made a personal impact that spans generations. He has coached and mentored students and their children. Two generations. A legacy few educators can claim. I respectfully urge the board to reconsider the decision to allow Mr. roads to continue serving as athletic director through the end of the 2526 academic year as he originally planned. It would not it would not only honor his decades of service but also provide the continuity and stability our students and staff deserve in this pivotal time. Thank you for your time and for your thoughtful consideration. [Applause] [Music] Thank

065you. Dr. Haywood will be in touch with you. Um, also I have Keith Rhodess. [Applause] Good evening. Being a track coach, time means everything. Originally, I was going to talk about my credentials and past accomplishments, but I believe it's more important to talk about the four things that should be talked about when any school board or district make decisions. That's students, the community, APR, which is the district report card and finance. First, students and community. Nobody the last 28 years have committed themselves and have done more for this community and the students than me. I'm going to read you something that I received from district administrators. This was a few years ago when the district admin administrators decided to look into each administrator's job and see what they did well in displays a true loyalty

066to MSB community and he devotes his time, energy, energy and heart capitalized to the success of the students. Not my words, district administrator words. Next, APR. APRs consisted of mainly a lot of things but mainly compliance and student achievement. First, compliance. Compliance deals with the teachers being certified to teach certain levels in certain classes. It has nothing to do with athletic directors having administrative certification which mine expired. So, uh, and if if it did, then Clayton, Leoo, Pattonville, Parkway, Rockwood, all of them would require their athletic directors to have the administrative certification, which they do not. That's exhibit B. I have that proof. Next, student, uh, we have student achievement. Student achievement is driven by student attendance. If they're not there, then they can't achieve. Why aren't students coming to other schools uh coming to

067uh school? At the Steam Academy, we have the highest attendance. They come because I provide things for them to make them want to come. Once they join something, then my coaches and directors make it special for them. That's why we have more conference championships and player of the year award winners than anybody in the north county and mid county. And also with the finance, I respect our uh finance department. They do a great job, but probably I'm second to them when it comes to knowing numbers. I'm a math guy. We have over $70,000 in fundraising money that I've helped raise. And that should mean something, especially with our district in a financial crunch. So, if we're talking about trying to do what's best for the students, community, APR, and finance, please make the correct decision.

068Thank you. Thank you. That's it. Dr. Haywood will be in touch with you, Mr. Rhodess. Uh, Marcia Pearson. Uh, good evening. My name is Marcia Pearson. I am a Berkeley High School alumni, class of 1999. I was a track athlete and where I met Coach Roads in I believe 1998 at the original Berkeley High School. This is my son Darren Puit. He is a student at STEM Academy, class of 2026. He is a current track athlete under coach Rose leadership as athletic director and he has a couple words for you. Good evening everyone. Um, I'm a junior at Steam Academy and as a son of a Berkeley alumni and now a student, Mr. Roads has been a stellar leader for all students in the community of Ferguson Florison School District. He is a very knowledgeable,

069experienced, and always keeps it professional. He always makes sure that things go smoothly for all athletic activities and he always comes to our home game/home track meets to come and support all athletes, which means a lot. And Mr. the road to sell his position with the district with integrity and honor and he has earned and deserved to complete his tenure. That's all. Thank you. Thank you. There are some other letters that have been sent in and and they are in support of Mr. Rhodess and I'm going to read the names and the because we are really running long on time. Um it is from Heather Coleman, from Dr. Gwen Grooms, and also from Marcus Hall. All in support of Mr. roads and again Dr. Haywood will be in touch with with with them. Okay. This

070letter is in support of Jump Math and I want to make sure. Yeah, I got all the green cards. I'm looking forward to piloting Jump Math, Jump Math next school year. I have taught Eureka math for over nine years and while it is extremely rigorous and gives our students a lot of different strategies for solving math problems, it can also get boring for students because it's because the teachers are expected to do a lot of heavy lifting. Jump Math is going to be much more engaging for students and follow more closely to Missouri learning standards. And that was sent in by Cheryl Jones. Um, one other one about jump. Uh oh, sorry about that. Dear members of the school board, I am writing to express my enthusiasm and appreciation for the opportunity to pilot Jump

071Math in our building next year. As the instructional coach, I am deeply committed to supporting evidence-based practices that foster both student understanding and teacher confidence in delivering highquality mathematics instruct instruction. Jump Math offers a structured yet flexible approach that thoroughly scaffolds concepts, promotes deep comprehension, and empowers students to see themselves as capable mathematicians. Its emphasis on guided discovery, continuous assessment, and inclusivity aligns well with goals for equitable and effective teaching. Our educators are energized by the clarity and support the program provides, and we hope to see increased engagement and confidence among both students and teachers. I look forward to gathering and sharing data and insights throughout the pilot and to collaborating with other teams to evaluate how the program might best serve our school community. Thank you for supporting innovative initiatives like this one that

072prioritizes student growth and instructional excellence. And that is from Amanda Lucas. And again, uh Dr. Murray will be in in touch with you. Did I give you this? Wait a minute. I think it was that one. And then there was one other one also supporting uh jump jump jump math. So you can have all of those. And I think that that concludes our Let me check and make sure I have everybody. Yes, you can take these. Okay, I do want to say one thing. Um I think it's it is extremely important. Um when the board is asking that people are contacted once we once we say your names and I want the community to know that the board's committed to doing that. So we will make sure we will work harder to make sure that

073people are getting in touch with you because we don't want to say that and then it doesn't happen. So I just want to put that out there for on behalf of the board. Okay. Do you have Thank you. So now we are going to go to the consent agenda. I recommend to the recommendation is to approve the consent agenda as presented. So move second. Mr. Bailey. Oh, sorry. No, Mr. Bailey. Yes. Dr. Martin. Yes, Mr. Tyson. Yes, Dr. Graves. Yes, Mrs. Mansery. Yes, Secretary Votes. Yes, Madame President. Yes. Yes, Madam President. I'm sorry you forgot uh FFNA. Oh, sorry. Hi, FFNA. I am really sorry I skipped right over you. I think it's because I skipped our student representative. He's not here. Excuse me. Excuse me. Good evening, Board of Education members, co-s superintendent Dr.

074P. Walker and Mr. Mitchell, FFNA members, Ferguson Forest, and family and community members. As I stand here, just two Fridays remain before our students and staff embark on a well-deserved summer break. Tonight, I want to focus on a single crucial word, consistency. For the past several years, the members of the FFNEA have tirelessly advocated for the implementation of robust systems within our schools, systems that are adhered to with unwavering fidelity. We recognize that we have individuals in positions of knowledge and expertise. However, too often when these individuals depart, a carousel effect occurs, leaving those remaining to grapple with confusion, strife, and a profound sense of dispondency. And now, here we are again back at the starting line. While we welcome the arrival of new leadership, the fundamental need remains the lack of established consistent systems

075that are vital for the smooth functioning and well-being of our schools and educators. The FFNA remains hopeful that in the days and weeks leading up to May 23rd and June 30th, genuine collaboration will occur to ensure that building staff know their assignments for the upcoming 2526 school year. that building leadership announcements will be made with clarity and transparency. We're also hopeful that comprehensive handbooks will be developed for our invaluable ESP staff and that the ESP professional development day will be thoughtfully and effectively planned. We must break this repetitive pattern. We must learn from the past and build for the future. Let us commit here and now to building a solid foundation of consistency that will unequivocally support our students, empower our staff, and benefit our entire community for years to come. Thank you. [Applause] Thank

076you. Did we finish? Did we do the we all? Okay, we're we're good with consent agenda. Um, pull from consent. An item on the consent agenda can be removed and considered separately for discussion in our vote. And there was nothing pulled from consent. Right. Okay. Budget amendment. Uh, Dr. Singleton. All right. Good evening to the Ferguson uh Florison school uh school board uh colleagues and community. Uh tonight I will present the 2425 amended budget uh for the uh Ferguson Florescent School District. As always uh we'll read the mission and vision of the school district. The mission is uh of the Ferguson Florison School District is to provide highquality instruction every student in every neighborhood while prioritizing equity and compassionate relationships. The vision of the Ferguson Florison School District is for all learners to graduate believing

077that anything is possible and prepared to realize those possibilities. Uh, one of the first things uh in preparing the amended budget uh was that we wanted to take a really good look uh at our ASBR which had our ending fund balance from last year which is the starting fund balance from this year. Um, I sent communication uh to our district leaders uh that uh our auditors had been in touch with us as early as uh last week. Um because there were a couple of edits that needed to be made in order for the ASBR to align uh to the audit. Um and so we had to make a couple of adjustments. Uh those adjustments did favor uh the fund balance actually increasing slightly. Um and so uh we're going to uh speak from that angle

078uh in terms of the amended budget. And so um as you will see on the second slide uh there's a number here uh right by the arrow uh that says 27,525,953.94. Uh again after making those audit adjustments uh there were some payroll liabilities that we needed to have recorded. Um and those have been recorded and so we're waiting on DESIE to reapprove uh the ASBR. Um so that gives us kind of our starting fund balance for the year. This is our amended budget. Uh I want to just kind of take a few minutes and go through each of the funds. Uh so the board is well really really aware, the community is aware of how we are going to end or the anticipated end uh to this fiscal year. Um if you look at the

079green columns, there are five five green columns uh in the middle. Uh and then there's kind of a tannanish colored column uh on the end. Uh the very first green column is the revised fund 11 budget. Um as we've talked about funds over the last uh several months, uh we made the board aware that of course the fund 11 and fund 20 are your operating funds. And so if you look at those first two green columns, um that third green column adds together the first two. Okay? Uh so fund 11 and fund 20. Uh fund 11 is your general operating fund. Fund 20 is your teachers fund. And the two of them combined gives you what we call your operating fund. Now what's most important about the operating fund? We all know that the operating

080fund is for the daily operations of the school district which means that the the other funds have restrictions. They come with restrictions on them. Uh but the operating fund generally allows you to do salaries, benefits, all of those things that are necessary to run and operate a school district on a day-to-day basis. Um and so we made some adjustments uh to the um uh the budget based on forecasted uh information that we are privy to at this time of the year that we were not privy to uh earlier in the school year. Um and so we're going to highlight, but I want you to focus on the fact that our revenues uh for the operating funds are at about $146 million. Again, that's that third column. That's that bolded total. $146 million in revenues. Um,

081if you look at our expenditures, okay, and of course the biggest expense uh on uh on this page, as you will see, is always typically salaries. Salaries and benefits. If you add those two numbers together, uh you will know that that is typically the biggest expense in a school district is trying to fund salary and benefits. Also, we look at and we're looking at things by fund which may be a little different. I know in the past uh we've given the board information that consisted of all funds uh which really didn't paint the real picture because when you're looking for a fund balance, what really counts is what's in your operating funds. Okay? Because you can't take debt service money uh and pay salaries and benefits. Okay? and you can't take restricted monies uh and

082do the same as well. And so um those two numbers and so the the difference between the 146 million and the 154 million is about a $7.9 million deficit. Okay. Um so roughly $8 million, okay, in the fiscal year alone. Okay. So I want to make sure that we're clear. We are deficit spending. Okay. The district is in a financial deficit. This year alone, we are deficit spending. Okay. Um and we have been all uh all fiscal year. Want to go to the other two funds and then we'll try to sum it all up and then we can go in a little bit more detail uh on the next couple slides. Fund 30, it's generally generally takes care of itself. It's the fund to handle debt services. Okay. any outstanding bond obligations, all of that

083is covered in uh fund 30. And so, as you see at the very bottom, um we we've got about $6 million coming in, about four going out. Uh and so, uh we had a beginning fund balance uh in debt services. We still got some obligations to pay. Typically, May is around the time where uh a lot of that debt goes out the door. Um and so probably by the next time we do this report um you will see uh a lower fund balance there as well. Uh but but about 194%. That's a big number. It's a big percentage but again it does nothing to help you in the other funds because all you do with debt service money is pay debt. Okay. Um and then the last fund is fund 40. We call it our

084capital projects fund. And so that is typically the fund that we do uh highlevel maintenance projects. Um we buy computers that are generally over $1,000. Anytime there's a unit one unit costs and it exceeds $1,000, we typically capitalize that uh and we put it in a capital projects fund. So, um, your rooftop units, your roof replacements, uh, facilities, uh, and also technology really drives the budget when it comes to fund 40 uh, in capital projects. And so, if we look at the uh, the tan colored column, all funds, okay, about 159 million total uh, on the expendit on the revenue side. On the expenditure side, we're looking at about $167 million. Again, we are deficit spending. So, uh there no no we should not say we don't have a revenue problem. We do. When you're

085deficit spending, that's what you have. It's a revenue problem. Okay. Timing is one thing. Okay. But also, we've got to correct that. Okay. Um and certainly we've got some suggestions uh to to correct this because next year is going to be very critical um as we're already ending uh this fiscal year coming forward. And so you'll see that $27 million again uh down towards the bottom uh of that tannanish colored line. Again, that's your July fund balance. Uh and if all goes as we are projecting, um the fund balance as of June 30th um is going to be uh roughly about $19 million. Okay, roughly 19 to $20 million is what we should end uh the fiscal year with. And that's in all funds. Okay. But if we go back to operating and look at

086that third column over, okay, operating funds are about $10.9 million. And so, uh, we want to make sure that we're real clear on that. In terms of a fund balance percentage, okay, overall, that's what we've been we've been talking all along. 11.84. Okay. Not good. All right. Uh but operating operating fund balance is at a 7.11%. Okay. Uh and again uh we know that when you get into uh fund balances as low as this uh we certainly have to take uh some some precautions and and you know enhanced uh financial measures. And so, uh, just really wanted to kind of break that down, take my time going through that so the board understands, uh, the community understands as well where we are projecting to end this year's budget. We are working on the budget for

087next year as well. Um and at the next meeting, uh it is our goal to have the preliminary budget, um which is due by June 30th, but we'll have that budget presented, um as well as um have some conversation about that, uh budget in June as well. Um let me move on. Okay. And so when we're looking at the difference in the budget amendments, again, we did a budget amendment in February, we did one, we're doing one now. Okay. So, what are the differences in what we're seeing? Okay. Um, in local revenues, all right, we see a reduction of about $1.2 million. Okay. Um, and so what is that? Okay. Um, what is that reduction kind of in local revenues? In local revenues, your biggest um source of local revenues are your property taxes. Okay?

088Uh, that's what you and I pay as a homeowner. All right? Um, and the the the the issue with property taxes, um, is not so much the taxes itself, but it's the collection rate. Okay? We levy, uh, a certain amount. We levy $65 million. Okay? But our collection rate historically in the Ferguson Florison School District has kind of been around that 85% mark. Okay? Now, we're doing a little bit better this year, uh, because we've got people that are paying those delinquent taxes and things like that. They're coming in, uh, but the collection rate, okay, um, is, uh, one of the reasons uh that, um, that local revenues are down. When it talks about county revenues, again, uh, state assessed railroad utilities, we never really know uh, what that number is. We always put a

089projection out there. Um, I think we projected about $1.6 million. Uh, we've received that amount in the past. Unfortunately, that number came in at about $1.3 million. Um, and that that is a recent deposit here. Something that we probably would not have known uh in the February's amended budget either. Um, also your state revenues, that is to the positive. I'm very proud to see um that we are uh getting a little bit more money from the amended budget that we thought uh from the sec to the second amended budget um from the basic formula. Okay. Uh so basic formula transportation uh and also another driver of that is our early childhood uh sped program. Uh we got we were actually behind on payments last fiscal year. We got that payment this fiscal year and then

090we got some additional payments this fiscal year uh for early childhood sped. Okay. Um federal revenues were down from the amended budget in February versus May. Um and again that is attributed to our ESSER funds. Um you know and also um your our free and reduced uh breakfast count our lunch counts are kind of down from this time on last year. Um other the $1.4 million to the positive. Um we did some refunding bonds this year. Um and that is of course uh money that is in the debt services area. Uh I'm uh in the uh in the Moheifa um uh revenue. And so uh that's where that uh that information comes from on that slide. Um I'll try to speed up just a little bit in terms of salaries from amended budget one to

091two. Um it shows that we are down a little bit. Um and so from the first amendment budget um there we've seen less overtime, okay, and less supplemental pays. And so um that is a positive for the district. Uh benefits, we have we've seen an increase from amended budget 1 to two, higher insurance costs, um and some retirement cost as well. Uh purchase services. Um this is a big one here. Okay. Um transportation of course uh plays a big role in this. Uh and there's some other professional and contractual arrangements that we have uh in purchase services. Supplies and material almost a million dollars there. Uh the general cost of supplies have increased. Uh technology supplies, library books, and also utilities. The cost of utilities has certainly gone up from where we were on last

092year. We've seen equipment cost. That's capital outlay increase $180,000. And then on other um as you all know, we did some short-term borrowing. Um and so there's some interest and fees uh that we were responsible for uh for short-term borrowing. Um again, under the revenue considerations, I just like to kind of tie back to some of this information. um current taxes again the collection rate we got to consider the collection rate in the community um when we budget okay um and I think that has probably been uh not considered uh as much in the past um even though you levy a certain dollar amount you're not going to collect 100% of taxes and so um so we've got to make sure that we factor in the right collection rate and so we looked at 5

093years worth of of collection rates uh to come up with an average uh Prop C Eminem monies were slightly higher again lower than expected interest on investments. Obviously, we don't have a lot of money to invest and so we have not earned a lot of that interest that we have uh had in the past state assess rurals and utilities. Again, we've we've uh we've seen $1.6 million last year. This year it came in at 1.3. Um and um basic formula again those were higher uh slightly higher. Um and then again we've got some protest payment. Typically this time of the year we get a huge protest payment uh that comes into the school district. Um also uh there's a potential loss of federal dollars uh esser um we filed our final expenditure report in February.

094Um and so um there's about $393,000 that we probably won't see because of the financial uncertainty um with the federal government. Um they have put a freeze on a lot of those um um um uh cost or uh reimbursements if you will. Um and so again um there's also some um uh what do we call that Dr. Pew Walker? the um the indirect right the indirect cost it's not a loss to us uh at this point cuz we don't necessarily have it that's money that we hope if it's certainly approved then it's it certainly will add to um our financial improvements or it'll improve our financial situation um rather than show us um what uh or rather than than do something uh in the other direction on the expenditures again um we're seeing higher of

095course retirement costs, um higher purchase services cost, contract labor. Um it is just it's it's extremely uh costly to have contract labor and we've tried our best uh to renegotiate that and we've done some of that. Uh but uh contract labor is a lot higher uh than it has been in the past. Uh again, utility cost, transportation cost, uh even the cost of postage. um we saw some extremely high costs of postage due to some mailings and other things uh than we have seen in the past. So uh that is the end of the presentation on the amended budget. Certainly be happy to answer any questions um at this time. Thank you. Want to start on this end uh with Mr. Bailey. You have any questions? And I don't have any questions at this time.

096Um I would like some more information. What are these protest payments that we're getting? Yeah. So protest payments that typically come into a school district. So you have the opportunity to protest your taxes. Um and many do for what for various reasons. if you feel like your neighbor's property is is not as, you know, if your taxes are extremely high and your neighbor's taxes are not. Um, and you know, people tend to protest so that they're paying taxes that are generally aligned with the neighborhood. And so, um, when when you see those protested payments, those are payments that were actually they're they're due to school districts, uh, but they have to go through the state, they have to go to the state, uh, taxing authority. Okay. Um, and so they're held. And so when we

097talk about the collection rates and things like that, those payments are held. Um, and generally a school district here locally, it's always been Webster Groves, they will start the lawsuit. Um, and they will sue to have those protest payments released to the district. Okay? So, anytime someone protests their their taxes, those payments are held. They're not automatically sent to the school district. Um, and so once the lawsuit happens, that tends to to to to impact what we do as a school district. All right. Thank you. Yes. Good evening. Thank you. Uh, I have several questions. Uh, first, I'm trying, it's hard for me to approve an amended budget when we don't have the original budget to compare to. So, it just says revised. So, I don't know what we're actually amending from. and we don't

098have the actual like bud I know we have the big categories but again if we're amending a budget we're not amending a transfer just hard to know what we're amending when we don't have the original column it's just all the revised um so that's just for me one of seven if we don't know what we're amending from I don't know what the difference is you talk about February to May one of my questions is obviously the board's initial intention was just to have one amendment done in in February there's some pretty drastic changes from February to May Um, I know when the board learned about the potential increase of back payments for special education, early childhood, and other things, we were hoping that was going to add to the fund balance. However, it looks like

099it's just accounting for the miscalculation in benefits, purchase services, supplies, capital outlay, and other that was drastically off from the February amendment. So, it's hard to know or trust, I guess, to say the numbers if we just if we were that far off two months ago, February 26, I think the meeting was till today. What's making up those numbers besides just saying $3.1 million isn't helping me understand how we're that far off from February to May or benefits being off $721,000 or supplies $996,000. So, I'm just curious for me, and you might not have that today, but for me, I can't vote on something unless I know like what it is given our financial situation already. I had other questions, but I know the material changed on the board packet this uh morning at 11:00,

100and I didn't realize that. So, some of the things that were on there that I had initial questions for got taken off and had some columns that allowed for other things, but I'm not sure what we're being asked to vote on besides a budget amendment, but there's not necessarily telling me what we're amending. It just says revised budget doesn't tell me here's what the original was, here's what we'reing to, but I'm curious if you could talk about what the drastic changes were in purchase of services and supplies from February to May. And I hear what you said, considerations and expenditures, but also in February, we were three quarters almost of the way through the year for utility cost and other things that that should have been able to forecast out. So I'm just curious if

101you could talk through what some of these are, if we have the actual budget, if we have the original budget versus amended budget and all those things. Yeah. So, so thank you Dr. Martin for your question. Um, you have the original budget. Um, and you have the both amended budgets that are in your board packet. Um, they are if they are not attached to this particular budget item, they are attached to the very next budget item. Okay? um and that is the dispersements. So if um if you will pull up the dispersements report um you will see that the dispersements has the original budget and both amended budgets. So all the information that you're asking for is there. I only see it says amended budget year-to- date expenses and available budget on the dispersements report.

102Okay. So, the attachments for the dispersements report, correct? Okay. What is the other than this presentation, what is the other attachment in the board item? Is there is there not a 60page PDF document in the board item? There there is. Okay. But again, that's not necessarily showing if you if you click on I see all the details. I'm saying on this document. So if we're focusing just on this line item, which is what when I come prepare for a board meeting, I'm looking at that line item and the materials attached. It does not have anywhere in the presentation or slides what the original budget was and the amended budget is recommended and the change or the difference. Okay. So I know I can go look through 60 pages, but I wasn't anticipated in looking through

10360 pages today because that was on for a different item. So, it's hard for me to come prepared if I I didn't know I needed to go look at item 10 to look at for item number nine. Okay. Um, so again, Dr. Martin, the information is in the board packet. Um, it's in the packet but not in for that item. Okay. All right. Understood. So, can you explain, I guess, what was the big difference between February and May for benefits, purchases, services, supplies, capital outlay, and other that make up that uh almost $5 million difference? Oh, I'm sorry. Can we go back to the amended budget presentation? Okay. Um, so what you're saying is this this particular slide here, um, we're missing a column for the original budget. Is that what you're saying? I mean,

104I don't know what we're amending. It just shows what revised. I don't know what we're amending from. Okay. All right. Um, and that information is and I can I can I can send that to you. We can get that to you uh tomorrow morning, however you'd like it. Um, but the this part this information again, all the details that that go into working on this amended budget, everything is here um in that particular document. So, I I don't know. I printed it out separate. I have it. It's probably page pages four, five, 6, 7, 8. I mean, I'm looking at it now, but again, I'm saying I didn't come prepared to look at that piece because I already if I knew that was connected, then I would be asking different questions because some of those

105accounts are already at 100% expended. So, if we're already at 100% now, you mean to say we're not going to spend one more dollar the rest of the year? Yeah. So, those accounts that are 100% now are typically accounts that we are done spending in. Okay. Um, some of those accounts uh are um like the Mohifa revenue that we talked about. Okay. That should be at 100%. Um, certified and classified employee leaves at 100%. So, we're not having any more leave payout for certified or classified. Where do you what line do you see that under? Uh, well, page nine. There's no line numbers for me to describe which numbers they're on, but it's page nine of the blue packet for item number 10. Okay. Can you give me the description? And certified employee leave, classified

106employee leaves at 100% are ready for yearto date. So, I just want to clarify if that's if you're saying there's no more leave payout at all, what is what is the object number? 611 uh 6141 6171. Madame President, can I jump in real quick as a request? Um, is it possible that we can table this to next week? Um, so we can give um, everybody more time so we can have the documents where they need to be so that um, we're not fumbling through and um, and then if we have an additional questions, we can submit those ahead of time um, so um, he can be prepared to answer those questions. I I I I definitely appreciate that. And you know, Dr. Martin, if these were things that, you know, were submitted ahead of time,

107we probably could have gotten that information to you, uh, so that, you know, that that that we could have had a, you know, much more productive, our time together could have been a little bit more productive. And so, um, when we had our Thursday review meeting, these were the exact items there. And unfortunately, that information, uh, no additional questions were were asked and we were able to move this forward. But certainly I I would I would love to table this and we can bring it back um at the uh at the next board meeting. Thank I just will say the slides were different on the first one. So they had other information on the first set of slides than this one. So some of that information was on the first slide that we got and

108we're not on the today. So yes, thank you. That the report is a little different. The what the slides the slides changed since Saturday's release. Okay. Okay. Um, and also when we do our agenda review, that's not the time that we talk about what needs to be changed. We're just getting what's on the agenda. Oh, okay. Okay. Yep. So, is everybody in agreement that we will hold off on? Okay. Are we tableabling this till the next board meeting? Gotcha. Yes. and we can get questions to him if if if yes if you board if you have any questions you can submit those to him once we get the material certainly yes yes yes any other questions okay so let's go into dispersements are we gonna say Yeah, I didn't hear you. Has this information also

109been changed or are you finding but there's no point to present if uh if the information has been changed. I imagine that both of those items it says at 11:10 today it was okay. So let's table both of those two items. And so just so the board is aware um we had received and again we've been working diligently with the MoASBO consultant. Okay. Um and we received additional monies on Monday. Okay. Um and it was all in reference to um the um the protest payment. We received an additional $1.2 million. We wanted that to be included in the amended budget. Okay. Um and so the guidance that we received was to make sure that that information was included. $1.2 $2.2 million can certainly help the fund balance because the one that you had in your

110packets over the weekend was 6.48 I believe and this one is is roughly about a 7.11. So that that information was very critical in sharing but also the dispersants report is uh is very much tied to the amended budget as well and so it probably does make a lot of sense uh to to uh to postpone this one as well. Okay. Okay. And I'm sorry, uh, Dr. is it okay? Yes. I was just going to say too, Dr. Singleton, I know you probably did want to include that money. And a suggestion that I have, and I'm just one person, is probably just to alert uh, one of the co-superintendants so that they can inform Dr. Thurman so that the board is aware that this change needed to be made and these monies have been added.

111Yes, I don't think anybody uh would push back against the idea that, you know, we're in a deficit, so if there's extra money, we want to know about it. I think it's just more about making sure the board knows so people have time to prepare and they know that they're reviewing the correct information. Yes. Okay. Thank you for that comment. And there was an email. I did send an email out once we were aware that the we received those additional funds because as you me mentioned, we definitely want to capture all of the funds. So over a million dollars is definitely something that needs to be captured and so we did send an email out for that. But I thank you for giving the additional time so that we can update those particular documents meeting.

112Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Thank you Dr. Singleton. I I will say that um with all of the information that this is a lot of information for us to absorb and to get it um a little not to have enough time to really go through it and with what we're going through with our budget. the board is really wanting to make sure that the numbers that we get are accurate um and that we can trust those numbers. So, just be patient with us until we can get to the point where we feel like we're comfortable with the numbers that are that are being shared. And so, I appreciate that. Okay. Um board uh secretary payroll and payroll teacher and non-teer 8,538,84986 operational dispersements 3,173,97.13 for a total of 11,700 I'm sorry 11,712,7 $756.99 and there

113is a recommendation here to approve all expenditures. May I have the recommendation? Madam President, I'm sorry that was the one item that Dr. Graves was saying also the table because those two are both just updated today. Okay. I was just wondering if that was included in that. I wasn't sure. Okay. Did those numbers I guess what changed in the report this morning at 11:10 that the board doesn't know change from the original presentation? Did these numbers change? Payroll shouldn't Yeah, payroll shouldn't change, right? So I guess my question is what changed at 11:10 this morning for this item? The additional revenues changed. So under the revenue category, we added additional $1.2 million which increased our fund balance. The expenditures stayed the same. Can you say which slide that was on the I'm just trying to

114get clarity because again if we didn't look at it today, we would have looked at something different previously. So I'm just trying to get you have slides for this presentation. Yeah. Can they if they can pull them up, I can tell you where it is. So, are we striking the dispersements? Just strike it. Yes, let's just strike it. Okay. Thank you for your flexibility, board. Okay. So, let's go on to item 11, two advanced credit invoices, and that is David Murray. Hi, Dr. Murray. Good evening, Board of Education. We have a brief presentation for you tonight on this. Um, while that's getting up, um, as the board knows, advanced credit courses allow FFSD students to experience challenging college level coursework with the opportunity of earning both college credit towards high school graduation and simultaneously college.

115Missouri Core 42 legislation allows college credit to be transferable to any public college or university in the state of Missouri. Uh the recommendation tonight from the administration is to recommend payment for two college advance credit invoices um for the 2425 school year in the amount of $113,000 $582.70. Um normally this is on the consent agenda. Um but tonight we're going to take the opportunity to um go through the budget a little more in depth. um talk about some shifts we're making in terms of um how we are getting these paid in a timely fashion and then talk about some of the um promising results we've had with our students who are taking uh these dual credit and dual enrollment courses. Um so these are basically all of the expenses um this year in the dual

116enrollment category. Uh the only thing that uh I would really point out here that we're going to touch on um the long story short is that our D our dual enrollment and dual credit um in terms of what we actually intended to spend this year is under budget. However, uh the $52,25 seen there in the red uh was an invoice that wasn't brought to the board until after June 30th. So, it was one of those expenses that should have been in last year's budget that lagged into this year's budget. And so our account is going to look like we spent um essentially more than we intended to. And then the same thing here um with the $115,430 um was also paid for after June 30th over the summer. And so essentially these accounts hit in

117the wrong fiscal year. And so what you'll see with the notes there on the bottom right are that if we hadn't carried over past year's invoices into this year, we actually spent almost 65,000 less um than we had budgeted for it. But because we paid these invoices in the incorrect fiscal year, um those accounts are showing that they're overdrawn by 173,000. And so the two invoices that we're bringing to you tonight are for this school year to be expensed and paid out of this year's budget so that when we hit this June 30th and July 1st, we'll have fully paid things in the proper fiscal year so that we don't run into this uh issue again. Uh moving forward in terms of some of our student results, uh these are from the fall because we're

118still waiting on getting results back from this spring semester. Um but you'll see that the vast majority of our students about 65% of them enrolling in these courses are earning A's and B's and then an even greater percentage uh are passing these courses um with just under roughly 10% uh that are not passing these courses. You'll see uh that we had 174 total course grades. We had 58 of our seniors. Some some of this um Dr. P. Walker kind of touched on, we had 58 graduating seniors earn 12 or more college credits, which we are uh really proud about, and those numbers may grow some more as we get back our final year-long and spring grades. Uh there were some questions from the board in terms of how what we do here impacts our APR.

119Missouri has a pretty complex formula um in M66 and how we are awarded credit for different things like AP, IB, dual credit, and dual enrollment. um you they each have different multipliers depending on um students earning the requisite grade uh or course examination score and there was a question as well during agenda studying about kind of what our smart goal was which was the smart goal was to earn um all 10 points possible on APR we'll see on the next graphic here this is um showing us over the years what we have earned and so the goal was to earn 47.8 when we earned 47.8% eight% of all of our graduating seniors earning a qualifying score in one of those different categories, we would earn the full 10 out of 10 APR points. At our

1202022 and 2023, um basically all the years prior we were falling into the category we were getting five out of 10 APR points. And so while we fell short of our goal for 47.8, we are happy to announce that this is the first year that we're earning 7.5 out of our 10 APR points. Yeah. Which we're really excited about. So like to thank um Byron Crawford and Mr. Bradley Johnson who both play an absolutely integral role in earning each of these um points and do a lot of work in tracking which of our students um have not earned credit but still can prior to graduation. So a really big step forward and we're hopeful that we will we will track forward to the full 10 um in the future. And so with that I'll I'll

121open it up to uh questions either about the student performance or about the budgeting aspect. Thank you for your report and let's start on this end. Dr. Pow Walker, I don't have any questions. Dr. Graves. Um, hold on. Um, do we need to do the recommendation first then do questions? Yeah, I guess we should do that. That would be a good idea. Okay. So, moved. Yeah. Motion. The motion is to accept the report. Uh, are you sure? Okay. And I said first, second discussion. Okay. And then I don't have anything for discussion. Mr. Bailey, I don't have anything. So, I do have a question. Um, on your slide, it looks like when they were going to more children were passing versus going to St. Louis Community College. So, um, what's the difference there? Why is

122that? Yeah, if I had to speculate, it could be a couple things. So, for UMSL, that's dual credit. So kids are taking basically our teachers are going and getting certified as adjunct faculty at that school but they're teaching it um in Ferguson Florescent schools. Um so part of it could be just that it's our own teachers who obviously are very invested in our students um well-being and success. Um the only reason that we are transitioning away from UMSL and trying to get more of our students to SCLCC is just because it's much cheaper per credit. And so as we work to kind of strike this balance of getting as many of our students into advanced credit, passing advanced credit, but also trying to do it in a budget friendly way, um we made that shift

123um back kind of close to the winter break to try to get more of our students in at a better price point. All right. Thank you. And I do understand that you're saying do we know that though all children are not going to a community college? So those um sil credits um they transfer if they're going um outside of the state of Missouri versus St. Louis community. Yeah, that is a good point. And it's kind of a constant challenge with all of the different advanced credit pathways that you know some of them are good for transferring instate, others are better for transferring out of state. And so um our team does a lot of work to try to pair students um as much as possible with where they think they'll be afterwards. But it's it's

124not a perfect process because there's a lot of different ways to meet college credit in different places, which is a good point. Thank you. That's just two things. Uh one, uh pending the governor's signature, uh the state legislation just passed today. Um additional dual credit uh classes to be transferred to any public school in the state of Missouri. So, we'll be expanding the number of credits that kids who take at St. Louis Community College to be able to expand to increase the number of transfers. Uh part of the issue has been the higher four-year institutions have not accepted all the credits and kids are taking classes that don't count. And so the state legislation has been really advocating to change that because you don't want to add more time to kids. So the legislation did

125pass that before. They've are now playing political games uh this evening, but they did get that passed for the governor's signature. Um I will say obviously to your point there's a difference between dual credit and dual enrollment. And so certainly having students taught by college professors has long-lasting re research on the impact it has in college. We also want to be mindful of making sure how do we make sure they're meeting their needs. But I will be obstaining from the vote just for my role on the board for the community college just to let you know. So when I abstain that's that's why. Would you all like to share anything? You think you're happy? Okay. Did I ask you? You're good. Okay. So I the one the one one thing that I do want to

126just acknowledge is I'm I'm happy that um it didn't look good the numbers when it looked like looked like we were over spending by 100,000 like 102,000 I think it was and it's because we were paying um from Oh I didn't know he left. Okay. Um yeah we were paying from and so this year we're not going to have that issue. Yep. So this year, as soon as the board is approved it, we will process payment and kind of across the system, we're making a concerted effort um under the co- superintendent to make sure that we're accounting for everything in the proper fiscal year so that whatever that fund balance number comes in on that projected budget, it'll be as close to accurate as can be. Okay. More discussion is called for the vote. Dr.

127Graves, yes. Dr. Martin, abstain. Mr. Bailey, yes. Mr. Tyson, yes. Miss Mansery, yes. Secretary votes, yes. Madame President, yes. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Murray. If I could add just one uh quick thing there that Mr. Moore reminded me of. Um I'm not sure if the board got the the press release or not. I'll forward it on if not. But um our IB coordinator worked really closely with um UMSIL and um as a result all of the students in Ferguson Florescent who are in our IB program and graduate are going to basically be offered um automatic admission into UMS which we're really excited about and the university itself put out a press release I want to say on Monday um announcing that partnership. So just kind of some more positive press um for our students

128and our staff that are working so hard. So wanted to share that. You should have led with that. I should have. I should have. Wonderful. Wonderful. Okay. Math pilot and I think it's it's Dr. Murray. It is myself and I will uh welcome Jennifer Columbus to the stage as well. And while we're getting the uh presentation up, um so essentially we are seeking a potential replacement curriculum for our current K5 math program, Eureka Math. So, we are in the fifth year of a six-year board approved adoption that runs through the end of next school year. And uh basically in this last year of having that program the year coming up, um we are going to take this time to uh pilot another program so that we have essentially multiple things to compare next year. And

129uh we have a presentation for that to go through uh some of what we have found and what our process has been to uh arrive on Jump Math as this pilot. I'll go ahead and read the recommendation while we're looking for it. So, the the administration is requesting approval of Jump Math for a K5 math core curriculum pilot for the 2526 school year at Bermuda Primary and Hallsfair Intermediate at a cost of 22,617.94. Um, and as a side note from that, our team has uh worked to eliminate roughly the same cost from our current math vendor with a supplemental add-on to the Eureka program that we had been uh approving on an annual basis at the board that cost about 20,000. And so we feel pretty comfortable that this pilot will come out roughly budget

130neutral with what we have currently been spending. If it's helpful, this presentation is just on Simly. I don't want to click around too much on here, but Dr. Pow Walker, while we waiting on this to I mean, not Dr. Pow Walker, Dr. Thurman, while we're waiting on this to come, can we get a quick break? Sure. For those who got to use the restroom, let's take a 10-minute break. We can be back at 8:24. So, as Mr. Murray was um alluding to earlier, in the 2526 school year, we will conclude a six-year contract with Eureka Math. Then after that time period, we would no longer be under contract for our current rates with them. Um, and since our CAC does recommend that we um conduct a pilot before we adopt any new programs, um we

131wanted to make sure that that pilot was completed um in a timely fashion in the year before our resources would run up. So we are proposing that next year we would um complete this pilot um in two elementary schools. So, some of the background just looking at this is just strictly our grades three, four, and five because these are our only MAP tested grades that are under Eureka Math. Uh, just looking at kind of our relatively, as you can see, flat performance year-over-year. Um, is kind of some of the backdrop why our teachers and why our math department is looking um and exploring if there's anything better out there so that we can make a change. We currently have two buildings identified to um pilot the jump math um program. Currently all elementary schools use

132Eureka. The two buildings that will be using Jump in place of Eureka next year will be Bermuda Primary and Halls Fairy Intermediate. So, in terms of our input and our our process, uh, so back in February, teachers at the pilot locations um were able to get a presentation, get some information, ask questions, have some time with the curriculum, and ultimately 80% of the teachers at both of the pilot locations voted to move forward with the pilot. In April, we com um completed an RFP and uh informed CAC of our intent to proceed with the pilot to the school board. Uh piloting a new core curriculum aligns with our strategic plan priority goal one that all students will meet or exceed the state standard or demonstrate significant measurable improvement and on-track performance on multiple measures of

133success by meeting or exceeding the state standard or demonstrating measurable growth. And so this program will replace Eureka math at the two identified elementary buildings. So we're excited about the fact that we'll still have 11 buildings with our current Eureka program. and then we'll have two doing jump math and we'll have a lot of interesting data to compare between them. Um, in terms of the research base, as much as possible, whenever we're bringing things to the board of education, we want to do things that have been proven to work in other places so that we are really not trying something for the first time on students in Ferguson Florescent. And Jump Math has several randomized control trials showing um high levels of efficacy for student achievement um for teachers um feeling empowered by the program.

134Um and so we we feel good about the fact that it has worked in other places and other environments and uh that it will be successful here as well. We believe that the program will lead to more students testing proficient and advanced on STAR math and on our state math assessments. Um, Jump is written and intended to catch struggling students up while also accelerating high performing students. Jump focuses on building students confidence and resilience in math. And um, just from our anecdotal um, feedback from teachers, teachers are excited to um, implement the program as well. And I think that we will probably have increased sense of teacher efficacy as well from the program. Uh and and just to add on to that, one of the clear themes that we've heard from our teachers is that

135looking at the lessons, they feel doable. Like this feels like something that they can pick up and implement. We've even had um some of our administrators in these buildings say the same thing. And as you all probably know, K5 teachers often don't have um a ton of math courses when they're uh in undergraduate. They're not getting as deep a level of math preparation as our secondary teachers. So it is important for us to find something that yeah is written well and works but also the average teacher can pick it up and get students um good results. And so that was a theme we consistently heard that it it's implementable. And so how we'll be measuring this for success. So we would like to see that our pilot schools will have a 3% gain in proficiency

136or advance next year as measured by star math and projecting onto the state assessments. So we want to see that more of our students are meeting state level expectations next year than they have been uh under our previous program. A one-year pilot of Jump Math is going to be relatively costneutral. Um the estimate that we have for our pilot is 22,000 about and uh the expenditures that we'll be reducing for that Eureka mass supplement are 18,000. So overall, this would only be an increase of about 4,000 on the budget as it had already been in existence. Um potential cost savings going forward are also considerable. So um as a result of our RFP, we gathered those quotes. Of course, continuing on with Eureka would be an annual cost or a firstear cost of $212,000 versus

137165 for Jump with a savings of 47,000. Continual years after that would be 235 uh for Eureka versus 131 for Jump Math. That amounts to an annual cost savings of about $100,000 per year or about a half million over a five-year contract. Um or perhaps over a half million if we did a sixth year. Yeah. So definitely want to highlight that last point that compared to everything else that came back, Eureka was kind of in line and some were more expensive than Eureka. Others were were similar from the RFP we put out, but Jump was six figures cheaper annually than anything else that came back. And so like we said, in just five years, we think we're can have a better potential product that will get more students on grade level, but also save the

138district a considerable amount of money annually. And so the administration recommends the board approve the one-year pilot of Jump Math for $22,300 per policy 2020 utilizing district curriculum funds. And we will open it to questions from the board. I have a motion. So moved. Second. Discussion. Let's start with you Dr. Uh Martin and we'll go that way and around. Good evening. Thank you. I just have a couple of questions. Uh one just trying to get clarity on the amount because there's three different amounts. So the the quote says it's 20,800. Presentation said 22,000 something and then the actual board material says $22,617.94. So I'm just trying to get which amount is it? Is it the 20,800? Is it 23? I just noticed the same thing. It should be the 22617. So we added some professional

139development costs. That 20,000 quote is just like the teacher and student materials plus some professional development. But the 22,000 617. Got it. And for the RFP, what other companies were in consideration? Amplify I think Amplify Desmos. I think Envision I Ready. I Ready. There there were a bunch. Eureka. And I think there were even and this one received the most points I guess some others. It did. Yeah. And then I notice you said uh 80% of teachers approved it. My only question with that is obviously the board's heard over and over about changing things. And so my question is um a cost of a pilot. You know, I know some companies give you pilots for free, particularly when they know where a large district that's going to be spending. So still seems fairly high that

140they wouldn't give you bigger discount. But um is it possible that teachers at those two schools can opt out and continue with the current program that we're already paying for? Um and just have the pilot in those classrooms that want to do it because again today we just got I think three emails of lots of job postings. Um and my concern is just like if you already have teachers there that maybe are resistant to it, is that just going to be additional burden for one more year if they don't want to pilot it? And just just a question if the pilot's optional at those two buildings because not everyone voted in favor of having a pilot. Yep. So to your first point about kind of program change and churn versus it's interesting because in we've

141kind of heard both um over the past few months in public comment like on one hand we hear we switch programs too much then other hand we hear we have programs that don't work and we need to get rid of them. And so it is a fine balance of and and like we said this is year five of it. So it's not you know 12 months later we're kind of changing changing our minds. um we've given it quite a bit of time. Um that's something we we could explore. I think we even did talk about whether you know what if a teacher or two in a building didn't want to do it should they have to. We can revisit it. I think the reason the plan as it is now is for everyone to do

142it is just because it's it's easier for a whole school to kind of work on something all together. Like when they have building days, when they have observations, when they have whatever, it'll be like we're all learning the same thing except these couple folks. but we can revisit it and have a conversation and uh and and make a decision going forward. Thank you. Good evening. Um how were these two schools selected? They were selected. Um basically we looked at kind of who might be interested. So we talked to a bunch of people. Uh we tried to balance it. We tried to get a three to five building. We tried to get a K to2 building. We tried to get a building on the north side and on the south side. And um that was really

143the the process and we had a couple principles that like jumped at it and really wanted to to bring it to their staff and you know things work easier when folks are getting to do what they you know choose to do versus being forced to do and so really this was something that kind of like these schools organically wanted to do. Thank you. And when looking at the material um that you guys sent over um what is the um educational piece for the teachers if it is adopted you know how will the company provide additional support for the product. So we'll have um PD included during a week to start the school year for teachers in those buildings to receive additional training on just implementing the program. We've budgeted for two days of professional development.

144So that would probably be one initial day and then one follow-up day a little bit later in the year for them to receive additional training after they've kind of gotten their feet wet and kind of developed some questions. So no ongoing after those two from the company to support the program. we have they'll have representatives from the company in general um when we receive those kind of questions coming in from teachers. We kind of act as a mediary to get that feedback from the company so that we can provide those answers to all staff. A lot of times when we get questions from one teacher or one site, it's really questions that a lot of people want to have the answers to. So we try to um build that knowledge within our own department so

145that we can deliver those answers in a in a timely way and be able to proactively deliver those in the future. All right. Thank you. I think my question is kind of align with Dr. uh Martin. I'm very big on like making sure that we have the teachers buy in making sure that you know even the principles I would like to see sometimes we do presentations a principal and a teacher kind of giving their recommendations as to what it is in their building. I think it was a great presentation but those are kind of my initial hesitations as we move through it because it is mixed reviews about the curriculum. We received a couple emails today about it like you have people that are just all for it. You have people that are very resistant

146on it. Um, but as a board I know we do have to make a decision on moving things forward, but right now I really just feel like it's all about trying to get those little those stakeholders um and getting the feedback from them to really make a sound decision on that. For me, yeah, I think that's something we would definitely be open to. We hate to burden teachers and principles to stay here all night with us at board meetings, but I think in this case they would have been happy to. We had one of the two principles wrote in on public comment and two of the teachers also wrote in and support and we kind of chose that approach just that they didn't have to come and sit at the media all night. But in

147the future like we would we'd be happy to do that because I think that would be kind of a really cool approach to have the folks that are actually going to be implementing it speaking to it as well. Yeah. I mean I think it it creates community and then it creates community buyin as well when they when you see people directly that are affected talking about how much this program would affect their learning and and make you know the school culture better. Definitely. Okay. So, um I just wanted to ask a question that is I have a question that I need to ask but people who do math will understand the question better than I do because I'm not a math person. Okay. Um I've never taught math. What I'm wondering about is the curriculum

148for middle school for math. What does that look like? And so what I'm curious about is like alignment or vertical alignment like with what's happening in our elementary schools and then as kids move into middle school, particularly if you're changing curriculum every few years. I just wonder what the ripple effect is because we could in some ways be creating our own issues around how our kids perform on the map by doing that. So, I'm just curious about that. I think that the approach of jump is probably a little more traditional um and a little more in line with the way that probably most of us learned math and also a little more in line with the way that um secondary students are presented with math as well. So, um it just aligns a little bit

149more fluidly. So instead of taking the approach of kind of discovering all of the things about math, it takes the approach of more explicit instruction to begin with and then giving students those um deeper experiences once they have some skills built in the beginning of the lesson. It's just kind of switching the order of the lesson. Um and I think that's more in alignment with what our secondary students are experiencing now. So I think that that will probably create maybe a better flow than what we currently have in place with Eureka. Um also I think that in the the following year our curriculum for secondary is going to be up for review as well. So that's something that we'll be considering then additionally. Okay. Thank you. Um my only question is um just in regards

150to I know you shared the cost. How much weight did we put on cost versus um the efficacy of the curriculum? Because I don't want us to be choosing um a cheaper curriculum because of the financial state that we're in. I rather sacrifice everything to make sure that we have the correct curriculum. Yep. Fortunately, in this case, this is what we would have wanted regardless of cost. So, it it really kind of worked out and we wanted to highlight it for this presentation because budgets matter, especially now. And so we thought that that would be a good selling point, but for us is really the math is the selling point and the budget just happened to align, which was great. Hey, I wrote something down because I've learned that a lot of times I'll drift

151off. So, I'm going to start writing my thoughts down so I can stay on target. Can I just take a moment to say that math is not what it used to be back in my day in the 80s when I was in school. Math was just math. You had a textbook, some worksheets, a plastic projector, a protractor, and you were good. But now in 2025, you got Eureka math, jump math, illustrative math, all of these different programs and strategies and philosophies. It's amazing how much has changed. It really shows me how far we've come and tried to meet student needs. And it makes sense what's makes sense for them. So I just wanted to bring that up in a kind of funny kind of way. What's really going on? Like what all these math for

1522 plus two is still four, right? I'm just just asking. But yeah, um I Yes, that's all I wanted to say y'all. That was no question. There was no Yeah, cuz it was Dr. Yeah. Dr. Thurman. Can I just make one more quick comment? Um I I don't know that it's necessary for this particular uh curric this item, but one of the things I I that did just cross my mind was just, you know, wondering are we getting the perspective of the middle school folks, right? Like like they're the ones who are receiving these kids. What would they say? Like have they chimed in on Jump Math? because these kids are and I'm not just saying jump math, Eureka, whatever we're using, even if it's on the ELA side. It just feels like it would

153be a good practice if we're not already doing it to consult the middle and high school folks when you're selecting when you're making a final decision on the curriculum because they are the ones who have to receive the kids and they would be able to speak to whether or not elementary, you know, whether all those things were done. So, I just put that out there as something to maybe think about as a practice to incorporate if we're not already doing that. No, that that's a great suggestion. I can't say that we are intentionally doing that, but because we have this year where we are essentially just piloting a couple schools and we haven't made a massive commitment, we we can take that time to do that. I can say broadly our second our secondary math

154teachers have a very challenging job because students are coming in with a lot of gaps. And so I can tell you they're frustrated with whatever is going on in K5 math instruction. And part of this isn't this and spring math like our responses to them saying kids don't know facts like kids don't have the basics and it's very hard to now teach them algebra one. But u we are definitely going to follow up with that because I would be curious to hear what middle school and high school teachers have to say about how this looks similar and could build for them. All the more reason if they're saying they're frustrated with the gaps. That's exactly kind of what I'm getting at. So thank you. Thank you. Two things for me. One, I I listened to

155the the percentage of teachers who are wanting to do in the two buildings. One of my questions was how you selected the schools and I got that answer. Um, but I'm concerned about 20% of the teachers who don't want to do this and how that could affect the outcomes because you don't have 100% buy in. And what I continue to to talk about and I've I've said over and over again is getting new curriculum and people not using it is a waste of our resources. Um there there has been frustration from teachers because of us always changing the curriculum. I know that we're at the end of this cycle for for our math. Um I would have liked to have seen maybe 90 95% of our teachers wanting to do this. I would caution to

156um have some teachers do it and some teachers not do it. Um so have you had discussion with the administration your um the principles in terms of what they would like to see in their buildings? Um yes absolutely. So I would say both of the principles are are definitely in favor and I think some of those like staff voting if it was their preference not to do it isn't them saying like they refuse to do it and they will not do it. It's just well you ask me and my preference is this um versus that. I will say 80% is the highest percent I've seen. It's the actually it's the highest I've seen since I've been here on anything we voted on. It's pretty high. So, yeah, it it was higher than we were expecting.

157Um it's it's hard to please 100% of people, whether it's elections or what whatever it is. Uh the other the other part that I'm a little concerned about is the professional development part. And you're saying two possibly? That's not a lot. Yeah. So there there are not a lot of PD days in the budget, but that's from the vendors. So I mean, anytime we're doing a pilot, especially like this one, something that both of us are really excited about, like it's something that we're going to be very involved in. Like we'll be in these schools nearly daily because we want to see how it's working. We want to get feedback. We want to make sure that it's successful. So I do anticipate there will be a lot more of it, whether it's in PLC's or

158on building PD days from the two of us. that's just what we're paying for and we're trying to limit what we're having to pay somebody outside to come to do when it's something that we should be able to learn and support our teachers in. And so that's just the company like the vendor PD. There'll be there will be additional a lot of additional support um from both of us as well as their school leaders. Hold you to that. Yes, please. Okay. Any other questions? Are we ready for the vote? Call for the vote. Miss Mansory. Yes. Mr. Tyson, Mr. Bailey, I'm abstaining. Dr. Martin. Uh, yes. Dr. Graves. Yes. Secretary votes yes. Dr. Thurman. passes and sorry it passes and now we will go to Mr. Murray again I guess. All right, two more presentations.

159The next two are not for votes. They are just uh updates for board information. Uh the next one is on the success ready students network. All right. And the district's um progress on that. So just as a brief refresher on the success Ready Students Network. This is a cohort of now up to 113 public and charter schools alongside 27 professional learning organizations uh across the state uh who are reimagining what our state MAP assessment could look like and the accountability system, our APR and report cards through a lens of personalized competencybased learning. Um so as you all know the board has voted to put us uh in a cohort where we are alongside other school districts engaging in this process. a refresher of some of the things that competencybased mindset or learning um stands for.

160Things like students are progressing based on mastery, not on seat time. Students are engaging in different pathways and pacing. Uh students are engaging in real world learning. Um certainly assessment is a big piece of it. That assessment is coming back in enough time for students to actually be able to do something with it, for teachers to be able to do something with it. So it's timely, relevant, and actionable. and that students are empowered to make decisions about their learning experiences. So, the overarching goal is to design this reimagine assessment and accountability system and in a way that students are engaged in their learning as well as their growth. Um, that it'll be actionable for teachers and for children and for parents. And so what that looks like at this time in this kind of interim

161period, the long-term goal is that DESIE and the state is going to kind of come out with a next iteration of what MAP will look like and what APR will look like. But during this interim period, essentially Ferguson Florescent starting this end of this school year will alongside our normal APR get this alternate APR based on a variety of different factors. um and taking into account our benchmark data that students are taking throughout the school year and star reading and star math. We took that four times um this school year. And so some of the things that'll be on that dashboard, there are things that are required to be on it. And then basically we'll have some option and some ability to tell our narrative and our story about what our scholars are doing here.

162And so things like our star benchmark data and growth will be on this dashboard that we'll launch next year. IAP information um our graduation rate info as well as how our students are doing on EOCC exams. So this is one of the pages that is on some of our surrounding districts. So some some districts got into a cohort one year ahead of us. So they are already getting their alternate APR. They already have this dashboard up whereas ours will launch um in the fall coming up for next school year. And really it'll have the ability for us to highlight kind of where our students are starting and then how they're finishing and how we're growing them. So they'll also be alongside their proficiency there'll be what their um their growth quadrants look like like you

163can see on the screen here. So our next steps for the district um we are working through data sharing with our department of research and evaluation um to make sure um that the folks in this network have all of the data sharing agreements they need from us. Um, and we'll be working with our team here to build out that dashboard for a fall launch. And so with that, I'll open it um to the board of education for uh any questions or comments. Um, I don't have a question. Yeah, I I don't have a question at this time. No comment. Thank you. Next is summer school update. All right, on to the last one. This is also for um board information in terms of what the district's plans are on our scaledown summer school and how

164uh we are still working to support our students over this summer break. Okay. So as the board of education is aware um in lie of our traditional pretty robust um summer school offering due to budgetary um issues we are going to have a paired down summer school program in which it is going to consist of virtual credit recovery uh that will be free via the egeneuity platform that the board has already approved and paid for and is in use um in our school system already. It is going to be open to juniors who are currently credit deficient and falling um off track to get them back on track going into senior year for uh graduation as well as seniors who are finishing up now who are a few courses shy um of graduation so that

165they will be able to walk later this summer. So the identification plan, so our counselors are already working really hard to identify students in this one to four credit recovery course range uh to identify students to get them into this summer program. We are sitting around 95 applications currently in terms of support plan. So I mentioned that the the goal of this program it's anticipated to to be cost neutral, not cost the district anything. will be utilizing our 12-mon staff that are here over the summer to support students virtually with course completion um via progress monitoring and interventions if necessary for students that are struggling to progress. Um we'll be using Canvas and securely. There will be Zoom meetings available. Um like we mentioned, it'll be on the Egeneuity platform and there's also going to

166be technology support as needed because like we said, this program is going to be virtual. Um so immediate help is available um by clicking on the tutoring button inside of the egeneuity platform. You can see there's pretty decently robust hours that students are able to access this tutoring throughout the duration of this summer school period. There will also be uh technology support. So students are going to be basically when everyone else is turning on their Chromebooks and chargers, they will be keeping theirs um and they will be returned either to the admin center or the home school at the conclusion of summer school. We'll have Wi-Fi hotspots available. Um, students have to fill out an application for that, but essentially we'll make sure that Wi-Fi is not a barrier to students being able to participate

167in summer school. And we'll also have our help desk available um for any tech concerns over the summer. So, some next steps, a counselor meeting was held today. Next Wednesday, there will be a virtual parent session to inform parents of students uh that are in the program as to how they can support and what it will look like. The dates will run June the 2nd through the 20th and then uh tentative summer graduation date will be August 13 13th for those uh graduating seniors that finish up over this summer period. Um and actually the only other thing I' I'd add is that we we believe that we're going to be eligible to collect some um DESI reimbursement for essentially every course that students complete. So, um, when we get that number a little more finalized,

168we have a couple weeks, but we'll be turning in, um, to apply for DESIE reimbursement. So, fingers crossed the summer program will not cost us anything and yield some some state reimbursement. There were also some questions in agenda setting. Um, our K12 humanities coordinator, Shemica Green, has been doing some phenomenal work of figuring out how we can bridge the gap and provide some opportunities, especially for our K5 students that we are not offering summer school for. So, she has been traversing um our community and our district from north to south, knocking on doors of businesses to figure out if they're interested in partnering with us and opening opening their doors and giving away things to our families. And so, as you can see here during this month of June, we will have a literacy night

169each week in the north and south side of the district. And these are just some of the participating businesses that have already agreed to open their doors and host families and give away free things. Um, and we are working on our end to um, get some books and other things that we can provide on our end so that we're able to give families some strategies, give them some things they can walk away with and really just kind of keep the the interest in in reading and literacy alive for our K5 students over this summer. So, Shemica is still building this out, but she's doing a really phenomenal job of basically, you know, our community is paying attention to the challenges we're going through and many of our businesses are responding to our call from help

170um, and to partner with us. So, we are we're really excited about what these events will look like. Um, one other uh resource fair that um Bradley Johnson found for us uh coming up on May the 23rd, I know we had that public comment as well about student work. And I believe this opportunity will have things like internships and different opportunities um for students to engage in this summer. So, we'll be pushing this out and hopeful that uh many of our families and students can attend this event to find out about other free summer opportunities. And with that, I'll open up to any questions or comments. No questions. I'm excited about the fact that you'll have something going on for our K5 students uh over the summer. Um thank you and make sure I'm hoping

171that we can get them. I have a question. Oh, I'm sorry. Um, so I was seeing that the timing for the summer was saying 1 to three. I want us to be mindful of those parents that who do work during the day that we have something in the evening for our families, you know, to be able to bring their children out because all stakeholders will not be able to make it during those day hours. Agreed. I I was noticing the same thing. So, um, we'll definitely look at that and see if it's possible to shift and and get some evening availability for for parents that are working during those hours. Thank you for your report. Oh, I do have one question. You talked about hotspots for students who don't have and I I just did

172I just read today that there may be a cutting of the hotspots for for is it for - I'm not sure if if you have something to add. I'm not there's some new legislation that was passed related to not covering hotspots. the ones that we currently have were funded internally. Okay, so we're good. Yes. Okay, that's what I wanted to know. Thank you. Policy updates. That would be you. Ouch. Hey, good evening board. Um, first for section B, the first reading, we do have policy section 8 J students for first read. I just want to say thank you to Dr. Pilot Thurman and Dr. Pow Walker for uh just getting us together. It was the longest out of all the sections, but as a team with Mr. Mitchell and myself um and and Miss Mansery,

173u we were able to to get it completed. So, we do have policy J um for first read. Moving to section C, we have the final reading for policies G and policy section I, personnel and instruction. I just wanted to say thank you to Dr. Graves and Miss Dunn. I think their policy teams met in person. Um I know personally how much um you guys have to meet with us as board members. So, we're appreciative of you guys taking the time out to continue to get the ball rolling um on these policies. So, the recommendation is for you guys to pass um the final reading for policy sections G and I and for those policies to go into effect on July 1, 2025. May I have a motion? So, second discussion hearing none. Call for

174the vote, please. I'm sorry. Uh, Mr. Tyson, yes. Dr. Martin, yes. Dr. Graves, yes. Secretary votes yes. Mrs. Manserie, yes. Madame President, yes. Thank you for all of your hard work. Can I ask only two more to go? Okay. Can I ask a quick question about the uh J section? Just want to make sure I'm reading it right because I know we've heard lots of things about student uniforms. I think you had a public comment tonight about that as well. Um if I'm reading this correctly, we won't actually have a uniform policy based on the new policies, but just some general guidelines about students must wear clothing including a shirt, pants with skirt, shorts or equivalent to cover undergarments, but not specific colors and things like that. Is that correct what I'm reading it as?

175That the actual uniform policy would be more open-ended but more uh not restricted to certain colors. Yes sir. I interpret it the exact same way. I believe that it will be more of a dress code per se a uniform policy for 24 25 26. Thank you. I think that will clear up a lot of the um uh comments we received throughout the year. Thank you. Yeah. And I'm I wanted to know too if the board wanted to have any more discussion around that um before we did vote on that um for I guess we'll see if the community has thoughts on it as well to submit comments to us between now and the next one. Yeah. I just want to make sure I was reading it correctly. Thank you. Yes. We're okay. Okay, you can

176call for the vote. There wasn't a vote for that one. Sorry, it was just a first reading. I was just going back cuz Oh, you went back. I was going to say, wait a minute. I thought we had voted on the first part, but this is the first one was just a first reading, guys. Thank you. Sorry about that. Thank you. It's getting late. Okay, so do we have any new business? We do have one thing for new business and Dr. uh Martin is going to give us a a summary of what's going on with our superintendent search. Thank you Dr. Thurman. Dr. Thurman asked to update uh people on the superintendent search. We want to thank our stakeholders were able to participate in the confidential process last week. The board is continuing to deliberate

177and we hope to have an update uh in the coming weeks. Thank you. There anything else under new business that we need to? If not, I move that we that we move to go into close. So move. Second. Second. Can you all hit and come in for Dr. Martin? Yes. Secretary votes yes. Dr. Graves. Yes. Mr. Bailey. Yes. Mr. Tyson, yes. Mrs. Manserie, yes. Oh, never mind. No, I was thinking you was going to say uh adjourn, but we're adjourning close. So, I thought I said yes. I'm so sorry. That's okay, Dr. Thurman.