001You know, So this version is there. I don't know what they want. Hallelujah. Good. How are you? Hallelujah. And I'm gonna And then when we're all done, they'll clap. And then you and me, we're going to go over here. Are you ready? Do you want to do that? She I'll take Turn. And then I'll Make that we're still in the same spots. Usually puts us all in the same spot. One of these days she should just move it all around. a little bit. Good. I would think so. >> I don't know. Help me. All right. I like to Welcome everyone. Everybody, you still have a minute to talk. >> Well, we're supposed to start right on time. >> All right. I mean, honestly, everybody's quiet and we're all here. Are we good? >> All right.
002Why do I have to He makes me hit it to look like a tyrant. I apologize. And we're in session. All right. We'll start. um with our pledge of >> 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. All right. Next on the agenda, we have recognitions. We will start with Tigerpaw. Good evening. I have Miss Vanessa here. She is in Miss Johnson's preschool classroom and we chose her for our portrait of a grad um portrait of a graduate for teaching. I had it open. I'm so sorry. Vanessa has demonstrated remarkable growth during the first quarter of the school year. When she first joined us, she spoke very limited English. She is now communicating in
003complete sentences and actively participating in class discussions. She consistent consistently extends her learning by making thoughtful connections and elevating classroom conversations. Vanessa is a joy to have in our school. She approaches each day with enthusiasm, a positive attitude, and a bright smile. Her excitement and love for learning are truly contagious. She has grown in confidence and excitement for school throughout this school year, and we're really happy to honor her today. >> Good evening. Uh, here with us tonight representing North as our teachable uh, Tiger of the Month for November is second grader Kora Robbins. And her teacher, Elizabeth Williams, is going to share a few words as to how she earned it. Uh, good evening. So, I'm very honored to introduce Kora Robbins as an example of a teachable student. She is engaged in all
004learning activities and demonstrates a willingness and excitement to learn. She masters concepts quickly and she can apply learning also outside of core academics. She has matured in friendships and responsibilities and all of her teachers are so very proud of her. She is a shining example for all students at Ozark North. Good evening. Our south portrait of a graduate is Wyatt Dbor and he is a second grader in Miss Billingsley's class and she's here to share a few words. Wyatt is an excellent example of Teachable both in and out of the classroom. He is always setting goals for himself. He does his best work every time and he shows enthusiasm for learning. When I asked his related arts teachers why they chose him as top tiger, they had nothing but great things to say. His art
005teacher said, "Wyatt always leads by example and is kind, encouraging friend. He loves to make learning connections and always tell a story through his artwork. I'm very lucky to have Wyatt as my student and our classroom is a better place with him in it. Hi, my name is Lauren Murphin and tonight I have Carter with me and he is our um East Elementary portrait of a graduate for this month. Carter is a wonderful example of what it means to be teachable. He shows up every day with a growth mindset and never gives up even if things get hard. He proves every day that yes, we can do hard things. I sometimes joke with the kids that they're going to speak in front of the board and they usually look like they're going to run out
006the door. She did not. And she would like to introduce herself. So, we're going to have her say her name. >> Hi, my name is Ozetta. >> And Ozetta is a second grade student in Mrs. Tras class. And this is what Mrs. Tras had to say about her. Ozetta is a very teachable learner who listens carefully to instructions, asks thoughtful questions, and applies feedback to improve her work. She is open to learning new skills and strategies, and she shows a positive attitude when faced with challenges. Ozetta demonstrates a willingness to learn from both teachers and classmates, which helps her grow academically and socially. Mrs. Tresque enjoys teaching Ozetta because of her love for learning and eagerness to grow. She is a true joy. Congratulations, All right, MS is excited to present Harper McIll. And so
007I want to read what her team said about Harper. So from day one, Harper has shown that she is teachable. She comes to class ready for the day. She has shown over and over a desire to listen, learn, and apply what she's learning in everyday assignments and in class discussions. She also shows the willingness to be open to new ideas, ask questions, and learn from others. She does not give up when she doesn't understand, and has a positive attitude for learning. Harper, your team could keep on going about other qualities, but that's why you're teachable. And so, congratulations. All right. Trent Richards was the eighth grade student of the month um on team Antarctica. He got sick today, so he wasn't able to come, but hopefully they're online. I sent them the link so they
008can still hear the great things that the teacher said about him. So, his math teacher said that Trent is the true representation of a stellar student. He's eager to learn, to guide his classmates, and to ask, as well as answer questions that show true understanding. Trent is always looking for ways to achieve higher. He is a great leader in example. It says, "It's a challenge not to give Trent all of the gold coins I have every quarter." And then his English teacher said, "Trent is absolutely one of the best. He is conscientious about his work and always striving to do his best. He wants to know how to do better or how to find out what he did incorrectly if that was an issue and then changes it so he learns." So that's the junior
009high student for Teachable. It was Trent Richards. I have with I have with me today Alexis Dalton. Um I broke the Um, aside from being our school uh artist, um, Alexis is one of my favorite learners to watch learn because um, Alexis is a intelligent, confident young woman who does not necessarily accept what she is told. Um, Alexis may even argue back or hold firm to what she believes. And just when you think you're not getting through, what you see eventually is Alexis's wisdom come through where she uh has internally taken the time to swallow the new information, consider it, and when she feels it's appropriate, come to a new conclusion. Um, critical thinking is another one of our, um, monthly portrait of a graduate traits. Um, I see Alexis as a wonderful critical thinker
010and um, a fun person to watch, process, and learn. We love you, Alexis. >> Our November portrait of a graduate for OS is Katie Hartgraves. Katie is a junior at OHS, but was unable to join us due to some other commitments. But both Katie and her parents were very grateful for the recognition and asked me to thank the board for honoring her. Here's what uh teachers had to say about Katie. Katie is the best. She listens, asks questions, and makes adjustments to show improvement based on feedback, showing true teachable qualities. Katie is very open-minded and willing to learn. She's open to new ideas, and doesn't mind changing her opinion based on new data. I was able to recognize Katie during their athletic performance class at the end of the day last week and it was
011evident that Katie is not only teachable but also a valuable leader at OS. Thank you. >> Right, we'll go take a quick p picture. We'll be right back. Congratulations. All right. You get a notification. All right, the next item on the agenda is um uh public comment. And we do have two people signed up. First, we have Aaron Mcnich. All right. I said three. >> Oh, okay. He's late. You can start. >> Oh, I don't Okay, no problem. Good evening everyone. This evening I want to talk to you about an important issue that affects our school culture, student mental health, and their future opportunities. The visibility of class rank. This is my sixth year as AP at the high school. And before that, I taught math all at Ozark for 18 years. 12 of those
012years were in AP calculus and eight were in IBM math. I've worked under both systems when class rank was visible and when class rank was not visible. That perspective has allowed me to see firsthand how visibility affects students choices and overall experience. At first glance, class rank may seem like a simple measure of academic standing. But when it's made visible, it often does more harm than good. Visible class rank can create unnecessary pressure and competition among students. I witnessed students being very secretive and sneaky, all just to be at the top. They took secret classes outside to earn additional weighted grades. Many were very ugly to the office staff. I had to manage student behavior in AP cal seniors in IBM math so that they wouldn't bully each other over a number. These students were
013so I mean they were such good kids and they were from great families but they just got caught up in the race to be at the top. Needless to say, I was so happy when our school decided to become a non-ranking high school. What many people may not realize is that class rank never went away. The counselors could still send off class ranked for scholarships and college admissions when needed. However, the visibility went away and so did the ugly competition. We have finally created a culture where students can explore any course they want without a number looming over them. When class rank is visible, students frequently avoid courses that they're interested in such as band, art, roti, athletic performance, or other specialized electives because they fear that those choices may lower their GPA. And it
014does. One of the major focuses at Ozark High School is to help students discover and follow an academy pathway. and being exposed to real world learning. However, students may hesitate to take non-honors courses that support these pathways if they worry about how it will affect their rank. Granted, this is actually a very small percentage of students that I'm talking about, but this is the group that we want to be participating in all of these capstone classes and all of these real world learning experiences that are partnering with our community members. They will gain so much more from these experiences, but instead they might choose a weighted class just to increase their GPA. The same is true for summer school enrollment. And without visible class rank, we typically will see a healthier participation because students no
015longer feel penalized for taking non-weighted courses. This is evident in the handout that I, Miss Barbara gave to you guys. This what you have right in front of you are 35 sophomore students, current sophomore students. Every single one of them have straight A's. Every single one of them took the four honors courses their freshman year. Honors English, math, science, and social studies. So yes, they have a 4.0 on the non ran the non-weighted ranking scale. So they're all number one. But when you make a weighted GPA, the difference between them, the top 13 did not take any summer school. They're number one. They didn't do a single summer school class. The second set of 13 that you'll see on your paper, they took one summer school class and it was typically health before their freshman
016year because they want to open up their schedule to take other classes like athletic performance, possibly our band courses, our art courses, things like that that truly they're genuinely interested in. So, they got that health out of the way. The second set, the third set in there is a much smaller group and they took two summer courses. Typically that is health and driver's ed which I think we want our students taking driver's ed if at all possible. And then the next group down there the 35th there's two of them that are ranked 35. They're ranked 35 with straight A's. And I'm not arguing that we shouldn't have class rank because we need it for certain things. But I just don't want it visible because now they're they're feeling their 35th. They have straight A's. So
017that does a lot to the kids' mental health and competition. And I I personally saw it as a teacher and I've seen it in the office as an AP. So it discourages summer school if they figure out that it does lower their GPA. Additionally, it's important to recognize that colleges today place far less emphasis on class rank than they did decades ago when you guys are probably the same age as me when we were in college. You might remember when um it was important for admissions decisions, but that's actually no longer the case. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Across the country, high schools have reduced or eliminated class rankings because they understand that a single number cannot fully represent a student's achievement, growth, or potential. Ozark High School strives to stay forward thinking. By
018keeping class rank from being visible, we support an environment where students choose courses that align with their interests and no longer and long-term goals rather than their numerical position. It encourages balance, exploration, and a focus on genuine learning. Thank you for letting me go. speak tonight. >> Can I ask her a question? Justformational question. >> Hello, my name is Amy Sappington. Um, I teach honors algebra 2 at the high school. I tried to talk myself out of coming all day today. Now, I just wish I would have gotten here before Dr. Mack. Um, I didn't know she was speaking tonight, but we have very similar thoughts. Um, I've taught honors algebra 2 for many years. Before that, I taught honors geometry. So, over those many years, I've helped lots and lots of students schedule. And
019when they come to me and ask my advice on how they should set their schedule up, my number one question is, "What would you like to do with your life? What do you want to be? What are your interests? What are your passions?" And then we go from there. Um, and somewhere, I think 2019, 2020, we we changed the way we did class ranking. And I seem to see a little bit of a difference in the way kids were scheduling. They weren't quite as um obsessed with making sure they got all honors classes and all weighted classes. Um, I think sometimes even students will take college classes now that they don't necessarily need because they feel um like they have to or they're not the top tier student. But now I think that our school
020has decided to go towardsmies rather than um I don't want to say not academics but we're really letting kids pursue their interest and the real world learning. Um when I challenge kids what do you want to be? What are your interests? I think they're pursuing their academy and their interest rather than just seeking college classes and weighted classes. And I think that's really important. I know um my son is in business and I think he would have loved the things that the business academy is doing. Uh he wouldn't have wanted to do as many of the AP math and science classes. He would have gone down that pathway and I think that would have lowered his GPA. But really, I'm not here to talk about, you know, as from a parents perspective or even a
021teacher perspective. I graduated from Ozark. I have kids that graduated from Ozark. I teach at Ozark. And I want to be proud whenever I go out and say, "Hey, I'm an Ozark person." And I'm proud of what we're doing with themies and letting kids discover their true passion and learning and what they want to be. And I think that they're going to stop doing that if we are really looking at that number. I know in my class the hubbhub the last few weeks once the kids realize they could see that number that's all they're talking about where they stand uh next to their peers and I don't like that at all. Um the other point um that I want to make is very similar to what Dr. Mcinich said about collaborative learning. I feel like
022if you look in our classrooms the kids are working together and they're for each other. And I think when we start seeing them as a number and a rank, they really start competing and are pitted against each other more than working together. I think that's all. Thank you. >> All right. The next item on our agenda is going to be MSTA report. Thank you for joining us. >> Thank you for having me. Uh my name is Whitley Kuranja. I am uh the academic interventionist over at Ozark South and I get the pleasure to be the MSTACTA president for the district. I do have three kids who've gone through Ozark schools. Um one's graduated in the military, one is in the middle school, and one's at Tigerpaw. Yes, you heard me correctly. One in military, one
023in Tigerpaw. living my best life. Um but tonight my purpose um is to shine light on our collaborative approach here at Ozark and how we have shifted things a little bit. So for years I used to take a small group of our MSTA board and meet with the residing superintendent to discuss things like calendar salaries benefits etc. However with the addition of the executive director of human resources position that was filled by Dr. link. We have made huge gains in our collaborative atmosphere. A calendar committee has been formed um for not only our certified staff via secondary as well as our elementary and our early childhood, but also with our directors and that non-certified piece as well. So, this allows all avenues to be heard and discussed multiple times before a deci decision is presented
024to the cabinet. That's not how things used to happen. things used to happen in a very small pocket with just one opportunity for collaboration. So the fact that we have already shifted um last year and has already continued into this year with that committee is huge. Um a lot more conversations happening within the buildings within those director teams about um just calendar which can seem very minuscule to some but it's very big to others. So we just have to be we have to be tight on that. Um another aspect that has happened uh due to this position is the awareness of our benefits. So Dr. Link has listened to a lot of feedback that um we get through a survey um through coming around and um being um aware and um having those conversations with
025staff um and he has been able to find avenues that make things better for us. Um, so for instance, we all just went through um, enrollment again and just as simple as moving our plans to January through December versus that June to July. That was a huge undertaking, I'm sure. Um, however, a blessing to a lot of the staff. It just helped us understand our benefits better that our our cycle our plan cycle runs January to December. Now our co-pays run January to December. Like it just it all fits with the calendar. So something just very simple that we haven't had in our district. He heard that from our staff. He worked with other people and um so we're very grateful that those things have been taken care of. Um our staff members have also
026been asking uh that sick time be turned into PTO for a few years. That's tricky, but through the hard work of Dr. Wilson and our benefits department, um we were able to make that happen this year. Um personal moment here. Um, I have been blessed already to be able to benefit from this. My son graduated basic training. That was two personal days. He graduates next month. That's two personal days. I would not have been able to do that except for this year. So, that puts staff members in a position where they have to choose between their family and their job. And those are big, monumental, life-changing moments for u my son. And so to be able to already be able to benefit from that shift this year has been a huge blessing um in our
027household. I didn't have to make that conscious decision of which graduation am I going to go to. Um flip the coin, you decide. I only get to go to one. I get to be present with my family. But my my boss knows that I'm going to be there. Like I'm not abusing that time either. It's well enough in advance that we can have those conversations. and I just have been super already personally blessed um with that shift and I've heard great positive things from many other staff members on that shift as well. So ultimately a lot of our collaboration with MSTA looks very different now but for the better. Dr. Link has um taken on a huge role here and I know that role couldn't have been possible without you guys deciding to implement that
028and I just want you to know that we're feeling it on the staff side. a lot of things that have already shifted because of his role. Um the staff are seeing that and we're continuing um that relationship and that positive collaboration with him and we appreciate you um allowing us to do that. So that's the update from me. >> Thank you very much. Uh the next item is building school improvement plan. Dr. Carson. >> So, you have in front of you uh all the building school improvement plans for this year. And so, um instead of us going through each of them, I was just going to remind you a few things that uh you would want to know about those plans. The first is that they are built on the strategic goal and that uh
029that's the strategic plan that you all created or that you all were served in. So that was the important thing. Mip 6 requires them and and requires that they're aligned and they are. Uh the big change in the plans this year is the focus. So all of our administrators went to the four disciplines of ex execution by Franklin CVY. And CVY suggests that you limit uh the number of goals ideally to one but no more than two or three. And so when you look at these goals, you will notice that they are very concise and they're not as uh unwieldy as they used to be. So that allows administrators to focus in and teachers to focus in on what needs to be uh done. Also, each building has created a new school mission and you
030can read through those. Um the wigs within the plan uh have to do with curriculum instruction and assessment work around priority standards which we talked about yesterday and uh it's about real world learning which includes our portrait of a graduate and our diploma and MVA which are those market value assets which uh uh we want every graduate to leave our district with a diploma and something that has market value like a industry recognized credential or nine hours of college credit and we've talked about that before. Uh you'll see that there are targeted specific instruction and data around the RTI process which is that tiered instruction that we discussed yesterday and uh that there are goals around clarity for students and staff and then uh one building has attendance uh identified as an important piece of
031their building improvement plans. So uh it will as you read through those you will definitely notice that it is a flow from the strategic plan that we did with Dr. Wilson and you all this summer all the way through uh to uh the classroom any questions? >> May I add one thing? Um the buildings have worked very hard on this but we also asked all of our operations department and finance department to do the exact same thing. So they have each created a mission uh or vision for their department as well as one or two wigs. >> It was it was great to get to hear about a lot of that development yesterday in the different departments and the curriculum things. I know that's a lot of work putting that together and writing down the
032goals and have something to aim for. That's excellent. I would add we we saw this at our tour I think it was last week at at South South Elementary to see that you know elementary school kids are actually doing these goals and implementing them with reading and and number of books they're reading all that >> success. >> All right. Next on the agenda is donor recognition. Dr. Gray, do you want to talk speak about this? Good evening. So, had one donation that we wanted to make the board aware of for um public recognition. Um Finley River School had Justin joins um do a $10,000 uh donation. And I know that Mr. Perry has a very good idea of some uh way that he would like to put that $10,000 to good use. So, I'll be
033talking to Dr. Wilson pretty pretty near future about that idea. I think it's a great one, a great way to pour back into those kids. So, just wanted to give Miss Joins do recognition for that awesome gift to our school district. always appreciate that. Thank you. Uh, next we're going to report superintendent update. >> I just wanted to give a really quick update on Senate Bill 3. The state filed their answers to the um lawsuit last night and um they have requested discovery sp discovery response and that is what I know about Senate Bill 3 at this time. >> Um next item are the district reports which we appreciate. Thank you for those. Is there any comments about that? Okay, next we will look at our future dates. Just a few on there. Um, we'll
034have the state of the community. Um, that's going to be here at the OIC. Um, got a couple of walkthroughs. We'll have candidate filing. Um, anybody have any questions? Good. With those dates >> for the Christmas board meeting, you're all invited to wear Christmas attire. >> Next month. >> Ugly sweaters. >> Yeah. >> All right. >> Okay. Next item would Well, the next thing would be I would entertain a motion to approve the consent consent agenda as presented. Madam President, I would like to pull item M off the consent agenda. >> Okay, let's go ahead and discuss it now. What are what are your concerns? >> I didn't have concerns. I just wanted item M is high school activities athletic director job description. And that's not a routine thing that's just approved every month like
035usual. So, I just wanted to hear a little bit of explanation about what things are different on it. What prompted it to be >> Well, I will say >> approval. I don't know. I will say when it's a position that we already have that they're just making changes to, that's when we've added it there. I'm happy to talk about the changes, but that's why it's there. It's not a new position. So, but Lori, if you want to talk to us about those changes. >> Sure. Um, I believe that you will be accepting the resignation tonight of Yansancy Little, who's been an outstanding athletic director and employee for numerous years, uh, at Ozark. uh he truly bleeds red and white and so he is a he will be missed but um as with anything when you
036have new when you have uh turnover or resignations or retirement so did I say retirement or resignation >> you said retirement we can confirm it's retirement >> okay >> like it's not a reset retirement um you know we always take that time to look at things and to update so I did write some changes down and this is a little bit lengthy that I'll just read this to you if that's okay. Um, so the updated job description for the high school a athletics activities director reflects several important adjustments aiming to improving district-wide alignment, clarifying supervisory roles, and strengthening program oversight. The most significant change is a shift in the reporting structure. The position now reports will, if upon approval, would report to the superintendent and as the job description says to rather than the high
037school principal. But for quite a few years, even though the job description states that it reports to the high school principal, it has not. It has been reporting to the executive director of secondary education. So the leap to the superintendent is not as big as the job description states. Um the change signals that athletics function as a district-wide program, not just a high school program. Um today's athletic programs involve multiple campuses, junior high, high school, and youth development activities. Having the AD report to the superintendent ensures that the resources, expectations, and long-term planning are aligned across all levels, not siloed just within the high school. It strengthens coordination across the departments. The AD's responsibilities truly touch transportation, facilities, budgeting, safety, human resources, and communications, plus many, many more. Reporting to the superintendent streamlines this coordination,
038making it easier to respond to needs and implement district-wide procedures. It does support a more consistent policy, more consistent policy and compliance. As you know, with all bills and laws that are being changed, uh, athletics must follow different laws, but they also have a growing number of conference and safety regulations they have to meet. Direct reporting ensures that comp compliance, hiring, eligibility, and even management standards are uniform across the district. In many districts, the athletic director reports to the high school principal, but the high school principal manages academics, student behavior, staff supervision, and building operations. Continue to have the AD report to someone other than the high school principal removes a significant operational layer from the principal's plate, allowing them to focus more on instruction and student support. It provides clearer, long-term strategic planning. Athletics
039is often a major part of the community engagement and district identity. Direct reporting allows the AD and the superintendent to work together on long rooms long range facility planning program expansion and community partnerships. So in short, this change is not about diminishing anyone's role in the district. is about aligning athletics with district-wide goals, improving communication, and ensuring the program grows, continues to grow in a coordinated strategic way. And that is the biggest change. >> So, does that fit the kind of new structure of having more at the cabinet level, a broader circle, >> broader circle, >> directors? >> Is that is that moving into that? >> I believe it is. Yes. Okay. So, is that it's I noticed it says it's on the athletic director salary schedule. So, that's a different salary schedule that >>
040it is the same salary schedule. Yes, it is different than than administration than uh the directors. Yes, the salary schedule would not change. >> Oh, okay. >> Right. It's just the reporting would change. >> Okay. It it's just how we are updating it. So it he has his that position has its own um salary schedule. >> Still on the same >> It's still on the same one. >> It just has a different name. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> There's nothing changing about that. >> Okay. >> So are most of the >> Oh, sorry. >> I was going to say, are most of these just simply reflecting what we're already doing? Mhm. >> I like how you've brought up more cabinet level people to have a broader circle for more collab like Whitley was
041saying, more >> collaboration. >> That's good. >> Thank you. >> And just a point, it's not just athletics, but it's also activities because we have a significant amount of activities and that that job. >> Yes. >> Really entails districtwide as opposed to one building. high school act high school act athletics and activities director. Yes. >> And it is a much broader scope when you look at a district of our size that you know versus a smaller institution where it's a little more singularly focused. This is a pretty broad approach allows them to facilitate that easier. Correct. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Now I have the impression it was including junior high too. >> I thought it was all athletic. It is, but we also have an athletic director at the junior high, but it
042is everything. >> Sorry. >> Yeah. No, that's okay. We work handinand with the oversight from uh the athletic director at the high school. >> Okay. >> Yep. But there is one at the junior high that's part-time. >> Okay. >> Y >> she's a >> And she does a great job. >> She's a teacher. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Good. That's good. Sorry. >> All right. If there's no concerns, can we add it back in? >> Sure. I just wanted us to be able to talk about it. >> Okay. >> Thanks. So, I would entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda. >> Motion to approve the consent agenda. Second. >> Okay. Motion by James, second by Dustin. All in favor? Passes unanimously. Moving on to new business. First item on the list is the approval
043of the MSBA policies. Um we spent a day yesterday um having a work the board had a work study session yesterday. It was tons of fun and um we were able to really it was kind of fun but um >> we went over these policies. We discussed them all. Is there anything anybody wants to discuss >> further? I mean we should have but >> may I uh it had been asked about policy JHDE um behavioral threat assessment >> which one it fits under. >> Yes and it does not fit under anything else u when we are doing this. So, after conversation with Anna and we worked on this a little bit more today, we had initially said that um we did not want to approve this, but as we were reading through it, we do
044not see any reason why this shouldn't be approved the way it stands. >> Why we should I'm sorry, I can't understand all of >> that it should be approved the way it stands. >> It is fine. >> We should accept it because it doesn't fall under anything else. >> It does not fall under anything else. >> And we said that if it didn't, we would hold that one in. >> Right. >> What was the other? I'm sorry. What was it? >> The other one. >> Yeah, >> it is policy JHDF, suicide awareness and prevention because it mentions JHDE, behavioral threat assessment. >> So now they're in alignment. >> Now they're in alignment. >> So now you're good with us approving all of them. >> Yes, I'm good for approving of all. We are good for
045approving of all. Yes. Ma'am, >> so these are all we approved yesterday minus the one that we discussed. I mean, but that one's fixed. >> We have fixed it. So every one of them can be approved. >> Thank you. Thank you for finding out about that. I think it's important that whatever we do is under some policy. Y >> thank you for doing that. >> Okay. >> And for and for sure like we talked about yesterday, if that needs to change to fit what we do better, then we should change it. >> Adapt to what >> And you made a you made a good point yesterday that we we always pro we always approve policies that have the potential to change when the law changes and this would be no different. >> Okay. All right,
046I'll entertain a motion that we approve the policies as presented. >> Motion to approve the policies. >> Need a second. >> I second. >> Motion by James, second by Rayanne. All in favor? >> All right. And thank you for giving your day yesterday to go through all of that. And thank you to cabinet for spending the day with us, too. Okay. Next item is director stipen for advanced degree and that will be Dr. Gray and Dr. Link presenting. >> I think it's actually going to be me. >> All right, never mind. Stay seated. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Um, and I wrote this down, too. As you know, our certified staff currently have a pathway to advance on the salary schedule through additional education. For example, moving from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree. >>
047Hey, Lori. I'm sorry. I can't >> I can't hear it very well. I'm It's all mumbly. Maybe it's >> Do you want me to get further away? >> If you're closer or >> I don't know. >> Oh, >> yeah. I I certified staff. Is that better? >> I just wanted to hear what you said. Thanks. As you know, our certified staff uh currently have a pathway to advance on the salary schedule through additional education. You know, they can move from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree. We do not have that type of pathway for our directors or for classified staff on that. So, we recognize that our classified staff have not had a comparable option for advancement and it is important that we provide meaningful opportunities for growth for all employees. To support this,
048we will be adding a stipen to the classified level that allows staff to advance through education. This change reflects our commitment to valuing every member of our team and ensuring that professional growth is recognized across all roles. This is also approximately the same amount that when a teacher moves from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree. So, it is very comparable. >> And we would ask that you would approve this stipen. >> So, I have a question. >> Yep. I'm looking at the one that says director salary schedule and it goes all the way across. It has masters, it has masters plus 15, masters plus 30. I pulled it off the >> directors like for is that a certified directors? I think that would be certified. That would not be your classified schedule. >> It
049typ >> there's two directors. >> One classified >> one certified. And so if it has bachelor's, bachelor's 15, but that that is for your certified. >> So this is for >> classified. >> Well, I'm talking classified. >> Okay. Yes, ma'am. >> Like directors in transportation or that don't have to get a state license. >> Yes. Okay. Exactly. >> Okay. >> I would entertain a motion to approve the 3500 stipen and then we can have more discussion. >> Oh, sorry. I should have done it first. It's my fault. But I would entertain that motion. I make a Oh, go ahead. >> Well, I make a motion to approve the $3,500 stipen for directors who obtain an advanced degree >> in their field and employment. >> I'll second. >> Okay. We have a motion by Sarah, second
050by James, but we can continue discussion if needed. >> Did you have any other questions? >> I do have a couple other questions, but I've got to get it pulled up so I can ask the right question. the sal I would like to look at the salary schedule right now and see >> where it stops and what it's on and is this an annual this is you're just adding a column that didn't used to be there. >> So the goal is that this would be for this year and then as we re-evaluate all of our salary schedules we would add a different column to it >> this year we would add one column. Is that what you said? >> So we're adding a stipen this year and then at the next year you want us
051to add a column. We would add a column and and integrate that into it >> and then remove the stipen. >> Okay. >> And we would remove the stipen. Exactly. >> It's to get them there faster >> mid year because we can't change the >> So while Christine is looking at that, the motion says for directors, but it sounds like it only applies to non-certified directors. >> Yes, we our directors are non-certified. Yes, it says our classified staff. So you have a director on we I don't even know that we have anyone on the certified at this point from a director standpoint >> one the majority of what we're talking about is a classified director should >> so that needs to be changed to specify >> oh I'm sorry I apologize for that >> oh
052classified yeah >> Matt you want to do an amendment to that >> I'll make that motion to amend it however I just said >> yes I want to add to make sure That's classified classified. >> Um, we have a motion to amend. I need a second. >> James second that. So, we have the motion has been amended to >> the majority of the time when we talk directors, we're thinking classified. So, we need to explain that a little bit more. >> So, can you point me to the link that shows what the scale is right now because I'm looking at all of the different scales, but I just don't see it. >> Let's see. >> Um, that's certified. So let's go to classify. >> Oh, good. >> While she's finding that, can you give me
053approximately how many people we have that would fall into this category? >> Okay. Good. >> So then you have you have to go down here. >> Can you give me an example of an advanced degree for those individuals? >> So we are talking master's degree but not in not for a certified individual. What would that master's degree be in? So, >> oh, perfect. >> Dr. Carson, what are you saying? I want to hear too. >> That might clarify for her just a little bit. >> Uh, we were just talking about the kind of advanced degree that you would get. It's going from a bachelor's of something to a master's, which for >> uh for the easiest would be think about going from a nursing if you're a bachelor's in nursing to a master's in nursing.
054>> That would be that advanced degree. And it mirrors then the amount if a teacher were moving from a master's to from a bachelor's to a masters it mirrors that amount as well. >> Is there another level if you go to doctorate? >> Is there another stipend? >> No. Okay. >> No, we have two directors level. We have director one and director two >> and we're at we want to add a middle column next year but this would get us through this year. So I'm looking at director one is in column G of the classified exempt salary schedule. Step one, so first year, first year at this one is $65,100. >> Okay. >> And director 2 first year is $75,950. So that's for everybody regardless of their education level then. Is that right? And then
055as they advance in more degrees, they will get this is what that's what the stipen is for. >> This is for the for the director one position. Right now >> for the director one position >> in between the two. >> Okay. We didn't say director one position in our >> we said director classified. >> I said director >> two different director. >> Yes. And it was it was I should have said very specifically classified director one. >> Yeah. I'm I'm not trying to pick on you. I just want to make sure I understand what you're what what we're being asked to what I'm being asked to approve. >> Sure. >> Because I want to make sure I understand what I'm voting on >> because director 2 is already in column H and director one is
056in column G. Are you are you wanting it to add to both or just >> the first one? >> We need a second amendment. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think we should We already voted. >> I think that Can we let it fail? >> Did we vote on it? >> Huh? >> We can amend the amendment. >> He can accept a friendly amendment. Could you accept a friendly amendment, too? >> We can accept another director. >> This is going to be a mess for you. I'm sorry. We're going to do another amendment. >> Make it director one. >> Yeah. >> Okay. notified director. >> It's a classified >> classified. >> And here's we are so in our world when we talk about directors, we just automatically know it's uh non-certified and so we will do
057a better job of >> delineating that on the agenda. So, we're going to say classified director one, you want to add a 3500 stipen. So, what we're amending Well, you're amending >> classified director one. >> I'll second that. >> He said it so well. >> I'll second that. >> Matt and James seconded. >> So, that makes it for that putting it in the salary schedule makes it true for everybody who comes through in the future years. >> Yes, ma'am. >> But we're right now we're just doing the stipend for them, >> right? So whichever level they they're at, there's a >> stipen for this year >> and then we'll have to >> if they happen to achieve if they happen to education. >> Yep. >> Okay. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Wow. >> Hey, we will
058be much clearer on the agenda from now on. >> Words matter. It does. >> Good. Good question. >> Yeah. Thanks. I appreciate that. All right. Now, are we ready to vote >> on our but >> I'm not trying to be stingy. I just want to explain why why what what are there extra duties, extra things that come along? I mean, like are they eligible for when we pay for teachers and pro to go on with their further their education? We pay their education costs. Do is there are these directors are eligible for that too? >> So, we've paid for their education costs. >> We haven't paid for the whole thing. Uh so all employees are eligible for we have three windows and there are $15,000 a window and so if I have 20 employees who
059apply for that 15,000 during this first window this trimester then I'll split the 15,000 by 20 and as long as they show me where their degree is advancing what they're doing in their uh in their job and they show me that they paid for it and made a married. Uh that would be acceptable, then we reimburse them at $675. Even though they may have spent $3,000, >> it's just an even amount. So they don't actually get it paid for, >> okay, >> in its entirety, they do get parts. And from uh any employee would be as long as they show connections to their job, it's a job related uh uh degree of some type or training, then we would give that money. Yes. which is another fantastic reason why you ought to teach at Ozark.
060>> Oh, 100%. It's a great benefit. Yeah. >> Good. So, I just wanted to understand. >> Well, and also doing this stipen kind of helps to level the playing field with other districts. Is that you know what other people talent? I think when we're talking about it, what it really helps us do is recognize uh our directors, give them the same ability to move ahead like we would a teacher or an executive director. It it allows it on both sides. >> A little bit of incentive for correct for education. >> Yeah. >> All good questions. Thank you. >> Okay. >> Um any other discussion? All right. All in favor? Any opposed? And any abstensions? >> I'm abstaining just because I would have liked to research it a little bit better. That's all. >> Okay. It
061does pass. All right. The next item on the agenda is we will have a presentation on ranking versus non-ranking. But I do want to say before we start that um we learned after a decision was made that there was additional information and we as a board are always we welcome any type of of the you know we always welcome to hear from staff and students. We welcome the ability to learn new things. Um we want to make sure that we have all the information for future discussions. Um but we welcome the input but that is why we are having this com why you're presenting this today. Thank you guys for the opportunity to share with you a little bit. U Miss Manny and I prepared um a lot of what you see here after doing
062some research about uh the system that we have in place currently. Uh the system that was put in place several years ago and then the impacts that that's having on our students right now. Um, so as we look at kind of the timeline, I started to go back and do some research in regards to what Ozark High School had done in an effort to recognize students. Uh, during a November 17th uh, 2020 uh, board meeting, OS recommended a switch to a non-ranking system for the 21 and 22 school year. The switch to a kumla system was an effort to move away from a class ranked system and instead focus on individual student achievements. As I reviewed notes from from faculty meetings, I was struck by a line from a December faculty meeting that said, "The
063goal of this system is to make school about the learning and not the rank." That was a quote from a December of 2020 faculty meeting at OS. Prior to the change in 2021, OHS utilized a weighted GPA ranking system. And for the past four years, that weighted GPA ranking system has been available only on the administrative side for a student information system. And it was provided only when needed for scholarship or admission purposes. There is some language about that on our the counseling page of our OS website that kind of explained that rationale. One point of contention that I've heard is a lack of transparency around that class rank and sharing that as a data point for our students to see. And as Ozark High School continues to expand its efforts aroundmies and real world
064learning, it's important for us to evaluate how that class rank supports or conflicts with our instructional vision and the goal what the goal of our student recognition system is. During some of my research on the topic, I continue to come across the statement that college and universities are moving away from a system that pri prioritizes class rank in favor of a more holistic approach to evaluating students. I think it's important to note uh that according to the National Association of College Admission Counseling, more than half of all high schools no longer report student ranking. I believe there are several reasons for us to consider our use of class rank and what that means for our students. So in an effort to approach this from a kind of a non-biased opinion, I looked at both the
065benefits, the pros and the cons of a ranking system. So as we look at the pros of a class rank, one of the things as we talk about that argument was about transparency is that class rank can provide a clear measure of academic performance in terms of their weighted GPA in our case being that being the number that we use. So, it gives families and students a straightforward comparison of students academic achievements in terms of that weighted GPA. It also gives families a metric for understanding where their student lies as it relates to weighted GPA among their peers. It's also useful for highly selective college and scholarship programs. There are many that require that class rank and that is one of the reasons that it continued to exist behind the scenes at OS. rank can
066serve as a quick data point for college admissions and their offices when reviewing the numerous applications that they receive. And it might also help contextualize the student academic standing when paired with our school profile, which I'll talk about in a little bit. Class rank can also motivate some students to perform at a high level. It offers a tangible, measurable goal that can motivate students who respond well to academic competition. It can encourage sustained academic effort and consistency across their four years of high school. And some of our students, as you've heard already, thrive on that competition and choose to pursue that. However, there are also some negatives about class rank. Some of the drawbacks are number one in my mind is that it discourages exploration in Ozark's academy model. When I started looking at this
067position at Ozark High School, one of the things that excited me most about Ozark High School was that academy vision and their willingness to innovate in terms of high school program offerings and how we create experiences for our students at Ozark High School. Many academy and real world learning courses are not weighted, which can make students hesitant to explore pathways that align with their interests. Students may also avoid hands-on or CT elective courses that support career readiness, all in an effort to proect protect their GPA. To me, this conflicts with our goal of encouraging students to pursue passiondriven pathways. It can also penalize students who take challenging or diverse coursework. In a high performing school like Ozark, even very small differences in GPA can translate to very large shifts in their overall class rank. Students
068who take those ambitious or rigorous courses or advanced schedules can appear lower in class rank despite strong academic achievement. This creates inequities amongies even for some pathways offer more weighted courses than others, unintentionally disadvantaging some certain students interested in those pathways. This also creates some misalignment with modern college admission priorities. As I said earlier, most colleges are deferring to a holistic approach focused on rigorous coursework, but also their strength of schedule, the pathways that they're involved in, those real world learning experiences in addition to their essays, interviews, and portfolios and and recommendation letters. Class rank provides a narrow picture of student success and does not reflect the skills emphasized in our portrait of a graduate or across themmies. I believe it also creates unnecessary competition and stress. A single number can often overshadow broader academic
069or personal growth. Students can feel pressure to gain the system by avoiding courses they generally want to take. And it disproportionately impacts mental health in highly competitive academic environments. And most importantly, I feel like it conflicts with our vision for personalized real world learning. As we went through that strategic planning process and we talked about how important that aspect is to what we offer students at Ozark High School, class rank can reduce that broad vision to a single metric that does not fully capture students strengths or their achievements. So given our own history with class rank and the pros and cons that we've discussed, I thought it was important to identify what our peers are doing across the uh central conference. In a quick email poll, this is what I found. And when I asked
070why, many gave the same reasons that I've shared here, but they also shared that class rank they believed held negative impact on the student body as a whole when they went to apply for college or scholarship applications. We discussed that class ranking systems can inadvertently disadvantage students during that college application process. Again, at high performing high schools like Ozark, where academic rigor is consistently high across the student body, even very small differences in GPA can significantly affect a student's rank, creating a misleading impression of their academic achievement or potential. Our school profile outlines many important details about the graduating class each year. The the school profile which accompanies all of our transcripts and co and college applications provides an additional context for evaluating student performance. It includes things like our grading scale, the highest GPA
071at Ozark High School, the mean GPA, our ACT composite average, and a list of courses such as AP, honors, dual credit, dual enrollment that contribute to that weighted GPA. We can see the impact of that compression in the top 10% and even the top 25% of our student body at OS. Our top 40 students are separated by two ten of a grade point. And our top 106 students, the top 25% are separated by just over half of a grade point. So what's the impact these two of these two systems for recognizing student achievement? There are really in my mind two key issues at play. One is what data do we want to make available to students and families about their academic standing? and the other is how we declare we recognize student achievement. We plan
072to continue using the kumlad system that recognizes students individual achievements as outlined in our board policy. So it comes down to the importance we place on class rank. One of the biggest impacts as I've mentioned is how our students report our status in the college application process. This is done in their individual applications but also through the common app. The Common App is an online platform that allows students to apply to numerous highly competitive colleges and universities using a single application. During that process, they must declare how Ozark High School prioritizes student recognition. As I mentioned earlier, many of our peer schools in the COC have recognized a negative impact on the application process for many students. And I thought it'd be helpful to look at just one example of that impact. The University of
073Missouri has set these guidelines for their admissions at Ozark High School. I think it's important to note that there are 166 students with a weighted GPA of 3.65 or better in our senior class right now. This is 41% of that class. The top 6% represents only 25 students. That's a difference of 141 students. And I believe there are many students in that range that struggle with test anxiety or their ability to to score well on the ACT which would put them on that bottom category. We must declare how we communicate our ability to are the way we recognize student achievement. Are we using class rank or non-ranking? And those factors directly impact the number of students that could apply to the University of Missouri that graduate from Ozark High School. Again, this is just one
074example of many across both scholarships and college application process. I'd like to ask a couple of students to come up and talk a little bit about their experience uh through this process as they've been applying for uh scholarships and and college applications during this process. I'm going to ask our student body president Kaden Irons and our National Honor Society president, Miss Alexander Fretcher, to come up. Good evening. I'm Kaden Iron, student body president of Ozark High School. My position in student council, as well as a yearbook co-editor, a cross-country co- captain, and an academy ambassador, has enabled me to work alongside numerous student groups to advance our shared educational and cultural goals. and I'm Alex Fletcher and I'm honored to engage with various communities through my roles as National Honor Society president, theater president, choir,
075social chair, and band section leader. We list these roles only to illustrate how much we love Ozark High School and how committed we are to the success of our school community and our peers and friends. Thank you to the school board for allowing us to speak tonight. We also want to thank Dr. Wit and Mrs. Manning for meeting with us, hearing student concerns, and supporting student feedback throughout this process. >> We are here tonight to second many of the sentiments shared and provide a perspective, a student perspective on how the newly implemented individual student rank is impacting OS students academically, emotionally, and culturally. >> As student leaders, we deeply respect the board's commitment to the district's mission mission and vision. Part of our responsibilities as leaders of our fellow students is to give voice to
076the student experience to represent student well-being, student culture, and student needs, especially when a change directly affects academics, mental health, and student life. >> Dr. Wit and Mrs. Manning have done a great job of providing some statistics about the pros and cons of class rank. I want to personalize those statistics and give you an idea of how these changes have affected me, a student and senior at Ozark High School. My dream college is Northwestern in Chicago. Its admissions process is very competitive and just like my fellow seniors, I have been working my way through the comat, editing my essays and trying to put my best foot forward. I felt good about my application and felt that I had done my very best to represent myself and my voice well. Then a week or so ago,
077I found out in my calculus class that someone knew their class rank. I have done my best to speak with the counselors and administration to figure out what to do now that I had already applied to Northwestern and indicated to them that we are a non-ranking high school. I checked that box on my application based on information and procedures I was operating with and knew at the time. I also started looking at why my class rank was lower than expected. I have all A's. I have taken 15 weighted classes in my time at Ozark and when available, I've taken the honors class section of every class offered. But I also noticed that classes like theater and music of There are no honors or AP options at Ozark, such as AP music theory, dilute my GPA.
078Not only that, but I've taken summer school classes every year. For example, as an incoming freshman, I took creative writing over the summer simply because it was interesting to me. I will have more than enough credits to graduate this year. And if I had known that my rank would be calculated and reported, then I might not have taken those extra classes. It feels like I'm being penalized for going above and beyond in my high school career. And most importantly, then I had no way to know. And now I feel like I have no way takes it. >> And this isn't just Alex's story. This is the experience of so many students, including myself, who are trying to understand what their rank means, where it came from, how it is calculated, and why it suddenly defines
079way more than it should. If student leaders who understand the system feel confused and discouraged, imagine how the rest of our peers feel. >> In our discussions with other students, one scene became unmistakable. The new ranking system simply does not seem to fit who we are as a school and district. And even if this cannot be amended for my situation and that of my class, my hope would be a consideration for grades to come. OS's academy model is built on whole student development, exploration, hands-on learning, leadership, advanced arts, career pathways, purpose. But individual rank doesn't measure any of that. Rank measures only weighted GPA, which can be narrow and reductive, the opposite of holistic. Ranking students discourages exploration, hands-on, project-based courses, internships in the community, and advanced art classes. Most of these holistic courses have
080no weighted option. Yet, they are some of the most important ways students can become happy, well-rounded, and balanced individuals. Additionally, ranking students takes no account of the skills gained when students take on student leadership roles and participate in extracurriculars, skills critical in building good democratic citizens. Not only is ranking students seemingly incompatible with Ozark's culture and vision, but it is also not in line with the current admission standards. If students are told that class rank is important to Ozark and thus make decisions with that goal in mind, they may jeopardize this holistic process that most colleges are trying to foster. >> With that in mind, It makes one wonder what the value of class rank truly is and who benefits from it and if the process in which it is currently being implemented is fair.
081Tonight, we are asking the district to consider whether ranking students aligns with the values and goals of our academy model. >> Some of the students who contribute the most to OS in leadership, theater, choir, band, athletics, service, and work take fewer weighted classes because they invest their time in building community and culture. These are the students who lift others up. These are the students who carry OS on their shoulders. These are the students like us and many others sitting behind us tonight. And all of these students are penalized by rank. Rank punishes the students who embody the very best of OS. >> I understand proponents who advocate for rank as a way to recognize and reward hard work and academic excellence. And I agree. I am all for academic excellence in every form of the
082word. However, as I mentioned earlier, the consensus from a significant group of high achieving students was a concern surrounding the effect of summer school classes on rank. These students are academically ambitious, curious, and committed to learning. But the GPA math averages downward when extra credits are applied, meaning the more opportunities a student takes advantage of, the lower their rank becomes. In this way, student ranking has the opposite effect, inspiring students to manage their schedule in order to receive a higher rank rather than exploring the array of opportunities available at Ozark. In the process, the incentive has become limiting to excellence rather than driving it. >> And this atmosphere is already taking shape. Students have told us they no longer want to take summer classes because they don't want it to hurt their standing. Students who
083learn more should never be penalized with a lower rank for their curiosity and ambition. This goes against the traditional values that drive student excellence. And over the past three weeks in learning our rank was made public public, naturally people wanted to know each other's class ranks. When I was asked for my class rank and revealed it, the amount of surprise and judgment I received was troubling. And I've heard of countless other students with similar stories. In this way, class rank erodess community and compassion. From student council discussions to classroom conversations, the dominant thread has been confusion and surprise. Some students said they don't understand why this change affects them. Others said they dislike feeling defined by a single number. And many have expressed frustration regarding the timing, lack of transparency, and lack of communication of
084this addition of class rank in the middle of the school year. Instead of building unity, ranking has created comparison and conflict. the total opposite of one Ozark and this year's district theme together we are unlimited. >> We want to thank the administration for listening and Dr. Wood's thoughtful recommendation. As student leaders, we strongly believe Ozark High School should remain a non-ranking school and that ranks shouldn't be visible. This approach aligns with the academy model, prevents systemic inequity, supports the fairness of the college admissions process, avoids unnecessary and unproductive competition in comparison, and reflects the overwhelming feedback from the students who are directly impacted by this change. This is not about removing opportunity. It is about eliminating unintended harm. We simply want our leaders to make the decision that best protects student well-being, supports academic exploration,
085and strengthens our culture. We ask you not only to consider our stories, but also to consider the experiences of some of the students behind us tonight, every other student in the student body, and the thousands of students who will come after us. Thank you for providing us with a platform to engage civically and for listening empathetically to students who are active participants in their education. Thank you board for your commitment to doing what is best for Ozark and for considering the removal of the class ranking system. I can't uh commend those two enough. We've had a lot of very hard conversations in my office and in Miss Manning's office over the past 10 days about this and I appreciate their willingness to come up and speak to their experiences uh through this. But as we
086look at the factors surrounding class rank and and the def the different positions that uh exist out there, I would like to propose a recommendation about class rank so that we can really clarify the landscape for our students and families as we approach the scheduling season for next academic year. This recommendation would be that we continue to recognize students through our KUMLAD system. We recommend returning to a nonranking status school while still providing weighted GPA and class rank data when needed. Class rank class rank would remain available in our power school information system. Um, as we looked at some of the other COC schools, there were institutions that use a non-ranking system as the way that they recognize students, but do make that data available either directly in their information system or on request. I
087think that we can find a way that supports um all of our students um through this through this uh recommendation. But it also needs to we also need to do a better job of being clear and intentional about our communication and I believe that that should start with uh this recommendation for our handbook for the 2627 school year. This would clarify our status as a non-ranking school as students think about the application process to institutions and for scholarships. Um but it would provide that data to students and families about their rank in terms of their weighted GPA and communicate their status to others. In this way it would challenge us as administrators and teachers of OS to communicate about the importance ofmies and the importance of their weighted GPA in a balanced approach. It would
088give us an opportunity to highlight those great things that are happening across Ozark High School while also providing those that want to pursue that top spot the information they need to be able to do so. So that is our recommendation and I would entertain any questions you have for me or Miss Manning or the students that are here. >> Hey, first off I'd say thanks so much Dr. Wit and everyone Kaden and Alex. Thanks so much for coming up and talking to us. And um and also great job on Tuck. We love it. Um >> yeah, I've got a couple. >> I've got questions. >> Um do you when was this directive given u to go to um a ranking back to a ranking school? Do you know? >> It was this summer. >> Uh
089specifically, do you have a month? Uh I know it was shared with our um high school leadership team at our uh learning division uh two-day retreat. >> May June May is when the directive was given um >> from us. Correct. >> We wanted to know when >> right um >> can you help me understand? Um we're in a spot right now. Um this was a great presentation and and I truly appreciate it. Yes, sir. >> Okay. The problem I have is that it's November, right? Five months later from when the directive was given. Okay. When when did you give the directive to have this added? >> So I would need to clarify the the where the breakdown incurred on my end which was >> Go ahead. which was that I believe that the directive was
090that we were to make class rank available, not that we were changing from our status as a ranking school to a non-ranking school in the way that we report on the common app. >> When was that? >> Wait, that was what my question was going to be because that was what I thought we were giving a directive to do. Also, >> when I first heard of the the change that would be recommended, >> which was >> this summer. >> And so you're making a presentation. It's great presentation. You're making it to us now that do you see the hurdle that this has created? >> Yes, I understand. >> Did you ask any students that are in support of the class ring to come speak? >> I did not. What I did do was communicate to
091our staff that if they had a opinion one way or the other, if they would like to come speak to the board or pass that information on through me, that they provide that. Um, and I didn't have anybody that spoke out that wanted to speak. Um, I did have one teacher reach out and said that they were in favor of a ranking system. >> Okay. Do you know the two reasons that were given to the board for our um non-ranking status? >> I do not explicitly know those two reasons. No, sir. >> Just for clarity, I won't go into those, but none of them are up there. Okay. So, I do appreciate this very much. So, right. Um, what I would implore you, okay, is to not this this five months of delay has now
092put the district in a bit of a a bind. Would you agree? >> Yes. Mo mostly our our seniors that are early applicants. >> I agree. >> Um, timeliness is important. Okay. Thank you for the presentation. But I think this illustrates the need. This would have been great in June, July, even August. Um, I think we the board would be able to make a much more informed decision had we had that information. It didn't take five months. >> I just wanted to say I think >> I would like to hear some more from the math teachers because I had some questions about them. I appreciate them talking. Dr. W, you you can stay up there too. I don't I appreciate all of the information as I understood what we were deciding in May. What's the
093matter? No, Dr. Oh, Dr. Mack used to be a math teacher. Sorry. Sorry. The assistant principal and the math teacher who were both >> used to be a math teacher >> in their hearts. Math teachers. Um my understanding was the rank was always there and they just couldn't see it. And I remember the days of starting eighth grade year, you're planning out your high school so that you can get the highest possible numbers for your weighted GPA and things. But now, Dr. Wit just said the rank is there. So, is it a weighted GPA that's different when their rank shows than when it doesn't show? I don't understand if the rank shows or not, it's still the same GPA. Am I is there something different there? >> You're correct. They can see they just now
094were able to see what rank they were. This group of seniors have not had that at all their whole high school career. In the past, we would give them a transcript at the end of each semester back, you know, 2020, and they would see what class rank they were, their weighted GPA and their non-weed GPA. >> At the end of So, their class rank is based on their weighted GPA, but the GPA that they all report is their nonweed one. Is that what it is? It depends on where they're headed and what their plans are, but their weighted GPA is reported to the both correct students on your common app. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Waited. >> So, I remember the days when the weighted classes were so eager to get into because the non-weighted
095ones didn't help you as much and prop you up as much. But if that GPA is still calculated as a weighted GPA, what difference does it make? I mean, I'm not arguing. I want to understand why does it make a difference that if they can see what their rank is or not if the GPA is still based on the weighted classes either way >> oh good there are so many different options of classes that kids can take and like the kids were talking about some are weighted and some are not weighted so like he just presented um between one and 40 um there is a 02 differential which is very very low So, it depends. It's a whole bunch of different combinations, but we kids can do honors versus non- honors, and kids have different
096pathways and different things like that. We focus more on pathways with kids and trying to figure out what they really want to do versus stacking it with weighted versus non-weed classes. The focus, the initial focus with kids when we register kids is very different. I >> I agree. I understand. And I just wondered how that affected the kids to to even they can still see their GPA that are weighted GPA even when we're considered nonranking. >> The kids can see it, but the kids don't share them with each other. >> Oh, >> they've started sharing rank with each other because that's a number that represents where they're at in the class, but they oftentimes don't share their GPA. >> But so whether it's a non-ranking school or a ranking school, they still have the same
097weighted GPA that goes on their college app. >> Correct. see their GPA. >> Yes, you can see both weighted and non-weed GPA. Both >> May of last year. >> Yes. >> With the switch to P school, I think there was some technical issues with P school just being new. But >> yeah, that's not Yeah, >> it wasn't that >> as soon as it was fixed. Yes, >> I know that's a four I know that's a four-year plan. You tell them at the beginning before they start high school that we're going to start ranking. You don't just tell them the last year when it's too late to change the classes they want to take. >> So if a student >> Oh, I >> Dr. Mack, I I just want to make sure that I understand um
098something fully. Prior, right? I'm I'm trying not to make I'm loud anyway. Prior we said we were a non-ranking school while keeping rank. Correct. >> Like Carthage >> in your pres in that presentation. >> We we had class rank always. It was it was there if a student needed it for a special scholarship or a special college admissions, >> the counselor could send it on. >> But we told them that we were a non-ranking school while keeping rank. Do you get where from our perspective we were saying one thing while doing another >> and in >> in transparency we wanted to say hey either do it or don't but don't say one thing and do another. Does that make sense? >> Yes. >> So is there a legal way to go hey we're going to
099be a non-ranking school while providing and being you know come loud etc. um while having it and providing that class rank if needed. Now, the thing that I would that I would encourage you guys to to maybe think about if I am a top five student or even top 40 student, I'm applying for Princeton, right? There's a bunch of people that are applying to Harvard, whatever it is, it's hard enough to get into that school, let al from what I have to do. How often do you think Harvard is really gonna go, you know what, I think I'll reach out to Ozark and go, you know, I'm gonna get that guy's info, right? >> They had this conversation. >> And so, do you get where I'm coming from? From that is a hurdle. This is
100all again, this is conversations that we should have had in the summer. >> Um, and that's where my frustration is. I want to clarify that you're saying that you gave you w you didn't give the rank to the student. You gave it to the institution. >> You gave it to scholarship institutions and colleges. >> We required the institution to request it >> multiple times. >> Yes. To provide it. So we would provide it then. >> But in Dr. Wit's presentation, Carthage had an asterisk because they were a school that was a considered non-ranking but still allows the students to be able to see their GPA when they need it. And like what if it's July when you're applying? You're a junior and you're getting ahead of the and and your counselor's on is off that
101month. I mean, >> we have 12 month we have three 12-month employees that are get the emails and can send anything. >> I'm sorry, I can't. We we have three 12-month employees that are available and do access um Mrs. Jennings does a lot of our transcripts in the summer and Mrs. Buffington as well >> and they're in the >> so they send the rank directly to the school. >> It doesn't go with the kids applica or they tell the kid >> you can put this on your application. So, if you're talking about you're talking about a a student that is going to be a senior, upcoming senior, and they're trying to apply for college in July >> at Princeton with they're going with Dustin. >> Oftent times, we wait till after schedule changes in September
102because we're still getting summer school grades from places like Launch. And in order to be responsible, we wait just a little bit before we start sending out transcripts. We have to upload six semester transcripts. And that sixth semester also includes summer school like stuff like that. >> So we wait a little bit to so that we have good data that we're sending out and uploading into our NVAC account. >> So I think that was why part of the decision was made was because just let the kids be able to see it so they can use it when they need it. Isn't that kind of what we talked about? I >> I don't think I don't think we talked about let's go from ranking to non-ranking. We just were like let the kids be able to
103see. >> It wasn't on our agenda back in May. It just came up off the cuff. So, the administration wasn't prepared to talk about it. >> Okay. >> I I think the premise was if you're keeping track of it and they need it, make it available to them to use it, to find it, because uh I think we would all agree, we all want them to try to move on and do the best version of themsel, whatever that is. We don't want to make it harder for them to try to get because they're browbeating you guys to get a number that is required from the college in institution. If we weren't keeping it, that's one thing, right? Like no big deal. We don't keep it, but we we were right. And that you get so
104from a board's perspective. >> Yeah. Even in the kumla system, just letting you know to figure kumlad and to look at all that stuff, you still have to have GPA and um some some sort of data to pull from. So that's why it's part of the kumla system as well. >> Would you need class rank to do the that version or just GPA? >> GPA. >> Perfect. So, I think some of the issue with the way it was being done, as Dustin alluded to, is that you were keep we were keeping rank, but we weren't telling the kids. And so now, while I understand, and I'll address in a second, the curriculum issue, I understand that you don't want class rank to influence the classes they might take. But there are those students that actually
105want to improve that. And so, what you what was happening is they didn't have the ability to impact their class rank. you were keeping it. We knew the school was keeping it. I don't I don't mean to personalize this for you guys. Okay. >> Um the school was keeping it and would provide it in certain circumstances if the right person asked with the secret code and asked enough times and we'd give it to them. But Alexandra is a great example. She didn't know what her class rank was. So, she wasn't able to take any action whatsoever to improve it. And then it came up. We've talked I'm not going to go over the way this was rolled out and all that. That's a different issue. I just want to talk about ranking versus non-ranking. So
106it seems unfair to the students that that was a metric being kept that they weren't allowed to impact other than by GPA or whatever else, but they didn't know where they were, but we would still release it. So that was at the baseline of what started kind of this discussion. So, if we talk about a couple of the different ideas and the pros and the cons, um, you've talked a lot about discouraging the curriculum choices and what the kids are going to do. Um, isn't is that a ranking verse non-ranking issue or is that a curriculum issue? is that a the fact that the curriculum doesn't fit or isn't created to address being a ranking school. You could still be ranking, but what happens is we have summer school classes. We have all these other
107classes that aren't weighted or don't fit into that GPA. And so the easy answer is we just say we're non-ranking. But it's really a curriculum issue, isn't it? >> I I don't understand how it could be a curriculum. I mean, can you explain yourself? >> Sure. I mean the the concern is that at least as I understand what you guys said the concern is kids are going to choose to take or the students will take different classes because it will impact their GPA in a positive way as opposed to some other classes that they might want to take or they might want to learn something different because it's a non-weighted class. Right? So, isn't that an issue with the way the kids the choices the way they're laid out that you have now put them
108in a position because regardless if you tell them their rank or not? They know their GPA and they know how their GPA is going to be impacted and and I appreciate that you they might you think they might not talk about it. I bet they do. They talk about it the same way they talk about rank. So, you've already given them some of that information. So, I just don't understand how this second leap to ranking is now discouraging the students or influencing the classes they're going to take. >> I think it speaks to this notion of the example I provided. It's not so much that we don't want to provide rank is that declaring that we're nonrankings are given non-ranking status allows more flexibility to our students. That's why that recommendation would be that we
109provide that. can see it and those that want to pursue that can. But those that do not, they're not penalized or it's not harder for them to get in or qualify for certain applications even though they may have a 40 or a 39 GPA, but they were assumed in a construction technology pathway and that was what they were excited about. >> Right. So, so two points out of that one, Missou is just one school, right? >> Did we have more kids last year go to Missouri State or Missou? What was the question? I'm sorry. >> Did Did we have more more students last year go to Missouri State or Missou? >> Missouri State, >> right? And Missouri State ranks not a factor in Missouri State at least on some of the scholarships and stuff, right?
110>> Uh Missouri State you can do class, it has the option you can do ACT and GPA or you can do class rank and GPA. So, they have an option of that. >> Good. And there's still enough schools out there, enough colleges that are looking at class rank that it's still an option on the common app. So while some schools have taken that out, there are still a lot of colleges and universities that are still looking at class rank. Otherwise, it wouldn't be an option on the common app, right? They wouldn't ask for >> like Dr. Wit alluded earlier, it's an easy sorting tool for admission representatives and and it it moves away from holistic review, which most colleges are trying to move more towards a holistic review, >> right? And when they look at
111a holistic review, what they're looking at is from the school profile, what classes are being offered at the school and what classes did that student take? How did that student challenge themselves academically? So, it's not just class rank. They're looking at I mean, class rank is one metric they're looking at, including GPA, but they're looking at in total what were the classes, how did this student challenge themsel uh while they were in high school, right? That's what a holistic review is. >> I agree. >> Right. And so the more AP classes, the more honor classes, the more things they take which are going to impact their GPA, the better that looks on a holistic review. >> But let's look at Alex. Alex took a lot of choir. She took advanced acting, different things like that.
112Alex wants to major in um Alex, I think I'm going to say this wrong, but theatrical >> theater. So running a theater program. So for her to get into Northwestern into that program and those classes are unweighted, that really actually helped her. It helps her. Is that what you said? Sorry. >> It it does help her because she's looking at that theater program trying to get into that at Northwestern, >> right? And if which is great. It helps her, but if that those classes would have hurt her or those GPA, that's a that's a curriculum issue. That's the way that we structured the curriculum to to that penalizes her for trying to take those classes, which may ultimately benefit her in terms of this the topic she's trying to take Western. >> So, for example,
113Matt's saying perhaps the theater 2 class ought to be a waiting class. I just think that all of that should be looked at, but that's just one factor. Um, so >> we also talk about competition, >> right? And I think it says unnecessary competition. >> I guess I don't know the difference between unnecessary competition and competition. I mean, if you take ranking out, aren't you just taking competition out? Aren't you just removing the competition from it? I mean you're allowing them to push themselves to the level they want they want to achieve right construction technology technology student that's that's what they are passionate about recognize you know through the law system for the grades that they achieved in that program without us choices are they better or worse than a student we chose >> right
114which goes back to curriculum issue. I think really you forced students to make a decision to take a path. One path rewards you with a higher GPA, one path doesn't. That is not an issue of ranking versus non-ranking. That's an issue that the curriculum puts you in that position to make that decision. >> So, and I also think that if you meet with the students as a freshman as they're coming in, because not all students want to do construction technology, right? Some students come in as a freshman and they want to go to an Ivy League college and they know that and they know that that's their path. Some of some of the kids might not want to, but as a freshman, they need to understand the decisions you're making on your curriculum choices are
115going to have an impact. And if that's your path, you need to know that and you need to work on that. Same thing with summer school. I don't think kids should be discouraged from taking summer school. I think it's a great option, but as you've pointed out, they get penalized if they do. That's not a ranking versus non-ranking issue. That's a curriculum issue. That's the way that the structure is set up. And so that's what penalizes them. and it lowers their GPA which is going to happen no matter if you provide class rank or not their GPA is still going to get lowered. >> Is that true? >> So whether whether we tell them that but if we talk about then >> competition >> and removing the competition >> and I and I I'm still
116studying and trying to digest your proposal. I think it's better than what we were doing. I don't know if it gets us where we are. But if you're still telling them their class rank, aren't you still keeping that competition? if they can still see it regardless of whether it's getting reported or not, they still see it. They still know it. >> I look at that I guess a little bit different that we're really trying to pursue with our diploma market technology program. We're hoping with an industry recognized credential possible. >> Sure. >> With a badly needed skill >> we have college credits towards a degree isn't also another way to recognize that achievement that kid looks at or is looking towards and so if rank is visible part of that we know that is going
117to have a higher rank and that's how we recognize them. But a kid that construction technology track we hope we want to encourage them not to worry about that rank and worry about that student's going to achieve. So it's it's it can be a tool in the toolbox that rank >> but it doesn't have to be the thing that defines them in terms of an application. >> So so let's take the the construction technology example. We talk we talk a lot about real world, right? We want the kids to have to have real world education, real world experiences, be ready to go in the real world, right? And have to make real world decisions. So if that construction technology student decides that's the path, they have to make a real world decision. Do I want
118to have a high class rank or do I want to take this pathway and go down and get my construct my MVA and my cert certification, whatever else in construction technology? That's a decision they're gonna have to make in the in real life when they graduate, right? So, they have to choose which path do I want to go down. That that's real world, right? That's preparing them for the real world. >> That's what I was going to ask was how many over how much overlap is there between and I even had written it down a long time ago. Typically, do you have the same students who are competing for the top rank also taking the classes that that have more real world learning? Are there is there overlap there or are there two separate groups
119of students anyway? >> I think you're going to have more of the kids who are trying to do the choir and stuff >> and and we're we're truly want to know. So this feels like you're seeing um we've been asking for for several months. So >> I this is probably frustration coming out. >> Yeah. And I don't intend this to be personal to you guys. Okay. This is Yeah. And I appreciate you guys standing up there. So, thank you. >> I I want to kind of I think we need to go back to the focus of our school, the mission of our school. We have a very small percent that apply to Ivy League. We have a small percent that go construction trades, but what do the majority of our students do? And the in
120my opinion, having been here a long time and having students, um, we have a lot of people go into business. we have a lot of people going to teaching um those those direct paths that we have in themies. So I think as a school we need to decide what's our mission. Are we academy focused or are we this top small percentage of kids that might be preparing for Ivy League. I had both students in my family. I had one that applied to very prestigious medical school and she all she needed was what was she in the top 5%? Was she in the top 10%? Along with what activities was she in, what classes did she take? You know, did if they offered physics one and two, did she take them? Right? >> If they offered
121chem 1 and chem 2, did she take them? She had to answer all of those questions. >> That's the holistic side. >> That's the was she a leader in a club? Did she volunteer? Did she do those types of things, >> right? So, I I don't disagree with what you're saying. And again, class rank is just one of those metrics in a holistic review. But what you're doing then it sounds like is and then those high achieving I mean do you guys believe that a ranking system or a non-ranking system strike that does a non-ranking system hurt high achieving kids high achieving students >> does a ranking system >> no you can go for it >> I I mean I I appreciate that they're awesome but I mean >> right but when they're applying for
122schools, when they're going out there, do you think that the high achieving students are at a disadvantage or hurt somehow by being a non-ranking school? >> I I do not. The reason being is that there are enough high schools across this country that do not rank. >> There's half, >> right? >> And so half still do. >> Half seems like a lot, too. >> Yeah. Half is half. I mean, that's 50% does, 50% doesn't. And when you're talking about schools that have a two or 3% admittance >> and they want the best of the best. >> Correct. That's right. So they're gonna find a way to find which kid is the best and and they have systems in place, indexes, different things that they utilize that account for that. So they can pick a kid
123from a non-ranking and from a ranking and compare them and and choose which is the best because they're after that top tier. I don't believe a number from Ozark High School in terms of their rank is going to be the thing that makes or breaks those students. >> Well, some of the box that we're in and back to your example of are we going to focus on academy or this few percent up here. Part of the problem we have is that under our core beliefs in Ozark, it says every child is valued, capable and supported in their uh journey towards excellence. Every student. So the trick is how do we find a model that supports all the kids that doesn't say the top 5% and the bottom 5% you guys well you just have to
124deal with it but those in the middle we're going to support you. We have to figure out how do we support everybody? How do we provide the best example that supports all those kids? That's why I believe that a visible class a student can utilize and can write that into an application or has to have a class ranking transcript sent on their behalf is a great tool at their disposal. But that non-ranking status as an organization provides more opportunity for those kids that are in the middle lower half than a ranking status. >> I I think that the proposal is better than where we were. I I still want to digest it. I just read it today and I still want to look at but it's better than it was for sure because at least
125the kids have the information now to make those decisions because the the other thing that we talk about a lot is that we want these kids to have ownership in their education. We want the students to be involved which means they have to make some decisions right and if they're if their decision is I want to rank high in my class then they are empowered to make those decisions on their schedule. And if they're not, my problem is if back to this curriculum issue, they're still choosing to take a class that we offer, right? They're still taking they're still checking a box to take a class that Ozark High School has decided to put on and somebody's teaching. If that class doesn't have value, then why are we offering it? I if we're saying you
126got to pick this path or that path, then why are we why are we still offering that class? Why is why are not all of the classes in some way equal? So the students then can choose what they want to take. We don't do that. We wait classes. So why do we wait them? >> Yeah. Yeah. Let me let me jump in there for a second. Um and I I mean I think there's a bit of a fallacy to say that oh if we can do themies but we can't send kids to the Ivy League. I mean or we can't do ranking if we're doing themies. I I don't think that's accurate. I mean you could do both. And I think how do you do that is well have some honors classes in those in
127thosemies or not. And to to say that the kid who is doing the construction or the mechanic or whatever, he probably doesn't care about the rank. I mean I I work I have guys like that as clients right now who are business owners. They didn't they barely finished high school, but they're making more than half the people here. You know what I'm saying? So that so they don't care about the rank and they're going to be better than anybody else off in a few years anyway. So I mean part of the rank I don't I don't know the right answer to this whole thing right now. But I'm I'm saying that you can do both with the academy. I did all that holistic stuff back then. And I mean if you're trying to get to
128the Ivy League ormies like militarymies or roy scholarships you got to do all that. >> I I think we thought we were doing what your proposal says. I thought we thought we were leaving it as non-ranking just making it so that they can see their see it but not changing the whole status of the school. I think like Amber said we we learned later that there was more information that we didn't have. >> Yes. Um I I really the way this was was rolled out makes me feel bad for the seniors and the students. Um I I do because this was not our intention. um I don't have a basis of knowledge for education and clearly everything that was said tonight I'm like huh oh well how does but the thing is is that when
129we said that we wanted for you to be able to see your rank at the time we did not understand the ramifications of which that would that would take on you um and this conversation should have taken place a while ago and for that we do apologize and the reason that we wanted to hear you guys and make sure that we were listening to everything because we always want to learn. We always want to hear everybody's input. >> But um >> I have one more point when you're done. >> Huh? >> I have one more point when you're done. Yes. But my point to you is that we clearly have a lot more to factor in in this decision. Um I do timing should have went better and we are where we are and all
130we can do at this point is try to move forward and improve the way we do things which we have talked to Lori and the and um all of the cabinet all of administration because we're going to make sure before we give a directive or vote on something we are either going to slow down to make sure we have all the information because this this should have taken place over the summer. we should have done this. Um and that for that I and the reason that I say all of that is because I do apologize to the students for that. We we can do better and um we will take all of this into account but for this year it is what it is. I I have one question um and thank you for making
131this because it it gives me some some things to think about. Um, for those kids who do want to be one of the top ranked ones and they do want to go to the Ivy Leagues, are they told before they start high school, you better not take any summer schools if that is your goal >> because then you're going to be way down here. >> Well, I don't think any of them would have done that because we weren't. >> They figured out on their own because they want the highest weighted classes. So if if they need this to get into an Ivy League and they need to be here, then that needs to be shared with those students before freshman year that they better not take any summer school classes if that is their ultimate
132goal. >> Or we need or we need honors driver's ed >> or honors. Oh, their their parents if that is their goal, their parents need to pay for private driver's ed because that is where they need to be and that needs to be shared with >> understanding how an average is. You add up how many grade points you have and divide by the number of classes you have. That's how an average is is made. You can say that to an eighth grader, but it means nothing. If their go if their goal going into high school is that they're going to Princeton, they're going to Harvard, then those five or six kids need to be sat down and they need to be shared the fact that if they take any summer school or driver's ed, that's
133where they're going to be. >> It's not that it's summer school or driver's ed, it's just that it's non-weed. >> The more classes you take, you're dividing the number. So somebody who is taking health in the summer room for another class is going to be affected but I don't really unless it's honors which we're not going to get honors health. >> So >> well I don't think we probably like you said we probably don't have a lot but for those kids that needs to be made very clear >> but I think the thing we need to take away from this is all of this information we we need to take all of this to decide how we're like their recommendation is to change for the 2026 potentially 27year So, one more one more quick point.
134Um, I'm sure you're aware are aware that since the decision was made to go to a non-ranking school, Ozark's average ACT score has gone down every single year, except it just crept up just a little bit this past year for 25, but it's still not to 22 or 23 levels. I'm sure there are a lot of different factors that play into that, right? It's not just ranking or non-ranking, but that might be one factor that also contributed to it, right? Because we have taken away some of that competition. We have taken away some of those kids who might push to go to some of those higher school and and what I what I hope that you take from all this. First of all, I appreciate all the work you guys do and I know it's
135not easy, right? And you're trying to work within the parameters that you're given in the best you can. But what I hope maybe that we take away from this, and as a board, we're here to support this and figure it out, is it might just be a different issue deeper than just ranking versus non-ranking. It might be that we need to look at a lot of things a little bit more carefully and and and decide which direction does Ozark want to go? What are what is our vision? What are we going to do to support it? How do we support every student? Not the top five, not just the top five percent or top 10%, every student. And they all have different goals. And I think that's what a lot of the language on our
136website and a lot of our um core beliefs and those things talk about that. But I think that I think we need to dig deep and really get into that and figure it out because times are changing. You know that it's I mean uh standards are changing, college admissions are changing, some some are changing and then changing back. A lot of the IV league schools didn't require ACT or SAT. Now they are, right? And so the same thing may very well happen with class rank. We don't know. That may come back as a metric. So, as a board, we are here to support you figure this out. We want to help. I think it might be just, like I said, deeper than just trying to figure out ranking versus non-ranking. That's highlighted it. But how
137can we collectively work better for our students to support every student and their goals? That's So, I I apologize. I'm I'm passionate about this. I don't mean to make this personal with you. Um, I really do appreciate the work you do, but I just think that I think we need to just analyze that and figure out a different path. I' I'd like to leave you with one kind of leadership principle fundamental here besides all this stuff. It's like, you know, we have all these bright ideas, right? So, I mean, as these things come down, you guys are the experts in this stuff. Some of us might think we are, but when something some kind of wacky thing comes to you guys and you say, why are we doing this? I to me it's it's imperative
138on you whoever realizes it maybe Dr. what it doesn't maybe somebody down lower does it's imperative to bring it back up and and stop it maybe it's a student out there before it gets four months into the year so I mean I I hope that makes sense sometimes leaders think they have the best idea but it is not in reality down there >> so bring it back up >> and and don't feel like you can't say something I hope I think I think hopefully the administration I think they've created an atmosphere of of open communication and bring it up I Uh, I think our emails are on the website. So, if that's the case, you know, if you know what I mean. Does that make sense? >> May I >> Yeah. >> May I say
139one thing? >> The people in the trenches. Seriously, we do. >> May I say one thing as we end this discussion? um listening to this, no matter no matter where the breakdown of the communication happened, no matter where it falls on my shoulders 100%. I'm the superintendent. Buck stops here. Back in May, I should have said, "Hey, I think there may be more to this." And I did not because at the point I honestly I didn't think there was more. And that's my fault. That is my fault. So I will do a better job when you're talking about leadership. I will also do a better job in my leadership to support the administration, our students and you as a board. So like I said, no matter where the communication breakdown happened, it falls on my
140shoulders and I will do better. It's done. >> But I want to share that with you because we need to be able to pump the brakes as well. um and make sure that we push things off to make sure that we have it. So, I I appreciate that. But we share that and we thank you guys. >> We thank you. >> And I just want to add when Miss Fletcher got up to speak, I wanted to ask her if she could sing for us. Her voice is so incredibly gorgeous. >> I won't. Yes. Thank you. >> Thank you guys. Thank you. is approval of part B state changes. I can't Oh, thank you. >> We are asking that we approve, we are required to um approve our state plan of part B, which is special
141education. And so we are asking to approve um there's been three changes based upon the new laws that have changed as well. So we're asking um the board to approve that state plan. Regulation one has to do with YCD. Remember we talked about that in the past. It went to H7. Um you can still access YCD through first grade as long as you're not turning seven first. Uh regulation three goes into how students qualify for a disability. again that's YCBD which is listed in there and then regulation 14 has to do with private agencies we went from private schools to private agencies if we can um as a state so that's really guidelines for those agencies that they must adhere to so that we choose to send a student there >> okay and all but
142regulation 14 those were in policies right the other two were in policies >> u we reviewed those as part of that yes but was regulation 14 in a polic It is not part of the state plan. >> Oh, okay. >> I thought maybe we'd already >> just the first two really about agencies have to follow guidelines and we have to make sure that they follow those at least in the >> motion. Second >> motion by Matt, second by Dustin to approve the state plan for special education part B changes. >> Wait, we have more questions. >> No, we don't. >> I'm kidding. No, >> no, we don't. >> Thank you for being willing to answer all the questions. >> Um, all in favor? >> Oh, passes unanimously. And now I'll take a motion to adjurnn.
143>> Make a motion to adjurnn. >> Motion to adjurnn by Dustin, second by James. All in favor. Good night. >> Thank you guys all for coming. This is that any of them.