Board of Education Meeting – November 10 2025

001Good evening everyone. >> Good evening. >> Before we open our meeting, please uh turn your phones to silent or vibrate. Thank you so much. And without further ado, today is Monday, November 10th, 2025. This is our regular board of education meeting. Please stand and join me in the pledge. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The mission of the White Plains Public Schools is to educate and inspire all students students while nurturing their dreams so they learn continually, think critically, pursue their aspirations, and contribute to a diverse and dynamic world. Next, we will have comments um uh announcements um from the board. I'll just start off with um quickly just

002a couple a number of us are coming from the um the hall of fame um where Joe spoke um great evening well attended I think it was one of the >> best attended in a while >> in a while it was really well attended so it's just a testament to the life of our community and the support for our athletics um We also had and I'm going to look um look at Jessica. We had our trunk or treat which a number of us um attended at the high school and um Jessica kind of led the charge on that and we all joined in like a good orchestra and had a great time um with our students um there. There was also another trunk of treat I think like a week or two earlier with uh

003Ridgeway Marin and Church Street. So I was able to to go there and just hear the accolades in terms of how things were going um transportation everything. So it was really good to just have a great day with the kids with some staff and to get that kind of feedback. Um I also had opportunity to go to the youth bureau gala. Myself and uh Valerie, we were there. Um there were um awards to community members, but I just want to take another minute to really recognize the youth bureau and their incredible partnership with us in terms of really um just ensuring or help ensuring that we had they provided the resources for our students for before and after school care. Um, I can tell you I did not hear anything um at all and uh

004we were well staffed, our true children taken care of. So really just a another thank you as you had um done earlier, Kane, another thank you to them for their valuable partnership. Okay. >> Yeah. I um I have a senior this year and she's you know started the college application process and we my wife and I attended White Plains High School had a FAFSA boot camp um in conjunction with Latino U college access and my wife and I are both in education and it's just shocking how little we even know about the process of FAFSA of TAP for New York State money um and all these forms and everything that you have to complete. So, we sat and we met Pam and uh Cheryl Cher, excuse me, Shirley that are here tonight. Pam is here

005tonight. She's going to talk to us a little bit about the organization and they partnered with our guidance department and counselors and I think we had a I know I was one of 20 people just waiting for my appointment and they saw a lot of parents. They walked us through the application process. We filled out the FAFSA forms uh and then we were able to go home and complete some more. But again, two people in the business and we knew so little about it. So, I think it's a great free resource that we offer to parents and we took full advantage of it. So, I'm looking forward to hearing from uh Pam a little later during the public portion. Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Okay. >> I have a few things. >> Yeah. If

006we go quickly quick. Thank you. Please. >> Uh I started off this morning at uh Ridgeway um for their Veterans Day program. Very moving. Every child was involved. Every child took it seriously. It was such a learning experience for them and it really adds meaning to the day. It's not just a day off tomorrow. There's actually, you know, a lot of meaning to it. I also went to the Veterans Day uh program at East View on Friday, which I try to get to every year as well. Um, again, just really moving. The kids take it so seriously. Um, just the music, the tribute to the veterans, uh, the video production. Uh, just very, very moving. Um, Saturday night I attended, uh, the theater unlimited's uh, play on. Uh, it was really funny. I really, really,

007uh, enjoyed it. Um we held a community budget meeting that um our board members were on a a Zoom uh with the community to get some ideas uh you know because we're always working on on our budget. Uh GW had a math night. Some of us went to Post Road also had math night. Um I went to Ridgeway's walk bike roll to school. Um it was quite a crowd. It was actually the biggest crowd I had seen uh doing that this year. um PTA council meeting. Um I also went uh with Jessica to the uh library foundation's um 30th uh anniversary celebration uh which was really nice and we also really value our collaboration um you know with the White Plains Library. And the other thing I want to mention is just that as board

008members, we appreciate really all the opportunities that come to us for professional development through the Westchester Putham School Boards Association, through the New York State School Boards Association and through the National School Boards Association. So I attended, you know, a bunch of things through them and I always appreciate having the opportunity then to bring that information or those resources back. Um the New York State School Boards Association had its annual convention. Um I was able to go there in person. I know Jessica attended uh virtually and I'll just mention a couple of the highlights. You saw all the slides. I sent the slides to all the board members so that you have all the information. um as well. One of one of the things I really want to um accent is um the dignity index

009uh which was presented by uh Tim Shrivever um who has been the longtime um chair of the international uh special Olympics and is part of the the Kennedy plan. But he um and others devised something called the dignity index uh which is really a scale to to to sort of look at how we interact with each other and how we interact with dignity or should interact with dignity seeing the person you know in front of us. Um and it it it's really um quite valuable I will say especially in the world we're living in right now. Um, I went to some things on on DEI, education laws, special education, um, child exploitation online, uh, which was quite scary. And I know we've we've done some work with, you know, online safety. It's something, uh, you

010know, we we and the PTAs partner about often. Um, and I guess uh, you know, so so really appreciate having these opportunities to to to learn from and bring resources back. >> Anything else? Anything else? Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Um, next we'll move on to the um, superintendent report. >> Thank you, Madam President, and uh, good evening everybody. I first have to share um regrets from our exeicio student board members. Both ofa and cherish had um competing events this this evening and um they did reach out let us know and we said no problem take care of what you need to do. We'll see you next month. Um I also uh before we we have two presentations this evening but I thought maybe I'll just go through my quick updates first and

011then we'll we'll welcome our our folks who are going to be giving presentations. Um welcome MAS. It's MAS night tonight. >> Yay. You did it. You did it. >> Trunk or treat. >> Yeah. You know, I have to say too also that the trunk or treat um and all of the spooktaculars and celebrations all throughout the school district were really wonderful. Um huge thanks to the the PTAs um and the PTA council for all that support. And as a reminder, we're really working to get 100% participation from everybody in in the PTA. So, if you haven't yet joined the PTA, um please consider doing so today. Uh really great, really great opportunities for our students. I also need to again great a fantastic celebration this evening welcoming the class of 2025 at the White Plains

012High School Athletics Hall of Fame. But there's a special uh another special caveat there too. Um Coach Singleton uh has officially stepped away from cross country and he has coached for 50 years. So yeah, he absolutely and and and I'll tell you he probably started coaching when he was about three because you know >> he said four >> four. Okay. >> But thank you to coach Singh and um you know amazing dedication and support to our Tigers. Um Veterans Day celebrations were also beautiful. Uh East View was never disappoints and and all of our elementary schools. I know Charlie mentioned Ridgeway. um really reflect on on the importance of honoring um and thanking our veterans and and our community. Of course, the holiday is tomorrow and schools are closed. Um we are moving into the

013holiday season which is not always easy um for so many people. Um all all of our schools, all of our pantries um are collecting food and we will continue to do so. We're also working with our community partners. For anybody in our community who may need additional support and anybody who who has a question or a concern, you can feel free to reach out to any of us. You can certainly feel feel free to reach out to me um in a confidential fashion and we can connect you with people who can help. We know the holidays, while they're wonderful, um can also be really stressful and really challenging. So, um we're here for you. >> Thank you, Kane. My name is uh Dr. Jimenez, Dr. Dr. Pamela Jimenez and I'm uh the director of programs

014for Luca and um we are a small nonprofit organization that's been around since 2012. We've supported White Plains. White Plane School District High School has been one of our first high schools. We work in eight districts throughout Westchester County and we empower low-income first generation students to and through college. um for those that need it. We offer by bilingual culturally relevant programs, but Luca provides resources, support, mentorship uh to students who need access to higher education. Um we help them persist through college. We help them get graduate uh career ready and uh we do it uh hopefully so they could have little to no debt once they're done. Our programs include college access, college success, uh, college completion, college readiness, financial aid, community outreach, outreach to advance educational equity, and expand opportunities. So, we're currently

015in eight school districts. Like I said, White Plains is one of our largest. We have over we work very closely with the high school. Sarah Hall and all the counselors have um nominated about more than 80 students to our program. And in any given year, we accept between 70 and 100 students. So, White Plains is uh is is one of the ones that is heavily uh represented. We also offer through the support of the state legislators. We offer these boot camps where I met Kane um and his wonderful wife and and and we did their financial aid application. And we do this so that we can uh reach the entire White Plains community. We do this in all eight uh districts that we have. We also support bike planes by hiring your graduates. So we

016have hired a few uh high school graduates and currently our program coordinator is a high school graduate who graduated also from Hunter College. So um we're happy to support and like I said we have in any given year we have 46 to 50 high school high schoolers that are nominated to our program and accepted to our program. So White Plains is is is very is very well represented at at Luca. Um and we're here to support White Plains. We love our partnership. We love your students. Um, and uh, anything we can do. We offer the boot camps every single year. So, everyone is eligible to participate. Come by and we'll support you and help you. So, thank you for having me. >> Thank you so much. And thank you for coming. It is a wonderful

017program. Supports so many of our students and we're really so proud to be part of it. >> Absolutely. Thank you. >> Absolutely. Glad to have you. So, we we uh we're going to welcome Chris, Joe, and Joe this evening. Um gentlemen, you ready? It's a great update. We're really looking forward to this. >> Good evening, everyone. Again, pleasure to see you all tonight. Uh Joseph Serrano from H2M, architect and studio director, currently working on all things, uh White Plains. So, uh myself and Chris Pearson from Triton Construction are going to go through some of our capital project updates. Uh we'll pass back and forth. I'll just highlight uh finally some uh refreshing new images to kick off our presentation rather than the rendering because we finally have some uh mass and something visual to the

018high school edition. If anyone had the opportunity to see, we had some steel going up this week, which is always a very exciting milestone to see a project come out of the ground. And we have some of the library work at both Church Street and Ridgeway represented. So with that, we'll go to the next slide and Chris, I'll pass it over to you. >> Sure. Just a quick overview. uh you know we're we're closing down all our HVAC the filtration upgrades the you know the White Plains High School Highlands East View Church GW all headed all complete and all heading towards um final wrap-ups on the budgets. Uh there are two still remaining. Ridgeway Elementary which started later is also done but start just starting close out at this point. But Marin Elementary School all

019the work is done. It's just the the final stretch with the uh the new um power line from from KED coming in which you know so in so the idea to have that wrapped up in KED you know helping us uh before the spring so we can get the AC running at Marin. Um and then like Joe said we can we have photographs to share with the high school innovation wing Roshimbo uh as well as the completed four elementary school projects at GW Church Ridgeway and Marin which was a combination of libraries and service and also some um some bones and guts in other parts of those schools. Um >> sure I'll touch on the few projects that we have uh received SED approval from. So it's an electric service upgrade to this building. uh

020that was uh several years in the making as well as a uh some last uh remaining restrooms at McMarinac that haven't had the benefit of previous uh alterations. So we have sed approval on both those projects. We're going to be scheduling along with Triton in the district a a bid schedule and targeting summer 2026 construction for the restrooms. The nice thing about the electric service upgrade is that it's not necessarily beholden to summer construction uh because it is here. That's going to be a little further back in the timeline. Switch gear is still one of those items in construction that has very long lead items. So, the good thing about the electric service upgrade is that your transformer is already here on site. Uh, we were able to procure that with KED. Um, the long

021lead item, like I said, is going to be the switch gear once we go ahead and and uh bid that project. So, dates coming there. A couple other exciting things to talk about. So, the last piece of design from the major bond and capital improvements is some phase two work at the high school that's going to be going up to SED as a completed package for review before the end of this month. And then, uh, we have a couple of additional air conditioning projects and a serving line project at the high school that we'll touch on later in the presentation. I'll take Chris. >> Yeah, I you know, I mentioned on the previous slide, Ridgeway, the HVAC project's done. uh it's headed into closeout with uh with the prime contractors at this point and now

022it's just the the con uh upgrade service to get you know enough power so we can start up the AC uh in the springtime. >> That's really the MS transformer large green box in front of the building. Is that >> it is uh so that comes directly from Khan Edison. Uh that particular unit is a prototype model that they share with us which is even larger than the previous iteration that was to be there. Uh the good thing is is that it's finally on site. Everything is wired to and from that transformer. The last piece of information that's missing is a power line from the street that Kai was bringing elsewhere. So >> buried or is that going to >> uh portion of it is overhead to the poles at the street and then from

023the closest pole it will go underground to the transformer. So, the infrastructure's in, the conduit's in. We're just waiting for that uh that final tie-in from Con Edison. And they again, they had to do some work off property to to bring the power to it. >> Thank you, Chris. Sure. Um you the high school innovation wing as Joe mentioned, you know, the steel the foundations are done. Um steel, you can see steel going up. It's a great time because you actually see what the volume of the space might actually become, you know. know. So, it's always it's always great and the um you know, all the primes are working well together. There's no everybody's playing well in the sandbox. Um and there's a reason why there's the old thing about getting out of the ground.

024You got you got out of the ground with no major headaches, which is great. And um >> so from there and then Joe can speak to just you know the back you know the submitt the paperwork process the submitts are going in getting approved and the you know typical back and forth between approvals resubmissions you know uh then final approval. So that's all going well and no hang-ups there. Um from what we can tell no problems with any of the long lead items the exterior wall your windows your mechanical equipment. So, um, so making good progress. We're on schedule on schedule to be substantially complete in that July 17th to 2027 date. And, you know, once once the exterior wall goes up, it gives you an opportunity at times to try to to step on

025the schedule and speed it up. And we'll try, you know, and and it it's in it's in the prime's best interest to do that also. So, but you kind of want to be enclosed first before before we get to that point. And then Roshimbo again I think the pictures will show you best what's happening but it's an occupied school that's being phased on an after hours weekend basis to to to take advantage of the school year. So that in the team and the primes there are doing great. Um so and then uh there's some long that's on the interior rental that's happening and then there's some heavy work coming which will be the window replacement which will most like the majority of which will be that summer of 26. Um and uh as well as

026the air conditioning condenser. So but the pictures will say it a lot better than I can to be honest. So just on these first slide, a couple of uh couple of recent construction photos from the innovation wing last week. So top left you see some uh some of the less exciting stuff, but some underground plumbing and infrastructure for the future culinary arts lab. And then the other uh the other three pictures are are probably the the shining superstars. But you know, it's always great to see a crane swinging steel and actually to see some vertical elements coming out of the ground. So again, it's just uh a long time coming to get to this point. A lot of work went into the ground that you'll never see, but in terms of infrastructure, drainage, foundations, utilities,

027etc., those have all been uh well underway and now we're finally, as Chris said, coming out of the ground and we have some volume uh to see. >> Absolutely. >> So that's the the existing school building. >> That's correct. So, in that top left building, uh, we're standing in where the new addition will be, and we're facing back towards the A-wing of the high school. >> Okay. All right. >> So, uh, North Street is to your right in that photo, and we're facing the A-wing. >> So, that, uh, that plumbing you see there is the approximate location of, like I said, the, uh, culinary arts lab. So, uh, again, um, all these little things need to happen, uh, well in advance of some of the the great equipment and curriculum space going in, but, uh,

028progress is underway and as Chris said, so far the project's on schedule and and going well. >> So, that's like right on the same side where the breeze the bridge will be. >> Uh, yes, it is Dr. Ricker. So, again to or yourself in that picture, the bridge would be uh off to your your left in that picture. So, >> correct. seen some records breezeway. >> Yeah. >> All right. And um some additional pictures. So these are actually some of the interior alterations at Ro Shambo. So Ro Shambo as a whole, we've got new HVAC work going in. We've got classroom alterations and eventually we will have window replacements as part of this project. As Chris mentioned, we're handling the classrooms on a phased approach because the district is able to offer some swing space.

029Um, if anyone hasn't had the opportunity to to be in Roshima Moa before, it's a wonderful building. Uh, it's got some some great character. And what's nice about this is in many in as many cases as possible. We're trying to maintain, you could see there, the existing wood trim, the darker color tones, and even refinishing some of the wood floors. So, this is going to give a real nice refresh to that building, as well as provide heating, air conditioning, and new windows to the spaces. So, we're excited to see that finally underway as well. All right. Uh we mentioned already and I know some of the board members had the opportunity at the end of August to walk through uh some of the elementary schools. So the renovation infrastructure work at Church Street, George Washington,

030Marin, and Ridgeway are substantially complete and we're in the closeout phase with all nine prime contractors. You have a couple of the uh nearing finish shots of uh Church Street and Marin um libraries there. and even some of the less exciting things but all important things that happened as part of this project. Uh major roof replacements at Marin, new HVAC units at George Washington and a new handicap accessible lift at Marin as well. Okay, we touched on these before, but we do have two projects that uh the design is complete and we have SED approval for. Again, it's the electric service upgrade to Ed House and the restrooms at Mammarin. So we'll be scheduling a bid timeline in the coming weeks with the district and with Triton and we'll be targeting summer 2026 construction for

031those restrooms. And lastly, just to talk about the in design or future work. So the last piece of design work at the high school that will be going up to SED before the end of this month. This is the uh project lead the way corridor widening handicap accessibility improvements and security doors. And then some uh some future work that we've been coordinating on with the district. So with some savings from the current HVAC projects which addressed all full-size classrooms, we're going to target to condition some additional spaces which include gymnasiums, resource rooms, and offices. And then serving lunch at the high school has been uh on the docket for some time. And we were had the opportunity to walk those spaces with facilities, with the high school administration, with uh food service and determine uh

032what's possible in terms of updating the food service lines. And we're looking forward to putting those projects into design in the near future. >> So our original plan just there were savings that we are now put into gymnasiums. That's awesome. >> I have no additional cost, right? >> Yeah. So if you were, you know, you you move up move up c ceremony in the in the gymnasium. It's warm in summer. Um no additional cost because of savings. >> We're looking more available. And so that has enabled us to be able to now look at this second tier space. >> Very exciting. >> At no extra cost. >> Great job. No, thank you. And again, just with with the air conditioning, I I think as everyone's aware, you know, the the state did put in a

033a temperature threshold this year. While that doesn't mandate air conditioning, districts need to have a plan to uh deal with occupied spaces. Gymnasiums and large spaces are included in that overall. So, you know, by having this, you'll you'll be a leg up to uh some of the surrounding districts for sure. >> Definitely. >> Yeah, White Plains is absolutely leading the way in terms of making sure that the environmental conditions are conducive to learning no matter what time of year it is. >> Excellent. >> Good said. >> Well said. It's practicing out of my way. >> That was a close one. >> So, uh, with that, that wraps up our, uh, capital project update and be happy to field any questions if you have. >> Very excited. >> Can you talk a little bit more about

034what's going to be in the new wing? Because a lot of people ask about what's going to be in there. So, can you tell more about you culinary arts, but what other areas are going to be in there? >> Your programmatic elements. So I think the the building is appropriately named the innovation wing and it focuses on a mix of um CTE which is career and technical education uh the arts and special education. So you'll have some special education spaces of programmatic elements that'll be you know mixed in with general population with the school. You've got culinary arts lab. You've got art studios, photography, uh presentation space, >> dance, >> ceramics, metallurgy, >> uh steam lab, >> um and culinary arts as you mentioned. So, it's really uh >> dance >> studio, >> photography, right,

035dark room, >> photography in a dark room, >> and the garden, right? And then uh also the these spaces while while there's still some other programmatic elements in function but um I know there's been several ongoing conversations with Boseies about potentially bringing in additional CTE programs into the space and and you'll now have the you know the available space to do so >> and the flexibility to change as necessary the curriculum and the offerings to the students based upon what the market is dictating and what our kids want to learn. >> Correct. Again, there's a handful of spaces that are a little more static, like again, culinary arts lab, a lot of piping, a lot of infrastructure. But to Dr. Ricker's point, we also have some some spaces that are essentially left a little more

036flexible to adapt to programmatic changes. >> That'll be great for the future, >> right? >> Yeah. So, so we're exciting to see it. And again, you're going to have some some really great spaces within that building that again are unique and uh you know, that not every district unfortunately is able to offer. So, it's it we're it's a long time to get to this point. We're excited to see it uh coming to uh coming to fruition. >> Yeah, I mean it's it's it's all really encouraging and the savings is, you know, just an indicator of how well um funds have been managed um for us to move forward in this manner. And it's just really important that our community knows that we're looking at saving and we are looking at monies that we save to

037reinvest in things that we can improve, upgrade or or build now. So, thank you. Thank you as well. >> Be able to most likely reduce the borrowing that was originally authorized um because of those savings associated with the renovations and the addition. So, >> we'll, you know, we'll firm those numbers up um as we get a little further along, but it does appear to be >> good. >> Yeah, it's very encouraging. >> And as you point out, this is phase two and it it's not like we weren't planning and expecting to do these kinds of additional renovations. We're just able to do them sooner and cheaper and cheaper. >> Sorry. >> Thank you all very much. Um it's now a a real pleasure um to welcome Dr. Deb Hand, Dr. Kathy Barolus, and Chris is

038also here with us this evening. And I and I do I I want to say, you know, between Mr. Madia, Dr. Hand, Dr. Barolus, all all of all of our colleagues, um the constant focus on student achievement and growth, >> um it never stops. And so always identifying ways to support our children and support our colleagues in the classroom um to make sure that each each child like our mission um is is truly working toward their particular potential. So Dr. Hand, floor is yours. >> Hi everyone. Good evening. >> Good evening. >> I just want to thank you for providing the opportunity to present our preliminary data from June 2025. In advance of the presentation, I want to share my appreciation to the trustees of the board of education, Dr. Ricka, and to all of

039our administrators, district, and school level, teachers, teaching assistants, and support staff for the dedication and commitment to the academic achievement and ongoing growth of our students. So, thank you very much. Can't do it alone, that's for sure. It's a team effort. So our first slide illustrates the growth in proficiency across grades three, four, and five on the New York State ELA exam. In grade three, the percentage of students meeting proficiency levels of three four of of three and four, levels three and four increased by 14% from the 2023 to 2024 school year with 53% of our students meeting proficiency in 2024 2025. In grade four, the percentage of students meeting proficiency levels in three and four increased by 7% from 2023 to 2024 with 50% of our students meeting proficiency in 2024 2025. In grade

0405, the percentage of students meeting proficiency levels of three and four increased by 14% from the 2023 2024 school year with 53% of our students meeting proficiency in 2024 2025. So we did see growth in ELA at our elementary schools across grades 3, four, and five and the same across individual schools as well. >> Question. >> Yes. >> You go back to that. the 53% on grade five, those were the 43% in grade four last year. Correct. So it really went up by 10%. >> Yes, if you look at the cohort data, of course, there are different children sometimes in in the cohorts. Um so we're careful with that and um but yes, when you're looking at it as you move across, you can also compare what's happening at third grade to fourth grade if

041you're looking at the next years. >> Thank you. So in response to these data results, we are focusing intentionally on curriculum instruction in the classroom as well as aligning support outside the classroom at the elementary level for ELA. In the dual language classes, we are implementing the American Reading Company or ARC core units which have been phasing in over the past three years. AR Core is a curricular resource that was developed specifically for a dual language learning environment. A new enhancement or advancement this year was to implement the arts and letters curricular resource from great minds in our non dual language classes. Arts and letters is a core curricular resource that includes comprehension, vocabulary, writing, and fluency instruction. Arts and letters as well as the art core are both knowledge building in design and aligned

042with the science of reading research. With these core curriculum resources, we are focusing on complex text with rich themes that include interdisciplinary connections. We are making connections with the content areas of social studies and science and involving our art teachers and librarians in our beautifully new built libraries in support of student learning as they dive into contentrich themes and complex text. In addition, we are enhancing writing instruction and including writing instruction intervention settings to bolster both writing and reading performance for our striving learners. So, those are just some of the new things that we're doing curriculum-wise um in the elementary school for ELA. Now, for in grades 6 through 8, we had a decrease in proficiency of 7% from 2023 to 2024. As we move to the 2024 2025 school year with a 35% proficiency

043rating for our students on the New York State ELA exam in grade SE seven, the percentage of students meeting proficiency levels of three and four increased by 9% from 2023 2024 to 202425 with 51% of our students meeting proficiency in this year. In grade 8, we had a slight decrease of proficiency of 1%. from 2023 to 2024 to the 2024 2025 school year with 46% of our students reaching proficiency on the New York State ELA exam. In response to the data, we will be conducting an ELA curriculum review across our middle school grades starting in grade six of this year. The review will include an analysis of shared instructional priorities, literacy research, and available curricular resources for study recommendation and selection. In addition, the coordinator of ELA and social studies preK through 6 is working

044closely with the director of world languages and multilingual learner programs K through 12 to reduce barriers for our multi for our multilingual learners. Our middle school students need to read and discuss complex text that are aligned to grade level standards and grade level content. Supporting teachers to analyze the NWE data and provide targeted supports to increase student growth and achievement. Other areas of focus include academic goal setting with our students and the continued refinement of portfolios that reflect growth goals, progress towards mastery and j and their journey toward achieving the attri attributes identified in the portrait of a graduate. So we are seeing that we are either flatlining at middle school or even having that reduction in sixth grade. Very concerned about that. Want to make sure that we have the right supports in place

045for our students as we move forward. Dr. H the sixth grade would that will you include a discussion about when a few years ago we removed critical literacy from sixth grade and >> I think we'll be looking at everything in the review um including all levels of what the you know ELA and sixth grade that we offer >> and they also have the NWA right >> and they have the NWA as well and one of the other things and we're going to stay open-minded with what we're looking at and the and the research that we're going to be studying but when the students are coming up with these very rich knowledgebased curriculums in in literacy. We want to make sure that we have that as a smooth transition as you move into sixth grade. >>

046So the arts and letters is K5. Arts and letters is K5 and the art core is also K5. >> And the program at the middle school is >> and the program in middle school is more of a teacher design program that's also aligned with the standards but really needs to have you know an insightful look deep into it this year. >> So we're going to start with sixth grade and then move forward with seventh and eighth grade. Okay. So now for the math, looking at math in grade three, the percentage of students meeting proficiency levels of three and four increased by 13% from the 2023 2024 school year with 57 of our stu 57% of our students meeting proficiency in 2024 2025. In grade four, the percentage of students meeting the proficiency levels of three

047and four illustrated a slight increase of 1% from 2023 to 2024 with 59% of our students meeting proficiency in 2024 2025. In grade five, the percentage of students meeting proficiency levels of three and four increased by 13%. from the 2023 2024 school year with 56% of our students meeting proficiency in 2024 2025. So again, you see nice growth. You also see in fourth grade math there's a little bit of flatlining, but we're very proud of the results that we're getting with the attention that we're paying to the curriculum and student learning growth and achievement in math for grades three through five. We are continuing the implementation of the Envision Math 2024 updated version which is in alignment with the New York State math standards. The coordinator of STEM preK through six who I want to

048say um oversees science as well as mathematics. I know there was a question if we had a coordinator for science down at the elementary level and we do. So the coordinator of STEM is ensuring that all new teachers as well as teachers that are new to a grade level are receiving support and professional learning on the core resource. You know as teachers move around from grade level to grade level the curriculum changes. So you have to make sure that you support that and we do have new new teachers coming in each year. We are also expanding problem based learning with the let's investigate component of the envision math program which focuses on promoting exploration and conceptual understanding prior to introducing specific specific learning content. We actually got to see that in action at a recent

049George Washington equity visit that we had. We are continuing to work with Dr. Paul Rickamini who is a professor from Penn State University as a consultant to implement strategies to enhance long-term retention and mathematical fluency and assessment data is used to inform instructional decisions and promote student learning in the classroom. For math in grades 6 through 8, we had no change in proficiency from 2023 2024 to 2024 2025 with 41% of our students reaching proficiency on the New York State math assessment. In grade seven, the percentage of students meeting proficiency levels of three and four slightly decreased by 1% from 2023 2024 to 2024 2025 with 49% of our students meeting proficiency. In grade 8, we had an increase of in proficiency of 9% from 2023 2024 to 2024 2025 with 59% of our students

050reaching proficiency on the New York State math assessment. Again, we're seeing that flat performance or a little bit of growth, but we we definitely want to move forward. In middle school math, we are facilitating targeted analysis of state assessment data through item level review to identify areas of strengths as well as areas in need of intentional focus. Teachers are engaged in ongoing professional learning focused on data interpretation from the NWA fall administration to inform instructional decisions and support student learning in the classroom. Dr. Paul Rikamini will be working with the middle school teachers centering on high impact strategies for scaffolding and retention. He's done a lot of research on how you review mathematical concepts and how you bring up different concepts in a spiraling manner but in a very intentional matter of repetition. The director

051of science, engineering, mathematics and CTE 7 through 12 is working with the teachers to conduct an item analysis of the grade 8 math exam, the algebra 1 exam and geometry assessments. We actually did a very deep dive with Chris Deia on the geometry regions that we administered in June. Found out a lot of information to help us move forward. In response to the item analysis, they will be identifying any learning gaps and implementing responsive instructional strategies. We will conduct a comprehensive review of curriculum standards and assessments in math for grades 6 through 8, including horizontal as well as vertical instructional coherence. Meaning, are all the teachers in the sixth grade teaching the same mathematical concepts and at the same level of mastery? And that would be true not only horizontal horizontally, but vertically moving up

052through the grade levels. is their is their coherence within and across the grade levels. In grade five, we had 46% of our students reaching proficiency on the grade 5 New York State Science Assessment in 2024 2025, which was an increase in proficiency of 12% from 2023 2024. And I do believe that, you know, sometimes it is helpful for you to realize like the New York State averages for these proficiency levels. And I believe if I can find it quickly, the New York State average for proficiency on the grade five exam was 45 and we were at 46. So right there at that level of, you know, of the state average in science at the elementary level, we have fully implemented the three-year phase in of the of the Putnham Northern Westchester Bosey's science 21 curriculum

053in grades K through five. This curriculum is aligned with the New York State Science Learning Standards and supports three-dimensional learning that includes science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. Students are having additional hands-on inquiry based experiences by engaging in the four science investigations spanning grades three through five that are a part of the assessment in preparation for the assessment but not necessarily a part of the actual assessment but they are in preparation for the assessment and that also shows you how the assessment is cumulative right it goes across the grade levels it's just not a one grade level assessment although they take it in grade five in addition we have project lead the way at the elementary level that supports engineering and design as well as the New York State Science Learning

054Standards and the Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards. In grade 8, we had 53% of our students reaching proficiency on the grade 8 New York State Science Assessment in 2024 2025. This was our first year of administration as we were administering the Earth Science regions in 2023 2024. So again, going back to the 53% just because this is kind of uh trying to quickly for the New York State average for grade I said the wrong thing before it was 44%. So the state average was 44% in our first year of administration our our proficiency rating was 53%. And dad just um just to point out that the science exams are only given in grades five through eight. That's why we don't have data for those other grades, >> right? They're only five through eight. That

055is correct. Okay. So in terms of the science work that we're doing at the middle school level, engage in identifying and exploring complex text to strengthen students ability to interpret data, construct explanations, and communi and communicate scientific understandings. Use the results of the New York State Science Assessments in grade five and grade 8 to facilitate discussions and implementation of instructional and pedagogical shifts to enhance student performance. begin a comprehensive review of science curricular materials across across grades six through eight to ensure that students engage with high quality supportive content that builds readiness as the students progress through the grade levels of middle school. And again, students are engaged in additional hands-on inquiry based experiences with the science investigator investigations that span grades 6 through 8. So the same way that we have those science investigations

056at the elementary level, we have them at the middle school level. And in grades 7 through 8, the director of science, engineering, math, and CTE 7 to 12 is facilitating monthly curriculum assessment review meetings with the teachers in support of shifting instructional practices to better align with the New York State Science Learning Standards. And as we know, we've been talking about for a few years now. the science learning standards are new and now the the assessments are are you know are being designed in alignment with those standards. So the next slide there I have two uh region slides. I have one slide without the bio regions and one slide with the bio regions. So I'll start with this but I'll flip it. They're the same slides except for the fact that the bio regions was

057the first administration of the new test this year. For our region's results, we use three years of data from 2022 to 2023 to the 2023 2024 school year and then 2024 2025 school year to illustrate the trends in performance. Our proficiency in algebra 1 was 65 cent 65% for June 2025. In geometry, 56% of our students performed at proficiency. >> D I'm sorry. Can you just say what proficiency level is on regions? proficiency level on regions is the same. It's when you're when you're scoring above a 65 on the regions. So, it's a little bit different. I don't I don't mean to say that it was the same because we don't do the numerical grading on the elementary, but it's anything that has a passing score, right? As opposed to the three and four system.

058>> What they they actually do use a numerical performance system, but mostly we pay attention to the fact of the 65 or greater. So our proficiency in the algebra 1 was 65% geometry was 56% and algebra 2 was 65% for our students meeting proficiency on the June 2025 regions exam all with significant increases if you look to the 2022 2023. So there might be some fluctuation from last year but we are seeing growth over time which is something that I definitely wanted to point out. Mhm. In biology, in biology, the first year administration, we had 70% of our students meeting proficiency. And in chemistry and physics, while we had decreases in proficiency in 2024, 2025, from 2023, 2024, we did see increases overall from 2022 and 2023. In chemistry, 44% of our students performed at

059proficiency and in physics, 76% of our students were proficient on the 2025 assessment. One important finding from 2023 to 2024 to the 2024 2025 school year was the participation of the participation rate of students particularly in these two exams, the chemistry and the physics exam. When you look at the chemistry exam taken in 2023 to 2024, we had a 91% proficiency rating. 91% participation rating and in phys and in 2024 to 2025 it was then 70%. So from 91 to 70% and in physics it went from 61% to 37%. So there's a lot of reasoning behind this. When you say participation, >> participation rate is how many students are taking the test that are eligible to take the test because they're sitting in classes that are regions courses. >> They were in the courses and

060then some of them opted not to take the regions exam. >> So the regions are getting a little tricky, right? Because the regions aren't part of your your final grade point average. They're not part of your final grade if you're a student. So they're uncoupled, if you will, from your, you know, from your from your final grades. They're also no longer listed on our transcripts because colleges don't necessarily look at the region's exam. There are five core regions exams that are graduation requirements depending on what happens with the blue ribbon commission and how they change graduation requirements. The other regions, for example, chemistry and physics, are really regions that you would take if you wanted to get an advanced designation on your diploma, which still exists until it doesn't exist because it is being phased

061out. So, you really can't look at regions the way that you looked at them maybe when we were in school. You really have to look at them for a different light right now. Um, and there are districts that only administer the five core regions. We've thought about that in the past. We really didn't want to take the opportunity away from students, but I I spoke to Emily Martinez today about this. And we really need to start to make sure that our children know why they're taking a chemistry regent, why they're taking a physics regions. And if they don't need to take it because they're not pursuing that advanced designation on their diploma, we really have to start to think of, you know, making sure that they at least have that knowledge and that information so

062that they can make the right decisions for themselves. Um, you know, go ahead. >> Does a nonparticipatory student play into these numbers at all? >> No, but I think it's just changing the end side the the you know the end size that the students that are taking the test. And then if we really drill deeper into it, there's a there's a there's a um there's a large number of our students that are taking honors courses that aren't that aren't bothering to take the regions because they are not trying to pursue an advanced designation on their diploma. So, it's more of trying to trying to see what you want, you know, what what is best in terms of for the children to take that exam or not take the exam and why they're taking it. You

063know, I can I know that there are there are neighboring districts who maybe one child takes the physics exam and then they have a 100% passing rate. So, if we're going to compare ourselves to that district, it's a little dicey. Um, just something to consider. I just wanted everybody to realize that the regions, especially when you when you pass those five core regions, um they it's a different landscape. >> When when do you think the timeline is for the phasing out? Because you said it's going to be phased out just >> I know that they're phasing it out over three to four years. I think it's the graduates that are becoming in I can get that. I I don't want to give like the wrong years for the for the for the differences in the

064graduation requirements. So what I wanted to say about the participation rate is that is something that needed to be investigated more closely as they are not core regent exams and not required for graduation. In US history we had 89% of our students at proficiency and in global history 88% of our students reaching proficiency. In English, we had 88% of our students at proficiency, which are very stable results across social studies and English. They they're very they've been the same for quite a while, even if we went back some years. At the high school level in math, we are providing professional learning throughout the year focused on the NWA administration, data interpretation, and effective communication of results. Last year we paused the NWA in mathematics at the high school and this year was a restart year

065for the assessment screening tool. The director of teaching learning and assessment 7 to 12 has been instrumental in this work. As a department, the team teachers are analyzing the state assessment results for grade 8, algebra 1, and geometry to identify teaching gaps and to plan and implement responsive instructional strategies to support student learning. Again, Dr. Paul Rickamini will be working as a consultant centering on high impact strategies for scaffolding and retention with an overarching focus of enhancing student understanding and long-term mastery of mathematical concepts. And there will be a comprehensive review of math course offerings to ensure a clear understanding of course descriptions, student work, student workload expectations and requisite skills needed to for student success. So that goes a little bit into what we were talking about with the regions um as well. And

066then in science at the high school level, there are changes for this year for physics and chemistry and earth science and earth and space science. Teachers are focused on implementing the newly required state laboratory investigations. This will be the first year that we're doing that first year of a new regent exam in those three courses. Also for us not leaving biology out as that was the new year last year for biology and the teachers were working on the same things and continuing to work on that. Working collaboratively on curriculum planning. The teachers are integrating investigative task and shifting instructional practices toward inquiry based learning aligned with the New York State Science Learning Standards. ENL partner teachers are studying the standards and planning for effective instruction for the multilingual learners. We are continuing to focus on

067instructional resources, materials, and assessments to ensure alignment with the New York State learning standards, the New York the New York State Science Learning Standards. And there will be a comprehensive review of high school courses, high school course offerings to ensure a clear understanding again of the course descriptions, student workload expectations, and requisite skills needed for student success. So, not as gatekeepers, but just as being very explicit and very honest of this is what this course is going to involve. This is what it's expecting for you to come in and be successful in this course. This is the workload that you're going to see in this course. The English department is focused on access for all learners and reducing barriers for multilingual learners through the use of data analysis and language objectives. This is supported by

068professional learning opportunities and collaboration of co-eing teams. The NWA data is being analyzed to inform differentiation of instruction and in turn to increase student growth and achievement. As we saw at the middle school level, other areas of focus include academic goal setting with students and the continued refinement of portfolios that reflect their growth goals, progress towards mastery, and journey towards achieving the attributes identified in the portrait of a graduate. And not to be repetitive, but just to show you that we're what we're doing in middle school, we're doing in high school. We we're really committed to this K through 12 experience, preK through 12 experience in social studies. And this slide is a little bit more involved and that is because we don't have a social studies exam until you hit the regions in um

069we don't have a state standardized exam until you get to the regions in high school. So we wanted to be able to include the K through 12 experience for social studies. So in social studies starting in the elementary schools we are using text sets to build content knowledge in alignment with grade level standards. Our teachers have been trained or will be trained in the Hatchman method for through the writing revolution for informational writing at the middle school and high school levels. They are implementing project-based learning in our C. We are implementing project-based learning in our course design. We are utilizing school AI to support student learning. Something else that we should talk about, you know, in more depth because we've had a lot of professional development on school AI. A lot of people are using

070it and it's a it's wonderful in in terms of being able to open up opportunities not only for our students but also for our teachers. Well, all grade seven and grade eight students participated in a civics's action project ensuring that they enter high school with one foundational civic point for the seal of civic readiness. That project was made was met with 95 with a 95% completion rate, meaning that 95% of our eighth graders coming into high school already have a point for the seal of civic readiness. And also in the US history um it in US history we are striving to increase mastery rates on the New York State US history regions. Currently we have 33% and our goal is to increase that by 15 to 20% on top of the 33%. And what is

071mastery? Mastery is when you're when you're passing the regions with an 85 or above. 138 students earned the seal of civic civic readiness at graduation in 2025 and they designed and implemented authentic community projects to enhance our community and we want to continue and we want to expand that and I've said before we want to include all students we want to really make sure that all students have an opportunity to earn that seal at graduation. Our course offerings creatively integrate concepts of economics and government. One example um being presented on this slide is about the use of food systems and assessments that focus on applied learning and project-based evaluations of that learning. And finally, the integration of complex text to build vocabulary and foster discussion around social studies content. So I hope that through this

072presentation you've seen a lot of interconnectedness between literacy and the and the content subjects and the work that's happening continuously in that K through 12 environment and wow that was a lot and when you think about the attri attributes of the portrait of a graduate that students are academically prepared that they're creative innovators that they're critical thinkers effective communicators global citizens reflective and future focused I think that everything that we do leads into that portrait of a graduate. So, you might think that I'm finished, but I'm not because I am going to invite Dr. Kathy Barus, the director of elementary teaching and learning and assessment preK through six and Christopher Deia, the director of secondary teaching, learning and assessment 7 to 12 up to the podium. And Dr. Bar Polus will provide a brief smile

073intended in overview of the NWE map growth results from our most recent fall 2025 administration which really just finished. >> I know we're going to look at some NWA data right now. >> Just a little bit. think just looking at data, even as a teacher in a classroom, it's uncomfortable and and hard sometimes among colleagues and as a board, I think it's like critical to our charge as a board to have you do these presentations for us because we need to see this and we need to see it by grade and we need to see it by school and and it's helpful. Um, we all go to like annual exams with our own doctors, right? And if they just looked at us and said, "You look great, like see you in a year." We would

074never accept that, right? So, we don't want to accept it with our kids in our district. And I think, you know, we get blood work, you get news back about cholesterol, and it requires lifestyle changes. Um, I think, you know, we get some results like this, and it prompts us to make some instructional choices and conversations and help. >> There are some differences between a doctor's um report than than our reports. But I get it. I get the I get the analogy. >> I mean, we can dig down into the data, but I mean, some of it is concerning, you know, and I think it's important to have the conversations. And there is a difference between a medical doctor and this data. But the point should not be lost that we need this is critical

075to what we do. And conversations need to happen at grade levels and among and with teachers and administrators >> to make sure we're making you know the improvements that we can. We have a lot of instructional tools. We have the NWA excellent programs in this district classrooms in this district. We have a lot of resources. So I think it's important and I know this is just a broad view but we can dig down and you can and look by DNL. You can look by special ed, right? You could look by poverty level, you can look by gender. >> So I we would never want to see that presented publicly, but I think it's important to know that we have access to that data, right? >> Yeah. >> And this data is not public yet because

076it is still preliminary. It will be considered public data. I mean, it's public because we're presenting it, but it's not officially public until it's presented on the New York State data website, and that hasn't happened yet. But yes, we have all iterations of this data drill down to the point of uh, you know, data overload. So, you could either get lost in data or you look at data, as I say to Kathy all the time, you look at data and the reason why you're looking at data is to form instruction and to improve student outcomes. So, you don't want to just look at numbers all the time because it's not just all about numbers. It's a lot about all the other stuff that we do and that's why I want to make sure when I

077show the data that I contextualize it in the hard work that's going on in the classrooms. >> Well, I don't want to there's there's hard work being done in the classrooms. I don't want to make it sound like I'm there's not hard work in the classroom. So, there's absolutely work being done in classrooms for sure. >> Okay. >> Can I ask one more question? >> Yeah, sure. >> For the how do parents know what that information be? like once the scores come out and you get the information, you're saying it's we have all this information, but how do parents know what's going on with their >> right now? We're using the NWA. I think that this is in our second full year of of implementation. And the NWA is a screening tool for for our

078teachers, right? So, parents have access to the data if they want it. They've been asking us for it. And right now, we're training our teachers and our administrators on on kind of explaining the parent reports, the family reports that will go home. like you can't send something home unless our teachers feel really comfortable being able to explain what's in it. So Kathy can talk a little bit more about that. We only have two data slides and then she can answer questions about NWI. Okay. >> Thank you. >> And and Chris. Thanks Chris. >> Thank you. >> And a big thank you to the members of our board of education, Dr. Ra and also Dr. Hand for all of your support. Um, so I'm going to talk a little bit about NWA MAP and also explain

079a little bit and answer questions. Um, so I'm Kathy Barulus and this is also Chris Jamadia. We work very closely together um as the directors of elementary and secondary. Um the NWA MAP and it stands for the Northwest Evaluation Association measure of academic progress is an adaptive assessment which means that the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers all of the previous questions. As a student answers the question correctly, the questions become more challenging and in this way the assessment can calibrate and adjust as a student takes the assessment. So, NWA MAP was chosen and it was a result of our district MTSS steering committee using a process and as our universal screener for mathematics in grades K through 12 and for reading in grades 5 through 11. It's administered

080in the fall, winter, and spring. And it's aligned with the New York State Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards and the New York State Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards for K through 12. NWA MAP helps provide teachers with actionable insights to help inform instruction. So, we're going to move on and take a look at the map for math first and as you look yes >> stand for on the last slide >> and so RIT that's the Rous that's the RIT score and that is the Roush unit and it's arbitrarily it's it is named after um Roush and it's a unit that is used to measure student progress so we look at how the students RIT score changes from their fall to their winter and spring. >> It is >> and the reason why we're

081working on reporting to parents >> exactly. So as we look at the math data um the data for the NWA map growth in mathematics shows that for the fall administration which took place during the month of September our students median percentile falls in the 41st to the 60th percentile range at each grade level with the nth grade students falling in the 61st percentile which positions them well for continued academic success and growth. So that's where you see the median percentile, the yellow. You'll notice it's listed on the left just after each grade level. And you'll also notice in the middle of the chart, that is where we see the percentages of our students falling in that median percentile. The NW as I said um in addition the NWA data helps teachers target instruction to support

082student learning and increase student achievement. So in other words, our teachers can look ahead at their curriculum maps and they can also use the NWA data to see how they're going to add scaffolds of instruction and really target the instruction. And as we're looking at this chart, you'll notice that 9th grade, the one in green there, has a 61st percentile noted. Um, it's important to note that students at the high school for this year, if they are in an algebra, a geometry, or an algebra 2 class, any course aligned to those three, they were tested with NWA. And this is meant to parallel the fact that we go up to 11th grade for the reading side. So there are actually some students who are in uh a more accelerated track um who already in 10th

083grade are past those three core classes. So 10th and 11th and 12th grade um some of those students are not represented in the data. So you see as sort of peaks at 61 and those numbers would be um >> yes question. >> Could you go to the mic talking to the microphone? >> Okay. I'm sorry. What I was was clarifying is that um in the high school 9th through 12th grade only students in courses aligned to algebra, geometry or algebra 2 participate in the exam. >> Is just a quick question going back to like the region scores. Is there any way to align these kinds of results to what's happening on the regions? >> That's a great question. There is a tool for teachers called the learning continuum. And what that will do is line

084up the standards and allow them back to that RIT score that every student has. And it allow a teacher to go in and reference how a student did on this exam and look at what standards they're ready to learn next. And in that way, it makes it it can make it a valuable tool as teachers are planning and looking to differing instruction within any of those courses. Um, but the NWA is an overall not specifically zeroed in to one class. Great question. As we look at this slide, it depicts the reading um growth in NWA map. And you'll notice the median percentile in grades 5 through 12 also falls within that 41st to 60th percentile range, which again puts our students in solid positioning for continued growth and grade level achievement. We look forward to

085continuing to use the NWA data to inform instruction and implement responsive instructional strategies. So, there's two things that we wanted to mention in terms of next steps. Um, and of course, we hope to be back to be able to share more. We just have administered this for the first time in the for this year in the fall. But after the winter administration, a whole new dimension opens up for us, which is growth. And it allow us to track our programs and see how students um across all angles are growing. And this gives additional opportunities for us and our directors and and our teachers to take a look and see what those trajectories look like for students to make sure that we're maximizing in all of our instructional spaces. Um, and I also would be remiss

086if I didn't mention this is very much a big part of the MTSS districtwide steering committee work. This universal screener allows us to really have some bedrock as one of the data points as we look at students as a universal screener across the district. >> This is the first time we've administered 9 through 11 this year. Right. So >> yes, we we keep adding on grade levels as we implement more professional learning for our teachers. And so it has as we implement more professional learning for all of our teachers. And so we really have focused on bringing in the high school teachers as well. >> And the winter administration will allow you to real time make changes within a school year. So we're not waiting for the following school year to make changes. You can

087actually do them intra school year if something is or is not working. >> Exactly. And that's what makes that winter administration which is mid January to midFebruary so helpful to our teachers um and to our principles as we look ahead in the curriculum maps and we can make adjustments to what scaffolds we can help provide to what supports we need and if we need to bring in additional resources to assist. And because this is an exam that is used nationally, we can look at national data as well. >> Thank you. Um, yes, that was a very important point because this year they changed the norms and they updated the norms. So now we have this norm referenced assessment where we can compare how our students as an aggregate are doing compared with students across the

088country. And with math it seems a little more clear with black and white with with like the English portion. No, this is just reading comprehension, right? We're not assessing writing. >> Correct. >> Whereas the regions assesses reading comprehension as well as writing, right? So >> we also don't have it for K through four because we're using dibbles. >> The dibbles, right? >> Dibbles. >> Yes. >> So the power of this is really for individual students like as a screening tool. you're really administering this to all of your students so that you can see what students need additional support, what students are at grade level, what students need extensions. So, we can look at this programmatically, but the design of the assessment is really as a screening tool. >> How do the teachers in high school

089use this? because they have obviously all different students like how does and it's different from and I guess middle school too because they have all different teachers as well whereas an ele elementary school is one teacher and one student so they can make adjustments does that same thing happen at the middle and high school level >> that's a great question >> it's math >> and I do have to say that all of the teachers are really wanting to see this stuff so Kathy you're up at the mic so you can you can explain explain how you know like the science teachers are interested in seeing social Oh yes, all all of the teachers in all subject areas have asked to be a part of the professional learning. And so as a result, we have invited

090teachers in other subject areas because they are also able to see how students are progressing and then look at their curriculum and how this can help to inform how they may need to want to bring in some extra scaffolds or looking at the makeup, what they would like to bring in in terms of extensions of learning as well. so they can really meet the needs of all students in their classes. If that helps understand how teachers use it, I know it's math and reading or math and ELA, but math and ELA applies to everything, right, in high school because you need those two skills for everything. >> So, it's a it's a good question. So, we we also just in terms of the platform itself, um the teachers that go in there, they see all

091of their students. So, it's not like it's just in the math and ELA. So, as we've been doing all this professional training, for example, on the 4th when we had uh five facilitators in from NWA, um a lot of that was focused on classroom instruction. What do you do with this when you're sitting down to plan? Um and there is a lot there, but students can see it across the content. You may look at that differently if you're a math teacher relative to a science teacher. Um, some of the the real time uh things that I've seen with teachers doing is making sure that they're if you're let's say a science teacher and you have the NWA and you know what the reading levels are across your classroom, you're making sure that you've got resources

092throughout all of that on both ends. It allows you to differentiate appropriately. Um, math in the same way if you're coming up on something to make sure that you can meet students where they are no matter what content you're teaching uh relative to the ELA and math. We'd like to thank everyone for your support uh with professional learning. Thank you. >> Thank you very much Dr. Han. Thank you Dr. Parolus. Thank you Mr. Daddy. And I think you know this goes a long way to demonstrate that and as the board knows we've incorporated all all of these academic growth metrics into our annual goals and objectives. And really you know to to Dr. Dr. Latzia's point, education in so many ways is is an individualized experience. And one of the biggest challenges that that our

093colleagues have that we as teachers have is is working to individualize the experience based upon the learners who are in front of us. It's not going to be the same people that we did last year. Every year brings brings a new group of students and a new set of needs. And these types of supports um and these types of assessments I think go a long way to being able to help to provide some additional information to be able to make those midyear mid-marking period adjustments and corrections to best support our students. So I really appreciate you you all going through and and sharing the the growth the growth factors and certainly really appreciate all of the hard work um in the classroom that that our colleagues have undertaken. Um and and there's going to be

094this is going to be forever work, right? because like like we all know um you know we we need to not only inspire uh the engagement level um of of all of our students but we also have to make sure that we're we're providing them with other supports even before it becomes time for learning and the way city school district has done a great job I think in in a lot of ways of doing that feeding our children you know taking care of them making sure that their basic needs are met so they get into the classroom and and be able to be their best for learning. Can I ask one more question? >> So how does do the students get this information too or explained to them or is it like reviewed with them

095as well? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> And this is like these are snapshots of the assessments that we give. We have the nice to tell, the nice to spot. I mean, we have stamped assessments. We have quarterly assessments. We have midterm assessments, >> unit tests, quizzes, >> dos, exit tickets. >> Do now do now. >> Yep. >> Lots of assessments. >> Is that Yeah, that concludes the superintendent report. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Thank you. So, next we'll move to the public participation part of our meeting. Is there any It's crowded and we don't have any public participation. So, now we'll go to our um our consent agenda. Um so, we have summary action items 4 through 8. And may I have a motion? >> So, move. >> Any questions? >> Thank you, Madam President.

096And I'd like to draw your attention to item 4B, this month's list of donations. And again, we are grateful for these very, very generous donations. A $450 donation from Tomorrow Rubenstein and Michael Greenberg for the Highlands Middle School spring musical. $776.70 donation from the George Washington Girls Tennis Salt for the US Open trip held in August 2025. A $3,000 grant from the friend of the Friends of the White Plains Public Schools for the outdoor classroom program at Post Road for all fifth grade students. $4,300 donation from Mr. Fred Singleton. Again, congratulations, coach. Um to cover the expense of the bus to The Ford, Vermont for the cross country team. 40 sneakers donated from Nordstrom for Church Street School. And then three grants for our middle schoolers that were approved by the Way Plains Middle School

097PTA for the following. Uh grant number one is a request for t-shirts, which will be used for class trips, including the upcoming Bronx Zoo trip. It helps to keep everybody in track of everybody. Um and grant number two, also uh t-shirts for East View sixth grade, which will be used to promote and unify identity and school spirit at East View. And grant number three, um uh from East View, funding for the traditional Indian dance troop interactive instruction at Eastview's international celebration, which will take place on January 21st, 2026. Thank you so much for all of those generous donations. >> Thank you. and we are very fortunate indeed to be in a gener a generous uh community and as usual our friends of White Plains may um all in favor >> I I >> thank you.

098Next we'll move to individual action items. Individual action item A. Um it it's be it resolved in the event that the building principal is absent from the building during the 2526 school year. The list of individuals as itemized in our backup will serve as acting principal for short-term student discipline matters pursuant to section 3214 of the New York State Education Law and the respective buildings as set forth in our documentation. May I have uh may I have a motion? >> So moved. Second. >> Oh, do we have any questions? Did you want to comment? >> I'd just like to thank Dr. Tessic for the great idea. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. >> Will this item in the future be moved to earlier in the school year? >> Yeah, this will be part of reorganization. >> Yeah.

099>> Thank you, sir. >> Yeah, that's good point. >> Any other questions? >> All in favor? >> I. Next we go uh to individual action item B. The recommended approval of the request for an extension as per CSA contract of the paid period of absence beyond 30 working days due to an accident in the line of duty for the following employees as itemized in our backup. May I have a motion? >> So move second. >> Do we have any questions? All in favor? >> I. Next we have item C. Um, yes. C. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The recommended approval of the amendment to the inventory of positions for the following um teacher assistant and teacher aid as itemized in the backup. May I have a motion? So move. Any questions on that? All in favor? >>

100I. Next. Under individual action item D. Uh, be it resolved that the board of education hereby approves and authorizes the board president and superintendent of schools to execute a certain settlement agreement and general release um with an with employee 9533 signed by signed by such employee on October 29th. a copy of which has been previously reviewed by the members of the board of education. May I have a motion? >> Second. >> Do we have any questions? All in favor? >> I. Next, we move to individual action item E, which is the recommended approval of the extension of the administrative appointment of Joseph Spiro from December 1st, 2025 to June 30th at a predeemed daily rate of 650. May I have a motion? >> Second. >> Do we have any questions? All in favor? >> I.

101So, next we have individual action item F. Resolve that the board of education of the White Plains City School District approve the overnight trip for the White Plains High School varsity softball team to attend softball spring training in Orlando, Florida from March 26, 2026 through April 2nd, 2026. May I have a motion? >> Second. >> Any questions? All in favor? >> I That's nice. Okay. Next, we move to individual action item G. the resolved that the board of education of the White Plains City School District approve the overnight trip for the White Plains High School boys varsity basketball team to attend the Hoop Ball Tournament and visit the Basketball Hall of Fame Museum in spring Springfield, Massachusetts from January 16, 2026 through January 18th, 2026. May I have a motion? >> Second. >> Any questions?

102All in favor? I that is a really nice strip cuz I been there. Next we go to um uh individual action item H. Um the recommended action is the approval of the overnight trip for the White Plains High School seed uh group. um that is to attend to the the Taconic Outdoor Center in school in Cole Spring, New York from December 10th, 2025 through December 11th, 2025. And this is an overnight trip. May I have a motion? >> Any questions? >> Is Charlie going to be here? >> That's the question. >> You might be babysitting. >> Yeah, that's that was waiting. Yes, >> baby. Can you answer that? >> Yep. Yep. Yep. All in favor? >> I I um ne the the last um the last item that we have is um that we have

103some policies um on our agenda for our first reading. Policy 8635, 5550, 5500. These are edits uh 5500 as well. sample sample policy and edits. Do you want? >> Yeah, I just want to say thank you to the policy committee. A lot of hard work went into making the these revisions. These will bring us in line and updated um with the requirements in state law and regulation and um we're looking forward to have them on for December, >> right? >> Um but again, thanks to the policy committee, we went through >> every word. >> I know you did. >> Yes, we did. >> I know you did. >> Every comma. >> We got them. And if sorry the revision of these so this comes from NISBA and then we in response to NISBA update our

104local policy. >> Yeah. Yeah. So so the templates come from NISBA and they're reviewed by their legal department and then um our policy committee receives them. Um typically you know the the Way Plain City School District really looks at required policy. We don't get into local or sort of um you know you could you could choose and we want to stick with what the law is in most cases. Uh, but then the policy committee then does, and I will say very good at this, really does a good job of of kind of refining the language without losing the legal um context, not making it redundant, you know, correcting some errors, things of that nature. >> Yeah. >> Okay. And we don't need to to vote on this. This is just for information. >> Yeah. So

105next we'll move um to um board discussion for um board committee reports. Of course we met um uh HR and discuss confidential matters. Um I will ask you Craig to comment um on finance committee as well as your your visit uh here. >> Sure. The finance committee last week met had a capital markets update from capital market advisors. Um the portfolio that we have is an extremely conservative portfolio consisting of uh mostly US government treasuries. Um we are earning a yield on that portfolio in excess of the Fed funds rate about 35 to 40 basis points above the Fed funds rate. um which is great considering it is as conservative a portfolio as we can have. >> Um so they're doing a very nice job for us. And we also had a facilities update from

106Javier Hernandez who covered a lot of the same material that uh Trident and H2M covered tonight and Javier did a great job presenting the material to the finance committee and we appreciate his assistance. >> Mr. much. You want to talkum just a little bit also um about the Moody's? >> Sure. >> Yeah. >> Um we had a meeting with um the Moody's rating agency in advance of um the bonds that will be issued by the school district. Um Dr. Rickard, Dr. Vicario Tish did a fantastic job presenting the school's case to Moody's. Um it included a tour of our very fine city which the city of White Plains participated in as well and supported. Uh it really is a joint effort with the city and the school district to present this the city and the

107school district in the best light possible. Um and then we had a very frank discussion with them um in this very room um to really explain to them the um budget process that we go through um the five-year strategic plan that we go through, the annual budget cycle that we go through, which of course, as uh Cheryl pointed out, started already this year with public comment, which um was extremely well attended. So um the Moody's visit overall I think went very very well and we will see what they come out with. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for that was an exciting visit I would think. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So the the wellness committee meeting agenda and and info is here as an attachment. Do you want to discuss your

108committee? >> I'm that that's me. I was here. >> That's here. No, it the Zoom is here because even though it was on I had a meeting at the last minute at work, but it won't happen again. But the one thing I do appreciate is that the Zoom is here should you want to see it. >> Um I'm always excited about this committee. I have a lot to to say about the wellness of our students and and how we take care of them, you know, athletically and just on a daily basis. So hopefully I'll be able to come back with more. But the I was just gonna add I just it makes sense I think to >> um just recognize um the >> Miss Mag Yeah. because she she and the team chef everybody working

109in food services really has been doing a tremendous job to show him. Yeah. So thanks to Miss Pra and and everybody in food services >> and the fact that we get to you know sample anything um >> it's you know we can say that we know we eat what you eat. Right. We can really say that. Right. So I I think that's a you know it's an important component. >> Yes. >> So policy matter. >> I was going to just I was just going to say one more thing. That's okay. Sorry. Don't worry. Don't worry. I was going to say you know finance you know and Craig has covered that and if if there's anything else on any other committees. >> You mentioned policy. So um we did the first reading. The policies that we

110did the first reading for had to do with data privacy, data security, student records, and student privacy. >> Sure. >> Um, special ad committee met and discussed the ongoing work with our um, contractors regarding the audit and bringing forward how to implement that work in progress and um, hopefully be able to bring more information at the December meeting. >> Yeah. And just to add one other thing, there are attachments from the finance committee on the agenda, you know, should you want to read it as well. It it was it was a great that it it was a great meeting. All of them are great, don't get me wrong, >> but it it it's great because it's so complex and when it's broken down to where like Craig of course is, you know, this is his

111wheelhouse finance, but when I understand it and I'm getting like I'm grooving on it, I really really appreciate that. So >> I I'll add curriculum and instruction met as well and we saw the presentation today and I think all the commentary pretty much touched on everything that was discussed but I'll just mention a couple of um highlights. Um so Chris did mention MTSS which is multi-tered systems of support. Um that's the acronym. Um and that steering committee has met I think maybe four times at this point. Um, and it really is about supporting all students and the NWA assessment that was discussed is is the the screener. There's a state pilot um that is also taking place and we're aligned with that. Um, also the staff development which was mentioned a little. So there was

112staff development on uh election day that um had to do with NWA. There was AI staff development. Um there was physics and chemistry training at Putnham Northern Westchester Boseies. And the health teachers also uh engaged in training having to do with co-occurring uh disorders. >> Not all ones. >> Not all one. >> Right. >> Very long day. >> Right. >> Can I add one thing if you don't >> different teachers, different things. Um, one thing I left out on the Moody's visit that we did have, the district is currently rated double A1, which is the second highest rating that Moody's offers. AAA is the highest, double A1 is the second highest. Being double A1 is extremely important. It allows us ready access to the municipal bond market, as well as saving the taxpayers a tremendous

113amount in interest. the lower the rating, the higher the rate that you need to offer the market to take your bonds. So being double A1 puts us in a very very strong position with the market. Um so I just wanted to add that piece. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> So there two just two late items to let the board know. Um thanks to uh Dr. Hand and and Tina Kelly. Um the White Plane City School District has been awarded in in part with other uh a couple other school districts in the region. Um a grant that will allow access to our students through the Dolly Parton Library, the Imagination Library where all of the children will receive age appropriate books ma who sign up mailed to them >> um so they can begin their

114own home libraries. That's awesome. >> Fabulous. Um and and uh and we also had a a student participate actually organize and participate um native plant Olympics um which I have to I have to also thank Dr. Han. Dr. Han spent about two hours um at the native plant Olympics last week and um we had students at our our schools Rochambo the high school and GW who won awards um in the native plant Olympics. So very cool. >> Oh my god. That is >> I do too. I do too. That is very interesting. So yeah, before we adjourn, just to thank John Shepard and John Mavitz and I'm not and Matt Matt, what what's Matt's last name? John, >> sorry. >> Lampel. >> Okay. Matt Lampal. So we can call you by your proper government name.

115Yes. >> Thank Yes. So, thank you. Thank you for what you do to make our our uh board meetings accessible to the public. It's very inclusive, especially for the parents who can or guardians or anyone to get here at at the designated time. It's a very important function. So, we will we will remind you at every meeting how important it is and we will say thank you at the end of every meeting. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Doc. Our our our cabinet, thank you for everything. We appreciate it. Um, thank you for all you do. So, without further ado, may I have a motion to adjourn our meeting? >> So, moved. Second. >> All in favor? I Heat. Heat.