001helpful and [music] and you know and it now I just want to pay it forward. I just want to help other kids just like how my [music] teachers helped me to be where I'm at today. You know, being the first person to graduate in my family was very hard for me to kind of grasp everything that went to it. But my teachers were there uh from day one to help every single minute. And one of my teacher even drove me from school to to the administration office to make sure that all my papers are in and you know all everything is set so that I can start school the next Monday. So I felt like that that was so important and how the teachers cared about the students uh their [music] success and things like
002that. So, I just felt like, you know, hey, this is what I want to be. This [music] is what I want to do. You know, just help kids like myself who need help because if it wasn't them, I would not be sitting where I'm at right now. >> The diversity um [music] there are so many opportunities in Columbus um that other small towns don't give you. [music] We have a lot of resources here, but just the diversity of the families and the people that live here. For the early childhood educator who's [music] considering a career in Columbus City Schools, do it. We will come a rally around you and you start somewhere, but that is not where you end up. We will grow with you and [music] you will be surprised at the amount of
003per professional growth and personal growth that you will have working with our children in this district. [music] Time for school. Have a good day at school. I love you. Darling, >> nice day. Come on. I'm >> Math is everywhere you look. It's in everything you do and it can be fun to use. Won't you join us on today's episode? Hello and welcome back to Math Math Everywhere. I'm Renee Harris, your math magician, helping you to see the magic in math. Today we're spending some time at Oakland Nursery with summer experienced students from East Lynden Elementary School. We're going to see what kind of math is involved in planning and preparing for gardens. Come on, let's go inside. So, look what I found. A nice little bag of beet Detroit Supreme seeds. So, when we're thinking
004about planting gardens, we have to have a plan on where we're getting started. And that plan first involves what kind of seeds are we going to need for planting. Now, the cost of this bag of [music] seeds is $2.79. But take a look here. Today, there's a savings of 25% off. [music] So calculating that discount that is math. And then some other specs that are included in planting and preparing for your garden [music] is they need to be harvested. It takes at least 60 to 65 days for that harvest time. So the depth, in other words, how deep are you going to plant [music] those seeds? That's part of measuring. You need to make sure the depth is at least 1/ half an inch deep into the soil before you begin to [music] plant those
005seeds. Let's see what else we can find here in terms of math at the nursery. [music] Again, we're here today at Oakland [music] Nursery with some East London summer experience students. And here I have with me is >> Zion and >> they're going to help me do something called subetizing. >> I've got a really pretty plant to show you. [music] And I want you to look at the plant and tell me how many blooms you see. You ready? >> Yeah. >> This one. >> Three. How did you know it was three? >> Cuz I was looking with my eyes. >> Yes. Did you didn't have to count? You just knew. [music] All right. Now, we are still going to count so we can confirm that there are three. Let's count together. That's one, two, [crying]
006three. So, that's three. Great job. Give me a high five. >> Yes. So, if you're thinking about planting your own garden, remember there are a few simple math concepts that are wrapped [music] up in gardening, like measurement, time, the size and shape of your garden, the square footage that garden is going to cover. Perhaps a visit to Oakland Nursery will inspire you to want to create your own garden. As always, thank you for joining us today with Math Math Everywhere. And as always, math is everywhere. I can say it's truly magical. [music] They love the taste of fresh produce just [music] from the plant. Some of my student don't even know where some food comes from from the grocery stores. [music] So, they learn so many things when they garden. So, they really want to
007be a part of it. Some of them at first [music] they're really excited about it, but then there are others that say, "I really want to know a little bit more about this." So, it's more than just looking [music] and glassing at it. It's like, "How can I be a part of this?" because I've seen it go from being just a [music] seed and now it's growing and I want to be a part of that process. So they they really take care of everything and [music] do it all and know how to do it all and they have a lot of pride in that in showing whoever comes into our [music] classroom what they do and how they do it and what they've grown. I think it's [music] really cool that they're learning how food
008is actually grown now because so many places are using all hydroponics and so it's really opening their mind to see [music] different ways that food can grow. >> Learning how to grow is really important and when you see it in person, [music] it's a lot different than just reading about it or seeing pictures of it. And taking the fresh [music] produce that you grow and then being able to cook it and taste it in your classroom, then potentially going home and requesting it [music] at home, I think is pretty powerful of an impact. It tastes different [music] because it's more fresh at the moment. And also when you pick when you freshly pick it and just go wash it real quick and then eat it, it's like [music] it's crunchy and delicious. But when you
009buy it from the store, it [music] doesn't taste normal. >> This is the best salad I ever tasted. This This salad is This salad is so much yummier than my mom's own salad. >> Having [music] like a fresh lettuce that you just picked is really It has its unique taste. >> It was my first time ever trying [music] choy and kale. They looked pretty weird at first. When my [music] friends told me to try it, I just I just took a bite and it was super good. Oh, it's so [music] cute because they really have a new taste when they try like tomatoes from the grocery store. I mean, they [music] don't taste the same as fresh from the vine. And just their their brains are explo like normally [music] they want to ask for
010ranch and they just pop it without it. So that's amazing. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. >> [music] [music] >> In the spring of 2024, Fort Hayes was unexpected. ly without a choir teacher. The principal, Dr. Milton Ruffin, took it upon himself to teach the class. Their final project was to be a recording of a song written by Dr. Ruffin. We now present to you the result of their hard work. All right, let's uh let's do um celebrate. >> Ready? Go. >> [music] >> So we get the drop the jaw and sit up and one two ready. [singing] We can find a better tomorrow. And hope we can find [singing and music] a common place. And hope we find love for [singing and music] each other. That's why we clap our hands and we lift
011our voice. [music and singing] And hope I can find a better you. I was pretty nervous. I'm not even going to lie. Uh I was nervous, but then again, I was I was very excited. Um I was like, it's my first time going. Uh I hope I don't I hope I don't mess this up for everybody. You know, all these thoughts in my head. Uh but at the end at the end of the day, uh I'm glad I did it. I have no regrets of doing it. I wish I could do it again. Sadly, this is my last year. Uh but yeah. There's a bright [music and singing] and it's closer [music] [singing] where we all participate and we'll [music] overcome that day. >> He treated us like he treats his college student. >> Yeah.
012Which was cool, but at the same time it's a little little rough to meet those expectations. >> It was very challenging for us to get there. We clap our hands and we lift our voicees. [music] I can find a better [singing] you. You can find a [music] better >> I listen to just the stems of the song every day for about two weeks before the recording session. And then when I came in, you know, I we did about two takes of it. I think it's combin it was a combination of like the first and second take and looked at the digital audio workstation on his computer and you know try to make you know the drums sound as you know keen to the song as possible. Now we stand [music] at [singing] every [music] day.
013There is a brighter day coming where we all day we cate. [music and singing] And so it's a it's tricky especially for people who are not used to recording, young students, uh people who it's their first time recording, [music] they get nervous. There's really no audience to give you that energy, feedback, and that um appreciation for what you're doing. It's just an empty room with me. [music] The botto now we stand at last. There's a bright [music and singing] day coming and it's getting closer every day. [singing and music] There is a bright day coming where we all participate and we'll overcome that [music] day and we celebrate. and we celebrate. Cate and we cate and we cate [music] and we cate. [applause and cheering] Greetings and welcome to this week's highlights from across the
014district. The 2025 football season was one to remember across Columbus City schools. Six of our high schools earned a spot in the OSAA [music] 2025 state football playoffs. An achievement that reflects the dedication, discipline, and teamwork of our student athletes, coaches, and athletic staff. Each team represented their school and our district with heart and determination, showing what it means to lead with character both on and off the field. Their efforts inspire classmates, families, and fans citywide, showcasing the strength of Columbus City League football. Congratulations to all of our teams on an incredible season. Your commitment [music] and teamwork capture the pride and spirit of Columbus City Schools. On Tuesday, November 4th, I joined Karen Morrison, president of the Ohio Health Foundation, and Kina Fulen, CEO of I Know I Can, at Beachcraftoft High School to
015celebrate a $150,000 investment that will expand healthcare career exploration opportunities for our CCS students. The funding will enhance the district's careermies, providing more students with access to hands-on learning [music] experiences, career advising, and exposure to highdemand health science pathways. Through this partnership, students will be able to connect what they learn in the classroom [music] to realworld health care settings, gaining valuable skills that will prepare them for college and beyond. On Friday, November 7th, students from Champion Middle School and East [music] High School spent the day at Columbus State Community College for the 2025 We Are STEM Health and Science Day, an immersive experience that explored the world of science, health, and technology. Throughout the day, students participated in interactive lab sessions led by Columbus State faculty and engaged with professionals from organizations such as Ohio
016Health, the Wexner Medical Center, and the Ohio State University. The event concluded with a student panel where college students shared personal stories, provided advice and encouragement, reminding our middle and high school students that with hard work, curiosity, and confidence, they can turn their interest into lifelong opportunities. Thank you to Columbus State Community College for hosting an incredible day of discovery and for inspiring our students to explore the endless possibilities in [music] science, health, and technology. Also on Friday, November 7th, [music] Columbus City Schools, the city of Columbus, and Franklin County came together in a powerful show of community partnership to support families affected by the federal SNAP suspension through a $125,000 grant from the city of Columbus. Five CCS school sites opened as food distribution centers, providing 3,786 ready to eat meals in the first
017week with more than 46,000 [music] meals planned for distribution in the coming weeks. This effort represents the strength of our SNAP response partnership and the compassion of CCS staff and volunteers who stepped up to serve our CCS families. Thank you to the city of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners, and our community partners for standing with us to keep our families fed and our community strong. As we prepare for the upcoming holiday [music] season, Columbus City Schools is excited to celebrate Wellness Week from November 24th to November 28th. Wellness Week is dedicated [music] to nurturing the health and well-being of our students, staff, and families. It's a time to pause, recharge, and focus on self-care, both physically and emotionally, as well as socially. Let's embrace this opportunity to find joy in the little moments, share hope for
018the future, and reconnect with loved ones. Together, we can return refreshed and ready to finish [music] the second semester strong. I would like to wish everyone a safe and joyful wellness week. These have been your highlights from around the district for November 18th. Thank you so much for joining us. >> Good evening everyone and welcome to today's regular board business meeting. Today is November 18th, Tuesday. Uh Mr. Treasurer, can we call the role? >> Yes. Miss Engles >> here. >> Dr. Pierce is online. Miss Ryz >> here. >> Mr. Simmons >> here. >> Miss Vira >> here. Vice President Adair >> presum. >> All right. Thank you. Uh can we rise for the pledge everyone? >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the republic for which it stands
019one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. [clears throat] >> All right. Uh before we get started, um I think I would be all of us would be absolutely remiss um if we did not acknowledge uh the good work that is being done on the part of our entire organization and that of our city. to have residents step up as parents, as you know, family members, as taxpayers, as employees, and share their sentiments about the tough decisions that we have ahead of us. Uh I don't think that there's anyone at this table who isn't at this table at this moment who uh does not agree with this sentiment and does not believe in the power of your voice who does not acknowledge the very humanity uh of the things that you're sharing
020with us and uh does not want to hesitate in any way to fail to honor um the work that we're all trying to do together to make our district a better place, whether it's ensuring that we're feeding children, whether it's ensuring that we're educating children and families, um, and transporting as well. I just wanted to say thank you. We look forward to continued opportunities moving forward to engage, listen, and learn and subsequently act. All right, with that, uh, our agenda today is pretty robust. Um, we will go into our public comment first. Uh secondly, we'll follow through with board matters. We have a number of uh matters to discuss. One first reading in fact of a policy. So we look forward to being uh talking about that. In addition to that, we'll have sections 5.1
021through 7.1 that convene uh any presentation or uh report sharing on the part of our direct reports. We'll then go into the consent agenda uh which is 8.1 to 23.7. That is 8.1 to 23.7. We'll consider that consent agenda and vote on it. Uh post that we will go into executive session and we will not return to this room after executive session. Um we'll adjourn in the area that we're in. Um with that, is there a motion to >> motion to approve the agenda? >> Second. >> Motion and seconded. We can call the role. >> Miss Vera, >> yes. >> Miss Engles, >> yes. >> Dr. Pierce, >> yes. >> Miss Reyes, >> yes. >> Mr. Simmons, >> yes. >> Vice President Adair, >> President Cole, >> yes. >> All right. Thank you for that.
022Uh, motion passes. Now, with that, uh, we will go into public comment. Our first speaker, as I see, is Miss Rhonda Barbara Watson. Rhonda Barbara. Is she remotely joining us? >> Officials, this is Ronda Barber, publisher of Ohio NBE. I'm going tonight because we're witnessing a profound lack of leadership from both the administration and this elected board regarding the LED program and equitable contracting in Columbus City Schools. For more than a year, this district operated without an active outreach office. During that period, millions of tax dollars were spent. Yet, no one ensured that LEG vendors were notified of contracting and certification opportunities. Some vendors report they haven't been notified in over a year and a half. That's not outreach. That is neglect. to allow non-supplier diversity experts to make decisions about a legally mandated supplier
023diversity program is malpractice and the consequences are reflected in your own contracting data. To proclaim that CCS is building a foundation for a program that existed for two decades is disingenuous. These are talking points used to cover in action, not evidence of leadership. Along with this so-called foundational build take, the website is still outdated. The materials posted there contain conflicting information. After two decades of this program and more than a year without staffing, basic errors, outdated forms, and inconsistent guidance should still not exist. That's not foundation building. That is administrative neglect. At the last board meeting, the district reported spending over $80 million this summer. Of that, black vendors received less than five million, while white vendors received more than 17 million. In a majority black school district, not one board member questioned that disparity,
024silences acceptance. This is especially troubling because the elected board is overwhelmingly made up of black and brown members, leaders who should understand why supplier diversity programs exist, how proper implementation benefits district taxpayers, and underutilized businesses. And as people of color know the barriers, biases, institution, and systemic racism we face. yet you appear not to be combating that within the district. Since September 3rd, I have requested documentation on the district's good faith outreach efforts related to the summer spent. I have not received a response. I need to address the CEO's statement that policy 64 is aspirational. That's simply false. It is not aspirational. It's operational, mandatory, and enforcable. You can't pick and choose which policies you want to support or enforce. You need to make intentional efforts to purchase from the businesses that are footing the
025tax bill. Right now, you are practicing taxation without participation. And I'll close with this. You can't build a culture of belonging for students when your purchasing practices exclude their parents' businesses. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. Uh our next speaker uh who will be joining us in person is Monica Gabriel. >> Good evening. When you begin, you'll have three minutes. Good evening everyone and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. I stand here today not only as a concerned parent but someone who believes deeply in the partnership between families and schools. We as parents trust teachers with our children every single day. We trust that they will guide them, support them, and uphold the values of dignity and respect that every child deserves. But lately, many parents, myself included, have
026witnessed actions that break that trust and continue to tarnish relationships. I'm speaking about situations where teachers and staff have cussed at students and made hateful comments, where children have been singled out, bullied, and humiliated by the very adults meant to protect them. I'm speaking of failing to protect the child's identity when advocating causing for retaliation tactics. I'm speaking about false character narratives, including labels like the troubled kids and falsified [snorts] stories placed on the students and their transcripts that distort who they really are and follow them from classroom to classroom, creating a negative narrative. I'm speaking about the future budget cuts. And perhaps most alarming of all, I'm speaking about teachers putting their hands on children in ways that cross professional and moral boundaries. Let me be clear. I am not here to attack your
027teachers. Many teachers are extraordinary, compassionate people who go above and beyond. But when harmful behavior occurs, we cannot ignore it. We cannot allow fear, silence, or convenience to override our responsibility to our kids. My children have experienced both great and horrible staff. I will continue to speak up and advocate for my children and others experiencing this, and I encourage others to do the same. Our children deserve classrooms where they feel safe emotionally, physically, and mentally. They deserve an environment where they can ed their education can thrive. They deserve adults who model self-control, kindness, integrity, and compassion. They deserve disciplinary practices that are never rooted in humiliation or intimidation. They deserve to advocate without fear of retaliation from those who are meant to encourage, guide, and protect them. As parents, we are advocating for accountability, transparency,
028and swift action when misconducts occurs and is reported. We are advocating for training and support that help teachers manage these classrooms and students based off of identifying students needs. And most importantly, we are advocating for the voices of our children because they deserve to be heard and believed. As [snorts] we discuss upcoming budget cuts, it's vital that we center our decisions on what matters most, our students of the future. Cuts to CCS classrooms and art, music, and career pathways directly impact learning, causing large class sizes, fewer staff, and limited programs. Before we reduce the very resources students depend on, we need to take a hard look at positions and expenses within the board and administrative layers that do not directly affect instruction. Streamlining duplicated roles, reassessing non-essential administrative roles, and prioritizing optional efficiency can help
029preserve the programs, teachers, and support systems our students rely on every day. Our responsibility is to protect the classroom first. Let's ensure any cuts made start where they least impact students, not where the students suffer the consequences the most. I ask this school district and this community to stand with us in protecting our students. Let us rebuild through trust and action. Let us remember that every decision, every policy, and every response must center on one priority above all, the safety, success, and well-being of our children of the future. Thank you for letting me speak. >> Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Uh our next uh speaker is joining us remotely, Dr. Amber Hill. Dr. Hill, once you get on, you will have three minutes to speak once you begin. Okay, >> you are welcome. We can hear
030you. >> Okay. Good evening, um, president, vice president, and members of the board, superintendent, and the Columbus City Schools community. My name is Dr. Amber Hill, the co-founder of the Real Sports League. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you with you tonight. I stand before you not only as a co-founder, but as someone whose life was shaped and saved by sports because of programs like the one I'm advocating for today. I traveled the world, earn earned a full division one basketball scholarship, coached at the collegiate level, and became the first doctor in my family, Dr. Amber Hill. Sports gave me structure, let leadership, exposure, and opportunity. It changed my entire life trajectory. My other co-founder, Paul Jackson, shares a similar story. His life was also transformed through sports. That lived experience is why
031we built the real lead to give CCS students those same opportunities. Real is committed to what Columbus City Schools value most. Developing leaders grown here, authentic community engagement, closing achievement gaps, and meeting the real needs of students and families. Over the past three years, the real program has shown measurable alignment with CCS goals. increased attendance, improved academic performance, higher parent and community engagement, de decrease unhealthy behaviors and discipline fractions, and a more positive building culture and climates in the buildings. These outcomes directly support the district's whole child, whole community approach, and we have not done this work alone. Real is a true collaboration between CCS and the Columbus community. I want to take a moment to public acknowledge and thank the CCS departments that have helped make the past three seasons possible. The family engagement
032department who provided family ambassadors, financial support, and countless volunteer hours. The safety and security department for ensuring every game was self was safe and welcoming. The communication department for capturing our students through photos, videos, and sharing real stories through CCS platforms. the curriculum and the curriculum and early childhood department for providing books and academic resources that families received at every game. And the leadership that provided um financial financially so that every child received a trophy, volunteered their time and reminded students that their efforts mattered. and of course the coaches, administrators, and educators who showed up week after week building relationships, pointing to children, strengthening school um communities. That is what authentic community engagement look like. And tonight, I want to be very clear. We are not asking for additional district funding. We are very clear
033on the CCS current financial status. We are requesting approval for administrators to use the general funds already allocated to their school buildings to to support the Rio program this year. Many leaders are prepared to participate but cannot act without explicit approval from the board. We are also requesting approval for the re of the real contract so we can continue to offer safe structured highly qualified programming aligned with CPS expectations. However, delays have had significant impact. We originally had four CCS. >> I thank you. I thank you, Dr. Hill. I thank you, Dr. Hill. But you are out of time. Thank you so much for sharing this evening. We will go to our next speaker who is in person, uh, Stephen Hartwick. Good evening, Mr. Hardwick. vice pre and vice president dair treasure cook superintendent Dr.
034enchantment. I'm here to put try to put a little historical perspective in this because a lot of people I hear are talking as if this process just started this year at least as to facilities. This process has been going on since 2016. That's my the first of three facilities committees I served on. And at that time one of your colleagues came to us and said dream big. Don't think about the money. Tell you tell us what you want. And guess what you had? You got a meaningless pro. you got a meaningless suggestion because you have to have you have to consider the money. But if you had gone forward with a prudent fit master plan at that time, you would have thousands of Columbus City School students who are now in dilapidated old buildings that
035are falling apart. They'd be in brand new buildings right now. Buildings only a few years old. And that's because in 2016 you didn't act and in 2018 you've you did you were able to pull a few worked on the margins to help a few schools but didn't look think systematically. 2020 the most recent one as well. And every time there's a pattern you've you hold meetings all over the district. I you've been in small group meetings and large group meetings and I can't even count how many schools I've been in those meetings facil in facilitating them and participating. And then at the end of the process, people come in and who love their school. They really do love their school and they say, "Please don't close this one school." But then when you have everyone
036do that, all of a sudden you have students all over the district in under in tiny schools that are that are way too big for them. And this hurts the kids. One in the 2018 process, I got a graph I got a spreadsheet that showed for high schools almost a onetoone correlation. the more students they had, the more diversity of programs they had, the better arts, the better PE, the better music, the more advanced AP classes, the more languages. You by inaction over the last nine or 10 years have taken that away from those kids. And I know the the people here are proud of this their schools. One thing you'd all say, once you consolidate a school, two, three years after that, the parents and kids will be just as proud of those schools
037as well. That's the way it worked. That I remember sitting with one of the Mary and Franklin foot a couple of their football players who said at first, "No way you can't merge us out. They're our rivals." But after talking in a small group, they eventually said, "Yeah, you know, once we're on a team, we're on a team." And I am concerned that if this board doesn't act that this this district is in a death spiral. You can't you can't you need a plan that's ed I don't know if you can come up with a plan that's educationally sound financially prudent and politically possible. If you can't come up with that these hard choices are going to be harder next year and eventually the choices are going to be taken away from you and given
038to the general assembly the same general assembly that's making you take funds away from busing our kids and giving them to private school students. Take back control yourself and give kids facilities they need. Make your decision. Thank you sir. Thank you for joining us. Our next speaker is Denniso. >> Welcome this evening. Thank you for joining us. You will have three minutes. >> Great. Good evening, President Cole, uh Vice President Adair, Treasurer Cook, uh Dr. Chapman, and members of the board. My name is Dina Seco. I have two children at Indianola Informal and my husband is a CCS graduate as well and I have 15 years of experience working in an environmental advocacy organization. I'm here tonight because as we face difficult budget cuts, it's important that more than important than ever that we take
039proactive steps to protect our district's long-term financial health. I'm in support of the Safe Green Schools policy that will be read this evening to transition our district to clean energy and climate resilience. I speak not just for myself but for the over 600 parents, teachers, and students who have expressed their support for this effort. I'd like to extend my gratitude to the board um and to our administration for passing a climate resolution committing to a goal of becoming carbon-f free um by 2050 and 100% clean energy in all districts um facilities. This was a historic action in support of ensuring our schools are safe, healthy, and sustainable. The next step is to identify how we get there. Um, I want to emphasize that capital levy dollars, as we know, cannot be used to hire teachers,
040nurses, or social workers, but they can be used to reduce operating costs. In a moment when every dollar matters, we should invest in facility improvements that will pay us back through lower utility board bills and efficient buildings. The safe green schools policy offers a constructive forward-looking path during a challenging time for public schools nationwide. Federal and state funding continues to diminish, and meanwhile, energy uh prices continue to rise. Protecting CCS from those rate increases is simply good stewardship of our limited dollars. As we finalize the facility's master plan, this is an urgent opportunity. Many of the upgrades we already plan and budget for, things like roof replacements, HVAC improvements, modernizing equipment, all can be done in ways that significantly cut long-term costs. The earlier we start, the more we save. Climate impacts are also here
041now, so we're facing more heat waves, um, heavier flooding events, and reacting to emergencies is far more expensive than preparing for them. Resilient, efficient schools protect our students and prevent costly crisis spending. Right now, there are major funding opportunities that we can leverage. City of Columbus investments tied to their climate action plan. Uh Ohio Department of Development grants for energy efficiency. In fact, they've given one over a million dollars to East Palestine schools school district. Um so that's showing us just what's possible. They invested that in solar. um and the state's school energy loan fund, which offers really low interest financing for solar, HVAC, lighting, and insulation upgrades. These resources can stretch our levy dollars and demonstrate that CCS is planning responsibly for the future. In closing, I'll just say I urge again for the
042board to adopt the policies that ensure our [music] facilities master plan prioritizes energy efficiency, sustainability, resilience, and cost savings. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Haha Rashid. >> Asalam allayikumi. >> Good evening. My name is Howa Rasheed. I'm a senior at cause. I want to thank you again for passing the safe green schools resolution earlier this year. For students, that voice really mattered. It showed us that the district is thinking about our future and trying to move in a better direction. Now we just need to see the next steps actually happen. I know CCS is dealing with a lot right now because of the budget cuts and that honestly makes safe green schools even more important. It's not about the environment. It's also about using money in a smarter way.
043Clean energy upgrades like solar and geothermal help lower energy bills and that saves money we could use for things student rely students rely on every day. And this is timesensitive because of changes to the inflation reduction act passed in 2022. CCS would save the most money if solar work begins this year. Even doing something small like purchasing the right materials now would lock in savings we won't get later. These chances don't happen forever. And it would it would really be a missed opportunity for both the district and students if we let it pass. For me, the budget part connects directly to transportation. I rely on Dakota buses to get to school, and I see so many other CCS students on those buses with me. Middle schoolers, high schoolers, and little kids with siblings. If transportation
044gets cut even more next year, a lot of students will lose their only safe or reliable way to get to school. And if students can't make it into the building, then everything else we talk about doesn't matter. But underneath all of this is something even bigger. Students deserve healthy schools. That should be a basic right. No student should have to sit in a classroom with bad air, no heat, no AC, or buildings that are breaking down. A school shouldn't make learning harder. When buildings are unhealthy or take too much money to maintain, it directly affects our attendance, our focus, and our education overall. That's why Safe Green Schools isn't just an environmental thing. It's a student thing and it's a budget thing. It's about protecting the resources students actually need. Transportation, safe buildings, and healthy
045classrooms. When the district saves money on energy, that money can go right back to supporting students. So, I'm asking you to move forward with safe, green schools quickly and with urgency. Students deserve buildings that are healthy, safe, and affordable to run. and we deserve a district budget that protects the things we rely on every day. Clean energy is a step toward both of these goals. Thank you for your time. >> You [applause] uh our next speaker is Allison Voltz. Welcome this evening, Allison. You have three minutes. >> Thank you. So, good evening, Superintendent Chapman, Treasurer Cook, President Cole, Vice President DARE, and members of the board. My name is Dr. Allison Wolz, and I'm a 23-year educator in the district, and I'm currently the library media specialist at Briggs High School. I'm here today to
046ask you to consider an increase to the number of proposed central office administrative cuts that were announced at the November 13th special board meeting. As someone who works closely with students on a daily basis, and as someone who has been rifted twice by this district, this is in part an emotional plea. I do not want our students to lose out on any programs, supports, or transportation options, and I do not want anyone to lose their position, but I do recognize that difficult decisions need to be made due to funding inequities at the state level. However, tonight, I would like to focus my comments on the historical data that supports my request. The title of slide 28 of last Thursday's presentation is titled cut from the top first. And on the surface, the proposed cuts seem
047to be doing this. After all, there is a larger percentage of cuts to administration than certificated or classified staff. However, a deeper look shows that this number is too low. The proposed cuts are as follows. 50 central office, four building administrators from closures, 275 certificated, and 116 classified positions. Because the specifics of the cuts are not yet known, I will focus on the administrator and full-time certificated staff numbers provided in the human resources documents on board docs. In the if the 275 certificated cuts are all contract teacher positions, this means the district goes from 4,100 to 3,825. This is similar to the number of teachers listed at the second November board meeting in 2014. Let's continue to focus on the changes and differences between 2014 and 2025. Certificated staff went from 3,846 to 4100 in
0482025, a 6.6% increase. The number administrators listed in November 2014 is 275. And today it has ballooned to 414, which is five higher than it was in August of just this year, a 50.5% increase. Reducing the number of certificated positions to the 2014 level while only eliminating 54 administrator positions is unacceptable. It is akin to the state budget freezing at levels below the actual need while funding a stadium and a voucher scheme. If the certificated staff is expected to fill the gaps and work at the 2014 staffing level, surely the central office administration can do the same. These cuts should double to 100, making the total number of administrators 310, still higher than 2014's number. In a dispatch article on November 13th, President Cole is quoted as saying, "The district is considering very seriously how
049to ensure that all resources a student needs in a classroom, in a building are first priority, that the students are coming first." And I wholeheartedly agree. We must make some or make sure students come first, not administration positions. A lot of blame has been placed on the state for putting us in this position, and rightfully so. However, the board can choose how to minimize the impact on the students that we serve. Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Our next speaker is Paige De Mateo. >> Good evening, Paige. You have three minutes. >> Good evening. Um, I'm going to be very honest with you. I decided to come here today on my lunch break. So, um, a quick decision for me. Um, I am an intervention specialist at Duxberry Arts Impact. I have served in
050the district for over 14 years and I'm an alumnist from Northland High School. I am here tonight to advocate for safe and respectful treatment of our most vulnerable group vulnerable group of children. Children with multiple disabilities. Children that cannot care for themselves without the presence of a caring adult and the adults that care for them throughout the day. We cannot continue to manage groups of 12 or more children that are not toilet trained, alope, or escape their environment and move easily towards danger without fear, cannot speak, and need daily one-on-one supports to manage any and all parts of their day. Our classrooms continue to be designed to manage the equitable education of eight children with multiple disabilities with no more than six of those children in one room being on the autism spectrum. Currently, classrooms
051that service children with extensive needs are bursting at the scenes. As a district, we are putting our students and staff in harm's way by forcing them to educate students with the bare minimum in regard to safety and efficacy with respect to state laws. We cannot continue to manage this way. We have bailed out all of the water from our boats, but we continue to sink. Make no mistake, if we continue to educate our children with special needs in this environment, we are handicapping them and furthering their disability. We need transparency and case load caps, not just for our children, but for ourselves and their parents. We are deserving and important and we need the abbleism and disability discrimination to stop today. Saying our children are general education students before they are special education students is
052disability eraser. And I cannot stand up here today as their advocate and say that they are being given equitable treatment with respect to their immediate needs. Equitable does not mean that everyone is receiving the same treatment but that everyone is receiving the treatment that they need to set themselves up for success. With respect to equality today, I need to respectfully request that the board sees the needs of my students are met and that the needs of their educators are respected so that the community at large can continue to raise safe, healthy, respectful, and learn children both with and without disabilities, which will ultimately continue to benefit the community as a whole. Thank you. >> You [applause] our next speaker is Mr. John Kglio. >> Good evening, Mr. President. You have three minutes. >> Good morning
053or good good evening. I'm sorry. Honorable board members, I appreciate the opportunity to talk to you tonight. My name is John Kiglia. I'm the president of the Columbus Education Association and I represent more than 4,000 caring, compassionate educators. Yesterday, we met with Dr. Chapman, labor relations employees and CCS administrative cabinet members for an initial meeting required by article 704 of our master agreement to discuss recommended reductions in personnel. Our contract reads as follows. When a proposed reduction in personnel is due to demonstrable financial reasons, a meeting will be scheduled consistent with article 108.02 for the purposes of discussing the reasons and reviewing relevant financial documents. We also invited district treasurer Ryan Cook to attend. Two things failed to happen at that meeting. The district treasurer did uh failed to show and meaningful financial documents were
054not provided, leaving us with many questions. Your dedicated employees who served the students faithfully deserve a meaningful discussion with answers. Yesterday's meeting did not fulfill article 704 and we look forward to a robust discussion with the treasurer, Dr. Chapman and her staff. If we cannot get me meaningful financial documents, it begs the the question of how the board can make financial decisions that impact every student and staff member so quickly without more details than a PowerPoint presentation. That is why the Columbus Education Association along with our partners community and the Columbus Education Justice Coalition are here to ask you ask that you look at the and have a meaningful public discussion about the model budget shortfall policy that we was sent to you on September 8th. The policy includes but is not limited to the
055following. considering how school closures would impact the students in their communities, costs and savings that would result from each proposed school closure, and include a carefully considered plan to minimize the wellressearched harmful impacts of school closures. I did attend your community meetings, and it was my understanding that over 600 people attended those meetings. I am hoping you will also listen to the voices of over a thousand members of our school community that have sent you all emails supporting the budget shortfall fall policy. We are in tough times and we know how folks in the legislature prioritize billionaires in private schools over public education. That is why it's crucial that the board act with uh transparency, sufficient information and community input especially when our steer student our state leaders will not please adopt the model budget
056shortfall policy. Thank you. [applause] >> Okay. Uh this concludes our public speaking. Uh we will move on to section four which is board matters. Uh our first up is uh board monitoring goals strengthening mathematics proficiency. Dr. Chapman, good evening. >> Good evening >> and thank you in advance. >> Good evening President Cole, members of the board. Um we are pleased to provide an update on our grade seven monitoring report this evening. But before we begin, I would love to take a moment to recognize and thank all of our amazing educators, teachers, building principles, and support staff across the district. Their commitment, hard work, and resilience are the driving force behind the work, this work, and it's important to honor their contributions this evening. Again, this evening, we are pleased to provide an update on our
057grade seven monitoring report. Tonight's monitoring report will focus specifically on seventh grade math, highlighting our progress, the challenges we continue to address, and the next steps in our work. Tonight, we will review the results of the Ohio State test in math for our seventh grade students. I have invited Dr. Brown to share our current performance data. >> Good evening. pleased to join you this evening again to review uh the data and the progress the system has made. Pleased to announce that uh CCS scores again remain uh above those observed in 2324 and their highest uh that have been observed since the pandemic. Our post-pandemic gains really stand in stark contrast to what's been seen across the nation. If you look at the National Assessment of Educational Progress, math scores have been flat at best. Uh
058and indeed uh when you look back and you think about the the report card presentation I presented to the board earlier this year, we also know that our gains have exceeded those of the state in mathematics over the same window of time following the the pandemic. As you see, we've got an upward trajectory and we're moving in the right direction. This uh report as it looks has short of the goal, but I don't think that's the entire story. And I do want to add some nuance to it because there are a couple things changing at the same time. This next slide looks a little different from slides that we've seen before and has actually two sets of information on it. The bars represent enrollment. That's enrollment in eighth grade. These are seventh graders that take
059eth grade math. You'll notice in our baseline years 21, 22, and 23, there was a a gradual uptick in the number of kids who were being promoted to take eighth grade math. Above that, you'll see a a line chart. The line chart reflects the proficiency rate for those students taking math that's a year advanced from their grade level. You'll notice that back in 21, that was 66 uh pardon me, 67.7%. And most recently, this past year, it was 84.98%. 85% of the kids who got promoted to eighth grade, they're in seventh grade, but got promoted to take eighth grade math are being successful, substantially more successful uh than their students who remained in seventh grade math. So, we've over doubled the number of students who are taking eighth grade math now, seventh grade students who
060go on to take eighth grade math. And again, at the same time, these kids are outperforming uh their peers and doing very well. This past year alone, there were 87 additional students who took eighth grade math. 74 of those students passed. If we were to look at that, that would raise our our seventh grade scores by 2.96% if those students uh were added back in. Again, they're seventh graders, but they took the eighth grade test. So, again, we've got two things changing at the same time. We've got implementation of curriculum, but we've also been doing what's right for kids and advancing kids who who can take advanced mathematics into the eighth grade to be able to participate in that. And again, as I mentioned, uh we've seen substantial gains in mathematics. Um again looking back
061to 22 23 or pardon me 23 24 to the present uh and 22 uh 23 to the present uh almost 10 percentage points of gain in third grade fourth grade uh and substantial gains in everything but seventh. But of course seventh grade part of that is taken uh into account because those kids got promoted to eighth. So it's part of that bump up you see in eighth grade is actually attributable to seventh grade students taking that eighth grade test. And um finally in looking at these improvements, improvements have been observed by most student groups. And so as we see improvement in mathematics and as we see improvement in mathematics for seventh grade, I'm pleased to be able to say that those improvements have been shared across most student groups in the comparison. And with that,
062Dr. Chapman. >> Thank you, Dr. Brown. In alignment with our student outcomes focused governance model, I'll begin by revisiting our current theory of action, which continues to guide our work in seventh grade math. Our theory of action states, "If we implement evidence-based instruction with fidelity, focus on the NCTM, National Council of Teachers of Math, effective teaching practices, facilitating meaningful mathematical discourse, and ensuring content is aligned to grade level standards, then student learning will increase, reflected in both improved growth and achievement by seventh grade. Research consistently shows that teacher effectiveness is the single most important inschool factor influencing student achievement. With that in mind, our theory of action emphasizes the quality of instructional delivery, ensuring that teachers provide rigorous, engaging instruction that promotes active learning through meaningful mathematical discourse. It is also important to recognize the
063critical role of principles in this work. Research shows that next to teachers, principles have the greatest impact on student achievement. Their role as instructional leaders, monitoring instruction, providing feedback, and supporting effective teaching practices is essential to sustaining improvement at scale. As we move forward, our focus is on deepening implementation and providing the targeted support that teachers and leaders need to bring this theory fully to life. This includes ongoing professional development focused on curriculum implementation, the NCTM effective teaching practices and learning design to support all tiers of instruction, including intervention and reteing. These efforts are designed to help teachers implement with fidelity and to equip principles to monitor instruction and provide feedback that drives continuous improvement. Over the past several years, we've taken deliberate and strategic steps to strengthen the district's overall math program. From evaluating
064these through the PDK curriculum audit to developing our curriculum and adopting instructional resources, each phase of this work has built greater coherence and consistency across the district. With the board's adoption of the seventh grade math goal, our focus shifted from planning to action. Now we find ourselves in a phase of refinement, fidelity and accountability, deepening implementation and strengthening both tier one and intervention practices. We are seeing encouraging signs of progress in mathematics across the district. Our most recent OST results show modest increase in proficiency at every grade level, signaling steadywide system improvement. We are also seeing more students enrolled in the advanced math pathway in seventh grade. This reflects both stronger preparation in earlier grades and an intentional effort to expand access to advanced coursework. By opening this pathway to more students, we're ensuring that
065more learners are positioned for success in algebra 1 and higher level math in the years ahead. We are encouraged by the impact of several key investments. Our adoption of highquality evidence-based math curricular and professional development provided to teachers are showing results. Schools with strong tier one implementation where teachers use the adopted materials with fidelity, facilitate meaningful mathematical discourse, and provide consistent smallroup supports are seeing the most significant gains in student learning. Our work is grounded in the belief that when evidence-based instruction is implemented with fidelity supported by highquality materials and intentional intervention structures, we will continue to see meaningful increases in student growth and proficiency across grade levels. While we saw increases in proficiency across all grade levels, we did not meet our target goal. It is important to recognize that growth does not always
066equate to proficiency. Many students enter the year with significant gaps and foundational knowledge which can make proficiency an incomplete measure of progress. Our focus remains on accelerating growth for all students while continuing to close gaps over time so that more students reach and sustain grade level proficiency. To effectively accelerate growth, we have to be honest about what is not yet working as intended. The gaps we see between student groups are the result of several interconnected factors. First, AC access to strong tier one instruction has not always been consistent across the district. While many teachers are delivering highquality standards aligned math instruction, variability in implementation remains. In some buildings, educators are not receiving appropriate guidance when they in using the curricular resources. When tier one instruction is not implemented with fidelity or pacing is inconsistent, standards
067are missed which widens existing learning gaps. Second, intervention delivery varies. In some cases, intervention time is underutilized or not structured to address specific skill gaps limiting impact. This is also in part a systems level challenge because schedules and staffing structures differ across schools. The timing and delivery of intervention can look different from building to building leading to variation in consistency and support. Finally, chronic absenteeism continues to significantly affect student outcomes. Ohio defines a student as chronically absent when they miss 10% or more of required instructional hours. The circle figure 56% represents a percentage of seventh graders who fall into the chronically absent category compared to 45% districtwide. Missing this much instructional time disrupts learning and widens academic achievement gaps. It also complicates instruction as teachers must balance moving the class forward while providing additional support
068and reteing for students who have missed essential content. Inconsistencies in construction in instruction, intervention and attendance help explain why achievement disparities persist even as we continue to see systemwide improvement. To illustrate the impact of learning gaps, this slide shows how math standards are interconnected across grade levels. The sixth grade standards on the left serve as the foundation for the seventh grade standards shown on the right. The lines illustrate how concepts build on and support one another. You'll notice that one sixth grade standard is blank, representing what happens when a single foundational concept is not mastered. In this case, that one gap impacts several connected seventh grade standards, increasing the need for support and intervention. With this in mind, it's important to recognize that math learning is not a ladder, it's a web. On a ladder,
069if you miss a step, you can't move up. In reality, math is more like a web where concepts are interconnected and mutually supportive. A student can still make progress even if one concept isn't fully mastered. However, gaps add strain and compound over time, making them more difficult to close. This reinforces why why strong tier one instruction and timely intervention are essential to prevent small gaps from growing larger over time. Now let's take a look at this in practice. Take standard 7RP3. Use proportional relationships to solve multi-step ratio and percent problems. When we unpack this standard, it becomes clear it is not just one skill. It's a suite of skills. Students must be able to calculate unit rates, work with ratios that include fractions, divide fractions to find a unit rate, apply these ideas in real
070world context, and explain and justify their reasoning. The state chose to measure this standard on last year's OST with this paintbrush problem, which focuses on discount, tax, and maximizing quantity. But that's just one way to assess this standard. Here's the same standard measured two other ways in two other assessments. One requires unit conversion, proportional reasoning and revenue calculation. The other focuses on percent off computation. Three very different problems but one standard. This is why curriculum implementation and daily student engagement matter so deeply. We cannot prepare students by rehearsing one item type or narrowing instruction. The only path towards improvement is engagement with the full standard taught using the full curriculum and adopted resources that are intentionally designed to build these skills over time. Students need to be present, engaged, and challenged with a variety of
071problem types and representations so they build durable mathematical thinking. There are no shortcuts here. When we implement curriculum with fidelity, students learn deeply and results follow naturally. To accelerate district-wide progress, we are committed to scaling what already works. We have schools earning three or more stars on the state report card and they show us that when strong tier one instruction is consistent and interventions are delivered with fidelity, students grow. Our work now is to take those practices and make them standard across all schools. Aligned to our district 1 plan, we are implementing a focused year-long professional learning sequence centered on effective learning design. This professional learning intentionally develops teachers ability to plan with the end in mind using backward design to anticipate student gaps and align instruction to grade level standards. It also focuses on
072strengthening teachers understanding of mathematical content and on using discourse to develop students mathematical literacy. As we often say, this isn't your grandma's math. Today's classrooms are built around reasoning, communication, and deep conceptual understanding, not just procedural completion. Our curriculum team also provides job embedded coaching to help educators apply what they learn, refine their practice, and strengthen tier one instruction in real time. The bridge between professional learning and daily teaching helps ensure consistent, highquality instruction across classrooms. Monitoring and accountability are also central to this plan. School leaders and central office teams are collaborating to visit classrooms and analyze progress data to ensure consistent implementation and support across the district. Through our collaborative leadership team, groups of leaders have conducted classroom visits together. These joint visits allow us to see the work in action, identify bright spots
073to replicate practice, and develop targeted action steps for continued professional learning and coaching. This collaborative approach assures that our support to schools is coherent and aligned from curriculum guidance to leadership coaching and that professional development is directly connected to the real needs observed in classrooms. We are confident that our strategy will be successful because we have already seen clear evidence that when these practices are done with fidelity, students demonstrate measurable growth. I want to take a few minutes as we wrap up to draw your attention to connections between our work on this goal and the guardrails that reflect the values of our community. When the multi-tered systems of supports are properly resourced, students make meaningful gains and fewer remain in the lowest performance bands. This reinforced the importance of continuing to support MTSS so that
074every child receives the right level of support and at the right time. Success goes beyond test scores. Students are gaining confidence, seeing themselves as capable thinkers, and building their identity as mathematicians, which reflects a whole child approach. We also see the benefits of aligning resources equitably as schools with strong supports in place are showing evidence of growth, underscoring the need to ensure every school has access to highquality learning communities. Finally, our commitment to a culturally responsive staff is vital. When instruction is relevant and students see themselves reflected in what they learn, comprehension deepens, engagement increases, and educators are more effective in meeting the diverse needs of all students. Before we conclude, several of our schools demonstrated exceptional achievement by exceeding the seventh grade math board goal. These schools not only met but surpassed the benchmark
075we set, showcasing the impact of highquality instruction, focused, support, and student dedication. Let's take a moment to recognize and celebrate their hard work and performance. Their achievements inspire us as we continue our district-wide efforts to improve math outcomes for all students. And I'll read the names of those schools just so that we know um and we can certainly share our gratitude to them for their achievements. That would be Arts Impact Middle School, Dominion Middle School, Indianola K8, Lynden McKinley STEM, Ridge View Middle School, Wedge, Wedgewood Middle School, Woodward Park Middle School, and World Language Middle School. Thanks to the generosity of our community and levy promise funds, we've been able to make meaningful investments that strengthen math teaching and learning across our district. These investments have supported the adoption of highquality curricular materials, professional learning
076for teachers, tools that promote consistent research aligned instruction in every classroom, family and community engagement resources, and targeted recruitment and retention in high needs lensure areas, including math. Now, as we navigate tighter financial constraints, our focus is on maximizing the impact of those investments. We are ensuring that resources are implemented with fidelity and that our all of our educators continue to receive the coaching and support they need and that our instructional systems remain coherent and aligned across schools. The board's continued commitment to our established goals remains essential to improving student outcomes. By keeping our collective focus on math, early literacy, and graduation readiness, we ensure that every initiative and partnership remains aligned to what matters most for students. At the same time, reducing chronic absenteeism remains vital. No matter how strong our instruction or interventions
077are, their impact is diminished when students are not present to benefit from them. Together, we can help reinforce the message that every day in school matters. Through continued alignment, accountability, and partnership, we can sustain the progress made through our community's investment and ensure that every student experiences highquality instruction and achieves at high levels in math. This concludes our presentation at this time. Thank you for your continued partnership and support of this math goal. And at this time, we'll entertain and answer any questions or discuss any questions that you may have. >> Uh, thank you so much for the presentation, Dr. Chapman. All right. Um, again, as a a very brief preface, this conversation is centrally focused on data, the data that has been presented to us for discussion tonight. this information. Um, our discussion this
078evening and I want to give I want to give a sense of what the basement should be and what the roof or beyond should be when it comes to this monitoring conversation. Our conversation should mostly be focused on understanding performance rather than discussing school systems operations or programs. That is the floor. The ceiling is conversation is exclusively focused on understanding performance specific to the monitoring report. Questions are about strategic issues. So let's keep that in mind. The large majority twothirds plus of the monitoring conversation is focused on reflecting on past action. So reflection on what has worked or not worked in accordance to what actions have been taken towards this goal on the part of the administration. That's the floor. The ceiling is the supermajority. Three4s plus of time spent monitoring is focused on reflection
079on past action. So twothirds is the floor, three4s is the max or better. uh conversation is mostly focused on questions about the data presented in the monitoring report. As I earlier stated, the floor conversation is exclusively limited to questions about the data presented in the monitoring report. So predominant mostly to exclusively related and then I'll just mention two others. Conversation is focused on understanding the data presented in the monitoring report that is the floor. conversation is focused on understanding the data presented in the monitoring report with each question referencing specific data within the monitoring report. So again, I've been redundant in a few different areas, but it's to drive home the importance that this conversation is focused on the data at hand as we understand it. that we want to avoid as much as we
080can providing opinion as opposed to really delving into a deep understanding of the data and asking questions around that. Um I thank everybody for from in the past to today maintaining their poise uh asking questions in the best way that help us derive understanding and then you know post this conversation we will decide as to whether we want to move this forward as a as something we approve or not. Uh are all ready to go? All right. Uh are there any questions at this point in time? Madam Vice President. >> Okay. You know, can you please put slide four up? >> First, I want to say thank you to all of the teachers and everything. While we're getting there, because you're not supposed to do this, um, you know, I'm going to ask some tough
081questions right now about this data, but I appreciate all the work that is going in to get to this point. It is, it is definitely challenging. We did not hit this goal, >> right? Um the trajectory does not look like we're going to hit it next year. That's a four point. That's we have to hit four points. You told us that we it's very difficult to get more than two points a year. >> Correct. So, I'm worried that we aren't going to get we're not going to be meeting these benchmarks um based on where we are and what we have to accomplish for next year because two years in a row we have not met this goal. >> So, if I may um >> Oh, we'll get to that. >> Well, I but they're they're
082related to be honest. When the when the baseline was set for this, I made an assumption that the number of students that would be advanced to eighth grade math would be relatively constant. It had been. We've more than doubled the number of students that are in seventh grade that were advancing to eighth grade. We're taking out of seventh grade our highest performing students who would have a substantial impact that number out of of that calculation. So we have two things changing at the same time and and that makes it I think a little misrepresentative when we look at just the seventh grade scores for the seventh grade students taking the seventh grade test uh because we have functioned out a group of kids who are very high performing and the number of those kids who
083are high performing is about twice as high now that we've moved into eth grade than previously. So again, we've got two things changing at the same time. Are we likely to hit our goals if we keep moving kids into eighth grade, uh, our highest performing kids grade? No. It's it's going to be a challenge to hit these goals. Is it the right thing for the kids involved to to advance them if they're prepared and they perform so well in eighth grade? I think so. Um, this goal is fairly complicated because again, It's not picking up all the seventh graders at this point. It's picking up the seventh graders who aren't advanced. >> Dr. Chapman, you are the one that proposed this goal. And um you could have picked any grade. And first of all, I
084do think it's amazing that eighth graders are or seventh grade doing eighth grade math. I I don't understand though um you can't double count them. So that's not So what the problem is is a construction of the way you've set up this goal. And so basically what you're saying is because we have some awesome seventh graders taking eighth grade math, kudos to all the teachers, families, and kids for that. We are never going to hit this goal as you have designed it. >> So what we're what we're saying is that when we started when we constructed the goal, we did not have an intentional focus on accelerating seventh grade students, right? We were focusing on all we were focusing on all students. And so because we've identified and honed in on seventh grade with intentional
085strategies as a result of standing up this goal, more resources, more attention to this goal, we're it's good news. It's a good problem to have in theory because more students are not only are achieving but they are being accelerated which is an option. We chose this goal because seventh grade we know is the gatekeeper for making sure that our students are on track in math and so that they can be on track to take algebra. And so it was we we could have set the goal for sixth grade, but that wasn't the area that needed the most attention. So we were being um very thoughtful about where we needed to focus our effort and where we needed to see more movement and growth and seventh grade was that area of focus for us when we
086set that goal. So as a because we have been focusing on this particular grade and providing additional supports more students are achieving and but more students are being accelerated and now can take the eighth grade exam. That's amazing. But this is a seventh grade goal. So why can we not get the remaining seventh graders to hit the benchmarks that you have established in seventh grade by the resources and strategies that you have implemented. The seventh graders in eighth grade are in eth grade. They're in eighth grade strategy. So I guess you know when we're saying when I'm looking this as a board member and I'm trying to figure out are we gonna hit this benchmark for the kids that are doing seventh grade math it looks like a big no. And I'm wondering, you know,
087you've you've you've outlined some strategies to do that, but then, you know, we have uh Dr. Brown up here who's basically saying, well, we're taking off this the advanced kids. So, but our goal is seventh graders, whoever is in seventh grade. >> Does that make sense? >> Absolutely. So I don't So to me it sounds like your the strategies and even those that you have outlined are really not designed to help the seventh graders reach the goals that you have set the benchmarks that you have set because the trajectory if you go back to four that that's really hard. >> Is this a question of equity? Um, vice president, just a question of leveling up those students that you saying are >> I I it's it's a question of understanding what who is in the
088pool. What I'm hearing is them saying, well, we're going to take anyone technically enrolled in seventh grade and then, you know, gosh, those really smart kids take an eighth grade math. We got to account for that in the seventh grade score. But we we're not because this is a seventh grade goal, not eighth grade. Well, I think there's a couple of things. So, when we designed the goal, we it's seventh grade data, but we used a metric for the seventh grade OST. We didn't use we didn't create a caveat that we could count students who are accelerated from seventh grade to take the eighth grade math to account for their whether or not they score proficiency on the eighth grade test in this data. So, we're not going to double count them, right? It they're
089they're they've moved on. They've accelerated. A good problem to have. They're counted in the eighth grade data. So, when we look at um the next slide, we look at the OST outcomes, these the performance and the data for all of our students builds on each grade level. So when we look at third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, seventh grade, as our students are gaining momentum in each grade, that means there's fewer foundational skills that they need to be taught when they transition to the next grade. So our students performance is getting stronger. The students are getting stronger in all of their math skills starting in third grade and we're building on that. So ideally to close that gap in seventh grade, we need more of our students mastering the content in third grade,
090at fourth grade, at fifth grade, at sixth grade, so they're starting seventh grade with the foundational skills that they need to be successful in math and our teachers aren't having to um retach two or three years of math. So can I just let my last question then back to slide four. What in what year then do you anticipate overcoming the gap to reach the goal? >> And I'm sorry >> based on what you just said, we need time for them. Every year they improve, but we you have there's three more years on this this trajectory, right? This goal and next year it's a fourpoint uh difference that we have to make up. You've already explained the >> [cough] >> is very difficult. >> So at what point are we projecting based on our strategies that
091we are going to actually hit this benchmark by giving our kids time uh you know because we're doing so much better in the grades leading up to seventh grade. >> So when we look at last year's cohort, last year's sixth graders, they were going they were at 20%. And so this year's um sixth graders are at 22%. So each cohort is getting stronger because we're strengthening our mathematical practices in each grade level. So when students are coming to each grade level, they're not two or three grade levels behind. When we look at those math standards and we said that the math skills are not a ladder, they're a web. It means that student we have to while this is a seventh grade goal, we're sharing the data for all of the grades because we have
092to strengthen our mathematical practices in each grade level so that our students aren't paying catchup when they get to se seventh grade. Each year that our students fall behind in their content and their skills, it makes it harder for them to catch up when they get to seventh grade. And so this this next group of cohorts of students will be stronger because they're coming out of sixth grade stronger with higher proficiency scores. >> One more. Let me try one more. >> Yes, please try >> hear that. 100% agree with what you just said. But but if next year we have stronger kids, which is great, they have to make up four points. two points is difficult. So the strategies that you outlined to us about um you know are those designed at some point and
093when do we anticipate those changes to your strategies to help our kids actually reach the goals of 19.2 21.3 and then by the end of the 2028 school year 23.5 when do you project us hitting the benchmark? So, a couple of things, the strategies that we're focusing on, again, tier one instruction, but tier 2 in instruction, tier 2 intervention and supports. When we're thinking about the number of students why we have not met the goal, and we look at our seventh grade outcomes, there's a significant number of students that are three or more levels below grade level. And so when all moving those students up and providing them with the intervention and supports that they need that's helping to close the gap so they are stronger as a seventh grade um as a seventh grader
094to be able to master that content >> didn't answer my question but I hear I everything you said but I don't feel like my question was answered but I will I will stop now. >> Uh thank you. Um, and I'll get back to your question because I have something along that lines. Uh, Dr. Pierce, >> I I'm I just have a quick question given this uh data that we're looking at right now. The seventh graders from 204 2024 to 2025, I see their percentage at 15.2%. Is that correct? >> Yes. Yes. >> So the year before they would have been tested and they would have been sixth graders. So their number should be reflected in the 20.4% where we see 23 24. Is that correct? >> It would be correct if 10% of them weren't
095in e taking the eighth grade test. >> So can can we just >> I'm sorry. I just have to be very clear about this. Third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, our entire cohort. Seventh grade is 90% of the cohort, but 10% are taking the eighth grade test. So, it's a little >> again, and you keep going to that. We understand that. I I am echoing what my colleague is trying to get you all to answer. This is a seventh grade goal. You should be able to achieve the goal for the seventh graders that are in this cohort. Because if we look at their data from 2021 all the way till they were in the sixth grade, they were performing. They were doing very well. Their numbers were going up and rising. But what
096we see happening along that seventh grade axis is that that's our lowest performing grade level when it gets to math. So there's something fundamentally happening with our seventh grade math curriculum. So my question is just basically this. What is the theory of action to handle what drop the gap that we're seeing when it comes to the seventh grade? Because like my colleague, maybe this goal is not it. I think the same could be said about the number of students that we are accelerating that we're significantly increasing above and beyond the expectations for seventh grade and they are not only are they taking the eighth grade test but they are passing the eighth grade test. So just as there are there's a need to provide intervention to the students that are um far from mastering the
097skills that they need in seventh grade, there's significant number of students that are not only accelerated taking the eighth grade test, but also scoring proficient on the eighth grade test. And so there is a dynamic here that's at play that's not at play at third third grade or fourth grade or fifth grade or sixth grade. And so we have to we're looking at the data and thinking about the number of students that how they perform on each band of proficiency level in seventh grade and the number of students that are being um that are being accelerated taking the eighth grade exam and identifying the specific skills that they need to be successful so that they can master the standards in seventh grade. But the same same thing is happening in sixth grade so that we
098can close those gaps. That's where that tier 2 intervention comes into play to ensure we talked about not only tier one instruction for all students but ensuring that all of our students have access to highquality tier 2 intervention. So the specific skills that they need to be successful in seventh grade or eighth grade that those resources are provided to them within the instructional day. So, what I hear you saying is that you are going to with fidelity imple implement tier 2 instruction for our seventh graders. >> Absolutely. That's that's where we're going. That's where we're at. >> Absolutely. >> Okay. Um so, with the tier 2 interventions and instruction, will they, for example, like you indicated in the reading monitoring report, will they have dedicated time? Can we look forward to seeing a more structured
099um sample of curriculum that the students will be going through because again that would be the majority of our students that are getting that type of instruction now. >> Yes. So when first of all when we think about um when the pyramid is upside down the majority of the students um are below grade level or not achieving the standard the first step is always to focus on tier one instruction and then after we ensure that our students have highquality tier one instruction access to grade level standards curricular and highquality instructional materials then we provide tier 2 instruction to provide them with the specific skills that they need to be successful to master those standards. And so that the tier 2, it's it's I call it core plus more. You have your core instruction plus more
100intervention and supports um which would be the tier 2 instruction and tier three instruction for students who need it. I guess my final question would be for my colleague since we know that the superintendent's theory of action is to begin one with tier one instruction then move to tier 2 instruction but historically our data is showing us that our seventh grade cohort re regardless of what year they're coming in seems to be where we need more work happening with math. So colleagues, do we feel that this theory of action is going to help us achieve the goal that's been put forward by us? Especially if we know that two is hard to get, we got to get four and we see the historical data which is showing us. >> You know, um there have been
101some significant comments raised. I struggle too with understanding the predictive nature, right? We know that this is supposed to be predictive of growth in some sort of way and that's where I struggle in the space of how will what your re what you're suggesting which I see in general statement alignment to guard rails support intervention systems that are tied to MTSS. I don't see specifically you uplifting tier 2, but I do see that this is aligned to guard rails in terms of general statement, but I too struggle with this sense of what is the predictive nature of the goals that you're looking of the strategy or the tactics you're trying to implement that are going to show us a gap closure within the time that you're saying that we need to reach a particular goal.
102>> That's where I struggle as well. if I'm making any sense. >> Are there any additional questions, >> a conversation for us because it's our goal, right? So, I just >> feedback from uh board member Reyes and then >> board member Simmons. >> So, Dr. Chapman, I I'm just wondering because I hear what you're saying. If we would have kept the kids, it's like it's kind of like you you got your gifted kids taking the eighth grade test. I hear what you're saying. So, I I'm I don't know. And this is we've had this goal for three years. >> The seventh grade is two years. >> About two years. So, so when we're talking about is something working, is not working. So, I just want to keep that in concept. That's why I'm asking that
103question, right? To change a goal, you got >> you got to be able to see if the interventions are working. two academic years may not be enough data if we say let's change the goal. I'm just thinking out loud, right? Um the the the students who are um testing proficient, they're not taking the seventh grade test. They're only taking the eighth grade test. So there's no way that you would be able to put them in. Right? So if we left them in the idea would be that we would hit the goal. >> If we left >> let's say the eighth the accelerated students a theory would be that if they would have taken the seventh grade test it what you're saying here is that our we would have hit the goal by because it would
104have increased our proficiency by 2.96. >> So I guess two things I'd like to step back a pace. one, this goal was set in in anticipation of trying to have students better prepared for algebra one. >> So, so the whole purpose of this was to connect elementary, middle, and high school for math preparation to have students better prepared for algebra 1 and going on uh to graduation. We certainly see an improvement in the algebra one scores, but in this data again, we've doubled the number of kids who are being advanced into the eighth grade test. We're changing the denominator. We're changing who's being counted. >> Correct? >> Okay. Every 25 kids is about a percentage point. So if you have 74 kids pass the eighth grade test, >> if I counted those back in seventh
105grade, and that's just one year because we had roughly 3% of of that population move to that eighth grade test. If I just counted them back in seventh grade instead, would be on target. And that would be an applesto apples comparison to the year before. >> Correct? >> Same baseline. The performance is improved. Our seventh graders are doing better. Some of them are just doing better when they take the eighth grade test. >> So, so I think that goes back to our mathematical formula is incorrect. I don't know if I'm prepared to say that our children are not learning. Could they be learning more because we're looking at the ones that did not weren't proficient. Right. Um uh so I I to your point I don't think it's apples to apples and uh not to
106say that the people that the seventh graders who are not hitting the the goal are not important but I would like to see continue to see the the implementation of some of the strategies and when you when we're looking at the low scores for seventh grade from previous years before we began monitoring that. That's is it safe to say that that's one of the reasons we picked this because we saw year 21 22 22 23 as a opportunity to do better. >> Yes. >> Right. So now we're my we've we've we're this is our first time kind of looking at the strategies that you implemented to help advance our students. >> Mr. Simmons. >> Oh. Um thank you President Cole. Um Dr. Chapman and forgive me if I missed it in the discussion earlier. Um,
107but the students, the seventh grade students who are taking that eighth grade test, they're still seventh grade students. Correct? So, I do think, you know, in looking at the I I have a few thoughts and looking at how the goal is worded, you know, it does say the percentage of seventh grade students proficient in mathematics on the Ohio State test. So, I do think it would be fair with how the goal is written to include those students. Um, because ultimately, I think the board asked for a measure of performance of our seventh grade students. we didn't really ask for a measure of performance of our seventh grade students taking, you know, that that seventh grade specific test. Um, and I also think that, um, you know, that's something we should celebrate and that that's a
108great positive for our district and that's something that we see more and more in these reports. We saw that, um, in the early graduation report a couple months ago. Um, and so I I think that's great news. But I will say um you know if if we're not going to include those seventh grade students taking that eighth grade test in the data then I think we do need to have a serious conversation um before we approach next year where we are looking at a potential fourpoint gap about whether or not this goal is is realistic. Um we should have >> I think it's the goal. I think it's the >> strategies. Yes, that's where I think we are. We need the goal. It's just the strategies need to be improved. You know, I I I
109understand that and I I don't necessarily disagree with that, but I also, and this is a question I've had for, you know, my first two years now on the board, as I look at these goals and I see the gaps widen throughout my time here, I start to really question and also keeping in mind that we are having to make a $50 million budget reduction this year. And that's going to impact our ability, Dr. Chapman's ability to achieve these goals. we're going to have to make an additional $50 million reduction sometime in the near future. Um, and so that's going to present a serious obstacles to us accomplishing these goals. And as I've been here, the the gap has widened for the most part through many of the goals. It hasn't it hasn't closed. And
110so that's why I question if these goals are still if the percentage is is realistic. Um, I will say in regards to um the strategy, I I think a lesson I've learned as a board member is it takes time for things to be implemented um and into and to work. But I also think um you I I think it's important to allow that time to progress, but I also think we maybe need to lean into our guard rails a little bit more effectively. They're there to help support the goals. Um, and I think maybe if some things like aligning resources equitably is still a big question mark for me. Um, and then even being extra mindful as we do begin to make these reductions, how that does impact the whole child focus, um, I think
111are are real considerations for this board. >> If I can, Dr. Chapman, um, and thank you all for the feedback thus far. What's working at the eight schools that have been highlighted in this presentation? what's working well for them. >> So, um what we discussed as part of the theory of action is building on the successes that's happening at those eight schools and that's where we see um clear um fidelity of implementation of all of our curricular resources. So that means all students every day are having access to high quality instructional materials and resources. In addition to that, the time and allocation of the structured intervention time is in place for those students so that they can receive the tailored differentiated tier 2 supports that they need to be successful. Um, in addition, the other
112factor that um we named was the chronic absenteeism rate. >> Thank you for going there because I was going to ask. And so for um seventh grade the chronic absenteeism rate was at 56% >> which is higher and above the the district average for chronic absenteeism. So a significant number of the students um you know again need support with um making sure that they are attending school regularly, staying in school. We talked about the the standards, the seventh grade math standards, how it's a web. And so if a student misses 10 or more days of instruction, they're missing 10 or more days to have access to those standards that really connect and those foundational skills that they need to be successful. So that's another um area that we have to continue to work to address.
113>> Okay. when we when you bring that up because that is root causal as you have cited that is root causal. >> How are you anticipating leaning in on that in a way that's going to impact >> our work towards that gap closure? >> So our team has worked on um a strategy to address the um chronic absenteeism particularly in the middle grades with an emphasis on seventh grade. So we know in sixth grade, seventh grade, eighth grade, and ninth grade, those are the grade bands where we have the highest chronic absenteeism rate. And so all of our resources related to attendance supports have been triaged and prioritized to support this group of students, particularly our seventh grade students, because we know it has an impact. Today we're talking about math, but it also has
114an impact on literacy and all of their core subjects because they're not attending school regularly. >> Okay. Uh I'll go to because we haven't heard from board member. We'll go to board member and then board member Reyes. >> Um Dr. Chapman, I just I noticed that the schools that are um outperforming are geographically in a similar area. Is there a training component um where that is reflected or potentially reflected in the data? Is there a successful training model in a region um that could be duplicated? Um are there other considerations or other factors that you have considered as to how this data is um reflected in where we are seeing successful outcomes? Um, thank you board member Ingles for that question. Our all of our profess our professional development and our core curricular resources have
115been standardized to ensure that all students um have access to highquality uh grade level instruction. So the resources are the same. We're not um not getting different resources as well as the professional development. So most of our professional development on the PD days has been very consistent and aligned across all of the regions. Um so this is really um you know an opportunity for us to dig deeper into the individual school-based data and all of our schools have set targets that they have to reach based on their performance last year. So when we think about seventh grade, um each school has their own target that they have to reach for um seventh grade math in order again for us to as a district to achieve that goal. And so then they would develop their school
116specific sight specific school improvement plan with strategies and practices that they also want to reinforce and support >> and those uh strategies are being developed with the whole child focus and the guard rails that you mentioned. Absolutely. So, um when we think about um those whole child supports, um the we talked about the attendance strategy. We talked about the attendance strategy at the district level. That work lives in the building, right? And so, every school has an attendance team and they're working to address those students needs based on the students that show up for that school. So, those are the the whole child supports that's enacted at the building level. That doesn't happen at the central office level. That happens at the building level. When the team is saying, "This is what our students need
117to be successful. Perhaps they need more counseling support. Perhaps they need we need to have schedule a parent teacher conference." They're figuring out what those needs are on an individual basis to make sure that they're supporting their students so they can be successful in school. >> All right. member Reyes. >> Thank you, Dr. Chapman. For the the cohort of students or or or Brown, um the cohort of students that um did not meet the goal, do we know if those are students have been with the district for throughout their school u term? because I know that we've talked a lot about students who have been in the district for x number of years under our curriculum and strategy tend to do better than those who have interrupted education. So they came from they went to
118another district or another school then came back and have struggled because they're behind. Do do we have and and do are we segregating our data that way to see if there's different interventions? So in this particular analysis, we did not do that. Uh if it's the board's pleasure, we certainly could. >> Well, I mean, I'm just wondering if we do it because that >> may there may be a a change in your strategies because because if a good section of these students who are not passing are coming from other districts and having to do catchup, then there has to be some sort of intervention to get them up. So uh it's not about whether it's the board's pleasure, it's about whether that has impact on what strategies we implement. >> It's certainly a pattern that
119we've seen before. We've provided analysis uh to the board around that before. I I would fully expect again that if we looked at this data and it's not just true to this system, it's other places as well. Students who are consistently enrolled do better, >> right? >> Um mobility is not helpful. Can I just It's not even a question at this point. I think to request that type of data we would need that for all of the goals when we get the monitoring report and we have not been asking those type of I guess are they technical questions to see who are we including in the universe and who are we excluding. So >> the the main reason I asked that is because we're looking at the the accelerated we're excluding the accelerated students. So
120there's impact there's impact on the high end and there's got to be impact on the middle on the bottom end as to whether we meet or don't meet and that's the reason not that I'm defending. >> No, I mean I get why you asking but I'm wondering like they're giving us that rationale for why they did not hit the target, right? Oh, because we have accelerated students who are now doing the eighth grade math and the eighth grade test. A similar assumption could be at one point, didn't we send our students home with Chromebooks and and they had access to those? So maybe it's the access or the lack of access to technology now that they have to do additional math problems or do additional work. They don't have that access anymore. That could also
121help to explain it. So, what I want to do, what I because I think this is a good conversation certainly outside the monitoring and I think it's a great opportunity to email the superintendent about what other variables we'd like to give some thought and consideration to in terms of student profile or what have you. >> I think it's a great opportunity, but I want to stay focused on the data at hand. >> Can I ask a followup question? It's not that I'm asking them to segregate the data. What I my question was when you look at the data, your interventions may shift a bit if you see that there's a large percentage of them who have not been consistently in the cohort. That's so that that was my qu my question was the interventions at
122the other side that that would be that may be why we're not hitting some of the students are not hitting because we're not providing all those interventions. >> So in all fairness I appreciate for them to find out [clears throat] >> what and no it makes sense. I mean I think that there's when we ask certain questions I think it's just very helpful for us to think about how we phrase them right. So if we're asking the question as you presented, >> you know, what are those variables that are there any variables that you've considered that have possibly impacted the earlier space of cohort students? >> Then you can give us some identification on that. I I think that's how you could phrase the question. Uh board member Simmons and then Dr. Pierce. >> Thank
123you, President Cole. Um, I do think to board member Reyes's point, um, you know, if the intention was for the board to make a determination about whether or not to include those students taking the accelerated test, I do think that would be important information for us to know because as Dr. Brown stated, it is very likely that the students who are doing the accelerated test have been with us for much longer. Um and you know I think in terms of how can we be strategic we talk about our board goals the board goals are the most important thing to the board and this is also you know information we take out and we put out to our community um and you know we ask our community to look into I don't think it it does
124make sense for us to say but our best students the ones that have been with us the longest have we made the most investment they benefited the most from our curriculum from our highly trained staff over several years we don't include the data for them um And so I I do think there's there's room for maybe us to have additional dialogue around including the accelerated students because those are the students who most likely assuming this is what Dr. Brown said is correct have been with us the longest and have benefited from multi-year investment from this board. >> I appreciate your input in into that from that perspective uh board member Simmons but again I want to challenge us to think about how we would phrase that as a question. How would we ask that actually
125as a question? Um, not as an not so much as an opinion because it's incredibly valid. I promise you that. >> But I think that the strength of this dialogue comes around with comes along with understanding how to phrase that as a question. >> May I rephrase it? >> Yes, sir. >> Thank you. Um, Dr. Chapman, would you say um given that the board has established a goal to get an accurate understanding of seventh grade math performance, would you say that it makes more or less sense for the eighth grade for the seventh grade students taking the eighth grade accelerated test? Does the board get a better understanding of how our seventh grade students are performing by including it or do we get a better understanding by not including it? Well, we've included the data
126as a part of the presentation as a slide so that you can see how many students have have increased and how they well they are performing on the eighth grade test. But we do not have the discretion, the administration does not have the discretion to modify the metrics for the board goal. The board would have to do that. And so the question about whether or not this is the right goal, this is the right metrics, we would certainly want to have further dialogue about that and research um our options for that. >> Thank you. And the and of course the board want to have deeper conversation with the community because all of our goals and guard rails represent what are the values and interests of our community as well. But Dr. Chapman, excuse me, Dr.
127Pierce, >> I appreciate that you confuse us like that. It means we're asking the right questions, right, Doc? Awesome. Um, so my question is is more for um our board colleagues and I and I see our coach is online here. I think this monitoring report has really been an exercise for us to move out of this questioning the administration. Right here we have a report where we have not hit the target. It is going to be very difficult to hit the target knowing that two points as as board member Adair said two points is hard to achieve. Now we have four. I think there is tremendous value and us seeing how the seventh graders performed without having the high achievers who are taking the eighth grade test because it shows us that we still have
128a lot of work to do when it comes to math. We want to make sure that every one of our students is proficient. So again, I would agree with my colleague Adair. It's not the goal. I think it is the strategies that are being implemented. And so with that in mind, I think it's time for our board to have a conversation around when we have these monitoring reports and we get to this point, do we as a board simply continue to accept them or do we say no? We want to see more around the strategies that our superintendent along with her central admin, the regional soups are going to implement to make sure that our most needed student is receiving the math curriculum that they need. And it cannot be a cut and paste of
129our guard rails. It cannot be you while I appreciate you telling us chronic absenteeism is an issue, but we know you're also proposing transportation cuts. So what's that going to do to the chronic absenteeism? Right? We as a board need to critically look at these reports and say are we just being performative and hitting the 30 minute mark or are we going to hold people accountable for the work that needs to be done. >> So um I thank you and that will be a transition actually unless there's an additional set of questions again regarding the data tonight presented to us. But I think that's uh a good question that transitions us to whether or not the board is willing to accept this report. Is there a motion at all to accept or not accept tonight's
130report? And again and and again some of the criteria by which we want to consider that is one its ability to be predictive. Are we seeing in this data something that is actually giving us a clear indication based on goals based on strategies uh whether or not we're actually going to see us close the gap in our pursuit of of of the goal on a peranom basis? Um is it something that was delivered by the superintendent in a way that was clear and comprehensive? um is it something that gave us a theory of action? Is it something that cited root cause as a part of u how how this data is explained and articulated? So, if this is something that at this point in time the board is willing to accept, I'm willing to accept
131a motion of in a second as to whether we want to accept this report or if there's a motion to table this report for further to to to give more explorative data that we can actually submit more questions to and then come back and circle back and have another conversation and a monitoring conversation. So, I motion not to accept this report. And the reason I say not because if we table that kind of negates the conversation that we've had, we've had the conversation. They need to go back and beef up the presentation. So, my motion is to not accept and to redo completely. It's not tabled. >> Okay. Is there a second? >> Second. >> So, it's been motioned and seconded. >> Can we do a point of order for a second, please? >> Certainly.
132What is that? I just am thinking I'm remembering in the parliamentary rules you cannot make a negative motion. It have to be a positive motion and then we would all vote no to not accept it. >> Um yes, President Cole, >> how would >> So my understanding too and that's why I asked because my understanding is that based on our governance model is actually something that should be tabled. >> Yes. >> That we would actually table it and it's still and it's it's actually synonymous to what it is you're recommending. It is not our acceptance of the report at Hold on. It is not our re our acceptance of the report at this moment in time. In fact, it is the ability for the administration to go back and answer the questions that it is
133that we need answered to give us clearer understanding and confidence is moving forward that this report is what it needs to have that includes what it needs to be accepted in the future. >> Our coach has his hand up. Um it's my understanding that we can not accept it. We can vote no, we don't accept a report. >> Right. My my question to the parliamentarian was just the structure of the uh motion itself. >> Yes. I think we have two different things going on. >> So, first let's let's let's have Synindle chime in. >> Uh thank you uh board members. >> Okay. From what I've heard in this discussion, it sounds like the sense of the board is that the report doesn't contain everything needed to answer the board's questions. If that's the case, then
134um the board is certainly free to table acceptance table consideration of the report. Um it's not that the board would have to consider an identical report. the administration uh can take the discussion, the questions that were asked today, the feedback and input of the board and submit a report that contained more of that information, the board could consider that. And if it met the board's standards for answering those questions, the board could adopt it at another time in the future. Um, saying that you're not accepting a report is generally not what's done when there's just more information requested. It's where u there is sufficient information for the board to decide that the the goal has not been met that uh there's no strategy to meet the goal and there is no plan to figure out
135or implement that strategy. Um, if that is the sense of the board and I've missed it, then my apologies, but that's not what I heard in the discussion so far. Based on what I heard, the appropriate response would be to to table. >> I would question that, Sintel Sendel, because what we have in terms of the presentation did not fully flesh out what the theory of action and the strategies are. So the report that we have in our hands does not detail even the strategies that are going to be implemented. Those strategies were given verbally in terms of questions that were being answered. So we do not in the report itself have substantive information to conclude or to give a confident vote that the gap is going to be closed and that the goal is
136going to be met. I do want to cor there is um in the report that they sent in November 18th some of the strategies that she said are outlined like the tier one tier two >> tier one tier two >> and then there was additional ones but they're all not together um not all the things on the slide are in here and the things in here are not all on the slide >> and on and slide 24 is is a particular example of what you're stating Jennifer in terms of what has been stated adult behaviors will change in response to uh student data based on tier one instructure instruction ensuring tier 2 tier three supports it's it's mentioned in here it is along with root cause >> I mean for me I feel like >>
137should all be together >> the information provided is the information provided I don't think that they have more information and my question is really the sufficiency of the strategies and how we overcome the gap that's my job right now is to determine if the strategies as presented can reach the benchmarks as established by our metrics >> predictive >> the predictive nature of it. Um and so for me it isn't a question of needing more information. It's whether or not I believe those strategies can get us to the four points plus. So, Synindle, based on and and is is this the interpretation of of of everyone else? Board member Reyes, >> I think I'm halfway there. Uh my other half is, and I think that goes back to what uh board member Simmons and I were
138trying to say is whether we count the eighth graders that were the seventh graders that um hit e that were in eighth grade. I think that's also a an additional uh predictor for me. I agree that there and that's why I think there's I agree with uh board member Adair that um there's additional strategies that may be missing but um I think there's a formula or a some sort of calculation on how do we include this new aspect of success which is having seventh graders doing so well that they're now testing at the eighth grade level. That's >> but the goal is to measure what seventh graders are doing is not not the >> but they are not they are seventh graders they're eighth graders in math >> I asked that question >> 90% of
139whom are a part of the cohort and 10% who are >> exactly so they're not eighth graders correct >> seventh graders taking the eighth grade >> but seventh graders taking the eighth grade >> taking the summitive exam >> exactly so they're still seventh graders >> taking eighth grade math >> seventh graders taking in the eighth grade math. >> Count the proficiency count and proficiency rate of seventh grade students. >> It's in the eighth grade number. >> Yes. Can't double count them. >> So, I think what our colleague wants to do is pull them out of the eighth grade math slot and put them into the seventh grade math slot because they're in seventh grade, which we are saying we can't do because we don't we want to acknowledge that they're in the eighth grade math.
140So, they they just want to move those students. >> Not saying move them. I said we need to look at whether we should or should not hold on. >> Not a suggestion. I'm asking >> question. That's a suggestion. >> Yep. Thank you so much. Um uh Sindle, you have your hand up. >> What are you hearing? >> Um what I'm hearing is mainly that the board wants to go into this topic further. The general consequence of rejecting the monitoring report would be to end the conversation. The consequence of tableabling the monitoring report, allowing the administration to revise the report to further clarify uh the current reality. Again, the strategies for the board so that that conversation could continue is generally done by tableabling it so that the board can come back and reconsider uh with
141that additional information. for thank you for explaining the difference between again tableabling versus rejecting the report and concluding the conversation alto together. I think it's important for us because we're problem solvers here. We're actually working together to ensure that outcomes for students change progressively. And with that in mind, that means that tableabling the conversation so that the additional information that we're looking for can be uncovered and then present it to us in a future conversation, I think is appropriate. Um, >> so we already have a motion. >> We Yes, ma'am. Thank you. >> We already have a motion. We already have a motion on the floor. It is Was it seconded? Board member Simmons, you seconded it >> because he wanted conversation or questions. >> Oh, yes. Yes. Uh, thank you, President Cole. I just
142want to be mindful um there is a motion on the floor, but also considering if the board were to take action in tableabling also I would want an understanding of when we're revisiting it, right? Because some of us are voting on something that we're not going to be here to revisit this conversation. So, is it is it fair to leave an open-ended conversation um for a future board that did not vote to table this particular conversation if it's this board's responsibility to monitor and to provide feedback in the immediate for this goal? Is that something that we are charged to do in the moment versus putting this off uh for a future conversation when that that's not the board that's sitting here presently? I thank you uh so much for for that insight, sharing that.
143Um my vice president made a mention of it's her job. it's her job. And um I'm going to support that statement that it is our job to as a board of education and not necessarily just this iteration of a board of education. But it is our job as the board of education period to ensure that we're carrying on the proper dialogue because this is by the way a monitoring report that is tied to a strategic plan. it is tied to a strategic plan that has an end date that is to be looked at on a peranom basis on an annual basis. So with that in mind um I agree with you that there is a motion on the floor. Is there can we call the role on >> hold on hold but president can't you
144say the adverse because if we say no then the the new iteration of the board won't be looking at this till next year. >> They'll still get their monitoring report. They'll get their monitoring report because it's calendarized >> until 6 months. >> When's the next time you're going to be reviewing seventh grade? >> Where's the >> math? No, I mean if if we're looking >> seventh grade math >> next year. Exactly. So if you table it, you look at you're seeing it in the next month, two month, three month, whatever you want to do. Again, these >> Well, actually, we will be looking at the interims in March >> 1 through six interims for seventh grade math. So that would be March, fairly soon. >> And here's the other piece too. The other piece is
145is that this is something that we could actually say in a certain amount of time, madam superintendent, can you be prepared to provide or ask you >> what what amount of time do you need to ensure that you're able to answer the current questions that you were presented this evening? >> What kind of time do you need? And there's there's another opportunity for us to work collaboratively together to solve this problem. So I hear what everyone is saying, but I think that there's a unique space here that we can we've got something coming up in March that that iteration of a new board has work to do in March with an interim report, right? But at the same time, we can establish that you need to be able to prepare be prepared to give the
146board some some measure of feedback by January or February, whatever we want to work out at the end of the day, board member Simmons, and then we'll actually take the vote. >> Thank you. Um, I have a question and then a point of discussion. Um, what what is the question on the floor at this point in time? >> The question on the floor, uh, Mr. Treasurer? >> Yeah, I have a motion from Dr. Pierce not to accept the report. >> Okay. Okay. Okay. >> It has been motioned and seconded. >> Do I need to state it differently? >> Is that a proper motion? Can it be negative? >> Yes. Um I'm actually President Cole, I at this point in time I am going to withdraw my second. I misunderstood what question was on the floor
147because as President Cole and our governance coach Synindle did state, the way our governance model works is that the board should really table the report so that we could come back and visit it. um it wouldn't really be proper for us just to reject the report. Um and we're supposed to give the superintendent, you know, some good feedback and when we do table that. So, at this point in time, I am going to withdraw my second. But I do want to get back to my points of discussion is I just wasn't exactly clear why we wouldn't accept this report. Um we typically do accept the monitoring reports um even when they're not at the goal. So, just colleagues, was the issue that we're not meeting the goal here or you don't feel like the strategies
148are going to get us to the goal? is that we don't feel this >> specifically. I made the motion because the strategies are not going to get us to the goal. And historically, we have not accepted reports before under Superintendent Dixon. This will probably be the first one well that I am motioning we not accept under Dr. Chapman, but you can historically go back and see we have not accepted those reports and that was under the guidance of AJ Crarabel when he was our coach. So, >> so I think the the the question I I think the the the really real question here is is the goal realistic? Because if our team is saying 2% growth is realistic, hang on please. Hang on please. >> If our team is saying you can really only hope
149for 2% at most a year, well 2%, let me just check the the line graph real quick. 2% it might well it won't get us there because we'll be at 19%. And so our team has told us 2% is what you can hope for a year. And I think our colleague Vice President Adair has kind of pointed out that well if you're telling me 2% is the best you can do, you're only going to be at 17.2 next year and you're still going to be two points behind on the goal. But what I don't understand is for us to send this report back to the superintendent. What are we really leaving her to come back to the board with? but to say, and I'm not sure this is how the our governance model was supposed
150to work or if this is really the position the superintendent should necessarily be put in, but to say your goal is unrealistic. Um, and so I I don't understand what we'd hope for if we did send the report back to get um because unless we're going to revise that 2% is realistic, we're not going to be meeting this goal on the trajectory established. And so I think we need to realize that. We need to own that. And then we need to decide as a board, how do we want to move forward? Do we want to revise the goal at this point in time? Do we want to send it back and hope that Dr. Chapman can cook up some magic and say, "I'm going to get you 5% in one year." But that's probably not
151going to happen. Um, and so I think we need to be realistic. And my very last point, I did want to visit the seventh grade students taking eighth grade math just one last time because, you know, I don't understand any any environment where you would say to a coach, um, don't play your best players. You can't count your best players though in in the game. The students that you've had with you the longest, that you've invested the most resources into, you can't count them. Um, we I would never go into a school as a board member and expect not to be introduced to whoever that team thought was their best and brightest students, their best teacher. You know, you would a food critic would never go into a restaurant and expect not to be served
152the best meal. And so, I think for us to say that we can't count the students that we've invested the most amount of resources in that we are directly responsible for where they're at today is kind of tying the superintendent one hand behind her back and putting an eye patch on one eye. And so I do think those students should be um included. But just in closing, I really think if the core issue here, colleagues, is that we don't think the strategy will get us to the goal, then we need to address the root issue, which is that the goal is not realistic because we can only get 2% a year. Um and so I think I don't think that requires the report to be tabled. I think that requires us to make a commitment
153that we will in the future maybe go back to the community to have more dialogue. But I think at this point in time, the next steps for the board is yes, to finish the motion and decide what we want to do about the report, but I think more importantly, we need to decide what we want to do about the goal because we've heard 2% is what we can hope for a year, unless we're hoping they come back and tell us we're going to get you 5% next year, which is not going to happen. We need to decide what we want to do about the goal. >> So, colleagues, I'm more than happy to amend my motion. However, before I do that, I want to clarify the students who are taking the eighth grade test are
154included. They are included in our eighth grade math numbers. They're not being excluded. So, it's just like our GT students. When students reach a certain proficiency level in a subject, if we are doing a phenomenal job and advancing them the way that we should be advancing them, by the time they're in their junior, senior year, their numbers aren't there anymore because they're taking college credit plus. They're getting their their seals and their CTE credentials and doing those things. That's why our goals that we do have are so important because it takes that student that might be dealing with homelessness and and and housing insecurity. It takes those students and says you need a little bit more intervention. And what this goal is showing us is that that number one strategy that we always get MTSS
155tier one tier one tier one it's not working with this goal. Tier two needs to be accelerated and introduced early when it comes to math. So just like students are reading with their teachers that first couple of days of of kindergarten, like those first couple of days of the seventh grade, we need to be taking an enhanced math test so we can see where you're at, where those gaps are, so we can immediately start working. That's tier 2 intervention. So with that said, now I will amend my motion to be do we accept this report? Second. >> We have the second. >> So there's a second to accept the report. >> Yes, >> we're voting. >> So there's a motion on the table to accept the report. It has been seconded by Vice President >>
156Adair. Uh all right, we can call the RO. >> Miss Engles. >> No. >> Dr. Pierce, >> no. >> Miss Reyes, >> same. >> Mr. Simmons, >> I can do whatever. I'm sorry, President Cole, could we just I want to make sure I get this right. Could we clarify the question just one more time? So I >> Mr. Treasurer. >> Yes. The original motion was not to accept. Dr. Pierce amended it to accept monitoring report. >> Yes. I would like to accept this monitoring report. >> Miss Vera. >> No. >> Vice President Adair. >> No. >> President Cole, >> I vote not to adopt the monitoring report. >> Motion failed. >> All right. Um, okay. So, Dr. Chapman, is there an opportunity to in this instance, and this is what I want to share because
157I I greatly appreciate your poise in this situation. I do understand. Um, I think that there's a way to move forward in a way that helps us get a deeper understanding of the predictive nature. I think what you've heard this entire time from the table, if you distill it, is that there's a question around how predictive these strategies are in terms of their relationship with the goals. How is it that we can actually you're going to actually be able to demonstrate? And to me, quite honestly, and this is where I challenge us to to think beyond that 2% baseline conversation about we, you know, on average the state of Ohio, we only see school districts grow, you know, no more than 2%. I'm just a I just happen to be one of those crazy people
158who has an tremendous belief in the possibility [snorts] of infinite possibilities for human beings, especially our children. I've raised some that shown me better than they could tell me anything. So with that in mind, I think it it's helpful that if you're able to come back to the board at a future time uh to be able to walk them through uh revisit this report and make it much more comprehensive, make it much more capable of shaping narrative around how that gap closure piece is going to work. I think that's something owed to the folks who are at this table right now who will be there next year. Thank you, President Cole and members of the board. Um, we have certainly captured your feedback as a part of this monitoring session and we will work with
159our student outcomes focused governance coach to um, review again and discuss all of the feedback and determine our path forward. I know there was some and we will follow up with the board leadership and the board around where we go from here. There was some question about the goal. There was some question about the metric. there was some question about the interventions and so we will go back to the report to make sure that um every consideration to honor that feedback um is highlighted and modified as a part of the next conversation. So thank you. >> Yes ma'am. Um I want to close on this re this very very briefly by saying that based on the root cause situation the need for expanding resources and focus on tier 2 and ideally as well tier three
160tier three deals with our most dispirit group of students right um but also showing up to school I said at the last joint committee meeting that not attending attending school is not an option. It is not an option legally. It is not an option for any parent in their good mind raising children. It's not an option and I you know I folks can be upset with me as much as they want on that but we cannot accept that. However, we need to lean in more deeply on ensuring that our students are in class and part of that a major part of that in fact is culture and climate. A major part of that, in fact, is adults who understand that making school the coolest place for a kid to be. It's just one of those
161central things that kind of in in an awkward kind of way is really easy to tap into. I realize all of the things our kids come to school with. But if we can come with the mindset from the top down that this is the place to be. And not just because the law says so, not just because you got to do it, not just because we have high aspirations as grown adults for you as a student in a class, but because we believe in you. We want you here, and this is the coolest place in the community for you to be in your neighborhood school. So, I just want us to keep that in mind. I thank you again. I look forward to maybe from the background seeing this conversation recovered in the future. All
162right, we're going to move to our direct reports. Uh, excuse me. We've got work to do. We're staying board dogone matters. All right. Um, we're going to move to our next order of business. Uh, let me pull >> The committee appointment. And we do have a committee appointment. Uh, I'd like, uh, board member because this is your your committee member. Tell us a little bit about the individual, their name, and uh, I'm happy to take action moving forward. Um so we had a a member of policy and governance who had been uh involved for um many years actually with the district and he stepped away because he moved out of the district and so we have um a space and I was lucky to be introduced to Dr. Summer Lucky um who's an education researcher
163um had worked at Ohio State uh in some of the um equity and diversity and equity inclusion programs and I'm thrilled to have her and her expertise. >> All right, I'm excited to recommend uh for appointment to the policy and governance committee this fine individual. Welcome and thank you so much for this reference. All right, we'll move on to 4.3, which is the first reading of policy 7460, safe green schools. Board member Les, >> thank you. Um, so I am very excited to bring this forward to the board tonight. Um, as some of our public comment had stated, um, last J February, um, our board took action to pass the, uh, Columbus City Schools Safe Green Schools resolution. And in that, this board made a number of commitments to climate resiliency, to becoming more energy
164efficient, to identifying cost-saving measures that are both beneficial to the district because they um will be more cost-effective, but also allow for long-term strategies um that create climate resilience both in our buildings and in um some of the assets that we are using as a district. um and you know just create a um a an initiative that builds into the larger uh regional model of climate resilience strategies and um energy efficiency. And so um we know that utilities continue to rise and are rising very rapidly and um we need to think through new strategies as a district. There are lots of financial opportunities that have been on the table and will be on the table in the future that are available to school districts uh public school districts who want to engage in this work.
165And this is a really good time for our district to tap into some of that opportunity, tap into some of that finance um financing access and um grant access uh to make our schools more energy efficient, more climate resilient and more cost-effective. And so I am excited to bring forward a first read. Um, I first just want to thank quickly uh the folks who have worked with me over really the past year to think this strategy through and to think through what are some cost effective measures, what are some climate resilience measures um and what are some long-term sustainable uh tactics and um asset evaluation that we could be doing in this district um to to really propel us forward. Um, and so I want to thank from the administration Jeff Row who's done a
166ton of work with our advocates and has done an incredible job. Um, Maurice Woods, Dr. Chapman and Ryan Cook for working uh, with our teams. And I want to thank Mezeret Ara um and Tara Palansky with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, Chelsea Watson with Building Power Resource Center, Amanda King who's one of our CCS parents and a solar and housing expert, and Dena Seco of the Environmental Council Action Fund and who is also a CCS parent. um for joining calls. We have um bi-weekly calls where we're talking about what is the opportunity in the district, what financing is available, what grants are available, what can we be tapping into to save some of these muchneeded resources and create long-term strategies that are cost-effective and climate resilient. Um and so I am so grateful for the whole
167team that has been working so hard on this. Um, we are putting forward a first read on a board policy uh because the board said at the last time where we adopted the resolution that the board felt like a lot of the metrics that were put in the resolution would be more effective and appropriate for a board policy. And so we did exactly that. We listened to the board and we put it into a policy and that's what I'm bringing forward tonight. Um, I'm going to walk through it very quickly. It is my intent that this is a first read. So I'm not asking the board to take action tonight. Um but I am uh I would like to have the opportunity to explain a little bit with um what is in the policy. So
168the policy is uploaded on board docs. Anyone who is watching this at home can see that policy and can read that. Um but basically it starts by the overall mission which was stated in the resolution that the board passed. um committing to ensuring that schools are safe, healthy, sustainable and combating climate change as a vital component of the mission. Um we had committed in that resolution to a carbon-f free district by 2050 which aligns with uh the region's goals and so the city of Columbus, Franklin County, Morpsy um a lot of our partners uh achieving 100% renewable power by uh 2035 and 100% clean renewable energy usage in all of our facilities by 2050 consistent with available funding technology uh readiness and district operational capacity. So, you'll see woven throughout this policy that um we
169need to be doing cost-effective strategies, but there are many many many cost-effective strategies that we could be doing and employing right now that create long-term cost savings. Um and so that is the goal with uh this directive and with this policy. So the policy would be uh directing the superintendent or [cough] designate and the treasurer or designate who need to work in tandem in order to make sure that our assets um are being purchased and evaluated um uh to hit all of these goals to implement the strategies. So directing the superintendent to identify a person um within six months of enactment of the policy to oversee the district's sustainability and clean energy strategy and identifying that that person in their role can lead and support in identifying and applying for funding opportunities whether philanthropic public
170grant or other investment opportunities and that that person should work with the treasurer uh to do the same. The intent of this section is solely so that there is a point person that people know who they can go to that people know that person is responsible for implementing these strategies. That person is responsible for making sure that this work and the board's work is getting done. Um and so the superintendent has some flexibility in how she decides to identify that person, but we need a person identified. um work with and expand upon the existing benchmarking process to set long-term benchmarks to achieve a carbon-f free district by 2050. Um so we talk about pursuing opportunities to expand renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements, prioritizing pro projects with positive educational, fiscal and operational impacts. Um the
171policy also contemplates um equipment and zero emission vehicles and exploring all options that are on the table that some of which have current funding and some of which may have current funding opportunities in the in the future. Um it sets forth some benchmarking so that we can see uh the improvement and we can see if we're on task to hit the goal that was set forward in the resolution. um and allows the board some element of check-in. Um it talks about new construction and community gardens and green spaces. So all future new facility builds in the future if this board is um evaluating that. Um looking to energy uh electric and powered by renewable energy where feasible and starting immediately all new roof construction would be assessed for rooftop solar and projects implemented where feasible.
172We're already installing roofs on a regular cadence on a regular schedule. So, we should be evaluating whether or not it makes sense at that time um to do things that create climate resiliency and that create cost-effective strategies, lower our utility bills so we can take that money and put it into educating kids and supporting kids. Um so, we've got that in there. Um we also talk a little bit about career and technical education programs. Um green jobs is a space in the future. Um it is a space uh that is hiring today and we have students who are interested in this work and so integrating that into the careermies and the types of things that the district is doing um and making sure that we are you know as a board supporting that work. Um
173and then some reporting uh so that we have some element of being able to know whether or not we're going to be uh tracking and um aware of whether we're going to hit our goals and um and those kinds of things. So, um, it also talks a little bit about, you know, just kind of when we're doing major capital investments from permanent improvement fund, looking at um, climate resilient strategies, green strategies. Um, so when we're looking at buying lights, which we do all the time, are we buying lights that last longer and are more climate resilient? That's a good strategy for the district to consider in moving forward. And so it would ask uh for some assistance with that. And then of course um we we would always be able to ask our auditor to
174assist us in um assessing some of this work and identifying you know uh current risks and opportunities because um climate change is certainly a risk that all schools, all communities are going to be facing more and more as we go into the future. And so thinking that through um is really the goal here. So, this is intended to be a first read and um I would ask that the board bring it back at a later board meeting for consideration and adoption. >> Uh thank you so much uh board member Les. Um I appreciate the opportunity to have been a part of this uh very progressive and proactive kind of forward thinking in terms of sustainable energy and how we think uh a lot more broadly in that space. So, thank you. Um, all right. We
175will move on to the agenda. All right. We'll move on to uh sections 5.1 through 5 point excuse me 7.1 and that is uh we'll begin with the superintendent in terms of recommendations. Welcome back Dr. Chapman. >> Good evening again. Um so this evening um we will be I will be providing an update on the proposed budget reductions and these are all budget reductions that were presented to the joint committee meetings over the past three months and the joint committee has approved all of these recommendations to come before the board. So, starting first with the board resolution. On August 19th, 2025, the board of education approved a resolution directing me to present a list of recommended budget reductions for fiscal year 2027 by the second regularly scheduled meeting in November. I will discuss those recommendations
176that were shared last week at the board's joint committee meeting. I'll keep going and I'm sure the PowerPoint presentation the presentation will catch up with me. Uh again, this is a review. These same recommendations were provided last Thursday at the joint committee meeting. We've discussed them in September and October. So, this is a review. There are no new recommendations that have been offered in this presentation. Again, for three months, we've shared um our vision for Columbus City Schools over three nights. October 27th at South High School, October 28th at West High School, and October 29th at Mifflin High School. Columbus City Schools hosted our future RCCS town hall workshop series. We welcome more than 650 in-person attendees and over 1,300 online surveys have already been completed. The survey remains open at on the district's website
177for the next few weeks so even more more voices can be heard. The feedback from our families, staff, and community partners has been both insightful and inspiring. In our priority boxes activity, what we've heard from participants is that 46% of participants identified academics and whole child supports as the top district priority. 28 prioritized school buildings. 26 emphasized busing and transportation. Through our online engagement, we learned that 79% of respondents want the district to focus on supporting teachers in the classroom and expanding access to art, music, and PE, which was one of the most strongly supported areas for investment. 66% want additional support staff, including counselors, social workers, and nurses. And when asked about school consolidation, 51% of participants said it's important to protect specialized academic programs and job readiness pathways. We are here to ensure
178that every student learns in a strong, modern school environment with the programs and support they need to succeed. We want more college and career prep where 100% of our students go back >> where 100% of our students of 100% of our high schools should offer advanced courses. 100% of our high schools will offer career pathways and 100% of those pathways lead to actual credentials or credit for the students. Our vision calls for more arts clubs and advanced courses at elementary and middle schools. 100% of our middle schools should offer electives and introductory career tech classes that help students get ready for college and career. We know that we need to make some tough decisions so we can get to this better future. You've heard that the district is in deficit spending. That means we're using
179the savings account to pay today's bills. The total deficit for next year is close to $19 million. Working with our treasurer and the board of education, we've committed to making 50 million in permanent cuts for the 2627 school year to cut that deficit. Even with that, we run out of savings in 2030, which could force us to go for an operating levy or go into state emergency. As you can see in this graph, most of our budget goes to people. more than $818 million a year. But over the past decade, public schools across Ohio are not being fairly or fully funded. This is not just a Columbus issue, but as the biggest district in Ohio, we are feeling the impact of these cuts deeply. The state used to be a big player in education. In
1802021, they provided more than 30% of our budget in CCS. Today that is closer to 15% and it will be 10% in 2027. Now the legislature is looking at ways to undercut property taxes with new proposals that could further impact every public school in Ohio. [clears throat] We need the entire community to speak out on this to in to your state legislatores because it cannot be sustained. Together with our treasurer, our team has started cutting back last year. We began to tighten our belts over the last several months. These measures have already begun to show several million dollars in savings. Re we reduced non-personnel budgets where possible and have not filled admin positions that became vacant. And we are listening and will continue to listen for the next few weeks. Board members will have a
181summary on Friday of this week to review all of the data from all of the surveys that we've collected. Here are some of the uh feedback that we received from the early responses. 76% want the priority to be on teachers in the classroom. 64% want to prioritize support staff like counselors, social workers, and nurses. And when consolidating schools, more efficient transportation and preserving specialized academic programs were the top priorities. Since September, the joint board committee has received several presentations with recommendations for system change to address our budget. First, the committee heard from our transportation team about our current transportation model and her recommendations for changes. In October, the joint committee learned about our current school choice lottery process and were updated on pending legislation impacting our school realignment decisions. Last week, I presented recommendations for
182cuts to staffing and programs. As we think about resetting our budget for FY27, here's how we propose moving forward. We propose up to $61 million in reductions. So that means the board has options and I'm going to review each one of those options again. In [snorts] September, the joint committee was presented with two options for transportation. In the first scenario, we would provide Kota passes for high school students, but not yellow bus service. Our students with IEPs who have transportation in their IEP will continue to receive school bus service as required by law. The second option presented is to offer no high school transportation for high school students. This plan gives the furthest and re eliminating the millions in state fines for busing that we currently are facing. Most of that is for the complex
183problems caused by being ordered by the legislature to route thousands of private and chartered students. Option three, by approving this recommendation, the district could realize savings. This would be achieved by discontinuing transportation for students who lottery into non 100% lottery schools. This change would affect approximately 2,000 CCS elementary and middle school students currently attending schools that do not meet the 100% lottery designation. About two weeks ago, Senator Briner, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, introduced a large education bill, Senate Bill 311. This bill includes language that once again threatens the sale of CCS school buildings. This language is very similar to what we saw discussed during the state operating budget earlier this year. What's most concerning is that the bill changes how a building would be identified as an unused school facility. It also reduces
184how much a district could sell one of those buildings for. If this language is implemented, it could significantly impact local control over our facilities and limit our flexibility in manage and managing district assets. Finally, in October, the joint committee reviewed the anticipated savings if we close additional smaller legacy buildings and balance enrollment in our newer buildings. The closure of these facilities will have an immediate impact on the budget for our upcoming school year FY27. These buildings were also presented to the committee in October and the board will also be voting on those school closures in December. They are being presented separately as they as they as they do not begin to produce savings until 2728 academic year. Voting to approve these recommendations will result in an estimated savings of over 11.7 million. Option five, superintendent's
185general fund non-personnel reductions. Now we will go to proposed cuts to non-personnel spending. To be clear, when we say reduction, this programming will continue, but with less resources from CCS. This might mean less contractors and consultants, or it can be an item that we will pursue additional new partnership and private funding for. We will also cut back on travel and training, family ambassadors, and one of our prek sites at OSU. Option five, continue. These are other areas in the non-personnel areas where we would continue to roll back um funding and resources. And again, the projected savings for all of these non-personnel reductions is $8.8 million. Option six, staffing and program reductions. As we transition to our staffing and program reduction recommendations, these guiding principles will continue to be the basis of our decisions. Preserving our
186academic vision by putting our students first, protecting classroom teaching and learning supports, and starting with the leaner central office, reducing or eliminating contracts, consultants, and purchase services. Finally, we will now focus on reductions in staffing recommendations. And rem I want to remind our our board, our audience, and everyone that's watching at this time, these are recommendations to get to a number. We are not voting and the board will not be asked to vote on actual positions on December 2nd because right now we are still trying to get to that number of $50 million in savings and the board has several options to achieve that goal. When we talk about administrators, administrators include central office staff and schoolbased administrators. As you recall, we have 113 school buildings with 213 principles and assistant principles supporting the students
187and programming at all of these schools. Certificated positions include positions such as classroom teachers, teachers on special assignment, school counselors, social workers, intervention specialists, tutors, and nurses. Classified positions include bus drivers, food service staff, instructional assistants, secretaries, custodians, and safety and security specialists. In option six, our personnel reductions, we started with central office, which would be a 21% reduction of a 50 positions. School-based administrator positions would be reduced for the buildings that the board will be voting on for closure and consolidation. Certificated positions would be a 6% reduction. 275 total positions to be reduced. And classified positions is a 3% reduction with 106 total positions to be reduced. This gives us an idea of if we were looking at personnel to make up all or the majority of the cuts, this would be a scenario
188that we would be moving forward to um identify. I think it would be 40 million in staffing positions because the other there was about another 11 million in other areas. And so this is again a starting point for us to begin this conversation. Option six continued additional personnel rec re reductions limit extended time and stipens to our contractual obligations and reduce budget for hourly staff which would be another $2 million in savings. Our contractual obligations include the stipens that we pay to intervention specialists who serve large case loads of students with IEPs, counselors who work during the summer, PAR consulting teachers, teachers who serve on the reform panel, etc. These stipens are contractual and will continue to be paid. The reduction would impact extended time such as additional pay for teachers who write curriculum or
189part or participate in PD outside of contractual time. Hourly staff serve in a variety of part-time positions such as tutors and substitutes. We would still provide these services but at a significantly reduced level. By doing all of these cuts, we will minimize the impact on students. We have seriously looked at the impact of programming and staffing reductions. Remaining staff will have an increased workload as our students needs have not been reduced. We will prioritize support for our core instructional programs and students with special needs. And so this is a summary of options five and six that shows you with these recommendations. These are the cost savings for non-personnel as well as personnel. And in summary, this is the summary of all of the recommendations that have been provided to the joint committee. And the joint
190committee has approved for all of these recommendations to move forward for further consideration and review by the board of education. Again, as we shared during our town hall meetings, our budget decisions will be made based on data. Our student first principles and community priorities. Residents will help guide where we invest for the future. We will continue to work to protect classroom instruction wherever possible. And our timeline for action, as you can see, um September, October, and November, we provided those recommendations to the joint committee. and and then December, our board, well now our board is already reviewing and considering these recommendations. We'll take a vote in December. In closing, our survey is still online on our district website. So, we encourage everyone to continue to take time to fill it out. this. There is a
191board listening session again tomorrow and then we will close the survey after that final listening session. And our goal is to get a report to all of our board members by the end of this week before wellness week so that our board will have time to review that data and capture all of the feedback from all of the listening sessions that we've had in advance of the board's vote. That concludes the report on the recommendations that we have um as a review and a recap that we've provided to the joint committee that the joint committee has voted to move forward to the board for additional consideration. >> Thank you, Madam Superintendent. All right, so the floor is open for any number of questions that you may have about the presented options. um this is the
192opportunity and and I want to reiterate too that we're not in any position at this point in time to discuss individual positions. Um so I want that to be clear and that is largely tied to what is contractual that is tied to any myriad of things that Dr. Chapman um uplifted. So we want to be thoughtful and mindful about how we ask questions. But at the end of the day, the floor is open. Are there any questions at this point in time? Dr. Pierce, >> I just have one question. And this question was brought to the joint committee by a joint committee member. I think it's been brought by various community members that we've heard um in person, remote or um testimony from as well as emails that our community members have sent. In all
193of these presentations, you are able to give a breakdown of what the cost saving is. However, we're not seeing metrics on how these cost savings will actually affect academic outcomes. So I will just echo the question that has been stated before. How will these cuts affect our students academic performance? >> Thank you. Um at the we did provide impact statements for all of the areas for the cuts for non-personnel um all of the areas that we were reducing um as well as the position. so we can go back and refresh that document and provide um that information for you. >> I think it'd be helpful to provide it for the community and as we're giving these presentations, those impact statements should also be there. So again, we had a monitoring report where chronic absenteeism was
194mentioned and transportation is still here on the list. Those seventh graders will potentially be high schoolers in two years, maybe a year. Those eighth graders are highly achieving those marks already, right? So, when we're talking about transportation, you should be able to give us a metric each time you mention that, not just around those 2,000 students that will be impacted by the non 100% lottery school, but this is going to impact their math scores potentially by have we looked to see what that return on investment is by two percentage points, one percentage point. you know, what's the predictability of some of these these cuts on the everyday experience of students, right? Can we anticipate that those 2,000 students may miss one to two days of school? Is our chronic absentee number going to go up
195by 10% by 9%. >> So, the 2,000 students, just to be clear, those are students who were attending >> a non 100% lottery school. So those would be students that would um not have transportation to that school of choice. They would be returning to their home school unless their family has a way to provide them to their lottery school. So actually they would be their school would be in closer proximity to their home address and in many cases when we think about our chronic absenteeism it's in the upper grades where we have a higher chronic absenteeism and more students are not attending their neighborhood schools. So, it could also be said that the challenges that we're experiencing, the current challenges that we're experiencing with transportation are complicating um those the decisions as well as the
196ability to get students to a school that they have chosen that is outside of their neighborhood. It's further away. There's more challenges for getting the students on time to the bus stop. they miss the bus and so then they don't make it and there's not a backup plan to get a student from one side of the town to the other t side of the town could be one factors but those are certainly um all aspects that we will continue to look at and weigh as we are discussing these um recommendations >> I'd appreciate that because the other side of that is that those students have built and may have built really strong relationships with the teachers that are in those buildings that they're in right now the parents parents might not want them at the
197school that is closest to them. So there could be a trauma, there could be um outcomes by moving those students from that particular environment or that school where they built those nurturing bonds. So it is quite complex but I think there's value in sharing that with the community. >> Thank you. >> I'll second that. Um, one of the questions that was uplifted us this evening during our office hours and listening to a portion, um, was from, you know, Dubberry staff and and family that are concerned about this transition, not just once recommended, but twice recommended to South Mifflin and then subsequently to uh, Ames and the Fort Hayes campus. Um and they they really want their landing spot to be Ames and Arts Impact. They really want to be there uh in the Arts Impact
198middle school. Um how do how are you all considering or thinking about the smoothest transition possible um to ensure that there is that sense of stability to ensure that there is that sense of familiarity on the part of the student the staff and the p the family to that building um I think that's that's especially dealing with um a dispirit group of students who tend to be on, you know, the learning disabled spectrum or the emotionally disabled spectrum. Uh, this is a population at Dubberry that's apparently well served, very well served, and I applaud you and your staff for that. But how do we ensure moving forward that this is something that is a smooth transition from one space to another? and does South Mifflin still have to be a part of that consideration? Is
199there still the need to move twice as opposed to once? >> So, um first um just want to name that we are thinking about the trans the schools that um would be receiving new students as the welcoming school. And so that's we're naming it the welcoming school because we know that the the receiving school will be very welcoming the students, the staff to the students and staff that are transitioning to that school. So we're naming it the welcoming school. Um when we talk about the transition for this particular school um and you qu you are asking a question about how do we ensure a smooth transition, we do that by carefully um mapping out and planning for that smooth transition. And that is why we did not recommend um making all of those transitions at
200one time because it is going to be a heavy lift to ensure a smooth transition for these schools. And so when we talked about the recommendations, there were only a few schools that we included as a part of the recommendations that will actually impact the FY27 budget because some of those decisions, transitions will take longer time because we want to be careful about how many schools we are transitioning at one in one school year. So, if the board votes in December, essentially, we have from January to August to plan for transitioning um the schools, we we're already a year into the process of transitioning um broadly and Mhler. And so there were two other schools that we were considering to transition um between January and August which would and then the other schools would be
201um we would be noted and that would show in the fiscal year 28 as the next round of transition. And so that's why you didn't see all of the schools that they wouldn't impact this decision that we're making right now to get to that 50 million right now for FY27. So the key piece there is time in addition to um transition activities. So we would work with the administrators, the staff, the parents, the families and the students to plan transition activities for all of the the students and the staff so that they have an opportunity to um you know do figure out the best layout of the building. How would they accommodate an additional class at first grade, an additional class at second grade? so that we would allow time for those transitions to take
202place and ensure that there's um smooth communication between everyone. So the some of these transition would be transitions would be easier to accomplish than others in a short amount of time and some of them would require additional time. But the time allows us to make sure that we are giving the attention that we need to support the students, the families, the staff members and address those needs as they arise. But the the question though about Dubberry um there was a two-part question. So one was the transition and then the second part about was whether or not the school would be moving to the campus of Fort Hayes. And so we know that that has been a recommendation from previous facility um master plan >> um >> projects. And so the question would be um we
203could when we would revisit those conversations about FMP and what segment that transition for Dubberry would be in because we would have to build um on that campus to accommodate the school. >> Uh thank you. So that leads to my second question. What does that process look like in terms of accommodating them with the facility needs that they may have? again um certain populations of our students that have those facility needs whether it's equipment whatever it is to ensure that there's every resource available for their use in the building how are we thinking about that in terms of you know cost appropriation how are we are we looking at leveraging PI dollars for that like how are we thinking about that process moving forward >> so whenever we have a transition. So for example, we
204move programs um to different schools with without having to move the entire school, right? So there may be a need where we will see um on the east side we need to open another special ed classroom for um to serve a certain group of students or we need to add another ESL classroom or we need to add another gifted classroom. Those decisions are made internally all the time based on we monitor the enrollment. But when we have to make add another class or add another program that always starts with a walkthrough of the building. Does the building have the capacity to support another classroom and we consider the needs of the students that will be transitioning to that classroom. So there's a walkth through with um representation from various um leaders in the organization who
205know understand the the facility needs as well as the academic programming needs to ensure that there's a smooth transition. So we would develop a project management plan that incorporates all of those um considerations that we would need to take into consideration. >> Okay. Um before I pass the mic if there isn't uh another Okay. Before I pass the mic, um I want to go to uh the treasurer very quickly on this um because you're very much a part of this conversation as well. Uh the idea of possibly pausing or delaying the cuts, the idea of partial cut, the idea of 30 million versus 61 million or 40 million versus 61 million. What what what are the possible impacts of that? Is this something that is is plausible, viable? Is it something that can actually work?
206Is it practical? It's a great question. Um would it work if the board wanted it to work, but it wouldn't improve our overall fiscal position in the long run. Um as we look at a deficit this year projected just over a hundred million if we were to reduce it 25 instead of 50. We just be taking a smaller bite of the apple. um we would have less of a cash balance over the three, four, and fiveyear period of that forecast that we now present to the state. So if we go from 50 to 25, it's just going to reduce our cash balance that we have available by 25 million in theory. So I think that's one of the decisions that the board's going to have to make in conjunction with the superintendent. Obviously, we know
207um I was going to quickly update the board tonight. We face uphill pressure with property tax funding from the state of Ohio. We have a lot of risk ahead of us. Um deficit spend was here last fiscal year to the tune of 22.4 million. So we know we know it's real. Um there there's no great outcome to this. The longer we delay it, the smaller reduction that we make just kicks the can down the road and then that that inflationary pressure continues to compound as we go forward. I'll remind the board even with the reduction of 50 million by the end of the forecast we're back up to just over 70 million a year in deficit spend. So with a $50 million reduction we cut it in half to let's say 50 million the next
208fiscal year. But by the end with the growth and just inflationary pressure on costs were back up to 71 million. So a reduction in that would add another h 100red million in theory over four years that we would need to take care of down the road and that's on top of anything else that happens at the state level that compounds us at the federal level that compounds us. So is it viable in the short term if the board wants but I think it puts us in great peril fiscally. >> Thank you. >> In the long run I would not recommend that. That's why we led with the 50 million. >> Okay. So thank you for that. If we could distill that down to a household budget, making this something plain out of the the finance
209speak, out of the NBA speak, if we were to make this plain to our families within our community, our taxpayers in our community, the detriment of delay, how will we distill that to a household kitchen table kind of conversation? Yeah, >> I think we're choosing between beans if you don't like veggies like me or a steak. There's no great option you have to eat. H how do we find something in between those? There there there's the lesser of two evils. We have to make difficult decisions at home with our budget. A lot of folks may like to eat steak every night, but our budget will only allow us to have beans, for example. So, there's no great option here, but it's it's a choice. It's a give and a take. uh much like those at
210home, we have difficult cost decisions we have to make. Um and again, I think what we're trying to do is get us on a path of sustainability so that as Joe and Jane taxpayer down the road with property tax reform, we're not on for additional revenue that exceeds perhaps what we would like to see on a normal levy cycle, if you will. So, we've got a lot of forces working against us, and I think we're really trying to work within our means, much like everyone has to at home, because now we've started to dip in, as Dr. Chapman said, to that savings account to cover our everyday expenses. >> I thank you for that. Board member Simmons, you had a question. And then, board member Vera. >> Yes. Um, thank you, President Cole, and thank
211you, Dr. Chapman, for the presentation. Um, just give me one moment. Let me get to my notes. Um yes, we've certainly um have heard the information now a lot of times over the last several months. Um and the you know core challenges have not changed that we do have a $100 million um deficit. I think it would be helpful for me to share with you at this juncture what I need as a board member before next meeting. Um and so I'm just going to give you a couple um things and then these don't need to be answered now. It's just a takeaway list. Um but um what I do need is um if possible more flexibility on the tours. The um current dates that have been organized do not um I'm not able to attend.
212I do want to see our buildings before taking action on them. So more flexibility on the tours would be helpful. Um I really need um to feel comfortable moving forward. Um I and really need more information on how we will reduce our our staff. I understand we're at a juncture where we can't discuss in specific positions, but what hasn't been communicated to me as a board member is why we can't. Um, and this is certainly an area where I want to know more information, not less, because I do feel directly accountable um to the people that, you know, live and work in our community. I see them every day um on the bus, at the library, in restaurants. Um, and you know, I really I feel directly accountable to them. Um, you know, we heard
213during public comment that there was a meeting occurred regarding reduction force with President Caligio. I didn't know that happened and you know, that's something that I would have liked to know was taking place. So, this is definitely an area where I would like to be more informed and not less informed moving forward. Um, you know, there's been discussion around transportation costs, but um, I understand from speaking with Treasurer Cook that we're trying to get firmer numbers um, but that hasn't we haven't had additional communication come back to the board since then. And so I would like to learn um you know is that $ 8.7 million figure is that still accurate moving forward or not? Um because I'm really weighing the transportation decision that we have to make. Um and then also just more detail
214around, you know, what does reduced service mean? What does what does cuts mean and what does that that really look like? You know, I think you alluded a little bit to like family ambassadors last week. You know, maybe one family ambassador will have multiple schools. Um you know, really would like more information about what are the the core programat programmatic changes because one I think if we're not able to really accurately describe those to board members that I'm not sure how we could accurately cost out the savings. Um but also I think you know it's it's really important to me that I have a good understanding of what what it means to reduce a program. Um and then in addition to that um you know I need the legislation ahead of time. This is not
215a situation where I want to vote on something that was posted right before the meeting. Um, you know, I need to see the motions that will be voted on. I need to, you know, see it on the agenda well in advance, many, many days in advance. Not that like Monday, like the week, the week before would be really helpful. Um, because again, I, you know, we're responsible for the governance of this district and I I take that seriously. So, I want to make sure I know exactly what I'm going to be voting on. Um, you know, there was discussion over this year. We've talked a lot about the possibility of bringing up previous schools back up. Is that going to be on the agenda? Is that going to be a motion that will be made?
216You know, I think there needs to be dialogue about how we might go about that if that's still the pleasure of the board. Um, and so need more information on that as well. Um and then I'd also like to I I understand you know if we look at the slides here um slide 24 you know option six I understand that these reductions are based on the board not taking action on in any of the other recommendations we have in front of us but what I don't understand is how these numbers will changed if we do take action on these. Um so I will say first on the front end I don't understand how we got to these numbers. I don't understand how we got to 50 administrators. I don't understand how we got to 116
217instead of 114 classified staff. So definitely and I know we have a 2 by two setup. So that will definitely be one of my questions. Um then is how did we get to these numbers and what do these numbers look like? Um you know I'm being asked to you know not transport high school students on yellow buses. Well how does that change these numbers? And I'd like to learn this. I think this is the front picture. I'd like to learn what the back picture is. Um, and then, um, I will just close with it's really, really, really important, um, that I I do have the legislation in a ahead of time to be able to review so I know exactly what we're voting on. Um, and I think that's really important um, governance due diligence
218for us to do. Um, and I will just close with colleagues, I think it's important that um, we we take action on that other $50 million before the inflationary pressures push it up to $70 million because the effect to our system will be greater when it is um, a higher number to be dealt with. So, I think it's important that next year um, around this time we begin to have those same conversations. Did you have any questions, Dr. Chapman, about that? I know that was a lot, but these decisions are big and I want to make sure that our community knows that I really do take the the governance of our district seriously. >> Thank you, board member Simmons. Um, we've made note of those questions. Um, and certainly can we'll engage in dialogue and
219follow up to answer those questions and provide additional information. Um, I do want to name that for the board resolutions that you'll be voting on on December 2nd, um, the board's um, council is working on developing those resolutions for um, the board meeting on December 2nd. And so um, and I also want to explain that there is it's going to be nuanced. So you're right now you have before you several recommendations that total up to $61 million. You could decide to move forward with all of those recommendations, make no changes, and make $61 million in recommendations. Or you could decide to make a combination of several different resolutions. So for example, when we get to realignment and school closures, you could decide that you want to close one of the buildings but not two. So
220that adjusts the dollar amount that adjusts the target of getting to 50. And so then we actually have to hold on the staffing recommendation until we know what recommendations are being made in all of these operation areas. And so then we modify that. So, we're what the um we're working on is several different resolutions that we'll have ready to go and then you vote on each one of them and then we would decide that domino effect of what that target number is for the staffing recommendation. So again, you're voting on a number, not necessarily positions. And so I think that's something worth continuing to discuss because it's very nuanced given that we have all of those decisions before us in one meeting. And I want us to make sure that we have the clarity that
221we need because that also provides us with the feedback that we need for those resolutions. when um board member Simmons is saying he wants to see those resolutions in advance, you know, there's we need feedback from the board about how to um develop the next resolution for that same meeting on December 2nd. >> Um thank you doc Dr. Chapman. Um I I have one question and and one so I take away from that that the resolutions are in progress which is nice to hear and I appreciate that update. Um I I I understand kind of what you're saying is you know that slide 24 that picture can't really be drawn or created until we take action on the other recommendations. Um but I think it would would be worthwhile to present something equivalent to that
222of if the board took actions on all the recommendations just so we can see you know starting point versus end point and then we have some idea of what could be in the middle. Um the only thing I didn't quite understand is your last your the very last thing you said um we we need to know what the explain to me what you meant about like the you can't write the resolution until the board would take just the the last part of your comments I didn't really understand. >> So I was just sharing that we're going to be prepared with several different resolutions on the the evening of December 2nd that accommodates for um the sta for for example for the staffing recommendation. You have a staffing recommendation that totals $50 million right now, right?
223And so is the resolution going to read that the the board is directing the administration to make $50 million in reductions for staffing or is the resolution going to read is the board directing the administration to make $40 million in reductions in staffing because they've made decisions in other areas in this same meeting that reduces the burden on staffing and saves jobs. And so we will be prepared with each scenario on the night of December 2nd so that whatever decision that you all make on December 2nd, we'll be prepared to then give you the scenario that impacts staffing so that you can vote on it in the meeting. Again, we've already started working on those resolutions and thinking about the cadence of the votes and how to best prepare the the board with the documentation
224that's needed to move forward um to execute on your behalf. So the initial engagement uh board member Simmons of the two on twos that con that abide with sunshine and all of that um that information that feedback that you provide is going to be central to how they think through those subsequent resolutions if that makes sense. >> Yes. So, I encourage each of us to make sure that we have those conversations scheduled with the superintendent and staff that includes the treasurer um so that you know they have a clearer sense of what exactly they're looking at trying to accommodate. Dr. Pierce. Um, so now I have a a concern, I think a very significant concern about how the resolutions will be presented and how votes will be taken because what I hear us saying is
225that if we take action on option four, well, let me pull up the personnel option. Is that option five? if we take action on say option five first that that might have a domino effect on option four three and one and so because the numbers will change that's what I heard Dr. Chapman indicate. So my concern is will our treasurer have enough time to run those numbers to crunch those numbers? Will we have the legal support for various resolutions to change language? Because there are a number of different options that can go a variety of different ways. And given this discussion, I think all of us to move forward with a very informed vote, at the end of the day, we need to know how each one of these proposed recommendations are going to impact
226the student experience and we have no data on that to this point. If we reduce the student, the family ambassadors, how is that going to impact the student experience? Is it one school, two school? like we really need that information. >> Okay. And thank you. >> Thank you. Hold on. Thank you for uplifting that. Um there's a couple of things that we have working for us. The first is that there was a set there were a set of ration prepared for the joint committee that provided that impact analysis. What I'll encourage Dr. Chapman and the treasurer to do and the internal auditor if necessary. Um what I will encourage you all to do is not offer it as merely a description of something but actually state from a data perspective what that projected impact will
227actually be. That's number one. I think that that just needs to be fleshed out a bit better. Number two is is that the vast majority of what is before us right now, if not all of it, the entire 61 plus million has been vetted by you and your team. Can you speak Can you please speak to that, Mr. Treasurer? >> Yes, thank you. Um yes, our team has vetted these numbers. Um Dr. Chapman and her administrative team has brought numerous um buckets to us to score over the last several weeks. So the numbers that she's presented have been vetted, scored, um verified by my team. Um how they'll come forward with her legislation, I believe she's still working on. But for example, 8 8.7 million on transportation, we were able to work with Dr. Klene,
228Mr. Stufflebean, Mr. Woods to get that number tred up and solidified. Um, so my budget team is confident with what was scored. As long as nothing changes that was presented to us in those buckets, we stand behind them. Um, so at this point in time, barring nothing shifting on us, the numbers that were presented in joint committee are solid. We vetted and verified those. But again, if anything changes, I would ask for plenty of time for our team to double back on those um, and work with Dr. Chapman's team. But we vetted what we have in front of us so far. >> All right. >> I guess the question goes a little deeper than vetting what's before them. If you look at option five, reduce IT platforms, how many of those IT platforms are studentf
229facing and students are using and how many of those platforms that are studentf facing and being used by students affecting our goals and their success in the classroom. That's the information I think that we need to be able to determine. Okay. Am I going for everything that's listed in option five or am I saying let's keep those IT platforms and let's reduce building and and grounds budget. Although I will say to the community when it was mentioned about the salt the other day less salt buying less salt everybody was not happy with that. So, can we please make sure that we are putting sought down on sidewalks and taking people's um mobility into account when we get the bad weather? But it's those types of things that we really need to understand. >> I And
230again, I'll be repetitive. I I'll just try and be even more clearer. Um, that's what I'm asking to be put into the honest impact study rationale to give us a deeper sense of that, right? To give give us a deeper sense of that. But at the end of the day, there's also the mathematics tied to it and that helps us get a deeper understanding. If we have a nuanced sort of decision, we gave a baseline of 50 million. We have a topline real number at this point in time of $61 million. We have offered a baseline of 50 million. So now we know we have a space of 50 million wiggle 11 million, excuse me, $11 million of wiggle room. All it is is saying helping us understand from your perspective and mine too because
231I'm concerned about it as well. from that perspective of qualitative and from the perspective of quantitative. Every qualitative measure we're looking at in terms of impact or what could be impacted has a quantitative assignment. It does it does and we have to think about that in total in its fullness. Um board member Simmons and was there someone board member ver member Vera and then board me. Yes ma'am. Madame President Emeritus, please. >> Uh thank you, President Cole. Um Dr. Chapman, uh just wanted to circle back to a couple things. So past several weeks and really quite frankly over a month now, we've been meeting with different community partners, families. Um, just last night I had the opportunity to be on a zoom for boardwatch family members and a lot of the same questions continue to
232populate around what is the strategy with high school transportation. So we know the number, we know what the goal is and what the savings is, but what we have not seen and what the community has not seen is what does this strategy actually look like if the board were to take action. You mentioned earlier the timeline for what the realignment work could look like. Can you speak a little bit to what would be if the board were to take action on cutting high school transportation? Is that something that would go into effect in the immediate? Um and or can you speak to what is the strategy around what this is actually going to look like? and and I want to highlight specific things that I've already submitted to you in writing um and I've said
233publicly, but understanding we're putting a lot of weight on a community partner being KOD that we have not heard from. We have not seen what this actually is going to look like. So is it the idea that the board were to take action and then is there a planning period that then that plan still has to come before this body before implementation or is it the understanding that once we take action it's no longer whatever you all come up with is just what it is and so I guess not hearing from the biggest partner that's a part of all of this in addition to we understand sidewalks we understand the lighting we understand which is city which is county which is morphsy which just a bunch of people that right now we just have this
234big idea of this cut from a dollar's perspective but we are not seeing an actual strategy as to what this is going to look like if and when the board decides to take this action. >> Thank you um board member Vera. So we have been working collaboratively with KOD and talking about several different scenarios, but right now that data is all hypothetical based on whether or not what direction we go in as a board because there are two different scenarios that that we're exploring and in in the recommendations for transportation. One bless you is shifting um the yellow bus service for students who attend non 100% lottery schools. >> That decision alone if we implement that shifts sign a significant number of students who are no longer be attending a school outside of their neighborhood.
235And so we would have to again part of this is also a a two-way street by working with our families and our lottery process. So once those options are removed or taken off the table in terms of the board action, then we would also be getting feedback from families about their school choice options knowing that if you're if you're currently attending a school outside of your neighborhood and you receive a yellow bus, would you still want that same option if you're not going to receive a yellow bus? So we would be dependent on our families to provide us with that feedback. Then we would have hard numbers to share with a partner which we would al go through a data sharing agreement to say these are the actual numbers that are routed for this this
236school. these are the actual numbers routed for this school. And then they would begin working on moving from hypothetical scenarios to actual scenarios based on the data because it's a it's about the number of students attending which particular school to be able to run those routes and scenarios. And the second scenario option is removing transportation um yellow bus service and going back to the state minimums for all of our high school students, which is another set of recommendations and another group of students that we would have to come back to the table and and again communicate with our families. Which school are you now going to choose based on um the services that we have now scaled back as a district? If you no longer can attend this school um and you're attending your neighborhood
237school or another school and do you need yellow bus service, right? Or do you need transportation? Some students may not need transportation. So then we're getting into hard numbers about which students are being routed to each school. So I just want to name that we have been having conversations. They have been working on [cough] running some scenarios and reaching back out to us when they have questions. But this will be an iterative process of confirming um the the enrollment options for our families and and def and define clearly defining who is accessing what services and where they need those services the most. So those are details that certainly we don't have at this time but we are committed to continuing to work on ironing out those details. If we create a longer timeline to work
238out those details, i.e. the board votes in December and then we commit to a year-long planning process to work on um having all of those questions that we have answered. questions that we have from the city about sidewalks, questions that we have from um Kota about routes, other questions that we have about um how um our community is going to step up and support us with the safety efforts around those routes. We just need to note that um [clears throat] those this decision will not impact the FY27 um forecast, right? because that will be a decision that will take longer to implement a longer runway and it would not implement impact the FY27 forecast. Um, so >> yeah, >> if we need ahead. >> Yes, please. >> I feel like I'm hearing a lot of
239new things right now, which I'm I just um appreciate hearing, but also it it gives me more questions than I think does answers. And so, if I'm understanding you correctly, Dr. Chapman, if the board were to take action on eliminating I'm going to go with one scenario. I'm not going to do the two buckets. Let's just say we are eliminating high school transportation and is it then with the understanding that you mentioned there will be additional data collection around you know high school selections but is it the understanding that once the board takes action and eliminating that transportation then you will work with said partners for what sounds like a yearong planning period to then figure out what the actual commitments are and then come back to this body. So then I'm not understanding what
240you just said. If you can try it one more because I that's what I gathered from what you just said. So if the board takes action to eliminate high school transportation, what can we expect in the immediate and what can we expect in the let's say in the next academic school year? If the board takes action in December, go back to the state minimums, we will immediately and and this is a decision that the board is taking to impact the FY27 forecast, right? Because this is a part of the $50 million reduction. The board takes action in December. Our team will immediately um execute on the board's trans vote to change our transportation services to go back to the state minimum. What that means? >> In January is what you're saying. >> In December. >>
241When does it go into effect? >> You're saying students goes into effect for the following school year 26 27th school year. >> Okay. >> So, nobody would be affected in January. >> Correct. What I was saying in full >> what I was saying what was happening in January I'm sorry if that was confusing. What's happening in January for all of our schools, for all of our students, as we would any year, is families have an option to select the school of their choice. >> Right. And so, right now, we have families that have made commitments to schools outside of their neighborhood because they receive yellow bus service. For our high school students, we need this decision. We need to know in December if we're changing the level of service that we're providing to our secondary
242families because that will inform the decision that they make in January. They need to know before the lottery, before they choose another school that the option that they make that either a they will be responsible for the transportation or b we'll be purchasing kota passes for them or we will not be purchasing kota passes for them. And so I was just highlighting that the normal school lottery process takes place January, February, but we need to make this decision in December so that families have can make informed decisions before they make those choices. Once they make those choices, that is the data that we need to have very specific information about who is going where to what school and the routing information. It's just like our routing information. When we route our students, we need to
243know their ex exact address where they live. They families, we're depending on families to update their information and then we need to know that the school that they're choosing to attend before we can route them. It's not running routes hypothetical with a school they might choose a school or choose school B is not helpful to anyone and doesn't give us the data to make informed decisions. >> Thank you, Dr. Chairman. And just as a >> I'm confused. Your question was about high schoolers losing transportation, not the lottery option. >> Correct. >> So, can you >> It's wrapped up together because many of our high school students attend a school outside of their neighborhood. And so, the lottery option >> is one option that's on the table. >> Right. >> If we roll back transportation to
244the state minimum, it's for K8. So that mean any high school student >> going to any school >> Yes. >> outside of their neighborhood >> would not receive transportation but they still have an option to choose a lottery school. >> Right. >> I hope that's clear. >> Um yes. Um I guess my my just in clarity and I'm going to wrap this up because um I don't want to take us down a rabbit hole here but I guess I want to make sure I'm understanding. So, you're telling me if the board were to take action in a fivemonth period between the date of that vote and the remainder of this present school year in preparation for when the kids go back in August. You're telling me that a strategy for implementation from KOD would be
245in effect because I guess my question is if you're saying that these scenarios can't these strategies can't be made until we have the actual numbers around how many students and how this will impact our students. Is it the understanding that all of these partners are going to wait until you collect all of that data that to then come before this community and say okay this is how this kota system is going to work. So prior to that it will just be like we we will not have any information as to how this strategy is actually going to work. Five months is enough time to reroute an entire school high school transportation system is what you're telling me. Come September the kids will be on KOD. So that's the same amount of time that we it's
246less amount fewer months that we have to route all of our students CCS students as well as charter nonpublic students. >> Right. But we control that. We don't >> absolutely. And so we're asking Kota whose number one business and line of work is transportation and logistics. We have started the conversations with them. We've been in dialogue with them. They know that we're having these conversations. Every time we have a joint committee meeting and we provide a recommendation, we follow up and close the loop and say, "This is what we're talking about. This is when our board is making a decision." They're well aware of the timeline. And so they have said to us that they will be prepared to work on um the routing given this timeline of certainly they wanted more time, right? But
247we told them that the board will be voting in December. And so they again they told us to close the loop soon as we know more that they will begin working on the routing from January to July or January to August to ensure that um there are options for our families um when they return to school in the fall. >> So Dr. Chapman, my final question or point I guess why the lack of transparency in terms of why why does Kota feel like they have to wait to come to this board and to this community with some framework of what this could look like? Why why is it that we have to make such a big decision without actually having like I don't understand how Kota's trans transportation system works. We're talking about students who
248are not used to riding the bus on the level as some of these other cities are. I guess I get I don't understand their hesitancy with being able to come to this body, come to this. I mean, I understand they're having conversations with you, but we have to be able to make an informed decision right now. I have not heard from Kota outside of hearsay or third party and saying, "Yes, we can accommodate the thousands of kids that you're suddenly going to be putting on our buses without any kind of understanding as to what is their security measure. Well, who's going to be on these buses? What happens with the bus stops that are not in front of our schools that are in the middle of neighborhoods? What's going to happen when it's how it
249is right now? When it's dark outside come 4:00, you know, six o'clock in the morning. I guess that's that's the confusion I have with they're a great partner. I This is not a dig at Kota. I respect Kota and and the work that they do in this community. I guess I just don't understand why the formal partnership is feeling like it's a s like it's kind of siloed where right now we need to fully understand what is COT's capacity, what do they envision as some areas of opportunity or concerns because I think that's how we plan effectively versus making the vote and hoping it all works out in five months. That's just I just have major concerns of how we are supposed to vote in good faith that Kota is going to be able to
250step in and make all these promises when we honestly don't know that they have a real plan with fidelity that we've had a conversation around. And so I think it's it's really challenging as a board to make a very big decision like this when we don't have all the information and we're being told we're not going to get it until after we vote and that's going to happen sometime in the summer. It's just not it's not fair to the community and it's not fair to this board to be able to make these kind of decisions. And then also just even thinking about from a commitment standpoint, we see all these reductions and all these impact statements. But what I would also like to see is who is stepping up to serve in these gaps because
251these are still things that we need as a district. We keep talking about code of passes. Who's going to pay for the other half of family ambassadors? Who's going to pay for, you know, refreshing the library budget? So, just also kind of considering as we're talking about impact statements and we're thinking about community partners to fill these gaps. I would like to see who is prepared to fill these gaps. When we talk about collective impact, like it can't just continue to be this siloed conversation, like this is where my frustration happens is because we should be having these conversations so that if I have to make a vote to make a cut, I know there's four other corporations that are on the side that says we're going to pick up that deficit. These kids are
252not going to go without, you know, Chromebooks because we are going to put that in our operating budget. So like why are I just don't understand why these conversations are happening in silos and that as a board we're held to making these kinds of decisions and yet I don't even know who you have in mind to keep careermies going. Like those are the kinds of things we need to know so that I can effectively make a decision knowing that this is not going to just all be in limbo and we hope it works out. >> That's it. I I yield my time. >> Nope. I I thank you very much for those set of comments. Um, I've even asked directly to tee up some sort of conversation between you, myself as representative of this board
253of education and Kota to have some sort of conversation about exactly answering the questions around ambiguity that we have. What does partnership really entail? What's the data that they know that is utilization on our stu of our students utilization of their services? We know that we're currently giving bus passes to students and have been for the years I've been on the board of education. Um but there's no clarity around that. And again, I'm in a space as representative of this body politic. Um I'm in a space of not wanting to be indicting. We're in a space of wanting to problem solve. I'm very aspirational in the idea that the community will show us better than they can tell us that we know how to come together and solve this problem collaboratively. But I do share
254the same sentiments of suspicion as my colleagues because we've had quite extensive dialogue over several months now about what this service can look like for children. this is a very real option that we have to our availability to say that we want you to help fill the gap in these particular places. Um I know that you had a meeting today and a presentation with the chamber with the business community. Um I don't know if there was conversation uplifted in that space about where those gaps of opportunities are for our local community uh to step into. I know I've heard from members of council who are interested in being supportive and thinking about it and have consistently been over the years, Mayor Ginther included, but it's time now for us to answer the question of where's
255Kota. >> It's time. >> And I'd like to work with you collaboratively in the time we have to actually find out what that is and what this can entail for our children in the future. >> Thank you, Mr. Cole. Yes. >> Uh, yes. Thank you, board members, uh, Engles. Thank you. >> I have a couple questions. Um, I won't reiterate a lot of what's been said, but on option five, I asked in the joint committee for those to be broken out so that we can understand what the cost is. Um, specifically for the non-personnel reductions. So, it says reduce family ambassadors. I would like to understand what does that mean? Does that mean get rid of family ambassadors as a whole? Does that mean reduce by X number? And then what is the cost that's
256associated with that? So that I as a board member because it is not all on you just yourself. We are elected board members who are here to bring skills to bring con connections. We should be out talking to people as well. And so it is not fully on you and in order to have conversations and try to help find how we bridge some of the gaps because a $50 million cut is a $50 million cut and that means that things have to be eliminated from the budget and the collective work is finding ways that we can supplement that through other funding. But in order to help you do that, I need to know what the cost is. And so I I'm asking specifically in option four and in option five. I need to understand what
257the numbers are and for different reasons. So in option five it's because that's non-personnel reduction that I need to understand what does that look like and also a risk assessment would be helpful on if we get rid of like it just says reduce IT platforms. If we get rid of those, what is the risk to the organization? Because what are we talking about with those? Um when when we look at um uh buildings and grounds budget, I know the ice deicing was a big thing, right? But like what are we talking about there? I would like to have a better understanding of that. And what is the reduction? What is the recommended reduction? What was the reduction that you scored? Um I would like to understand that how did we get to that number? Um
258so that we as a collective body can assist you in finding those alternative sources of revenue because that is our job as the elected board members. Um, in option four, I would like to understand a little bit better about how we are getting to the cost savings on each of those schools. And that may require breaking that out so that I can understand what it is that we're talking about. And I'm specifically asking that because it has been raised tonight which I it's it's more clear now um that these are coming before us in resolutions that people are then going to sit at the next board meeting and pick apart and pick and choose what they want in the resolution. It's not we are presenting option four and you either say yes or you say
259no to it as a whole. What I heard tonight was we are going to make determinations in the resolution. Well, that resolution could look 8,000 different ways depending upon what you piece. And that is a very different position to be in than to say option four. And so in order to do that, if that is what we're doing, I need to know what those are broken out into and the cost on that. Um because I cannot break apart pieces without understanding what those pieces are. Um, so if that is how we're going to do it, then I I I need that information. Um, so option four and option five, I'm specifically asking for breakouts. And then in option six, I am still very much struggling because I'm not sure. I understand the concept that if
260we if this board chose option one and let's say option three that that brings that $50 million reduction down whatever that number amount or whatever that dollar amount is. So to get to a $50 million reduction, which this board has said it wants to do, that brings that total number down. And eventually we get to a part where it is staffing and CCS personnel. And so that CCS personnel number gets smaller and smaller with the more of those first few options that we choose. I understand that. But I still don't really understand how we are getting to those personnel numbers and how we're understanding the cut and articulating that cut to the community um as we reduce that number. Um and I think having more clarity on that for the public is really important. Um
261because I think a lot of people are very scared right now and they're very scared that the supports that their children have in the classroom right now will not exist if we ch what depending upon what this board chooses to do. And I need to understand better if we choose the options and we choose um some of the non-personnel options what that looks like in the personnel space and the the full decisions that we're being asked to make. Um, and I think, you know, we've heard tonight that, uh, our own staff are struggling right now because they don't have that information. And, um, I would ask that we give that information to them as soon as possible and have those real conversations as soon as possible because they deserve to know what it is that
262we're contemplating. They deserve to know what it is that we as a board are contemplating. And um I understand that that's a difficult thing to do right now, but to the extent that we can get in front of people and really explain what it is that we're um doing is really important. When when this board held one of its listening sessions at South High School, there was a whole collective of people that thought we were there to shut down the school. That that level of misunderstanding of what it is that we're even talking about cannot happen at the building level. it cannot happen districtwide and we need more communication and more forward communication with our staff um and with our families and so I think that's on all of us um and I I'm certainly
263included in that. Um but I would just ask that we do that. >> Thank you board member. Dr. Pierce, >> thank you so much President Cole. So, it seems like we have a con consensus that everyone would appreciate additional metrics for all of the options and the sublines that are captured within them. Um, how it affects the cost, how it affects students, what's your potential timeline to implement strategies to fill gaps that may be existing. I think the other request that may be helpful for our board, I know specifically for me, would be what combination of options will have the least negative impact on our student experience? So, how can we keep our family ambassadors, our educators, be they in food service, in transportation, certified, uncertified? If they are working with the student on a
264day-to-day basis, providing that smile, that encouragement that a student needs, then we need to keep them. So, what combination of options will have the least negative impact on our student experience and their outcomes? Because again, I think I might want to or I might be okay. You're saying reduce IT platforms. We probably do have a lot of IT platforms around here that we could consolidate and reduce. But if there are some that our students are actually learning from and benefiting from, we don't want to reduce those. So it'll be helpful to know that. >> Thank you. So I just want to name that on the non-personnel reductions. um the more so for the option five the non-personnel reductions that was a package for how we got to over I think it was 11 million or
265$8 million in savings >> and so we weren't presenting a board resolution for each one of these items for you all to vote on it would be the nonpersonnel for $8 million to reduce I just want to name that if we don't reduce and the the if we don't reduce in the non-personnel, it means we're going to that those are contractors. They're not our district employees and probably aren't working full-time. These are purchase services. the the when we lower the amount of reductions that we or the changes that we make in non-personnel, it absolutely means we're going to have to shift and make more reductions in CCS employees. And so I just want to name that in all of these areas and that's why we gave several other recommendations in like our school lottery program,
266school consolidation, transportation. If we don't make any changes in those areas and non-personnel, it means the the budget for staffing actually gets worse and we have to reduce more CCS employees. So the more that we take action in the other areas, option number one, two, three, and four, it actually improves the budget for the staffing reductions and it means that there are fewer reductions that we have to make in staffing. So just want to name that when we talked about the board resolutions, you'll have a board resolution on school lottery. We'll vote it up or down, yes or no. There'll be a resolution for transportation option one um to provide students or not to provide code of passes. Option two, I may have the order wrong. Um to provide code of passes up or down.
267Option three for realignment. Those resolutions will come to you in the same format that they came to you before in previous board meetings where you voted on each individual school. If you only choose to go with one school, that means we have to increase the number of positions that we're reducing on the staffing budget. If you vote for all of those, those cost savings will be factored in and it improves the budget for staffing. So that's why there's a four. You said option 4 a four, right? Sorry. >> Yeah. So that's why >> that option 4 a because there two option fours. >> I think she's taking them all together. the consolidations >> again. Those votes when we vote when the board votes for lottery, for transportation, for school consolidation, the vote those votes will
268it will have a domino effect as intended that if we make those changes in those areas, it will absolutely improve the changes to the recommendations to the staffing. And so that's why that was the last recommendation that we were going to vote on. Staffing would be the last recommendation that you all would vote on at the board table. And there would be several scenarios that we would have ready for your consideration. I.e. if you've made those changes in the other areas and all three of the areas, then we would reduce that amount for the cuts in staffing. So, we're thinking about again a number, not individual line items for all of those decisions. >> Can I just clarify the line items help us understand how the package fits together. So, again, I really I think
269all of us are requesting that information to understand the >> absolutely and we're going to honor that. At the last joint committee meeting, we had a spreadsheet that spoke to the impact for each one of those items. And so we will revisit that. We'll add more data and more information to that um because specifically um I believe that spreadsheet did not include the dollar amount for each one of those. Um so we will make sure that we update that, revisit that and provide you with that information. And just with option six, can you clarify because a number of community members are some have said they are very much in favor of the central office admin cuts. they feel that you are very topheavy. So if we're not bringing that option forward, but the first option
270we're going to be given is to cut student transportation when some of our community members are saying let's start with the central office cuts versus transportation. How do you rectify the two? >> I'm sorry. What's your question, Dr. >> How are you going to rectify the two? You have a community saying we are topheavy. central office needs to be cut before we cut transportation. But you're going to walk in here and give us the option to cut transportation first. >> It's the board's discretion if you want to make if you want to order these resolutions in any fashion that you decide. If you'd like to start with staffing and have transportation be um we can reorder these options and um transportation can be option number six if you prefer if that's your discretion but certainly
271um how you vote and the order in which you vote is certainly up to you your discretion. You can certainly reorder that as a part of your conversations about the agenda. You can certainly provide that feedback in advance. Um but we're certainly willing to help and help facilitate um a productive dialogue when the time comes. >> I thank you. Um two things. Um the first is is that there have already been initial 16 million in in initial cuts in non-personnel. Is that accurate? >> Yes. there there was actually it was non-personnel as well as in admin admin vacancies that were frozen or not backfilled. >> Okay. So if we can just have clarity on that data moving forward I think that'll be helpful. >> That's slide number eight. >> If we can have uh the
272other piece is is that most of the recommendations are comprehensive. most of them are clear and comprehensive. I think the space again to you know support what my colleagues are asking. I think that space of deeper consideration and certainty is around staffing the the the personnel side colleagues, you know, um I was shooting for us to, you know, be be very clear about our direction by December 2nd. Does it make sense to, you know, have a special board meeting um before the 16th? Does it does it make sense to have a special board meeting? Do you need that additional time and preparation, Dr. Chapman? >> To do what? >> Who asked that question? >> President Cole, the a meeting to do what? >> The meeting to vote on the recommendations before I thought he said
273>> moving the vote to what he's asking. I mean, >> well, I'm asking, do we need more time? Do do we need to do >> is December 2nd going to be the time that you are prepared? Do you feel like that's enough time? Or do we need to convene our regular board, business board meeting on December 2nd, right? And have a special board meeting that's solely dedicated to the decisions that we have to make around the recommendations. Am I asking that question clearly? Am I >> I think you're asking it clearly, but I think what I hear our colleagues saying is we need additional information to make informed decisions. If we're not going to get that additional information at least a week in advance, then am I g You said a week. I'm saying I'm
274thinking a week. We need more than a week. Um, that's why he's asking if you want we want >> Well, he's asking if we have another special meeting put in there because I'm assuming that December 2nd meeting we would discuss the information and then take the vote at the special meeting. No, the point is is to have a regular business board meeting on December 2nd and make given giving the superintendent and treasur the time that they need. Then we have a special board meeting where we make our final vote. >> That's what I just said. >> Then then the answer to the question is yes. >> I would say no. I would like to see the information as soon as possible come to December 2nd and if we as a board need more time then
275we'll make that decision at that time. Uh, but I want to see the information as soon as possible because what I'm hearing is >> I think we're saying the same respectfully. We're I'm I'm saying the same thing. My only thing is is >> that >> if we have to because we we have to make a decision this month. >> Excuse me. This November, we have to make a decision. >> We're two weeks away >> in two weeks away. >> Two weeks away >> in December. >> Is that enough time? Is a week enough time for you to answer these questions, do our two on twos, actually get deliberative, you know, kind of conversation on our tour or twos with us to see the buildings, all the work that we need to do preliminarily. >> Is
276that going to give us enough time to be equipped with the information that we need in preparation for a final vote? And that means that we would likely have to have a special board meeting that will give us the time that will allow for us to have the kind of time we need to get the information in the most timely way. >> So, President Cole, to answer your question, we can have all of the information that you have requested. None of this has been is new information. Some of it was already discussed at the joint committee meeting. There's certain there's some additional data points that were requested. We can add that. We've already reached out to board members starting last week to schedule the 2 by two meetings for this week. Those are on the
277calendar. So, I can say with confidence that we should be able to answer all of these questions. We can have the the details that you've requested by the end of this week. I just want to name there there are five days five days >> between now and the next board meeting five work days between now and the next board meeting is on December 2nd. So between Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we will work on comp taking all the questions getting you all that feedback we can certainly discuss in the 2 by two meetings that are scheduled this week. You should have all of that information by the end of the week as well as the survey data to uh review and discuss um in preparation for the board meeting on December 2nd. >> Okay. >> And
278and President Cole, to your point, if on the or or uh board member, if on the second we don't feel like we're ready and we need whatever we need, then we can table the vote to the to the 9th. So, I would say to your point, keep the ninth open if we need it. >> The nth. >> Okay. Awesome. >> Um, and what I'm hearing is the the CCS personnel pieces. If you could break those out specifically, you have said publicly, and I think it's good and noble, that um administrator positions are where you're going to start >> and central office is where you're going to start. So let's >> start there. >> I would say let's start there. Um and maybe we can break that out so that we can understand the cost differences.
279>> We will work um collaboratively with our treasurers's office to compile all of that data and synthesize it so that you all will have it for your review um by the end of the week. >> All right. I thank you so very much for that. Friday or >> one more >> this week. >> Thank you, President Cole. Um, >> mine is Thursday as soon as we but we'll have it by the end of the week. We are also scheduling the two minds to have the >> I know, but we're >> Brandon, please. >> Thank you, President Cole. Um, Dr. Mr. Chapman. Um I did I'm I'm a little confused because so I understand that if we take action on say the $ 8.7 million in regards to transportation that the staffing numbers will decrease. But
280what I don't get is I I know that our cost to employ someone is about $110,000. So I can do the math and that's 79 positions. What I don't understand is is that 50 central office come off the table and then 20 classified. I don't understand how you're going to break that number up as we make those reductions because I also don't understand how you got to the number. And so you don't have to answer that now, but it would be helpful to understand, you know, you're saying you're preparing multiple resolutions, but I don't understand how you're, you know, we we do $20 million in non-personnel cuts that frees up x amount, you know, $20 million for personnel expenditures, but I don't understand how you're getting to the 116 and then does 116 become 55
281or does it become 85? And you know, I I I don't understand that component. And then but I don't need an answer right away. And then I thought I heard you say I wanted to get a better understanding. Did you we will not be voting on the non-personnel individually because I have to say you know and forgive me if I didn't hear but something like buildings and grounds and I didn't hear specifically what that was. I might have missed it but that's probably something I'm maybe willing to part ways with nonpersonnel expenditures in that area more so than say Chromebooks. Um and so could you clarify on that front please? >> Yes. So um the way that we were working on the recommendation for non-personnel would be the total amount just like with staffing. We
282weren't voting on individual positions. We are voting on a a target a number to reach. And so these were recommendations to help us get an idea of if we had to make $50 million in reductions in personnel and non-personnel, these would be the number of positions. your question about how will we improve the staffing budget if we make decisions in these other areas. The admin positions would stay on the list. That number will not get smaller. >> The 50 central office positions. >> Yes, that number will not get smaller. >> That is locked in. >> We would abs it's locked in. >> Okay. >> We would absolutely improve the staffing budget and we would go back to those positions that were part of our levy promise. Those are the positions that we fought really hard
283for, we advocated for and said we need more capacity in these areas. And so those are the areas that we would look at to say these are areas where we would want to save some more positions. Again, the more that we do in those other areas, non-personnel gives us that flexibility and that option to improve this budget. So, as it stands right now, this is a worstc case scenario for the staffing and non-personnel. If we make no changes in any of the other areas, we don't have enough data. We're not ready to make a decision, transportation, lottery, then all of the cuts would come from staffing and personnel. And this is what it would look like. But this is the scenario for central office because the >> absolutely again that again that is we would
284not go back and say now we're going to take fewer central office positions. Those weren't the positions that we advocated for as a part of our levy promise. There were we there were specific positions that we advocated for as a part of our levy promise that included additional social workers, school counselors, safety and security specialists, attendance specialists, building subs. Those would be the positions that we would want to make sure that we work very diligently to retain and we would have an opportunity to improve and save more of those positions if we make cuts in the other areas. If we don't make cuts in the other areas, including non-personnel, that means we have to pick up more positions in staffing to make up the difference to reach the goal or to reach the target of
285a $50 million reduction. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, and then my last two things real quick here. Um, I believe either shortly before or after I became a board member, the board approved like some sort of study to be done of central office to try and and rightsize it. So, I'd like to learn at a later date, not tonight, just what the outcome of that was. Um, because I do think there um, you know, we heard from board member Vieira last Thursday, that the the 50 wasn't enough. And I I do think there are additional opportunities to make reductions there. So, I'd be curious in seeing what product was delivered for the board's investment um back a couple years ago at at a later date, not tonight, of course. Um and then my only last
286point is for discussion, colleagues, typically in November, the board does approve an administrator compensation um package. We haven't had um you know, that hasn't been on the agenda and we haven't really had um public dialogue about that, but I will say I think there's additional opportunities for cost-saving measures there. um the upper end of of that scheme is getting is getting high. Um and so I I think there's additional opportunities and I'd like us to have dialogue at a later date about that. >> Board member Simmons, >> I would can certainly go back and look at um if there was legislation and we took action to approve of a contract or um take action on a study of central office and right sizing. Um I do not have access to that. that I don't recall
287that, but I can certainly will do our due diligence and research where that conversation landed or if there was action that was taken. Um, and in addition to the CAA comp package, we have already um I've reached out to the treasurer and we have been talking about u getting a estimates for what it would cost if we did a um if we did not implement um a salary increase for administrators for one year for two years and we have explored that. So that's additional cost savings that we could bring before the board um as a part of um the package for reductions. And I believe the first scenario was a salary freeze for just central office administrators, not school-based. Um I believe it was about $800,000 for the first year. And so that's something that
288we would consider, but typically we would have those conversations as a part of reviewing the comp package. And so we would kind of be getting ahead of ourselves and outside of that normal window to suggest that as a part of these recommendations because those conversations are usually held as when you're thinking about the package. Again, the the board has not voted on or taken action to um even make that decision yet. And so that would also be something that's up for discussion and on the table for consideration. >> Thank you, Dr. Chapman. The reason I I do bring it up at this meeting is because in the past that vote has happened in November and we just haven't had any dialogue about it. Um but I will say I'm I'm um very pleased to hear
289that we are looking at those um measures of um a possibly not doing an increase for our administrators at this time. Um because I will just say publicly that I'm not comfortable with an increase um for that particular group of employees at this point in time. Um I think the salaries are high and um I'd rather spend the dollars to make sure we are able to continue to employ people. >> Thank you very kindly. Um so with that in mind and enclosure I I think Dr. Chapman some of these things without going in all of this depth about research studies that were asked about things a while back. I think the most app propose thing to do is include that in your impact study. Right? So as you do this broader scale analysis on impact
290uh I think including that as a part of your narrative I think will be helpful moving forward. I look forward to the information forthcoming by the end of the week and again looking forward to all of you scheduling your time with the administration that includes the superintendent and the treasurer and where needed if at all the internal auditor as well. Uh all right. >> Yes please. Um just to clarify um the meetings that will occur uh the 2 by twos with board members are not deliberative in nature and in fact only informative. Uh board members will be doing the normal thing uh about getting information not deliberating with one another um in that process and that is a normal way we do things and uh following all of our sunshine laws. Thank you uh for
291that disclaimer. >> And again, we're discussing the number, not individual position. >> Nope. This isformational. This isformational. Okay. All right. Uh we'll move on to our uh internal auditor, Mr. Okconor. Do you have anything to share with us this evening? >> I do not have a report this evening. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. Thank you for joining us, Mr. Treasurer. real quick. Uh, four or five property tax bills working their way through committee tomorrow for potential passage. If they hit the Senate floor, I believe they may be approved by the end of the week and signed by the governor. So, we'll continue to monitor those and look at the impact for our district. >> Okay. Um, and I thank you for your feedback and insights this evening as well. Okay. And now we
292will move to our consent agenda that is 8 sections 8.1 to 23.7. Is there a motion to >> motion to accept a consent agenda? >> Second. >> It's been motion and second. Mr. Treasurer, can you call the role? >> Dr. Pierce, >> yes. >> Miss Reyes, >> yes. >> Mr. Simmons, >> yes. >> Missing? >> Yes. >> Miss Vera? >> Yes. >> Vice President Adair? >> Yes. >> President Cole? >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> All right. Thank you very kindly. Uh, madame vice president, may we go into executive session? >> It is recommended the board of education move immediately into executive session pursuant to a higher vice code section 121.22G1 to consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion or compensation of a public employee or official or the investigation of charges or complaints
293against a public employee, official, licency or regulated individual unless the public employee, official, lency or regulated individual request a public hearing. That is a motion. >> Second. >> Motion and seconded. Call the role. >> Miss Reyes. >> Yes. >> Mr. Simmons. Yes, >> Dr. Pierce. >> Yes, >> Miss Engles. >> Yes, >> Miss Vera. >> Yes, >> Vice President Adair. >> Yes, >> President Cole. >> Yes. Motion carries. All right. We will not return to this room posting