001Treasurer can you please call the road Barnes president Mrs gherkin here this is Barwick here Mr Vazquez here Mr Parker here thank you now I'd like to request a motion to approve today's agenda so move second thank you Treasurer please call the road Miss Barnes yes Mrs gherkin yes Mrs marwig yes Mr Vasquez yes Mr Parker yes thank you Mr Treasurer um now we will move to section two which I will talk but yep sorry now we will have the Pledge of Allegiance excuse me I just skipped over that one um by Edgewater Elementary if you'd like to participate please rise one nation is wrong [Music] yes what an amazing job thank you Edgewater Elementary for saying our Pledge of Allegiance mission and vision um I think they give you a run for your money
002Dr Durant now we will turn it over to miss Patty major for our presentation good evening and thank you I have uh the honor here tonight to introduce a recent graduate so we are continuing the celebration for the class of 2023 and tonight I have the privilege of congratulating Mr Robert Ferris he went back to school to earn his diploma to show his children that it's never too late to chase your dreams and that you can overcome any obstacle as long as you keep trying Robert is now a graduate of Jessup W Scott high school and he is here tonight to shake Dr Durant's hand and to shake hands with the Board of Education Robert please come forward let's go [Applause] we're going to give flowers to a individual a light in our community that
003has serviced our aging adults for 49 years uh Billy Johnson um retired last last week and the program that she has built uh within TPS with CPS Partnerships to give our foster parents a program has service this year alone over 200 students and we could not uh have had that assistance with uh partnership and love and pouring into our classrooms for our little ones without the leadership of Billy Johnson so we have created a resolution in her honor of her retirement and her hard work for older adults in Lucas County or Northwest Ohio excuse me and we will be presenting that with her by someone to take this time to give her some roses so if you would like board members to share something a memory uh or just words you may do so now
004sure um you know what I know um Miss Johnson's daughter around the school very very well um have worked with her at the library and I would always tell Rhonda I am amazed by her mother and the commitment that she's had to this community over the years I consider our community blessed to have had her and her leadership role she was meant to be in that spot and certainly TPS is grateful for what she has brought to the table thank you I'm just glad that uh as a board we're able to add our list of congratulations to the Stacks and stacks and stacks of celebrations of uh Ms Johnson's service to the community uh during her leadership on the area Office on Aging she has really achieved a lot and she deserves all the recognition
005that she's been getting from the community at large there's another little program within the area Office on Aging on top of everything else that they do that I have been working with and that's the kinship Navigator program and and that that program is so so important in our community there's so many family members grandparents and aunties who are raising children and whether it's um figuring out how to get them appropriately enrolled in school to getting appropriate services and supports she has a small But Mighty uh little corner of her organization committed to the kinship Navigator program uh and and I really hope that that program continues to Florida shelter the new leadership at the area office at aging thank you thank you madam president I think it's awesome that we're able to give our flowers
006where she can see them and offer the words of appreciation where she can hear them and so we're thankful not just for her partnership and impact with TPS but throughout our community and we salute the celebrator thank you madam president Dr Duran would you like to say a word yeah during that time she allowed videos and uh I gave appreciation like I tell people all the time with the senior prom uh pride of death cup secret I mean we have seniors from all over Northwest Ohio and Michigan coming to the event it sold out within hours each year and one of the highlights of it is that the kids who are seniors in high school said that they're the problem with senior citizens was better than their own senior and problem as well so uh
007just Kudos and a testament to all the things that she had brought into this District Madam president I've worked with Ms Johnson for many many years and actually in one of her constituents at this time so I appreciate everything she's done um I just want to thank Miss Johnson for taking up space uh if you heard the Journey of starting I believe before individuals who were volunteers and how much it grew in the 49 years under her leadership um and the services she provide for those who are unable to get out the house and interact um and seeing um and hearing and advocating and knows from love I just love the fact that she is so humble and so gracious but yet a fighter I have a lot to learn for her and I'm looking
008to continue to grow with her uh as as a role model so with that being said I would like to request a motion to approve the resolution to honor the service of Miss Billy Johnson so move sure thank you Treasurer please call the road Miss Barnes yes Mrs gurkin yes Mrs marwig yes Mr Vazquez yes Mr Parker yes thank you I'll turn it back over to miss Mazer uh now I would like to congratulate the retirees for this month we have Norma Hernandez accounting specialist she is retiring with 26 years and two months of service Michelle a Johnson first grade teacher at Larchmont retiring with 27 years of service Carol grazinski miscellaneous laborer 27 years and nine months of service Jerry seaward mail clerk 29 years six months of service and Kathleen Miller miscellaneous labor
009retiring with 34 years six months of service for a total of 145 years and three months of service to Toledo Public Schools [Applause] thank you and congratulations on your retirement we cannot do this or any of this without you and we hope that you have an amazing retirement now we'll move on to section 4 which is our organizational input I do not see any of our orgs representation in the room so we'll go how it go on to move to actually um Section 5 which is comments by the board foreign thank you madam president um I think that uh one of the most exciting things for me was watching our graduates who did not give up and valued that diploma from Pluto public schools and I think it is one of the things and I
010think everybody agree that makes us TPS proud um you know in my uh educational Journey after I graduated in and out of school um it's it's not an easy thing to do to to pursue and persist in your education so lots of congratulations thank you um well first I want to thank the Edgewater students for um their beautiful rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance it always brings a smile to my face to see our students participate in our board meeting even if it's via you know video I mean they're darling right they're just Garling so I love it um and the mission and vision they'll have to learn something new right pretty soon hopefully um second congratulations to Robert Fierce I know that they've stepped out already but the determination to be able to complete
011um that degree after you've gone through high school and not able to walk with your class uh that perseverance is something to be admired and um I'm so glad that he was here tonight so we could celebrate with him so congratulations and again our community is blessed um with Billy Johnson um she has been such a mentor to so many and I'm grateful for that and then to our retirees 145 years oh my goodness I again we cannot do what we're doing without the staff in this District um our students our families we certainly rely on um you know what they bring to the table each and every day so thank you and congratulations on the retirement um but you know we're probably hiring again so come on back and then one more thing the
012graduation ceremonies we always look forward to you know that first day of kindergarten but then when we get to the ceremonial um walk across the stage with our graduates it just the smiles that we see and the tears from the parents and you know they've made it I walked out with one of um the moms over at Woodward and she just just tears flowing and she goes it's my he was my baby my baby and I'm like and you know what you got him here so congratulations to our parents as well for getting them to that point it's not easy it's not easy so it was a great um graduation ceremonies that I was a part of and I've heard from the others as well thank you board member gergen I'm seeing a young graduate
013who made a little extra time a little extra opportunity to get that diploma he reminded me that um I didn't actually graduate exactly when I was supposed to but back then they had something called night school so but yeah I had to just take a quick night school class and everything was okay but but it really reminds me of is all I had to keep track of was credits back then and now to get a high school diploma we have to keep track of any number of high-stakes tests and how in in scores or points or industry credentials and I believe it was four out of five years in a row they changed the requirements for graduation and I believe that maybe are ninth graders and 10th graders are the first two consecutive classes with
014the same graduation requirements right now and I'm hoping that Mr Galt will fact check me on this but my point is that I don't I'm not even sure 9th and 10th graders know the route to graduation because it has state it has changed so many times from the state and I'm just going to ask Administration to step up that um that the informational sessions necessary the I don't know if we need you know digital visuals or lessons or something day in and day out week in and week out until we are certain that the 9th and 10th graders actually know what their route to graduation is because once they get behind in credits it's uh it's pretty rough to catch up but it's not even enough just to keep track of credits these days as
015we know so again the state has made things much harder than they need to be and take and taking a lot of the trust out of local educational agencies to see to the adequacy of of education for our young people so I'm going to bring it up again in curriculum committee uh the idea that we need to make sure that our young people know their route to graduation so that we don't continue to put them in Peril for uh for getting out on time thank you thank you thank you Mr Vice President thank you man president to my fellow board members again um excited to see Edgewater Elementary that put a definite big smile on my face seeing them their presentation and through his Robert Ferris who again I would love when we have presentations
016for us to give them their words while they're in our faces but hopefully he'll watch maybe a replay of this and let them know how much we appreciate his determination to succeed uh very excited for him and then again to honor Mrs Billy Johnson just the impact that she has not just in our community but I believe throughout the world and um her daughter Rhonda is a testimony of her mother and so grateful for that finally because of course I'm not long-winded at all but graduation was very special for me this year I had the opportunity to hem the diplomas to my son and my daughter from biology who graduated and I thought about it and was just thinking about how we really from Glenwood Elementary School to graduation have been absolutely TPS proud and
017we've made stops at Jones Leadership Academy TTA but all of my children have graduated from TPS and we're the better because of this District I can say that as a parent I can say that as a product of TPS that our district is what matters to me and so really excited it's still adjusting I don't see my twins outside of the Ring app when they come in when they go out but nevertheless we're adjusting and excited for their lives thanks thank you Mr Vice President um I think I've heard everyone say determination is the thing um tonight and even when uh students from Edgewater uh was reciting the mission and vision they were determined to to get that right to get through it and I think this moment what we need is to embrace determination
018um that we will be on the right side of Justice we will be on the right side of equity um and I've been uh recently inspired I was I'm very gracious for the support of my circle uh to have been invited to the White House by the president and Dr Joe Biden to uh show our determination to not be a race as the LGBT community um honesty and education and to be around with leaders from across the country who are fighting for our babies uh to and all our babies not just the LGBT babies all our babies to have a high quality education was very inspirational and to see and hear people recognizing the the hard work that TPS is doing to to see all of our children and their families and our communities was
019very inspirational and motivating and it did kind of give me a chip on my shoulder like I am the board president you know um but it's just a true uh statement to what we're doing here we're constantly going to be fighting um to make sure we have welcoming and affirming spaces for all um and we're going to keep pushing back on any hate and harm uh that any individual will think they could do what a title uh especially against youth um and with that being said one thing that resonates for me um doing this pride month happy pride month is determination that we will win we will be seen and heard and we will keep giving high quality education to all of our students and we will be determined to make sure our staff is
020uh protected when they teach their truth um so with that being said I will move on to section six which is our consent agenda agenda item 6.01 through 6.2 excuse me 6.40 are the consent agenda items board members May request to pull an item for the from the consensus data and move to the discussion section of the agenda 6.01 through 6.04 is human resources staff development and training committee chair board member gurgan co-chair board member Barnes I'm president of artists I gotta get used to that still I am 6.05 through 6.71 finance and business operation committee chair board member Vasquez co-chair board member bar with item 6.18 is technology improvements and process committee there there was no meeting this month chair is board member Gerkin co-chair is Vice President Parker item 6.19 through 6.21 for
021curriculum instructions and Academy Excellence chair board member gherkin co-chair Boardman of our wave item 6.22 through 6.35 policy committee chair board member Vasquez and myself as Cloud chair item 6.36 are Athletics and students Activities Committee no action items this month's chair member Barwick co-chair vice president Parker item 6.37 through 6.38 family and Community engagement committee chair board member Vasquez co-chair vice president Parker item 6.39 through 6.40 approval of the board minutes I would like to request a motion to approve the consent agenda so moved second thank you Treasurer please call the row Miss Barnes yes Mrs Durkin Mr wig yes Mr Vazquez yes Mr Parker yes thank you section 7 of the agenda consists of reports and minutes from this month's committee meetings I do want to let everyone know and be a reminder that
022all the committee meetings are open to the public these meetings minutes are here for your information and reference no action items is required so we can proceed to Section 8 of the agenda which is our discussion items and tonight we have uh the instructional section I would like to request a motion to approve the 20 June 27 2023 in sexual instructional section excuse me so moved second thank you treasure please call the room Miss Barnes yes Mrs gherkin yes Mr Vasquez yes Mr Parker yes thank you now we will remove uh go to 8.02 which is our resolution for CE and Pi Levy renewal five years uh for November 2023 election I would like to request a motion some of that thank you Treasurer please call the road Mrs Barnes yes Mrs Gerkin yes Mrs
023bartwig yes Mr Vazquez yes Mr partner yes thank you 8.04 resolution um is for CE Levy renewal five years November 2023 election I'd like to request a motion please thank you Treasurer please call the road Barnes yes Mrs gherkin yes thank you and I would like to now move on to uh our next session which is a resolution and celebration of pride month and an affirming commitment to diversity Equity inclusion and I will be reading it out loud so bear with me a resolution of celebration of pride month and affirming a commitment to diversity equity and inclusion whereas the Board of Education of Toledo City School District the board is committed to providing a safe inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students regardless of their race color religion nationality origin sex gender identity sexual
024orientation disability and any other character versus protected by law whereas June is recognized as pride month to celebrate the lgbtq plus community and to recognize the contributions that lgbtq plus individuals have made in promoting equal rights and improving our society whereas the board recognized in value diversity and uniqueness of its student body and believes that all students should be treated with dignity and respect free from discrimination harassment and bullying whereas research have shown that the lgbtq plus students are at higher risk for experiencing bullying harassment and discrimination which can negatively affect their mental health academic academic achievement and overall well-being whereas the board acknowledge the importance of celebrating the celebrating lgbtq plus students and their families as well as fostering a culture of understanding acceptance and inclusivity within our schools and Community whereas more policy
025ACA Dash R and jfb- are stays at the student voice initiative known as smarts was created as a way for students voices to be heard and considered included those that would be traditionally underrepresented this is this includes but is not limited to students with disabilities students of color and students that identify within the LGBT community whereas the district leadership in the board recognize Mars as a student group with a value voice and opinion that represents the student body of their respective high schools and learning community this work aligns with a vision mission and strategic goals of the district whereas the Ohio legislator has introduced numerous pieces of legislation that attacks the lgbtq plus students by removing protections and creating creating barriers for students seeking mental health support whereas the board has adopted resolution opposing these
026pieces of legislation and said that it's intent to reject all legislation that the values lgbtq plus students and promotes fear and tolerance and Hate whereas the board celebrates pride month by reaffirming's a commitment to support policies and practices that honor and respect all individuals celebrating diversity and creating a community where students employees family members and members of of our community feel welcomed value and empowered now therefore be resolved by the Board of Education this little city school district the board that's section one the board formally recognized Julia as Prime month and reaffirmness is its commitment to providing all students a safe inclusive and supportive learning environment through his ongoing diversity Equity inclusion efforts section 2 the war will continue to oppose legislation and policies which attacks the lgbtq plus Community or seeks to undermine the
027contributions the contributions lgbtq plus individuals have made to our society section three this resolution shall be in full force and effective immediately after adoption and shall supersede any prior resolutions or acts of the sport which may be inconsistent with the provisions of this resolution and then section four it is hereby found and determined that all formal actions of this board concerning and relating to this passage of this resolution were taken in an open Board of the open meeting of this board and that all deliberations of this board and any other any of its committees that resulted in such formal actions were in meetings open to public in compliance with all year requirements including section 121.22 of the Ohio Revised Code okay I would like to have a motion discussion uh Madam president I'd just like
028to say that we have an ongoing duty to oppose the legislation um that infringes on these rights I don't understand why we have to keep doing this and and why uh this is something that's ongoing I mean to me it's just doing the right thing if you if you read the first part of the resolution and read it again is that we are committed to providing a safe inclusive and supporting learning environment for all students that does not seem to be a difficult concept to me so what that says to me is that when a student presents themselves to our doors in our district and our schools we have a commitment to provide them with the education that they deserve all right it just boggles my mind that we have to be here every month
029and deal with encroachment upon local control this is our district it's why they created Boards of Education and also this resolution also points out that we are listening to our students I often hear that we should provide what the students need or want and this is what we are hearing from those they want a quality education in a safe environment so of course uh support this resolution and um just feel that it's uh too bad that we have to continually oppose legislation that infringes upon these rights thanks thank you board member of our week um I think that we have we've passed resolutions in opposition to the continued culture war that the state legislators have continuously created and I say that because your average citizen they want to send their kids to school where they
030know it's safe they know it's welcoming they know they're loved and it doesn't matter where they come from who they are what they believe it doesn't matter so we as adults on the board of education will continue to be student-centered and continue to pass resolutions that are in the best interest of all of our students that's all thank you Morton rogerkin although it is exhausting I am happy to continue to put my voice to this type of a resolution however many times it takes to make sure folks know that at Toledo Public Schools we have a great intention of being safe and inclusive for all students all means all thank you Mr Vice President thank you madam president again I think as it says with my other board members that we can't compromise who we
031are as a district in fostering that environment of support for all of our students one of the things that's very important is I've heard it through all of us but we provide a safe supportive and Equitable learning environment for all students that's without negotiation and people don't understand that selective Equity is really not Equity at all so thank you um I just want to take this time uh to thank my fellow board members uh Dr Durant our staff um to because when I was growing up um and trying to understand who I was as a person and my identity as a young black uh LGBT member I didn't have those safe spaces to talk about it um I didn't have that welcoming environment and I struggled um and that's why I live proud out loud
032and proud because I want other young individuals to know it's okay to be yourself it's okay and you can be loved and you can be successful and you can be proud and I am so happy that um that we will continue fighting to create spaces for all identities in our in our community in our school district because I know what it's like to feel alone um to be erased um and for our LGBT uh students of color I know what it's like to fight racism in homophobia and transphobia um or I should say just bigotry and all um to be uh erased at from two Circles of the community is very hard and so I am very happy that we have a district that is uh welcoming all our babies as they are all our
033families in any capacity um if you're able-bodied or disabled or if you are from the hood or the suburbs um we see you and we see your success and that is why I'm so proud to have my children in this district and also proud to represent this District everywhere I go because I know the importance of our students to have a space to say that this is who I am and I still I still matter and have that room to be them how they want to be and it's really um it's I'm kind of getting emotional but to um get calls in the middle of night of children who are experiencing homelessness um families who have no way to feed themselves and get it right on the phone and call Dr Durant um and see
034our babies in the second place um y'all don't understand how how scary it is and reason why I kind of involve um I just rescued a baby last week and when I say baby I mean one of our you know not our students but a student who live in our community um who was sleeping outside that maybe didn't ask to be born and that baby didn't ask to be gay but he was homeless and to see people jump in action to make sure that baby was safe that's what this District does y'all don't know every story about kids um harming themselves but when they come to me I call Dr Durant and we make a plan when our children needs to take up space in a safe way I call Dr Duran I could tell
035you stories after stories about how this man in this District have saved our youth just by listening by seeing them as they are and that's the importance of making resolutions but actions behind them that's the importance of saying we will not tolerate hate and bigotry and I will not stop until all of our students feel they have a safe space space in our schools and our community in this world so with all that and me just breaking down let's go ahead and move to a vote please Miss Barnes yes Mrs gherkin Mrs barway yes Mr Vazquez yes Mr Parker yes thank you so much okay so now I'd like to move to our next session a resolution to in a opposition to hospital 103. sure thank you I'll read through this one for us so
036resolution in opposition to House Bill 103 and the American Birthright standards whereas the Board of Education of the Toledo schools Toledo City School District the board takes seriously its responsibility to ensure students develop skills and knowledge to engage in a democracy and thrive in the real world whereas the board has outlined its educational philosophy and board policy Ada and believes that it should provide quality education fully and equally to all children to create an enlightened intelligent and effective foundation for citizenship whereas the district strives to teach students how to think and not what to think ensuring students develop their own rigorous thinking about historical and current events whereas the district provides an education that celebrates the remarkable diversity of our country by sharing stories of individuals who contributed to our society regardless of their race
037ethnicity gender identity sexual orientation religion language socioeconomic status citizenship status and other backgrounds whereas the district is committed to diversity equity and inclusion and established board policy AC which ensures all students regardless of their race color national origin ancestry citizenship stand status religion sex sexual orientation gender identity economic status age disability or military status have Equitable access to educational opportunities whereas Ohio law provides that each School District shall be the sole Authority in determining and selecting textbooks instructional materials and academic curriculum recognizing that local Boards of Education are in the position to make educational decisions for their students whereas House Bill 103 has been introduced to the Ohio House of representatives and referred to the primary and secondary education committee and would encroach on the district's Authority whereas HB 103 would create a social studies
038standards task force of individuals appointed by the governor the president of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives who would develop Statewide academic standards in social studies for grades K-12 based on standards published in American Birthright the Civics Alliance model K-12 social studies standards whereas American Birthright seeks to deny our students the right to learn from the past intending to censor marginal marginalize exclude our diverse communities including lgbtq plus and people of color from history for political purposes whereas the National Council for social studies nccs the largest Professional Organization devoted to social studies education in the United States released a statement opposing American Birthright whereas nccs which traditionally avoids commenting on State education policies stated that these standards will would have damaging and lasting effects on the Civil knowledge of students in
039their capacity to engage engage in civil reasoning and deliberation now therefore be resolved by the Board of Education of the Toledo City School District that the board Section 1 reaffirms its opposition to House Bill 103 of the 135th general assembly and opposes any legislation that threatens inclusivity and respect for diverse diversity of its students section 2 the abroad opposes any legislation or academic standards that would undermine the trust developed between faculty staff and students Section 3 the board opposes any legislation or academic standards that could diminish or erase the contributions of significant segments of our community the board also opposes any measures that could prevent the objective and truthful teaching of our nation's history section 4 the treasurer is authorized to deliver a cause to be delivered a certified copy of this resolution to community
040leaders to members of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate and to the office of Governor Mike deline thank you board member again may I have a motion so moved session thank you discussion Vasquez um Madam president uh this is just an extension of what we said before about the legislature encroaching upon the local uh control of our school districts but um you know one of the things I want to say is is that my ethnicity like many people here you all have your own roots and background of my ethnicity is Mexican I'm a proud American um here I am trying to give back to my community my history of my whole family is a history of serving in the military policeman fireman educators doctors contributing to our country they all have stories
041and um they're important stories and uh as all of you here and I do we we have we have our stories we learn from our stories and we learn from each other's stories um I think the past is important um my stories are good stories uh the stories of opportunity but I would say not always equally applied opportunity um but yet good stories and I hope that we can always share our stories we can share the past and we can share the opportunities and share the challenges with the younger generation the people come after us so I sigh because yet again we are in opposition to another house bill that is presented by the state legislature and I I don't know if there will ever be a day in the state of Ohio that school
042board members across the state will actually be in unison with the state legislature on the benefits of making student-centered decisions because I don't see it happening down in Columbus um I'm aggravated because this is government overreach it is American birth rate is political ideology you can Google it and you will find a laundry list of alt-right endorsements of the American Birthright I've spoken to numerous social studies teachers all of them are opposed they're Republicans Democrats independents they're all opposed to American Birthright Ohio law gives school boards the directive to instill a curriculum we've done that and now the Ohio legislator legislators and not all of them just um want to take local control away yet again we're not in this District we don't tell students what to think how to think we we help them
043get to the point where um they're learning on their own yes our teachers are teaching but the kids are making their own decisions about what is what has happened what is going to happen American Birthright is the opposite of what is good in the social studies curriculum um and for the National Council for social studies to release a statement which they never do never do is saying something so again down in Columbus This House and Senate are off the hook off the chain out of control government overreach I'm over it like I'm so over it and it and it should not be happening where are the adults making student-centered decisions and not focusing on political ideology I'm I guess we're going to continue to wait thank you board member Durkin what could possibly go wrong
044you got the governor the president of the Senate and the Speaker of the House appointing this social study standards tax Force what could possibly go wrong three political uh highly political leaders who are all from the same party appointing this task force what could possibly go wrong the American Birthright standards as we've already mentioned has been crafted by a national conservative coalition they focus on American exceptionalism which would naturally mean we don't get to focus on what went wrong what we need to learn from what mistakes we've made it focuses on Christianity what could possibly go wrong when you have a social studies curriculum that's tied to one specific religion and it's not necessarily reflective of the population of young people who are learning in our country what could possibly go wrong with the curriculum
045that actually de-emphasizes Civic engagement and emphasizes military service and might there's a place for all of all of these things in our learning but it it becomes so unbalanced that you see that what could go wrong here this isn't just about taking control from local Boards of Education which it very clearly is but it is about indoctrination it's about indoctrinating our young people to believe that there is something exceptional about the United States of America without taking into account the mistakes that were made the oppression that continues to exist without taking into account all of the history that keeps repeating itself and if we don't teach young people it leads the facts the truth and help them learn to critically think and in we're not teaching them what to think we're teaching them how to
046think how to make some decisions of their own and so when they hand over control of the social studies curriculum to a single uh Ultra conservative think tank then we are going down a very slippery slope what could possibly go wrong there thank you Mr Vice President we're just waiting for rats early to show up and tell us where the Twilight itself I think that it becomes mind draining to keep having to repeat [Music] foolishness that tries to erase the path that all of us came through which may not be the same but together we build stronger Community a stronger culture stronger Nation they can ignore our past path but they cannot erase it and the reality is it's our past of how we became that has taught us who we are and how we
047have become and so I support this um and we just got to keep fighting y'all as as rough as it is we've got to keep fighting somehow if nothing else we just keep fighting for our students and letting them know that somebody's standing in a gap for them thank you thank you um I'm gonna call this what it is this is promoting white supremacy um you cannot tell me what this curriculum they would see anybody that is not of the ancestry of a cisgender heterosexual Christian uh white rich and I don't mean like yes I have a job I mean where you can get sick for a week and still pay all your bills Rich uh mail um when we're looking at this this is not just about people of color or LGBT this is
048about women's rights is about indigenous rights and we can keep going on and on because they are raising all of us and so I I think this is a call to action and actually the alarm been all going off that we need to stick together and show solidarity um because yeah they're attacking the lgbtq community currently but somebody's going to be next and then when they're done packing that Community somebody's going to be next um and so one way to justify erasing [Music] a community is erasing their footprints that's how it's how it's always been done if you are looking at history and how this beats how is being taught to us I'm being honest with you literally in high school and I'm in the middle of age I'm going to tell my age but
049in the middle of high school that's when I found out the truth of Christopher Columbus for the whole time and my pretty much K-12 education like I was taught a lie and many of us in this room and watching this was taught a lie and even now I'm learning about the Black Wall Street and the details and things like that from DACA series even what we're learning and what we're able to teach is not really all the truth and they want to erase the little bit of true faith that we do teach um and it reminds me of a quote and I'm going to add little just a little bit it says those who are not taught the past are condemned to repeat it and that's what's going to happen we're going to start erasing
050people's rights and then it's going to start to erase people's communities um and we can't allow that we cannot have a future of nothingness we fought too hard and I mean we as a people we as a country um good bad ugly or indifferent we fought too hard to get to we are um now um and I be damned that my child don't know any of History the truth so with that being said Treasurer please call the road Miss Barnes yes Mrs gherkin Mrs barwig yeah Mr Vazquez yes Mr Parker yes thank you now we'll go to section 10 which is our early childhood education items uh chair is Vice President Parker co-chairs myself I will now turn it over to uh Mr Vice President this time I like to turn over to Dr Allen
051it's our annual contract that we provide that we partner with these Toledo Family Center for providing care for young children so I will I'm sorry you're supposed to make a little motion contract um 7-1 23 to 6 30 24. it's a move second it's been moved in second Treasurer please call the road Miss Barnes yes Mrs gherkin Mrs Hartwig yes Mr Vasquez yes Mr Parker yes turn back over to Madam president thank you um now I would like to take this time to uh celebrate a life a a beautiful uh a beautiful light and Warrior for our children um Nicole Hancock um has now transitioned and the the work and determination to make sure our students get their Healthy nutrition value but it went beyond that she cared um because she really understood the whole
052child aspect and I know she have touched many students lives their families our staff our board members our cabinet members um in the community um she was very a little but she was very Mighty and I appreciate the even the education tips she taught me about healthy eating and about taking care of my body and the importance of making sure I know what I eat but it it's just it would be on food it was more of like a love language for her um and so I wanted to have this moment um in celebration of her of her life and her memory um so I will open up for anyone of the board members of Dr Durant where's the Gap they would like to say a word um the only thing that I would say
053is that um Nicole's mother worked for me when I was in a district Michelle Brown and and the discussions that I had with Michelle about her daughter and her Pursuit Of Education and what that looks like and and the care that I know Michelle put into her work let's see before she retired and the love for her daughter for that it just speaks well about the family and the call and uh very sad for Michelle um and uh I look forward to to continue to discuss with her and to engage with her on it you know Nikki had a great impact on Early Childhood she was on the front line when it comes to kid and making sure that they were eating appropriately as well as even some of the screen that she was providing
054and those are the correct barriers in regard to addressing the social emotional aspects of some of our kids and she was on the front line each and every day and even to her last breath they were always on her mind and uh planning for it so we appreciate the honor thank you um I just want to say uh to Nikki's family we are with you um and uh we are very sorry for your loss so we'll now move to section 11. of the consent agenda which is their early childhood education reports and minutes for the month committees meetings are provided for your information and reference there's no action items or cars so we can proceed to section 12. um do we have any walk-ins um now we will move to section 13 which is a
055executive session um executive session excuse me I would like um I would like to request to a motion to enter a second executive session for conference with an attorney for public body concerning disputes involving the public body that our subject of pending or intimate Inman core action some of the Treasurer please call the road Miss Barnes yes Mrs gherkin yes this is Harwick yes Mr Vazquez yes Mr Parker yes thank you from executive session so move second thank you treasure Calder Road Miss Barnes yes Mrs gherkin yes Mrs harwig yes Mr Vazquez yes Mr Parker yes thank you and I would like to now request a motion to uh to amend the agenda to reflect a walk-in thank you Treasurer please call the road Mrs Miss Barnes yes Mrs Durkin yes Parker yes so now
056we'll turn it over to board member gurkin I would like to move to authorized tps's jointer of the Ohio Coalition for equity and adequacy at school funding and other school districts as a party in litigation pertaining to violations of Ohio law by state officials second Treasurer please call the road Miss Barnes yes Mrs gherkin yes Mrs marwig yes Mr Vasquez yes Mr Parker yes thank you now that brings us to section 14 through 16. Dr Durant yeah just want to again thank everyone for graduation over 11th Street Marathon but uh Morden uh well worth it uh again important as the committee structure uh committee structure it is victim is and it works today with the testimony of that with the CDL program that is being ignited here in Toledo TPS which will be one of
057very few that actually have a CDL program with internal light in their District so not only will our graduates have CDL license at 18 years of age but tax period will save a million dollars each year merely because we had transferred from diesel to propane and at the same time again the employee recognition went great last week at Toll House and appreciate all the although the service District and serve well so again thank you and TPS proud Durant right okay um the first thing is there's two packets for the two resolutions that were passed for the to proceed with the uh place in the renewal levees on the ballot there is the ballot language is in the back and then some other forms so we're all set to go now so we'll take those to
058the Board of Elections tomorrow or Thursday and get those filed and then we'll be on the ballot here in November and the budget process is going on um I'm not sure if you've heard but Dr D just forwarded us a email that the house ex voted to extend the current budget by seven days till July 7th so if they cannot work out their differences not between now and Friday they have another week to get it done this is the what I consider the scary time because what usually happens is they will go into session in about 3 A.M in the morning they'll come out and they'll pass a budget Bill and there would have been no one there to question or comment or see what was in it so we'll wait and see oh I'll
059see what happens there and if we hear anything we'll let you know thank you Ryan Vasquez um Madam president uh Dr Duran what was the figure on that that we were saving the taxpayers one million dollars one million dollars and that was because of the going to the propane buses and so on and it doesn't include the um employing our graduates and making sure they have jobs and they can provide for themselves and others and depend on them and giving back to the community um so we I think in some course to be really proud of we try to continue to do that that was a great time this this morning I think it was um so uh looking for big things come out of that program so thank you thank you foreign well first
060of all isn't it one million per year yeah which is um incredible and I would just like to give a thank you to city council for finally passing um for for us to have this ability to provide to our community and to our students this truly was a student-centered decision um and I'm excited what's to come um I am certainly hopeful that maybe the blade will send a reporter to Columbus to keep a watch on on the Senate and House so that way we we know you might know before we do what happens in the budget um so we'll we'll be watching and waiting and reading um so please pass that along to your editors or those who are in charge of your budget to send you down to Columbus we'd love to hear what's
061going on um I'd also like to just give a special recognition to Rick Lewis for his many years as the CEO for Ohio School Board Association um he was with them for about 39 years and [Music] um you know we I was part of our leading the church in this effort to not only make sure that Rick was taken care of on his way in retirement from osba but then also to um hire our next CEO and I'm really excited that Dr Kathy McFarland was um Chosen and she accepted and I'm thrilled to have her leading the way for Ohio school School Association so I'm looking forward to the great things that she's going to bring to the table but I wanted to make sure that we recognized Rick Molly don't have a proclamation a
062resolution I certainly would like to make sure that we do something uh for him you know we can maybe send that off to him a little thank you note or something um because of what he has brought to public education I mean 39 years is a long time um you know to be giving so um with that there's one more thing a vouchers hurt Ohio uh vouchers um steal money from the taxpayers at the end of the day when you think of a taxpayer dollars and you think of how they handle um paying for police and fire and public schools right and you don't get to take a portion of your taxpayer dollars and go higher a security firm for your house or um you know private safety firm for your individualized person nor should
063you get to take taxpayer dollars to pay a private Institution for education for your child I am all about school choice I actually think that public schools offer the most and the truest school choice uh the if you look at the plethora of opportunities that we have just in our own District um I think that uh public schools are certainly the way to go but I know that we're also accountable to the public with taxpayer dollars and that's really important everything that we bring in we're showing what we're doing with it we're are also trying to save taxpayer dollars like the CDL program so I just want to as a reminder for those that are watching tonight uh that vouchers uh while it all sounds great the whole school choice you know um efforts by
064certain folks down in Columbus at the end of the day it's taking dollars away from public schools and it's not right it's government overrated yet again and there's no accountability when it goes to a private school on top of that just as a reminder we have students yet again this year that were kicked out of their private school after three and a half years in a private school taking a voucher kicked out sent back to Toledo Public Schools and they were not going to get to graduate and I want to personally thank Tina butts in the movement because they raised the dollars in the community to make sure that those fees and tuitions that those students owed um Central Catholics specifically but the other schools as well those students were able to graduate and while
065that is wonderful for those particular families I think about all of the families over the years that were not able to have a windfall of the community paying off those fines and fees and intuition that were sold a bill of goods um you know what at the end of the day uh private schools are not better than Public Schools they're not they're not and people in the community need to start realizing that public schools specifically Toledo Public Schools we offer the best choice we have phenomenal staff in our district our students are amazing and they are not failures like the state would have you believe so just as a reminder vouchers hurt Ohio and they hurt Toledo Public Schools they hurt our community and it's a theft a taxpayer dollars other than that have a
066wonderful summer everyone love our staff thank you foreign I do hope that everyone has a nice summer we do um try to take a little bit of time off from our committees in July and usually something comes up and we'll end up scheduling a board meeting anyway because we need to continue getting the work done of the district even though our committees um are taking a bit of a break I just want to say again to Dr Allen to please give our um our best regards to your staff as they navigate this loss of your colleague and and ask for some some Grace and love for all of you because I know that this is a big a big loss for all of you as as well and let's you know have a good good
067July and I'll see most of you very soon thank you Mr Vice President it is my hope also that you all will have a good summer take a little break by the time you blink you'll be back in school again getting started um Dr Allen please offer our prayers and condolences to not just uh um Nikki's family but also to your staff as well um last week we celebrate the federal holiday of Juneteenth and of all the events that I participated in it was a part of I was TPS proud last Monday to celebrate the kings of Kwanzaa and our own Dr Durant received award so I wanted to celebrate you all the awards you always get is a testament of your dedication and commitment to not just Art District but our community so thank
068you for all that you do sir thank you um I just want to say remember rest is revolutionary um as we continue to keep fighting uh for justice and Equity remember that you have to take care of self-care um and it's okay to take a nap it's okay to step away um and to remember that prize started as a riot against Injustice and sometimes is is really good to get into good trouble with that being said I would like to request a motion to move to a journey so move second thank you and have a good evening oh look I'm ready to go the treasure called Miss Barnes yes Mrs Gerkin yes yes Mrs yes Mr yes okay now have a good evening