001going to reconvene into open session. Um we'll start with the pledge of allegiance. If everybody will stand moment of silence. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. All right, please be seated. Right. We have a certification of close session, please. >> Kelly. >> Yes. >> Mr. Reed. >> Yes. Right. Dr. Gretz, were there any action coming out of close session? >> Yes. Uh, Mr. Chairs, I recommend that as presented and discussed in close session, the board approve student discipline cases 10A and 10B and release from compulsory attendance student case 24A. >> Would you all like to vote on 10A and 10B separately from the third? >> Okay. >> Uh, how about I
002move that we approve student discipline cases 10 A and 10B. I'll second. We have a motion and a second to approve student discipline cases 10A and 10B. There is no discussion. All those in favor, please say I. I. >> Any opposed? Chair votes I. >> Mr. Chair, I'll move that we also approve um release from compulsory education student case 24A. >> I'll second. >> All right. I have a motion and a second for release from compulsory education student case 24A. There's no discussion. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. I. >> Any opposed? Chair votes I. All right. Anything else, Dr. Grass? We are on to the adoption of the agenda. I'll make a motion to approve the agenda. >> Yes, please. >> Guess I'll make a motion to add uh what do
003you want to add? >> What number? the Central Elementary bathroom remodel um RFP into action items >> contract. >> Yeah, I'll make a motion to um amend the agenda the central elementary bathroom remod the agenda. >> So for clarification is that adding item 13C >> 13C. Yes. >> Central elementary bathroom contract award. >> Oh to award the contract. Yes. Yes. 13 C. Yes, >> I'll second that. >> All right. So, motion and a second to add an action item 13C to award the contract for the Central Elementary bathroom remodel project. >> All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Any opposed? >> I vote I. Sorry if you didn't hear. That's okay. Any opposed? Chair votes I. All right. Anything else on the agenda? All right. Um, on to the consent agenda. Does anybody
004want to pull anything from the consent agenda? I know sometimes you all want to discuss overnight field trip. That's on there. >> I'd like to pull the minutes separately. >> Right. All right. Uh 6A, approval of the minutes of the prior school board meeting. >> I'm not uh intending to make a motion on it. Um I'm happy to move that we adopt consent agenda action items 6B, C, and D >> as presented. >> Okay. >> I'll second that. >> All right. I have a motion and a second to approve items 6B, C, and D as presented. Any discussion? All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Votes. I. >> And now we have 6A, the approval of the minutes of the prior school board meeting. >> Is there a reason? >>
005That's for discussion. I'm not going to I I don't intend to vote for them, so I won't make the motion. >> Oh, I see. I see what you're saying. Okay. >> All right. Can I do I have a motion to approve the minutes of the prior school board meeting? >> I'll make a motion we approve the prior school board meeting from last month. >> I'll second. I >> have a motion in a second to approve item 6A, approval of minutes of the prior school board meeting. Any discussion? >> Yeah. So, um, and this isn't any indictment on our clerk who I think faithfully and professionally transcribes what happens during our board meetings. I don't think that there is professional language to describe how this last board meeting went. I feel as though um that the
006chair moved along and rushed policy discussions that I think were appropriate for the public space. I think they are important and I don't believe that a chair should rush through topics that are of public import just because they don't agree with them. I also felt disrespected as during schoolboard member comments I was interrupted multiple times and I genuinely think that um that whole meeting it does a disservice to our community. I don't think that there are topics that are so taboo or problematic that they can't be discussed in public. And I don't believe that people who have a different idea than you are bad or unworthy. And I felt as though I was consistently silenced or attempted to be silenced when I'm voted here just like anyone else. Uh the chairman made reference to when
007I held the gavl um at some point during that meeting and it's in our meetings, our minutes and When I held the gavl, I went out of my way to get feedback from individuals who feel differently than me because I consistently learn on policies by hearing other people argue the other side. Um, and I hope it's not a trend because genuinely it was it was absolutely disrespectful and that's not the tone that this board should take. I don't know if it was convenient or easy because I happen to be participating remotely, but I can't think of language that this board could agree to and vote on for these minutes that encompasses the way that that meeting was held. And uh I hope we can do a better job. >> All right. Any more discussion? I
008would uh suggest that when you when you um attend remotely and there's a 45 second um lag that you consider that because I don't think anybody intent really intended to interrupt you um but there many of us were struggling with the the pause and uh and then the same is true on the other side. some of us would start speaking and then 45 seconds later you would come in even though you had already started speaking prior to that because there's a lag in technology. I I don't believe anybody here intended to interrupt you. >> Um >> I acknowledge that technology can sometimes be our our worst enemy as well and I I will choose to to assume that it is tech based and that that wasn't intentional. Um, and I would also say that it
009it's it is my responsibility to move the meeting along. Um, and as at some point when you see two sides of a discussion, again, like I said at the meeting, um, Robert's rule of order would would allow me to set a time limit for discussion. We're not we don't need to do that. I'm just I'm saying that if we were to follow it, then we could set a time limit. I don't think that's necessary. But in my position, when I see a discussion or debate rather um going nowhere and I again everybody had time to express their concerns and their feelings and represent their district and um I just I don't think there's anything left to say at that point that hadn't already been said. So that's why I said we're not it's not being
010it's not productive at this time. So if anybody's angry about that, that's that's on me. Um, but I have to decide when it's time to move on to the next thing and move the meeting along. And um, so it's on it's my responsibility and it's on me, but um, I feel like I made the right decision and if we have to do it again tonight, then it's on me to move the meeting along. So, if anybody disagrees and they want to revisit Robert's rules of order and we can set time limits and we can get a timer out here and we can do it the the most professional way possible, then we'll do that. I just don't think it's necessary. Um anyway, um any more discussion on 6A? I have a motion and a second
011to approve the minutes of the prior school board meeting item 6A. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? >> No. >> Chair votes I. All right, we are on to item 7A, recognitions of the Flam County Public FCPR members county fair event. Miss Valentine, I saw other folks here. I guess they're here with Miss Valentine. Okay. >> I don't know that they came willingly. If anyone knows Wayne Parish, who I will ask to stand very quick or just wait either way. Um Spitzer, >> give a speech. Wade >> and Erin Spitzer. Neither one of them really likes to um have a big deal made over them, but I have to make a big deal over them. I started this position I believe seven or eight years ago now and immediately
012got an email I barely started the job and got an email from weight saying hey we want to do a field trip and I participated in that before as a staff member um but ever since that time they've kept growing and growing what we do with the kids and so as soon as we back to school very quickly we have to plan a field trip three days later um which is why our ECSE kids have not participated they're not quite ready um three days into school they don't even recognize their teachers necessarily. So, we've not participated with our ACS, but we have taken it all the way down to kindergarten. If I could tell you what these gentlemen do, they invite us, they invite parents, they feed us uh between them and one other recognition
013I cannot do tonight, but they're Key West. I hope they're safe. Um or down helping with hurricane relief SNL concessions. So there were three people I really wanted to recognize. But so again, they feed us. They give us all access to the rides. Um the kids get to do and the kids get to do anything and like if the kid wants to stay on this merrygoround for 50 times, trust me, we did it. Um we stay on the ride for 50 times. If the kid wants to go once and stop um I have never seen a more adaptive environment. We change the music, we change the lights. Um, we take a child on a wheelchair and um, hook him with mother's permission to the back of a golf cart and make a special ride just
014for him. I I cannot begin to explain the hometown community feel behind this event and our kids with most significant needs. Our teenagers are allowed to have the independence of wandering through a fair, which is fairly safe because of all the staff we have and the low numbers of people there, where they get to go be independent and practice all of those skills that we teach them that they couldn't maybe do on Friday night at the fair or Saturday at the fair. Our littles just get to have the sheer joy of doing what they want to do and not having to wait in long lines. I just don't know how to say I appreciate this so much. Um, and so I wanted to recognize these two individuals are kids um made cute little signs and
015thank you letters and then we also have some um artwork that our littlest of children made for you. Um, so you can put this at your office, place of business, wherever you choose. >> You all want to come down here and receive them and take a photo. I know Wade wants to give a speech. So, so I will let you pick your picture. >> I'll put them in the >> This is supposed to be the hardest spot and I'll take this one for >> Yeah. >> And then this for you. >> Thank you so much. >> I don't want to put you on the spot, but you would you like to take a picture of the board? >> Sure. >> Game or whatever. >> Once they finally said yes to me after requesting four years
016in a row, we knew we had them. >> Yeah, that's something we enjoy doing. I've been yelled at for putting a kid on a fourwheeler. >> What was your kid jumped on the four-wheeler? Right. >> Take for a ride. >> All right. Here we go. One, two, three. One, two, three. >> Right. Thank you so much. >> Thank you very much. Thank you so much. >> Apologies for >> you can make fun of me later for it. >> You should. >> Yes, sir. >> Thank you so much. >> I know you're love with this and hopefully you'll get some time off. >> Thank you. >> I was a kid. >> Yeah, I was born in 87. So, I would say maybe >> Mr. Pull, would it be okay during this time since we have our
017student rep, if I could just real quickly just acknowledge him? >> Absolutely. We so we we've got our representative from the high school to the uh the school board student representative and we introduced him uh in his absence last month, but this is senior Ethan Richie. Ethan, we welcome you to this position. Typically, there'll be an opportunity for you to share um insights from your perspective. We don't expect you to do that tonight, but there may be an opportunity. And if there is, we'd love for you to do that. But, uh, welcome. We appreciate you being here. Is there anything you want to say? I don't always feel like you have to. >> Okay. >> To be here. >> Well, we we really do appreciate you doing this and we're looking forward to having you
018as a part of this. >> Thank you. >> All right. We are on to delegations. Abrams project update. I don't see Mr. Bower. >> No. Uh, Mr. Bower is not here. I'm actually standing in for him. Um, and if you'll give me just a moment, I'm going to pull up a little little something that he sent me. He wasn't able to be here. He's uh Well, he's ill. So, in in your in the board packet, you don't necessarily have to pull it up, Josh, but in the board packet, I believe, is an updated uh phase one. So, they're about 50% through designing the schematics for the renovation. They meet with staff bi-weekly right now at Abrams to discuss the design and to make adjustments to the layout, systems, interior finishes. Their proposed schedule right now
019would be uh the additional survey completed by October 14th of the facility November 22nd 100% uh review of the schematic design. So that would be complete alto together. January 31st of 2025 would be the completion of the design. So the schematic design and then the actual design development, the scope and the construction documents to follow in March. So if all of that stays on track there, we'd be able to bid the project out in April and to begin construction in June. >> Gosh, I think Boardocks is down. >> Yeah. >> Oh, I'm so sorry. >> You're gonna have to roll with paper. >> I got it. That's okay. Yeah, I stayed by paper anyways. Okay, we're good. We're good. >> My flower p >> and sorry, Mr. Gford should have been a formal. >> So,
020the the recommendation to you tonight is for the architect to come in and to update the board at the end of each of those phases as they go through that that process. And of course, if there's ever an opportunity for a change or something that the board would desire, we can have them copy. Do you have any questions about that? That's that's the update that they would have been written. Any questions? All right. Reports from our student liaison. Um, guessing there's no reports just yet. >> Ordox is back up somehow or at least for a second. It's really being funny today. still. >> All right. Well, >> with that said, we will um move on to our first round of public comments. Uh we've arrived at our first round of public comments for tonight's meeting.
021Any Fluana County citizen or employee of the Fluana County Public School System is welcome to speak and the expectations are that you address the board, not individual members. that you provide your name and voting district, that you do not exceed three minutes, and that you are respectful. The board will not interact with you during public comments, but we are u but you're welcome to stay here after the meeting and uh talk to us afterwards. There'll be a second opportunity for public comments later in the meeting. And we probably don't have a three-minute timer, do we? >> There we go. All right, you have three minutes to speak if anybody's wishing to speak. Anyone wishing to speak? All right, we will close our first round of public comment and we will go to reports. Reports from
022Dr. Grants. >> Thank you, uh, members of the board. So, we have a lot of information to share with you tonight and I'll first start with uh my report under the instruction section. There is a ton in there that I would refer people to and much of it I think is going to be discussed or at least touched upon by Miss Sorz during the U comprehensive review of data. But I in particular would just call your attention to it's it's good for everybody to be familiar with the new accountability framework that's has been approved by the board, the school performance and support framework. Um so there there's a lot in there that I think would be of interest to people. A lot of work that's been done u outreach to the community and community events.
023I'll call your attention to those. I'm not necessarily going to read those to you. Um, we did have a we hosted an event as as you're aware that was a Commonwealth conversation it was called where the author of the anxious generation Jonathan hate was interviewed and discussed the data that's in the book the anxious generation and we had we had a couple of staff members who hosted that event here. We had about 10 I think that attended. And what I would just simply call your attention to and ask the board in particular if you haven't, I've linked it in the in the report. It's about an hour. And the people who attended, both those that came in very skeptical of the cell phone free education initiative and those who came in just maybe supportive of
024it or weren't sure. Everybody seemed to leave having been very profoundly impacted by that conversation. And I think as we m move through what we need to do as a school division with you as a school board, which is just pragmatically speaking, we've gotten the final guidance. I've been working with other colleagues throughout region five to draft a policy that we would bring you in November for first reading. and then hopefully you could approve that in December because we're we're really in order to be compliant, we need to be lined up to go in January. And I think I'm not suggesting that you would watch that and agree with everything in it or that you would watch it and it would make all the decisions easy. I do think that you will all be in
025a better position to make the decisions that you have to make if you at least experience that. I think it would be well worth worth your time to do it. Uh, I had a wonderful conversation with about 20 high schoolers today for about 90 minutes about this issue. Just just getting feedback. I didn't go over there to convince them of anything. Just to kind of lay out uh what was going on with the with the executive order and what we did and didn't need to comply with, how some of the definitions, what what's different about what we need to do and got wonderful feedback from them. Uh so I I think you know the extent to which we can have a communitywide engagement on the issue and at the very minimum I think experiencing that
026if everybody just has a common experience there that can spark common dialogue I think it'll be really helpful. So I I did want to highlight that. Um >> do we anticipate um the SBA coming out with the policy and all of that? not going to. >> Yeah. Similar to >> we pay them for policy. >> Well, we do not know defending the VSBA or, you know, neutral on this, but in cases of an executive order, you know, if there's like legislation, >> it's crazy because they were Johnny on the spot with other executive orders. Well, I I think where there's legislation involved, there there are policies that they craft or amend. >> But with regards to something that is really we're responding to guidelines, >> I'm telling you what I have been told to this
027point. I I could say this to you and they could come up with something tomorrow, >> but uh yeah, I just wanted to compare whatever we ultimately draft with what would be recommended by them so I can see what the like policy differences are. >> Yeah. So mostly for my own notification, but if they're not going to draft one, then there's nothing to compare to. >> So they they attend they attend our regional meeting, the regional superintendent meeting every month. We'll meet with them again in Louisa next Tuesday, but they attended the last one and it was not their intention to draft a policy at that point. >> Dr. Is there I don't want to get us off down a rabbit hole here, but was there anything that really jumped out to you from the
028students perspective from your meeting? Like any >> very commonalities amongst a lot of students? I'm just very intrigued by this cell phone. >> Yeah. >> policy conversation in a lot of different ways. I I really had hoped that I just candidly in response I I haven't been able to really sit down and summarize well in my mind how to how to deliver that in a couple of sentences. I think you know the things that jumped out I think that uh I also don't want any of them to hear what I'm saying and feel like I'm misrepresenting because they didn't all say the same thing. Um, in general there seem to be a recognition that most that most kids uh are too attached to their cell phones. They seem to express that. Not all of them.
029U but most of them seem to agree with that. I think that the the one piece that I would say is uh trying to think about it. We already have the expectation and it's clear in our policy. It's clear in our handbook. We've said this before in here that you're not allowed to have cell phones during instructional time and that is enforced with, you know, sporadic consistency. And so there was a call from students for more consistency there that that really I think many of them saw that that would help. Um there were so many reactions, Mr. Reed. It's just it's so hard for me to generalize across all of them. But >> I didn't intend to sit down and maybe do this and try to write. >> I would love to hear their feedback.
030It's I don't expect this. I think they they felt like it would be kind of jarring to suddenly walk in and to not have there was I was meeting with upper classmen so they were all 11th and 12th grade. Uh you know was interesting is after the meeting several students came to me and a lot of the response was very similar to what I saw the response to other executive orders that we've had which is the school board is put in a position to comply with an executive order and the response is often people coming to the school board saying how dare you do this or please don't do this. Uh, and I have always thought, not speaking for any of you, but I've I gave the example in this very room three years ago,
031that it it's kind of like asking you, you know, does the school board have the authority to allow people to not obey the school zone speed limit? You you really don't. And and so similarly with an executive order, I but a lot of the conversation was kind of pushing back on that afterwards. There were probably five students who came to me afterwards and said, "Look, I really get this. It's a problem and this would be a lot better if we just didn't have I I'm not going to generalize across all the students based on four or five that said that." >> So, I think I think students in my experience with them, just at least, you know, the the minimal experience that I've had and Ethan, I'm not putting you on the spot, but if
032you have feedback, you should feel free to give it for sure. and that but that is that I think students are wrestling the same way adults are. I think there's a there's in general maybe a recognition that something probably it would be beneficial for something to change but we're going to have a hard time with that and u >> so one specific question they acknowledged that there is a current policy saying phones are not allowed out during the classroom currently. Yeah. And I don't want to overstate the >> like I guess we're we're trying to and again I don't want to get us off on a rabbit hole, but like if they're saying, "Hey, we know there's a problem right now, but they're also acknowledging, hey, we know we have a policy right now. >>
033I guess we should also acknowledge that another policy on top of a current policy might not solve a current situation they're acknowledging is a situation without playing too much of semantic." >> Yeah. And I I guess I'd want them to respond to that. really I my perception of how I think I read that today is it it is enforced do they do feel like it's enforced they feel like it's enforced you know differently maybe but for the most part it's enforced and they did they did talk about the difference between class time and hall time and I think generally speaking they feel like the expectation in in class is being adhered to pretty well a lot of the push back was not being able to use them in the hall, not being able to use
034them in the lunchroom. There was a lot of conversation about communicating with parents, not being able to, and it really wasn't about the emergency situations, at least not today with that group, but it was more, you know, my mom text me and asked me, I'm going to be late at work. Can you pick up your brother from school? things like that because the the executive order and the guidelines that we've received, if you read them, they specifically address that and it it takes us back to where we were pre- cell phones, which is communication from me, the parent to my child through the school goes to the office and the parents called up and or the child and they're given the message through the office. So, uh I I do want to clarify that I'm
035going to try to bring you a draft in November and the big differences I guess for us to all think about would be as I said instructional time versus non-instructional time. There are specific definitions in the guidelines for secondary students, middle and high school. And that's a little different for us because our middle school is different from the traditional middle school. So, is a fifth grade student considered elementary in the guidelines from the state? It doesn't specify. I mean, that's the kind of thing we have to work through those nuances because elementary students in the guidelines are not allowed to use mobile devices on school grounds. Period. High school students and middle school students are not allowed to use them during the school, >> which means there is a provision for them to use them
036after school at football games, things like that. There is not that provision for elementary. So, what does that look like for a middle school student or a middle school where there is an elementary age that the expectation is different and do we need to parse that out or can flubana maybe make that decision based on our configuration? What makes sense first? That's that is I think the biggest thing for us to contend with. If we're going to be compliant with this order, there are some other provisions in there. Obviously, there's provisions for medical situations and medical uh needs, but currently what we have in policy is not compliant with the expectation that students not use cell phones during the day period. That would be a change. And to confirm this October 24th night, that conversation
037is specific to this new cell phone guidance and community feedback and things like that. >> It's it the October 24th engagement night came out of that conversation that we hosted and it was a desire from the parents who attended to say >> more and more parents need to be engaged in this. >> Right. That's what I'm saying. That's the focal point of that night. Right. >> Yeah. I don't think it's the only focal point. >> Okay. But but it is the it is what started it. Okay. Yes. >> Yeah. >> Oh yes. Okay. So we Yeah. I'm glad you brought that up. Thank you. We did meet with uh Commonwealth attorney in their office about educating families and students. Now, their particular interest is talking with families about um the the seriousness, the legalities behind
038what happens when you are involved in uh social media related threats and threats to school safety and the things that we're seeing all across the common. So, it's a little different nuance conversation about cell phones, but certainly related. Okay. there. There are a lot of other things in here, but you have a lot, I guess. Well, the last thing I'll just let you know, there's a link to the survey that we're going to use to gather feedback about the forthcoming budget that you're going to be considering. So, we're going to get feedback from the community on that and hopefully get as much participation as possible and I'd like to present that to you in November. So, we're going to cut that off November 1. Anything else in there that's of interest there? There's a lot
039in there, but I'm not quite done. So, I don't I don't want to keep you on that. Are you touching on the staff advisory minutes? >> Only that they're in there, but if there's anything specific in there, I can >> I just have a question. What typically comes from I know you have meetings with those committees. >> Uhhuh. >> What typically comes from those responses outside of just meeting with the committees and >> I don't say you do this just to check a box. I'm not doing that. Like what comes from when we say >> it depends rebrement days are not enough. That's a pretty serious topic of conversation, especially if somebody travels out of county, out of state, things like that. Like, how do we proceed with responses like that, especially something like that
040that I know gets brought up kind of regularly. >> Yeah. Well, that one was addressed in September. And if you look at that, so that one in particular, let me answer your first question. Depends on what it is. If it's an action item, if it's like there was one about speed bumps, I mean, >> we put things in place to fix that, >> right? If it's a general concern maybe about the calendar, then we make that a part of what's happening you know in the calendar development. The one about bereavement or things like that uh I went to all the different policies around us and we we give as much if not more benefit towards bereavement as anybody else. >> Isn't it three three days if it's local and five days if you have to
041travel a certain distance? It's three days specific to bereavement in addition to your paid time off that you have. So most most places will say for bereavement I linked them in in September. You can see what they are, but they'll say for bereavement you can have you can use three of your sick days or you can use five of your sick days. Don't give more time in addition to what you have like we do. >> Um >> Oh, I see. Yeah. You're not required to give >> We're giving them bereavement leave separate from sick leave and annual leave. Yeah. >> Yeah. You're not required to do that. >> Yeah. And and most aren't doing that. So I in that case something came up I would tell them like this is comparable. I probably wouldn't recommend
042that we do something different. >> So there there is followup with the folks who are presenting these questions concerns. Yes. But okay. That was kind of my main >> posture. Yes. >> Is that specifically a policy you'd like to see? >> No. No. No. I just knowing over the years there's just a lot of similar things that get brought. I just wanted to make sure we followed up with the folks who were basically saying, "Hey, I'm taking the time to fill out this survey instead of just blindly filling out a survey and not hearing anything back." So, mainly just a communication. >> Now, this is not a survey. This is actually I I am in a room with them. >> Right. Right. >> So, they bring these to me. We talk through them and then
043I go back and research and then post the answers here. Okay. Because often times in the room I don't have all I do my best to answer but >> I might have to go back and do some research. >> Yeah. >> Was there any ever anything in there that you see that you you know would want to bring up and talk about? I'm happy to talk about it. I mean bereavement leave you know >> I I was and I was just using that as an example. I don't I don't have a conversation about bereavement leave. I just it's one of the first ones that was just on the page when I scroll down. >> Understood. >> Okay. So, >> anything else? >> Yeah, I wanted to um ask you about andor articulate that like I've
044been having one-on-one conversations with board of supervisors and make myself available in those meetings as well to field questions as an individual or as an individual board member. I never speak for the rest of you, but of course, categorical funding up in the last couple weeks. And one of the things that I thought is reasonable would be um so one of the questions that the supers had and in fact I apologize to Chris Fairchild who my watch um dialed him during our meeting during public comments and so it's in a nice little time out there and sorry to Chris but um you know one of the things that I was asked during that meeting is like do are we asked in advance about categorical transfers? Do they appear in a consent agenda? so on and
045so forth. And so I said, I can't specifically remember exactly all of the cons incent agenda from up to six years ago. And so I'll gather information and get back to you. Mr. Gretz um or Dr. Gretz, I'm so sorry. Um sent an email and followup um providing all that information. One thing that's dawned on me or that like I think is reasonably compelling and I'm not sure that it takes a vote at all. I think it would just require a couple of us to nod our heads is so we don't see categorical transfers like I I remember many calls from both Jockey and and and Dr. Gretz on we need to move money to do X Y or Z. I'm letting you know in advance. It's a power that we defer to the superintendent
046and of course we see outgoing expenditures in all of our budget lines and that's what we just voted on tonight. So we're responsible for we defer the power but we ultimately approve post hawk and consent agenda the expenditures. It seems that it would be tidy and not that big of a deal since it happens all of once a year if we were to just have a consent agenda item that says categorical transfer so that it's there searchable and findable. Is there a chance there are other two board members who are different enough to seek in the consent agenda a categorical transfer line or do you have opinions as to why that would be problematic? >> Not at all. I don't see it being a problem. I I do want to just make sure everyone knows
047they're also in the budget document. So you'll you'll find an explanation of the of what it is, but then you'll see it in the uh the fiscal year report. >> Both I don't want to get in me personally. I don't want to get in the conversation too far because we're still working out a meeting that uh where this will be discussed in detail, but that's one of the things that we've already discussed was making it easier to find if if that does happen. Um, >> yeah. I just felt like this because of the history and because we're in a public meeting where all five of us are here. I don't I don't know why it would be that big of a deal not to just like have it and then then it's there in perpetuity.
048>> I would just I would say that none of this was a big deal. They could that was a conversation we could have had over the phone, not in a twohour time period in a board of supervisors meeting. But I agree. >> Big not my phone. >> Yeah, I agree. Um, sometimes things are easier handled, you know, amongst phone calls and >> I think I was on a plane during that one. So, I'm not even going to take shrapnel for that. When my meeting and I went in the country, >> are you are you talking about Dr. Kelly? You talking about having like a standing a standing consent. >> Yeah. So, like when typically there would be none. >> Yeah. >> Sorry. Not even a standing just like when it happens. >> Oh, I see.
049like on that one time a year where we got to move money >> in order to get bonuses, it would just say >> it would say sixe. >> Yeah. >> Categorical. >> You can even put exclamation points on it if you want. Make it make it bold and blue. Like I'm joking. I'm just saying like if it's if it's there and we can flag it so that it's a little more obvious for people then um then we then it'll be even more transparent than the existing documentation. SP that's that's one of the things we discussed. I'm sure we'll discuss. >> Yeah. I don't want to step on your toes. I'm just trying to like I want to answer and be available not as the board chair obviously, but like in good partnership with other members
050to to ensure that we're on the same page and speaking the same language and working together for the benefit of our students. And if this makes that conversation easier moving forward, it feels like a little bit of work on the admin part and not that big of a deal. Yeah, I'd agree. I mean, it's listening to a lot of that conversation at multiple supervisors meetings. It's it's a communication conversation and I think the closer our two boards work together, the easier this conversation is, and we are allotted with a lot of money each year for the county schools. We're responsible and realize what that does for the county. And I think that uh the closer we work together with the board of supervisors, the better that relationship is. >> I'll note that we uh frequently
051don't get as much revenue as we are um required to have in order to spend our full amount. And we never we never overspend and then go back to the county for money either. So I do think that this board and this grasser in particular does a good job being um fiduciaries and responsible with the public trust. But if this is one more way that we can say that we're communicating well, we should do it. So, I think that was at least three, four. >> Yeah, I think. >> Do you mind? >> You're a month ahead of us. We were gonna >> Yeah, you're a month ahead of us, but that's good. You >> I dive right back in, man. >> Thanks. >> Absolutely. >> And by the way, we have a meeting November 6th.
052>> Can't remember. We're supposed to have a meeting November 6th where this was going to be a discussion. Not the board, but >> about the chairs and whomever, right? shares and vice chairs and >> and I I think I think what we're going to suggest would be for that to become a standing meeting too. We we only have partial control of that but we just have a predictable meeting on calendar. You know we've done it before. >> Yeah, we used to do it be helpful >> to the extent that the vice chair is invited as long as there's not three whatever works. >> Thank you. I wanted to take a few moments and just uh Mr. Gford, if you want to pull up the new website, I hope you've had an opportunity to take a
053look at it. Uh his team and Josh in particular have done just an extraordinary job of both vetting the different solutions, choosing one, migrating to the new site, and then training everybody, which is going to continue to be a work in progress. But the design obviously is intended to be more accessible, more intuitive. Some of the pages are still being developed, but any feedback that you have, we'd love to hear. I mean, this is this is one of our main tools to communicate and we want to make sure it's uh it's done well. >> It's nice having the app. >> Yeah. although downloaded an app and I've turned on notifications for five schools in the division and so >> I hope to experience the same communication that the public is getting and uh be more
054informed as to how well it's working uh fall festival if you're done with that one. >> Sure. >> That was pretty fabulous. >> I know Mr. Reed was there. I saw Mr. Key as well. I thought it was a really successful event. it is annually and got some great weather and I even needed to cover up a little bit because the sun was baking so we got an extra extra day of summer in the fall festival. But I thought it was fabulous. >> It was they they always do an amazing job with that. >> Uh so thank I do want to just again thank you Mr. Gford for the work you've done there with the app with the and it'll continue to develop obviously a lot of us are involved in that and uh uh
055so could you pull up the strategic plan Josh I I want to take just a moment here we we weren't able to have our retreat because we had um well we had a social media event but uh I wanted to take just a moment and go through I know you've seen this before but where we've landed here this is something that I'd like to have the board for formally approve. We're we're really already operating from this standpoint, but we've crafted a vision and a mission coming from the standpoint of what impact do we want to have? So, we want to equip students for life to have a positive impact. The mission, what do we need to be doing in order to have that impact? We want to maximize the potential of our students, our staff,
056our families, basically everybody in our community. We want to put them in a position to have their potential maximized. So the core values for each one of these, we've established a value, a working definition for trust, the ability to believe in others, and then some just very quick, brief, actionable. What does it look like? What does it look like for somebody to to exhibit the value of trust? Honest, respectful, reliable, show integrity, be transparent. Uh I won't read all of these to you, but we have four of them. We really want to begin to integrate these into both our literature, but also into our decisions, the evaluations that we do of one another and of our decisions, just to make sure that this becomes part of our working dialogue, trust, uh, relationships, work ethic, and
057optimism. So, what I'd like to do is to I'm not going to go through all of these, but I want to take just the the first one, and these are not in any order yet. We essentially have three goals. So each one of those goal areas, bless you. Thank you. >> Uh one related to the culture, one related to uh relationships, and one related to instruction and learning. So again, these aren't in any order of priority. They could become one, two, and three. Right now, it's just a goal area. So I'd like to go through this one with you, get any feedback that you have, and encourage you to go through everybody to go through these and give us feedback. have been to each of the schools to go through these and it'll be on
058our website for people to review. It has been and hopefully get this really kind of solid and in place. So first goal area inspiring inclusive culture. What we're saying is that we want to create the kind of culture where everybody feels valued, welcomed, informed, and empowered. How are we going to do that? I I'll read through the objectives. The first one, support the physical and mental safety and wellness of students and staff. So for each of these, there are strategies and for each strategy there are tactics. I'd like to read through the strategies just associated with this first one and you can go through the individual tactics. I won't read all those to you, but how would we support the mental health? As you go back up just a little bit, Josh, cultivate a student-
059centered culture. So, we want to make sure that students feel that the adults in the schools surrounding them care about them and support them. How would we do that? There's a list of things that we want to make sure that we're doing to make sure that kids are surrounded in places where they feel like the adults care about. Uh, strategy number two, create and implement policies and practices that encourage and provide for staff wellness. Uh, we said fluco of the year. We've already rolled out the teacher of the year. We brought that back teacher of the year and staff member of the year. Maybe it's not called fluke of the year. Maybe it's just teacher and staff member of the year. But the point is, and that is a direct result of staff for the
060past couple of years saying, "Will you please bring them back?" So create a way to recognize and operationalize those values to celebrate when we see those. And we have a lot of recognitions that are going on. Promote the use of the employee assistance program. That is something that's free to our employees through our insurance program and it can provide some really valuable help. Um so again I don't want to read through all of these. The next strategy develop, publish and operationalize a public relations and communication plan. We have an informal communication plan that I've written. But what we want to do is really take an inventory of all the ways that we're communicating. And I think this is certainly a timely thing for us to talk about uh in the wake of the incident that
061we went through where we were communicating with our community about schools and closing and obviously there are ways that we can do that better. And so we want to take an inventory of what we're doing, what kind of protocol do we have, how do they communicate with each other, how do we use them, and streamline all those, align all those tools, um, and survey the community. I'd like to survey the community, just ask them what are the best ways to communicate. Uh, you guys probably are aware that I started a called it a blog. I mean that that's probably it's like 1990s, isn't it? But uh a place where I would feature on the website just different news articles. I'm not sure that those were reaching people. And so, you know, that's that's maybe not
062a good way to do that. Maybe that we need to uh I used to in other divisions I would use Twitter. I I'm not even on Twitter anymore. I found that in my last division wasn't something parents were using. Maybe that's let's ask parents what are the best ways to get information in your hand. How do you call it X or formally known? >> Well, there you go. Uh, >> you know, I it's important to get the feedback, but we just dealt with this here recently. Everybody wants communication, but then when the sheriff's office communicated that the 911 system was down, a bunch of people were complaining about communication because they didn't want to be woken up. So, I mean, I at the end of the day, I say perceive the communication, but do the
063right thing. Do what do what you think is right. And there's always going to be somebody or groups of people that that are that don't use Facebook. They want to There's be people that don't have landlines and some that do. There's >> Yeah, you're not going to make everybody happy, but I would say receive the the the feedback and then still >> Yeah. >> do what you think is right regardless of where certain people push you. >> Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. And and it's not really just obviously not just communication in times of, you know, emergency or it's really how do we get how do we get everybody engaged? How do we get information? You know, I I I still receive and I anticipate this is not meant to be disparaging, but we're getting ready
064to ask the community for input on budget. One of the questions is what are some of the ways we could save money? Invariably I get feedback through that that says you guys should go solar. All of our facilities have been fully solar powered for at least three years if not four. So how do we get that information? How do we get information about what's happening in our schools about just celebrating what good things and what's the best way to connect with our community um and just hear from them a bit. So uh expand and align the division's mental health programs. So, we light years stepped with uh bringing Caitlyn on obviously and so there are some things that we want to do to expand those services and really make sure that we're in a good
065position to meet all the needs. The needs continue to increase, improve school safety, school discipline, eliminate bullying from our schools. We have some very actionable things that we want to do with our crisis response uh plans and other ways. I don't want to read through all those to you unless you want me to. Uh so for each one of these, here's another objective. Establish a work environment characterized by high expectation support for strategic creativity and risk-taking. We want expect that teachers will be very strategic. We don't want people to be willy-nilly, but we want them to be creative. We want them to do the things that that they're intuitively designed to do with kids. So, how do we do that? Each one of these, there are strategies under the objectives. I don't want to read
066all these to you, but I encourage everybody to go through here, take a look at them, see what you think we're missing, what kinds of things do you think that uh we really like, and how would you want that to be reflected? Because I'm going to bring it to you and ask you to approve it. So, any questions about that or anything more specific? I don't want to rush through it, but we do have a lot of information for you. It's something that uh I'm very proud of the work that we've done on this and I've gotten very favorable responses from teachers. We have changed it a little bit just from some of the feedback that we've gotten as I've gone out into the schools. Uh so, with that, the only other thing I'll highlight
067in here is the budget calendar. You don't need to pull it up, Mr. Gford, but just if just to remind you, there is a date in there that the board decided to wait until January. It's a January workshop date. So, you chose all the others, but there is one in there that will need to be decided upon. It's still highlighted. And uh just wanted to remind you of that. Anything else in here that you'd like me to go through? uh the the learning resource committee did meet and there are a couple of books that are causing some attention and so I I'm highlighting that to encourage as many people as possible to read those books and give the feedback. Um there's a form that Miss Sorus puts out to get feedback and I encourage everybody
068to take advantage of that and give their input there. I I am going to do that. anything else in in my reports that you're interested in? >> Thank you. >> Should be on to uh VSBA fluana policy updates. >> Yes, sir. So, uh policies I there's nothing in there really substantive. There are some changes in terminology. I'll highlight for you EBCD. Uh and it basically gives the the school division and the superintendent in this case the ability if there's an unforeseen weather day or otherwise the schools have to be closed that we can declare an unscheduled remote learning day. There's some stipulations around that. So I I'm just letting you know there's a policy in here that gives us the ability to do that. There are some considerations around it and I need to make
069sure I know what those are before we just start declaring remote learning days. that I think is something for everyone to pay attention to. Um the policy relate, this is kind of ironic because we just named the uh auditorium after horse scrubs. That was a wonderful ceremony. Um but because that isn't naming facilities isn't legally required. The VSBA has repealed that policy. So doesn't mean you can't do it. Just means you don't have a policy around it anymore unless you choose to. And then GCA, this is new and it's completely related to the literacy act. This is about reading specialists and now they're they're required differently through the literacy act and the ratios and everything are in there. But any anything else in those policies that would be of interest? Those are the only things
070that I thought were significant to highlight for you. So does that mean so we there there's a policy with minimum ratios the literacy act funding came in and was distributed across multiple things. Are those positions are our reading specialist or enough reading specialists for those ratios built into our recurring budget? mean when we start the budget process, are they already baked into our existing revenue or are these going to be positions that we're going to need to add and ask for more money from the county for? >> No, I I believe we're compliant now with those requirements in our >> Go ahead. through. >> So that will go away after next year. That's right. Thank you. >> So that's exactly why I'm asking is whether or not we need to go from >> short-term funding,
071which happens a lot with requirements you get. >> That's right. If we're lucky and it's not a completely unfunded mandate, we'll get some pool of short-term money and then ultimately those employees or their positions need to be transferred into recurring. So, as we go into the January budget cycle, we do need to include them in the So, that'll be a plus position on our zero budget line or is it next calendar? >> What is the sunset on the all-in money? Is that do you remember because it's different? Yeah, >> but not all of them. >> I I I really need to probably bring that back to you with more. >> That's perfect. >> As we get into the season, >> great questions. There are and we go through this every year about sort of like
072okay we hired to be compliant or we hired with federal money or the state gave you money for X when are and we want to be transparent every now and then I hear something about like sneaking in new roles to to our recurring budget and that's just not the case at all but we should be clear about what we have on staff based on these acts what if it is grant funded and what if it ultimately needs to be moved into a recurring line. I also dislike zero level accounting, but it's it's what we do. And so making sure we know why it is that we're adding positions can help us advocate to the county. >> Yeah. Thank you. And >> anything else? So moving on to fiscal 24 budget update. Uh the big thing
073here for us to consider and if you have if you want want to discuss it today would be uh if you go to the last page Mr. Gford uh there well at the bottom. So the all the way at the bottom think there's still some more. >> So that's our projected fund balance $425,000. We've had conversations just kind of one-on-one conversations. We talked a little bit in the last meeting. I've got some information for you that I can share tonight. um you're going to have to make a decision about what to ask for if you're going to ask for anything next month. So, there was there was a consideration around using some of that turnback for not the renovations of the bathrooms that are currently about to happen, but uh but the others. And that
074was kind of that was a leftover conversation from last year's supervisor meetings where I think it was expressed that the desire was for that confirmed that I was in the meetings and that as opposed to fund as opposed to funding the school bathrooms at in one chunk, they asked us to use to ask for carryover funds to go through and do a couple of bathrooms at a time. And uh I am very confident and if you need me to find video on that I can. But that was the expressed um relationship as it relates to asking for money for the for specific bathrooms in central and we took pores of them um some odd months ago with Mr. Hajj for sure. I think Mr. Key was there as well. Uh, and I know they just
075gave us more cash for our track, too, and I'm sure that'll dampen enthusiasm to put more money back into schools, but I think it's incumbent on us to at least make the ask since they asked us to ask. So, you've got the bathrooms. In addition, uh, there's was some sentiment around looking at potential security safety upgrades. U, we were able to do the key fob, the centralized key fob. uh project that was part of the CIP request with remaining school security funds. So that that's no longer a consideration. Um the open gate weapon detectors, those are the the dual those are about 18 to $20,000 a pair. And so that's something that's in our CIP request to to obtain four of those. That is something that we could consider asking for. The issue with those
076is that there is potentially there's probably a staffing impact because you can't just put them at the door. You have to have somebody there as people come in to uh address if it goes off to there are things that need to be we we saw these in action in Louisa and Chromebooks for example certain three- ring binders the the metal binding in those will set them off and so once students what we saw were students that were really kind of accustomed to the routine they come in they take the Chromebook they pass it around they go through somebody has to be there and the consideration during the day if they're going to be there during the day and somebody comes in. So, the way they handle that, Louisa, uh, for what it's worth is a
077stipen. So, they're paying stipens to several people to to man those. That is just something I want to point out. There is a consideration about how we would do that. But those can be moved, as you know, they can be moved down to the sports complex and uh, and they can be used. Door lock hardware is something. So, the replacement of the door locks, that's something that Travis is still trying to price, uh, it is exceedingly expensive, but there are two two things there that, you know, again, just through one-off conversations, one is a desire from staff to have us put all of the locks on kind of the same framework. So, currently there was a decision made when the high school was built to have a situation where the door automatically locks. If a
078student goes, it locks behind them, have to stop instruction to let them back in. So, uh, that's a separate issue from what some of you have talked about, which is a a door locking mechanism that would be initiated during a crisis. U, we we've not been able to price those. And Dr. Stribbling was working with the sheriff to find out even you know at one time the training suggested that any kind of door barricade was a fire hazard that we weren't able to do those kinds of things since that time I know they are marketed I don't know what the rules are for us and Dr. Stribbling is following up on that. >> Yeah, those seem to be I mean at scale they're going to be expensive, but there are some of them that um
079teachers can effectively step on a That's right. >> step on a lock and then it gets embedded in the floor which has structural and load and all of that that prevents the door from being open. To the extent that we can explore those, those seem like relatively every solution is going to have a problem. Some kids can lock themselves in one of the rooms one of these days if they're able to just step on the thing. And so there's always considerations around that, but doing what we can to ensure that teachers have the capacity to keep their kids safe in the event of unthinkable. >> Yeah, that feel worthy of exploration. >> Uh I was asked to look into panic button lanyards. They're so they're crisis alert is the company that's most associated with those.
080I'm sure there are others, but that's what I looked at. Sentix and crisis alert. So, there's a staff alert. It's a single button activation basically that you can wear on a lanyard. Um, it basically notifies, I need help, and it displays a map that shows the location of the person that needs help, where they are on campus. There's a campuswide alert. And so, there's more related to that. Those those are about $8,000 a year for the school. 8,000 for the whole division or for one school >> $8,000 >> depending on the level of service that you choose. So the the campuswide alert versus the panic but button alert. >> I think that if that's something that is of interest to the board, what I need to do is have that company come in and do
081a a demonstration for us so we can really understand the cost. >> I'd like to learn more. These are the ID badges that were instrumental in the Georgia >> That's right. school shooting in early September. a teacher was able to press it and alerted to folks and it >> notifies 911. It expedited everything and probably saved lives. So, it's one of those I I expect there to be a delay in high demand for them because of that, but that's one of those things that if >> if we can budget for it. Um I don't know why we want to take the time to keep our kids safe. >> And then there are several requests that are currently in our CIP. I met last night with the planning commission to go through all of these. Obviously,
082we we won't know until those decisions been made what's actually funded, but we've got a uh bus, a 10 passenger van. There is flooring upgrades to the gym. Um the transition way behind Abrams, so where Abrams and the middle school meet, all of that work back there, the amphitheater, the transportation food service upgrades. There's there's flooding basically that goes through back there. If you've been back there, it's desperate needed. uh roof patching at Central Elementary. So, there's the patching and the re the replacement. The patching we're hopeful will will keep us from having to do the replacement. >> Is this related to the birds or is this different? >> Well, it it's related I mean the the patching the the area with the patching is related to the birds, but it's also related to just
083wear and tear. The the other though is an actual replacement that needs to be done to grab. Um I can give you amounts for each one of these, but they're all they're all 200,000 or less. Um the gym flooring is 75. The transition way is estimated at 150. The upgrades to the transportation food service area estimated at 150. The roof patching is estimated at 150. Uh >> which gym floor? Uh replacement of the gym floor and bleachers is central. Carpet and tile needs to be replaced throughout Central Elementary. If you've been through there, you've seen that. Um that's $100,000. These I'm just g I'm giving you things that you know you can give me feedback on if any of these are of interest to you and I can go more deep. And then the other
084just very quickly, excuse me, would be additional funding could request that the county take some of that and put a little more money in the CRM fund, the central reserve maintenance. Um, we've had to dip into that already significantly for the VATS and for the HVAC and for all kinds of things. So, that that would be a a great contingency to have. It's not something that can ever be used on anything but that. It carries from year to year. So I'll stop talking and you can give me any feedback you want. We do have to make a decision next month about what just on the CIP. I'm not our committee member and I'm not involved in those conversations, but I'll note that through multiple years of conversations with board of supervisors, their ideal is not
085to have these years where we get 12 or 13 buses and then years where we get zero or one, but to take our replacement cycle, whatever it is that this division stands for on replacement cycle, and to carve out the number of buses that we have on the road, divide it by the number of years, etc., and that's how many we should have in our replacement cycle. And I know that there are years in the CIP where we have a big ticket item and so they move things around. But you know, we have we have some years behind us, not in the not too recent past where it's 12 or 13 and then we have a year where it's one and if the answer is four or five, then like kind of feel like we
086should fight hard to keep four or five on the CIP. >> We're asking for three next year. >> Three next year. And is that fit to replace? I mean, at some point the 12 and 13 or whatever those are, those huge numbers are >> they're going to coming. They're coming. And so, I guess my argument is I'd rather fight for four a year instead of three and then not have to replace 13 15 years from now. But I I mean I think that's one of the things that I most consistently hear from supervisors regardless of whether they're act actively on the board today or have been on the board in the last six years is I'm tired of seeing up and down like why is it that we don't have a consistent replacement cycle. I
087feel like it's a conversation every year, but I would love to see a smooth cash flow because then our supervisors who are responsible for setting the tax rate don't have to give constituents whiplash either as they set the >> sure the property rate. >> When when I arrived I'd have to go back to be quoted on this, but I feel like when I first got here was in July and there had been say 10 does that sound right? three years ago. >> COVID money did a lot of things and mixed up our schedules. >> Other than that, I think it's better. >> Mr. Gratz, um I am a CIP member of school board and uh just forformational purposes, uh >> the cost of a new school bus, just one this year over $170,000. >> That's
088right. Yeah, we've got 185. >> Yes, sir. >> Not going to get any cheaper either, are they? No, every one of them has air conditioned tenant windows. They have automatic snow chains that we don't need. Um, >> we're just spoiling these kids, aren't we? >> Yep. >> Get them to school safely. >> Yep. That's it. >> Rascals chains on buses. >> I don't know that we're paying for that, but they do come with >> I don't think you can get it without us. >> They may be standard and not separable. >> That's expensive feature. It is >> and and it's prone to to failure. >> Well, if they even call them for snow, schools are cancelled. So, >> and they don't they only >> they only work at a certain >> schools. They only work
089at a certain speed. >> So, you have to be going, you know, 20 to 30 miles an hour to deploy them and they fail a lot and I just don't know why we'd have them on a school bus. >> When I was growing up, if it snowed, we just walk both ways uphill. I can I can certainly do a presentation for you or have the talk about that. I I don't think you can get them without them. It's not a feature I think that we're asking to be added. I'm happy to look into >> Okay. So, any other feedback about turnback? any direction for me in terms of what we can be working on in >> I would like to see the security continue to be focused on it seems to be one of the
090biggest mentions of the community personally I think we are well behind what a lot of other states and divisions do here in our county um and I also think that's something that both boards I don't want to speak for anybody else on this board or the other board but I think that's probably something that we could get behind a lot quicker than replacing tile on floor that is still going to be tile on floor. >> Is there are there any of those in particular that >> I I would love to see a variety of them. That way we see a lot of options. We see what might work best and we can have conversations around that. But I mean it's just hearing what other divisions are doing. Like we're fairly far behind and obviously these
091conversations are not meant to have because we want to prepare for that but like we also have to prepare for that. >> Sure. >> At the same time. And so that's just my standpoint. I would love to see more conversation centered around security because I think that's something that we all could probably have some good conversations on countywide. >> Yeah, I like to see the IDs that you 911. I think that's a good thing to have. >> I think there are probably some relatively inexpensive ones that we can do that add just additional confidence and communication. they don't want to drop the ball on making sure that we remain um in alignment with our goal to to fix infrastructure as well. And so I suspect that um writing up a priority list, some kind of
092like rank order and for me including um some of the bathrooms, we don't got to do them all at once. It's not realistic to do them all at once. It took us how many years to get in an RFP on the on the four bathrooms we wanted to replace now, but I want to stay true to that communication which was we don't want to give it to you all at once or now ask for us on a continual basis. And so if we can find that that nice sweet compromise of let's get let's do the things that are cheap that are going to give us the most bang for our buck on security rely on CIP for some of it as well because we're not going to be able to do everything and then make
093sure that we're taking care of our building. >> Yeah, I think the CR CRM work too. >> We don't have a lot left this year state. >> Well, I think this is also where we've touched on it before. I'll touch on it again because I have a very firm proponent of communication. Our two boards, this board and the county knowing what we need and having both very aware of a laundry list of 79 things if it's 79. The county has to know what we're working with because I respect the fact that money is not endless, but it also makes our jobs very tough when both boards are not on the same page. And I'm not saying there's disconnect, but I'm also saying that we can improve our communication so that way the county knows what
094the schools need and we're not always retroactive in that communication to be like, "Oh man, didn't even know you needed that." And so we touched on again, I'll say it again because I'm a big proponent of this. These monthly meetings, I think, are very important between the board of supervisors and the school board. That way both boards know what's going on and we're not like, "Oh man, one of the five may have looked at the track before we're talking about a track project." Like, we all need to be on the same page countywide as it relates to this because the schools could receive a ton of money. I don't necessarily think they need an endless budget by any means, but it makes it very tough with these conversations when we're saying we got all these
095things we really want to work on and there is a little bit of a gap in communication when not everybody knows what exactly is needed within the schools. And I and I think that's on both sides. I'm not placing any blame on a separate board. I just think we could all do a better job. So I I'll voice it a lot until I see it happen. I think our communication can improve countywide. >> I think one of the things that'll be useful and helpful is to is the county has moved and the staff are working on increasing the CIP process from a four to a fiveyear window. Mhm. >> And so, um, you know, there's a couple things that that popped up that that weren't on the CIP before, like, um, a new stadium building,
096etc. that just it one in the last four years, it's it's here now, and it's important to talk about, but also like there's a four or five year plan for a reason. And so, I think that that extra year hopefully will give us some additional visibility. But if we need a if we need something other than a than the CIP plan to communicate like what are the things that are top of mind or that we um need to be thinking about or working on then it we need to have a document somewhere. >> All right. >> Move on to 25. >> Yes sir. >> Okay. So I I obviously we're we just began this fiscal year. I don't have much to say. I'll just tell you we're we'll certainly be watching the operations line because
097of some of the needs that we've had early and the HVAC concerns that we have. There are supplemental appropriations for you in here. Not in this document, but the other. Do you have any questions about this? Really don't have anything to point out. These have been sent over. They're going to be on the November I want to say 16th, whatever the next board of supervisors. >> Oh, right. So, this is one of the things they talked about when I was last at the board of supervisors is that they have a threshold at which any additional appropriation or budget changes need to have a public hearing. I don't remember exactly what that the percentage of their total budget is, but this qualifies for um it trips that line. And so, they're having But the one that
098they've got, we sent the other one over a couple of months ago. >> It's not 3 million. That's the other one. >> Yeah, this this is 3,000. >> Oh, 3,000. Sorry, I thought I saw 3 million. I need a glass. >> Yeah, it's the other. >> It's the other one. So, there will be a public hearing on some of our um supplemental appropriations because it trips whatever critical threshold of the the county budget that requires a a public hearing. But no, I guess not 3,000. I just misread it. >> Add that threshold in here. I think it's 1% of the hole or something. >> Sorry, my memory fails. Make that couple weeks ago and a lot's happened since. And it was just something that the county attorney, I think Mr. Wheeling um indicated would be
099in uh good faith and in alignment. >> Yeah, it's 1% >> 1% >> of total expenditures. >> Sorry. >> Any other questions about 25? >> Okay. >> 26. >> I have absolutely nothing for you on 26. We just don't have any information. Um yeah, >> about uh >> sometime before October next year. >> Let's hope AP psychology textbook adoption. >> So this process has begun. The textbooks have been um available for review and they will continue to be available. I'm just trying to pull it up here. And the information is all Yeah. Uh since the 9th of September. So next month, November 13th is when we would ask you to any questions about the process. It's the same process that we use. There's a there's a team. The books are listed, I think, in the
100other memo. They're available for the public to take a look at. >> Mr. Gretz, if I was to stop by and um want to look at textbooks, do I need to call ahead or or they're readily available? >> They're readily available in the front office right now. I believe >> how about the uh Piedmont Regional Education Program? >> So, we participate in a consortium uh refer to it as prep obviously and we are the fiscal agent for that consortium and each year they have to renew this MOA with us in order for us to continue to be their fiscal agent. There's nothing new about this or no changes. It's just something that has to be done every year. Uh so any questions about it? It's just anou. It needs to be >> to clarify. It
101doesn't impact our budget or cost us money, but >> but Miss Grasser and staff um do the work of being the fiscal agent. >> That's right. And their bylaws call for this. >> How about the 2324 accreditation and accountability results? the main event as uh M. Suarez is coming to the podium, I'll just say again publicly that she is exceptional. Does just such a wonderful job of uh managing all this data and educating everybody about it, making great decisions about it. Happy to have you here. Thank you, Gemma. >> Lot of data. So, I'll give brief highlights and I'm happy to go back in. Uh we're very pleased that all of our schools are fully accredited this year. I went back and looked, it's been 11 consecutive years um that we've uh been accredited to
102date. Um so this is looking at state accreditation. So in addition to um so pass rates, um it's going to look at growth recovery, so students that have never passed an SOL before but have now. Uh progress of English learners. Um and then it also looks at absenteeism. So these are our elementary schools. um all agreed level one we saw continue to see growth for English and math and then we saw pretty substantial improvements in our chronic absenteeism levels compared to last year so we were level one across the board. >> Um could I ask what R the R10 reference? >> Yes. So R10 is you make level one. Um so we didn't meet the benchmark of 15% but we made level one because we reduced it by 10% the um failure failure rate. >>
103Gotcha. Honorable mention for getting it lower but not quite above the borrower. >> Sure. Sure. So for um federal accountability chronic gas fees you have to be below 15%. >> It's credit did make it out right. >> No no no totally. I just wanted to >> and then uh this was a sorry >> good >> this was a breakout of all of our subgroups uh for English and math. And again, um, we increased to level one across all of our subgroups. Um, the STAR by students with disabilities in English is the same principle is that chronic absenteeism. Um, the benchmark is u 75% and uh we didn't make 75% but we did um improve by 10%. middle school. Uh we were level one for overall for English and math and then we also made R10
104for chronic absenteeism. Science definitely, you know, continues to be an area of focus. Um we're not we're in line with where the rest of the state is performing, but it's definitely since co has been uh science hasn't historically been somewhere we've struggled. I think um you know support and resources um for science and social studies haven't really u mirrored what we've been doing since co for English and math and then there were those couple of years right after um co co when we were coming back in hybrid schedules and we really at the elementary level were focused on reading and math and we we taught science and social studies but it was more reading about that content versus some of the direct instruction to the level that we had prior to COVID. So, I think
105um that's no longer the case and it's been uh several years that we've gotten science and social studies and moved it back to a unit time outside of the literacy block. Um but we're seeing those students who experience that type of instruction are now in middle school, high school, and and it's showing up definitely in our science and history data. And then um subgroups for the middle school um math um and English. Economically disadvantaged made R10 and students with disabilities for math. So those three level threes in English. Um basically once you've been at a level two for um four or more years, you can't make R10 anymore and you have to make it outright or you stay a level three. So we will have to hit 75%. Black English was man. >> Yeah. And
106we did in black English improve 11% but like I said uh no R10 because of the number of years at level two. So we have to hit 75%. >> Are there specific strategies that we employ to um figure out root causes of the subgroup differences? um for um we have found in in research supports like for our black student subgroup well economically disadvantaged Hispanic vocabulary instruction is a is a big one >> and so in terms of like finding ways to see us through to get us back at par. Does that mean that we engage in small group and pull outs using vocabulary techniques or is there a >> Sure. still um more direct instruction in tier one more um both um all of our schools have a small group in fluo focus time where
107there's um direct small group instruction for those students that need it in those skills. >> We know that's being utilized by those groups. >> Yes. But they don't have a choice. >> Yeah. It's compuls comp last year all in I know a lot of the the tutoring and things like that a lot of school divisions were doing it you know after school or offering it. we decided that um we were going to build it into the school day so it is part of our curriculum and what you know students are getting what they need and um it's not optional. >> Are we hearing any feedback on um its efficacy um today in terms of whether uh whether the individuals who are doing the the hands-on work are seeing true growth from the students or if
108there are other resources they need. um because we're seeing it I mean this again is you know so data so it's one point one point in time um for a student on that day but we definitely have seen across subgroups um you know improvements in in our in our map data you'll see some other especially the early grades in like our palace reading data um and like I said even here subgroups we're we're continuing to see an uptick for with the exception of students with disabilities um I will say though um we're holding stagnant, but we've also seen an incredible increase in the number of identification of special education students. So when you take those students out of a a larger population reporting group, right, and put them in a smaller reporting category, typically you
109see a decline. So even though it looks like we're kind of holding steady, um that's something to keep in mind, too. Um and then high school again, uh level one overall for English and math. Uh seems similar with science. Um chronic absenteeism. This is our our one school that we did not make level one, but we did improve from a three to a level two. Um with R10, um still still a bit to go from that 15% benchmark, but um you know, we did see some big decreases there. uh graduation uh and and dropout rate pretty consistent and um you know graduation rate well above benchmark and then that college and career readiness um which is a fairly new reporting category uh since last year. So there's no three-year average um but but meeting that
110benchmark. >> So I know that we use some all-in funding in order to help fight chronic absenteeism. Obviously, when we look at this data, we're seeing trend in in the right direction across multiple schools, which is why we're getting our 10s. Do we believe that additional staff it do we need additional staff to help fight this? It's obviously a a cultural notana specific, but we we've seen improvements. My guess is it is not uh it is not absent the effect of new staff members. Do we just need additional folks to help provide that tether and get the kids to school or do we think that we have the resources we need to to curb this? The the models that have been held up that are successful and that the governor held up when he released
111that money are models that employ a significant number of staff. Right next door it's 10 full-time positions who do nothing but attendance. uh 10. And what's the what's the student population? >> So, and how many how many do we have effectively in that? >> 31. No, no. I know the student population, but the staff that >> do we have >> we have a little more than half of their student population, maybe 60% and we have one of their staff. So, is this something that we should be thinking about or talking about during budget cycle? >> It's certainly something that we can consider. >> Absolutely. >> What do those positions do when you say they are solely focused on attendance? Well, I might say too, one of them is that's not her only focus. She also
112works a lot with like students experiencing homelessness, right? Which but which but those students, you know, um have attendance concerns. Um so we really I guess technically have one full-time attendance aid that helps coordinate it in schools like who are these students? Um goes out and and home visits and really um making strong relationships with those families and those students and encouraging um you know, attendance at school and that >> it's really focused on what are the barriers, right, that your your students are not coming to school, whether it be um any number of reasons. I think that especially at the high school most prevalent is um anxiety of students. And so there's a lot of overlap when we say, you know, we have one person, you know, one and a half people paid out
113allin funds for attendance. We also have, you know, I know Caitlyn Harer as our mental health coordinator, right? is doing a lot to support attendance in the schools just because of that overlap and some of the reasons why >> it's a it's a lot I know in in that division in particular it's a lot of phone calls a lot of work just touching base but it's home visits it's building relationships trying to get kids in school >> I'd like to to the extent that in future meetings we can have this conversation I'd like to learn more about the success of Louisa >> I was say I would love to and see the data. >> I mean cut off. >> No, it's okay. >> I was just say I think we're on the same line. If
114we went from one to five, what could we expect to see an improvement on? And looking at this specifically, that high school number skyrockets compared to the other schools in the county. Um I don't know if it's an easy answer as to why. I'm sure it's not, but like I I >> Well, I guess before that I threw out What is the best reasoning as to why that jumps up to I mean granted we're down now which I think we're we're seeing improvement which is good >> but we're still really high there compared to other school like is >> I don't think this is a a personal opinion but um it's easier for a a high school student to be at home on their own right whether their parent knows about it or not versus
115you know when a five or six year old is at home face a little bit of it but Um, I think some of the mental health and anxiety that we're seeing is a lot. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yeah. Thank you. And thanks for that conversation. I look forward to trying to learn more about this so we can know, as Mr. Reid said, I'd love to know what we think we could do with an extra couple of staff people. What's realistic? >> Yeah. I I I think it's it's a it's a broader conversation than just staff to do attendance because in in that example alone, there's additional staff who do nothing but attendance, but there's also a fully staffed center. Uh there's a Saturday school program. There's in addition to saying if you don't come
116to school, you're going to have to make up the time, but then there's a full-time program waiting for them to come and make up that time. It's it's a lot more than just the staffing for the person to make phone calls. We can have it. I just want to point out it's in that example alone there's there's a significant amount of money that's being poured into the whole wraparound service to deal with that. >> Our students are worth it. >> Then these are the achievement gaps for the high school. Um we made level one across the board. um including outright and for example black English uh we met the 75% benchmark this year which we we haven't in quite some time um as well as um economically disadvantaged so and and then we did make
117it for bed again with that R10. you can go to the next. And then um I wanted to point out so our um English learn learner data um so this is English proficiency on a anita access test that all of those students are required federally required to take um and we have been struggling for quite some time um to meet federal benchmarks um since co we had you know we increased I think almost 40% our population of English learners and took some time to catch up for staffing. I'd like to say that this past year we did something dramatic with curriculum or instruction and support, but quite honestly, I think it was I think attendance um for the student population improved and and I think that um did impact achievement data, but I also think
118um this was this past year we were able to um have one EL teacher at each school and so they weren't um you know being split between school two schools and they had you know manageable case loads of between 20 and 30ish and I I think um I think that really impacted a lot of the success. I was going to ask you if this is so when I see data like this I immediately think sample size that like you don't get a swing from 30 to 60 unless your total n is 30 people or something but based on what you said how would you estimate the >> so our sample size between spring of 23 and 24 is very consistent there might have been a difference of like >> oh yeah is it like what's
119is it like 120 kids >> actually it was uh 118 so >> that that's useful that helps you kind of get a sense for where it's at. It's still I mean that's pretty dramatic improvement. >> We did we did meet a federal benchmark and like I said last time we did I think 2018. So something you may be covering this next, but I just think everybody should look for this one to be a challenge in the future because with the with the new model, the guidance has gone from the 11 semester rule, which essentially is saying that students who don't speak English as a primary language would have 11 semesters to master the language before their test. It's moving next year to three. So, >> so that won't impact these um results, but it will.
120Yeah. But it will impact accreditation and those that those subgroups that you that you saw in the previous a non-English speaker who transfers into our division will have three school semesterers, which is three quarters of a year to become proficient in English enough to take standardized tests. And not just English, like history for example, right? Know enough of the the the history and um we did write some letters and uh you know if you look at research it takes the average adult seven semesters to require acquire any kind of uh academic proficiency in the second. So >> yeah, I I didn't mean to send you down. No, I mean, this is important. Like, that's just a ridiculous standard. That's unrealistic. And uh we'll see divisions that are more urban and have a lot more non-English
121speakers, their SL scores are just going to tank because, you know, my duo lingo on day 275, if you put a standardized test in front of me, there's not a chance. And I don't know why we would expect our our young students to be able to do this. Um, and I'm going to go through this very quickly. So, this is where accreditation factored in growth and recovery in English learner. This is just straight out. Um, students pass, students didn't that uh, end of the year so test. Green is we saw improvement from previous year. Um, state ranking green, we saw improvements there. So, pretty much across the board in math with the exceptions of grade three and seven. Um, geometry looks also like a big decline. Um, there were quite a number of students that
122were distance taking apex this year in geometry that um that impact >> I have a quick question on that. What to the best of your knowledge what makes grade three and grade seven >> more difficult than all the rest of the grades? >> Um, that grade seven test every year. Um and then um grade three it's you'll see it in math and reading. It's the first time they've ever had that type of test experience. And we really have gotten away from we don't want to teach to a test and we don't want to uh you know have them take those types of assessments over and over again just so they get used to it, right? Like we want to know what they know. So, uh, it it's going to be lower at grade three and
123unless we revert back to, you know, some of those practices, which and, um, and like I said, grade seven math, um, as far as I, as long as I can remember, it's it's, um, I'm not a very good math student, but I do, you know, looking at the curriculum for grade seven math, it is a, it is a challenging math. >> Is it a big jump from six to seven math-wise? I mean, it's been so long >> in the concept in the concept. Yes. concepts in in seven and then you don't see them like grade eight you see an uptick but those concepts that I think are very challenging in grade seven you don't see as much anymore moving on in the rest of your math career so >> grade seven is also this cohort
124that I've been looking at and following the data since I joined this board they were born during the economic downturn and what because what they're going to be like 11 or something 12 I think I was 13 as a freshman So like they're born in a time of economic instability and there has been one grade every single year that has kind of been lower in scores and we've talked about it like every single year and I believe that they're in seventh grade now and so it is um you know you kind of are a product of what you're born into and there were some really rough years >> and you can and that plate like if you look diagonally so seventh grade was 58% this year but when they were in sixth grade that cohort
125was 61 and that is an anomaly that is a very low pass rates more for sixth grade than what we typically see. >> So it's both hard as a functional unit in seventh grade in a cohort that is has traditionally struggled. Uh and then because then you'll see seventh grade that specific cohort again placed it in reading and you can see where they were in sixth grade as well. Um but and then you'll see the same thing with third grade in reading. But otherwise across the board we saw gains in pass rates as well as state rankings uh for reading. >> Is this an argument to try to lower class sizes in fourth grade next budget cycle if we have a cohort that's particularly struggling? uh >> on the third grade. Some of it's the
126learned behavior, right? And like learning to test and all of that and COVID era um hangover. But like is there an argument to be made that if we were to invest in class sizes in reducing class sizes to help particular grade levels that are struggling that next year's fourth grade would be the the place to do it. So, u we have done it the past couple years because we've had co money, right, to hire extra teachers to for class size to let our elementary grades um pay four. We've definitely, you know, been leveraging that. And then um we've also been mindful of uh it used to be like just always had this number of teachers in this grade where we've been really trying to all right what's our enrollment looking like for this grade this
127year and how many teachers do we need to keep you know an elementary class size ratio at you know second grade around 20 and and you know third grade around 21 22. is our grade three. How does how do we relate to other counties that don't separate elementary school? So, obviously we have K2 in Fana, then there's a big jump to a new school with new teachers, new surroundings, like oh my gosh, most kids are nervous to go to a completely separate school. I lived this last year. How does that relate to other counties that might be a K through five in one building and the teachers get to start? They they basically have a relationship with kids before they even get there, >> right? I mean, we could look at specific schools that we
128know like Louisa, right, that has 2K5. I mean, you can also kind of for I mean, there's the state um which rockstar teachers in third grade. Like, I just want to make that very clear for anybody listening. We have rockstar third grade teachers. So, I'm curious and I know nobody's insinuating anything on this board. I'm just curious if that could play into it. Is our school structure where they leave one school and go to another plus you add on the SOS and is it just a big overwhelming year for a third grade student or >> possibly because we do see a little bit usually at fifth grade, right? It's just a transitionary year when uh when we were all on K five school um we were in school improvement for about four years. So maybe
129I won't make that comparison but there are other reasons too. So, uh, but, uh, I think, uh, you know, we we we do see three, five, and eight and grade eight. >> That's what I'm curious. We have a very different structure than other counties. Yeah. And I do think um those ages and just the transition >> sixth grade was terrible when I was coming up because you'd move into the middle school, all the boys start to smell terrible, hormones, like sixth grade was like a lost year for some kids back if you're in a K5 and then a six to eight model. So, I'm not surprised to see some of that as well. And none of my comments were an indictment on any of our existing stuff. >> Oh, yeah. No, I know. I kind
130of just want to give him a shout out because it's it sounds kind of like we're harping on third grade but not those teachers are >> we were uh in 22 23 though very um also cohorts right matter. So this past year's third grade cohort was a little different of a cohort compared to the previous year. So but in in 22 23 we're our third grade we're typically in line with the state. Um, and I do think I attribute that to um, our wonderful teachers because like I said, we um, are not teaching to the tests and we are not um, you know, giving benchmarks that look like so tests every four weeks to >> looks like Louise is at 66 >> or whatever. >> Um, and then again, science um, no green. Uh we
131are um we're a little bit um lower than the state uh at grade five and eight this year although we were pretty in line last year. Um I will say uh this past year was the first test year of the new standards. um and they had um it took quite some time to get back our scores for retakes for students. And so some students um parents probably opted in at 8th grade not to have them do those retakes. Um and uh I don't know anytime it takes you know multiple weeks to equate scores on a new form. I kind of wonder what's taking so long when you get your on your scores back. So, but like I said, I do think um there is a there there there is some truth in this data in
132terms of uh um those students that were, you know, in upper elementary um during COVID um maybe not having um h having science and history content taught through the literacy block. Um we were doing the best that we could, but we know that wasn't ideal. And I I think it's showing up in our uh middle school, high school science, social studies data now. Virginia studies um saw really strong improvements uh at fourth grade. Um we saw um little bits of uh improvements um in some history classes at the high school. Um but again um civics um definitely at eighth grade continuing to be much lower than the state. So we are focusing this year we next year we will have all new math or I'm sorry all new science standards, all new history standards. Um
133so we are focused this year on um preparing curriculum and um assessments and and going after resources that can help support um those new standards. I will say specific to history, we've had uh I think this will be the third um history revisions of SOS. However, they haven't changed the test since 2010. So, we're being tested on 2010 standards, but we're teaching, you know. So, um so how So, we've had a conversation last couple years. So, we have um coordinators and then aids from for math and English. We had a conversation at least multiple years about having a coordinator specifically for social science and for science. To what extent would having a staff member help alleviate some of the orid teachers in in identifying students or implementing curriculum? How helpful would a coordinator be if
134it needs to be as broad as science and social science or something like that? I think it'd help tremendously. I mean, I will say um what the year after COVID, we really just had we had no literacy person, just me and we had one math person for the division and then um you know, we now have um you know, two two literacy division people to help support me and a math division person and it is helpful and for science and social studies only gets me. So, uh >> Fanny used to have somebody for for social studies because when I was in Gland, we did not and I called over here to work with them. I don't know who it would have been. >> I'd have been in grad school. >> And then our um our
135kindergarten data for um so this is the VKRP that looks at math skills readiness skills but also looks at um some social emotional regulation and social skills. um those two are a survey that um the the teacher um takes um in response to the student and then math um is administered much like PAL's. Um so you can see for math uh we went from 82% to meeting benchmarking K to in the spring 89% well above um state at 80%. Um, I will say this was the first year we saw a decline in our um, how teachers were reporting students with um, in kindergarten with social skills, but you know, end of the year they have higher expectations as they should. So, >> I have a quick question on that too. How actively I probably should
136know this because I just had one come through kindergarten. How actively are we using Chromebooks at very young ages like this like for kindergarten? So, um, so none of this a student would interact with a Chromebook for Are you talking about for the assessment itself? >> No, no, no. Oh, >> in the classroom, like throughout the year, our Chromebooks, >> I don't see them very much. Okay. >> We don't uh we don't um so until they get to middle school, they're not assigned a Chromebook. They live in carts in the classroom. Um I see them fairly regularly in third and fourth grade. Um >> that was my question. I know that they're getting more and more common in the classroom being >> fourth grade. um second grade a little bit more. I don't ever see
137him in kindergarten in >> kindergarten. Just curious if there's any correlation to increased screen time in a classroom and decreased social skills. >> Like I said, this was the first year we we' seen that. And I and like I said, it's it's a survey that it's it's a survey that a teacher fills out based on the student. And you know, if I'm a kindergarten teacher, I have different expectations for a five-year-old at the beginning of the year than I do the end of the year. So uh and then our um PALS readings. So moving forward this year it's transition to the vows assessment. Um um but so this will be the last year you'll see PALS. Um we are still trying to figure out uh we're still finishing up that assessment now. Although we have
138heard from divisions around us that have given that assessment. They're seeing anywhere between 15% and 50% increase in the students that are identified below benchmark on the new assessment. So, not quite sure how that's going to play out for us yet, but um this is very in line what we typically see. Um I mean you can see huge huge gains particularly in kindergarten and second grade. um ending the year, you know, 95% um anywhere between 80 and 95% um on or above and and definitely well above um where the rest of the state is performing K2 and readings. We have wonderful teachers. >> Can I ask? Yeah. Um, I remember hearing that the state added MAP testing to its list of like approved tests to replace some other form of standardized. I don't remember I
139don't remember exactly which one it is. Could you tell me a little bit about how it's um >> so last year we were reporting on that uh legislated required assessments, the Virginia growth assessments, uh students in grades three through eight were required to take them fall and spring. Uh there was new legislation passed last spring that divisions could continue to do that or submit a proposal to use some other growth measure. So we um submitted and were approved to use MAP. So we were able to eliminate um those two tests in reading and math. So essentially um four tests, right? Um for for those students um each year and are just continuing with our our normal math administration. >> And so we were we were already implementing them even though they weren't required. And now
140we're able to get rid of a couple of required tests because we're doing one that is actually useful, >> right? And we had had a lot of conversation about were we going to phase map out really glad we stuck with it and teachers said, you know, that they needed that data. So >> I'm super happy that happened. >> It's good to know that we have abs an absolute fewer tests both in isolation and in terms of usefulness. Nothing worse than a useless test. real quick. Not to interrupt, I got to sneak out and get back to work real quick. Um Andre's got it. And then um I did want to save some time to look at the new accreditation system. So I can just real quick um so here's a look at our um gifted
141enrollment. I thought it would be helpful to to look at it um division beside gifted. And then um Josh, if you want to skip maybe go to the next slide. That's just a breakout. I think this is probably um the most helpful um chart. So you can see um relative to um division ethnicity breakout. You know, we want our subgroup breakouts for representing our gifted population to be um closer to that 7% of all students. So um >> do we have strategies in place? So, like, you know, when I I I looked at these numbers before and then as you were as we were talking about it earlier, I pulled them back up and and scanned through and clearly 17 divided by 3240 for for black identified as gifted on 2021 is well below our
142population statistics. And I don't fundamentally believe in any way, shape, or form that that black students are less gifted than other students. So it's about identification >> and and same with our Hispanic and several years ago we moved to a non-verbal right to the nagliary so that we were taking out that vocabulary piece right that we mentioned that sometimes we found to be a barrier in those two subgroups. Um >> to be clear I just picked that number. >> Sure. >> I meant yeah >> across the board I don't fundamentally believe that >> uh I mean I know we're not unique. I know there's been quite a few divisions um around us that um have uh really revamped their identification of gifted students and they have um different qualifying measures depending on your um subgroup.
143>> Yeah. So, >> so change the measuring stick not the >> so I I don't you know we have not chosen to pursue that but >> I had read somewhere some statistics on the like relationship between the race of the student and the race of the teacher and this is just that that more students are identified as gifted when the population that's teaching them is ultimately more representative of of their identity as well. And so I hope that we continue to go out and hire and try to find and just have a a community and and a staff that that look like our community. Um but I'd love to I'd love to make sure that if a kid is gifted that they end up on this sheet regardless of how they identify or how they
144look. >> And most importantly that all kids are getting their needs met whether >> Oh yeah, whether gifted or otherwise. This is just a >> this is just a symptom, right? >> This is a symptom of a broader thing. And um you know it it's really hard to to succeed or to want to put in effort when if you are not being told that you're talented or good at things. Uh you know there's nothing more demoralizing than than working hard and doing good things and not getting recognition. And systematic it's even worse. So, here is our um governor's school um enrollment data compared to last year and very similar demographics. What's the next one? PSAT and SAT. Well, PSAT SAT data, remember that's um being offered since last year as optional. Um so, we did
145it. Eighth grade have a little bit of a decline in participation. Um and then we did see an increase in in those eighth grade students who were meeting benchmarks. Um if you go to the next slide on grade nine um we saw um you know again decrease in participation but increase in um students meeting uh benchmarks. So um and then grade 10 I mean I think we see this the same trend um so um as it relates to the PSAT just you know less students are taking it but the ones that are taking it are performing better. Um uh grade 11 we actually did see a slight Nope. We saw a decrease in participation. Yep. Keep going. So, >> is that because it's optional? Is that because college is less prioritized these days? Is that
146because they're like, "Oh, SATs are years down the road. I don't need to worry about it." Like, what what do you think? >> We made it optional. Um because we were seeing on these days that we were having these tests all of a sudden all these kids weren't coming to school, right? >> So then we um so we so we went to optional counselors were you know a lot of colleges just are test optional. Now we are starting to see a slight shift back in the other direction though. So uh we are keeping an eye on that. Um and then we certainly um you know want students that um want to take it to be able to. So we u you know implement we have like sliding scales for the the fees and things like
147that because last I think it was last year right um was the first or this year was the first last year's budget this was the first year that uh we were passing that cost along to the parents. So, >> did I did I hear that our I remember being in a building in the last couple weeks and hearing that some of the test funding that we couldn't provide targeted discounts or sliding scales for individual students that the discount had to be applied to all students evenly. >> Something related to either s was it were we talking to someone together in the high school maybe. I believe that there was something related to uh being able to provide discounts for individuals who have economic need, but that what they did was just decrease the per capita
148cost of students by a threshold of how much need we have and that it was implemented universally instead of targeted to those who are um in need, which seems inefficient and not really in the spirit of >> I have to go back and check My last understanding when I talked to high school last month about it was I thought that they were um based on the individual students need and >> okay I might have heard something different or >> I will >> I retain a lot of information putting it in context can be difficult but I do believe that I heard that it was not individualized to student need but that it was a straight across the board discount which is honestly helpful but not really in spirit of sliding scale >> and I know
149there there has been ask from the yeah you know from the high school to you know as I think Miss Bruce might be including it in her um budget ask but you know um since we are having a reduction in participation what's the possibility of at least it being a budget consideration to at least for the students that um I think it was only like a well I don't say only but I think it was like a $20,000 budget line item um but you know what's the if if there could consideration to for students that want to take it for us being able to to pay that fee. I >> hope that trickles up to the superintendent either through surveys or through block parties if that's um what the schools are interested in so we
150can get it on our road map. This was a college board uh national recognition awards um where they had to earn a three or greater on two or more AP exams and um some other stipulations about uh GPA. So um for the number of students that we had earning different recognition um and then uh SAT they don't have the state pool that'll be available later in October but um we did see class of 24 saw for SAT did see about a 5% increase in participation um but we and we also saw improvement on the SAT scores so uh particularly in the area of reading Um and then again, um continuing to see kind of a little bit of an increase in enrollment in AP scores or courses. And so more participation in the AP tests.
151And if you look on the next slide, um even though we're seeing uh more students taking the test, we're also seeing an increase in the percent of students that are scoring three and three or higher. Oh, I guess it's right there. So, the universal pass rate reaching a three on an AP exam is less than a quarter. That's pretty wild. I didn't remember there being such like fail rates when I was in school. It just seems it seems like a dramatic number and either it means more participation at large or um >> it's a those are they're hard tests. >> I remember >> we do see a lot of our kids get twos almost a three. >> Uh it's a shame that happens but I remember them being incredibly difficult but um seeing the statistic
152of a the inverse of the pass rate is a little stark. And then these are all the different areas um for um industry credentiing and it's continued on the next slide. Um we did see a decrease in the total number of industry credentials um across all the areas. Um but we saw a small increase in complete rate. Um the biggest category was we had um fewer students taking uh the wise that wise financial test um in comparison to previous years um seemed to be what was impacting it. >> Do we have an idea why 70 less students wanted to do the wise program? >> I don't know. >> Okay. >> It seems like a that seems like a heroic cliff. I mean in some ways it's back to trend from from one but the the
153a 70 student difference. >> My question was did we just have an anomaly of extra kids the past two years right wanted to get I don't know >> totally >> and then um this was our um cohort data for the class of 24. So breakdown of uh graduation and dropout rates that we saw previously in the high school accreditation data and then diploma types the breakout questions. >> I I just want to thank you. I know it's a lot. I know that every year you come here, I'm sure you dread me preparing you with questions. Um, and I don't do it to to be mean or because I take some enjoyment from >> from asking questions more so like I love the fact that this comes out in a time when we have a handful
154of months to think about our budget priorities and when you know we get so few apps and granted like standardized testing is is one of many tools but like I don't know that this board receives more comprehensive data as to like how things are going or in what direction students are trending or this grade needs more attention than others than to have this. And so we have, you know, some odd months to go through our budget priorities and talk about all the all the things we could do or all the things we could ask for the county. And, you know, I'm looking at a list of do we need more absent uh more folks to help with absenteeism? What's up with, you know, third grade and seventh grade? Do we need a coordinator for social
155science and for science? And so all of these things really germinate meaningful ideas to the to the budget process because I genuinely believe that the budget should be should be representative of of our goals as an institution and a division and this data is honestly really helpful to to figure out where maybe we need a little extra touch. >> I have a question to play off of that. Um just along the lines of where my brain has been the past couple of weeks. Is this data presented to the board of supervisors? Like is it shared with them so they can if they would like dive into this? >> Yes, it's on our public it's our our board docs and our public uh website. There's also we put out like we publish well a link to
156the school quality profile. So um you can see like the accreditation and pass rate data on on BDOE's website. I mean >> do we not I don't think we've ever >> No, I know. I'm just saying and if we don't, this is not a criticism. This is a question. >> Do we physically email it to them to say, "County, here's what our schools are seeing. We would love to share this with you." And I think this is again where these one-on-one meetings come into play, but this is just a way for us to I can I can pull the rookie card because I wasn't in this chair last October. Um, I think this is great because exactly what you're saying, like this is where a lot of our questions are going to come from, but
157if they don't see this data, and it's not that they don't care, I'm not saying that, but if they don't see it, they just hear from us. We just want expositions. >> Well, or like for example, um, we've lost about 20 kids in enrollment for English learners um, between transfers out and not enough picking up. And uh when we look at SOQ's budget season, when Miss Miss Grasser asked me, we probably could make it with three three and not four uh in terms of, you know, meeting SOQ budgetwise. But uh I I will say it's been tremendously impactful this past year being able to have one teacher at each school to again their case loads are, you know, still not small. They serve anywhere between 25 to 40 depending on the school. But um >>
158yeah, I mean it doesn't guarantee us to get funding, but it qualifies why we ask for funding. >> So to follow up on Mr. Reed's note. So I I am at just about every board of supervisor and I I do avail myself of public comments and I am happy to either do my best, Miss Suarez's invitation andor is there appetite from this board to to share this with the board of supers in a way that and what would that relationship look like? Who would communicate if we want to um engage with them so that they know? >> Yeah, I mean I I don't want to hit it too hard. I just think this is where I'm a big proponent of the chairs of each board, the vice chairs of each board, county people, and school
159people sitting down once a month because we could literally say in the month of November or October, whenever that meeting is, this is one of the most critical things we'll look at of the whole entire year. Let's just make this the sole focus of a meeting because then, and it's again, I know it's that they don't it's not that they don't care. It's not that they don't want to staff everything. they have a very hard job to do allocating all this money to the county. But if we can qualify what we're asking for, it just makes that ask much more relevant to them. And so because it's like you put so much time into this, I would hate that it's just in a link somewhere and then when we ask it's just, you know, and
160I hate to put it this way, but it's like here comes the budget. You know what I mean? Like I would love for it to be here comes the budget, but here's why we're asking for what we're asking for. Um that way we just we can qualify it and also take the work that you do for this and say this is why we need this or this is why we would love to request this because we know it will help like and I mean the the ESL I think I pronounced right like that's huge. It's like we got another teacher and then the test scores skyrocket and that might not be the case for everything but that's a tangible we asked for this we got this here's the result. I would be concerned that they
161don't see that if we don't present this and share this with them. And that's that's not necessarily on you. That's kind of a challenge to our board and their board to have that conversation built off of your work. So that's where that question comes from. Like how can we take this and basically be like, hey, here's a whole conversation around it because that's honestly where the bulk of our funding conversations start is in this email. And then it also helps our relationship with them during the funding process of because here's where this conversation's coming from. Soap box, I'm off my soap box, but uh >> we appreciate your work because this is >> I have seen some budget books where they um you know for every like line item budget ask in there, they do
162have supporting data that you know mirrors um >> whatever that. So I mean that wouldn't be >> I'd love to do that more. Are there three board members who would be happy to have Dr. Gretz send this as a PDF to to our county counterparts to say, "We had a great discussion on this. There are some areas where our board will probably be looking at at options to to help this along. Feel free to ask questions." >> I' I'd be all for that. I mean, any way we can increase communication, I'd be for >> Mr. Renhouse. Mr. Key, >> I'm happy to send that either way. >> Yeah, I wouldn't see any problem with that. >> Great. Let's get it going. Like honestly, the more we can communicate openly and this is this is our
163area of expertise or should be and >> if they don't know like if they can't see it, maybe they don't know. >> And that's where I think we're at is like I think it's just a matter of us doing a better job communicating to them. So that way when they go to allocate those funds throughout the county, we we may not get it. And and I'm not a proponent of skyrocketing a school budget either, but like we just got to let them know what you're telling us. And this is no criticism to years past. I just don't know if we've done the best job of that. So that way when they make that decision, it's a data driven decision, not us just saying like we really want this spot or we don't really care, you
164know. So, I I just appreciate you put this together because it was >> and um I wanted to mention because we didn't get notification till Tuesday, so it wasn't able to make it into this presentation, but last year the state for our early childhood programs um we have a new measurement system called birth Q5 and uh basically you're rated much like accreditation on um curriculum class teacher observations. our students participate in preK version of BKRP and PALS and um so um we got our award notification that we were um solidly meeting expectations for our um early childhood prek program. So I just want to recognize uh those teachers as well. Um they definitely are impactful to you know our earliest learners that come to us you know getting them ready for their K12 experience. >>
165That's fabulous. Um, I have a point, not for you specifically, but maybe you can shed some light. So, our ADM numbers are going down. We we've lost about 20 kids on average per school day um based on attendance and what have you. But also, it's my understanding that that new development um Colonial Circle is now starting folks are starting to move in. So, can we track somehow how many additional students were getting from from new from new moves into the community? >> Most of the ADM was high school and then our kindergarten wasn't what we what we expect what we projected. Um, so >> I was surprised it wrong again next year, too. But >> I thought it was going to be higher. I'm I'm the first one to say that I set alarm bells
166cuz I heard was a lot of the people that are moving to that new development are already are like um from transportation was saying they're already our kids on our transportation. They're moving from flu. Yeah, >> I heard anecdotally it was 70 new 30 within but like I I find all numbers that aren't finite and like well sourced to be suspect. So, I would love to just kind of keep an eye on it so we know kind of how manyish we got from that. >> That would be something easy to identify through transportation of of what kids were adding to our roster. >> I'm sure it won't capture everybody, but yeah. >> Great. Thank you. >> And the only other thing um in your packet was um the um new accountability system from the state
167that was approved by the board of education um I think last month. Um so here are the four uh performance categories ways in which we'll be rated on next year. So you won't you won't see any more of the um you know the different levels one, two, and three and those different groups. Um you'll um earn points towards being distinguished on track, off track, needs intensive support. Um if you let's see if you look on at the bottom it kind of shows you the waiting. There's three areas, mastery, growth, and readiness. Um, if you go to the next page, um, so there's elementary. So 65% now is going to be based just on, um, so that's going to be our whether or not they pass the SOLS. Vap will be included. Um and then our
168English learner progress um will get um included in that 65% for elementary growth um will be 25% and that'll be spring to spring growth on SOLS for grades four through eight and currently third grade um we're guessing it's going to be math our our MAP growth that we're allowed to submit for third grade. Um readiness is supposed to be 5% chronic absenteeism and 5% performance tasks. Um but we were told that the state will not have um those performance tasks developed and ready for next year for us. So they're going to have all 10% of that readiness category come from chronic absenteeism. Um I did model this out. They provided us with the workbook formula and I modeled it out using um this past year's data. if we were being um you know braided on
169this model in Car'sbrook um fell at 85.7% so um we were definitely if you go back up to the first page um we were on track uh we were we were within the ontrack um that 10% chronic absenteeism even though Car's book you know made the federal benchmark below 15% um just how that was weighted um really did impact us also um that mastery kids are you get like kids are counted one time if they pass the SL but if they pass advance they get counted 1.25 25 and we didn't have as many pass advance um scores at Car's Brook. We had lots of passes which why we were a level one this year but we didn't have as many pass advance. So that is um you know definitely impacting in this new model. Um
170and then middle school we're we're still uncertain where our middle school is and we report our middle school right 57 as elementary to the state. um we're uncertain of of whether we'll be elementary model for this new accountability system or whether um we'll be on this middle school one. I will say um carries Brook because um they don't give a grade five science so on the modeling. I I didn't have an option to not use science so I had to use fifth grade middle school. Um definitely our our unique grade spans are are possibly going to have some impact on this. Um and then the difference again is just mastery on so is weighted a little bit less at at middle school um than elementary school. Um not sure what to say not sure what
171to say about that. Um and then readiness. you'll see that they've got not just they've got multiple things not just chronic absenteeism that they get to count towards readiness. So um and then the high school model um again mastery is even less at the high school for passing an so test. Um and then um chronic absenteeism they look or readiness they look at chronic absenteeism as 5% and then they have graduation rate and um something that's I I think still being developed the um ready for life 3E. Um so they look you get points for um dual enrollment credit or uh high demand industry credentials. Um, so there's a specific list of industry credentials that if your kids are being credentialed in those areas, uh, you get points for that. Um, and they're even actually,
172uh, going to consider a, um, military, uh, enlistment, I think, it's going to be part of that. So, and then, um, this will be a change. Um, so they are moving to using that federal graduation indicator. Um, so that was a change for graduation. So, uh, thank you for doing the math. I was, my first question was going to be if we plugged in our existing statistics, to what extent do we find ourselves within a reasonable category? Um, it does seem like, you know, the weights here are going to be variable in shifting, but it it does underly the extent that we care about accreditation and want to bend over backwards to do it. I also just, you know, prefer to have our kids in the building where they belong. That that absenteeism in particular
173is not gonna look great as it relates to um our accreditation. And um I hope that we do it because it's the right thing to do to help our students get to the building. Uh but it certainly looks like it will have a compelling and important piece of this entire puzzle. >> Will indeed. Thank you. >> Thank you, Gemma. Great job. Uh, Mr. Keith, I didn't know if you wanted to maybe extend to Ethan. If you wanted to roll out, if you had homework or things to do, we you are welcome to make an exit. We'd love for you to stay, but I don't want you to feel like you're sacrificing time for something. >> Dr. Gret, set your curfew up. >> No, not at all. I was told when we first did this that
174the board used to do this around 9:00. >> Okay. >> Unfinished business. There any unfinished business? On to new business. Any new business on the 13A action items? >> Uh nothing new board members from these policies. You rever last time. I recommend you approve them. I'm happy to go into detail on any if you'd like to look at them again. They haven't changed. >> On approval of the SBA flu matter policy updates from September 11th, 2024. Do I have a motion? >> I'll make a motion we approve uh BSBA policy updates as presented from September 11th meeting. >> I'll second. >> All right. I have a second for approval of BSBA fluent policy updates from September 11, 2024. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Vice chair votes I. Um, I'll note, I
175should should have done during discussion, we didn't read it, but that most of these were um state code and reference updates and that we declined to put in the electronic um schoolboard meeting information that it was a policy that was optional, but that we did not just elect to adopt it. It was one of the ones that that we decided not to push through. On to 13B, approval of Pedmont regional education program. >> Yeah. Uh so as the representative to prep, I am quite happy to make a motion that we approve the Pedmont regional education program uh memorandum of agreement to be their fiscal agent. >> Thanks Dr. Kelly. I'll second. >> All right. Thanks, Mr. House. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Vice chair post I. Any opposed. All
176right. On to 13C. Approval of Central Elementary bathroom remodel. Do I have a motion? Do we um I suppose we can do it during discussion, but would it make sense for Dr. Gretz to do a little exposition on this new item? >> Yeah, Dr. Gretz. >> Absolutely. So, um, this RFP was the result of the funding that was received from the county last year, a little over $488,000. I can get the exact amount to renovate the four bathroom facilities at Central Elementary. Uh, scope was developed, RFP was put out. It was actually advertised on the 1 of August. There was a pre-bid meeting on-site pre-proposal meeting on the 23rd and there were eight contractors who came to that pre-proposal meeting proposal meeting. The deadline to apply was the 20th of September and there was only
177one that chose to submit a bid and that's the contract that you have in u in the agenda or that we have submitted to you. The reason it wasn't able to be put in the agenda when it was published is that we went through an extensive process to review um references and to talk to divisions that had used this contractor to make sure that we felt confident about recommending to you that we move forward. So amending the agenda to include it if it's approved will enable us to begin the process a month sooner and that's the purpose for this. Any questions that you have? I think the on-site work could begin as early as the probably the 28th realistically if we approve it tonight. Uh could be a little earlier if it starts then we
178are looking at a completion date in June probably. >> Uh so a couple of questions. One is will this bid go into board docs and be available for the public? >> Yes, we'll attach the bid and the contract. >> And for the public record, can you indicate the um the the name of the company and the dollar amount of the bid? Or shall I read it? Is that fine? >> If you have it in front of you, you can. Otherwise, I can >> It says Haley Builders and the job quote is $319,912. Uh, and then the reason I'm doing this is just because I want it to be in the public space. You guys don't have access to it. Those at home don't have access to it >> to be 100%. We got this when
179we came in today. The meaning the board and it's not usual that I would vote in favor of something that I see within 24 hours. I can tell you that I was able to read the entire proposal between low session and now I was able to get through it and I feel comfortable with it. And I'll also note that given we have one bid for this and it is under budget and because what you've said so far is that um the references have been stellar or positive. >> They've been positive >> have been positive that and it's your recommendation to to move forward with us? >> Yes. >> And you said Dr. Stribble bed with this but >> did indeed we made personal phone calls. I have worked with this company in a former division
180on an addition and a renovation. Uh so I'm I'm I'm confident in the recommendation and the reason for trying to expedite it is uh you know the review team that would have evaluated the different bids using the rubric there was no need for that. It did meet on the 8th but uh excuse me 4th of October. So it was following that meeting that I really got the recommendation and then decided I do recommend that you >> and after this renovation how many more bathrooms still need? >> Oh gosh. Um >> a bunch say 32 I think. Please don't hold me to that. >> That's pretty big number. Each of those individual bathrooms and the and the little classrooms and everything >> less extensive than this because they're different size and different fixtures. But I guess
181that's the point. We're making a huge >> These are the old ones that like I think everybody I've talked to that's got 10 or 20 or 30 years on me has said I use those same bathrooms and it's the same infrastructure. So that they're super old. Um so the only reason I did that is that I um I don't make decisions quickly as an individual. I'm real slow because I want to do research and I want to take my time and be responsible and responsive to the public. This is an exception where I've seen it today and I've heard a compelling need to to move forward a little quicker than I'm usually comfortable with, but I wanted you all to hear why and what we're doing and to make sure that it's in the public
182space. >> Thank you. I will entertain a motion um for approval of Central Elementary RFP. >> I'll make a motion we go ahead and accept the renovations for the restrooms at Central Elementary as presented this evening. >> I'll second. >> Right. I have a motion to have a second. Is there any further discussion? All those in favor say I. >> I. Uh. Any oppose? So, we're on to the 14 A public comments. This is our second um set of public comments. So, we come to time of our meeting for the second round of public comments. our mind one that by policy only members of the community meaning residents and staff county club schools may address the board unless you council representing a group's interest in tonight's proceedings we welcome all community members who are here
183to give information we ask you come to the podium tell your name and address and limit your comments to three minutes we'll start with the names there's no sign up sheet but anybody can come down but you're welcome to come down for input want to call the comments. The board will not interact with you, but we are listening. Appreciate your time. If I have anybody that want to come and speak. So, no one is coming. So, I will close the second round of public comments. On to 15A, school board comments. I will start to my right with Dr. Sure. >> Yeah. Um gosh, a number of things. So, one, I'll note that um not only is the time in which we get performance data one of my favorite board meetings of the year because I
184feel like it's when we engage in substance and where we're really focused on outcomes for our students. And granted, just one just one symptom of many that we use to think about our students growth. Um, I also find that this meeting in particular has been remarkably collegial and collaborative and uh, communicative. And so I love that about our board. Um, and so I appreciate that. I'll note that um I feel like I've been in the schools a whole bunch, but I haven't done a good job sort of communicating out that I've been, you know, we visited the high school two weeks ago together and spent a a lot of time uh talking to to staff and and teachers. I uh had a young man uh cut my hair in the barbering department and so that
185was a fun experience. Um, yeah, it it was cool. It was nice to to see somebody who's working on a skill. I mean, that's a lifelong skill that they ultimately can use whether or not they go to college. There's always, you know, someone who needs their haircut and some people more than others. And so, he did a fabulous job and I'm happy for that. Uh, it was lovely to get to the Horus Scrugs dedication and to see that space named for somebody who has impacted so many of our students. Uh I've been going to prep meetings regularly to look at what the future uh one because it's my responsibility but also um I share this with you because it ultimately impacts the way that we provide student services and we'll be going through changes as
186um our Ivy Creek schools lease is up and we're looking for new spaces and and so all of that is critically important. um I was away for a bit and so I obviously participated remotely um last month but that meant also that I think there was a CTE meeting that I wasn't able to attend to and others but I can argue that um uh vacation is a good mirror to show you how you're spending your time upon return and uh I'm doing my best to be at as many things as possible football games helping the marching band during in their their halftime show. Uh, and so I'm trying my best to be in a million places at once. I'm never going to be um I'm never going to meet my own standard or my own
187goals, but I prom fall festival, all these things. And so, and that's all just in the like two plus weeks I've been home. And so I'm never going to get to everything, but I am going to try to distribute my time as evenly as I can between grade levels and interest and sports and music and arts and all the things that are important. If there are things that are particularly compelling or if there are things you would like to see representation from schoolboard members at, please email me. I will do my best. I am enjoying the new app and it has a nice calendar feature so I get yet another place to remind myself that uh if I am home on a weekday and I have my feet on the coffee table that I am
188not living right. So u I'll continue to see you out there. >> Thanks >> Mr. Reed. >> Um short and sweet. I just want to give Miss a shout out again because that was a lot of time and effort that you put in for tonight. So, thank you very much and look forward to using that moving forwards and just keep it rocking and rolling. >> Thank you, Mr. Mr. Rick House. >> Yes. Um, thank you too, Miss Soros, for all the information you presented. Uh, you did it so nicely and efficiently and very very clear and easy to understand. Um, that also shows, you know, we have a lot of room, a lot of goals we need to strive for to get the students to where they need to be. Um, but that's pretty it.
189Thank you. >> Thank you. So, also I've been to a lot of the events. It was great seeing our board members out there at the Hor scrubs event, the Central Fall Festival is great, the home football game when they beat Alar County last week. I think first time they probably beat them in 10 plus years. Um, just everybody pay attention to the 1024 to Flukco engagement night. that's important for everybody to attend to, have their voices heard, make sure we all get on the same page. Um, it's also great to hear that SL public schools has been accreditated for 11 straight years. That's awesome work. Um, also the 95% graduation rate. That's pretty awesome as well. That's it. As far as my comments, there's uh some information items. board members. 16A, VSBA newsletter, upcoming events.
19016B, Fluana County Public Schools press release and upcoming events. On to 17A, turn the meeting. I entertain the motion for to the meeting. >> So moved. >> I have a motion. Do I have a second? >> A second. >> All right. I have a second. All those in favor say I. >> I. We journ.