School Board Business Meeting: 11-12-25

001[music] I call to order the school board workshop. Miss Tanner, please call the role. >> Sorry. >> Here. >> Present. Olsson >> present. Thomas >> here. Present >> Adele is listening in on speaker. >> Oh, hi Adele. >> She is uh hi. >> I don't think she >> understand that she cannot participate in the meeting. >> She can listen. >> Yes, she can listen. >> Right. The whole >> So she can't vote or involve herself in the discussions because we didn't have the proper notice and we didn't do >> but she was just she was just uh listening. >> That's fine. >> Got that. Adele, you you can listen but you can't talk. Yes, got it. >> Okay. Um, our first agenda item 2.03, school board goal five, interim measures one, two, and number three

002with Kristen McGarity. >> 2.03. I got 2 >> 2.01. I said 2.01. Didn't you hear that? [laughter] pull this up and I'm going to work. All right. So, I'm going to work. All right. All right. Good evening. Um, good evening, Chair Daliro, Vice Chair Thomas, board members, and Dr. Pole. We're going to go through goal five. Um there are two documents that are included. I'm going to say why the third is not this time is because data are still embargoed and we don't have state data which the last piece really is about the final 2025 cohort data. So as soon as we have that preliminary is still the same internal that kind of thing. But we wanted to go ahead let you know that. So that's why that third document is not there which is

003that 2025 cohort piece. So, I'm going to work backwards in the numbers and start with the 2026 cohort. So, with the 2026 cohort um is that if you notice the 2026 cohort, there is a reduction from the beginning of the year to where we are for quarter 1 for students that are on track for advanced diploma. However, this is really due to course grades. So on the chart, I'll bring your attention to an additional line that has what is based on enrollment. So with that piece that if course grades are taken out of the equation, this cohort is above the beginning of the year minimally and the rate rises to 33.7% of students being on track. the enrollment um increase seems to be to where there is some where that we said at the last

004piece reviewing transcripts the counselors going through looking to see if there was coursework that could be added that would put students on track for um ad advanced diploma the course what's really impacting this group when we're looking at the overall data which does bring it down to that 30.8% 8% on track from where we were at the beginning of the school year. Remembering that the beginning of the school year, we did not include course grades. It was really kind of our kids coming in and are they in what happened over the summer and are they enrolled for the right courses and have completed verified credits from the prior years. So with that piece really what's happening now are the impact of course grades at this time. So with this cohort um we see that that

005really does bring that piece down um from the 33.7 down to the 30.8. The 2026 cohort really is impacted mostly by the math piece. So it really is where the um issues are coming from are going to be failing courses in the four core. the four core but nothing is huge and so but everything is something right so it's one of those that with that piece there is the highest failure rate is going to be in math for this cohort and it's at 2.6% 6% failure rate for students who are enrolled in courses. Um we are still early in the year. Even if it is 4x4, we're still, you know, we're still kind of at that piece where we can do things. So to address the failing grades um for this cohort in the next

006steps, um we're supporting students in the area which they're failing. Schools are looking at data on a regular basis to determine which students need the support. And to support their efforts, we send reports weekly to every school for every student with their four core grades on there. So they're able to say which area is it to instead of having to kind of plug one student at a time through an information system, which takes a while, right? So we kind of we've been doing that for a few years, bringing people's attention back to that, looking at those grades and that kind of thing to try and have a faster way to jump into who needs the supports. Um, in addition, we also cross reference with this for what we send back to the schools, the IEPs,

007in comparison to where they are labeled for the school to see are those things matching. So, if they have enough classes to really be on track for advanced diploma, but maybe the IEP has standard, we send that back to the schools and to the department to be able to really kind of go through and the teams can go back and look at that and see where that discrepancy might be coming from with that. And you can move my stuff out of that chair if you like. One of the big other big pieces if we come down where we have where we're talking about school counselors, we're regularly reviewing student transcripts and schedules to make sure that they are on track, who can they pull on track and those kinds of things. One of the big

008pieces looking at is course recovery as a way to support students. This generally has been when a full course needs to be retaken, but the division is working towards within course grade recovery so that students don't have things pile up on them as they move through the years. Um but it can and these things can be addressed in real time. One of the other pieces is that um counselors keep receive lists of students, review transcripts, and they keep meeting with them to kind of go from that beginning of the year, now we're failing grades, making sure we're not just falling back on withdrawing students from courses because of failures, but what are the supports that are needed? Doubling down using tutor.com and all of those things. Um and like I said as we move towards

009kind of the exploration of um how we do within course recovery and those kinds of things. Um another big area is that looking at the native language assessments um for EL students because EL students again everything instruction is in language but there are a few things we have begun we've found another division who does a few things that we are exploring with the different assessment um and it may come under and it actually may hit 3E but then it'll pull kids towards because some of it is in foreign is the foreign language area done in their language uage. So with that assessment then that kind of pops that up into 3 plus it also pops it up brings them into on track for advanced diploma um if the languages are a barrier. So there's other

010areas that really there's continued efforts. Um but what these are the big pieces where things have been going on. PD day we've offered PD we've done multiple meetings. um things are um to kind of go through this and again the biggest thing is us sending back lists to the schools as well of to say here are specifically our students we think you need to look at for different reasons. So that is cohort 2026 and then the next steps some updates on the next steps cohort 2027 classes are not working as well like it's just perfectly All right. So, I'm just going to pull up look pull the data up on the screen as well. Um, this big p this piece we have the same situation where we have held tight in past years. Same thing

011where we have dropped the enrollment part has dropped as well but that has not happened this year. They have maintained enrollment to the courses that they need. So again we've dropped to 37.0 for quarter 1. Really the big impact again are student grades in those courses. However, when we pull that out, the enrollment still stands. Both are important. Um, so we really want to make sure but we want to make sure kids are not getting pulled out of the courses either because that is the big piece we don't want to see. So that's why I kind of keep bringing that up and that's a view for me. All right, let's make sure because again is it supports that we need to pull kids make sure kids are staying in the courses and they're not that's

012not the default or is it that okay grades then we are able to move to that like we were talking about the tutor.com incourse recovery as we explore that and kind of those other pieces to help students um earlier than later with their grades. Um so we have that same data where we are at um 37.0 but we're at 42.4 if we take out so there is kind of 0.1% difference which really could be taken up by withdrawals transfer outs that kind of thing. Um with that the next steps really are the same as um just talked about with cohort 2026. those really do lend themselves to both cohorts so that things are going through but that the schools really are looking at all the way through. So those are the updates I have for

01320 cohort 26, cohort 27 and then as soon as the data is the data are released then we will have 2025 final data with the state piece to be able to say fully met or not >> questions. Thank you. Thank you very much. So I just have um a couple of clarifying questions. So when you talk about um if it weren't the grades had the biggest impact, right? And so if I'm understanding correctly have um 37 So for this one, for the 2027 cohort, you have 37% in quarter one >> with the grades. with the grades >> and then 42.5 no sorry >> 42.4 without >> without the grades based on just course enrollment. >> Okay. So that is just how many are accessing not how many are being successful. >> Correct. So the 37

014is that success piece and what that looking at it the two ways lets us know the schools are not pulling the kids out of the courses. >> Okay. >> And withdrawing them. it is they're keeping them in the courses which in the past we've kind of seen this quick exodus you know so they're keeping them in but now all right so the supports they need are based on the academic supports they need for the different courses or >> areas >> so that so that is the big um area of distinguishment like between the the two is that keeping them in versus how well they're doing >> yes and so we've looked at the data over the past years with grades in but as so I added the not only on the graph that extra kind

015of light orange line to show for this cohort from the beginning of the year >> because it's something I look at that I put you know added that piece on here without clouding the difference in the data that we've been presenting for multiple years about this. >> Okay. Yeah. And and I appreciate that um um added to it. I guess just leading up to this, I wasn't really sure what was trying to be said about, you know, about that. So that clears that up um for me because at the end of this this this >> measure is really about successful completion and not >> just participation. So that's still >> still like while that piece is important that they're that they they remain in the course. >> Yes. the what this is specifically targeting is

016successful completion of that. So we're still looking at the 37%. >> Yes, the 30. That's why I didn't even add the other piece to the chart, but I just want to add as a piece of information that because again that if it was withdrawals from coursework, then we have a different set of steps that we need to take as administration versus it's actually doubling down on remediation or other supports that students need to be academically successful in that course they're in. >> Okay, so that's the next part of my question. So as we've moved to the 4x4 and you address that and you know what's going well not going well but how are we doing in comparison to how we've done like how we did last year for instance >> are we doing better in

017terms of successful >> I will say the big place we're doing better is kids aren't being withdrawn from the courses >> okay so that's >> that's the big successful area yes that's really the big area that's successful or different um and I think there's multiple reasons for that not just the 4x4, but I think also with the 4x4 there, like we talked about last time, there is more flexibility of what comes next if we needed to, but we're trying to not have to do that. And I think kids are, okay, hold on, I can work through this kind of thing versus it's a long trail in front of me. >> Right. Right. So, but given that it is a 4x4, I imagine that we have additional supports in place to help that student from not

018um, you know, totally um, you know, I know I would >> feel very frustrated and kind of frantic if I was in a 4x4 class and not doing well and I had no option or support >> like, so how are those supports different now with the 4x4 as keeping them in the class. >> Right. So, and I'm going to let m Mr. Brady if you have anything to add because that's part of their design too, but I know some of the biggest pieces is that from our side of it, like the data side of it is faster ways, which they've been out there, but again, everybody has their own systems of checking things, but now this is new for everyone where things are moving faster. So, us going back to the schools to say, here's

019data that we provide you. every week you can pull it. You can pull every kid and quickly get down to all right, it's these 12 >> that are failing courses. What are these 12 in? Instead of having to search an entire cohort of kid one by one by one. Um, so those are some ways that we've are giving them tools to move faster through the data. Um, I know that's not student specific data, but that's a way for at least they can get to the kids faster and having to wait from our end. And then Mr. Brady, did you want to add? He >> the other piece for that is very student touches the student >> right and while he's coming up there as for for context as to why I'm asking that is because

020you know I want to better understand if there are budgetary or policy implications that we need to think ahead for for next year or even next semester if we need to do some real course correction got >> sooner than later. So >> I think one of the biggest differences this year opposed to last year with the high schools is that with the 4x4 the teachers can provide support uh than every other day um where those gaps that occur you know math on a Friday and now I don't have it until Tuesday. Yeah. So that every day in class, you know, allow the teachers to um keep track more, you know, and provide that daily support for um we're also seeing uh Miss McGary mentioned tutor.com a couple times. Um I just met with them and

021got our data through October. Um, and it's interesting that um I think you said math was the >> the one cohort was the uh >> the area the biggest area >> area that they were failing the most. It was a small >> it was still small number >> 3.7. Yeah. >> But with tutor.com math is the number one area u of the high schools and middle schools where students are seeking tutoring. Okay. Well, great. >> Wondering what subject matter was struggling in >> this co 2026 cohort is math and the 2027 cohort is English. >> English it is not as high of a failure rate but again they're kids who are trying to get out. It's their fourth year so they're trying to work. know that senior idea of hopefully you don't get senioritis halfway

022through but it's kind of like ah I want to gradu I mean it's already setting in >> I had three of them that >> being a senior >> we had to work through that and my son even more than my daughters but it's definitely but yeah you know that'll kick in at some point but there is still the I want to graduate and >> oh yeah >> they get it a little differently at the [clears throat] high school at the senior grade level um and like I said the high for English 2.6% 6% of the students are failing who are enrolled in English classes in that cohort. And so that's even smaller than that 2027 cohort. So that's math is still there. It's the four core the most. But um that's the biggest for the

0232027 cohort. >> Right. And related to the four core. So that was you know another question I had is um are we seeing schools specific schools struggling more than others and are there additional supports that may be necessary at those particular high schools or are we seeing like an even >> struggling failure-wise or being on track? >> Um we have >> Both. Okay. So being on track yeah there's some differences in schools. So we have a couple schools and we've talked about those schools. um what do we need to look at with the EDS of secondary to be able to say there's something different going on here versus here right >> um the grading part is not astronomically different but it is on who's on track which >> even if we're looking at enrollment >>

024um so that's a piece where for us to look you know and I keep looking at Mr. Brady, but really with um the executive director over secondary to kind of try and weed out what's going on, >> why that's so different. >> Okay. And anything that is pertinent for us to know in terms of you know budgetary needs, supports, strategies, um you know, with an equity lens in mind, you know, what do what do we need to do at those particular schools that we know is playing a huge role in the failure rates whether it's teacher vacancies whatever you know >> number one that's the biggest one those two have high vacancies yes >> um so then because >> in the reports like it I was you know guessing that that was a big >>

025that is a huge piece of it >> because again it's not you know being able to offer things then sometimes you're having to alter offer it in an alternative way so then having to really work around but to be I can't be exact on exactly what that is but those are that is my first place was there are big vacancies in both of those buildings. >> Okay. Okay, Madam Chair, one final question for now. Um, so with all of the next steps which were pretty similar between the two cohorts. Um, right. So given that we are off track and I guess this ties to what we just talked about um for both of those cohorts, what it kind of goes back to monitoring of those next steps and those strategies and knowing exactly like what

026is working well >> and what isn't working well like if tutor.com is working extremely well at getting >> kids to successful completion um versus you know do we need um you know that human interaction you know >> uh a human being over you know which I know there's probably there's a >> there's a human on the other side of that but you know what I mean >> you're just not physically there direct interaction is what I mean >> um that you will share that information with us how we know those next steps are successful or not successful >> yes and you'll notice um just to kind of follow up on that that there are some areas that it's we're continuing efforts and there's things that have are flushed out a little more. Um, and this

027goes back to my taking data as a teacher, especially a special ed teacher. I've got to kind of what things did I put in place so I can draw a line and say, does it get better? Does it get worse? Are we kind of flat? Then we need to add something else on and those kinds of things. I mean, we're not going to keep anything from a student and that kind of thing. But as a whole, it's we really those human interactions, those reviews, enrollments, all those pieces. we knew those were the first things like we got to get them in there first and so that's where I do think having the improvement and the continued enrollment are coming from those things and so as we kind of layer those things on do we see

028EL students go up once we're able to figure out and implement yeah then we can that's that is my plan as much as possible to be able to flush that out as we go >> yeah and and I think anywhere where you can share that information with us too is helpful because when we get the budget and we see Okay, this is this is a strategy that is strong and leading to improvement that's easier for us to say, okay, this is going to help us achieve our goal. Yeah. Okay. So, absolutely. That was it for me. >> Any other questions? I will take that. >> Thank you. Next agend item agenda item 2.02, the equity report with Dr. P. And actually, this will be uh Miss Smith uh presenting this for us this evening. >>

029And just as she's uh preparing, just a reminder to the board, the equity report focuses on last year's data, which you've seen all this data. It just puts it in one place for us. Um, and um, as we put this together this year, we're cognizant of thinking about changes for next year because you'll see there's star data in here, which we will no longer have. So, we'll transition next year into SGAA data. Okay. All right. Good afternoon, Madame Chair D. Caligger and Vice Chair Thomas, members of the board, Dr. Paul. My name is Jerry Smith. I'm the director of innovation, community engagement, and outreach. And this afternoon, I'm happy to be here today to present to you information on our annual equity report. This presentation will consist of an overview of the division level data,

030the connection to the school level reports, and our equity priorities. In Norfol public schools, equity is a bridge from vision to victory. Guided by our four equity priorities: diverse representation and inclusive culture, bridging opportunity gaps, empowerment and ownership, and accessibility and alignment. They anchor our work and as we are working to align divisionwide efforts to turn our vision of excellence for all into measurable results for every student. Tonight we will share data and how these priorities are supporting our efforts towards measurable student progress for all of our students. Here we have enrollment data. The enrollment data provided for the three years is from the fall state report and it includes pre kindergarten and postgrad students. As seen on this slide, district enrollment continues a slow decline. Hispanic and multilingual learners are growing while black and

031white enrollment slightly decreased. Students with disabilities represent 16% of the population and economically disadvantaged students, though slightly fewer, remain the majority. Our shifting enrollment shows growth in our opportunity groups, underscoring why accessibility and alignment are equity priorities. This slide contains data on student attendance averages for three years. District attendance continues to improve, rising from 92.8% to 93.3%. Nearly all subgroups showed gains with the largest increase among white and Hispanic students. Asian student attendance rebounded to 96.4, the highest of all groups. While progress is steady, students with disabilities remain at 92.4% 4% and those who are economically disadvantaged rose just above 92%. Attendance is an early equity indicator and reflects access. Through divisionwide efforts, we will address these needs for students to include, for example, our MTSS focus on non-academic barriers, which includes attendance and the

032implementation of tiered supports. We are working to continuously provide positively impacted efforts to improve attendance as student achievement data has been presented to the board. We are presenting Val's SOS and this does not include the state growth assessment which you will receive more information on in the coming weeks and months. Uh the next few slides will provide an overview of the data included in the report. Here you see English reading so data and it's provided at all levels. >> Yes. >> That's a percent. >> Oh, it's a percentage. >> Yep. And some of them may have percent or not. Am I missing anything, Miss McGary? Okay. Yes. Okay. I figured as much but I wasn't sure. Yeah, I think I don't apologize for that, but good question. Overall, reading performance rose slightly to 62% with

033small group shifts. Students with disabilities and English learners each gained one point while gifted and white students continue to outperform the division average. As we've heard from Miss McGary and others, early lit literacy is one of our most powerful equalizers. Through vows, we identify reading risks early and can respond with individual reading plans, support, professional development uh to help strengthen tier one instruction. Here we have mathematics. Mathematics so data is provided at all levels for the division report. Over the past three years, overall math performance has continued to improve, rising from 50% to 57%. The most notable growth occurred among black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students over three years, each gaining eight or more points and helping to narrow those achievement and opportunity gaps. English learners also saw growth increasing from 31 to 41%. White

034and gifted students remain well above the average, showing consistent performance over time. Empowering staff with data and professional development to drive instruction allow our schools and staff to target interventions based on need, not just subgroup. In addition, CNI support the continuation of platforms like Admentum and Zern, a focus on smallroup instruction, tiered supports and tutoring give timely aligned support for our students. Next, we have science so data and this is also provided at all levels. Overall science performance continues to improve, increasing from 55 to 60% over three years. Nearly all subgroups showed gains with black, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged groups demonstrating the strongest growth. Students with disabilities and English learners also improved, gaining three to four points. Asian, white, and gifted students remain among the highest performing groups sustaining strong outcomes above the division average. Uh

035you in science using a cross-curricular approach that embeds science into other subjects such as reading has been an asset. In addition, professional development um effectively integrating our science and engineering practices uh also supported by newly adopted resources continue to help make sure that we have equitable, rigorous learning opportunities for all of our students. Next, we have uh vowels. The Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System replaced PALS, as you've heard multiple times, um, as the state's early literacy assessment for kindergarten through grade two. Since this is the first year of implementation, only one year of data is currently available. The percentages here represent students identified as high- risk during the spring administration with the numbers in parentheses represent the total tests administered for this baseline year. 34.5% of kindergarten, 40.1% of grade 1, and 31.9% of

036grade 2 students were identified as high risk across all three grade levels. The high risk percentages were highest risk percentages were among students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, and our English learners. These initial results establish a new baseline for early literacy under vowels and highlight the continued focus on targeted early reading interventions to support the foundational literacy development and closing persistent subgroup gaps. Next, we have data on our promotion and retention data as reported again for all grade levels in the division report. These reflect both the number and percentage of students promoted for kindergarten. The overall perform promotion rate for 2425 was 94.7%. Showing consistent performance over the past few years. Promotion rates remain highest among our Asian, Hispanic, and students identifying with two or more races. While students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students

037showed continued improvement since 223, black students and English learners remain slightly below the division average. Student discipline. The annual student discipline report uh provided includes both in school and out of school suspension without school suspension categorized by short and long-term incidents. The data presented here reflects the number and percentage of students receiving inschool suspension by subgroup. For 2425, the total number of ISS incidents slight decreased slightly from the previous year. Black students continue to represent the largest port proportion of ISS cases at 70.3% though this reflects a modest decrease from the previous year. Gifted students also had a slight decrease. All other groups experienced slight increases mainly aligning with district enrollment demographics. Overall, the data indicates incremental movement toward balancing disciplinary outcomes with student population demographics. Next, we have this this slide that provides an

038overview of the annual budget for operating and grant funds over the past three years. The totals exclude capital improvement project funding. From 22 to 23 to 24 to 25, operating funds have increased steadily from 242.2 million to 311.5 million, reflecting ongoing investment in instructional programs and district operations. In contrast, grant funding decreased significantly from 178.2 2 million to 18.2 million largely due to the conclusion of temporary federal and pandemic related funding sources. The total district budget at 329.7 million shows a stable financial position supported primarily by operating funds. This section of the report highlights teacher data from state and local sources. The highly qualified data are reported from the state IPAL report while the highly effective data includes teachers not on a plan for growth or formal performance improvement plans. For 2425, 81.6% of teachers

039were identified as highly qualified reflecting a continued statewide challenge statewide challenge in recruitment and retention of certified educators. Despite despite the decline, excuse me, the percentage of highly effective teachers remain strong at 100%. Demonstrating that nearly all classroom teachers continue to meet professional performance expectations. >> I'll I'll get some clarification on >> the highly qualified would be our nonassociate teachers or fully certified teachers. Okay. >> Which then run into the highly effective part as well. So, so highly highly effective are teachers with full teaching. >> And they are and highly effective are teachers that are not on a plan of action. That was the way we the only way we could really define this data set. >> Right. >> And in the actual >> it doesn't it doesn't include the the associate teach. >> Correct.

040It does not and in the actual document it lists that that that's how it's defined as well when you look at the actual document. >> All right. Um next we have teacher experience. uh which is reported in four bands. We have our 0 to 3 years, 4 to 10 years, 11 to 20 years and 21 plus years based on consecutive years of employment with Norfol public schools. So as you look you'll see in 2425 the largest group of teachers at 41.9% had 0 to three years of experience an increase from the previous year. While the percentage of teachers with four to 10 years or 11 to 20 years have declined slightly, these shifts reflect continued workforce transitions um and new teacher hiring across the division. The teacher retention rate for this school year was at

04188.6% following a peak of 91% in 2324. Overall, the data indicates a teaching workforce with an increase in early career educators. >> Experience that count teaching with NPS or does it count additional >> should be with I think in general all teaching experience. >> It's con consecutive NPS experience. >> Yes, but it doesn't count someone who zero to three would be somebody who had 10 years experience in Chesapeake and came to Norfick. >> I see the question is okay. Yeah. Um and that's why it put in here based on consecutive years of employment with NPS. So yes, to clarify for your question, um our new teacher institute and other supports are in place to support our new teachers. Um and this is an area of focus across the division. Next, we have a slide on

042just some of our equity and action steps here in Norfol. Equity and action means breaking barriers that limit opportunities and build bridges that connect each learner to the relationships, resources, and supports they need to thrive. There are host of different areas. Uh for example, our work with family and community engagement through a variety of ways like our community tours, parent cafes, community engagement council, family engagement specialists, and our title one and international welcome centers. We are building genuine two-way connections to empower our families and strengthen connections across our communities. We are proud of our strong partnerships and the impact that they are having. One recent example that you can see here was uh through our partnership with Old Dominion University and the Monarchs Give Back Initiative, we were able to support food insecurities by collecting

043over a 100,000 non-p perishable items for our families. Our equity and excellence learning centers anchor the work through four pillars in our established identified five EELC's. Those pillars relate to enriching experiences, family and community engagement, multi-tered systems of support, and distributed leadership, ensuring that students have access to the support and enrichment they need to reach their full potential. We also have accountability, support, and monitoring meetings to keep a clear focus on equity, early intervention, and student success. Professional development is of course a key factor. Starting this summer with our new teacher institute, we open with our equity and excellence for all session. And in addition to other offerings, we have our ondemand asynchronous cultural competency course on Canvas. Datadriven decision-making is also key. From monitoring achievement and attendance, oops, did I click? Nope. To identifying

044opportunity gaps and measuring impact, our task force and others that use data to pri prioritize initiatives centered around student voice, family needs, and engagement. Culturally relevant and inclusive practices support students and families with seeing themselves in the experiences reflected in what they learn. Experiences in the classroom and even through our communication strategies and platforms to make sure that all families have access to the information they need in a variety of ways and languages. We're also expanding equitable access to advanced and enriching opportunities for students. Some examples include our emerging scholars, comprehensive early intervening services for our learning support students and initiatives, uh, our equity and excellence learning centers, title one academic plans, early learning supports, and dual enrollment opportunities to name a few. to ensure excellence for all students. We also have focus on our

045multi-tiered systems of support. Norfol Public Schools is implementing a comprehensive multi-tered systems of support plan to strengthen outcomes for all students by addressing nonacademic barriers to include attendance, behavior, and social emotional learning. This divisionwide plan ensures that schools have the structures, tools, and coaching needed to remove non-academic barriers to success. This year, our focus is on building systems and monitoring progress through coaching, professional development, data-informed decision-making, and other items. This year, schools will have functioning teams, data routines, and communication plans to support continuous improvement. Each of you have also received the individual school reports that are laid out identically to the division report with a sidebyside comparison of the division data and the school data to make comparisons easier to the reader. The report is also bookmarked to make it easy to move from school

046to school. Thank you for allowing me the time to share information related to our annual equity report. At this time, we are ready for any questions or discussion >> questions. Thank you very much for that presentation and um overview of the equity report and I think Dr. Poll and correct me if I'm wrong just to give since we have new board members that this equity report is really um a reflection of the equity policy that we put in place in 2016. So the information in here is all um elements and indicators that we said at that time that we wanted to review annually. So that's the purpose kind of of this particular review different from the equity audit that we did a few years ago. Um, I have several questions that so hopefully you bear

047with me and if others have questions I will ask a couple and then let others ask as well. But um, so you you went over performance data for the last three years. >> Yes. >> Which, you know, in my in my view is really you know we're coming back from the pandemic. We know that performance was where it was at that time, but really looking back over the last comparing it to prepandemic levels, I know when I dive into the data, it's we're not where we're not at at all where we're where we were in 2019. Um, but having said that, making some progress from 22 23 to where we are now. Um, but the gaps are still pretty significant. um the black white gap and especially among students with disabilities and so what's specific

048and and I do want to point out the school by school data while I'm not going to say you know the school by school data is especially um to me holding myself accountable concerning um because you see the schools um that are consistently challenged and um underresourced as being the same ones where we see the data exceeding uh what our district average is. So that to me as a board member tells me that we are not achieving equity and excellence for all and haven't been um based on the data looking over the years. And so it's like I really want us as a board to really think about and administr as a team to really think about how are we doing this because >> you know and why are we doing this and and as

049a decade of having this policy in place. I would also like to see the decade how have we done since this policy has been in place. Has it what kind of impact have we had as a result of having this policy in place? Have we achieved what we said we wanted to achieve? are we you know we have equity is doing and are we really doing it you know and when I look at the school by school data um and even you know when we when we do our progress monitoring and we look at the um school level data it's I personally don't feel like we are um and and because our focus isn't there even though we say our focus is there it's not there when we look at the school by school data.

050Um, and so it's like how do we do that better and more intentionally? And I know this is a conversation that I know I've raised a lot over the years, but really as a team, as a board, as an administration, like really putting the focus there is something that I we really I cannot stress how much we need to prioritize that because the the we have students on the other end of that who are not getting what they need. They we have certain schools that have teacher um uh highly qualified teachers go from 80% to six I mean 20 point differences over the last three years alone and to me that is not okay >> and some of them are feeder schools >> and they're feeder schools and they are EEL some of them are

051EELC schools so it also begs the question how well are we meeting the goals of the EELC because again the data is telling me that we need a lot of work there. [clears throat] It's, you know, and that these are opportunities that I see like opportunities for doing things better, being more focused, um, and really monitoring the strategies to ensure that they are working. Because right now what I see in looking at the data is that there may be some that are working moderately slightly but nothing that is really truly advancing students especially those who are furthest from equity like our students with disabilities like our English language learners and like our black students. And so that needs to be a key focus for us. Um so it's the how do we do it? And

052when you go to the equity in action um slide is really where I think it's it's knowing precisely how those steps are working. Um specifically with the non-academ um when we did the equity audit a few years ago that was an area that was highlighted in that report as not being done with fidelity. So [snorts] one big question is how how is it being implemented with fidelity and how do we know and if you have any um you know insights on on that for us today I'd love to hear that. >> Absolutely. Well and I and you know I appreciate all your comments and I agree wholeheartedly that it is a top priority because we want to make sure that every student has we give access to all students every single one of our students

053here. So what I'm excited to say is we have done a lot of foundational work around MTSS which is one of those key gamechangers if you will and so one of the things we've really done um is h we have a multid-disciplinary team of folks that are kind of driving our MTSS efforts and really um systemically uh putting in place structures for all of our schools to really look from an equity lens. So that's happening through planning, through coaching, supporting so that we have the resources um available so that all schools no matter what their data indicates has the resources that they need. So it will really drill into that data to look from an equity lens. So we have done a lot with our MTSS um teams and and not just that but from

054communication. So equity as we've said means access. So, making sure that every school has access to our MTSS uh resources and communication. Um, making sure that it's consistent and coordinated. So, one of our key areas of focus has been datadriven decisionmaking, which is really going to drill into exactly what you just said, making sure schools are looking from that lens at their gap groups, which I call opportunity groups, um, to see where those barriers are and have those specific targeted conversations. We're doing a lot with the academic component, but also those areas I talked about attendance that that impacts students. If they're not in class, they can't learn. So, really drilling into that, looking at behavior from an SEAL standpoint as well as just from a disciplinary standpoint, how we're in inputting those things. Um,

055and there's one that I missed. I said attendance, um, academics, discipline, and leadership, providing that coaching. We have new staff members. we have transitioned with our leadership. So, making sure that we're providing the coaching and support that they'll need um to best implement MTSS in their buildings. >> I'd like I just wanted to add a couple of things as well. >> Um so, going into this year, we also fully redid our CSSP timeline, which is the comprehensive school support plan timeline. So the CSSPs traditionally have been being finalized around this time of the year. Um we had drafts due in June that was the focus of summer leadership institute and then in August we set aside a full day to give feedback where our academic team gave feedback to principles on their goals and based

056on their data and looking at data such as this and gap groups. Um and then by October everything early October everything was wrapped up where the then the EDS also gave feedback and now the expectation when EDS um or others go to visit schools that they talk about the CSSP and they bring it up and they talk about the goals and they talk about the data. Um, so that change in framework of how we're looking at that earlier and setting those goals based off the the data at the beginning of the year instead of just making it a plan that just had to be done. Um, it is now an active part of also their their monthly data meetings and that CSSP is what drives the conversation now which is based off of this opportunity

057data, the opportunity gap data. Um, and the other thing that that we've done and with with Dr. the TATO's help with the EDS is a higher level of accountability to teacher feedback in being in classrooms in monitoring that instruction um and making sure the the the work that's been put into creating um support systems is actually happening at the school level. Um and that that is different this year. That is different as we went into this year with those expectations. Um and and then as we're as we're building the budget this year, looking at this data and as we have any um changes with the consolidations, knowing there might be some staffing, knowing where the staffing needs to go because of data and not just because of student count. >> And we've done a lot

058you know the division leadership team that is leading this effort um you know so that everybody has access to what they need. We've also undergone professional development to make sure that we are using the best practices um in alignment with VTSS. We have our VTSS coaches that are supporting our efforts um and making sure that we're aligned and like uh Dr. Paul said those accountability support meetings which are data meetings. I mean they are very structured and they drill into specific needs and actionable items following up not only from the division side but the school side. So it's there's no end points, you know, it's it's constantly revisiting here are our barriers and challenges and what are we doing to address them. So that consistency is also helping and accountability and providing that continuous feedback.

059>> Okay. Thank you. And and so specifically so when the board developed you know our board goals it was we looked at high needs high leverage data you know a needs assessment was done and that's how they were they were selected. Can you elaborate on how you're looking at this equity data and aligning it to our board goals so that because they're you know centered on this um if you could speak to that how our board goals are also informing the um >> absolutely um when the priorities were established um they were centered around the board goals as well as the strategic plan. So their development derived from um the equity audit that was done and report as well as uh the board goals and priorities. So we do have um task forces and each

060of our EELC's as well as our task force to really look at equity and so that is the basis. So every time we connect we are looking at those board goals to drive our decision- making and discussions and and things. >> Yeah. So the the task force at each of the uh well now we have five community u uh EELC's they're they're regularly monitoring data to see how we're doing or are they >> they are because a lot of them are also tied to their ILTs which also embed themselves into the MTSS. So yes they are looking at data and we have our EELC specialists who is constantly tracking and monitoring data. >> Okay. >> All right. Um and then you know finally and Dr. Paul you brought this up which was going to be

061the next part of this but I hope that not I hope but how will um the equity discussions that you're having play a role in our school cons uh closures and consolidation discussions so that we are we are doing you know the equity work as part of this. >> Yeah. know already within the discussions when we look at the first first two schools Ocean Air and Norview in positions in there and if you recall and I I I'm not going to try to name all the positions but one of the documents that was posted was whether the positions that were at each school that that weren't teaching positions on how those will be redistributed based on on equitable needs. Um so like the reading and math specialists possibly a school counselor. um when when we

062have the breakdown of where we are and what staff members were able to move, we're moving those to where they're needed and not necessarily following students because, you know, one of the things I believe I mentioned at one of the community meetings was right now we're spread so thin with so many schools that we can just we can just make our staffing requirements in some areas. So, this will free up some of those staffing requirements to be able to move them around to where they're needed. Okay. All right. Well, thank I appreciate that. And um and finally like so specifically around students with disabilities, >> what specific strategies um are we are what did we learn from this report that we need to put specific strategies in place around um uh you know students with

063disabilities or special education program in particular? Well, we looked at numbers and we see that numbers are increasing. And so we know that again through those accountability meetings, that's a priority. So at every meeting, um, talking about our students with disabilities, there's always representation at that meeting to really drill in and see where are the needs, what's happening, what's missing, providing that individualized school-based support, whether that's supporting with meetings from a compliance lens, supporting with instruction from the SDI lens. Um, all of those things are addressed as well as just the divisionwide professional development offerings that are available um and the continued collaboration with CNI as well as learning support to make sure that all students needs are considered. >> And I'd like to add Dr. Dr. Walter has been doing a lot of work

064um planning into this year and starting this year with doing principal cohorts um and doing you know uh sponsoring for principles to go to the state level committee sponsoring principles to go to other professional development where not only the principles go but Dr. Walter or someone from her team goes as well. So when they're there they're collaborating on how do we how do we utilize this information um to do better. Um, and it's not, you know, really, um, the the Equity Report puts everything together in one package for us. But quite honestly, anytime we do data reporting, it's usually Dr. Walter knocking on my door saying, "Yeah, I see the I see the students with disability and this is what we're doing." And over the past few years, that department has grown immensely in professional

065development on looking at the the the teaching side of it instead of just the accountability side of it. um which is going to make the difference with time and now that we really have the principles involved in this much more heavily. You'll see more accountability at the school level on the instructional side of it because the instructional part is what's going to make the difference on the numbers here more than the accountability side on IEP, >> you know, compliance. >> Yeah, absolutely. And I appreciate that, Dr. But I I also think about, you know, the vacancies that we have in that particular area and that what we can do >> to um >> and you'll also support. >> You'll also note that over the past couple years, we've also increased immensely in contract services with

066our um special education budget and that's to help compensate excuse me for the um need of teachers. So, we've we've brought in professionals where we can do some filling of the gaps. And then we've also partnered with university instructors where we're bringing in um specific um teachers to help with special education who then at the end of the year have the ability to transfer in to become our staff members and our teachers. So, it's like a grow your own program through UI where they they take charge of a lot of professional development as well. Um, so just trying to think of outside of the box ways where we can improve staffing in those areas is also a big push for us. So we started that in the spring of last year and continued it on

067this year. >> Absolutely. >> And one other thing. Oh, >> go ahead. >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Oh, I was just going to mention I know you talked about ELC's and what the growth there. One thing I'll say that has been very um beneficial is with those EELC, they're all feeder schools and building those relationships between the principles um and they are establishing different uh programming and things that students can actually metriculate with them as they go up. And so we're going to see gains as you know but that momentum is building. But that relationship is just a beautiful thing because our we have those cross collaborative conversations about what we're doing, you know, at PB Young and how it's going to translate into Booker T. Washington and really keeping um the sustainability there. So

068I think those are really important conversations that we're having. Yep. >> Uh Dr. asked uh answered mine with the I was about the school support meetings and who's at the table and that kind >> Thank you. >> We'll move on to agenda item 2.03 quarter 1 chronic absenteeism and dropout report. >> That'll be Miss McGarity again. All right. So, I am back going to again do like I've done before just leave the data up for that area and talk through it and then we'll move to So, we'll start with chronic absenteeism. Um and then we'll move to the dropout piece. So with the chronic absenteeism, you'll notice that preliminary is not there because the state did report out on the school quality profiles what the division um chronic absenteeism was at the end of the

069year. So that piece of it where we know it's the 17.9% uh the state last year was at 14.8%. have a higher rate than the state. Uh we'll notice that quarter 1 rate is higher than the prior year quarter 1 data but does remain lower than the three years before that. Currently multiple departments um are working on absenteeism recovery being something that we can monitor real time versus only at that fourth quarter time. So that's an area attendance recovery programs are in play. they will be going but they will also data will be available for us to include. It is not at this point just because that is something that is coming and moving forward. Um but that'll avoid that big difference at the end of the year. Uh one of the big things that

070is going on again we talk about it a lot is going to be other than the attendance recovery programs that'll be in place uh meeting all the requirements for attendance recovery to be counted is training. We have a um the senior coordinator for student engagement and dropouts. She has been working diligently with the schools and specifically for in in the lens of chronic absenteeism really been working with the attendance technicians. So they have most of them are new to the division. So she's been hold there's been training for them. Um, I've been part of that training. That same piece of data that we talked about weekly about grades also includes every kid's um, attendance and where they are in the scale of being chronically absent so that they're able to again quickly figure out who

071do they need to target and move forward with those. Um, the highest area of absenteeism really is around excused absences. So that is one that still continues because excu remember remember excused absences are included as part of chronic absenteeism. It really doesn't matter why they're out just that they are um which we get. This is a very different lens than when we were looking at attendance rates on the last document we were looking at. This is looking at our kids 10%. All right. So chronic absentee that's chronic absenteeism. Um, we're quickly going to move going to pull up the dropout piece. You do still see the preliminary data here for the dropouts. Same reason that embargo is still there. This is an internal calculation of ours with the um dropouts. So, we do see at

072the final, which we've talked about before here, that the 12.6% so final at the end of the year that really that encompasses summer. So, we saw a lot coming out of the summer work where schools and it's not just summer school. There's all kinds there's multiple programs um and it's not even just that. It's even kids who just need verified credits bringing them in for remediation and taking the assessment if they have the course credit already. All of that continues to move um kids forward. The big goal has been really how can we take things off for this year? It's not only this year, but really doubling down on for this year. How can we take things off a kid's plates earlier? So, it's not let's just bring kids going into their senior year in

073using testing as that example. It's anybody who needs that and let's and they put um well thought out and planned remediation in place for the kiddos so that they can take the assessment, pass it, and that is something that's off their plate. Um so with the piece the quarter one it's lower than in the past few years. So it hasn't been since 22 23 rates that we really have been down in the 11% in some change. Um some of this is attributed to those next steps that we discussed in goal five. So goal five we're really talking about it from the lens of advanced diploma but a lot of those things really do work for students who are at risk of dropping out. So, it's one of those where doing transcript reviews is going to

074say, "Hey, you might need just a foreign language class, but it's going to also say,"Hey, we need to maybe get you in some recovery. We can actually fill these gaps pretty quickly here." So, those things do work on both ends of that spectrum, right? So, a lot of those things, that tutor.com piece, all of that really does. 4x4s, again, things do not seem to go on for as long. However, they are fast, right? So, it brings up there's pros and cons on each of that. Um, one of the bigger things, like I said, that they've been they all the schools still hold they hold annual annual weekly at a minimum dropout um meetings or really just on track to graduate meetings where they target kids, identify students, what supports do they need, are they academic

075supports, are they wraparound supports of some other type, those kinds of things. Um, but one of the big pieces that again the focus has been is really to widen that net beyond just our seniors. So, we can't not do one. We can't not do the seniors, right? They're they're they're needing to go out. We don't want kids to become more at risk, overwhelmed, and then that dropout rate moves on us. But widening that net to the younger grades. know if they're a student because one of the biggest things is we will see kids all the time they have five and six things piled up from the past that they're having to then correct in that last year which a lot of them do and there's a lot of work that goes into that but we

076want to really look at it and you know that piece of it just looking at it from the child's side what can I get off my plate what can we help get off their plate so we look at those things so like I said we used to test kids going into their senior year um but it's like nope we're bringing them all back in if you're going offer the testing. We're going to bring everybody back in that qualifies. Um, and that kind of thing because then that's off their plate. It's, you know, quit just kind of trying and trying and trying and trying. Let's move if this isn't working, let's move to the substitute test and let's do that. So, again, taking those verified credits, um, the needs, if it's course credit, those kinds of

077things. So, really widening that net. The within course recovery is going to is not in play yet. It is being developed. And Mr. I know I keep calling Mr. Brady's name, but he maybe can talk about what what that will look like, but that's going to be a huge gamecher for because course recovery becomes the piece, but you have to recover a whole course. So again, in the in the vision of taking things off of kids plates earlier, it's a way to look at how within course I need to recover um maybe a quarter maybe of time that they can do that before they even leave the course. So then they're not they don't end up failing the course at the end having to go recover the whole course. It might just be a unit

078or a quarter and that can still be recovered within with very specific prescribed course recovery um within course recovery um tasks basically. So it's not so again another place that we can try and lessen the burden of the kids later um and that kind of thing. So that's those are really the big ideas. Um I know that is really really quick but those are those big places you we talked about a lot of those for the dropout piece um layered on top of those gold five items really do have there are monthly meetings with an array of departments so a lot of times I'm there when it's a bigger meeting the principles are there the grad coaches are there um our student you know new senior coordinator for dropout and student engagement's there with focuses

079and resources CTE will be there counselors will be there. So, it's really kind of a big this cross departmental. So, really looking at that kind of multid-disciplinary lens for what do students need to be able to graduate um and not drop out and if they've dropped out, what do we what do they need to come back? So, looking at alternative schedules, there's, you know, all kinds of initiatives now that are available um that we can kind of use in our way to help students be successful. So, that is a very quick overview of quarter one. >> You're very welcome. >> Dr. Paul, looking at the dropout the final dropout rate preliminary. >> Yes, >> I can infer kind of have an idea what the graduation rate is. >> Yeah, we're in your your inference is

080going to be pretty close. Um, and you know, um, I will say, you know, being able to bring Dr. Moore on as our new senior coordinator, she has hit the ground running. Um, and she is meeting with principles on the regular. Um, in fact, you can rarely find her in this building. Um, she is out and about working with grad coaches. And then after the new year, I know it's on the list, you know, we do plan on doing a presentation with the grad coaches and Dr. more to to tell you what are we doing to to nail this better. Um and and one of the things is 4x4 will help with this as well. >> Yeah. So, uh related to the dropout rate. Um, so you talked about exp casting the wider net to

081the younger grades and we know that ninth grade is a big year where the risk is you could you could see um the trajectory of the student oftentimes then and I know this is we've talked about this before but what specifically um like if you could if you could describe a little bit about what casting that wide net looks like. What are the early warning systems that are in place and strategies through those early warning systems? So casting the wider net even so from the lens of just figuring out who those kids are. It's really identifying students that nth grade students looking at that piece. So when we look at data at the cohort level and a lot of that is looking at it at the cohort level. So that data report we send out

082weekly to the high schools, you know, it's by grade level, but grade level isn't always like chronological grade level is not always indicative of that kids in their fourth year and should be graduating, right? So we've also kind of flipped that and looked at it on the side of cohort year. So we're looking at they the schools are able to look at absenteeism by cohort year. They're also able to get down and say, so like the grades we talked about with the goal five, they could look at that by cohort. So they're gonna look at the younger cohorts. Do we have a slew um of kids that are failing in this area? What are those supports they need? It's not just that senior level piece, which I get. And it's not that nobody was ever

083looking at that, but it's just trying to figure out and we're trying to help provide systems as much as we can to support the schools. even if it's just retelling them that something exists that to look at it this way to try and get down to what those pieces are. >> And I'd like to add uh last year um Mr. Rothtock in ARRA through P school developed a a tool um so that it's a it's an at risk um monitoring tool. So, a principal can pull up their nth grade cohort and based off of looking at uh discipline, looking at grades, looking at attendance, looking at over age for grade, um you know, different pieces of the puzzle, put it together where power school, where they look at all their data of all the schools.

084They're able to say here are the here are the flags that you need to put that will give you a higher atrisisk category. So, we've also put that in place. So, this is our first year in the fall of having that in place. So a principal can actually go in and look through P school and do an at risk dashboard with their students for on-time graduation. >> That's that's great to hear. So once the like if a student is flagged then what does it kick off like? >> So then that's where the the grad the graduation coach will start working with them. They'll you know the incourse supports you know the the making up of units through it's Edenum right where we do that Bruce >> courseware program >> the course Edenum's courseware program where

085we can actually assign specific standards to students where they didn't show their ability before so they get some some uh reteing and then a chance to re-evaluate on it so we can hit them sooner. And are we also looking at the why? You know, looking at the root cause, you know, trying to really figure out are there other um, you know, behavioral supports, social emotional supports that we need to consider to help strengthen the whole, you know, the whole student, the whole >> they really do. So, sorry, not to cut you off. >> No, no, no. That was >> um Yeah. Yes. So, and I know the grad coach presentation will clear up even more, but just as a quick kind of everything that I've ever had to do with them, it is really a

086holistic view. It's even ones who are like spirit week and bringing in things just so kids feel included in the school and bringing in items so the kids have that, you know, and that's a super small piece of what they do, but it's one of those that just shows it's not just, okay, you need help in English and we need to do that. They really do take that holistic view. Counselors are involved. um the grad coaches, the principal, admin, pulling in teachers if need be, like, okay, let's talk about what's going on with this kiddo and that kind of thing. And then the grad coaches, a lot of times they'll do home visits. They do things like that to really kind of get an idea of what's going on with this kiddo and is it

087a non-academic barrier? Is it an academic barrier? Is it or is it both? And really kind of prescribe from there. So, it's really getting down to the set of kids and then they follow them. They don't just like we did. Okay, we got you one time and you're they're off. They really kind of maintain almost a case load. I mean, I don't want to truly call it a case load, but essentially that's how that functions where they don't drop and those pieces and now we're kind of they're looking at that instead of kind of all of it at the top. A lot of most of the schools have two. So, they're looking at it and squeezing in the middle kind of thing. So, that's really what all that starts to set off. >> You just

088Okay. I was thinking a student in ninth grade um are they followed like if I'm assigned to that as a graduation coach assigned to that student throughout because I know have a relationship I know >> versus kind of tag teaming. >> Yeah, >> that kind of thing. Okay. Yes, we have the inverse where kids are doing really really well and all of a sudden, you know, an environmental factor comes into play as a junior or a senior and things, you know, and then it's kind of all hands- on deck when that starts that comes to light to say, so it's not like, oh, but you're able. So, we don't they we still do and they do. And I say we just because sometimes I'll get the call, what are the alternatives because it's this or

089what are you know counselor gets the calls what are the alternatives on this area so that we can look for this student who is able but has had a huge event happen and that kind of thing. >> Two quick final questions Madam Chair. So with just as you have the weekly um meetings with the dropout uh specialist, right? >> She meet the schools have weekly meetings. She isn't at all of them. She's at a lot of them. >> Okay. >> Um where she tries to go um but there's admin as part of that. The grad coaches, the counselors, it's a large team that they have at the school for the weekly meetings. >> Okay. >> She has monthly with the grad coaches. >> Okay. >> With all the resources. So similar to that, is there

090are there opportunities for the attendance technicians to also kind of get together, collaborate on ways to >> she has meetings with them monthly as well. Okay. >> Um she I have been at those too. So working on using that same data set we were talking about, you know, that has their attendance on it, how to use that. They are mostly new this year. So she's been onboarding. I think she's full or maybe missing. there's one vacancy, but really we really dive into how do we look at that? What does that mean? Um, talking about chronic absenteeism, if it that can be the one thing that can start this event of becoming at risk of dropping out just because you've missed so much. Um, what is that? So, we're always looking at 10%. Well, that's where

091we're looking at the data. That's the line in the sand we drew, but it's like what are the approaching kind of bands that we look at? you know, if they're at 7% and it's been kind of a So, we talk a lot through that of the specifics of how to review the data to really get a good idea and get the kids that are kind of starting to encroach on that 10%. versus wait till they're 10 and do Yeah. >> Yes, you did. You did. Um, and then finally, so the excused absences you mentioned are included in that. They've always been included though, right? Yeah. Okay. That's what I thought it is. >> I just wanted to Yes, they've always been, but it's always I find it >> find it interesting. So, you know, is

092it and we want to make sure it's not suspensions, right? Because that's then that's leads us into that discipline issue. If it's suspensions is the highest and that kind of thing. So, it's just kind of a quick shot for me. Okay, that's not where we need to jump in, >> right? >> It is excused absences that are just >> Yeah. >> up right now, >> right? And so to piggyback on that is that if it is and we could be doing more around our um I want to call it something different. You're going to have to help me come up with something more creative than I iss um but you know where they are in school but you know whatever disciplinary consequence. Yeah. like >> um I forgot what what they used to call it

093where they would come in after school or like >> well no it's during the like you have a regular school day but I know there are some districts that are you know instead of calling it in school suspension you know it's like you know >> code like alternative learning center >> yeah or recovery a reset yeah that's right like a reset >> I mean that's my own >> yeah like in school reset something Yeah, >> my students always knew when I said let's reset, right? >> Wasn't ISS, it just meant get it together. >> Let's Yeah. >> Finish their work. >> But is there is there something, you know, just something that we're learning as a result of this data around what that might look like in our division to strengthen it. I know we've

094talked about, you know, with the monitors, you know, the teachers I should say, and the pay around that, but if there are other things, other strategies where we're keeping them >> I don't think it's can and Dr. correct me if I'm wrong or because when we were even looking at the equity piece of it, there is that ISS piece of but every school didn't have that. So, it's again vacancies in those areas. So, being able to try >> to find support um you know, it's everybody's got a lot of things going on during the day. So, trying to find somebody who's designated to kind of monitor and help with the reset. >> Um every school doesn't seem to have that. And so, um, >> yeah, >> I think it's a hard for those reasons you

095probably just mentioned, it's also it's a hard to fill. >> Yes. Right. >> Position. >> Yeah. So, >> thank you. [clears throat] Your computer back. >> The board will now go into closed executive session. >> Can I get a motion to go into closed executive session? >> I move that we go into executive close session. >> Second. Okay, Miss Jason second. >> Miss Moore Buffalo has brought forth the motion and Mr. Ing has seconded the motion. Is there any discussion? >> Miss Tanner, please read the motion. Back up. Hold on one second. The door. Move that the members of the school board of the city of Norfolk go into a closed meeting for the purposes which are set out in subsection A of section 2.2-3711 2-3711 of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act as amended

096for discussion, consideration, or interviews of prospective candidates for employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salaries, disciplining, or resignation of specific public officers, appointees, or employees of the schoolboard pursuant to subsection 2.2-3711A1 of the act. The subjects covered by this exemption are the discussion of unique questions for specific candidates for the position of superintendent who will be initially interviewed in closed meetings. Which questions will be tied to individual candidates unique qualifications and experiences such that the questions cannot be discussed in an open meeting without revealing the identity of the individual candidates and a discussion of persons and personnel actions included for vote on today's personnel report. discussion or consideration of disciplinary and any other matters concerning students in Norfor public schools that will involve the disclosure of information contained in their scholastic record pursuant to subsection

0972.2-3711A2 of the act. The subject covered by this exemption is the discussion of students and disciplinary actions on today's regular student support report and consultation with legal counsel and briefing by staff members pertaining to actual or probable probable litigation or regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by council pursuant to subsections 2.2- 3711A78 of the act. The subjects covered by this exemption are consultation and briefing in connection with the matters set above in subsections A through B of this motion. Bassine >> I >> Buffalo >> I >> Martin >> I >> Pollson >> I >> Thomas >> the Caliggerro >> Hi Good evening. I would like to call to order the school board business meeting. Miss Tanner, please call the role. >> Zane, >> here. >> Buffalo, >> here. >> Present. >>

098Martin, >> present. >> Holson, >> present. >> Thomas, >> here. >> Calero, >> here. >> Agenda item 4.0. 03. We will have the pledge of allegiance with our student representative, Athena Ash. >> Good evening. We request that all cell phones and pagers to be turned off or to vibrate during the course of the meeting. Thank you. Please rise or remain standing for the reciting of the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Agenda item 4.04. Can I get a motion to adopt the school board business meeting agenda? >> I move a >> motion that we adopt the business um agenda meeting for the school board of Northol.

099>> Miss War Buffalo, would you like to second the motion? >> I second. >> Mr. In has brought forth a motion and Miss Moore Buffalo has seconded the motion. Is there any discussion? Miss Tanner, please call the role. >> I inch >> I. >> Martin I. TSON. >> Hi, >> Thomas. >> Hi, >> Kellogger. >> I >> agenda item 4.05, school board clerk's report with Miss Tanner. >> Chairwoman Daligerro and board members. We have three students with us here today to provide their literary readings. First, we have Remma H. There you go. Thank you. Takes the team. um who's a second grader at Sherbrook Forest and Savannah Shannon. And Savannah, there you go. Who's a third grader at Larchmont and then we have Olivia Thrasher who's a fifth grader. Where are you? There you go.

100Um but first, Lisa Nash is going to come forward and introduce our students and their literary uh readings tonight. All right. Good evening, Madame Chairperson, uh, Dalagerro, Vice Chair Thomas, and other members of the school board, and Dr. Pole. My name is Lisa Nash, the senior coordinator of elementary English for Northfor public schools. And it's my absolute pleasure to be here with you tonight to introduce several of our talented young authors this evening. These students represent the thoughtful and creative writing happening every day throughout our highquality literacy curriculum, Benchmark Advance, that takes place in Norfolk Public Schools. Our first student, as you heard, Reema Be Chong, is a second grader from Sherwood Forest Elementary School in Miss Clevenger's class. Her piece titled Smoke Jumpers connects to the unit Government at Work and describes the bravery

101of firefighters who parachute into wildfires. Remma reminds us that even our youngest learners can connect civic ideas to real world heroes, and she does that with confidence and heart. You'll see in just a minute. Next, we'll hear from Savannah Shannon, our third grader from Larchmont Elementary School in Miss Mthani's class. Savannah's informative essay, Fur explains how animals use their fur to survive. Her writing shows how students are learning to pull facts from both print and digital sources and turn them into clear and engaging explanations of scientific ideas. This is happening in third grade. Finally, we have Olivia Thrasher, a fifth grader from James Monroe Elementary School. Olivia selected a piece from her literacy portfolio. Uh it's a story she con constructed last spring during unit seven of fourth grade. As a part of our writing

102portfolio process, students collect their work throughout each quarter and with teacher guidance choose three of their best writings to score and include into their writing portfolio. These collections serve as a record of progress and a powerful tool for reflection and growth. Olivia's historical fiction story, The Yellow of 1853, transports readers back to the time of Yellow Fever. Through vivid details and emotions, she shows how young writers can bring history to life through their imagination and craft. Each of these students reflects the creativity, skill, and confidence we aim to build through strong literacy instruction. So, please join me in welcoming each of these young authors tonight as they share their original writings with us. So, we'll start with Remma. >> I say >> you're going to read your paper. >> Okay. You can put it there

103or you can hold it. >> Milk jumpers work for the US government. They fight fires and rough terrain. To get to this land, they have to parachute from planes. They wear special gear including helmets with masks and fireproof suits. They also need to carry a heavy load. The equipment can be very heavy. These are some facts about smoke jumpers. [applause] Next we have Savannah. Animals use different coverings to help them survive. One of the coverings is fur. Fur is something soft like hair that completely covers an animal's body. One of the animals that uses fur is a polar bear. Another animal that uses fur is a camel. Polar bears use fur to do many things. One way is to get their food. According to facts about fur, polar bears use their white fur to catch

104their prey, a seal. Polar bears have see-through fur and black skin that absorb the sun to keep it warm. The god layer acts as a raincoat. So when they are swimming, they keep the warmth. Then that is how polar bears use fur. Camels are another animal that use fur. They have sand color fur that helps them blend in with the sand so they are not eaten by the gray wolf. A camel's fur reflects the sun to keep cool. That way the camel doesn't burn. That is how camels use fur. Polar bears and camels are only two animals that use fur. There are many other animals that do too. No matter if it's a polar bear or a camel for is always important to an animal survival. [applause] Finally, we have Olivia. Good height for you.

105The Yellow of 1853. It was just a new morning when I heard mom yell, "What's Carlos Finley?" "Him, I thought he's a crazy old man." To figure it out, I went downstairs. My feet slammed against the hot, dry stairs. I felt the hot July winds. When I got downstairs, I heard mom say, "Well, I guess he's dead." "Yay," I said. Then I saw my friend's dog. He was in a black carriage next to Carlos Finley. They were both dead. A few days later, my muscles were hurting. Then the lights went out. After a while, I was in bed. I used the best of my ability to look at my arm. It was yellow. It was clear. I had yellow fever. [snorts] It was freezing even though it was July. Then I heard a wagon caller

106and she said, "Bring your dead." I was glad I was not dead. After four days of vomiting, loss of appetite, painful yellow eyes, and skin, I started to feel better. After two days, I was fine. Thankfully, my parents were fine, too. Later, mom was sewing and dad was at work. I was not at school. You might think, "Yay, it's not. I did my seven chores. I didn't know what to do." Then mom yelled, "I have a surprise." Dad was home. He said, "We're moving." Then the governor said, "Come. We we came in. There was a beautiful doll for me. I went to show my friends, but she was at the But she was at the apothecary. She was really sick. But the sick girl had red hair. My friends had brown. She burst in. She

107was not sick. That must have been someone else. I hope that other girl is okay. Time for bed. I told my grandchildren. I had told them a story of when I was little. in 1853, the time of yellow fever. [applause] >> That concludes our literary readings. All the families that supported [applause] >> Oh, the voice variety. >> Yes. Thank you. >> Thank you. Oh, can we get a quick picture with the three girls and Miss Nash >> over there? >> Oh, well, matter of fact, it's up to Sarah. You can >> Yeah. Y'all tighten up just a little bit on the Yeah, y'all go closer. >> Here you go. And I'd like our schoolboard members to remain at the podium. [applause] Doc, if the school board members and uh Dr. Paul, if you all could

108stay at the podium there, we have a special recognition. Board members, remain at the podium. We have a special recognition. Uh tonight we would like to thank Jason for his 10 months. Um it has been great to get to know a millennial. Um and I wish and I'm sure the rest of the school board wish for you nothing but uh relaxation, good times, and a vacation in your future. >> Yes. >> [applause] >> Take a picture with the Should we take a picture quickly with the board? Jason, right? >> Okay. >> [applause] >> service. Miss Tanner, did that conclude your report? >> Yes, that concludes my report. >> Agenda item 4.06, the superintendent's report. Dr. Paul. >> Thank you. Good evening everybody. Madam Chair de Calierro, Vice Chair Thomas, members of the board, guests joining

109us both here in the room as well as online. It's my pleasure to present this month's superintendent report showcasing the many outstanding initiatives taking uh taking place throughout Norvok public schools. From supporting students as they transition from high school to higher education with a college fair to implementing innovative instructional practices to celebrating National Read allowed to a child week and engaging in community events that strengthen our families across the city. This month's report highlights the creativity, collaboration, and commitment that define our division. So, Channel 47, please roll the footage. >> [music] >> Approximately 80 colleges and universities were on hand for the annual Tidewater Postsecary Fair at Virginia Wesleyan University. This event gives hundreds of juniors and seniors from all five of our high schools the opportunity to talk directly with representatives from these institutions

110of higher learning. The ultimate goal is to make it easier for students to figure out the best path for them after graduation from high school. >> It is so important for students to have this opportunity because they have to know about options. They have to know they have more than one options and there are many universities and colleges that are a good fit for them. They just need to know about them. >> I just really came to get some information. I want to be a vet so probably major in biology or animal science. So, just looking at some colleges that weren't really on my radar at first, but now I'm definitely going to give them a chance. Got, you know, to talk to them about what I personally have, like, you know, GPA, SAT, all

111of that. Seeing how I fit into them schools, so I'm pretty confident at some schools I picked out. So, yeah, >> I felt great about this. Um, it really like encouraged me to go to college. Wasn't really feeling at first, but these colleges seemed like fun, you know, exciting, and I'm kind of really excited to start the new school year next year. Students from Southside STEM Academy at Campastella took a trip to I Fly and it had them soaring. >> We are here with our STEM students and our honor students. And we're here because this is part of their program at STEM Academy. It involves um science, technology, engineer, and mathematics. And so today, the students have been engaged in activities that have incorporated all four of those. These middle schoolers enjoyed their experience even

112if they had some trepidation. >> It felt terrifying for like you know for like a bit but then when I remained control and followed uh the person who was instructing uh his instructions um it was it was really good for me. >> I felt a little nervous but I closed my eyes and thought of something relaxing so I could so I wouldn't feel more as shaky as I was in the tunnel before I went into the tunnel. Students also received a lesson on how STEM is applied and used at iFly and in other careers. Field trips like these can help stoke passions within. >> I do love STEM. It's a super fun subject because I get to learn how to solve problems every day for for helping the world. >> Norfolk Public Schools joined a

113nationwide initiative for read aloud to a child week. >> This year's theme was purposeful acts of kindness. district personnel as well as community members visited our schools to read to our students. Some reasons why reading aloud helps our children. It builds vocabulary and strengthens language skills as well as help children focus and understand stories better. Samson Saucer, a Norview High graduate and mixed martial arts fighter, jumped at the chance to read at Graanby Elementary. >> I think it's important to give back to your community. As someone who grew up here, I remember when uh college athletes would come do that when I was in elementary school. So, it was cool to get the opportunity to do it myself. The athletes in my area when I was growing up who came and read to me, I'm

114doing it for those kids. So, hopefully some of those kids grow up to be athletes or, you know, politicians or doctors and they do the same thing. >> A perfect fall morning was the setting for Taylor Elementary's annual fun run. The run, which raises funds for the school, got every student involved in running throughout the closed off neighborhood around the building. By the day of the event, over $20,000 had been raised to support the students and staff at Taylor. This year, we are raising money for um specifically an outdoor classroom kind of to revitalize a little bit to go along with some new playground equipment. The whole purpose is to build a sense of community, and that's really what this school is about. >> Even though the fun run helps provide resources for the school,

115it doesn't hurt that students enjoy the challenge of finishing the course and celebrating with their friends at the end. I like the running like the most pacing yourself and you don't have to get first place. It's not about winning. It's just about having fun and everything. I mean, maybe I was in the top 10, but I just had fun and did my best. >> Old Dominion University partnered with Norfol Public Schools to help our families overcome food insecurity. Since 2021, Monarchs Give Back has raised and donated food to our schools, and this year's total exceeds 100,000 items. Also new for this year were ODU volunteers in our equity and excellence learning centers packing the bags to be distributed which was a fantastic experience for all those involved. >> That's the thing is special about it

116to be able to pack the bags and be able to know that these are going directly to families in need and the focus is to be able to feed a family of six. And so knowing that you're able to do something to help these families is something that warms my heart and something that we're committed to as a Monarch Nation. Later in the week, there was a huge event at Old Dominion, which showcased Mory High School's marching band [music] and celebrated this amazing partnership that means so much to our students and families. >> You know what? Our families were excited. Our staff was excited. We were so grateful for the food, the contribution. I'm so excited to be a part of this partnership and I'm looking forward to uh working with Old Dominion University in

117the future. >> Unity Day was recognized across Norfolk Public Schools as staff and students wore orange and schools received special visits from Billy the Bully Buster. Throughout the month of October, which is National Bullying Prevention Month, schools focused on ways to create unity, including a unique symposium at Norview Middle School, that focused on what bullying looks like and effective ways to stop it. One of the biggest goals of this activity was to get students to understand the power of peer support. >> A lot of times kids feel as though they don't have support in schools from their peers. So they shy away from things and they don't have the encouragement to do things and they are more so um prevalent to care about what society feels. So if we're all picking each other up, supporting

118one another, then that's the most important thing that I think I want the kids to get from this. For complete video stories and more divisionwide information about Norfolk Public Schools, visit the NPS website and check out our YouTube channel, Facebook page, Instagram, and NPS newsletter. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. That concludes my report. >> Move on to agenda item 4.07, citizens comments. Miss Tanner, do we have speakers for this evening? >> For this agenda item, we do not, just for the public hearings. >> All right. Thank you. Moving on to agenda item 4.08, approval of the consent agenda. Can I get a motion to adopt the consent agenda? >> I move that we approve the consent agenda as presented. >> Second. >> The motion's brought been brought forth by Miss Moore Buffalo and seconded by

119Dr. Martin. Is there any discussion? >> Okay. Miss Tanner, please call the role. >> I Buffalo. I >> inch >> I >> Martin >> I >> Foulson >> I >> Thomas >> Daliro >> I >> next we move on to agenda item 6.01 the monthly financial report with Mr. Anthony Starks Good evening, Madame Chair and members of the board. Tonight, we'll provide a brief update of division's financial position as of October 31st, 2025, followed by a short update on federal and state grants. wants to assist you with lifting up the lever so it won't be so low. Look right there. The white button. There you go. Okay. As of 31 October, total revenues stand at 141.3 million, which represents about 30% of our annual budget, while total expenditures and incumbrances are 151.2 million or 32%

120of our budget. The temporary difference of about 9.9 million reflects delays in state and city dispersements which will be balanced later in the fiscal year. State revenues received 62 million. City funds received 55 million. Federal revenue 1.4 million. 22.4 million from prior commitments. At this time, our overall financial performance aligns with seasonal expectations and past year trends, grants. In addition to our operating funds, the division manages about 144 million in federal and state grants. As of September 30th, 84.4 million or about 58% has been spent or encumbered. Most of these funds are tied to core instructional and student support. Some key highlights. Title one and idea grants are being used on schedule to support instruction and special education. Our Perkins and career and technical education funds are fully expended and all NN all in Virginia

121and school construction assistant grants are and funding have been recovered along with capital projects. Overall, our finances and grant performance remain strong and on track. We will continue monitoring revenues and expenditures and compliance closely bring forward figures in next month's report. >> Chair, I'm happy at this time to answer any questions. >> There questions from the board. >> Miss the scene. >> Thank you very much. Um related to the grants, are we are we seeing or uh anticipating any delays in the release of any of the funds? >> No, not not at this time. >> We're actually on track on grants and we're actually this year um Dr. Paul has director we have a real intense focus on grant management and expenditures and working with grant grant managers. So we're we're on target for grants

122at this time. And then related to the um the standard monthly financial report um so if I understand so our expenditures currently exceed the revenues that we've uh received so far correct >> everything what we anticipate is as we collect more funds from state and south so we're where we we project it to be at this point. >> Okay. And speaking of which, have we received the uh fall estimate from the city in terms of our shared revenue? >> We've been talking to them and they don't have the final numbers. We've actually talked to them last week and we stay in constant communication with them. One of the things that is going on in the city side, the person that performed that work is actually has retired and so there's a new person that's working

123with anticipate what you'll November you'll see an update to that. >> Further questions. Um yes. So on um age I'm sorry look at oh they're not numbered. Um, under salaries and for nonlea salaries and wages, I noticed that was considerably higher than usual. Is that is there an explanation for for that under the nonlea? Um, >> I don't have an answer for you at this time, but I will I'll get one to you all. >> Okay. Th Thank you very much. That was it for my questions. further. Thank you. >> Can I get a motion to adopt the monthly financial report subject to audit? >> I move that we approve the monthly financial report subject to audit. >> A second. >> Miss Moore Buffalo has brought forth a motion and Mr. has seconded the motion.

124Is there any further discussion? Miss Tanner, please call the role. >> Bassine, >> I. >> Buffalo, >> I >> Martin, >> I. >> Olson, >> I. >> Thomas, >> I. >> Kellerro, >> I. Motion is approved. >> Now we'll move on to our public hearings. We will hold two public hearings. The first on the school year 27 budget and the second on the schoolboard compensation. So, Miss Tanner, do we have speakers for the school year school year 27 budget hearing? >> Madame Chair, we have double check seven speakers. >> Okay, hold on. Okay, our first speaker is Kathy O'Hara. Good evening, school board members. My name is Kathy O'Hara. I do not have children in Norfol public schools, yet I have been a longtime advocate for adequate city funding of the school system. Typically, a

125budget public hearing tends to focus on the operating budget. However, my remarks will center on the capital improvement budget, which for most of the last 14 years has been chronically underfunded. From 2013 to 2020, the city funded school maintenance annually in the 2 to6 million range, with the most frequent allocation hovering at around $3 million. Considering Norfolk's more than 50 schools, that funding level was quite frankly pathetic. From 2021 through 2025, school maintenance funding improved, largely paid for through federal funding during the COVID years. In fact, in 2022, it reached a respectable $26.7 million. But when CO monies went away, CIP funding once again dropped precipitously. It is now a poultry $3.95 million for this fiscal year. Think about it. A roof replacement for one of your high schools cost more than twice that amount.

126The school board cannot let that pitiful funding level stand. You must be more assertive with city council, your funding partner. I implore you, please consider using three important strategies. First, develop a capital budget that truly reflects pressing maintenance needs. Do not let city leadership present you with an arbitrary funding target. You are in charge of developing a school CIP, not city council. Second, advocate for full funding for your budget of needs. Make the case with data, photographs, even school tours if you have to because seeing is believing. In the past, various iterations of the school board sent proposed CIPs over to city council and just let the chips fall where they may. And we've all seen the end result of that passive approach, crumbling schools. Finally, negotiate to ensure that when the board closes its

127planned nine schools, the funds from any sale, rental, or use of those buildings is allocated for school maintenance. This negotiation can't be left to just staffed. It must be done at the political level because it will require a vote. Chair de Caligerro, please reach out to the mayor to schedule this crucial conversation for if the school board misses this opportunity. Modernization will remain an insurmountable challenge and sadly it is children who will pay the price for any inaction on the board's part. Thank you for hearing me out. Next, we have Vicky Greco. >> Good evening, Dr. Doligerro, Miss Thomas, schoolboard members, and student board representatives, Dr. Paul, and fellow stakeholders, notably our newly elected W3 representative, Miss Slaughter. Congratulations to you and also sincere thanks to our outgoing board appointee, Mr. Ing, for his service

128to our students and schools. I'll just go ahead and give thanks now for our entire governance team because of your continuous work for continuous improvement for student learning and achievement. That's edges speak for doing your jobs every day to make sure every kid in every one of our schools know they belong in school. They can learn and grow and be successful because of their NPS education. So big thanks, big job, big responsibility. My name is Vicki Manugo Greco and I'm Norfol public schools proud. I'm allin as an NPS alum, parent of three NPS grads, former special educator and volunteer. I'm also a founding member of the local social and economic policy coalition, Norfick Vision Now, and supporter of its newly launched public school strong advocacy project. Other supporters of Norfol P uh Vision Now and

129Public School Strong here tonight, please feel free to stand briefly and be recognized. Over the past decade, I've watched the different boards in action to be better informed. I've volunteered on advisory committees and task forces to do what I can to give back to NPS. I've pushed for equitable investment of the human and financial resources needed by each of our schools. So, so that all our students, staff, and our NPS community can continue to work together towards the excellent schools every NPS learner deserves and that our city must prioritize in intention and care, funding and investment, and intentional data-driven strategic planning planning, especially with our city council. So big picture tonight. I respectfully ask that any budget that the board considers, deliberates, and eventually adopts is aligned with your board goals so that these goals

130can be met. That 100% of our schools are accredited by 2028. Increased numbers of third graders reading on grade level. so reading proficiency rates for our black students will increase to at least 75% by June 2027 along with closing gaps that measure student success for our kids who fall in the most vulnerable subgroups and finally that there are more NPS graduates receiving advanced studies diplomas like I did in the last century that this big number of high achieving NPS graduates meets or exceeds the state average by the end of school year 2627 clearly the board that the people we elect speaks as an independent governing team working on our behalf with its public goals, priorities, and non-negotiables. But the board speaks more loudly with the meaningful budget it approves and will submit to city council

131by April 1st to more effectively support the daily work of our students, teachers, and staff towards these goals of equitable instruction and achievement, literacy and graduation, and career college and civic readiness. Thank you for listening and asking and listening again to members of our NPS community for the budget needs and priorities they share tonight and at future budget public hearings next year. Thank you, Nick Green. Good evening, chair, members of the board, superintendent, and community. My name is Nick Green. I am a teacher and parent in Northfor public schools and a proud advocate for our students and staff. I am also a member of EAN, which is a partner of Norfol Vision Now and Public School Strong. Tonight, I want to be clear. This budget needs to make the city of Norfolk put its money

132where its mouth is. theater city leadership asked this asked this board to make the hard choices to consolidate to close schools to rightsize the division. You did that. You delivered a facilities plan that reflects the reality we're facing. But now it's time for the city to do its part. We have school buildings across the city in dire condition that are not a part of any rebuild or renovation plan. According to the consultants report this spring, more than half of NPS buildings have a facility condition index over 50, meaning the cost to repair them is more than half the cost of replacing them. All five of our middle schools fall into that category. That is not maintenance backlog. That is neglect. Teachers, students, and families are doing everything they can to make these buildings feel like

133home. But no amount of pride or school spirit can fix crumbling infrastructure. Essentially, thoughts and prayers don't always work for air conditioning and heat. So, as this board crafts this budget, I'm asking you to build it in a way that calls the city to the table. Boldly, unapologetically create a budget that tells Norfolk's leadership, if you want school, strong schools, fund them like it. Because we've made the hard choices, now the city needs to make the right ones. Thank you, [applause] Zoe St. Andre or Andre. [clears throat] >> Hi, my name is Zoe San Andre. I'm a freshman at Graanby High School. Last year, I was a student body president at Northside Middle School. I'm here tonight to talk about what I think really matters for students in Northol. I'm also a sped student. I

134have ADHD and a learning disability. So, I know what it feels like to need extra support, but I also know what it feels like when teachers believe in help you find good for me. >> Excuse me. Can you move your microphone closer so we can hear you better, please? >> Mr. Take this microphone and put it up there. Less one. on you. >> The little one. >> Appreciate you. >> And then would you reset the timer? [laughter] >> You're doing awesome. You're doing good. >> Hi, my name is Zoe San Andre. I'm a freshman at Graanby High School and last year I was the student body president at Northside Middle School. I'm here tonight to talk about what I think really matters for students in Norfol. I'm also a SPED student. I have ADHD and

135a learning disability. Extra support. But I also know what it feels like when teachers believe in you good at. For me, that's always been arts. Banned especially band. I really want this budget to show that arts really matter just as much as any other subject. Our arts, band, and theater teachers give so much of themselves and to make those programs work. I've seen teachers pay for paints, and costume pieces out of their own pockets just so students can have what they need. This shouldn't be normal. When teachers are spending their own personal money to make sure have the materials, it means the system is not doing their part. Art, tech, creativity, teamwork, and confidence, things that can't be learned from textbooks. They're not extras. They're essential. So, I'm asking to make art a priority in

136this budget and not an afterthought. Support the teachers who are keeping these programs alive and make sure students have the supplies and opportunities to express themselves. We invest in the arts. We invest in the heart of our school. Thank you for listening and and for believing. Thank you. [applause] >> Thank you, Zarya Wilkerson. [clears throat] Hi, my name is Zarya Wilkerson and I am an eighth grader at North Side Middle School. When I heard students could speak about the budget, I didn't just want to share my own opinion. I actually talked with my classmates, parents, and teachers to find out what they think our schools really need. One big thing that kept coming up was technology. At North Side, most of our core teachers like English, math, science, and history have Chromebook carts in their

137rooms. But not every teacher does, and sometimes there aren't enough devices for every student. When that happens, we have to share or wait to finish our work, which slows everyone down. And when it comes to elective classes, it's even harder. Unless it's a class that already has a lab, like computer science, most electives don't have any Chromebooks at all. That means many students many students miss out on technology for art, music, and other creative classes. Some of my teachers told me that in other schools a Chromebook cart might be shared between multiple teachers, which makes it really tough to plan using technology. So when I talk about needing onetoone technology, I don't mean handing every student a Chromebook. We mean making sure every classroom and every teacher has enough for their students in each subject.

138Technology shouldn't be dependent on one class. Well, no matter what class you're in, another big thing people mention was how our schools look and feel. A lot of us notice that the paint is old or chipped, and that kind of environment doesn't inspire you to do your best. A fresh coat of paint could make a huge different, but we could also make it something students are a part of, like designing and painting murals that show pride and creativity. It would also give more support to our art teachers and art programs which often don't get enough funding or attention. When students have tools to learn in a space that feels bright and care cared for, we do better. We take more pride in our school. That's what this budget should help happen. equal access to technology,

139updated buildings, and making changes for students to be a part of improving our schools. Thank you for listening and for giving students a voice in this process. [applause] Patrick Barry. >> Good evening, chair, members of the board, and and superintendent. I'm Patrick Barry, vice president of the Education Association of Norphick. When we asked our members what they wanted to see in the next year's budget, the message came through loud and clear. Invest in the people who make our schools work. First and foremost, pay. Educators and support staff alike are asking for meaningful raises, not just to keep pace with inflation, but to recognize the value of their work. That means increasing pay for paraprofessionals and ESPs. protecting us from the rising health care costs and ensuring professional development and graining days are paid time, not

140unpaid labor. Our members also made it clear that mental health can't be an afterthought. Students need more supports and staff need collaboration time built into the school day to make the those supports real. We can't keep telling teachers to take care of students emotional needs without giving them the time, team, and resources to do it. We heard over and over about the need for tools and working conditions that match the job being a we're being asked to do. that includes updated Chromebooks and technology for both students and staff, classroom furniture that aren't decades old, and basic things like reliable heat and clean carpets. One teacher said simply, "Gut and update North Side." That sums it up. Some of our buildings need more than a coat of paint. They need an investment. And finally, our members

141are asking for real staffing and scheduling fixes. Stop assigning classes and programs we aren't able to staff. If the district is changing schedules or resoning, it must be done with equity and workload in mind. This isn't a wish list. It's a roadmap to stability. When we invest in the workforce, we retain good people. When we retain good people, our students win. On behalf of the Education Association of Norphick, I urge you to make this budget a budget that honors and prioritizes the work, the people, and the promise for public education in Norphick. Thank you. >> Thank [applause] you, Mary Anna White. Good evening, Dr. Paul, Chairwoman De Caligerro, Vice Chair Thomas, and all the fine members of the school board. I'm Mariana White. I'm a teacher at Graanby High School, proud member of the EAN,

142and a partner of Public School Strong. Students deserve an excellent foundation. In addition to the important variety of the arts and world languages to develop a well-rounded student, we need to make sure that we give the students a strong foundation in literacy from the beginning. This means hiring extra teachers to work with small groups from kindergarten through 2 grade. Since the state is now mandating literacy testing through 8th grade, however, we need to pay for more professional development for middle school teachers across the curriculum to build students vocabulary, grammar, and critical thinking skills. We need reading interventionists right through middle school to take some of the burden off the regular English teachers. While massive funding should be focused on grades K through 12 to set up a strong foundation for literacy, more funding should be

143added throughout the years. We also need to continue to add funding for counselors and training for regular teachers to help with mediation and self-regulation. Thank you so much for listening and for considering our concerns. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Madame Chair, this concludes our speakers for this public hearing on the budget. We will now hold a public hearing on school board compensation. Uh, Miss Tanner, please call the names of the speakers. >> First speaker is Kenan Baskerville. [clears throat] Oh, you have three. Good evening, school board members and uh interim superintendent Dr. Pole. I'm Kenan Baskerville. I am a community organizer with New Virginia Majority in coalition with Norfolk Vision Now and Public School Strong. For those of you who are here here with us today, would you please stand? First and

144foremost, uh I want to thank you all for the assistance with helping Jay Cox over the summer uh get before school program. Unfortunately, uh I've come here today to ask you again about a before school program. The reason being is that we will we would like a before school program to be more accessible either through uh EELC funds or programming or through subsidizing the program. Reason being that Champions uh is inaccessible to parents because of the price price tag. It's about $65 a week for the morning and afternoon to do three to five days. Uh for two to three days, it's about $45 a week in the morning and if and in the afternoon if you decide to do both. Uh parents have told me repeatedly that this is still inaccessible to them. It is

145great that we have the program. However, they would like more. And I've had a chance to talk with teachers as well. They've also uh suggested the same things that the program is nice to have in the school, but it is inaccessible for our families. Now I know that some of you may say well they do provide some vouchers. That is correct. There is a limited quantity for our school. We have about 700 students. I'll do the math. So I came here today to suggest that that we we do something to help fill in that gap. Especially since Jay Cox is an EELC school. we could focus on something that could enhance student outcomes. According to the stu to the uh school quality reports, Jay Cox uh from the 2024 to 2025 school year is behind

146on all school school assessments. That's reading, math, uh science. I I I literally just checked for for 2024 2025 school year. [snorts] Basically, if we could work together to find something that's a little bit more accessible for for the parents and maybe prime children's minds for the rest of the school day, I think that's a win-win situation going into the next school year. Thank you. >> The next speaker is Elise McMath. >> [clears throat] >> Good evening members of the school board. Superintendent Paul. Um, Miss Tanner, we are still commenting on the budget just as >> Okay, you guys must have signed up in the wrong section. >> Okay, great. Well, thankfully we're first so you can just So we're I will build on what Kenan said. I don't need to be a dead horse

147with what we're asking for is some funding to make the program accessible to all students. Uh I did want to just provide some background for the folks on the board who might be new to our campaign as well as people here today. Uh when I joined New Virginia Majority, it was almost three years ago and we have a public education campaign here in the city of Norphick. And what we originally were lobbying for to the school board was a community school framework. Now, after about a year of organizing for that and coming to you all with a co coalition of supporters, what we got from the administration was the EELC program. Now, that was being piloted at four schools. And so what we did at a grassroots level because uh the reason why we advocated

148for that program was that we know it's tried and true. It works across the country. There's a recipe for success though. And so part of the recipe, the first step in the recipe is a needs assessment. And so we weren't seeing that needs assessment being conducted. What we did was we went to Jay Cox and we did that needs assessment oursel. Then we came to the school board last year, this time, same same deal around the budget and we had to ask for before care and after care and we were so happy to have the uh champions program brought to Jay Cox. That was incredible. We also are hearing great things about the EELC program in general. It's a lot of academic enrichment opportunities. A lot of families are loving it. The teachers are loving

149it. I mean, Jay Cox is really blessed to have great leadership coming in with Dr. Williams as well as a lot of really passionate teachers who who make it work at the end of the day. So what we're hearing though is like champions the EELC as well, you know, it's it's accessible to certain students. It's not accessible to those students that we that we're really advocating for. We are trying to get at the root cause of why enrollment is going down in the city of Norphick, right? And that comes back to poverty. And so the idea and and all the things that come from poverty. So the idea with the community school framework is that you try to offset some of those socioeconomic issues. We identified that child care was the biggest one. And so

150now we're hearing that the people who need that child care the most are not able to access it. And so our budgetary ask is that the school board send that priority to the administration that we can get some funding to offset the cost and that the people who need it most can benefit from it. Thank you very much. Kate Powell. >> Good evening, members of the school board. Um, Superintendent Paul, thank you so much for having me here today. Um I am here to actually discuss the school board member compensation um plan resolution that you all um have proposed. Um mostly driven by an interesting headline that 13 News Now put out today. Norfick school board considering over 700% salary increase for board members. Um, and I wanted to address this because I feel like

151it's very easy to create a headline um, and avoid some of the more nuanced uh, parts of these conversations. Um, especially because this article tied uh, y'all's resolution to the consolidation plan. And I want to remind everybody that the consolidation plan is in the order of millions while your compensation plan is a $177,000 a year outlay if I am not mistaken. So, we are not talking about apples and oranges necessarily. I also want to point out that our district is relatively large. Um, certainly not the largest in the country, but relatively so. Um, and in spite of declining enrollment, still serves about 26,000 students a year, making your positions a difficult one and akin to [clears throat] probably a full-time job. Um, it is also a district primarily made up of students of color, which

152I bring up this demographic because schoolboard member service as as well as being a job is also um supposed to be something that is representative of the district at large. And the only way that can be done is if there are steps towards equity, which I believe this compensation plan is one of those steps. A report in 2022 examining schoolboard member challenges found that as in u me challenges with members remaining in their post found that members of color were twice as likely to site unpaid or underpayment as a concern as well as a need uh to focus on competing professional responsibilities which makes sense if you are uncomp under unc uncompensated or undercompensated you naturally need other professional avenues. Um, creating this financial conflict jeopardizes a representative a representative school board of the student

153body. The Brookings Institution also hypothesizes that lower income candidates may also be barred from serving without appropriate compensation. Now, I'll confess I had difficulty putting this data together because this is a vastly underresarched topic. So, I would suggest just suggest not command or demand that the school board bring together more data related to this topic. Um, I happen to know that the ODU School of Public Service right in your backyard has amazing research uh, resources at probably your disposal for the asking. Um, in order to make these decisions as data driven as possible, especially when possible um, criticisms or concerns arise driven by headlines such as these. Um, while it is my gut that this is indeed an excellent and certainly reasonable step towards equity, I believe bringing in more hard data into this conversation

154would behoove us all. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> This concludes our speakers for this evening. >> Agenda item 7.03. We have a motion to enter into closed executive session. >> I move that we go into close executive session. >> I second. Uh, Miss Moore Buffalo has brought forth the motion and Mr. Ing has seconded the motion. Is there any discussion? >> Miss Tanner, please read the motion. Move that the members of the school board of the city of Norfolk go into a closed meeting for the purposes which are set out in subsection A of section 2.2-3711 2-3711 of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act as amended for discussion and consideration of disciplinary matters concerning specific students that will involve the disclosure of information contained in a scholastic record pursuant to subsection 2.2-3711A2 of the

155act. The subject covered by this exemption is the discussion and determination of one or more specific student disciplinary cases, council taken with consultation with legal counsel and briefing by staff members pertaining to actual or probable litigation or regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by council pursuant to subsections 2.2-3711 A78 of the act. The subject covered by this exemption is consultation and briefing in connection with the matter set above in subsection A of this motion. Bine >> I >> Buffalo >> I >> Martin >> I >> Pollson >> I >> Thomas >> Caligerro >> I