001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> That was an aggressive hammer. I apologize for that. >> [laughter] >> Good evening. Welcome to Rockingham County School Board meeting. Um we'll begin this evening's uh meeting with a moment of silence. If you'd like to join us, please. >> Thank you. We'll now stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. At this time, we will hear comments from the public. We have four speakers who have signed up to speak tonight. Just to quickly review the um the procedure for public comments. Each speaker is recognized in the order listed on our sign-up sheet, limited to 3 minutes. There'll be a chime or some kind of a sound that will ring when you have 30 seconds remaining. Um speakers should be respectful of others, set good examples for our students. All comments should be directed
002to the school board as a whole, not to individual school board members, the superintendent, staff members, students, or the audience. Debate is prohibited. Um and I think with that, we'll begin. If you could be ready in the order that you signed up, we have I apologize if I mispronounced your name. You're free to correct me when you get up here to the microphone. Renato Roncal is first and then followed by Maribel Ramirez. >> Come on up to the microphone. I think the the red means it's on. So. >> [clears throat] >> Um I just wanted to ask, uh I have like somebody who is part of our family. I'm Bernardo Oh, sorry. I'm one of the family education specialist with the Shenandoah Valley Migrant Education Program. >> Okay. >> Um Maribel, who is one of
003the family members that I invited here, uh she will need somebody to help uh translate or interpret. I could do that for her um when she comes and like to speak or >> If you're comfortable with that, if she's comfortable with that, yes, that's fine. >> Okay. >> Yep. So, if you want to wait for It's up to you if you want to take a seat and wait for your 3 minutes or is that part of what you're doing? >> Uh I would just like be presenting like part of like my commentary and then like >> And then she'll have 3 minutes separate. That's fine. Okay. >> Uh I just like first uh want to like address like for the board for like how important uh I've heard about uh the EL program. Um our
004program for the Shenandoah Valley Migrant Education Program uh helps so many of just arriving migrant like students like in the area and the county of Rockingham. We have about over 15 different families that we help serve in the community actively uh ranging between a household of four to about seven. Um we think that it's very important to understand the benefits that these EL like programs have for our students, uh why uh this should be something that continues to have like funding and continues to have support in order to make these students not only be prepared for these kind of standardized testings that they don't offer in other languages other than uh English and as well as the fact that uh it doesn't really like set up for them to succeed since they just arrived in
005a new school district, they're getting uh acclimated into the community, they're trying to like manage and figure out ways to get connected with local resources, healthcare providers, uh managing language barriers overall. So, we think that it's something that the board should continue to support and and why it's important for them to succeed because understanding that predominantly like uh the predominantly like white demographic that is the next like uh ethnicity and like race after that does follow along to be last time I saw it was about 20% of the Latino and Hispanic community. So, we have uh done great efforts with the help of Alicia as one of our our CPS uh liaisons which helped us so much with getting connected still with all of the students, making sure we understand what their needs are, how
006we can help them achieve that. We offer tutoring services as one of our big ones that we have with the help of JMU students. Um and so, I also have a family here, uh Maribel, with her son, Edward, in the back, uh who is just an example of why they have gone through not just with us time in the program, but within the EL program as well and how that has supported him uh to where he is like now finishing his first year here at uh Spotswood uh high school. Is this together? >> Yeah. Um Uh my name is Maribel. So, uh uh the program, the EL, is very very important for me and all families because help um my son and >> all the kids. >> Um >> That's all the kids. >> para
007poder este dar el poder entender y poder dar >> To understand and to adapt. And to be able to advance. And I would like for you guys to still consider and supporting [clears throat] the program. Is it done? Okay. [laughter] Yeah, and that's that's really everything I had. Thank you so much. >> Thank you for your comments. Um next up is Ava Breedon and then you'll be followed by Marlon Carr. So Ava, if you would come forward. >> [clears throat] >> Um so over the past week I've emailed and called a lot of the people on this board regarding the issue of recognizing valedictorian throughout the county. Um my name is Ava Breedon and I'm a senior at East Rockingham High School right now and I'm also currently ranked number one in my graduating class.
008Um I'm just here to kind of like make you reconsider the decision. I know I emailed and a lot of people gave reasons why, so I just want to address kind of the response first sent on behalf of the board. Um respectfully while I appreciate the acknowledge acknowledgement of my accomplishments, the central issue kind of was unanswered. Um saying that the top students will be recognized is not really the same as formally recognizing valedictorian or salutatorian. Um those are specific earned distinctions tied to the highest academic standing and the distinction matters. Um the argument also that students needed to know freshman year doesn't really hold up either. Um every student already knows that grades matter. No one accidentally becomes valedictorian. That level of achievement kind of comes from years of discipline, sacrifice, consistency, and sustained
009effort. Um I also do I It was also um put into the email that is an issue of public notice. Um I don't really think that it's truly an issue of public notice. School board meetings are public. Um policy discussions are public. The public has kind of been notified. Um policies are changed when the county believes that it's important enough to make. Um I've also heard the reasoning about concerns that recognizing valedictorian uh discourages students from taking electives after exhausting AP or weighted courses. That also doesn't make sense since GPA is still based on performance. I can kind of speak on this personally. I've taken AP and dual enrollment courses, but I also have elected to take electives or honors courses in place at times and I've still maintained my high GPA being ranked number
010one in the class. Um, Another concern raised that was mentioned was the backlash from parents, too. But avoiding that recognition because it may upset other people isn't really leadership, I guess. RCPS already distinguishes students through challenge, Gulf School athletics, honor societies, scholarships, and academic competitions. So the county already believes exceptional achievement deserves exceptional recognition. And valedictorian and salutatorian aren't just arbitrary titles. They represent the highest academic achievement in a graduating class. And removing that recognition sends the message kind of that extraordinary effort should be treated no differently than ordinary effort. And I'm not asking for something extravagant. I'm not asking to make a long speech, a spotlight, or any like special treatment or anything. I'm just asking for a simple acknowledgement of the valedictorian and salutatorian throughout the county. A brief announcement at graduation or
011a metal stole or some visible distinction recognizing the highest academic standing. That's really just two seconds of recognition for years of hard work. And I don't really think that's unreasonable. And if the concern is truly fairness or impact, I just want to kind of if it was your own kid who was in this position, I feel like a lot of people would agree that the distinction should be formally recognized. As elected officials entrusted with shaping the academic culture of this county, it is kind of your responsibility to uphold the values RCPS claims to promote. Students notice what is celebrated. They notice what is rewarded. And they notice what is ignored. So I urge the board to reconsider this decision for classes 2020 through >> Thank you for your comments. Uh Marlon Carr. >> Ma'am, may
012I present these real brief? Excuse me. I just had a couple concerns I wanted to go over. Um kind of gives you a briefing there in front of you uh what I what I want to discuss or present to you all. First of all, thank you for your time and thank you for the great work you all do as a board. Um about on our bus salaries, it just seems like it's something needs to be addressed as bus driver salaries. Over the last 8 years I presented this concern to the Board of Supervisors and at that time consultant company was hired to kind of make salaries more equitable. I don't feel that we're on the on the level we should be. As you'll see on the first concern, my salary take home was $804.34 31
013cents at the start of the year. Through this year, it's dropped 5% down to 761.26 is my deposit last month. And that's less than 200 a month. That's in today's time, that's that's hard to believe. Uh the previous Governor Youngkin had announced a $1,000 bonus for all school employees. You also notice a paper attached there that shows a miscellaneous deposit into my account of $600. I'm not sure if that was for the $1,000 bonus. If so, I'd wonder where I would like to know where the remainder would have would have been. Then uh Excuse me. >> [clears throat] >> About 3 years ago, I brought this to the school board at the time, the current school board at that time. And uh Chairman Breeden had given all school employees a $1,000 bonus, and that was
014very very um appreciative of him, very nice of him. But, I think salaries need to be looked at, for what we're dealing with on the roads, what what the conditions are out there for for drivers. I've been with the board over 14 years. And it just seems like we're not keeping up with times. And I think it's a concern we need to look at. Otherwise, drivers are going to continue to move on, and you're going to be working with what with what remains. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your comments. That concludes uh public comments. So, at this time, we'll move into our action items. Nope. Sorry, our consent agenda. Board members, tonight we have uh a few things on our consent agenda. Those items include the minutes from April 27th, 2026,
015the minutes from May 6th, 2026, field trips, bus bills and mileage from April 26th, a personnel listing, and I do need one motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. Thank you, Ms. Irons. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Ms. Bourgoin. All those in favor of approving tonight's consent agenda, please say yes. Yes. Yes. All those opposed, say no. Motion passes 4-0. Now, we're ready for action items. >> [clears throat] >> Okay. Tonight, um the first I action item that we have is our superintendent reappointment. So, tonight we will uh consider a motion to reappoint our superintendent Dr. Larry Shifflet to a new 4-year contract. Larry Shifflet is a servant leader who models integrity in every aspect of his work. He has been a steadfast and visionary leader for Rockingham County
016Public Schools, guiding the division with a clear focus on student success and continuous improvement. The board values his leadership and unwavering commitment to our students, staff, families, and community. As superintendent, Dr. Shifflet has remained deeply focused on advancing student outcomes, supporting employees, and strengthening relationships across Rockingham County Public Schools. We are pleased to continue this partnership and look forward to the years ahead with great confidence and anticipation. And at this time, the board will entertain a motion for his appointment. >> I would like to move that the Rockingham County School Board number one, commend and express gratitude to Dr. Larry Shifflet for his excellent work and service to Rockingham County Public Schools as division superintendent. Number two, reappoint Dr. Larry Shifflet as the superintendent of Rockingham County Public Schools. And number three, to authorize the
017chair to execute a contract on behalf of the school board employing Dr. Larry Shifflet in that capacity through June 30th, 2030. >> Thank you, Ms. Burgoyne. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Ms. Cave. Board members, any questions or comments? >> Yeah, thank you. Dr. Shifflet, I think um I I think people at Central Office can attest to this because they see Larry all the time, Dr. Shifflet all the time, and for us who constantly um call him and I always say, "What What are you doing? Where you at?" because I know he is somewhere. He is doing something. He is involved in something. So, um I I really wish that the community could see I don't know if we need a tracking device on him or something for a month, but
018he is everywhere. He is involved in everything. He is at any sporting event he can be at. I don't know that he takes much personal time. So to say that he's dedicated to this district is a complete understatement and I think we are very blessed that he hopefully will agree to stay till 2030. >> So we're going >> I echo the same sentiments and I don't really have anything prepared here tonight, but she when she was talking about putting a tracker on him. I mean I literally have people call me when you come into their building and they're like Dr. Shipley is here. What's going on? I'm like nothing. He is a presence everywhere. Like he he's everywhere all the time and so there's nothing going on and so it's just it's a joy to
019have you in this division and we were just blessed from the beginning and so I appreciate you. Appreciate you taking all of our phone calls and texts at all kinds of hours and yeah. So anyways, thank you very much. >> And I would just add to speak to that as a new board member Larry Dr. Shipley gave up so much of his time to just meet with me independently and guide me in what I could do to be effective immediately. And also you might not get to see this, but he is one of the most thoughtful people to interact with. He's just always doing little kindnesses for people around him and and that from the top down into our division is a really beautiful thing. So thank you Larry. Dr. Shipley. >> Miss Laura was
020unable to be with us here tonight, but she did ask that by would offer her wholehearted consent and approval. She is very excited about this. Um Maybe I should woohoo like her, but she is very excited. She wishes she could be here, but she said that she would absolutely 100% be a yes vote on this tonight. Um With that this Um, we're ready to vote on this motion to reappoint Dr. Schiflett um as our superintendent for another four year for four years. And we thank you for um for your leadership um in our division because you're exactly what we need moving forward. So, we appreciate you um signing on for another four years with us. Board members, um we have a motion to approve. Um all those in favor say yes. Yes. >> Yes. >>
021All those opposed say no. Motion passes 4-0. >> [clears throat] >> Our next action item is a bid recommendation for the Spotswood High School softball concession building brought to us by Mr. Steve Reed. >> Chair Horst, Dr. Schiflett, members of the board, bids for the softball field concession uh building, which includes a press box and a restroom facility, was specified and advertised. We had four firms respond with a sealed bid. Our recommendation is to award the contract to the low bidder, Nielsen Builders Incorporated of Harrisonburg, Virginia, in the amount of $668,300. >> Thank you, Mr. Reed. Dr. Schiflett? >> Chair Horst and board members, I recommend awarding the bid for the softball concession building at Spotswood High School to the lowest bidder as presented by Steve Reed, Director of Maintenance. >> Thank you, Dr. Schiflett.
022Board members, do we have a motion? >> I move. >> There we go. >> Ms. Cave has the the motion. >> Second. >> Thank you for the second, Ms. Bourgoin. Any questions for Mr. Reed? >> I have a question, and it's one I've asked you before, and I think it's important for the public to hear. Can you speak to when I see, you know, the significant cost assessments from different companies of being the lowest bid over $100,000 less, what are what are we comparing here? Like what's the process that are they is one giving us golden you know, outlets >> all bidding on the same set of drawings, same set set of specifications. It's depends on their workload, what their subs are, who their subs are, how what their subs workloads are, um and how
023much profit they want to make. But they're bidding they're bidding on the exact same product end product. >> Thank you. Okay. Dr. Shifflett. No, do we I'm sorry. We just need to vote now. We've we've we've done the motion and we've had a second. I apologize. Uh we have a motion to follow the superintendent's recommendation to award the bid um for the softball concession stand at Spotswood High School to the lowest bidder. All those in favor, please say yes. Yes. All those opposed, say no. Motion passes 4-0. >> Thank you, Mr. Reed. Okay, we have um the next item or our final action item tonight is an appointment of an alternative representative to the Massanutten Regional Governor's School Board of Directors. And um before we get to a motion, Ms. Cave, would you like to
024speak to that and where that's kind of kind of coming from just so people know what we're doing. Ms. Cave is still our representative of that board. Um but I'll let you explain the need for the alternative. >> Uh so we are getting ready to update the constitution and bylaws by which Massanutten Regional Governor's Governor's School operates and uh we're actually getting ready to vote on that in a few days and board members as I put in the email, I forwarded all of those changes to you. There wasn't a whole lot of like legalese in the document. It was fairly straightforward and easy to read. But the one thing that I noticed that I didn't think we were quite in compliance with was having an alternate in case I couldn't go to any of the
025meetings. This is my third year serving on that board and I'm usually available, but I do think that we should just be in compliance appoint that alternate in case something were to come up that I could not be there. So this is where that's coming from. >> Thank you, Ms. Cave. Board members, do we have a motion to appoint someone? >> I would like to move to appoint Mrs. Hillary Irons as the alternate representative to serve on the Governor's School in the absence of Mrs. Holly Cave. >> Thank you, Ms. Berguain. Do we have a second? Second. Thank you, Ms. Cave. Questions or comments? Ms. Irons, do you want the job? Okay. >> [laughter] >> Anything else before we vote? Okay, all those in favor of appointing Ms. Hillary Irons as the alternate representative to
026serve on the Massanutten Regional Governor's Board, please say yes. Yes. All those opposed say no. Motion passes 4-0. That concludes our action items and now we're ready for a few information items this evening. We'll begin with Ms. Donna Abernathy. She's going to be presenting to us on the comprehensive instructional program, not to the CIP, but not to be not to be confused with other CIPs that we have. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Good evening, Chair Hurst, Dr. Sheflott, school board members. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be here tonight and Tammy Stone, our curriculum supervisor of science, is joining me as well. As we our instructional staff along with principals and teachers have been working very closely to make sure that we get this roll out of CIP going in the right direction, which
027we're going to share with you a little bit tonight. So, I'd like to provide a brief overview of what CIP is and why it's important to our instructional work. CIP stands for comprehensive instructional plan and it aligns directly with the division's missions and strategic priorities as it has been shown to improve outcomes for all students through collaboration, instructional alignment, and data-formed practices. All right, Mr. Gillette. Thank you. The other button. Okay, so what is it? So, CIP, it is a public consortium. So, it is a consortium of public school divisions in Virginia. It is not a company or a commercial program. CIP's mission is to improve student success, particularly as measured by our Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments. It is designed for teachers by teachers and the program and assessments continue to evolve annually based
028on teacher feedback and instructional needs. Teacher voice and classroom experience remains central to the process and one of the strengths of the CIP is that it's collaborative, practical, and grounded in classroom experience. So, why CIP? Why do we want to move in this direction? So, uh this chart you'll see is the Virginia Department of Education SOL test data and it highlights the consistent academic success that RCPS has had with students on Virginia SOL assessments over time. Out of the 131 public school divisions in Virginia, we routinely ranked among the top-performing divisions with several years placing in the top 25 statewide. However, over the past decade, RCPS has experienced a gradual decline in statewide SOL rankings, moving from consistently placing in the top 20 to 30 divisions in Virginia to rankings in the 70s and 80s
029in about the last 10 or 11 years. So, this highlights the urgency behind strengthening a comprehensive instructional program. And as rankings have declined over the last 9 to 10 years, it's a clear need that we need to align our instructional practices with high-quality teaching and learning. So, CIP was developed out of a group of Region 7 superintendents and districts who have faced numerous challenges, but have experienced numerous measurable academic successes in their region. That includes highest math SOL scores since 2017, highest science SOL scores since 2018, highest reading score since 2019, and highest overall scores most years since uh 17. And these results are are particularly significant because they were achieved while serving some of the highest need student populations in the state, as you can see the challenges on the left side. So, Region
0307 down Southwest Virginia area is the lowest funded region per student, lowest salaries, highest rate of students in poverty, and the highest rate of students with disabilities. So, that's why these successes are just really um exciting for us to see what they've been able to do um in their population um and what we're excited to do to move into Rockingham County. And this is a map of the 76 districts. So, out of the 131 districts, 76 districts are a part of the CIP consortium. And uh the instructional team created a road map and collaborated with the group of teachers and principals back around mid-April to get feedback on the process and needs to make the CIP roll out successful. So, this is the road map that we have shared with all teachers and community members.
031So, you can see in March So, actually in January, Dr. Hurt, who kind of oversees the CIP program, came to speak to um the entire administrative staff at one of our uh administrative staff meetings. And then in March, we purchased and became a part of the CIP consortium. Um in April, Dr. Shiflett sent out one of his wonderful videos introducing like this is going to be CIP and this is kind of what it's all about uh to kind of prepare folks for it. April 23rd is when the instructional staff met with um principals and teachers to talk about CIP and what does this roll out look like. Uh in May, the instructional leaders released rough pacing guides based on CIP. And the instructional leaders from the committees of teachers uh for detailed the pacing guides.
032So, there's something that we need to do within our um teaching is our pacing guides all have to align. So, whatever is being taught in term one, um like we just need to make sure it's taught in term one and not in term two or three. Everything in this across the division, we need to align all that information to be taught in term one. That's the same way it is in all of our schools across the division. June and August, we'll get started the CIP document development training days for teachers to come in for CIP and Mastery Connect training. So, the the joint the wonderful thing about CIP, we already use Mastery Connect. We've been using that for a number of years and that is the program that uh CIP uses for all of their
033data uh collection and disaggregation already. So, our teachers are very familiar with that already. The start of the school year, the teachers will set up the trackers and benchmark calendar dates will be um inputted and we'll revisit the pacing expectations again. Then at the end of Q1 benchmark, we'll give the benchmark as growth assessments and then we'll have data talks following that first benchmark. And then November to the end of the year, we'll be sharing results with parents. We'll give the rest of the the benchmarks and we certainly will support teachers as we move through that process. So, one of the main resources that CIP provides are benchmarks aligned to the Virginia standards of learning expectations, which is very exciting for us because the benchmarks are already created by teachers. And and so just for
034an example, Miss Stone, while she's standing here, I might be exaggerating a little bit, but I think she made about 20 different benchmarks of a biology SOL cuz everybody's pacing in a different direction. So, when we did benchmarks this year, she created 20 not close. >> 10 or so. Yeah. >> 10 or so. Okay, 20 sounds better. So, I exaggerated a little bit, but 10 or so biology benchmarks because everybody was pacing in a different direction. So, what's so nice is that we have to get our pacing guides in line with the CIP pacing because they all these benchmarks are created for us. They also disaggregate all the data and it's a quick turnaround disaggregation of the data for us as well. The frequency of the benchmarks varies by course and grade level, but you
035can see the breakdown up on your screen per course. The benchmarks provide teachers with actionable data and they are intended to identify the strengths and the instructional gaps early. Our goal is to support instruction and intervention and not just simply test students. So, beyond the benchmark, CIP has additional resources available to teachers including common assessments, instructional resources, and professional development as well. So, based on the April 23rd meeting when we met with principals and teachers about rolling out CIP, we created a plan for the division for all stakeholders and our focus with this process is to provide our teachers and students with meaningful instructional support that lead to continued growth and achievement for all learners. So, at the top part you can see is the internal communication for staff and administrators about pacing guides, expectations,
036the consistent message and using common language and the roles and support. And then the bottom part of that is for parent communication that will be coming from the district level um to make sure parents are properly informed about CIP and benchmark testing and so forth. So, does anyone have any questions about CIP? Board board members? Ms. Irons, do you want to go first? >> Um you referenced um the biology example of teaching in different directions, which I understand might mean something like, you know, I'm teaching about an animal down to the cellular level or the cellular level up to the whole animal. Can you speak to what that does for teacher autonomy or how would you >> adjust that one? So, um teachers can pace within their um they have only one benchmark in biology,
037so they can pace within the semester. Um but it does mean that like they can't necessarily go from small to big if they've always been going from Actually, that's the way we're going is from small to big um instead of big to small. And I actually let the department heads help decide which way we did based on all of our of our data. So. And they knew they've known about that since January. >> Sure. Yes. And then um how does this cause any problems for just sharing resources if everyone's doing the same thing in every time how do they manage that? >> Oh, very good. So, that is one concern and I've been talking with the department heads um recently about getting me a list of supplies they might need to make sure that we
038could align things. Probably the biggest resource would be the microscopes, um, but I think it's something we can work through. Okay. Other board members? Ms. Cave, Ms. Vergoin? >> I just wanted to apologize for my alarm going off. [laughter] I have a kid with, uh, terrible allergies right now and I have a reminder, so I do apologize, ladies. >> Um, my I have a couple of questions. Um, the you said the benchmark tests are being run out of Mastery Connect. They're aligned with the Virginia SOLs. Um, and this I guess the biggest change is just more of a lot an alignment across the division as far as everybody's kind of teaching the same things at the same times, which I think makes sense. Um, especially if you have students who are going to transfer within
039division, that's helpful there. Um, how long do these assessments take each time you give them? On average. I know some some kids can >> Right. >> really, you know, they do a lot of that math mental math in their head and they can be done in 20 minutes, but, um, >> Right. [laughter] >> others can string it out for a while. What's the average time? >> So, um, I [clears throat] can tell you the questions. I haven't actually, um, given the assessments not having my own students, but they have, uh, they're between 25 and 35 questions, so they're actually shorter than the SOL test. >> Yeah. Is that the high Is that high school or is that also elementary? >> It's also elementary. >> All all three 30 questions. Okay. >> 25 to 30. Yes.
040>> That's reasonable. Okay. >> And if this helps a little bit, at this time there's no plan or intention to make this like a big testing day, like when we do >> Right. Just test the kids and move on. >> This is just test in the room. If they receive accommodations for anything else that they do testing-wise, they should receive accommodations on this as well. Um, but it's this is not to reschedule, um, like a big testing day and have schedules all kind of messed up a little bit, so that's important to note. >> Yes. Okay, I don't have anything further. Can I ask one more question? Does this take the place of other tests that we've done and are we is this going to help us reduce testing overall and just be more effective
041and streamline about it or is this an additional test? >> I think that's the hope. So it will replace the growth assessments that have been given in math and reading. Um but I think one of the things that's exciting I was I don't know if I'm sharing this out of turn or whatever, but one of the most exciting things was today I pulled some data for we had one school that completed their science five data and I pulled I'd given for my practice SOL for them to use for the teacher use I pulled their data and I compared what their data was with the mastery connect data and I used CIP questions and it was very much aligned. So it's very helpful to know that where the kids were struggling with so it's going to
042give us data that the teacher can use. And and the teacher could use to use some of those questions on their regular assessments to help guide instruction and remediation and also get help and focus on how to do that. So I'm hopeful that it will. I mean you have to see it, but >> Okay. Thank you very much for your presentation. >> Thank you. >> Our next information item is brought to us by Dr. Coral Clark, supervisor of EL programs. She is going to provide us with an update and some data on the EL program in RCPS. >> So I am going to provide an update, but I also am going to recognize all the wonderful teachers and liaisons that we have in Rockingham County. So it's a two-for-one thing. Um good evening school board
043members and Dr. Shipley. Thank you for allowing me to give what will unfortunately be my final update as the EO supervisor on the English learner program. Over the past 9 years, it has truly been an honor and a privilege to work alongside such an incredible group of teachers, liaisons, students, parents, and administrators. As you know, the EO program is very similar to special education in that it is federally mandated program designed to ensure that all students receive the support and services necessary to access education successfully in all four WIDA standards, expanding far beyond just literacy. As Dr. Shifflett shared during the March budget presentation, our EO population has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, increasing by 147%. Currently, Rockingham County Public Schools serves and monitors approximately 2,200 identified English learners. With over 4,500 students coming
044from homes where a language other than or in addition to English is spoken, that means that approximately 41% of students come from multilingual households. I would first like to recognize our EO liaisons. We have two of them right here. They can stand up. Sorry. Their work extends far beyond translation and interpretation. They provide support to students, families, teachers, administrators, and our community as a whole. This school year alone, our three liaisons have responded to approximately 4,600 requests for assistance. They support families in schools, homes, classrooms, meetings, field trips, and community events. The amount of work they accomplish with such a small team is truly remarkable. I would ask the board to join me in thanking them for their dedication and service to this community. So, thank you guys here. It's unbelievable. I would also like
045to highlight the success of our newcomer program this school year. And our newcomer teachers, if you can stand, we have three of them. Across our newcomer classrooms, we serve students representing multiple countries, cultures, and languages. In total, the newcomer program served more than 20 students this year with multiple students successfully exiting the program after demonstrating significant English language growth. Students in the newcomer program demonstrated tremendous academic, social, and emotional progress throughout the year. Every student who completed multiple IPT assessments showed measurable growth with many progressing multiple proficiency levels within a single school year. Several students successfully transitioned from newcomer services into more independent instructional settings while others are preparing to transition to middle school or continuing progressing next year. What makes our newcomer program so special is not only the academic growth, but also the
046confidence and sense of belonging students develop. Teachers have created welcoming environments where students can feel safe and learn English, adjust to new culture, and school system, and build meaningful relationships with peers. Families have repeatedly expressed gratitude for the support their children receive and for the positive impact the newcomer program has had on both students' confidence and academic success. The And again, if we can thank them. Thanks. The curriculum used within the newcomer program and our general EL classroom has also contributed greatly to student growth. EL teachers utilize the Connect curriculum, which has which was approved by the board several years ago, along with advanced style literacy resources that specifically support language development and literacy growth. However, while strong curriculum matters, we all know that programs are only as successful as the teachers implementing them. Our
047teachers are truly exceptional. They work tirelessly to provide students with skills, support, and encouragement necessary for success. They also serve as invaluable resources for other teachers, administrators, and families throughout the division. Because of the dedication of teachers and the hard work of our students, we continue to see outstanding results. The percentage of long-term English learners has decreased significantly in recent years, and our WIDA ACCESS scores continue to demonstrate strong growth. Out of the 15 surrounding school divisions, only two divisions scored higher than Rockingham County Public Schools, and one of those divisions scored by only one point higher than us. While we know there is always room for improvement, these results are a reflection of the tremendous work taking place across our schools every single day. Our schools Our one school that deserves special recognition is
048Mountain View Elementary School, which was recently recognized by the Virginia Department of Education as one of the distinguished schools in Virginia. One reason for this recognition was the continued increase in reading and math SOL scores among English learners, as well as significant WIDA ACCESS growth. The teachers and administrators at Mountain View have worked collaboratively to ensure students receive the interventions and support necessary for success. Their flexibility, collaboration, and commitment to student achievement have made a tremendous difference. So, if you could teach us one more time, thank the teachers. They are awesome, and I'm so proud of them. Finally, I would also like to celebrate our graduating seniors. Turner Ashby High School alone is graduating 17 English learners this year, with many additional EL graduates across the high schools. These students have overcome challenges that many
049cannot even imagine, and their accomplishments are truly inspiring. As I prepare to leave this program, I do so with tremendous pride in all that our students, teachers, liaisons, and administrators have accomplished together. It has truly been one of the greatest honors and privileges of my career to serve this community. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Coral Clark. All right, Dr. Shifflett. I think you're next. >> Oh, yes. Thank you, Chair Hurst. Um at our last meeting, uh you um had asked me if I would bring to the board a draft of some um technology use in our schools and screen time. And so, I have prepared the draft for you. And uh we can put it up on Yes, thank you, Greg. Putting it up on the screen. So, this is um kind of been
050given to everyone at one time. This is, let me repeat, a draft. So, I started to put something on paper. I I would like for you to take just a few moments to read through this and maybe begin some conversations, and then we can talk about our next steps as we work through this process. >> I will um again remind remind everyone it's a draft. So, if there are things we want to we feel like maybe there needs to be um greater restrictions or they're they're too restrictive, then let's let's have some dialogue and conversations around those areas. Some of the expectations were um taken from our current um guidelines that we developed last year with administrators, teachers, and parents. I used some of those uh to form part of this policy. Uh but also,
051you know, I I you know, for one example, currently and just use this in pre-K to second grade, we're one-to-one with iPads. And the policy as it's written here says we would move away from that. So, uh iPads would not be just something that would be readily available to students. And so, they would teacher could perhaps check out a card if she wanted to do a lesson on uh you know, maybe something about learning about technology via learning with technology, right? So, there's a distinction between those two things. Um and you know, not sure exactly how the board feels about that 3-5, if that needs to be more restrictive, uh and obviously in, you know, grades two through five, there will be some benchmark assessments uh that the students will have to have some screen
052time uh to to uh to take the CIP assessments. Uh and then middle school and high school, maybe we could you know, more conversations could be, you know, around around that. So, this is a draft, but just wanted to get it sort of out in front of you to start talking through this, and I don't know what comments or questions you may have tonight, but uh hopefully we you know, can work towards something that would be very beneficial for our students and our teachers. >> Dr. Shiflett, thank you for bringing this first draft, and I do want to reiterate this is a draft, and it's a first draft. There will likely be several drafts and lots of conversations between now and the fall when we hope to um have this put in place. Um one
053of the things that um I'd like you to speak to is maybe like how we got here because um I know as a board we've read two books over the last 2 years, um and I I believe there's a grow there's a growing amount of research out there to support where we're heading and what we're doing with this, but I I do I would like you to speak to that a little bit that this isn't just some um random pet project of several uh moms on this school board, that this is really grounded and rooted in what's best for kids and um being driven by research. So, if you could speak to that. >> Uh yeah, yes, thank you, Chair Hurst. So, um I shared with this board previously that um all of our administrators
054and leaders at the school level and division level are currently doing a book study with a a book entitled The Digital Delusion by Jared Horvath, and we have supposedly everyone should have read half the book by now and we'll finish up the second half before our next meeting. But, in March we spent uh several hours talking about the first few chapters of that book. And um um it's is as you said, we're not the only ones who are looking at this, right? We're not the only ones who've read this book. Uh as when I started drafting this policy, I just did a simple search to see what public school divisions have put some bans on technology. One of the largest school divisions in the in the country, Los Angeles public school divisions have really scaled
055back their use of digital technology. So, um we're we're not the first one to you know, the first ones to do this. But I think as we went through the book, one of the you know, and and I you know, one of the things that I think all of us have been sort of sold was this idea that EdTech technology was going to make learning better for students. And that kids could learn um more deeply and more meaningful and and do it in a in a more maybe in a quicker fashion. They would get to the finish line sooner. And what we really started learning is the brain wasn't created or wired for that. And one of the the great analogies of of the book that has stuck with me that I think about quite
056frequently is um he talks about, you know, how the human body was created and how the how the brain works. And he says, "The brain and the process for learning hasn't changed over time. Just like your digestive system, it has not changed over time. How you consume food and your body gets nutrients from the food you eat, the same things are happening in your brain in terms of how the system was created. And technology can be a tool in some ways to help that, but it really cannot replace the teacher in the classroom, the empathy that's built between teacher and student, and those individual interactions. And I think it was mentioned earlier tonight just about curriculum in general. It's not about a curriculum, it's about the person, right, using the curriculum. And I think from
057from his book and I think even conversations with some of you, this is not a step away to say no technology, but just making sure we're very intentional when we ask students to get in front of a screen that we have a purpose in what they're doing and what they're hoping to accomplish. And sometimes, you know, it's not the best tool and we've got to recognize that and give teachers, you know, the the power them to say, "I'm not using technology today. It's not the best tool, right? It's not what we need to be using." And one of the other, you know, I I could talk about this book for a while, but another a piece of this book he talks about is the myth of multitasking. All right, that the the myth of multitasking.
058You can't do it. No one can do it. I cannot do it. No No one can multitask. Once you use your cognition to think about something else, you've lost your train of thought and now you've got to go back and reconnect. Some people can go pretty pretty quickly from one task to the to another, but they lose uh their their their thinking and the deep learning. And when we put students in front of laptops, Chromebooks, and they have all these tabs and they can click back and forth, uh it it becomes a problem for learning. And and And again, I want to be careful about uh pointing fingers and saying this cuz I was a part of digital conversion, right? I was part of it and and we said over and over, right? This we
059want you to have the tool when it's the best resource for what you're trying to accomplish. But if you go back to that chart that Mrs. Abernathy showed us earlier, I can point to you when some things started changing and one of that was one-to-one when we started to fall off, right? And that data is a comparison of our kids compared to every other student in the Commonwealth of Virginia, right? So, it >> [laughter] >> we fell compared to compared to other school divisions, right? So, I think one-to-one I was a part of it, right? We also stopped benchmark testing. We used to benchmark test. This is This is not a new thing. So, you folks who've been around a while in Rockingham County, we we used to create our own benchmark assessments and and
060administer them to students. It's not a new thing. CIP's new, benchmark testing is not new. So, uh yeah, this is not sort of a just um you know, some board members individually saying, "Let's do this." I think you're you're hearing about this, reading about this uh more and more. I encourage you to look up uh Jared Horvath. He has spoken before the US Senate or Congress, I can cannot remember which group uh talking about digital technology and and some of his um concerns. So, I think we just need to take a good hard look at how we're using it. I think this policy uh is a good first step and um and how do we get to a better place for our for our students. >> Board members, do you have any comments before we
061move on from this? I know we did a This is the first time I've laid eyes on this and I'm a pretty quick quick read, but I'll need some time to digest it, I think. >> Yes, well, and speaking of, I really appreciated that analogy about digestion because just like, you know, modern technology and and and cooking and and food offerings has uh revolutionized uh nutrition, we aren't dying from diseases we used to die from, it's also causing illness because we have lots of processed foods and things that are making our digestive systems sick. So, technology's same way. It has enhanced us in a great way, but it's also made us ill in a in a a terrible way. And so, um I think the really important part I like to say putting technology in
062its proper place. So, I I'd like to to think about that as Rockingham County. We're not, you know, it's a great tool when it's purposed well. And um I a couple things actually met with Dr. Shiflett a few years ago about this um even before I was on the board to talk about that. And then on top of that, I think it's an equity issue. We think we've got kids coming into kindergarten that have never been without a device. I mean, unfortunately, there are people in the world that it's very easy to just hand this to a little kid. And a lot of kids are coming in and they don't have the skills to sit and focus in a class, and we owe it to all of the students in this county to provide a
063screen-free experience. I think it's what's best for them. And then on top of that, as a parent myself, um, I know as with older kids, when they were given their one-to-one devices, and that changed my kids, a couple of them actually went to private school for a brief time, where we don't have this problem. I knew I could send them to school and they the school was not undermining my rights as a parent to say no. Meanwhile, my child in one of our public schools here is going into school and watching YouTube and things that I don't like and accessing things that I wouldn't approve of, and I have no control over that. And so, I think that's another issue, too, that, um, we can address very well with this this policy going forward. And
064I look forward to working the draft and making it the best it can be as long as we are getting feedback from teachers, from parents, from, um, even students. So, thank you for bringing it up. >> I agree on the feedback from teachers. I'm interested and anxious for tomorrow to hear what people think about this, how it affects them. Um, I, you know, I have twins in kindergarten and they've gotten to the point, right? They're They're asking, "How fast does this bird fly?" And "How fast does this animal run?" And I they say, "Google it, Mom." And I I was thinking the other day, "What did What did my mom used to do when I used to ask these questions?" She would drive me to the library and say, "Look it up." Um, and here
065my kids are just Google it. Give me that instant immediate answer, and that is not how life is. And so, I I am really looking forward to this. I don't want, um, I mean that's my own fault that I Sure, I'll Google it. Yeah, a cheetah runs this fast or whatever. Um and they're not learning how to find that information for themselves. So, I'm doing them a disservice by that, but it's so immediate and um you know, gives them that knowledge, but I don't think that they've they've done the hard work to find that knowledge for themselves. So, um I look forward to hearing what our teachers have to say about this and trying to see what the best best policy is, so. >> Well, and you make a great point about we're bypassing the
066ability for the brain to wire a pathway that will make them smarter, stronger learners in the long run, so. >> You go on. >> Okay. Our last information item is in your folder for your review. It's the financial review for April 2026. Um Actually, I want to backtrack just a little bit because I just thought of a I moved us forward, now I'm moving us backwards. Um do you have a a way that you're going to disseminate or collect feedback on on this policy? Um What are your thoughts on on that, Dr. Shiflett? >> So, the po- the policy is um available to the public, which includes our teachers, and we can, you know, >> We're available by email. Send us an email. >> by email, or if you'd like, we can send out a
067survey if you'd like to collect information that way from from teachers uh about, you know, what what they like or do not like in the policy. If you would prefer that, if that would be a better avenue to collect information. I know at one of the meetings, I think someone mentioned having school visits, but I think there's like 16 days of school left. So, I don't know that that's uh an ideal way to gather information. So, we could use technology to gather information about the technology policy. >> [laughter] >> Is that ironic, maybe? >> I think maybe um just a survey to start that's, you know, what's what are we What are we missing in here? Um or what have we um excluded? When do we want to adopt policy by? So, I typically, you
068know, our sort of norm is we bring something for information and the next meeting we do an action. I have no intentions of bringing this to the June 1st meeting for action, right? We're We're not there yet. Uh but I do think it would be something over the summer we would adopt so that August, when school begins, we're ready to, you know, um we're prepared, you know, when teachers come back to say, "Here's the you know, here's what we're doing We're doing for this school year moving forward, right?" And And the other comment I will make, right? Policies can be changed. If we get into the year or next year, we can revisit and say, "You know what? That wasn't Maybe it was too rigid or maybe it wasn't strict enough, right? I mean, so
069I think um you know, it it it is a draft and you know, our first step, I think, in some ways wasn't a policy, but we put some guidelines in place this year, right? For example, sixth and seventh graders do not take devices home this year. So, that was new for us, right? It wasn't a policy, just sort of an indirect of that as we had conversations, this is what we're This is the you know, this is what we're going to do. So, I I think sometimes the summer would be ideal to, you know, maybe June, July, get this approved, but I can send this out in the next day or two to staff and and get some information through a Google survey and then share it with the board. >> I assume I was
070just looking June 22nd, um, would be >> Either that or a July meeting. >> Yeah, and then I I'm worried about like I specifically elementary school, um, how that affects I don't want a teacher this to be sprung on them at the end of July and then they're frantic to figure out different plans. Um, not that hopefully it wouldn't affect that much, but if they're utilizing it in some ways and then they have to take some time off their, you know, of their off time of summer to go back and replan because now we've said, "Nope, not at all." >> So, one one one impact I would see is we would not use boost for all students in K2. >> Okay. >> So, currently we're we're we're doing that, so that would change, um, because
071they're not going to have access to do that daily. Um, we would replace that with, you know, some some other activities. Um, so just that's just one example, right? So, I think I hear what you're saying, teachers understanding what is is coming would would be beneficial. >> Um, I do recall from teacher discussions, um, concerns about photocopy paper amounts and uh, criteria. >> them all covered. >> Yeah, just a >> So, so there's there's a man with a peanut gallery told me that he'd buy all the paper that they wanted. >> [laughter] >> We support that. Um, You You can't You can't replace what happens with paper pencil, especially in the primary grades. It's It's just so important, um, so we're we're there. We're with you. If you need more paper, say the word. >>
072Yeah. >> Okay, now now we will move forward. Um, Dr. Shiflett will move into superintendent comments now. >> All right, thank you, Chair Hurst. First of all, I would like to thank the board for their vote of confidence in me uh by offering me another four years to serve as as the superintendent of Rockingham County Public Schools. Um my first contract in 2023 that was um issued, Mrs. Lawhorne was the only current board member who was on the board at that time, right? And I'm glad that she still has a vote of confidence in me. >> It was a yes. >> Uh the four of you sort of inherited me, if you will. So, like you won on the school board election, they're like, "Well, by the way, you got to work with this guy."
073And so, it's um does my heart good to know that the four of you have said, "You know what? We spent a few a little a little time with him and we're willing to to do some more work." And um I think the work that's before us is is not easy. It's it's challenging. But uh I'm committed to it. Um I am a product of Rockingham County Public Schools, you know, born and raised in in this valley, and I and I and I love it very much. It's done a lot for me and my family. And so, I just want to be able to serve our community, and I want to leave Rockingham County in a better in a better state than how I found it. Not that it was in disarray, right? It was
074in a good space, but I want to leave it better than than what it was when I when I got here. And so, um I appreciate the opportunity to serve. So, first of all, I want to say thank you. So, a couple of quick highlights. I do want to uh say congratulations to Paula Branner. She's the administrative assistant at Peak View, and she was the uh April winner of our employee perfect attendance. So, I'll between now and the end of school, I'll find a day a day [laughter] to be at Peak View answering phones and and um you know, running the school, basically, cuz that's who runs the schools anyway. We all we all know. We all know. So, yeah, she she does. So, I I'm not sure how that day will go for me.
075Uh and also just wanted to um bring the board up to speed with a couple of things. Uh our last grading committee was you back in on April 30th. And so today we had a subcommittee of that larger group. We had about three or four teachers from each grade level group, uh elementary, middle, high. They met with Mrs. Abernathy and Ms. Martz and basically took all the the the ideas that had been floating out there and tried to put them into one working document. And uh Miss Mrs. Abernathy and Ms. Martz did a wonderful job uh leading that. I dropped in to say hello and and goodbye basically is what it ended up being. But um we're going to kind of meet with the entire committee on May 21st and let them look at this
076draft and kind of talk through it, iron out some details, and then we'll bring it to the to the board June 1st for information. Okay, and that probably will be a policy that we would come back in a couple of weeks and look for approval. Uh but a couple of our goals was you know to address um you know the year-long grading that was not popular. Uh to um build consistency. We have a lot of different teachers in different schools doing different things. And to um try to make sure that grades are reflective of students' achievement. And so when we're reporting this to families, they have a good understanding of where their son or daughter is performing. So I hope we can meet some of those goals. When when you try to get uh consistency,
077uh one of the things that you give up some is some of autonomy, right? So um we're we're going we're going to have to work work through that. But I think at the end it's going to be a lot better for our for our students. And then the last thing I like to share is um we're moving to our you know school-based instructional coaching model next year. So on April 28th, we had a meeting with just the uh new instructional coaches to talk to them about, you know, the process and defining our roles and getting some clarity in that work. And then we followed up with the prince uh meeting with just the principals on May 1st. Uh and sort of the same, right? Let's get some clarity around these, you know, these roles and
078responsibilities. And again, huge shout out to to Don and Sharon for leading that work. And then today, we bought we brought both groups together, the the the new coaches and the principals, and we had the opportunity to partner with Dr. John Amoroso from James Madison University. And I I I wish you all could have been there. He is a excellent presenter and the information that he provided to our coaches and our principals was absolutely awesome. Justin told me this afternoon that he left that meeting this morning feeling like he could be an instructional coach. And and uh And so, um it was really good. So, and he is willing to partner with us on this journey. Uh and and he's a just a wealth of knowledge. Uh he works works at um the College of
079Education at JMU. So, we're looking forward to the work that we're going to do with uh with him and uh trying to, you know, let the instructional coaches do their thing to work with our teachers for greater student outcomes, right? The end goal is always about the students. It's about student learning. So, he did a great job today and I was uh just wanted to keep you kind of apprised on how we're moving through that. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Shifflett. All right, Ms. Cave, do you want to start us off for school board highlights, questions, and comments? >> Um I don't have any business tonight, but I wanted to um just say Ms. Burgo and I were able to attend the uh Fox Run Was it last I think it was last
080Monday, um Fox Field uh dedication ceremony. And that was just absolutely precious. And some of you probably know that I'm a crier, so I'm just going to try to briefly say it was an honor to be there. And she was honored beautifully and to have someone to stay in the division and work over 30 years teaching third grade. I still remember most of my teachers and you know, and some of them are are still there or have just recently retired and they just leave such an impression on little kids. So, uh her husband said something that has stuck with me and he said we still remember what it's He said How did he say it? Um We have a really special place over here on our side of the county because we still remember what
081faith, family, community is. And I think we have several pockets like that in our community and that is part of why I enjoy and am greatly honored to serve this county on this board. So, I just wanted to highlight that tonight. And um several of us got to go to the Rotary Code of Ethics Awards Ceremony this morning and wow, there was no parking in that center. Um just principals, parents, and students and just a great way to honor students that have ethics and it's something so very important that we that we teach our children character traits and those important things in life while we educate, we teach them how to be great little human beings. And between parents and the school division, I just I think that's something to be proud of. So, I
082know all the parents there were proud and I didn't get to talk to any of them hardly afterwards, but I will try to get in touch with everyone that I saw there that I knew, but that was a really great time. So. Thank you, Ms. Cave. Ms. Bergoin? I will piggyback off of that. Speaking of how personal it was and and the sense of community, not only did they honor her, but the sign that they had put up was handmade by I believe one of their bus drivers. So, it was it was so personal because everybody had a deep connection to everything that was going on. And it was awesome because it was a little chaotic and it was pajama day and the kids were in their pajamas and they had ice cream and I
083think Mrs. Cave and I went into like mom mode and we're trying to rip tops off ice cream and it was just awesome and um you know, I didn't know Mrs. Fox, but they um they were like she would have loved this. So, it just it was just a really cool day and it was a very casual and just a great time. And Mrs. Ranall and her team there did an awesome job at Folk Run Elementary School. Um Somebody sent me this and sometimes when I get sent random things, I'm always nervous and uh I'm like is this a good thing or a bad thing? But I was sent um a story that somebody had posted one of our bus drivers. And I don't know if Mr. Sowers had seen this, but um one of
084our drivers was told over the radio to come grab a different bus and it was apparently his grandmother's bus and he was just so surprised and honored and felt so special that he got to drive her bus and that was like I don't know who this person is and of course I zoom in and it's a Rockingham County school bus and I thought that was so cool right before Mother's Day um and he thought it was just an awesome thing that his uh I think it was his grandmother's bus that was still on the road still being driven. Um and I thought that was really good. That was a really good feel good moment and and it speaks a lot to our transportation department because not a single person patted themselves on the back or
085told us about this. This just got sent to me by a random citizen and said, "Hey, look at this. This is great." So, awesome job. Really I'm proud to be in RCPS when we see things like that that are just genuine heartfelt um feel good moments. So, um yeah, we've been really busy. I know everybody's really busy being at the end of the year. I feel like I'm going non-stop. Um, and just have a bunch of things going on before the end of the year with my own kids and with schools. Um, I was asked today to volunteer at two different places and had to say no because I'm already booked at another school volunteering. So, um, the countdown is on. I'm ready for it. Somebody also said to me today, "Aren't you excited for
086summer?" and I was like, we don't get a break during summer. Um, but I, you know, it is nice that the kids get a break, so. Thank you, Ms. Borgoyn. >> Ms. Irons. >> The countdown is indeed on. It was 17 on Friday when I put the bulletin board up at Peak View as mom, parent, not school board member. Uh, so that means today was 16. Yes. I do love a bulletin board. Um, >> [laughter] >> it's very therapeutic. Um, and to that point, it's very busy end of year. Uh, I won't keep you all here because I know we're we're tired. I had a I had a sick kiddo home today, so I couldn't attend the Rotary function, but my husband's been a Rotarian for 20 plus years and I love that organization and
087the civic um, partnership they have and how they support our schools locally. Um, so I'm glad you all are able to attend and represent. And I apologize to whoever's watching. That's [clears throat] why I was not able to attend. Um, yeah, so home stretch. We're all in as Chair Hurst and I have been touring some of the high schools and just meeting with teachers. Uh, I hope to continue partnering with other school board members to keep meeting at schools. I think it's well received that we create time to be meeting with people who are stakeholders in our schools. Uh, we will not do that in May. We don't plan anything extra in May. Yes, it's over, so um, anyway, good luck to everyone on the end of the year with graduations, SOL tests, all the
088things, just the the the race is on. And we're ready for for summer. >> Um, I'll I'll close out my comments tonight by really just sharing the public that the the school board has a lot of jobs and duties as assigned by the Virginia code of um and and one of those and I I think I would say our most important one is the hiring of the superintendent. Um because that's the person that provides the leadership, the vision, um and the direction for the school division. And uh that we were unanimous um on something like this is incredible. I feel like as a board we have secured uh the the very best superintendent in the state of Virginia um for Rockingham County for the next 4 years. So, whether or not um we're all still
089here or not, uh Rockingham County Public Schools is going to be in very good hands for the next 4 years and we are grateful to you for signing on for another 4 years. Um welcome back. [clears throat] >> [laughter] >> Um I don't have anything further. I want to thank you all for coming out tonight. Um drive safely and best wishes on end of the school year activities. This meeting is adjourned. >> Thank you.