WSD Board Meeting - Regular - January 26, 2026

001I call the January 26, 2026 schoolboard meeting to order. It is 6 p.m. We are in the conference room of the Fiser Administration Building at 12121 North Avenue. Miss Summers, please call the role. Miss Bzinski, >> here. >> Mr. Bower, >> here. >> Miss Bach, >> excused. Mr. Morris, >> here. Miss Himemer Roland here. Dr. Worley here. Mr. Wier >> here. >> Thank you. We'll move on to item number two, which is the superintendent's update. >> Thank you, Dr. Worley. Okay. So, I would like to start with our [clears throat] our acknowledgement of the Martin Luther King um celebration nationally. Uh as you know last week Monday we did not have school in recognition of the the national holiday um recognizing Dr. King and his contributions to our nation. Um under the the leadership of

002Miss Lashondaanda Holland uh we did have a district celebration throughout all of our schools with the the district theme of uh living the legacy serve lead and dream. Um and through this each school had the opportunity to interpret um and to bring this theme to life through a number of different ways either through service, advocacy, uh unity, voice, justice or whom and uh what I would love to do is to share with you how we captured the great work of our students. Many of them are in the audience. >> Dr. King's dream wasn't just about laws. It was about human connection. It's because of him that we can share the space today, laughing and learning together across every line of race, religion, and gender. >> I have a dream that everyone has a friend and

003I'm showing that I'm a good friend by being respectful to other people. I make sure to include people because when I include people, they will include me. >> Dr. Martin Luther King lays a trail for people who look like me to not only be tolerated in society, but embrace them. Arguably, the most fundamental value that Dr. taught American society was how to embrace one as we are. From having friends of a different race to playing games with people of different gender identities, the concept of being kind, welcoming to people who are different has opened up doors in our country that make us fundamentally stronger. >> Martin King was a great leader who dreamed of everyone having equal rights. He was an advocate for African-Americans through peaceful protest. He believed in kindness and respect for all.

004I want to serve my community by showing kindness to everyone I know and love. >> Dr. King legacy will continue to inspire me to be kind, helpful, respectful, and to always stand up for what's right. >> Junior had an important role in history and we are inspired by him. He fought for rights and equality. >> Stood up for treating We honor his legacy by celebrating his life, donating to others in need, using kinds of words, standing up for others, sharing our thoughts and >> the way I treat people with kindness is always including people and never having people to like feel left out. Something that I do to like to do something different is like wake up with a smile or wake up trying to be happy. So it self projects to like kindness coming

005back to you. So always show kindness. That's what I always like to see. >> I feel that we're working towards this world peace. We know that that might seem hard but just like Dr. King it was a challenge. Luckily he overcame that challenge of segregation. We have a challenge of our own which is world peace. We can't achieve that unless we are kind to all living things. Try not to start fights. Bring people together. Treat everyone with equality. Don't exclude someone because of their sex, ethnicity, or beliefs. And we will follow the rules just like Dr. King. >> Dr. King was a great leader. And whether big or small, we should always be truthful and follow his legacy to have a better world. >> I think every day I live by the values of Dr.

006King. I wake up with a good attitude and focus on me being better than the day before. I I treat everyone with respect regardless of their disabilities or ethnicity. If Dr. King was alive today, he would be very proud of the changes in our community and his spirit of Islam. >> Helping others succeed was a key part of MLK's mission. Supporting others through the art tutoring program is an essential part of how I enable others to succeed and give back to the Tosa East community. It is up to us as students to be of service to those who are in need. If you have any ideas about how to help Tossy East, enact them. >> I am respectful like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. cuz I am respectful to teachers when they're talking. I make

007a difference like Dr. King by spreading kindness at Washington. >> I believe all people of all race should be treated equally. Martin Luther King inspired many people to fight for racial justice by using nonviolent protests. He once said, "Lord cannot drive out dirtiness. Only they can do that." I firmly agree with this quote because sometimes my friends will argue and I'll try to fix it by talking with each side and use fairness for both. Will you join me on my path to follow his footsteps? >> I mean, his whole speech was about, you know, wanting people to do better and treat people right. So, I try and treat people right, treat people with respect, and treat people, you know, how I would want to be treated and overall trying to be the best I can.

008If someone's being unkind, I can stand up for them and do what's right. >> One thing we can learn from MLK is that patience is key. For example, one of the things is the bus boycott that Martin Luther King Jr. held. It took a full year, but after that he was able to stop segregation on buses. tend to treat others with kindness by always including others or making sure somebody's having a good day, like being always being there to like put a smile on somebody's face. >> At Jefferson, we show kindness like Dr. King by sharing things and working together. >> I really by making them feel safe and respected for what is right. I was a grandma across the street and if someone's really hurt or or hungry, I can get them food and

009I could ask if they're okay. These action shows I really care about people. >> I always want to like understand where they're coming from and I always want people to like feel welcome and like talk to me. And so if someone's able to talk to me, I always try to like be able to like be nice to them and always try to, you know, see others people's perspective and always just like try to be kind others with kindness by not judging them for like what they like and knowing and like letting them know that they can be their self around you. >> Showing respect and treating others the way you need to be treated. >> I like to use my manners. Say please and thank you. And I like to use kind words and actions

010towards others. >> You lead them in the right way. Don't bring them into drama and be nice to them and comfort them. >> I show kindness at Whitman by accepting people for who they are. >> Being respectful to people by including everybody and by being nice to the teacher and students. You can show kindness by using respectful words and your kind of other people like keepers and other students. If somebody eating alone at lunch, you can go sit by them and like talk to them and make friends and stuff. >> Make sure that everybody's included. Not making people feel left out. >> I like to demonstrate kindness by helping people who need it and by always being ready to volunteer to help other people out. At Long Fellow Middle School, we honor Dr. Martin Luther

011King and the legacy he left behind. Dr. King believed in standing up for what is right, treating others with respect, and working together to create a positive change. At Longfellow Middle School, the legacy lives on where when we include others, speak up against unfairness, and show respect to everyone in our community. And I want to thank all of our students who are in the room. And I want to turn over to Dr. Worley to recognize many of our participants in this fine celebration. >> First of all, I want to show you the stack of certificates. While we're not having everyone here, I want you to be impressed by these are are certificates of participation. I want you to be impressed by um how this this project is this is this the third year >> third

012year has grown um over time and to thank the students and their families for um for participating. So I think what I'd like to do just in in fairness to all board members um haven't done this before and they don't know what I'm thinking but um is that I have a list of students who are here. I'm gonna call your name and if at the end of that list if somebody else is here I will say is anybody else here that we missed. Okay. So if you if you didn't RSVP we still want to have you up here and recognize and get you your certificate. Um I'd love you to come up and just walk around the inside of the table and um ex and accept the thank you um from each of the board

013members and when you get to me I'll I'll give you your certificate. Okay. And then we'll hold our applause at the end of all of the certificates giving out. We will invite you to give as much applause as you want to all of our students. Okay. Um so these are not in a particular order just so you know that. Um Claire Long, are you here? And can you just come on up and walk around and um we'll give our thanks or appreciation and you can take your certificate. Oh, you go. Thank you, >> Elena Thompson. Oh, you're pond. Molly Schaefer. Sheffller. Sorry. Molly Sheffler. Dominic Travis, Axton Jones. Lydia Talon, Evelyn Talon. Haley Classen, Will Gilman. Charlotte Poco Mstead we miss anybody that's here. Please don't be shy. All right, come on up. Let's see.

014One at a time. What's your name? >> Jason. >> What's your last name? Jaden Smith. Perfect. >> Come on, Mr. Smith. >> Congratulations. There it is. I got it. >> And what is your name? Name first and last. Isa Campbell. Congratulations. Great work. >> And what is your name? Person. >> Yes. >> How do you spell your last name? >> Okay. Thank you. >> You were in the video. Congratulations. They have it over there. Mr. Morris will give it to you. >> And what is your name first? James >> Belton. Congratulations, Jamie. >> And what is your name? And what is your name? >> Zer. >> All right. Mr. Morris has it. >> Thank you. Congratulations. Congratulations again. And what is your name? >> Beer. We saw you in the video. >> Right here. >>

015All right. Mr. Morris has it. >> Congratulations. and your name. >> All right. Anyone else? Don't be shy. Okay. Well, the rest of certificates we will be um getting to the students, but could we have a round of applause for the students? Now, we happen to know though you might have gotten a lot of sleep this morning, you have school tomorrow. So, please do not feel like you need to stay and watch our board meeting. You're always welcome. It's an open public meeting, but we'll give folks who aren't staying a chance to leave and those who are staying and want seats a chance to find those seats. >> The transition is happening. Dr. Wley, I want to thank the board for few years ago. it was through your leadership where you wanted us to make

016sure that our students understood the importance of the King holiday um and that we celebrated as a school uh community. Um and so I want to thank all of these families uh who took the time out of their busy evenings to be here. Uh I want to thank the students. I want to thank our staff members who uh promoted this work and this campaign. Uh thank you all so much. I think often um we hear about what our young people's shortcomings are and I think you you see in the video that there's a lot to celebrate and a lot to be proud of as it pertains to our students. So again, I just want to say thank you starting with the board and your vision and leadership. I want to thank Miss Holland once again

017uh for working with our staff. Want to thank Miss Jesse Tuttle who captured uh the video. Uh, I think the video kind of captures a lot of spirit. Um, and and so just a lot of work that we should be proud of overall >> moving forward with the reporting. I'll try to be uh succinct here. Uh, we have a lot more to celebrate, not only just our our MLK celebration, but also our um the work that's happening at our two high schools, Waltosa West and Waltosa East. both were recognized by the college board uh for great work u with advanced placement um courses enrollment and performance. uh they both received the silver award um through College Board. And so if we can just give our two high school faculties and students a round of applause

018for again um we we often hear about what isn't happening in our system, but I just want to highlight that we have really strong high schools that are doing good work and uh they should be recognized. Um over 60 artists um in our school system were recognized for Scholastic Art Awards um recently. Their artwork will be on display at the Milwaukee Art Museum between January 31st and March 15th. Um there's a a slideshow with all the different artists and their work. Um I want to thank our art teachers throughout the district. Uh we are very proud of the spirit of art and artist brushing in the Waltosa school system. So um again do you mind joining me in giving our art teachers and artists a lot more? >> Um I just want to add that

019uh the student work is displayed um at no cost to the Milwaukee Art Museum. So you don't have to pay admission. Um it's at the front of the museum. So, I encourage everyone to if they get a chance to go down and see the beautiful museum and the amazing um artwork of our students. >> Thank you. >> A few weeks ago, uh Mr. Ted Martin, uh Scott Ecker and I had a chance to have a nice breakfast with our over I think it was actually 54 of our seniors who have taken advantage of the senior tax exchange program or our STEP program. Uh we kicked off the program. Uh many of our seniors will be volunteering in our elementary school libraries uh helping young people accessess literacy um through books. Uh it was it was

020an exciting uh kickoff. Uh this was one of my visions of making sure that we had some type of way to create intergenerational work in our schools to help offset some of the tax burden on for our seniors. it doesn't it doesn't relieve the burden. Uh no no no way we can do that ultimately but u with this the step program we believe a lot of great things will happen. There was a great energy in the room when we kicked off this program and we believe that it will just grow over time. Um, just as a side note, I think the board recognizes this, but I want to just share for the community sake. We put aside enough stipens for 100 volunteers. So, to get over 50, we were pleased. Uh, but there's still room

021for growth. And so, we are hoping that next year we'll see even more um opportunities. Uh, I know that we've reached out to our PTAs to make sure that there's some type of opportunity where our seniors are able to collaborate with our PTAs because we know that they're our PTA leadership is uh the hub of so much activity at our schools. But I wanted to thank um Mr. Martin and the recreation department for being the the the leaders of making sure that the STEP program was off and running. A few community engagement opportunities that I would just like to draw people's attention to. We have the lights on Tulsa. We've been doing lights on Tulsa now for a few years. It's an opportunity for the community to come into our schools to see what's happening

022in our buildings. Um the schools are the community schools and so we encourage people to go to the Lights on Tulsa uh web page, see when the school in your neighborhood is having their lights on event if they haven't already had it. Uh so you can visit the schools uh at your leisure. We're excited that next week, Monday, we'll uh have a com conversation, a community [clears throat] conversation with Dr. Amanda Lewis, the author of Despite the Best Intentions. Her topic will be how racial inequality thrives in good schools. Um I think it's going to be a lively good conversation and it's the start of a conversation. Uh so again, that's next week, Monday, at the Tulsa West High School Theater. Um the recreation uh department has created an advisory committee. They're taking applications now.

023Um they and it, excuse me, the the applications will actually go live next week, Monday, um uh February 2nd. If you want to be part of developing the vision for the future of the recreation department, please consider being part of the recreation advisory committee. We're currently doing child development screeners uh on February 6, 6, and April 10th. So, please make sure that you are um coming in if you have a young person in your household and it's time for them to have their developmental screens taken care of. Please, we we do that uh service here at the district office. A few Saturdays ago, we had our junior kindergarten, senior kindergarten uh registration enrollment party. Uh there was a DJ uh there. There was a petting zoo. Um it was it was really good. But I

024want to thank the the McKinley community for being the host uh for uh the event. Mr. Carter did a great job touring uh families who were interested in seeing a JK and SK classroom. Uh talking through what the typical JK and SK day looks like. Um it was it was a really good kickoff to that enrollment process and enrollment uh for the 2627 school year is open. Um so we encourage families to complete their enrollment now. uh it helps us know how many students will be in our school starting next school year. The final piece kind of just going back to the JKSK celebration is that we have a video. I I know out of time I can't show the entire video, but I want to start with at least a minute uh to share

025with you why we're so proud of our junior kindergarten program. So, um, just to give you a sense of a video that will be uploaded later this week on the web page, >> JK is just a fun first year of school for kids in Wongosa. It's a good opportunity for students that are older by September 1st to come and experience school and become part of the school family. It's a safe space for them to start to learn their academics, which we do do, but we work a lot on their social emotional learning. We've had two kids go through JK and I think it's been really positive for them to get into the school environment sooner. They've met new friends really early. So that socialization, classroom play, but also kind of getting a jump start on

026skills, recognizing letters, recognizing their colors, shapes. I feel like we've been set up for success because of the fundamentals that were taught in JK. >> We [clears throat] want kids to feel that school's a fun place to be. It's a positive experience. Learning is fun just to set that foundation. There's a lot of play involved because that's the work of kids this age. A lot of learning through play. So, if you walk into a junior kindergarten classroom, you might see small groups, you might see whole groups, you might see kids individually, but to a casual observer, it might just look like, oh, they're playing. But just to step back and realize there's a lot of learning that's taking place through play, hands-on experiences, too. their inside. >> I'll stop there. It's a great video. Um,

027but I just wanted to let you know that we're really proud of the work that our junior kindergarten teachers do. It's really important that we have registration um up and going and uh the more we can have future families register as as quickly as possible. That's that's really really positive. I'll conclude my my report by saying there's a lot of good things happening. I hope that you can sense that there's a positive theme uh running through our school system. We're proud of the work that our teachers and our families and our students are accomplishing. Uh we're also very proud of what we will have uh to present to the board and the community on February 23rd. On February 23rd is our next update to the board and community around the strategic plan. And we said

028very clearly that our first semester results should be embedded in our February 23rd report back out to the community and to the board. So, um, that's our our next moment of time where you should take a a a a real good analysis of where we are as a system. Um, let's celebrate where we've done well and let's uh identify where we need to continue to grow. Um, but I just want to say thank you to our educators, our families, and and most importantly our students. Uh, good work and good things are happening in Waltos. >> Thank you, Dr. Means. I think that's a great report to start the year off with. Um, and so much content, so much information there. Um, yeah, I think I might want to go play in JK. It looks like

029a lot of fun. But seriously, just to follow up on that, um, a lot of the JK enrollment happens neighbor to neighbor. Um so just a reminder um that all of us who live in the community are part of the hands of recruitment um to getting people to understand and know about um the JK option and the SK option. All right, we will move on now to item number three which is public comment. Um we um I'm going to read the full public comment uh policy. While I'm doing that, you could be also thinking about whether you intend to make public comment. We will um as we have been the last several meetings, start in the room with a couple of people. Then we'll go to online to see if there's a couple people. Then

030we'll come back to the room. Um we have up to 30 minutes set aside. We do have um timekeepers and uh should there be um public comment, we always we always have the timekeepers to make sure that the time is really shared. um by all who want to speak. Policy board policy 0167.3 public comment at board meetings. Members of the board value the input of students, parents, staff members, and community members. The board's regularly scheduled meetings provide an opportunity for opinions and concerns to be expressed publicly. The board values all comments and will respectfully consider this input in decision-making. The board will take public comment on both non-aggenda items and agenda items at each regular board meeting and may take public comment during special board meetings. The public comment period will occur near the beginning

031of the meeting and shall not exceed 30 minutes in length unless extended by the presiding officer or by a vote of the board. Individuals must limit their comments to three minutes. Participants must be recognized by the presiding officer and will be requested to preface their comments by an announcement of their name. Public comments submitted to the school board email address by 10:00 a.m. on the day of the meeting of the board will be added to the online meeting documents to become part of public record. Emma public comments must include the name of the person or person submitting the comment. All public comments shall be directed to the presiding officer. No person may address or question board members individually or direct statements, comments, or questions to staff or other meeting participants. Board members are obligated to

032follow the Wisconsin open meeting law, which requires advanced notification to the community of the board's intent to discuss and or take action on an item. If a public comment concerns an item that is not on the current meeting agenda, board members may not respond other than to thank and acknowledge the speaker for their input. The presiding officer may a limit the number of times a speaker may comment on the same topic. B interrupt, warn or terminate public comment when the statement is too lengthy directed to anyone other than the board presiding officer obscene or disorderly. C. Request any individual to leave the meeting when that person engages in conduct which is disorderly. D. requests the assistance of law enforcement officers and or security officials in the removal of the disorderly person when that person's conduct

033interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting. E. Call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when disorderly conduct so interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting as to warrant such action. F. Wave these rules with the approval of the board when necessary for the protection of privacy or the administration of the board's business. Recording, filming, and photographing board meetings is permitted. The person operating the equipment should contact the superintendent prior to the board meeting to review possible placement of the equipment and must agree to abide by the following conditions. A no obstructions are created between the board and the audience. E. No interviews are conducted in the meeting room while the board is in session. C. No commentary, adjustment of equipment, or positioning of operators is made that would distract either

034the board or members of the audience or otherwise disrupt the meeting while the board is in session. The board encourages all residents to be well informed about the school about school affairs. Therefore, regular board meetings are livereamed and the recorded school board meetings are available for viewing online on the district's website. Executive sessions and inservices for board members are not recorded. Okay, thank you. Um we will now move to public comments starting in the room. >> Todd Gayler, uh district parent and resident. Um, just wanted to point out, um, I know on the agenda tonight is the open enrollment, uh, suggested a lotment of, I believe, 148, uh, open enrollment seats. Um, which I believe is the same number that was given, uh, a few weeks ago at the last board meeting. Um, I just

035want to make sure we recognize there was a development that I don't think is insignificant uh, in the interim. Um, I think obviously Dr. You guys know the board uh previously decided that uh W STEM though the fourth ranked uh school in the state uh was not a right the right fit for the Wasa school district. Um so what they've done is they found a home uh under the W Parkside umbrella. Um I believe the enrollment this year is around 130 students. Um they they're shooting for around 150 uh for enrollment next year when they're no longer part of our school district. Um like I said, I I don't think that's an insignificant number. Um correct me if I'm wrong. Um but I just would caution everyone before we approve 148 open enrollment seats. um

036let's make sure that that that loss of potentially 130 to 150 uh elementary students isn't going to affect um what we should be doing with open enrollment. Um I just want to make sure that you guys are comfortable um that the loss of those students wouldn't shift the way we would utilize open enrollment. Um and then approving 148 seats thereby creates an additional section that it wouldn't otherwise. um or uh leaves potential open enrollment seats empty. Thank you. >> Thank you. We'll take a second comment in the room. >> Perfect. >> Um hi, my name is Rita Wneski and I'm a parent of two West graduates, a West sophomore and a Whitman student. I support the recommendation of 148 open enrollment seats for next school year. This number is based on a formula that fills

037vacant seats without overcrowding class sizes and without adding costs. We receive state funding for those seats. Next year, it'll be $11,000 per student. So, our district will receive $1.6 million. All Wisconsin school districts are required to decide on open enrollment seats every January. So, just because the board voted for zero last year, again, based on a formula, does not mean zero is the forever choice. Remember the airplane analogy Dr. Means shared with us in recent years and many continue to reference. In the past, we would accept open enrollment seats to fill a plane and add a plane. But in recent years, the board changed the policy to a strategic calculation to improve ma cost management. With this year's proposal, based on a strategic calculation, we would fill 148 open seats in a plane. This proposal

038does not add another plane with another pilot with another steward, i.e. e additional costs. So, we can choose to fly one plane with vacant seats and zero revenue for those seats, or we can fill those seats and receive 1.6 million in state aid to offset the costs we are already going to incur for this one plane. For those of you who have not listened to the January 12th schoolboard meeting, I encourage you to listen to it and read the attachments and board docs as the district staff and board explain open enrollment very well. In addition, the staff and board discuss our district's finances now and forecasted 5 years out in that meeting. The operating referendum will end in fiscal year 2029. So, we need you to contact your legislators on a regular basis to tell

039them to increase funds for our public schools, especially considering the continued surplus our state has. And there's two proposed bills to support to achieve this goal. So, please tell them to do that. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. We will switch to online now. There are two hands raised. I believe Jamie that um Carrie Sykes might have [clears throat] been first. >> Carrie Sykes microphone. >> Carrie, you have the microphone. >> Carrie, we can't hear you. So maybe need to unmute. Carrie, you are muted right now. >> Okay, Carrie, I'm going to uh mute you for now, but please keep your hand raised and we'll try the next guest. >> Try to get you back on. Let's go to um Nicole Eder, you have the microphone. >> Hello, my name is Nicole Eder and

040I'm a Wawaossa resident and current district parent. I think open enrollment when used strategically can be a positive for our district and the proposal before the board tonight seems like a smart approach. At a local cafe recently, I heard that Wawaossa's open enrollment was a hot topic and not for the reason I expected. than I expected. >> These were parents of young children who were desperate to get their kids into Tossa schools and they were excited to hear that the school board might be opening up some new seats for next year. This is a testament to the quality of our schools which continue to attract new families when they can afford to live here. I know there are some strong opinions on open enrollment in our community, both from people who welcome it and those

041who would rather it end. I personally think it makes sense to plan our staffing and facilities around our resident enrollment. But if we have a few open seats in the classroom, I think it's smart to fill those, especially when we have families clamoring to get in. I also think we need to consider the financial impact. When the district first started discussing a draw down of open enrollment, the state's per pupil rate for open enrollment students was lower. State legislators then increased the rate from just under 9,000 per open enrollment student last school year to more than 10,000 this school year and an estimated 11,000 next school year. Unfortunately, the last state budget was another disappointment for our public schools. And even more disappointing is the fact that the special education reimbursement rate has fallen short

042of what was promised in the state budget. This means that even with the 2024 operating referendum, our district and many others around the state are still facing financial pressures. Adding the recommended 148 open enrollment students to existing class sections is one way to generate new revenue. As already noted by another speaker, it would bring in more than 1.6 million in additional funding, which would lessen the local property tax burden. Meanwhile, the impact on class sizes seems minimal when spread across grades K4 through fifth grade at multiple schools. It looks like class sections would only grow by a student or two. In summary, this mod this modest addition of open enrollment seats seems to make strategic sense, and I hope the board will support it. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um Jamie uh Sykes Carrie Sykes

043is on again so let's go there and after that we'll um pick up our third hand that's up Mike Arie so starting with Carrie Sykes >> Carrie Sykes you have the microphone >> can you hear me now? >> Yes we can. Thank you. >> Okay thank you. Uh I have kids in both Eisenhower and Whitman. I am an active PTA member at Eisenhower. I also hold the role of secretary at the Tulsa PTA. I just wanted to say good evening and want everyone to take a second and think about your child's favorite school memory. Maybe it's the excitement of the book fair, a dance, a field trip they couldn't stop talking about, or even a scholarship that helped a graduating senior take their next step. None of those moments are a standard issue. They don't

044just happen because the lights are on. They happen because of the PTA. Tonight, I'm here with a reality. Many of our PTAs are at a literal turning point. This year, many of our current leaders are moving on. Without new officers and active members, those memories, those essential extras that make our district special are at risk of disappearing. You might be thinking, "I'm too busy or I've never done this before." for. But the beauty of the PTA is that it's built on whatever you can give. Do you have an hour a month you can help at an event? Do you have a background in finance or organizing? >> Organizing. >> We need you as an officer role to keep the engine running. >> It isn't just for parents. We are looking for grandparents, local business owners,

045community neighbors. If you care about the property value in this town and the quality of our citizens we are raising, you have a stake in this room. Your passion for our schools here tonight is evident. I call you to consider leading and serving. Your time and support will make an impact. The PTA is where policy meets the pavement. It is the most immediate way to impact the daily lives of our students. We need your leadership, vision, your energy. Whether you on the PTA or were previously, our students win when you stay involved. Again, we are losing some officers and we can't afford to lose momentum. Don't wait for someone else to sign up because in a small community like ours, you are that somebody. Let's make sure that when school starts next year, the magic

046is still there for our kids. If you cannot join us this year, please consider asking anyone in your circle to check out our schools or council this year or participate in PTA next. Thank you so much. >> Thank you for your comment. We'll move to Mike Arie online. >> Mike Arie, you've got the microphone. >> Thank you. Um, I just wanted to speak as a community member in support of the work of the energy efficiency and sustainability subcommittee of this board. understand you're having some more discussions this evening and I wanted to say that I'm very excited at the prospect of the district looking into solar for the schools and I hope that the process uh moves forward and that the schools find that it's fiscally responsible and uh advantageous to go ahead and get

047some solar up on those roofs. Thank you. >> Thank you. I'm going to check in the room now. I'm Heather Deon. I am a Wtosa resident and a parent of two Tulsa East graduates. I'm also a member of the Watulossa Sustainability Committee and a member of the E2S2 committee, which is the energy efficiency and sustainability subcommittee. I came to um hear the recap of what you all thought of the inservice that we did la uh earlier this month and then also to support the um agenda item of approving the superintendent to move forward with getting some free estimates on solar. Thank you very much. Are there any other comments in the room? I'm not seeing any. Um last call for any comments online. Okay, I'm not seeing any. Uh, so we're going to close public

048comment. Thank you everyone for your participation. We move on to Oh, I should say thank you Jamie for your guidance online too. Um, we move on to our consent agenda. And uh board members, this is where I ask about possible removal of items. Are there any items on the consent agenda which board members would like to remove for separate discussion and action? >> Yes, we'll stop start with you, Miss Bzinski. >> Um yes, the letter F in the instructional technology purchase proposal just for discussion, please. Good. >> I had that one on my list, too. All right. Anyone else? >> I just I have that for potential discussion. Separate vote. >> So just remove letter F. Then is there anything else? Um before we start, I'll just call out that we've had some more gifts.

049>> Yeah. >> Um which again just amazing >> is amazing. It feels like every month we get to say there's a couple gift reports and and this time around I believe following up on the online comment that we have some PDA gifts. Um and that's really important because it helps the students a lot of times with field trips getting out of the building and learning in new and different ways. Okay. So, um item F has been requested. Um would you like to go ahead and read that Sarah? It would be or I'll just say um Sarah Berzinski and Liz Himerand have requested item F to be removed for separate discussion action. Does everyone concur? Okay. Um since there are no objections um Miss Brazinski, can you offer the motion? >> Um I or I can

050>> as would be recommended as the rest of the items. I >> Okay. So I recommend that if Say that one more time. >> I recommend the school board approve the remainder >> I'd recommend that the school board approve the remainder of the items on the consent agenda. >> Okay. And may I have a second? >> Second. >> Mr. Morris. Thank you. >> Um, Miss Summers, can you call the role about the rest of the items? >> Miss Preszinski? >> Yes. >> Mr. Bower? >> Yes. >> Miss Bach, >> excuse. >> Mr. Morris, >> yes. >> Miss Himer Rand, >> yes. Dr. Worley, >> yes. >> Mr. Wier, >> yes. The motion carries. Okay. Um, let's go to item F. Um, I'll start with you, Miss Bzinski, with your questions and then we'll go to

051Miss Emerald Roland. >> Uh, I am hoping that there you go, Dr. Marble. If Dr. Marble, if you could talk to us a bit about the the intent of the this technology purchase. >> Yeah, thank you for the opportunity. Um Nicole Marble, chief academic officer. I am joined by um Miss Beth Kimmel. She is our instructional technology coordinator. Um typically every year we um come to the board and request um technology purchases in uh late spring um for the school year. Um we that did not happen this last school year to the extent or to the extent possible uh because we were waiting to see um where all of our funds that we were allocated in our budget were going to be falling. Um and so that's why we are coming to you now. This

052is not new um technology that hadn't been budgeted for. This was part or let me back up. It was part of the plan, but we had to pause um our purchasing at the beginning of the summer with this new fiscal year um because we need to make sure that we had everything in place for uh Discovery Lab, for example. And we now recognize that we have done what we need to do for this first year for Discovery Lab and we have funds that we can now reallocate to instructional technology. So that is why we are coming to you right now. Um and then so yeah, I'll stop there. >> Did you tell us just really briefly a little bit about this um this proposal or this IMAC um pilot so we can just know a

053little bit about what it is we're supporting? >> Absolutely. I will start and then I'll invite Miss Kimmel to weigh in as well. Um we have started to explore the use of Apple products um from a couple of different angles. one of which they have a much higher resale value. Um, and I'll let if you want to piggyback on that, Beth, because I know you've been digging into that a little bit more. We're specifically talking about the um item number four right now. Four and um five, just to clarify, the IMAX are for the art lab at East. Okay. Um the proposal behind this really is uh in looking at some of the rising costs around student Chromebooks. We're starting to see that due to that inflation, um, Apple devices are actually starting to somewhat

054meet in the middle and because of the residual value, um, there's even some kind of like you're almost kind of coming to an even playing field at a certain point. Um, but what we're finding on the instructional side is the ability to be able to work within one environment and be able to have teachers instruct in different ways by utilizing two pieces of tech versus potentially multiple things that we currently have. For example, we've invested in um interactive whiteboards in the classrooms and a document camera and they have a laptop and we have a docking station and they have a monitor. That can become cumbersome when you are instructing and if one thing fails, it's the whole fun tech figuring out of which piece is it, what needs the update. Um and that just it

055can result in loss of instruction time versus potentially moving to teachers to a device that they can annotate us as a document camera um interact with from their hand as an iPad. Um and then also be able to have that kind of Apple environment of I can quickly share something between um my my computer or my instructional to the iPad. Uh and then moving students again to the iPads allows again everybody to be in that environment. we see the ability to annotate. I have had teachers requesting, especially at elementary level, for years to have touchscreen devices for our youngest learners. Um, and again, if I were to compare that price of a touchscreen Chromebook, it would be almost at that cost of an iPad at this point. Um, so we're just starting to explore what

056would this purchase then require for our tech department to be able to support. So, we kind of need to see full throttle what that looks like so we can troubleshoot. and then in conjunction to with some of the instruction that we're seeing in the classroom, how will it support or what would that look like? >> So, this is a small pilot over at Eisenhower >> while we look to see if this is a good fit. Right. >> Yep. And the reason why we chose Eisenhower um is one, we have a um a go-getter team of um educators in our third grade classrooms there that are um really forward uh leaning in terms of um their adaptability to um using Apple products. They prefer Apple products. Um and we also have an instructional coach there that

057lived in a onetoone Apple um Apple environment in a former district and so has experience with that as well. So um we are able to better support um the pilot study there. >> Okay. Excellent. >> Thank you. Um, when you say onetoone iPad environment, would the iPad is the idea that the iPad would eventually replace that the students Chromebooks? >> Yes. >> Because right now we have a onetoone Chromebook environment for the most part in our elementary schools. Do you want to speak to that? >> Yeah. I mean, I think ideally it would be all the way through um through our high schools as well. Um, we see an opportunity for it in a lot of different instructional ways um in our high schools and middle school spaces too. Um, but there would be learning

058involved with how we would utilize those devices. But yeah, the student device being replaced by an iPad and again needing to see in this small environment what that would look like at an elementary level, but with the ability or being able to purchase these and we can also then take that pilot and move it into another setting as well. >> I guess one of the big concerns I have when I saw this is that we're really discouraging tablet and phone use and device use in our schools. Um, so I wonder if our youngest learners need to have one-on-one iPad access. Um, specifically since we've said as a district we want them learning without screens. Um, so would this an iPad is a lot more fun than a Chromebook, I think, for everyone. Um, so would

059this increase screen time for our youngest learners and even for our high schoolers? I I hope that we're decreasing screen time for our high schoolers at the same time. So, I guess my concern is, you know, this is a $30,000 roughly expense. I worry the consequences that come with introducing iPads to our students. And that's part that would be part of our study as well is how do we not make this tool being how do we keep it as a tool >> rather similar to how we continue to use our Chromebooks as a tool for students rather than turning it into something that it's not in an educational space. I would also just add the right now we currently have like a shared model happening right and again not trying to make this to be

060a um we want more technology or more screen time happening um but we're we have shared devices currently with iPads in our discovery lab and there's just little nuanced challenges that come about sharing a device versus the onetoone really just means that the student it's going to be that ease of access of them being signed in I can quickly grab it we can take it we can learn, we can do what we want. Student learning can be captured, kept, recorded, put away, and they can come back to it without the need to like do a sign in. And if you've tried to sign in a kindergarten, first grader into anything, there's a challenge with that. Um, so that onetoone piece is more about the functionality and getting to the instruction quickly versus the we want

061you on screens more, if that helps clarify that. >> It does. However, um I don't know how else to say. I just don't think giving iPads to our youngest learners is aligns with where we going. And I wouldn't want my first grader to have an iPad even at school. So, that's where I'm coming from. Um I guess I'll make a motion to remove this from the I'm comfortable with everything else on this proposal. Um, I'm not necessarily comfortable with voting to approve the $30,000 for IATS. >> So, you'd like to separate into two proposals? >> Would that fine? >> No, but that's okay. I think that's Does anyone else have um thoughts on that on what you'd like to be voting on this evening? >> I I wouldn't have a problem separating two. I I

062don't have the same concerns, but I do. It does open up where I want to think more about that concern as a as [clears throat] a a a larger topic. Uh my mind goes someplace completely different having a kindergarten, third, and fifth grader and my third and fifth thrive on the Chromebooks. And it's challenged my third grader to want to do more their fifth grade brother's doing because of the typing. That's something that my third grader types as good as my fifth grader because she's trying to keep up with him. And I almost wonder if my kindergarten when we get to that space if there's nothing to type and they're not learning that way of what's in our keyboard and where the number where your fingers and your placement we go to just touch screens

063or swiping that we're going to take some things away. So just just thoughts my own on thinking about that but I'm Apple native person. Everything in my house is Apple. I am very pro all that but it's hard to equate that for an adult or a high school learner to the youngest university. And I just >> Dr. Marble, do you mind if I add a comment here? >> How about if Miss Kimmel says what she was going to say and then absolutely Mr. Price, you can weigh in. >> In some of my research that I've done of neighboring school districts that are onetoone often, um they do have external keyboards available for students for different things, right? We have testing, we have different times where keyboarding is a very important piece of it. um and

064it just wasn't in this pilot stage. Didn't necessarily feel like we were at that point. But that is absolutely something exploring. And then also looking at the ability to be able to for our older students, there are cases that have keyboards built in and and providing students with that at our secondary level. >> Go ahead, Mr. Price. Uh, Miss Himer Roland, if you're concerned about additional screen time, I I just wanted to add you can rest assured that from a district perspective, uh, we we manage those devices and we control what applications are on the devices, what sites, etc., it's functionally no different from what they have access to today. Uh, from a control monitoring and uh, classroom management perspective. >> Thank you, Mr. Wy. Um, I just wanted to weigh into uh also the

065Apple ecosystem everything. Um, I find it more intuitive and I'm able to learn what I need to learn faster because I'm able to do tasks faster. So, I like that. But also speaking from personal experience uh and and weighing both devices um the accessibility features in Apple products are exponentially greater than than that of of Chromebooks. Again, personal opinion, but we've at our house, we've we've run the gamut on pretty much everything. And um not that I would would want to jump on board for a complete conversion right away, but and I think Mr. Morris kind of hit it on the head that the the typing part is >> I I would love to see that how that plays in, but I know that's not part of this proposal. Um I'm also comfortable with with

066splitting it out into into two different things. >> Yeah. And thank you for bringing up the accessibility. I actually would say that Chromebooks are a very difficult experience when it comes to providing accessibility um programs and options. And that was one of my questions as not an Apple native. Are there going to be some advantages for getting students the some of the programs and supports they need? Yeah, I think when we have done already just some initial dipping our toes into some training with Apple, um the accessibility features that are built into the Apple products are pretty incredible. From just even the voice reading to they spoke about this one particular voice that if you choose that uh you can actually hear the breath being taken while reading and how speech paths really like that's

067that's just something that's built in. um right where we're we're having to look at other uh extensions that happen within a Chromebook to make some of those things happen and they're not even reaching that and that's literally dipping our toes into what's there. There's there is a lot um more that is even in there and we um started to even work with our special ed staff because we do know that we have students right now currently who are on iPads that we can even enhance what they are doing within there too with the accessibility features. >> What else? One one other >> uh maybe just question for the future beyond the pilot on there. I know that Wisconsin because I've read and seen a couple things in there uh is one of the Apple community

068education partners in there. Have we looked any further of any of the districts or anybody around us nearby that might be a part of that initiative or the uh Apple community education programs uh because I know they have the Apple distinguished schools and things of that nature. If that's something that is part of that road map or how that looks in the future if we go beyond the pilot. Apple has been very supportive all the way through this as you would assume of any sales company. Um but they um truly do have a team of educators who've already been supporting us in a lot of ways with no purchase involved. Um and so I do know that they have already um been discussing with us of connecting with other local or nearby districts of just

069getting involved with them and and sharing ideas, seeing things in action. Um so they absolutely have a lot of different pathways that are available as far as different learning opportunities for um staff but also within any other Apple products. There's there's a lot out there and I again I just want to reiterate that this is a very m small microcosm of a pilot that we are looking to study and we will develop more questions and learn more things um before we were ever to consider scaling it out. um further. So >> I guess my final thought also would be this is almost about getting technology out of the way so that the learning can really take place versus the I can't get in. This isn't working. I can't do that on a Chromebook conversations that

070we have seen and the slowdown that can happen with instruction. So, it's really almost about making that be less of a barrier and just let's let's get to the learning and we see an opportunity to just change up the way that we've been using tech in our spaces. >> Thank you for being here and for providing so much information. I'm going to propose that we now um first take up uh from this proposal proposal one, two, and three as a unit. Um, Miss Hammer, do you want to just say >> I'm actually comfortable voting okay with it as one unit. I appreciate the clarification um and the fact that this would come back to the board if it was going to um expand beyond, but I appreciate you listening and answering me and I I

071feel much more comfortable than I did when I read it um this weekend. So, thank you. >> Yeah, those are good guardrail questions. We always have to be thinking those. Okay. So, we're going to take it um as a single. So, um I'll sort of start us off. It's recommended that the school board approve item F. Remove the item. Um and wants to move that. >> I move to approve item F from the consent agenda. >> Perfect. May I have a second? >> Second. >> Mr. Bower. Thank you. >> Um Miss Summers, please call the ROS. >> Miss Bzinski? >> Yes. >> Mr. Bower? >> Yes. Miss Bach, >> excused. Mr. Morris, >> yes. >> Miss Himemer Rolland, >> yes. >> Dr. Worley, >> yes. >> Mr. Wier, >> yes. >> And the motion carries.

072Thank you. >> Thank you. So move to item number five, strategic goals, systems, and structures. And we start with the WVA school to program update. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Dean Weiss. I'm administrator for virtual academy champions program GED option 2 children's Wisconsin R. Phillips. Um before you are two pages of connected text which summarizes a bit from when I presented to the board my school growth plan update in November myself and Mr. Lupin basically talking about the evolution of Mossa virtual academy standalone school to a program. Now, if you've taken any look at the two-page summary, just want to back up one one second. Um, Dr. Marvel's division, she leads our monthly administrative council meetings, all principles. There's a word of the day this year. It's been related to looking at data

073data in hear what those words have been. ownership, impact, inquiry, efficacy, stewardship, and collaboration. I want to highlight stewardship because Mr. Pinion started this document, first paragraph talking about how there's been a multi-year process of meetings with a I'd say multid-disiplinary level of individuals talking about WVA and this evolution. Stewardship means holding something in trust for another, prioritizing the well-being of the larger organization over control or self-interest. It requires operating in service, distributing power and responsibility widely, and inviting all voices into shaping purpose. As stewards, we help build conditions where people take ownership, lead their work, and grow together. And very true that works. And very true. We've had two years of talking about this transition and looking at how does this look as we move to the future and we have virtual programming that's

074more embedded within the um the secondary schools. At the same time, because I've been here for a minute, I can also say that there have been other conversations, meetings, um, and creation of other school programs that have basically been leading to this as well. For instance, developing the champions program that was a process that there too, there was a multi-disiplinary group that met for a number of months to get champions up and off the ground. Um there's always been ongoing meetings between Division of People and Family Supports and our GD option 2 programming. Um our impact cycle meetings three times a year and talking about graduation pathways for Velar Phillips students and even when we talk about how we do school and school support at Children's Wisconsin. All of those um keep us sharp when

075we talk about how do we provide an exceptional and equitable student experience for students who are in exceptional circumstances. So even all of those meetings, all of those inputs, all of those ways of looking at how students learn and how our vision of a graduate is a vision for every student in every circumstance. The highlights of this summary not only talked about how we've met but basically looked at the current way that things operate now in terms of how a family might access WVA. Um I think as as Mr. Pinion pointed out in November um currently it's been done as an intra district transfer as if it was a transfer to any other brickandmortar school. And moving forward, there's going to be much more cohesion between the secondary schools and WVA in terms of when

076those choices are being considered from a family. Um, are we having conversations about the best way to organize what that transition looks like or maybe the fact that it might not be a wholesale full-time transition, but something that's more hybrid. So, I know the word thoughtful has been in this this summary a few times. That's where the thoughtfulness comes in. Um, the idea of being connected to your building and knowing that things that are available to you in your brick and mortar are still available to you and we really haven't shut the door on that currently. I mean, this isn't that much of a of a shift. At the same time, I think when we look at even things like just the student information system and so when schools are doing their own um not

077just rostering of students but looking at student performance um just having that student connected and keeping the name in front of individuals, that's huge. and for students to know that things like opportunities for let's say like the career center, college visits, um other opportunities, clubs, extracurriculars. So always having that extra sense that you still belong here. Your modality maybe for now looks like this um in the virtual world. So, the transition enhances equity, accountability, coherence across the system while providing access to students who want an online learning experience. Um, open enrollment has been brought up this spring. You'll start to see commercials on TV for statewide online schools. and the fact that Wawaossa since I believe 2011 has had an option where we are offering this um and now just evolving to say we still

078have a modality and we still have the people to support you. Um it just it just seems natural. Um and we're not trying to play catch-up to other schools that maybe try to put together virtual learning post pandemic. you know, we've been doing it for a while. We've learned some stuff. Um, and I think that that results in good things for students and a host of students. Dr. Marble, anything to share or add? >> No. >> Thank you. Board members, comments, questions, clarifications? >> Yeah, Mr. W. Uh I I think I know the answer to this but just to clarify so when this becomes a program student is no longer a member of Wus Tossa virtual they they say I I'm a member of Whitman I'm a member of East or West or U or

079Longfell right so I think the whole my interpretation of it is the is the whole thing is to bring back that belonging like you like you described and um give a sense of being part of the community and and not necessarily out on their own island even though they're still going to be very much doing a lot of things on their own. um they they would get something that they don't currently have access to which is that uh that building level support. Mr. right here. I think one of the the the worst injustices with WVA was that if a student either chose or needed to have WVA as an option, what then transpired is that that student was in essence exiled from their brickandmortar school and placed into WBA. And so updates about the upcoming

080homecoming dance, updates around what was happening in the building. You were no longer being communicated um with from that lens. You are now a member of WVA. We believe that we can better serve our students through a program with WVA um by maintaining membership in that school community um but ultimately giving them the flexibility of learning virtually. >> Thank you. And then uh lastly um so then academic performance that would then shift over to the individual home schools. >> That's correct. >> And um and and those students academic performance would be essentially blended in with with the I don't know what the the proper term is but the students not or the students that are attending brick and mortar. Um and and your >> [clears throat] >> um you and your staff are are able

081to still keep keep track of of the learning for those students to make because often those students are ones that need extra support and through that transition. And I think making sure we pay attention to their academics um as they move from one one entity to uh to another that they don't get lost. >> Absolutely. That is been a primary focus for us as well. And I will say that Mr. Hoist and the staff um currently at WV and I don't see this changing at all. Um they have what they call hounding for hounding for heart. Is that accurate? Hounding with hearts. >> Hounding with hearts. Thank you. Hounding with hearts where they um they're hounding at the um students and they're making every attempt possible to maintain connections with students. They have done an

082outstanding job to the fact of their being recognized by the individuals that they're working at at the state level for the the work that they are doing with their check and connect. Um, so it's been a really remarkable, it's been a really positive, um, initiative and I don't foresee that going away. Um, this just allows there to be more seamless communication between the the work that's happening with our students that are accessing online learning and the home school and the continuing to have that ownership of students and ownership and um, of the learning that's happening as well. So, um, I don't know, Mr. Weiss, if you have anything to add. >> You said it perfectly. I've said it before. With online learning, it takes a lot of human contact. It is not a set it

083and forget it. And the programs who operate that way just that's not right for kids. You need to have that, you know, as was said during the uh MLK Junior opening, human connection that came up. >> I think it's a I think it's a natural excellent transition that you you've again multi multiple years have had in the works here. Um I'm excited for it. >> Uh first, thank you for your work on this. Um, none of us have a crystal ball, but I would bet a lot that this is going to be hugely successful for our students who who need um to utilize WVA for a multitude um of reasons and I have just 100% confidence in your leadership um and your commitment to those students and we could not have a better leader uh

084helping us to the transition to a program. So, thank you so much. I can't wait to have the update on how the program is in 6 or 12 months, but I I believe that it will be hugely successful. So, thank you. >> Yes, question. Uh Dr. Marble in there. How does this affect or or does it affect the open enrollment numbers when you think about those of going from a standalone school to your home your local home school there in there? If there are open seats or not open seats, does that affect the the placement of those? So, if there is an open seat at is there a potential virtual open seat at a school or is it still maintain everything in there? They're still just part of that how they contribute. >> They are

085still just part of Wawsosa East or Watossa West. Um we wouldn't look at um we wouldn't look at WVA having open seats for um current non-resident students. We have an obligation if WBA is no longer a school and it becomes a program, we have an obligation to then create seats in the brick and mortar buildings for I think there's 23 students as of this year who are open enrollment students enrolled at WVA. Okay. >> Um and I you know this is going to come up in a few minutes as we discuss open enrollment. So, I don't want to blend the two, but in the past, the district just took open enrollment seats at WVA and there was really no cap. Um, so as a result of our strategic use of open enrollment, if you remember

086this, we're in year three of retooling and truly adhering to policy 5113 the way that we should. Uh so we we started to scale back on the WVA open enrollment seats which has helped a great deal. That number was when I arrived five years ago that number was robust. It was Yes. Yes. And and so I think we've we've we have a number now where we can manage but to an I think as I was interpreting your your question Mr. Morris if I may paraphrase it. What happens to the 23 students who are open enrolled who are not residents of Walto Tulsa who are enrolled at WBA? What happens? We have to look at um where we have seats available and we technically don't have any. So, we're going to have to find Miss Illazoski

087will have to find a way to strategically place those 23 students um in our four secondary schools. >> Thank you. That's if they wanted to be in a brick and mortar, >> if they want to remain in they they they have the right to go back to their their resident district, >> right? But to be in WV to be in Wawaossa, they would need that. >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Um this also raises up the point of the communication plan um for these transitions. Um see just seeing it on the agenda of tonight. um you know got one person to reach out to me. So you know I know you'll do a great job but just putting forward that if you know that that's going to be so important in this transition that people know

088that they continue forward that whatever they've worked out with the district is what they've worked out with the district. They graduate they do all those things. Um, but we just can't say it enough because as you said, Miss Joyce, it takes a lot of um contact in order to reach people who aren't in buildings on regular basis. So, just just holding up as I'm sure you will the importance of that communication um for for folks in our district. >> Anyone else? Okay, thank you very much. We will move on to the open enrollment seat allocation for the 2026 2027 school year. It's been some materials added or updated and questions answered. Do you want to say anything before we get into our discussion or does Mr. Eer has something to say? release. Okay, >> that's

089something I can share. So, >> okay, >> I guess I'll say it as I share it. Let me let me just uh say thank you. >> While he's setting that up, I just want to thank our administration and staff because we put forward a lot of questions in the last few days. Um, we thank our community for um, teeing up some of those questions and um, they worked hard um, weekend and today to to get us the information that we were asking. >> Um, I don't know that it made it here. Uh, Julia, who puts the I emailed it to the media earlier today. I don't. >> Okay, >> let me email it over to myself here and then we can get it that way. Oh, it looks like you're driving here. >> Um, I

090want to I want to download it. So, I I can take it from here actually. Okay. So, I'll get to this in a second. Um, what what what I wanted to try and present is kind of some more clarity around what what makes sense with open Roman from a from a purely financial perspective. Um, and I think the hardest thing to answer is what is the right what is the right answer for open enrollment? And the reason for that is there kind of isn't a right or wrong because it really depends on what structures and what policies are in place. So, and I I'll talk about that kind of as I go. So, depending Yeah, I'll put I will in a second. Yeah. Um so depending on what guard rails are in place uh uh

091the business official might recommend one path versus another path. Um so that I kind of start with that. The other thing that I that I'll talk about or I want to mention briefly is um the suburban Milwaukee and suburban Madison areas are in an enviable position compared to almost every other school district in the state. So, um, the the conversations we have about open enrollment are very different than when I was a young business official in Beaver Dam and the conversation there was, can we put up billboards to try and get more students to come to our district? Um, we don't have to do that here. So, [clears throat] at a district like that, they would accept as many students as they could get. Um, we we we don't have that option, right? we probably

092we I bet you there's thousands that would want to come. So we have a different kind of dynamic here. Um so if you were to ask a business official at a district outside of suburban Milwaukee or suburban Madison, they might have a completely different perspective too on what they think the right kind of gap is. So it's really district dependent. Um, so what I wanted to show you is kind of like the the how financially kind of the dilemma that I have with balancing open enrollment with class size and those costs. So now I'll blow it up. Okay, so this is oversimplified. Okay. But here we've got 100 students here and we know in our in our district this is the actual average teacher expense this year is with with salaries and benefits $100,122. On

093future slides I just rounded it to 100,000. Okay. So in this case we have 100 students and this particular district has a class size target of 25. Right? So this is pretty simple. That's four sections, four teachers, 25 students each, $400,000. Here's the same 100 kids, different district or different target. Maybe in the same district if you change your target. Now we have a class size target of 20, right? So you can already guess what's going to happen here. So now we have five classes. That increases our cost by $100,000, right? So, we know that lowered class sizes cost more money. That's because we have to hire more staff. So, this is the most simplified example. Okay. Unfortunately, school districts or grade levels don't words like that. More often, they look kind of like this.

094So, in this case, we have 88 students. Let's pretend this is grade three at South Elementary or something. Okay. So, we've got a couple choices. If our class size target is 20, what do we do? If we staff it with four people, that's going to cost the $400,000, but exceeds the class size by two. Now, some districts would say two students is irrelevant. Other districts would say that is absolutely unacceptable. Um, or do you do five classes of 17, right? So now you're investing another $100,000 to reduce class sizes in total by five students but three below the threshold. So that's the trade-off. So when when I'm thinking about open enrollment, I think about it this way. So what if we could add 12 students? So our class size target in this example stays 20,

095but we put those the the open aroma students in this case are the ones in orange. So we keep our class size target of 20. It would have been 17 point something, but we fill them up to what is still an acceptable class size. It it costs then that extra staff member. So that's instead of $400,000, it's $500,000. So then we have to look at is there a way to offset Oh boy. This this is like the best part. [clears throat] Okay. So is there a way to offset that cost of the additional teacher? So, in Wisconsin, in real life, these 12 open enrollment students, um, I'm assuming they're all regular ed. If they were special ed, we would get more money. But if they're all regular ed, we would receive next year's number is

096$11,30. That would yield $132,000. We had invested $100,000 in the new teacher. So, we actually get a profit of $32,000. So, purely from a economic standpoint, this model makes sense. It's also possible though that someone would say, "No, no, no. My I could have had a class of 17. I I um and so don't take those kids. Don't take that profit. Just give me the lower class size by three students." That that is a reasonable argument. Um, which is why I said there is no perfect answer here because it's the tradeoff of what is um, especially where you have class- size targets where there's low, mid, and high. If if the I'm not suggesting this is the case here, but if the high is something we would never accept, kind of like why even have

097it? Um, so that's what we're what I'm trying to balance financially and what Sarah's trying to balance from a staffing standpoint is this. Do you have four of 22 or five of 17? Well, if we know the community is going to say we're not going to accept 22. That is that is not acceptable at fourth grade. Well, then we might as well add the open enrollment students, reap some profit from the state. um none of this all um in this so let's assume all these students I'll make it easy they all come from Milwaukee Milwaukee foots that entire bill so that money is just transfers directly from one school district to us so it doesn't increase our property taxes um nor does it it doesn't impact our our general aid the one caveat I'll have

098here is when I was here about a little over a year ago I gave a presentation on open enrollment. And I talked about if we draw down open enrollment, how it would impact our state aid. And this is where things get kind of really complicated. Because we're a negatively aided district, the more money we spend, the less the state supports us. They say you are a, we all know this, we're a wealthy school district by state standards. and they want to give more money to poor districts and less money to wealthy school districts. So what they do is essentially they kind of penalize high-spending wealthy school districts. The theory of action I had a year ago was reduce open enrollment and reduce staff so much so that we increase more state aid to do that

099though. and I was a newbie to our district then. I was thinking we'd be able to go to a model like this that that two more students would be acceptable and that would allow us to go from five sections to four sections. I'm starting to get the sense that that is not really what where the bulk of the parental community wants to go. And so given that, yes, we could save some state aid, but I think the community really is looking more for something like this. before you lose your place because there's been a lot of discussion around the adverse impact to the the district in which a open enrollment student is leaving. >> But the way that the funding formula works, they're not is different than if a student ch decided to go to

100an independent charter or to a voucher school. Within the formula, you're still able to account for those students. Can you just be I I don't want to get too complicated. >> Okay. is >> but there's still it's not a it's not a total loss to the I don't want to call it the >> the home district. Thank you. >> Oh um yeah the I I know I've said this at a board meeting before too and I think it is one of the hypocrisies of the state funding system. Um the wealthiest school district in the state or the one that would have the most money would be one that had every open enrollment student go out of the district. So, if every student of ours went out of the district, we would get uh the revenue

101limit would give us about say 14 $15,000 a student and we would send out about $11,000 a student. Um we would probably have one one superintendent and maybe a bookkeeper or something and no students and a whole lot of money. Um, so when students leave a district, that district uh uses that student, they count on the revenue limit. So they get whatever their revenue limit amount is. In Wisconsin, it's generally 11,000 to 20,000. Just depends on that where that district was in 1993. Um, so they generally get a few thousand dollars more than what they would ship out to the district that the student that receives the student. >> Yes. So, thank you for that. Thank you for this demonstration, which of course um I have one thought I wanted people to have and correct

102me if I'm wrong. A caveat on how we are figuring out this formula is that we wouldn't have all those seats full because we know somebody might move in. >> Oh yeah, right. Uh >> just before people think we're filling up the every single seat with open enrollment. >> I think and if I may, Dr. I think and before Miss Elazoski steps up as well, I think the other thing that's just really important as you're continuing to deliberate is that there's a number of different ways you can use open enrollment and past boards leveraged open enrollment to fill seats. That that was the strategy to fill street seats. A few years ago, we said, well, let's let's re-evaluate things. And if you remember, we brought in Renee Alana. We we did a really deep dive

103on policy 5113. We recognized that even within policy 5113, it stated that if you were a tuition waiver student, eventually you were supposed to transition out, we were not doing it. And so while every January start and then I shared this information with the board earlier today while in January of 2017 in 2018 it said that zero seats were being created. The reality was we were accepting anywhere between 50 to 75 open enrollment students every year without your approval without the board's approval. Plus the way that the language read was and any students who were secondary students who wanted if we approached them and said well we can offer you a seat at WVA then those students became WVA students. So we were accepting up to a minimum 100 students but every January it was

104zero in terms of what the board was approving. it it it falls into a category of we've become even more transparent than ever. And so it is healthy that we are having a robust community conversation around what's happening. But I just want to state for the record there were the way we were engaging around the implementation of 5113 and the way that we were actually implementing open enrollment was not as open and the the data was not as accessible as it is right now. and and so frankly there were hundreds of students coming into the district every year and for some maybe people didn't know but but we just went we would be uh negligent if we didn't put that on the on the on the record as well. >> Yeah. Um I don't have

105I'll kind of summarize this or stop here. I think the um when I think about our strategy um and how it might be different than St. Francis for sure and I I use them as an example because they are really forthcoming. Um our strategy is uh fill open seats or fill sections that are already going to be there. St. Francis's strategy is create more sections. So, and I can't that that's fine with them, right? But what they're they're doing the same math I'm doing and they're saying, "Well, if I can make 32,000 with 12 students and I have open classrooms, why not bring in 24 more students, add a teacher? That teacher costs less than the I get from the 24 students. So, I'll just add a whole other section. I'll co-mingle the open enrollment

106students with the residents." But essentially, it's a section purely of open, you know, that was created just for open enrollment. That's a very different strategy than what we're recommending, which is again, and not filling them to maximum capacity, but not creating sections. I'll call maximizing the use of those sections. >> Yeah. I And I just want to clarify when Dr. Mean says we, it's we district, not anybody that's sitting at this table or in this room right now. the open enrollment conversation and and how we have used it is vastly different than four years ago. >> I appreciate that, Miss Himer. And I think as I've you know, now I'm not a newbie anymore in the district. I think one of the challenges that I'm finding with a lot of policy decisions and a [clears

107throat] lot of policy conversations that we need to continue to have is that prior deliberations were not as data driven. prior policy conversations were not as accessible and I think people had perspectives on what was happening in the school system but maybe either there wasn't access or opportunities to express them and so now the expression is more robust and and so while we're in the leadership seats now we do take the responsibility of having to at a minimum explain what happened prior But we can't fully do that. We can only follow the breadcrumbs that were left through records. That's why again I know for certainty I can tell you that we were not following the the tuition waiver policy clause uh within policy 5113. And I can tell you with certainty that we were taking

108secondary open enrollment kids and placing them in WVA. And so for anyone who said, "Well, it said zero for years uh in advance for the January meeting for open enrollment." I can guarantee you this district was taking at a minimum 100 students and it was likely more. Um but at least now through legal counsel, through the board, this board's analysis of policy 5113, we're being more transparent and accessible with the numbers. Um and and and the last thing I'll note before again letting either Mr. Eer can continue with letting the board ask questions, Miss Delaz, the last thing I would state is it's important to note when Miss Eldana was here, she continues to say that the that any given board has a responsibility to review the formula the formula on an annual basis. So,

109I know there's been some talk in the community of this seems like a flip-flop that things may have changed. The the responsibility of a board that is seated in January of a given school year, their job is to take a look at the formula and make a determination based on the formula at that time in the year. If you don't, it creates exposure for potential um uh appeals at the DPI level. If someone can say I can see that that board predetermined that they weren't going to take seats years in advance and if there's then and and we've been so vocal about this conversation they can just go back to board docs and look at it and then present that information to DPI. It it I just want to echo the words of Miss Eldana

110of it is really critical that we stay tight to the formula and the process outlined in policy 5113 >> and to build on that I believe having been on the policy committee when we were reworking that that the policy does talk about minimum mid max so we're not outside of the policy um we're having whatever discussion we'll see what comes of it But what you have offered and the administration has offered is not outside of the policy and it's not a change from um last year's practice where we've looked at >> all three of those numbers. Anyone else? Okay. Do you have other things you want to say? All right. >> And I do have questions. >> Okay. Mr. B, please. Um, so assuming that we accept 147 148 uh students, we do not know

111how they're going to be distributed across all of the buildings until we take a look at the populations in each of those buildings over the summer or at the end of the year. based on what we know that what >> I'll let to it. >> Uh yes, that is correct. So um part of the plan is to uh get a better understanding by waiting until the end of May or early June to go ahead and place the open enrollment seats. >> Uh so then the question then becomes is how do we make sure that we're not putting many of the open enrollment students for a given grade in a specific building? How are we making sure that we are spreading them out as best as we can? >> Sure. Um, so when uh when we

112spoke a few weeks ago, um I think I described um a little bit of uh what I envisioned the process to place the seats would be, excuse me, in terms of looking at uh the schools that had the lowest class sizes at each grade level. I just want to make sure you have a lot of time to just go ahead [laughter] take a pause and >> um so so one of the pieces of data that we've looked at are class size averages by grade level um across the district and then class size averages at school by grade level. So we can see the schools that are you know above or below the average. So, when we spoke a couple weeks ago, um I envisioned that in order to achieve a more consistent class size by

113grade level, when we were looking at those comparisons, we take the uh the schools with the class sizes that were lowest compared to the overall average and add students to those seats to fill our open enrollment seats. when I did that practice uh at the end of last week um uh filling seats at at schools with the smallest class sizes by grade level. I think we ended up with one school that was maybe um 21 or 22% open enrollment um at that school. If there is um if we have a if the board has a threshold that we'd like to use in terms of a total percent of open enrollment at any school, we can certainly build that into the administrative process to go ahead and identify seats. That doesn't change the formula that that

114keeps us on the um appropriate side of how we determine the number of seats we have overall. It just determines where their placement is and what the populations at each of the schools looks like. Is that helpful? >> Yes, that would be helpful. And I think that that would probably be wise to try and have a cap on >> any specific building. >> Uh and so once once the board would, you know, provide me with what that preferred cap looked like, I would have no problem in implementing that. Again, that has no bearing on the number of seats we're identifying based on the formula that we've worked so extensively with our legal council to identify and operationalize. Um, and then I would just know that again when we're getting ready to go ahead and place

115students, it's it's an extra um an extra measure that I'm taking to make sure that they're placed appropriately. And then I just had one more follow-up question that was asked of me, which is uh there was an ongoing conversation about if an open enrollment student then qualified for u an IEP um and there's no open enrollment spots uh available for an that student that is thus identified. um we would then either not offer them services and leave them in or ask them to return to their home district. When does that conversation take place? >> So, may I start and and this is a great opportunity for us to welcome our interim chief of people and family supports, Miss Stacy Clim. Welcome, Miss Clim. Um, procedurally, the open enrollment process allows a school a a receiving

116school district that has an open enrollment student who's a general ed student going through the special education evaluation process and then eventually is identified as meeting the criteria for receiving services. The law provides that receiving district to then engage the home district of that open enrollment student to say, "We've identified this student, your home student, as needing special education services. Are you willing to pay a certain dollar amount if we have to create a new teacher section or um if the student is going to be an outplacement student, we then have the ability to go to that home district and say, "Are you willing to pay the difference?" Typically, the home district will say, "No, uh we think we can serve that student back at home." Um and so if it means that student is

117going to cost a certain amount. We're not going to pay for it. Please send the student back. And when that proposition is presented to families, they then typically say, "Well, then I don't want to take the services." Let me pause here to say, because I know a lot of people have struggled with it, and I I didn't share this, but I'm going to. my late mother-in-law and my wife who is a lifelong educator. I'll never forget it as long as I live. My mother-in-law was raising my my sister-in-law's children and my family was in that exact situation where one of my my my nephew was identified for special services and my mother-in-law said she looked my my wife and I I was excluded from the conversation by she they they pow out and they said

118no we're not going to send that child back to NPS we'll figure out a way we'll hire tutors. We'll do whatever else we need to do, but we're going to keep this student in this district because it's just a good placement. And I'll never forget my my wife and my mother-in-law turned to me and she they said, "You're still being a superintendent. I need you to be an uncle here." And and being an uncle means support us in not taking these services. I didn't I'm always a superintendent. >> Um I'll stop there with the story just to say I know people have agonized over that portion of this conversation and I'm telling you I lived it and I I understand the struggles legally as a school system. If we find ourselves in that position, there's

119nothing preventing us to have a family say, "Nope, we're not taking those services. There's nothing preventing us from saying, "But you can now go through a 504 identification process." My thought is, I'm not as knowledgeable as Miss Clim, but my thought is if a child qualifies for special education services, it is likely they will qualify for 504 services. So the prospect of having a new teacher identified or other services identified that cost is probably lower. It will stretch the gened teacher further. It will require that gened teacher to do extra things for that student to make sure that they're supported. But I just I want to put people's minds to rest that we're not going to just abandon a student if they're in that situation. our counsel is going to be to a family and

120I wish I wish that would have been the the counsel that was provided to our family the counsel that was provided since I'm always a superintendent I pressed for that um and then I was told to exit the family conversation but none commentary uh but nonetheless the I just want to rest people assure that we're not going to abandon a student who started out as an open enrollment general education student goes through the evaluation process. They're eligible eligible for special education, but the family doesn't want to risk their placement in Walt Tulsa. There are other ways we can support those children and and we're not going to abandon them. >> I hope that helps. Mr. Paul, >> can I just insert one point to to that point? Some people are concerned then about taking any

121open enrollment students at all. But I've been struggling with the idea of guessing that there might be open there might be students with um IEPs in that group that potentially may have lived in Matossa then >> got left for whatever reason maybe economic reasons or whatever that that we're predetermining um for all those students that they might be at risk. Um and that was one of the reasons I I wanted to wanted to know one of my questions was is this a big number of students and you came back to say it's not really a big number of students. >> No, we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 850 open enrollment students of which Miss Clemens have 157 special 157 of those students are special education students less than 10%. And so on the on

122an annual basis, I would have presumed that of all the general education students, >> right, >> of all the general education students who are identified as special education, somewhere between two to 3% of those students may come up for evaluation on an annual basis and I don't know how many of those kids are going to truly kids. How many of those students are going to be identified as being eligible? >> More like 12. And of those, I think 17 of them are um students that receive speech and language only. >> That's I mean that that that's not more complex disability. Every disability is a disability to be considered, but it's not a full resource. >> Yes. Different resource. >> And any student who we serve can has the potential of needing an IEP or special

123services. I think it's unfair. Not that we're doing this, but I think it's an unfair framing to assume that for some reason students who open enroll into our district are more risky to accept into our school district when any of our students at any point in their career with us may need special services. And it's our legal duty and moral duty to give every student every resource that we possibly can. So >> yeah, our district um eligibility rate is 14.9% right now. So if you were saying less than 12% if you do the math it's it's actually an inaccurate that's Thank you. >> Is this a follow up on what we're doing right now because Mr. Bower I think had >> uh I was just going to refresh the >> the point that that conversation

124happens at a districtto district level that conversation does not happen in the IEP. Um, so my my question uh for Miss Clem, can you explain in in layman's terms the difference between a 504 and IEP so that we have that public record? >> A 504 is under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Um, and that's really governed under the um Office of Civil Rights. It's kind of aligned with American with Disabilities Act. Um, typically it's about accommodations and leveling the playing field. Um, not about when you're when you have an IEP, um, you will typically get specially designed instruction. You can have modifications to curriculum. It's a whole separate um, set of services outside of general ed where a 504 is truly a general education accommodation plan. special education has a diff additional layer of supports

125for some children. >> So to me that does sound like a fairly significant difference between the two. Uh but that's my opinion. Um, again, could you could you make a guess as to how many how many open enrollment students may fall under that category that would that would either take the 544 or decline it completely? We have any sort of number on it? >> Yeah, I think those are all individual parent decisions and family decisions. So um we have to present to them their rights and their uh what they what can be offered to them. Um and just like Dr. Mean said it becomes a family discussion to kind of talk through that um at that point in time. Every child's needs are different. Um so there's different complexities of every child. So it depends

126on what the family is working through. it. It's not as simple as this year we have this many, next year we have 10, next year we have 12. I I it that's why they're called individualized education plans. >> I mostly just wanted to uh confirm that we're not talking about this happens once every four years. This it happens yearly. Correct. >> Mean that children become eligible for special education >> that an open enrollment student uh is identified that they they have extra needs that weren't identified prior to open enrollment. >> Yeah. Every student that we currently have um was was at one time a general education student. >> Okay. >> When they when they entered into >> because they they could they could not come into open enrollment with it being identified. So if they

127if they were Yes. What what I'm struggling with is and Mr. Ber, did you have a chance to finish? >> Yeah, I'm done. >> Okay. What what I'm struggling with is two opposing uh values of mine. Uh one being so this is very important to me. uh I came into this board under the appointment basically saying I don't want any other parent not a single one to have to have that kind of a choice. Now I understand that we have legal barriers here and really like Dr. Means as you described it it's it's a choice between bad or worse in some in in almost all cases. Uh and again it all depends on the level of support need that that particular student has. So I have a problem with with saying with with knowing that

128that's going to happen and being okay with it. So I have a pro I have that problem. However, on the other hand, I have I've been been on the finance and resource committee. Liz, you've been there. Scott, you've been there. We've we've worked very hard to bring in mostly you and your team, you've you guys have worked very hard to pull push every button and pull every lever to try to rein the financial picture. and we seem to be hit with something new every year that's unexpected. This year being the Freigher um taxation thing completely out of our control, but we have to do something about it. And and this is and I can see that this is an opportunity to bring in one, you know, $1.6 million to help offset that and or things

129like it. and I know that we don't get a whole lot of opportunities uh to take that big of a windfall from the finance side. So, I've got those two things kind of smashing against each other. Um and I I think back to what [clears throat] Mr. Meer had said in my first year here and we didn't always agree on viewpoints, but one thing that he that he said often was what is when you have a conflict like that, what is best for the student is is what is what is probably the right answer. And I'm still struggling even right now to to make that determination [clears throat] of of which is best because we just we just heard Mr. I say um the uh the term um the the the the financial um oversight

130or you know the stewardship was the word that he used and the definition that he gave of stewardship of one of us you know having sometimes having to to make sacrifices for a few to ensure that the many are taken care of. At least that's what I took from it. Um, and I and I think the financial aspect of this kind of kind of sits at that end there. Uh [clears throat] that being said, my my last concern is for if if we would authorize these open enrollment students are like where is your confidence level as far as the funding of does that one point is that $1.6 6 million going to stay roughly the same for if like let's just pretend we kept getting the same amount coming in and the same amount going

131out ideal situation. Is that 1.6 going to going to continue to be a windfall or are we going to slowly decrease that or is that going to be like a like an elemental halflife where it's 1.6 60 this year and it's 800,000 the following year. Um until we get to back to now it is negative again. That so that's my other concern is thinking really far out ahead of are we are we just making a problem for a for a board that that is way out way ahead up there. Uh, often I'll do this where I'll throw a slide at the end >> and rarely do I have to use it because I don't anticipate well all the time, but I guess this time I did a decent job. Um, this is open enrollment funding

132going back to 1819. So we >> think 18 2019 for those that's listening not 18 >> very thorough >> thank you um yeah 201819 um so you can see the progression um it normally goes up slightly you'll see um at least the last decade uh last year. I I think we've talked a little bit about it took a more significant jump uh from last year to this year. Next year's dollar amount is already written into statute. So, at least based on history, I'm confident it's not going to go down. Um that that we aren't going to put our ourself in a with this um cohort of students will continue to yield that money. Now, if it doesn't keep increasing the the following years, we'll have to consider that as we consider what that cohort looks

133like. So the the kind of unknown, if I'm modeling this all out in my head, the unknown is where is resident enrollment population going to go over the course of the next three, three, four, five, six years. is because because if we get a drastic spike then all of a sudden you're your the assumptions of the class size and and the students we've let in that are going that can that by right stay in. We have to honor that. And all of a sudden we now are in a situation where we we are against the what the community has has voted on and and we've we've heard a lot of we go from that ideal class size of 20 up to 22 and and are kind of sitting in in a in a bad spot

134and people become unhappy and because um because there's larger class sizes and people are stressed out because of a decision that was made five years prior. prior six years prior. Uh, conversely, if enrollment continues to go down, people can't afford to live here or or new, let me correct that, new families can't afford to live here, um, then resident enrollment will keep keep declining and then this then becomes really the only tool we have to maintain all of those buildings operating. Did did I describe that? >> I I think mostly the only thing I I would um and I don't think you meant this but I'll I I'll push back a little bit or at least clarify for the community and is we have done as you know we've done enrollment studies and there isn't

135a study that has shown anything other than flat or declining enrollment. So um >> or slight increasing >> right or slight >> or slight increase. Yeah. Um but not to the extent that it's going to impact class sizes. You're right. If those studies are wrong or there's uh some economic change or building boom or something, yeah, it would impact those. Um but that isn't what any of the demographers have said. And in fact, we just heard this evening if we should anticipate a larger decline in resident enrollment due to a exodus for, I don't know, hypothetically, an independent charter school, then that means that there's a larger number of available seats. Um, and if you're not taking advantage of the one revenue lever that we have available to us, which is open enrollment, we're actually

136we're not doing our due diligence from a financial standpoint. I think again, I just want to, if I may, Mr. Roier, a couple points of clarification. One, in the past, the district used prior to our administration and prior to this current board, the district did use open enrollment to fill seats to keep schools open. That was the strategy. I don't know if the conversation was as open and accessible as we're having it right now, but that was the strategy. And we're not here to judge that strategy, but that's what it was. That's not how we're using open enrollment. And that frankly goes back to what Dr. Worley stated in terms of the when she was on the policy committee. That's why the board, this current board analyzed policy 5113 the way you did. We we

137are operating under a formula that you evaluated very closely and said this is the pol this is the policy and this is the formula we want to use and every year we want you to bring minimum mid and maximum opportunities for us to consider and then we make the decision based on the formula. That's very different than how the district used open enrollment in the past where in the past it was fill as many seats as you can so then the schools that need to have those seats filled stay open and that's why we had imbalance at some schools when I first arrived 5 years ago there was some schools that had an open enrollment percentage of 40 45% of the school was open enrollment students and so I understand the angst that some people

138in the community has of Hey, maybe we weren't paying attention to this as closely as we should have in the past, but we're going to pay attention to it now. What I say in my role is thank you. We appreciate the engagement, but we really do appreciate the guidance of the board and the board's adherence to to policy. The last thing I would state is going back to the beginning of your statement, I would never suggest that a 504 can substitute what an IEP can do. I'm never I would never suggest it. However, I wanted to just help people understand that we're not going to just allow a student to flounder and to have no support and a 504 is better than zero, nothing. Um, and and so that that's what I was trying to

139to lift up that um it doesn't necessarily have to be that we just allow the student to fail um and flounder knowing that that child needs some level of support. There's always that that process that's available to them. I think you [clears throat] one last little thing. Yeah, if you don't mind. So, to bring it all the way back around, >> uh, Mr. Eker, >> if we were to say were to reject this and say no and go with the minimum, obviously that's $1.6 million we have to find somewhere else. I'm assuming the somewhere else would be a reduction in staff. I don't via teachers or aids or I don't I I have no idea how that it would be distributed but I'm guessing 13 14 15 16 FTES some based on what we've seen

140in the past. >> Yeah, you're you're right. Um the math is easy because now we know that >> 100,000 is the cost. So that's roughly that would be 16 teachers. >> It could be other staff, right? But it's that ballpark. Um, and as we've talked about before, we know that really the only we have very few levers in our district outside of staff. You know, we don't have a robust buildings and grounds budget that we could tap into or robust technology budget. Those would those would be places that other districts maybe would steal from uh if they h if they're funded greater that way or have allocated their money that way. We have chosen to allocate almost all of our money to to staff in particular teachers and their salaries. So when when we have

141to pull back costs, that's really the only lever we have. >> And keep in mind, we're already going to make cuts. >> We're already slated to make cuts and and so without this dollar amount, the cuts will just become more substantial. >> Thank you. key. >> Okay. Um I do want to acknowledge that there I don't want to make assumptions about any students who come and join us. Um I do also want to acknowledge that there is concern our our teachers some teachers express concern about also like we talked about we don't want to let our students flounder. I also want to recognize the important importance of not letting our teachers flounder should there be need for additional supports. Um, so and I and I'm just saying that just to put that out there like

142let's also make sure we keep an eye on supporting it seems like we we want our best. We put our money into our staff because we believe that that's they're the people who do the good work. Let's make sure we continue to help them feel supported >> and and just for that how have we done that in the past because this is not new. Yeah. From a policy perspective, the best way we can do it is not to say we love our teachers verbally. We do it by making sure that they have the lowest teacher to student ratios in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. So when I arrived when I arrived, everyone said there's so many challenges and we have such a large open enrollment process uh number enrollment. What can you do Dr. Means to

143address it? We our strategy is to provide low class sizes. So, so that's the way that we we believe professionally a teacher is best able to address the needs of their students if there's a if there's a small student toteer ratio. >> Absolutely. Okay. I just >> So that that's how we that from a policy in governance perspective that's how we've done it two ways. We've compensated them um at at a very high rate. I think the over the last four years the the increase has been over 30% uh salary increase and they and we miss Silazoski gathers this data annually for the last three years we have the lowest student toteer ratio in the Milwaukee metropolitan area >> at least two thank you thank you for the clarification >> all right okay um I

144just want to I will continue to come back to that but and And I do want to come back go back to um during public comments when someone brought up we do there is a potential to see a number of art of students to go as you put it to a something about a possible charter program. How might that how might something like that affect open enrollments or um impact decision making around around open enrollments? >> Less residents like less residents less revenue. >> I I would Yeah, I was going to say if anything this it would make this number too low. >> Yes. the one the 148 >> highlighting that prospecting >> highlighting that prospect actually makes things worse and what Mr. Eker and I would tell you is that then we should actually

145be more uh aggressive with open enrollment. Um, and but I think that's why the lawyers are saying be patient. >> Find out where your numbers are going to be in June. And please know, going back to the superintendent report, I wanted all of our community to know registration has started. If you know you're coming back to us, let us know. And if you plan not to come back, let us know. But the sooner you can let us know, the the more precise we can be with our our projections. Miss Elazoski, >> thank you. Um part of the plan that we discussed a few weeks ago related to open enrollment is that we would have the option of rerunning the formula uh again the one that has been developed with our legal council so that if

146we find ourselves with fewer residents uh later this summer in in July whenever we can go ahead and rerun the same formulas and if it it gives us an opportunity to take more open enrollment students that's something that we could bring to you uh for potential approval and also why we would take a waiting list um when um when we are making open enrollment lottery selections uh this spring. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Good questions. >> So, just a clarification on that. When when this board takes a vote on this recommendation, we're voting not for the number 148. We're voting for the the term mid, right? We're voting for the number 148 with the number of seats specifically at each grade level, >> which is the mid. >> Yes. >> You know, and but I

147think I'm hearing you say it would be appreciated if there was also a weight list identified in the motion. >> I don't think I I think the policy >> the policy establishes the weight list. Um the the motion while we are basing the formula on the mid, it's my understanding from some recent guidance from DPI that the motion needs to identify the number of students based on our formula and the grade levels where those students uh would be accepted. So >> okay, so >> the mid is related to the formula. >> That would be the that would be the the cap which we're trying to figure out. Putting on the getting the crystal ball, right? Yeah, >> we're trying to figure out >> we need to give exact numbers for statuto reasons. >> Yeah. >>

148Uh however, we're not to know it for real until we get closer to the start of school. >> Correct. >> So the waiting list so 148 to Mr. Ecker's point 148 may be too low. We we don't know. >> We may get to May, Mr. Guadier and after registration moves forward, we may find 100 students who are currently residents have decided not to come back >> for a variety of reason >> for a number of different reasons. Who knows? Um and then we will come back to you and say based on the the weight list language within policy 5113, we're bringing you another recommendation based on what we now know. I think the challenge is that the law stipulates that we're supposed to make a decision now. Um, but the way you have strategically drafted

149policy 5113, it gives this board the ability to revisit once you know more in May and June. >> We can't change the number. We're legally bound to 148. >> You're legally bound to 148. >> Clear in this conversation. >> Yes. Bound to these numbers per grave. >> Yes. Yes. Okay. So, so the chart we are looking at here is those other seats that can be filled and if and if the distribution doesn't allow for it, we still have some room to pivot with a weight list, we can't change these numbers. If we find out later in the spring that due to registration numbers that there is greater capacity opportunities, then we may come back to you and suggest that there's more open enrollment seats to be had. >> From a timing standpoint, we would need

150to come back after July 4th based on the um based on the timeline for accepting and denying seats. So just to give yourself a what to expect in terms [clears throat] of uh rerunning those calculations >> and and to follow that up that kind of experience information may well impact our discussion next year. Mhm. >> Um, and that's why I'm so thankful, Michelle Zoski, that you and others in your office and and the pupil services have really taken us to this data driven place because while I know that we and many community members would have liked to know in September, um, we can't identify, we don't we just don't have the data till we get a little closer, but at the same time, the data has given us a much better sort as we're starting

151to track this year by year. It builds up our ability to make more sense of it. Um that said, there's different demographics every year. People have more babies or less babies. There's issues around housing. There's um our changes that we're making coming up with boundary lines. There's changes that we're making with sixth grade. I mean, there's it's probably not going to settle down um completely, but at least we're doing our best to um make sure that we're not taking a big drop in the summer, but that does not just for folks who are listening, that does not mean that next year this board is going to go in the same direction. Um the community did say that and and we agreed that we wanted a gradual reduction. Um, at the same time, we as a

152board have to balance costs. So, each year is a learning experience for us. Um, if I could just before I I let go of the mic, if I could just share one other kind of personal story as a as a parent, um, like you, Mr. White, a parent with special education children, I do think even though, you know, we might say, "Wow, parents should make this choice or that choice," I think it's really important that parents have the choice. Um, and it and the parent might learn in that next year um what it means and then they might make a different choice. Um, and so, uh, and I just speak that personally, um, that I had I've had a student who was in open enrolled out of our district, partway through elementary school, had special

153education services identified um, to the IEP level. And the first few years that was okay. But then as the curriculum changed in the demand because it had to do with reading. Then I realized as a parent that um it was going to work better to be in Wamosa. Um because we were at that time we were in a different language school and that was creating some challenges to get the services were there but they weren't in the other language. They were only in English and so so we can't predict people's journeys to the micro moment. um you know as a group and know exactly what's right. We do our best in the situation to provide as you know the services we can again I would put a plug into if we had much better state

154funding >> on special education. Um some of these this conversation look really different if it was given to to students and follow students in a different way. That's something we still need to work on but we don't have the lever ourselves over that. But to say let's self predetermine right now this whole group of students, you know, is not a fit for our district because they might have some need um down the road and they might need that for three years because special education students also move out of special education um over time. Some do, some don't. It depends on what their services are, right? So just just want to throw out that that the parent choice there is still a really part important part of this. So is the the yearby-year journey. Um, and

155you know, it's I I I think about where I would want to move as a as a staff member, as a board of members, think about our staff, as you brought up, and pull every lever we can to make sure that we're getting as many special ed support people skilled in special education into those spaces when a need is identified, however we can. um whether that means how we group, you know, where we put students and what classes, how we advise those students into certain, you know, hours of the day when they get to high school. That's a big big part of it is which class they land in. Um our our our district is doing that really strategically, but I think that we can always improve and we should really listen to our teachers

156on that front. Sorry, that was a lot of content, but I just want to make sure we're not we're not um we're not predetermining too much in the interest of um a couple of situations or a handful of situations. Um, so one one last thing again going back to trying to represent the community in the way that I feel the signals I've been I've been getting on it. The we just went through a long I I say we but Dr. means in the administration went through a long negotiation process with the teachers union to get to a point where I think both sides would say they were okay with um and I want to make sure I understand this. So from a from a perspective, however many F if we said no to this, however

157many FTEEs we have to reduce, some of those would casualties would be would be teachers. I have I have to I'm making that assumption. But yeah, um we there isn't a on paper contingency plan. >> Understood. But given the majority of our the majority of our costs are staff and the majority of our staff are teachers, I I'm pretty confident saying at least some of the cuts would have to be teachers. There there there isn't enough of other staff to make it everyone except teachers. So it wouldn't necessarily be exclusively, but I would imagine again just applying the percentages, a good percentage of those would be teachers. And we know from the referendum and the $8 million approved for increased teacher salaries that flags to me that making sure our teachers are taken care of,

158supported, whatever you want to call it, is an is an important thing. And that's Again, still trying to wrap my brain fully around this. Us saying no to this to me seems like we're all we're also saying less support to the group that we just said we were we were supporting. I don't I don't need an answer on it. I'm just verbally processing this out loud. >> Maybe it's less consistency of support. So perhaps next year we get a really big jump in resident enrollment, but we have cut the staff. We won't necessarily have the same people back to fill those spots is one of the things I've been thinking about. >> And maintaining staff year over year is going is almost undoubtedly going to give you better staff. >> Anyone else? We want everyone

159to really know the full process. Yes. With time roll. >> Thank you. Um this is really piggybacking off of something that Mr. Bower said at the beginning of this conversation. Um probably the biggest concern I had when seeing um this recommendation was making sure that the schools would receive um non-resident students in an equal equitable way. um because we have seen other um administration not be equitable in how they distributed um the students. So I have spent a lot of time in the last 10 days. Um and I appreciate Dr. Means um Scott and Sarah being very patient with me and answering lots of questions and sitting down with me and um Sarah has ran models for me um which is very appreciated. Thank you. Um and and to me, uh 20% is a number

160that stood out with me, um as being like a maximum number of nonresident students, open enrollment students that we would have in a in a in a school, um or in any given grade level. Um so that was really important to me. I know that was that's really important to our community. Um, I think staying within that threshold means that we can support our students and our staff equitably as well. Um, so I've been told that that is a manageable request. Um, so I I think that's important for the board to know and for the community to know that the administration is committed to um being equitable in distribution of of students and that 20% they're comfortable with that number and I've seen many modelings that it is and it and it really it's it

16120% may sound like a lot. You're talking one or two students in a classroom for the most part. So, I appreciate that. That um that made me feel more comfortable with this plan. >> And quite a few of them are under two 20%. >> A lot of way under 20%. There's some that are probably half or single digits. So, 20% is the very maximum. Some of that is sort of um the number two is still being impacted by other boards and administrations decisions. So, it's not going to that number can't significantly drop in some of our schools. Um, but most of our schools are not near. There's maybe two ele elementary schools that are close to the 20%. So, I'm appreciative of that. I think that's um systemwide is better than putting 40% of these

162students. We talk a lot about um honoring neighborhood schools and that's really important to our community. when you have a mix like we've seen, um it doesn't feel as much as a neighborhood school. Even though I really I really do not like the framing of these students being different in any way or a higher risk in any way. And so I don't like that framing. I've heard it a lot from community members. The students we have, we don't know what challenges or exceptions we're going to get from any given student. So um so that made me um that made me happy and comfortable. I also think um it still maintains the smallest class size in the metro Milwaukee area. So that's not going to skew because we're accepting these students. Um I think about the

163families who already have students in our district. So, our tuition waiver students and our families um with open enrollment students, the doesn't add a lot of new families into our system because we have 50 to 75 tuition waiver students if >> they all take it. >> If they all take it um and many people, I think because we do offer such great education, when a student open enrolls, the family wants their other siblings to open enroll. So, Again, 148 might sound like a lot. I don't think it's adding a lot to the system in terms of the families we're serving. So, just kind of like high level what I've been thinking about um when making this decision. >> Did you want to add something? >> No, I'm just nodding in agreement with a lot of

164what you're saying. So, thank you. >> We appreciate being pushed by Miss Hammer and and you have and and asked a lot of tough questions of us. We've done the analysis based on the 148 projected. We know that there are there's one elementary school that's at 20.6% and there's one middle school that was at 20.6% this year will be at 20.1% next year. Everyone else >> is under 20%. Um and and so I think one thing that we can commit to is managing the distribution of students so there isn't a saturation or uh an overabundance of open enrollment students at one school. Again, I think that was the past strategy of filling seats. Um we're we're taking if you you've heard me say this before, we're taking a more strategic approach on the annual assessment

165of what the board needs to review and consider. I think Mr. Pinion would say who's here, there's also the um interd district transfer is less of a factor >> um in this in this coming year. Um and the decision made last year was to prioritize uh students in their the schools and the neighborhoods the areas boundary lines that they um live in. So again, this is learning forward um because we'll have to see what kind of impact that has um as we go through this process, but it should it should make it easier to spread out the students. >> Okay. So I guess I do have a question this time roll um that understanding is that something then that we are it's it's a um administrative guideline or is it in a house is it

166in the vote? How are we looking at this? >> So another person we've engaged a lot is >> I know that was one. So, um, >> according to statute, the recommendation from our council is to not include it in the language, um, because of how tight the statute is written. >> I just wanted to get this all out. >> Uh, also, uh, sort of the same ramifications that we put oursel at risk um, in putting it in the motion language is same if we put it in the administrative guidelines. Um, I will say I trust Sarah and her team and Dr. Means and the team to um stay true to what they're telling us they can do >> and the date in the future will tell us that that happened. >> Correct. And if they

167don't, then this board absolutely has the ability to hold our one employee accountable for for not adhering to like our our guidance and our direction. um and next year we get to look at the data again and decide um what we want to do at that point. So I'm comfortable. Um it was hard to to get me here with especially with the 20% maximum. So, um, for what it's worth, I definitely feel comfortable with what I've seen in the last 10 days or since the last board meeting that, um, that we can definitely equitably distribute um, >> for your work on that. And actually, thank you to all board members. I know there were quite a lot of questions flying. Um, and thank you to the staff for um, catching those those questions um, and

168and helping us get through the data because this is a really significant [clears throat] uh, certainly a significant decision for this time of the year since we have to have it figured out by the end of January. So, uh, Liz, was your was your question in reference to the maximum percentage of open enrollment students in a in a particular classroom or or the or the school >> Grade level at each school. Uh, I'm so just want to make sure I understood. to work. We're we're not saying that we're targeting like I don't want to see one I want to see one school with that has a class of 20% at one with three you one student or something like that. >> Uh are are the way that this is being voted on? Are we putting

169guard rails in here to prevent that? We can't vote with those guard rails. Like I said, it puts us at risk. My understanding is that it puts it us as a district at risk, but the commitment is from the administrative team to to do that because of am I like looking at the numbers? We can't guarantee it's equal across the district, across every elementary school because our starting place and how some, you know, some schools just have more resident enrollment. But but I think that's why I tried to come up with a percent and I just 20% is where >> some neighborhoods are more densely populated. Some >> some >> people buy houses at different times. So neighborhoods tend to roll over. So you might have a neighborhood age and then you'll have a lot

170of population move in and or younger people move in. So it would be really hard to make it exactly the same. And projection wise, we have one school that would go over the 20% threshold at the elementary school level and one at the secondary level. >> But I like point >> um I'll be just bluntly. It's Jefferson. Jefferson this year has a open enrollment population uh overall of 17.7%. The projections that they would be at 20.6 um next year. And uh the other is Whitman that is at I believe 20.6 this year and they would be at 20.1 next year. Those are the two the two that go >> and that rates of points that we can't divide students up. So sometimes when they're going over it might be because it's one student, right? >>

171Um assigned to that school. But this district view of thinking about open enrollment that we have now that we didn't necessarily have previously where part of what happened was people said I want that school. >> Um isn't well while I think that because of the way we do things in terms of the lottery siblings and then tuition waiver students would be placed first if they want to stay. they're probably likely to stay in the same school, but again, that's not a promise in this decision. Um, and it's not a promise to all the other seats that people would get their first choice of school. >> And I think one of the accusations that I heard that was fair was, well, why do some of the east side elementary schools have such a low open enrollment

172percentage and the higher percentages at the west side schools? And I just want to point out a a few examples. So next year Wilson would currently they're at 9.9% they're projected to be at 12.5. Uh a Lincoln is currently at 5.2% they're projected to be at 8.1. Um a Washington is currently at 3.6%. They jump up to a 7.8. So I think that is a fair community observation of saying well wait a minute why do we see a school like Underwood >> um or Eisenhower or Madison with high percentages in the east side don't and so we message delivered Miss Ellis has done a really nice job in making sure that the there's equal distribution. So to your point this time around, we are taking heed to your to the council. Um and while legal

173council has directed us that we can't formally put that either in a motion or somewhere else, we we can admit to you that we are paying attention to that work and we'll um adhere to the guidance. >> And just as you're looking at those numbers, there is a school that's going down and there's a school that's staying basically the same. So it's it is really it's not just that everything is moving up. I just wanted to >> Sarah's done a nice Miss Elaz's done an excellent job in managing this and being very data driven. And that's you know if people are wondering why are we talking about registration for students in January? Why are we having JKSK enrollment parties? Why are we continuously asking people to give us an indication of where they're going to

174be? The sooner we know this information, the sooner we can plan. >> [clears throat] >> So along along those lines, what I'm hearing and just to confirm is we can't make a guarantee, but Miss Sazowski and the administration as a whole is going to do their best to load balance these numbers at each school at each grade level accordingly so that we don't what I don't want to see happen is uh a classroom get seven open enrollment students and and have 10 resident. Uh because to me the whole reason for having small neighborhood schools is to keep your neighborhoods connected. So I want to be clear, we only do so much at the district level. So what Miss Zelazoski and I will do is to make sure that there's an equal distribution at each school.

175Then the distribution of class sizes, that's a principal and grade level team component. So let's just say for example, if a principal knows know that they're going to receive 10 open enrollment students in grade three and there's two sections. We want to make the principal should make sure that eight of the 10 open enrollment kids don't go into one classroom and two go into another. the how how they distribute those kids that >> would be a thing, >> right? I guess I just want to point out we don't get down to the the granular distribution of what >> if if Sarah and our district team says there's 10 kids going to a school, the distribution of a certain classroom, that is still left up to the distribution of of the principal and >> those are

176other factors. There's other factors that come into play, but what we do is to make sure that the distribution of the general whole number of open enrollment students is equal among all the schools. >> So the 27 JK spots you're going to try to as as much as possible divide them up across the district. >> Yes, we we we make sure that that is equally distributed. >> All right. I think I think I've heard what I needed to >> and probably because we have a robust weight list typically that means to do that we can keep going down. So if a family doesn't get the school they were asking for they have the option to to decline but that has to be done by a reasonable date in order for then this to be reviewed

177um in June. >> Anything else? I don't have anything to add other than just a perspective from hearing from many in the community. Uh I've been back to the coffee shops and places locally here so I get a a whole earful of a lot more. It becomes very apparent to me that people have to really realize [clears throat] and going back to what Mr. Meyer said here when we make these decisions it's for the best interest of the students and the and our our our the children in our classrooms. And when we do that, it's less of the perspective of the parents, not necessarily that they're involved, but we're still looking out for the child. And some of the things that I that I heard continuously from several different groups of open enrollment is almost

178a scarlet letter. And I asked the question of what does an open enrollment student look like? They're not walking in the class on the first day. You don't know necessarily unless you're, you know, the particular neighbor that's walking door to door and looking at every person to say, "I don't know your kid. Are they in this school or do they go to another school? People don't do that with the kids that go outside of our district that choose to go to St. Jude or the Crab School or Pilgrim or another program. Giving grace to the kids and the families that want to come in. Just like Dr. Worley said, when they when we go down that wait list, we don't know who's next on that list. My kids play sports for Junior Raiders and for

179other programs and their best friends don't all go and aren't all, you know, toast residents. They live in Enders Park. They live in Cops Park. I was making a list here. I was like, I coach these kids that are at Inders Park, Cooper Park, Washington Heights, St. Joseph neighborhood. Nominal kids, great families that whether it's economic reasons or whatever it is, their families are where they're from, where they live or where they live. Had we not bought our house at the time we did, our backup plan would have dissolved because our backup plan was toast Catholic. Doesn't exist anymore. >> We don't know. And we don't have that magic crystal ball to know what's going to happen with the other schools. I don't know what St. Jude's going to do in two years, 5 years,

18010 years. It's not our concern. We have to do the best we can here. We don't know what Christ King's going to do in the coming years. But what we do have control over is using the data that we have to make the decisions for this year and the next two years, the next three years to have that granularity to say we're making the best decisions with all the data we have to have an understanding that we're going to make and allow Mr. Alzoski and the administration to make the best possible decisions to spread and disperse those. when it comes to [clears throat] logistics of all that load balancing and I won't say workforce management. It's complicated trying to figure and piece those things together and you move the chest pieces, especially without the information.

181We could have hypotheticals where, you know, if we do have a an influx of resident students that walk away from the district or go other places regardless of what that looks like, we have to have guards in place that give us the ability to pull those labors at that point. We don't have the information now. We'll have it by July 4th or July 5th or after that time to make those decisions. So I think it's what we have to do now is they've given us their recommendation. We look at those things what comes with all those things what's in the best interest of the students so we can make those decisions so that also families can make those decisions when they're thinking about these things in the future. I think that's our our only goal

182and our only mission for that. And then the rest of it all lives up to the the the guidance of our strategic plan and our vision on what that looks like and how we answer those questions. They're tough by no means. I said they were tough when we had this conversation three years ago. They were tough two years ago. They're tough today and they're not going to get any easier in the next January for the whether it's this board or the next board sitting here. There's a lot of information that goes to it. I am more confident now because we have the amount of information, the data that we have to support these decisions and these recommendations than we had three years ago. >> That's what that really >> Thank you. And and I just

183want to clarify a couple of things that the minimum option was zeroing the district um has proposed the mid the maximum was over 400 >> 451 and our policy does not allow us to then go say oh we want to have 78 that's not how the legal we have to have a predictable policy. So these I mean these are the choices that we have and we've done a lot of deliberation um about where that puts us um classroom wise how we mitigate maybe past practices that have um put more imbalance in certain classrooms or certain schools. Um, and that one other thing that came up last time that I just want because maybe someone's listening who wasn't before. We also can't name any group we want or make it any type of student under the

184state law. We have to go um through we our policy, if you want to read it, is set up to mirror the state law. Um and so um it's not it's not a random decision and it's also not something that um we could sit here, you know, and manipulate it a little bit this way or a little bit that way. And so when this is figured out, we need to be consistent with those numbers. We don't have interim choices. Um and we also have in our policy that preference. Um we're the only two groups that we can give a preference to by state law which is siblings and tuition waiver. Um and we our our what we do in this city in this district is preference not required but we can't add any other groups

185on to that. Um just so because people might not have heard that last time and that was a question that came up. All right then I'm going to with all that deliberation I'm going to ask um Mr. Morris to put the motion on the table as it is written um as guided by our um legal um guidance and then we'll take our vote. >> It is recommended that the school board approved that for the 2627 school year, the WO school district opens 148 open enrollment seats in grades JK through 12 as follows. 27 seats at JK, 29 seats at SK, [clears throat] 15 seats at grade 1, 32 seats at grade 2, 10 seats at grade three, 18 seats at grade four, and 17 seats at grade 5 with zero seats for special education services

186including therapies. And I so move. >> May I have a second? >> Second, have a rolland. >> Okay, Miss Summerski. >> [clears throat] >> Yes, >> Mr. Bower. >> Yes, >> Miss Bach. Excused, Mr. Morris. >> Yes, >> Miss Rolland. >> Yes, >> Dr. Worley. >> Yes, Mr. Wier. >> Yes. >> And the motion carries. Thank you everyone for your work. Let's take a 10-minute break. Um, Mr. Price, we're going to get started. Just so you know that >> Roger that your uh audio is live. >> Thank you. >> Special forces special. >> Yes. Mr. Piski, you have a motion to bring forward. Yes. So, I would like to make a motion that we move uh agenda items items 6, B, and C, the energy efficient and sustainability update and the act approve solar that

187we move those up to immediately on the agenda. >> Okay. May I have a second? Second, >> Mr. YA, thank you for the second. Um, Miss Summers, can you call the role? >> Miss Brazinski, yes. Mr. Bower, yes. Miss Vawk. >> Uh, excuse Mr. Morris. >> Yes. >> Miss Himer Rand. >> Yes. >> Dr. Worley. >> Yes. >> Mr. Wier. >> Yes. >> And the motion carries. Okay. So, we I'm I'm just going to jump to the recap for um 6B um because we don't have we don't record our inservices, but I wanted to set the stage for um C um energy efficiency and sustainability subcommittee. Um, and one of the reasons we just made that move is we have a couple people waiting for this agenda item that have been waiting in this room

188for quite a while while the temperature continues to drop outside. Um, you're also welcome to stay, but we suspect that you might not want to. Um, uh, and it might be true online as well. So the E2S2 um energy efficiency sustainable sustainability subcommittee um of finance and resources provided at the inservice provide an overview of energy efficiency work happening at school buildings in the district including participating in focus on energy programs that are available and using software and buildings with newer mechanicals to zone the buildings so that only the parts in use are being turned on. This was at the inservice on January 12th. Then they provided a few key points from their research so far on energy alternatives. So far they have gathered information to understand if solar is an option our district should

189learn more about. Their analysis was that there is certainly potential on many of our buildings, but that it takes planning as far as timing solar when a building is up for a roof replacement, for example. Um, and it takes time to research available grants and rebates. Um they also shared the option of for lack of a better term I would call rent to own type of situation. Um where the company a company solar company can put a system on a roof of one of our buildings. Um and over time we pay it off through solar production and then eventually own the system. They also educated us that um this is not something where we have to commit to putting some uh solar on every roof or in the absolute max capacity of every roof. Um

190this is why getting a further estimate um from a solar company or more than one solar company would be helpful. Um so in in light of that um we had a board member request that tonight the board would consider a motion to ask our superintendent to reach out to a couple of local solar companies to get a nocost assessment of our building and also to spend some time learning more about various financing options. So that's B. Um we'll move on to C um which is then make making an action item um following up on um that request that followed the inservice. >> It is recommended that the school board approve the superintendent to secure free estimates and explore solar power opportunities for the district with a report due August 2026. And I so move. >>

191Thank you. May I have a second? >> Second, >> Mr. Morris. Thank you. Um, anything else before we Okay. Uh, Miss Silvers, could you please call the role? >> Miss Pzinski? >> Yes. >> Mr. Bower? >> Yes. >> Miss Bach? Excused. Mr. Morris? >> Yes. >> Miss Himemer Rolland? >> Yes. >> Dr. Wley? >> Yes. >> Mr. Wier? >> Yes. >> The motion carries. Thank you. >> Okay, we return back to a long for that. That's two meetings in a row now that you've been at a really >> I may as the as you transition Dr. Worley I look forward to working with Mr. uh Lefountain and the E2S2 team as you've directed me to learn more about this process. >> Great. Thank you so much for being willing to to move forward on that.

192Um >> I don't know anything about it so like zero. So I will >> we have we've learned um as we have had these presentations we have a great deal of depth both in our committee in our staffing among Mr. Lethalton who actually has lead certification as well and in our local community with locallyowned and run businesses that can help us with this. So if there's anyone in I know we have one member of the committee here. If there are others in the community that may not be part of E2S2 but have knowledge around solar. Um I am >> I want to learn. I want to learn. I want to be a sponge. Please um engage me. I will I've been directed formally by the board and uh I think actually in the the motion

193I owe you a report by August on what I've learned. So more to be continued and looking forward to the process. >> Great. >> Thank you so much. So we return to 5C. Now it's time for our monthly financial report. >> Thank you. >> We made you stay later, but I thought that would have been moving them all the way up. >> Next time. >> Yeah. All right. Um, so the financial report is included in the board agenda. Uh we also discussed it at finance committee last week where I went through the presentation slide by slide. Um and there is a video recording of essentially what we went through at finance committee as well. Um I'll just give the real quick highlights of the board. Uh as you know you updated you approved an updated

194budget. Um believe that was the last board meeting or the one before. Uh we have got that all updated in our system now. So this report reflects the updated budget. um reflects accurate payroll. We uh a huge shout out to both uh Sarah's team as well as Holly Smith and payroll for getting everyone's back pay done before Christmas. Um so that is all included in this report. So basically we are all caught up to date and we are trending very well right now. Now, I am uh I told the finance committee I'm not as bullish as what the numbers are showing, but I am confident we're going to finish with at least that $190,000 being put into fund balance and things are trending better than that right now. Any questions on the guess this would

195be the December financials. Thank you for the both the um preview and the video that made it easier for us to be prepared um here this evening. I see no other questions. So we move to um 5D property tax chargeback promisory note. Okay. Our second favorite topic at uh finance committee has been my technology usage uh h has been this property tax charge back and we've talked about it a few times here at at the full board meeting. Um just as a brief overview again, um the city and Freigher um were for lack of a better term um arguing I guess over uh a total assessment of a portion of Freigher's property. So I've learned a whole lot more about property values and property tax chargebacks than I ever thought I would. Um I I

196guess I was under the assumption that um as a nonprofit agency, Freigher and Medical College of Wisconsin would have been completely taxexempt. Um I guess when it comes to property taxes, there's portions of what they own that is taxexempt and there's portions of what they own that is taxable. And essentially the um the the mediation I was probably a mediation. I wasn't involved in this, but the um Freigher was contesting uh how much was taxable versus non-t taxable. And ultimately the city and Freigher uh settled that Freigher had been um I suppose over assessed by an amount that equaled a $10 million reimbursement to Freigher from all of the taxing entities that lie in the city of Wawaossa. So we are one of those, the city's one of those. Uh MATC, the county, each of

197us will be paying our portion back to the city um who has already refunded Freigher. So there is certain statutes around this as you might guess um and the statutes reference both the Department of Revenue uh the Department of Revenue is the jurisdiction that certifies what our chargeback is. So, they sent us a letter saying, "Hey, you're going to need to pay this money back to the city, and that is due by February 15th of this year." The Department of Public Construction then is the jurisdiction over how this fits with the revenue cap. So, I had conversations with both of those because uh as far as I can tell, um in the last decade, this is the second largest property tax chargeback. There was one I guess around 15 years ago or 12 years ago

198also at the city in Freigher. Um probably no one here at this point had has any knowledge of that. Um so this is more complicated than the general char like we had a chargeback this year of $12,000. Uh and that is usually from unpaid taxes. That's pretty normal in every school district. Um, and it's not prohibitive to pay the city $10,000 by February 15th and then you add $10,000 to your uh revenue cap the following year. Um, this is a much larger dollar amount. Uh, I had not accounted for it in our cash flow because I didn't know we'd that we would be have a bill come due uh in the current year for $3.5 million. So, that became kind of the immediate dilemma. We have to pay this money by February 15th. Um, and

199we can't recollect it until next year's revenue cap. So, we will get the money. Um, other Tulsa residents will be levied back this money to reimburse Freigher as part of our revenue cap next year. So, my dilemma became what is the best way and the lowest cost way for us to get the money to the city by February 15th. And even at rest time of writing, what you're reading now is the second draft uh of uh I I had originally thought we'd I'd have a different recommendation and after even more work uh landed on this and this is what we talked about at finance committee last week. Essentially, we have three options. Uh I'm on page two. Uh we the city has been and I I I want to praise um John Reini and and

200Derek Somerfield. They have been as helpful as they can be in in working with us to get through this. Um they've offered to assist us with a promisory note. Um they've wi with with favorable interest rates. The only thing they can't do is they can't say um we can't do a gentleman's handshake that we just pay them later. Uh I get the sense that if that was up to them, they probably would, but statutoily they can't do that. So, originally I thought, well, we'll enter a promisory note with the city. Um, and um that would be the best way to pay it off though. As I looked at things that would require there's some there's some pros to that is I would have um it it would be the least disruptive to our cash flow

201because we wouldn't be pulling anything out of the bank right now uh to pay off. Um and it wouldn't have any budget impact on this year. Um although I want to any I say that because um with the recommendation I'm going to give you, it's going to require that we update the budget again uh to meet this need and then we'll essentially get the money back next year. So if you looked at the budget over a two-year time span, it doesn't have any impact, but it does have an impact this year. The biggest cons to me are um this would um we couldn't just do like a handshake promisory note or a um the if a school district enters into a promisatory note unlike the one that I shared with the board that the city

202did with um Maddic. Uh it has to be much more formal. It requires several board meetings. Um there would be legal costs incurred with closing costs etc. I would like to avoid that if we can. So, um, while that's an option, I'm kind of taking that off the table. And where I landed, I'll just skip to the, uh, punch line, is I would recommend that we pay this out of our fund balance by February 15th. That is going to cause me some anxiety as we get to August and September with cash flow because that's our next low point. >> Um, I think that we're going to be fine, but I'll be watching it very closely. And what I'm going to recommend along with that is that in the next month or two I bring the

203board proposal so that if we need to move forward with a promisory note we have that as a backup but we wouldn't we wouldn't execute that unless we absolutely need to so that we can avoid as much cost as possible. Now, if and when that happens, um my plan would be to bring that um the language to the board in the near term, but it could require something like an emergency meeting in July or August because if it gets to the point that we need the cash, we may not be able to wait two more weeks, for instance, to a board meeting. Again, my hope is we aren't going to need to do that. But I do we want to be able to meet payroll. So worst case scenario, we have a special board meeting

204and we make that work. So any questions on the proposal or kind of the general topic? So going with the the fund balance saves us the the cost of um paying interest. >> It's going to it's going to save us interest costs. uh as well as if we enter a promisary note like this will have to involve uh council so legal would have to essentially think of your mortgage and closing costs. We would have a bunch of closing costs that I'd rather avoid. >> Good question. >> What we do about it now? >> It's a it's a large um dollar amount. So, I would ask the board to just um pass a a resolution that if we move forward. Yeah. A motion. >> Yeah. >> I just calculated for the February. >> I can make

205the motion. I also just want to say thank you for all your work. I know this has taken a lot of extra time to figure it out and come up with these options for us. Um, for anybody listening, um, if you want to learn more, we've been discussing this in finance probably since Novemberish, >> at least in November. >> Um, >> also want to make clear because I've seen some comments um, and heard this isn't anything that we as a school district had any control over. It was totally because of uh the city well what was determined overcharging >> um freighers. Um so there's nothing we could have done to prevent this. It's nothing that we um no mistake by the school district was made to get us into this digital >> 100% correct. this

206was handed to us uh as it will be MATC and the county uh and all the other taxing jurisdictions. Um I I it's it's kind of a tough spot because um I I we all pay property taxes too and I imagine if any of us felt like we were way over assessed we would also go and um try and get that assessment reduced. So I understand what Freigher did. Um any of us would probably do that as well. Uh unfortunately when there's when there's winners there's also losers and in this case the the losers are ultimately the rest of the taxpayers. I also just wanted to clarify when you said um that we had a slight chargeback for this year um because of unpaid taxes that that means residents of [clears throat] Wawaossa didn't pay

207their taxes and therefore um the liability or the tax that we owed increased offset it for not that we did not. >> Oh, sorry. Yes. I just wanted to clarify we paid our property taxes but um >> so the chargeback isn't because again the district did anything >> precisely annually we get a notice from the do that essentially it says here are the unpaid property taxes from it'll say these addresses and it amounts to $10,000 or $12,000. Um we we don't have any jurisdiction over those residents. That's that's up to the the presumably the city or department of revenue. Um but we do then charge back to the rest of the residents. >> I just have one quick question. Uh when can constituents expect to see this hit their tax bill? >> So we have

208one chance only and that is on next year's revenue limit. So that will be with the levy that the board certifies next October. So it will be on there next December tax bill and it will be >> 26 December of 26. And I uh I again I only know ex I I only know the details on the school district, but I would imagine it's the same rules for all of those taxing jurisdictions. So, it's going there's going to be an increase from each taxing jurisdiction to offset this, >> but it is it's a one-time shot. They're not spanning it out. >> Correct. Correct. Correct. This is a onetime payment to Freigher of $10 million. We get that revenue cap relief essentially one time then. And it comes out of a legal proceeding. Oh, >> I'm

209sorry. The >> or a negotiation where this this situation comes out of a negotiation where >> it was a negotiated settlement with the city in Frarten, right? >> Negotiation we were not involved in whatsoever. >> Yeah, I I appreciate the board. Yeah, we again we we learned about all of this >> after >> um as the negotiation was ending. Uh fall time frame and then we were notified by do shortly after record. So in the future since we again we we have no control over this one. Um but there will be more development. There'll be more things that the city is doing. We're looking at the giant things they're doing over at Mayfair and other parts of the city. Should they get that wrong? We'll be will we be at the table for the next

210conversation. Make sure we're not seeing this two years or four years or five years from now. >> Yeah. So, my I was talking about John and Derek at the city. They're they're kind of my counterparts. Um the the I don't want to speak for them. Um I guess I'll have to uh I think the learning that I had and they had comes from um the the largest settlement in the state was in the village or city of Kiwani. So Kiwani had a nuclear and um that nuclear plant changed hands. one energy company bought it or sold it or something and then that energy company uh essentially did um you know contested the value with the city of Kiwani. That settlement was like tens of millions of dollars. It was huge. Um what I but the

211impact on Kiwani um was spread over 10 years. So when we when I first started talking to the city um what they had said what what we were going to do is spread this payment to them over a number of years. What the three of us learned when we talked to the department of revenue is that is not viable unless the settlement has it written in that way. And what John and Derek have said is sorry I I'll paraphrase. Um I think they essentially they said sorry to me we didn't know that that had to be in language that way. Next time this happens. we will talk sooner so that we can um work together to find out what if there's different ways to write the settlement that will impact other constituents less. As far

212as I know, there isn't anything pending right now, though. >> I I was just interested in the link that you had in there where you could see the uh look at the district's charge back in there and kind of compare When you see city of Waltos is at 10 million then toast at you know 3 million and then you look at the states like 15,000 they look at the counties at like 1.9 million. It's hard to like hard to take that in considering we had no dialogue, no conversations. Uh just thinking about as as taxpayers, as citizens, as a school board, as an organization, uh the in our our taxing district here, it seems like we have to spend more time paying attention to not just what happens for the district now, but even further

213into city finance and the things that can impact us potentially uh in the future. when we think of big development or or things going on or fair extensions at medical college or Freigher or uh I [clears throat] think the latest one we just saw in there is the new proposed over at research parks away that's still in our school district those things meet. So, um, >> I I really think this was a one-off, um, or at least, um, uh, as you said, it might happen again, but, I but I think us not being involved more from the front end was a one-off. Um, I sit on the, um, there's a there's a tiff district uh, council with the the city. I sit on that. So when there's in particularly when there's developments coming or consideration

214for a tiff, um we're in those conversations. I think this is just the the next natural extension of getting more awareness of when something like this comes up. Now I don't know to what extent they were bound to um if they were litigating. They they I they must have been close to litigation if they reached a settlement. So they they may have been bound to um what's the word I'm looking for? >> Disclose. >> Perhaps they couldn't disclose it or or even tell us. Um so I'm not sure, but I will inquire about that. >> That'd be great because I'd be curious on that today even from your side, Dr. Means, if if there was some kind of disclosure that should have been given to us from a legal standpoint of you should have that.

215Hey, I don't know if there's a friendly tap on the shoulder. This council should talk to your council and give you a heads up or just find out, hey, sorry, I'm just settled and only have $3 million. Okay, >> thank you. >> Anything else? Okay, do you have motion? >> I think language or do you have some language that you >> you have a recommendation on the bottom of the Oh, is it? I'm sorry. I I I guess the motion I would ask for is that we pursue option three as presented. >> Is that good? >> So, it is recommended that the school board approve option three as >> I think so. I'll just read that off. >> Read combination of above. >> Yeah. Just put it in as it is. And >> yeah, do

216you want me to read it? >> Okay. >> It is recommended that the school board approve op the recommended option three. This option combines the lowest cost by paying the funds now, but also secures a backup plan to meet cash flow needs if necessary. That's right. >> And I so move. >> May I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Morris. >> Anything else? All right, Miss Summers, please call the RO. >> Miss Bzinski, >> yes. >> Mr. Bower, >> yes. >> Miss Boach, >> um, excused. >> Mr. Morris, >> yes. >> Miss Himemer Roland, >> yes. >> Dr. Wley, >> yes. Mr. Wier, >> yes. >> And the motion carries. update. >> Sorry. 5. >> Um, this time around or or Jason, would would either of you guys like to take this

217because we had an update from our auditor at the finance committee meeting and um I think more appropriate for one of you to to talk through it. >> Sure. Um at the last meeting we kicked it off with uh meeting with uh Christina um from Lauderbach and is it is it Ammon uh about the process um uh that they have completed doing our audit? Yes, doing our audit. Thank you. Um and the discussion uh that she brought forth was that they had uh because because of our uh longtime auditor Schumar Kama um would decided that they were going to move on from this sector of of accounting work. uh lot we had to get a new firm and u they were the new firm and and because of that they had to basically start over

218from scratch and was was kind of what I took away from it. So they started looking back and they went through an even more in-depth audit process. Uh I I forget how many years back they had to go. Um, >> I think generally what we learned is the the the rigor that they put a first year um client through is beyond what they put clients through when they when they've been with them for a while. So, um, my takeaway was she has said, "Hey, this is taking longer than we anticipated. Um, we are hitting the deadlines. they're they're going to be presenting the audit to the board next month. Um they're waiting still on actuarial study. Um but she really emphasized that the um um the hoops that they are jumping through and making us

219jump through are are more than um probably our prior auditor did because our prior auditor was had been with us for many years and was comfortable with us. So they they knew our processes and procedures. So, it was it's like moving into a new house and trying to learn everything. And so, they are um putting us through their normal rigor before they're willing to sign off on their audit. So, they will be here. Um again, reminder to the board, the the audit report is not something you approve. You you can't approve an audit. That's up to the state. But you will um ex make a motion to accept the audit. >> And [clears throat] her conclusion was uh that you said there's a there was a little delay. Um actuaries are in pretty high demand,

220especially this time of year. Uh and with that everything would would be filed appropriately on time and everything that up up until that date. Uh that that we talked with her she said looked uh proper if correct and um there were no red flags at all [clears throat] that they came up came up with it and um they expect to present a a fully completed audit. I thought you asked a a pretty interesting question um specific to forensic audit. >> I did ask a specific question to whether or not um Christina in her professional opinion would um would recommend doing any sort of forensic audit. And um you can check the the video to get the full answer because it was an extensive [clears throat] answer. Um but the the paraphrase version was no. Absolutely

221not. We you guys would not need to do that. Nor should you do that. >> Did I Oh, hit everything there. Okay. >> So, this audit is in alignment with policy 6830. This our annual audit. >> Correct. And the policy is in line with state statute that requires us to have um in Wisconsin, it's an outside firm that does an audit. There's some states where the auditors where where their version of DPI has the auditors. Um, in Wisconsin, it's an outside firm, there's fewer and fewer of them. Uh, probably because of the gymnastics they have to go through with regulations and stuff. So, uh, that it'll meet our our policy and state statute. >> Thank you so much, Mr. Ecker. All right. Well, we come to number six. Um what's left of it. Uh I'm

222going to um go to a report from the board delegate who's m was Mr. Bower at the state education convention this past week. >> Yeah, absolutely. So, uh that was Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday uh of last week. Um, in talking with a lot of the other delegates, a lot of the other uh, attendees, uh, the thing that struck me the most is how similar all of our conversations were or how similar our situations were. And that really shine through in uh, the delegates where we approved changes in their policies in WASBY's policies or Wisconsin Association of School Boards. Um and it was very much in line with uh the resolutions that we either supported or opposed. Uh so for example uh supporting being contrary to um separating uh or disconnecting uh decoupling, sorry, thank you.

223uh opposing the decoupling of private and public school funding. Uh keeping that together so that um it is all tied together in the budget line. Um >> That was approved, right? >> Uh which is what we passed as a school board. Um the other portion of this uh WASBY convention um is talking through uh legislative updates. So talking through the different the 200 plus bills that WASBY keeps track keeps track of for us. Um the fact that there's an extra $1.5 billion that was collected at the state level. Um and uh the failure to uh failure of the uh legislature to fund uh special education reimbursement funding to the levels percentages that they uh that they um proposed or asked for. Um then there's also additional professional development, right? addition um how to effectively run

224a budget cycle which uh they effectively have a um a checklist which Mr. Eert checks all the boxes which is always good um and then also uh professional development on the role of policy boards which is what the vast majority if not all school boards are by law. that use my update unless you have specific questions or want to add. >> I'll just tag on. I also had a chance to go to part of the convention and it was very very educational. Um I was able to find out a little bit about lacrosse and what how they're how they established um a community advisory committee for their SRO program. Um very good presentation um which I'm happy to share slides with anybody wants to review it. Um and then I was also able to go

225to a session where the um rine district talked about how they are are communicating and listening to and working with their um their residents about the impact of their um and the changes related to their referendums and what a referendum is and how you explain it. And that room was full of districts from across the state. And it was very very helpful to um they had an exercise where we did some sharing about you know the difference between talking about things in technical language and then talking about them um in sort of more of a onetoone storytelling mode. It it was just really helpful. So you know I hope that going forward we can rotate through with board members giving you a chance to to have that opportunity to meet your peers. Um there's a

226whole set a whole set of workshops all the way through as Mr. Bower is saying that are aimed at schoolboard members um bringing us together and and helping us to um do our work um effectively. Um even just going back and looking through the presentation the the conference um guide which was is up on online it it's very educational to see what um what because most of these presentations are done by other districts so it's good to see what they're working on it. I found it quite helpful. Okay. Any other questions or comments? Thank you for taking the time to do that. Yeah. Just um really briefly six uh 6D also following up on the inservice um we had at the last inservice a second section of content which was on the board self-evaluation. Um

227board members do have that link at this point. We're in the process of um filling that out. Um and then I think it was February 13th is our deadline. And then from there we're working with school perceptions. From there, that data is um grouped without our names on it, sent back to the the schoolboard president, and then we'll have an inservice um at one point at some point in March um to talk as a group about that data. Um so, it is that self-reflective process that we want to have established and I want to especially thank Miss Himer Roland for all she's invested in the last year and a half and and also Mr. Morris in getting our evaluation process really going um much more clearly is something that this board is I think doing

228much better on but we'll find out from using this system or the reflection will be you know how was that as a process um to do the self-evaluation and inservices are open to the public we don't record them but we do try to do updates from them afterwards um and then next um board engagement updates. Uh we also at the inservice talked about the feedback that we had um received from um our uh facilitator for our two fall um engagement sessions which were open topic um which was something that um Miss Hammer and I really wanted was to have a couple of really open topic ones in the fall because we know in the spring we're going to have much more of a focus on engagement around um the community feedback on the secondary um

229school decision making that is coming. Um and just a couple of quick updates. Uh so we reviewed um board members were able to look at review and discuss um the the uh notes from those sessions that were shared with us. Um and just to highlight and I may not capture all of it um but participants shared that the strengths of our district are our staff and that was a very strong feedback. The wide variety of programs are attention to diversity, welcoming schools, walkability, accessibility of the schools, attention to social emotional learning, and pride in academic success as well as the range of activities. And some places to improve that we got feedback on was um even though we have attention to diversity, there's a lot more we need to do with supporting diversity. um expanding

230outreach and communication from board um to all the constituents, all the all the places that we touch in the district, but this particular was the the community. Um, we need to improve and make sure we're protecting small class sizes, that we have more support for differential student learning, more financial information and communication, more board engagement at events that are happening in the district, more clarity on how and what community members comment their comments. Uh, the comments they make show up during board decision making and equable equitable use of resources across all schools. Um what this means is that we will continue to be guided um by these ideas um as we think through you might have seen some of that tonight and the depth in which we discussed and pulled apart um the decision that

231we had to make about open enrollment. And then just a brief update for spring. As I mentioned, we anticipate the springboard engagement sessions will focus on gathering community feedback on the report of the secondary IDHA committee which is coming up in our second February meeting. Um in prepar or we have a special meeting that >> February 26th >> 26th we have a special meeting on February 26th for that. So it's a double meeting week there. Um, and in preparation for the vote that we're at this point anticipating is likely to be in June by the board about what those next the vote will be about what those next steps will be with our secondary schools. So, there's a lot of information still to collect. Um, and just in terms of the process, we're anticipating right

232now we've been discussing holding three sessions, two in person, one online. dates are to be determined. Anything else you all wanted to add from the inservice? >> Just uh I did get one request asking if um if those documents the summary documents and lists would be posted anywhere publicly um for anyone who attended so that they could see them. >> Yes. Yes, sir. After tonight's meeting, I I wanted to pause to make sure that Dr. rurally in the board had a chance to publicly talk about this. I'll work with Miss Summers and Miss Tuttle to make sure that those minutes are posted on the board web page. >> Thank you. >> Great. Anything else? Thank you, Mr. Buddy. >> Okay, >> Dr. Worley, I know the hour is late. Um, but I just I would

233just say that you did a excellent job of reviewing what the board did. And I want to thank all of you for being at those listening sessions. As we look forward to the spring listening sessions, if I may use a normal collaboration and paraphrase what you said, there's a lot for the board to unpack when it comes to facilities and the next steps. And I think there's a presumption out in the community that there's an imminent referendum on the horizon. Uh I think what I've heard from our board president and vice president is wait there there's a lot of unpacking of information that the board has to do and that starts on February 26. But the presumption that you as a governing board have the ability to unpack all of it and then be ready

234for a uh a November 2026 referendum is just not feasible. Um, and I think as you've been as all of you've been in the community, as I've been in the community, there's just a lot of level setting that we have to to do. And so, one of the messages that I I've had informally from board, individual board members, is we just need to continue to build the messaging that there isn't anything imminent. And I understand community members saying, "Well, wait a minute. In 2018, there was a survey and then a referendum file. In 2024, there was a survey and then a referendum file. Are you setting this up again? And I think what this board should take a lot of pride in and what Dr. Worley said, but I just want to unpack it even

235more so is that you're being very strategic in saying we want to hear from the community. We want to have engagement and then we'll decide what the next path is going to be. And so, uh, I just wanted to take I think the month of February will continue to send this message out, but there isn't I I want >> given right now. >> There is no given and there's nothing imminent and and I think the more we can communicate that together, um, I think that'll help ease some of the angsta out on our our community right now. So, thank you for that opportunity. >> Thank you. Hearing nothing further, I'm going to move to um number seven, adjournment. Uh, the time is 9:46 p.m. May I have a motion to adjurnn? >> To adjurnn. >>

236Thank you, Mr. Bower. May I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Morris. Miss Summers, please call the role. >> Miss, >> yes. >> Mr. Bower, >> yes. >> Miss Fox, >> excused. >> Mr. Morris, >> yes. >> Miss Rolland, >> yes. >> Dr. Yes. >> Mr. Wier, >> yes. >> And the motion carries. Thank you everyone for your work today.