001The next board of education meeting is on Tuesday, October 28th at 7:30 p.m. Uh I don't have much to say in terms of a chairperson's report this evening. The next OPC meeting is on the 21st uh at 4:00. So I'll I'll be there for that if anyone's interested. Uh but beyond that, I will um say welcome to the month of October and um turn it over to public comment. >> Good evening. To participate in public comment, please approach the podium and wait to be recognized. Once recognized, please state your name and address for the record and note that you will have up to three minutes to comment. >> But you may go ahead. >> I'm Julia Dendovven. I live at 123 Ho Street. Um, when I sat down to write this speech, I thought how
002much easier it would be for you to just look through my computer. You could see how hard I studied through millions quizlets, math packets, and English assignments. Watch me get invited to the UN's biodiversity conference, work with the congresswoman's team for weeks before the event, attend, and then get back to school and find the school unwilling to help me with my absences during my extraordinary educational opportunity. You would watch me shut off at 1:00 a.m. and be back up at 5:00 a.m. studying for tests I had missed the morning after I got back. then lose hope when getting my grades because I knew that everything I worked so hard for was ruined because I wasn't supported by the school in the way kids that have sports absences are or even those who miss almost a
003week to go on the spring trip. You would watch me finally decide to take a gap year. You would stay shut for a while after that. The impact of the school's errors destroyed my willpower to open my computer. When I returned from the UN, the school behaved as if I had been on a two-eek vacation, not 12-hour days. Questions about my trip were brief. Teachers had never gotten an official notice, and so treated me based on how much they believed that a teenage girl had actually gotten invited to the UN. Some helped me, others had me taking tests the day I returned. I was asked to appeal my absences, and I later learned that there were people arguing that I should lose credit and redo the school year. The stress of that made me sick
004very often. I lost weight. I lost energy. And at the very end of the year, I finally lost the will to even try. I'm not used to being the girl who doesn't make it. I've always been the girl who did it, who got the good grades, who solved things. But the same girl opened her college applications knowing that she would be denied and there wouldn't be a scholarship. I felt like the loser that everybody talks about, the one who lives in their parents' garage. That I dedicated myself to building my dream project with AI. And I was at the AI conference in New York City last week when I received emails from interim superintendent Burn and his assistant, Cass. Above all, the emails were violently excited about resending my mom's permission to act on my
005behalf. I can only assume this is because they believe that 18-year-old me will be easier to manipulate than my mother is. My little sister is a freshman at the high school and I worry about her. Is she going to get the same treatment that I am still receiving? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Please come forward. Hi everyone, my name is Alina Shazad. I live at Darien um 20 Greenwood Avenue. Good evening respected members of the board of education, administration, faculty, and the Darian school community. My name is Alina Shazad and I'm a Darian I'm a senior I'm a Darian High School senior. As a freshman, I met with the former superintendent, Dr. Adley, to ask that Muslim holidays be included in the Darian public schools calendar. You may also remember me from the June
006board of ad meeting where I read a proposal that I wrote about recognizing Muslim holidays Eidal Fther and Eidal Adha in the Darian post calendar. Now DHS offer honors Eids by incorporating them as reading days or test-free homework free days. I am deeply grateful for this step forward in representing our holidays and our people. It is meaningful progress and does not go unnoticed. However, with this momentum made and my voice being heard, I've planned for and gathered here today empowered members of my religious community who also intend attend Darian public schools. We stand here tonight requesting the two Muslim holidays of Eid to be off in our district calendar. This initiative of having us all speak during the public comment portion of the meeting reflects the voices of students, faculty members, parents, and um students
007across our district from elementary, middle school, and high school, and their supporting families. Please note that the following neighbor neighboring districts have added ETH holidays to their calendars. Stamford, Norwok, Trumbull, Bridgeport, New Haven, West Haven, Hampton, and Fairfield. I sincerely thank you all for listening and I'm especially grateful for the speakers who will follow me so that I do not stand alone. I'm also speaking on behalf of Adam Gazali who was unable to make it tonight. Adam is an international student here in Derenne. He's also a Darian High School senior but his roots are in Egypt Egypt and some of his happiest memories from celebrating Eid with his family are there as well. In Egypt, Eid is magical. The streets are lit up. The bakeries are full of sweets. And on Eid morning, my his
008father would take him to the masid, the mosque, our place of worship. And we'd return to the house filled with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and dozens of cousins, houses full of laughter, hugs, smell of food as they shared meals and traditions, and connecting generations before us. Here in Darian, Muslim students often cannot experience that joy, having to miss prayers or celebrations to go to school. Recognizing Eid and Daring public schools isn't just a day off. It's about dignity, inclusion, and respect. It tells Muslim students, "Your family matters, your traditions matter, and you matter." For me, Eid will always be the sound of my cousins laughing in my grandparents home in Egypt. I want Muslim students here to also have the same feeling that their holiday is seen, their joy is recognized, and their community welcomes all
009of who they are. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening. My name is Rafa and I live at 61. I'm a sixth grader at Mil Eid has always been such an important part of lives. The holidays about family, friends, and about fun. It's an opportunity for Muslims to gather as brothers and sisters to enjoy a day we have long been waiting. changes however when eats I was holding and I must sit in a classroom missing out on our picking up the work test and the things I missed has always been a challenge especially as I grow up I always think about how much I wish we had our amazing school systems represent all of the students in the graduates which is why we have gathered here today in an effort to have a day off
010so kindly let's make it happen thank you >> thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Zora and I am a fifth grader at Oxbridge Elementary School. My favorite part of Eid is waking up excited, dressing in my new clothes, and going to pray with my family. The whole day feels special because we see our cousins, share sweets, give each other gifts, and spend time together. But when is on a school day. It feels like the celebration is cut short. I have to choose between being in class or being fully part of my holiday. And I've always wished that you would be my school holiday so kids like me don't have to miss out on something so important. Schools celebrate many different traditions and I hope mine can be included too. Please consider making our
011e holidays day off in the dairy and school pounders to support Muslims in Darian. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Kendall Kadir and I have three daughters in Darian public schools. Every year the girls either have to take days off for Eid or end up going to school because of major testing. Imagine that. That's like our Christmas morning. Um so imagine if it's Christmas morning and your family from far and near is gathered. Some are eating, some are opening gifts, some are playing games, but one or both of your kids must go to school for a spec testing or another obligation. Your holiday holiday holiday feels incomplete without them. This is what my older girls have experienced on Eid mornings when they've had to miss the crucial Eid prayer,
012a cherished tradition that begins our celebration. After that prayer should come breakfast with family and a day filled with visits, love, and community events. But many times my girls have had to leave for school and miss those moments. The many blessings and togetherness of this sacred day have often been incomplete for our family and for others in our community. We would truly appreciate it if Eid holidays were recognized as days off in Darian public schools so all of us can enjoy a fulfilling holiday. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> A very good evening to everyone. I'm Hala Katlan. I'm a darian resident of course um physician and mother of two Oxford students who are very excited to start their third grade and kindergarten this year. Um so first off thank you to the board for
013um this opportunity and for recognizing the changing demographics of the town, the growing number of uh families from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds in the town not only diversify and enrich the town of Deren but also strengthen it by strengthen it by contributing towards economy, education, social services and civic engagement. So on the day of Eid every year, my husband and I use our employer granted religious holiday and we also keep our children home so we could all celebrate this religious um sacred festival together. Last year my then second grader was very surprised and saddened to see and find out that she was the only one who was home because she had always believed that this day of Eid was off for the school and all her friends were home as well. and she
014was sad to learn that she was missing a full day of fun and education at the school because she absolutely loves her school. So in that moment we started to think about the future when homework, heavier homework and test would make it even harder for these kids and would make it harder for them to take an absence. So why do our children have to choose between their faith and their education? And I'm going to leave you all with that question. Thank you very much for listening. >> Thank you. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Abiha Razak and I'm a sophomore at Darian High School. For a whole month, Muslims like me wake up before sunrise to spend the day fasting. No food, no water. We walk into school with our mouths dry and our
015stomachs empty. But we push through anyway out of our dedication for our religious practices. What keeps us going besides the loving company at the mosque and fulfilling spirituality is the thought of Eid around the corner. Both Eids make our sacrifices worth every moment and strengthen our connection with our faith. The bright mornings on Eid day surrounded by greetings of warmth and joy are the most precious moments of the entire year. But oftentimes I feel burdened by the schoolwork I must complete as I celebrate. It is difficult having to direct my thoughts back to a learning environment instead of being able to cherish one of the best days of the year. As a student of an amazing community, I have witnessed firsthand the importance of inclusivity in our town, which is why I urge our leaders
016to value our backgrounds as people and allow us to celebrate our traditions to the fullest extent. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening everyone. Uh my name is Adel Shazad, former student at MMS and DHS. I'm going to be speaking on behalf of two DHS faculty members who couldn't make it tonight. Uh Mrs. Musa, school psychologist, and Mr. Sophian, uh special education for math. Uh I am writing to request that our district recognize Eid al as an official school holiday. Eid marks the end of Ramadan and it is a day of faith, family, and community. Currently, Muslim students and staff must choose between missing school or missing this meaningful celebration. Recognizing Eid as an as a holiday would allow them to observe their faith without academic penalty and affirm the district's commitment to diversity and
017inclusion. It would signal that Muslim children's traditions are valued equally alongside those of their peers. This step reflects thoughtful leadership and ensures that every student's identity is respected and celebrated. Thank you for considering this important measure to foster an inclusive learning environment. Thank you. >> Would anybody else like to participate in public comment? >> Hello everyone. My name is Julie Busin and I'm a Darian resident at 97 Lorden. Um, I wasn't planning to speak this evening, but there's a couple of things that I wanted to point out that maybe helps you with the decision makingaking on this. Um, I'm actually Christian and I'm married to a Muslim man and our children are being raised up in the Muslim faith. And what's interesting and important, I think, to note is that while there may not be
018a lot of Muslims in this town, it is also important to recognize that Islam is the second largest religion in the world. Um, and in addition to that, there are so many school districts in the surrounding areas that have recognized these holidays. And to everybody's point, it is so important to be inclusive and to think about the experiences that these children have on, you know, an equivalent to a Christmas morning, right? So, it's just two days. Um, I think there's over 50 school districts in New York that have recognized this. I believe there's over 30 school districts in New Jersey that have recognized these holidays. And there are um many surrounding districts as somebody had already mentioned. So I just wanted to offer that up in um consideration. So thank you for listening. Thank you.
019Anyone else in person? >> Anybody else? >> We have no more. >> No one's online. >> No. >> Okay. Great. Thank you all for being here this evening and for your comments. Uh, with that I'll move on to the superintendent's report. Dr. Burn, >> good evening and thank you for joining us for the October 14th board of education meeting. We have a number of important discussions this evening, so I will keep my report brief. Last Wednesday evening, I attended the homeschool PTO meeting. Truly appreciate the opportunity to speak with families and hear from them about their experiences in our schools. Also on Wednesday, Dr. Fedigan, Dr. Falconee and I attended the fall meeting of the tri-state consortium. The consortium is a collection of 55 school districts committed to systems thinking and continuous improvement. Darianne has
020been a member district for quite some time and has benefited from participation in study groups and pure visits taking a close look at our programs. Our most recent visit was in 2024 focused on visual and performing arts. We will have a one-day follow-up visit later this year. Also, I have registered for and will begin participation this November in the science of reading master class. It is a statewide professional learning and coaching model developed by the CDF CSDE and the Connecticut association of public school superintendent to develop local capacity for the science of reading and components of K3 literacy instruction. It's a fullear program and provides in-person learning, virtual learning, and executive coaching for participants. I'm looking forward to this program as it does align with our K3 literacy work that we've undertaken this year. And
021just a reminder that the token pumpkin carnival is this Saturday from 10 to 4 with 9:30 to 10 open for sensory friendly time. And that concludes my report for this evening. >> Thank you. Student representative reports. Ryan and Kylie. >> Yes. So, we are nearing the ending of our first quarter with our October 15th and November 1st deadlines nearing for many of our seniors uh attending college next year. Along with this, a few select of our boys golfers were able to compete at the Holahan Golf Tournament at Weburn Country Club today. And our girls soccer team, girls swim and dive and field hockey teams all had games today. So, once again, hoping for great results from them. and our juniors and sophomores have a PSAT uh upcoming on October 29th uh which I believe is
022a Wednesday. >> Thank you, Kylie. >> Um I don't have much to add on to Ryan. Just at the end of this month, we also have trunk retreat coming up for all the clubs at DHS. And just a reminder that in November, a lot of arts organizations will be having concerts. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> We'll move on to presentations, discussions, and possible action. Um just a note about how the board works. Uh what we have on our agenda is what we discussed this evening. So for example, there were a lot of comments about the school calendar, but there is no school calendar discussion on our agenda this evening. So we wouldn't undertake any further discussion. You all are any of you all of you are welcome to follow up with me or with
023with Dr. Burn to to find out when we'll have our next calendar discussion. Uh but again, it is not tonight and we don't change the agenda typically. So you're welcome to stay. Please do. Um but if you have other priorities this evening uh then please understand that we're going to uh continue the meeting and I just didn't want to to take your time if it's not valuable to you. Okay. Uh with that we'll move on to uh discussion and possible action on the superintendent profile report and uh turn it over to school leadership LLC uh Marty and Reena who are um our are our partners at school leadership and they're going to talk to us about uh the process that the board has undertaken. so far in the superintendent search. >> Thank you for that,
024Jill. I'm Reena Beer. Uh, and I know you could see Marty Brooks also on the screen with school leadership. Um, and what we're really going to go through tonight is a summary of our time in district and the outreach that was done to the community with the outreach uh to the community in order to get feedback um on the characteristics that Darien is seeking in its next superintendent of schools. So I want to say that this is what you're going to see in terms of the specification is the result of a process that began back in June with a planning meeting with the board and with the uh search committee and continued through the summer with meetings with individual members of the search committee. uh we came to the district on September 15th and 16th
025and in total uh during that time and we held a not we held 29 forums. If you would just advance to the next slide which talks about the community input. >> Reena, it's a little hard to hear you and we're just going to um ask some of the folks out in the forum to leave. Would you just give us a second? >> Sure. Thank you. >> We're good. >> Okay, great. Thank you, K. Uh, thank you, Reena. >> Okay. Um, let me know if you can't uh hear me. I tried to increase the volume, but I see it seem to be at full volume. >> It might be on our end. >> Okay. So let me go through uh what the outreach was um before we really dive into these groups and this is a
026collapsing of some of the uh the groups that we met with. We went to each one of the schools in district and I really want to thank uh members of the search committee and also thank Cass for all the work that was done to ensure that we spoke with the most number of groups and individuals possible. during our time in district and we also held uh four virtual meetings that number yeah about four virtual meetings over five dates uh with various individuals and groups in the district. So as you can see from this, the community input was robust with 35 135 participants in the forums and focus groups and the survey we were really pleased to see that we had 538 survey responses um which is a very robust and significant number in our experience.
027So that survey reached a lot of individuals. Um, do you want to forward to the next slide? So, with each group and individual, we asked the same three questions. Those questions, I'm not going to read them out, and everybody who participated has heard them, but these are the three key questions that we asked of every individual and group that we met with. Thank you. So in going to the survey responses, you can see that the highest number of responses or the characteristics or the experiences rather that were that Darien was seeking in a superintendent was number one as you'll see as a leader in improving an already high performing school district which Darien clearly is. It has a commitment to excellence. It's known for its commitment to e excellence throughout the region. Number two was
028an individual who was previously serving in the role of superintendent of schools and the third one was experience as a classroom teacher. Next slide. This may be a little bit difficult to read on the screen. Uh but I'll go over uh the top three in terms of the skills that uh individuals noted were the most important. First was cor curriculum and instructional knowledge and leadership which tracks with the prior uh slide where it was talked about an individual who has uh a leader who has experience in improving an already high performing school district. Um number two was knowledge of budgeting, finance and facility planning and number three was collaborative and successful at building highly productive teams. and you could see the rest of the uh where the responses fell on this slide. >> So I'll
029I'll be before I jump in and go through these just want to say a couple of quick things. One is um we want to thank everybody with whom we we met. We met with, as Reena said, 135 folks, and I think it's fair to say that every one of them was open, honest, and cares deeply about the Darianne schools um and about who the next superintendent is going to to be. And I think it's also important to say that the board is to be commended as well because you set in place a pro process that gave voice to so many folks um who were appreciative of having that and it communicated, I think, a a shift in c culture that uh people commented to to us on. And um it it it also um many
030folks talk to us about feeling hope hopeful again part of that is the process that the board put into place and I think a big part of that is um doc Dr. Burn as well. So um the specs that we got the the that we put to together for the board are these. The first one the top one is an inspirational strategic and innovative leader who sets high standards holds self and others accountable and is committed to maximizing the potential of every student. possesses a deep understanding of how curriculum, instruction, and assessment combined to enhance student learning. Leads with confidence, conviction, courage, and integrity. Communicates clearly, honestly, and transparently with all segments of the school and broader community. You can go to the next next slide. Reena, do you want to reread those or would
031you like >> Can you just go back to the prior slides? I just want to point one thing out about the So, one of the things we decided to do was lead with an inspirational, strategic, and innovative leader because we felt that all of those threads needed to run through each one of the specs. And those were terms that showed up very frequently in our focus group and survey. So we put that uh top line be so that those would run through each one of the individual specs. Okay, going to the next slide. Thank you. >> Is visible and accessible in the district schools and collaborates with and values the voice of stakeholders. Proactively and strategically addresses concerns before and as they arise. Skillfully manages the district's finances. effectively utilizes and deploys resources and develops
032and sustains productive partnerships with local and state officials and is excited about working in Derenne and is committed to developing a shared vision for the future that builds upon the district's longstanding commitment to excellence. >> Thank you all. Sorry, Ry. Go ahead. No, I was just just going to say so the next step is if the board has any questions about these and if not then um if the board approves these then these will be the specs that we will use in the search. >> Okay. So the brief in front of us now any questions about the specs or anything anyone wants to highlight that they found particularly interesting? Um, if we agree with them as they are, we'll go ahead and approve them and then Marty and Reena will have them uh as as
033they uh for the next steps. Okay. Any questions or comments? Katie? Uh I would just say that I think this was a really valuable exercise for our community um for you know across um looking at the list um very illuminating for this board in particular um and a good exercise for us to think about what we truly value um what we think is going well and where our opportunities for growth are. So I'm really glad that um we have such a wonderful community that's willing to engage in those conversations with us and I look forward to um you know what's to come. >> Yeah. Thank you. I I think it's really critical, Reena and Marty, that you pointed out that our participation rate, if I heard you correctly, and in prior conversations was very high
034and that, you know, we do pride this community on engagement in general, but there was a significant amount of engagement in this process in particular. And so I hope that as a result, the the specifications that are in front of us are particularly um powerful. Um so, thank you for taking the time to to process what they were saying and to create specs. Uh, Dennis. >> Yeah, I would just like to echo what Katie said is that, you know, this is this is the most important job of the board of education is to hire the superintendent and to have the community help us set the specifications of what they want because they're not going to be allowed. They're not going to be able to interview every candidate. So, we need to take their feedback and
035then place that and and put that forward to the candidate that we want to put forward to become the next superintendent of the Darian School. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you, Dave. I would just uh echo Dennis and Katie's comments and then say a thank you to Reena and Marty. This has been a very educational process for me just to see how you guys went through it, gathered the data from such a large number of groups and put it together so concisely for us. So thank you for taking this job and and showing us through it. Appreciate it. >> Thank Thank you. And John >> if I could just add there were,00 free text responses amongst you know the participants which were very illuminating too and I thought it was like almost like
036a not only for the superintendent search extremely helpful but as the board going forward there's some kind of common themes and threads that you'll be able to work with which uh came out pretty clear. So good luck with that. I will just sh echo what everyone has said and Reena and Marty, thank you uh to both of you. It has been very educational working with you both. Um we've learned a lot about ourselves. We've learned a lot about our district and we learned a lot about what we um what we really would like to see who we would like to see leading our district going forward. So, thank you for your time and your help with this. >> Thanks, sir. Um, I want to echo also what everyone has said, but also just to highlight
037the the number of groups and the wide range of focus groups that really represented staff, students, parent groups in our community and also um nonprofit partners. Um there were so many aspects of the the people in the and the elected officials that you met with and talked to that I think it's a very um important and relevant reflection on what the community is looking for. So thank you for all of that. >> Thanks. I would just jump in and say that we did that because those are the folks you asked us to meet meet with. So it wasn't we who decided to meet with them. It was the board. Thank you for that, Marty. Okay, thank you everybody. So, it sounds like we feel like we're in pretty good place. Um, meaning no no changes
038to the profile. So, with that, may I have a motion to approve the superintendent profile? That is Sarah, seconded by Dennis. All those in favor? That is unanimous. Okay. And the board will be in communication about next steps. >> Thank Thank you. >> Wonderful. Thank you. Have a good night. >> Have a great night. Right. With that, I will move on to presentation and discussion on school climate. Uh, Dr. Dad. >> So, I I'd just like to do you could start coming up, Dr. Dad. But, um, when we were preparing for tonight's presentation, it brought me back to the days of my old school report cards, and I tried to find one, but um, it wasn't successful. But my mother claims to have some of them down in her place in Maryland. But there there
039were sections on the New York City public schools report card and they called them uh behavior and personal growth. Um those things have changed a lot over the years. And so many of the things that we're going to hear about tonight are things that we've been working on focusing on evaluating kids on in schools for a very long time in this region. So, um, while there are many things that are new, there are some things that are quite similar and just repackaged over time. So, I think about those comments on the report card about getting along with others, following directions, controlling myself, and those kinds of things that were on that New York City report card way back when. So, >> I think you just summarized the domains that I'm going to talk about beautifully.
040So, thank you for that. Um, so I'm thankful to to come back and speak with you about the work that we've done around school climate and really um share how much climate and environment really matters. It's important for every student to feel safe and supported and ready to learn. Um, and and tonight I'm going to give a brief overview of school climate, why we measure it, the process for developing and implementing our school climate improvement p plans. I'll review some of the district-wide data from um last spring's survey and then what do we do with that data and what are our next steps. I'm happy to take questions at the end of the presentation and you have an appendex with some of the data as well. So when we think about school climate, school climate
041is essentially how people, students, families, staff feel when they are in the school and the school community. Research shows that a positive school climate impacts academic achievement. It's associated with improved behaviors, stronger engagement and connection, and increased graduation rates. On the other side, conversely, research shows that when there's a more negative school climate, we see more things like more bullying, violence, suicide, teacher and administrator turnover. Um, we also see increased liability to the district. So most importantly when we think about school climate, Cohen describes it as a real foundational condition for learning and healthy youth development. So this is the climate we create so that learning can occur when we work so hard with our teachers around developing new curriculum and how they deliver it. The climate really dictates how much can be absorbed at
042a given time. So, as you've heard me say multiple times and multiple people have said it, there's been a lot of change in the school climate legislation over the past couple years. So, we are required to give a school climate survey. That's actually been part of the legislation since 2012. Um, now we do it after this year. It will be every other year. Um, and then each school has its own climate committee and the uh climate specialist for each building is the principal. So that committee consists of teachers, um other educators, it might be a school psychologist, parent and when it's relevant, um students, they basically take all of that uh data and it's not just the school climate survey. They look at other data that I'll talk about and they look at it and
043they really identify where are the strengths and needs within the school community. Um, are there areas where we need to have systemic improvements and what might be an impact to instructional practices and we really focus on relational practices that might prevent, identify and respond to challenging behaviors across the school. So, it ensures that our our work is systemic, it's inclusive, and it's driven by data. Why else do we measure school climate? I already mentioned that it really has a positive impact in outcomes to well-being and achievement. When we use a school climate survey, it actually allows us to get more granular in the data. So that means that we can measure things when it looks at school connectedness. We can break it down to do staff that have been here for one to three years
044respond differently with compared to staff who had been here for 10 years. Do they feel more or less connected? That might help us inform maybe we need to do something for our new teachers who are more veteran teachers. We can also break down data by religion, by grade, um whether or not they have a disability. This aligns with obviously our strategic plan and specifically goal area too. Um and we've really focused a lot this year and we'll continue to do work around multi-tered systems of support for students. And at the core of that, at the universal level is the climate in which we deliver instruction. So we really look at the whole child and when we look at classroom and school climate we look at it alongside and parallel to high quality teaching and differentiated
045instruction all of which impact kind of the results that we see for our students. So school climate survey data is one piece of data. when these teams come and they look at their individual schools and they look at what's relevant. They also consider things like attendance and health data because that might help us identify if there's any early signs of disengagement. Maybe there's early indications of school refusal. Um and then it allows us more opportunity to intervene and come up with some systemic interventions. We also might look at MTSS data, right? We might say that, oh, there's a lot of students who seem to be struggling um with attention in this particular classroom. Maybe we need to look at the physical environment. Maybe we need to look at kind of some behavioral strategies. It also
046gives us information related to if there's any burnout that a teacher is experiencing. And we take that information, all of these different types of information, including community- based data like the thriving youth survey, and each school will look at that in depth to determine what their goals are for that year related to climate improvement. It is not a oneanddone. This is a continual and iterative process. So, in the summer after the school climate survey is completed, the administrators will have access to the data. They begin to look at it. Um, in the fall when we come back, school climate teams convene and they begin to look at the data and they draft a school climate improvement plan. Um, that school climate improvement plan comes to me. If they're done sooner, then that's great. I'll take
047a look at it and by December 31st, they get any feedback or changes. This does not inhibit the work from moving forward. It's just how the process works. Um, and then in the spring, we administer the survey again. And as you can see from the national school climate, always at the center of this is the student. We are looking at the classroom, the community, the building, the district, and how that's impacting the student. So we use the the National School Climate Center survey. Um, and it really focuses on five domains related to safety, teaching and learning, interpersonal relationships, institutional environment, and leadership and efficacy. And within there, there's 14 dimensions that are measured. Um I'll go through them in more depth as we so as I go through kind of this broad level overview of
048some of the data just some considerations to keep in mind. All data is connect collected anonymously. It's not associated with an individual student or family or staff member. They can skip any items that they'd like. Um, we had a lot of conversations last year and I think the National School Climate did with other districts as well around the need to sign an NDA before you could preview the items. They found that that inhibited kind of an honest flow of information. And so, as of this year, you do not have to sign an NDA if you would like to preview the survey. Um, and again, it is just one source. We do not hang everything on this one particular piece of data, but it is a piece of data. Another consideration, we don't expect to see
049systemic change at a significant level from one year to the next. A lot of these trends will take time if there's any change that needs to occur. So keeping that in mind, when we see changes, it might be 2% 6% that's over the course of one year. We're also looking at aggregated data. So you have the averages of seven schools. So while that gives you a kind of broader scope, the work really happens at the school level where they can break it down to each item that was answered and they can look at their own variability from year over year. Parents always have an option to opt out as board board policy. Um and and the good news is the vast majority of the information that came back is that our kids are learning in
050a positive school environment. They feel connected, they feel safe, they feel secure. Um there was a lot of real positive takeaways from this. So when we look at school safety um physical security was the highest last time and it continues to be so. Um online safety increase. So as schools dig into their data we had a lot of conversations last year around technology and personal devices and restricting Apple watches at the younger grades. So you can see there's some correlation there. Um they also found that rules and norms stayed the same. The only area where there was a slight decline and again it was still in the positive range was family perception of physical security and that tend to be a little bit more at the elementary level which I know there's a lot of
051construction going on. Things change the way you go in and out of building still very much in the positive range. Again we're not seeing real significant declines in any one area. a lot of real strong responses in regards to support for teaching and learning. Um, kids felt like they knew how to access additional support. Um, parents felt like they were getting information about their child's progress. Um, there was a slight decrease reported by families with regards to some of the academic learning and it was more related, I think, to changes in curriculum and we had a lot of conversation about reading curriculum and things like that. That's something that the school will take that information and look more in depth. uh social emotional learning remained positive. And then in terms of interpersonal relationship, good news,
052and this is consistent with our thriving youth survey, is that kids are feeling connected. They feel connected. There was a significant increase in their connection to counselors, to teachers. Um there's respect for diversity and peer relationships as well. >> Again, school connectedness in terms of our institutional environment. Uh physical surroundings um and social inclusion were all positive. Um some staff actually felt more connectedness. Um physical surroundings declined slightly. Again, that was more concentrated at the elementary level. And then the final domain is on leadership and efficacy. So this particular domain is really just asking questions of staff. And this is an area where there was kind of a neutral response. Um, some of the lower rating scales when you look deeper were with regards to input for professional learning, having a say and and determining
053kind of some of their own learning. An overemphasis on test scores and I think teachers wanted additional time with students which is a good problem to have that teachers want to spend more time with their kids. Um so overall again at the high level the district level we saw a lot of really positive um impact and continued um real positive emotions around the climate in which our kids are learning. So what happens next? So this information the schools will go back they will dig deeper. They're going to review and revise a school climate plan. Um and then they're implemented and we will readminister in the spring. So again, being that MTSS has been such a focus and I know in December we're going to talk a bit more about all the work that's been done
054in MTSS, but when we're really looking at trend for our youth and how to best support them, we take that whole child lens. We're mindful of the environment in which they learn and really climate impacts all students, all staff across all settings. When we have a strong school climate, you also see that kids are more able to access additional supports through tier 2 and tier three. They feel secure, they feel connected to staff. So, if they need additional help, there's an opportunity for them to take, you know, a a have that growth mindset and they feel like it's in a supportive climate. Um, it also allows allows us to look at things like are we using clear expectations in the classroom, in the hallways, are we reinforcing positive behaviors? Um, and ensure that every interaction
055provides that environment for optimal learning. So, what are the next steps? So really what we're focusing on is through both our MTSS committee and our district-wide school climate teams, we recognize that there's a lot of really good things going on and at the same time there are programs that are involved but the focus is really on how do we help kids develop the skills they need so that collectively we have a positive learning environment. So what does that look like? Rather than focusing on a program, we might focus on when a young student is feeling frustrated or overwhelmed. Our goal is for them to learn the skills so that they can manage their emotions and behaviors. If they're struggling with a classroom task, they can take a moment and pause and self-regulate and then ask
056for help. So we might use different tools whether that's through ruler restorative practices anything um responsive classroom those are the tools but we really want the kids to learn the skills so that they can regulate themselves and be part of that school community. Um, so we're also going to focus on clarifying the expectations for the teachers. Really make sure that they have all the resources they need with regards to whether that's professional learning around climate, um, whether it's professional learning around behavioral management in the classroom. At the same time, we're going to also increase parent communication so parents have a better understanding when we're talking about moving into this MTS mo MTSS model and really looking at the whole child development, whether it's those classroom behaviors that parents also have clarity on what's happening in
057the classroom related to those. We are also looking at reviewing and refining screening tools as part of MTSS. Um, we want to make sure that we're gathering data that's most relevant to impacting our students. Um, and finally, there's been a lot of change in the legislation. So, we're going to support each principal and the school climate specialist as they navigate the new legislation regarding challenging behaviors. I think that we continue to have conversations and when needed, consulting with attorneys or um, you know, looking at kind of all our policies and how that overlaps with the new legislation as well. Any questions? >> Um, challenging behaviors is it's a legislative change, right? That was what used to be referred to as bullying, but that's the new name is challenging behaviors. Is that correct? >> The new
058name bullying is a subset under challenging behaviors. So, that's we continue to work and get clarification, but challenging behaviors is a little bit more broad, but within there there may be bullying investigation, which has changed slightly. >> Okay. Um, one more question, I'll open it up. the streamlining approaches. Can you talk a little bit more specifically about that? You mentioned a number of tools we've used. You talked about MTSS, which is a specific type of intervention versus just your general education classroom. Can you talk a little bit more about um again how we have a number of tools. We have a lot of different places that were used. What does streamlining mean? And and uh I I >> Yes. >> with the idea that I I'm supporting this notion. >> Well, and and a lot
059of this came from earlier conversations with Dr. Burn. we, you know, coming in, I think that was one of the takeaways is that teachers felt like there was so much that having greater clarity on kind of where we start. So, what we've really focused on is going back to those report cards. What are the things that we want our kids to learn? And these are tools that might help do that, but let's really focus on what are the skills that we think our kids need to be successful in the world, how to operate on a team, how to communicate effectively, and what you might use to get there might be more based on kind of what works for you. But we provide the tools, but it's not like you have to do this. So that's
060our goal. We did the inventory and now what we're looking for, we're at the point where we're creating a through line like what is the actual target and what are the tools that you can use to get there. >> Gotcha. So you're starting more like an individualized approach with the student and then identifying from there kind of like you would any other any academic goal where if you had a student that needed specific reading support, you'd identify what the goal was and then identify what methodology you were going to use. You're going to do the same. Is that what you're saying? the same and you're also creating the environment within there where like it's an opportunity. Okay, this is an environment where we all might struggle at certain points. So, we might have conversations around
061that that might be more classroomwide, but then it's targeted on each kid learning the skills that they may need specific to them. >> Okay. Thank you. Other board questions, >> Katie. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Dad, for being here. I always enjoy hearing your take um on this. You speak to it quite elegantly. Um just a question for you. A lot of um a lot of what we were seeing in here were minor adjustments and shifts, not like huge changes for the most part. Um what's your biggest takeaway from this >> and did anything surprise you? Um you know actually I will say like some of the things again this is one piece of the data and the alignment with some of the things that I would have expected right like physical safety was always
062really high and we've had changes in the physical structure of some of our buildings it makes sense the technology the online um education and safety that I took away as a positive because I think that when we consider the more global mental health needs of our kids this is an area where we're going continue to see impact even in the thriving youth, right? We saw increases in like gambling and online gaming behaviors. So, I think there was alignment which we like to see. Um, and I think it also helps us think about okay, what do we anticipate seeing moving forward? Um, I I will say I think even when we start to dig into the actual school-based data, you'll see more nuance data. In some ways, it's harder to see bigger trends when you collapse
063the data across seven schools. Any other Joanna? >> Um, thank you so much for this presentation. So, each school has its own improvement plan. Um, feels very sort of ethereal to me. Could you kind of ground that and what that looks like and um what that who you know what who looks at that plan, how often you go back to it, how is it used? So for school climate, you review it every year. There's a new school climate improvement plan. Um it's the same team like I said, teachers, parents, um and then they take that data and they'll say, for example, we want to do last year it was um interpersonal relations and we wanted to do something on bystander effects. So we'll do some lessons or push in around what it means to buy
064be an upstander. So that that plan gets reviewed within the school team. Um, and they have their own they can filter all the I can see districtwide data and I think Dr. Fedigan, but each school only sees their specific data. >> Okay. So, it's really it's really giving um you're you're collecting information to really guide like what lesson you're going to give when it comes to social emotional learning or you know which way you feel your building needs improvements. Um, I wouldn't say that it directly guides lessons because it's a annual goal. So, they might say, "We're seeing in fourth grade on the playground there's some issues. What are some things that we could do?" And then look at a wide range of data. >> Thank you. That was >> Sarah. My question was more
065at the elementary level. Are you seeing consistent themes throughout the five schools? I know we encourage the five schools to have their own identities, but they also do have their own the same resources, right? So just curious without selling anybody down the river, but um is there any you know is there is there are there general themes or are you seeing big variations between the five schools? >> Um I think so they're just starting like their school climate where meetings where I will go and hear more about the individual uniqueness of each building. Um I think there are some trends. I think we see um more the impact um of social media and this is where other data like I think when you look at thriving youth we see issues more starting earlier around things
066like body image um online behaviors so I think that's been consistent we see that at an earlier age >> thank you John >> can you just go back to that perceived support for academic learning consistently remains positive but there's slight decrease. Is is there a line I can draw between like just understand we had some curriculum changes which might have drove that but then you look at the outcome data and the achievement data and could this just be more a communications issue or >> it could be within there it asks communication with your school and your so that's part of it. So as we look at each school's data, we'll drill down a little bit more what specifically because again it's only a few percentage points. Some school it might be really high, you know,
067and others it might be a slight decline. So then we'd look it just kind of shines the light on here's an area where you might want to look further. >> And I didn't mean to pick out the only negative. There's a lot of positives, but that just struck me given the data that we looked at last week in the achievement. So >> okay, thanks >> Dennis. Yeah, going back to the elementary um school physical safety, do do the principles have the the data for their own schools and specifically Holmes, Henley, and Royal that they can adjust or or feedback to the the building committee if there there's adjustments that need to be made to enhance that physical security or or fixes that can be done there. Do they have that and we can action anything
068quickly if there needs to be? This will show them like it doesn't go into that much detail because all the questions are the same across and I think it shines light to then have anecdotal information or talk through it at the committee level. This doesn't necessarily pres provide that level of specificity but I'm sure it will say okay let's ask around and see what that might be. >> Thank you. >> So you're you're wondering it's possible that that's a factor but I think you're not drawing a straight line. >> No. >> Right. Thank you. >> Robin. um at at the high school level and I realize you're just starting to get into the building level data, but what is the feedback loop based on any trends that you might find in any particular school and
069kind of how does the board ever get is that just incorporated into a curriculum change or into something with guidance or I mean how would you kind of walk us through that? >> Yeah, so each school will create their school climate improvement plan and that can be made available like it's accessible. So, um I know our team is working on like whether it makes sense as an infographic to share out or we have a template for slides. So, it it will be available once the the plan is kind of finalized. >> Thank you, >> Greg. >> Uh thanks again for the time. Um I have a few questions. On the fifth page of your presentation, it talks about um various data to be considered as part of the climate uh school climate process that you're
070talking through. Things like um attendance and health records or health trends, discipline incidents, teacher turnover, retention rates, a bunch of different things outside of the survey, which is where my second question is going to be it. >> So, are you tracking that stuff? Is that something that you're looking at all these different items and tracking that we could look at that you're making decisions based upon? >> So these are all things like as a committee in that particular school they might say it's not required that they look at all of those. They might have other data that's relevant. So each committee will figure out which data is most relevant. The survey has to be part of them but these are just other options. So just to be clear, so just to clarify, so each school
071is deciding which pieces of each which ones of these parts of data they want to collect. >> They're all collected. Correct. It's just they're deciding what to an analyze further in terms of any causality or any remediation. Right. >> But everything in here is collected. >> MTSS. Yeah. Discipline. Yes. All these are collected. I mean things like teacher turnover and retention rate. they might have to reach out and say, "Let's look at kind of any information we have related to that." But this is all data that's available to them and collect it. >> Yeah. I guess just like thinking about what's in this presentation, it'd be great to understand like what they're looking at as far as the data and the trends to make their decisions as to what they're making changes to. That would
072be one suggestion for me as a board member. And then the second is as it relates to the the survey, which I know we've talked about in the past, there's just the one survey, right? The thriving youth survey for sixth through 12th graders. >> So the thriving youth survey is not through the district. We partner and administer that's 6 through 12. This one's separate. This is the school climate survey. This is we administer this. >> So there's a separate survey for 6 through 12 besides the thriving youth. >> So there's the school climate survey which is this one. >> Yeah. >> Okay. I don't do we have that other survey? The other survey that that is the one that last year with the NDA, that's the one we that that Alicia selected last year and
073put into place. We historically used thriving youth to meet the legislative requirement. Um, but because there was additional focus on it and then additional requirements, we ended up selecting one ourselves. Correct. >> They measure slightly different things. This is more specific to school-based climate. >> So the there's a new survey, I guess. Would it be could we could we get that sent around? I just don't think I saw. >> Yeah, we can now, right? They've both been here. This is the second year. I think they're doing the NCC one, but it's the one that you had to go look in at the library or at the district last year. >> Yeah, >> the thriving youth is administered through uh youth task force, which is part of the community fund, >> but yes, it could be
074sent around as as a follow-up item. >> Is the thriving youth survey incorporated into this in any way? only as another possible measure like we could look at like there's also Stanford just released their like health data like you could look at it it's not necessarily going to be like we're not administering it and then implementing based on that. >> Okay. Yeah. Because I that I I hadn't seen the other survey and looking at the thriving youth it didn't seem like many or any of the questions related to actual the school. It was all outside the school stuff. Joanna, >> um just even taking a step further back, is there any other um survey you can use besides the NSC or is that really the only game in town? >> You know, there are, as
075I mentioned, through MTSS, we're looking at all kind of measures. Um there are some other surveys. This is very widely used. um and it's used across the country and you know in consultation with colleagues in neighboring districts this is one of the most widely used um and it's got a userfriendly platform so it allows us to get more specificity with the data but we considered all their options as well thank you anybody else on this topic okay no thank you appreciate your time >> right we move on to presentation and discussion on proposed fiscal year 27 budget meeting calendar. >> Okay, thank you very much. So, um it's early in the fall to start talking about budget, but one of the things I learned uh thus far through my entry conversations with all of you
076and the many I've had with folks in the community is the desire to come up with a uh budget process that uh builds a budget that meets the needs of our schools and programs and children. uh is fiscally responsible and is a rational, well thoughtout process with good discussion along the way. So, I've spent a lot of time um meeting with board members, talking with our staff here, reviewing uh what happens in other neighboring school districts within the DUI and outside of the DUI and really trying to harness all of that information and build a process that I think will be sensible and work well for us. So what you know I've talked about this before in thinking about all of the work that we do we're thinking about it through the lens of the
077vision of the graduate. So as we take that forward and we look at what are the main pillars, what are the pieces that we must be considering when we're building a budget for it to be successful and meet the needs of the community. That's using the vision of the graduate as that umbrella, but it's really focusing on program, class size, infrastructure, and our contractual obligations. Everything we do within the system falls within those four pillars and need to be considered in depth and thoughtfully as we go through this process. And um as we talked about internally in the district and as I have used in my past experiences in building a budget, you need operating standards as you're going through it. You need to ask the right questions and have the guiding prompts to make
078those decisions and make good decisions as you're going through the process. excellence in teaching and learning, safe and healthy learning environments, researchbased professional development, continual instructional improvement. And while I won't necessarily read all of these, these are um 10 really critical important points that as we're going through every component of the budget, we're thinking about these pieces. the breadth and depth of the curriculum, the board of education class sizes, and all the while communicating that information transparently and clearly to the board and the community, and always as we're building the process and building the budget that supports our system is a fiscally responsible budget that really is based on long-term sound financial planning and stability. So what you have here is a timeline that shows um from December 18th when the board of education budget
079books are delivered, but it actually begins a little before that u with our forecasts that will be coming up in a few weeks and we'll be laying the groundwork in talking about what are the trends, what are the challenges, what are the initiatives and work that we're talking about right now as we're in the budget building process. so that there are no surprises. And that was another theme that I heard about from not just the board, from the community. So if bless you, if there's something that we're going to be talking about in January, you're going to have an inkling about that when we come and talk to you about the forecast because we're going to put those things on the table. Whether or not those items will end up being in the recommended budget
080that I bring to you on January 8th, that's part of our process that we're going through right now with our administrators and leaders within the school district. So, the timeline's pretty simple. December 18th, the budget books are delivered. January 8th, I will deliver a comprehensive budget proposal that will include everything. It will include any work based on initiatives, things that we're uh recommending that we bring forward and add, things that we're recommending and bring forward and modify. And all of that will be given with a rationale as to why we're doing it. So, it's almost going to be like I'm telling a story of what we're trying to accomplish, what we need to do that, and how much it's going to cost to do that. And that's what you'll hear on that night with all
081of those recommendations. And then the next series of meetings will be breaking that down into subcomponents. So we'll begin with curriculum and instruction and the school budgets. And I know as I've talked to many of you and talked with the principles, most of the school budgets are formula based. So there isn't much to discuss there. But all of the work that happens in terms of programming and offerings for kids, that's all going to be resting within the curriculum and instruction budget. So it'll be a robust presentation and what I envision um with all of these is presentation and discussion robust discussion at the table and then open time for community conversation as well. So bringing that uh public comment into the mix after we have the the table discussion here with the board. So curriculum
082and instruction and schools would happen on January 13th. Then we would do um special education, student services, and athletics on January 20th. Again, comprehensive um and then move to operations, the whole series of operations pieces on January 27th. um with the hearing of the public and and what I envision here is that what you've heard on January 8th, the robust discussion that we're having on those subsequent meetings will then be reflected in what I present before the hearing of the public on February 3rd. So on February 3rd, any changes, revisions, things that are modified, things that have fallen off will be reflected in that budget presentation. So, it will be my final recommended budget to the board for your consideration for adoption on that evening. So, the um February 3rd would be the hearing of
083the public and then February 5th would be uh the board's consideration and potential action on the budget. Questions so far? Just to cl would you clarify what you just said on February that February 3rd February 5th you have February 5th on as a special meeting because we needed to move that meeting on the 10th for correct personal reasons right so we we're adding one on the 5th um and taking away the one on the 10th but I think what was unclear in what you just said is um how you're going to your your question of presenting a final budget and how that interacts with the public hearing. >> Right. So what I envision is that throughout the budget process at the meetings in January and uh all throughout the month of January after the board
084discussion and presentation piece that we would have the ability to have public comment. So we would receive public comment throughout the process not just waiting until the budget hearing. We'd be encouraging public comment throughout the process. Mhm. But then in terms of um you know there's the modifications and where you're responding. So we've heard from the public and I agree with you that the or I understand what you're saying that the hearing is not the only place where we hear from the public which is not actually a complete change but what did you mean when you say this will be my final presentation of my budget? Can you explain that? Oh. So, so on February 3rd, I would be presenting the budget based on all the feedback we heard in the January meetings and any
085changes there. So, if after the public hearing there's more discussion and additional change, there would be modifications made before the February 5th uh final approval, but final proposal to the board. >> Okay. Is everybody clear on that set of of steps? Okay. Other questions? Joanna, then John, then Robin? Um could you just take us through the change in in how the board um and and administration make modifications? We're very extra here in Darianne. So we you know really get into the weeds. We we have a we have had an ad cut basically. And so could you just let us know the rationale for taking not take you know changing to this more um out of the weeds sort of look and and how you think we still are going to accomplish what we need to
086accomplish. >> Sure. So the whole focus on the discussion at the table each week is to actually put you back up into the helicopter as we talked about over the summer. And if you're sensing that there is something that we need to modify when you're hearing for example the curriculum and instruction budget through that discussion we're going to be listening very carefully and asking probing questions so that if there is a sense that you're you're thinking we need to make a change. we're going to be saying to you, so what I'm hearing is, and that's going to go back into the work that we're doing before we come back with the the revised budget further along in the process. That helpful? >> Yes. John and Robin. >> So when you first started here as intern,
087you told us you were watching some videos. So you gave me the idea to go back and watch some of your videos. By the way, you look better in person. But now all kidding aside like if I look at your February I started watching your February 11th 2025 meeting at Ry and interestingly you know the pillars and the uh operating standards you know very consistent. So >> if people on this board in the community want to get a flavor of what this is going to look like would that be a good resource if they're as sick as I am and want to watch budget meetings. But um no s >> absolutely and that interaction >> and and we built that timeline. We built that process with the world of the New York State tax cap.
088>> Yes. >> So that that you'll you'll get to that slide when Gabby Perucho is explaining the calculation of the tax cap and your head will be spinning. But yes and and there's good conversation throughout those presentations. So very similar structure. >> Okay. X to tax. tax the tax. Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Robin, then Sarah, >> um thank you for this. Just one question. Um throughout the process when you are listening and asking questions and getting feedback as people are asking for further information or or thinking about a change, how can you explain how you would go about figuring out if there is consensus on making some of those modifications to the extent that that would end up becoming part of your final proposed budget? So that that would be through the
089conversation at the table. Um so when we're coming back and saying so what I'm hearing is Rich or or I or Amy whoever is having that leading that conversation in that night may may ask for that consensus. So how are we all feeling and just get a temperature a sense of the temperature of the room. >> Okay. Thank you Sarah. So one of the important pieces that you know we don't need we all nine of us need to come consensus on a final budget but there are also two other bodies that go after us. So this is a pretty big shift in in how we think about this how we talk about it. How um you know we take a lot of questions from the board of finance. We take a lot of questions from
090the RTMF RTM education. How do you anticipate them being included in this? Um you know are they going to be part of that public comment every week? Will you have separate meetings with them? How do you envision bringing them along as well? >> So that's a great question. So the first step is that we've invited representatives of those bodies to come in and meet with us over the next two weeks before the next board meeting when there would be any action on the timeline. So we'll have that exact conversation with them. Um I I did hear as part of the entry their desire to see change in the budget process as well. So that's something that um we've already got dates with RTM board of finance for selections office and really be looking the the
091RTM education and the RTM uh budget and finance that we're going to be meeting with all of them over the next two weeks. And that's uh our team and different board members for different groups as well. John. Oh, >> Dennis had a question. >> Yeah, just to I have the same question as Sarah because I think the the the dilemma is going to be is that in order for those bodies to speak, they have to meet and voice their opinion as a group. And if we're if we're going to be discussing sections of the budget at different times, that means they're going to have to meet every other time. I'm just struggling with how it's a totally different cadence and and it's going to be a a difficult difficult it's going to be a new
092ask for them to try to understand our cadence and how do they fit into that. >> So that's program >> part of why those meetings are kicking off in between this meeting and the 28th because they're going to need to think about their cadence and their way of doing things. So for example on here we have January 16th Friday official submission of budget questions, comments, feedback. I think that's a vestage of how we used to do it. I'm not sure that will be continued to be the way, right? >> Um so I think we need to hear from them about how they would reinvision >> Yeah. >> uh participating. >> Yes. That's the whole point of having these meetings and they start I think it's Friday. >> Okay. And then just a follow-up question to
093that is is the January 8th um presentation. Is that a a presentation or is there discussion as well in there? >> Presentation and discussion. >> Okay. So building on that in the past that has been a pretty brief, you know, very brief meeting. You're you're not envisioning that as a brief meeting. >> Um I I'm envisioning it as a a well delivered budget proposal with robust conversation. >> Great. Yes. Thank you, >> John. >> So also in the process, I mean, we we did used to have ad cut, but in I guess four out of the six years, maybe three out of the six either we faced a revision or we created a revision. ourselves. So when I think of how this process is going to work for you guys, I feel like it's it's
094almost we've been through it a number of years in that second half of the budget when we said okay we we need change administration come back with your priorities and then we came to consensus around that and then the full budget was built that way without you know so if you kind of envision this process and what I watched on his previous uh district's meetings I I think be think of those back half discussions and packages and >> and the priorities will be presented in the forecasts. So those those pieces are going to be on the table in a couple weeks >> because we're deep into the process on our end. >> So we're also frontloading a lot of the work where some of the things that we want to be thinking about are what
095are the alignment between our goals, Greg? Our our our goals, our programs, and our dollars. And so we're looking to start from setting that pathway up so that we're assessing that >> right and what I would say is um you've heard me talk about this about a lot of different things and the team has as well with even thinking about communication. This is a proactive approach. This is not a reactive approach. So, we're coming to you in January with a repo a proposal that's based on everything we know from our expertise and our work with our team inside the district that we believe we need moving forward. We're going to give you that rationale and why it's in that budget and do that within the context of a fiscally sustainable model. And so it's not
096we're not just going to throw out some numbers and then see how everybody feels and come back and and reactively create the budget that we bring the next time around. This is starting with the end in mind. So it's almost like we doing curriculum mapping. It's backwards mapping where we start with the end. So we're starting with the program, what it's going to cost, how we're going to get there, and then working our way through the process and getting the feedback. >> How are you defining what fiscally sustainable is? Um, so having lived in the world of a tax cap, I'm not sure my brain is going to be able to switch off from that. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks. But it it just it it trains you to you look
097at need. You start with enrollment. That's why that's one of those pillars. You you everything sort of builds from there. Okay. >> Other comments or questions? Okay. So, this will be back on for a vote on the uh 28th. Um and of course um comments and questions are welcome in the interim. >> Absolutely. >> Some folks have already sat down with Eric, others who haven't yet are certainly welcome to. Um >> certainly. >> And uh as noted, there'll be some conversations with some of our government partners and community partners. Um okay with that without anything else we'll move on to the consent agenda. Uh we just need to note that on item B the number is about right 90 it's 28 >> 875. Okay. So on item B it reads approval of reimbursement of the
098interim superintendent in the amount of $28,875 for required contributions he made to the Connecticut Teacher Retirement Board. So just so that's in the record. Okay. And with that, uh, may I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? We'll take a first and and a sec. So, may I have a Joanna, seconded by Greg? It's now open for conversation. Is there any conversation on this item? No. Okay. All those in favor? That's unanimous. Okay. Uh, any follow-up action items? We had a request for the survey. Um, that's all for tonight. Is anybody waiting on anything that they have they haven't received yet that they're >> We did include all the followup from last meeting in the weekly report. >> Right. Okay. We'll move to public comment. >> Jill, just because some people think we're here
099for the gifts, can you just explain the consent agenda once more than all items are? >> Sure. Thank you. So, yes, we've changed our process a little bit. Historically we there were a number of items that we would go through one by one. Thank you John. Um but for the uh in fact and thank you because we it's worth saying thank you for the gifts of the to the girls volleyball pools ratchet and net of the gifts for the girls cheerleading coats and the gifts for the girls field hockey coats. Those are all listed inside of the consent agenda. We received all of the paperwork. The board has all reviewed it and so when we voted yes uh that all of those approvals are included. So, our thanks uh for the donation of all of
100those >> that was from the booster club >> from the booster club and the um there's a thank you note right here that goes out from the board. >> Um >> may maybe in the future as we go through the consent agenda as you open it up maybe we just read ABC all the way down what the items are and grouping. So that's a good idea. >> That's a good idea. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Any other thoughts on the consent agenda? Second time in the doing it. Okay. >> You'll get the hang. Yeah. Uh, public comment. >> Good evening. To participate in public comment, please approach the podium and state your name and address for the record. And note that you'll have up to three minutes to comment. >> And
101no one online. >> Okay, with that, may I have a motion to adjurnn? >> Okay, that's John. Seconded by Robin. All those in favor that is