001Welcome. Welcome to the joint board meeting. We are going to start the meeting and we're going to begin with the pledge of allegiance. If you can please rise and join me. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, we're going to start with just introductions if uh folks on the board can introduce themselves as well as anyone that uh is part of the SAU administration. So, my name is Patrick OD. and the chair of the joint board and also a member of the exit school board. Good. Uh, Bill Gothier, chair of Exit Regional Cooperative School Board from Exit. Uh, Neil Blake, I'm on the co-op board from Don Bullins, co-op board.
002Exit. Tim Reed, exit school district. Heather Ikemier, chair of the exit school board. Wendy Larson, Kensington Elementary School Board. Cheryl Mcdana, Kensington Elementary. Megan Fitzgerald, Brentwood Elementary. Dan Abear, Brentwood. Brian Duffy, chair of the Brentwood School Board and Brentwood rep to the co-op board. Allison Higgins, Brentwood Board. Cameron or Stratam uh school board. Sophie Sultenstall, um Stratam, Eric Herring, Stratum. Bobby Kelly, chair of the New Fields board. Jane Walsh, New Fields. Brian Banger, New Fields. Kirstston Sroco, East Kingston. Paul Doyle, East Kingston. Tammy Guns, the co-op board stratum. Melissa Lions, East Kingston representative on the co-op and the vice chair. Hi, Esther Asell, superintendent here at SAU16. Hi, I'm Arla PTO, the chief equity officer. Rene Bennett, superintendent in charge of student services. Hi everybody. Jill here, chief officer of curriculum instruction and ability. Nice
003to see you. Good evening. I'm Heather Murray. I'm the human resource director. Name Christendriski, associate superintendent. Molly Ke, director of finance. Good evening, assistant director of finance. Hi there. Ellen Risa, assistant director of student. Okay, that sounds good. All right, so next up on our agenda, we have uh time is set aside for public input. We always provide at least 30 minutes for public input. Are there folks that Let me get a sense because I know there's a bunch of people that are here. I'm getting a sense a bunch of people may want to provide public input which is great. Um, how many people would like to provide public input? Can you just can I just see a raise show of hands? That's fine. So, we have like like six or seven or maybe eight
004people. That's fine. So, our policy says that um you have up to three minutes, okay, to speak. Um, we can uh if there are going to be more people, we might have needed to either give more than 30 minutes or or reduce the amount of time, but we don't need to. You have at least um three you have three minutes to speak. So, whoever would like to come forward, please come forward and share whatever you'd like to share. I'll take it off. So, if you can if if you can start just introduce yourself and and say what town you're from would be helpful. Yeah. I'm Brian Keane. I'm from Brentwood and I have two kids in our school system. One is at Sees and one is at CMS. I'm here tonight to talk about the
005potential changing of the grading system at CMS. I'm not in favor of changing CMS's grading system and I don't need three minutes. I brought someone here who's going to tell us a much better reason why we should not change the grading system at CMS. Like to introduce my son, Brady Keane. He's got three minutes now. ready to stand up if you're if you're done. So if you want to say you certainly can share the time or um you can also have three minutes. Absolutely. In the newspaper. Yep. Hello, my name is Brady Keane. I am a sixth grader at CMS. With the CMS grading system in all of my classes, I know exactly where I stand in my class. Whereas when I was at sea in elementary school, I either got a proficient or a
006developing. A proficient and developing is a very broad category. Whereas at CMS, we're older. So we can grasp I would say more grades. It also for me when I got a 70 in my class I knew I needed to step it up just a little bit and I would meet the standard at an 80 or 85. Whereas I got a 40 in a summitive I knew I really needed to work on that skill and I needed to put in a little extra time and make sure I focused more on that subject in class. Um whereas in C in sees you could be one point away from a proficient or you could just be barely holding on to that proficient. Whereas at CMS you're either at an 85 an AC which is a 93 or an
007E which is an 100. Those three grades you can place yourself not really to other people but in your own mind. You can set your own goals for yourself. when you're at sea and you get a developing, I used to just brush it off and say, "Okay, that's okay. I'll try again." Whereas at CMS, my grades have started to matter more cuz I've been looking at them every other day. This has been motivating me to create a I would say better environment for myself to learn and push myself to get my grades up. when I'm able to see how much I stand. Um, when I get a lower grade, if I get like a 55, I know, okay, I have to step it up. 40, I have to step it up. Whereas, if I get
008a 70, I get a little bit I get I'm happy with myself. I know that I'm close enough to meeting the standard where I have to push a little more. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. He's taken more ownership in his grades now that he knows where he stands and this grading system has worked really well for him. I would hate to see it go away. Thank you. Right. Thanks. I'm Anna Higgins and I'm a freshman in high school. Um, say Anna, say what town you're from. Awesome. I'm from Brentwood. Okay. Um I have gone through all three grading systems um in elementary school, middle school, and high school now. Um and back when I was in fourth grade, we still had like the traditional letter grades. Um and I remember one day I sat down
009at the counter with my mom and showed her my math test and I had gotten a B and I wasn't quite sure what that meant. So I asked her what like what that meant and she was like, "That's a good grade, but like there's room to do better." And I think personally that the elementary school grading being implemented in the middle school never gives students a chance before high school to know what grades truly are and like what how to be motivated. Um and I've heard from so many students um upper classmen and college students that they wish that their freshman year had gone like their grades had gone better. Um, and there's so many challenging things about being a freshman because you can't like it's just so much adjustment adding like not knowing how
010to motivate yourself or what truly is a good grade or how to like succeed in school before your freshman year can really tank your grades and really sets students up for not being accepted into college, which I think is really a bigger problem than like students not necessarily getting their feelings hurt or something about the grades. So, yeah. Thank you. [Applause] My name is Ryan Higgins and I'm a sixth grader at CMS and I'm from Brentwood. I like the grading system that we're currently using because it motivates me to do better. If I get a bad score on a test, I can understand what I need to do better and what I've gotten good at. If I got a meets on a test, um, I could see like how I need to improve. It's like
011much more transparent than the system used by the elementary schools because I can use what I get on my score to, uh, figure out exactly like how well I'm doing in my classes. This is very important to me because grades are something that I take like pretty seriously and I need to like try to get the best I can. Um, I like having a way of really understanding what I like, what my grades are like instead of just getting a grade and understanding it. And I think that the grading system is proposed in the middle school and it's currently like being used in the elementary schools is not uh great. Uh, most of the grades practically every anywhere from a meats in our thing to a e 100 is qualified as a P or proficient.
012This grading system doesn't let anyone really know how they've done on assessor assignment. A proficient is basically the highest grade you can get besides an extended learning which you don't really get a whole lot on tests. The highest you can get is such a broad range of points. Still students will have no way of knowing how they're if they're doing the best they can on an assignment. In elementary school, I didn't understand my report card whatsoever. And it didn't have any meaning to me because I pretty much already knew what every single one of my grades would be. The only thing that I looked at to judge my learning was the teacher write up. They individually wrote a big explanation of what the students have been excelling and having trouble in. And a school like
013CMS with almost a thousand students, it's will be hard for the teachers to do that, too. I think that pretty much sums up why it should stay the same it is. Thank you. [Applause] Hi, my name is Sean Higgins. I'm from Brentwood and I'm currently a sixth grader at CMS. I think that the current grading system used at CMS has a lot of benefits for kids. I know a lot of people including myself that struggled adapting to the grades at CMS cuz like when I got a proficient on everything in elementary school, I didn't really have to like push myself that hard. But then when I got to all the grades at CMS, it's like a lot harder and like you have to see where you are better and push yourself harder and it motivates
014me to get like a higher grade whereas like a P on everything I couldn't really get higher. So like if I get like an M or an AC, I can push myself higher and get a better grade. Um, my report cards in elementary school didn't like mean anything to me because I just saw P's and more P's. I just looked at the teacher writing about me and it would be really hard for every teacher to write 80 or so paragraphs about how each individual kid was doing. I do not think that it will benefit kids to keep the elementary school grading system going into CMS. It will also be hard for next year's seventh and eighth graders to go from what they have now at CMS to a new one. [Applause] Uh Eric Kelly, I'm
015from Brenwood. I don't know how I'm going to follow my kids. Um uh I guess what I would have to say is um I have a sixth grader at CMS. I have a freshman here at EHS. Um, so we parented through the change in the grading system at the elementary school. And I would say my general takeaway from that was that it involved a lot of education and outreach of the parents, staff, administrators, and everyone to understand that we were going from one kind of doing one thing to another. And I'd honestly say based on watching both my kids go through that, I think that was a process that continued year after year. It was not straightforward. So for the co-op board to be considering a C change in grading at CMS, I think that
016requires a high level of transparency and education and outreach to the parents because we've already gone through it to some degree and kind of muddled our way through it to be honest and I think moving that to CMS as things starts going up as Anna pointed out with the high school I think you need to seriously consider that and solicit feedback. This should not be something that should just be undertaken because hey it's was something we're doing at the elementary level. It really doesn't necessarily have an exact place at CMS. Maybe it does, but that needs to be thought a very thoughtful process and engagement with staff administration of the elementary schools who've gone through the process as well as the parents. I think my kids are both very different academically. They have different strengths,
017different weaknesses. And the idea that we would lose some of that ability to quantify their achievements and also where they need areas for improvement by going to a more of a pass fail more qualitative system I think would actually for certain kids I think that could be really detrimental. That's just what I want to say. Thanks. Would anyone else like to give public input? It's not just just to be clear that there's uh you can you can give public input about anything. It doesn't have to be about the same topic. It could be the same talk topic. It could be different. Just whatever's on my mind. Yeah, absolutely. You're upset about the the weather and want to chat about that, you could let us know. Um Katie Adams, I'm from Exit. Um, I just I
018wanted to circle back to something that was subject of the last meeting about signing on to the DEI pledge of loyalty or whatever from the state. Um, I was disappointed in the board's decision, but more so though I understood the legal ramifications, I think it presented a real challenge to parents and therefore kids to understand the reasoning behind it given that they had to go into closed uh, session. And um, I guess two things I'm hoping for going forward. Um, one is that the board either publicly or privately think about where the line is going to be. Uh, where we may have to forego funding if we are pushed to betray our students and betray our values. Uh, where is that line? How are we going to know when we've reached it? Um, because I
019think it's unlikely that this is the last uh time we'll be asked to make this decision. And another thing I would ask uh the board to consider is whether there's going to be an opportunity where we could be in some kind of dialogue with you all in the community. Because though I appreciate the opportunity to get up and just uh tell you how I feel, it would be great if we could have some back and forth that is a little more candid about this is what we're thinking about this. These are our concerns and and some informal community conversation about it because I think we are kind of all on the same team here and we want to support you as well as give our feedback and I think that would be a helpful way
020to kind of come together. That's all. Okay. Other folks that like to give public input. Thank you. Thank you. You're not banished if you don't want to just just to be clear. But thank you for coming. We're fine. Thank you. So um so we leave public input open for half an hour. So if there if you know at a minimum and so if there are other folks that come in later and want to provide public input you know just try to get our attention and we can sort of stop the process and and do that. Okay. Um, any board discussion related to the public input? It was not my idea that my kids came. They found out that a friend was coming and thought that they should too. Um, so I will just say that
021that it while it looks like maybe I roped them all into it, I I hadn't. Um, but I do feel super passionately and um, you know, this is a conversation I've had with a lot of you for a lot of years. Um, and I, um, I'll save my public comment because it's like four pages long and I'll just send it to you in an email. Um, uh, but I really would consider, um, I did have a really great conversation with, uh, Principal Baristo today. Um, and uh, well, he didn't change my mind on how I feel about it. Um, I think that, you know, at the end of our conversation, you know, it was super clear that we both actually want the same thing. Um, it's just that, uh, we want it done in a
022different way. Um, and I would say, um, and and this is in what I will email to the co-op board, um, like the thing that I said to him that I think probably made him understand the best, uh, what my besides this sort of transparency and motivation issue is that like the way that the competencybased reporting system works at elementary school is super hard to understand um it's not uh it's it's not user friendly um and in healthcare which is sort of my field there's a concept of health literacy and I'm sure that uh Dr. Kelly and Dr. Bonafiti could, you know, add to this, but you know, they are highly trained technical experts and they could talk to their patients in highly technical jargon. Um, and their patients would not understand what was being
023asked of them. you know, they could they could take something as easy as you have high blood pressure and you should change your diet and they could make it really technical. Um, and they don't they're trained not to do that. They're trained to be to, you know, to uh ensure health literacy of their patients. Um, and I think that that is like the best analogy for me of the competency based reporting system that it's highly technical educator speak. Um, and it's not super user friendly to the average parent. Um, and I would qualify myself as not the average parent because I am an educator and I do teach based on competencies. Um, and I still find it difficult. So I think that you know we're taking we're losing a huge percentage of our families by
024by having it really highly technical. Um, so anyways, I uh Bill and I had this very briefly had this conversation last week and I know that the con current conversation is about CMS but uh you know Bill's comment to me which I have sort of sat on all week is you know is this a district conversation not just a CMS conversation because the reality is that this reporting system already sits in all of our elementary schools and I already know as a board member that my you know that there's lots of parents that are not happy with it. So, I think it is perhaps a wider conversation um than just the co-op board. Um but the co-op board I think has the more immediate like sort of decision- making. So, yeah, Sophie, go ahead. Um
025I have a different change in topic. Do you two, Heather? I Yes. Do you want to go first or No, you go first. Rock, paper, scissors. Okay, you go first. Um, so Sophie Salt and Stall stratum board. I've been thinking a lot since the last joint board meeting and I wasn't there that night because I was sick unfortunately, but I kind of got a recap of what went down. Um, and I agree with a public comment that like having to make those decisions in the moment is a lot. Um, and so I would be really interested in thinking through as a joint board, how can we be more thoughtful about those decisions and have more time to process what's going on and then if there is a line like how can we have like be
026really thoughtful about those conversations um and think strategically and all and through all of the implications that are really complicated legal, financial, morals, values, like all of those things are in play and to ask us to make a decision without very much information and community input put in, you know, half an hour is really confusing and daunting. Um, so I'm proposing some form of, um, yeah, some some group um that could be comprised of joint board members, could be public, um, could be other staff and SLT members, Ireland in particular, um, to really help us think through those issues and what is coming down the pike and how to be thoughtful about it. Um so whether that's yeah we can talk about the mechanism. Um I don't know if I should pause there and just
027get other thoughts about it but um I do have a proposal for a mechanism. So okay go ahead. Are you I just want to Well, I just Yes. Briefly I will say um I just this is Heather Ikeer from Exit School Board. Um, I just also want to just name I was also not at the joint school board meeting when it was discussed. I understand why it went into non-public, but I I agree with the public comment around how do we I guess hold our values which are supposed to be guiding our decision- making. um how do we get really clear about that line which I think Katie so accurately named in the comment around um where we have crossed a line and we're actually betraying our core values. I was really struck by the
028work that came out of the strategic planning summit. There were five core values named by the community a community that includes parents but also faculty and staff and board members. is I mean there was quite a few people who attended that and two of the values of the five one is equity cultivating an inclusive and supportive community that celebrates diversity ensures access and provides the support each individual needs to thrive and the fifth and the the second of the five values is belonging and connection building a culture of belonging through inclusive relationships open communication and meaningful collaboration. So these are values that were named by our community are sort of of many diverse voices and so which was really I think emboldening and inspiring to me to see that um that those values um even
029in this current environment are ones that we want to uplift and uphold and to me core values are what should be defining and you know helping us guide our decision- making. Um, so I I don't know what your proposal is, Sophie, but I am curious about how we are proactive about having, you know, when these decisions I agree that this will probably come up again in some form or fashion and in our role is sort of guiding policy for SAU16 and thinking about budgeting and how can we um just have a few other ways of responding in preparation if things do get um called into qu if our values are um if we're if we're being asked to cross a line with our core values. So, I'd be really open to that conversation at some
030point. And I agree that although I wasn't there, um just having some more education as a joint school board around um sort of how to navigate those situations would be helpful so that we're not put on the spot in such a short turnaround. And I really respect that you also were on the spot as well. Did you want Yeah, I'd just like to say something. I I appreciate that you everything that you're saying and we do have to be thoughtful going forward and I was in that room that night. The conversation was very thoughtful. The core values were stated over and over again. We were all we we struggled with this but the outcome was very clear. It was very thoughtful. Uh Esther brought in a lawyer so the lawyer could tee it up for
031us. So given the timeline of what we had coming at us, we I think we acted very appropriately and I'm proud of the work that we did. So I just want to make sure that we're I I'm understood there. Other thoughts? People want to thoughts relative to public input or things that were just uh shared by board members? I sorry. Go ahead. Um, I just I wanted I wanted to one I want to applaud those kids. I'm going to say that out loud. I I think them standing up for what they believe in art in articulating how they did it was was regardless of how the board decides to act um is pretty impressive. So, um that's one. Two, um I I want to follow up on Bill's comment on the thoughtfulness. I think I'm
032going to ask a question again to make sure that I'm hearing this correctly. One of the thing questions that went to the floor that night was are we can I intervene for just a minute? I was not at the last board meeting, but to the extent I just want to caution board members to the extent something was discussed in non-public. We'd be careful that we don't end up talking about anything substantively about a non-public conversation. That's why I'd say non-public in the first place. I just wanted everything that we spoke about. I feel like Esther made it clear that we were in compliance to what needed to happen and I think that is aligned to the core values of what the strategic plan said and so I feel like it's really important that we are
033sticking to those core values but also maintaining what we need the integrity of how we need to fiscally operate in this sorry in this budget. other comments. Um, so I I like what you're saying. I think that I agree that, you know, I think I was at last meeting about the um, you know, the decision we're making because the we have definitely took into account the core values of inclusiveness and um, also the core values of educating our kids and what we would have to do, you know, and and the money factor of that. It was certainly not an easy decision, but I also really like the idea of forward thinking and saying, "Okay, now we've crossed this bridge, right? We this is what it is right now. There's an injunction where we we we've
034kind of likeoo, okay, don't have to do much with that." But thinking forward to the next step, making sure that we can have a conversation. I think it's really difficult for people to come in and they can stand up and then we kind of talk around them without talking to them and then you know so h having some forum where people can can put forward their ideas I think is a really good idea. That's one thing. The second thing is towards the the um um grading system. I've never been a fan of the elementary grading system. I think the two things one thinking of it as a pass fail system is is is a great way to think of it. I've never thought of it that way before but that is what it is. is
035you pass or you fail and you know and then sometimes you somehow get this amazing extended learning thing which you don't know even what that how your kid gets that or you know why they get it and um but I think even even better explanation was what you're talking about with doctor speak or what I always talk to my patients about mechanic speak right it's a part of a brain I don't have never learned so like when my mechanic tells me that something's broken on my car I don't know same thing you know I'm sure there's a lot that goes into the grading system and I and Um, I think we just need to maybe figure out a way that that can be explained to the layman. Other thoughts? I just want to make a
036quick comment about the um the decision that was made and I think it I think it was the right decision for that. I I voted no, but I think it was the right decision for that particular issue, but the feedback I've received is the slippery slope kind of aspect of this. And I know everybody's aware, but I think people don't understand the nuance of the conversation that we had. So the way I think it played out in public was every comment was about not signing that thing and then the board overwhelmingly voted to sign it. Right? So I'm not saying that the public should decide that without being part of that internal discussion, but I think as far as having a forum or some sort of feedback, I think folks feel like, you know, hey,
037I come up and say something and then you guys move on. So, I just think that's how that one played out. And I think the next one might be more difficult because we didn't, you know, we had kind of the back stop on that one of the legal case and all that. So, I I just wanted to say in support of the of some sort of forum to discuss with the public. Um, I I wanted to comment on basically that last part of what you said and then I I really do like the idea of Sophie's suggestion. I'm often a sort of a practical I I'll think about how are we going to practically do that? So is um sometimes with board structure and governance having certain formal committees and meetings can be pretty complicated,
038right? Because there needs to be postings and certain numbers of people and and minutes and all that. And so I guess Patrick, I would ask if um what is a mechanism to bring about exactly what Sophie is suggesting? And I think I know that I would be agreeable and interested in in being a part of um but I don't know is the only way that that could result in being a committee. Does it have to be a big complicated um you know uh 3-day forum like we've I mean we've done some great things to collect uh information from the public but I also think that there's value in just having like a coffee chat or you know something like that person was sort of suggesting but I know that there are rules about how to
039do that so I don't know if you or anybody in this group knows about a practical way to have that conversation andor a meeting that occurs every so often or if you would recommend it being something formal um so that it could be um posted and attended to by folks. I just don't want a suggestion like that that I think is a valuable one to sort of be left for next you know um academic year. So I think once everyone had a chance to talk I think we're going to circle back to Sophie. I think she had an idea. I wanted to have her a chance to say that instead of my suggesting other possibilities and people can respond to that and react to that. But um I don't think we've left that off the
040table or we're not passing by it. You know, one of the things I mean I'll just say briefly one of the things about public input I understand how it can be frustrating to some extent because it's not always the it's often not a dialogue with the public per se. Um, I think it's helpful if the board has an interest in talking about something that's going on in the public that we try to do that. And for the most part, we do our business in public so that people can hear it and participate in it. And um, there's not as much of a back and forth as members of the public in in this particular forum, but there are other forums like committees or sometimes there are public I I'm not going to start giving examples
041of how to do this necessarily, but I could. But I think we should hear what Sophie is going to propose. Um, but again before we Sophie just to hold on for just a second. I I do want to just respect that we're not just one or two people on this board. If there are other people that have comments they want to make, I want to give other people an opportunity to to speak and then I'll give Sophie another chance to speak and we can kind of go from there. Does anyone else have a comment they'd like to make about anything related to public input or otherwise? Yes. So, we're going back and forth on two different subjects, but we are um as far as the grading goes, it was my understanding when we voted that
042we were trying to make the middle school more like the high school so that the transition would be easier. And yet, what I heard from the public input tonight was that we were making the middle school more like the elementary school. And I I'm maybe I don't understand, but they let they had their comments and then they left and we didn't really address whether what they were saying was right or not. Can you speak to that? Sure. Thank you. Yeah, I'm not sure whether we should save this for tomorrow for the co-op board because that's really the board that deals with this issue and certainly uh the principal that Allison met with, Drew, will be prepared and I know Jill's prepared. um to speak to some of those concerns. But just very briefly, the issue
043about coming to the high school is the high school has an 8020 split with summitive and formative as far as grading. The middle school had 100% only. So to up the ante, so to speak, around grades for middle schoolers, we went and aligned with the high school. So that's the alignment with the high school. The the middle school has had nonletter grading, ABCD, if you will, um in for quite a while on the actual report card. And so in Alma, which is what the kids were talking about, they have to have a number grade right now. And I have to get clarification from Drew. Is that still going to exist next year or not? Because in Alma, you had to put a number grade. And I don't know where that's moving forward. It may still
044going to be that way. But the actual report card at middle school has had had a fivepoint scale. Not ABC, but M's and P's just like it does. So, all we did was take it to a four-point letter scale from a five-point letter scale, which aligns with the rubric that the high school uses when grading assignments. So, that's the alignment with the high school. So, your corrections in that. I would recommend that we continue this particular discussion at the co-op board tomorrow night because it doesn't really impact the full decision- making. This isn't the decision-m body for that. But I was happy to defer to whatever else people want to do. But that would make sense to me. Yeah. And I and I I was reflecting on Allison's comment too where I think you had
045you had said that you thought about is this conversation for the co-op because that's the group that has the authority to make any decisions about grading at the co-op and high school level. We don't have that authority as a joint board. But I think you were also wondering aloud whether or not there's a broader question about just grading the district, which is why Yeah. you wanted to um provide comment about it, right? And and I be super clear like I I am a huge proponent of the 2080 split, right? Which is in alignment with the high school. Like right now, middle school doesn't get their grades don't consist of formatives, right? They are 100% sumitives. And I think that formatives are an important part of the learning cycle and moving that component to match the
046high school I think is great. Um the current proposal that the co-op board was given last week or whenever um does propose that the percentage go away. Um it's clearly written in the slide deck that the percentage goes away. And that's one of the conversations that Mr. Bariso and I had today is if the percentage stays, does that make it feel better? And you know, the answer to me is, yeah, it does make it feel better. If the percentage stays, it makes it feel better because it gives me the tools to know whether my kid got a 70 or an 80 or a 90 or a 100. Like, they're still going to put a P there and that P might not be meaningful to me, but the percentage gives me the tools that my kids
047and I both need and want. So, you know, that is one of the conversations we had today. Um, but I'll send, you know, I have a lot of detail that I'll send to the co-op board. I would ask that you do read it. So, let me go back to Sophie. You were going to you sort of um Yes. I would love to hear from Jill and the comment that she'd like to make about this. Just wanted just wanted to clarify one thing. Um, the students that came up were so articulate and wonderful and I loved hearing from them. just one um difference from the elementary school to the middle school that is staying the same and I don't want people to think that's leaving and I think is that transparency that we want is in
048Alma you have your assignments and they're attached to competencies and students can see their grade book in middle school ongoing and so can families and that's not going away and so when we heard the message a couple time that couple times that we're going back to the elementary school grading for the middle school that's that's not accurate in that transparency piece that is still happening. So you'll still have access to the grade book, you'll still have access to the assignments, you still have access to their alignment to the competencies. It is um as Dr. Asbel shared the five level rubric to the four. So thanks. Okay, maybe to stop ping ponging, can we just wrap up that conversation then so that we can then focus? So, just to wrap up, I guess the grading thing,
049is that going to be deferred to the decision-making body for that conversation, which is I haven't heard anyone make any proposal to do anything about the grading. So, unless someone makes a proposal, then we're just having a discussion. So, if if someone is making a proposal, we can act on that proposal or motion, but otherwise, we're having a discussion. So, there's nothing. Are we the ones that are make the decision about that though? Well, we don't have authority to make decision about the about CMS grading. If there's a proposal to do something relative to district-wide grading, I haven't heard anything for that, but if there's something, then someone needs to bring that forward and say what that would be. Can I make a comment? Yeah. Um, this board wouldn't have that perview either. That would
050be individual districts. So, this board as a joint board doesn't have the authority to make other boards in other districts do something. So, anything to do with grading is at a local board level. Yeah. I wasn't proposing like what I asked Mr. Bariso today was to bring the conversation back and engage stakeholders. Like that's what I'm asking. Like I'm not asking to vote no or for I'm ask I just asked for that conversation to continue and for it to be broader with broader stakeholders was was my request. Um, and I think that personally, like if that doesn't happen, I will ask the Brentwood board to to put it on our agenda, but that's not that's neither here nor there. That that's not part of the request. Patrick, y I do just want to acknowledge and
051I appreciate that we're even having this conversation. I have a middle schooler. I think I'm a pretty active and engaged parent. I didn't know about this proposed change. I actually don't am not entirely thrilled about what I have heard about it although I'm curious I might try to attend tomorrow's co-op board meeting. So I think it's just very helpful. Um thank you to the the parents and the uh kiddos who makes um a great presentation and for us just having this discussion. So I appreciate something. Sure. This is a great plug for you to go to the if anyone out in watching land would like to know what that conversation was and what that presentation was. It's posted the full presentation um on the web page for that joint for that call board meeting. So,
052if you don't can't come tomorrow or you're just wondering, that's a place to access that information for all of you as well as anyone else that's listening and might have questions or if you're approached, that's a place where you also could direct folks um to see the presentation and be informed that way. If you have questions about it, I guess I'll just say generally too from from my perspective, I think it's okay that we discuss things and it doesn't have to lead to an action item. You know, that there was there was some public concern. we board members had an interest in reflecting on that concern even though we there's there's no action item at the end for us per se. It's fine to to spend a little bit of time to reflect on that.
053So back to you Sophie. Just quickly before we close this out just for my own so that I because I also hadn't heard of that. Did the co-op board already vote on this? You already voted on it. All right. Any other grading comments? Okay. My proposal um is to form a committee. The title of the committee would be the northstar committee because I feel like we need a guiding northstar to help us in some of the chaos. And the mission is to protect the strength of the SA16 public school system and its values while being financially responsible to taxpayers. That would be the mission of committee I'm proposing. Um the committee would be comprised of joint board members um and then also SLT members in particular I think Arllin and Chris and then Molly for
054financial implications and getting legal support when we need legal support. Um and I would definitely be open to members of the public. Um parents I think would have a really good input. maybe um students also. Um so we could kind of figure out what would make sense and how to limit maybe the number of them or how to go about doing that standing up that committee if it's something that's a regular thing that we meet every Thursday or maybe it's something where we meet once and kind of establish some ground rules and then just meet on an as needed basis. Um, all of that I think is up for discussion, but I'll just pause there um with my proposal for other questions, input, and clarifications. So, I'm going to take that as a motion. Are
055you making a motion? Okay. Do we have a second for the motion? You don't have to repeat that back. Make a second. Second. Okay. So, we have a motion and second. So, is there discussion on the motion? Go ahead. I have a question. So in my view our core values run through all the committees that we have right superintendent evaluation policy you know all the so can you just clarify how what the sort of how we hold that throughout the exist standing committees and how this commit what the sort of charge of this committee would be as in complement to that or different yeah I think the charge of this committee would be specifically about um policies or mandates that are coming down the pipeline that would change or have dramatic financial implications for us
056and for the whole SAU16 um that would need a more thoughtful discussion than a 30-minute conversation and maybe some creative thinking outside the box that we don't have the capacity or voices in the room to have those solutions present and then um that committee could make a proposal or a recommendation to the full joint board if there are substantial um you know implications for the SA16 certainly financial you know I don't think that one committee could would be appropriate to make a decision for you know like losing $5 million that's not what I'm proposing um but rather some a committee that could come together if something like that is on the table again and say like okay this is what's happening what are our options how can we think creatively what are the financial implications
057of this what are yeah yeah what are some proposals that we might be able to have as um a full community instead of just the folks that are in this room and limiting us to those perspectives. Yes. Um I'm just like trying to think through what is real and what I'm thinking is might be But didn't we talk about a legislative committee, right? Like wouldn't that I feel like that this kind of is a legislative committee. Um, so if we were already going to do that, maybe that committee could function and just go beyond like the state and just brought in to look at executive actions as legislation. Megan, I was just going to say um uh something to that same effect because Sophie, when you were talking about um it being a space to
058discuss policies, etc., I wanted to ask were you envisioning it to be like ex external polic policies that are sort of that we are beholden to because they're being directed to us from external because if that is a large part of what you're envisioning I agree with Megan and that it if it's not the same committee it there's a lot of overlap I guess so I would just want to let's make sure yeah no I was I wasn't aware of that committee so I think that could be a place for it if it could broaden its scope to include what I'm talking about too. Um, and this wouldn't be the same as the policy committee, which is its own thing and that maybe there would be overlap also, but maybe communication between them. Okay, we
059have a motion, a second. We have some comments. Are there additional comments about the motion or we're still in discussion? So, go ahead. How would how do membership is membership in the committee determined? And I mean, how does that work? like the the actual logistics like how would you how would you plan on organizing this commission? So glad you asked. Do you have a proposal? I'm just kidding. Um No, but I mean like I think your goal is worthy to enhance discussion. I think that's a good idea. How what are the what's the mechanism you mean or what I'm You're forming you're forming a committee. Yeah. Who's on the committee and how are they chosen? Yeah. Um I think my proposal would be to have um just self- selected from every board could have one
060to two members. Um and then as I mentioned some members of the SLT who are would be appropriate to be on the committee also. Um and then I don't know about broader members of the public. I think maybe that committee once that core is formed could have that conversation and decide who else would be appropriate to be on that or how to receive public input or how to have a conversation. Um it's definitely Yeah, it's it's tricky. Allison, do you have Let me let me just direct people. I want to make sure I give everyone a chance to talk and so go ahead Alison. Um so I do really love the idea of the legislative committee. I think that's actually something that's super needed. Um, and I think that what I hear and maybe I'm
061not understanding correctly, but the idea of like a guiding star committee seems like an executive committee to me. Um, and I don't love that idea. Like I feel as though um that we all were voted um and should all be the guiding star like that that when there's like challenging conversations around what's happening out in the greater world. Um like that we should all have a role in that conversation. Um, I don't love the idea of there being sort of that like superpower committee over the sort of joint board. Personally, I love the idea like I love the idea that we are proactively looking at legislation that's coming um and you know processing it and I am super supportive of having a forum to engage the general public in those conversations. Um, I just am
062not supportive of of I just want to make sure you understood that. I I need you to hold off. I just going to give everyone make sure everyone has a chance to talk. So, go ahead. Um, the only thing I'm thinking is I don't think that committee would have helped us last time because that decision had to be made in just days. So, they wouldn't It's a great idea about the committee, but that wouldn't have prevented what we were blackmailed and extorted to do so that we would have the money to go into next year. Nobody. Well, very few of us felt good about signing that. I think we just couldn't give that money. So, that wouldn't have prevented that though because that was interesting circumstances. And I'm not sure it's not going to be
063the last time that we're given very little time. We're we're threatening very thin needle here a lot. I would just say the fact that that's not going to be the last time is probably to me is the point, right? that what we're what we were is probably not going to be the last hand is to time is to be sort of sort of bullied into signing something with the the you know caveat that if you don't you'll be you know financially penalized right so I guess the question would be is how do we start to be pri proactive about if we are faced with a similar executive order um of that kind right I would imagine and I'm not sure this is exactly what you had in mind but that committee whether it's the same
064or different could meet with Arlland and others to understand better um what are other districts doing to to be proactive to understand sort of um I mean we are definitely not the only community that is facing you know these kinds of actions. So um if if that just to those points if if we imagine that this might be just the first of many circumstances that have a tight turnaround or not. I guess what I'm hearing is how do we think forward into if we are put in that a similar position might not be the exact how might we uh what are our options and how do we research those options or think forward creatively about those options so that when we do present them to the board before we go into you know maybe non-public
065that we can really understand um what options are available to us. Um, and it's not I don't think that's going to cover all circumstances, but I guess that's that was my feeling is that and again I was not here, but just understanding the situation. Um just I you know even the exit school board I think you know Patrick you raised you even our last board meeting you know how might we have you know develop a um another draft of a budget that if we are if our values are called into question that we can can think about other ways of of funding our our our work um our students and our programs. Um, so I I I think that to your comment is to me like what is resonating for what Sophie is sharing is
066that just how do we not be in a reactive mode going forward if this isn't the first the only the last time that we're presented with this situation? Other people that want to speak to the motion particularly people that haven't spoken first. I'll give other people a chance to speak again. Go ahead. I I think this board could be that agreed committee basically that we can put it on the agenda have a meeting discuss what our uh framework decision-m framework would be what our bright lines are how we're going to approach these in the future and then this board which will be voting on it again in the future will have all worked together to have made that decision and this is clearly a topic that engages everybody in the room so I think this
067committee could do that work or this me this board, excuse me, could do that work. Other comments? Okay. Um I think for everybody that was in the room at the last joint board meeting, the conversation was incredibly thoughtful. Um so I don't want people to think that it wasn't. Um there's a lot of things that happened in non-public obviously that we can't share. Um but there wasn't a single person that wanted to sign the document. It it there were other considerations. Um, I also think that we are in a difficult position because we are going to have to be reactive and while we don't want to be, I mean, these things come down literally days before. We don't know what they're going to say. Um, we're coming up on what assurances the end of the
068month and we don't know what'll be in those. They probably won't be what we've always seen in the past. So, um, and I think that it really doesn't make sense to pull this to a committee. I mean, if we want to have community discussions and and provide the community the opportunity to discuss with us how we feel and what, you know, what we're trying to do, I think that would be helpful. But I think pulling that decision-m away from this body and losing what we had at our last board meeting, which was incredibly thoughtful, um I think that would be a mistake. Can I offer some information? Sure. Um you you do have an opportunity. you already and we've done this in the past particularly during COVID when there was something that was very quick
069um or decisions were trying to be made on a topic that was lengthier and we had more time and it wasn't a deadline to sign something but it but we needed to make decisions. We would have a a joint chairs meeting and then those chairs would take that information back to their boards if it was appropriate or then they would at least educate their board before we came together as a joint board. I would recommend that you keep that chair's joint chairs um committee as an option for something that may come up that you feel like okay we can discuss this and we want to bring it back to boards. We have three weeks to get it back to board so that when we meet as a full joint board we've had a little conversation
070at our local level. We've got a good feel for that. Um the only thing that makes me hesitant about a separate uh committee is that you'll have the same restraints because it's a board committee. You will have to post, you'll have to vote, you'll have to have meetings, which is going to restrain that turnaround time. If you're talking about something you're trying to get information quickly or fast, it's a lot easier for me to pull or for Chris, sorry, in this case to pull joint chairs together and get a schedule that can work than 33 people. Um, and then if it legal needs to come in, we can have legal talk to joint chairs and then they can communicate out that information. Um, so I would see that as a reasonable option to meet some
071of the needs you're all talking about as well as not being up against that um restraint of it's a committee organized by a board which has the same quorum rules etc as um any board meeting. So it is going to limit your availability to quickly organize versus joint chairs. There's no quorum there's no rules you can't meet because they're all on a different board. Um but you all can go back to your boards. So I'd ask you to consider that when you're thinking about this. Tim Tim Reed Exter um I agree that the conversations that happened I won't get into specifics about what happened in nonpublic uh were very thoughtful and and I do wish that some of those conversations could have been in the public session. I think next time we have to go
072um into non-public for a specific reason. I would say let's all try to get that non-public part out of the way and so that we can bring the conversation that can be back into the public back into the public session because I think some of the comments and thoughts that were shared last month could have been in the public session and I think that could have um helped the public understand what those conversations were that weren't specifically pertain to the reason why we went to non-public. public. So, I'll do Jane then Sophie. Yeah. So, I am on the same mind as like Heather and and Tim where what I heard from the public was they were disappointed in what they heard, but they understood. So, that seems to me that we need to work on
073our communication to our community um and communities individually. So, I do like the idea of um in some way, shape or form, and I appreciate and I totally support the email that you sent out to everybody. That was very thoughtful, but it sounded like we need a little bit more. We need just a little bit more communication from this board when these things happen. And whatever that is, um whether it's going to be a specific um committee or if it's whether it's going to be the chair's committee or if it's going to be this board, I think that's what the public was asking for, which is a little bit more explanation as to why we did what we did versus um you know, really understanding that a little bit more. So, um, I think that
074just the communication needs to happen a little bit more, whether that's within within the districts and get some creative thinking going. So, that's kind of I kind of really agreed with both you, you know, Heather and and and Tim on kind of your thinking in that regard. But, I wanted to throw that communication piece back in there because that's what I think was the disconnect between us and the and the public. Thanks. Um, first I just want to say I apologize if any of my comments came across as I was being critical of the conversation y'all had or that there was a lack of thoughtfulness because that's not my intention. I I wasn't there. But that's not where I'm coming from. I think y'all were incredibly thoughtful with the information you had and you made
075the best decision. It would have been the same if I would have been there, too. Um, so that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is maybe for the future, let's think through how to be more thoughtful, more prepared than what we had to face in the last time. Um, and I'm not proposing a decision-making body. So, I want to make sure that that's clear, too. Um, it would be probably a um what's the uh hm like advisory advisory? Yeah, an advisory body or um something along those lines. I I think I like the chair idea for something that there needs to be a decision made in a really quick turnaround that makes Oh, they they couldn't do the decision either. Okay. Um yeah, so maybe this could be my idea could be folded into
076a legislative, you know, committee. Um I'm definitely open to that. Thanks, Eric. there stratam I just is it possible to so we're thinking about a legislative committee as Megan was saying and I don't I didn't quite remember where we were at with that when we left that what about a legislative update as part of the agenda as there because I know in New Hampshire schoolboards association we get it in like a digest um and it definitely comes with context from school boards association be interesting to have it and I don't know if you have the resources for yet another presentation of somebody to go through that stuff and to present it to us. But I think I Well, well, let me let me just finish with kind of where I see that is if we
077were able to see some of these things in advance and I think the whole the whole group find if it's a committee that then reads it out to the to the districts, but as a whole group that'd be very helpful. And then it might give the public a little more time to be aware of what the legislative issues are both state and federal and they can participate better in the process along with board members. I'm not sure where we left things. I know there was some discussion about a legislative I I think it was my understanding was more that there's going to have more legislative discussion as part of policy, but I could be wrong about that. But there's I'm not quite sure where where we left that in terms of a legislative committee per
078se. I just I just I'm just going to give my own two cents on a couple things. One is that the the thing that's really challenging about all this and Melissa pointed to this is the speed that these things are happening. I mean, typically if you had a a law that was coming forward, you'd have time to think about it. You might discuss it. There are tricks that they have with sliding them into other bills and whatnot. So you don't always have that discussion, but in theory there's time to to discuss this, but particularly some of the federal changes have been on very very tight timelines of days instead of of, you know, weeks and months to really anticipate what's going to happen. So it's really challenging in terms of legislative update. We talked about
079this at our local school district in Exit. the one we got from most recently, well, a couple of months ago now, but um from the New Hampshire School Boards Association, I think they're tracking it was like a 97 page document and and all these different potential ones. It it's just to really to be able to go through all of that. I'm not sure we could go through it all in in three or four hours to really give it justice, to really discuss each of those individual things. Um it's you know it's pretty extensive at least at the early stages to to go into that but I my understanding was that there was that the committee or and maybe Esther can clarify the committee or an SLT member was going to be tracking legislation a little
080bit more closely and that we were going to have more discussion at our joint board. Is that right? Or maybe you can say more about that. Sure. It was my uh my impression that I sent out the email and the link for everyone for the school boards association for you all at your at your discretion and if you're interested in or not to look through. Um I've pushed out numerous times to the community and newsletters to all of you as board members how to track bills, how to put give input to bills. Um I know I've given an update numerous times around the things that are on the radar such as universal vouchers. Um the hunter safety piece just came up. We just talked about that. Um so the ones that are have anticipated to
081perhaps have a financial impact I've talked about pretty consistently. Um the issue is it's very hard to bring an organ a group of people together and make decisions about what to do about it because once the law passes or the bill passes into law it then goes to rules and regulations. We don't know what those rules and regulations are right now. So we know there's going to be some very likely some universal voucher. There's four bills on the floor which I've talked about numerous times with since budget season. So since October and November and that once something comes out then it goes to rules and regulations. For example, are will boards be able to set their own policy around maximum classroom size? Will we have to go to school approval? We don't know that. Also
082that right now the bills are changing just about daily. The language in those bills etc. So, it's very difficult to give an accurate update. And that's why I ask you as board members, if that's something you feel like you want to bring up in a board meeting or something, you got to read the New Hampshire School Board Association. You got to go into the US New Hampshire gov um and and access that information because it's changing very regularly. There's fast democracy, which I've put out, which you can actually click and track bills. So, if you're really interested in just universal and you'll get your email on how that's changed that day, that week, I I feel like I'm hearing you haven't been informed and I got to say I feel like I have informed people
083on a very regular basis on how to get that information as well as what the ones are that we are fully aware may have an impact. Um, I go to the legislative committee through the executive board for the New Hampshire School Administrators Association every week on Mondays at noon time and then I'm on another committee to hear it every other week. Things that maybe I'm not aware of. So when I get that information, I try to put it out as much as I can and bring it to boards. I know um the other folks that have boards bring it to their school boards. Um the hottest topics which we have talked about are universal vouchers. We don't know how that's going to work. Hunter safety just came up um I think last week as a
084non-gerermanine amendment. No one expected it. It wasn't even an educational bill. Um and so we get flagged when those things happen and we try to pass those along. But the legislative is very quick and um doing some things as legislators that maybe haven't been done in the past um to get things for example putting the vers the universal vouchers into the budget. HB2, right? So, there are things that are happening that haven't happened in the past. We've tried to encourage folks to be advocates for whatever you believe in through that process, either um signing, you know, and writing something or physically going. Um we have to say as a executive board group are got pretty discouraged about going um and sitting there for three or four hours and then um going up and and basically
085told we've talked about this enough. we don't need to hear your opinion. Um, even some legislators that we've met with, Tony Weinstein, etc. also helps us keep informed, um, she had a great presentation ready about universal vouchers and got up to do it at the hearing and was told, "We've heard enough on this topic." So now as a body, we are trying to focus on how do we support superintendants when we know what laws come out, how will that impact the policy, how do we bring that back to our boards. There are um things that are proposed to be on warrant articles such as proficiency scores and cost per student in your warrant article that's just coming up. I don't know where that's going to end up. Um and so it's happens so fast and
086then legal counsels from all around the state. They look at everything that's passed and we get a packet usually August that has all the laws that impact policy. And in the past that's gone to Heather and she's flagged those policies and then that was the time that there was conversation at each board level in regards to the to the legal changes that impacted policy. Um so we do have a pretty solid process when it impacts policy and I anticipate that there will have to be some conversations once we get the rules and regulations with individual boards. Again, one board may decide to cap their class size at 20. and now the board may decide to cap it at 30. So that's the that's the difficulty because it is a local board decision how to implement
087that. Um only I can't tell you how it's going to come out because I don't have the rules and regulations yet and I don't know what's going to be passed into law. We do know there'll be a universal voucher. We anticipate that in some way shape or form. We anticipate there'll be something around warrants and how those are posted and what information goes on that. Uh we anticipate that the hunter safety will pass. That's under ought to pass because it's slipped in another piece. Um we anticipate that those will be our major drivers right now about impacts for a budget and it's hard to say how that will happen. Um the risk pool I've talked about numerous times. That's another major impact we anticipate. So the items that we've anticipated that would have a major
088impact on budget which is what boards do, right? budgets and policy. That's the role. And so that's what we try to focus on and things that are going to impact budget and policy. Those are the big four right now. How that's going to impact, I can't answer that until that gets passed and goes to rules and regulations. And so my understanding is that particularly based on what Esther just said is that we do not have a legislative committee and we do not have immediate plans for a legislative committee. that would have to be something that would be proposed and understand what the purpose is and and the board would have to decide to adopt that sort of a committee, but it's not it's just going to automatically happen. So, yes, I understand we're still discussing
089um the motion. So, yeah, we should try to state I know it's it's varying pretty far straight what we typically do to speak to the motion. I try to encourage people to speak to the motion, but I know sometimes people are making comments to say we should do this instead. this is why I'm maybe not in favor of the motion or or I'm trying to understand the purpose of it. So, it's it's a wide range of discussions, but try to speak to the motion to the extent that you can. Um, okay. Trying to recraft what I was going to say. Um uh while I seconded the motion so we can have this discussion, to me this discussion is making me feel like perhaps I might not necessarily um support the motion the way it was
090initially presented because what I'm hearing is there are a lot of alternative mechanisms to be able to get accomplished much of what um Sophie and many of us are wanting to have as a result of this. One of which is and I this is a question um I love the idea of a uh joint what's it called joint chairs chairs meeting um because what I would say is this body meets how many times four times a year five times a year I think it's five five um at but not monthly no and our school boards meet monthly and things happen regularly rapidly in in the interim and I almost I'm not making a a proposal within a proposal discussion, but I'm just wondering out loud if there is a role for there to be at
091the end of the month before the next month resets. And New Fields, we're always like the first, I think, to have a board meeting. So, I'm usually in the dark about or one of the first. Um, but it would be nice to have like a almost like a huddle of the chairs of the boards to say, "Hey, is there anything that we all might want to bring back to our boards, knowledge that can potentially impact us, not making a decision as a joint um why can't I think of that phrase as a body, but um having it be um informing um some questions that I might have that maybe all of us would have. For example, I experienced that this last month with the May board meeting about the general asurances. I had a lot
092of questions. I sort of wanted to talk to other people about it and I have an excellent superintendent um representation on there. So, I had some good prep conversations and we had a I think a solid board meeting about it. But that's an example of I think something that could have been valuable if we had that structure. So, sorry to keep talking about your the motion, but I think the joint chairs for nine years that was on the board back once a month. It worked great. It was like a standard. That's great. Once a month and that was I was going to say the same thing. Yeah, there's there's there used to be a joint chairs meeting that was a monthly standard meeting. it and then that group sort of dissolved and just had things
093more at the board level and then it was reinstituted with some authority delegated to that group for a short period of time around COVID and then the board as a whole felt like they didn't want to delegate that authority and they wanted to bring it back to the individual boards and so that group sort of dissolved again but it could be it as Esther pointed out it doesn't have any decision-m authority but for information sharing and discussion that's that's a potential mechanism Thank you. Other comments relative to the motion? Yes. To speak to the motion. Um I I do like what I do like about Sophie's motion, I like this idea of the joint chairs, but what I also like about the motion is that there's sort of this opportunity to bring in Arlin and
094others who, to your point, Esther, you guys are like you have your finger on the pulse all the time, right? You're in it. And um we are accountable to to be paying attention to absolutely um but I think you play a really important role in translating that to like what we have to make decisions around here. Um, and so I wouldn't want to miss that piece like if the joint if the joint if the chairs were meeting um I just want to lift up that piece of Sophie's motion around having input from the leadership team. Um, and I'm just trying to work out in my head how that would happen because we wouldn't necessarily know like I what I like about what you're saying is that there's a like we can both meet and bring
095it back here, but we can also the other way like I'm going to have a chair's meeting and talk to your board and say, is there something you want me to bring up or inform something you know that we're going to discuss? So there's sort of that way to kind of have a feedback loop in both directions. But I just want to speak to the motion. I what I like about it um that is that just input from you the leadership team um in sort of translating and distilling the huge amount of information that we have to grapple with and make decisions around. Okay. Just going to give other people a chance. I see I see you Sophie. Anyone else would like to speak to the motion? I'll go back to Sophie then. Go ahead.
096Okay. Um, I'd also be interested in hearing other voices. I don't know if that's appropriate to hear. Okay. It's not. It's a support discussion. Okay. Um, in that case, maybe another way of reconfiguring it is part of a communications committee. So, instead of having a different mission, maybe it's more around communications um with the public and then also within the board. Um, that could be a different way of then it's not so specific, could be broader and it could I think like we could be better about public communications in general. Um, so that's another potential amendment that I could I don't know throughout there. I don't I don't really know how to move forward honestly. That's fine. I'm going to suggest that we move forward by taking a vote on the motion. So I think
097that's the appropriate thing to do. We take a vote on the motion. If we want to have further discussion after that we can decide to do that. So, let's um you you heard what the motion is. I can't repeat it word for word, but it was essentially, if I understood correctly, a motion to establish a a committee that has a working name as a Northstar committee to discuss um values and legislative issues that might have budgetary or policy impacts for our board. The me the mechanics of it could be worked out. That's what I had understood the motion to be roughly. Yeah, I know you you had more descriptions to it. No, that's great. Um and that was seconded. So we have a motion which stopping discussion on it. Let's take a vote. All those
098in favor of the motion um say I and raise your hand please. One two motion. All those opposed. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 17 18. And then any abstensions? One abstension. Okay. So the motion doesn't pass. Is there further discussion about this topic? Yes. If we want to meet as a chair's group, do would you would I have to make a motion to do that then or establish one establish a regular chairs meeting? It's not a standing committee. It's not one that meets joint chairs doesn't meet doesn't meet but we it is committee but I think that right I mean it it could be called but it doesn't meet on a regular basis. I I are you saying to to propose that it meet on a monthly basis? Yes. in
099some regular ca. Yes, I'm trying. Yes, I'm trying to figure out if I have to make a motion to propose that the chairs meet on a regular cadence to gather input and inform both board meetings. We don't do that joint chair. We don't have a chairs meeting on a We don't have No, it's more like emergency. It's more on a It's more on an ad hoc emergency basis. We haven't The joint chairs haven't met this year, for example. Right. But I'm just I heard that they used to. So correct. You have to would I have to make a motion to Why don't you Why don't you make a motion? Like a make a motion. What's that? I was just before we make another motion, can I just make a comment because then we have to
100stick to that motion. I like 100% right. This this group is not going to meet again until the fall. Right. Right. Like that's right. That's right. and legislation's happening like fast and furious and we absolutely need to be able to react to it and plan for it. Like I think personally, Esther, that the the uh update that you gave us last meeting was exceptional. Um and I think that that you gave us a lot of things to think about. um a lot of things that like I've spent a lot of time thinking about, you know, from how do we protect our top 10 who are out here being celebrated today, right? Um to how do we protect our varsity athletes and there's a lot of things there. Um and I like 100% believe that we
101should have a committee. I guess I personally like by dictating it be a chair's committee um requires then our chairs to take on a second a whether they want it or not or whether they're the best ones served to be on that committee. Whereas if we put like a legislative committee or something else out there where like we can each pick somebody from our boards that has an interest or has the availability or like it just gives us as a board individual local boards a little bit more flexibility on who sits there. I do think it's really important since we don't meet that we put something together that can react over the summer. I just I just I'm not I just wanted to say that before you put that. Well, so I agree with you.
102So I think we're trying to get to the same point. Yeah. And this motion got shot down. So I just am trying to figure out how we get to the point of being having a sort of a steady way of staying informed and that helping us inform our agendas, you know, for at the local level, you know, our own at our own board level. and then these conversations so that it's not just five times a year. Um, and yeah, so I see three comments. I'm gonna take them to order. Melissa, Kirsten, Jane, go ahead. So I could be completely wrong, but I don't believe that this board has ever voted to have a chair committee. Um, it was always just a a it's an ad hoc kind of group. It's not a committee. You're not
103making decisions. It's not you don't need the meeting minutes, agendas, that sort of thing. So, I'm not sure that we need a motion to I think as a as a you know, if the chairs would like to or the chairs, you know, and I think to Allison's point, I think the chair could also appoint somebody else, you know, if they weren't that person. Yeah. I mean, just to clarify how it worked in the past, I think that's right. You know, they they had the the chair of the joint board was on that committee and then there's a really a representative from each board. It it could be the chair, it could be someone else. It's just that sometimes vice chair, sometimes it was just a third member from the board. So that just had a
104representative from each board and it did meet on a monthly basis at one point in time. I just I I guess for myself or anyone else um when legislation goes through and it becomes law, it then goes down to policy. And so I think one of the things that we have not talked about is the policy committee that is the one that would be actually looking at the law that comes down. And so I really think or as I'm I'm listening to this one I I think the policies that have come through are astronomical right and they are doing in you know they have to look at the law they have no opinion on the law the law has come down and so each public person has the right to go and advocate for whatever
105side or whatever they think is right. But as this committee having those conversation, it is crucial that we look at the policy and how it aligns to the values of the district and that is where we have the ability to vote. Are we okay with the policy that the policy committee has written against the law or as the law is stated? And then does it align to the strategic plan and the core values that we have? As a legislative committee, all you're doing is looking at the law and interpreting the law. There's no vote there. It's already law. However, I do think there's a a way to have the policy committee and maybe some more representation like we're talking about so that there is diverse understanding as to what's happening within the policy that the
106policy is represented correctly at each and individual boards. We, you know, all of us get those big packets with policies and we're reading it out loud and we're saying yes. Um, but that's for me what I'm hearing is that legislation is as individuals we have the right to go advocate and Esther and SLT are going up there and advocating for certain pieces, but once the law is in rules and rags, we're going straight to policy. And so, as much as I I I love the idea of talking about the law, we have to talk about how our policy is aligned to the values of the district. And so it goes down to the policy committee and I and I think Heather and her team have have done a tremendous job and it must be overwhelming
107at this point over the last six months. Um maybe that's the space that we need to be looking at. So I'm just making that comment. Jane, you hit on the points already, so I'm good. So maybe somebody that's on the policy committee can chime in on this because this has been a discussion at the uh Stratam board and what was just described about the policies being able to modify state law to conform with the district's uh values. Uh the discussion we've been having is that's not the case and that regardless of whether it conflicts with our values or not that the state law is the state law and and we've we've been going back and forth on our own board about the same issue. So I I just want to maybe somebody else on the
108policy committee can clarify that but it sounds to me like you cannot change the state laws. though there's really no discussion like you can't well let me just yeah I mean I'm on the policy I I'll be one of the people that speaks on that you cannot change the state law at the policy level but there are there are components of the policy that can reflect values so you can provide more time for public input you can't provide less than 30 minutes but if you want to give each person five minutes and it's your values you're going to really value that to the extent that your board is committed to being there for an extra amount of time you can you have the authority to make that decision ision. It doesn't violate the law. You
109don't you have to meet the minimum requirements. For the most part, as the district, we tend to have policies that are the same in every district. But there are times because each individual district can make their own policy where there's slight deviations where where someone says we want to provide more opportunity for another review of this or something else, but it can't conflict with the law. It can you can provide additional rights or additional opportunities but it can't be something that conflicts with the law. Well, and I suspect I mean as these policies come up this is going to keep happening because this was the exact one of the policy modifications that I objected to and it was about something that was in law and it was almost identical to the discussion we had last
110month about can we add some verbiage, can we do this and there's some liability. So I just think that there's I'm not talking about adding verbiage to the law. I'm saying like as part of the policy, right? You could prescribe different verbiage and say here's the letter of the law, right? And that's kind of the discussion we were having. So, I just feel like it's it's going to keep coming up over and over again as we get these policies that clearly like conflict with our values. I don't know where we are with things. There's some other comments. Heather already made a comment. Let just give other people a chance before we go into this. I know Allison made a comment. Anyone else that hadn't made a comment about I'm not sure where we are. We
111just sort we're sort of it's sort of a followup to the motion that that didn't pass. At some point we need to move forward with our discussion because we have an agenda for the night. So it's not just an open forum for the evening. Yeah. But um are there is there any last sort of thoughts that people need to share before we move on or someone's making Well, I was asking whether I needed to make a motion and I guess one of the things I just have to circle back. I do think it's different than the policy committee because where we started this conversation was an executive order where we were asked I was not here but the board was asked to go into non-public and make a decision in that moment around whether to
112sign something right so we actually did have a decision point I absolutely know that it was a thoughtful conversation and a very difficult conversation so I'm right there with Sophie that it's like my comments are not to undermine the thoughtfulness and like intention of this group um but my question is is when we are asked to make a decision like that um how are we proactive in knowing what are the different decisions what are the different options we have on the table before we go into non-public or to have time to sit with them or think about them before have you know and I know it wasn't a big turnaround so there was that sort of when we are asked to make a decision we had the decision not to sign right we had the
113decision to sign there were probably some great I don't you know there were some options on the table and then to Tim's point whatever is decided what parts of that conversation can happen in a forum right what has to happen in non-public so that we have an opportunity to to hear more perspectives on it before voting um and then also to the point that was made about I think Sophie around communication that we are thoughtful in terms of what we are able to communicate back out. So, I think those are the pieces that I'm trying to tease out around when we do have decisions around executive orders or other things that affect our budget or our school policies. Um, how do we make those decisions? How do we better prepare for the for making those
114decisions? And is and I guess what I'm wondering is do we have to if if it's a group that meets responsively like when we have we know this is coming and we can call a small group together and whether it's the chairs or we nominate someone I would be in favor of that so that we can we're going to be we're going to have to make a decision. Let's call in some people who know about the decision, think about it, be able to have whatever discussion we have here in public and then go into non-public and work out the minutia so that we're so that I guess I don't know how to make that motion or if I can make that motion or need to make that motion, but that's what I'm trying to understand.
115Are folks are folks generally in favor of trying to get the joint board the joint chairs to meet on a more regular basis even if there's not an emerging issue just to sort of have a standing monthly meeting? Is that do I get a sense we don't need to take a vote but is that yeah something people are generally in favor of I see kind of a little bit of a mixed reaction. Go ahead. I think point made earlier that maybe you know board coordination chair or designate course because you're overloading the chairs right although thank you for that. I think we call I think we call the joint chairs but but that but it' be just representative. Go ahead. I anticipate there will be things to talk about. However, I'm looking at that team.
116I know how meetings they have and I'm looking at Chris's face. I want to be cognizant of expecting whoever on that team, it might be three of them. You might need Ireland, you might need Molly, you might need Chris. It might be curriculum. You're going to bring in Jill. It might be that's going to impact special ed. So, we want Renee and Ellen there. And and so in all reality, most decisions are going to involve that entire team because it's going to impact a variety of pieces. So I hesitate to mandate they meet every month unless there's something that is needed to just because that is one of the reasons it's so hard to call this joint board together because when I looked at the calendar there wasn't one meeting to op that wasn't going
117to conflict with another board meeting that was already happening. Therefore that board wouldn't have been able to participate in that discussion if I had tried to make it happen faster. And so I just want to make people cognizant if you mandate another meeting a month and there isn't a a topic that either has been ironed out or you need all those people at it's going to be difficult to schedule because all of these people cover meetings two to three nights a week as it is just point of fact. Okay, we're going to take two more comments then we're going to uh stop comments forward at the agenda. So Bobby and Sophie, thank you. answer the question um whose role is it to call these meetings and if it's if it's well do we know who
118who is whose role is that because I think normally been the superintendent superintendent and how would one like if I wanted if I had if I as a chair felt that it would be a valuable exercise to have it month x do I just email you or or my superintendent rep and say can Please consider having a board to do the joint chair representative. It would be the superintendent that you would email, not your designated superend. Superintendent. And so I I think that's important for the chairs to know because we need a mechanism for how to do it. I agree with what you're saying. I don't think it would be great to mandate every single person to meet every month. Um and then is there my understanding was that it even if it were you
119know called not every person must attend because it's not like you need a quorum or anything like that. Is that correct? Correct. There's not a quum you have a designate from each board. There's no dec there's no decision. They can't take a vote. So the way I see it, I don't see any downside to having a a date and time saved for a space for a potential, you know, as a or not even reserving it, but just knowing that there could be a drop in ad hoc monthly um touch point before the next month commences by from some rep of the of each board, right? Because right now there was there's not and I understand we want to move on, Patrick, but right now there's not. And like I said, I felt very I really
120wanted to have a touch point before this past uh Newfield's school board and I I felt supported, but I actually was frustrated that I felt like I didn't have another mechanism to having something where I can have a dialogue. Yep. And hearing what I now hear, I feel better about knowing what options are available to me. So I think this is a valable discussion. I don't think I need I don't want to make a motion about this, but it's valuable. Last comment, Sophie. Um, yeah, I guess to me the um chair uh committee does not meet the intention of what I proposed in the first place. So, I'm not really in favor of that. I don't know if that would really touch on what I was bringing up in the first place. Um, so I'm
121not sure. I like I hear a lot of people say that there was value in the things that I was bringing up, but we haven't found a mechanism for which that's appropriate. And I know that we need to move on from this conversation and get on to the rest of the night. So, I don't know how to move forward really. I don't feel like my concerns were addressed and I feel like a lot of us have those concerns in this room that are still not addressed. Um, and figuring out how to have that conversation. How do how do we be more prepared for things like this that come down the pike? Wh what do we do if it's not a committee? What is it? We're cutting off we're cutting off commentary. So I'm not going
122to continue the conversation. What I what I'd say Sophie is just generally is the mechanism that we have as a board is to make a motion to allow discussion. We had a lot of opportunity for discussion and to decide on that motion. There's space to make additional motions. The board didn't make additional motions. We need to move forward with the agenda for already taken over an hour to discuss something that wasn't on the agenda. So, it's certainly something that could be put on the agenda in the future if that's something that you'd like to address. I'd also say a lot of these issues can be discussed at the district level that certainly individual districts can be discussing these things including the issue of the asurances. I mean, we had Heather made some reference to that.
123We discussed it at our board level about what we might do in the future and, you know, encourage folks to continue these discussions at their individual boards. But, I'm going to move forward with the agenda instead of instead of keeping this open for just you know, sort of an open forum. Okay, so let's move on. Um, but thank you for all the commentary because I did think it was very useful to have the time for have this discussion. Um, we have minutes that are in here. We have public minutes and non-public minutes from April 21st that we need to uh make a motion to approve or amend depending on what folks saw on them. I was not there, so I'm not in a position to make a motion either way. Uh, I'll make a motion
124to um to accept the meeting minutes um all three, the public and both non-public. Okay, so we have a motion. Do we have a second for the motion? We have a second. Okay. Any discussion on any of the any of the sets of minutes? Okay, then let's take a vote. All those in favor raise your hand. Seven. All those opposed and any abstensions, right? Got it. Okay. All right. Next, we have the SAU administrative report. I'll turn things over to you down to 20, but I don't think you Okay. Um, thanks. So, I would like to um I have put Allison Bryant's uh resume in front of all of you. She is our newest incoming member as of July 1 to this incredible um SAU team. Making me reclamp. Sorry, I didn't expect that. Um
125so Allison, I asked you to say a few words about how awesome you are and how we're excited that you're joining the team. Good evening. Thank you. I am Allison Bryant. I am um really thrilled to be here. I had the opportunity to I've had the opportunity in the last couple of years to get to know this SLT a little bit through Southeastern meetings and conferences and things like that. And from from the first time I met them, I knew it was a team that was special and dedicated and competent. And so to have an opportunity to join this team really is uh a privilege and I'm really looking forward to serving this community. I've been in Rochester for the past two years as the assistant superintendent and prior to that I was a middle
126school principal for seven years. I was a curriculum coordinator before that. Before that I was an English teacher and I started my career as a pair professional. So I've had an opportunity to kind of walk in in many shoes uh in the school district and enjoyed every single one. Um, probably most importantly, I'm also a mom of a middle schooler. And so, your conversation this evening was really enticing. And as I think about being a mom and what what grading means and how important it is to give a clear picture of where our students are at, that that hit home a little bit. So, I appreciated that conversation and uh again, thank you very much for the opportunity to join this team. I'm really looking forward to July one. Thanks, Alison. Am I good? I
127think we're good unless anyone has any specific questions for Allison at this point. Um, moving on. Chris, can I ask you to just do the slideshow? It's brief. I just felt like I should have something more than what was in the quarterly report. Um, so just to remind people, that's our graduate portrait. Um, you will see IBIS public section. That was the sector that was the group we worked with for strategic planning. So they're on the slides also to recognize their efforts and work. Um, next slide, Chris. As you see in your um quarterly newsletter, these are where the core values landed. And it was already mentioned tonight that we had a large group really most all three days we had at least 60 people and sometimes that fluctuated up to 70 community members uh
128which included administrators, teachers, parents, um and SLT and board members. So, thank you to those that were able to make that three half days. As you can see here, I do want to point out with the conversations we've had tonight, our core values are well aligned. Um, we've talked about equity, we've talked about academic excellence, uh, we talked about well-being. Growth mindset obviously relates to that academic excellence piece. And then belonging and connection relates to the equity and the well-being. So, these core values seem aligned with what the public we've been getting input on as well as um, came out of that summit. Based on that our next step was to come out with strategic priority areas. This was done during those three half days also. So this is community and driven from that summit
129as you can see thriving learners empowered and supported educators um engaged community and strong partnerships. I think Sophie this speaks to some of what we talked about tonight. So, um, I'm hopeful that with these strategic priority areas, um, we're going to get at some of the conversations that we're we talked about tonight. Next slide. Thanks, Chris. So, as you can see, our next step, and our steering committee has been working on this, we come up with um theories of action for each one of those strategic priority areas. So, it's basically just taking that language and reshaping it so we know what we're looking for. If we have if we want to have equity then we need to do this. So what's the action step? Um so those have been developed for those four areas and
130then next slide Chris. Our next step is the key performance indicators. Our steering committee has gotten through one area so far. We meet on Thursday to do the other three areas and that is actually identifying how are we going to measure this? How are we going to measure our theory of action? Um and that's always always going to be critical to a strategic plan and hold us accountable as uh community members and board members and all of the educators to making that theory of action real. So we're working to identify different priority um performance indicators and that will lead to next slide Chris. Next slide. This is a sample um scorecard. So this is what will be live to the um public and all of you and that will get updated as to whatever that
131committee decides um quarterly twice a year. So all those performance indicators will have clear measurements and those will be reported out. So you can see at Franklin Public School they had their four areas um one of them being engagement. They identified how they were going to measure that and then they reported out they used percentages. Um so that's what the steering committee is working through. So then that scorecard can be developed and then um at the admin retreat this summer Chris and the team will work with looking at those indicators and how are schools going to implement those what action steps will they take at each district to make that relate back to um those performance indicators and then it'll come after the um administrators work on it at the retreat. it'll come back to
132that committee and then they will go to boards for updates etc. So, one more slide, Chris. That's the next steps, the steering committee and the leadership retreat. Um, and so that was a quick overview. Um, I'm excited about having that active scorecard. I think that will hold people um really accountable as well as be a very good communicator on how we're doing. It isn't just something that we did and got put on a shelf. So, we'll have keep talking about that. I anticipate that you'll all get strategic planning updates at least quarterly through that scorecard as well as um through the quarterly newsletter. Our other venues that the team kind of moves forward with the steering committee may decide that they have a certain kind of way that they want to make sure that boards
133stay informed and that community members stay informed. So the work all the way up through the report card will be done which is what we plan to and what we um contracted for with um IBIS and then Chris and the team and the steering committee take it through the next steps. So happy to report we achieved the goal of getting where we were supposed to be. Uh we will at least by Thursday night and then you'll see that scorecard uh draft next fall. Um it'll be made but we won't meet again to show it. So that's kind of where it's at. Any questions? I do have one question. Was there anything in the I don't know what they were called like tactics or strategies that relate to the board that things that they were that
134were recommended in terms of actions we should be taking or ways that things that we should be doing to align, you know, to to meet the goals that were identified. Yeah, I I think that engaged community and strong partnerships is probably the the best place or the most logical place that those things will fit. And as we start to think of um KPIs or those performance indicators, is there a way that we want to um somehow increase communication around board decisions and things like that? I mean, we have it on the web. We have lots of places. Are there more ideas to do that? So, that would be something we would look to that steering committee which has board members on it from our all the districts represented could take back to the boards and
135say, "Hey, we're wondering about this. We're kicking this idea around. Do you guys have any input as a board in this particular priority area or any of them? So that will kind of I think happen naturally as we progress through the process. Any other questions? Thanks guys. I appreciate um you listening to me. Okay. Next we have SEO 16 committees and we have the superintendent evaluation committee. Yeah. So, um, we finished the evaluation. Um, just a refresher that it is a three-part evaluation. There's a 360 evaluation um where uh 72 potential participants are sent out a form um that was developed that uh we've used the past couple years. Uh we got a 42% participation rate this year um which is a little bit lower than last year. Um we did keep it open for
136an extra week or two um to try to get some more participants um and uh like uh you know in general uh all of the measures went up um for the performance measures. So there's like four three foundational or focus areas. Foundational disposition um of the seven key indicators under there. Uh 83% of participants rated the superintendent performance as effective or accomplished. Um that was up from 70% last year. Um focus area two which is future work skills and disposition. Five indicators. 77% of the participants rated the performance of the superintendent as as uh effective or accomplished up from 75 last year. And then focused area three is leadership skills and attributes. And there's four key indicators. Um and 86% of uh participants rated uh as effective or accomplished up from 60 last year. Um
137so like overwhelmingly positive growth. Um I um would say that uh the growth areas are you know it's all relative because everything was improved um but the growth areas are generally still the same as they were last year. Um and you know what we did was um so that's the 360. Uh we took the feedback from all of the boards and summarized it into uh commendations and growth areas. Um obviously as we see the strategic plan was met um you know and we have some feedback on like sort of where we would like to see it go um as far as like reporting which you've just told us we're going to get. Um and so that's really like kind of the highlights. Um I talked to Dr. As well today and uh last year she
138had asked for like a public presentation and as she's retiring that wasn't necessary and the fact that it's 8:00 already um even more so. Um but we'll uh send this to her. Um and the boards I mean the reps have it. I couldn't remember who you guys said. I put you on it. Okay. Um and then we'll meet with Chris to set goals for next year. So that's it's complete. I guess the moral of the story, I don't know if Phil or anybody else wants to add to anything. The overwhelming sentiments were that everybody wanted Dr. Asel to enjoy a well-earned retirement. Those were like the overwhelming sentiments in the comments quite honestly. So um and I think that that is our sentiment too. Perfect. I was just gonna say that. Perfectly put. And and
139thank you to you and Heather for doing all the work, taking all of our thoughts, putting it together and uh leading the charge and doing the survey and and you too, Heather. Yes. And Alison. So, thank you. All right. Good. Well done. We'll move forward again. So, next up is new business. I'm not aware of any new business. We sort of handled some new business relative to the public comments. Um we don't have a non-public session. So um before we adjourn, let me just say this. On on our agenda is just listed future meeting dates as to be determined. Um I'll make a point of connecting with Chris and we can come up with a list of dates to get that out to you before um before next month so people can be planning ahead
140for next year on what the dates are. Yes. Down to business. Just a a question. Um I thought I remember last year we had a student rep on this board. Did Did that go away or did that We just don't have a Is there uh the student reps on the co-op board. Is that what you're thinking of? No, they were. No, I remember there being a student rep. I think it was the maybe the co-op rep that came. Okay. Yep. Um and this year's rep is very sports involved and so getting them to come to a meeting is tough this time of this time of day. Yes. Can I also just ask a question? Um I've heard some conflicting uh feedback from my children on what the last day of school is. Um tomorrow. While
141we're all It is tomorrow for your kids. Alison, could we clarify? Like I did look at the calendar and it still says it's the 13th. Is that in fact true? Let me check. I believe the last day. Is that the Friday? Friday the 13th. Yes. Yes. So they were staff on Monday. I was like kids are done on Friday. I think there are some schools that have half days. Some elementary schools have half days, but every every school has 13th as the last day. Thank you. Okay. Thank you for everyone's patience and the participation tonight and being respectful of one another and we're going to adjourn this meeting and look out for the dates for future meeting dates. Okay. Thanks. We're done. Second without a motion. We're just