001[Music] he [Music] ah [Music] a [Music] he [Music] he [Music] oh [Music] he [Music] a [Music] oh [Music] [Laughter] oh [Music] welcome everyone to our special meeting tonight uh the first thing on the agenda is the call to order trusty Blake King we're here truste Spencer present trusty Candelaria present and Trust Murphy is also present we all please face the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance 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 all right trustees I was pointed out to our by our legal counsel that we should have um another public expression before we go and do the interviews so I'd like to entertain a motion to amend the agenda
002and add public expression as item 3A and move the other one to 3B you want to say stay the so we're doing the public comment for the CBA CBA and then a second public so for the second comment they have to sign in for the CBA they do not so for the public comment for four under three is that going to go before yes it'll become 3A and the other one will be 3B now got it so um I'll entertain a motion for someone to mend the agenda to add this this other period of public expression as threea I move for that second all right I have a motion and a second any discussion any discussion hearing none all those in favor signify by saying I I all those opposed all right the amended agenda
003is amended if you guys could please fix that on your side all right um item two Dr Wilson okay uh what we need tonight tenative teacher collective bargaining agreement uh what we need to do tonight is we need to have public comment I'm going to turn it over uh to Monica Conrad and let her explain how that works sure I congratulations to both the h f as well as the board there has been a tentative agreement that has been reached um as as many of you know the bargaining season begins on September 15th I think you guys are well on your way to be one of the first schools in Indiana this year to um have a contract uh settled uh this contract is basically going to just do a couple of Corrections very minor
004Corrections they're not very substantive but in addition to that there is going to be the provision added in for this year and this year only for there to be a retention stien for teachers uh for returning teachers as well as new teachers um and that's about the extent of the changes that you're going to see in the collective bargaining agreement the collective bargaining agreement has been posted on the website since last week it's available there um your next step in this process is to um hold a a public hearing on the contract uh with that public hearing people can we can open that up here in just a moment uh people can come to the microphone they can they can give their input or their thoughts about the collective bargaining agreement um that will follow
005your regular rules that you have in terms of public participation which includes the limitation of 3 minutes and then once that's over once you've re received all those comments and the hearing on that is closed and then we can move to the next steps of having the agreement approved by the hft as well as yourselves so with that you can go ahead and open the hearing on the collective bargaining agreement right all persons that would um wish to be heard at this time during the public hearing please come up to the podium state your name um as we have the chairs in front because we have to do do two things tonight if we get a lot of people if you could just like go off to the side just my name or my address
006just your name no we no longer have your address in public okay just on the paper Reena Horan uh teacher here at Hammond um I am grateful that we've settled this contract very early um I wish it was more money of course but understand the strenuous uh difficulty of the district at this time but um I am grateful that the insurance uh portion of the contract Remains the Same as the insurance is a big part of what I really work for here so I am grateful that we are done with this and that it is going to go full steam ahead thank [Applause] you ah good evening lesle C support staff 32 years um my concern is that the teachers they came together and they have their contract they have their stiens but what about
007the support staff what about the custodians the transportation workers everyone what about us um we do a lot in the city and the building just like the teachers and anyone else um so I'm going to say that number number two um I understand everything has pretty much been already established this insurance is full of birds I'm sorry to say um it's really nothing I had Blue Cross and Blue Shield before this came and um there's a lot of things that I have been going to the doctor and it has it's really not covering pretty much of anything and I'm coming out my my pocket um during um far as doctor's appointments and everything else and a lot of times I just stay home and don't go to the doctor because of I know I'm going
008to have to pay out of my pocket so I'm just going to bring that to you if you would be considerate of the support staff and when I say support staff I say all of us when you are you know negotiating with this contract with the teachers thank you and any others wishing to be heard any others wishing to be heard on the collective bargaining agreement any others this public hearing is now closed uh before we take a short recess to move the podium for going on our next period um I we'll have everybody come up um so I talked to the candidates ahead of time about they are going to be randomly put in this order we have had a program everybody's names got put in there so they're randomly set up here each
009board member will be asking one question um and then we'll randomly going to pick the first person that is going to be answering for that and then it's just going to go down the row and then come back up in that when all the four each of us will have one question when these questions are done they will all have an opportunity to speak another 3 minutes about why we should select them then the voting will start the we had a lot of input by a lot of people of the isba and other people down state on how to do the voting for the first round so what we came up with for the voting for the first round each board member gets to pick one person and up to four people will go on
010to the next round of voting and then we'll go up to three rounds of voting and if we pick someone they're going to be sworn in if not then we'll go on to the next step so at this time we're going to take a five president yes sorry go ahead do we want to do the recess before we do the next session of public comment because we don't want to move the podium until we do oh you're right thank you absolutely all right let's start the public comments on the um very good trusty Spencer trusty candalaria public expression regarding the school board vacancy first member is going to be Wanda Pucket I'm want to pocket my first concern of the school board vacancy are they going to be in favor for our children we don't
011want nobody F in that seat that is not going to be working for our community and for our kids cuz y'all know I'm good at bringing this stuff back to the mic to let you know how I feel about these babies next member LTE monz good evening I just wanted to say thanks um this is actually an exciting moment to see everyone here 11 candidates I I'm very excited for them each and everyone and um thank you for giving them an opportunity there's two of my favorites and I I can't wait to hear what they got to say and their credentials and so thank you thank you for this opportunity bye next member Dr Michaela good evening everybody um I'm encouraged to see such a open opportunity for people to hear from these candidates um
012I'm encouraged by the fact that so many candidates applied um I'm still a little bit worried about how there was a requirement for three years even though statute says one year but we can hope for the best I suppose um I think they're reversed B Anda up there by the way um I hope that people keep in mind throughout this process we have a long history whether it's in this community neighboring communities it continues to today where you know even in recent memory people think that whoever is most politically connected or respectable in some kind of way shape or form public whatever that those are the people that should be in positions like on a school board we've seen time in time again that's just not the case what matters ultimately is people's dedication to
013the community people's dedication to the kids people's willingness to really dig in to learn to investigate to be unafraid and unfortunately when people are in elevated positions in society that's usually exactly the opposite of where they've been placed in life um and we can have compassion for that and we can you know make better decisions hopefully too um I'd like to see hopefully more diversity on the board I'd like to see more diversity in terms of people's backgrounds and in terms of parents feeling represented like parents being able to look at the board and say that's somebody up there who I can relate to that's somebody up there who maybe I know in my community that's somebody out there where I can walk two blocks down and see this person on the street maybe they're
014my neighbor maybe our kids go to the same school whatever it is um people need to have a real interface with this board there has to be that kind of connection in order for people to have a real sense of agency and a real sense of investment in what happens moving forward and for for that to be successful and I think in light of all of that um it's really important to consider that you know we don't need more things that that cause people to doubt anything about how things are going we do need an open process you know we can accept that you know we can entertain the idea that things are happening in good faith when they appear to happen in good faith but I hope that there's nothing that causes that to
015be cast into doubt and I'm very interested in hearing from these candidates thank you that concludes everyone written in for uh public expression now we will take our five minute recess [Music] a [Music] he [Music] a [Music] [Laughter] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] he [Music] he [Music] [Laughter] [Music] he [Music] all right we are rejourn to our meeting and I apologize I actually can't see your names from here do you have a list of how they so this is how they're um seated no I can see the names though no no I can't I all right all right so we're going to start off with the um first item is introduce yourself to the board we are going to not yet uh and we're going to go in order so we will start with Mr
016Lopez and go right down we only have one microphone so sorry you're just going to haveone they have just the one microphone it's technical difficulties okay we're just going to go with it okay um so if you haven't been here before we have a board docs timer so when you get you have 3 minutes when you get to 30 seconds it's going to start flashing yellow when you get down to 10 seconds it's going to be red at the end of 3 minutes um please wrap it up um because as you know we're going to be here a while tonight and we want to give be fair to everybody so Mr Lopez please begin with your opening statement thank you so much Madam president my name is Gabriel ceros Lopez uh I am a product
017of the Hammond school system I graduated from Hammond high in 2010 uh in addition to that I continued my education locally graduating with a Bachelor's in criminal justice from ccsj Cal College of St Joseph in addition to obtaining a master's degree in Psychology um I have been in the field of Criminal Justice and child Weare for over 9 years dedicating my entire professional career to Youth and families uh and in my current role working for a nonprofit as a juvenile justice program director uh it involves designing programs that positively impact youth uh including violence prevention programs and intervention initiatives uh with that entails uh working to ensure youth meet their entire potential um pushing them using a strength based approach um I am a bilingual individual so I'm able to Target uh uh an advanced
018population um and with that um I'm proud to be here today and thank you so much for affording us the opportunity for this thank you Mr Lopez set all right our next speaker is going to be Janice Davis no off theist no no who's the next person Natalie Natalie I apologize here I'll number it let me order I apologize that's okay um good evening ladies and gents my name is Natalie edu I'm a resident of Hammond for seven years I grew up in Chicago I graduated from Austin High School I went to paralal school and worked in the optical field as a district manager for 17 years I'm currently working in our communities and our neighbor communities and helping kids with providing tools um with them to help their education um I work in Social
019Work shelters nursing home um School District senior citizen buildings and I have four grandchildren who are currently enrolled in Hammond City school now so I'm a very active advocate for Hammond right now thank you thank you hi good evening um I just wanted thank you all for the pleasure of speaking today my name is Makita Warner I am I have been a resident of Hammond for about seven years I um actually am from Chicago Illinois where I graduated and went to high school I have a master's degree in early childhood education um with the emphasis on Administration as well as a educational specialist degree um and I'm currently in school for my doctoral degree in educational leadership I've been in the field of education for about 10 years starting from higher education to elementary school
020to um now early childhood education I have also three children that are part of the Hammond School District in which I'm actively a part of their school and I um am just very passionate about children um not just my own I work with very small children um within policies and procedures and making sure their health and safety is the priority and I just want to be able to um bring that also in this District so thank you thank you hi everyone Hi everyone I'm Kendra Reed uh again thank you all so much for uh giving me the opportunity to be able to speak to you all today I'm actually a Hessville resident I uh purchased my home in 2016 um in Parish view I have a son that currently attends Scott Middle School he is
021in eighth grade very active uh currently in sports I am an HR professional with over 11 plus years of HR experience in the health care sector for Advocate aora Health and Symphony healthc care policies and procedure is what we do so very excited for this opportunity um you know when I think about the work that you guys do is so extremely important for our community and so when I think about my education and the work that you all do I feel like it's a match I have a BA in psychology and I also have an MA in organizational management um I'm very excited to learn a little bit more about how I can support not only the community but the school district so again thank you so much for the opportunity to interview today thank
022you my name is Mary alen slik been uh Hammond resident my whole life at 70 a little bit over 70 years a homeowner for 50 I'm a graduate proud graduate Hammond High class of well 1971 go wild cats my three daughters attended the Hammond schools two went to Hammond High one went to Clark I currently have four grandchildren in the Hammond schools one at Central and three at Burns Hicks and I'm glad for this opportunity to try for the seat I have a lot of steak here my roots are in Hammond I'm not going anywhere and uh my kids of course are all done with school but my grandchildren are definitely a priority as are all children in Hammond I am very multiply certified in many different fields most of them emergency work of course
023I'm retired I've been retired for quite a while um my state certifications I had previously hazardous material handler radiological monitor radiological monitor instructor of the state of Indiana meteorology I used to conduct a tornado drills in Lake County Indiana from late 70s to early 80s I was also emergency medical technician I've been I was vice president of the board and I was one of the people that started that board for the Hammond Enterprise Development Corporation I was also director of R for radiological defense for the city of East Chicago and I was also on civil defense in auxu police and cold team leader of the Lake County tornado drills for volunteering uh volunteer lunching committee I did that for 12 years or so I was a founder of residenti United for Quality neighborhoods which was
024a neighborhood group group and I was a founder of the first North Hammond crime watch group and I've been was a volunteer in the Hammond schools for 15 years um I was a first female to join to be in my field in E Chicago um so I'm a fighter as some of you know me anyway I am indeed a fighter I received a lot of accommodations during my tenure and one thing I'm really proud of is back years ago and I know it's in the records when I discovered that our children can be helped by getting free lunch and breakfast and I found out about that program and I passed an information on to the school board so our kids can be well taken care of and I'm very proud that's you know besides I'm
025proud of my children my grandchildren I'm proud of the fact that because of the information I found and passed on that all the kids are going to Hammond schools get to have breakfast and lunch even if they come home to a bad house maybe they're getting something to eat and thank you again for opportunity thank you uh good evening my name is Tavon Ellis um I'm grateful for this opportunity to introduce myself as a candidate um I am a proud um resident of him in Indiana and I've lived here for 10 years and I'm a home owner owner um I have a daughter that's in um hman public schools and as a as a parent and as a resident I have a deep and personal stake in um the hman public schools um professionally I
026have a decade of experience in public service um I'm a nonprofit leader in nonpr nonprofit leadership and Community Development I have a master's in public administration and I have an MBA I've worked in key leadership roles where I have the privilege to serve a diverse Community um strategic planning and leading programs and um leading um initiatives that impact people's lives I'm passionate about Community I'm passionate about education I come from a family of Educators um while I did not pursue a um degree in education um education has been the foundation of my family and it continues to be a foundation in our family um I am really um when this opportunity came about I was really I was one of the families that was affected by the closing of the schools last year and so
027um while I dedicate my life to community I I actually work in Chicago I was like I was really wanting to dedicate my life to C in public schools where I live where my daughter is um growing um and so um this opportunity came and I was like I really wanted to to show showcase my talent in volunteer um in this community so um I'm looking forward to the opportunity to kind of showcase my passion for this work and and explain to you guys why I want to do this thank you hello everyone I'm Janice Davis um thank you for the opportunity again today as everyone else um I've been a resident four years I do not have a degree I had stopped going to school for business administration because I work at the post
028office and they don't believe in education like the educational programs I also have two children in Hamond uh one in Hammond Central he's a Senor this year and W in Bishop n South Moore go Warriors and um I I have a lot of relationships here with a lot of people from the organization that um I'm in so we do a lot of community service um I see Miss W used to help her out with a ride all the time on her way to work me and my son um I come from a family from caretakers uh they believe more in volunteer work and helping others out and I hear the people here we want someone that we can trust up here even if it's not me um because I sit on this side with them
029as well and learning from experience and we've been through these problems before when I resided in Gary Indiana so I'm familiar with it I'm also the Union steward at the post office so I understand going by the policies and the rules and having to hear what people have to say and listen and do your best at what you can do to help them for for everyone to be happy and on the same Accord and it's just a big trust thing and we we we can go by the rules and I'm happy to be here today as a candidate can't believe it uh I wouldn't have thought I would have done it years ago but I'm here today and I'm thankful thank you thank you hello I am Leslie Miller a lifelong resident of Hammond a
030proud homeowner a proud parent of a School City of Hammond Student a proud Wildcat as well and I am a local business owner um thank you for having me and I wanted to keep it short and sweet since we will be here a while thank you thank you all right the randomizer for the first question do the to the end kendraw Reed all right and trusty Billy King you will start off with the first question if at any time want someone wants the question reread please just ask and she'll be happy to do so trusty Blake King thank you trusty Murphy good evening everyone the first question to everyone is what do you believe our schools should be accomplishing what do you believe our schools should be accomplishing thank you thank you for that question
031so um while I'll talk about the opportunities for improvement for our school districts um there are many strengths that Hammond has as well but I'll focus on the opportunity because that was the question that was posed and so one of the things that I think we really need to improve is more around academic achievement when I think about the Improvement of math and reading proficiency rates we are struggling as a community at majority of all of our um schools so that's Elementary that's middle as well as high school um expansion when I think about educational equality expand access to Advanced coursework as well as technology for our students today um we need to think about increase when we talk about you know uh parents being more engaged in their children's education increase participation through a
032a variety of different workshops and outreachr programs um I want to talk a little bit more about expansion again it makes me think about vocational training that our children most of our children are not experiencing um today so expanding Career and Technical education options for our children and the very last is more around attract and retain and it talk it really speaks to enrollment and the decline in enrollment so in attracting and retaining families through a specialized program and Outreach would really help strengthen some of our opportunities within the school uh City of Hammond District thank you thank you please pass it to the next person I think our schools for what they should accomplish is success for our children we need to give them the greatest educational opportunities possible let expand their Horizons they
033are the future and is our responsibility to make sure they have a good future right now there's a lot of things that need to be changed we need to have stability for our children and we should be accomplishing that instead of the turmoil that's been going on the past few years the test scores have gone down because of it and I think we know what the problem is when children have a stability in their school when they're not worried are we going to be going to a different school next year are we going to have another different teacher as one of my grandchildren experienced three different permanent teachers in one year not counting the subs a child's not going to learn anything so it's up to us to make sure that they're getting the proper
034education they have the stability they have every opportunity available to grow so when they do graduate high school and then graduate college they're going to have the whole world in the palm of their hands but it's up to us to make sure they get there thank you thank you um I definitely agree with both candidates um um next to me however I also want to just kind of um we definitely have to look how we're supporting our teachers um I think you know we've seen a decline in um the career of Education we've seen our teachers struggle um to come to school every day and if the teachers are not prepared they cannot prepare our children and so um really thinking about yes we want to be able to compete academically on all levels but
035it first begins with the people who are educating our our um our young people and if they're not mentally um mentally there our kids are not going to get the skills that they need to accomplish the goals that we set out for them so definitely um thinking about how we're supporting our teachers not only are how we're supporting our teachers I feel like after Co we've seen this this this EP epidemic around mental health and really thinking about our kids and our mental health if they're coming to school with their mind not right they're not going to be open to um receive the education that we can set all goals in the world but we have to make sure that our kids are mentally ready for um so thinking about how do we um support
036our children um around um social emotional learning as well as supporting our teachers I definitely think that one of the things we have to look at is the ground foundations which is our teachers thank you hi what I believe um could be accomplished by improving is the communication um I know one of the schools they tell the kids that it's okay for them to just get d i don't approve of that telling kids that that all they need is a d of fail I think they goal should be way higher and I even argue with my own son about this all the time uh security I've never seen so many bump threats or whatever and kids coming in schools that don't even belong there and sitting in classes they could get in with anything uh
037they should be more attentive I believe uh when we were going to school people knew every mostly every child that was walking in that school from walking around buildings or just being familiar with the kids having conversations uh interacting with them and the last thing uh ways to gain more funds so we won't have to fall back on these problems that we're having right now like transportation and things like that is really sad out here that we're going through this schools closing people uh losing their jobs and things um it should be other ways we can come up to do more fundraisers or something that we can we can do at the schools to to help out the parents get the parents more uh have the parents come into the schools more interacting with the
038other kids uh to do doing some type of activities something together maybe that'll help that's what I would I would like to see thank you I believe we need to go back to the basics our we need to teach our students How To Succeed once they graduate I believe in the trade Fields I believe teaching students not only how to read and write but how to achieve life skills such as opening a bank account creating a resume going back to the basics of learning is how our students will succeed thank you you could pass that down to the end please to Mr Lopez thank you so much the question was what do you believe our school should be accomplishing uh and for that I have several things of course the high test scores but through
039that success always trickles from the top down as someone mentioned earlier empowering our teachers uh as they serve as an Agent of Change ensuring that they are set up for Success our children will then be set up for Success Through any strength-based approach but also we Hammond Indiana is a diver has a diverse population everyone learns differently in the community so I think uh bringing curriculums that are meant for a diverse population um will help retain knowledge um one component I also believe that the school should be accomplishing is family engagement how do we engage families we have families who may have a language barrier who may have dual unemployment how do we target those right not everyone is the same in addition to that empowering our youth to set setting them up for Success
040um as someone mentioned earlier again uh teaching them life skills I believe in a perfect role there wouldn't be any social barriers however here in ham and Indiana there are a lot of societal barriers that I feel as a whole and Collective uh we could address not necessarily resolved but addressed to ensure a Scholar's success thank you thank you I think that we need to strengthen our academics support our teachers letting our kids know first of all that they are safe the mic to your bring your mic up thank you okay I started over I'm sorry strengthening our academics supporting our teachers letting our kids know that they are safe implementing programs to make sure they are getting the great education that they need to setting goals to get them to their graduation date thank
041you hello I um I believe in supporting teachers um for example my one of my children's class had 30 kindergarteners in it with one teacher and no teacher assistant um and Not only was the teacher stressed but the children were stressed in the classroom so I believe in you know making um uh the district or and the school cities of Hammond attractive for teachers to want to teach um and to be comfortable with teaching and also safety practices um I know a lot of schools have shut down and the buses are an issue but also crossing guards Mak making sure that our children are crossing the street safely and being able to get to their destination because a lot of children are not afforded the opportunity to get in a vehicle every day some of
042their parents work and leave uh home before they even see their children off to school so their safety and their health and their well-being is just as much as our responsibility as it is this responsibility of the parent making sure that uh the in community engaged and they're committed to in um different activities that would bring the community and the children together with learning having um more after school programs to engage math competencies and reading competencies and not just for um a certain amount of time but having that that ongoing learning um because children learn when they're involved in practices and I believe that also touching in the early childhood realm I know that some of the schools may have early early childhood settings also engaging those parents with other resources and things because they
043may speak single mothers or bilingual or struggling so bringing those resources into the community just to help the families and the children at large thank you randomizer isn't technology Grand Natalie U all right trusty Spencer yes my question why are you interested in becoming a board member on this board need to look at a paper to tell you my heart because I have the desire to help change I have the desire to make sure our neighborhoods are okay I have the desire to make sure our kids are getting the education that they need I have the heart and the desire to work our communities I have the heart and desire to make sure things are okay with them I want to see them fly I want to see our kids get exactly what they need
044this is one reason why I want to work on this board whatever I can do I'm there thank you yep keep going this way well what I would um I would like to be on this board because I'm an advocate right I'm an advocate for those that cannot advocate for themselves I have great active listening skills I I want to be able to hear and be able to come to resolution I have children that are in Hammond so it doesn't only affect me personally but I also just just have a passion for children and education my mother um NE didn't necessarily push education on us and I used to cry and I used to want to go to school all the time so I really found the importance very young on education and where it
045starts at in the home and I think that parents should also be educated on the importance of bringing your child to school and being able to speak to those things that stop them from having that school and CH uh child relationship because sometimes it's skewed based on what ever is going on in the home so I just want to be an advocate for families for children even for teachers I've worked in classrooms that were overcrowded and I know the stress that comes along with trying to uh help students that have IEPs and all the different disabilities and not having that support so I want to stand up speak up speak out and be able to support So for me um I feel like this is a great opportunity only because back in 2023 you know
046I've been living in Hammond the Hammond hille area since 2016 however my son grew up in the Hammond School District first attending hes and then Scott and so I would say I was involved in his education probably about 60% of the time but with so much with work I was inundated with work so you know I would be the mom to drop them off pick them up um but I really didn't have the opportunity to get in there to truly understand what was happening in the school districts so since um I was laid off I've opened my own HR Consulting business it's giving me the opportunity in bandwidth to really be more active in my son's life when it comes to his education really understand and Empower school how are you doing what type of
047documentation is being left by your teacher why aren't your grades entered if I'm looking on your Chromebook and I see these assignments are completed why do you have doctor's appointments and I'm going up to the school constantly because I've given you a permission slip for him but he's still being marked as not being absent and so so many different things that I was not aware of um has really come to light for me so I'm very active at this point I'm the vice president of the PTA over at Scott Middle School right now very active at Scott really trying to do you know what we need to do because our children deserve it but outside of that I have a huge focus on people in culture when I think about being a strategic thinker I
048feel like I am very strategic in my practices um I have a commitment to Ed education I grew up on the south side of Chicago and I went to Chicago Vocational High School and I know what it is to not have what's needed in your school district I experienced that um I would say when it comes to a strong connection with the school district I absolutely have that just from my interactions just with Scott just volunteering my time to be able to support whatever it is that the school districts need and um last but not least and I don't know if I stated this the commitment to education is huge for me I talk to my son about it all the time I'm constantly talking to him to his teachers about you know what's being
049done in the classroom why aren't our children doing science projects you know and it all goes to funding you know why aren't they dissecting in school it all goes to funding which is very concerning and so I just want our children to have children to have the experience that they come to expect because these are our future leaders when you think about the education that they're receiving and the individuals that we're hiring from Kelly Services to be front and center we really need to be mindful of the education that they're receiving um I just want to share I have another minute um I just want to share that I interviewed for Kelly Services and I did that before this board meeting because I just wanted some more insight into you know what the expectations were
050you know what was the interviewing process to be able to be a teacher a Sub in front of our students and you know it baffled me because I went through that process it was a six-page PowerPoint presentation that was done and uh you know during that process it was go ahead and submit your onboarding paperwork and then start scheduling to teach no questions you know for for the people that were interviewing so I'm just really involved and really concerned about who's teaching our students and what it is that I can do to be able to support thank you what happened with this yeah the timer is messing up okay be mindful of the time please thank you just a minute while we Pi timer good you're quick okay ready when you are I'm ready all
051right why I'm interested in being a board member well a lot of that interest is the reason I've been to school board meetings for 30 years um started off um I was interested in course my children's education in the Hammond schools um I've experienced just about everything by volunteering in the classroom I seen what was needed as a parent who had children that range from gifted all the way to some special needs I seen what was good and what did not work so I have a unique perspective a lot of parents I don't think had I've seen teachers go out of their way to help my children out of their own Pockets even if they had to to get educational supplies specifically for my children and God bless and I appreciate what they did for
052them cuz all my kids are fine today and they wouldn't have been if it wasn't for the start the teachers gave them in school we can do better for our children and that's why I want to be a board member but no matter what turns out tonight I'm not going anywhere you're still going to see me at the Schoolboard meetings that's a guarantee till I drop dead I'm coming here our children deserve better we can do better and I think even if it's only a three month spot on that board maybe I can give things from a different perspective come up with some new ideas so we can make things a lot better for our kids our kids deserve no less my grandchildren deserve no less the termoil the past few years has been awful
053we can do a lot better than that a lot better we used to be like one of the best school districts in Northern Indiana we can be again if we really try hard enough it's up to us to make the change our kids need and that's why I want to go on the board if I don't like I say I'm not going anywhere anyway but I think I can make a difference and I want to try for the kids sake because that's what this all supposed to be about not politics or EOS it's about the children and they have to be put first no above everything else because they are depending on us and they're teachers too they've really put out an extra effort to help these kids they're short-handed they're not getting enough money
054for materials they need for the classroom we can do better for them because it is a trickle down effect like somebody mentioned we take care of our teachers they're going to take care of our kids and the parents are backing everybody on this thank you thank you um like everyone here I mean I'm invested because my my child is in the school um however for me I've been a public servant from the time I graduated from even further before then um I've been volunteering all my life I've never worked anywhere else but in the public sector and um you know one of the things is that I live in him and this is my home I'm a homeowner and I serve other communities and I was like how do I how can I use the
055talent that I have to serve the community I live in and so when this opportunity came it me immediately I honestly I was in my car I saw the um parents square and I was like this is this is it and not to be spiritual I feel like this is what I'm I'm called to do um I think so many times you know when we're on the other side of the P table people don't understand the hard decisions board members have to make understanding the financial cuts um everyone thinks it's personal but it's not personal and I I want to say this I am not politically connected I I I don't have any um political gain in this um I am I'm doing this because at the end of the day this is a longtime
056investment for the children and adults of him in Indiana and they will go on to be politically connected they will be the next future board members they will and only way they can do that is we if we make the right decisions right now to um invest in our young people and so I I think for me it's I feel like I have a skill set that I can bring to the board that I'd like to you know understand um the board the um the budget a little bit more I mean I've been reviewing the budget and like kind of understanding why we've made the cuts the way we made the cuts um and just understanding you know how can we continue to support our schools that are under performing um and sometimes um you
057know when we're on the other side like I said before where we we don't understand what board members are going through and sometimes I could bring I feel like I have the perspective of um kind of understanding both as a parent and as a decision maker and what's going to be the overall best decision for not just my child school but the overall District um and so again I I again I'm a public servant I think was an opportunity that kind of was kind of presented to me that I was like I think I I want to do this um I want to do this because um whatever decisions that this board makes has a lasting effect and I I would like to be a part of that thank you thank you hello again I
058believe I will be a good asset to the board because again I am a parent of two as well um I believe I will be making decisions based off of that um not just because it's my kids but for all the kids and the relationships that I built at the school um I know first offand is very hard for the teachers and the staff um myself I've had DCFS children um that go to these schools I know they can be a problem so that's that's really big and how I've seen them be patient with them I would really love to uh help them more the staff with with the planning and the decisions that we make here uh another thing I told you we were going through this in Gary when I moved here so
059again I didn't expect this to be happening I expect it way better actually from H when I relocated here so I'm surprised that we we're at this point with the schools because I hope it it's just not going to look like Gary with schools just closed down just looking abandoned uh that creates high crime rates people being hidden in the buildings murdered and stuff a lot of things could go wrong with that um again I have the skills I I I do these things in my organizations and as well like I said I have to represent people every day at work um you you could take it how you leave it people could really have really bad attitudes you have to be humble to sit on that end I know that I know we have
060a lot of meetings phone calls visits to school things uh have to go over policies do research a lot of things workshops and and what I really love about Hamond Indiana that it was diverse when I came here because I grew up that way on the North side in Chicago I love that I believe us all working together and making the right decisions the right way it it builds trust with the community and it builds better Bridges with with us the community the teachers staff everyone everyone in the village it takes a village for everyone to uh help these kids and the staff because I know they're stressed out once again so I would love to see myself sitting on that end on the other side with you guys making these decisions uh helping the
061community be better uh not not losing things but gaining gaining more and that's all I have to say for that thank you thank you why I'm interested in becoming a board member I have a helper's heart and advocating on behalf of those who can't advocate for themselves is my life's work I attend school board meetings I volunteer at my son's school again being a lifelong resident of Hammond I have seen the changes firsthand of how they have affected our communities I believe my personal professional and Community involvement will be a strong asset to this board I believe in the school board I believe in our teachers and of course our students I believe I can fight for the needs of both and truly make a difference thank you if you could pass it down to
062the end please thank you so much I believe in hello yeah sorry um as I was say stating I believe in a quality public education uh the school has set me up to be a lifelong learner I have relatives in the school system now and I want them to be set up similar to how I was set up um on the verge of risk and graduation here I am today with the master's degree and that's thanks to some of the public school teachers uh in Hamond High um so I could attest to that um and I've dedicated my life to helping families and and children um and I have countless success as an assisting clients to meet their educational uh housing and employment goals and sitting on this board we have the power to do
063that there's an African proverb that says uh a child who is not embraced by its Village will burn it down to feel to feel its warmth I believe being on the board will provide those tools for us to provide that Village that educational Village for those youth and set them up for success as a former probation officer uh that experience has given me firsthand exposure to critical roles that education plays in shaping the outcomes of Youth especially those facing the systemic challenges um and the interventions they need for Education um this vacancy to my understanding is short term it's until December 31st I believe I have a proven track record to make changes uh in a short amount of time uh with multiple successes uh I was a a juvenile detention officer starting off a
064college and with in six months I became a supervisor I was able to restructure a program to provide uh case management and Clinical Services for youth in a detention alternative program I have the ability to see things through a diversity equity and inclusion lens but in addition to that received several trauma trainings where I can ensure that our policies uh have a component of and viewed as through a trauma-informed lens some of our youth have been in trauma uh and traumatic situations that affect our education it is our responsibility to ensure that those policies are looked at through a different lens uh I also sit in various committees uh boards I'm sorry I sit with UIC for a community Advisory Board where I make decisions on policies for a mindfulness app for probation officers and
065other Juvenile Justice professionals I also also sat in in our Union's board uh as an executive board member where I was able to provide advocacy for probation officers um I sit in various committees like the environment of care which provides safety I know youth having a safe passage is important uh in some of these board meetings I sit in some committees that help formulate those and that is why I am interested in becoming a board member because I believe that my skill set would be beneficial to this board thank you thank you all right right the next name right Ellis will start us off trusty Candelaria okay how do you separate personal feelings from corporate board decisions and can you support decisions after a vote is taken um as a um Chief program officer I
066see I sit on Executive leadership board and um often times there are decisions that that are made that I um may have not supported But ultimately it's the best decision for the organization so often times like I said before of why I'm a best candidate yes I understand I for example I'm one of my child was at Kenwood of course um since she was at since kindergarten and I didn't want the school to close however I understood why the board made the decision they needed to make and we had to adjust and then um we had to adjust and figure out what what would be our next step as far as schools I didn't take it personally I know families did like I don't understand why my school was closed my why my my school
067was chosen I think you just have to understand the facts and understanding why decisions were made and so yes I can separate um my personal feelings for a decision based off of the overall group's decision um I do it every day in my um professional life um understanding that um the need of the overall organization is um what we are pursuing and not the individual need hopefully that answer the question so that's it thank you can you repeat the question again how do you separate personal feelings from corporate board decisions and can you support decisions after a votes has been taken you said can I support decisions after a vote can you support decisions after a vote is taken say you disagreed but the majority supported the decision so I separate personal feelings from corporate
068um because everyone does have a right to their own opinions uh doesn't necessarily make either person correct right or wrong um I'm a good listener so I'm open to hear what people have to say and when it's a job that I have to do I know not to take things personal um because there's that's why policies fall in line and rules um and they have to be followed and um as far as supporting decisions after a vote is taken I know um that's a right that we have uh we can agree to disagree but I'm okay with uh supporting the decisions after a vote is taken um if it's the right thing to do then I'm okay with that um that's it that I have to say for that um I'm not against we can
069all agree to disagree that's how I see it thank you as an employer I separate my personal feelings every single day whether it be me hiring or firing a person taking advice from my office manager or apologizing to my staff for a mistake that I've made and I've had to do that several times I know nothing the board does is for personal gain therefore I will support all decisions made as a board we do have to come together and have what's best for the community at the Forefront the board cannot argue amongst each other we have to stand as a united front and I'm willing to do that thank you thank you please pass to the end thank you so much being in the juvenile of the Child Welfare field I've learned to separate our
070bias our opinions our unconscious bias um from the youth and families we serve from policies uh that may not necessarily align with one's values and vision with that I learn to separate feelings from corporate decisions in leadership as someone mentioned earlier separating those feelings I live by facts are not attacks as long as the facts are on the table and as long as an informed decision has been made I will fully support the vote and agreement um that the board may have the board has to sit as a confident body and I think when we are confident in our decision all of us together collectively we will succeed thank you thank you it's about doing what's right I aim for regulation and I know when to express myself I will always be on bias and
071do what's right for our children I can separate my feelings and yes I can support a decision after the vote has been taken thank you thank you yes I can separate feelings from a decision um how do you separate feelings yes I can separate feelings um I will look at the facts feelings are fleeting right sometimes you feel like a nut sometimes you don't sometimes you have a bad day sometimes you have a great day it is what it is but I have to do that in my work I'm a public servant I work for a non-for-profit organization and there are also policies and procedures that you may not necessarily agree with but it's for the greater good and at the very end of the day it's always for the greater good and that's the
072Hope yes I'm going to be an advocate yes I'm going to State my opinion but as long as the consensus and the decision is for the greater good I cannot only separate my feelings I can also stand by a decision that the board has made thank you um I can absolutely separate my feelings I guess you know when there's an understanding around the wise behind what a decision was made I'm able to 100% uh support that decision um it would be my responsibility to do my due diligence but also to support the peers that sit um on the board with me um it's all about being an effective leader right sometimes not a but moving forward with a majority um I would also say that that's the great thing about diversity when you think about
073de Andi diversity and inclusion you get an opportunity to hear from others on the board to learn about different experiences you know to be make you better understand why the decision is being made um as an HR professional I deal with this on a daily basis with executive leaders um as well as just management in general where decisions are being made amongst their team and I need to understand it I need to reflect on it and then we move forward at that point it's all about the support not only for the work that I do but the support of our children at the end of the day if it's going to be something that's going to benefit our children I 100% will support that thank you thank you I've been in a position where I've
074had to hire and fire people um and you got to leave the personal out of it uh one person I fired a long long time ago I I felt bad for them because they were a single mom but you violate the rules repeatedly given a lot of chances has got to be done so I unfortunately had to fire some people um hiring the same way you just got to put everything aside see their qualifications and whatever can I support a decision after a vote is taken I if it's something that I truly believe is wrong in my heart I'm not going to hinder the decision but I'm not going to be happy with it either will I try to block the decision or throw daggers at or whatever no I'm not but I would not
075be happy and that's got to be something that's very deep in my heart that I think is wrong and if I think it's wrong towards kids or the teachers I would definitely have to just back off I would not I I'm being honest about this I have got strong convictions I am a bit mule-headed for sure but I've got deep feelings and if I think something is really wrong I'm going leave feelings of an absolute important business decision but if I just know something is wrong it's not right for the kids I can't go along with it the kids are number one I'm like I say I'm not going to hinder it not going to throw darts at people or whatever but I'm not going to go along 100% with something that I think is
076not good for our kids thank you all right the randomizer all right all right Mr Lopez the last question is mine um had a lot of serious questions tonight so I wanted to end on what is the single best thing you know about our schools that is a great question the single best thing that I know about school is the work that it produces again I am a proud graduate of the H the School City of Hammond I am standing here to as a testimony that a youth who is failing and falling behind a youth whose parents did not speak English who did not attend school meetings teacher conferences can succeed and with that I think the school board system or the School City of Hammond produces great Scholars I'm I'm here to attest to
077that thank you thank you the single best thing I know about Hammond is that the teachers work very hard the board works very hard and it's it's a great school it's a great District um I'm just here for Hammond thank you the single best thing that I know about Hammond District school schools is that the teachers that I have encountered at my children's school they go to Jefferson is that the teachers love what they do I have seen teachers come out of um as she said out of their pocket to help my children I have seen them Go Far and Beyond to call to make sure they were okay I have seen them go over and Beyond to make sure that uh cuz my son has an IEP um to make sure that he had
078what he needed and that he had extra work or that he had understanding of what he's doing so not only have I I seen them take a personal stake in my children and developing them I've seen them do it with other children I see the people in the office that are very pleasant to talk to and you don't get that at every school that you go to people don't like their job and I'm like why are you there but I've seen the love um in the district I've seen even watching the school board um meetings that you have I've seen your conversation I've seen you go back and forth about the decisions I've seen the passion of what you do and I don't take it for granted so that's what I've seen from this District
079thank you for me you know I almost want to second that when we think about the teachers they do truly care about their students and I see the passion that they have around their study and the work that do especially at the beginning of the school year you know they talk about all these different things different activities and what the children are going to learn they you see you see it in their eyes that they really truly have a passion for the work that they do each and every day but I would also say the diverse student population because it does Foster learning cultural learning opportunities throughout the district um and then secondly the strong support programs that are currently in place for dis Advantage students as well thank you thank you definitely the single
080best thing about our schools is our teachers the educators of our children they have gone out of their way B over backwards to do everything for our children even in trying times difficult situations that's why we've had children that are absolute success stories because of the educators that they had when they attended the Hammond schools we need to treat our Educators better they've had to go through an awful lot how can we expect them to teach our children they don't have enough educational materials our classrooms are overcrowded it's not fair to them at all it's not fair to our kids either so that's definitely the best thing as our Educators like say I've mentioned before some teachers have totally gone out of their way to help my children gifted and otherwise and I appreciate all
081their efforts and they are definitely the best thing about the Hammond schools so you said single I can't say a single because there's so many um including the teachers but um I think what I've seen and um is that we celebrate our children we're dedicated to our children and we fight for our children children um I was I had the honor again I am not an educator but my sisters are and my sister was a um teacher at um Hammond Central before it became Hammond Central at Hammond High and um I volunteered at one of their homecoming dances and the joy I saw on the children faces as the teachers and the not and again let's not forget the administrators and the support staff that were there um it just brought so much joy to
082see these young people being celebrated and honored and just um really kind of making just remembering that they're kids and they're learning and they're they're learning and we and we're building these young people to be the next Generation so there's not one single thing that our school system do they do many thank you the best thing um as well for me are the Educators the teachers uh the counselors the teachers taking the time out uh after they've just had a long day of teaching and still teaching for the after school Pro uh tutoring programs um I love that you got that uh they have the ACC programs for um the children to to go so they can gain these skills and become some better people on their way out the door of uh High School
083um the principles how she how humble she is with the students I've seen that um they're like very involved around their schools I love seeing that and again the diversity of him and uh schools I love uh seeing that and like celebrating these type of things uh heritage month and my H black history here here or or learn about Irish people here or whatever I love it and thank you guys for everything that you do thank you the School City of Hammond has produced Superstars such as the first black female council at large Katrina Alexander successful business owners such as Roland Parish who own owns over 50 McDonald's and the first black Indiana teacher Annie Burns Hicks may she rest in peace taught in our district the School City of Hammond will continue to produce
084Superstars as long as students have people like you and I supporting them thank you thank you if you could pass the microphone down to the end please all right everyone this is your last opportunity to address the board why you believe that you would be a good fit for the vacant position we starting with you Mr Lopez thank you madam president as I mentioned earlier I am a goal focused individual with N9 years of experience working in the Juvenile Justice and child welfare as well as the leadership roles and the various boards that I've sat in I believe that my unique skill set and my commitment to youth advocacy can greatly contribute to the success of the heaven School Board trustees um my educational careers have shown uh an amplified need for intervention in Behavioral
085Health academic support and in family engagement which align directly with the school board's mission to ensure Equitable education that is necessary to develop the high educational attainment uh for lifelong Learners which is stated in the board's Mission as part of the committee's focusing on social determinance of Health I've worked to address the non-academic factors uh that influence both health and academic success particularly for our vulnerable students population throughout my time and my career in these professions I've developed and implemented a case management model uh a clinical model uh and designed and tracked its progress and its hands outcomes I've written policies I've ripped apart policies I've looked at stuff through a trauma-informed lens I bring the de Dei lens um and then I sit in various committees that helped me uh form decisions that help
086the better betterment of our youth and those that we serve uh throughout the pandemic I was able to strategically plan virtual services for detention alternative youth through for the Cook County juvenile probation I took initiative uh in writing and securing grants related to violence prevention activities parent engagement Crisis Intervention as well as expanding services for Youth and our care I believe that my skill set uh will help this board I uh navigate uh Finance I've also negotiated uh Union contracts I believe that's the expertise that you guys are looking for and for that I believe I'm I'm an excellent candidate for this position and as well as my belief and my faith in the public education system uh I believe that representation matters I believe that families of low and medium economic uh status deserve
087a voice on this on this board I believe that bilingual families deserve a voice on this board I firmly believe that youth who are at risk of failing deserve to have a voice on this uh board and for that I believe it makes me an excellent candidate thank you thank you please yeah I'm passionate about our children I'm a parent of the community a grandmother a advocate for our children I have four grandchildren who are currently in Hammond School District I would like the chance to help go forward and making our students great gringing the trust back from our community and parents and just make things great again it might take a little bit of time to get where we need to go to but I believe it can be done thank you thank you
088I am a servant I am an activist and I do have an organization that I support with Community efforts in helping um the community of Hammond I believe I should be chosen um to sit on the board not be because of those things but also at the very end of the day I have passion for children not just my own children but children at large I work for a non for-profit agency and I see children starting at zero to uh 5 years old going into keny Garten I see the states of their homes their parents and things like that and I just have a heart to be a change agent um at the very end of the day it's about the children it it starts with them it ends with them about their achievement even
089about their Wellness um and I believe that I can bring uh my experience I have strategic planning I worked in budgeting um with in early childhood centers so I do understand funding I understand the lack thereof but I also can bring A New Perspective an open mind a listening ear um not just for the board members for the people right because uh without the children without the parents there will be no District so I just want to be able to um bring that support bring that ear bring the work because I believe this is heart work even though we have to separate our feelings in certain things but I do believe it comes from the heart thank you so why do I believe I would be a great fit or candidate um to sit on
090this board I would say that I am an advocate for families and our children um I'm a huge supporter when it comes to education and I absolutely love our children uh I want the opportunity to make a difference while building strong relationships with the members that sit on this board currently today and I would be honored uh to utilize the skill set that I currently have to support the School City of Hammond thank you thank you coming to this board meetings for 30 years I got to say that I've got a lot of experience I probably have seen just about everything transpire over here um I've seen how the board operates how it's operating in the past what's going on now how are schools used to be and the problems we've had I I think
091I know that we can do better we have to do better and that's all there is to it doesn't matter what demographic the kid kids are or their parents or their extended families they all deserve the best that can be supplied to them and unfortunately it's been lacking lately for a little while anyway and it breaks my heart and I do have a heart as a grandma and a mom and a Community member when I see the kids are struggling I would do everything in my power in only three months to try to help our kids to help the educators of our children it starts at home it ripples into the school you parents you got to really support the teachers and the teachers are the ones that make all the difference in our children's
092lives the administration's got to back the teachers all the way too make sure they've got the supplies they need that's one of the biggest problems I've seen over the Decades of Decline and the availability of funds for the teachers to get needed supplies for their classrooms not frivolous supplies needed basic things paper pencils crayons markers and they don't have the funds to get it and they're dishing out of their own Pockets they're emptying their own wallets to take care of our kids they deserve better than that our children of course deserve the best the taxpayers in general this is supposed to be an example of good stewardship of the monies received from the taxpayers and we owe the taxpayers the best that can be done with their monies I've been a homeowner for 50 years
093that's a lot of property taxes an awful lot and two of my daughters are also homeowners we want to see good use of what is coming in we realize there's been Cuts there's been shuffling all kinds of stuff's been going wrong but you got to look at your priorities and number priority should be our children no matter what's coming into the bank you got to make it work and we can make it work thank you so I'm truly impressed with everyone on this on this uh uh um candidates and so um what makes me a good fit um just like everyone else here I'm committed to the children of Hammond um I like to see myself as a a public servant um I am willing to put in the work and the time that's needed
094to make the proper decisions not only the proper decision but data driven decisions understanding what what the core needs are of our students yes we want to serve our students but we have limited resources we have teachers that are struggling but just really figuring out what can we do do and that what can I do to support the board in the short period of time I would be on um on this committee um I'm I'm just really about community and understanding the community needs and I feel like we know that our our our schools need a lot of support and love and understanding and I just want to be that air just like the rest of you um willing to put that commitment into listening to our teachers listening to the community as they um
095make their public comments understanding you know our testing understanding our budget that allow us to do certain things just really putting in the the individual attention that needs to make these types of decisions and so while I would say I'm the best fit I know any of these people sitting right here can can do that but I would love to be a part of the board thanks thank you again I believe I would be a good asset because I have relationships with most people uh in this city as well um again uh I like seeing getting things done actually um I'm Dependable I know we have to be on time uh I know what it feels like to probably be the person sitting on that side uh always getting the finger pointed at you and
096having to deal with things um again and I told you I do the same thing at work kind of uh defending people but except for they're way more ungrateful than these people here in this room even if you do help them um as Mr Lopez did I've been looking over the mission statement the vision statement and the bylaws um looking over those things to be more familiar with with what guys have to work with I know the time that is required is not easy uh because I know you have lives as well just like the rest of us do but you take the time out to have to be here and um listen to complaints and and have to run around and get things done and I want to be the one to help you
097guys on the other side of the podium thank you thank you there are many reasons as to why I believe I will be a good fit for the vacant School Board position but I will leave you with three relevant experience as the owner of a helpers heart Home Care a successful and flourishing service where I have the pleasure of serving an array of diverse groups from my employees to clients to people I meet at conferences I self audit and maintain budgets which has afforded me skills on stretching a dollar without affecting the body bottom line I have also served on the Hammond gaming commission board for two years and that has allowed me opportunities and insight on how to maintain fairness and firmness on decisions that directly affect the community two understanding the needs of
098my community as a parent I am in the schools and I see the need the children teacher and administration standpoint everyone won't always be pleased with decisions but I truly believe listening to the needs of the community is the only way to succeed I'm willing to listen to those needs and try to find common ground that may benefit all though it won't be easy it is definitely worth the try and lastly I believe we must have a vision for the future that Vision should include supporting teacher development improving student test scores and making the School City of Hammond Thrive again the School City of Hammond should be and can be where teachers come to teach and parents enroll their children because they know they will receive a quality education and side note my 10-year-old has
099already told his teacher and principal that I'm on the school board thank you thank you all right board members um we're going to take a short bathroom break that gives you a couple of minutes to look back we have some excellent candidates here tonight and I know that it's going to be difficult so um when everybody Returns the first vote unfortunately you all get one vote so I will do a roll call go ahead the first vote is not contingent upon majority correct correct okay so it it could be majority so it could be one to four people that we pick on the first vote but on the first vote if if there is two or three people then we go on to the next vote thank you just make sure understand yeah we and
100we'll do roll call um because it was too difficult with board dos so I'm going to your patience I have to write down each person's vote okay [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Laughter] [Music] a [Music] [Laughter] oh [Music] he [Music] all right this meeting is now re adjourned all right trustees we will do a roll call vote you may pick one person person and we will start to my rest I'm sorry my right and trustee Blake King well I hope I understand the rules I really don't but you you may pick one person everybody gets to pick one person and then we'll vote after we narrow it down after but you could pick the same person right Kendra Reed trusty Spencer makito Warner trusty Candelaria uh Gabriel ceros Lopez and trusty Murphy votes for Tani
101Ellis so the four remaining people are Gabriel Lopez tavani Ellis Kendra Reed and Makita Warner um the rest of you if you want to go and sit in the audience and then we will go for our next vote yes I know it's tough again you we're going to you get one vote we will start with trusty Blake k no shouldn't we switch switch way don't go different right yeah all right um trusty candalaria uh ton Ellis trusty Spencer we're still narrowing it down if we don't then we're at deadlock so again you have your choices of one of these four but right but what I'm saying is if we if we do if we narrow it down to two right now we'll still do another vote I'm just trying to make sure I understand yes
102okay Makita Warner K you read trusty Blake King is Kendra Reed guys killing me and Murphy votes Tani Ellis all right we are down to three if we cannot get um a majority on this vote then we'll reach impass and it will go on to the district the circuit court judge all right trusty Blake King in L of the fact if we do not make a decision tonight unanimously it goes to Circuit c c Circuit Judge mcdermit that is correct and we do not want to do that so we're going to have to make a decision and your vote is and my vote is toine Alis trusty Spencer Tavon Ellis trusty Candelaria Tavon Ellis and trusty Murphy also votes for Tavon Ellis congratulations yes as there's no further business before this board this meeting is
103now adjourned e e e