Board of Education Special Board Meeting May 22nd, 2025

001to think to myself, are you important or my coffee? My coffee. No. All righty. Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to the Lancing School District Board of Education special meeting um today, May 22nd. Um, if you would please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance 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. And I didn't gave. So guess what? I'mma gabble now. All righty, you all. What an amazing day. Can I have a volunteer read our mission statement? Sure. Our mission statement is to provide a highquality education in a culturally safe and nurturing environment that supports all students to live purposeful and fulfilling lives. Trustee Williams, I love how you added so much joy to

002that. I love that. I It It demonstr It demonstrated your personality. All righty. All righty. All righty. All righty. Um moving on to our roll call vote. Um may the clerk please call the role. Dr. Kavanaaugh present. Mr. Herd, present. Mr. Lopez, present. Mrs. Moore, present. Dr. Nibbar Martinez, present. Dr. Rodriguez, Mrs. Strode, present. Ms. Williams, Miss President. Thank you so much. Are there any public comments on agenda items at this time? Seeing none, we're going to move on to new business. But before we move on to new business, I would like to relinquish my leadership over to vice president and our secretary for this evening. They did a fabulous job in my absence yesterday of um conducting the interviews. So, at this time, I am giving my my um duties over to VP. It's

003all yours. Thank you, Madam President. You're welcome. And as as last uh night, we'll call the um candidates as listed in our in our sheets here. And um our first candidate is Mr. Florencio Ernnandez. Mr. Hernandez, um just want to remind um the candidates that you have, it's a 15-minute uh interview and you're going to be able to do a uh introduction. So, I have to do an introduction. Introduction and then we'll ask the questions. All right. Can you guys hear me? Great. Well, first of all, I want to thank you all for the time, the opportunity to interview with you all. This is not my first time. So, I will say that um a little bit about myself and the reason why I'm throwing my name in the hat is um I just want

004to give you guys all a little bit of background. So, my name is Florencio Nandez. I am a Lancing born and raised Lancing Knight. Um I'm a first generation college student, born and raised on the south on the north side. um have 18 years of experience working at Michigan State University with 18 or 15 to 17 to 18 year olds. Um I've been doing that for about 18 years. And so in my line of recruitment of working with the office of admissions at Michigan State University, I um have gained a lot of skills and knowledge in terms of how recruitment works and the importance of education. So that's why I'm here tonight. Just wanted to put that out there. I also served as an academic adviser with the James Madison College at Michigan State. Um,

005mentoring and tutoring students through their college process at the university and selecting a major and also finding opportunities after graduation. So, uh, just a little bit about myself and then currently I work for the office for institutional diversity and inclusion at Michigan State and I am the outreach and engagement program manager for IDI. Um, so just a little background in this capacity of higher education. In the last 18 years, I've been able to continue to stay involved with the Lancing community by means of serving on the Latino Recognition Graduation Planning Committee for several years. I've also initiated a um a pilot program two years ago called Spartan Club here in the school district for Sexton and Everett high school students um where we met monthly and over pizza and pop and during the lunch hour

006and we're able to bring in resources and expose students to opportunities right in their backyard here at Michigan State. So, just a little bit of background and context for those of you that um may not know about me or have a general idea or have received my resume. So, um with that being said, I'll go ahead and turn it over to secretary. Turn it over to our secretary for the questions, please. Thank you. So, in your opinion, what is the functional relationship between the board, the superintendent, and other district staff? Yes, that's a great question and I appreciate the opportunity to address that as I have served on several commissions, advisory boards, um you know, board of directors. Recently, I just completed my seven-year term with the Ingam County Health Centers Board. And so, the

007structure is similar to a school district where we had an executive director um who is the health uh health chief officer. And as a advisory board, our um our role was basically governance and oversight and policy. And so I do understand exactly how and what the role of each um the board a board member, the superintendent, and those that are staff members of the school district. I I clearly understand the um roles and responsibilities. And so as a board member, um I'm really happy to um you know have the opportunity if if appointed um to be able to do some oversight and look at policy and procedures and just kind of how that impacts students in terms of um equity and inclusion and diversity. As you all know, we are very diverse um school district

008and so those things matter um and have of the utmost importance. As a board member, what would be your number one priority for the Lancing School District? This was a really hard question for me to like narrow it down to one thing, but I will say um what comes to mind first is budget funding, but really I wanted to pivot right back to enrollment and attendance. And so increasing the enrollment of students here at the Lancing School District um it would be the number one priority as a board member and making sure that we're able to also retain students here in the district and then also aligning some of those things not just with what I think my own personal priorities would be but also what are the board's priorities right and so in looking

009at that I did see that you know ensuring equity promoting inclusion inclusion, um, building a sense of belonging. Those are all priorities and things that I think are important, especially being a DEI practitioner and someone who's worked in higher education with v with various uh, student groups and populations. What do you think are the greatest opportunities for the district? This one also was one that was a little bit tough, but when I look at the district, you must understand the student demographics and the population of the city of the students, right, in the school district. And so I went ahead and just, you know, leaned right on the diversity of the district. That's a strength. We should we should look at that as opportunity. We should look at that also as a chance for the

010school district to do right by our students that we currently have that come from various populations. And um you know, I don't I don't like to use the word minority, so I'll use underserved um populations. And so for me, the diversity is something that we need to capitalize on and something that I'm really proud of. and being a um product of the school district, I always lean back to the diversity and the experience I had here as a high school student or a student in the district. So, um I can talk a little bit more about that as well. So, the other thing about diversity is that sometimes we look at our budgets and we say budgets are, you know, oftentimes not on the list of things that we consider to be a positive thing.

011But in this case, when you look at the school district's budget, 46 45 to 46% of the school budget is comprised of grants. And these are state and federal grants. And these are grants that are geared towards com they're categorized as competitive grants, if I'm correct, right? And so that means that these grants are geared towards specific populations of students. And so in the district, one thing that stands out and being somebody who worked in higher education right in the backyard trying to recruit students to Michigan State is the language barrier. And that's one thing that we find as a most often a challenge. And so when you're looking at the budget, these competitive grants include title three, so limited English proficiency programs. These competitive grants also um serve and are to be used to

012increase equity and access. um prioritizing support for students who are at risk. I don't like using that word, so I'll say students who are in high need of additional support and um specialized curricula. So, and that also includes diverse and inclusive learning environments. And then it also goes back to like mental health, which is a big thing now, right? Especially with college age students. And I know it's no different with high school students. I have a nephew who's 16 years old and he's here at the Lancing School District. And I can tell you that there are times when he comes home and he just needs a little break from everything cuz mentally he is drained. What do you think the board should do to attract and maintain students to the landscape school district? Yes, this

013is a great one too. And so I think we need to begin with building a sense of pride, right? Um when I first applied and said, you know, this is my second round. Like why am I doing this? I'm already on a bunch of different boards. I serve in a lot of different capacities. I'm already have an impact in creating change. I look back at my experience, but then I look back at when I'm out there working for Michigan State. I'm visiting other districts, local districts such as East Lancing, Okamus, Hasllett, Leslie, and the pride that they have is very different than the pride that we have as the Lancing School District. And I say that in a sense that, you know, a lot of times when people hear Lancing, right off the bat, they're

014writing us off. They're saying, you know, the education there is not of quality. And it is. And I want people to know that a good quality education does exist in our in our district. And it's important for us to create and begin to share a new narrative of student stories and success, right? Because we have I talked about diversity being one of our strengths. the the ability to be able to send your student here and be part of a skilled trades program or be part of a magnet school or be part of a you know immersion program in the district is something that's very unique and that plays back into like building that sense of pride and opportunity for students. So in the end when I look at what the school board's job is and

015what our job as educators is, I just think back to making sure that we're building successful students. We're building global students who are getting a global education and they're ready to go out there in the workforce. Whether it's attending a two-year or four-year institution or going straight into a skill trade. Um, just having a plan for all students in the district, I think is an opportunity that I think is something that we need to capitalize on and it's something that goes back to us being a diverse district and having a lot of different uh off program offerings for students here. and no matter what level they're at, being able to meet students where they are in their learning is really important. Okay, thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you all for your time. Thank

016you, Mr. Hernandez. Appreciate you being here. Our next candidate is uh Mr. Daniel Niski. and and we're ready for your opening statement. Good evening. Thank you. Um, all of you know me. I've been on the board last year in a vacancy and uh serving the board now as parliamentarian. Uh, I expect that you'll consider the other candidates who are in the election and receive more votes than I did. In fact, I see Mr. Creme will be interviewing even would endorse him myself since he was a colleague of mine and serve so well on the board. Um but I do want to offer myself and and complete the process in the event you don't agree on one of those candidates and find that I might um be the person to fill that vacancy. Um I have

017been a resident of Lancing since 2011. Uh my partner and I have been foster parents are now adoptive and biological parents. We've had students attend several uh schools throughout the district during that time. We're very familiar with uh the programs available to students in special education and going through those kinds of crisis moments. Uh my wife was an employee of the district for many years and I've been a volunteer in many capacities including us attending the parent community advisory council. Uh I was a volleyball official years ago uh that contracted with the district. now as the parliamentarian for the board. Uh my uh education is in secondary education. I was a high school teacher and coach in Memphis, Tennessee, and then back here uh just outside of Lancing in Danville for a year. So, I've

018been in the classroom, but it's been a while. I've uh been working for my faith community as a statewide uh minister uh supporting congregations initially and campus ministries outreach invitation welcoming hospitality programs and then for about nine and a half years I was the president of our statewide body. And so I did all the things that come with running a nonprofit from budgeting, visiting, hiring staff, supervising staff, conferences, supporting and supervising uh pastors and leaders, summer camps, and all the licensing that comes with that. I am a professional registered parliamentarian, so I'm very familiar with Robert's rules of order and uh in particular the bylaws of this board since I've been contracted to advise you and have been doing that this year. So, thank you for the opportunity to interview with you. Thank you. So,

019in your opinion, what is the functional relationship between the board superintendent and district staff? Well, I think uh first and foremost, as a board member, you have to uphold the ethics uh policies that are in the bylaws and uh the other policies that do outline how the board should interact with the superintendent and uh district staff. Um I I don't think that means that a board member shouldn't ever talk to a staff member. purchase means that those interactions need to be in collaboration with the superintendent and the administrative team. I know board members are assigned to be liaison to specific school buildings and those visits occur. Uh relationships are formed there along with during celebration times, community events, but those should be in a a relationship building capacity and never enter into the professional administrative

020side. not only because of policy but also because of the collective bargaining agreements we have with our employees and contractors as a board. You know, we are the last um step in appeals and decisions that need to be made. So, entering into anything that would be considered part of the human resource process can can violate that that chain of steps which uh is not good for the employee or the board. So, I think it's important to uphold those policies for that reason. I do think it's important although to find ways to engage with staff through the superintendent. I know as going through the process of the superintendent's evaluation there was data that came from surveys um through committees. Sometimes staff members come to present ideas and thoughts even here at the board table. Uh public

021comment is received uh through those uh unions and other collective bargaining uh units. There are ways to get that information and dialogue in an appropriate manner. um while still maintaining those personal relationships outside of the board. As a board member, what would be your number one priority for the Lensing School District? Uh for me, that's pursuing the strategic plan. Uh the district has invested in that and that's been the work done over years of engaging thousands of community members through very structured process and the uh conclusion set the path for the district. So until that's revisited, I think that has to be the number one priority. That has five components to it. Um graduation rate goal has already been checked off as we know, but that doesn't mean we stop efforts to improve our graduation.

022And then the others I do think u highlight issues the district has to focus on which kind of answer some of the later questions. Uh the next was increasing the uh by 10% a high level of trust and that probably is maybe the largest issue facing the district in my sense of talking with other parents and community members is do we trust the district to provide the best for our students? Do the the measures we see the metrics show that? And so working on that through the strategic plan efforts I think is an important goal. The next is growing extracurriculars. You just heard the report a couple weeks ago on how great that progress has gone and so hopefully that will continue. Um uh another is increasing the sense of safety and inclusiveness which I

023think is almost directly related to that trust factor. Are people welcomed here? Do they feel heard? Do they think when there are issues someone is listening and there's a response whether it's the answer they want or not? And then finally are the facilities themselves inviting safe uh clean and accessible. And again, that's what uh people are looking for. So, I think focusing on the strategic plan is going to tie into the later question about attracting students. So, what do you think are the greatest opportunities for the district? Well, for me personally, I always want to lift up the environment and the need to be prepared for uh climate change and the impacts that will have and also the opportunity we have as a district to be a leader in that area. I think we already

024are. Uh I know that we've been a leader particularly in our built environment uh for schools. The efforts that have already been um put in place to install geothermal and new builds and convert where we can to add solar and electrify. Uh the huge grants that have been received for the electric buses are underway. So all of those are just phenomenal steps that I don't see any other uh neighboring districts or any districts in Michigan uh taking the effort to do. I think there's always going to be more work to do in those areas, continue to electrify, uh look at energy efficiencies in our buildings. In fact, I was able to connect uh the Lancing 2030 district, which just officially launched this week, uh with some of the district leaders to get in touch with

025them. I happen to be involved in the Detroit 2030 district through my faith community. When I heard they were launching in Lancing, I wanted to get in touch with them and through that relationship heard they needed a contact with the school district. So, I think that'll just be another layer of professional expertise that the district can rely on um to find even more ways to improve and to share what we're already doing so that people know how much um we are leading in that area. Uh similarly in that is pursuing Michigan Green School Certification, which I uh brought up as a board member. I was pleased to see I think a couple of Lancing schools are on the list this year. I don't know if that's all been finalized yet, but that starts to get

026into curriculum and what we're actually teaching kids beyond just changing our buildings to be more um environmentally friendly. And then beyond that is the extracurriculars and co-curriculars that we have. Uh we have a few magnet schools that focus on environmental education. That's phenomenal. Hopefully that work will start to bleed into our other schools that maybe don't have that as their top priority, but want to include it in the curriculum for for everyone. and two of our gems, the Eberol Center and the Ecoin Center, uh, are just things that I think we have to continue to promote. No other district has those kinds of assets. And so, it's a tremendous opportunity for us to continue to promote what we offer there. Maybe there are more opportunities to partner with Michigan State University. I know that's an

027ongoing relationship, but we've got this premier land grant university right next door. I know they've got an urban uh, research center in Detroit that I was connected with when I was there. maybe they could do some of that urban work here in Lancing and partner with our schools as well. Uh there's just going to be a lot of job opportunities, I think, and a lot of uh a need for us to know what's happening in that field. So, anything we can do to make those connections would be a a great opportunity for us. Secondly, I'd say increasing extracurriculars and the parent and community engagement that needs to go with that. Uh it's been my sense there's been a great focus on getting uh mentors and community partners into our schools to help with tutoring and

028support and that's been phenomenal. I've heard some of those presentations over the last year. Now that we're growing our extracurricular opportunities for arts, athletics, robotics, esports and so on and so on, we need to then bring the parents and community members into that realm of the district as well. that we heard during the extracurricular presentation from a parent who said, you know, they're the only parent who goes to the events. They'd really love to see some more support for that. I think that's something Lancing's been lacking because of uh the disinvestment in some of those extracurricular areas that we also lost the booster clubs, the parent organizations that go along with it. So, in order to keep those uh groups growing, we're going to need to bring that piece back on the extracurricular side as

029well. Forming those relationships where we can sell the advertisements in the outfield. You know, I see that in a lot of rural places. How do we have a business sponsor a team, maybe even a banquet? Um what's appropriate for a faith community to somehow rally around a middle school volleyball team or whatever that looks like. So, it's not just transactional, but it's it's that connection and getting people back into our buildings. I was actually going to suggest um having a list of those uh arts activities in addition to the athletics calendars and that went out in the superintendent newsletter a few weeks ago and that was great. My wife and I took a night, went to the choir concert at Everett. We hadn't done that before. Wouldn't have known about that if we hadn't shared

030that. So, I think getting that culture back in place where the community wants to be in our schools and feels welcomed there, again, that achieves the strategic plan and it's going to help us accomplish uh goals. And then finally, I'd say the next greatest opportunity for the district is the Lancing Promise, which I know isn't directly under the board, but we have um some relationship and membership in those uh committees, and there's certainly a direct connection. To me, that's the economic financial piece right there. If you're a parent considering two districts and maybe you're on the fence, the one that has thousands of dollars in scholarship support available, really no strings attached, should maybe tip you in favor of that. So, I think it's something we need to get out to the community more so

031that everybody knows when they're buying a home, when they're considering these major life choices that the Lancing Promise is there. It's continuing to grow. It's expanding to vocational and other opportunities and it's just going to get better and better. So to me, when you look at environmental leadership, the ability to grow our extracurriculars and Lancing promise, those are opportunities that nobody else around us uh has right now. What do you think the board should do to attract and maintain students to the Lancing School District? You know, I've thought about this because I've been asked this question before in the process and I I think I have a lot of ideas as an individual, but the question is about what should the board do? And like most nonprofits, I think the board needs to select a

032superintendent uh evaluate that superintendent and support that superintendent and then all the staff in place with that superintendent just as a board would select a CEO that would carry out its vision. I think supporting that vision then positively with promotions and advocacy is the role of the board. You know, we did uh as a board hire a company to do um some research work for us and that was going to be a key question talking to those families who are choosing other schools and districts. So, I'm hopeful the board will really dig into what comes from that so that they can get some data driven ideas. Again, I have perceptions. I've talked to some people who choose not to be in the district or choose to leave, but those may just be anecdotes. So looking

033at that data is going to be very important. And then just being the ambassador on behalf of the district. So once these visions are set, the superintendent's in place and you're doing your job as board members to evaluate and support um there's a huge role to change the perception and to to make sure that the reputation of the district is a positive one. So that might mean being involved in civic organizations. It might mean uh being in faith communities, neighborhood organizations, all those places where people are having conversations so that when negative stories come up uh people can also hear positive ones or um maybe it's an op-ed in the local paper or talking to the media in appropriate ways uh and in appropriate events. Just being that liaison, that ambassador again I think is

034key because we see metrics going in the right direction. I think the the vision is in the right spot. Uh I think the board has been doing great work in recent years. The outcomes are improving, but uh a lot of people just either haven't heard about it yet or they don't believe it yet. And so that's the work of the board is to make sure all those trends continue, but then to get people to believe and and really buy into everything that is actually happening right now. Thank you. Okay. Um, our next candidate is uh Mr. Joshua Crim. Good evening, Mr. Scrim. And please go ahead with your opening statement. I just want to thank you all uh for having me here and giving me the opportunity to once again interview with you guys. Um,

035I had the privilege as you as you guys know to serve with you guys uh last year as being appointed on um and I just for those that are watching that don't know me, name is Joshua Crim. I have an extensive background in construction management. I I have worked on several renewable energy projects. Um I have totaled over $4.4 billion dollars of projects um to help with the success of those. Um there's 2 3 gawatts of renewable energy. I had the opportunity to serve with one of the world's largest uh solar and battery farms made though that was short-lived because another country went on did better uh bigger and better. But um it's really cool to see the opportunities that I was that I've had and the wealth of experience that I bring. Um I

036understand as a as a board we are one body and that we um bring a wealth of um collective knowledge and I think I bring a unique skill set and a unique uh viewpoint of that. Thank you. So in your opinion what is the functional relationship between the board the superintendent and other district staff? Yeah so as the board is um the role is to set the vision policy and our strategic direction of the district. superintendent translates those policies into actional plans and oversees daily operations and the district staff then carries out those plans and the day-to-day operations of it all. As a board member, what would be your number one priority for the Lensing School District? My number one priority would be ensuring that every student has access to a safe, supportive, and high

037quality learning environment. Um, and what does that mean to me? Well, for safety and well-being, that means continuing to invest in best practice safety protocols as we have with Alice or other SRPs. Uh, expanding access to mental health resources so our students and staff can focus on learning and educating without fear. Another one is to focus on equity. We need to continue to help those or help close the opportunity gaps by providing targeted support whether through tutoring, technology access or enrichment programs or and facilities like our welcome center. This is so that every child no matter their background can succeed. Another um point would be for academic excellence. We need to continue to empower our educators with ongoing professional development and provide them with the resources they need to deliver uh engaging instruction that meets

038academic standards and prepares our students for life. Um whether that be college, the trades, or going head-on into the workforce. What do you think are the greatest opportunities for the district? I believe there are numerous. um opportunities. However, I'd like to focus on a key few items that I believe will help the district succeed. Um, one big port or part of that is community and business partnerships. Uh, by continuing to deepen our partnerships with local uh employers, nonprofits, and higher ed institutions, we can create uh internship mentorships and enrichment opportunities that give our students real world experience and potential career pathways. Another one would be for new technology. Our you know as today's day and age we are always in an evolving world that gives us new technology every single day. Our district uh stands

039at a pivotal moment where we must strategically and sustainably embrace emerging technologies. Technology should be served as a tool not a replacement that empowers both students and educators enhancing learning and enabling our teachers to focus on delivering highquality in uh instruction. when investing in these technologies pilot programs with our educators and students. Um they will need to be engaged uh to evaluate these new opportunities to help us understand different viewpoints that we not we may not see and ensure any tools meet classroom or meet real classroom needs. Keeping up to date with technology uh advancements will keep us at the forefront of the rapidly evolving world. And uh another point I think is u great air for us is continued CTE growth. Uh we need to continue expanding our CTE offerings. Uh there are number

040there are numbers that indicate by 2028 there uh could be potentially over three million unfulfilled skilled trade jobs. This is a huge opportunity for our students to enter those fields. Also I believe in continued investments in our fire and EMS programs um that will ensure that the students will have a quality foundation of knowledge for in demand skills as well as certifications that will help them jumpstart their careers. What do you think the board should do to attract and maintain students to the Lancing School District? I believe we must continue um upgrading and maintaining aging buildings and infrastructure to demonstrate our commitment to top quality education. Um we have at last year was a big moment for a lot of that um I guess improvement. I saw that the board and superintendent moved forward with

041um numerous uh upgrades, advancements, and I believe that keeps us very uh competitive. Modern classrooms, labs, and multi-use spaces not only uh enhance learning, but also make our district more appealing to new students and their families. Uh also continuing to uh invest in renewable energies allows us to generate long-term cost savings, especially with the uncertainty of um today. equally important is sustaining and promoting our students through various support systems. Um continuing and or continuing that and also scaling up our counseling, restorative justice practices and wellness programs. Uh as studies have shown that these types of support systems improve attendance, behavior and academic engagement uh enabling students to thrive both in and out of the classroom. Uh it's counterproductive to attract new students if we can't retain them. So, we need to ensure that every student

042and family knows about all of our services uh that are available to them like tutoring, counseling, and other various enrichment programs and how they can take full advantage of them. By doing this, we'll create an environment where students, parents, and our staff can all flourish and as their success grows, so will our district. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Crim. Appreciate you being here. Our next candidate is uh Heidi Free Fry. Okay, you can start with your opening statement. Great. Thank you. Um first I want to thank you for the opportunity. Um, I'm here because I think I can add uh something uh a different voice to the board. I can start to fill some gaps perhaps and and build on the strengths that we have uh in this district.

043I do want to also say that um should I not be the successful candidate, I am here 100% behind uh the school district um as is our family. Um first and foremost, I'm a I'm a parent of two Lancing School District uh children. They participate in a lot of different activities uh within the district. I have one at a track meet right now. Um and we enjoy uh the uh Ebersol and a variety of different activities. Um most importantly, they have gotten an excellent education at Luton Elementary. Um and are both as a result of that fluent in Spanish, which is very important uh to us. Um, personally and in in my professional role, um, I've been, uh, a professional in the natural resources field for about 25 years. I've been a leader in, uh,

044training and developing programming for conservation um, and management of public lands. I have a bachelor's and a master's degree in forestry from Michigan State. I also have a variety of volunteer roles that I serve on. Um, I'm currently our president for MSU Forestry Alumni uh Association board. Um, and have been very active in the Westside uh neighborhood association and volunteered uh quite a bit actually with uh Riddle Elementary and uh Luton Elementary uh as well. So, thank you so much for the opportunity uh to perhaps have additional role with the school. In your opinion, what is the functional relationship between the board, the superintendent, and other district staff? Yeah, I I think to start, it's paramount that the board um in everything that they do within those functions and the interaction with the superintendent. um

045remember to always be the voice of our students and to ensure that we're fulfilling the mission of the school district to have that front and center so that we're setting the table so that they can be the best prepared uh when they leave the school district. Um with that as our foundation um the responsibility is really outlined very well in um the bylaws to to hire um and evaluate um and to work jointly to set the vision. um we are there to entrust the superintendent to implement that vision to work with the staff to put together the programming the mechanics um to deliver that vision that we work together on. So um it's great to have uh lots of feedback as well. I fully believe in that in good communication. So working um with the

046superintendent, identifying, you know, maybe challenges that the superintendent has in um in that vision. Um finding ways that we can support the superintendent um in implementing that vision, identifying obstacles, roadblocks, gaps, all of those things so that the superintendent can best perform. And that will also, you know, trickle down and help the staff be the best that they can be to deliver the mission to the students. as a board member, what would be your number one priority for the Lancing School District? Um, for me, one thing that I, uh, as a parent and, uh, having been involved with, um, our elementary school for a few years now, um, one thing that has struck me is that we, um, and I understand we've had some, you know, postcoid, there's been a lot of challenges. Um, but

047retention has been something that has has struck me. Um, and I think that uh it feeds into some other um challenges to address as well. I think retention is a big thing within our school. We've we've had uh long-term subs. We've had a number of of challenges uh with retention. And I think really identifying, you know, how can we get and retain um really uh staff that uh can uh be consistent and provide stability uh for our students is a big thing. Um not only is retaining that in my belief that is we want to do that educationally um so that they have great outcomes so our students have great outcomes. I also think that it's a communication thing. When we don't retain students, it sends or when we don't retain staff and teachers, it

048sends a message to our students. Um, our students need stability. All kids need stability and consistency. And I I think that our population even more needs stability and consistency. And when we don't retain and we we lose teachers or we have long-term subs or whether it's a librarian or a coach, we lose that stability um and the ability of the child to come to school and say, "Hey, I'm safe here. Here's here's somebody that's a safe adult that I can rely on and uh is there for me." Um, I also think it communicates to to parents uh that are in the district and prospective parents that would choose to be in the district. Um, I think if we don't retain teachers, it sends a message as well. It sends a message that um maybe that's

049not the place to go to. And I don't think that's where we want to be. I think that there's so many things going for us that um if we can uh retain good staff um not only do we meet our educational goals but we also send that message to students and and to parents. What do you think are the greatest opportunities for the district? um you know we we have made so many great strides um you know with graduation rates um and done so much good work I think as a district um I think that we are in a unique position um to really develop um more of a a lexicon to promote ourselves um so much of the conversation surrounding schools and performance centers around some metrics that are very difficult for a district

050like ours to to talk about. I really think that we can be a leader in talking about some of our strengths. Um, you know, when it comes to and I'll give you an example. Um, test scores. A lot of parents focus on test scores. Well, for the Lancing School District, I don't think that that, you know, that's an important thing, but that doesn't tell our whole story. And I can see that at Luton Elementary and a couple others um of our schools too where we do have a diverse population. Comparing our stats in the same traditional sense really doesn't uh tell the complete story of our district. I really think that we can be a leader in developing that language and the lexicon to talk about those strengths and to really promote that. the ability

051to take uh students from all over the globe who come here and to have them graduate um to have them achieve and maybe um they're growing but perhaps not at the same rate as somebody who does have some advantages of having English as their main language. So, I think that's a real opportunity of ours to really um identify that and and promote that and talk about um that. I also think that when we do that, it it would indirectly honor the work that our teachers do because this is really good work. It's really important work. Um, and when we start to recognize some of those non-traditional metrics, um, it really pays, uh, it really honors the work that they're doing and saying that we value that work. Um, another opportunity I think that, uh, partnerships

052we have, um, you know, this is a tremendous job. Um, the mission is and, um, we can't, uh, do it alone. I think that there's so many partnerships that we can tap into um locally. Um one with the city of Lancing, I think creating better connections with the city. When the city does well, I think the Lancing school district will do well. Um and really liazisoning better with the with the city and finding out how can we work together a little bit more. Um one example is working perhaps with parks and recreation. Um, we've talked about that at some of the parent roundts is that there are so many parks adjacent to our schools. That's a great opportunity to work with parks and recreation to see how can we supplement athletics or how could we

053expose um some of our students to maybe some of the non-traditional offerings like archery or something else that might spark an interest in a student. So, I think that's that's um a partnership that could be uh attainable. Um another another partnership could be working a little bit more with MSU uh with them at our doorstep. There are so many opportunities to tap into uh that relationship whether it's in the standard sense of um education or perhaps uh working on some green infrastructure around our facilities or making our buildings and facilities a little um greener. Working with neighborhood associations is another opportunity. Um, as a member of the Westside Neighborhood Association, we've worked uh quite a bit with Sexton and Riddle, and we're champions of those schools. We promote them in our newsletter. We promote them

054in our activities. And I think that's a a really great uh thing to tap into. So, what do you think the board should do to attract and maintain students to the Lancing School District? um you know to attract students um I think identifying where we stand out um is critical and I've I can say from our experience as parents in the district um the foreign language immersion is something that is really the the district should be proud of when you look at where those opportunities exist in the state there are a few Spanish immersion programs but there's Rockford I think Yipsy and and Ann Arbor may have one um That's very unique. Not only does it offer an opportunity for a student who's not Spanish- speakaking like my children, I was able to give them

055the gift of of language, but it also shows uh parents who may have a background with uh Spanish language that they have a home here too, that they know they can interact with the staff and have a comfort level with staff and that their culture will be respected. Um I think in addition to that we are preparing students to be ready for the world. They are um involved in uh diverse activities interacting with diverse uh backgrounds learning to use the bus system. We are teaching children um to be uh citizens of a global uh society and I think that's something that we should really um promote um to maintain students. I think um you know updating some of the policies and and adding equitable instruction and making sure all students get what they need to

056succeed on every level. Um that could be perhaps adding um more uh advanced level uh courses, adding um study abroad opportunities where it's appropriate. I know our our children will be doing um a study abroad program through Luton which is an amazing opportunity for them. That's a huge attractance I think to parents to expose their children to opportunities like that. Um and I think for both um attracting and maintaining students I think one thing is really showing that we're forward thinking and investing in green infrastructure investing in sustainability. Um, that's something that parents really want to see and not just hear. Um, to know that, uh, we're creating a green environment, uh, which studies have shown, uh, help with test performance, uh, which help calm students, can help with mental health issues. um when we

057build a a nurturing habitat around our schools and include green uh infrastructure um I think that'll both help retain and attract families. Thank you. Thank you. Thank Thank you very much. Thank you for being here. Our next candidate is Caitlyn Cornell. Move this mic closer to me and you're going to tell me if it's too much. Good. Good. Okay. Great. You can start with your opening statement, ma'am. Thanks so much. Good evening, everyone. My name is Caitlyn Cornell. I'm a researcher and instructor at Michigan State University. My primary research interest is in the learning experiences of disabled language learners and also the preparedness of their instructors for disability inclusion. So, I think that's a particular lens that I could bring in service to the board. But I think what's most important to know about me

058is that I was born and raised in Lancing Verdon. Otto Sexton. That's a really important point. My mother and her mother both taught in the district and my spouse works in the district now. I think the biggest testament though is that I love this district enough that both of my kids uh are in the district and I made a very purposeful choice uh to keep them here. And I'm going to put Trusty Herd on the spot a little bit. Something you said yesterday in uh in the special meeting and I'm going to quote I went back to that video a couple times to get it ver verbatim because I liked it so much. If you've been wondering whether or not to send your baby to the Lancing School District to be educated and to shine,

059I encourage you to come home or come on home. In fact, uh, and that's essentially what I did. I went out and I did some stuff and then I came home and I very purposefully put my kids in this district because I firmly believe that it is the best best place for them to be. And before I answer your questions, the last thing I'm going to say is I'd like to take a little bit of an assetsbased approach to this. And I want to recognize um some work that the board has done in recent years, some really important work. Uh I deeply appreciate that the board put together the equity advisory committee. Um I served on that committee in 2023 and 2024. Um as a start at least to addressing some of the equity concerns

060that came out of the systemic equity report. Um the district itself has also done so much good that it would be hard to mention it all now. But on a very personal level, I want to share that without universal prek, I don't know what I would have done this last year. I'm totally grateful. Uh that has benefited my family a lot. I wanted to start this way because I think it's important to step back and take a balanced approach um and to reflect that even when there's always room for improvement in the systems, structures, and relationships that we cherish and depend on, there's a lot that we can uh reflect on being uh in progress as well. So, I wanted to start that way. I'm now ready for their questions. In your opinion, what is

061the functional relationship between the board, the superintendent, and other district staff? So, it was incredibly helpful to read the bylaws on this to see where the board sees its responsibilities lying. And then I got into Google a little bit because I was curious what other entities say about this. So, the Michigan Association of School Boards, just as an example, says rather blandly, uh, under Michigan law, a board of education has the ultimate responsibility for school district operations. And I think broadly construed, there's a lot we can do with that. It seems just from the outsider perspective of a parent who streams the board meetings as she's able, that um, the board relies on getting a lot of information from the superintendent and from the executive team. And I think that's right, and that makes sense.

062But I think that that paradigm could be expanded um with moreformational outreach to and from other stakeholders, certainly centering students in in that paradigm. While certainly there are ethical concerns, for example, with what we've been hearing a lot about the the board to staff communications, and I think we need to let the bylaws certainly guide that, I do think it makes sense for board members to seek out uh information and diverse perspectives from outside the the horseshoe arena, uh including staff in so far as the bylaws allow for that. Certainly, I think I'd like to see the board make and shape more equitable forwardinking policies sort of of its own valition as well. As a board member, what would be your number one priority for the Lensing School District? So, on the face of it,

063this question looked hard to me, but then when I gave it maybe just 10 seconds of thought, I knew exactly where I wanted to go with this. Uh, I'd put relationships and community trust at the top, at the absolute top on the list. And I'll say quickly, it'd be interesting for me to see some data on this coming from the district. I know that parents and teachers are both asked to complete those annual surveys. I'm going to call them satisfaction surveys. I think there might be another title, but to my knowledge, that data is not very often publicly shared or publicly at least summarized for the benefit of of the community. I think that'd be helpful. So, for the moment, anecdotally, I'll say that I see the ways that parents and teachers aren't always connecting.

064But I also see the way that the teachers and the administrators aren't always connecting. I even see the way this board has in the past maybe not connected with families and community members in the way or in the ways that it would have liked. But I've also seen some things on this board um that counteract some of that sentiment. And I don't want that to go unnoticed. I, for example, really appreciated having coffee and donut chats to get to know some of my my board members. Um, and I really appreciated some of the really genuine responses uh in response to the community. Uh, for example, related to the Sexton mascot issue back in I think 2023. Um, I think that whether it's me or someone else on the board, I'd like to see a few

065things happen to address that primary concern of trust undergarded by transparency. And so I have just a couple of examples here. continued work to battle against the bias in the district. Um there was some really good work that came out of the equity advisory committee, but it got stalled kind of in a few ways. And then I think my understanding at least is that this year it didn't convene and that work wasn't done this year largely just because of leadership um staffing constraints, but I think that would be a really great entity to come back. I think also more board outreach and that's not to say that it's not happening, but maybe it isn't as visible as it could be. Um, I wonder pending the appropriacy of this per the board bylaws again, I wonder

066about the idea of having additional listening sessions to augment the the option of coming to a meeting for public comment which is limited to those three minutes. I also wonder if maybe there could be an appropriate mechanism for accepting public comment electronically. That might be something to consider with the the purview of the the bylaws and related to transparency which I think is a critical piece of trust building. I think some moves have already been made in this direction, but efforts around transparency, I think, traditionally have felt a little performative when it isn't backed up by well-earned trust. I think that maybe just an example, creating a plain language version of the bylaws might be in order, and that would be something I'd be pleased to help with. What do you think are the greatest

067opportunities for the district? So, actually I think you've heard some really excellent ideas from the other candidates in this interview pool and I hope that you'll be able to take up some of those. Personally, if I had to focus on one thing, uh I see repeatedly the the district sort of what I say kind of letting the pitch go by. Um missing one particular type of opportunity kind of over and over again. I would really just like to see my home district be a leader and model for other districts in the area. And actually, I have seen that in action. And I want to again uh take an assets based approach here. I was really really proud of our district during CO 19. I liked that our policies were cautious, science-based, and also equity informed.

068So I think we have a little bit of precedent for this. Um but I think we could take up some of those missed opportunities in several ways. Uh the time I have today, I'd like to focus on maybe things that are concrete and actionable initiatives. I don't always agree with our superintendent, but he's he's grinning now. Uh but on the day that the equity advisory committee presented to the board, I think he spoke wisely when he said, "Bring me something like this, maybe not verbatim, bring me concrete items that I can take immediate action on." And I really do think that was very wise. Um, I think that it's very easy to focus on the large urgencies which are appropriately very important and urgent, but we can lose sight of the fact that we're capable

069of also addressing some of the things that feel a little smaller in scale, but that actually might have considerable impact to some of the larger things. So, when kids are being bullied and there's vaping and drug use in bathrooms and there's gun violence across our city, of course, we're going to focus on on those larger urgencies that need addressing. But I think simultaneously we can work on some other things. And I have a just a couple. In the interest of time, I'll only give two examples. Um, as recently as two weeks ago, a parent came to me describing that recess, revocation, and reduction is still being used as a punitive practice in this district. And in fact, this isn't an opportunity necessarily for us to lead, but rectify something that maybe should have been done

070a long time ago. East Lancing, the East Lancing Board of Education outlawed this practice many years ago actually and so we would be playing a little bit of catch-up. But reviewing this, reviewing maybe some of the testing practices and when I say testing practices, I don't actually mean the protocols coming down from the state that's then implemented by the testing coordinators in the building. Instead, I'm talking about maybe the instructional practices or maybe a better term would be the motivational practices surrounding some of the testing periods in schools. So for example, last year and also this spring something happened where teachers were organizing a field trip but the field trip could only happen if every student in the class reached their appropriate progress threshold in that testing window. So imagine if you're the kid who

071for some reason can't meet that progress threshold. We've now invoked shaming in in the form of academic progress and something similar happened just this past semester where a special breakfast was organized but only for students who reached a certain progress level on their testing threshold. So I think that these are some of the things we could address. The equity advisory committee for example did again something very concrete and actionable. We were able to eradicate some biased language in report card comments and I think for example we could revisit the sexism in the dress code next. Um, again, these are some very concrete things that that I think could be addressed in that sense. What do you think the board should do to attract and maintain students to the Lancing School District? I think there's a

072lot of things we can do, but I think given some of my previous responses, I'll be a little bit of a broken record here and and talk about the relationship building and community trust that I think are sort of a throughine, that's how I think of them, uh, that could kind of build the foundation to success in other areas. I think that that relationship building co uh coupled with the better transparency could lead to retaining both students and educators in the district. And I I think that word of mouth would naturally spread at that point. Not that that's the only strategy we should rely on, but I think when there's better trust, people are going to feel better taken care of and they're going to spread that word. I think we need to identify ways

073to pour into our teachers. We have many many new teachers and many teachers who are actually currently working on their certifications. uh I think we should evaluate or re-evaluate rather teachers uh professional development and I am not necessarily suggesting without knowing how many hours they spend that we simply add to the many things they're already doing. In fact, I just think we need to I've heard from teachers that it's it's not always the most relevant or useful training. I know folks liked uh some of the workshops coming out of the office of school culture when Carl Tishnor was still with the district and I think bringing back some traumainformed training would be very timely in 2025. We also need to do better by our marginalized families, including but certainly not limited to disabled students, multilingual,

074and disabled multilingual. There are national trends that show that when students are both multilingual and disabled, and they qualify for both of those services, they often aren't receiving both. And so, I think that's that's a population that we need to to pay special attention to. We also need to do better by our marginalized teachers and administrators. It seems to me that we are hemorrhaging black leaders in this district. Present company accepted and that course correct I think is really overdue. Teachers and administrators who come from the community and look like our students will serve our children best. I also think we can leverage alumni maybe in some ways that we aren't already doing or maybe we aren't already doing in a visible way and with enough scope for it to be recognizable. A few years

075ago when he learned that I was working on my PhD, Coach Bo, sorry, former principal Boen, he'll be coached to me. He'll be coached to me forever, um, asked me if I'd be willing to do something like an alumni showcase video as a success story. And, uh, though flattered, I was very pregnant and very uncomfortable. So, I didn't want to be in a video and I declined at that time. But if Principal Scott asked me tomorrow to do something like that, I'd happily do that and lead the charge for similar initiatives to pull our alumni out in that I think important way. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Cornell. Appreciate it. Our our final candidate is Miss Jodie Washington. you want you want to explain. Thank you so much, excuse me, for

076letting me interview. I actually came to personally and publicly apologize for not making my time last night. I had a family issue with my elderly mother and I was with her all day today, but I did want to apologize. So, thank you so much for your grace and understanding for letting me go through with this. Okay, you can do opening statement if you wish. Are you sure, Carol? My name is Jodie Washington and I am I applied for this vacancy because to me the school district is the absolute most important entity in the city of Lancing. I have publicly said and even at the microphone that you all hold the most important elected positions in this city. I was a two-term council woman. I am on the charter commission. I am on the executive board

077for the Ingam community healthc care centers. I um I have been president of every neighborhood that I have ever lived in. I have been a fire commissioner. I have been incredibly engaged in this community. Um, so much so that my children, one is a sitting council person as we speak. Um, and another one is incredibly involved serving the city on different boards and organizations. Um, what I bring is a different perspective. I don't have all the fancy letters behind my name, but what I do have is a different background and a different perspective that aligns very closely with our students of today. I am the product of an unwed teenage mother and we were homeless until I was halfway through kindergarten. So, I understand the plight of homeless children trying to go to school and

078trying to be comfortable in in their own skin. Um, I raised my children in HUD housing, nobody in my family had a college degree. um because of the Lancing school district and a teacher in the Lancing school district um approached my sister who's 10 years younger than me and asked where she was going to college and she said Mr. island. We don't go to college. We can't afford it. And he said, "Oh no. Oh no." He went to my mother who was on welfare. I was would have been for third generation welfare. My children would have been fourth. And he showed her the FAFSA form. He took my sister, helped her apply to Michigan State. She got a full scholarship because she was a four-point student. But nobody ever told our family how people go

079to college. So nobody ever went. We didn't even know how they applied. So I am saying that the school district is so incredibly important. And from my sister on, he that one teacher changed the trajectory of our entire family. Everybody after me has at least a master's degree. My I have a sister who is superintendent of a performing arts academic school on the on the shore of Lake Michigan. My son is a eighth grade teacher in Waverly. My other sister is a social worker and it goes on and on and on. Lancing public schools changed our family for generations. And you know, public education is the only equalizer. The only equalizer. It's the only place people like me can get a good education and compete with the rest of the world. I came from homeless

080to doing I'm doing incredibly well all with nothing more than an education from the Lancing School District. So, I just want you to know how important I think your positions are. Um, I want you to know I'm very grateful for this opportunity to interview. If you don't pick me when Dr. Martinez gets her seat on council, I will reapply. So, so that is who and what I am. That is my background. And I think I bring an immense amount of opportun of experience background and I also have had the pleasure of living in my immediate family very diverse. I am Caucasian. My husband is black. My children are Pakistani and I raised my Hispanic godsome. So I never had to go anywhere for diversity except home. Thank you. In your opinion, what is the functional

081relationship between the board, the superintendent, and other district staff? The board of education is a governance board. It oversees the policies, the bylaws, and the budget of the school district. It's incredibly important because as the bylaws go, as the budget goes, so goes the school district. So, the function is very important. The only employee that answers to the board of education is a superintendent. It is not the job of the board to get involved in my opinion in the dayto-day operations of the school district. That could be a nightmare. So I am just saying that it's a governance board. I have so much experience in policy and budgeting and auditing from my professional career. Michigan Department of Corrections legal specialist. Thank you. So, but through my career, my professional career, I have had an immense

082amount of experience in those fields. As a board member, what would be your number one priority for the Lancing School District? Raising the proficiency of the students. We are not dealing with children. We are dealing with future adults that must have the skills to survive. um we don't do well in our proficiency rates and and that's okay at this point. The graduation rates are up. I think that's awesome. But is it because of credit recovery? Is the proficiency actually really up? You know, I will say from my background, your income level does not equal your intelligence level. And I think we have to stop that mentality that just because a child is poor or marginalized that they do not have the intelligence to reach a a a proper proficiency level. If you want children to

083feel good about themselves, help them to read and write and do math at the appropriate grade level and they will feel amazing about themselves. I understand there are challenges with some children. I have a grandchild with autism and I understand the special challenges that students can have. But overall, most children can reach a higher proficiency and I think it is the duty of a public school entity to scaffold those children to be the absolute best adults they can be with the tools to survive in this world. What do you think are the greatest opportunities for the district? There are so many here. First of all, we live in the Capitol City. We have two amazing healthc care institutions. We have Lancing Community College. We have Michigan State. We have Davenport. We have so many um

084educational opportunities. We have GM. We have NWave. We have NeoGen. We have great businesses. I say with the educational institutions and the businesses and all of the nonprofits that that we have in this area, we are prime to be an excellent um source of education to be a model and to be the star of the districts in this area. I I have been spent a lot of time at Okamos Hlett Dwit. They don't have anything more than we have. They have, yes, they have high diversity. They have, you know, great proficiency, but they don't have the the tools that we have. They don't have our businesses. They don't have the state government right out their back door. And I think those opportunities are there to partner, to have the students get involved with governments, to

085have the students get involved with the businesses, to have the business leaders come into the into the district, to have the politicians come in and actually teach the kids what it is that is out there. And then of course there are the opportunities to to get early um relationships with the higher um education for the students to have LCC trustees reach out to Lancing School District TR tr trustees and start that ladder. What do you think the board should do to attract and maintain students in the Lancing school district? Um, I think the biggest problem that this school district has is perception. And unfortunately, perception is reality. The perception is that it's a failing school district. The perception is that it's dangerous. The perception is that your child, some children, aren't welcome and that they

086can't succeed here. And I say all of those perceptions are incorrect. We need to take the opportunity to get a hold of the media. Let's let's do a story about the kids that are going to Harvard and Yale. And you know, it can't always be about sports. Although I am all about extracurricular. I'm all about the arts. They're all important. But we have to start getting the word out there. The only time I ever hear anything about the Lancing School District is when there's a problem. And I think if people understand that their child can get an excellent education here, that their child is safe. We all know it's about 1% of the students that that cause trouble, but they're the ones that everybody focuses on and and we know the media loves to um

087point out really most anything bad in Lancing. So, I just think perception is a real problem and I think there's a lot of opportunity to improve that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, we're done with our interviews. So, I'll now hand hand the um the gavl over to our president. Yes. Let us take um Trusty Williams just asked if we could take a break. It's okay if we have a little fiveminute recess. Correct. All righty. We will adjourn for five minutes. What of information? Do we need a motion to go to a recess? Go ahead and take that motion. Tell me. Madam President, I move that we have a recess for five minutes. Can I have a second? Second. So moved by um Trustee uh Herd, second by Trusty Williams, and we are Let's

088have a seven minute recess. That'll work. See y'all back in seven minutes. Thank you. our seven and a half minute break. Um, I appreciate your patience. Um, we are going to now go into Where's my agenda? Here we are. Um, next on our agenda, we're going to continue our um, new business of our board interviews. We have completed all of our interviews. Thank you to all of our applicants that are here today and that interviewed yesterday. Um I am going to relinquish this part of the interview um section over to trustee Kavanaaugh who's going to explain the process so we're nice and clear. Okay, everybody all minds clear? I'm sure. Okay, thank you everyone. Um, so we've we've done this appointment process before um and we this time got some recommendations um from our our

089legal council to make sure that we are by the book and um so that is why I'm going to take some time to explain the process and make sure everyone understands because it's a little bit different than we've done in the past. Um so what we're going to do is we will open up the floor to nominations. That means any board member can nominate any um one of our candidates that they would like to nominate. Um when we are done with the the nominations, so when we've nominated who we want to nominate, um then we will have a discussion period. So that means that any board member can speak up about any one of the candidates who was nominated. If a candidate was not nominated, that means we will not be discussing them. Um make

090sense so far? Okay. Then step three step three is in the order in which the nominations were received um we will take a a vote and the first candidate to get five votes um which is the majority is the candidate that will be selected. Um so that means if candidate A um is nominated first, candidate B is nominated second, candidate C is nominated third. Um if candidate A gets five votes, we will not be voting on candidates B or C. Does that make sense to everyone? Okay. Thank you so much for your patience. Now that we are all on the same page, I would like to open the floor to nominations. Madam President or Trustee. Yeah. Trustee Kavanagh. I'd like to start us off with my first nomination to Dan Ninsky. Thank you. Madam Treasurer,

091I'd like to nominate Florencio Ernnandez. Okay. Madame Treasurer, I'd like to nominate Kyle Rashad. Madame President, I'd like to nominate Kaitlyn Cornet. Um, sorry, one second. And I'd like to nominate Kyle Rich. Richard already did. Okay. I would like to nominate Joshua Crim. Do we have any additional nominations before we close the floor to nominations? Yes, Madame uh President, I'd like to nominate um Miss Jodie Washington. Going once, going twice. Okay. Um so the floor is now closed for nominations. That means in order we'll be voting on Daniel Noiski, then Florencio Hernandez, then Ky Rishard, then Caitlyn Cornell, then Joshua Crim, and then Jodie Washington. Make sense again? Okay. So, sorry. I'll do it more slowly. So, first we will be voting on Dan Niski. Second, we will be voting on Florencio Hernandez. Third, we

092will be voting on Kyle Rashard. Fourth, we'll be voting on Caitlyn Cornell. Fifth, we'll be voting for Joshua Crim. And sixth, we'll be voting for Jodie Washington. Okay. Now, I would like to open the floor to discussion of our candidates. Uh, Trustee Kavanaaugh. Dr. Kavanagh, I will like to start off this discussion. As I start off with my vote for Dan Ninsky, I want to make us aware that he did serve on this board during our vacancy over the past uh year. He has been able to uphold the space with our board as the parliamentarium. Um he has children in our district. He also is very aware of the pursuit of our strategic plan. Um, he has also been able to keep the components of high focus surrounding the trust and the lifting of the

093work for climate change within our district. He also is active in the community. Um, he also is active in supporting our students within the district outside of his roles that he upholds. And I also know that he has been a part of our PEAC initiatives as well as serving and helping to write policy for this board. And I would like for all of us to consider him. Thank you. Madame President, Madam Treasur, um I'd like to speak on Mr. Florencio Ernnandez. I think he brings a wealth of knowledge on how boards are supposed to work and how the relationship between uh the board members and the superintendent and staff should function. Um he also uh brings a a wealth of knowledge that will benefit us in terms of helping our students uh go to MSU.

094He was a recruited recruiter for a very long time. He knows what the institution is looking for in students and I think would help us be able to equip our students so that more of them can make that jump to MSU. um don't have to leave home and we can keep our local talent local. Uh because I'm selfish and I don't want people leaving. I want them to stay. Um and also I think that um uh he understands our student population really well. Uh understands funding mechanisms. Um understands the budgeting process. has already been doing work with the school district in terms of sitting on committees like the Latino recognition committee. Um also uh has uh knowledge of our health centers because he's been on the board for the county health centers. And so I

095think um all of that put together would make for uh someone that would be very um uh useful to us on the board because of the knowledge that they bring about the community about the day-to-day functioning of the school board and um and all of the uh important things that we do here. So thank you. I'd like to discuss a little bit about Caitlyn Cornell. Um she's lying born bred raised so she is very familiar with the community the the surroundings she has gen she has children in our district she took the initiative to make sure she understood the board policies also expressing that as a lay person she would like to see it more into a language that's understandable for not just board members but for the community she acknowledges that the community is

096very very much willing to work with us while building relationships and everything of that nature. She has worked on the DEI equity committee. She put a lot of hard work into that. I was sitting there with her um sometimes even bringing her children to the meeting which I thought was really fun because I kind of shied away from the meeting to play with the kids cuz that's just who I am. But she's really really proactive in her school with her children while maintaining a job and holding a family. And I think that's what we're really looking first in all aspects of it. So I'd like to raise Caitlyn Cornell. Along those lines, Madame Chair, I would like to um speak um about um um Miss Cornell um in her background um as a researcher um

097having done extensive research in many of the topics that are facing us in the today um and as she showed us today um a deep knowledge of not only the um quantitative things that are facing our district but also the qualitative things that are um very much in the hearts and minds of um our constituents daily. Um while I have the floor, I would like to um raise comment about um Mr. Kyle Rashard, who um has there he goes, who um has worked in our schools, who has made himself um an active working person in our community um at all levels and had shown the sort of passion um and background that we really would like to see as a fresh wind here on the board of education. And I also think that it is

098important um to bring up the fact um that despite the outcome of the last election um people by the thousands in this city came and made their voices heard um that they thought he would be a strong member of this board um with him coming in at fourth after the three that were elected and I think that those voices uh should be taken into account. Um I would like to speak on behalf uh this applies both to m both both to Mr. Crim and to Mr. Niski. Uh so we have all been new board members at one time and so we all remember the really steep learning curve that comes with being a new board member. Um and I want to remind the board that this is a temporary position right so we are just

099nominating someone until the people can have their say in November um when the position will be filled by the people of Lancing. Um, so what that means is I'm prioritizing someone who can be ready to go day one knowing that we only have them for a few months um before possibly we we might have turnover in that position again. Both Mr. Crim and Mr. Niski are former members of this board. So they already have a deep understanding um and experience in the way that this board works. Um they know, you know, all the folks on the executive team, they know how our committees work, etc. um they know all of our policies and procedures having experienced them um for for the time that they um both were on the board. Uh and to me that

100stability of experience is particularly appropriate when um thinking about a temporary position um so that we have someone who is in place ready to go until the voters can have their say in November. Madam Chair, he's got the You know, first of all, I like to I just like to thank those of you that that applied and and this is great candidates that have been nominated. Um you have heard of their backgrounds. You know, um Mr. Cornell, Jod Washington, who has served the city council, certainly has a lot of uh experience working on um policym bodies. So, you know, it's it's like um if you choose one, two, three, or four, five, you know, you're you're not losing. That's that's my point here. So, um Mr. Ernnandez, you know, has a wealth of experience also

101in boards and commissions. Uh Mr. Rishard, you know, had a really good uh presentation yes uh yesterday. So, we we just have top-notch candidates that have been nominated and and not to say that the other ones were not because they were they were um and the first thing that I uh give them credit for is to even putting their name out there because it takes it takes u courage to put your name up there. And uh so I thank them as well for for putting their their name up for for appointment. And so you know uh like I said any of these six we're not losing. So I thank you for for the time to express my my opinion. Thank you. Thank you. I I will nominate the 11 of you to replace me anytime.

102You are so great and I was learning so much and what our responsibilities are because you came prepared to tell us what we should be doing. That for me was a kind of examination and what I am doing here for a few more months. But thank you because you are the voice of many parents. You are the voice of the people voiceless. You are the voice that we should be listening all the time when you had the opportunity today. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for being here and remind remember remember remind us that together we can change this community even more. The thank you. I don't know my vote to go to all of you, but we'll be selecting one. Thank you very much, Mr. President. Madam President, I want to say thank

103you to everybody that put their heads in as well. This is really hard. Some of us have relationships with many of you in the room. Um, so we're kind of feeling some way like tug of war and everything like that, but we don't want you to feel that way because we still need you. We need you on our committees. We need you in the community. We need you building bridges together with us that we can connect that we don't have that connection to. We need your guidance. And some things you gave me a lot of things to write down and say, "Okay, how we can how?" Cuz I'm the question person. I'm going to ask the questions. Why? Why? Why? Or how can we So even if you're not selected, you are selected. You're topnotch.

104You are the best of the best. And I really, really, really I'm struggling. I want to say can I resend all votes and just go let let them let the seven because it's going to be really hard. So kudos to every one of you. Please keep working with us. Encourage us. We can encourage you make us that because again you are you put us here and the next person that sits there has been put. So it's a connector. We want you to keep driving us. Hey, you need to be doing this. You need to be doing I got an idea. That is what we need from you. We only can grow by what you give us. So again, thank you all. You are the best of the best. I don't know how much discussion was

105raised about um Miss Washington, but I wanted to um to share your sentiment um Madame Chair about um the the need for um readiness. Um there are several very important things that I imagine are going to be facing this board in the next months um that whoever does take this seat will need to be ready to do. And I honestly would like to say to the board with somebody with a sort of background in policy um and in boardisms. Um, I believe strongly that Miss Washington would be ready coming through the door to be able to help us not only have a fresh voice on the board, which I do believe that we need um, but also with the background to understand how these sorts of systems work even more so than some of us

106who were elected and had to come in on that steep learning curve. I think um, very strongly that we all would have much to learn from her if she was selected. any additional discussion for board members? Yeah, I just wanted to to chime in and say that um it's I was saddened that we lost one of our board members, uh Trustee Ber. Um but the fact that we had this many applicants who are topnotch, I think that that is something that um shows that we are making strides I think as a school district because we have so many great people that want the opportunity to work uh for the students in our district and um that that gives me lots of uh uh feels um and and and They're good ones. So, yeah, I want

107to thank everyone for applying. Um, of course I do want to thank everybody for applying, but I also want to go back to Miss Washington. I think even just her ability to uh put this opportunity first or forward in whatever she has going on. Um, I think that just shows a true testament of the commitment that she would have and also uh the intimacy of what Trusty Herd stated about someone that is ready to go with the expertise and experience that she holds. So, I just wanted to lift that and thank you uh for being able to be here. So, I appreciate that. Any additional discussion for board members? Okay. At this time, we will vote. recall that we are voting in the order that I listed the names um and the first candidate to

108get five votes um or more will be appointed to the position. So I am going to ask the clerk to call the role um for us to vote for each candidate in turn and then remember once we get five votes we're not moving on to vote for the rest of the people. Um so first we are voting on Dan Niski. Will the clerk please call the role? Dr. Kavanaaugh. Yes. Mr. Herd, no. Mr. Lopez, yes. Mrs. Moore, yes. Dr. Nvar Martinez, yes. Dr. Rodriguez, Mrs. Strode, yes. Ms. Williams. Mr. Niski has received five votes um from myself, Mr. Lopez, Miss Moore, Dr. Dr. Nvarz Martinez and Miss Strode. Um, so congratulations to Mr. Niski. You have been appointed to the [Applause] board. Okay, we're back. Are you handing it back to me? Back to you.

109All righty. Are pardon? At the next meeting. Yes. at the next on our October October Juneth our June 5th meeting um trustee Mr. Dr. Nwinsky will then take his oath of office and you can stay after and we can tell you about what's next next steps. Um, I would like to thank all of our candidates. You all are amazing and you did put yourself out there. I know what it feels like. Um, and I just want to say thank you. Um, thank you for all that all the work that you do. Thank you for supporting the district. Um, and this isn't the last time that you can apply. There are going to be some seats available and there's going to be an election. So, um, come back. Come back. That's what Trusty Herd would say.

110Come home. Come home. So, thank you again. Um, are there any, um, comments on non-aggenda items at this time? Yes. I want to say that today, uh, Lancing School District had about 150 young people go to see Hamilton at the 1:30 show. And when I say to see their faces, the interaction, I mean, they were so excited intermission. I just stood and kind of listened to because there was also hope, Grand Ledge, and other districts as well as some senior communities. But to sit and listen to our kids have, they was like, "Oh my god, did you see what they did? Did you hear that?" So I would hope though we can't take them to see Hamilton that we figure out how to get the book Hamilton because it that when I say they talked

111about the history and the things that they were so excited. So I want to send a special love to Tia Bell Everett, Dr. Bogen, Eastern Ston, you all. Thank you. I enjoyed myself spending the day with the students. So thank you all for that opportunity today. It's wonderful that you were able to take advantage of that and we have a amazing LSD community. So, thank you for to all the support from our from our schools that help make this happen for our scholars. Yes. Um, Vice President Lopez. Oh, VP. Okay. Thank you. I just want to wish everybody a a pleasant and joyful Memorial Day weekend. Uh, Memorial Day on Monday. I also like to invite you to come over to Christo Fiesta uh that takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And um speaking about

112our kids, you know, different community different communities have specific or programming, right, relevant to that community. We at Christo obviously have the Latino culture and cultures. So we have many of our students who who perform in in those um flororic u uh dances. So that's another chance for them to to to show what they what they know to learn. And uh as well as right after hours, there's the Vietnamese uh festival that comes uh and you see all our uh school district students, you know, that that that do perform their uh traditional dance and and food, eat their food. It's just like Lancing is so so wonderful in terms of diversity and that's why we have our schools that are very diverse. So again, many people mentioned it that it's a strength and we we

113we can't be afraid of of saying it because it is what it is and we need to build on it and and continue to to grow and and give them the give our students the the support they they need uh in the schools and outside of the schools because it's a community al together. So, don't forget Friday 4 o'clock starts and goes through Sunday at 7 p.m. So, let me just tell you guys, he is not inviting you. He's mandating you. He's just being nice about it cuz I'm just saying he mandating you. So, please be there cuz I'mma get in trouble if y'all don't. All righty. Trustee Stro, did you have something? Uh, yes. I just want to remind um parents out there as well as reminder to myself that tomorrow is a half

114day uh May 23rd for our elementary students and there's no school on May 26th which is Monday in observing for Memorial Day. Thank you. Yep. Thanks for the reminder. Yes, Trusty Herd. I can't agree more, Vice President Lopez. There are so many cultural events that are happening in the city. Um Junth will be coming up and there will be things happening all over the city and our babies will be dancing and showing off their businesses and and things. And um also I haven't heard anything different. So I do believe that um my school where I'm the liazison ever high school will be taking their choir down to Florida um to perform at Universal Studios. Um I might have that wrong but somewhere in Orlando at one of the big ones. Um, and while we weren't

115able to schedule them to be with us, all my fault, um, to sing for us, I want to thank Mr. Kenny, um, Mrs. Felainuk, I don't think she's going, but the whole music department, the arts department, Mrs. Martinez, and all those that are working at Everett for the great work that you are doing for the visual and performing arts. Um, and while we can't send you off here personally, just want you to know, I mean, toy, toy, toy. Break all the legs. Uh, single them under the bench as children. We can't wait to hear about your great trip. And if you've been wondering whether you should send your baby to the Lancing School District um to be educated and to become one of these rising stars, I admonish you. It's time to come on home.

116All righty. Wonderful. Wonderful. Wonderful. On that note, with no other business before the board, meeting adjourned at 7:50. Have a wonderful weekend.