FHSD Board of Education Meeting-February 19, 2026

001You got your first. >> Am I starting first? >> Not right now. >> First. I thought I got no. >> So, good evening everybody. We are glad that you are here joining us in person. And those of you joining us online uh for our February board meeting and we have pledge leaders today from John Weldon Elementary School. Like for you all to welcome Eli, Meline, Liam, and Advita. They will lead us in the pledge of allegiance. I aliance 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. >> Thank you. Um but as we uh begin uh we're going to look into our strategic plan and share our vision and each one of us board members is

002going to share one of the six points. So I'm Dr. Herman recognized as one of the top 5% high performing districts in the state. >> The employer of choice for talented educators, leaders, and staff. >> Fiscally sound with a track record of smart and long-term planning for >> Whoops. Sorry. Known for graduating well-rounded students who are equipped with the skills and experiences they need to be successful in the world. >> Celebrated for the work we've done on culture, morale, and ensuring all members of our community feel safe and welcome. >> Trusted by families and the community to make good decisions and do what's best for students. >> So, we have created an agenda to bring us closer to those goals. Board, I have a motion to approve the agenda for February 19th, 2026 as presented.

003>> Second. >> Director Pushkar all by director. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any oppose say no. Motion passes. Next up, we have some special recognitions. Miss Jules. >> Thank you, Mr. Blair. Tonight, we are recognizing the Francis House Central Esports program for their recent state championship wins. In December, the Spartan esports team participated in the Missouri Scholastic Esports Federation tournament in Sidelia. The Overwatch 2 team took home the championship trophy for the second year in a row, and the Valerant team won their first state championship. Esports, or competitive video gaming, became a sanctioned high school sport in the United States in 2018. Studies show that students who participate in esports tend to perform higher on math and reading assessments in part because esports involves significant technology usage, which allows students to

004develop STEM skills by analyzing data, game statistics, and strategies. Esports players also gain skills in leadership, critical thinking, teamwork, and communication, and are eligible for esports scholarships at more than 200 colleges and universities. Activities director Brian Kim couldn't be with us here tonight, but he asked me to share some additional information about the team. So, here's what he says. Says, "Tonight, we proudly celebrate an incredible achievement by head coach Chris Miller, assistant coach Isaiah Golden, and our Francis House Central Esports student athletes, back-to-back Overwatch 2 esports state championships, along with a Valerant state championship. These accomplishments represent far more than titles. They reflect the power of teamwork, communication, discipline, and trust. Esports demands strategic thinking, accountability, and collaboration under pressure. All skills that directly translate to success in the classroom and beyond. Our students learned

005how to support one another, adapt together, and pursue a shared goal. These championships highlight the meaningful opportunities esports provides at Francis House Central, and the positive impact it continues to have on our student athletes. Congratulations again to our coaches and athletes. And at this time, I'll invite Coach Miller to come forward at the podium, and he will help us recognize the students who made up each of the championship teams. >> Thank you very much. First, we're going to introduce the Overwatch 2 team. Going to start with Carter Hill. Attakus Huffaditz, Sawyer Klein, >> Matthew Miller, Tristan Rosner, Van Schmidt, Sukman Singh and Reed Bean and our Valerant team. We had Nathaniel Kadel, Declan Fowler, >> Bastian Hart, Carter Hill, Matthew Miller, Evan Mitchell, Vance Schmidt, Sukman Singh, and Henry Vanale. We're going to take one

006big group picture with all of you. If you want to come around and you guys want to scoot back a little bit, the board's going to stand on that platform right behind >> you. You need two rows. Can I have some taller people kneel? Do you Wait a minute. >> All right. actual guy over there >> coaches. >> Yeah. >> And there you go. >> One, two, three. >> Thank you, Congratulations. That's awesome. >> That was pretty cool seeing you in the picture like on. >> Next up, we have more special recognitions. Mol. >> Yes, we do. We are excited to introduce our student board representative for February. As you know, the purpose of the student board rep program is to honor and recognize talented students, elevate student voice, and provide growth opportunities in the

007areas of public speaking, leadership, and governance. Students are selected for this honor by their principal with input from the student body. They have an opportunity to prepare and deliver a short speech to the board and the public that is focused on their school or the district. And I'll invite Dr. Principal, Dr. Principal, principal, Dr. Dave Wedlock to the podium to introduce our student board rep from Francis How High School. Dr. Woodlock. Good evening, President Blair, members of the board, Mr. Delaney, members of executive cabinet, patrons and guests. As was just said, I am the principal of France High School and have the pleasure of introducing tonight's student school board representative, Mr. Andrew Fu. We're fortunate to have Andrew's mother, Jun Shia, and father, Jun Fu, here tonight, and we appreciate their efforts to support and

008guide Andrew into the successful person he already is today. As I thought about how best to introduce Andrew, I kept coming back to our school theme this year of lighting the torch. For some students, they surprise us with sudden flashes of excellence, while others shine in a steady, constant glow. In Andrew, his light is strong and bright with a genuine desire to know and master ideas. He carries a 4.8 GPA, is enrolled in five college level advanced placement classes, and has a perfect 36 on the ACT. His current goal is to become a computer scientist or financial magnate. I believe he is still accepting admission and scholarship offers. So, if you have any, please hit him up as the kids say. and he has decided to attend the University of Chicago this fall. Andrew also

009seeks to light the parts of his life that he has yet to explore. He has been involved in nine activities in sports uh at Francis House, serving as both the honors math club president and the junior class president, which I can tell you is a rare combination. He is also uh participates in varsity soccer and tennis. In his spare time, he volunteers with the senior population in local nursing homes in St. Charles, providing companionship and meaningful conversation. As you can see in all his activity, he pu he pursues both passion and challenge to find where he can grow. And finally, Andrew's light is broad and wide, welcoming new experiences and new people into his life. He's actively social at school and explorer of local traditions and experiences outside of it. One example is his one

010example of that spirit is his love for fishing. As an 8-year-old, his family introduced him to fishing at lace lake of the Ozarks. And as any good teenager, he quickly geared himself up and went out and learned how to fish and have catch after catch. Now soon he uh encountered a wonderful moment in which he was if you're a fisherman you'll know what this story is but he was trying to fish for bluegill very small little fish very easy to catch just beginning fisherman very easy to feel successful and he was doing that and right as he was doing this a giant large mouth largemouth bass came in and chomped the small fish and he had two fish at once and of course you know that as an 8-year-old this was quite a story which

011he brought back to his family and really has become a symbol of how he welcomes peoples in shares stories and became a favorite family activity in the Fu family and friends club. This story has also gifted him with a life lesson that sometimes the best moments, the best activities, the best friends and the most light appears when you show up prepared, stay patient and remain open to opportunity. I appreciate how Andrew represents this and the very best in our Viking community. As principal, I'm honored to introduce him tonight as our student school board representative. Pull that out real quick. >> Uh good evening everyone. My name is Andrew Fu. Uh first off, I just want to say thank you to principal wedlock, the board, uh everyone here, and God for giving me the opportunity to

012speak here tonight. Uh this is a blessing and it's a true honor to be able to speak about my wonderful and growing experience at Francis How. So, as my high school journey ends, um a question that I commonly get asked is, "How did you succeed in high school?" Uh this is a simple question on the surface. However, when you try to answer, you feel like it seems more much more complicated. As I reflect, I realize that my answer is that there's really no true answer. There's no formula, no handbook that'll tell you what the steps are to resolving the formula of high school. What works for one person may not work for another person. Um because students aren't onedimensional and neither I felt like was my experience. Um if I had to describe myself, I

013would say someone with a wide range of interests. Um as already described, I play sports, I enjoy math, I play poker, I spend time outside, I play games. And I think that same diversity shows up in the music I listen to to the friends I choose to surround myself with. I feel like I never fit neatly into one category and at times in my life that may have felt like a weakness. However, at Princess How High, I feel like it felt like a strength. Uh this is a place where I was given the opportunity to explore, to participate, and to grow in multiple directions at once. Whether it was the classroom, activities, sports, or simply through the community, I felt supported in being myself, not just a stereotype, not a label, uh just a student

014trying to figure things out in high school. Uh some of my best friends I even made just in this last year and uh we even went on a backpacking trip this uh this winter and plan to go on a senior trip together. I think uh this really shows how Francis How was infinitely dimensional and each year opens new opportunities for growth. Um, one specific moment that I think really show truly showed me this in Frances how uh was tennis. Coming into high school, never saw myself as a tennis player, focused on other sports like soccer and basketball. And uh it was a sport I plan to try out for and never really crossed my mind. However, uh my one pesky friend decided to talk me into just coming for a meeting. And after meeting the

015coach and the community, I instantly fell in love. Um whether it was my teammates or just the game, I felt like I could be myself completely when I played tennis. And now it's become one of my best sports. and I'm really looking forward to my senior season this spring. Uh, this experience showed me how Francis How brought me the most important things in my life that I never even anticipated for it to happen. That's why my biggest piece of advice to students is this. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do anything. You're not limited to one interest, uh, one group of friends or one version of yourself. I feel like high school is not about fitting into a box. It's about discovering who you are when you're allowed to step outside of one

016and just experiencing and seeing what happens. Um, the support I receive from my teachers, from the school, and encouraging me to embrace all the things that make me me is the reason I love Francis How, and it's why I'm proud to represent it and why I'm truly honored to speak on it tonight. Thank you everyone, and God bless. Thank you. Can I come up take the work? You're >> good. Come over here by your principal and your superintendent. There you go. >> One, two, three. >> Congratulations. You're welcome. Follow me. I'm sorry. >> Oh, I got some water here. >> Good morning, >> Andrew. Welcome as our student member of the board of education. How you feeling? >> Feeling feeling good. >> Okay, great. >> A little hot, but feeling good. >> You're good. The

017pressure's off you now. Okay. All right. So, please feel free to ask questions. There's a microphone in front of you. This iPad will load the agenda. I'll walk you through how to do that. Um, your input is always valued and appreciated. You can ask questions. You just can't vote. Okay. Until you're elected, okay? We're grateful that you're here with us. >> Thank you. Uh, next, our spotlight presentation, Miss Joles. >> Yes. Our spotlight presentation this evening is connected to pillar one of the strategic plan. Strategy three, as you may recall, under college and career calls for the district to expand real world learning opportunities for students by partnering with local businesses and industries to offer job shadowing opportunities, internships, career tech pathways, and more. So, tonight, we are thrilled to shine a light on our

018registered youth apprenticeship programs that provide high school students with valuable paid hands-on work experience while they complete their academic coursework. Through strong partnerships with local industry leaders, students engage in structured on the job training aligned to high demand career pathways and supported by related classroom instruction that enhances their professional growth. These programs enable students to develop technical skills, earn industry recognized credentials, and build meaningful connections with employers, all while preparing for successful transitions to the workforce, post-secary education, or advanced training. Since its launch in the fall of 2023, the district's registered youth apprenticeship program has grown to include 18 apprentices participating in real world learning across three high demand industries: carpentry, advanced manufacturing, and early childhood education. Here to tell us more about the progress and the future opportunities in this area, our college and

019career specialist Katie Vargas and apprenticeship coordinator Dr. Cara Dalton. Good evening. Sure this is good. Make sure these are on. This is a new development right here. Okay. Good evening, Mr. Blair, members of the board, uh Mr. Delaney, members of the executive cabinet, patrons, and guests. As we think about preparing students for life after graduation, we need to anchor our decisions in workforce realities. According to the 2025 state of the workforce uh St. Louis workforce report, more than 50% of adults in our region have no post-secary degree. At the same time, employers report ongoing skill shortages. 46% site shortages and skill trades and 43% report difficulty finding workers with the knowledge and skills they need. In fact, 65% of employers say they are forced to hire them uh their employees and train less experienced workers

020simply to fill roles. That tells us the system is reactive, not strategic. Employers are consistently uh reporting gaps in communication skills, critical thinking, and industry specific knowledge. These are exactly the competencies developed through structured supervised work-based learning. Registered youth apprenticeship allows students to earn while they learn, gain industry recognized credentials, and develop real world skills before they graduate. It connects education directly to high demand careers and creates clarity around post-secondary pathways, whether that includes college, technical training, or both. A lot of times it ends up being both. This isn't about creating an alternative path. It's not about it's it's actually about strengthening our primary mission which is preparing students for successful future futures and fulfilling careers that align with their interests and their strengths all while building a sustainable workforce for our region. Registered youth

021apprenticeship is both a student success strategy and an economic development strategy. This is my slide. Um as Mrs. Vargas said um this is a this is such a partnership between our school and our partners to not just help find our students pathways into great careers but really strengthen us um economically on a regional level. And so where are we and Francis how at in our process? Uh we just celebrated our second year being an official USDA um apprenticeship program. Um our signing was in February of 2024. Those years right the work started before then. So in 23 24 really even the year before that we were laying that groundwork and working with our teachers making some changes to curriculum um and getting those partners on board so that we could make sure we we had

022good partners who are ready to in invest in our students and help guide them understand that they're 17 and 18 year olds and be prepared to help give them the next step of the skills they need to be successful. And so we we signed as an apprentice program in February of 2024. So, official Department of Labor um designation. We signed our first apprentices that May in carpentry um and contact our partner jumped on board with us to uh walk through this with us as we we learned as well. Um so those students started that summer and then during the 2425 school year we had um two rounds of manufacturing advanced manufacturing students that signed and so it um gave the growth numbers up here. We had in January of 2025, we signed three advanced manufacturing

023students. And then in May of 2025, we signed two more manufacturing, three new carpenters, and one early childhood. That was another new strain for us last year. And to show how it's growing even more since then, we've had our first round of advanced manufacturing this year. Uh we signed those students in May. We had nine of them. um we still have one more round of manufacturing to go and we are we are right in the midst of recruiting right now um for for all of our strands and so that's where that that 18 number comes from from all the students who signed and started their program last year and also those students who recently signed in January we didn't invite those students tonight we're going to invite them in the in the fall for all

024the students who kind of signed this year to start next year um but we are we're growing by leaps and bounds and um we're seeing the need we're seeing the interest from students in finding these great career pathways and in careers that give them um the opportunity for longevity, the opportunity for growth and some really great um great companies that are are investing in them and several of them are here tonight as well. >> That's okay. So, looking ahead to the 2627 school year, we are adding two major programs. Okay, we're adding two new programs of electrical trades and information technology. These are high demand fields where our students can start great careers immediately. We're also already planning for the future beyond next school year. Our next focus areas include medical and patient care, culinary

025and hospitality, and cosmetology. We have no cosmetology program in the county um or really the the region um accessible to our high school students. That is a huge ask and actually a huge need in terms of labor shortage. These are all areas where our community needs skilled workers right now. Our success depends on the partners who work with us. And we've teamed up with the independent electrical contractors and seven local contracting companies to give our students direct hands-on experience for this new strand we're um launching in electrical trades. We are proud of our efforts to attract and ret retain our very own homegrown students as FHSD employees as well. Our early childhood apprentice and currently uh recruiting and signing another one as we speak work right here in the district. Additionally, our intention is to

026work to strengthen our partnership with Careerways. Cynthia Walker, Careerways CEO, has developed an employer funded fasttrack apprenticeship model that has done wonders for all of St. Charles County School District's apprenticeship programs, ours included. We are excited to see where this accelerator model takes our students. And finally, we are working closely with the Department of Labor and DESIE. Uh these the leaders of of that organization are helping us secure grant funding that is much needed to keep this growth going. We aren't just building a program for today. We're building one that will last. Sure. And now it is my pleasure to introduce Brian Davis, one of our amazing partners. He is the CEO of Trinity Products, a 100% employeeowned steel manufacturing company headquartered right here in St. Charles. Founded in 1979, Trinity Products has grown from

027a small steel pipe brokerage into a nationally recognized leader in spiral weld steel pipe, structural steel, and custom fabrication for the heavy civil construction industry. With approximately 245 employeeowned o employee owners across six locations nationwide, Trinity supports major infrastructure projects including bridges and highway systems that serve communities across the country. You can literally skateboard through the pipes that they make. Uh we might have when we visited. Under Brian's leadership, Trinity continues its strong tradition of innovation, quality, and workforce development. values that closely align with our district's commitment to preparing students for meaningful, high demand careers. Trinity currently employs five of our Francis Howell students as apprentices. All thanks to Brian and his leadership. Brian, thank you for having me here this evening. Uh, I want to start off by saying thank you to the board

028and to the school district for committing the resources for a program like this to exist. Um, I I know that's sometimes a challenge. Um, so thank you and and and really kudos for for that. Uh, and and and for the work that you allow these ladies to do. They do a fantastic job. uh you know when we started in this program um I was skeptical right we 16 17 18year-old uh students in a uh in a very heavy industrial fabrication and manufacturing facility uh can be a little uh can be a little scary uh and quite honestly I wasn't sold right away u but to the point of uh how this affects our region and and workforce development. At that point in time, I had had 20 two zero open positions posted for 16 months

029straight. So, you know, I sat back, I thought about it, and I'm like, what do I have to lose here? What I'm doing right now is not working. Right? So, uh we got involved in the program. Uh we currently have a total of 17 apprentices. Um as as Katie said, we have five from Francis How. Um the program has been a resounding success. Um these students, it's a 2,000 hour program. Um most of them will do that over the course of a 2-year period. Um some of them have done it a little quicker than that, about 18 months. But over the course of that, you know, they're going to earn in the neighborhood of 35 to $40,000 in in salary. Um, and they're going to work on projects that are going to be from tens

030of thousands to tens of millions of dollars. Um, you know, so the uh the program for us and why, you know, we're as interested in it as we are. Um, it gives these it gives these students the opportunity to get in the ground floor, right? I I'm hopeful at the end of their program they want to stay and and work with us, but if they don't, um, how how amazing is it to walk into their next employer with uh 2,000 hours of real shop experience? Uh, so I I applaud you for for the program. I applaud the work that these ladies do. Uh I know we have one of our uh apprentices here tonight. Every single one of them that we have is uh is doing a just an amazing job. Uh really I think

031for a lot of my staff um renewed their faith in the in the coming group uh because they weren't really sold on the on the program either. and it was more along the lines of I don't want kids in my shop, right? Um, and that that has turned around entirely. So, uh, the program is a is a resounding success. So, thank you very much. All right, with that, we would like to recognize um the students that could make it and our employers that are here. Um I mentioned we are we are holding off on those manufacturing kids that we just signed last month to wait to go with our kind of our next batch. They're next year's kind of the way they get um coded. Um and a few are not here in manufacturing. A

032lot of these students are working second shift. So they're in school during the day and they're working and >> mine said no. >> Um maybe did I don't know. Um they are they just really were not wanting to um to leave work. And I have a good authority that a couple of these kids who who aren't here um showed up on one of our snow days and showed up early during the day and said, "Hi, we're here. Can we work cuz we don't have school." Um so that's showing you the the dedication and the care that they um they love about these jobs. And how and also how welcoming our companies are being for these kids to that they instead of sitting home and just playing on their phones um they got up and went

033into work when they could have waited six more hours to go in for their shift. So, if I could have all the apprentices that are here, if you guys would start uh just coming up here and lining up. Um, and also make sure nobody snuck in on me in the last second and I missed. Um, so we're going to call your name. You're going to take your certificate from Mrs. Vargas and then head to the front for your picture. So, we have Kennedy Vargas. Um, she is our early childhood apprentice at um, Hackman Road Early Childhood Center. um she is just doing an amazing job there. As a preschool mom watching her, I hope all my kids teachers are like she is. It was it was just so wonderful to see. Um our carpentry representative,

034Evan Sykes, he works for Conte. Then our advanced manufacturing students that are here tonight, Alex Derinsky, um who works at Trinity and Nathan and Sarah who works for True Manufacturing other employers if you guys want to start heading this way. Um, as we mentioned a couple times, we could not do this without the partnerships um with the companies right here in St. Charles County and the surrounding region. Um Brian mentioned it's um it can be a little scary when you are in these big industrial plants and you're either welding or have these big presses expensive equipment um to want to take a chance on someone who you know you like oh they're they're young are they going to be okay in the shop but um these companies have have done so and um have a

035great working relationship with us. So um as I I'm going to announce them and you guys join the kids up there. Um, so Brian Davis again from Trinity, Joe Huber from contact here. Yay. Minnie Hopper who's the principal at Hacking Early Childhood and Drew Centure Manufacturing. And before we um take a quick picture, I know we went well over our time. We apologize. Any questions for these young people or for us? >> Just thanks. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. >> You guys want to come around? >> Congratulations. >> We're a lot. I need to see. One, two, three. >> Hold those poses for all the parents. Thank you guys. >> So, thank you very much for that presentation on the youth leadership program. Just love all the different varied ways that our district

036is preparing students for the future. Thank you for sharing. Uh at this point, we're going to move towards uh patron comments. Uh during patron comments, residents of the district and staff members are invited to address the board of education on issues related to the school district. Speakers are called forward in the order of signup and each speaker has three minutes to make their remarks. Please remember that only one speaker is allowed at the podium at a time and combining time or giving your time to someone else is not permitted. The board appreciates that you have taken the time to come this evening and we value both your input and perspective. I would like to remind everyone that we expect that speakers will remain civil and respectful when giving remarks. We also ask the patrons in

037the audience remain quiet in order to be respectful of the speakers allotted time. At this point, we invite Grayson Justice to come forward. >> Good evening. Um, happy Black History Month. Even though our country's administration doesn't respect or recognize it, I know that some board members don't like hearing what the African-American community has a positive thing to do in our US history. But I want to share some interesting history about Francis. Um, on July 12th, 2013, Normandy school district transferred their students to France and mostly white parents are concerned of their children's safety because Normandy students are black and from the city. Back in 20 uh 2023, the board decided to that the resolution of racism discrimination expired, but Dr. Harmon promised to have bring a new version of the resolution or bring back the

038original um resolution and yep, we got nothing. Um in 2024, we had had the board try to take away the elective meeting optional black history and literature classes, and a noose was found in the stadium's restroom. And lastly, in 2025, we have a uh racial slurs in high school restrooms and out of the board members mouth when she read a passage of a book she wants to get rid of, even though it was a high school level book. All of these events tell us that racism is still strong in Francis How. And we need to tell everyone that racism and discrimination towards communities is wrong and we really need that resolution of racism and discrimination back in our schools. I app I applaud the students who stood up for their right to protest at the

039student led an organization walk out for an hour against the secret police known as IC yesterday. And when I was looking at a list of books that's been questioned by parents, mostly high school level are blocking the realities students have to face once they graduate, want to learn about more about themselves, and learning about someone in their shoes. I keep hearing this phrase from the other side. Let kids be kids. How? When school shootings are becoming norm, ICE agents are invading schools and bus stops in neighborhoods. I trust the system and we we have and parents should have shouldn't tell other parents what book they should read cuz it makes them feel uncomfortable. Thank you. Vote no for SB3 and embolish ice. Thank you. Up next is Ron Pushkar. Good evening, school board directors, Superintendent

040Delaney and staff. Chamlin's so-called experts that promote all forms of antimmoral, sexually obscene, racially demeaning, and anticultural literature to school children. I condemn the actions of Francis High School District for deliberate discrimination of Christian family values and bullying Christian children for practicing their faith. Our country's laws and values are based on Judeo-Christian principles. Why does Francis Hall school system hate America's values? I know from personal dialogue and observations with parents and teachers that there are culturally unhealthy literature and curriculum being used to indoctrinate children to a hedenistic lifestyle and Marxist ideology both of which are against American and Christian family values. Why does Francis school system hate Christian values? A current example of anti-parent behavior by this administration is the pending revision policy 6341 challenging of learning materials. It decreases parent participation and increases Francis

041Hall employee participation on the review committee to an 80% majority vote and now includes a librarian for further bias the decision to reject parental book challenges. It increases the challenge review process from 11 weeks to 21 weeks and does not quarantine challenge books while under a challenge review. This proposed changes limits and discourage dirty book challenges and further demonstrates this administration's discrimination against parental rights and Christian family values. Regarding the top topic of exposing obscene material to children or curriculum that is pervasively vulgar, our lack our our lack of educational suitability. I have learned from listening to patron comments and board member statements that women primarily in this school district and on this board want their children exposed to vote with literature and curriculum so as to expose and expand their children's minds to aberant

042societal behaviors. For what reasons they have not publicly explained yet they demand that their right to expect the school educational system to provide such curriculum. However, there are Francis House students whose parents do not want their children exposed to literature and curriculum that condones, if not encourages, fornication, incest, rape, crossdressing, and other human depravities as cultural learning experiences. Such behaviors are considered an abomination by Christian principles, and pride is the first of the seven deadly sins of Christianity. By not safeguarding Christian children from such obscene books and curriculum, the Francis Hall school district discriminating against Christian family values and perpetrating harm to their children. You are making a sham of Francis Health strategic pillar 4, safety and security by not protecting all children and their family values. In closing, on a lighter note, happy anniversary,

043Jane, I promise you. >> Thank you. Uh, up next is John Hybrreer. >> Hide breer. Apologize. Thank you. My name is John Hybrid. I've addressed this forum two times since the Charlie Kirk assassination, sustaining a desire to create a unified mission statement for all Francis How stakeholders. Last month, I apologized to administration for not uh responding to my two prior letters. I do sustain my request for a response from the board. Uh to further or to have clarity and no confusion, a unified mission statement requires careful action in our policym and curriculum content. In Missouri, the board sets policy and curriculum. At some level, the board has chosen to delegate policymaking to expert teachers, creating the appearance of some influence to our policy by the NEA. I believe that actionable policy direction to the board

044should come from our community with due consideration from applicable local stool and civil governance. For the upcoming election, I stated to not care what organization supports what candidates. of the utmost importance for the newly elected board members is what is in their heart. Doing more homework to carefully look at all sides, I have found the following truths, listing three last time before my time expired. We are created, we did not evolve. We are created equal. There's no black people. There's no white people. We're all colored. Uh we are created man and woman. There's nothing in between and you can't change from one to the other. I'll add that we are created to serve, to be an asset to each other, to our community, and to our creator. I'll add the fifth truth. We are created

045and desire to be with our creator in eternity. We now celebrate 250 years as a constitutional republic, knowing we are endowed by our creator with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I find a key stumbling block in having a unified mission statement begins with the advent of humanism in the great awakening 200 years ago. We have slowly moved to the crux of what I find of student, parent, teacher, staff and citizen disunityity. The first side says, I desire to be with my creator in eternity. And there is an identified set of known standards we can all understand to achieve that desire. and we are obligated to teach our students accordingly. The second side says I don't really believe the constitution that we are created by a creator. As such, we are obligated to educate

046our students that science says we are here by chance and have evolved through systematic happen stance and survival of the fittest over a long period of time. listening to the first side. Among many good things, the NEA expert in their website uh provides a message of deception and bad behavior. >> Thank you for your Thank you for your time. >> Up next is Mark Cayman. Good evening everyone. Um there is something that we need to discuss among the technology being used in our schools today. use of artificial intelligence, whether it be through generative AI, whether it be through machine learning. We're not seeing the necessary instruction for faculty, staff, students in use in the use of this. As easy it is for students to use an AI bot to create, it is just as easy

047for a person to cause harm. Whether it be through the theft of data, whether it be through the putting sensitive data into a chatbot and making it available to that bot. This isn't something specific to Francis House School District. This is every education organization out there. Whether it be school district, whether it be higher education, whether it be preschool, our vendors are using it and we don't know how they're using it. We're not tracking it. So my suggestion is we need to start learning about it because I guarantee my my two high school students at Francis Holl North probably know more about AI than I do and I hold AI certifications in the cyber security world and my kids know more about it than I do. So that that kind of baffles me, but I

048not expect it at the least bit. Um, and then also, um, the last point I need to make for tonight is that seeing books up for review in the library, books that I read in high school, books that haven't changed since they were published in the 1930s and 40s, books who whose themes haven't been questioned in the last 20 years and suddenly they are questionable. >> Thank you. Your time is up. >> Thank you. >> Up next is Sarah Dillard. Good evening, members of the board of education, superintendent, uh, district administrators, educators, and members of the Frances Hall community. My name is Sarah Dillard, and I'm a parent of two children in the Frances Hall School District, a district alum, and a candidate for this school board. I believe deeply that our schools can and

049must be better supported than they are today. I want Frances to be a place where teachers don't just survive a few years but stay for decades. A place where they feel respected, listened to, and trusted as professionals. Where their expertise matters. Where the school board works with teachers, staff, administrators, students, and families. Not around them, not over them, not against them. Because collaboration isn't weakness. It's leadership. One of my children lives with a physical disability. He thrives not by accident, but because educators have taken the time to truly know him, to see his strengths and to advocate for what he needs to succeed. That kind of care doesn't happen in systems stretched too thin. It happens when staff aren't burned out, when class sizes are reasonable, and when people feel supported enough to stay long

050enough to build real, meaningful relationships with kids. I want that for every student and educator in our district. I also want our students to walk into school buildings where they see themselves reflected, not just during a heritage month, not just in an elective, but embedded into the curriculum, the leadership, and the faculty. Representation sends a powerful message. You belong here. And belonging is foundational to learning, engagement, and success. Safety matters, too. I mean, real safety, not just physical safety, but emotional and psychological safety. Our students, teachers, and staff deserve to feel safe in their buildings, in their identities, and safe knowing their education won't be politicized or undermined. They deserve a full board that has their backs, especially when it's hard. And when our schools are threatened by underfunding, harmful policies, or decisions made far

051from our classrooms, I want to be a board member who does not stay silent. One who takes their advocacy all the way to Jeff City and fight unapologetically for a fully funded, inclusive, highquality public education for every single child. Our educators are the heart of this district and our students are the reason it exists. We owe them leadership that is brave, collaborative, and relentless in their defense. That is the kind of board member I will be, and that is the kind of board Francis Hal needs. On April 7th, I encourage you all to vote with me and for me to move Francis Hal forward. Thank you. Up next is Jared Pillsbury. She's got my vote. Um, good evening board president Blair. Good to see you. Um, before I begin, I just want to welcome uh,

052student representative. Congratulations. For those of you who don't know, University of Chicago has less than a 4 and a half% accept rate. So, what this young man is doing in addition to all of his accolades is tremendous. Give him a round of applause. So before I get into it, uh just a couple of fact statements I want to point out. So I have Tammy Faucet, a district patron's permission to share from her Facebook post dated um dated February 12th. The exchange Mrs. Faucet had she described as civil, yet it opposed Director Pushkar's viewpoint. Mrs. Faucet is known to director Pushkar as they served together for a time on committee. This is not one-off behavior for Director Pushkar, but Mrs. Faucet's point is to emphasize that this behavior happens even with those who are not the

053most vocal opponents online. I'm told to expect an email from Mrs. Faucet requesting you unblock her. Quote, I was blocked in my first interaction with Jane Pushkar, which was calm and carefully worded not to get blocked. This is after serving on the finance committee with Jane for some time and after going through the citizens in our schools program with her spouse. blocking isn't limited to her most vocal opponents or those who are being inappropriate." End quote. Her post from uh February 12th follows. Quote, "FHSD friends, I was recently blocked from FHSD board member Jane Pushkar's public Facebook page, presumably for calmly disagreeing with her on Prop RT. I'm sharing because I'm concerned how disagreement is handled in our district. She accused me by name of being disingenuous and pretending to be a teacher because she

054confused me with another commenter. when I corrected her, sharing that the district's website posted the 2025 2026 teacher salary schedule listing top teacher pay as $11,512 for a doctorate on step 25. She deleted my comments and blocked me. I'm a taxpayer and a member of this community. An elected official should be able to hear from constituents that respectfully disagree. If they can't, it shows serious fragility that raises questions about their ability to serve. We shouldn't have to coddle our representatives. Public service is about listening to our community, not silencing it. Instead of engaging on the issues she brought up, Jane deleted my comments and blocked me. We don't have to agree on Prop RT, but we should be able to discuss it openly. End quote. Now, to my comment. As Director Pushkar has gone on

055the radio and likened her time in office to serving a prison sentence, I simply cannot understand why she insists on staying in office or running for reelection for that matter. She clearly does not enjoy the job or serving district patrons. I invite her to resign as soon as possible since this is public service we're talking about and not a prison cell. I'd also add that I would call into question the better judgment and fitness for office of anyone choosing to run on a slate with the river push. Thank you. Up next is David Jorski. >> So call him again. >> Up next is David Jorski. Good evening board. I'm of the understanding that the board has made a decision to move forward with one-on-one tech for 2627. Last month I addressed the board about a

056book uh called delig digital delusion written by a doctor. One of the things that I do when I look at these books that disagree with using edtech or any book for that matter where I'm researching is I look for the type of references that are in the book. There's 81 pages of references in the back of the book that get that means that Dr. Horvvis spent a great deal of time researching this subject before he actually published. But to answer the question of is he alone in his opinions or whether or not his research I did a little of my own and it was very quick that I came up with a whole variety of research articles that have been published. Here's one. This is the one that I came up with. Again, there's at

057least 20 more that I could pick, but this one seemed appropriate. Synthesis of 398 metaanalysis over 21,000 studies by Hattie visible learning overall edtech effect size of plus.29 standard deviation below point 4 to.5 threshold for meaningful educational impact. one-on-one tech lab laptop programs show only a6 standard deviation indicating minimal or negligible benefit. So my encouragement is to you before you make this decision that you actually do real research on this topic because I feel like if you've made that decision already and you haven't read this material then maybe you should go through it before you actually make that decision because it's not just something that the child is going to suffer from if they don't learn anything but this actually can affect the cognitive ability of kids. So, I suggest you read the material before

058you make that decision. Andrew, if you've never done uh fly rod fishing with a 5 lb test line and wrestling in a trout, I highly recommend it. Thank you. Okay. Uh up next, we have uh comments from uh FHEA. Good evening. My name is Francine Hill and I am the FHA president. FHA wants to thank all the community members that have been asking questions, sharing information, and supporting Francis Hal as we prepare for the impacts of upcoming changes to our funding. Francis Hal has many programs that support our students and funding makes this possible. As a district, we do need to be selective about how funds are spent. Several thousand dollars should not be spent on a service that can be conducted for free. That does not demonstrate fiscal responsibility. Changing the book challenge policy

059to allow LMS to place retained books in the learning commons instead of having to surplus them eliminates wasted funds. FHA has seen how Dr. St. John carefully monitors the balances and looks at multiple scenarios, but she's not magic. Public schools depend on taxes to keep the lights on. The tax freeze for our senior citizens is already in place. The new changes are not for their benefit. Our community has already demonstrated they're reluctant to pass a tax increase. So suggesting that as a solution to offset the loss of funding does not seem feasible. Cost of living increases are necessary for individuals, businesses, and our schools. The cost of running our schools will continue to increase every year, and revenue will not. While Facebook is fun, it's not a reliable resource for information. Please find reliable sources

060of information when you are looking for your decisions about the direction of our schools. FHEA wants our students and staff to have everything they need to receive and provide a quality education. If our schools are not performing due to funding the way a potential homeowner believes they should be, the value of your house will be impacted. No one wants to pay more taxes the same way homeowners don't buy homes in declining schools. Thank you. Up next is Thank you, President Blair. I'm Tracy Edelin. I'm an ASL interpreter or district for many years and the VISPA vice president of the interpreters. Would like we would like to recognize and honor three groups of professionals whose dedication and daily efforts make our schools not just functional but welcoming place for all our maintenance team, our grounds crew,

061and our custodial staff. Our maintenance team stays a plays a critical role in ensuring that every building and system across our district operates safely and efficiently. Six sweeped crew members tackle routine repairs to preventative upkeep. They tackle challenges with skill and care that often go unseen until a problem arises. Our other 24 maintenance team members handle a wide range of responsibilities from ensuring heating and cooling systems operate properly to repairing infrastructure and completing tasks that directly support the safety, comfort, and long-term health of our facilities. The maintenance team's commitment keeps our buildings functioning properly so teachers can teach and students can learn in a safe environment. Our grounds crew is the backbone of the beautiful campuses that greet students, staff, and visitors each day. We have 12 ground crew members that maintain a thousand acres

062districtwide. They are responsible for mowing fields, caring for gardens, trimming trees, bushes, clearing walkways, and preparing athletic fields. All of which contribute only not only to the physical beauty of our district, but also to the safety of our students. A well-kept exterior enhances school pride and creates an inviting place for learning and play. Their behind-the-scenes work ensures that our outdoor spaces are safe, enjoyable, and reflective of the pride that we take in our schools. This department also includes two mechanics that maintain 60 fleet vehicles, 15 mowers, tremors, blowers, snow equipment, etc. Our custodial staff is our unsung heroes of our daily operations. We currently have 109 custodians who clean approximately 2,500,000 square ft. We arrive. They arrive early. They stay late. They work tireously to help keep every classroom, hallway, restroom, and common area clean,

063sanitized, and ready for students and staff. From daily cleaning and disinfecting to event setup and tear down, their work directly impacts the health, well-being, and productivity of our entire school community. Custodians are often the first to respond to emergencies from spills to maintenance issues and they do so with professionalism and care that protects the learning environment every single day. In closing, these teams may not always be in the spotlight, but their work is essential to us and to the success of our schools. They help ensure safe environments, uphold the integrity of our facilities, and give each student and staff member the clean, cared for space they deserve. On behalf of our district, thank you for your dedic dedication, your hard work, and your unwavering support for our schools. For board, I have a motion to

064approve the consent agenda for February 19th, 2026 as presented. Second, >> director Pushkar the motion, second with director Ponder. All those in favor say I. >> I. Any oppose say no. Motion passes. Board. I have a motion to approve the report as presented. >> Director Pushkar, seconded by Director Ponder. And now we have um Dr. St. John. >> Good evening. Thank you so much board for the opportunity to share with you budget related items in connection with strategic plan pillar 3. An effort to keep both the board of education and community informed in a timely manner. Each month we share an update in the area of operating budget including amendments as necessary, bond financials, self- insurance revenues and expenditures as well as a legislative update. This month we do bring to you a budget amendment

065of which the detailed version of the information is in the financial packet in Word docs, but I would like to draw your attention to a few items in the next couple of slides just to point out what those changes are. As you know, this school year goes on, we learn more, we understand more about what the budget, how the budget's performing, as well as new allocations that come to us uh throughout the year, and we make adjustments accordingly. With the changes overall, this is only a 0.25 decrease in the fund balance as we had projected it last month. So, not an overall change that equals that much. But I would like to point out to you some of the changes um that are occurring within the budget. This is the second budget amendment for the

066school year. And after we've analyzed the budget to actuals for each month and the month ending of January 2026, there are some revenue adjustments that we are recommending. Some of the revenue adjustments are decreases due to uh updates that we get each month from DESIE in regards to school finance and the per pupil or the ADA calculation for each is trending lower in our Prop C which is related to our sales tax. We had estimated our budget at $1,514 per ADA and it's now coming in at $1,465. So that makes a slight adjustment of about $600,000 to the budget. The top line is reflective of Senate Bill 190 that I brought to you last month. The decrease in taxes that we received due to that uh Senate bill was 1,33,38787. So that's a decrease to

067the the collection of local taxes that would be affected there. We also have finalized the property insurance um music and then we adjust for that in the um object code as well as looking at how the basic funding formula is coming in. Our summer school numbers were a little higher than what we had budgeted. So that's an increase of revenue than expected. and our transportation is currently being paid at 95% versus the 100% fully funded that had been mentioned. These are the expenditures. I won't go on every single line, but again, just to uh train your eye as to the left side gives you a slight um description as to what that amendment would be. And then to the far right is the total uh showing you if we need to increase that expenditure or

068decrease that expenditure column overall or that object code overall. This is the trajectory that we look at each month with the green column being the most current as I just mentioned at our fund balance estimate at 27.34% as we come in uh to the that's what we would expect to see in June. And then carrying that out to the right of the uh projections that we have for through the year 20 uh the school years of 27 28 and 29. This is another look at that type of data in a different format. Uh again not much change from last month as that was just the decrease of 0.25 from the prior month. We also bring to you each month the bond financials. Not much has changed in this area. you know, we are winding down

069um the Prop 6 funding as we are scheduled to do those six more HBAC systems over this summer and there are some preliminary work that will begin over spring break in that area with our self- insurance financials. I'm going to take you on a few more slides this month than I have previously. That committee has met each month uh throughout the entire school year. this time it generally would start about this time of year but instead we made the the effort to start earlier in the year and I really just wanted again to bring your attention to the revenues are trending lower than uh expected and the expenditures are trending higher so again to remind you that the premium amount is being supplemented by potential board transfer that I'll bring bring to you I believe

070next month I'm anticipating that to be about $3 million in order for us to be able to bring the fund balance back up to what we expect it to be by the end of the year. And again, that's two things. One, the premium is being covered by the board allocation. And so that's why an additional amen u transfer would need to occur as well as the cost of the pre or of the um claims that are coming in are higher than expected for the school year as we're paying them. This is a slide that I utilized within our committee work and this is to really show if we don't write the insurance uh this is what will happen. So the fund will go bankrupt if we do not start to mitigate some of those expenses.

071And so the team will look this coming month at multiple plans for the St. Charles County, other school districts as well as peer districts and really start to understand other self-insured school districts and how they move some of the levers that can both offer a good insurance plan for our employees as well as decrease our expenditures. Otherwise, the operating budget of the school district will continue to have to be u amending this to be able to keep it afloat. This chart was also shared in committee and I think to just train your eye to the right side uh the the blue line indicates the ex uh increase in premium uh for the district the plan change and last year we had 16.8% was the overall change and you can see the middle bul b b

072b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b bullet that is there is really what the average is in the area. So we are much higher than others than the um the national average. And so really again trying to hit home that we've got to decrease some of those expenses and we've got to figure out what's going on and what levers that we can change whether that be in plan design or what the board pays for. One of the things that has been talked about is that Francis How is the only school district that we can find that doesn't have a flat flat rate that the board

073pays per the insurance um premium and strength is how it's varied and so each plan gets paid out a different amount and what we have seen across other benchmarks is that there is a flat known fee in order to fix that cost in the budget. As this information was presented by Carol Embry in May of uh 2025, this was brought to you in regards to where the the insurance had landed. And this is the the list of things that were left for the work of the team this year. So levers to affect change and as you can see it's things like the wellness program plan design that I just mentioned some reduction in coverage or changes in the contribution and the way that the the HSA is paid out or reducing and eliminating some of

074the contributions as well as potentially employees paying more cost. The committee looked at these levers to affect change and they uh they were surveyed and they chose their top three and so you can there was a tie between two and the number two and three. So we really have four things that we'll go back to the committee's work in this uh next month and we'll really start to hone in on some things that we believe will bring those costs down and make some choices um but still in hopes of bring um a nice insurance package to our employees. Our commitment to you and this committee work is that on March the 10th, we will have that committee that we just mentioned there and MMA, our broker, will be bringing us some plan design, cost-saving measure

075um ideas. Then the team will meet again on April the 9th and then the final committee meeting will be on May the 5th um with a work board work session on May the 7th. So you'll have an opportunity to really dig in and understand what the board would be committed to for the insurance costs for next school year. Switching gears to the legislative update. I've updated this slide just a little bit as we are in full swing with this legislative session. There were more than 700 bills filed that would affect school districts during this legislative session. The one on the left I draw your attention to as I've brought to you each month that I've been here that on April uh 7th of 2026 that Senate Bill 3 now known as Prop RT will be

076on the ballot. We are reminding all of our U patrons the last day to register to vote is March 11th. And we're reminding the way that school finance works here for Francis Howal is that 75% of our revenue is based upon local taxes. And these are to support the um Senate Bill 3 change also supports essential services including fire, ambulance, and libraries. And the estimated fiscal impact for that would be a decrease of $4 million in the first year should that go through and $20 million in a gap in one year in the fifth year out. On the right side of the screen, I bring to you a watch list of others. There are several and I when you see House Bill like 1766 and House Bill uh 2329 combined, it's because they have similar

077language and they start to kind of merge together and it really focusing in on personal property tax. There's been several that have either changed the percentage and how it's calculated or eliminating it all together. That one's a little bit harder for me to estimate at this time. I'll bring you updates as we have them. The next few on residential property changes as well as tax calculation changes in a multi-ter approach. You can see the estimate fiscal estimates are anywhere from 2 million to half a million to $800,000 decrease for the school district. The bottom portion really are legislative pieces that are related to either enrollment, curriculum or instruction. And so there are pieces out there or there are legislative items out there looking at again the the parents bill of rights, open enrollment, the universal

078screener for gifted, some changes to American history curriculum, a mandatory retention policy for students, a district report card grading each school district as A through F, as well as mandatory 60 minutes of PE each day, grades K through 12. I would like to make note on the district report card A throughF, there are three versions that are floating around out there. One of which is an executive order by the governor. The timeline for that particular one, it's based upon standards that would be put together in the summer of 2026 and released in the fall of 2027. So, we believe that that one is moving a little bit faster than the legislative pieces, the executive order version. Not much to update in the area of the school funding modernization task force. So as a reminder, this

079will be complete by December 1st of 2026. The one main key area to this funding is the on the bottom lefthand corner under the funding targets. For many many years, for the 20 years that this formula has been in place, there has been something known as a dollar value modifier. And that has been used in the formula to equalize. So if you think about how the price of gas might be different across the state, this was in order for that to create an equalizer into the formula, that calculation does not exist any longer federally. And so they are now either going to have to replace that component or do something different in terms of normalizing rural schools versus city schools versus suburban schools. And that's what that was used for in the formula. This is

080the trajectory map um as stated with the assumptions with Senate Bill 3. No change from the prior month except for just the update to the green column which is the 27.34. And then I leave you with um some great things that have gone on in February is that the reboot of the wellness committee as you saw was one of the levers and we feel very successful with that. I want to shout out both Jane and Michelle who are on the team with me. Uh we've really got some fun things moving and grooving this um last couple of months with some monthly challenges across the district, some um fresh fruit offered in all of our buildings as well as just kind of getting ourselves up and moving and um starting to address some of our health

081issues. The committee met on the 10th and we'll meet again next month on the 10th and and shortly I will go over the budget development as that season has begun. And then tonight Scott will be bringing you the technology 5-year plan as well. And the final piece there is that the Raptor visitor management system is now in full swing and it will be fully implemented um as we go into spring break. So by March the 20th. And with that I will see if you have any questions. >> Any questions? Uh I want to ask a question. Uh so you were sharing estimates today regarding Prop RT incident bill 3. And at a previous board meeting there was a question whether or not your estimates are just estimates. Um and they are um when it came

082to the property tax freeze for seniors. It's a $1 million loss to us. What was the estimate that you had about the impact for that particular uh law on us as South School District? >> Um so what Carol would have showed yet I believe it was in the neighborhood of about $750,000. So it came in higher than what was estimated. So it's helpful for us to know that the estimate is the estimate for like the target be over or under >> and in recent example the estimate for one cause um on us was underestimated >> right >> and >> it's difficult to make these estimate estimate oh my gosh I can't say the word estimates too estimations um because it's uncharted territory I'm calculating something that's never existed before and so when I work in

083a network of other um school finance folks across our state and we really just try to normalize and create standards in which we believe this is the things that we would make a change or the variables that we would look at and so we work together in order to do that. So that's the best that we can offer in terms of an estimate. >> And I had one more question um I was asked is there any backfill is there any kind of funding that would come by? with Prop RT passes. Um, are there any of these 700 bills that are being in discuss being discussed? Um, do any of those have anything to do with backfilling possible loss revenue for Sen Bill 3? >> Not to my knowledge. None of them have revenue replacement streams

084attached to them. >> I appreciate that. Uh, does anybody else have any questions about any other parts of the presentation? >> Thank you for all your hard work. >> You're welcome. I'm going to stand still because up next got you. All right. So, uh, we have a motion to approve the report as presented. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any post say no. Motion passes. Board. I have a motion to approve the purchases as presented. >> Director Ponder followed by Director Pushkart. Any conversation? Right. All those in favor say I. >> Any oppose say no. Motion passes. And so now, Dr. Amy John, our deputy superintendent of finance and operations, will present information relative to the development of the 2627 budget. >> Very good. This will be very short for tonight. I

085wanted just to make sure that you were aware that we were in full budget season. Um, this will be something I'll bring to you each month so you can understand where we are at in the process. And this takes an entire village of folks in order to to pull this off as you might expect. So that $260 million operating budget is really um looking to see are the things that we need to put into the budget for next year um in terms of um planning that out really zerobased budgeting understanding we're spending those dollars as we go. This is a familiar chart to you understanding that Missouri statute 165.011 is the statute that indicates where we have to have our money um coming from going into and then coming out of. And so those are

086those fund four bucket the four buckets um for the funds and you can see within each of those general teacher capital projects and debt service how those um funds must be spent. This is where we are at in the timeline is to provide the overall timeline for you this evening and then each month after this I will be bringing to you the each of the components that build into the larger budget. So you'll see next month we'll talk about the capital and bond fund in depth for the next school year the subsequent budget that we'll be building and then finally following that behind with the debt service health fund and then the general fund and teachers fund and then finally on June 4th we will have a whole comprehensive um budget brought to you for

087your first look and then ask for the approval by the end of the month. >> That is it. >> Thank you very much. Any questions? Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> And now, Mr. Scott Gowen, director of technology, will give a five-year technology plan presentation that will address the learning environment needs throughout our district. >> Good evening, Board of Education, administrators, and guests who have decided to stay with us. Um, I'm presenting tonight a five-year look at the technology strategic plan. Uh this is an extension of the strategic plan that you all have adopted. Um basically we're going to talk about the information technology resources not necessarily the instructional technology that we do on those resources but we're going to basically talk about the devices that we have the network that we serve

088that we that serves those devices and um our commitment to continue working with our instructional leaders on the instructional technology side to address what we're doing with the devices. Um, while this five-year plan will address these resources, it does not directly address the instructional resources or the learning activities performed using our technology as the district's talented instructional leaders are already doing this work. However, like I said, I'm committed to working with them to make sure they have what they need for that to be successful. on our first slide here. I'm basically just going to take a look back in time that when I stood up before you last February and presented an assessment of the technology uh as it as it stood at that time. Uh these are the items that I shared as a

089summary of our opportunities at the end of that presentation. uh what I observed um in that analysis was that our district-wide capital planning and our purchasing for technology was very uh decentralized and um over the course of this year we have recentralized that and what we noticed was when we when the technology department wasn't purchasing things uh those things were being used well beyond their useful life because there wasn't a plan to replace them. By recentizing that process, uh we are not only taking responsibility for making sure that the devices and things that our students are using for learning, making sure that they're uh in good working order, but that they're also being replaced on a consistent basis. Uh we've also continued to collaborate with our stakeholders to make sure we're all looking towards a

090common vision of what it looks like to have technology in the classroom, but also again working with them uh on strategies to use that technology um through a comprehensive uh conversation with our neighbors learning what they're doing with their tech technology in their districts. Um we've committed to that. We've done that and part of that will be presented tonight. And then of course um also included in our five-year technology plan is the new 5-year rate cycle. And so we'll be talking a little bit about that this whole time. Again, these are all highlights from last year. Um on the network infrastructure side, we're going to begin with that. Last year, uh you approved well the board at the time approved several uh initiatives that we were funding through. Again, -ate is funded through the universal

091services fund. That is the a tax that everybody pays on any cell phones or any other telecommunications devices that we use. And that tax goes into a fund that provides grants for school districts and libraries. And so last year we we proposed to use several uh opportunities for us to use those funds to benefit our our network. Uh unfortunately that has not yet been approved. I remain hopeful, but we are uh 13 months past the time that we submitted most of those. And again, we just have not received approval yet. As a precaution, because we have not yet received approval for the 2025 application, we have resubmitted some items um for potential uh use during 2026. I want to tell you a little bit about what we're going to do. It's kind of some creative

092dancing. But, uh, those items, if they're not approved from 2025, I will be presenting them as a late item for us to consider in the March board meeting. Uh, so that some of those essential things that we had planned to do this year can be done earlier with uh, funds from next year. But to talk about that, last year's last year was the fifth year, as I reported to you then, was the fifth year of a five-year budget cycle. So, we tried to get as much as we could in that fifth year. This marks the first year. This year marks the first year or what I would be presenting to you in March marks the first year of a five-year cycle. So, if we can get those approved um based upon that last 5year cycle,

093we're going to continue to do our very best to get that approved through rate. Uh that 5year cycle was $167 per student for the course of the five years. This year, that money jumps up about 20% to $2157 per student. And so that's quite a bit more money that we can work with in the next 5year cycle. So it's kind of important we get the money from the first 5year cycle. Um but anyway, the things that we're looking at over the course of the next 5 years in the technology plan is we're looking to invest about 3.3 million in the infrastructure that is eligible for 40% reimbursement from so basically our contribution to that would be 2 million as a district. their contribution through the -ray program would be 1.3 million and that is allowed

094to provide the connections for our schools. It is allowed to provide the switches and the wireless access points that we use throughout our schools. And so over the next three years, that would be year two, year three, and year four of that cycle, we plan to purchase a lot of equipment with those capital dollars and again fund them through. Um, moving beyond the -ate funding, uh, we do have some additional, uh, items that we would have to purchase for our network infrastructure during the course of 5 years. We would have to replace our hosting um, hardware that we use to host our virtual servers and we would have to replace the infrastructure that we use for our telephones. All total, we would expect during the course of that 5-year um period, we would expect a

095a capital impact of about 2.3 million. Turning to the uh student device side of things, this is where we left off last year in that first column. Uh last year we had uh 17,983 Chromebooks that were current Chromebooks. In addition to that, we had more than I would like to admit thousands of devices that were well beyond their useful life that were being used in our classrooms again that weren't previously funded by technology. And so there wasn't a plan to replace them. They were not included in our numbers last year because the we were still trying to determine exactly uh how many of those outdated devices were in use. Um, and as you can see, continuing down the line, uh, the other student devices that we had out in our environment, uh, moving to this

096year, we do not have we do not have the outdated devices out in our environment anymore. We've done our best to to get them to a use uh, with recyclers, get them out of our environment so that so that our students can be using things that are current, which brings our current Chromebook count to 20,524. Um, that change is 2,500 Chromebooks. Uh, 2541 Chromebooks, but we purchased what 4,000 uh 4,400ish Chromebooks over the last year. So, you can see where some of those numbers kind of played out as we retire old devices. Um, the other thing I want to point out is last year when we did our assessment about a quarter, just a little over a quarter of our devices were purchased by sources other than the IT department. uh that is a much

097smaller number at around 16% right now. Uh we believe that um we believe that we have the devices that we need currently for instruction. We do continue to get requests for more student devices because as uh as we also discussed last year, we are currently using the classroombased technology model which means that every classroom cart has to have enough devices in that cart in order to satisfy the number of students in its largest class that meets in that room. So, if you're a social studies teacher and your freshman social studies class is 30 kids, even if you have less kids in all of your other classes, your cart would have to at least have 30 devices in it in order to meet your instructional needs. And so, that classroombased model, that classroombased technology model that

098the district currently operates under requires us to have significantly more devices than we have students. And so that's part of the reason why we've been looking at this over the course of the last year. Um, with the future availability of financial resources in question, the district would require and maintain fewer student devices if we shifted from the classroombased model to a model that allowed the students to take them home and take them to all the classes that they might need the device in. So we decided to reach out to our peers and see what they are doing and how long they've been doing it and for whom they are doing it. And uh this chart shows the results of our neighbors and how long they have if they have issued devices which all of them

099have. Um how long have they been doing so? How long and at what grade levels have they been doing so? And as you can see, it looks like uh one of our district friends in Pattonville is issuing devices to go home from kindergarten on up. Uh but the majority of them are doing um from basically some fifth grade, sixth grade level on up. Just to kind of give you an idea of how much are going home in our neighboring districts. Um, nationally, 80% of high schools and 67% of middle schools allow their students to bring their devices home. And that is, uh, I forget which source it is, but it's one of the administrative u uh, journal sources that cited that. Um, our peer districts are already distributing devices to their secondary and school students

100and have been doing for many years going back. I think the earliest was 2012. So, if we were to redistribute the secondary Chromebooks, instead of having enough Chromebooks in the classroom for the largest class, but if we were to distribute them directly to our students, we would require fewer Chromebooks and over the course of time, we would be able to level out our purchasing to where it more closely matches the number of students that we're actually serving at those particular grade levels. Uh we estimate that um to continue to purchase enough Chromebooks in order to to serve that function and make sure every student would have access to one at the secondary level, that would run us about a million dollars a year. And of course, we would continue to do leasing in order to

101level that out. Uh but if we were to do that distribution, the chart that I presented for you last year had us purchasing another 4,000 for 2627 in order for us to make sure that we had the uh a sufficient number of the newer resources um for our younger grade levels. In addition to individual student devices, um one I'll read I'll read the quote. By by the year 2030, the Francis House School District will be known for graduating well-rounded students who are equipped with the skills and experiences they need to be successful in the world. That is from our vision and I believe it's from the vision and um that contributes to the ideology of having additional devices besides the stu the individual student devices. So we would supplement our Chromebooks with other devices that

102would be based in our libraries and our CTE classrooms. So that as our students are are are growing through our school, they're getting to use a wide variety of devices and they're using a wide variety of operating systems. So when they go into into their careers, they have experience with those. Turning from student devices to staff devices. We currently have dozens of different computer models which can complicate my team's world as as a problem might arise on one model that's not arising on another model. it gets complicated to try to troubleshoot those. Um we would like to reduce the number of different computer models that we are serving that are used by staff and um also consolidate into uh device classes so that we don't have um people of one particular role in the district

103having this kind of device, people of another role having a different kind of device. Uh it it kind of reduces the classism associated with that. um as an enterprise computing environment, consistent devices improves the consistency of the user experience throughout the entire organization. And the last item that I want to cover for you um in terms of our 5-year plan is our classroom AV equipment. Um, basically we've presented for for you guys today a model of what it would take to replace the um aging smartboards and the aging display and the aging audio equipment in our schools. This particular chart focuses in on our smartboards. Um, all the ones indicated in red are over 15 years old, which is well beyond their useful life. And all the ones indicated in yellow are between 10 and

10415 years. And all the ones indicated in green are reasonably reasonably within five years I think is what under 10 years. So as you can see Francis Hal North is looking pretty good right now because it's a new building and has really new equipment in it. Um and so it doesn't quite need the attention of some of our other schools that um at least the percentage of their boards are in worse shape. And so if you look at the far column on the right that is our totals column. We have roughly 200 boards that are over 15 years old that are out in our environment today and are very complicated for our teachers to work with and we have another 400 of them that are beyond what I consider to be the useful life for

105display equipment. 10 years is a good benchmark for how long display equipment should last. And so over the next 5 years, um, one of the objectives of this, uh, technology strategic plan is to replace the ones that are well beyond their useful life, just like we did with devices and, uh, and armor teachers with better equipment. >> Do you have any questions for me? >> I do. >> I know. Go for it. Um, looking forward at the five-year plan, um, are you also prepared to have a dedicated technology specialist in each building to support the students who will be having technology issues? >> So, our staffing plan doesn't yet have uh, the resources to be able to do that. We have 25 people on the team. We have allocated them based upon student population, based

106upon the number of tickets that we receive from the buildings. And um I we're doing a much better job this year than we were last year. Last year was better than the year before in terms of addressing the tickets. Uh customer service compliments that we've been receiving are definitely increasing. So I think we're in a good space. Um, we don't. So, our high schools do have dedicated FTEEs in them and our middle schools share with elementary schools mostly, but we try to keep our technicians limited to two, maybe three schools if there's if if there's enough students to kind of get that third school in there. We try to keep them all balanced. >> Sure. I I'm just, you know, living this life now for about 8 years in my own experience. Once the children

107start taking their devices home, >> it they come back in various states of of inoperability. >> Yeah. >> So, um >> we experienced that in the classroom, too. >> Yeah. Yeah. Um I also just wanted to share um make sure you please include in the budget three chargers per child. They will lose them. They will leave them at home. >> We will be purchasing more chargers if we are if we are going that direction. and we will be purchasing more charges to make sure that our students have them. >> It will be the biggest frustration point for teachers if they plan a lesson that uses something fun like pair deck or bladet or gimut and the kids come in and the devices aren't charged and they have no chargers available. >> Well, fortunately for our

108mo when most people when most districts go onetoone, they aren't in the position that we're in. We're in the position that we have already planned the classroom model and we already have um carts in most of our classrooms. We intend to keep the carts in the schools, not not as many as we have now, but that way when students are in a classroom that is not using technology that day, the the teacher, if they have a cart in their classroom, can say, "Go ahead, put your put your devices back in the cart and charge them." And so that's part of the reason why we're purchasing the additional uh power cords because we want to keep the power cords in our carts. >> Lock them down. They will disappear. I guarantee it. I wrap mine in

109pipe cleaners. >> That's a good idea. >> So, right. Well, they if they do take them, somebody will have to unwrap for a very long time. >> That's a good idea. >> Mhm. Um I was curious about COPA and how the district is adapting to make sure that everything is up to COPA standards for our students. I'll have to get back to you on that. I don't have that answer for you right now. >> Okie do. Um, yep, that was it. And, um, how exciting, right? Awesome. >> New adventure. >> Thank you. >> God, I've got a couple things for you. Um, >> what's the hold up on the approval there? >> What's the hold up on the approval? >> E- rate. >> On the right. >> Oh, yes. Well, we were randomly selected for

110an audit >> and they've been very thorough with the questions that they've been asking. We responded same day. Very worst case scenario was the next day because they would they would ask a question at 4:00. We'd have it to him by 9:00. Um it's just a hold up. >> Well, I'm going to I know President Blair's got some spare time on his hands. So, I'm going to volunteer him to make a couple phone calls for on your behalf. That's >> Oh, we we appreciate it. We've had lots of people call on our behalf. Um but we are not the only district in this particular situation. Okay. Does make me feel more comfortable, but we're not the only one in that situation. Um, other thing I I uh found interesting and this is for Amy as

111well um or anybody who wants to answer really. Um, one of the patrons was uh speaking about the um I guess the effectiveness of the one one to one and and I I I found it interesting. I I really hadn't um you know thought that this would be a negative impact or anywhere close to that. Have you guys looked at those studies? Have you seen any of those things out there? Right. >> If if I can share from my own personal experience and step away from my Francis Hell >> position for a brief minute. >> Um in Topeka we actually hosted John Hattie and I got the opportunity to meet him and kind of ask a question about that specific indicator. Um the effect size for a onetoone initiative you expect it to be low

112because it's not the technology. It's not how many devices you have per kids that does anything in terms of learning. It's what you do with the technology that does something in terms of learning. So the different and again this is a conversation he and I had. So the different things that do show a positive effect size some of those rely on technology in order to be able to deliver the differentiation for example is is handled very well on a technology device. It's not as easy for a teacher to do without technology in the classroom. >> Yeah. It's it's weird to me in the in the professional world how many it's actually concerning how many folks come to me and have no idea how to write an Excel formula or you know manipulate BI or anything

113like that and I just it boggles my mind which in my world in my view these types of things would would be of great benefit but you know the long-term effects of these things and and how the students interact with them on a daily basis whether they're at school or at home I you I I think that that he made he he brought up a you know a a great concern. Um and I would look a little bit deeper I'm going to look a little bit deeper into that and reference or find what you referenced and and and think about what that actually means long term. How are these students is it is it are we spending all this money doing all these things for them and it's just you know no increase no decrease

114is it even Stephen or is it a decrease? Is it you know what is it? I will I will tell you having done this in multiple districts, having having distributed devices out to secondary students in multiple districts, I've not done it in one as well prepared uh on the instructional technology side as Francis High School District is. And that's not our team. I'd love to say that our team right now. >> Nope. Nope. That's not our team. That's that's uh the academic team. They've got phenomenal leaders doing that work. And they have instructional technology specialists in every building aiding in that work. And in all sincerity, they're already using the devices with technology. They're already using a learning management system. Those are things they usually have to work hard to get into a district. We're

115we're already doing the things it takes to be successful with technology. It's just a matter of where the technology is. Is it in the hands of the kids or is it in a car classroom? >> Yeah. And that's that that's what I liked about that is that the the math and the money work out in our favor by doing it that way. It's just is the is the academic side of it, you know, are are they are they benefiting long-term from the academic side of it? That that would be my only concern. Like I said, the the patron brought up a good point and and it just kind of started my wheels turning. So, >> no, I appreciate it. >> So, Scott, I got a couple questions. Um, have we given any thought or planning

116for the blue glasses to protect these kids' eyes? I mean, is that figured into any of the costs yet? >> It is not. I didn't I Yeah, that I was focused entirely on the technology and how it's how it's being used. >> You should be. >> Exactly. That's my role, right? Yeah. How it's being used and maybe some other strategies could be taken up by the task force. Again, that's part of our commitment is to make sure that we're getting together with academic leaders and aiding to make sure that um student data is safe, making sure that we're using them in appropriate ways and and and doing the right things with technology in order to advance the learning. And so if that's an item that um is observed and needs to be addressed, then then

117that's something that that task force could look at as well. >> Thank you. And and just to clarify, the million dollars that you're talking about for the for the increase in in technology, that's over five years. >> So the million dollars per year for student devices is pretty consistent with what we're spending on student devices as we have been. Again, we're actually buying more student devices per, you know, per classroom now than we really need because again, you could have a card of 30 and only one class that's ever reaching 30 and the rest of those devices are sitting idle all day long. >> That's a one time one time increase. >> No, it's it's every year. That million dollars is every year. That's about what we're spending now every year in that in that

118world. >> And then 2.3 million over five years. >> That is over the five years. That's for the infrastructure. >> Okay. Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. I do have one more thing. Scott, the other patron, >> it just got my wheels turning again. The other patron mentioned um some of the um issues with AI. >> Mhm. >> Um give me your thoughts on that. >> Wow. >> So again, this is addressing the technology resources, not necessarily the instructional side of it. >> I know. >> However, uh that is one of the topics that I expect our task force to to be addressing. Um, I know that I've been working with uh April and Meredith who are the instructional technology content leaders and we have explored, you know, what AI resources have been valuable at

119the teacher level. We haven't really talked a lot about at the student level yet. There are some um technology resources that we do have some confidence in from a security standpoint like for example um two Google options are part of our Google apps for education uh program and so that's been very helpful. It only uses our data within our own environment. We we already trust them with all of our storage and all that we do in Google Drive. We already trust them with our communication through Gmail. Uh so trusting them that extra step so that we're only using that AI in that environment isn't a leap of faith. Um it's a calculated risk in that situation. So while AI can be risky, it is it is something that we can also manage and make sure

120that that professional development continues for our teachers and that a point that we're ready to have that going with students that we're doing it in a responsible way um that we're obligated to do under the Child Internet Protection Act. Yeah, I I I knew this was a little bit of a curveball, but I figured I'd give opinion while you're out there. >> Anybody else that wants to share? >> No, >> I was just going to add to that. I mean, April, Mayor, April and Mayor have been doing a great job of looking into AI and support our teachers. Um, and so there's a lot more work that we're going to do. I think Patron mentioned like to learn more about and how it's useful. So, um they're part of a consortium that's been working with

121the state of Missouri as well to help support um the inclusion of AI um and support teachers with productivity um and also in education. So, um a lot to learn and still more to come. >> Thanks. >> One last thing for me is that we showed the list of all the different schools and who has newer who has doesn't have as much new equipment. uh is the goal to use that to help determine who gets the new equipment to make sure it's equal as much as possible. >> Oh, 100%. The the equipment that's failing is always the priority. Uh for example, the interactive panels that we bought twice already this year, and I'm forgetting the numbers off the top of my head. That's right. Roughly 58. The interactive panels that we've already bought twice this

122year have been going to the classrooms where we have failures and we want to make sure that we're getting them equipment that's up and running and and is our new standard. >> Thank you. >> We'll continue doing that. >> Anything else? All right. Thank you very much. I've got I've got a couple. Don't forget me down here. >> I was looking. >> So the Have you guys sat down and actually come up with it? So talking about the budget, you're talking possible and during our our talk, you're talking about a possible loss of $4 million if the vote doesn't go our way. Um, so you're looking at $2 million increase here or $2 million when I'm reading down here. District share would be roughly $2 million over the next 5year cycle for category 2. Mhm.

123>> At what point would it not be would it be out of sequence with our budget to not pursue with so many you have 20,000 Chromebooks cuz you have 20,000 Chromebooks. You have we have 17,000 and change barely over 17,000 students. What What's the correlation? Have you developed I I guess it's it's just kind of out here with me. What how does that improve our child? Because any teacher I've talked to or any thing that I've read here recently, if you're going to improve reading scores or you're going to you're going to have to have the children actually writing hand, it it becomes a hand issue, hand eye type issue with being able to learn. So are we using these Chromebooks? How are you using them? Are you using them for strategic purposes in the

124classroom for reading, writing? Uh how is and then what happens? You start down this path. >> We've got 20,000 Chromebooks. You have to keep all the infrastructure. How many of those are going to get broken? How many of those are going to get lost that you have to replace? And what you've got a fiveyear strategic plan that you're well you got four years left. What happens if you've invested into this and all of a sudden you're not seeing the return on your investment? That's a heck of an apple to eat, man, without getting the return on it. >> Well, I think Scott answered it a little bit ago just with the it's the instructional strategies that you use with the devices. Some instructional strategies lend to using an um technology device like a Chromebook a

125little more than others. And so that's where you see the impact. And when you look at Hadtie's work, the research that was being mentioned, it's the instructional strategies that are being paired with technology of benefit. We're going to continue using technologies we've been using. And what we're doing is just opening access. So that way as teachers need to use it for a particular lesson, they have the ability. They don't need to check out a cart or reserve a card or make sure that one is available. It just improves access. they can do more just in time learning with activities that uh can be responsive to the learning in the moment when it requires technology. This doesn't um pair with instructional need that we're increasing instruction using technology right now. It's just about the device distribution

126and how we can kind of instead of purchasing a lot of devices that might go unused sitting in classrooms because they're not used every hour now they're with the students so as the student needs it they have it available. Uh there's also opportunity with the the cell phone band. Um schools have used uh QR codes to sign up for counselor visits or uh maybe sign up for different dances or trips or such. And so by having devices at their disposal, they'll be able to sign up for different things. They can have different links to register um to help just with the process of things how they're going right now, too. So it lets them check their schedule, lets them check their courses or any work whenever they need it. So it just provides opens up

127access for students um when they need to use the device as well. >> And if I could answer that question from another direction um we're looking at this year with 20,500 uh and 24 Chromebooks. But keep in mind that is serving grade levels that are roughly 15,630 I think was the number in population of students. And so by shifting that and letting the student have the device with them, we're going to be bringing that number down over the course of the five-year cycle. So when I say we're spending about a million dollars a year, we're already spending that. So it's not an increase and eventually it levels out as a decrease because again it's a much smaller quantity of devices at the secondary level. >> So what I just heard then is we are going

128to a one school district. If we issue the devices to students as this plan is suggesting that would level out our purchasing over time. Yes. >> It reduces it though, right? >> What was that? >> We're actually like we can say a one to one but we're actually more than one to one. >> More than one to one right now. >> Yeah. Has there been any studies or is there any correlation to being one or having this many Chromebooks to improving scores in the classroom? >> Not absent the the instructional strategies that are used with technology. Yeah. >> So, you're saying with incorporating Chromebooks, >> instructional, >> those books are the Chromebooks already there. Remember, >> right? I get But you have to sustain them and then you're going to be replacing, right? >> We're

129doing that now, though. >> But we do that now. >> Right. >> It's going to >> I guess I guess my question is, do you really need to sustain as many to replace what you currently have or could you not phase down? It would save you some cost. >> It's going to phase down to less than 20,000. >> Yes. >> Yeah. It's only The reason why it has to be 20,000 right now is because of the quantity that are in class. >> Okay. So, you're phasing down to a one to one >> secondary. >> The secondary students, >> Not elementary. No. So >> that's the key. >> Maybe maybe this chart. I guess I'm I'm not following this chart here then. >> Which one are we looking at? >> That one. >> Yes. So what

130is the phase down then over the next four years? It's probably easier to see on the budget one. Let me go to that one. So as you can see the secondary Chromebook purchases are leveling out in years 3, four, and five. And um again, there's roughly 15,600 students that are going to be in the grade levels that are using Chromebooks. And so over time, we're going to be purchasing closer to the number of students that we have instead of maintaining the 20,000 that we have today. Again, just having to maintain Chromebooks that are being used in classrooms that don't have that quantity of students in them all the time, that's a lot of overhead on Chromebooks. I think you want data. I think you want to see that it somehow has some type of a

131return on investment with scoring. >> Yeah, because I'm still not seeing a a complete draw down. And see I I Yeah, I mean my thought is >> or who's using it, right? >> Do I >> like or who's using it? >> Yeah. Who's using it? might be a good >> because that's the the one thing that was what we talked about last year during the meeting and I still don't totally understand or heard you express what your total vision is as to how you're going to use this use the the technology. I mean it's still just a hey we're going to incorporate learning or we're going to do this. It it's still very vague. I would think if you're going to be spending $3 billion over the course of time, you would have a concrete

132plan of what you're doing. This is what we're doing. This is the objective and this is what we expect. So by the end of 2030, we're going to have 70% of kids being able to read a proficient or above, right? How does that happen using your technology? I don't know if you can do that math that way because you're looking at the technology sphere which is access the accessibility right so that gives us the ability to differentiate our lessons which means we can help students who aren't necessarily getting that tier one whole group instruction um I can tell you how I use it but what I can say to the I think you're going with is like the district has an LMS, right? We you they use Canvas. >> Canvas, right? >> Right. Which is

133also something that most colleges are using. So, I mean, putting the assignments there and having them not just available during school time, but also at home and then having that student come home and have access to all of their classroom materials as well. As long as the teachers are using that um technology in that way, it provides us with accessibility. It provides us with consistency and continuity and a lot of our curriculum has online sources. Um and they're using them. We just did um what's our cute little robot guy that we just brought? >> What's his name? >> Maui. We brought like the things like that happen within the classroom. Um, and as an educator myself, what I can say is I my classroom exists in the real world where I'm there physically hovering around

134my children and um talking to every kid as much as I can, but everything I do is also there digitally. So, if a kid's gone and they're like, "What do we do?" And I can be like, "Oh, let's go open your folder. Here's everything I did and here's a video of me and here's my audio and here's the handout that you we have no more copies left of like it provides accessibility and it allows us to reach more students. Is that helpful? But it doesn't it won't correlate to reading scores because that's still the teacher sitting next to the kid. >> Well, I think maybe we could ask the gentleman over here that had a 36 on his ACT how he >> Oh. operates with that and how like give us your experience. What do

135you >> Yes, Andrew. >> Um, do you mean like my experience with technology and how that helps? >> How it helps what was your experience between, you know, to to Ron's point actually sitting there, you know, learning how to read, write, all those things and doing the the physical aspect of it, but also learning with the technology and how that how you incorporated both of them. >> How did it help your achievement? >> Yeah. So, um, I actually have I kind of agree with um, Mr. department over there and kind of the both sides where it's not necessarily a direct correlation of the technology just helps you get better because at the end of the day it's still you're the one that's creating a plan and um >> uh and so most of the work

136is still on you. So if you're looking if you want a direct increase in score specifically if you want achievement technology alone isn't going to help you get there. However, technology is always a resource that helps you get there. uh if you if you look in communities that don't have that access, it makes it harder for the students that want to get better to have access to those. So for like me specifically when I was like getting ready for ACT um I like I use like paper books which isn't technology but I also used a lot where it was just um because I'm like a busy person so I don't have time to just sit down. So having uh accessible technology allows you to efficiently allocate your time during the day to um doing certain

137like study plans. Like for example, uh this year um is the first year that I've been carrying my own laptop around instead of using school. And although it's not that much of an increase, like but whenever I'm able to always just pull out my Chromebook and have all my stuff there ready for me, it's a way faster. It's way more efficient for me to finish homework. I think in general would just improve your scores as well. >> Do you think that the the technology being there has an element of of accountability for the students? uh >> holding them accountable for their their work, reminders, things like that. >> Yeah. Um like uh actually like with your uh when you have like a digital device um you always get reminders like I know we use Canvas,

138you always get reminders of your grades and stuff and uh if I see like a 75 or like a 60, that's like pretty alarming. So it keeps you accountable. And um like for example on Canvas you have this like uh assignments thing where it shows you how many assignments you have and I always like to look at it like pretty often and if there's like 16 or 17 then that's a lot. So it it's a way of helping you uh be more accountable and then be like more recognizable of what what you have to do. >> I don't think you've ever gotten to 60. >> Uh you would be surprised. Um, I wanted to say my 12-year-old grandson looks every day at what his percentages are in all of his classes. >> So, if it's

139not in the '9s, he's not happy. >> For for the sake of of today's meeting, um, so this is being presented to us today to receive, right? Just to hear and all this stuff. What's the next step? >> So, the next step is again, we're going to develop the task force. and we're going to continue to engage them on the more instructional side of things. Um we will be presenting over the course of time different purchase requests and um like for example in March we'll come with our capital request as part of the capital presentation that you'll be receiving in March. And so um at this point you're not approving any of those purchases. You're just approving a direction in the same way you do with the facilities master plan or in the same way

140you do with other things. >> I appreciate that. And so for the board, if you're comfortable, we have time to ask questions through email and seek more understanding beyond. And if you're comfortable with it, we can just move on to the next item unless I hear any >> I got a question about the iPads. Are we one-on-one iPads or are we going >> So we are not currently not currently. There are um there are some schools where there are enough iPads, like for example, for every kindergartener um and some schools are using iPads at the first grade. And so, um, part of this plan does allow for the kindergarten classrooms to have classroom sets of iPads for those points in instruction where it does make sense. >> So, we're not one-on-one right now. >> Yeah.

141>> But this this will probably take us there. you. It will it will especially especially if we do the Chromebooks at the rest of because again we have four schools where they're using iPads at at first grade and if we're using Chromebooks in those four schools that'll allow more for the kindergarteners >> reallocate that correct >> okay just switch in technology it makes more sense to have everybody on the same path but okay >> but it's helpful I as an as an educator I will advocate for early childhood that tactile device that you're holding in that way that's more like a book that's pretty helpful and dropping it does happen. >> Okay, never mind. >> All right, so u thank you for your time and we will collect questions and send them to you before

142the next meeting. >> Sounds good. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> So up next on our agenda is a section called book challenges. I wanted to point out that 11A list of books is just for everybody to go ahead and read and and check. This was a list of books uh submitted as one large composite challenge. Uh last month we had a conversation regarding how do we handle a large list of books challenged at the exact same time. What we decided to do uh as a board was just to give administration guidance, let them and library media specialist go through the books and see are there any books that we would agree and say we don't need them uh in our uh library for one reason or another. Uh for some it may

143have something to do with the content. Uh for some it has something to do with how popular they are since we have limited space on shelves. uh for some has something to do with the fact that the book that was there um has a better version that exists. So uh multiple reasons and you see the reasons listed there but 11B will identify the books that the library media specialist have said Francis how school district can go without these books and still maintain high quality education and the experience that we want for our students. So feel free to look at 11B as an information piece. Uh this brings us to 11 C. There's a list of remaining books for board action and we're going to have that conversation u now. So board, I have a motion

144to retain the books listed underneath 11C uh without restriction. >> No discussion. >> Well, it's it's the first and second discussion. Second motion by uh Treasure Owens, second by Vice President Grder. And so now we have a conversation about the books on 11C and a motion in far less. >> Yeah, I've noticed that the the books some a couple of the books that I've read from that everybody didn't want to listen to is are on this list to be retained. and one of them, the blest eye. Afterformational review by LMS, this book's meets district selection criteria, Texas sports district curriculum really and meets district collection development guidelines. According to professional views, the book is age appropriate for high school. We recommend that this title be retained. I don't know what part that makes this now

145retainable because that book under the statutes in Missouri and what is our policy currently qualifies as profanity. So I I don't I I can't understand why why all these books are put on one list here or just approve it when you know that these books are profane. They have aberant sexual behavior in them and why they should remain in our libraries. I I don't understand why this board or why Okay, I'm not going to tell you what board to do. I don't know why we would as a group want to keep that after everything that has been done. Now, your answer is, okay, we're going to keep them. I don't I I don't go along with it. I don't think it's fair to the kids. I don't think it's fair to the parents that are

146Christian and don't want this profanity in front of their children. I think we're doing a disservice to many of the parents and kids in this district. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. >> Other board um is that right? Every every parent can opt out of these books and they have access to be able to limit the books that their kids are reading, >> right? And there's never any human error that occurs when it's when a human is involved. I believe I didn't I read um like the scenario and how this all goes to how a teach parent gets access to what the kids checking out and can you explain that or we've already >> Yeah, I'll I'll actually let Mr. Hancock he's become a a formal expert in this process over the last couple of

147months. I'm going to let him kind of talk through that with you. Director Owens, >> they can sign up. uh it takes about two weeks for the the list to generate, but you it sends a daily list of books that are checked out. >> We also have a a process in place that uh families can talk to the LMS uh at their school and if there are any um particular titles or authors they don't want their child to check out, they can specifically put that restriction in on their account as well. >> So, it's fairly easy to do, right? >> So, one parent is not determining what everybody else can read, just his own child. they have options to be able to monitor what their children are checking out. Yes. >> At the same time,

148the state statutes say that that children shouldn't be reading these books. So, it's not just one parent. It's state statute. >> I want to call out that is your opinion of the reading of the state statute. >> Now, the state statute's really clear, but okay. >> It has to be. >> Glenn, can they can parents opt out? for a particular subject matter, >> you know, they don't want their children reading anything about >> whatever that drugs. >> Yeah, good idea. >> Yeah, that gets a little more difficult um just >> for the keyword searches and inside of the books that might not appear. There might be a reference to something that might seem something. >> So, there would be not a way to guarantee that. um titles and authors. Um I could check with our

149uh our lead librarian to see if there's a way for genres. I believe that there were talk about possibly ability in that, but I'll have to double check. >> Why can't a book that's challenged be put in a special section so that it's not available to all kids and tagged as it's checked out that this is this is this book has been challenged. Why do we have to leave the all of these books together to allow access equal access to every child when we know that parents that pay taxes don't want their kids exposed to it? >> Not all that not all parents who pay taxes agree with that idea. >> I I know. But I'm saying the ones that do they all pay taxes, right? >> And and they're being overlooked right now because

150their children are able to check out books because there is human error. their their children are able to check out books that they may not know about and they these kids may be exposed to something that their parents don't want them to. Everybody pays taxes. >> Well, just because it's challenged doesn't mean it's valid. >> Um I've seen where they've challenged to kill a mockingb bird. >> I mean just because someone challenged it doesn't mean it's a bad book. >> Uh yeah, but a lot of these on this list right here are because I've read from them. There's a book that was challenged recently and the board unanimously chose to keep it. The fact that one person challenges it does not supersede other parents. Uh and what parents >> Okay. How about books that contain

151sexual references, drug use, aberant sexual behavior, um you know, rape, incest, all that. If that if a book that's challenged >> if a book like that is challenged why can it not be moved to a separate area >> because one person raised first of all that's not even part of policy 6341 right >> so I'm trying to apply apply that to this list is applying a policy standard that isn't there >> I'm not going to stop fighting for these kids they're very well worth it and whether you want to believe it or Not kids that are exposed to sexual pornography and are sexual um topics that they are unable to understand or not mature enough to understand end up with a sexual behavior later on in life. That includes rape, incest, um addiction to pornography,

152all kinds of good things. >> Thank you for your opinion. >> Any other thoughts? One Any other discussion? Okay. Before us, we have a list of 17 books that have been uh reviewed by library media specialists. The same ones who identify that other books don't have the educational suitability to be retained. We have shown in my mind a ability to uh listen and review and decide. um have used that same muscle, those same skills and abilities to present this list of 17 books in front of us. So there's no other discussion. Um the motion is to retain the books without restriction. 17 books in front of us. Um we'll go ahead and do a roll call vote. >> The restriction is high school, right? >> Yes. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Dory. Yeah. Retain without

153restriction means to to keep it as listed. >> Yeah. Thank you for that clarification. >> And just to clarify, there were a couple on there that they weeded from middle school but keeping at the high school and that was listed on there >> including slaughter house 5. >> Anybody else? Okay. All those uh let's go and do a roll call vote if that's okay. >> Director Harmon. >> Hi. >> Director Hond. >> Hi. Vice President Crider. >> I, >> President Blair, >> I, >> Treasure Owens, >> I, >> Director Oi, >> I. >> Director Bushkar, >> no. >> Motion passes. >> Next, uh, Mr. Glenn Hancock, chief academic officer, will share a presentation on the recommended changes related to 6341. All right. So, this evening just wanted to take Oops. Turn this guy on. This

154evening uh a just an overview of our learning commons. Just uh few pointers on uh the abilities that our learning commons has to help support families. Uh some of the things we've touched on already, but then also as we've been working through the challenge process that we just talked through, um work through a few updates to help honor the current process that we're working through right now. and what we currently have with also addressing some of the challenges that are are coming up with our process right now. Our learning commons provides a physical and digital space for students to collaborate, inquire, imagine, and create all while expanding and deepening their education and love for reading. With the assistance of our library media specialists, students can develop 21st century skills and critical thinking as they participate

155in activities and utilize resources. As we mentioned already, uh, for supporting families, uh, there are options out there. One, um, one way our library commons, uh, supports families with knowing what's in our collection is there's a Destiny discover that allows us to search and look what is available. Students can log into their Destiny discover with their active directory credentials or the Clever Dashboard to view their checkouts. Parents can request uh from an LMS to limit the checkout of particular titles and authors. And parents can also request daily email letting them know which books are currently checked out. Um, and those uh exist as we mentioned the sign up for that takes about two week turnaround for getting that list uh activated in there. When books are added to our learning commons, uh the selection criteria

156we use that are also within uh our current 6310 policy and regulation include alignment to the approved curricula, intended age level, and uh comprehensibility, potential user appeal, quality and durability, authoritiveness, and price are all considered when selecting books and adding them to our learning commons. Within our learning commons, we have books arranged in different ways to support and accommodate our readers. Uh at the younger grades K through three, book baskets contain younger books for browsing by for readers. Um they'll contain buckets of picture books or maybe easy chapter books as they're starting to begin to read chapter books in the early stages at our K I'm sorry in the 3 through five. in the same same library space, same learning commons. Books are or are organized with the spines out much as maybe we're familiar

157with seeing those books order or arranged um so that way they're able to select the books they would like to to read. And in our middle school, uh we do clearly define young adult titles with the YA sticker. And the pictures may be a little bit small, but there is a YA sticker at the top of all of our books. So they're easily be easily identifiable uh for our students when they're selecting books. Books are often arranged by genre. You can see here mystery. This section has a mystery section. Uh science fiction, um reality. So different genres are available in our library for them to check out. As we've been working through, uh 6341 different book challenges. Um, we've been working through challenges with the process and talking about what can uh what can we

158be doing to support this a little bit um and make sure that we're not adding undue stress onto um the system but still honor the process of challenging a book whenever there is a question about the use of it and um including in our in our spaces. So the next few slides will go through a few phases of our current process and then on the right side are updates uh recommended updates um that we've learned through policy committee and talking with uh others that have worked through the challenge process currently uh to help support again keeping a challenge process similar to what we have but just putting some minor tweaks in there to help us support it. The first phase of our process typically revolves around the initial request or uh contact. It typically that

159happens with a building principal. Right now they reach out to a building principal, share their concerns that they're having and the principal will then work with the patron to try to maybe uh have an informal resolution to the the challenge or to the question. If that's not available, then that's when it rolled right into a formal challenge. Our proposed updates includes a material review form. So when a patron um brings a question to a principal, the principal can share a review form that the patron can fill out uh that basically just shares what are the concerns that they're having, why, where are they at in particular literature, and then that is then shared with our LMS staff and they can then look at the title, much of the process we just kind of played out

160when they looked at is it a book that would meet maybe weeding criteria or is a book that we would retain and they can then provide a statement back to the patron job. This is why we see educational suitability um reason why for retaining the book. Um right now that's not really clear in our process that happens. So this would add that initial step in there. So that way there's some communication about why the book would be retained. If after that point um and so let me back up here and for each materials review request or form that's received uh our LMS staff would have 10 days for each one to re again to review the book. So it might require reading the book but then also um providing a written statement back. So that

161way the petitioner will get a written statement back. This is very similar to currently in our review process. Right now whenever there is a a ch a formal challenge during the first meeting the LMS submits a statement to the committee that is reviewing the challenge. So this just kind of puts that up front speeds that that process up so that way the patron knows exactly um the purpose and benefits of having and retaining the book in the process. The second phase, if there were still further questions, that's when the formal challenge process would begin. So, the patron would receive the response from the material review and if they still have concerns, they can proceed with a formal challenge. Um, updates here in this section go really revolve around that the superintendent will make a recommendation

162to the board similar to what they're doing now. Do we form a committee or is it something the board wants to take action on? Uh, very similar to what we did a few months ago with the book viral. um with the board. The board will then decide at the next board meeting if it will be a formal challenge like I'm sorry a committee formation to resolve it or will the board take action on that. So this is a little bit different where the board is now making a decision to form a committee giving direction of forming a committee or making a decision. The board makes a decision or the board chooses to make a decision that will go to the next board meeting will happen at that exact board meeting if there's a committee that's

163formed. So again, similar to what we're currently doing right now, committee would be formed. Um that formal challenge is submitted. Board then has decided that it goes to the committee. With this one, the committee would be a committee of five. Um currently we have committee of nine. That takes a lot of volunteers from our community. Um in our current policy, we only can serve them once, I believe, in a in a year span. So it's difficult to get all the volunteers and the amount of time to spend going through two nights of meetings and so committee of five uh one board member, one building administrator, one teacher, one LMS and one district resident. The LMS would be from a different building. So same level though. So if it was an elementary book being challenged, it

164would be another LMS from the elementary. So again showing the um the way they can be impartial with the way the process just kind of worked through our weeding and our process we just did here. Uh feel that having LMS on that group would allow them to share again the purpose uh either behind education ability and to listen to the petitioner because the other new change that is being recommended is having the petitioner present at the first meeting so they can share their concerns. the that way the committee can hear it in context instead of just reading a paper about the the purpose or the nature of the challenge. They actually get to hear directly from the petitioner at the first meeting. If they're not able to be present um and we have in there

165that they have a couple opportunities to reschedule or opportunity to reschedule if not able to be present that book cannot be challenged for 36 months. And that 36 is kind of consistent um in here that if a book isn't retained, 36 months would be the next uh possible time to be challenged. Adding on to this uh a decision will be back to the petitioner within 45 days from the formation of the committee. No more than five challenges can occur across the district at one time. So for example, we just had 38 um challenges come in. This would limit it to five concurrent ones going at a time and no more than one at a building. Uh once one fell off and was completed, another one would then start within 10 days. And so we would

166continue to work through the challenges as they came. It just allows us an opportunity to again still honor the process uh but work through it in a timeline that works for all the patrons of the community that are partaking in the process in the school buildings as well. and the board can alter the process in the interest of efficiency at any time. So very similar to what we did with this process, we kind of altered the with the 38 what we did here. This just puts it more formal terms that you have the ability to alter. uh challenges beyond five will enter the queue which I mentioned uh time ago and then once a decision has been made on that formal uh it will be communicated to petitioner and the buildings and the district websites

167will be updated uh the information regarding the the formal challenge that's what's been going on now uh the proposed updates again it can't be challenged for another 36 months um will be posted on our sites once the appeals window closed and then big change on this one on the third bullet here list updated with results from the informal and formal process. So let's say that in the informal process that a again back to the very beginning u a patron shares a concern of the book the LMS says yeah you know what we don't have a lot of interest in this right now this would be one that would be weeded we would also list that on the website currently that is not listed as part of the 6341 and then books purchased for challenge process

168are retained and may be distributed to learning comments so currently right now for several of our committees we've had to purchase books um for those books we are then surplusing them. Um, and so they're not going back into the schools even though they've been voted to retain. So, for example, if I roll, we had to purchase a few books, those will be surplused um, and not added back to our current. This changes that and so if a book is retained and we do have to purchase some, uh, those go back into the schools if the books retained. The also the committee members from 9 to 5 also minimizes the number of resources that are having to purchase uh when our we do have to again sometimes these books there's not five in a collection there

169might be one or two copies in the entire district so we're having to purchase multiple copies for processing the challenge. So those cover the updates um and again this slide just is the reminder we have for families and then also we put the website there at the bottom. So, in terms of there are families out there that want to sign up, that link will get you to the website so you can um sign up for any of our lists and get more information about support with our learning comments and materials. >> Thank you. U any questions or comments? >> I have some comments. Let me go through some of the the changes as as I have noticed them and and I don't believe that this this change in these 6341 is a step in the

170right direction. Here's a here's a recap of the changes. There were 10 days added to the time the principal has to send the challenge form to the challenger. 10 days were added to the time allotted for the committee to be formed and the time the committee meets. 15 days were added for the review committee to create a written report to the board. An extra 15 days were added for the board to approve the com review committee report. A book can now only be challenged every 3 years as opposed to every two years. Then there's of course the intimidation that of sitting before a review committee. I understand if you're going to complain about a book, might be helpful to have them there, but I I think it should be a can be the the patron

171can or the challenger can be there, not must be. All things considered, the maximum process of this this review committee goes from 11 weeks to 21 weeks. That's almost a school year. It now takes only three people to keep a book in the library since the committee was changed to include only five people. One of the persons on the review committee is now a librarian could be the same person who put put that book into another high school. So they're likelihood of voting against it is much more slim. You also took away the t two taxpayers that used to be on the committees. Those those the people that are paying buying these books have no say. The librarian takes over their say. I just think it's a real shame that this district thinks that by

172elongating the process, making it easier to retain an unacceptable or pornographic book. I will remind you that the good voters of this district are watching and I'm sure that the majority of voters out there do not like what they see. It it really is time to protect our children from pornography and inappropriate books. >> Thank you for your comments. Uh was there anything that she shared regarding the timeline that was inaccurate or was that inaccurate? I got to go back and I don't believe it would be 21 weeks but I had to go back and look through and go down and look through that because of it was 45 days once the committee's formed. Um the other aspect of this is that the after the recommendation from the superintendent it comes to the board for

173the decision on what to do next in there. And so that is a different thing that was in there from before. Um, but I believe it actually could speed up the process in some cases because there is a more clearly defined informal resolution process than what we've had in prior. >> I mean, with all due respect, I just told you where all the increases in time are. I sat down and figured this out. You can go back and check my numbers, but these are accurate numbers. It's 11 weeks to 21 weeks. Um, I was wondering uh on the form that the patron fills out to challenge a book, the review form. >> Um, I was hoping on that form it would include u the person challenging would attest that they have read the entire book.

174>> Well, I don't believe we added that in the I have to look at the language if that was in the regulation that was recommended. I don't think they should be challenging a book if they haven't read it all. >> Thank you for your opinion. >> You're welcome. >> Without going back through, I do think there is a piece in the regulation where we ask the petitioner to confirm that they've read the book. >> Thank you. As far as some of the other changes, and I appreciate highlight highlighting differences between the version that's been there since August of 24 and what we're talking about today, uh, one of which, uh, it sounds like there's a different step that allows the taxpayer related board to make a decision earlier on the process than before. Is that

175accurate? >> Yes. So, it's just clearly very similar again to what we just did with our process here with the weeding art. it just clearly um articulates that availability of doing that process earlier on and so that way patrons have more options. >> Right. So in fairness uh what director Pushkar is saying that there's less taxpayers included in the uh review committee moving from 9 to five in total. However, there is on the other side an earlier moment where taxpayer related elected officials can speak one way or another regarding the challenges. >> That's okay. Uh the second thing is uh one of the other changes is one challenge per building at a time. Uh was there a building this year that had more than one challenge they're facing at a time? >> Correct. >> Yeah,

176we had one middle school that had I believe six maybe seven. Six. >> What did that do to the middle school to have six or seven? Sorry kids. I'm so sorry. 67. >> 2025. Stephen, >> I was trying. I'm so >> it's just all the the challenges happen at night and so it's just longer longer evenings you know they're they all do their due diligence they read each of the the books and you know participate in the discussions so there two meetings I would say roughly first meeting would last between 30 to 45 minutes the second meeting depending on the discussion it might last 30 minutes to an hour >> and uh with other changes is five per moment So whenever of the five once one has an action upon it another one comes and

177joins the queue. So five total at any given time. Was there any uh negative impact on having 38 uh challenges uh at once? Actually 100 then 54 then 38 challenges at once. How did that impact overall administrative times? Is is that one of the things you're trying to fix and improve because having that many in one time was a negative impact on the district? >> It it just moving it to five at a time just helps us support buildings as they're going through the process as well. Uh there's a you know obviously a number of time that's taken with the the paperwork process monitoring it and following through and making sure that we adhere to current timelines and reporting back and and getting back to the petitioner inside there. And so this process will just

178help us manage it um and still follow through with the challenge. And my last point was um I think we talked about how the current 6341 um if we were following it, it would have cost about $4,000 in order to buy the books required. Uh so in this case, this new change would limit the amount of of books purchased for this effort. And if the books were chosen to be um worthy of being part of our library system, then we can keep them and we don't have to throw them away. >> Correct. >> So, this could potentially save um thousands of dollars of taxpayer money for not having to resource a policy that's requiring us to purchase and then toss. >> Okay. Um are there any other questions about the revised 341? Again, the board

179directed admin to to have an improvement like figuring out keep the spirit of the idea that if somebody wants to challenge a book, they can challenge a book. And we all agree that that's something we agree with, right? You can challenge a book and there is value in being able to do that. The board directed you all to present this to us. Um, I think it was even mentioned last month that the current 6341 was broken and it just it it wasn't able to hold the weight of what it uh so I just want to call that out. Want to make sure everybody knows that this is not something that um was done lightly but based upon the current reality 6341 wasn't able to address the concerns that might pop up across the district. >>

180I have one more thing. Kelly, >> um I feel that uh the library media specialist and the teacher that is on the committee should be paid for putting in the extra time. So I'd throw that out there. >> I think that's only fair. >> That could be a different >> conversation. Is there anything else about 45 minutes? >> Glenn, can you go back to um I think it was phase two. Go one more back. Whichever one says it that it's uh goes to uh five uh people, you know. I Yeah. No, you had it back. >> Did I go back? No more five challenges. >> No, five people. Five people. There you go. >> Oh, five people committing five. >> So, um I'm I'm assuming that this still a random >> thing or is it

181volunteer? >> For instance, are you are you choosing the board directors at random? Are you choosing the people with abilities at random? All these things. Yeah, we would keep that same process that we were doing for those elections. >> Um, and I, you know, I I I I agree with Jane. I don't I don't think it's ever a good idea to um to have less of the community's input on this. Um, I understand going from 9 to 5. I I get, totally get that. Um but maybe somewhere in the middle um if we go from you know nine to you know seven and keep more of the the community involved in this. Um Steven's got a point you know yes we are of the community but we are also you know of the board as

182well. So a board representative on there is considered a board representative and having more of the public in there. I don't think it's ever a good idea to say hey we don't want any more of you on here. So, I would say that that somewhere in the middle would I understand that the inundation of it, I get it. Keeping more of the the public involved in this I think is a good idea. Um, and the other part of it that that I'm going to somewhat disagree with Jane on is um, you know, she mentioned something along the lines of having a section in the library that's got, you know, the naughty books, right? Well, all in my view, a a a a parent, as you guys as everybody knows, can't opt out of whatever it

183is. Um, and I but I also, we all know children, and if you put a sign that says naughty books, where are they going to go? They're going to go straight to the naughty book section. And I I just I I don't think that that is the the solution. I don't know what the solution is. Um I I do think that it has to involve parents as we as we are all saying. Um but um uh how and why and maybe a little bit more of an and it it's going to make you make your job harder, but in a more indepth way of allowing parents to say look I don't you know yes I don't like this author or I don't like this you know book in particular um or these sets of books

184with this subject but maybe the subject matter somehow some way maybe do a little bit more of a dive. you know, if a parent doesn't like whatever subject it is, that's going to be hard on you guys. But, uh, I I don't think that I think, as a parent, thinking that I have covered everything that may present itself to my kids, I'm going to miss something. And, you know, that's where we are going to rely on you guys to catch it. Um, because I've I've been a victim of it. my daughter brought home a book that we didn't approve of and it was highly inappropriate and we caught it. We caught it with the help of a teacher. Um, we caught it with the help of of an LMS, but at the end of the

185day, it still got home to us. We were able to grab the book, open it up, verify what everybody was saying was bad in it, and somehow the the system got broken. The I don't know how it happened. Um, but I think if I went through some of the things that were in that book, I would not I'm not going to do that here. But, um, everybody here would would definitely say that that is not none of the subject matter in the book that that we brought home or that my daughter brought brought home is should be allowed to be in the hands of a seven-year-old. So, that brings me to the second another point that I that I wanted to make is the age appropriateness of these things and that's all defined in that

186screen. So I I I do agree with with with the age appropriateness of it, but um you know I I I I think that some of the time the what who is determining the age appropriateness of this is is not the people of the district. It's not even the administration. It's the people that are publishing the books. It's the people that are giving the awards of the books. that's saying this book is, you know, is appropriate for 8 to 12 when really that well in my case it was a 7-year-old that brought it home. There's no way that anything should be of that with that subject matter should be in the hands of an 8, n or 10year-old even in my opinion. Um, so there are some gaps in this. Um, I don't know how

187to solve that particular issue. That's your job. That's why you're sitting up here. Um but um I don't envy your position up there. Um I think you've got a lot of hard work to do. Um but uh um some of the things that you can probably understand are concerning, especially when you're it's coming to to the the general public and you're saying, you know what, we don't want as much of your input general public. Um, I would I would I would make sure that that we keep if we're going to go to down from nine that we that we keep more of the general public and the stakeholders involved and and maybe go from nine to six and maybe keep two of the the the stakeholders on there instead of eliminating them down to one

188because if you really take the mathematics behind it, more of there's there's way more of the the the stakeholders than there are, you know, um, building members. So I think they should the mathematics say that they should have more representation than anybody on the on the on the committee. >> I just want to clarify Glenn um talking about the time elongated I would when I refer to those numbers it's calendar days it's not working it's working days not just other days and then it might help you to know that when something has to be taken back to the board that can add three to four weeks and that was that's part of the 10 weeks or so that >> Yeah. Were you counting the appeal process as part of that? Also, >> uh, one other

189thing you could um, a parent could say, I don't want my child reading any young adult books. Maybe you can have that option on there, too. I think that would cover everything then. >> That does exist. >> They're all young adult. >> They're all Yes, that option does exist that um, >> just say my kid can't read any books at school. M >> Mr. Blair, >> I did want to clarify uh director Owens had asked a question about whether there was a requirement that the individual uh have read the book. On number three, there is a passage that talks about uh the formal challenge form must be properly completed. Um uh that was one of the criteria we were going to have on the form. It's not specifically spelled out on number three. a patron

190could sign that they read the book and really didn't read the book. Um, you know, but that was the intent of uh having it on the form. The description of the form itself is not, you know, articulated. I mean, we don't say that the form will have the title, the number of pages, the publisher like uh we would create a form like we have uh currently with that addition. >> Thanks for that clarification. >> Are there any more comments? Yeah. Can I Yeah, absolutely. >> So, I also don't like the the LMS being part of the board. It just seems kind of kind of contradictory to have me as the one that put it on to approve the book to then come back in to then review the challenge of the book. Oh, yeah. I

191still think it's a good book. >> So, it it just seems contradictory. just it it may be a separate LMS, but it's somebody that I'm working right next to or um very familiar with. That that's just my challenge. The overall concept of somebody that's responsible for ordering the books is also responsible for playing a part in challenging the book. So, I haven't it it seems inconsistent to me. Um the other part I I don't see a need for the petitioner. he or she has already filled out the form, the challenge form and submitted it. I don't see a need for them to be there. It didn't any of the challenges that I went to, I didn't care that the person was there or not. We had the form, we had the book. Go read, make

192up your own decision. So, I I don't see a need for them to be there. And then the my biggest issue is um the last is number 16. The board reserves the right to alter the process above in the interest of operational efficiency with the district, including but not limited to situations where more than five formal challenges are filed or in the queue. So basically, you don't have a policy. >> Yeah, I I understand what you're saying, but I would say ultimately the board is the ultimate decision maker in in any decision, right? >> So I'm I'm just throwing this out there. So ultimately you don't have a 6341 with the way that's worded. >> I I think just as if the the current when we learned that the system couldn't hold the weight of

193those main challenges it was presented to the board and the board had the flexibility to make a change u like a case emergency break glass. Maybe that language could be stronger to be like in case of emergency or whatever the case is. But that's my understanding is that it's >> the the board the board may choose every time we have a challenge book to be the one that makes the decision right from the very beginning. >> I'm just I I get what you're saying. I hear what you're saying. But basically 16 says you don't have a policy. The board reserves the right to alter the process anytime. the board has the right to change the policy at any time as well. Does that make sense? So I understand what you're saying. Um yeah, I appreciate

194I understand what you're saying that if if you have a a syllabus that the last part of the syllabus is um or not like I understand like the classic test that says read all directions before you start filling out this form. >> Yep. And then the >> the last one says put your pencil down. Yeah, I understand. So I understand the pointer for sharing. So >> anything else that wants to be shared? >> So the motion is to approve 6341. >> Thank you. The motion is to approve 6341 regulation 6341 as presented. It already has a first and a second. Um let's go ahead. Well, that's how we started the conversation. >> Oh, but that was introduced. >> All that was for something else. Okay. >> All right. So, first, do we have a first?

195>> Second. >> Uh, Treasure Owens. Second by Vice President Grder. All those in favor? Oh, do you want to do roll call? >> Let's do a roll call. >> President Blair, motion to modify. We >> Okay. What's the motion? >> Motion to um add in from five people um um >> to six. >> Hunter, help me. >> Depends on whether you want to go. >> I like I agree with what you said and it was it was from 5 to 7. That was the compromise. Correct. Yeah. To and bring back the public. >> So is your motion to move from five to seven, move from one to three, district res? >> I mean, I I would say >> I think six. >> I think a good compromise would be, you know, if you're going from

196nine to five, I think that the middle ground would be seven. >> So is your buy more books. >> Motion to modify. And your motion is to change from five to seven total on the committee. And the other two would be residents. >> One teacher, one resident. >> I would I would say two residents >> or one it is one teacher, one resident, two teachers, two residents. Makes it seven. >> There are no residents on there right now. >> Oh, there are no residents on there right now. >> There's one. Can we call that up, please? That slide. Yeah, there's there's one resident right now. >> There is one resident right now. >> One stakeholder. >> Oh, >> we have one stakeholder. >> It's gone. >> Slide 11. >> Um, >> so so well, hold

197on one second. There there's a lot of conversation happening and we're starting to get out of order. So, we have a motion >> to modify. Your motion is >> modify the amount of people on the committee. Instead of one teacher, two instead of one resident, two, making the total amount seven. A compromise between five and nine. So the motion is before us to change the people who are part of the review committee from five total to seven total and the two additional people would be one additional teacher and an additional resident. >> Correct? >> So that is the motion that is in front of us. Is there a second? Second. >> It has been seconded. Uh, is there any conversation on that is now the main motion in front of us. Is there any conversation

198about this change? >> I think it still makes it unwieldy. I think that's too many people and purchasing too many books. >> Two more books. >> I think six more like it. >> We're not having to purchase books, right? There's >> I mean we are >> in some cases you have to. >> Yeah, in some cases, but it's not across the board. So I don't think that's >> okay. Any other comments about the amended motion that's in front of us? >> Well, if you do that, you're going to have to amend six then >> to update that from 5 to 7 if the district does not own five copies. >> Right. >> Correct. >> Would it a friendly amendment to be and all corresponding typographical changes? >> Correct. Thank you. >> Okay. So that is

199the motion in front of us to move from 5 to 7. Any other debate on the amended motion? Okay, let's do a roll call. This is a roll call to make the amended motion the main motion. Understand? This is a vote to make the amended motion the main motion. >> Vice President Grder, >> no. >> President Blair, >> I. >> Treasurer Owens, >> no. >> Director Hulki, >> I. Director Pushkar, >> no. >> Director Harmon, >> I. >> Director Ponder, >> I. >> Motion carries. Um, it is a uh the motion before us is 6341, but now it's with seven people on the review committee. Um, with the addition being additional teacher and additional resident. So, that is before us. Any other debate, conversation? I >> I I have one more thing. Um, a little

200bit more of a debate question with with everybody if you're okay with that. So, again, I lost my notes. My computer died, so bear with me here. Um, I'm going through this um says the board recognizes that it is impractical for staff to read every book. Agreed. Um, that is recommended for incorporation. Um, staff may rely on at least two reputable books. uh are two reputable book reviews prior to making a purchase recommendation. Um the question I have is who deems those um reviews reputable >> that they're resources that they currently use whenever they're going through the collection process or the collection development. Um they'll use reviews uh for multiple they typically use uh professional reviews but then also three reviews from um different scholastic um subscriptions that they subscribe to uh to help them

201with their selections. >> Okay. Um I would be in favor of making a motion. The reason that I I don't like um I don't like room for interpretation on that. Um I don't like someone being able to say, "Well, here's my here's my book review and it's who knows." So, I would say that, you know, Glenn or whoever decides that that um I would say that we would have to have that the the book reviews would have to be approved review. It can't just be anybody. You know what I mean? It it it can't just be someone saying, "Well, I I here's a review. I I looked it up. It was on Google 35 years ago and >> or whatever." It's I I would have to I would think that it would need to be

202a a current approved >> reputable book review. So the motion that I would think I I would want in there is um >> before you get to the language I think know where you're headed. Um for the admin and and Clint, is there anything that he shared that sounds like just a a friendly uh like a friendly amendment? I also have to do the vote, but is there anything that he's saying that feels as if it counters the the spirit of your intent? >> I mean, no. I mean, they currently utilize reviews um and I can get the actual sites that they're working with to to do those reviews and get those um for us. >> Are those are those approved by you guys? >> Yeah. Like they they can't just go anywhere and find

203a review from somewhere that they've just >> made up. Correct. Right. They can't have their cousin do a review on a book and then bring it in. >> Yeah. Correct. And >> but that doesn't say that here. Correct. That's what I'm saying. >> Yeah. And we can um I can get you the list that they use as well as um if you feel like it needs to add language in there, but that's kind of part of our that's part of our collection development process that they go through currently whenever they're selecting text. The the only thing that I would maybe add is, you know, like like Sarah said, admin approved or accredited, reputable, whatever it is. >> Can can you point out where it is again if you want to make it more? >> Again,

204I'm reading up here. It's um above classroom libraries. That that paragraph >> above page. >> Um this is on page three. >> On page three. Again, my computer crash or died. >> I'm not going to look. >> I don't see that. Are you looking at 6310 or 6341? >> 6310. >> So, we're on 6341. Okay. >> So, I'm I don't see. Um, can you help me out? >> I'm not good. >> Oh, you're Never mind. Never mind on that one. I was on the wrong one. You're right. Okay. >> Okay. >> I appreciate Well, hold on to that. Sorry, my computer. >> Yeah, problems. >> Yeah. Okay. So, we have the amended 6341 in front of us. It's now the main motion. It's the everything the same except for from five goes a sentence. All

205right. That's in front of us. Any other comments? Let's go to the vote. Let's do a roll call vote. >> Do you want me to read the amended >> the motion? >> Yes, please. >> Okay. So you would do board I have a motion to approve regulation 6341 as amended. >> Board I have a motion to approve regulation 6341 as amended. >> And we already have a first and second. So now we'll just do roll call vote. Okay. >> And thank you for that correction. >> Uh Director Bashkar. >> No. >> Director Harmon. >> No. >> Director Ponder. >> No. >> Vice President Crider. I, >> President Blair, >> I, >> Treasure Owens, >> I, >> Director Holi, >> I motion passes. You want to head out? What do you want? >> How you feeling?

206>> Uh, feeling strong. >> He feeling strong. This guy's got crazy. So, his act parents might not agree. >> There's no quit. >> He's been through worse than us. >> I got you. So, really quick. 63. So, um is just being presented for first reading. It was a board directed uh review by the policy committee and uh what's in front of us is a first read. So the board has opportunity to share ideas and comments and a vote will happen in March. So uh moving from there to number 14. >> We didn't have any discussion. >> It's just the first read, but did you want to share something? >> I did. I I just want to call attention to the fact that every bit of specificity has been written out of this policy and I

207I would encourage everyone to really take a good read and look at all the red lining from this this policy. Thanks. Thank you. >> Any other comment on 63? >> No, I I I apologize for skipping ahead. My computer died and my notes went away. So, >> y my bad. >> But you had made that comment about 6310 and interest in having clear language regarding >> Yeah. >> And so for so that's just some guidance. >> That's what I thought. Maybe it's somewhere in 6341. But um those three that we're using, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal are the three that we use to get our reviews >> every single time. >> Yep. Thank you very much. Um, up next is All right, board. I have a motion to approve the policies and regulations

208as presented in number 14. >> So moved. >> Vice President Grder. >> Second. >> Director Pushkar. Any conversation on agenda item 14? All those in favor say I. >> I. I. >> Any oppose say no. Motion passes. >> Number 15, we have a first read. Um, everybody encourage you to take a look at that. I'm sure you already have before this meeting, but u there'll be a second reading at the March meeting. Um, that's agenda item 15. Agenda item 16. Board, I have a motion to approve the curriculum documents as presented. Director Pushart, Director Ponder, any conversations about the curriculum documents. Okay. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed say no. >> Motion passes. >> Okay. >> So, that last part kind of went fast, didn't it? >> Um, so right

209now we have superintendent comments from Mr. Delaney. Thank you, President Blair. I'll start my remarks tonight with two celebrations. First, I want to congratulate the Barnwwell M uh Middle School Mighty Miners robotics team who recently won the state championship and received an invitation to participate in the first Lego League World Championship event in Houston, Texas this April. What an awesome opportunity for those students to represent Barnwall Middle. I also want to congratulate the Francis Hall High School Golden Girls dance team who earned a national championship in the hiphop category earlier this month. Uh both of those teams will be invited to future board meetings to be recognized and what an amazing feat. Um it's amazing when we say state champ, but to say national champ is pretty impressive. Next, I'd like to thank uh Mr.

210Hancock and his team for working uh diligently since the last board meeting to bring some forward some workable solutions. He alongside our LMS and members of the academic team has spent a great deal of time trying to honor the spirit and intention of the current process. I'd also like to express my appreciation for uh Dr. Scott Gallen and his thoughtful work around district-wide technology needs. Rethinking how we are distri distributing devices to secondary students allows us to be more efficient with our uh financial resources and also ensure that students at the middle and high school level have access to instructional technology both at school and at home when they need it. I will remind everyone that February is Black History Month and our students are learning about the contributions and achievements of black Americans throughout

211uh our history. We will be highlighting some of the more visual activities on district social media channels later and throughout this month. We honored our amazing school counselors during National School Counseling Week, February 2nd through the 6th, and our dedicated SRO's on National School Resource Officer Day on February 15th. A school district is only as good as the people, and we have some of the very best. I'll also share that implementation, as uh Dr. St. John pointed out earlier, the Raptor visitor management system is going well. It's up and running at about half of our schools already with additional schools coming online in the next few weeks. Families, thank you for your patience as we adjust to our new security uh procedures to make all of us a bit safer. Next week, several of our

212schools will host a small group of visiting educators from Japan. These visitors are members of TOSS, teachers organization of skillsharing, Japan's largest private educational research organization. They are visiting several schools within our district as a part of a professional development program focused on observing and learning more about educational best practices in the United States. This is a wonderful opportunity for our district to engage in a global exchange of ideas. The visiting educators are eager to see our classrooms in action and learn from our talented teachers and our talented students. I would like to remind everyone that the academic team is seeking community input to help shape the district's portrait of a graduate. A clear shared vision of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions every student should have when they leave our schools. This work is connected

213with pillar one of our strategic plan and goes well beyond academics. It reflects what our community values most for student success in college, career, and life. A survey was emailed to all families and residents earlier this month and will remain open through February 27th. We hope for broad-based uh community uh supported this. I'll end my commitments tonight by reminding the community of several upcoming events. On Monday, February 23rd, we will host our first citizens roundt on the topic of school finance and the next on Tuesday, March 3rd. These are great opportunities to engage with f fellow citizens, especially those who may hold different perspectives. Participants will hear an overview of the district's financial reality, including potential challenges on the horizon and the estimated revenue impact of changes being considered at the local, state, and federal

214levels. After this brief presentation, part participants will engage in table conversations designed to solidify understanding and generate potential solutions. We would really like to have about 20 more participants in each of those events to ensure robust table discussions. We've extended the registration window for the first event so those interested can still sign up online tonight. Find more information and a link to register on the district website. The district's inspire team is hosting the next family learning series on Wednesday, February 25th. The topic is power of partnership, building safe and welcoming schools together. During the session, participants will examine the connection between school safety and student well-being. The presentation will also cover the ways schools and families uh can f can work together to support students and foster a sense of belonging. The event runs from

2156:30 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Registration is required and more information can be found on the district website. And finally, you may recall uh my encouragement earlier this year for all of us, students, parents, staff, community members to unplug for a bit. Take a break from social media. We are seeing a lot of negativity, assumptions, name calling, fingerpointing, and it's all a big distraction from the work we need to be focused on. Get to know your neighbors in real life. Have a real conversation with people face to face. Assume positive intentions, learn how to disagree respectfully, and allow our staff to do what they do best, which is educate kids each day. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh board, before comments, I'm going to offer our student representative an opportunity to say a comment if

216you wanted to share anything about your experience here. Um give us some advice to those people who didn't get a 36 on their ACT. >> Uh everyone in the room. >> Yeah. >> Um I just want to say that I really appreciated uh being here and be able to see all this go on kind of makes you realize um there's things a lot bigger than yourself. And um I appreciate the ability of everyone to um appropriately disagree with each other. I think that's a really important point that um Mr. Delaney brought up and um I don't really know what the ACT thing that's just >> Thank you. Thank you so much. We're glad that you were here. Board, any comments? Go ahead. >> Okay. Um um Proposition RT may sound helpful at first. However, freezing

217property taxes without a replacement funding plan could reduce funding for classrooms and students, impact fire and ambulance response times, limit services for individuals with developmental disabilities, reduce library programs and community resources, create long-term financial strain across the county, and it will also impact property values. This decision will affect every family and every community in St. Charles County. Protecting stable funding for schools and essential services is critical to keeping our community strong, safe, and prepared for the future. >> Thank you. >> First, I'd like to say it's clear that some people don't have a sense of humor because I got quite a few laughs for saying that my sentence was up in April, but some people don't think that's funny. Anyway, schools exist first and foremost to educate students and provide a safe structured environment where

218they can learn the knowledge and skills they need for their future. Allowing students to leave school during instructional hours to protest or organizations such as ICE disrupts this primary purpose. When students miss class, they lose valuable learning time that cannot always easily be replaced and can negatively affect their academic progress and long-term opportunities. Schools also have a responsibility to ensure student safety and supervising large numbers of students off campus during unscheduled protests can be difficult and risky. In addition, while civic engagement is an important part of democracy, there are more appropriate and effective ways for students to express their views without leaving school. Students can participate in discussions, write essays, engage in student government, or attend peaceful peaceful demonstrations outside of school hours with parental guidance. A student's right to assemble and freedom of speech

219does not exceed their responsibility to abide by school policy. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh any other comments? Anybody? I I just have one more question. I like your observation about us being able to respectfully disagree. I think we um we need a lot more of that in our uh in our society these days. Um I I've said it before several times up here, but I I' I've always been of the opinion that there's strength in disscent and when we can have differing opinions and look each other in the eye and then walk away and shake hands, I think is a very powerful thing in our society. So, um, I I would I would invite you, you're a smart kid, obviously, go out in your life and and just remember those things. Remember your experience

220here today. Um, and and take that out and and pass that along to everybody. Uh, because it's it it's becoming more rare these days that we can actually sit around with each other and respectfully disagree. Um, and uh, I think it's important for for the the younger generation to really get out there and and take that torch and and and and bring our society back to what it was. So, good job for you. >> Any other comments? >> Yeah, I have two comments. Um, the first one I just feel compelled to make, although it's um, frustrating. Um, I'm just so deeply disappointed by some of the choices do director Pushkar has made um in the board in the boardroom and online. I've just watched some recent social media posts and how we're responding to other

221candidates, the things that we're saying and how we're responding to patrons in the district. Um, I just really think that we should be ambassadors for the district and champions for the district. And while I can't control what you do, um, and how you interact with people, I would just want to >> point of order. I don't >> point of order. Director, >> one second. A point of order has been shared. Uh, for clarification, so point of order hasn't shared. Uh for clarification, uh I'm not sure the rule regarding board comments and whether or not a board comment can speak an opinion about a board member. >> Well, then how about code of ethics? >> Well, that's disrespectful or disparaging or anything else in or out of the boardroom. >> How is this respectful? Gotcha. >>

222So, I'm just saying out loud that I don't condone these behaviors and I believe that they ultimately undermine the district we were elected to serve. >> I appreciate both. Um, any guidance from the parliamentarian regarding what board comments can or can't say? >> Board comments comment. There's >> a board comment can include. And >> I'm not disparaging. I'm just being honest. >> Yeah. Okay. >> It's disappointing. >> I could Yeah. >> Lastly, >> we'll let somebody else decide that. Well, >> I'll move on. But >> yeah, it breaks my heart a little bit. >> Oh, mine too. >> Um anyway, lastly, um as I encourage everyone to find productive ways to celebrate Black History Month, I'd offer a suggestion of just reading books by black authors. Um I have several that I am a fan

223of, but one of them actually with the books that were on the list tonight, what made me actually go and check out. So, it's called A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest Gaines. Just the story that highlights the importance of acknowledging our shared history, amplifying marginalized voices, and forging bonds to confront systemic injustice. Um, moreover, the elderly characters in the novel serve as a reminder of the wisdom and strength that can be gleaned from older generations. So, >> thank you. Uh, and just as I wrap up, I appreciate the comments from Mr. Laney. This is a long meeting and I thank you all. you're sitting in here right now at this time of night on Thursday. There's something either very very wrong with you or very very right with you. Um either way, we appreciate

224your presence and those of you watching us online as well. I just want to take uh one moment to share um my faith is a driving factor of who I am in the decisions that I make. And uh my faith is a a Christian faith and and I live out that faith in loving uh neighbors and enemies to the best of my ability. And that includes speaking up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. And those people generally fall into certain categories. And I just wanted to share um with transparency what I bring with me into the conversations. uh whether you agree or disagree um at the same time pointing out that the Supreme Court said you know freedom of religion is also the freedom from religion and so just because I have a

225certain set of beliefs myself doesn't mean everybody has to be Christian or as well so uh I just wanted to share that while I believe all the comments shared tonight were shared in ways that were uh filled with conviction and and Um I just want to share that I have a set of convictions that are on the other side and wanted to make sure I share that publicly as well. Uh if there's no other decisions no other comments um we have information items for you to all look at at the bottom of the agenda and board I have a motion to adjourn open session and then return to closed session uh to have a first and second. >> Second. Was that first one? Harmon. >> Yes. >> Director Harmon. >> Big moment for all of

226us. And what was the second? >> What was the second? >> Director Ponder. All right. Um, >> all those in favor say I. Any >> oppose say no. Motion passes. Thank you all for being here tonight.