001Call the September 8th, 2025 Ever School Board meeting to order. We'll begin with the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Aaron Schultz here. >> Mr. Brad Olson >> present. >> Mr. Darren Beckus >> here. >> Dr. Gil Borton >> here. >> Mr. Kevin Burke >> here. >> Mr. Mark >> here. >> Thank you. And we have tonight's agenda in front of us. I'd ask for approval for tonight's agenda. So move second by Dr. Bortnham. All those in favor of approval of tonight's agenda signify by saying I. >> I. >> Same sign. Persons wishing to address the board. >> Have none. Okay.
002Board remarks this evening. Any board remarks? >> None. We'll move on. We have the minutes from August 11th and 20 uh August 25th. I'd ask for a motion for approval. >> So move. >> Motion by Brickard. >> Second. Second by Beckus. Any further discussion to be had regarding the minutes? All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. Same sign. Thank you. All right. We have a number of items on the consent agenda. Does anybody wish to have anything pulled from the consent agenda before approval? >> I'd like to make a comment on the uh South Dakota Humanities Council donation. Um, if you've never heard Billy Mills speak, um, you the 1964 10,000 meter Olympic champion. And to show you my age, he spoke to my athletic banquet when I was in high school
003in the early 70s. And if you ever look online, there's a black and white um video of it in which the announcer gets fired because he loses it describing Billy Mills coming home to win it all. So, uh, but he's a inspirational speaker and I thank them for that donation of that. So, >> thank you. I do know that the humanities council did face a a tremendous cut this year from federal dollars as well and they did keep the uh book program afloat and so that a key thing for them. So, thank them for that. >> Any further comments regarding the consent agenda? Being none, I'd ask for a motion for approval. So move second motion >> by Sharp, second by Olsen. Any further discussion? None. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.
004>> Oppos sign. >> Thank you. Report to the superintendent Dr. Guffin. >> Thank you. The first item on the agenda tonight is our ESL department report. Uh we have two teachers here this evening, Tara Hill and Bailey Hoffman, and they're going to let us know what's happening in our ESL department. >> Good evening. >> Hi. Thank you. Thanks for having us. I'm Tara Hill and I am the ESL teacher at Mike Miller Elementary right now. >> And I am Bailey Hoffman. I am the ESL teacher at Lincoln Elementary and I also go to CC Lee Elementary. And like Dr. Guffin said, we're here just to talk about the 2025 2026 um ESL program this year. Okay. So, for enrollment, we have 280 English learners. With those 280 English learners, we actually see 13 home languages
005with Spanish and Karin being our majority languages that we help. Um, we have eight certified teachers. Five of those teachers are based at the elementary schools. Like I said, I'm the only teacher that goes between two elementary schools. The rest are stationed full-time at the other elementary schools. We have one middle school teacher who goes between both middle schools. And then we have two high school teachers. One of the high school teachers this year is going to our middle school just because our numbers have increased in middle school. Um, and then we also have two educational assistants. One we have at our elementary school. She is primarily based at Simmons based on numbers. And then our other EA is at the middle schools. Throughout the school year, we um administer two different assessments to students.
006The first one is the Weda screener. So when families come and register their students if they mark anything other than English on the home language survey then our department is notified. We then take the appropriate steps to determine if we need to administer the screener and if we do and if the student qualifies then they begin excuse me then they begin receiving the ESL services. Um once they receive ESL services they stay in the program until they've exited. So every year at the end of January and throughout the month of February, they take what's called an access test. This is a statemandated test and it measures their language proficiency. The exit criteria for them is receiving a five on that access test or higher or they can have a combined score using their ELA from
007the general classroom um test of a three or a four along with our access test of a four or higher. So again, they stay in the program until they've reached that overall exit criteria. This last year in the 2425 school year, we had 11% of our students um exit the program. Okay. So our district vision is to provide all students with the knowledge and skills necessary to reach their part their potential in a global community through high expectations of academic achievement, diverse educational opportunities, and community involvement in a safe environment. In order to achieve our district vision, we provide one-on-one or small groupoup pullout services. Um, during this, we will work with our EL students in a small group setting to meet their language proficiency. By doing that, we will work on their reading, speaking,
008listening, and writing skills with different activities that we will do in that small group setting. Um, based on their language profic proficiency, we may see them two to five times a week. It just kind of depends on where they're at until they meet that criteria. We also provide push-in services where we will go into the classrooms and co-e. Um, we may also sit next to our students just to make sure that their language needs are being met in that larger group in the classroom. And then again, just to um go off of Bailey, uh, in order to meet that district vision, we do a number of projects throughout the school year. This is one project that I do with my second grade students every year. Um, it's a it's a culmination. So, we start by
009reading different stories on cultures. Then students are completing a graphic organizer of themselves and their families and where they came from. They're invited to bring belongings from their home that they um kind of representing themselves that they want to share with their classmates that they have. They write an essay with the information. Finally, they take that information and they find pictures or take pictures of the belongings that they've brought into school and they make an iMovie. So, this is the end result of that and I hope you enjoy it. in that PDF. >> Do you have any questions while he's trying to >> I suppose you've never done this, but what would be about of a typical student when they come in? How long would they need your services? typically two years or three or
010>> so the state says that it's 5 to seven years in order to be academically proficient. So we have a lot of students that we will call just are socially ready locker room talk. So they kind of trick you because they'll be standing by their lockers and having full conversations with their friends. They can play outside at um on the playground. They're having lots of fun and so we think that they're ready. But learning those academic vocabulary words, it takes them five to seven years. >> Thank you. >> Of those four skills you talked about, I assume speaking is probably the the easiest maybe not, but of the reading, listening, and writing, which one usually what order do they kind of come >> or is it different for? >> Um, so when we give that
011test, normally we're always going to do the listening test first. I would say the listening actually is probably comes the easiest to our students. Um and then we do the reading test and the reading and writing is definitely um the hardest for our students to achieve that higher criteria in order to exit out of the program. But yes, listening and speaking usually comes the easiest to students. >> And a lot of times they come and if they aren't speaking any English, they're just like a sponge. And so they're just soaking up all of that information, not really sharing a lot at first, but listening and taking it all in. >> That's kind of where it goes to that push-in service, too, where it's important we sit in to make sure that they are getting all
012their language needs met based on their language acquisition plan that we fill out at the beginning of the year. We give accommodations to the teachers, say these are the things that you can be doing when we are not in here. >> Um, and then we'll also go in just to make sure that those needs and accommodations are being met. >> So, so I have two questions. You talk about the state requiring all these things that we do. Do private schools have the same responsibility to offer that? You know, >> that's a great question. Do you I don't think that they're a part of the WEDA, right? >> Another thing that we're responsible for that >> requires funding >> that private schools don't do. Okay, that's one question. Second one, I was in healthc care for
01344 years and a lot of times we had patients that would come in that never spoke like of English. Okay. So, a lot of times they'd bring their children and their children were the ones talking to us back and forth about, well, this is what we're going to do and blah blah blah. And then they talk to their parents. I'm interested in parent teacher conferences. Do you guys um attend those if there are parents who don't speak English very well? >> Um we try to get to as many as we possibly can. Uh our primary focus are the conferences where there are parents that don't speak English. we want to make sure that it's facilitated correctly. So, we have hired interpreters. There are we have a list of interpreters that have gone through background checks.
014Um they have an hourly rate and so we we reserve them far in advance and make sure that they're able to come and then they come to our schools during their aotted time um and sit in on them. Sometimes if they can't come in person, we'll do it over the phone. Um and then the school district also has a membership I would call it or yeah with probio which is a an over the phone facility if we're not able to get somebody in person or someone that's one of our interpreters that's so all those are options we are always looking for interpreters always looking for so anytime we're out in the community and someone will say oh I speak Spanish I said oh really do you want to go in I actually just met someone
015at a shake shop and he goes oh no I don't he's like I'm not good I'm like no It's fine. You'll be great. You'll be right. Yes. >> And we just send them the link to sign up because we are constantly looking for especially Korean translators. That is the one that we need the most. >> We didn't have kids. We we had to call the bat phone. >> It was the blue phone where you have the phones that you could talk to interpreter. >> They do often still bring their children and >> I'm sure. >> Y >> and want them to help. >> Great. I'm going to attempt this. >> Okay. works. It's a cute video. >> It's much more difficult. >> Yes, the earlier they start, the easier it is for them. Just like
016um Miss uh Tira said, their brains are like a sponge. So the earlier they start, the more they're getting that social and academic language um compared to when they come as a senior and kind of when they're older, they're not stuck in their ways, but it's harder to want to, you know, change and to start to conform to >> the English language. So >> yes, >> have you seen of the 13 identified languages that are spoken? >> Uhhuh. any of them mesh better with English or provide further challenges like this is the >> you see >> um I would say the the majority that we see um especially in the elementary schools are Spanish and Korean and the Korean language they say is a mix between two um it's like Chinese and >> um Vietnamese
017or it's like those two combined so they say that that's really hard our translator um will tell us too if we want to write a note in Korean. We asked if we should translate it and they said a lot of the parents don't even read the Korean language. It's just they're speaking it which is really interesting. So most of the time when we want to translate documents they say you almost don't even want to do it in Korean because they aren't reading that. Um but I'd say the Spanish is probably the easiest for parents to pick up on little words that we say here and there with the children as well. >> What's the most we've ever had? I'm 13 now, but I thought at one time in my my brain we had 20 different
018languages that you were dealing with. >> 21 is our highest. >> I thought it was in the 20s. >> Are there many students that English isn't is not the home language that >> able to pass the test and don't require >> um Yes. So, especially our kindergarteners coming in, a lot of families may speak another language at home, but the children were actually raised to speak English because they have older siblings or they're watching television based on English or, you know, they have so many more things now with the internet and YouTube and things like that. Um, where they will give them our WTA screener is what we call it. And yes, we have kindergarten, first graders who don't qualify because they're they've reached that five or higher. >> Yes. Um, I actually just had
019a student at Lincoln, um, two siblings, one is in fourth grade and one is in first grade. And we found out that they were in Omaha last year and she just got here from Guatemala, um, in 2022, I believe. She just got here not long ago, but anyway, they had missed, they moved in January. The school had no idea where we went, and we just found out they were completely pulled from the school, have not been in school since January. And this little girl's in kindergarten. So I was expecting when I gave her this meet screener, she was going to know little English. And she wrote a paragraph of the story I told her. She retold me the story in English. And I was just blown away. And I said, "You haven't been in school
020since January." She said, "Yeah, but my teacher at in Omaha taught me this and this and this." And even her dad when we were filling out the um intake form said, "I'm really worried about Kayla. I don't think she'll be able to speak English as well as her brother because he was doing the translating." and she scored uh six on our Wita screener which was absolutely I just told her I am just so blown away and I asked her brother I said do you guys work on English at home what are you doing he's like I don't know I just sleep a lot >> oh gosh so there's something but he's also he did qualify because that fourth grade test is much harder it's all um on the iPad and then the kindergarten where it's
021one-on-one and we're reading a story um but he did qualify still with like a four >> so it was almost >> incredible but yeah >> it just throws their minds are really sponges and absorb everything. >> So, what's the best part of the job for you? >> The families. They're so amazing and they just want what's best for their children. Um, we really don't have a lot of behavioral issues. They are just at school ready to learn. They're so determined. And just seeing where they come from the beginning, especially if they are a newcomer, to where they're at at the end of the year, it's just it's amazing. I love their family. Very rewarding. Very rewarding. My culture makes me special. That's sweet. >> Second grade. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. This student has
022um this was actually about a a year and a half ago and he exited this last year. So, he's one of the 11%. So good. >> Any other questions or comments? >> Thank you for much. >> Thank you for having us. >> Thank you. >> Sure. >> The next item on the agenda is our annual open enrollment report. You have that in front of you. Uh it shows the number of students who are incoming to the district. So we had 17 students who would live outside of the Aberdine school district who had chosen to come to the Aberdine school district and 35 outgoing. So a loss of 18, which you'll see is is less than previous years, but nonetheless still a loss. Uh questions about the open enrollment numbers. >> I saw the others that
023kind of surprised me. Yes, that's a family that was with us previously that's in between housing right now paperwork. So, okay. >> All right. Uh then the last item on the agenda is the indistrict transfer report. So, this would be um families who live in Aberdine, so that want to go from one school within the community to another. Uh we did receive 250 of those transfer requests and we were able to approve 97% of those this year. Um it's really really really really challenging at the towards the end of the year. We were getting transfer equipped right up till when school was starting. Uh and sometimes those are a little bit trickier to do as school is starting but we were able to approve 97% which you can see is pretty close to what we
024do in previous years as well. Last year we had the 100% but we're pretty close this year as well. But >> questions about transfers >> questions or comments? All right. Thank you very much for that. >> Second. All right. We got a motion on the floor for adjournment. Uh >> oh, that was adjournment. Oh, I didn't even hear it. >> All right. You got to listen all day.