Board Work Session | February 10, 2026

001Good evening. Welcome to the Rochester Board of Education. Today is Tuesday, February 10th, and this evening is our work session. Um, at this time I will call the work session to order and we will move forward into our first agenda item uh which will turn over to our general counsel to review the New York State School Board Association policy recommendations at this time. >> Thank you uh President Simmons. Give me one minute. Okay. Um, so I um I won't spend um a lot of time on this. I'll be be very brief. Um, there were uh four um recommended uh updates uh in this uh batch. Um one relates to automated external defibrillators. Uh one relates to school safety plans. um one relates to charging meals and other food items and one relates to free meal

002services. Um our process is whenever we get these updates, we uh compare contrast what we have in our policies um to determine whether we need to make any updates um for all of these. These are for um optional or recommended policies and they're all recommended updates. So there's there's nothing that's mandatory, but for example, we of course have a school safety plan policy. Um so we will um you know we'll just do a double check to see if this is incorporated and if it is then something will come back to the board. Um you know there's there's a reference to um external defibrillators. So again uh we will do a check of our policies. Um and the other two relates to um again charging of meals and free meals. Um that is we have a

003very simple policy on meals. I mean we are because of uh the type of district we our our population um these often don't apply for us to us. So we don't think we will um we don't charge for for meals so we don't think we'll have to make any changes but again we will do a double check and if something needs to be changed urgently we'll expedite it to the board otherwise you know there will be no action. >> Makes sense. And any questions from commissioners regarding what general counsel's introduced? Commissioner Griffin, >> this might might not be a part of it, but I just wanted to clarification on it. With the changes with Kennedy at the federal level, would that trickle down to the New York state level with the absence of like the

004red dye and those type of issues when it goes into the foods? How would that play a part in it or will it not play a part in the food that we provide for our children? >> Um, I don't know if I can answer that definitively. uh commissioner uh the federal government has a couple ways they can take actions that could affect us. um one if is there is specific kind of um legislation that's passed as a result of the recommendations coming out of the FDA and other places um that could affect um what we have to do or if there's something for example related to how we do school meals um and reimbursements for that um they could try to get changes um you know uh for the states um by making those kind

005of recommendations or sometimes to trying through executive orders Um, so at this time that's that's speculative to be honest. Um, I I don't have an answer for you, but I can u take a look and get back to you. >> Thank you, general counsel. At this time, I'm going to move forward handing the mic over to our district clerk, who will review multiple policy presentations, those being policy 0150, HIV related illness. Uh 0310, evaluation of schoolboard operational procedures. 0320 evaluation of the superintendent and 0400 school improvement plans. District clerk win. >> Good evening board members, administration, and community. Tonight, as President Simmons has indicated, we will review district goals part two policies 0150, 0310, 0320, and 0400. As you are aware, the policy review process is iterative. Um, and this is the six steps that

006are included. Um, as always with our standard operating procedure, our relevant advisory groups have an opportunity to review the policies and make recommendations followed by district administration prior to those recommendations coming forward to the board in a work session for final review. Okay. So starting with policy 0150 which is currently titled individuals with HIV related illnesses. The only um significant change or the only change recommended for this policy is the title change to um move it to just HIV related illnesses. This is in alignment with the NISBO recommendation. Next we would look at evaluation of schoolboard operational procedures policy 0310. There were no um NISBO recommendations on this policy. However, your coaches from CGCS and their team had the opportunity to weigh in and as you can see attached to the board docs item there,

007the track change um was pretty significant to update the policy. Um and so that's their recommendations there. Next, CGCS also weighed in on your policy 0320 evaluation of the superintendent. And so that recommendation ultimately is to modify the policy to align with the overall recommendations. And similar to 310, you'll see that they made a number of recommendations shortening um the policy. Finally, there was the school improvement plan 0400 and there were no changes um made to that policy at this time. The policies that are part of this batch that you have not reviewed because they are still under um review from the administration would be the district policy prohibiting discrimination or harassment of students which is policy 0100 along with the sexual harassment policy 0110. When we look at the deliverables of the policies being

008reviewed, um here first we'll start with 0310 and this was a policy as you recall that CGCS made some recommendations around including update to deliverable which essentially um just kind of shortens it and makes it a little more succinct but maintains the the ask. Next we'll look at 0320 evaluation superintendent. These deliverables are legally required as you see by the highlight. So, we're not able to make changes. The recommended language change that CGCS did make um really just again um kind of tightened up the language that was previously there and make it a little clear that this is um pursuant to the regulation of the commissioner. Um and then finally, uh in a similar fashion, your school improvement plans policy is a legally required deliverable and so not open to um change at this time.

009So next steps is the board will have discussion related to these policies and then you all would make a motion to forward out to the business meeting to start the policy reading process where in the February meeting it would um receive the first review and then you would vote on it in the April business meeting. That's the conclusion of the presentation. Ma'am, >> thank you Clerk Win. So um let's open up for discussion around the policies presented so we can see where we are. It looks like 310 and 320 might give us the most um discussion. So, I'll open the floor at this time. Commissioner McCulla, I see your hand. >> Okay, there we go. Yep. So, I did have some questions and cons some well open up for discussion about policy 310. Um so,

010I was looking at it and I was reading it over and looking at the current deliverables compared to what CGCS was um had recommended. And I just want to open up to the board um to the board members. Do we need a quarterly um visit on this deliverable? I was looking at something more by-early twice a year um for this self-evaluation, but I want to open it up for discussion to help me clearly understand based on what I know and what I've seen on this board the the realistic capacity of them being able of us being able to do a quarterly evaluation might be a little far stretched. So, I was thinking maybe something of a by-early one where it gives us time to assess, adjust, and observe the impact that we're actually doing so

011that we can have actual sustain sustainable things that we present to each other when we do these self-evaluations. That's my thoughts. I'm open it up. I want to hear what everybody else got to say. >> Sure. I I want to thank you for for those comments. Um I am okay with the quarterly piece, but I do understand where you where you're how you're thinking potentially. Um, for me, the quarterly allows us to gain or build muscle. And when we begin to practice things, we may not have it perfect right away, but if we continue working toward that ultimate goal, um, we can build that muscle. I do see a hand from Commissioner Malloy. >> Yeah. Uh, I I do agree with that sentiment. Um I believe that regular self-evaluation um not only builds muscle but

012also it's part of the our governance plan under CGCS um part of their um the ongoing uh I'm so sorry our progress monitoring that's the word I was looking for. So once we've implemented our progress monitoring that's an integral part of the CGCS plan. Can you hear me now? Okay, sorry about that. I'll make sure I will talk right into the mic. [gasps] Um, so it is part of the CGCS um model for prog continued progress monitoring and that includes the board self-evaluating a regular basis. So I think um I hear what you're saying, Commissioner McCulla. Um, but I think that if we were wait to wait like and just do it once a year or every other year, um, I'm not sure that we would be in in line with our our current governance

013model and and the muscle we're trying to build. >> And and I do hear all of that and thank you for those comments because I do want to make sure that we're following the tools and the protocols that we set out for ourselves. Um, but I do want to just keep this in mind and I'm I'm okay with the quarterly if that's what we all decide. But I do want to say that um doing it that frequency and I know that is a way to build muscles and it's a way to understand how we're doing things and how we're moving. But we do want to make sure that we don't make this become symbolic in what we're doing because doing it that many times and having so many issues that we've seen come out. We

014don't want it to be, oh, here we go again. and now we're doing another one and now it's it doesn't hold any meaning and the wait for it now goes away because we it's it's being done so often. >> Right. So I think one of those things we can consider is and I see your hand commissioner Santiago. I think one thing we can consider is when you're talking about the frequency is potentially looking at that quarterly piece being considered a check-in. So a progress a monitor a check-in not the formal piece. And so we would still have that annual or bianual um progress report or actual weighin, but the other pieces could look that we're just looking at our progress. How are we doing? And then make it count at the end. So that might

015be a good way. Commissioner Santiago. >> No, I just want to say I agree with uh both sides. I can see uh commissioner McCulla's side and also the side of possibly doing this uh quarterly. I would love to hear uh from our state monitor uh specifically about this and because some of these requirements are due to your um strategic plan. So definitely would love to hear your thoughts on this specifically. >> Thank you uh for the opportunity. That was uh one of the recommendation that was in the ESTRA academic plan. One of the things that we want to do is move away from the survey that was done or suggested to be done at the end of the each meeting because of what you said. It's just a process you did it. The information was

016not analyzed, discussed or anything like that. So we want to make sure that this is reflective that the board is going to complete the survey, use the information to improve the practice is aligned again with the governance model from the council and we want to make sure that if we want to increase student achievement and student outcomes that as a board you are reflective of your practice and you can also model that behavior. Does that definition does that definition like specifically means quarterly or bianually? What do you think? How can we best effectively do that? >> Again, we can begin quarterly, but it's something that the board can revisit later on. Uh once you know what you're doing, how you're doing, how you're using the information, then we can revisit that. >> And final question

017to our clerk, do you know when we'll be re-evaluating this policy specifically? >> Um yes, two things. uh for this policy it comes up again it won't come up again in this four-year cycle so it will be after 2028 I believe um President Simmons Cindy Ellburn your CGCS co excuse me CGCS coach is online and has come off mute and I think would like to chime in on this [laughter] >> invited them on in to see what they thought so thank you >> no problem >> hi everyone can you hear me >> yes >> okay great um so the quarterly self-evaluation There is um some rationale behind doing that on a quarterly basis. Um one for the reasons that both uh President uh Simmons and Vice President Malloy mentioned to build muscle but also because

018this is a self-evaluation. you are as you get get into the progress monitoring um work for the goals and the guardrails those actually serve as micro evaluations of the superintendent performance. So it would make sense that the board is also keeping track on a very regularly regular basis of its own progress in um uh adopting the behaviors and all of the things that are uh spelled out in the student outcomes focused governance manual. That is the self-evaluation tool. Um and it also informs the what's next? What uh what does the board need to do in the next three months to actually improve uh improve its self-evaluation score? Um so so it is part of the model. We say once you get to 80 uh points on that self-evaluation then go ahead and think about doing

019it once a year. And we always recommend that the board evaluates itself within um I believe it's 45 days prior to evaluating the superintendent. >> Thank you um for that for your thoughts. And so this is again this would move it forward into the first readings should we agree. Um and that is are we closing out the discussion? Are we comfortable where we are right now with the uh board evaluation piece or did you have a final comment? >> Yep. So, that's going to move into policy. I think that's 320 320. So, um are we done with the board piece? Any final? >> I know I missed a little bit of it, but I I'm not comfortable with it. I think we should re we should as a as a group revisit it and definitely

020definitely make sure that that's what we want to do. >> Yeah, >> I think that it's a little indecisiveness on which way we want to go. >> So where we are right now is just going into the first reading. So we have many more opportunities to continue deliberating to your point, Commissioner Griffin. So thank you for that. Um and Commissioner Santiago, we're going to move into um 0320 which is regarding the superintendent evaluation. My screen went black. >> I just I just wanted to uh I think that first of all moving the policy into focusing on guard rails and goals um is definitely uh a good step in the right direction. I just want to very quickly um look at the the part where it says that the conversation will only be discussed during an

021executive session. I just want to make sure that we're not violating any of New York State laws. I know that the conversations about this being a um some of executive sessions are warranted for individual employee conversations and so I know that the superintendent can can go down to that but I guess you know is this still legally sound and I also wonder um kind of why didn't we have that on there in the first place if um if we are speaking about an individual employee >> is that required by law because it says pursuant to the regulations of the commissioner of education. >> Um I'm sorry. So I I can chime in briefly. Yes. So the superintendent's uh evaluation is required by law. So that does have to happen. Um the section that I will

022um circle back to the board on is the striking of the the evaluation does happen in private and and but but there are um the the last sentence that the most recent part of the plan u must be filed in the clerk's office. that might have to remain. Um, but let me uh double check and circle back to the board on that. That is a pertinent question from the commissioner. >> Just to be clear, I I I know that that was required by law to evaluate him for sure. Like that's one of the most important things, but I was um confused uh general counsel around the um pursuant to the commissioner's of education that it will be discussed only during executive session. And so I was wondering, >> yeah, just like just like any other

023um employee evaluation, it's not not a public um thing. Um but there might be certain um elements of the like that plan for evaluation that might have to be >> um filed with the clerk, but again, I will do a triple check and circle back to the board on that. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> So, can we do we progress it until the next hearing or do does it wait until we have that circle back information? I my recommendation would just be to progress it. Um because again if the the the pertinent I think the pertinent part to your question about was about whether the evaluation would happen privately and I think that part yes is the answer to that is yes. Um I'm identifying another element of just that that plan section that

024very last sentence that might have to be um >> uh revised and and if it is I will alert the board if if not after I do my uh double check then you'll be fine. Yeah. Yeah. I see. And and just the part that he's talking about is um will be available upon request for review by any individual. And so I I think that that would be a good u information to get on this policy when we move forward. Thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner Santiago. Were there any other thoughts or questions in regard to policy 0320? >> Those are my questions also. >> Okay. So no additional comments on this time. Uh with with that um were there any other comments or questions regarding any of the policies that were presented in this iteration?

025Um with none, Commissioner Feman, >> it's not turning up for me now. I just wanted to say that um as somebody who worked in the medical field for so long, I was really really happy to see the updates to the HIV um policy that it's much more human language and it's much more inclusive and I was really excited that the changes were made. I wasn't a part of the changes that were made, but I was glad that to see them. >> Awesome. Thank you. Uh, so at this time I would like to entertain a motion to move policies 0150310 or do I need to do them individually? Um, >> yes. >> I'm sorry. >> Not the policy. So I'm sorry, but I do have one quick question. Do we have to um have language in

026this deliverable that talks about a mid-year discussion? Does that have to be in here or is it something at our own discretion as a board that we do or >> if we're going to do it, I would like to see the language explicitly spelled out >> because it's not and I for based on the CGCS recommendation, it's not a part of the deliverables and I'm looking at the policy and in the actual policy it just says periodic review, but there's no language actually saying a midyear discussion. So, should that be in there? If that's something I know that has been discussed and people want to do, should it not be there? >> I would uh agree. Yes, Cindy. Thank you. Um I can I can give a little rationale as to why um and and

027not saying that you can't add that back just letting you know why it um is not there because you will be progress monitoring on a monthly basis which means that you are going to be doing um formative evaluations of the superintendent on a monthly basis and having having those progress conversations um very regularly. So that would be the rationale for our having left it off. But if there is um something formal and again that's just our recommendation. So we'll leave it to the board to decide if they need to do something in addition of course. >> President Simmons. >> Yes. >> I'm sorry if I may interject and remind commissioners a part of the superintendent's contract requires a mid-year evaluation that occurs. >> So then we need to explicitly add that language in if we

028could note that. Um are there any uh Commissioner Griffin just to be just to be clear for clarity um you said that he would be evaluated monthly. Is that what that's what I heard? >> No >> formative assessments >> formative the progress monitoring. >> Okay. >> Um will be a regular piece but as far as the formal evaluation there would be a midyear evaluation and then we would have the final annual evaluation based on on this policy. >> Okay. So when do the formative assessments start? >> The progress monitoring is >> Yeah, progress monitoring. I'm sorry for the record. Progress monitoring. >> So one of the things CGCS has been working with us on is building us to a space where our goals and guard rails and all of the understanding is is set up

029there. So we are finally getting to that place. Once that gets voted in that we're going to go into the um progress monitoring and I will u defer to Cindy who's online who can maybe expound on that response. Cindy if you can weigh in a little bit. >> Sure. So the um progress monitoring, you still need to adapt your goals and guard rails and then a progress monitoring calendar will be built that will give those dates as far as when progress monitoring when those monitoring reports will start coming. Um while you will practice um probably start practice monitoring um working with the actual data will probably be a little little ways off. Um it it we'll we'll know more once the goals and guard rails are actually adopted and that monitoring calendar can be built

030from those. So the the formal assessment of progress monitoring not being in place until we get that uh the goals and guardrails established makes a lot of sense to me. Um but having some kind of avenue or mechanism to un or stand or be looking at some form of data prior to that um in some form is going to be I think um prudent on our part. >> So we might want to um certainly lean into that a little more. Um and so let's continue that conversation. Yeah. >> Um, so for the purposes of this policy and where we are here, I think we can move these into the first readings. We have opportunity to deliberate further and we'll talk about some of the other things. So, uh, I'd like to entertain a motion to

031move policies 0150, 0310, 0320, and 0400. Forward to first readings. >> So moved. Moved by Vice President Malloy. >> Seconded by Commissioner Feman. All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? These policies have moved forward into their first reading. Y'all fighting down there to um be the first one to say me as Commissioner Santiago used to do that. Okay, [laughter] we're going to move on into uh looks as if I just want to make sure not I'm not missing anything. The board newsletter >> that's locked >> is up. So we have our standard operating procedure and >> so President Simmons you see that um on the back end you see that it is there in the event that board members needed to have a conversation um related to the newsletter that is slated to be released

032later this month um based on the feedback that was received from commissioners about moving moving it forward. There was not specific feedback or changes to the issue and the things that were there. There were some more global questions and conversations related to how you all want to move forward with the newsletter. So, um in terms of intent and purpose of this meeting, there's not a item that you all have to discuss tonight in order to release the board uh the newsletter later this month, but there is still those global conversations around um some proposed changes to the overall newsletter. But we do have the opportunity to if we chose to speak to it this evening a little bit uh as far as how we want to move forward with the newsletter. So as far as

033the newsletter the iteration that it is now um I am okay moving forward with it but I do think there is some conversation that we can maybe spend five minutes on or less um just to get some thoughts out to determine how we want to move. So before we do that and that needs to be voted on as far as the current edition. >> No, no. So you all only vote on the um newsletter if there's questions like or changes that you're making. Um so there were no again recommendations specific to the content of the February meeting. It was more about the ongoing format and the use of the newsletter. >> Okay. So as far as the current newsletter and the iteration that we see it in now, we will I'm comfortable releasing it as

034it is if you all are amanable to that amenable to that. Um, but I do want to open up the discussion for what does the newsletter look like moving forward. Um, so is are we on the same page? Does that sound good? So, we're g that's on record that we'll release as is and let's open the discussion for some thoughts because I know I I saw the first edition was like, oo, can we make this a one pager? So, let's let's see what the thoughts are regarding that. I'm going to start from this end of the day and move in. Commissioner Griffin. >> Thank you, President Simmons. Um I think we discussed this prior but I just wanted to bring it back. Um we had prior to um Commissioner McCulla and Commissioner Fman coming on

035board where all the board members had a time to like chime in on um and have a like a commissioner's corner. I think that that is something that we should reconsider because I all of us do different things and we are involved at different schools and we we need to also have a voice. I think that that wouldn't be amanable for all of us to have that have that um have that privilege as well. I don't know how the other board members feel, but I do have things that I've done um within the schools and when I visit or different different events that I've attended um on behalf of the district that I think that um the public needs to know about and be as as transparent as possible. Um that is just my recommendation

036that we have something for the other commissioners as well as the president's corner in all the other areas because the president definitely needs to have their corner as well. But I also think that we should have a voice on here as well. >> Right. And just to make it clear that the inception of the newsletter was always to be a collective representation of the board and certainly not just highlighting my voice. So I do appreciate you bringing that conversation up. Commissioner McCulla, did you have a statement or thought around that? >> I did. No. Um so I was looking at the newsletter and um I did have some concerns with the the format. It was quite um hefty and it was a lot of information that had to be digested and um really understanding who

037is the newsletter for like who's the audience um is it the is it co workers is it um the community is it parents is it students like who are who's actually getting this newsletter and reading it to really understand how they're inter engaging with this newsletter um I found it I I was looking at it as um being maybe cut down to two two pages, one to two pages max. Um giving there were there were points on the current issue that I really loved and I really thought was were great. It fit with what I know I've had discussions with other commissioners about getting um getting the community to know and understand what we do as a as a board and what our what our um strengths and what our weaknesses are and also what

038our capabilities are where what we can do and what we can't do. and they had and they highlighted a lot of that in there which I thought was brilliant. But there was a lot of other stuff that was just overwhelming. Um and so my suggestion was if we could try to bring this down to two pages. Um highlighting some of the more pertinent information um bucketing some of the things that just didn't need to be spread out are really fully discussed. A lot of this information they can go and get off the um the website. So I just didn't think it was necessarily needed to be in that um newsletter as well. >> Right. Um and then when it comes to the the the commissioner's corner, I wasn't here for that conversation, but I will

039say that from my perspective, I would like to see uh maybe we all are liaison to schools possibly having something where we highlight our schools that we are instead of highlighting something about ourselves. How about we highlight something about the schools which then gives shine to our district which then lets people know what's happening good in these places. >> Yep. that that seems to be the ongoing conversation and it sounds like we are already in the energy. Let's continue that. Commissioner Feman, >> um I actually wrote a commissioner's report and I was trying to figure out where it should go and how it should be presented and I think that we should have I don't know when, again, this is all very new to me, but I thought maybe the work session these board documents

040are available maybe underneath our profile on the commissioner's page. We can do a little commissioner report underneath that. And what I did is I highlighted I wrote one. I went to two schools in the last month. And again highlighting the bright spots, the amazing things of the school that I saw, the powerful things that I saw. And I think that we should maybe monthly do a something about our schools, something about our role, something about highlighting the district, putting everything we can in a positive light. We have amazing things going on and if we're not talking about them, I don't know how to put that out there. I don't think it should be part of the newsletter per se, but I think we should do something like a commissioner report. >> Thank you. Thank you.

041And just to uh Commissioner U McCulla did ask, you know, who is this being distributed to? And it uh in the SOPs, the standing operating procedures, uh it does express that of course the newsletter is distributed hard copy, but they are also electronically shared with RCSD students, families, and staff. Um so it is going to a wider scale u through what mechanism we can explore that. Um Commissioner Feman, I I I appreciate your comments. I do think there's opportunity to really lean into the bright spots of our schools communities. Um, and that might be a a more tasteful way to approach some things. And you may have a a broader uh goal with with with some other pieces. >> I did. I mean, I literally wrote it. I sent it to you. And it also

042brings back to the question that that I have about what we can share because I took a lot of really great pictures. And in the commissioner report that I, you know, mocked up, I talk about my children are in the city school district and I took a lot of pictures of them in in the um program that they did and but I didn't share them because there are other children in it. So I want to make sure that we clarify what we can share. In the commissioner report that I um created, I shared a teachers picture because obviously that one is safe and he's was New York State teacher of the year right here in Rochester. Shout out to Zachary. But um I knew it was a safe picture, but I want to make sure

043that we're have clarity on what we can share too. >> Yep. Thank you. So for the purposes of the of the newsletter and let's let's continue that conversation for sure because I think we've got um some good energies going. Um, Commissioner Mallaloy, Vice President Mallaloy, >> thank you. Um, I agree with all the sentiments expressed so far. I would like to see the um, to Commissioner McCulla's point, I would like to see it paired down to perhaps two pages um, really making it relevant towards the work that we're doing as a complete or whole board in terms of governance and helping to educate the community um, about what that governance should look like. Um but I also really like the idea of perhaps in another place attaching we are liaison to schools attaching reports as

044we visit these schools and and highlighting those bright spots because if we're not doing it then um we might not hear about it. And I do want to take a moment to highlight and uh big up, if you will, big up big up our board clerk's office um who took a vision and an idea that we had and then brought it to uh you know conceptualized it and then brought it forward and um put the graphics together and they they take this on. Ultimately the idea is that we would begin to own this work as we're talking about now. But they took the time to say okay what do they want? and without that clarity said this might be a great idea and and and bringing relevant policies focusing on our student focused um governance

045public hearings budget process. So again, I think the information that is captured, most of it is very relevant. Um, and so maybe summarizing some of it, making it a little more reader friendly, all those things, if we're going to own it, then I think they wouldn't mind us taking that on. Um, and then determining also collectively what we want to move away from and where we can find agreement around the bright spots. But even if we chose to say, "Hey, let's do bright spots and highlight schools from each commissioner or or things that they've seen in in the schools specifically," we would want to um get some clarity on what that looks like as well. So, um, Commissioner Santiago, anything, sir? >> Yeah, I think um three pages actually might be good in my personal

046opinion, adding policy and budget conversations. And I also do like the word search. I don't know. I think we should keep the word search on there for sure. It's a good literacy opportunity for us all. >> Miss Travis liked that too. [laughter] >> So, it might be a good opportunity to keep a third page uh just to talk about policy. I think it is good to keep policy inside of uh their reports and some of the important decisions that will be coming with soon. Um so, yeah, I do think that it should be shortened from four four pages to three. Um but that's also with keeping the word search because I do like the word search. Thank you. That's what we're going to be going back and forth, but clerk, thank you for maybe taking

047some of these notes and how would we move forward because obviously we would need to work through this before >> we come up with something. >> Um, so I first if I could just respond, Commissioner Santiago, um, and for all commissioners that the newsletter would need to be an even number of pages. Um, so three is would not work. We would need to do two or four um or six if you chose. In any event, um to your question about how to move forward next, I think perhaps putting forward a brief survey to commissioners so we can be clear around what what um items you'd like to have remain or remove. Um so we can send that out and then um we can put it on the February business meeting under unfinished business to continue

048the conversation and discuss the outcomes from that. for saying survey and I you know we were talking about what we want to see in the newsletter which is great but also folks that may be reading and I don't know if they're if they're using it for you know wall hangings or anything but if someone is actually invested in and reading the newsletter um maybe we want to hear you know hey this is helpful or no it's cute you know but um finding things that are helpful for folks that are picking up the newsletter so that that could be some feedback we seek as well >> the survey I was referring to was for commissioners um just for the turnaround time. If you would like something larger to um individuals who are reading it, um we

049can probably put uh maybe ongoing feedback for them and things of that nature. >> Yeah. For for quick turnarounds, commissioners. Um but then getting that feedback for future is perfect. So, can we put a pin on this conversation? I'll go to you, Commissioner Feman, and then we'll we'll conclude this conversation. Ma'am, >> I just think we should highlight a book a month. >> I think we should definitely highlight a book, though. >> Highlight a Oh, talking about language. Yeah. Okay. Okay. All right. We'll put take that feedback into consideration as we continue to develop and no need to vote on this. So, we have concluded the conversation around the board newsletter. Thank you. Uh and I believe I'm going to turn this over to um our Council of Great City Schools. Cindy is on the

050line and we're going to be looking at our goals and guard rails at this time. >> Superintendent Roser, I'm sorry. you're going to be presenting. >> No problem. No problem. And I will say that the council of great city schools has provided excellent support as we venture um the journey of of putting together these um superintendent goals, interim goals and guardrails. So the team has really worked hard to make sure that we support what our board has created as its goals. We put together interim goals for the school district that we will be following. Um we have also put together interim guard rails as well. The team had the um task of going back and making some recommendations as it relates to metrics, assigning metrics to the interim goals as well as the guardrails. And

051I'm going to have um Chief of Staff Jamie Wilson um lead the conversation u because she's taken the lead um in helping the team organize these goals in the way that they're written here. So, Chief Wilson. >> Yes. Good evening, President Simmon commissioners, Dr. Roser. Um before we get into our presentation, I just wanted to give a little bit of background um information that might help you um as we continue forward with our board goals and our interim goals. As part of our responsibility to ensure that we have student centered governance, we've asked our office of accountability, our research and evaluation team, and the office of grants and program accountability to review our current board goals, the metrics, and their long-term goals. Um the purpose of this work is to examine recent data, assess our

052rate of progress, and determine whether our targets remain both ambitious and grounded in evidence. Our important one important context for tonight's discussion is timing. So when the board approves interim goals this winter, we are effectively establishing a new baseline year. Um, for that reason, the administration is proposing a shift from the long-term timeline starting in 2025 to 2028 um to 2026 to um creating a full 5-year horizon at the point of approval. This allows the board to evaluate progress over a consistent meaningful time frame and aligns our goals with standard of multi-planning and accountability cycles. So the research team has approached this work with a scientific and comparative methodology. And if you are a researcher, you understand that the language that they use is very heavy in the terminology of methodology. The team worked really

053hard to provide you information. although they've done lots of work when it comes to numbers and comparative and comparisons um with demographically sim similar districts particularly on the big five as well as in the state of New York overall. Importantly, the analysis focused not just on where we are today but on how quickly our improvement is occurring and what time uh what time is appropriate for our future targets. Following tonight's discussion, the administration will return to review our interim goals in full. We want to get these things passed in February and so we'll do our due diligence based on this conversation to go back as a team and review make the necessary adjustments to the metrics and timeline um to ensure that alignment, clarity, and accountability um are moved before you as you make the

054final decision. And so with that context, I'd like to turn the presentation over um to our executive director of accountability, Dr. Orton. >> Okay, good. Greetings, board president, board vice president, superintendent, commissioners, state monitor. Um thank you, Chief Wilson, for that great introduction. I'm just going to walk you through our methodologies and give you the uh recommendations for the goals. So, as Chief Wilson stated, we were charged with providing a scientific basis to um advance our board goals. So, we identified three steps to to do so. Um >> sorry, I just need to speak into >> better. >> You're welcome. Um so step one we identified comparisons across New York state. So we looked at the big five and we looked at New York City. Step two was to comp calculate those average rates of

055change across the various um districts. We looked at school years 22 23 23 24 and 2425. Then our final step was to make recommendations. So here's an example of the methodology. So for goal 1A, we want to increase the percentage of students grades three New York State 3 through8 proficiency on ELA. So we looked at the Rochester City School District. Across those three years, our rate of growth has been 1.66%. Across all of New York State, the rate of growth has been 2 and a.5%. If we look just at the big five without New York City, their rate of growth was 2.04%. And then the big five with New York City is a 2.23%. Aiming for the highest, we recommend that we go with New York State's growth. So we're aiming for that 2 and

056a.5% because our students should be performing at the same rate as students across the state. That's our recommendation. So then if we apply the 2.5% to our baseline of 2425 which is 19.32% then for 2526 our goal is to get to 20.98 and so on and so forth. Any questions on the slide? Just want to make sure we're good. Okay. So then this slide just goes into the remaining goals. So with 1A at the top and then goal 1B and goal 1 C. So what was on the prior slide, we applied that methodology across and we're still aiming for the recommendation of New York State's rate of change. So for goal 1B, we're aiming for 4 1/2% where our district's growth has been 3.31%. And then for goal 1 C, again recommending the 2 1/2%.

057And it's just a coincidence that the two of those were the same. I pointed that out too to our team. We had to double check and make sure it's accurate. Um for the rate of growth on the three through eight math assessment. So the Rochester's growth has been 1.02% and again we're aiming for the 2 and a half% to mirror across the district. Goal 1D is a little bit different. So where this one is focused on increasing the number of students earning five or more credits, we are recommending that we change that to by the end of 9th grade. So the data that has historically been shared in the district has focused on credits earned by the end of 9th grade. There's a difference of earning credits just within your nth grade. So that July

0581st to June 30th of your 9th grade versus all of the credits from 8th grade, 9th grade, and the summer of 9th grade. So we look at all credits before you start 10th grade. So here we only looked across RCSD. Um we can't find uh that information is not publicly available for credits accured, you know, for different cohorts. So looking at our district, our current rate of change has been 1.3%. So where our baseline again with that recommended change of acred by 9th the end of 9th grade is 73.7%. Our goal would be to add that 1.3% for the next 5 years getting us to 81.5% by questions. >> Okay. So, commissioners, as you can see, we have taken a scientific approach to looking at how our goals um the metrics associated with our goals

059um can be applied here in the Rochester City School District. We did not want to arbitrarily just take goals without applying some type of scientific methodology. So, at this point in time, we will make ourselves available for any questions commissioners might have. >> Thank you, Dr. Roser. Um, I do like that we the scientific approach that was presented this evening and that we're looking at um comparison to New York City, New York State or what have you. Um, so the 2.5 for example. With that said, if our uh baseline or what we've seen at our rate of growth has been consistently 1.6, six, I'm assuming, and you all help me understand that that there's some form of intervention that is going to help us accelerate >> um to meet that 2.5. And just wondering if

060you could provide some general, you know, what what would we be tweaking or changing that would put us in a position of acceleration? >> Yeah, I'm going to have um Deputy Wright speak to the work that we're doing to strengthen our instructional program for all students. Uh good evening madame president, madame best vice president, superintendent and the commissioners. Uh there are many things that we will be doing and we are starting with an evaluation of all the curricular plans that we have the curricular u materials and um working with principles on supporting their strong instructional leadership. Additionally, we have revamped the common formative assessment so that principles have a better way of assessing their growth towards their targets. We are looking at our approaches so that we are considering the whole child and how we

061are delivering educational programs. There are many more things, but I just wanted to give you some 30,000 foot uh purview of what we're doing in the district. >> I feel tall. Thank you. Okay, I see hands. I'm going to switch it up just a bit and start from this end of the day and work on down this way. Um, Commissioner Santiago, and I'll move in. >> Um, no, I just want to say that there is good to have u some research behind the goals that we're setting. Um, and of course, uh, it is it takes time. Um, and even going up 14% is actually a high number, you know, inside of this district. And so, um, definitely supportive of the process, the methodology. Always happy to see that word. When I see methodology, I smile

062because college, I had to look over the definition like a thousand times before I got it. >> Um, but yeah, no, no feedback, no suggestions. I think that uh this is good to start off with. >> Vice President Malloy, >> thank you. I just want to say thank you so much for the clarity that's been provided here, the scientific approach, as well as, you know, when we first set those goals, there was a lot of data that went into um having that laid [clears throat] out. So, no shade on any prior administrations, but um I really like the clarity that with which that was explained to all of us. Um, I love that you explain the New York State um, percentage. Um, and I I just feel that it's just more clearly explained than than

063prior um, data that we had. And so this makes it easy for us to well, at least in for me, it makes it pretty easy to approve this um, because we have that. So, thank you so much. Yeah, and considering our our educators too, the fact that this is maybe more digestible and we recognize some errors that were made even at from the inception of how we came up with the goal. So, um, moving on into Dr. Fman, Commissioner Fman. >> No. Um, I had some questions that were already answered that I had already set up. So, I'm I'm good. >> Okay. Thank you, >> Commissioner Makulla. Okay. So, I did have questions, but after hearing Chief Wilson and everything, she kind of answered those questions for me, so I got to cross them off

064my list. Um, but I do, but then one question did come up. And for um goal 1D when you're looking at the eighth grade to the end of the summer of the ninth grade year to determine those five credits that are being earned, are we have you considered students the rate that that stays the same for students taking algebra 1 and eighth grade and passing those regions and getting that credit? Has that been considered in the calculations of that 1.3 that if does that change? Would the rate of change of that affect these numbers? Does that make sense? It makes sense. So it's a holistic view. So it's including all students. So any students that took accelerated courses in eighth grade and are coming into nth grade with those courses um and students who did

065not. It's in it's encompassing all of them. >> Okay. And if I can add also that it also places a greater onus of the school district to make sure that we're not only providing students at the 9th grade level with the appropriate supports, but we're also working within our middle schools to provide greater opportunities for our middle school students to be able to attain >> high school credits, which the research definitely shows that if students attain high school credits while in middle school that their ability >> to graduate within four years is higher. >> Okay. Thank you, >> Commissioner Griffin. >> You know, my questions are always different, so don't worry about it. >> Um, I'm familiar with research methods. I did that in in college. Um I just I have a couple of questions

066on why you chose this this um the methodology that you chose. Why did you choose the the the um big five? What what drove you to do that? >> Well, I can speak to that. So, one of the things we wanted to approach this, as I mentioned, I did not want the team to sort of arbitrarily just pull numbers out of the air. I wanted to make sure that we were using some form of baseline data. And we first looked at how the other big five school districts were fairing in terms of their growth, understanding that the big five school districts have similar demographics, if not the same demographics, similar challenges that the Rochester City School District has. Um, so we wanted to use that as a comparison to how the other big five school

067districts were operating. We then went beyond that and we said okay let's see what is the rate of growth across New York state understanding that the rate of growth across New York state inclusive of big the big five inclusive of school districts that may not be performing as well as the big five we then determined that using the growth rate across New York state would be the most appropriate the most logical and the most scientific. Okay. I I can agree to disagree. Um we are urban districts, so there's a lot of different in leaderships that that that affect our growth and our not meeting our our our goals. So I I I don't 100% agree with your answer, but that's that's neither here nor there. Um my other question would um I think was actually

068answered by Dr. Wright. Um did and the last question would be was there an alternative method that you could have used that you toyed with and said no that wouldn't be suitable for this for this particular particular research methods >> and the answer to that question is yes we looked at individual school districts such as Syracuse we looked at Buffalo we looked at Yoners and then once we looked at those school districts we had conversations as to should we be be comparing ourselves to one other of the big five or should we be comparing ourselves to the big five in general? As I mentioned, we then looked at the big five data in general and decided that that growth was not strong enough for us and that it would be best if we then aligned

069our growth to New York State in general. >> Did you at all look at the schools surrounding the city of Rochester at all? >> We did not. >> Okay. Thank you. >> So, okay. Um, okay. And and just to be clear, you you selected the big five, which are comparable school districts based on their urban proximity, populations and things of that nature and student demographic. >> So that um makes a lot of sense. With no further questions on this particular presentation, I believe we may be moving forward unless you have more Dr. Roser into your >> No, the one thing I do want to say, you know, just for the record that while we look at Our goals set for 2030 2031, they're nowhere near where we know we can go as a school district.

070We also know that change does happen and change must happen in a manner that's very strategic and methodical. Utilizing the scientific methods for determining what our rate of growth should be is the best path forward. However, we will be striving to exceed these growth rates each and every year. So, I just wanted to put that on the record because I don't want our community um to believe that we're going to be satisfied with having a 30% roughly 30% goal for the number of students who are proficient three through eight on the New York State ELA. So I wanted just to make that statement so that all are clear that we have higher aspirations for our students and we know through collaboration thought partnership joining with home parents caregivers and the community we can most certainly

071exceed these goals. I'm really glad to hear you say that and I think that is an very prudent and important point to make. I know when the board came up with the original goals, we were thinking about folks are going to look at these goals and no, we've got to have something more aggressive. And what that in fact did was impacted our educators because we all we made goals so aggressive that people didn't even believe they could attain them. So um when we're talking about smart goals, this certainly aligns with that structure. So, um, totally understood. We will move over. Um, we may have some hands on the board on the screen. Do we have any? >> Yeah, I don't think that there's any hands up, but I just wanted to offer an opportunity given

072the fact that the council of great city schools have been very supportive and serving as thought partners in this work. If they had any questions, comments that they would like to make before we conclude this particular presentation. Uh thank you for the opportunity. Um commissioners um and Superintendent Ray Hart. I'm the executive director with the Council of the Great City Schools for the new commissioners. Congratulations uh and looking forward to meeting you all in person. Uh but don't have any uh questions. Just we've gone back and forth with um the district as they've gone through the process. And I just want to congratulate both the um superintendent, the superintendent team as well as the commissioners on a job well done uh in getting to this stage of the process. Um I think as you all

073have indicated uh you have a clear direction now for what you hope to be accomplished uh in the years to come and we look forward to supporting you in getting there. >> As always, thank you Dr. Hart. >> Thank you. Okay. Dr. >> All right. So, the next presentation um will be around our quarterly academic plan updates. Chief Wilson will be leading the presentation and of course after her presentation, we will entertain questions from our commissioners. Chief Wilson. >> Yes. Thank you. Um does this work, Tom? This clicker. >> Oh, lovely. Okay. Um, so tonight I'm going to present um, good evening again, commissioners. Um, tonight I'm going to present on our quarter 2 academic and fiscal plan updates for the 2526 school year. Um, as you know, this reflects work completed in quarter 2,

074which is the dates of October 1 and December 31st. Um, the academic and fiscal plan is our primary accountability framework reviewed by our state monitors and the NISED team. Each quarter we we assess whether required actions are fully implemented, partially implemented or still in progress or not implemented at all. Quarter 2 gives us a clear visibility of what work um where our implementation is uneven. So, if you remember back in quarter 1, a lot of what I presented was about planning because during that quarter 1 time frame, we were in summer in the beginning of the school year. And so now what we're looking at is the implementation and the fidelity of those um implementations as according to the plans that were presented. Quarter 2 was about making leadership in government systems operational. So what

075you see here reflects consistency, but we're looking at not just the tools. We're actually looking at the consistent use of the tool um and the fidelity and the impact of our students outcomes. Some of those progress benchmarks under turnaround leadership is was about um cabinet evaluation systems and alignment. So within the quarter 2 plan um within that quarter 2 time frame the cabinet evaluation system uh was revised. It emphasizes that leadership accountability is now directly tied to bore goals. So we looked at our strategic plan. We looked at the bore goals and we tied um the cabinet evaluation system with those items. Alignment of common formative assessments. Dr. Wright just spoke about the common formant assessments. And we're also looking at our interim goals to ensure that what we're measuring and the tool that we're

076using is appropriate for students so that we can monitor appropriately the progress of our students. And then we did our receiverhip. So during that time frame of quarter 1, we did a true up. Um we looked at the budgets, we looked at placement procedures and implemented those. Again, we are stressing consistency um in all of those areas. And so our next steps um are going to get those interim goals approved. Um and then also there is an area that's specific to NISBA training and the board I believe during quarter 3 has some time for NISBA training that will be reflected as evidence as well. And then of course we'll continue monitoring receiverhip implementation. The next area um in our academic plan and by the way just so you know there's 44 recommendations under the academic

077plan from the state and then there's 33 recommendations on the fiscal side of that plan. So they're broken down into domains and this domain is talent development. Um this slide reflects momentum and leadership development and we're looking at the leadership development um pipeline and also professional learning. Um this quarter the emphasis was on participation um and improving some structures centered around orientations. So implementation um a revised leadership development framework. In quarter one I talked a lot about developing a framework. Um and in this quarter principles aspiring leaders assistant principles were participating um in those series. There was a redesign of orientation specifically with RAP and Bente and we also had um an increase of participation in some of our professional learning um modules. Our next steps in talent development is to expand the leadership pip

078line and supports and succession plan. We're also looking to strengthen evaluation of professional learning impact. Um, we want to acknowledge that participation, but then we want to also acknowledge what does that look like when applied in the classroom and the effectiveness of that professional learning. We also are addressing the long-term substitute dependency. This is crucial crucial as we develop our um recruitment strategies for next year and um retaining our retention plan. The next domain is instructional transformation. Um, this marked a reset in how we approach assessments and instructional monitoring. Um, as you heard Dr. Wright talk about the CFAs, um, the common formative assessments were a big undertaking to review. Um, but the students were able to successfully take those and now we're looking at analyzing that quarter 1 data progress and learning program redesign.

079Uh we're looking at improving the quality and coherence of the programs that we've developed. Application of datawide protocols in our professional learning communities. And then we're also looking at the MTSS self assessment. So 100% of our schools over quarter 1 were able to complete an MTSS assessment. And this is going to help us build um our MTSS implementation plan. Our next step, excuse me, our next [clears throat] steps is that we're going to analyze um the common formative assessments that we discussed. We're looking to strengthen MTSS implementation and focus on depth and fidelity of interventions. And then also we're looking to continue curriculum review and adoption um that we can bring before you for the 2627 school year. Oh, back one. Thank Thank you. Um, this is one of the clearest areas of progress in

080quarter 2. Uh, attendance systems were working and we're seeing some improvement. So, the absenteeism specifically in grade nine, our absenteeism has dropped in quarter 1 um from 60% around this time last year to 44% this year for grade 9. Um we're also looking at ensuring that every school is implementing attendance teams and data protocols. We know that all schools have an attendance team. Now, again, we're talking about fidelity and what's happening across those attendance teams across the district. And then we're also um providing revisions of weekly monthly attendance reports. So as you see, we've revised the attendance reports that are provided to you in the board business reports and we'll continue to work on making sure that the data is clear when presented both internally and to our families and community. Our next steps in

081quarter three are to intensify attendance interventions. Our priority right now are middle schools applying effective practices from improving schools. So those schools who have um consistent improvement in attendance, we want to know what they're doing. We want to implement that across the district when appropriate. And then also we're looking to monitor winter attendance. As we know it gets cold, our attendance seems to drop. And so this is quarter one data, remember? So we'll go back and review our quarter two. We're looking at um making sure our families are warm, but also that they're coming to school and that our students are able to get to school. So, in the area of culture shift, we focused on access and engagement, particularly with the communications and family connections. There was a new website platform that was under

082I believe that undertaking took um several months if not years to do. Um but we were able to implement that. Um what's important to know is there's 150 languages within that platform. Um that helps our stu our families with access improvement of school-based parent group participation. So every uh school-based team has a parent representative. But now we need to look at active participation. So um one step at a time but this ne these next steps will be the active participation of those parents in those groups in those meetings. And then we launched the level up literacy campaign uh during quarter 1 connecting families um to instructional priorities. Our next steps again is to expand PTA between advisory councils and leadership. And then we're also looking to expand community- based engagement strategies, systems, resources, and structures.

083We focused on consistency. So again, I talked a little bit about the district-wide MTSS. Um, we're looking at data and aggregating that data to guide our support. There was a question about interventions. Um MTSS is huge with interventions and supports and tiered supports um PLC structures. So we're expanding across schools. I'll talk a little bit more about that in a moment. Um but because 100% of our schools completed the um assessment for MTSS, I believe the next steps are are being taken to develop an implementation plan that's appropriate for each school and their student needs. We are looking to finalize data dashboards. Again, um you'll start to see different reports being available to the public and that is going to be through the work of our teams on the data dashboards. Our next steps if

084we're continuing to deepen the PLC um process, strengthen district monitoring of instructional systems, reinforce that in accountability and coherence. Um, and we're also looking to align our systems more tightly. Alignment, alignment, alignment. Uh, you'll hear a lot uh throughout um the the plan. So, professional learning communities or you'll hear them referred to as PLC's and is an area um that the state has pointed out where we need great improvements. And so over time uh we had to first have collaborative planning time uh and we need to work with RTA um and the negotiated agreement in order to do that. So we've done that work uh we've established some some structured time centered around PLC's and the next steps is to establish clearer expectations for high quality PLC's. So now that we have scheduled times now,

085what do those meetings look like across the district and are we ensuring that there's clear expectations uh and outcomes happening in those meetings? And then we're going to address instructional problems of practice through professional learning and again alignment and re revision to PLC templates, meeting templates, all to help um reestablish the outcomes that come from those meetings. finance and operations. Um we focused on staffing resources as you know the um budget is coming up. So a lot of the areas in quarter 1 were gearing up to make sure that we are able to make our deadlines. Um there was a hiring of the budget executive director. I don't know if you remember but that was part of a next step in quarter 1. Um, we are working to continue to perfect position control and staffing

086review process to guide our decisions. Um, and then there's an alignment of receiverhip funding. So, ensuring that our students, our schools that are in receiverhips are receiving the appropriate funding. And not only that, but they're connecting dollars to strategies and to student outcomes. Our next steps are continuing to staff uh staffing adjustments aligned to enrollment needs. We'll be looking at strengthening linkage between academic and fiscal decisions. And then we're also looking to advance our budget decisions um in the spring. The area of legal and financial audits in quarter one two excuse me contract review process applied um based on cost and need. So we're looking at our contracts and reviewing them. Um that work started in quarter two self auditing process. So identifying compliance and efficiency issues that work started in quarter 2 as well.

087So the next steps will be to provide a complete analysis of our agreements of those agreements and the contract agreements that are under review currently and to integrate audit findings in 26 and 27 budget. So the next area is the organizational structure. Um this area we're reviewing all teachers on assignment. So I just talked about our staffing and our budget. So um we are looking at those improvement of transparency and staffing deployment. Those things started in quarter 2 and are obviously continuing as we finalize budget decisions. Our next steps are to continue TOA reductions and redeployment of certified staff. We're looking to review organizational structures and also align staffing models to instructional and student needs. Um so whatever our students needs, we're trying to make sure that we have the appropriate staff to support them.

088I talked a little bit about the professional learning communities. Um we're really looking to increase collaborative planning time in school schedules and then develop those long range PLC modules of establishment of funds. So ensuring that um our schools have the support they need to identify problem of practices and to stick with their theory of action um and evaluate the student outcomes from those meetings. Excuse me. Finally, uh, in area A20, this is an area that the state has pointed out as one of our priority areas. Um, and I would like to report out that during that time of quarter 2 that NISAD and uh, the instructional team have set up quarterly meetings, quarterly monitoring and bi-weekly support meetings. Um I can't speak to the specifics of those meetings, but I know that there has been

089um some strong feedback from um the state and the direction that we're headed. Um the RFP for the consultant support on international program design has been um distributed and we have collected information from that RFP that our next steps would then be to choose a consultant. And then the RIA student transitions have um continued expanding access to homeschools, CTE programs and electives. So as we evaluate just the process of collection, so this is a large piece of work. Um it involves every staff member in the district. Um so to get that down to a bite-sized piece to provide evidence um takes a lot of collaboration and work amongst our staff. So, thank you for the help. I know that um some of my team we're going to be knocking on your door for the evidence,

090but um the team did a great job. Um it's a difficult task as you have things moving on um every day to collect the evidence. We want to improve assessment consistency and data systems. We're really looking to strengthen progress monitoring protocols um for identified strategies and then also again somebody um one of the commissioners talked about interventions. That's part of our growth opportunities from quarter 2. We're going to target interventions informed by quarter 2 data and evidence. So this slide is just a summary of progress just um to break down the areas. Again, we talked about full implementation, partially implemented and not implemented at all. This gives you an idea of where we are. What we want to see is by quarter 4 in our final plan that we at least have every area in

091partially implemented and a lot of areas and fully implemented. Um, so if you look, this is just an overview of where we land at the end of quarter 2 progress report. >> So, thank you very much, Chief Wilson, for your leadership and working with the team to pull all of this together and of course, broadly thanking the team as well for their leadership with um pulling information together as well. also need to shout out of course our state monitor for providing guidance and leadership with assisting us in um really progressing um in ways that that may not have been as evident um in previous years. At this point in time, I'll open it up um board president to any questions that commissioners might have. >> Okay. Um I will do that. Uh, state monitor, did

092you want to weigh in on because I know this is in correlation to the academic plan and just kind of level set the partial all of the metrics we saw here. What what that looks like. >> Thank you, President Simmons. Again, I would like to commend the superintendent, the staff. Uh, a lot of credit to Chief of Staff Wilson and the deputy superintendent for the work that they have been doing to move the plan forward. If you recall after the quarter one there was a violation uh regarding uh PLC. I also has to commend uh the work that the chief have done to address that recommendation to provide all the data that was requested and necessary and the vi violation went away during the second quarter. So again congratulations and I would like to say

093that this is a way for us to work together. We are here to support each other but more important to support all the students in the Rochester City School District. I want to thank also uh comm Chief Ramos who's been also monitoring the plan. What are the things that we need to do? So we are working on a new plan but a new plan that will be aligned with the strategic plan with the board goals and moving the district forward. We know or we do not want the district to be focused on three or four different plans at the same time because you're not going to be able to concentrate or to put all your efforts or the financial resources in one location. We want to make sure that the needs of the students in

094the Rochester school district are aligned and that the board will focus and will support the superintendent and the staff on supporting the students. So again, I am very uh pleased with the progress. I again one more time, Chief Wilson has said many time to the people providing the evidence. That's not enough evidence. That is not good evidence. So they went back and again we're making progress and moving in the right direction. >> Thank you, Commissioner Santiago. >> Yeah. Um, I see that MTSS um is repeated a couple times in the presentation. I'm just wondering for context, a couple years ago or possibly even the last year's budget, the position that um supported MTSS um was removed from the budget. And so I'm wondering um how are you guys keeping up with MT the MTSS system

095uh currently? Um of course you don't have to give any names, but is it in in a position? Is there a specific position looking over it? Um how are you guys processing the data in the system all together? >> Yeah, that's I can answer that question. So yes, we have um cabinet level leadership that is um overseeing the MTSS work um working with um two TOAS that are currently um working on the project to make sure that we are strengthening our MTSS delivery and implementation. >> Yes, thank you. And um very quickly for slide number six for the culture uh shift, I was just wondering uh either from the state monitor or from the superintendent um when we're talking about culture shift in the district, what is the definition of that specifically? >> What was

096I'm sorry what was was the question directed to myself? Whoever whoever wants to answer the question. >> Culture shift. We want to make sure that the culture in the Rochester City School District is a culture where students are priority number one. That's what we want. We want to make sure that our teachers are engaged, that our staff is engaged, that we're taking care of the needs of all our students, that we have the programs that are appropriate for our students, whether it's a bilingual program, whether it's a newcomer program, whether it's a special education program. So, we want to have a positive culture for all the students and staff in the Rochester City School District. And of course that in that culture we need to make sure that our parents are engaged in the process.

097We cannot make a difference. We cannot make progress unless the parents are engaged. >> Thank you. >> I second that. And I I just wanted to say specifically to that um that specific um slide there there isn't much about students on there honestly when you read through the language um and of course there's a lot that we can do for culture shifts inside of our schools whether that's safety whether that's psychological safety social emotional uh support in the school and so um it could be because the benchmarks are done and you can please let me know if if that's the case but I don't see much about students inside of this presentation. >> Yeah, if I can just interject real quick. So, while the the term student isn't reflective in the work, all of our

098work is centered around how we might be able to strengthen student outcomes. I do understand your position in terms of how are we working to shift culture immediately and directly with students and that is not reflected. that work is not reflected on this slide. However, there's still work that's happening throughout the district to most certainly increase um our effectiveness and shifting the culture among our students. Chief Wilson, do you have additional things you would like to add? >> Yes. I just want to also point out there are recommendations under the culture shift. And so as culture shift at a high level, um there are specific recommendations that are focused on parent engagement. Um if you look you'll see there's parent ways that we're uh supposed to report out on those recommendations. And so what you

099might see is just that we're specifically reporting out what was done based on those re recommendations in quarter two. Not to exclude the work that is ongoing. But these are just areas that I chose to highlight because maybe last quarter we didn't have as much evidence or uh this quarter they had a lot of evidence and um it was worth noting. So if you read them, they're not specific to um supporting students at the SEAL level. They're more specific to the culture of engagement with community and parents. >> Yeah, absolutely. And I and I just want to I'm going to point that out every time and it's really no no uh criticism, nothing of that sort, but I think that it's important in these conversations we start to talk about how we're directly impacting our

100young people. And I know that almost everything that we talk about comes back to our students, but it would be great if we could really start adding them in the conversation and in the presentation. Um, and so yeah, thank you guys. Appreciate it. >> Thank you, Commissioner Santiago. I'm going to move in this way. Um, I'm just going to look for hands and I do see yours, Commissioner McCulla. >> Hello. I have a couple questions. Um, so one, I like the qualitative progress that's being showed here. It's, you know, it's telling a story. It's telling us what's happening. But I do believe as commissioners, one of our fidiciary >> goals and and our stewardness of what our role is is to see the data, is to see the numbers, the the the the image and

101the story that's being told is wonderful, but I can't really know how that is actually being affected without the data that supports it. So, I would like to see something with numbers um just so that I can say, "Oh, they're doing this. That sounds great, but here's the numbers that support what we're doing. Right? So, that's one part. I just wanted to make that comment. But now I have a couple questions. Um, so which of indicators for the the tools that was put into the the what the um state monitor gave you. Um, which of these should we as commissioners, as a board be looking at to formally monitor the growth out of all of these that you give gave us, what should we be looking at from your perspective, as the professional, right, as

102the um expert that's coming to us with this information? Which one of these should we be following? >> I would say all of them. And the reason why I would say all of them because we are a state monitored district and each of the goals are are most certainly constructed to strengthen our core so that we can be more responsive and have a greater impact on student outcomes. And I know that's very general broad, but each of these goals, we take each of these goals seriously and are working feverishly to make sure that we deliver on each of these goals. >> Okay. Thank you. And so I have a couple more questions though. I'm not going to hold you out too long. Um so also under the fiscal oversight I noticed that um my question

103is basically there's partially implemented fiscal actions that are happening that we can see but what is the greatest risk that remains if these remain incomplete and we move into the next year? >> What's the greatest risk that we have? >> What are the risks that that will remain if these still are incomplete and we move on because these are partial right? So as of now these haven't been completed. So what happens in the case that they don't get completed? What risk are we got you looking at at that point? Well, when we look at each of the fiscal goals under the the physical the goals under the fiscal plan, there are a number of them that would not be completed um during quarter 2 because there are a number of them that speak to an

104entire year of work >> such as us presenting a balanced budget. Once we present a balanced budget, of course, that will then move into the fully implemented spot. There are goals in here such as at least twice a year during the school year, the district administration shall allocate resources at each school based on the analysis of enrollment data. The district shall utilize si class- size guidelines for staffing budget development in all schools. >> Of course, with this being quarter two, while we have done that already for quarter 1 and quarter two, we still have another cycle of doing this. So, particularly with the fiscal plan, you will see these numbers increasing the closer we get to the end of the school year or better yet, the closer we get to finalizing our budget. >> Okay.

105Okay. And then I guess my last very last question. Seriously, um with their with their chart that this one right here that we're looking at with the partially and the um fully, how long do you guys think that something can stay partially implemented before it's considered stalled are at risk? >> So what we look at is the 75% or more with fidelity. And so if we um for example are collecting PLC minutes and we're looking at the PLC minutes um for every school, if our um part of our goal is to ensure that it's outcomesbased and 75% or more schools have evidence that show that those PLC meetings are outcomesbased, then now it's fully implemented. Um so there are some that probably could have went to fully implemented. it is quarter two and so they

106have not necessarily got to that 75% or above or we still looking at inf infidelity. Um so I do think that it's based on the evidence that's provided and um that's why just like state monitor we're really heavy on what evidence are you providing >> so that we can look at 75% or more of the implementation. >> Now you just brought up another question for me. So, with the PLC's, >> yes, this um and this is my last one. I'm I swear it's my last one. With the PLC's, um are schools given parameters for those um so that it's done with fidelity across the board in every building or is that something that's up to the principal? >> Deputy Wright, do you want to answer that? >> Repeat that. So the question was when it

107comes to PLC's are building principles provided with a structure framework by which PLC's should be implemented in each of the buildings or is it left up to building principles to determine what their PLC structure should look like? >> Uh thank you for that question. Uh building principles are provided with guidance on how those PLC should operate. >> Thank you Commissioner McCulla. Commissioner Griffin. Um, Commissioner Culla asked my favorite question, so I'm not going to bother to answer ask that one again. Um, referencing the data. Um, my other question would be relevant to uh, uh, Commissioners uh, Santiago regarding the MTSS. Um, Dr. Roser um, stated that he had two toas that were assisting him with the MTSS. Um, I I'm concerned about how the experience the the TOAS are in this area with MTSS. I'm

108not sure that I know who they are, but I'm just concerned about how how experienced they are with working with something like with reference to the MTSS cuz I don't Yeah. With MTSS, you said that you have TOAS that are helping with this, assisting with this. My concern is that how experienced are the individuals that are working with MTSS because we did we did release someone that was very influential in this district with MTSS. So I'm trying to figure out who else is playing that role. I I didn't know that that came across the table saying we had two other MTSS people working in the district. So I was just concerned about how how experienced they were in this field of MTSS. >> Yeah. Given that this presentation isn't on MTSS, I don't have that

109information readily available to be able to respond um to that specific question. What I will share is that the MTSS TOAS have been working um for quite some time, a number of years if I'm not mistaken, um in this role and in this capacity. So therefore they do have a breath of experience um in which they have been working productively to help build the MTSS framework in the school district. >> I would I would definitely like to review that at a later time. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Excuse me. Get my mic on here. Thank you, Commissioner Griffin. Um and so correct me if I'm wrong uh state monitor because I'm looking at this the academic plan and fiscal plan. Obviously, there are key elements in these plans that are non-negotiables like you must

110have a balanced budget that that is, you know, and then there are these pieces where they're partially implemented that that type of thing and I would assess that the objective is to use this as a continuous improvement tool to move the district as you said forward or towards efficiency. Uh and so this just you continuously improve. uh if we are not moving forward and we're just stalemated then it becomes an aggressive issue on your end but you are seeing progress in a manner in which you would like. >> Yes. Uh thank you for for that question and thank you Commissioner McCulla for that those questions also. I just want to remind that this is a year-long plan and this process began five years ago. So at the end of this year uh the goal was

111for the uh monitor to go away but there has been not enough progress during during all these years. So the legislation was extended for two more years and it's one of my responsibilities working with the financial consultant working with the board working with the superintendent and working with the stakeholders to gather feedback about the district and to develop another plan. The reason why there's a monitor here is because few years back academic performance was very low. Few years back the district was in a very very difficult financial situation that was running out of money. So this is a way for the district, for the state to provide some support, but we need to work together to work uh as a team to continue to move the agenda forward for the students in the Rochester City

112School District. Another reason for that is the transition that has been taking place in leadership in the district. And I can say that myself as a monitor who has been here for three years. I have worked with three different superintendent. It is difficult to make progress. It is difficult and it's hard to continue to to balance the book and to to keep the money in place and all that. So it begins with the board. The board working together with the superintendent, the work the board working together with the staff, the board working together with the bargained unit, the board working together with me and the state education department. So together we can make the difference that our students need to continue to be successful. If we want to take care of our community, we got

113to take care of our students, our uh families, and our staff. >> Thank you, state monitor. I do want to do a time check. It is 7:40 and I do see one last hand from Commissioner Feman and then we will button up this conversation if that's okay with you all. Um, I'm I really appreciate all the work that went into this and I do want to talk about um the fact that yes, while we can do all of the work and we are here to do the work, we do need to make sure that parents are getting involved and expanding PTA and PTO participation. I'm really glad to see that's really a focus. I've have kids in, you know, multiple schools and the ones that are the most successful are the ones that have the

114parents involved. So, we can't do this by ourselves either. We have to make sure we get our parents involved. >> Absolutely. Thank you, Commissioner Feman. Dr. Roser. >> So, that concludes our presentation for this evening. Thank you very much, Chief Wilson, for your leadership. And once again, thank you very much to the broader executive leadership team for your leadership as well. >> Thank you. Okay. So, we're going to move on to our resolution review. And a reminder to commissioners that these resolutions once reviewed and if um agreed upon, we'll move forward into our consent agenda for the upcoming board business meeting on February 26. Is it? That's my sister's birthday. My older sister. Okay. So, let's take a look. These are resolutions 405 through 425. That's what we're looking at at this time. And I'd

115like to um entertain a motion for resolutions 405 through 423, excuse me, to um take a look at Am I ahead of myself? [laughter] >> The motion is for them to be forwarded to the business meeting and then you can open discussion. >> Vote on it now. I was like, do I put that out there before we open it for discussion? But I do want to discuss these resolutions. Um, so let's start with 405 through 423. >> So moved, right? We have to We're not doing that, [clears throat and snorts] right? >> You can open the motion and then go to the discussion and then end it with the vote. >> 23. I was on track. Okay. Entertain motion by Vice President Malloy, seconded by Commissioner McCulla. And so now at this time, thank you,

116Clerk Win. We're going to go ahead and open this for discussion. Uh, Commissioner Griffin. Yes. >> Yes. Sorry. There's quite a few of them that I want to discuss, but I'm going to just group them all in. Um 420, resolution 420. Um it states that we are doing some professional learning mathematics for mathematics. Um my question regarding a lot of these resolutions are um um focus around the transportation for after school um food security and a parent consent. Um these hours are from 4 to 7 Monday through Friday and Saturday from 8 to 4. Um, how are we ensuring that the children are eating? Um, that we have they have transportation and has the parent consent form been filled out for these hours after school? Um, can anyone address that for me on the resolution?

117And and and it says and it's engaging 15,000 elementary students. So, I'm just wanted I just want to see >> you're looking at 420. >> It's 420. >> Okay. Chief Cody, do you have a response to the question? >> So, resolution 420 is for professional learning for staff. There's not food or transportation. So, I'm not sure if you were looking at maybe some other resolutions at the same time. This is just for professional learning for staff >> on the at these times after school. Where are they going to be? Where's this and where's this indirectly with the So, it's not involving the students at all. >> Correct. >> It's just invol involving the staff. Correct. Where is this being taking place at? >> At the school. >> Yes. >> At the school during during these

118times. >> Yes. >> Okay. Are the principles are the principles u aware of this at all? >> The principles put forward these recommendations. >> My princip I just spoke to principles. They had no clue what I was talking about. >> Interesting. >> So I just I just wanted to Yeah. They didn't know what this was. So I just wanted to make sure that all the principles too were being advised of this. This resolution seems to be not some of the principles are not aware of this action at all. So maybe we can address that as well. Okay. Um I just I have a I have my questions are a lot of the a lot of the teachers seem to be redundant in and getting training or doing these um these afterchool programs, but people in

119the schools don't ever see them. They actually they're they leave like a butterfly in the wind. They open the door and they're gone. So with I I I have a question about these type of things because I don't believe they're that as accurate and has nothing against you. People sign up and they don't come. So I just wanted to address that. Okay. Um but that was that's my main concern. >> Okay. >> Um is that the monies that are being utilized and we're agreeing on are being utilized for the sole purpose. If they're training, if it's for the kids, that they're being used just for that. um and that people are not not using the money for other things. So that that was my main concern. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you, Commissioner Griffin. Um

120do we have any questions regarding resolutions 405 through 420? Commissioner McCulla. >> Yes. I have a question regarding resolutions 407, 409, and 414. >> 407, 409, 414. >> Yep. Let me make sure those are the ones. Yes, those are the ones I did have questions about. So 407 I believe these are um resolutions for um planning for a um after school I believe it's after school time um but I noticed that there was a discrepancy with the executive summaries so the executive summary for these resolutions are all the same and that's I I have no problem with that. However, in the executive summary, it does say that the administration will not get paid for um will not get additional pay unless it's in service. Let me get the exact language for you. Let me pull

121it up. So, it says administrators will only be receiving payment for hours worked while the program is in session. So, I just need some clarity. Is in session meaning planning time as well or is in session just during the time when the students are there? >> Good question. I'm trying to locate the exact language, but um Chief >> Chief Locker, if you want to respond while I look. >> Good question. Commissioner Mulla, what it's referring to is that principles can only get paid for the direct hours that kids are receiving service. So, for example, if the program is from 9 to 12, they don't get to claim 8:30 to 12:30 because they were there a half hour before and the last student didn't get picked up until 12:30. Okay? >> Only the hours the kids

122are actually being taught. So that excludes planning time. >> So they can plan for the program, but the hours that they claim for the direct service can only be related to the hours the kids are being taught. >> And it has to be 90 minutes after their contractual day. >> So okay, I'm just want to make sure I'm understanding. Maybe I'm disconnected with this. So they can get paid for planning. they can get played for planning and it's called indirect, >> right? But for some reason, I don't think the executive summary reads that way or am I wrong? >> I would I just want to make sure. I just want to get clarity. So, >> so Commissioner McCulla, just for my clarification, you're referring the executive summary reading administrators what you read. Um, administrators will

123only be receiving payment for hours worked while the program is in session. That's so is in session also meaning planning time is what I think I'm trying to understand. >> So >> they're they're receiving hours to plan the program. They are not receiving hours outside of the program that kids are not present. >> So that's a yes. In session means planning time because that's how it reads here. If I could just support my colleague very quickly because it does it does say in there that administrators will only be paid uh for the hours worked inside the session. His questioning is we also have a resolution for planning and we're also paying them for planning which is not in the direct session of the program. And so he's just trying to understand the discrepancy also because

124the same executive summary is on the resolution for planning as it is for um for the >> the activities. Thank you, Commissioner Santiago. >> Yeah. What we'll do >> what we'll do is we'll take a look at it because if there is some ambiguity >> with it, we will most certainly prior to the board having to make a vote on this. Most certainly update this to read more clear. >> Yeah, I think it's the ambiguous the lack of the language. planning time is I don't think uh it's probably part of it but to your point the fact that I'm saying probably and making the assumption. >> Yeah. I just wanted to be clear because I was reading didn't look like how the resolutions were written. So I just wanted to line up with what I

125was seeing and understanding that these this is what the wording was supposed to say. Okay. And then I do have one more question and this is I believe um I believe Miss Blocker you are on there as well for this one. It is for resolution 4121. >> 421. >> Yes. >> Before you move on to 421, Commissioner McCulla. Yes, ma'am. Might I ask cuz you said 407, 409, and 414. Were they all in alignment with the question you just asked? Yes, they were. >> So, you would like clarity on those three um under that bucket for now? Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. I'm at 421. >> Okay. So at 421 I believe is almost at the last one. This is um asking us a resolution for the um the program for MCC. Is this Yes.

126MCC is the one above it I believe. Wait a minute. Hold up one second. 4 412 I'm sorry. 412 >> 412 >> and it's 421. So it's both of those. But one particular um the MCC one is 412. And in that resolution there you're there's a request to wave a [clears throat] policy in that and I just wanted a little more understanding on waving of policies to allow resolutions to go through cuz my my thing is if I wave it for one I'll have to wave it for all. And will this become something that's going to be some that's going to be brought up a lot asking us to wave policies and go past things for resolutions. >> Good catch. >> I don't see where you're specifically. >> Okay. The last line, the last line

127it says, "Resolve that if and to the extent applicable, the board hereby waves the requirements of authorization for contracts policy 6745 that may be inconsistent herewith." >> Uh, Council Neil, do you know what that's referring to? Yeah, >> we may need to look at the actual >> um yeah, I don't I I uh I I can't speak definitively and I think to the superintendent's point, we might have to take a look at this. Um my my guess would be and it's only a guess a little further up in the policy. It talks about >> um whereas the pro process for selecting prov provider of the services is subject to certain requirements of contracting >> um and it is a termination of purchasing agents that because services are unique and available from only one entity said

128requirement shall not apply. So it could be something that have to do with the procurement >> um because we have some policies that spell out RFP, RFI, um you know those procurement policies and those purchasing policies. Um and so we are we are using an exception here. Mhm. >> And so if an exception is being used to procure this, then um that that language might be referring back to that section up in the policy to say, you know, these are the the requirements for how we contract and we we may use an exception in this regard. So that that is my my um my my my guess at this time, but uh to the superintendent's point, um we can take a look and provide the board with some definitive information. >> I appreciate that. And

129then while we're on that one, one last one. There's retroactive payment, right? So, are we approving something that has already been paid out and now we're approving it now or are we approving because there's two payments in this resolution and the same one for the 421. That's two payments. Are we paying are we retroactive and so we're saying, hey, we approved something that was paid already back in July. >> So, the question is, and this is >> I can't Oh, sorry. One of the things we'll need to do is to really look at the contract and see because what I believe may have happened with this. If I remember correctly, we did receive something as of recent to give us the ability to then move forward with the period of February 27th. Um but we

130need to see whether or not there is a resolution that speaks to um services that began July 1st. This may be an add-on to an existing agreement, >> but I don't have the ability unfortunately to open up this. >> I just wanted to bring it to the board's attention. What I want to recommend, Commissioner U. McCulla, is that we pull resolutions 407, 409, 4 uh 414, 412, and 421 for further review um so that we don't place them in the consent agenda. We have until between now >> in February 26 to get clarity and um understanding around the questions concerned. 407, 409, and 414 will be for the purposes of the uh clarity round planning time. 412 is the request to wave. 421 may include the request to wave as well. And that will also

131be a question around the retroactive pay. We would like clarity on those pieces. That's those five resolutions. Commissioner Santiago. >> Yeah, I would I like to make a motion to remove those five resolutions from the consent agenda. >> Yes. So, so we're good. We're on the same page. No, we're about to do it now, but I wanted to give her the clarity on catching the notes before we did that. And so, we're on the same page. >> [laughter] >> Okay. So, with that, um, at at this time, let me get this off. Did you have a another question on the resolution before we >> Yes, I just wanted if I I see one more. I'm sorry, my voice is loud, but I if someone could explain to me, I just wanted clarity on resolution 419,

132um, the music in instrumental and music library itemization project. Um, that was the first time I seen that. Is there someone that can explain that to me? I just I just wanted clarity to on what it actually was. >> Yeah. Chief Cody will be able to articulate what this is about. >> So we have a um facility where we store the instruments uh a part-time person who repairs instruments and we have a music library of the sheet music that's used in our musical programs. across the district that has fallen into disrepair in recent years. And so this money is funding to provide teachers time to go over there to organize the space to um do some concentrated fixing of the instruments in order to sort of get us back in a good place. >> Commissioner

133Santiago, >> I do have a question about that specifically. And so why are we um like the staff that you have provided here are they registered and and fixing these uh instruments and and the wide array of instruments we do have um and is it better to possibly contract which I don't want to say you know that that um I just wanted to talk about like cost uh effective but it might be uh beneficial on that end but I do I do just wonder the answer to that question. Yeah, >> I can speak to that. So, right now we're dealing with the here and now. >> That's all right. >> Which is most certainly making sure that these instruments are being repaired and that the space is being organized. As to Chief Cody spoke to,

134we are evaluating every aspect of the organization to see what might be more cost-effective moving forward, particularly for next year's budget. So there may be a recommendation as we move forward to contract these um the fixing of equipment out. >> I I guess my concern would be um what research we've done prior before we come out with these resolutions and and just say blank blanketly just say okay this is what we're going to do. How much thought process do we look at going outside to see if we can get these fixed cheaper? how many you know it's to me it's just like oh I'm going with this so that's what I guess I have a problem with why why didn't we do further research to know what was cost what was beneficial to us costwise

135okay >> I I just want to say as a child as a mother of a child who has a trumpet who's stuck because the trumpet hasn't been properly maintained over the years as the music teacher said I'm really grateful that this is happening because these are instruments that have been neglected for a very long time and I'm grateful that the district is now looking into ways to maintain and fix these and it has to be an immediate thing. It's not something we can put off. What I I just want to make clear to you, just for the record, I I'm I'm very I'm I'm played the piano. I played the clarinet. I mean, I I understand the need for instruments and music in our in our in our uh schools. My concern is how money

136is being is being [clears throat] used and how it's being used. So, I would we do want something to be done efficiently, but if we if there's a better way to do it, then I would rather have that than to than to have someone come in and and do the fixing if we can have it done and it' be cheaper. All I'm asking is how many how many different ways did you look into that before you brought us this resolution? That's all I was saying. >> The resolution was brought by myself. I approved this resolution moving forward. We do have a director, Rebecca Fox, who is over arts and music. And what we've challenged each of our directors throughout the district to do is to make sure that that they are spending taxpayer dollars that

137they are spending taxpayer dollars in a manner that reflects good resource stewardship. As we mentioned and as Commissioner Fineman mentioned, we do have certain situations where we need to act immediately. This might be one of those situations and looking to spend approximately $6,450 to have these individuals work to provide greater organization of a space as well as helping to repair instruments is not an exorbitant amount of money to spend. >> And and let's make this clear, Dr. Rash, I'm not disputing that. What I'm saying is that every dollar counts and we can't let just one thing pass us by. So, I understand the respect what you're saying, but respect what I'm saying. As a commissioner, we need to make sure that we're crossing our tees and dotting our eyes when it comes to money coming

138out this district. >> I appreciate appreciate the prudent um approach being taken for these pieces. And we do have um a motion on the table at this time. I do want to do a time check, which is 801. Thank you, Miss Cody. And um again, uh can clerk Wayne, can you remind me who motioned and seconded? Um, I did who did anyone motion it? >> Santi Commission. >> Commissioner, I'm sorry. Correction. Thank you. I I have that um Vice President Malloy and uh Commissioner McCulla was our first and second. >> First and second on this. All in favor of resolutions 405 through 423 with the exception of 407, 409, 412, and 421. I >> Any opposed? Motion carries. >> Motion [clears throat] carries. >> I do just have like a procedural question because the original

139motion was with all the entire package and we just moved on with the original motion. I know that she stayed at the end what the intent is which might change that but the original motion was for the entire consent package without the exclusion of the resolutions that we spoke about. Um my my apologies, Commissioner Santiago. I mean my my sense of what the president was doing was to um move the the the rest forward with the exception of the ones that she enumerated. So right that that's my understanding. President Simmons, was that your intent? >> Commissioner Santiago may be referring to is when we first opened the deliberation, we started with the full packet. We've identified some and now we're I've made that correction. I And I know there's some shortcuts or we can go

140real real formal. >> I I I So, so now I understand right. So, so Commissioner Santiago um to to your point, what the board could have done is done a a formal motion to amend the motion um and so that the um what commissioner uh what President Simmons enumerated would um be withheld and the rest went forward. So, so you are correct. The board could have done a a very formal motion. I think at this point if it's if it's clear to all the commissioners and the commissioners understood what they were voting on then then we don't have to do that. Um but um it's it's it's the will of the board at this time. As we said we don't have to we don't have to be uh extra formal all the time. But your

141point your point is well taken. >> But I think that's a a good point to make up though because there could be some sticky situations where formality may be absolutely um prudent for us. So, thank you, Commissioner Santiago. And we'll move forward at this time with the agenda. Um, we did the resolution review and so my goodness, my god. Motion to forward. Okay, so we've done that. So, those those that did not make it through, we'll follow up on. And it looks like we're turning this over to Superintendent Roser again for a budget the budget update. >> Yeah. So, my my budget update, there's not a formal presentation to provide this evening because we are in the process of um putting together the formal presentation for February 26, but to stay the course with providing

142our board and our community with updates as it relates to our budget, you know, this verbal presentation will serve to support that effort. So, we're still dealing with a $50 million um gap in our budget. the team and I have been working diligently and will continue to work diligently to provide the board with a balanced budget um at the February 26 meeting. I do want to provide some updates to our community um to some of the work that has happened outside of um the school district. Um, on January 29th, we had the opportunity to travel to Albany to give a budget legislative testimony to our legislators outlining our budget priorities and articulating the need for additional funding to be received by Rochester. On February 7th, this past weekend, um we had the opportunity to participate

143in the Monroe County School Boards Association legislative breakfast in which um our vice president of our SLC um provided um some legislative priorities um that we all should consider. Um I was joined by two board members, board president as well as the vice president. On February 13th, we will have our own Rochester City School District annual legislative breakfast in which we will then have an opportunity to engage our legislators um in conversations around our budget priorities. That concludes my update for this evening. >> Thank you, Superintendent Roser. >> I just want to say thank you for their transparency. >> Resolution review. We do not have any. We've already forwarded the motion the resolutions to the consent agenda. Well, we don't have any. Um, so now we're just looking at some written reports. The co code

144of conduct committee. That uh public hearing will be held on March 10th and that'll be prior to the work session. Okay, I think we made it you guys. It's 807 time check. And so this board may uh request a motion to recess into executive session close to the public to discuss matters leading to the appointment, promotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal, or removal particular persons in pending or current litigation with general counsel and entertaining a motion. Vice President Malloy. >> Second by Commissioner Griffin. All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? All right. At this time we will exit into executive session. Uh and we will not be returning to the deis at this time. We will we need to close out there or we we close out here. Um >> okay so we'll just go on down

145to executive session which will be held on the second floor conference room. Everyone thank you.