001Good evening. Thank you for joining us for the September 30th board of education meeting. If you could all join me for a pledge to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> All right. And we will start this evening with the report of the superintendent. Dr. Murray. >> Thank you. Good evening. Uh and before I begin, I'd like to welcome our student exeicio board members here this evening. We have Ryan Croer, uh Philip Nameoth, and Daniel Morris. Welcome. Um good evening and thank you for joining us for our September 30th board of education meeting. Over the past couple of weeks, we successfully hosted all of our back to school
002nights, which provided a wonderful opportunity for our parents and teachers to connect about the year ahead. These evenings also gave families a chance to visit our schools and see firsthand some of the recent facility upgrades that enhance the learning environment for our students. Thank you to all who attended and who and for your continued support of our schools. It makes a meaningful difference in building a strong partnership between home and school. Yesterday, parents of students in grades 5 through 12 should have received an email from me regarding the culture and climate survey that will be conducted next Monday. This survey supports our ongoing focus on social emotional learning with the goal of strengthening the culture and climate in each school building and increasing students sense of belonging. The feedback we gather from students, faculty, and
003staff will guide our initiatives and serve as a benchmark to measure our progress over time. We look forward to sharing the survey results during the social emotional learning presentation at the December 16th board of education meeting this weekend. I along with Jane had the pleasure of attending the naming of Station Plaza at Rye Metro North Station in honor of Paul and Oral Red Rye residents and activists who dedicated their lives by fighting for equality. The landmark de discrimination case they brought after being denied a rye colony garden apartment led to the passage of the red bill in 1962. A groundbreaking piece of New York State anti-discrimination legislation. Paul Redd also served as publisher and president of the Westchester County Press, the county's only African-Americanowned newspaper for over 20 years, and devoted his life to public
004service in our community. As a district, we are proud to incorporate this important chapter of RISE history into our curriculum, ensuring that students learn about the RED's lasting impact on our community and beyond. I also want to let you know that we are in need of community members to volunteer to join our technology committee. The technology committee meets to discuss the use of technology within the Ry City School District and advises the board of education. This year, the committee will be updating the district's technology plan and continuing the committee's work with artificial intelligence initiatives. More information and the application can be found in the news and updates section of the RCSD website. And that concludes my report for this evening. Okay, great. Thank you, Dr. Murray. And I do um just want to again say
005I think it's great that we'll be able to incorporate uh Paul and Oral Red's story into many of our uh grade levels across the curriculum. uh it really is a meaningful tie and a and a great way to acknowledge uh the history here of Ry in a really meaningful way. So that's exciting to hear. All right, we will start with our presentation and discussion number one and we will start with our 2526 board of education goals. Okay, you know there are hard copies here if you want. >> Okay. Does anyone need a hard copy? No. >> No. Okay. Do we have them? >> Okay, that's fine. We all have them in front of us and they're on the agenda. For those who are watching later, you could always pull it back up. All right. So,
006uh these goals should look familiar to the board of education members. This um follows a format that is similar to what we have had. Actually, do we want to give these to the student members? Pass those down to our students, please. Thank you. Um so this continues with three main focus areas of the board of education. Instruction and professional growth, communication and engagement, operations and fiscal management. Um those three areas were areas of focus of ours for the 24-25 school year and we had decided to have those continue on as for 2526. But what we did do uh as a change for each of these goals was to add key focus areas for each of the areas and then move into more explicit actions under those key areas. Um I think it's good for the
007public to be reminded as we look at these goals that the work and the focus of the board of education is tied to mission and vision. The board is not the doers of the work of the district. that is left to the very capable hands of our administrators. And so when we look at our goals, we want to make sure that our goals are able to provide guidance to our administrators, to our superintendent of how we envision and would like to see the district operate. They are really designed as more 30,000 ft type actions as opposed to the nitty-gritty because that is not the work that we do here at the board table. Um, does anyone have questions or reflections or thoughts as it relates to the goals as they're previously or currently written rather
008one um as I've looked back and was reflecting at them within the communication and engagement goal that we have, we uh stated we want to strengthen community engagement through improved communication of board of education news and highlights. As I thought about this and I thought about kind of the um the intention of the goal is do we want is this in fact the best way for us to increase our community engagement? Is that through improved communication with us or is that more improved communication for the district or are there other things that perhaps we need to or should be considering doing? Um, I did in looking ahead to Dr. Marie's strategic plan presentation, which comes up next, where she has an opportunity to send out a survey related to communication. I wondered if perhaps something
009that could be done as it relates to this goal would be about asking our community about how is our communication from the board of ed to you as community members and use that piece of data to maybe perhaps either um tweak the goal or provide us some bit more of a better direction and a handle to ensure that what we want to do is in fact what we need to do. So, I open that for thoughts and questions, reflection. >> Um, I think that's a really good point you bring up, Jane. I think it is more important to strengthen the communication between the district and the community as opposed to with us directly. I think everyone pretty much knows how to communicate with the board if they need to. And I think we're not often
010the ones that they come to as much or want that direct dialogue with. So, I think that's a really good point and could tweak it in that way would make a lot of sense. Um that is a a point that I was also um thinking about as we were reviewing the the goals for this meeting. Um I think it's definitely worth gauging uh what what the community if the community even wants more from the board as a whole. Um because I think there's as as with communication there's always the fine line of creating more noise than providing clarity and sometimes an an additional piece of communication doesn't always meet that need. So it's how do we how do we start to understand what that uh the the community is looking for? Um, and I think
011the overall communications survey to get more from information from the community about what it is that they would find very helpful is going to be a key piece to how we can move forward with this so that we're if we're going to engage, we want to engage in a productive way. >> Okay. So, if we're all in agreement, then Dr. if you could find an opportunity or way within that um communication survey that you're going to be developing and sending out that would be fantastic. No problem. Happy to. >> Okay. Wonderful. >> Um I did also just want to point out uh for the larger community which will se us segue us into the next place is that also within each of these three goals there is added language related to the strategic plan. Uh
012that was something that we hadn't had um and upon reflection uh Jen and I had looked at that we wanted to make sure we were explicitly calling out the fact that there is going to be a strategic plan and that we want to make sure that our goals are tied to the strategic plan as we have um hoped that all of the administrative goals are also tied to the strategic plan. So making sure that we're very explicit in that language that that document and that plan is not to be something that sits in isolation but really is something that is rooted in the mission and the vision and the goals that we all set from the board and the teachers and the administrators. I think that alignment piece of having um the overarching strategy and
013then seeing how those play out yeartoear is going to be an important um element especially when we start looking at how um I don't want to do a spoiler alert but how we can continue to monitor and improve over time and I think that's also another piece that we'll start to see even within our goals at some point probably are there questions, thoughts, comments, tweaks. [Music] Okay. So then we'll we'll we'll go ahead and adopt them as as written and then we'll wait to see what kind of feedback or information we're able to get from that survey. Okay, great. Thank you, Dr. Murray and the board. And so now we will move on to the strategic plan. Dr. Murray. >> Thank you. So, I'd like to begin by sharing some background on how and why
014this plan was created. Um, about eight years ago, the district developed the Ry Commitment, uh, which outlines our vision for the skills and dispositions we want to instill in students, the kinds of professional learning that most strengthen instruction and the meaningful ways we engage with our community. This five-year strategic plan builds on that vision by setting clear goals, actionable steps step steps, and measurable benchmarks to uh track our progress. This is the district's first strategic plan of this kind. I drafted it based on the work that we've been pursuing over the past four to five years, ensuring it reflects our current priorities and provides a natural progression forward. Over the summer, the draft was revised with input from administrators and board of education members. Um, it is intended to remain a flexible living document that
015can involve that can evolve based on our annual progress and ongoing feedback. A key component of the plan is the development of a financial strategy to ensure we are allocating resources effectively in support of these goals. And what I'm going to be sharing this evening is not the full strategic plan in in all of its detail, but rather a highlevel overview of the work ahead. And and while the strategic plan is very closely to the right uh connected to the ride commitment um I also wanted to point out that that we have another document that has come on board recently called the New York State portrait of a graduate. Um and and this is also highly connected to the work we're doing in our district with the Ry commitment. Um, the portrait of a graduate
016was recently adopted by the New York State Board of Regents. And this framework identifies the essential skills and competencies that students need to thrive both in school and in life beyond the classroom. And when you look closely, you see a clear alignment with the right commitment particularly around fostering creativity and crit and critical thinking, developing effective communication skills, and preparing students to be responsible global citizens. Uh by continuing to use the ride commitment as our guiding vision, we are not only staying true to the values that we define in our own district, but also positioning ourselves strongly to meet the expectations outlined in the portrait of a graduate. This alignment reinforces that the work we are doing locally is both forward thinking and responsive to the broader direction of education across New York State. So
017um as I do present this evening, you'll see alignment with both of those documents, the right commitment as well as the new portrait of a graduate. So the five-year strategic plan has five different sections. Um the first three you'll notice are kind of mirror the f the three sections of the ride commitment is and the commitment to students and then to faculty and to the community and I'll be reviewing each one of those individually. Uh so we'll start with the first um the first section which is empowering students. Um and there we're thinking about empowering students in four different ways. And the first way is is expanding courses and instructional strategies that emphasize and grow critical thinking, collaboration, creative problem solving, and effective communication for all students. Um there we want to do this in
018a few different ways in terms of coursework. As you're all aware, we had IB come online this fall. And as we grow our IB program according to demand um and really student need, we want to be really thoughtful about the types of courses and that they are aligned with these skills that we're fostering within our students. Um and we also want to start thinking over the next few years about how we create our own courses. Um a lot of times we have faculty members come to the curriculum council with ideas about, you know, innovative courses that they want to do. And we're looking for faculty to develop these interdisciplinary courses so they can do creative um thinking and critical thinking across different content areas. And we're hoping that that takes place in grades 6 through
01912. Uh this past year, we also started the fifth grade capstone uh project that was very successful at our elementary schools this past spring. And while we're doing that again in fifth grade, over the next few years, we'll look for opportunities how to bring capstone projects to the middle school and high school and what does that look like and what kind of opportunity could it offer students along the way um in their educational career here. Um and then we next uh actually next week we'll be giving an AI presentation and because part of the strategic plan is to look for ways that we can bring AI into our teaching and learning in order to enhance critical thinking and that could be part woven woven into our coursework um and also part of uh you know
020everyday class instruction but using it really thoughtfully and responsibly and ethically. And another piece that we're uh we'd like to implement in the next 5 years is thinking about um student reflection and students kind of being more thoughtful about their growth. And so we want students to start putting together digital portfolios where they can document their learning and see their progression u from elementary school to middle school to high school. Um, so in in in addition to expanding courses and instructional strategies for students, uh, we also want to make sure that we create physical spaces that support innovative learning and student ownership. We want to make sure that that the spaces that we have students in really reflect the kind of learning that they that we want them to be doing. And we and while
021we have um certain spaces already online that that I would call innovative um in terms like the maker spaces at the elementary school, we have the middle school eyab, the high school eyab, we want to think about in in addition to those spaces, how can we have our classrooms um be more innovative so that kind of learning can take place in those in those uh environments as well. Um and then in addition to this when we really think about empowering students um one way of doing that is increasing student voice um in decision-m and so that will be a focus area for us. So how do we increase student voice within the curriculum but also within the school building and so I'm working really closely with principles um thinking about where are those opportunities for
022students to make school-based decisions and how can we create more of them. Uh and then as you are aware, we also have a you know anal focus for this school year which would be connected to this fourth piece here which is to foster a culture of care within the school community. Um you you can't really empower students without them really feeling well cared for throughout the school day. Um, and as I mentioned in my superintendence report, we're giving a culture and climate survey out uh to students and uh faculty and staff because we're really hoping that the data that we collect from that can guide our work in this area and we can see the areas of growth um and can make a plan from there. >> So Dr. before you go um forward one
023of you just mentioned the word data and so as you're talking about this you have >> thought through the various points at which we can you'll be gathering data and then being able to use and and bring that data back and I think about something like the physical spaces >> um in terms of are we able to track student usage >> and and then be able to use that as we go forward. >> Yes. So all of the goals that I'm discussing right now were all connected to performance indicators and that actually is a performance indicator for for the um the innovative spaces. So the the use and and what ways are how how many teachers are using those spaces, how many students are using those spaces and how are they engaging uh with learning
024there. >> Go ahead. Sorry. >> No, gosh. Sorry. Um so do h so this is a moving forward >> to to date have we gathered any kind of um data like about the spaces that we already have and have been using in any unifor maybe not in any uniform way >> I wouldn't have you know quantitative data on that >> right >> um but qualitative I would say just from my own experience being there I would say that the that the the middle school has the use has gone has gone up significantly from when they first came online I I think I've noticed that it takes some time for teachers to really understand the use of that and that of course is professional learning. Um and at the high school um I think it's a
025newer space and so it it we're waiting for it to gain some more traction. >> Okay. >> And I would want Sorry. >> No go. I would imagine that going back up to the first bullet that you were talking about with instructional strategies and some of those the interdisciplinary course development and all of those things that there could be the opportunity to incorporate all of these things into that cuz I just think back to um a lot of discussions that we've had over the years of how do we how do we um create more uh um appropriate challenge for all of our students without it having to be maybe necessarily an extra course that's added but built into what they get >> on a regular basis. And I see a lot from those I'm in
026my head as you're talking thinking about a lot of those opportunities where you're creating and looking at what your baseline is that you're already delivering and how do you um you know create uh within that the the opportunities to challenge and grow and and um help move students who maybe aren't necessarily going to jump into IB but you know still really need to get that challenge. >> Right. Yeah. And as you recall, we've been focusing on creating authentic projects and that's in every course, you know. So that so you'll see those K12 in every course, not just in IB courses. So that's that kind of curriculum shift we're looking for. >> Okay. Y >> uh this is it's not necessarily it's not intended to be nitpicky. Let me just say that from the beginning. When
027we talk about fostering a culture of care, >> how do you see that tying into a sense of belonging, which is, you know, something we've phrasiology we've used quite a bit of. And so I'm just trying to help make sure there's a linkage there for people to understand. >> Yes, there's a direct link there. Um, in order for students to understand that we care about them, we have to show that they belong here. So there's a direct link. Yes. Any other questions on this piece? >> I actually have a question if it's all right for me to ask. >> Sure. >> Uh when we talk about like expanding courses like I talked about interdisiplinary stuff. We had IB, we had capstone, we had all these things and I feel like it's really broadening the courses
028and it gives people a lot more options for what they want to do. But I feel like that's more expansion out rather than up. Are we looking at expanding courses into higher level things like adding calc 3, physics C or things that raise the bar for what students can actually accomplish in their time here? >> So I would say right now we're not looking at adding additional kelk course or physics C course. Um right now we're focusing on the the types of teaching that are in that are courses that currently exist. I'd ask you considering that question, I mean, do you think there is a significant need for that relative to the student population here? >> I think that it's if you were to give those courses now at the school, very few people would
029jump into them because it's not been an option that's available. But I have I many people who I think if they were started on that track earlier middle school even you know like getting ahead elementary school we could be outputting a very significant population of people who are fluent in top three and and have done those high level courses which I think is super beneficial uh in terms of the education you're getting out of this. Yes, >> I think we have to stay a little rooted also in the skill building that is required not so much the content building but um if you look at what the um the regions have just adopted >> uh and also the next generation science standards that have been >> reworked and and into all of our courses. it
030it really is about this um building of skill sets so that when you you can apply that to content and I think that's a piece that we have to remember is coming within our curriculum >> uh as it currently already exists um and that's that actually is building people up to a different level already >> and it's it is those skills again that are not not just reflect on the right commitment but are also in this portrait of a graduate because those are those skills that when students students go out into the world um that will help them be successful. And when you talk about different companies and organizations that are looking to bring on and employ graduates of Ry Ry High School or you whatever university, they really want students who can think critically
031um and creatively and solve complex problems in innovative ways. >> Yeah. What I really liked was one of the first statements you made uh Trisha and I think it's helpful for people to realize is that the development of the financial strategy is so necessary right to make any thoughtful long-term changes. So the idea that we're thinking both fiscally as well as instructionally and and and in terms of the physical environment is really something that's nice and >> I'm certain it has been done, but it has never been explicitly stated that that is something that's happening in concert together. And so I think that's going to really allow us to be able to make some real long-term significant changes. So I look forward to the development of those things as we go through this strategic plan.
032>> Thank you. Uh so the next area of the plan is around elevating professional growth um engagement and ownership. And so this part of the plan is directly connected to the part of the RI commitment that talks about professional learning for faculty. Um and it really it levels it up um because it's focusing on increasing collaboration and teacher leadership. Um I think one way to further um the our teachers growth is to look for ways for they can for them to collaborate together. I think our teachers love to collaborate. Um, they like to share best practices and they like to collaborate around curriculum and so we want to uh capitalize on that because I think our our curriculum and our instruction is better for it. Um, in addition, we want to look for ways that
033we can increase teacher leadership. We have formal leadership roles for teachers across the district, but we also want people to teachers to be leaders in informal ways and how can they kind of buy into this work and own it as well and lead their colleagues in it. Uh we also are looking in the next few years to strengthen mentorship and we have been working on this. We actually have something called a new teacher academy. Uh it's in its second year, very successful so far. Um and it provides a kind of mentorship for teachers um that maybe they haven't had in the past. Um where they have uh engaging coaching coaching cycles, their instructional coaches uh so where they really learn about these different types of uh teaching that I've I've been emphasizing. Um and then
034we also have a really exciting opportunity around teacher evaluation. Uh thank you to the New York State law that has been shifting. Um and Joe is actually going to be leading in the next couple of years um a group of uh administrators and teachers to rethink teacher evaluation uh our system and to think about it in a more creative way where um we can use as as a we where we're maybe involving some choice for teachers and thinking about what could make the biggest difference in their professional growth and how they uh would would um grow from feedback. So it's just it's a wonderful opportunity. I'm excited. It's going, it's not a one-year project, but uh because a lot of voices are going to come to the table on it, but we're looking forward to
035it. >> I I just want to make a quick comment. I think this is a a great opportunity because the the the >> sort of the historical look back to where we where AR started and and um what we have the opportunity to look at doing now is is just fantastic. So, I'm really excited about that. >> Yeah. Yes. So are we. Um and then uh we also want to provide professional learning that's individualized. We've had a feedback from teachers that they most appreciate our workshops um that offer choice and our um superintendent conferences that offer choice and different entry points for teachers. So we want to um continue to do that and grow that work um and also make sure that all the professional learning that we do is connected to the strategic plan.
036So all the ways that we want teachers to be engaging with instruction that our workshops are matching that and supporting that um and SEAL as well and how to bring theCCL practices into the classroom. >> Go ahead. One thing one thing that um you didn't explicitly touch on but I think is um in just kind of going to be obvious is that through the things of like being able to provide informal teacher leadership opportunities and a new teacher strengthening our mentorship and our professional development. All of those things should inherently increase our teacher retention. >> Yes. And as we know going forward in society, it's harder and harder to find teachers. And so to be able to >> keep the teachers we have and continue to grow our teachers. And we've had a wonderful experience
037this past year with being able to find uh our next leaders by looking within our buildings. And I think that's a testament to the professional development that you have provided. And so I look forward to seeing how over the next five years what those teacher numbers in terms of retention could look like and what our future leaders will look like here for us. So that's great. Good. Thank you. >> Okay. The next piece of the plan um speaks to strengthening community engagement and communication. Um and so we want to find ways to leverage our community strengths in order to enhance student learning. And um as I mentioned, we are doing work around authentic projects. And I think that's a really nice opportunity to look at where who in our community are some experts we can
038tap into for that. Um who are the people who would want to provide feedback to our students on their projects? Um and really to help further the students uh growth and and also where are the the possible partnerships that we have in our community that could really help um offer our students some experiential learning opportunities as well. else. So, we really want to leverage our community as much as possible. Um, and then the next piece is is about improving communication to ensure consistent messaging throughout the district. You know, um, being a new superintendent, one of my goals is to improve uh, communication as much as possible. And I think consistent messaging is really important when we do that. So, so everyone in the community understands what we're doing and why we're doing it. Um, and
039as Jane mentioned, um, yes, I I am going to be sending out a survey to the community on communication to gain a better understanding of the ways in which they prefer to be communicated with, um, and any strengths they see in our current communication either at the district level, uh, building level or teacher level, and where there might be gaps and and how are some ways that we can strengthen th those those pieces. Um and so this this the first action step here for that goal is to conduct that survey which will uh use the data to help us uh you know point us in the right direction with further steps. >> I will just say uh for leveraging community strengths. I was uh I had the opportunity back to school night to participate in
040the IB business management course and that teacher is already um leveraging good community strength. just sent around a signup sheet asking parents if they had any interest in to go ahead and sign up and there were a few people who participated. So it'll be great to see that already getting started. >> Yeah. Wonderful. And then the final piece to the well not the final sorry the fourth piece the strategic plan is to ensure strategic uh fiscal planning and to streamline operations. Um and so as as we you know said before, this is really as as we always you know align our budget with our priorities, we now can kind of do that more long term. Um and make sure that it it they're aligned and all of these initiatives are well supported with resources. Um
041and then also we want to make sure that we maintain and improve facilities to support student learning. So kind of as I was saying before about what are the learning spaces we want to create for students, um there's a whole facilities goal around that. We also want to expand awareness for our food service program. We offer our students so many uh fantastic um offerings and we want to make sure that we're communicating those out so everyone is aware of what those are. Um and specific to our students new to our district as well. Um we want to empower and build our capacity within our nursing staff. This is also, you know, part of our staff that is plays a vital role uh in our school community and the way that they know um and interact
042with our families. And so we want to make sure that all of our nurses across the district have a an expertise um and and a level of training and with the work that they would do with students every day. So um we'll be working on that as well um and building some some capacity there. Um and then a large goal, the next one is to modernize technology and infrastructure to support the evolving needs of the RCSD educational system. And I really the reason I say it's a large goal is because it's ever changing and it and it happens really quickly and it's something we're always looking at. Um but the first step there is to do some data collection on what our current needs are. And so that's how we'll be starting to achieve uh
043that goal. Um, and then the last part there is to ensure that all members of the school community, including students, particularly high school students, are really well aware of what our safety procedures are when and why they exist and the importance of those. And so, um, John Hawkins, who's our director of safety and emergency preparedness, um, has has been interacting with with high school students as well as all members of our comm school community, so they are aware um, and those procedures are followed. And then the strategic plan. Um the fifth part, the fifth and final piece is around monitoring and continuous improvement because there you can't have a plan without a way to know whether you're making progress towards it. And so um all of the goals as I mentioned before do have performance
044indicators attached to them. Um and you'll see as the year goes on that some of those we built into certain presentations and when that happens I'll draw your attention towards it. Um and then um in addition we'll also review these performance indicators during our annual board of ed retreat as well. So that is that's your highle view of what the plan is. Um and I'm I'm happy to have any further discussion. I will just say um it is wonderful to have a plan and uh it's a plan that uh is very thoughtful and well-developed and is clearly in response to requests for this type of work and I think this over the last 8 years there has been a lot of change that has happened in the district for good and I think it's now
045being able to go from good to great and having a long-term term strategic plan that incorporates curriculum with staffing with special education with fiscal is really the path to being able to make those changes. We don't necessarily need to make huge systemic changes. we need to make a lot of changes within the margins and those are typically the most difficult changes to make and so to be very explicit about those is I think the way in which we're going to get there and so to hear and to know that this is going to be incorporated into presentations throughout the year will become part of a continuous cycle of review and and um reflection for the board I think is really exciting and I look forward to seeing how this really does help change the I
046could not agree more and I think um having especially for those uh small incremental changes in the margins having the continuous improvement in the performance indicators tied to it which I'm sure are going to evolve over time um that those are going to be really helpful to move us in that direction. I think we've already seen how using data in many areas where we've implemented new curriculum and programs have really informed how that should keep evolving and what how we want to see that change cuz without that it's very difficult to make those small shifts um along the way and then see that growth uh over time. So, I'm I again I could not agree more that having a plan is is fantastic and um having it combine everything. It makes so much sense and
047uh really looking forward to >> to being a part of the continued evolution of it. >> Thank you. I think I think that the the playbook that you've used a lot with the right commitment how that shows up and and how it's present and and you know a document that everybody lives and breathes and and and operates towards sort of helps you with that you know the why. Um could you just I guess just give your broad brush strokes thoughts of how this will get implemented into every administrator, every teacher's you know daily life. >> It's a big question. So um one is that these are things that we you know are the administrators are in line with with uh us on. Um this was a focus during our admin retreat. um they've you know
048seen this plan, interacted with it, they gave a lot of feedback. This was not the original version um which is good and and getting their input and so with that you know that's how you create buy in um and because a lot of this is that they're going to be leading their teachers with um and and I would say that what's important is that it's a five-year plan, right? all these things aren't happening this year certainly or even next year but it's really being thoughtful about the steps and that's kind of how the plan lays out across years um and and engaging the administrators in so what you know in year one how much how much change can a system sustain at a time and we've been really thoughtful about that um and bringing people
049on board as we go along if that did that answer your question Matt >> yeah that's good I I again it's it is a It's a big question but but obviously you know the document is great and then it's how does it get implemented and again I think the right commitment is a is a great example of how that has been implemented. Um I just wanted your thoughts. >> Okay. >> Other questions, comments? >> All right. Well, we look forward to many updates coming forward from this document. So, thank you so very much. >> Thank you. >> Uh, okay. It is now time for the hearing of the public on non-aggenda items. Seeing as we have nobody here from the public, I will refrain from reading our public statement. And we will just move then
050on to the consent agenda. Can I please have a motion to approve this evening's consent agenda? Matt Shibonoff, seconded by Valerie Lapam. Let's take a look at this evening's consent agenda. Consent agenda general. Uh Dr. Murray, would it be possible to get or um just a general sense? There seems to there are a lot of educational um software packages in here. If we could get an just a general directional understanding of what what we're looking at. >> Uh sure. So the starting with Delta Math, is that you're referring to? >> Yes, just all of those. >> All of those. So um all of the these are different softwares that we use for a variety of reasons. Um some of them you know the delta math is to for students to practice um their math um
051skills. Sometimes it's used for homework. Um and some of it is just kind of you know more technical software like Cami in order in order for us to be doing our the administrative work we have to do. Um a lot of is instructional for music. Um, manage back is actually a new software we're bringing online in order to support the IB program. Um, and document the the students doing the diploma program, document their progress throughout it. Um, and Greg Tang math is for differentiation for math that our AIS teachers use. Uh, we video we is just a software that we use for um whenever students are doing kind of online editing of for projects. So, you know, they really touch a variety of um areas um that we that we support with under edtech. Okay.
052>> But it's none of it is is AI or anything. It's just these are just um software that we use for a variety of reasons to support instruction. >> Great. Okay. Thank you. Uh consent agenda fiscal. Consent agenda, professional appointments. Consent agenda, classified appointments, consent agenda, pupil personnel services and special education. >> I just um had one uh question regarding um the transportation contracts. Uh >> they they all list as a dollar. So I just assumed I won't assume I'll ask. >> Yes. >> What does that say? >> Those are contracts we have for we have an extension kind of to reserve it in case we need it. >> Okay. >> It's easier to do that now for a dollar than try to get it later. >> Right. Just makes total sense. >> Erin, would
053you agree with that statement? >> Yes. It's it just saves um us some time and money in the long run because every year um if you have to go out to bid again for the contracts, then there's a cost to go out to bid for them. um and then that could be problematic. So this way we extend it for a dollar then we have access should we ever need it. >> Great. We are not paying anybody a dollar for anything just to be clear. >> Great. Thank you. Uh consent to Jenna curriculum instruction and assessment. Okay. Seeing no questions. All those in favor of approving this evening's consent agenda, that is seven to nothing. So on this evening's consent agenda, we have approval of agreements with our various educational software software vendors which all are
054in compliance with Ed Law 2D. Uh we have an approval of a contract with Sandbox Theater for the fifth grade play at Milton Elementary School and the costs associated with this contract are later uh approved in item 9.04. 04 and that is through a donation of the Milton PTO. We have approval of a contract with the Gner Center which will be for use of their conference center for administrators retreat for the summer of 2026. That is some good forwardinking planning. Well done. We just barely got out of summer. Already planning ahead. Approve. We are approving a gift from the Osborne PTO in the amount of $77,500 to support cultural arts programs, Mangum Sports Resource, recess programs, transportation for field trips, and for teacher gifts. We also are approving a gift from the Milton PTO in
055the amount of $3,500 to support an author visit for our first grade classes. And we have an approval of a gift from the Midland PTO in the amount of $8,500 to support cultural arts programs at Midland. And an approval of a gift from the Ry Middle School PO in the amount of $21,300 to support upgrades to the lighting and sound system in the pack. Um, we are extremely fortunate to have such supportive parent organizations who work with the district to further support and enhance our student experiences in both the academics and our art spaces. And we are truly appreciative and grateful for every single donation because it allows our kids um opportunities that we just wouldn't be able to do within our own operating budget. So, thank you to the POS and to our community
056members. Uh we are approving appointment of 67 teachers for various clubs and extracurricular supervisors. And we're also really fortunate to have so many teachers who are supporting our students in ways that foster the connections and sense of belonging at Ry High School. And this is work that is done outside of the uh instructional day. And it's a real wonderful way to help develop that culture of care and sense of belonging that Dr. Murray spoke about earlier. We have an approval of an agreement to continue our work in partnership with the Ry Youth Council as they work to support our students, our student athletes, and our faculty. Um, something that is not on this evening's consent agenda, but was on the consent agenda last time, and so I do apologize for my oversight. We had the
057retirement of Osborne nurse, Miss Kim Potter. It is with sadness that I announce the retirement of longtime Osborne school nurse Kimberly Potter. Kim is retiring on September 12th after over 20 years in the Ry City School District. Miss Potter came to the Ry City School District in 2002 as a substitute nurse. She joined the staff at Osborne School where she was also a parent as a full-time school nurse in 2005. In her years in the district, she's mentored new she had mentored nurses new to the Ry City School District, participated in the school district's social emotional learning institute, and served on the committee that res revised the district's K to2 health curriculum. Prior to coming to Ry, Miss Potter spent 12 years as a pediatrics charge nurse at Stamford Hospital. Miss Potter has a BS
058in nursing from Fairfield University. Osborne School Principal Angela Garcia said, "I want to express my deepest appreciation for Kim's 20 years of exceptional service and unwavering dedication to the physical, social, and emotional well-being of our students. Kim's compassionate care has been a cornerstone of our community, and it is her relationship with students, parents, and staff that truly stands out as a hallmark of her time with us." Ry City School District Director of Health Services and Wellness Coordinator Tracy Barnett said, "On behalf of the nursing department, I would like to recognize and thank Kim for her more than 20 years of dedicated service to our district. Her professionalism, compassion, and commitment to student health have set the standard of excellence for nursing. We wish her the very best in all her well-earned retirement." In her retirement,
059Miss Potter said, "It has been a privilege to serve as the school nurse at Osborne for the past 20 years. I have greatly valued my time with the district." Miss Potter, we thank you so much for your time spent taking care of our students, and we wish you all the best in your retirement. And with that, we will now move on to a policy review, information, and discussion. Miss Bole, >> thank you. Um so there are quite a number of policies on here but um I think the the latter half are all um related to each other. So we'll take the first three um that are grouped together uh within the agenda to review first. So our policy committee uh met for the first time this year on September 15th. Um, and as you'll see,
060there's those three policies that come first. There's student admissions, which is 5150, and 5275, which is eligibility for middle school and high school extracurricular activities. The updates in these policies are um they're not significant in terms of what was added um but they are significant in terms of um trying to clarify. Uh we got actual questions from um from the families and um others within the uh um school community to try to understand better how this policy work these two policies were working. And so we added some language to clarify those um those elements. So those two policies um have again minimal addition but language to help make sure that people understand exactly what it's talking about. Um then there is a um policy 9259 which is nonrepresented employees. Um this is a policy that
061is um sorry um it includes an update to ensure that there is um parody with other similar employee contracts. That is the major addition to this policy. We also took an opportunity as we were doing that to um update the positions that are listed in the upfront of the policy. So, I'll pause here for a second and see if anyone has specific questions about any of these. [Music] Okay, moving on. Um the next set of policies are all related to an update that we received from NISBO, which is the New York State School Boards Association. Um they're all centered around updates related to what's called PII which is personally identifiable information. Um EDL law 2D uh part 121 which is uh related to protecting that information and how we can um release it and when
062we cannot release it and FURB which is also a privacy um uh a federal privacy law. Um so these changes from NISBA were recommendations. Sometimes NISBA makes um required changes to policies. These were were not required. They were recommendations but they are um used quite a bit these policies. And so we want to make sure that we are uh up to date on how these changes are being um uh added into the current documents so that we're if we have later changes come from NISBO, we'll be able to match them pretty easily. Um so these impact how we protect data privacy under um foil which is for policy number one 120 that falls under that. um furpa as I mentioned which is under policy 5500 um PP which is a an acronym for and I'm
063going to look at it so I get it right um protection of people rights amendment and um also under policy 8635 which has to do with um the uh information and data privacy security breach notifications. Uh most of these were not substantive changes in terms of any of the laws. Nothing's changed under those laws. However, um what these are what they are trying to do is um consolidate into certain policies information about um each of these elements so that they aren't scattered among all of these different policies. The one um change there is to note I would say is in policy 5500 which is student records. Um they the within this recommendation um there used to be a limited time period when students and their guardians could opt out of um inclusion in directory information.
064Um that has now been opened up. It can happen with if this change is adopted any time during the year. Um, also just to note that we've included a regulation for policy 8635 here for everyone to read and know that there's been an update to it. However, we don't adopt this regulation. Most regulations we don't adopt. Um, but it is here for everyone to have an opportunity to see those. And then just to make it more confusing and flip that, um there's also a regulation for policy 1120 that we are required to adopt the changes to. So that will go through the entire process um for us uh and we will you know as long as we get through the end of the process we will adopt that um uh once it's been reviewed. So,
065I know it's a lot of feels like a lot of changes, but they really are not um substantive in terms of changes to the law. Any initial questions on those? No. Okay. Well, then we'll have an opportunity to discuss them again next week. >> Okay. Great. Thank you. Uh, now we will move on to communications to and from the board and we have board and district committee updates. I'm going to guess we just heard the update from the policy committee. >> Yes, you did. >> Okay, great. And then I will turn to you. Oh, bless you. Don't be sorry. You can sneeze. Um, we had an audit committee meeting today. So, Mr. Shibonoff looks like he's ready. >> I'm happy to share. Um, it has been a uh uh busy period for uh Gabby and
066Kathy. Just trying to close out the books for 2425 before we move on to all the fun that we've got ahead of us. Um the deadline uh for submission is October 15th. So we went through this uh went through the full um uh full audit today. Um I guess the most important bit to to share is that um our auditors issued a clean opinion which is the highest mark. Um so a very clean bill of health from our auditors. Um and then in the management letter I think the most important thing is that there were no adjustments. So nothing changed. Um last year there were very very minor items. this year very very clean, very straightforward. Um the one uh frustrating bit um is that we are awaiting uh news from the OM um regarding
067uh federal fund or I guess any any organization that receives federal funding in in excess of $750,000 for which basically every single district is um would you know large district would fall into this Um, we are waiting for the report to be filed for to allow us to submit to the state. So, we're waiting on the White House um to Yeah, we are waiting. >> It's 3 and 1/2 hours based on my rough finger counting until a potential government shutdown. >> That that actually didn't factor into the conversation, but yes, that may also impact the timing. So, um, basically we are trying to close the books on $100 million plus budget and we're waiting on a line item in, uh, uh, that is smaller than $750,000 before we can submit. So, we are working with
068the auditor to see if we can submit and then uh, send in an addendum. Um, but we will see. I don't know if Gabby if that captures it or not. >> Yep, you hit the nail on the head. Um we are waiting for this last document um that needs to be filed on our behalf so that then we can respond to it having to do with our federal grants that we that we receive. Um the problem being is Tuesday um next Tuesday we're here again as the board um which the intent was to bring the full audit package forward for the board to approve which is a required step before we can submit our entire financial package up to the state by the October 15th deadline. However, this is a key piece of that package
069that typically comes before the board. Um, we're waiting until Friday morning because our auditors have promised that even if it comes as late as Friday morning, they can return the report around fast enough for Tuesday so that we can move full speed ahead. If that one piece does not come, we will ask the board to approve all the other parts that we have um so that we can at least do a partial submission by the October 15th deadline um and take care of that last piece when it becomes available. Um, if something should happen between Tuesday's board meeting and the 15th deadline, I may ask Trisha if possible to do a quickie board meeting to get that last piece approved so that we can still hit that October 15 deadline. So, a new wrinkle, but
070this is every school district. This isn't specific to Ry or just to make that clear. >> Yeah. So, um, just two questions. Uh, is this the first time this has ever happened to us? >> Yes. Okay. >> At least in my time, >> which is in how many years? >> 13. >> So, in 13 years, it's the first time we haven't received our report from the federal government. Okay. Um, how comprehensive is that report? Like, so I know the audit report is quite a heavy document and so how long is the federal OM information? It's um it's a compact piece related specifically to our grant funds that we receive from the federal government. So for us it um it encompasses there's five grants but it's predominantly the one grant um it's our specialed 611 grant
071that puts us over that threshold that um they really focus on. It's not a very long report. It's about five pages of the whole um audit package that details the money, but it's required. >> Right. No, I'm just I I I think it's helpful for the board to know that being able to send the partial report up. It certainly is a small portion of the larger audit report and even if it were to come at a at a much later date that it is not something that would be overly cumbersome for us to be able to review and get that turned around and and submit. >> No, we would without this report we would be able to submit like 95% of what's required of us by the October 15th deadline. >> Great. And 95% with
072a clean bill of health. So that's pretty darn good. That's great. Okay. Any other questions from the board about that? >> Just one other little small line item just to be aware of. Um I guess on the internal audit side, uh last year we had done HR as a focus area. Um this uh audited team had talked about doing special ed this year. Um we were prepared to to go forward with that and then we found out that our auditor has decided that they no longer provide this service. So it is again is not specific to ride. they just decided that they didn't want to do this probably cumbersome and um tedious uh work. So I believe Gabby and team are looking to find a third party that will be able to to provide this
073service but currently we don't have somebody available yet. >> Correct. We'll have to go out RFP to look for a new auditor. Um, I'll get back. >> And just to point out, because it was a question that came up this morning, it can't be someone, it has to be a third party organization. It can't be, we can't just try and hire someone to come in and do >> correct >> as an individual. Yeah. >> Yep. >> That was an exciting audit committee meeting. >> We were hopping this morning. >> Yes, you were. Okay. Are there any other reports? Uh, committee reports. Miss Sean, did you have something? >> Um, so on September 11th, I attended the traffic and pedestrian safety committee that the city holds uh monthly. Um, the only items related to the school
074district um was the very good news that the city is looking into upgrading the crosswalk going over to the snow lot with the new um flashing um there is a technical term for that, but I forget. Yeah, the flashing um crosswalk. Um which will be huge cuz I just know as a parent I see when I drive past there, nobody stops for these kids. It's really frustrating. And um the other thing that got brought up as well is how a lot of parents and caregivers are pulling over on the side of Boston Post Road at pickup to collect children there instead of turning on to persons and coming through the drop off zone and pickup zone. Um, unfortunately there's not a lot that can be done about that. Parents, um, those drivers can't be ticketed
075because they're not technically parked because they're still in the car. Um, so they can try to move traffic along from time to time. Um, but they think most effective would be partnering with the administrators and principles in the buildings to send communications to families. Um, but that is um, still being discussed. And then the only other thing that really would impact us is um they are looking into adjusting the drop off and pickup at Presbyterian Church um the preschool and I think the only thing that really impacts us is their pickup for the afternoon pickup. It's kind of at the same time as our pickup. So, um they're looking to alleviate a lot of the traffic on Milton. Um preventing the left turn into the Presbyterian Church collection area. Um potentially making them go keep
076going down Milton, go through the traffic circle, come up on the right, and then you won't be allowed to park on the right there like we can't during pickup. And cars can be pulled over there and eventually make their way into the church parking to pick up. So those were the items that kind of impacted the school districts. Okay, that's great. Thank you. And the next meeting is >> I believe it's October 8th. >> Okay. Yeah, they meet monthly, right? Yeah. >> Okay, great. Thank you so much. Uh any other committee meetings? >> Okay. And I don't see anything listed here for upcoming meetings, so we will we're meeting next week, so we can update that as as needed. Uh and so that takes me perfectly right to that our next meeting is on October
0777th which is just a week from this evening and we will be discussing artificial intelligence and the external audit report at least 95% of it. So we look forward to that. Um anything else for the good of the order? All right. Uh can I have a motion to adjourn this evening's meeting? Sean Clap for seconded by Matt Shibonoff. All those in favor? All those in favor? That's 7 nothing. Thank you.