001[Music] I'm Maybe. [Music] >> Oh, you're good. All right. Welcome. Um, if there's any AP scholars left in the house, congratulations again. Thank you everyone out in the audience joining us tonight. It's an exciting night. It's our first goal monitoring session. So, I'll go ahead and call it to order so we can get to the good stuff talking about the outcomes of students. >> Thank you, Madam Chair, and I will go over a few meeting protocols and then call the role and then lead in the pledge of allegiance in a moment of silence. If everyone would please take a minute to silence your cell phone, we would appreciate that. If you need to have an extended conversation with the person next to you or on your phone, please do so in the lobby. Please note,
002spontaneous comments from the floor are not permitted. Individuals who exhibit disruptive or distracting behavior will be asked to leave. Those who come to the podium to address the board are asked to please introduce yourself by name, title, and if outside of OKCPS, also please include your organization. And I will call the role at this time. Paula Lewis, >> present. Carol Thompson, >> present. >> Lori Bowman, >> present. >> Jessica Sephuentes, >> present. >> Dana Meister, >> present. >> Mike Shelton, Juan Lacona, >> present. >> And Mehaney. Thank you. And if everyone would please stand for the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence. 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.
003Please remain standing for a moment of silence. [Music] Thank you. You may be seated. All right, we do have no public comments tonight. So, that brings us to Superintendent Pulk's S update. I'll turn it over to Dr. Pulk. >> Good evening, everyone. And at this time, we'll go ahead and roll the video. >> Good evening, Chair Lewis, Vice Chair Bowman, members of the board, and hello to our OKCPS family. Fall is in the air and our schools are buzzing with energy. Everywhere I go, I see new ideals taking root and learning aligning with our new adopted goals and guard rails. I'm excited to share with you some of the highlights that make this season so special and how they connect directly to our focus on postsecary readiness. Our shared goal is clear. Every student enrolled,
004enlisted or employed when they graduate. This is what postsecary gradient looks like when systems are in place. Across our district, families and teachers came together for school conferences. >> At some schools, students led the meetings themselves. They shared with me learning, showed off their work, talked about how they're growing, and made plans with their parents. In our high school, each site now has a student success team. These teams meet every month to ensure students are on track for life after graduation. Together, they're helping students set goals and plan for their futures. Whether that means going to college, learning a job skill, or joining the military. Big thanks to Devon and the Cal Senior Foundation. Every elementary STEM teacher receives special supplies for their classroom, helping students explore science, technology, engineering, and math in exciting new
005ways. Devon also invited hundreds of our fourth graders to the brand new Devon Sports Lab. There students saw how STEM connects to sports. From tracking speed to testing strength, learning came to life. We're also proud to celebrate our four National Merit semifinalists. Outstanding students whose academic excellence inspires us all. And for our youngest winners, colorful alphabet cards and family guide are helping parents. continue literacy learning at home. All of this connects back to postsecary readiness, building strong foundations, providing advanced opportunity, and ensuring every student has a pathway. During Hispanic Heritage Month, OKCPS schools and departments joined the fun at the Fiesta Day Live America parade and we hosted the kids, too. It was a blast for families and students. We're proud of who we are and the schools where we learn. Class FAS High School
006at Northeast got a $40,000 grant to help make their campus even more beautiful. We can't wait to show you the amazing changes. We also showed our Bobcat pride, showcasing the new administration space at Star Spencer High School. And when it comes to school spirit, we know how to show up and shine both on and off the field. OKCPS also came out to cheer for the OKC conference and we passed the stands for the famous soul bowl where Douglas High School won the big trophy. These moments show how powerful it is when our community comes together to celebrate, support, and shine. None of this happens without great people. Our OKCPS staff who shared their knowledge at the Oklahoma State School Board Association conference, sharing their expertise statewide. Congratulations to board member Jessica the Princess for winning
007the emerging leader award at the Latino Community Development Agency. >> Your leadership inspires us all. And a special thanks to the students in Mr. M's Scissor Tail Studios class for filming and producing this very video. You are proof that postsecary readiness is happening right here, right now in our classrooms. Come around here and say hello. Board members, community, and family, thank you for your commitment to our student outcomes. Our system for postsecary readiness is stronger every day because of your leadership and together we're ensuring that every OKCPS graduate is ready to fulfill their unique purpose. Take care and we'll see you soon. >> Very nice. That ends my report. >> Okay. >> Anyone have any comments, questions? >> I want to thank you for that each month. I really enjoy seeing that and seeing all
008the the activities and the progress that our students are making. Thank you. >> Okay. All right. Then that will bring us to uh operations committee report 4.01. Uh vice chair Lori Bowman. >> Sure. Well, um this was it was highlighted in the superintendent update, but since our last um meeting, we had another wonderful ribbon cutting at Star Spencer, which was a terrific celebration um of that new um space. On October 1st, the operations committee had a virtual meeting and we discussed um got another great bond update about um the projects and where they are and we also got information and had initial discussions discussions on some upcoming lease agreements. And um the only other thing I wanted to highlight is I think as we move further into our work on our um on our I
009want to say SOFG but um our future um now I've forgotten the term um >> future driven outcomes. >> Futurriven outcomes. uh we're probably going to see that this report comes to an end as it is in its current form as we move into um committees that have um a question to be answered and are time limited and really focused. So I just think it's an exciting um time for the board and we'll see where it goes from here. Okay. Thank you. Okay, that brings us to uh the report of the bond citizens oversight committee, BCOC appointment committee. Uh recognize the chair of that committee, Carol Thompson. Thank you, Chair Lewis. Good evening. I'd like to provide an update on the progress of our new citizens oversight committee. We received an exceptional number of applications,
01057 in total, demonstrating a strong community interest in this important work. We're especially pleased to report that we received applications from all seven of our board districts, ensuring diverse representation. The applications showcased a wide range of backgrounds and thoughtful, high quality responses from all candidates. The selection committee has now recommended nine outstanding candidates to move forward in the process. The next step is for the board chair and the superintendent to review these individuals and select the committee's chairperson. Once the chairperson is chosen, we will notify all selected candidates. The full board will then formally vote on the final committee members at an upcoming meeting. Following this, the committee will be onboarded and will establish a meeting calendar. Our goal is to have the committee operational and our new reporting systems in place by the start
011of the new year. We look forward to this committee beginning its important work and appreciate the continued support of our community. Thank you. >> Thank you. We look forward to that. Um to see that 57 is amazing number of applicants. Thank you for those who served on the committee. It was board member Squentus, board member Melhaney, and board member Lacona with Carol. So, thank you. All right. Well, if there's no further conversation on that, we will move. No, there's no information agenda tonight. We're on to special business and I'll recognize uh Dr. Pulk. >> Thank you again. And before I do start, I'd like to pause and thank our entire OKCPS team for the work that brought us to this moment, and especially Jason Galloway, our chief strategy officer, for his leadership in coordinating tonight's
012presentation, for ensuring that our data systems as well as our reports and all processes all reflect protect the integrity of our future-driven 2030 goals. This is a milestone um evening for OKCPS because this marks our first formal progress monitoring of student outcomes under the future-driven 2030 goals and guard rails. It's a moment to move from planning to practice to measure how our vision is showing up in real student results. So for the progress monitoring is it's simple. It's focused and it's rooted in evidence. Each cycle the board and I will come together to answer three guiding questions. Does our current reality match the vision set forth for the students? Are students growing toward that vision? And do we have a strategy strong enough to cause continued growth? So, please note as tonight as we get
013going, this will be our beginning of what I believe will be the major change for Oklahoma City Public Schools. on this slide. Our journey towards the student outcome focused governance began back in 2023 when the board of education formally voted to partner with the council of great city schools. That decision marked the start of a multi-year effort to align every meeting, every report, and every strategy strategy to what matters most, and that student results. In the fall of 2024, the district launched Voices for the Future, gathering more than 16,000 community inputs to ensure that our goals and guard rails truly reflect what families, students, and staff valued the most. By summer 2025, the board formally adopted the district's three goals and four guard rails. along with a fiveyear monitoring calendar to make our progress visible
014and measurable. Tonight, October 6, 2025, marks the beginning of cycle one design year. This full year of monitoring will establish the rhythm and expectations of regular review, ensuring that every discussion connects strategy to measurable student outcomes. By dedicating at least half of every public meeting to progress monitoring, the board demonstrates that student outcomes, not adult inputs, drive district decisions. Cycle one design year transforms future-driven 2030 from that plan to a living system of accountability, transparency, and growth. As we move from our cycle and these three goals, elementary reading proficiency, ensuring every fourth grader reads on grade level. Goal two, middle school math proficiency, ensuring every eighth grader meets grade level standards in math. And then goal three, high school postsecary success, ensuring every graduate leaves OKCPS prepared for college, career, or enlistment. So tonight, this
015report for goal 3B will measure how many of our ninth graders successfully complete algebra 1 and English one on grade level. Key gateway courses for staying on track for graduation. Goal 3C will measure how many 11th and 12th graders are enrolled in at least one postsecondary opportunity from advanced placement and career tech to concurrent enrollment and internships. As always, we ground oursel in our vision. By providing equitable access to a world-class education, every Oklahoma City Public School student will graduate ready to fulfill their unique purpose in a healthy, vibrant community. Now for goal board, goal three, high school postsecary success. As you can see on slide four, college prep, internship, concurrent enrollment, career tech, and leadership pathways, which are opportunities such as JOTC, color guard, and student leadership programs that build discipline, teamwork, and civic
016responsibilities. These pathways are the heart to goal 3C. I also want to take a moment and speak in regards of our partnerships with Metro Tech, OL TripleC, OU Health, and local employers. We're expanding these opportunities so that every high school student, whether they're at Southeast, Star Spencer, or anywhere here in Oklahoma City public schools, they have multiple opportunities or routes to earn credit, experience, or certifications. This is what it means to be futurriven 2030. for interim goal 3B, which is the percent of ninth graders who pass both of these, algebra 1 and English one, by the end of the year, including >> summer school completion. Our target is to grow from 69.5% in 2023 24 to 78% by 2728. Board chair, I'm going to pause here just a moment because I did not ask if
017you wanted to ask questions as we go along or for me to continue through and then ask questions. I don't want to go too far without checking in. I feel like you could probably go over the first interim goal, right? Because that's just preliminary. Everybody good with that? But then we'll stop after the first preliminary goal. We're good there. Okay. >> All right. Thank you. So here these two courses are, as I have said, are gateway uh classes because success here opens the door to everything that follows. On the other hand, students who struggle in these courses often find themselves in credit recovery instead of enrichment, limiting the choices available later in high school. By helping students succeed early, we are not only improving grades, we're giving them time, opportunity, and belief. in the student
018outcome focus governance manual. This type of a measure is called a predictive and influencable goal. And predictive because 9th grader success is a strong correlation with graduation and influencable because these strategies to improve it are fully within the district's control. Tonight we celebrate clear evidence that our strategies are working. By the end of school year, the percent of 9th graders passing increased by 8.2%. from the previous year. That gain moved us within the 3/10en percentage point of our 78% target for this interim goal. In our manual, this would be considered on track because the actual performance in the projected aim line are nearly aligned in the trajectory shows strong consistent growth over time. Now, this improvement didn't just happen by chance. It reflects for a district-wide focus on strengthened tier one instruction across all high
019schools. providing timely data-driven feedback to students and teachers and expanding academic support systems to keep ninth graders on pace for success. In summary, the baseline 2324 was 69.5% 2425 actual 77.7 which is up by 8.2 2 with our target of 78%. And as we continue through this design year, our next step is to sustain the momentum by closing small gaps across campuses, strengthening early warning systems, and sharing effective tier one practice across all schools. I will pause here. board chair before I move into 3C. >> Okay. Um, anyone want to start and any get Lori? >> Well, first of all, I think you all did a terrific job on this monitoring report. I mean, for the first time coming out of the gate, I thought it was clear and easy to digest. So, kudos to
020you and your team for this. I mean, this is all new to all of us. So, I just I really liked the format and how you all framed it up. Um the one piece of I guess feedback I had just since we're in the middle um of you know this is so new to all of us is that on interim 3B I don't think I understood until I got to reading the 3C monitoring report it like all of a sudden dawned on me the why of like the impact of algebra and English on postsecary opportunities and then all of a sudden a light went off and I was like Oh, if they're not on grade level and have had success had successfully passed algebra 1 in English, they won't have room in their um schedule
021>> because they'll be to add postsecary opportunities. And so I don't know where exactly that could have gone either was in like the superintendent's interpretation or in the barriers to progress because when I got to this barrier I was like, "Oh, okay. A light went on." I was like, "Okay." Because barrier to progress on 3C is the the words off track for graduation jumped out at me and I thought, "Okay, >> that's why >> that's among among one of the reasons why the interim goal is to get algebra 1 and um English one successfully completed." Um, >> if I may, thank you so much for highlighting that. That also was a aha moment for myself, but uh, Dr. Maloo Smith when we started out, that was first and foremost to her in regards of not
022only that, but nearly for every goal when we determine our interim to have her in the space to be able to say that wouldn't make a difference. We literally had to ensure what we were doing not only daily but what we were measuring would make a difference in the overall. So I'm grateful to have a team and uh Dr. Smith that put that out day one where many of us even for myself it was like oh but she was like if we don't start here >> right >> she could see the trajectory um not being there. >> Yeah. >> So that's good. Thank you. >> Sure. And then I'll just ask one question. Do you know I know again we're this is all very new and and the goals weren't established until June but the
023bar chart is pretty like up down up like do you have any insight into into the why behind behind that? I do and we have spent a couple of hours and I'm gonna go ask ahead and ask Galloway to come up to the mic so that you can catch anything that I miss because for me I was like why would we even share? Why don't we just change the goal come back to you all and say we needed to move the goal. Uh so then that way if you all remember when we first started in our community was some were saying our grow goal was too ambitious others said it wasn't ambitious enough what we have said is we have to get started this is our reality our current reality unfortunately we didn't have that
024data when we went to actually come up with the the score so we had a predict iction, but we didn't get our OSTP scores until later. Um, but there's a range in there that I would love for you to explain. So then that way I'm as clear as mud regarding because it's like, wait a minute, you need to move your goal already, but what's most important is the s sustainability and repeatability. Do we know why it went up? And I'm we're not that crystal clear, but if you will, Galloway share. >> So, a couple of pieces of uh of information to consider. So, we did track back the algebra 1 and English one success rates all the way back to 2018 2019. That's not represented on this slide. Uh in 2018 2019, the success rate
025was right at about 64.5%. and it did not get over 68.6%. >> Um, until the year 22 23. And so the baseline or the the number before the baseline year is actually an anomaly um piece of data >> uh at 70 what is it 78.5% in in uh end of year 23. And so then it did dip again uh during our baseline year end of year 24. One thing that contributed to that the during that that time period um was a a regulation uh alteration that led to students uh potentially not passing courses due to absences. Uh and then there was an adjustment in the regulation um during last school year um that contributed to to the rise again. um don't have the exact data on how much that rise um or how much that
026regulation change contributed to the to the rise back up. Uh but that we we do strongly anticipate that it was a contributing factor to the dip in 24. >> Thank you. Okay. Anyone else? Carol, I probably need you, Mr. Galloway. >> Yes, ma'am. >> I have uh just one question. Do we include the eighth graders who take algebra 1 in in this um document? >> No, ma'am. No, ma'am. Spec specifically um for this course, this would be on level uh English one um math or English one and algebra 1. We specifically did not include the eighth graders um who were taking algebra 1 early for example. Uh we wanted to get really a true measure of students who were uh on um on the standard track um as a as a stronger predictor um to
027to not be coming off track for graduation. So we just followed our goal with ninth grade and didn't add the eighth graders that were >> correct. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yes ma'am. >> So in theory after that answer we would have more students that are on track than what's represented up here because if they took algebra 1 they are already on track. >> Yes ma'am. >> Okay. >> Yes. probably I got a text from a constituent that's listening. I'm just curious to know uh they were curious the 69.5 where does that come what testing is that coming from? >> That's good. >> Oh yes sir. Great question. Um so this is not based on test scores. This is based on actual student performance in the classroom and earning a passing grade in the classes.
028Can can you explain that formula or whatever? >> Sure. So, students entering a course uh based on our district grading practice, a student would have to earn a grade of better than 60% um to be passing at the end of a course. Students that don't earn a 60% um would uh receive a a failing grade or no credit. And so this is measuring students who pass both algebra 1 and English one in their ninth grade year. >> That good, Mike? >> Okay. >> Are you satisfied with that end? Are you good? Okay. All right. Anyone else? >> Okay, Jessica, >> I don't have a question. I more so have a comment. Um, and vice chair Lori Bowman, you you pretty much asked the questions I had, but that was great. Um, but yes, the the
029interrelatedness, I did want to also emphasize that. I mean, it's great. Um, just ensuring that yeah, when I first opened up the document, I was also wondering why are we looking at this specifically um interim goal 3B when the top of the document had the the goal for the post-secondary opportunity. Um so it's very critical that we kind of look at this in terms of steps. So all of the interim goals that the district has been has set um are is what we're looking at and then looking at these little bit bybit pieces um that all contribute to our big overall district goal. Um and also this is exciting work to get to look at um some of the data and um great job just with the three having three data points. I know we
030just set the goals um recently, but I mean I appreciate you guys finding that data from the previous years and uh just to have us look at exactly where we are. >> Ma'am, thank you. >> All right, anyone else? Are we good to move to the next one? >> All right, Dr. P. Great job, you guys. >> All right, we're going to now go to 3C uh interim goal. You'll give me just a moment to flip through as you read through 3C. This goal measures the percent of 11th and 12th grade students enrolled in at least one postsecary opportunity. These opportunities are more than elective choices. They are powerful predictors of student success. So by increasing access now, we're not just meeting a target, we're opening doors for students to fulfill our district's vision. In
031August 25, enrollment and postsecary opportunities increased by 10.3 percentage points from the prior year. We reached 51% just 1.9 points shy of our annual target of 52.9. The district remains firmly on track to reach our 60% goal by 2028. This is a clear sign of system movement, the type of growth that the student outcomes focus governance manual defines as evidence of progress toward the vision. The data line and aim line are nearly uh aligned there confirming that our strategies are not only sufficient but accelerating student opportunity. Let me pause here for a moment and allow you an opportunity to discuss this chart in the key takeaway. I have a quick question for for the benefit of our constituents. Could you give some examples of post-secondary opportunities? >> Yes, ma'am. Um and please note our postsecary
032opportunities is those that are the advanced placement where we saw our uh scholars here on tonight because advanced placement then prepares you for college readiness. Uh and then our career tech, our concurrent enrollment, internships or leadership programs such as JOTC and color guard. Those things post secondary is what happens after high school to get them on that trajectory of being a productive citizen. >> Okay. Anyone Juan Mike? >> Jessica. >> Yes. Um in in um looking at this report as well um I was actually pretty excited. I don't have a question but I didn't prepare any in advance. I didn't have enough time. But uh this time um I was really excited to read about um just having a more standardized approach to um ensuring that all of our students know about what post-secondary opportunities
033are available. Um the equitable access piece I was uh very delighted to hear about that. I mean if our students can learn about what exactly are the opportunities available. I mean that is a great step and then learning okay well we need to get through your algebra 1 and uh math goals uh your your reading and math goals um for 9th grade in order to even attend one of these opportunities. Um I think that's great. First step is awareness and I think we're we're doing that well. And if I may share, I'm gonna put u Galloway back on the spot here and he doesn't know I'm getting ready to his question. Uh but in regards of we looked at the data after algebra one in regards of the success rate of students in math following.
034would you share that um information because it blew my mind in regards of getting uh beyond algebra one earlier what that does for the you know trajectory of our students. >> Yes ma'am. So going back to interim goal 3B uh what Dr. Pulk is referring to is specifically the interim goal lumps together algebra 1 and English one. So you're looking at students who pass both of those courses. Uh what we did um in a breakdown though is tried to identify well what is the pass rate specifically for algebra 1 and then what is the pass rate specifically for English one and what we find is there's disparity between the two courses. So you have algebra 1 uh last year with a with a success rate of 83% of students and English one at 90%. But
035what we find when we move on to geometry is we have pass rates north of 96%. >> Yeah. >> And so if students are successful in algebra 1 moving on to geometry, there's a much higher likelihood that they're going to be successful moving forward. And so it just really speaks to the nature of that just being a critical gateway course. If students can find success, and this is a nationwide trend, not just an OKCPS trend, >> that if students can find success in those critical gateway courses as freshmen, then when they move along through their high school experience, they have more access to opportunity, especially opportunities that connect with potential post-secary opportunities and helping them get on track for employment, enlistability, or enrollability after high school. Yeah, it just blew my mind. >> That's good.
036That's good data for sure. Yeah. Thank you. >> You have something though? Yes. >> Um Dr. Pul, I was curious and I'm I keep referring back to our little >> That's good. >> Document our our um our technical versus tactical versus strategic like tips of how to ask the questions. But um the one on this one that jumped out to me is the second bullet under barriers to progress. Um and the the barrier to progress being student awareness of available options varies by sight which can affect equitable access. And to me that seems like >> yes of course but like how did you I think I can because it says we're supposed to try to understand the past to understand the future. So, how did you kind of identify that, come to understand that that
037was a problem and just like kind of how did we get to putting that on the on the list >> and which is so exciting in regards of how we have cascaded our meetings. Uh for instance, uh you hear uh Galloway speaking about cabinet and us looking at the data. Then the next meeting which is our DM meeting where our district leaders are actually they've gone through this exact presentation with our principles and they are the ones that are actually helping us nail down what the barriers are because you have to get close to those who are actually doing the work. And please note as I'm out and about uh and to actually see these exact same things hanging in the PLC rooms and I see some of our principles here in regards of this
038isn't just happening here. This is the work and this comes from listening to the principles saying in regards of well I didn't know that. Well, guess if the adults don't know, surely our students won't know. And so that's how that became something that we needed to put in writing so we can hold ourselves accountable to it. So that's how it came about. >> Thank you for that. >> Anyone? No. So I think for a first monitoring of outcomes, this was great. This was one that probably won't be the answer every time. There will be times that are probably we're not as on track as we would like to be and those will be different conversations but I think we celebrate when we are and this is a celebration of a two good interim goals right
039there. So congratulations you guys. So our job as the board if we're done asking questions is we either make a motion to accept not accept or postpone unless I hear look around the room and see differently. I'll make a motion to accept the monitoring calendar. >> No report. >> Oh, report monitoring report. Sorry. Thank you for second. Okay. If there's no further discussion, we'll call for the vote. Oh, wait. Okay. >> I will not vote against it. >> Promise. I will not vote against it. And is there a reason that we would ever vote against or vote to not >> per the training? It's that we don't feel like it was um supported that we don't know that they had that superintendent Pulk had the answers to support the percentages were being shown. That would
040be that or and if we wanted to postpone it if we had more strategy qu or strateg strategic questions that weren't hadn't been answered then we could postpone and say please go back and bring it back next month. That would be kind of the those are the reasons. >> I think also Mike the the format of the report is really in important in the process and if there was a section that we felt like had not provided you know robust information. So, you know, all of these things are it's a template and they have to answer and and fill out the entire template. And if they brought and it was like there was nothing in one of the you know the boxes that explained that would also be I think reason. >> Okay. >> Yes.
041>> May I also add um yes. So from our last meeting I'm not sure if you were there board member Shelton but um I think >> thank you for calling me out. Well, there were four things I believe that uh have to be on the report and like one example was um the last it has to have three data points. Um so we have three data points on this on these reports um the superintendent's interpretation and then the strategy of the superintendent and then there was one more thing um and it has to be at a sixth grade level. So I think um yes there like if it doesn't meet those four criteria then um we could vote to not accept the report. Those would be acceptable reasons to not accept the report. >> All
042right, I'll call the vote. Having received seven I votes and zero nay votes. The motion carries. >> As we take that vote and we're waiting for Craig. I was thinking this is like everything else in life. The hours and hours of training that we've gone through and the work the district has done. We did that really fast. So that means our other work was really prepared. Good job you guys. All right, so there is um that brings us to the consent agenda. I'll wait for them to go by. Uh there is there any member whose desires to pull any items for discussion only or to be voted on separately? >> Yes, I have one. >> Yes. Okay. >> Uh yes. May I pull out uh 10.01? Um it's the Gear Up OKC program for discussion.
043That's it. >> Okay. Anyone else? All right, going to start with 10.01, Jessica. >> Yes. So, this one is about gear up um O plus K equals C. Um so, this question is kind of interesting. I I um I had a question about how this program could potentially affect our postsecondary opportunity goal, which we were just looking at. um and just the significance um and maybe how this has already impacted students uh lives. >> Yeah, >> I'll go ahead and answer, but if there's anyone in the audience to please come forward from my uh team because we knew that this was on there. It is exciting to hear that this was funded this year and I would love for them to tell us the amount of funding uh and for the amount of years total.
044But what's exciting is we will be reaching down to middle school students in regards of postsecary and this is a phenomenal opportunity now that we are becoming laser focused on our goals. This fit right in and so we really celebrate it and if will you please introduce um Miss Sfield and then we'll go from there. I will. I will. Alicia Sefield, chief academic officer, but with me I had Claudia Rivas Taylor and she oversees Gear Up. And this is actually an exciting opportunity because it is um the renewal of a grant that will directly benefit our students. So, I'll let her share with you the details of that. >> Thank you, Miss Effield. Just to be clear, the agenda item for this one is for our Gear Up O plus K equals C uh opportunities
045plus knowledge equals college. Uh this one is in our final year of our grant. Uh it started in 2018 and uh we asked for a nocost extension this year. That means that uh we use our unexpended funds which were about $18 million in total. Um so we have a little bit left over to carry us over for another year. Um since the Gear Up program works with a cohort of students, uh we serve the class of graduating class of 2024 and 2025. uh we are only allowed to serve our cohort students. So the cohort students that we have left would be seniors that are still here and still need to graduate by December. So through this nocost extension, we will continue to offer our services to those students uh which include one-on-one mentoring um assistance
046with college applications, FAFSA nights, um and those kinds of opportunities for our senior plus students. >> Did that answer your question or >> Yes. Thank you. in the future we will be able to announce uh about some of our future gear up grant opportunities. >> So I don't think I realized this was an extension which you probably I just didn't hear the word but as the board who constantly hears you know how tight money is around education. How did we have $18 million that we had not used that time? >> So it was throughout the seven years that we were in the program and this was through 2020. Um so there was a lot of uh time where we were not taking students to college campuses which is a big expense for us. We also
047had uh some staff that we did not fill the positions at the end of the grant. So that's why we don't have 18 million left over. That's how much we received throughout the seven years. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. >> That was a total grant seven years. >> Thank you. >> Any questions? >> Anyone else? No. Okay. Then is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> So move. >> Okay. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Call for the vote. Vice Chair Bowman, I'm sorry I didn't get a It didn't come through. Thank you. Having received seven I votes and zero nay votes, the motion carries. >> Thank you. We have no new business. That brings us to executive session. I'll make a motion to enter into executive session. Is there a
048second? >> Second. >> Call the vote. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Bear with your clerk for just a moment. I'm clicking a few things and I'll get that taken care of. Motion by the chair, second by Mr. Lacona entering into executive session. And that voting popup should be on your computers at this time. >> All right. Thank you. >> And you're most welcome. Having received seven I votes and zero nay votes, the motion carries. Let let the record show the board return from executive session at 7:41. And Craig, oh, you have it. There you go. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. The board entered into executive session at 6:22 p.m. and returned to open session at 7:41 p.m. on Monday, October 6th, 2025. Individuals present during the executive session included Mike Shelton, Juan Nakona, Jessica Suentes,
049Dana Meister, Carol Thompson, Paula Lewis, Lorie Bowman, Shawn Ross, Haley Jones, Laura Holmes, and Dr. Jamie Pulk. The board discussed transfer appeal denials and the superintendent's evaluation. No actions were taken during executive session. >> Thank you. Okay, Dana, you have a motion. Oh, Jessica have a motion for us. Thank you. >> I do. I I move to uphold the superintendent's decision to deny the student transfers discussed in executive session due to the board determining state law and board policies were followed by the administration and denying said transfers. Is there a second? >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay. Call the vote. >> Paula Lewis, >> yes. >> Carol Thompson, >> yes. >> Lori Bowman, >> yes. Jessica Squentes, >> yes. >> Dana Meister, >> yes. >> Mike Shelton, >> yes. >> And that
050was a yes, although Mike didn't pick it up. And Juan Nakona, >> yes. >> Thank you. Having received seven I votes and zero nay votes. The motion carries. >> All right. Thank you. I'll make a motion to adjurnn. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Call for the vote. >> All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any oppose say nay. Hearing none, the motion carries. The board is adjourned.