001We will start the business meeting as soon as David says. So we are ready. >> We're all We're all ready to go. >> We're ready to go. Okay. All right. We'll call the order of the August 13, 2025 school district court. director's meeting at 9:05 a.m. and we'll start with a roll call of board members present. Alzano here >> here and I am here proceed if we can all rise for the flight I flag the United States of America to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for Thank you. And we're going to look for approval. Motion will be approved tonight. Today's agenda. So move. >> Second. All in favor say I. I. >> All right. We're going to move to the consent agenda. It's made up
002of routine non-controversial items to be voted on. Number one motion. Are there any items within the consent agenda the board member or the superintendent wishes to discuss separately? Seeing none that we approve the consent agenda as presented. >> I second. >> All in favor say I. >> I. And we are going to move on to really exciting oath of office for our new student representative. Um, as board chair, I will administer the oath of office to Maya Monrade, student representative to the school board for the 2025 2026 school year. And so, do we stand? Okay, we do stand. We don't all stand. Sorry, just other people would like to stand. It's okay. So, all right. Um, I'm going to read the entire statement and then have Maya repeat after you leave. I Maya Amrade will
003support the constitution and the laws of the United States and the state of Oregon and will discharge the duties of student representative to the forest grow school district board to the best of my ability. I Maya Brad will support the constitution and the laws of the United States and the state of Oregon and will discharge the laws of student representative to the forest school district board to the best of my ability. All right, I think that's it. really excited to have Maya on board. Um I had the pleasure of already meeting Maya because she proactively came to the board se last year and wanted to know how she can be more involved in the city and in the community and um both Mayor Wel and I have had a chance to kind of do a
004deep dive on her vision and and thoughts for leadership. And so my if you'd like to would you like to say anything about your role this year in the high school just for people who are watching and what that entails. >> Sure. So uh this year I'll be president of the school. So um I guess president of the ASB body. Um just to support um all students and leadership group and creating a better community for our looking forward to that. Uh and we're going to move on to action items. special school. Oh, actually we're gonna do I' I'm trying to fix the flow for myself when we do these things. So, I'm just gonna introduce action item one, Dr. Kim Sheer, director of student services. >> Thanks. Uh, student services is requesting schoolboard approval of
005contracted services for a special school placement at Clinus County Educational Service District, Haron Creek, in the amount of $175,360 from September 2025 through June 2025. This request supports students specific educational needs as identified through their individual education program. Any questions about that? Seeing none. And the other thing I'm going to try is instead of asking for a motion, which former mayor will tell tell you to, the mayor is usually and the and the chair usually not the ones to make the motion or ask for the motion. But I think we're all I mean some of us familiar enough to just go ahead and feel like making the first motion in a second without me having to say I have a second. So we could try that to streamline things a little. >> So move second.
006All right. Any any discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed. >> All right. Motion passes. And also item two with Dr. Shear. >> Thank you. So the district has a need to fill a 1.0 SLP position. That's a speech language pathologist. Um that this position's been open and we've been able unable to fulfill it. Um we do we have hire all our other positions in house. So we're excited about that this year. Um so we're requesting board action to spend up to $133,000 950 for the 2526 school year um with contract negotiations with the qualified contracted service agency. Um the estimated cost of the contract um this will include salary and benefits and current budgeted FTE would be converted to uh make that happen. Any questions? Will I move to uh uh
007approve uh contract staff and services presented by Dr. Shear? >> I second. >> And is Bethany, is that fine for the motion? We don't have to read. We're good. Okay. Any discussion? All in favor say I. >> I post. Motion passes. And item number three, we welcome Do we welcome Director Cloot? Oh, director Cloot is not here. >> That's what I Yeah, that's what I thought, but you never know. >> Yeah, unfortunately, he wasn't able to join us today, so I'll go ahead and take care of this. We have a contract proposal here with Dyken Applied for the replacement of boilers and piping. We will be utilizing bond funds for this purchase in the amount of $569,135. Any questions about that? >> So move. >> I second. Thank you. Uh any discussion? Seeing none, all
008in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? That motion passes. Okay. Thank you everyone. There is no further business for this particular meeting. We will adjourn at 9:12 a.m. and we're just going to take just a couple minute recess to switch over our YouTube and all that tech stuff and then we're going to get going with our retreat. So, this is a great time to use the restroom or our snacks if anyone wants to. We'll see you in just a couple minutes. Thank you. The August 13 school district board retreat is called to order at 9:32 a.m. Roll call of board members present. Alzano >> here. >> Franco >> here. >> Kate Kandowski >> here. Pete Trux >> Yep. >> Maya Andrade here. >> And I am here. The purpose of this retreat is to
009strengthen collaboration between the board of directors and cabinet team, review our progress, and set clear goals and expectations for the 2526 school year. And I'm very excited to introduce Christy Perry, our consultant for today's retreat. Welcome, Christie, and thank you. >> All right. Well, it's great to be here and thank you for all your technology work this morning. Yeah. And what a great space in Force Grove. It says something about your community when you drive into a place you're like, "Wow, they have a place that people to meet and gather and it's nice and functioning and all that. So, um it's been it's great to be in horse this morning." Uh just a little bit about me and um Pete, I have to tell you when you do the pledge of allegiance behind me, I
010heard my high school chemistry teacher because it was never one nation under God. It's one nation under God. He did. >> Yeah. No, I'm aware. Yeah. >> Yeah. There's no comma in it. And I that tells you the power of education like my high school chem chemistry teacher and I still hear it to this day when people put a pause. So, thank you Deep for letting me relive that high school experience. >> Oh, good. I made people think about high school chemistry. How fun is that? >> Yeah, I know. Exactly. Um, just a tiny bit of background about me. I spent uh 18 years as an Oregon superintendent. So I when I was putting together the characteristics of highly effective boards, I can't help but draw on my own experience and my experience was both
011with small districts Dallas Oregon and large districts say of Kaiser and the power of um board governance in having a highly effective district cannot be understated. Um, and so that you're taking the time to kind of regroup, um, get your new board members oriented and to set your goals for the year is one of the really important qualities of a high functioning board. And you do make or break the um, experience for your superintendent, your community, and ultimately your students in in the district. And while it feels prepunct at times or might feel like you might be rubber stamping at times, the ability to remain focused on your strategic outcomes of the district and your students of the district. I'm so thrilled to have a student here with us today. So, thank you for being
012here. Um, really do set the standard for whether your students will make academic gains or not. So, never underestimate the importance of what you do. Um, and it makes amazing superintendent like Suzanne want to come here and stay and lead the district over time. Interrupted leadership, which we see a lot in um, school districts in Oregon and throughout the country, interrupted leadership over time impacts student achievement. Um, so when you find a good one, you want to govern well to help them be there. So also I just want to point out we do have cabinet members around the table today. That was on purpose because one of the goals was to strengthen your relationship with cabinet members, but when we talk about the board, I'm really am talking about board members. We're going to ask
013cabinet to weigh in at times on things, but this is about your relationship as a team and your relationship as a team with your sixth team member, which is Suzanne. And the strength of the superintendent board team and the strength of the board as a team are what we want to focus on and what really matter. So, cabinet, thank you for being here today. if it seems like they're kind of quiet and they're not participating in the discussion, it's because they'll be asked when it's their time to participate. So, but being around the table like this is great. Whenever um back to my days in Dallas, whenever we had really hard conversations as a board, we actually sat around the table, had difficult conversations, often our cabinet partners were there with us at the table
014because we knew that sitting around a table, you got lot a lot greater knowledge and richer conversations than when we all sat formally in the boardroom and had our actions. So, it's a great um way to facilitate um richer and deeper conversations. So, with that, I just wanted to start with a little bit of kind of who you are and we're going to start with board members. Talmet gets to go last, but I have three questions for for you. And these are really around what make you use this and they should be different for people. We don't want a school board where everyone is the same. We want a school board that is diverse in perspective, diverse in experience, and diverse in their strength because that's actually what makes a strong um a strong board.
015Um, my hardest board member of my career was in my first two years as a superintendent and he made me crazy. And I'll tell you to this day, he made me a better superintendent and he made the board better. And it was because he was very, very tuned into fiscal uh, transparency and he wanted our budget presentations to be better and he dug in on that and worked on that with us for the entire time. And like I said, the board was better because he had that fiscal strength and I was better because he pushed me to be better. So we don't want everyone thinking the same way. Um so the first question and we'll just uh start around the room here. Uh when are you at your best in a meeting? What conditions make
016you best in a meeting? So I'll start with >> um that's a good question. I'd say when there's like no reaction, there's listening. >> There's listening first and then we can all kind of share a conversation versus having a being in an environment where there's such a quick reaction to something that's happening. Christie, I think I'm at my best when we are tackling something really controversial and difficult and I know that we're going to move because I'm excited because it usually leads to change that we need. So, I'm at my best when I know we're actually doing hard work that needs to be done and we can we can get to the other side. So, I come to those meetings very excited to participate in work. Maya, you're part of the team and I can
017come back to what I meant to think. >> Yeah, sure. Um, let's see. Um, yeah, I really appreciate when um, everybody like everybody's listening, but it also isn't afraid to give in ideas and create different solutions to suppose that make me comfortable. Okay. Um I'm best um in the morning or after a short nap. >> Um but I'm best when um when I have the materials when I'm prepared and the others with members of the goods and everybody comes prepared then it's it's easier to have a really healthy discussion. >> And is it Briea or >> Rhysa? Briea. Okay. I I kept hearing Rhysa when people would tell me. So then I saw the I was like um I believe I am at my best when I'm in a meeting that I feel welcomed in.
018>> Um and the like environment or culture can feel welcoming. It can be as little as a smile. It can be as little of like a head nod when someone is talking to you or someone when you're talking and someone's listening to you. Um and just taking into account what I'm saying and if someone disagrees with me just knowing that I'm welcome. Yeah. Um I think I'm best when I'm in a meeting where there is preparation and where there's mutual respect. Um you don't have that then some bridges to understanding get pretty much just is that right? I confirm respectfully a little Suzanne. I think I am at my best. Um I'm going to echo some of what we've heard. Certainly when we take a listening stance from the position of curiosity, trying to stay
019engaged and understand what somebody is attempting to communicate to us and attempting to understand their perspective even when we disagree. And for me, respectful behavior even with those conversations that are sometimes hard is critical to successful board superintendent types. All right. So, now I'm going to switch gears. What is one thing your board colleagues don't you don't think they know about you? >> Can be anything that something they don't know about you. I'm going to start with Kate. >> I did learn a few things. I'm not going to tell you all. >> You don't have to tell the whole story. Well, I finally um took my ice skates out of my trunk of my car, but I've been ice skating since I've been so I still ice skate. >> That's great. That is awesome. Yeah,
020I love that. >> Yeah, I'm 76 and I can still ice skate, but my husband makes me wear a little weird. >> I want to still be water studies at 76. That was my goal. >> That's a good goal, Resa. Um um I have a love and fascination with animals. Um particularly my favorite animal is a cow. Um but animals are my go-to. If they see a dog, I will go and pet it. No shame. That's awesome. All right, Christie. Uh, no one knows this because this just occurred, but I was asked to be a fish fluencer and to join a Burgerville, one of only two in the whole Northwest. You'll thank me later to give feedback and become part of a fish focus group at Burgerville. And so that's right, I this summer. >>
021Don't expect that. I know. Kevin and I had our 25th wedding anniversary and then I was selected to come and participate in the fish group on the same week and I said the two most exciting parents my summer are having this week and he said I know burger's number one. I said so I got to be a part of a very diverse group and hear from the CEO about their mission and vision of sustainability and local support and environment and why they are needing to change the halibet sandwich. And then we got to give some feedback and the whole group including the second focus group picked absolutely the opposite one that they were going to go with. So thanks to us. I think they're getting >> when you go sustainably sourced local black cod coming
022to fish sandwich soon. >> Awesome. >> Uh something the board doesn't know. Um, well, one of my go-tos is, uh, I practice several different martial arts and so I'm very active within a small herd of martial art communities in the greater Portland area. >> Thanks for telling me. >> Notice it. I always wanted to say I'm by my side. >> Um I love to run. Um I'm a runner. Uh so you'll see me occasionally maybe uh in town or I run High Lake. Um so I do enjoy running. It's a way for me to think by myself with nobody else around and any other chaos going on. My family thinks I'm crazy for doing it, but um I run hood to coast. I think this is going to be my sixth year doing hood to
023coast. >> That's very cool. >> Yeah, I just like to run. When I was over in Austin, I looked before we made the trip. I looked up and saw that there was um a half marathon. So, I'm running like traveling. Wherever I go, I try to incorporate running in as well. >> Oh, yeah. Um, I really love like learning new languages and so I'll kind of make it my goal to learn a new word in a different language. Um, and sometimes I sneak it in a lot when I talk. I'll speak in like new words. That's something. >> What languages have you learned? >> Well, I wouldn't say I'm fluent in any, right? It's like little pick up conversations and stuff. Um, but so far Turkish, Korean, Chinese, and Arabic this week. >> Wow. That's
024great. >> That's That is great. That is definitely using frame for two. That's really good. >> All right, Pete. >> Um, before I got into education, I worked in radio journalism base made for radio and >> you got radio voice. >> Did uh did the old fashion disc jockey stuff. Did news, did sports, did all that and enjoyed it. but also enjoyed the opportunity to go to schools and talk about journalism to various English classes in high school and that peaked my curiosity and my wife was a teacher so there was a natural impetus to move towards education. >> Right. Last question. What superpower do you have that will be an asset to the Forest Grove School District? Like what is your thing? And like for me, I think my superpower is taking a lot
025of random big ideas and going this is what we should do. That's my superower. So what's your superpower? What do you Maybe it's a passion, maybe it's a way you show up. Um what's your superpower? And I'm actually gonna start with Suzanne >> in the professional sphere or person even. >> Well, no, it has to work. >> Yeah. I think one of the things I'm pretty good at, similar to what you said, is being able to listen deeply and pull out from a conversation those things that really matter to the individual I'm communicating with and then find a path. Pete >> um being able to be a part of mitting and not killing people at the end of a couple where I've been in have wanted to leave dead bodies in trunks and pers when
026they accept it. >> Yes. Not here. >> I think I'm really good about listening and trying to put myself in the person's shoes before I speak and and say um my opinion about the topic that we're discussing. So, I feel like um my mother really helped me develop that skill set growing up. So, right um I think one of my superpowers is that I'm fairly friendly. I like making friends. Um it makes it easy for people to come and talk to me and and open up. So I think I'm fairly approachable. >> But um I think my superpower is I'm always looking for change, constant change if that makes sense. So I don't like seeing anyone not satisfied or feeling like there should be change, but there's no way of doing it. Um, I like
027to build more people because I think people will not sure I have a superpower ice skating, but >> but um, you know, this is an ongoing thing. I I've been very very passionate my whole life about children having access to the books >> and and since the 2000 our district has not had librarians or librarian certified staff and and I feel that my place on the board is to remind people that there's a huge connection to you know learning to read but also to read and um we have a lot of administrators and a lot of um individuals because we haven't had really supportive livelers in our district that they assume that we don't need it. And I feel that my voice even though people laugh every time I say, you know, I'm I'm advocating
028for money for the libraries and that but it's for me it's a passion and it's uh I often say this is that if you want to learn how to play piano, you need a piano. If you want to learn how to read, learn how to read well, you need a really good functional library. And so, um, so I guess it's my passion, not what other passion is your superpower. >> Yeah, I guess it is. Yeah. >> All right. to speak. I think mine is just always that I'm always thinking of one million ideas and so it's been great partnership with people who are able to see all those ideas and and filter and say let's think about these. So I'm just always thinking I appreciate Maya's comment of just what we need to be doing
029better, what we could do better, how I could help with that. So, okay, I'm going to switch to cabinet for a minute because cabinet is a resource for a board, a resource for information, for giving you all that you need to make a decision. And while they report to your superintendent, they also have to come before you as a public body at times. And I have seen where board member behavior can promote that and make it an effective strong partnership. And I've seen it where the um the way board members act or ask questions can really make it it kind of intimidating for um cabinet to come forward which then then they aren't at their best self. Anytime we walk into an environment that feels hostile, we're not at our best cell. But um we
030don't know enough always what is helpful for people. So for cabinet I the question is what conditions in a schoolboard meeting allow you to be at your best. So let's see David do you like to start? >> No form question. Yeah, I it was >> so what the the environment, how is that helping you be at Bets? Is that a good question? >> A lot of what has already been discussed. I mean um the environment that should be open and that people will like Alma said listen that we respect each other we can put ourselves in shoes. I mean there's a whole discussion was if we could distill that and have everybody take that as they like a little medicine as they enter the room. I think that the environment would be a wonderful environment
031that would cultivate an ability to get things done to to make the change to to keep students at the forefront of our our thoughts so that great things could happen. Kimberly. >> Um, similar to Suzanne, I I appreciate when board members are curious versus judgmental. Um, it's beneficial, I think, for us as cabinet members to have relationships with board members if they have questions about what we do, to ask us, to get curious about what we're doing, so that when we do come to the board meetings with action items, um, you kind of know what's going on, you know what we're talking about, um, and then you can ask the right questions. So that's I think really helpful. >> Art, >> yeah, that there's a sense of partnership that we're in this together, that um
032you know, we value each other's roles and the work and we're all striving for the same thing. We're kids, right? And that those conditions really feel like a partnership. >> Sarah, >> um all of those things. Um I think the partnership really speaks to me. Um, I think being clear with any requests or suggestions or guidance, I think is really helpful so that we know um what you all are looking for and what information we need um and we can better respond to um your request. >> That's great. >> Okay, I'm going to switch gears a little bit. Um, we I try to center kind of any work I do with school boards on kind of what makes a high functioning school board because if you don't start with what's that look like, then how
033can you ever rate yourselves? So, I am not a good sit and present type of person. So, I'm just going to stand up very you have a handout that has the bulk of these slides on them in a in a front to back handout. Um, but I am going to ask you I'm going to go we've got six uh kind of characteristics of a highly effective board and I'm just going to pause after I talk a little bit about each one and give you a minute to kind of write down some ideas if so if you I know some a couple of you are new um so that and that's okay but if you can for new people if you can think about what might this look like in a board meeting and for veteran
034people if you would think about when when in forest row would have you done it well and when have you been not so little? So, you're kind of thinking both sides of that. Um, okay. So, um, here's my sources. Interestingly enough, for as important as public education is in our democracy, there isn't a lot of research about effective governance from the schoolboard level. Even though it's a model in different ways throughout the country um, but in 2008 like or 2000 and then a followup in 2008, um, the lighthouse um, did an inquiry about it. In fact, when I was a um very new administrator, I actually had to write a research brief using these. And little did I know at the time that I would be a superintendent and that would come in very handy.
035Um also, the National School Boards Association Center for Public Education in 2011 posted uh eight traits of effective boards. I've narrowed it to six and I've added the lens of my own experience on it. So you won't find that direct correlation to every bit of research, but because I've had those 18 years of experience and I think it's some ways that matters. So um school boards that function best have a high focus on student learning. The everything comes back to our students learning in our district. You prioritize student achievement and equity in all of your decisions. you adopt a strategic plan and you focus on the outcomes, not operations. The minute um boards pivot to operations, you actually lose your focus on student achievement. So, it's very tempting to pivot to our operations because you
036hear things in the grocery store, you have friends and neighbors, you have your own children, and we're all have a tendency to think about, well, could that bus run be a little bit better? Could, wow, our maintenance team didn't mow the lawns. Why aren't we watering right now? Which is always the question in August that people in your community have. Um but it it takes you away from um your focus on student achievement. You have hired your um CEO to run the district and you can shift you can send those things to her, but Suzanne is the one who's going to really focus on those operational issues. So just take a minute and think about write yourself a note because we're coming back to this. What might that look like in a board meeting or
037in your role as board members? And remember, for new people, it's okay. might not have answers, but just think how what would this look like if you were regularly focused on student learning and Kate, I'm going to call you out here just a tiny bit in a positive way. What you heard from Kate is a passion around kids being readers. Now, she has her operational strategy that she thinks would make a difference, but at the center of what she said was she wants kids to be readers and maybe even joyful readers. Um, how you implement that and get really good access to books for kids in your community is a different discussion, but the passion around student learning was there. Okay, next thing. What makes a high functioning uh school board? Strong superintendent board partnerships.
038You really are a tenant six if you're high functioning, but you have clear roles and mutual trust. Board governs. You hear this a lot. The superintendent manages and productive boards important to evaluate the superintendent using establish metric. you are clear with Suzanne about what you want from her and you trust her to be running the district. Now, that doesn't mean she's going to do it perfectly every time. We're all human. We are going to make mistakes and there may even be some decisions you don't like. But at the core of what you know is that she's there leading in her best way possible. And even if she makes a mistake, she'll be like, "Yeah, I didn't do that one." And in that, you don't immediately think it's some, you know, uh, evil plot from Suzanne.
039You've you you've hired a superintendent that you trust and you build that respect over time. What might that look like for you as a board? What might be um what give you the signal of a strong superintendent for partnership? And Christie, I'll call out you next. uh is really good about saying how will we know if our superintendent isn't performing well because that's also should be the question you ask yourself like how do we not get in a situation like uh many other districts where our superintendent isn't doing well and we didn't know it's like a great question um and I think there are lots of ways you can know if you're paying attention but that clear roles and mutual trust have to be at the forefront. And for new board members, it's your opportunity
040to really get to know Suzanne as a leader, what she stands for, and how she leads the district. That's going to be important for building trust over time because you don't just walk in having trust. >> The most trusted relationships happen over time. And sometimes it's when you're in really hard things together, like co Suzanne and I are way closer cuz we experienced CO together even though we would not have asked that or ice storms or wildfires or so when you're in hard things know that that also can be relationship building even though it's really hard. Okay. a collaborative, respectful board culture. You build trust. You manage conflict constructively. You're not all going to agree. I might have a totally different idea of how I'm going to create joyful readers. And Kate and I are
041going to respectfully disagree about that in the in the right and appropriate way because you should have some conflict. But you always maintain that professionalism and respect. And when I know Kate, and I won't want you to think I'm picking on you at all, but when I know Kate, at the heart of what she wants is better readers. Well, we can have all kinds of conflict about reading and the strategy in our conversation, but when I know that about her, man, I already I already love her that she wants books in the hands of kids. And I've just met her today. So, uh, but there will be conflict in that. You model civility. you put the district needs above the personal agendas and you disagree respectfully but you unite behind a decision. So when the
042decision comes that you actually voted against when you go out in public you say you know what I did not vote in favor of that decision. I I have my reasons for that but I collectively am united with our district in this decision because this matters and we're united for kids. And once you say your peace, you go and if it gets really contentious, my advice is go out to coffee. Like go out coffee with somebody the day after a board meeting when it's been really hard. Don't have a serial board meeting. Just focus on relationships. Don't break public meeting laws. But always go back to that relationship. When I know I'm at odds with somebody, my go-to strategy is to pick up the phone next. And and that's actually why to this day that
043board member that was hardest for me, I would pick up the phone and consider him a friend at this point. And my husband and he talked too loud at tennis games when my daughter was uh so we bonded over me being like sh the girls play. Don't you don't yell at tennis games. Okay. Think a little bit about what how this might manifest itself in the board maybe. And you've heard from each other kind of about what the climate, you know, we want good climates in schools, the climate of the board. You've heard from each other already what people want with the climate. Doesn't mean you don't you always agree, but you and remember um and I would point this out to my boards a lot. Your students are watching. You actually have one here.
044social close and personal to the situation. But when you um have disagreements and have disagreements respectfully, you are modeling for students and staff on your district what it means to be high functioning and collaborative. If you never disagree, you're also modeling you don't know how to have conflict. And that's not what we want for our students. We want students to learn healthy discourse. Okay. Use of data and accountability. This seems like a bad word. It's actually goes back to clear is kind. When you say, "Here's our goals and here's the data we want to use and monitor to measure our goals." That's actually very kind to your superintendent and her leadership team. And it's actually why you're here. So, don't be afraid of data reports. Um, use the data you have to guide your decisions.
045We're entering in Oregon what I would predict are some tough budgetary times. Now more than ever, you're going to need to know what's going well and what where do you need to improve in your district and how do you prioritize those budget decisions? um as your superintendent, Suzanne's going to be keenly watching that, but also how do you as a board because when you get to contentious budget times, you're going to be faced with an audience of people advocating for different things and you're going to need to know why you're going to stick with them and and implement a budget that is not giving everything to everyone. And that's going to be some hard stuff. I hope that you're not there and I hope I'm wrong. Um, also transparent data sharing actually builds trust with
046your community. When you can say to your community, yes, we are not where we wanted to be in third grade on third grade reading and here's what we're trying to do to change that trajectory and here's where we are showing some growth and here's some groups of kids that still aren't being successful in our community. Boy, people appreciate honest, transparent, datadriven communication like that and it's should be very quick. Your data presentations and 27 slides just you don't need those. Okay. So, think about how you might monitor some things over the course of the year. High functioning board has continuous learning and development. what you're doing today is part of high functioning boards. Any um training um book studies ask Susan for resources um those are all professional learning. It doesn't have to be going
047to a conference. It can be going to a conference. It can be a webinar. It can be a book you're reading. But anything you can do to continually be better if you're in conflict as a board to take a step back and learn some tools for conflict resolution. And you're also going to stay um in tune with education trends and best practice. Uh I'm going to highlight that self assessment. Very few boards do a self assessment once a year. I would I'm going to encourage you with some governance goals. And one of the things I will encourage you around is to really talk about how do you do as a board? your governance matters and it and it's not something you can just pick up and go with. So thinking about how will you assess
048yourself um at the end of this year or midyear are you doing well as a board and then you engage the community on decisions of the board. That one is is really important, but it's tied to decisions of the board because you can engage your community on all kinds of things and the district will engage their community on all kinds of things. But if you engage your community on things that aren't decisions of the board, you're actually giving the impression to your community that their input is going to impact the decision of the board and it's not. So it's almost disingenuous. So you have to be really clear about that. Now that doesn't mean if you're doing strategic planning as a district and the district holds listening sessions that Suzanne doesn't invite you to listen.
049That's different than you going out and doing that engagement. Uh use structured methods of engagement. You probably did this in the superintendent search where you s strategically went out for feedback on what qualities and characteristics this community wanted than the superintendent. Be transparent about the decisions and create clear protocols for engagement listening. So, I'm going to pause there and I want you to now take a minute and look back at your notes. And I'm not going to go um it item by item, but I am going to go around and ask people to surface kind of one thing from their list about how it would look in a board meeting or maybe for Christy and Kate something a place you think Forest Grove didn't go it didn't go well with the board as far as
050related to our six characteristics and qualities. And I'm gonna see if there's a volunteer who wants to start. >> Okay. >> Um, I've been on the board. We never did a self assessment. And I think with three new board books, I think a a midterm assessment and the end of the year assessment, I think, would be good. I think it'd be really good and um I've seen it it being presented at some of the conferences but I I think that that can help all of us as a team. So that one thing that profit needs. >> Okay. Who's next? You ready? >> I'm sorry. You're so welcoming and friendly, though. I think that this is one of the ones that resonated with me the most, engaging the community. >> I think I like I think
051about growing up and how I had a hard time connecting with the community. My mother only spoke one language. I we didn't have a lot of those resources as I was growing up and it was really hard. Um, and so I think this is something that I'm feel passionate about and I'm like already thinking about all the different ways we can incorporate our community um, and be welcoming to them and invite them to all the different events that we have and make our meetings or meetings more accessible to more families. Um, and so I >> even how you greet families in the board meetings themselves, you really you got to think really intentionally about that. So, thank you for bringing that up. >> I'll just piggy back on that since that was the same thing
052with me. Um, I think as a parent, um, having been a a graduate from the system as well, um, I think there is definitely a little more room for better engagement with the community just in general overall. Um, you have homeowners that, um, you know, pay into the school system that don't understand what certain things mean. have parents in the system that have no idea um with in regards to communication and stuff. So um I think engagement and community is a big impact because education does start at home. It doesn't start in our schools. It starts at home. >> All right. Now I'm calling on people. I think understanding the building blocks of education. Um being a middle school and high school teacher for 28 years, I formed a idea of what education ought to
053look like, what process is. When I retired, I worked at Pacific University as a evaluator of student teachers. and they ran out of elementary teachers. So they asked me to evaluate and that I should have learned that 28 years earlier that if an elementary teacher doesn't have the tools to put reading together for a kid, I as a ninth grade teacher aren't going to correct that. Not going to correct that. We're already behind the eight ball. Work as hard as I can to teach developmental reading. I might be able to get a fourth grade reader up for the sixth grade by the end of the year. And sixth grade is still not going to get them through high school with anything remotely matching pride and achievement. So um I just understanding what the process is
054and how crucial elementary teachers are to the development once they once those kids leave their the tools they take with them. Uh we can't put into their brains. When if we were going back to the qualities of a high functioning board for you, it would be for this year, you really want to understand the building blocks and what we have and what Porsche School District has in place for early reading. >> Yeah. And there's no there's no finish line. I'm not >> I'm not ever going to learn at all. >> No. No. But from there surprising people, but I won't. >> All right. Uh Chris uh I mine is is really was a thread similar to Kate's I think um our experience together on the board highlighted that there had been some systems where board
055board members were just kind of all working in their own >> silo or or or kind of groups and I think that happens on a lot of boards and councils because of our quorum laws and some of the restrictions there and then sometimes between personalities and so that resulted in not us all having common information all at the same time. So for me I mean the self the I there were two it was the communication piece that was mentioned where number two strong superintendent board partnership and I think we've already shifted that a little when we started to share leadership notes with all of the board just making sure that if Alma has a one-on-one conversation with Suzanne as we each do once a month >> that then there's a way to make sure that
056the the conversations the concerns she that eventually in some capacity are shared so that we all understand where we're coming from and and also that we can work together and some of those things are things that remain onetoone and some of those things are things when appropriate to just let other board members know oh brought up this really good point so that's that's a challenge um just because of the system but the second thing about the self assessment and we I did bring that all to the board when I came back on ball conference the first time because actually Thomas Alsbury has kind of expanded on those eight effective pieces and had 12 and a really great self- assessment tool because I think within that for our board at the time it would have been
057important to assess our interpersonal relationships and communication but that self- assessment allows a different board to surface where the gaps are in the team and where the strengths are. So I I like that idea of making sure and you mentioned it Christie too like we talk about what happens when there's conflict. I hope there's differences of opinions in public and I also think sometimes we didn't have opportunities to service enough publicly so people could see what that looks like. But maybe having this board do a a second work session on once we do that self assessment what what is going to happen when Kate and I have a disagreement and can we pre-aggree that on this board when something like that does happen we all would agree yes let's do the copy. I think we
058we all talk about that as people but then we don't actually put something in place to say yeah let's let's make ourselves do that and see what happens. So, not that idea in particular, but I think that conversation comes from a self assessment which could set us on a really good path for both modeling and also preempting a solutions for problems that are public in our lives. >> Yeah. >> And we're living in really divided times. And the more you as local leaders can model that you have very different perspectives and still respect and challenge and respect and collaborate to make decisions is something that many communities and students are aren't going to see especially in in media. So how can you hear be better and and and live through um and lead through divided
059times? Suzanne. Oh, sorry. Maya. >> Maya. Yes. >> The continuous learning and development really stickked out to me. Um allowing there are new opportunities within the community to continue like growing and reaching goals but also taking criticism and continuing to expanding off of that is really important. And I think that goes with the community engagement as well. as Brisa said how um sometimes in communities we are divided and it's important to know that we have a you know high functioning school board where we unite a unite community as well. >> Thank you. Um I was uh telling Alma a story about a student rep when I was leaving Salem Kaiser and they were going through a search. I went to the search department and I said, "You have to let our stu our uh students
060who are board reps participate. Like, I'm gonna fight you on this, even though I know it's not my job to fight you on this." And he himmed and hawed, "No, no." And I'm like, "I promise you they will be confidential and they will add to the process." On the other side, he very quietly said to me, "Yeah, your students were the leaders of the leaders in the group." So like and and they did a good job. I mean they were the board is doing well there. But so Maya don't be afraid to lean in and lead and ask for opportunities or share your voice in the room because when you when you stop and listen to students you're like there's so much hope in the world. There's so much hope. All right Suzanne. >> Uh
061I have three statements. One, I noticed as I was taking notes a theme in my own thinking around asking questions in almost all of the six categories. They lend themselves to remaining curious and asking questions before judgment to use Kim's word from earlier or before decision making. So that really resonated with me. the authentic community engagement that is we have to crack. >> I I don't know how to do that yet, but you'll see here shortly that that is one of the goals that I have for the upcoming year. And then the third thing that um I was reflecting on as I was listening to the board members in your presentation, there's an expression that is often credited to the Roosevelt that says walks off but carry a big stick. The latter half of that
062I I don't think is necessary when it comes to a school board or even a superintendent because by your very position you carry a big stick >> that that comes with the title that you have. It's the walk softly part that I was really reflecting on that when we enter into conversations or when we are curious about something and want to learn more, it's important to walk into that conversation softly simply because of the power that we possess through our position because we can influence the outcome of that conversation in ways that we may not intend if careful. I think that Suzanne might agree that I'm like the great question asker. Like that's what I do. That's my thing. Is that that's probably true. But with even with the question asking, I don't know that
063I always walked softly because sometimes if I was already elevated in a in a situation or had a desired outcome, it my questions were uh tainted a little bit with my own voice and power in my position. So, it is something even the questioning how you do it. Like Kimberly, I was dying to ask you some questions about um the special ed placement because I was really curious about the type of the type of program a student would be able to answer. And that's a great word question, but I could also see myself being like, okay, what about this? What about this? What about this? What kind of, you know, because I was so curious. And right now, I don't have any positional authority. So we Kim and I probably could have done that but
064as a superintendent or as a board member all kinds of positional authority but you got to get good at asking the questions too so that when can bring something like that. We have two board members that might not have any idea about um a um placement for a student and to ask a few questions and maybe even for Kim to say, "Hey, those are great questions. How about I follow up with you tomorrow because there's a lot more about this that I can give you that we just don't have time for today. >> Appropriate to discuss in the boardroom and there's that aspect too. Yes. You know, kids. >> Yeah, that was a maybe even a bad example because you don't because it is about a kid. Um, but to also ask her questions outside
065of the boardroom to say, "Suz, would you mind if I asked a few follow-up questions on that to Kimberly?" I think that's great because it's um again, but it's all how you do it, when you do it, and the appropriate um time to do it. >> To expand on that just a wee bit, in the past, I've received some critical feedback, which I think is accurate, that I can sometimes come across as being a little intense. in the way I ask questions >> really. I'm sorry because I can I I I want to know things. I'm curious. I I try to really dig into whatever the issue is before making a decision. And that's part of where this idea of walking softly comes from is sort of trying to remind myself regularly that from my
066lens that process of asking questions, learning, trying to make an informed decision is just naturally the way I I operate. But the way it's being perceived, especially because of the position that I hold, is I'm being critical. I don't trust someone. I I doubt that they are capable of moving forward. So there's a lot that comes with that. But I think for me as a superintendent I am very aware of and I think as a board we sometimes board members sometimes don't recognize that you carry similar power when you walk into conversations with other people. >> Some and sometimes it's just slowing down the cadence of your questions. like I could rapidfire 20 questions in a matter of five minutes and you know and then that person is sitting there on the spot but just
067to you know slow down the cadence a little bit or just say hey I really I really just don't know about this topic could I ask you a few would it be okay if I asked a few questions and if it goes too long hey we can come back to it but um and you you walk into buildings with that power with you I would love to say it's really easy to take off your um school board member hat and put your parent hat on. Um but it never comes off. I never got to just be the parent that walked into my kids high school and just be I I tried like really I have my parent hat on today. Please just let me be a parent. But it's it's still there. They're still have
068a a desire to please you. Um and you still get to walk into the schools and be parents. So, um it's just a tricky new role. Okay, I'm going to show you um slide just to show you this is I took two screenshots of your board. So, last year your board goals, this is kind of your overarching desire. You desired to uh support this district strategic plan. You're committed to working with in partnership with parents. I believe care neededly stand strong, adapt and grow with kind of characterities. Um so you have these overarching statements but then you also had um the way you were going to support um the district through your own rules. Um Christy and Kate can probably reflect on this a little bit when we get to that point, but I'm gonna
069ask you to come up with a governance goal because your job is to support the strategic plan. That's your job. Your job is to monitor the strategic plan. Your job is to create do everything you can to create conditions and your job is to govern us. So, I'm going to talk a lot about governance versus um how do you support and Suzanne is going to give you the pathway for what she sees as support for the strategic plan from the board level. So, we'll come back on this, but I just wanted to flash this up there. Um so, question, do you feel like we need a fivem minute break? Okay, five minute break and then we're going to come back to Susanna. All right. Can I just get you up? Okay, >> we're back. >>
070Christie. >> All right, so I'm going to switch gears a little bit. Um, partly because, um, I like team building activities and I also like to get to work. And so, um, I'm always trying to find that balance of how much time should we spend getting to know each other and how do we just get to work because when you get to work, that's where you really build a relationship. So, I'm going to switch the order a little bit and we're going to turn to Suzanne next. And when you're listening to Suzanne, um she's going to talk about some reflections from last year with the strategic plan, what her vision and goals are for this year, and then how um you might monitor um goals and also how you might evaluate. So that's a big
071meaty topic. And when um if it feels like you're in this and you're starting to be like, "Okay, I I got to stop and ask some questions." Just flag me and we can ask questions. Suzanne's great on the spot with lots of questions. So, she'll she'll pivot. Um but at the end, I'm am going to ask you to start with only asking her questions because the most important thing you can do is deeply listen and understand. And if we leave here with you not asking any questions, I will wonder if you deeply understand because uh she'll try to do it kind of high level. So we want to spend as much time with you understanding and then if you have feedback that's okay to give feedback to your superintendent goals once you've really listened deeply
072to understand and asked questions. So, especially for newborn members and our student flag me or just interrupt gently Suzanne to ask questions like I don't understand that acronym. I don't understand what you mean by that. We speak education ease so fluently we don't even know we're speaking it. So, stop us. Make us pause. make Suzanne pause along the way because I think he'll get to greater understanding if you do that. If this takes two hours instead of 45 minutes, that means we had a rich and robust discussion around your superintendent goals. So with that, uh Dr. West, are you ready to roll? >> Okay, thank you. Um, before we start flipping through the slides and focusing on goals, I want to say I don't think none of this is a superpower necessarily, but I think
073it's important for me to acknowledge and own that I am driven by continual improvement and I have a passion for this work. I I do not like being in systems that aren't functional or I or in processes that are clunky and aren't efficient for an organization or for the students that we serve and the families that we serve. And I'm saying that out loud because um for myself professionally as well as personally I I dig in and I dig in deep and I try to understand what are the root causes of um the issues that we have. you know, to expound just a little bit, we are having a conversation at the state level and I think at the national level as well around why we're not seeing better outcomes for kids and lots of
074people have opinions about that. Spend an hour on the internet and you can go down a lot of different rabbit holes. What I continue to come back to is that our system is giving us exactly the outcomes it's designed to give us. And so there's there's work I think for us to do at a system level while we are also working on improvement of instruction and safety welcoming spaces. So I say all that to set up what comes next in terms of goals for me. Um, I'm going to start by backtracking just a little bit to last year since we have three new board members here. If you'll flip the slide, please >> Oh, do I have to flip it? >> Yeah, if you want to give her the >> idea. Thank you. That works
075fantastic. Um, so for 24-25, I was new to the Forest Grove School District, new as a superintendent, and I needed to spend a year in discovery. That's kind of craziness, just learning, talking to people in the community, talking to board members, talking to staff around the district, getting to know my colleagues that I work closely with around the table here, understanding what makes the district sit. So that was my discovery year and in this discovery year the goals that I set for myself I'm going to start actually um at the second bullet there was to develop and implement a regular data monitoring routine. I think that's important for us as an organization to regularly monitor data. But in truth, it's also a little selfish because that forces me into conversations around whatever data are showing
076us on a regular basis. We also were in the midst of bargaining and we are uh I think fortunate in that we have concluded conversations with our licensed association. We did that in June. Um, we're just at the point now where we need to vote and we will resume conversations with OCA in September. So, I put that as a goal because one of the things that drew me to Forest Grove is that the relationships between the district and our two associations are super strong. So, I wanted to maintain that. Sometimes conversations can get a little contentious during negotiations. people have strong feelings about what they bring to the table and it was important to me that we successfully reach agreement with with those contracts and we successfully made relationships. So I felt like that was
077an opportunity and then I developed for myself an early action plan um which I can share with the new board members if you'd like to see it. That early action plan had roughly about 70 different tasks in it. And they were tasks from the strategic plan to engage the community in the kind of meet and greet opportunities. And I wanted to by the time of my evaluation in May to have at least 80% of that plan completed. Um and fortunately I was able to complete all of the tasks on that early action plan. So I feel pretty good about that. And then the last bullet point that you see there being a new superintendent. Um in this time last year we we spent some conversation figuring out how you're going to evaluate a new superintendent.
078We landed on three goals and I wanted to achieve um an evaluation by our board at that time. We've developed every all of those three standards. So what you don't see anywhere on here is work the strategic plan, improve instruction. Um in terms of my personal goals, now the three standards that were selected involve instruction leadership and effective operations and those were important and and I'll get into that in just a minute. But these goals were really focused on how do I in this first year within the district figure out who is what is for educational district. So before I go any further um let me just pause there. Do you have any questions about that or Ky do you want to comment on these goals from last year since you worked with the changes
079on that? Okay. So, as I said, um the goals were really important. Um they facilitated relationship building. I learned a ton about the district and I want to publicly thank the cabinet who's sitting in this room right now. They were very patient with me with all the questions that I tend to ask. So, thank you for that. Um, and we have some new data monitoring routines that I think help us be better in the way we're supporting kids. But as I said, the goals were not aligned to our strategic plan. Christie mentioned as she was in her last section as she was laying out what effective boards do is govern the district toward achieving the goals of the strategic plan. Um, that is something that I wanted to do as well. So for the second
080year, I've spent some time really thinking through how to align my goals to the strategic plan to orient us. These are the four goals of the strategic plan. Within your packet, you have this filled out a little bit of a slide that doesn't get into all the nuances of that. This is just the highle bonus. The first one you'll see there is instruction and learning. That is after all the heart of what we do. Um it is our charge to educate kids and we need to do that well. The second goal is behavioral health and wellness. I think we have all learned in the last decade that unless we have the conditions where kids feel safe, well, and supported in our schools, learning is not going to happen. So you need that as the goal.
081Uh goal three, family and student engagement that you see there. We've already had some conversations about how important that is. And then creating a resilient organization, which is goal four. This is vital for us in the times that Christina alluded to early on in the conversation. So we are facing a stagnant, if not declining revenue from the state government. Um, and we can have some conversations about that. The number continues to go up, but it's not keeping pace with expenses. It's actually a reduction budget for almost every district in the state. We do not want to be a district that midyear ends up with furlow days and laying people off. We want to be a district that can adapt to changes in our society, in our fiscal reality, in what we're legally required to do,
082and in what we operationally need to do to ensure that students and staff are safe while they're in our building. So, those are the four strategic plan goals. All of them really, really important. And then there's uh several strategies that you'll see when you dig into the strategic plan later on that support that. So I tried to anchor my goals for the upcoming year to these strategic planning goals and broadly what they are four goals. Advance instructional excellence and alignment. These are headers and I'll get into the details here. Improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for all learners. Strengthen two-way communication engagement with staff, students, and families. and then ensure strategic stewardship of human and financial resources. So, digging into this a little bit deeper, you have in your folder a document at the top that
083says draft 26 superintendent goals. It's a two-page front statement. And I'll spend a few minutes um going through this and ranting to my thinking and then I'll pause for questions. So in terms of advancing instructional excellence and alignment um I was fortunate to walk into a school district where the cabinet team already recognized and was working towards the wave systems. uh we still have some work to do but the understanding of the importance of that was already underway. An example of that is that what I saw last year, what I was able to observe firsthand is Kim and Arturo working closely together on what professional learning looked like across the district. So that as we were improving instruction in our classroom, we were planning for learner variance. we were taking into account that we have
084a spectrum of learning levels and learning styles within our classrooms and how to meet all of those needs. So that collaboration and alignment understanding was already there and was already underway. So building on that, what I would like to do for the upcoming year is really focus on the alignment of coaching our PLC's, which are professional learning communities that educators engage in and administrative development toward the district instructional vision. And we are this year um which we will share in our first communications for the year introducing an instructional framework that will orient our educators as well as our families towards some highle instructional strategies that we think will make a difference for our district. So more to come on that. Second um sub measure there is district progress on the student panorama survey. Um, this
085says sense of belonging and connection with adult measures. Um, I believe this is still a draft, so I want to point out I believe that I'm going to get more specific than that. There's actually a measure within our Panorama SEAL survey on student teacher relationships. And I think that is a critical measurement for us to pay attention to. So, I'm probably going to narrow this down just a little bit further um once we finalize these goals. >> And Sam, could you explain my local what the panorama surveys includes? >> Yeah, thank you. The Panorama survey, so it's a Panorama is a company and they have they're a national company. They have different survey tools that are available for school districts to utilize. Panorama um as a company they have a host of psychometricians that they've
086hired to develop researchbased questions. They norm their data constantly because the questions are administered across the entire nation to hundreds of districts. And that allows us as a district when we receive um the survey responses to be able to disagregate. So which of our student groups hold which perceptions about their experience with us or about their own SEAL development. Um but it also allows us to compare ourselves to similar districts across the nation which is a good point reference. who takes this? Um it in the past it has been students take the SEAL survey and then there was a districtdesigned climate survey. So the the district had not been using the panorama um researchbased questions. That will change for the upcoming year just a little bit in that. The state has now put into law
087a requirement that when we administer the state workforce survey evaluation. So this will affect you and your classmates, but the questions in that survey are very similar to what Panorama would have asked. So for one year, we're going to pause those self-care questions and see what data the state provides us. If the state provides us the information we need to make decisions, informed decisions about how to support the adults in our system, that may be enough. Um, but we'll do a comparison. If the state doesn't give us the results that we need to inform good decisions for adults in our system, then we'll go back and look at what are the questions that are missing that we feel like we need to arrange. Does that answer your question? Okay. Um and then we're also introducing
088this year use of a new walkthrough tool, an observation tool. Um, one of the things that we I heard from educators as I talked to them around the district, but also from our administrators is our educators want an easy way to receive actionable feedback that didn't necessarily involve a formal meeting, observation, a follow-up meeting. That process sometimes spans weeks in an observation cycle. I heard from many educators, it would be great if somebody walked into my room and just told me I was talking too much. And then from our administrators um what I heard from many of them is they wanted support for how to provide specific and actionable feedback. So there is a tool that we are investing in that is actually quite economical that provides structures for very quick observations in the classroom
089with highly specific actionable feedback. An example of that is when an administrator walks into a classroom and they want to provide a teacher feedback on teacher talk time versus student talk time. There's a little stopwatch that they click as soon as the teacher starts talking and it tracks for them how long the teacher's talking. Then they do the same thing for the student 10 15 minute observation. You finish that up, you submit it, it goes right to the educator, right into their inbox through an email and an educator can see the glance, well in a 15minute period I talked for 14 and kids only had a chance to talk. So that's immediate feedback that I think will help us improve our instructional practices in e-classroom. This first goal aligns with strategy one and strategy two
090of the strategic plan. It also supports CC and a LPGT metrics. Um I'll come back to that in just a minute and explain what that is. In terms of goal two, improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for all learners. Our kids need to do well in our system. Um I anybody who has talked to me, you'll hear me beat the longitudinal data drum pretty hard. The way we are evaluated at a state level is discrete cohorts are compared against each other to see if a system is making progress over time. How did third graders do this year? Are they doing better or worse than the third graders last year? For me, system improvement is really that longitudinal measure. If we have a kindergartener who joins us who has no numeracy skills, but they are able to
091graduate through our system and excel and take AP classes. That is for me a better measure of the health of our system than that discreet third grade measure. So what you see on here are the things that we have to tend to because the state holds us accountable to those discrete annual measures as well as an opportunity for us through our own benchmark data which is an internal measure to measure progress over time so that we can compare growth within a cohort rather than comparing two different cohorts against each other. And then the last goal there is to support our educators in their continued use of data to improve the instruction. You will hear me talk about Hattie as we get to know each other. Dr. John Hattie. Yes, Harley. Um I've told people I
092have a researchers's crush on John Hattie. I really do. Um he's an outstanding researcher and one of the things that his research has shown over and over and over again that one of the most effective things leaders can do is create the conditions for educators to believe in their own families. and educators getting together and understanding how to interpret the data to make assessments of the impact of their instruction is one of the most important things. Okay, goals and goal three strengthen two-way communication and engagement with staff, students and families. So we have survey indicators related to communication, belonging and access to leadership. I want to continue to use certain tools because that is one way to reach people who sometimes can't engage directly with us for a variety of circumstances or choose not to.
093I also want to dig in more deeply into how our efforts are or are not meeting the multilingual needs of our community. Um, we started last year to have interpretation available at each board meeting. Um, we are publishing our agenda in Spanish and as pointed out to me though, our slides are not in Spanish. So, can we uh translate our slides before we post them online so that our families are able to access the slides in two languages? Spanish is um the most frequently spoken language after English in our community. The last time I pulled the report out of our student information system, we had about 50 different languages spoken. So, it's not a small number, but many of those languages there's one student or there's one family with a couple of students in it.
094Um so, we need to think about how to support those families as well. But our primary focus is the Spanish speaking community and how to make sure that we're providing access there. And then implementation of a district-wide system for feedback loops, shared decision making and followup. Um again that I referenced that this is a nut we need to crack. So this is something that I really want to focus on for this upcoming year and find ways to engage our community where they're at. and in the ways that seem to make sense for them. And then lastly, the strategic stewardship. Again, effective operations is really important for a school district. We can't run out of money and we have to have a second grade teacher in that classroom. We can't go without that. So, engage in
095these continued processes of modernizing our human resource and fiscal systems, finishing our collective bargaining. We're not done yet, but we need to finish that in a way that is financially sustainable for us that meet our district goals and also is honoring and respectful of our colleagues. And then continuing to focus on leadership development. That is something that we already started. Last week was our admin kickoff. Um but real leadership development that articulates the scope and sequence um that progresses our leaders through the skills that they need to be successful stewards of their own environment and that includes for us recruitment and retention plans especially in I need areas where it's difficult to attract staff. Now there is a monitoring component to this. So those are my four proposed fails or my draft goals. As a
096school board, your job is to acknowledge my fellows and see if we're moving towards um successfully achieving these things. I will say that our the goals that I've laid out, progress can be made in a year. Completion won't. For most of these things, it's going to take multiple years to really realize the outcomes that we're looking for. But in terms of the monitoring the schedule, um, ideally this is what I think could work is in October bringing forward quite a few different reports in a work session format. Um, some of these might just be reports within the or packet itself, but several of these we're going to dig more deeply into. An example of that is by the time we meet in October, we will have the state outcome data from 2025. So, spending some
097time there to see what that shows us. We already have built into our systems quarterly financial updates. Um, we should have by then the EVE survey results that I mentioned before. So, I think the board would be interested in seeing what those results tell us from staff who completed that. And then you can see how I've articulated that out through the other three sessions throughout the year. And thank you to Adnet for helping to inform this cycle since they know deeply what the routinized processes are. I understand they were able to help with for example quarterly financial update that actually will be presented at the March budget committee meeting but we'll have an opportunity to talk about it in April if needed. So I think this monitoring schedule will allow the board to see into
098those goals and progress towards goals. What I'd like to propose, and this is a little different than the evaluation process we engaged in last year, what I'd like to propose is that these goals and this monitoring schedule inform an evaluation that this is what the board would hold me accountable to for this year. I'm going to walk back just a little bit. Christy and Kate know this. OSBA and KOSA, they have a tool that they co-developed that has eight different competencies for a superintendent and then within those eight competencies, it has several different sub competencies for lack of a better term. Um, that tool I think is a really good job description. If you want to know what a superintendent's job description looks like, look at that tool. What I still have questions about is
099that the tool says things like what the superintendent effectively delegates. I don't unless you sit with me day in and day out, I don't know how you could actually evaluate that. But you can see if delegation is happening through whether or not these goals are being met because I I I said this last year when the board gave me my evaluation. No superintendent does this so well. My job is to create the conditions for the folks that I work closely with and the folks working on our schools to do their goals and this monitoring schedule I think will allow the board to see if I'm creating those conditions for others to be successful. So, I'm gonna pause there and turn it back to Christy to walk us through the protocol. >> Yeah. So, I want
100to um you got a bunch of information. So, I'm want to take it back to goal one advanced instructional and I really just want you to ask curious questions of Suzanne about rule number one so you're really sure you understand where she's headed and why these activities or strategies are important to her in this year. And there's no silly question. Now, can I answer one question before it's asked? >> I didn't come back to LPGT. >> So, LPGT stands for longitudinal performance growth targets. A couple years ago, the state um codified into law that every school district must have longitudinal performance growth targets that they're looking towards. Those growth targets are tied to some specific state grants. And there are within those targets three different measurements that we're looking at baseline stretch and maybe the
101most important target is gap closing. So what is the target that we need for students to hit to close the gap that has existed in education for far too long. So when I say it aligns to LPGT metrics, it means I believe these goals will move us further down that road as meeting the longitudinal performance targets. Okay. What um what questions do you have versus around the one? >> Um I guess just a definition walk through. What are we where I need to find here and he's not up to date? >> Yeah. So, this would be when a an administrator in a building just pops up. It's not a scheduled formal observation. It's just one of those things that happens throughout the day. I walk in, I have 15 minutes I can spend in the
102classroom. I pull up a tool, I take some observational data, and I send it along. That's what we refer to as a lock group. >> Dropins. >> Yep. Dropins. Exactly. >> How often will those dropins happen to the like they know like that one? How often will that >> Yeah, in a best case scenario, um, every teacher gets several dropins during a week. And I said that as a best case scenario because if you've worked in the school system, you know how quickly I could get blown up in a day sometimes. Um I when I did this in a previous district, we actually set a goal for our leaders for a certain number of walkthroughs in a given month. So we'll have some conversations with our leaders when we introduce this tool about whether we
103want to do that or not and what the right number is. But in a best case scenario, it often should happen. And even if data is not presented, our teachers should feel very comfortable with the supervisors and administrators in the building just so I have a question. Um I'm curious if maybe um maybe I didn't understand but when you started speaking Suzanne you said um our school district but also nationwide why are we not getting better outcomes for for education? And so if I had that right, then I look at this and how is this the same as what everybody else is doing across the nation. How, you know, personally for me, I I think the public system as it stands is broken. I really think that we need to do something different. um because
104we're not getting the outcomes and doing the same thing. Um so anyway, I I I agree with your pre premise that um the outcomes are not what we want. And so how do we do a paradigm shift or are we just tweaking this like we've done in the past and hope for better outcomes? >> Yeah, I love that question. Thanks. Um couple of things related to that. Oh, let's focus on goal one and goal four. So, my my team has probably heard me say at least once this year, I I don't hold any sacred cows. So, if there's a better way to do something, let's do it the better way. Um, unfortunately, we do have some legal constraints in terms of what we have to do. An example of that would be Carnegie Minutes. incarnated
105units equate to seat time in a classroom. So there are some things that we're a little bit constrained by. But what I ultimately hope for is that as we are aligning, as we are digging into our data, as teacher teams are meeting that we are surfacing those ideas for how do we do this together and if there is a better way to do it, let's do that better way and let's create the conditions to allow teams to be creative and innovative and try things that haven't been tried before. And that's where goal number four I think is helpful in disrupting some of those systems. Um we have some modernization that we need to do with our HR department and with our fiscal department. Right now those departments are not nimble. We need to create the
106conditions to be nimble. Um, what some of you don't know is that I had a private sector career before transitioning into education. And what I learned through that experience is that if you cannot adapt quickly, you did not survive in the private sector. You could not be successful if you could not adapt to changing conditions and environments. transitioning to education. I have learned that education is very slow to change and and sometimes there's a good reason for that and often times it's because you just don't like change. But in order to facilitate nimleness, we have to have effective systems in place in our human resources department, in our fiscal department, in our facilities department, in all those operational areas so that if we do identify a better way to do things, we can make that
107transition quickly. Um, so we can't do one without the other, Kate. I think it has to be the both and and I think it's going to take time. But I I I am all about innovative ideas and how we can disrupt what we're currently doing in service to our kids. And I I think by leadership, but also building that trust and that openness where people don't feel like they're going to be retaliated against in coming up with an idea. I think all of those will help in that process. >> I hope so. >> Yeah, they do. What questions we have about role one? And of course I have to ask the followup question yourself uh on your instructional walkthroughs how do you monitor that as superintendent because you're having the building level leaders do the
108walkthroughs how do you monitor that and what will it tell well some of that is public accountability again I want to co-create this with the leaders I don't want to just tell them what this looks like in my prior experience experience with this tool when we came together as a leadership team. We had people report out and I did 36 walkthroughs this month. I did 50 walkthroughs this month. So there's some of that public accountability and along with that sharing what we're learning being able to so an example is if we all say and this is made up right now so for anybody who's listening to me this is not the set but if we all say the first walk through tool that we're going to use measures the the difference between open-ended questions and
109closed questions. Um do you know what those two different things are? >> What can we include? >> Yeah. Okay. So if if we are taking data on that and come together as an administrative team to be able to say well I was in 36 classrooms and I was surprised to learn that most of my teachers are asking closed questions. All they want is a yes or no answer from our students or they want the right answer. They're not asking the open-ended questions that lead to critical thinking and create. When we can share that type of information together, then we are moving ahead of the system towards better outcomes for kids. So, I think public accountability is one of the ways that we do that in a safe space. Um, the other way is I I
110just got access to the new and improved tool today, but it does look like there's an admin console. So, it looks like there is some monitoring that we can do as a cabinet in terms of how many walkthroughs are being done in a day or in a month. Strategies that you that you openended questions is one, the talk time is one. Those are strategies I'm I'm imagining that are part of the instructional framework expectations that will be of use to all of right. So it's okay and I I highlight those tools because I know they're built into this particular program. We can custom design tools as well. An example, last year we had a strong focus on opportunities to respond so that students were prompted with questions and then they have an opportunity to respond
111to those questions. We can build a tool that helps us assess. I have I have one additional and this might be getting down into the weeds a little bit too much for the retreat, but you talked about um we talked about Hattie and just the number one having teachers feeling like they are empowered and can affect change in the classroom. I know there's a question on one of the surveys that goes out that does track that one time in a so might ask what teachers how comfortable they feel. you guys fill out the students rea surveys they probably but the students will say you know if they feel they can be successful there's data points on that how they are feeling because there's also research with that but then the the teacher one allows us
112to see if teachers are feeling what they believe their students can learn be beyond that how do you see that as being a marker because we know that is the number one marker and we can in our district develop more nuanced ways to get to see if educators are feeling that way or is that just something building administrators get a vibe for which I'm sure they do but I don't know what are your thoughts on that particular data point? >> Yeah, I vibes matter but I wouldn't make decisions on vibes. Um I I think it's above. I think it's administrators um certainly having a pulse of the staff they work with day in and day out. They're going to know that better than I am. Um so listening to what our leaders are telling us
113about the collective advocacy of their teams. But the other part of it is survey data because sometimes for whatever reason people don't feel comfortable letting their administrator know how they really feel about kids. So a survey could answer that for us. The EVE survey questions which are referenced in here will provide some of that. Those of us who have been in education for a while this is a little bit of a reboot of the tell survey from a few years ago. So there are questions staff are asked about their belief that they can make a difference for kids and I think that's a really important data point for us because it gets a mindsets. It also might eliminate a gap in tools. It is my belief that everybody comes to work every day wanting to
114do a good job. And when people start to feel frustrated or like they are not effective in their role, it's seldom because they don't want to be effective. It's because they don't have the right tool to access in their toolbox. >> Thank you. >> May I ask when are these surveys taking place? Are we making time for the staff and students to take this um or is it like it's in your email whenever you get to it? >> Yeah, I'll answer that two different ways. The EVE survey was included for the first time this year and we asked our leaders or Tro fact check me on this. We asked our leaders to create space in a staff meeting for staff to actually take the survey so that they weren't doing it on their own time.
115We built in the system for that. For kids in the secondary level, I believe it's advisory and you can fact check me on this. Um, for our students, advisory is where the survey is most often given is what I mean. So, elementary, they need to create the conditions within their classroom to take the survey. And at the elementary level, only students in grades three and above take the survey. Um because grades K2 since they are still learning to read it's really hard to put survey tool in front of them. You're taking a survey at the high school right every year. When do you >> usually third or third block? So they they give it if it's on a Thursday if it's not. >> Okay. Thank you. Is I asking a question? >> If I can
116go to the 30,000 foot level, I want to be in a position where I, as an schoolboard member, can support what's going on in the school district. I want to be in a position where I know that there are people above me, say at the state level, that also support what we're doing. I don't get that feeling from the federal government. I get the feeling, to be frank, and pardon my French, they don't give a rat's ass about what we do in class. Um, and I I want to see somewhere where we as a district let the political scene know, hey, our congressional delegation that we have their back. Um they're trying they're fighting a battle back there that we saw four years ago with Rick Perry and now we're seeing with Miss McFam or
117Secretary McMahon that is tearing apart public education. Free inappropriate public education means absolutely nothing. And we need to send the message that they need to get their act together and get get out of dodge. I hate to be that cranky and irritable, but 7 months of this stuff is getting to me, and we've got three years and five months to look forward to. >> Or more. Okay. >> I actually there's many of us who want to apply kind of being irritable right now. So, but so >> and I and I know this >> my frustration level just >> I wonder um and this we can talk about even after lunch but I wonder if a strategy is a governance goal is around legislative advocacy where you intentionally keep the kind of whatever in whatever way
118is possible keep the pressure on. Um, so that might be a great governance role and where and and the work of a school board. >> And if I could um build on that, it is impossible to keep everything that's happening out of our classrooms. And I do believe that one of the most important jobs from the district staff in this room, including myself, over the next few years, is to keep as much as possible out of our classrooms. It is really hard for kids to learn if they're not feeling safe. And there's a lot of noise out there right now. And some of our neighbors are the ones that are creating that noise. We know who they are. Boris Grove is a purple community and people bring in varying opinions about what school should look
119like and what the content should be. From a district leadership level, we need to stay steady and hold the course and remind people we're teaching kids to read. That's what I need you to do is teach kids to read. and I need you to welcome every student that walks through the doors just like they're your own. Build relationships with kids. That is foundational to education. Now at looking upward so that's looking across our system down to the prek level looking towards the state and looking towards the federal government. I think especially the superintendent and the school board, but certainly district leadership in general have a role to play in advocacy. An example of that is just Monday I was sitting in a meeting with Suzanne Bodiji and several other superintendent in the region here where
120we will able to share with her directly. These are our concerns about what's happening at the federal level and here's how you can help us right now. So I know we haven't had a chance to work very closely together, but that is something that I'm very committed to. Maybe Christy and Kate can talk a little bit about that from their experience last year. And then doing the same thing at the state level. I think I have a good relationship with our local elected officials. Um, and that's everyone from Melinda, who's our mayor, to Senator Schulman, who is our local senator representative. And I I will continue to do that. I mean, I can add to that. I really appreciate you raising that point because I think last year two things happened. We did as a
121district really jump up multiple levels and we jumped into the pool of not only just reactive advocacy which I think as a state we talk on the state boards association about how we're always reacting to something that's been coming our way and the conversation has been how do we as state of school boards but then again locally what does that look like to be advocates to some of the pieces you're saying which I think are important to verbalize in community where this board stands and that's a conversation for a board to have because even though this is a nonpartisan role, I mean it it really is not to me anymore because we're standing for these values and it's very clear which of our elected leaders are aligning with that. So the role in advocacy on
122the larger scene and how our board can be proactive and actually be not just resisting what's coming but actually advocating for what this vision could be I think is one piece. The second piece of if these are where our district leadership is needing to go then that piece of as a board we need to make sure we are protecting them as much as possible with advocacy. So not just advocating for what people are bringing to us but saying hey we're doing this over here because this is best practice for kids and this is how we're going to serve kids. And so these things aren't what we need. And I think those have been a harder conversation. I mean, I we had several with Rep. Mlan about this very thing. And her conversation I you know,
123I felt like we're not quite getting through to as our representative, we need you to fight for the pathway to clear so we can work because what happened at least in Oregon this year is several things were put into place. Cell phone bill being one that is a is slowing us all down. And who someone said something maybe it was you Christie about interrupting leadership. What did you say like interrupting governance slows you said something to that effect for interrupted leadership um slows down student achievement. And I was thinking about districts where they've had multiple superintendent or school boards that created such noise the staff is all they're doing is putting out the noise all the next day. And if you build that out to we need to make sure R. Mlan and I I
124feel very confident that Senator Sman has a full understanding now of how she can be someone that's actually helping us move forward and we need to continue that message. So, I love the idea of us operating at that level with a proactive message. And the whole thing we keep coming back to is this. You doing this over here, that cell phone bill is preventing us from doing more of this. And here here's why. And instead, we wish you would have done this because this is what we need. The seat time conversation need one. Anyway, here we go. I'm going Christie. Reel me. Reel me back in. I thank you. >> Let's go to goal number two. >> Thank you. I want I want to get something because I think for the first time we have
125a superintendent that said some of the issues that we have not only infor but through the whole state are common. And so, um, Suzanne went and what do we come up with? Three three important areas and other school districts could, um, they were the same issues it needs, whether they're on the coast or in Eastern Oregon. And for the first time since I've been on the board, it was very effective. And what I I saw is that the legislators all come from a different spot in the state but also personally is they do not necessarily in fact majority of them do not have an educational background. So what we started was really important because not only did we educate the people that represent us in this area but also across the state and and people
126are now looking at force grow as you know leadership in that. And I think one of the things that Suzanne brought out was that um we have over a hundred mandates with no money behind it. But when legislators hear that, so we we have to educate the legislators and they're always knew what was coming in. And I think um I think we gained quite a bit of respect for them. State and you two did and and organized and putting forward what would happen this past year. And it it's really essential now even more so than ever because of the what Pete talked about what's happening in Washington DC that we need to educate our legislators whether they're our senators or house representatives but um this is going to be a tough going forward and I
127think that picking out just a couple things what can we get behind that will make an an effect not only for force world but also for the state and that people don't feel like they're in silos. So, I think we need to keep keep doing what we're doing. >> I also think what was particularly effective was actually Suzanne because she had such she has such in-depth knowledge and I've heard a couple of your representatives repeat things that I knew Suzanne had educated them on. So she can go as far into the weeds as possible as they need to go to help to understand the issue or she can start a little higher level and they sometimes can understand it like this. So, she has that unique buil ability and I think you want to be
128sure she continues to have the time to build those relationships, especially in this short session year where it's not quite as fast and furious with the legislative the state legislative agenda. If I can make one more comment before we move on, Pete, the federal decisions weigh on me. They're keeping me up at night because I think our elected officials at the federal level, some of them are actively working in opposition to schools right now. So, yeah. I think um so I I agree with what you're saying and I think two two comments to that. one, despite that, parents love their third grade teacher. So if you were to talk to parents about their kids teachers or about their kids coach, they're going to tell you how much they love that teacher. So when you get
129down to the ground level, when you're talking to people about their child's education experience, they tend to be really supportive of that experience and the environment that their kid is in. I'm bringing that up because I think goal number three feeds right into that. How do we create sea wave conversations and engagement when we can meet people on the street, host a town hall and have some conversations, set up a booth at the farmers market and just talk to people one-on- one. That's where we continue to make progress in terms of really great educational experiences for our students. what's taking place at the federal level, the staff you see in this room, our job is to manage that. And we've already had some experience with that this year when we thought many of our federal
130funds were going to be withheld and the work that we did to try to create a response to that that was as least disruptive as possible. That work will continue and we will continue to advocate. I would continue to advocate at a federal level. I talk to Mercury's office regularly. As I said, I talk to Bichu's office regularly. Those are conversations that must continue. But the most important work of the people in this room here is ensuring that the experience of every student in our school system is the best it can possibly be. And that means keeping our focus in the classrooms >> and being able to talk about that in public where somebody's talking to you about a national trend or something they've heard and you know how do you know what's happening in
131third grade classrooms is such an important way to pivot conversations for people and um further instills the trust in public education. You want to keep that trust locally to be sure you are everything you're doing is instilling trust in public education and course growth because it's it's good good education. Okay. Goal number two. Improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for all learners. What questions do you have? And we're going to take a lunch break soon. So >> I just app well it's a question just about the great data that we did see last year and how it was explained where growth is happening and why and if that um has been shared or that you know is there a way to share a synopsis of that maybe in a little presentation that with the newer board
132members too. I think we had a couple presentations where there was really effective explanation of speak while we're beginning to see the reading. >> Yeah. Between our terminal then we we can maybe go back to that gold mass presentation we did and we can send out the link because we can certainly send the deck but sending the link from the board meeting where we time stamp it might help with context. >> Yeah. Thank you. I'm just not sure like how I remember taking standardized testing but I'm not sure how it's everybody's >> so I think your use of standardized testing means state test is that >> so we still have state tests we have to administer that is a requirement of all school districts that receive public funding that will continue and that's the the
133first goal there. The reason that I focus on third grade language arts and eighth grade math is that these are the measures that are we are held accountable to in our longitudal performance grow targets. So, keeping an eye on those matter for us. Um, eighth grade is new. The eighth grade measurement was added with the accountability bill that just passed in the last legislative session. And this says ELA. I want to draw your attention that English language is what the state measures. We educate about a third of our kids in Spanish at the third grade level and we are measuring through the benchmarks which is the second goal that you see there their Spanish language arts development that is as important to us. It's one of the values that we live by, Rhysa, that multilingualism
134is an asset. And so for our students who come speaking Spanish either as a heritage language or it is their primary language in the home, we want to build on that, make sure that they are actually fluent in two languages. So these benchmark data, those are assessments that we administer three times a year. You might hear them referred to as local assessments. The state will use the term local assessments to mean benchmark assessments. These assessments allow us to measure in a very sensitive way growth over time. So we can see between fall and winter are students progressive in their learning between winter and spring are they progressive in their learning and then we can measure cohort growth of the time. So how did our learners last year do and how is that same cohort doing
135this year which is data we do not get from the state. State does not tell us if cohorts of students are growing over time. And then additionally we can disagregate in some ways that are really important to us. So we can look just at our students receiving special education services or just at our students and into the language classroom. Does that answer your question? >> Thank you. when you report out on the benchmark roads in reading and maths. You report both of the English and the Spanish. >> Correct. And we do all grades for these benchmark, not just third grade and eighth grade math. We report progress in all grades. >> And how far up do you do the Spanish assessment and report out to the board? >> Uh did we do all the way?
136No, because N didn't have dual language last year. So we'll start doing that in NMS this year as we expand rule language. Um so for prior years it was just through grade six which is considered elementary for us. So my question is um looking at you know um benchmark growth of reading and math and attention to focal student groups like bilingual learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students. So, I'm I come from a background of special ed, so I'm going to focus on special ed. But, um, typically what I have seen is if you really want to have a student that's learning disabled, increase their reading by one year. 20 minutes, 30 minutes is not adequate. I mean, it's just not. They're never going to get there. So, how are we looking at these different
137moves and doing something different so that we fasttrack them? Because typically students with disabilities um that are living with LD, they never increase by a year unless you do something dramatically different. And that's where our MCSS structures are going to help us out eventually. I think we are and it's me, please jump in here. I think we are very new in our MTSS journey. My conversations with some educators across the district, for some of them, this is the first year that they've really engaged deeply in conversations around this last year. Um, student data and how to use student data to inform small bank decisions, for example. and then developing an understanding of the difference between whole group instruction in my classroom, small group instruction in my classroom and then interventions or SDI and how those
138things are really different. I think we are still developing that understanding across our system and I I really would like the team to pay in here since it is multi-tered systems of support. Thank you. Yeah, how many is what is what's the one on one on that real quick? Yeah. Um, multi-tered systems of support. The simplest way I can explain it is the right instruction at the right time for every student. So, we have instructional systems that generally work for 70 to 80% of our student body in a healthy system. That's what you would see. And then there are some students who need more. And sometimes those students need more because they started their learning journey from a different point. Sometimes those students need more because they have a learning disability. Sometimes they need more
139because this is the third language that they're learning and they need a little more time to figure out and process all of that. There could be lots of reasons why students need more. The more is where the system of support comes in. And there's multiple tiers. Everybody gets the same thing. That's tier one. Tier two is for a number of students, typically 20 to 30% that need something a little bit more. And then there's an even smaller group that might need an intensification of instruction to the point where they're in a group of two. They're not in a group of seven anymore. Or sometimes even a group of one. So that's what the multi and >> I would just add um we've identified certain areas where we've intentionally tried to make shifts in um that
140MTSS multi-tered supports within it. So tier one, tier two, tier three for example. So tier one is um the instruction that happens in the class every day. Um there were there are times in our system where um our teachers are the highest qualified who can provide the greatest depth of instruction. Um, sometimes kids weren't being taught by teachers but by instructional assistants and just re-examining those practices and whether it's literacy specialists who are highly trained teachers who's providing the instruction to the to the various needs of our kids. And so that's a a very um specific example of some shifts that have been that have been made just in the last two years to re-examine that so that we are doing it different so that the right people the highly trained people are providing the
141direct instruction to the kids that need it most whatever tier they may be. >> You want to add anything you've been really close with this work. I mean, I have a lot to add. I think it's probably best for conversations more in depth later, but I would say um you know, years ago, special ed teachers were the only ones trained to deliver that reading instruction and we had highly specialized programs and now I would say that our core curriculum is outpacing that um with the interventions that they have. So, what we're finding is teachers are not coming out as prepared in special education to do that intervention. So, uh, Kelly Trout, who is our elementary coordinator, is working really was working really closely with Elena and now is working with Juliana and Ma who be
142our new elementary coordinator on making sure all our special education staff, especially at the elementary, are trained to deliver highquality reading instruction and they have access to intervention materials, even the core instruction materials. All students in special education receive core curriculum so they're not missing out on their core instruction and they sometimes are receiving 30 to 45 minutes per day of additional instruction. It's really around the quality of instruction and the knowledge base that special education staff come with. So for instance some of you know about letters training which is around the science of reading and how students learn to read. We found out that there's not a lot of teachers in our system, special ed or otherwise, that know how students learn to read and how you can intervene and how you can determine
143what a student needs. And that's really important when you're a special educator. So, those are the things we're working on making sure our special ed staff have access to high quality training um because frankly our institutions of higher education aren't necessarily providing that. So we're having to do that as an archura well knows even with general ed staff coming in. So Kate and I'm just as interested in how we're going to improve those the reading scores. Um, just as a a short example, I had a conversation with one of our elementary principles who's very, very eager to begin her MTSS process, already has, but um really wants to go forward. And one of her questions to me was, can we intermix groups of kids? Like, can we have special educators and general educators teach, you
144know, differentiate groups? Um, we're so used to working in special ed teachers can only provide instruction to special ed. And what we're trying to look at now is who are the most qualified teachers with the most experience in teaching our lowest readers. And so, um, we do have principles in our system that are thinking that way, which I think is we're kind of getting out of that special eds only in a special ed classroom and thinking for more broadly. So, All right. Uh, goal three, strengthening two-way communication with the intention of staff buildings and faint speed. What questions or comments do you have that they were to say about this goal? I know this a goal on the hearts of you of all of us. I have a question. Um, so we talked a little
145bit about kind of the surveys that are given and we give students and staff the opportunity to kind of give them that time, but how does that work for families and then how has like how do you like what are our numbers look like or look like in the past and receiving those surveys from families and parents? It's a great question and I'm going to open it up to the team here in just a minute since I only have one year experience in the district. Starting with student surveys, response rates are pretty good and that's because we make them take it. So, uh we have some power there to ensure that we have students voices in our surveying process. Last year, the staff climate survey was not a strong response. We didn't have a lot
146of staff take it. And I don't know all the reasons for that. Um, what I heard from several people just anecdotally is survey fatigue. That's another reason why pausing the internal district survey for a year while we see what Eve does for us might be a good break for our system. Um, we send out surveys a lot because it's a quick touch point and people get tired of the form of surveys that show up in their inbox. So, so not so great last year, but I can't speak to previous years. Um, and then in terms of family surveys, our family survey responses are decent compared to what I've seen in other districts and I think we could do better. There are opportunities that I don't think we're capitalizing on with family survey. An example of
147that is if we're at the farmers market putting a little QR code up there that says, "Tell us what you think." Scan the QR code survey pops up. It's one question. Tell us what you think about the school district. Um, that's a real quick way to get a feedback from our community and our families that I don't think we're taking advantage of. Having a link on the website to send in questions is another way that we can engage our family and team any difference. So we're those are ideas that we need to explore. Um does that answer your So let me open it up to Arturo to want to add to anything I said about years prior to me being here. I would just just thinking for here for a sec. I will say that
148um this is my going on my third year. So I've been here two years. We absolutely will be using results whether it's a handful of surveys responses or anytime we push out any kind of survey. Um we truly take the time to identify you know individual responses also themes and create action plans. It does inform our work. >> Thank you. QR codes. I have no idea what the hell I um and when I see one of those, I say I turn the page uh figuratively and metaphorically and realistically, literally. Um I think the important two things one I would like to insert and I realize that I'm walking through a life minefield here. Um I would like to have a board member be a part of that process. I would like to have the board
149member be able to have a face to face with the parents with teachers. But I realize that I don't want to get into when say a parent said I asked a parent what do you think of and the parent says well I think you ought to get rid of and I want to be able to say time out I'm not ever going to be able to do that. What's what's the bigger issue? um is the question I want to be able to ask. Um, and I also want that when somebody does fill out a QR code or a survey, however they do it, that we can get back to that that we don't just take their information and aggregate it into everything else, make it part of an overall survey finding. But that I'm able
150to send a note to Miss Granduski saying your comment about and this is my reaction to that. It gives them ownership gives them the chance of understanding that somebody read that survey at the other end. Seeing the information that I put in as part of an overall survey says one thing and that's important. But having somebody say, "Pe what you said really makes sense." That all of a sudden starts a stroking my ego and giving me a sense of value, individual value, that what I say does matter in the individual sense as well as in the collective. Oh, and I know that trying to put that puppy together is going to be a it would be a very difficult if not impossible situation. But those are the two things that when because when I get
151surveys and I got a boatload of surveys after the OSBA summer conference and I will have I will have no idea what they took of my information. This this was a this exact point. Once again, we 100% agree. We we have oh god >> those conversations about being able to show the community, you know, even maybe it's easier how you do that more broadly, but to say here's the results and here's how your result your feedback either did or did not, you know, inform what we did, but the why. And so we have talked about how to close that loop. Um, and I that's been I've been banging that throne since I started here. But I think Alma, we had a conversation about this I can't remember we were talking about engagement. Um, and just
152for context for the new board members, we did a couple years ago or was it just last year where the at least the staff survey that went out, we formed a new a different group and it was district people and it was a board person and it was union and we sat down and reworked one of those surveys, what whatever that survey was, because people at that table said exactly the same thing. They were like, first of all, we don't want to we don't need some of these questions. We'd like to be able to answer some missing questions. And then also expressed like if we take this survey, what is the rea? So, we did rework a survey for that reason. And I think that's we're going to pause it. But there's been all the
153same conversation about number one, what are we asking? Number two, if people are going to take it at the market, what is the reason that no one does anymore? And I agree fatigue, but why the fatigue? Why the fatigue? And I think it's exactly what you said. If people don't feel like it matters. So, I I think that's potentially and I love your point too about how can the board Oh, that's so weird with development. >> How can the board themselves get to know the people and like and I don't want to expand on this, >> but you talked about people saying to you right when you got elected like I don't even know what a board person >> does. So all of that I I think would be maybe another important focus for the
154board is that governance goal for engagement. Yeah. Do you want to talk just a tiny bit about that experience? >> Um yeah I mean I I had a lot of folks come up Spanish speaking and English speaking who um they were like what does support do? I mean what are what are you guys about? Like I I know I just voted but I have no idea what they do. You know I have to Google it or something like that. something so basic. Um I think parents, community members understanding kind of how the hierarchy or however the you know positions work and who they can go to my put them in a more approachable put us in an approachable position to where they can reach out to the right people versus always targeting are just our
155teachers, right? They are usually the ones that will take on all the information and or an office member. But we there are different members that um they elect us into office that they could reach out to if they knew what we were about and I think it's very important. It's just very basic. They could get learning for them information for them. I know my parents had no idea what it was had to give a little presentation to your parents and they have had you know they've had five go through the system zero idea that a board does board system what we were about >> and how are you sure that in those people understand also what you can't do >> correct >> that's all yeah >> yeah your question or your point Pet it's a
156good one I wonder there there are some ways that we can address that a lot of people take surveys because they can be anonymous and so creating a survey without the option for anonymity might actually result in less responses there may be a compromise so this is something we can look at going forward is something as simple as do you want to be contacted? And if it's a yes response, drop them additional field share some contact information. And then those who don't want to be contacted, maybe don't contact them. That might be one way to address the question that you're asking is how do we get back to people? The other thing that I think we could do, and this speaks to transparency, is that these surveys that we put out there, there's no reason
157they can't be public. We could post the results on our website. We could send out a link in our communication with families and to staff. We can happily share what we're learning through that process. And to our children's point, speak to some of the ways that we use the survey data to improve Explain to me what the hell QR code is. >> We're having a tutoring session. I'm totally on this one. >> You don't even get to eat lunch till we >> I have a good question. When when I'm reading deep in two-way communication, do you elaborate a little bit what you mean by two-way, that's who and who? >> Yeah, that's a great question. Um, I don't think it's there's a limiting who would who, but an example that I'll give you, last year
158I met with what I called the superintendent transition team. That was such an amazing conversation. I I valued having people in the room who were able to listen to some of the things that I was sharing and and respond to some of the questions that I was asking. And these are folks from within the community that are connected. They're folks that have their pulse on a lot of different things. And for me as a superintendent, boy, that was great. Um, I set that up as a transition team. And it was so impactful. And then I continue. So that is a way where two-way communication I think uh can happen. But that is not the only way. It's any one of us being in a slowrise bake shop and having the family come up and say,
159"Hey, can I talk to you about my kids experience? I have a question for you." Whatever it might be. And some formal engagements, too. We will continue to schedule formal opportunities. The other thing that I touched on very briefly, but this is an area I think as a district we can improve in is being in the spaces where families already are. So those back to school nights conferences is that an opportunity for us to be present in some of those spaces so that we can engage in some conversation. I think we as we being education systems, we get kind of hung up on why we have to have so many engagement sessions and we need to um publicize it so anyone who wants to come can come. But the reality is some of those most
160authentic conversations where I've learned the most have been on the sidewalk. And so I again I don't say that as a a limited answer. I don't know how to say who and who. I think it's all of us all the time. >> Yeah, I think I agree. Taking up space where parents are already in. So, my experience um actually here in the school district that's a certified interpreter for you guys. Um I had parents sharing all this information to me and I'm like what do I ask you to go to? You know, I'm like I we can have this conversation and schedule something with you know your counselor or something like that. But just sharing their experience, their school, their kiddos and giving feedback at conferences. I didn't ask for it. They just, you know,
161will only share. And then not knowing where to filter them or who to, you know, a lot of other say, "Oh, yeah. Yeah, I've tried reaching out, but you know, they don't answer. They don't call me back or whatnot." So I think again parents knowing who they can go to for certain things just very basic stuff that is important. It's something we continue to communicate over and over for >> because I want to get us to lunch. Can we look at goal four and just see if you have questions for Suzanne about gold four because then that makes it stop and fun for us to have lunch four. Well, I I'd like to make a a comment that I lead um a business manager is pretty phenomenal. When I first got on the board, we
162had budget commitments. It was almost next to impossible to understand budgets. Like, oh my god. And she went and um contacted four or five school districts about our size. And then Brad and myself sat down and we and her and we went through, you know, what was really good about this district and, you know, could be incorporated here. and she did a phenomenal job of really improving so that you know the community members that the budget could understand you know the budget much better than just that paper and she continually improves on that and and I really appreciate that because that is one of our responsibility as a board members to you know pass the budget so so I I really appreciate some of those areas where people have already stepped on them has done
163some great things wholeheartedly. >> Okay, I'm going to move us into lunch, but you do have one thinking activity during lunch. I do want you to look at the monitoring schedule and when we come back, I really want us to kind of get some consensus. Is Suzanne on the right track with BS? Do you feel like this could be the right monitoring schedule? And Bethany, lunches in boxes out in the hall, right? >> Okay. So, we have box lunches. Um, take break. I think probably we could start back at 12:35. That would be great. Um, we go offline during this break time and you're great to have casual conversations and um, get to know each other more. throughout the lunch. So about breaking. Thank you. Okay, we're back at vault 42. too. Welcome back from
164lunch everyone and um and we'll go back to Christine. >> All right. So, I'm just going to pick up right where we left off before lunch and then we'll reach out back to item or two. we are running a little bit behind and that's okay because you're either going to speed up or you're going to slow down and either one of those scenarios is fine and you may need to carry on with conversation around like a board of governor's goal in a future meeting and that's okay too this uh solid understanding of where the district is right now is you know just critical from the foundation of your work so I want to um first of all just ask for from for some general consensus on you're feeling like Suzanne is on the right track
165with goals for this coming school year given the limited experience you've had. That's okay. Do you feel like you're do you feel like anything might be missing? Okay. Um, if you look at the monitoring schedule, we haven't had a lot of talk time to talk about it, but if you look at the monitoring schedule, let's start with are there some questions you have about it? And then I am going to ask for some general consensus around do you feel like this is the right thing and timeline for you to monitor because the way I see this is about April a lot of this is going to be your superintendent evaluation. So this you set the direction now for Suzanne's work and how you're going to monitor uh the work the work along the way. So
166what more question um do you have about kind of the monitoring schedule? >> Yes. And I heard somewhere that these would be in work sessions. Okay. I was wondering since evaluation can be an executive session, where would that fit in? If you were comfortable having all of this in public or would like to have the opportunity to go to executive session to allow, excuse me, for more frank discussion. I'm >> going to answer that a couple different ways. um the schedule that I have here and the data that is referenced here some of this is already public for example but those will be public and what isn't already public should be so having these conversations about the data I think needs to take place in a public space the evaluation and that conversation Christie has
167our board last year may want to supplement my answer that should take place an executive session where the board provides me feedback about how I'm doing for the whole year. In addition to that, if there is something that you want to talk about related to my performance, then we can call an executive session at any time and we can have that conversation. So that is an option available to you. So as progress through this monitoring schedule that if you feel like ma'am you're not defined point at which you call an executive session and we have a conversation around how to adjust force does that answer your question >> yeah I just want to make sure that I'm blundering along along this that I don't stumble into an area that might be um how else inappropriately
168discussed Oh, I see. >> So, you want I want you to be able to have the opportunity to say time out and then confer with Miss Katy or whoever and say we need to have we need to break and go to executive session or have an executive session scheduled down the line. >> I just want to make sure that I don't step on anybody's toes. >> Yeah, I appreciate that. I do think there's a difference between performance conversations in executive session and let's have some conversation around third grade reading data. The questions that the board would engage with in that conversation about how our system is working, how we're doing instruction, the fields, the monitoring tools that we use, all of that should be public. our parents and students should have access to that information.
169But if you wanted to provide me some critical feedback, that should be an executive session. Well, and I'll add that when we restructure the superintendent evaluation process last year, one of the things um that we did and it is they do sort of intertwine is the way you do the work and the work itself and then the outcomes. And so one of the ways that played out and that would be an executive session was in a narrative form of I think the board was asking we see this data we can see from these outcomes we're moving in the right direction and we heard Suzanne say earlier that's how you know if she's doing that. I personally also said I I additionally would love to get just her insight on how she approached the work and
170that fell more towards how they that that kind of went definitely into the evaluative part but it was sort of one and one and two. So, I think I I think I I see what you're saying, Pete. And I guess there's the way we've done it this last year, I felt was really great. We were able to really get into the nitty-gritty with the data. And then my that was my question though is we we didn't see that update until the evaluation process towards the end. is there room and maybe it's a piggyback um executive session with one of these for a quick executive session for like a midyear just narrative update. So that was my only question of if that might be added. Um which allows us to have that time to talk about
171those pieces. I also wonder too with new board members, it's also that midyear is kind of that practice for gearing up for that final evaluation. And you as a and collectively as a board, you can talk um performance anytime you decide. And to Christiey's point when she says um how we know if we have a superintendent that isn't doing their job. Um when you start to feel uncomfortable about something that is when you say collectively as a board we want to talk about this executive session with the superintendent. But generally, again, if you had like a midyear like January after you had your October 28th and January 27th, you had an executive session there, you'd be able to to much more openly see Suzanne's thinking, see where her leadership struggles might be, where she's not
172getting as far as she wants to get for some um reasons that she wouldn't talk about in public. And so it's a great chance to kind of hear more of the story um and helps you build trust with um your superintendent. And I'm not at all worried about your superintendent or performance, but I do think it's important as a board to ask yourselves, you know, to really continually remind yourself that you are monitoring and you are and your single most important job is to hire and effectively grow and help your superintendent thrive. So, anytime you decide, hey, we we should have a conversation in executive session, you should you should do that. But again, maybe preemptively thinking about why in January might be the right thing, >> I think. And also for new board members
173looking at this schedule, thinking you're still going to be just like, what are some of these things that are happening on this schedule? But thinking about if none of us were on this board and there was a different superintendent, does this type of structure and system lend itself to still serve kids in the same way? And does it kind of protect against people who maybe might come in with different agendas and things like that. So trying to build a system now for who's here and why, but really build a system that will continue to work despite what I'm starting to think about. >> You're in a unique opportunity of building and protecting the c the what you've created for the future. So questions. I >> I have a question. What is staffing update mean uh
174with this trend? >> Yeah, this is new. Well, we didn't do this last year. So, what I envision here is that one of my goals is to make sure that we are recruiting and retaining high quality staff. Our strategic plan talks about divers diversification of staff. And so, I think there's an opportunity to bring into the boardroom some data around what our staff composition looks like. Um maybe our relationship with the organization that can provide subs for us. They have some really good data about fill rates and quality of the subs we get. Um we can bring in some demographic data. I think again going back to overall how are we as a system progressing in some of our strategic plan goals? We want staff that reflect the community that we serve and we have
175made some progress as a district in that area over the last few years because we have a go and I think you might be interested in seeing that. Yeah, I was I was curious if if you were talking about having the layoffs staff because of lack of funding. >> Well, let's hope not, >> but that that potentially could be something that's brought to the board next year. We don't know what funding will look like beyond the fiscal year that we currently sit in. So, we're okay. We are okay for that. Professional learning event. Professional where are we looking? Excuse me. April professional learning event. Oh yeah. So we have professional learning scheduled throughout the year. And as I wrote in one of my goals, one of the things that we have to do is align
176that learning strategically to the things that we're working on. So um we'd like to bring into the boardroom some conversation around said we're going to do this thing we're doing this thing but then also and his team do a fantastic job of collecting feedback after those surveys after those events through surveys. Sometimes folks sitting in the room we collect the feedback and sometimes it's signed afterwards but we get feedback from our participants and I think that's worth bringing into the boardroom. So you have an opportunity to see from the voices of the participants. Do they think we're heading in the right direction? When Suzanne comes to you with the monitoring report, she will explicitly remind you about this conversation we've had today and say, "Remember this is part of monitoring my goals, part of the
177superintendent evaluation, because it's really easy to forget why she's that she's yes, she's bringing it to you because it's good information and is part of that strategic direction for the district. So, she may say that over and over again um because it's like I said, it's really easy to forget. And if you get through October and you are like, "Oh, I thought this was right at the time we talked in August and something isn't feeling right about this," then you just raise that to say, "Hey, we talked about the superintendent goals. This is our monitoring plan. I am not sure this is going to quite do it for me in this way. I don't know what that will be now, but yes, you want to have a clear direction for Suzanne, and you want to
178be sure to resurface if something isn't coming to you in the right way. And sometimes it's just coming to you in such a download of information that you're like, I I don't even know what to do with this. And that's okay, too. Um, but again, we want to get a plan and stick to it, but you as the board always have control of saying you need more or less in your in your monitor. If I may, what I'm ultimately trying to do here, hopefully with the board's support, is align my work with the strategic plan so that we can align our internal systems to the strategic plan and the outcomes that you've identified on the strategic plan and create vehicles through which the board has some insight, some visibility into our strategic plan work. That
179was an important piece of effort that the district undertook several years ago. Lots of people were involved in forming that strategic plan. It is a commitment made to the community that we were going to work towards those goals. So, this is my effort to bring those things into alignment. And I think it's the right work. I think improving outcomes for kids is the right work. Modernizing our human resource department is the right work. Now, on the other side of this, I'm going to be really transparent. We're making this up. So to Krispy's point, if there is something that as we go through this where you realize it's not quite working, we either call that out and put a pin in it for the next cycle or we fix it in the moment. Either one. If
180you go back to also high functioning boards, shared focus on student learning, uh use of data and accountability, um continuous learning and development and authentic community engagement, which is one of Suzanne's goals. So it fits with the what the research says about Horks as well. Okay, generally good to go. normal and if if a question pops into your head 10 minutes from now, it's okay to bring it back or a week or two from now. Okay. So, I'm going to switch us now to board goals about whatever and go back to your goals um from last year. So here here's what the board goals from last year. The board will support the work of the strategic plan by doing fall. Adopt a budget. It supports a strategic plan. Adopts outdated policies expands the district expects
181the district to apply an equity. Could see the goals there. So that's goal number one. Um, goal number two, when when possible, the board directs them to visit schools and schoolbased events or performances. And then for the three, the board will continue to advocate for adequate stable funding for K12 school list. So, I'm going to start with um our veteran board members to say what about the did you meet these goals as a board? It's okay that you didn't or did um and then did these goals were they the right goals to advance the work of the district especially around student learning. So, I'm gonna open it up to Christie and Kate for starters and then I'd love to know the new board member's thoughts after that. I think when I came on the board,
182there was a longer list of goals and in the retreat it was kind of just, yeah, these all sound good. Let's go with these again. And the last year, we said, well, we weren't really monitoring any. We didn't really have set outcomes as a board for ourselves. I mean, we didn't really even take time to reflect throughout the year on them specifically. And so, we narrowed to three because we felt like at least we could get narrow. Um, but again, they at the time and cable going back, we didn't draft goals really based on rooted on the strategic plan per se. And I think now that I'm on OSBA, I hear from a lot of boards where board members individually come in and they each have their own goal and then they battle it out
183at the retreat and they over here have I could be wrong. I'm sure you've been on Right. >> Yeah. They they over here set some board goals and then over here is your superintendent leadership team actually doing the work and city council is very similar. So I I think for goal three was the closest goal. I felt like we we actually actively started to like I said take some steps but none of that I think was because of the goals themselves or the action plan we set in place and we still didn't monitor um those are checklisty but to what end? So I wasn't even for goal two when possible because we heard a lot of staff saying in the survey they want to see board members in the classroom board members in schools and
184I would ask I asked at one meeting like but can we dig deeper why you know what is it that we need to provide to support the staff and so we just randomly were going and you know there wasn't a plan to any of it but the intent was good and I think the conversation when Suzanne came in we kind of rethought how we do all of the thinking around it and boards themselves. This is just my personal opinion. I actually don't feel like there should be board goals and I said the same thing at the city. I feel like the the board should have goals that support the work that the superintendent and team are hoping to do. And ideally those should work out to be aligned. And I'm just thinking most of my
185thinking was forward. So if again if it's not us and you do have someone at Ranch for school board and their whole mission is to you know do something in the district. We want a structure that's like does what you want to do when you come in like cage just wants reading. Well luckily reading actually does align. So that's a perfect we can fit it in. But if Kate wanted something completely off the rails like starting a whole new program somewhere and that was her thing as a board we'd be able to say actually that doesn't align with any of the work that we've all agreed to do which is anchored in the work our community wants to do. So I love the idea of maybe flipping how we think about the board not even
186calling them maybe goals. I mean it would be how we govern goals but our goals would support these goal. Maybe we just have district goals. I'll stop there. For me, that was my experience. Kate goes back farther to say how we're either set and actively pursued goals or not. Now, we knew we did that. That was a problem. And um I think what we tried to do this past year was very good. Um but I agree with Christie is we should be um supporting the the superintendent her goals and strategic plan. I don't see why we need to have specific individual as a group have goals. It did it never made sense to me but we did not in the past. A lot's happened co happened which was all >> there's a lot that happened.
187Yes. So, I think we're on the right track, but I agree with Christie. I think we should put support in the strategic plan. >> What about new board members? Your reaction to that or your questions? >> I guess my question was why were they set with how these help out? I think when we did these three, we recognized that our previous goals were kind of we weren't actively doing anything with them. So, they weren't helping us be a better board to help the district. So, then we tried to get more narrow because we thought less is more. And we knew that was the advocacy goal was something that we could activate. So that one in particular and I do think we really there is an interest in the boarding and really trying to be engaged
188in some way with that's genuine and authentic recognizing our roles of power. So I do feel like those are the things we those two and three but goal one's kind of automatically what you do as a board anyways that was kind of just >> could we could we just have one goal versus three goals and actually focus on it. We that's what you can do whatever you can you can you can also be the board that has 10 goals. I wouldn't say that's a fity but um ultimately you could have just one goal >> and I think for three I want to answer a question like the ad the advocacy goal we didn't go any further than that we never said this is what we would expect just like we're asking our superintendent where can
189where does she see that we could be and then adjust as the year goes we never said what does that advocacy look like we didn't assess halfway through to say, are we being effective about it or not? We didn't even take some ownership individually of who is going to >> do those and and again, it's not necessarily making sure we're all carrying the same load, but just acknowledging who can move whatsoess. So, or Maya, any thoughts? >> Well, I think that if we align our goals to match with um what the superintendent's goals were, it would make the most sense because in a way it's kind of what we need to get done and what the community wants to get from us as well. So these goals will kind of us apart from that and
190I think it's more important to work on helping achieve the goals and creating meaning within the board but also then help the community. >> Um I think just looking at this is very overwhelming. there's a lot of point. >> Um I I think I like almost kind of suggestion of focusing on one goal and and putting our efforts there instead of spreading ourselves then through like multiple goals and then multiple sub sections within the goal. Uh, and I do agree that it would make sense for our goals as if they were to align with the goals of the superintendent, the district, just kind of unifying that. Um, I think it would result in a more I don't know, kind of like more focused kind of like either completion or just more growth rather than just
191us being all over the place. Anything to add, Pete? >> When I see the goals, I start looking at the bulleted things. I don't know if those are off limits to me. And if they aren't, I would support uh its decisions, the last bullet on on goal one, by using data and anecdotal evidence. Um, I think sometimes when you get all the data up there, it says one thing and in order to support that on a personal level. Intellectually, we can accept the data. I think emotionally you can say, well, this is how uh little Davey Warner was impacted by this. in his third grade class. And you're able to all not only say the evidence shows this, but so does the progress that that he made. Um, number two, that was one of the
192things that I would probably do anyway. because I will go to a basketball game. I'll go to a football game at drop a van. What I need to do is also go to the music festivals and go to the plays. And someday I hope to also be able to drop in on classes in a non-threatening position if that is possible. Um, but I need to drive schedule and I need to get permission from the superintendent, from the school principal, and from the teacher, Emma Herzel. Um because when I was teaching and this isn't back in the day, you know, when I was a kid, um we saw that we saw the board once a year when they came around to give us the damn apple for Christmas. >> How do you really feel about that?
193>> Yeah, I'm sorry. It's also a line item in the budget which we didn't know for the longest time. They didn't even buy the app. Um, but I digress. And then the last one, um, it's local and it's state. We need to also focus even though it's a small portion of our overall budget the impact the um well the impact both both financial and emotional on the part of the feds is is crucial. We need to be involved in that. So those are >> the best I can do. Okay. So, uh let me take a stab at what I think I'm hearing from you and let me put it in the form of a goal. Um the Forest World School Board's goal is to um support students in their district by um supporting the work
194of the strategic plan and the student technicals period as a goal. Is that kind of what I was hearing? I mean, >> you don't need to have that implied when you're on the school board as essentially your support group. >> Well, god. >> Okay. Yes. >> I think I agree with like the yes, it's in five, but also it's kind of hard to to remember that this is the goal or this is our role. And I think it's helpful to have a reminder. We don't necessarily have to call it a goal, but like just something so that I can look back and concretely like look at it physically and be like, "This is why I'm here. This is my purpose to help me refocus." Cuz I think it's very easy. We get distracted by all
195the different things that are happening. We don't know what's going to happen and what decisions will have to be made in the future. And I think it's really helpful to just kind of help us refocus on whatever it is that we decide to be revolved or just not necessarily call it a goal. Um, and so I I think it it can be helpful to just at least for me to have something to look at and be like, "This is why I'm here. This is where I need to put my effort and not get easily distracted by a conflict that comes up and just let everything be consumed by that one thing." >> And you could have it not be a goal and just have it a series of commitment statements. That could be >> mission
196statements. >> Yeah. like you know the for school school board is committed to creating the conditions to where all students thrive. We will do this by well it's like I've done this before in my life. It's just automatic. We will do this by um supporting the superintendent goals and monitoring her goals uh throughout the school year. where we will, you know, uh, advocate legislatively both at the state and national level on issues that, you know, on behalf. So, it just could be those statements. Yes. >> And I think we could always change them. I think they can be fairly valuable and we don't necessarily have to stick to them because things can change and we should be able to adapt and kind of >> have them grow with us as we grow along. And so
197they don't have to necessarily be set in stone for the whole year. >> So what do you think? >> Yeah. >> Do they are you think you'll change them? >> No. Not at the level that they're written here today. Now what we didn't talk about is which I think some of you understand is there's 150 sub goals underneath each one of those. So there's a lot that happens to make those banks come to be, but at the level they're currently Yeah, I guess I'm I'm less sorry. So a little confused as to why we have these holes if we have these bowls. I'm I'm just a little I I mean is there like that's why I was saying is there like a specific goal that as a board member that perhaps you don't have in
198there that we can target help stuff of that in there. Um if not then yes what is the purpose of having these goals? Um I guess that's why I'm a little confused. Sorry. There's not ever on the table. >> That is that >> we probably are didn't even need to put these up. We I think we talked about let's take these off because this was an example of what we did last year. But yes, I I mean I loving like let's just we did this and what would what do you think that would look like? So let's forget we saw that. I mean I really like how you frame that there because and it's what you're saying too like what how does a board put on paper what we are trying to do which is
199who said >> can you play that recording absolutely back I just thought that was really well stated and and that's exactly why we're here having this discussion right now because it does seem like there's a shift in even how we're approaching and it's all taught how we approach the evaluation of a superintendent, how we communicate and engage with our community, how we align all those things. And so, you know, is that a whole board to to show where we can as a board support, but we also acknowledge like we each on this board have different strengths. And so knowing that one board might have a particular interest in supporting goal two for engagement because that's a big passion right now of people that have a skill in that am I again big thoughts synthesizers please
200let me >> this size I hear I hear two different things well I mostly hear consensus around I think so correct me if I'm wrong around consensus So you really probably don't need separate board goals. Your board your goals are Suzanne's goals and your job is in in your lane is to monitor Suzanne's goals and to evaluate Suzan. Yeah. Are we in are we in kind of a general agreement on that? But now I heard two different things. One is I heard Besa say, "But I feel like that needs to be written down because for you and maybe for others too, seeing it will remind you of what your charge is, right? But it doesn't have to be in a goal statement." >> Well, I I see our goal is to support this through 28,
201you know, plan and support our superintendent. And the other three goals are, you know, we elect a superintendent, we evaluate a superintendent, and we approve budgets. I mean, those are three are >> that's your function. >> That is our function. And so I would just add support the strategic plan because a lot of this information is listed on any one of these building. So um yeah, that's what I would do. >> We may ask you a question. Yeah. Would a purpose statement fulfill what we were hoping for? So instead of writing it is these are the goals. I I might be leaning too much into what you're saying. So I'm checking it sounds like you're looking for some specificity around what is the purpose of the soul? And that's why I'm asking if the purpose
202statement really fulfills that and it could capture monitoring the superintendent's goals, ensuring the strategic plan is being fulfilled and worked towards. But more broadly, why are you doing what you're doing? >> Yeah. Like I think going back to what said before I even ran for this position, I had no idea what a school were yet. I had to do my own research and and still I'm still learning as to what my role is on how to be a helpful contributing board member and work towards progress. But I I don't necessarily like I need something to to look at and I think it would be helpful for our community to also look at something just be like this is why it exists. This is why we're here. This is like we are here to help the
203school but how are we doing that? I think I think I would love just some sort of general statement or something that I can look at. Um, but that's also just me. I'm a very structured like I I like rules and I'm a rules person. >> Uh, but yeah, the general sort of statement like you could say that would be fairly helpful. I've >> heard it other places. So we hear it right now related to the board discussion but the other conversations we had is about um the community doesn't quite know what we do what our lane is. I want to be a um listener and hear things but also be able to say hey time out that's not my job. Um I want to be able to educate people in the community what what
204our role is. So, some sort of a purpose statement about the board could fulfill multiple things. It's at your course. It says here's what we're going to do. Um, and here's who here's how a board functions and you can use it in multiple areas. And it's your like your little elevator speech on here's what a board member does. And you can point to it when you get in those tricky conversations when somebody wants you to fix the bell schedule because or mow the field. Um, and you can say, "Hey, this this is this is my role as a board member, but I'll pass that on to our superintendent." >> Well, Christie, is that maybe a just a completely revamped version of working agreements? So, instead of the standard working agreements that every board just copies
205in, but a working agreements as far as like, okay, for Brucea, as a board, our working agreements are under engagement. Board members will do a few of these things and it could be modified. like oh we actually couldn't do that or we are doing that and now what do we so almost like a what we agree to as board actions that support the work that's being done here or >> I'm going to say maybe >> okay >> I'm going to suggest that step one is to solidify your purpose and your statements and then either now or a year from now you see does this help you then pull the purpose into your working agreements. I don't think I would jump and maybe Suzanne has a different opinion. I don't think I would jump that far
206that quick because some of those working agreements are super detail oriented and I see this as a higher level. But what do you think Suz can you let me know what working agreement? >> Yeah. What all I know is when I got on I got a big sheet of working agreements and talk about the let's reset as a whole. >> Oh, you will love the rules. >> 45 different like we will talk respectfully. We will show up on time. We will be prepared. So, and pretty much we just like yeah working agreements. But again, we didn't really check ourselves or hold ourselves accountable to those. But the idea that it's almost kind of a agreed upon sort of to-do list. Um, which I think I mean I'll resonate with you on the the general statement
207for me. I still would want to know like what are the names? So maybe a hybrid too, you know, and maybe >> they are a different interpretation to consider. There are a couple of documents that I'm thinking of the certain policy related to the board and conduct and behavior work. One of those is the working agreements between the board and the superintendent. From my seat, those agreements are super important. So getting back to what you said, someday it is possible that the board here isn't united and that some of the board members come in with an agenda. The the board and superintendent working agreements offer some protection to the district um in a situation like that. There's also a document that speaks to board conducted with the board or the way you behave when you're
208engaging with the district and the public and that's more wrong ethics >> which um that binder that we gave you during your orientation those documents are included in there. There is um what I think you're touching on Christie perhaps another way to go about this which is maybe a purpose statement but within that purpose statement there's some general agreements about how the board works with each other I think I heard you say and that I think spending some time in conversation around what that looks like going all the way back to the beginning where if there's a conflict and we have an agreement that within 72 hours we're going to reach out to each other and schedule a cup of coffee. If that's the agreement, that's great. But some common understanding of how works with
209each other could be really beneficial. Do I hear general consens consensus over no more goals other than the broad purpose? What do you think? That's a big that's a big just kind of doesn't mean you can't revisit it. May maybe we maybe we come forward at the next meeting with what a purpose statement looks like and an activity around how the board works together to create that. >> Sorry, the question. Yes. >> Can we add a new goal? >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Okay. You're in charge. >> Just takes three votes of your peers. >> Yeah. What the decision, even the working agreement with the superintendent, it isn't a uh iron protection of the superintendent board relationship. you get a new board and it just takes them knowing to change the working agreement
210and then approving a new working agreement for that to change. So you ultimately as a group of five have have um the power to start right now with no goals and to say hey we you know we we better get a goal around how we work together because this is not working for us um in October. Um or you get to those working agreements and a year from now you say there's a few things in these working agreements that aren't working for us. Especially with the superintendent board relationship and we want to change a few. Um that's why you put them in policy. That's why you have multiple readings. That's why you approve. So you have a lot of a lot of latitude. It's just about process. Pete, >> I look at this page, >>
211the one that says purpose, promise, and maxim. And I almost want to stick a pencil in my forehead to ease the pain of reading that. Um, there's an awful lot there. And at the same time, you get lost in the verbage. um the things that jump out at me to ensure students are equipped to be lifelong learners and then end the sentence there. Period. And possibly add another one to develop the critical skills and creativity required for success in an evolving world. And evolving with me is the key there because what we learned 20 years ago, 30 years ago, dare I say it, 50 years ago, doesn't work now. You know, nobody I think in this room really remembers how to use a slide, nor should you. Um, so things change and I I pulled
212those two statements out because I think that's what the entire page is getting at, but it takes so damn long to get there. I'll shut up. So Kate, is your suggestion then to if whatever statement is drafted, if we decide to draft a statement to get right to the point to do so with plain language, then clearly the state. >> But yeah, again, the the word that comes back to me is mission statement. And that's just one overarching principle that you have and you break it down with goals and you break down the goals and objectives and then strategies and so on and so forth as you move down the hierarchy this time around. I think the top of the pyramid is just we want kids to be able to survive in a changing world
213or to borrow a phrase from 1960s television to live long and prosper. >> Yeah. >> Well, Kate Kate mentioned that and this I did hear that ever since I got on the board is your only job is hiring. this she just said it those really are like hiring the superintendent overseeing the progress of towards a strategic plan budget >> budget rightating >> that is really the goal of this board so >> but you do those things in support of the overall mission statement >> yes >> you hire the superintendent to make sure that kids leave this school district with the skills to succeed You balance a budget with the overall desire to ensure the kids leaving this district succeed. You do all those things to ensure that kids leading this district succeed. >> But those
214things now are being done by Sam. Eileen is on top of the financial stuff. Cavan is doing all of the things. So a board and essentially we we already hired someone. So that job is done. Check. Check. Right. So now the question is okay all those things have been done and are being done. So we're basically oversight which is going to come into the meetings. So beyond that this particular board of person and I'm just riffing but this particular board of personalities and strengths what else I guess maybe that is the question. What else can this board commit to that supports all of that work? And that's where that putting goal one, we will, you know, monitor financial bailouts. I'm pretty sure Eileen is monitoring financial. The board is not doing that. So we've been
215elected officials from the community to um to look and and be the overseer as you said um even though she's doing her work. We had we had under Yvon an incompetent um individual in that position that put us in a deficit in January that we had to fire people. And so the thing is is that we are the overseers and we have to make sure that the strategic plan and the person that we hire is doing exactly what we want and we represent the community to make sure that they're not absconding with the money etc etc. So, um, it's like a check and balance situation. Um, and it's really important that we don't go over budget, can't go over budget, and it's important that we balance our budget. And it's important that we do what
216really we need to be doing is teaching the kids to read and do math. I I think sometimes we get really into too much much of this stuff, you know. I think this would like us to stick to I I like to streamline it and be really clear about what we're what we're doing, what and and I and the policies tell us what we can and cannot do, but I I think streamlining it is really important. It's the word what do you call it? Just do too worthy some of this stuff. I I will say it's awesome that you have all the systems in place and you feel confident but your job is still to rigorously oversee that because it can change. Um so and that is I mean if you think in a nutshell
217what is your biggest job that is it to rigorously oversee the superintendent the district outcomes the strategic plan implementation the budget um even if it's going incredibly well because the minute you sit back things can change. >> Well that's why we started because of the >> that could make you crazy. >> Yeah. the financial person we had >> um we were not getting monthly statements of knowing what was happening in in the um business office and that's why when you get a report a monthly report showing all the checks and then also the monthly statement that Eileen puts out because we never had that before and that way you can look line by line where are we spending our money you know and it's not like a whole half a year goes by and then
218all of a sudden the board is saying, "Oh my god, we're in the hole and in January we have to lay people off." So that's why those two things are in the packet now is so that we actually I mean you can read through and see that we're we're being accountable. We're watching what the um Eileen's terrific no issues but that is part of our job. >> Suzanne, I see you writing. Are you writing something you >> Yeah. She was drafting very well there. I can tell when Suzanne's putting this to paper. >> Yeah. I I wonder trying to figure out a path forward given everything that was put forward. I wonder if it's a statement some something to the effect of the purpose of the school board is to create the conditions for the
219district to achieve the goals of the strategic plan and service to the student learning and I'm not quite done there but there's an assumption built in here that I don't know that we've agreed to. The assumption in a statement like this is that we think the goals of the strategic plan are the goals that we should have known for. I I believe that is true given all the work that went into it. The conversation we just had about my goal to be a strategic it doesn't get into the specifics of how it just says that it's purpose of just being to do these things. So there are some flaws in this approach, but it does simplify and it does center student learn. And then well maybe there's maybe letting people sort of think about that
220statement and then think about from our own perspective. So based on that statement, what would we each individually feel like we could bring to the table to support? And what does that look like in real life? And then >> I'm not not today, but you know, and then all of us putting that on the table. You know, Pete's got federal connections. Rea and my are super passionate about engagement. you know, what would you like to see this board doing to show the community that we're also supporting that work? And there's where we get to sort of get more specific like so we could leave that room all as a board knowing we've agreed that this maybe short list or something are things that we feel like we can work together on. But I and then
221it might evolve as we have to have conversations about again the ones we assess ourselves. Are we doing that work? >> How do we do that work? Advocacy is advocacy is my thing. I'm I'm not assuming for others, but we would all bring something different. So a statement like this allows a different board to still bring their own strength forward and support in the way that they best could. It just might be a little different. And Pete, I hear what you're saying about the wordiness of the promise, the maximums, there's a lot of words on the that page. And if we were to go through a process of renewing the strategic plan, which we will do in the year and a half, I think that's the time to change what's in there. I feel strongly
222that we need to honor the work of all of the voices that informed this plan when it was originally written and not make modifications until we engage in an authentic process with the community again. But if the board feels like nope, we've got to go back and need to revise the strategic plan now, we could hear that at any time. That just doesn't fit with the timeline I was originally seeing >> because right now next year that'll be a year start. >> Yeah, this goes through 28. So the strategic plan is a year-long process that can't be done in a few weeks. So it'll take us all of the 26 27 school year to prepare what we would need to follow up with the revised strategic plan. What if for the next meeting we which
223I don't know how this fits into your board schedule for the feel it feels like we're not going to complete our work today which is great and people have taken in a lot um for next meeting what if Suzanne and I draft up a purpose statement maybe even there's some versions in a purpose statement that lists some a little bit of specificity underneath that you could look at. And we also get you the board working agreements policy and the board member conduct policy because all of that now anchors with our conversation and then we come back to have that discussion now as individual board members. What do you contribute to meeting this purpose? And we'll kind of adopt, you know, adopt the purpose statement. Does that feel like a the next good path. >> What's
224that? That's >> gets to the point you're like, I'm not sure which way to go. It's okay. >> Yeah, we can go for this. Okay. And and you can always change. Um, just in circling back a little bit to Suzanne's goals and her monitoring. So, this is taking a a right turn backwards or U-turn. Um, what would success what would make you feel really good about the work that Suzanne accomplished this year? I think this is a great way to give her some feedback about what you're looking for and also a good way to close us out for today. So, thinking back to Suzanne's goals and her monitoring, what would give you as an individual board member the sense that things were moving in the right direction? She had a handle on what's going on
225in the district. You were happy with her performance. Well, I I think the just seeing her, you know, seeing in the with Christy too with the legislative um that they um just talking in the community, parents are happy, you know, um administrators are happy. there's a real sense of trust and respect and to me trust and respect what goes down and um I just the community feels very good when I'm the superintendent but also you know I look at our construction projects it all goes together and people are very respectful and u and uh I just see this team coming together as well. So I think I think we're off to a very very good start and um I haven't heard anything negative. >> I wouldn't tell you. >> And it's both how she conducts
226herself, what she gives to you as a board and what you hear, what your survey data might say and what you witness from her. Is that >> Yeah. What else? >> Well, I think only two of us have been on >> I know but we've got newborn members like what would Yeah. >> Well, I think just so far based on ice few interactions with you. Uh you communicate effectively which I appreciate and you also allow for space for us to process what has just been said and allow us to ask questions which I really appreciate. Um, I think it can be very difficult if someone were to just give me all my information and I would just be stuck with it and left alone. Uh, so I really appreciate just offering that space and I
227can see proud community members and parents might also be really um grateful for that as well. My first time ever seeing you was during an event at Pacific University. we had a panel and the way you spoke and the way you expressed your care for the community and our school district. Um, that was kind of my first impression of you and I thought it was great. So, I just based off that next I I trust these goals and and I trust that you put a lot of love and thought into it. Uh, and so I'm very excited to >> made you want to run for the board. No, I think my arm was twisted. >> Oh, okay. >> We're glad you're here. Anyone else want to add anything? What's success look like? >> I think
228mentioned trust and I think that's been built. It feels like it's been built very quickly at least between Remy myself, but um one of the questions I asked Suzanne was we talk about this question all the time. How will we know it's working? But I asked what where does she think she can get, you know, if by by June, where does she envision based on how we can change and grow and where we are now? And so I think I have enough trust that if she can identify where she thinks she can get and modify along the way, which she does when we thought we might get here, but now this is what we need to do and explain with communication. That's part of how I feel like I will know we're being successful. Not
229if she got there, but that she can identify where we need to be. And that is a high bar. Um, and it is. So, I think that's one of one of the things that would help me know. And as far as the engagement goal, I think, and I don't know where I would say this, but we have heard I've heard nothing but just super excitement from all kinds of different people for different reasons, but it's almost always been about communication, the newsletter communication, people feeling like they're they're safe and they can that we have a plan. But I think I would like to hear now moving forward the community be able to identify what we're working on. I think it's starting to >> break through its reading. And that was one other thing for this
230board to think about after this meeting is we did kind of hyperfocus as a board at least our focus seemed to we wanted publicly to be our the reading the reading you know. So, but if if there were people in these engagement sessions that did leave with an understanding of that is specifically one of the things we're heading towards or and it might not be that I don't know what it is but people at the market being able to verbalize that they understand we have a strategic plan and we're hoping by next year this new reading program might do that. Those are the types of but I don't know how to quantify that or what but if you go you know a couple years and people are just like yeah your superintendent is great but
231they can't identify why they say that that's to me that next level and I think people already can they're listing their reasons but so I I think the strategic plan even some of the teachers strategic plan yeah also that's another issue >> it is Um, and I and this week out on both sides of my note, the strategic plan is our guiding document for district leadership. It's identified the goals that we're working towards. And I don't know that it's necessary that every teacher know what's in the strategic plan. I I'm more concerned that every teacher understands the instructional framework and how to plan for learner variability. if we could get every teacher there, just stand aside because magic will happen. Um, so I think it's a both. I think it's continuing to communicate that we
232do have a plan and we spend a lot of time on it and involve a lot of community voice and we're working it and where the rubber meets the road. We need damn good teaching to borrow an expression from Pete. Just need >> Oh, blame me. Okay. Y >> and that's where I want teachers really focused there at that heart of Suzanne right there. Yeah, I'm going to teach you. >> Well, I think one of the things I saw is that the posture in the district has changed. It hasn't it's a process again. Um, we went through a period of time where people were just bellyinking to no end about my tax dollars being spent on so on and so forth and we're not getting our money's worth because kids aren't succeeding because we're not
233yada yada yada. That conversation has changed. It's more optimistic and I think that's obviously a step in the right direction and it's the thing that is making people feel much better about this school district than they may have. And uh goes to a number of things like what Kate was talking about the financial difficulties or talking about the differences in um what the importance of reading was. We're now beginning to focus on those things. and beginning to develop a singular position instead of trying to hurt cats. And I think that that to me is a significant part. And I wish I could take some credit. I've been here for month and a half. So, I've been here for a month. >> You've worked miracles, Pete. Yeah. Okay. So, I think that Joe Mora, any thoughts?
234So, I think though that uh Christie Christie and Suzanne have some work to kind of align what we heard and come back to you with something. Um, we did have an article we didn't get to, but we can do that at at a future time. Um, if we went around the room, what was the best and the worst thing about today in less than a sentence? The best and the worst thing today in less than a sentence. >> And cabinet. Can they say >> yes? Yes. I'm going to start. >> I was going to say >> start with worst. >> Yeah. >> Gets fed. >> Oh, yeah. They get to the best and the worst. And if you can only have the best thing, that's okay. How about that? >> Are you going to call
235on people? >> I'm gonna call on people here, but I I don't want to have to start with Kevin. Like, poor Sarah, like, you know, has to new here. Let's call on her first. Uh, >> um, the best thing Oh, it's kind of hard. This is my first time, right? So, I think overall just um everybody got to share a little bit. We were all engaged. It wasn't just like, you know, some of us were quiet. I think that's a very good experience as to what kind of team we are building. >> You want to say that we're sick? >> I don't know. I don't like my dressing. >> Fair. Fair. >> That's good. Suzanne, >> I'm totally gonna steal that. Everyone's going to say that the dressing was bad. >> Actually, I was going
236to say I didn't like my cookie, but that wasn't my favorite. I ate it all anyway, but it wasn't my favorite. Um, so there's my worst. In terms of what's best, I am super appreciative that we have a group of individuals in this room here for the purpose of educating kids. I don't hear any ulterior motives, no hidden agendas. uh you everybody who's sitting around this table just wants kids to learn and with that we can do just about anything by >> um my favorite part of today was just like hearing and seeing all our different strengths and again how passionate we are about education and M's also my cookie >> I if I come back I will make cookies >> I'll make cookies >> you'll make cookies Okay. >> I just was really excited
237to um have our new people with us and hear their voices and I am so so excited that u you know with Frieza Pete and Elmo that um I think we're going to do good stuff. So um but I I'm really excited. you know, you sort of worry, you know, you see the national and the different school boards, but um I I'm really excited. I think >> um I think the best part was just getting to hear different perspectives and seeing that we all ultimately have the same goal and have different ways of getting there. And I like I really liked paper. That was really nice. Um, >> well, that was a good cross. We'll see. But I I think it's a good show of just how willing we are to to move forward and
238to how willing we are to be adaptable and and make change. And I'm excited for what the future is going to look like and having these fun conversations. Uh, the worst part, I'm tired of sitting. >> I know. It's true. It's true. And it's a lot of information, too. Yeah. I think the best part was when Kate referred to me as a new person. Did >> you say you're an old? >> Yeah. Well, I'm I'm No, I won't go there. No, I think just the opportunity to put faces to names, to listen to those ideas in a non-threatening area, be able to express those ideas in a non-threatening area. Uh, the worst thing. Um, the lunch was very good, but I would have enjoyed it even more if it had been somebody local >> to
239support the community. >> Christie, >> um, just hands down the three new board member voices in the room. I cannot I mean my joy and just like I told Maya well Maya also but Maya isn't new to me because I've known her but already what's been put into the room by those four new players has just like just is so I'm it's such a relief and it's so appreciated and it's it's just fantastic. Um and the worst for me is just that we don't we can't have an extra day of the week so we could just continue this conversation because I do think it's as soon as the school year gets going, it is so much more difficult to really have quality conversations. And when we do that, we can already see um what could
240have come from it. So, more time would be nice. >> Okay. Cabinet, I'm just going to have you do the best, but won't make you say the worst thing. David, >> um just like I mean, in order to progress, you have to start from the beginning. So, it was a good time to be together to lay a foundation for that part of the board. >> Opportunity to listen. I appreciate that. And I got the chance to know get to know Thea a little bit during lunch. I'm going to say the worst part was my sniffer snicker doodle. >> It wasn't great. >> Snicker sniffer. I think the best uh part for me was um just getting to meet everybody for the first many many people in the room for the first time and um just
241getting some insight and whatever um what you're bringing as individuals um to strengthen our districts. So appreciate that. Um, I think the best part was it after listening to the conversation and everybody's perspective, it feels like everybody's coming to the table with the heart of students um at the forefront of their minds and that's really important. That's why we're all here. So, and if I can just share the worst, it's that the chair is too tall and my legs are too short to fill. >> Sitting too, but >> I didn't have to sit down. My legs. Bethany, anything to add? >> Um, it's been really great to get to know everyone over the last month or so and yeah, appreciate you all being here. Thank you. >> The best part for me is working with
242what I see as a group on the way to being a high functioning board. Like that dedication to students. I mean, Suzanne and I were talking and she's like, I feel like I just have the best world because you can do the hard work if you have really good people that you stand in it with. So, we will figure out next steps. We'll figure out if I do or don't have a part in those next steps. And um either Suzanne or Christy will circle back around to you with where we where we landed. Okay. Thank you. Now you can get up and move. >> Thank you. >> It was very fun day. >> Can I say one more one more thing we need to do that this might be your new worst part. We need
243to take photos of all the >> Well, before the photos, we do need to officially adjourn and I have one more quick thing. Okay. Right. >> Okay. But Christy, thank you because Christy has been doing this work and a lot of the work with Suzanne up until now. I think you met the moment with this group of personalities and I will continue to have conversations. Um before we do adjourn, I'd like to remind everyone that the August 26th board meeting is cancelled that is already listed on the website, but we encourage everyone and everyone listening to join us for the Cornelius ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration from 4 to 6 on the 26th. So, um, and with that, I will adjourn this meeting and hand it over to Dave Warner at 1:57 a.m. >>
244All right, David Warner, it's all you. >> Well, everyone can get out and mill around. I just got to close everything down, but just do not move without getting help.