001Okay. How's everybody tonight? Thank you for coming. Up first on our agenda, we have the excuse me, the approval of the executive session minutes. >> I'm sorry, >> closing ceiling. Closing and sealing of the executive session minutes. Apologies. >> I recommend >> Go ahead. >> I recommend closing and sealing the minutes of tonight's executive session as they pertain to the following. The acquisition of real property for public purposes wherein advanced public information would be detrimental to public interest. Matters which relate to the privacy of students and their records. Discussion of the job performance, character or physical or mental health of a person or persons. And sessions pertaining to collective bargaining or litigation or work sessions pertaining to collective bargaining or litigation. So moved. >> All in favor? Unanimous. Thank you. Okay. Next up is the
002disclosure of the executive session votes and I will go ahead and report out on that. There were five votes taken in executive session tonight. Member Pulat was not there for executive session. All other members were present. The first vote that was taken was the approval of the executive session minutes from April 14th. There were two abstensions from member Eaves and member Callahan. The second vote that was taken was the home instruction request that was unanimous. The third vote that was taken was the home instruction reinstatements. That was also unanimous. The fourth vote that was taken was the pre-eprivation hearings, suspension of teacher contracts due to budget cuts and lack of enrollment. That was we had 10 in favor and one opposed. The one opposed was member Hopkins. And the fifth vote taken in executive session
003was to reconvene back to public session and that was unanimous. Okay. And moving on to the next item is the reorganization of the committee. >> Yes. >> Make a motion. >> Okay. Diane, >> I'd like to nominate Karen Reynolds with the position of chair. >> Second. >> Okay. Um, at this time, I'm going to decline that. Thank you. >> Okay. I would like to make a motion >> here. If he'll accept, I'd like to nominate Brian Callahan as chair. >> Second. >> Okay. All in favor? You got those votes? >> I believe it's Mr. Low. >> Thank you, Mr. Low. >> I'm sorry. >> Thank you. Okay, great. All right. Next up on the agenda, we have recognition. Superintendent Bicard. >> So, first recognition tonight is our um high school civics engagement students. I if
004uh you were here last time during superintendent reports, we shared uh the amazing opportunities that our students have had who involved in our civics engagement, which is a two-day event. The first day um they had Secretary of State Gregor Mor who was their keynote speaker selected by them who uh really did a nice job on our 250th anniversary of America. Gave the students a wonderful presentation and really um talked with them about the civic responsibility and really you know um how to put that your community service back into your own um community. And this year the students u representative Megan Carter was uh very kind. She has a citation that she had from the state house and I will read off the names and if you are here please come and gather for your certificates.
005They've all done their photos at the state house but this was the one thing we left without so we're going to do that tonight. Sophia Abuzi, [applause] Ezri Actton. I saw Ezrey, so I know she's And we also, this is a very um You're going to have Miss Hall is going to give you the red rooster pin. They're very, very, very valuable. They don't give them out anymore, but we were lucky enough to get them from Carter, so we thank her for those, too. >> Nice. >> Oh, Ezrey, don't forget your Ezra is also going to be the chair of the superintendent panel next year. >> Excellent. Anita Brown, Margaret Bryson. Margaret was the star of our show, Anastasia. If you got to see it this weekend, amazing job. >> Watch out, Broadway. Here she
006comes. Chloe Burns, Ryland Catalin. Oh, there she is. And don't forget your pin from Mrs. Hall and Mr. Whitaker, our two advisers for civics engagement. Aiden Kan, Carly Dvau, Abigail Foron, [applause] Adam Fermanick, [applause] Charlotte Juicy, I saw another anesthesia uh in play, a very versatile another one of the juniors on the superintendent's panel. >> Annabella Ganello, [applause] Anthony Bubliano, Maline Ham, Ella Hawksy, Haley Johnson. We know her mom. We'll make sure she gets it. Laney Marcel, Josie Masten, Emma Mallister. Full disclosure, Emma is one of our student ambassadors along with Ryan Sheldon. Is Ryan here? Um, who are our student ambassadors. They go to the state house. They they learn how to write legislation, lobby for legislation, and they are going to change the world. All these kids someday. there. I'm very proud. Cassidy
007Petro Cassidy Petrogello. Nicholas Cartella. I did not see Nick because Nick would have said hello already. So, Elizabeth Wakowski. There's so many things that Ellie does that she's going to share with us when she gets back up for the presentation. Abigail Seager, Ryan Sheldon, I think Ryan's at the state house, Casem Shalle, [applause] Mort Drama, Holly Shalle, another one drama, Austin Yuri, Cassidy Weber, and McKenna. Oh, there you are. You were hiding back there. Don't get your pants with Miss Hall and McKenna Workman. [applause] Next, we have um recognitions for our Charo High School play, Anastasia. And if you didn't get to see it, you missed a spectacular performance. Congratulations to the entire cast, crew, and directors of the Charo musical theater performance of Anastasia, which occurred this past weekend on May 9th and 10th.
008The story followed a young woman traveling from Russia to Paris in search of her identity. It featured music by Steven Flareity, lyrics by Lynn Arens, and a book by Terrence McN. According to our district humanity specialist Dana Hall, the additions included a full pit orchestra along with historically informed costumeuming compliments I believe of Nancy Perie uh and visual design elements. The artistic director has provided both cast and stage crew with expanded opportunities for sorry I got disrupted authentic >> for authentic performance experiences. Artistic director Rebecca Burns noted that the production's musically complex score presented a meaningful challenge for student performers, requiring both technical precision and expressive storytelling. Miss Hall also offered words of praise and exuded her cherho pride and gratitude for all the cast and crew members as they gave outstanding performances. She stated,
009"Many of these kids have never even had one dance lesson, yet they managed to master a Russian waltz. They are simply amazing and this play is a compar is comparable to seeing a play at Trinity or I would say Broadway. Congratulations. [applause] Can't wait to see what you perform next year. Our library media specialist at the middle school, Olivia McCulla, was awarded the 2026 School Librarians of Rhode Island mini grant award for her proposed Indigenous Regions and Tribes collections update. The SLRI mini grant was awarded to the member librarian to make possible a future project that seeks to support student learning to improve a school library collection and program and enhance the library in our subject area curriculum. Miss McCulla's mini grant proposal was to modernize the library's collection about indigenous regions and tribes to
010support the fifth grade social studies curriculum. Her project focuses on essential inquiry into how indigenous tribes across North America adapted to their environments for food, clothing, and shelter. And the SLRI grant would fund the purchase of 12 new titles from permabound covering specific tribes including I'm going to try my best. The Comanche, the Inuit, and the Iquay with publication dates ranging from 2018 to 2026. The updated collection is scheduled for implementation in October 2026, ensuring students have access to accurate, engaging information for their research projects. Thank you, Miss McCulla. [applause] >> STEM teacher Aaron Rooney, and unified arts contest content leader Michelle Britain were awarded a Burns and McDonald's STEM grant. At $5,000, the grant will fund an update to the STEM classrooms at Teraho Middle School, including a brand new sink, which will benefit
011hydroponics. [applause] Um, okay. Next, we have Cher Middle School Science Olympiad winners. We And they have citations. First we have Felix Danq's gold medal buma lever. [applause] My science Olympia. When you get your certificate, do me a favor. You're going to line up right at the end. You're going to go right around so we can take a photo. Okay. Right over there. >> Hold up that Eric Cairo. Science Olympiad. Gold and bum lover. You're welcome. Ava Betron Bertron science olympiadi bronze medal in anatomy [applause] mcccoall bronze medal in anatomy and crime busters silver in hovercraft gold helicopter and scrambler seventh [applause] Brandon Paserati fourth in dynamic planet seventh in disease detectives bronze and crime busters and scrambler seventh >> [applause] >> Ian Sylvia, Science Olympiad, bronze in machines. [applause] Jacob Story, Science Olympiad, bronze and
012machines. Good job, Jacob. >> Anderson Lynch, Science Olympiad, silver in Code Busters, ninth in Circuit Lab, and gold in Mission Possible. >> [applause] >> Landon Perott, Science Olympiad, Golden and Mission Possible, Silver in Code Busters, and fourth in solar system. Owen Leget, Science Olympiad, Sylvia and Code, Silver and Code Busters. [applause] Good job, Owen. Jasper Doll, Science Olympiad. Sixth in meteorology, fourth in rocks and minerals, and fifth in water quality. Good job, Jasper. Ross Stoer, Science Olympiad, fifth in etmology, fourth in rocks and minerals, and fifth in remote sensing. [applause] Lewis Dan Hughes, Science Olympiad, silver and hovercraft, gold helicopter, fourth in solar system. [applause] Good job, Kinsley Cook, Science Olympiad. Seventh in Write It, Do It. Seventh in Disease Detectives. [applause] And last but not least, Elena Freel, Science Olympiad, seventh in Write It
013to Do It and fourth in Dynamic Planet. [applause] Is Miss Ripple here? I know she's been ill. No. Okay, we're going to we're going to take a photo for the annual report. Nice smile. I'm very cheesy. Hold on. Miss Brandon wants one. You got to do it for the principal. >> They're afraid I'm not going to share. [laughter] >> Miss Brandon Mimi want >> it. Whoever gets the best one, let let me have that one. >> Our next award, well, our next recognition is for Richmond Elementary School. We are proudly recognizing the Richmond Elementary School Kindness Club students for making Hasbro Kindness Kits. A new story featuring Richmond Elementary students will air on Thursday, June 4th at 5:00 p.m. The Richmond Elementary School Kindness Club students made bracelets to send along to children who are
014in Hasbro Hospital, hoping to make them smile during a difficult time. We are all very proud of their efforts and enthusiasm. Uh, thank you, Superintendent Bicard. Uh, and thank you all students. Great job. Fantastic. Um, you are more than welcome to stay for the rest of this evening. But I also know that you're most likely going to want to leave. So, I would take a motion for a fivem minute recess so that we can let >> So, move second. Those in favor? >> Okay. >> We'll be back in five minutes. my if my um theater performance from Anastasia here, I'd love a picture over here for you guys, too. All right. If the committee members can take their seats, please. We are >> louder. [cough] [clears throat] Okay, next up on our agenda is public
015forum. Now, we've got a number of people who signed in. Um, Don and Jester, did I get that right? U, both of your subjects are cuts to programs. I'm assuming that they're refer referring to the um business section E, which is the non renewal. Is that correct? And if so, I would like to um move your public forum time to that section. >> Okay, perfect. I'll call on you when that when we come up to that. Thank you. >> Okay. And you're okay moving that? Thank you. Now, we had one other person, uh Stephanie Pankos. >> What? Oh, it's a D. Sorry, Dan. Dan Cause, sorry. Floor is yours. >> Thank you. Um, Stephanie Dancaus. I'm a resident of Charles Town. Um, first I'd like to thank really the school committee, the administrators, and the
016staff for recognizing the hard work of the science olympiad team here today. Um, I have two children on the team and I also helped Miss Whipple um, prepare the students for the competition. Um so I wanted to speak today just a little bit about the team and the impact that Miss Whipple has had. Um the team really does exist and perform at the high level it does due to the dedic dedication and um the dedication of just one individual and that one individual is Miss Trish Trisha Whipple who isn't able to be here today but um Miss Whipple has created a space for these kids to learn to experiment to develop as scientists and engineers. Um this is was a space that was lacking in the school and I think a lot of these children
017didn't have another outlet and they found this science olympia team. Um their season is long. It starts in September. It runs through April. Uh Miss Work Miss Whipple works with the students three days a week after school and also for four to six hours on Sundays to prepare them for their tournaments. Their first tournament is in December at Brown, their second in February at Harvard. At these meets, the students compete against the best in the nation. And that's not hyperbole. These students come from New Mexico, from Florida, from Texas. These are national winners. They come from private schools. They come from charter schools. They come from science magnet schools. And Miss Whipple has prepared our students to compete alongside them to be inspired by the undergraduate students who run these programs. um they aim really
018high and they sometimes achieve at these competitions, but they're often outperformed just because the schools are um were so obviously outresourced by these schools. Um but they do come back stronger, maybe a little discouraged, but they come back and they fight and they work harder. And that's all because of Miss Wipple. She coaches them on topics ranging from chemistry to aeronautics, geology to heredity. um she helps them grasp concepts that are taught in AP courses or college courses at the middle school. These are middle school students and I know this because I teach um medicinal chemistry to college students and many of the concepts I cover are the same that these students are learning um to compete at this level. Miss Whipple spends the offseason writing grants to supply to buy supplies for the teams.
019She's very successful in this endeavor and her funding covers all of the team's resources. However, I feel that she gets very little support from the school. Um, she gives so much to our students and she does it all on a stipen that's equivalent to that of a coach for one sports season. Even though she works the equivalent with this team of three consecutive sports seasons from nine months, April, I'm sorry, from September to April. um she has been denied access to the STEM rooms, the very rooms that have the equipment that these students need to build the projects. So they compete against these highle schools. Um so she's not allowed to access those tools or equipments with these students. Um despite this, you heard today of all that she accomplished, the several gold medals, the
020several silver medals, the several bronze medals. Um these students that she is teaching, they're award-winning. They meddle at Ivy League competitions and most importantly they're really thriving students. Um they exemplify problem solving, critical thinking, innovation, teamwork, all learning qualities that this district prioritizes. Imagine what she could do with just a little bit support and access to some of these resources that the school already has. Um most impressingly, Miss Whipple has inspired some young leaders. Um three of those leaders are Ava, Harper, and Louie. All ninth graders. They've aged out of the middle school team, but they had planned, organized, and advocated for a high school team. They started this process in October, writing very professional emails to the high school administrators asking to form a student led team. Their emails went unanswered. They turned to
021the STEM director who loved the idea, and they needed to find an adviser. Um, that has been quite troublesome um trying to find that adviser for these students. Still, they're undeterred. They organized a science olympiad section at artisy. They de to demonstrate some of the events. They generated much excitement and received very high accolades for their little booth at science at arty. Um, so even within our state, our team is greatly unsupported and underresourced when compared to the other Rhode Island public schools and simply providing a stair a fair stipend for Miss Whipple and giving them access to the infra existing infrastructure would make a huge impact and I think it's time that we live up to the district's mission of all kids all the time and really start supporting these STEM kids that find
022a home in this program. So, thank you. Thank you very much. >> Uh, was there anyone else for public forum? I'm calling that. We're going to get to that one. We're going to push that, too. Thank you. Okay, public forum is closed. We're going to move on to business. First up is a presentation of the strategic plan vision 2029. >> Okay. So before we begin, I just want to briefly explain why this plan matters and why we're bringing it forward tonight. Rhode Island law requires every school district to have a strategic plan and to update it at least every 3 years. That requirement comes from the Rhode Island Education Accountability Act. The purpose is to make sure every district is clear about its goals, how it supports students, how it will measure progress, and how
023families and the community can understand the work for Cher. This plan is more than a state requirement. Vision 2029 is our roadmap for the next three years. This work has been ongoing and last spring we presented an update on the progress we made through vision 2026. We are extremely proud of the work that our students have done, our teachers, and our staff. As a district, we continue to strengthen this work every year. What is being presented tonight reflects the work of our school improvement teams across the district. There have been countless hours of thoughtful planning, discussion, review, and collaboration behind this plan. We are deeply grateful for the input of our students, families, community members, educators, support staff, and administrators and have been recognized by Ride for the amount of people involved in our strategic
024plan. what is being presented also is uh we are deeply grateful that the voices help us improve every year our students I think I've said this a lot ever um sad when I walk into a classroom and see kids because I know that the future is bright and if we just sometimes just stop and listen they're going to tell us what they need and if only I could do it all their voices help us improve every year and they ensure this plan reflects their needs and the strengths of Charo vision 2029 keeps is focused on what matters most. Strong teaching and learning, timely support for students, student belonging, family communication, and making sure every student is prepared for their future. This plan is submitted to the Rhode Island Department of Education by June 1st. But
025before that happens, it is important that our students, families, staff, and community have an opportunity to hear it, understand it, and see how their voices are reflected in this work. And now, I would like to bring to the podium um let's see, I think actually I'm going to stop at Mr. Mr. Scampo, if you could come to the podium to be ready and I will begin. We have a lot of presenters tonight. You're going to see some of our students and our teachers and our admins. Okay, I'm just going to start. The most important thing is this plan is not about starting again. It's about progress. Vision 2026 helped us focus our work, strengthen our systems, and make measurable gains for students. As that plan sunsets, vision 2029 gives us our next clear roadmap. The
026most important thing I want to emphasize tonight is that this is not just a document. It's a commitment. We are committed to excellent learning, strong teaching, student support, and meaningful family and community partnerships. And if you recall, that's how we started the budget presentation, um, vision 2029, so that we could plan thoughtfully. Today, tonight you will not only hear from me, you will hear from the people who make this work real every single day. Our administrators, our educators, and our students. They will help bring each priority area to life through real Charo examples. At its heart, vision 2029 is about one simple belief. When we align our systems, support for educators, and we listen to our students, and partner with our families, every child benefits. I would now like to introduce Dr. Michael Cameller, our
027assistant superintendent, who will begin with the foundation of the plan, our mission and vision. >> Our mission answers why we exist. Our mission answers the question of what we're working toward. Cheraho's mission is grounded in high academic standards, lifelong learning, and productive global citizenship. Our vision reminds us that the district should be recognized by the community as one of its greatest assets. That matters because a strategic plan is not a set of goals. It's a promise about what we want students to experience every day. When students enter a Cheraho classroom, they should experience strong instruction, meaningful relationships, high expectations, and the support they need to grow. When families interact with schools, they should feel informed, respected, and connected. When educators come to work, they should feel supported by clear systems, useful data, and shared goals.
028This is the bridge between mission and vision. Vision 2029 tells us how we will move from what we believe to what students actually experience. I would now like to invite our director of multi-tered systems of support and success, Mr. Jeffrey Scannipo, who will present priority area one, excellence in learning. Good evening everybody. Priority area one focuses on excellence in learning. This includes our continued work with a coherent multi-tered system of supports as well as measurable growth in English language arts, mathematics, and science. MTSS is not a program. It is how we organize support so all students receive what they need in a timely way. It helps us review our data, identify strengths, address needs, and ensure students are not waiting too long for help. In MTSS, all students have equitable access to strong, effective core
029instruction through highquality instructional materials and universally designed and differentiated tier one practices. A real charo example is our school-based tier 1 team's work. These teams review academic attendance, behavior, and wellness data to ask the important questions. What is working for most students? Where do we need to strengthen our core instruction? And which students may need something different or more targeted? So now at this time, I would like to invite Sharon Martin, the principal of Richmond Elementary School to highlight what this looks like at our schools as she has been a strong leader for our district and for Richmond. So please welcome Miss Sharon Martin. Hi everyone. I'm Sharon Martin, principal of Richmond Elementary School and I'm happy to talk a little bit about what MTSS looks like in our schools. So, when this was first
030rolled out as a concept um like a couple summers ago, as I learned more and more about it, I thought, we have to do this. This is for kids. This this makes sense. And so right away we jumped right on board with working very closely with Carrie Pastori and the other members of the MTSS committee who were doing a lot of research at RIDE. And sometimes when you're the first one to do something, it allows you to make mistakes and and process and build ideas. And over the course of the last two years, we've established really strong systems that are focused on children. And it starts at the top, just like Jeff was saying, at a very high level. We look at our buildingwide data. teachers on a tier one team representing not only classrooms,
031special education, u mental health people and um other administrators in the building. We have an opportunity to look at the overall success of our students knowing that our goal is at least 80% of our students should be proficient in the areas of math and reading and other areas that we look at like attendance and social emotional learning and growth. when we look at those goals and if we're not at that 80% then we need to design something called a smart goal something that we can measure something that we can strive to as a building. We've done that for the last two years and we focused primarily on reading. We've also focused on schoolwide attendance. From there we design a goal that can be measured and monitored over the course of the school year and that
032allows teacher teams to be visiting classrooms looking for those goals. So for us at Richmond, we decided we really wanted to strengthen how we differentiate and support students in reading, but really across content areas, including social emotional growth and development. So when teachers are walking in classrooms doing something called a learning walk, they have a set of criteria that they can look for and provide feedback, actionable feedback to their colleagues. There is nothing better than having a teacher-led team give feedback to their colleagues and took some time. In the beginning, myself and other administrators would facilitate those walks and by the u middle of this school year those monthly walks were totally teacher-led using a set of shared look fors and they provided the feedback to their colleagues which is that's the way it's supposed
033to be. That's how you are forever learning and growing culture, learning from one another and supporting one another to do better for our kids. From there, we also developed a tier 2 system along with the guidance from RIDE where we looked once again at data to make decisions about what students need. We have a platform called branching minds that has transformed this whole process. It streamline it. We have protocols that allow us to meet in a much shorter amount of time, meaning less impact for teachers outside of classrooms and much more focused and targeted support for kids in the classroom from their classroom teachers. Tier 2 is essentially an extension of the curriculum. So, it's more of what they need. And then finally, for the students who have the most needs, making sure that those
034students that we typically call tier three are getting really um in really intentional targeted support from a team that's has the opportunity to meet regularly to make sure that their services and support are coherent. So when you have a reading specialist and a math specialist and a mental health provider and a special educator all working together to support the learning of one student, those conversations are critical. And I am crazy proud of Richmond School to the point where other schools both in our district and outside of the district have asked what how is it working? How what are you doing? Um and it took a lot of like I said at the beginning trial and error, but we're in a place now where our systems are are very well established. They are teacher run. Teachers
035have stepped up to take a leadership role to support the needs of students and I invite you all to come see it. I'm crazy proud of the Richmond staff and I'm more than willing um to continue to work throughout the district to help us all get to that place because it's exciting and it's all kids all the time. So, at this time I do not have my glasses. >> You want me to do it? >> No, I'm gonna just go like this. [laughter] At this time, I would like I'm just going to wing it. I'm going to introduce Lori Jigliotti. Lori Digliotti is a special education teacher. She's a former lead teacher of mine, and she has been essential. When when you roll out a new and robust um initiative like MTSS, you need teacher
036leaders. You need people to start to build the why this works. and Lori has been exceptionally critical to the tier 2 process which I would say my experience and she might agree was one of the hardest lifts for us because it was the biggest shift for us. So um Lori can talk a little bit about the MTSS initiative around tier one and then also maybe just a little bit if she can about using data to drive decisions at tier 2. >> Sound good? >> Sounds good. >> Okay, sounds great. I'll take that away. Okay. Um so I'm Laura Jigliotti. Um from the classroom perspective, this is a priority is um about strong tier one instruction. It means planning lessons that are aligned to the standards but also responsive to the students in front of us.
037So for example, in reading and math, science or social studies lessons, students may be working towards the same standard but may need different entry points or levels of practice or ways to show their understanding. This is not lowering the expectation. It's meeting where the child is at. So we look at quantity over quality. We look at um helping that student where they are at that moment. Um this is also where students voice matters. So when the students can explain what they're learning, why it matters, what supports help them. So it's nice when you go on the learning walks and you ask the students, you know, like what why did you get your answer? How did you get your answer? And they're able to explain and we look at all different levels. And it's nice when
038you walk into the classroom and not everyone would know this, but there's like four or five students that have had accommodations made right there on the spot that not everyone knows. Um, as far as the MTSS tier 2, being on the team um has been a great experience for myself. It really helps working with the team of um math specialists, reading specialists, the school psychologists and we look at the student, we look at their data, but as a special perspective, I look at testing that they have done, whether it would be educational testing or the psychological testing and we look at that and we say, you know, a student's working memory can affect how they're learning. So, we take a look at that and we may, you know, they may need more support in certain
039areas. they may need more support with their math. They may need more support with their reading. So, it's nice to like look at all that and we and also as a special ed teacher, it's been nice to be able to go into the classrooms and work because you get to know not just the students you work with, but all the students that are in there. So, when we're at these meetings, there are students that are not necessarily on my case load, but they're in the classrooms that I've worked in. So I can say like, hey, you know, I've seen Johnny in class and he does require X, Y, and Z. So let's give him that support. Um, and now I would like to invite um Ezra Actton, a Charero High School junior, who will highlight
040what this looks like for our students. Hello. One way I've seen this implemented into the classroom is with the implementation of a variety of teaching methods. Whether that means working in a group, practicing independently, or doing a whole class review before a final assessment. A specific example of this differentiated learning I experienced was in my college business class. Each group was given a chapter of our curriculum to become an expert on before teaching it to our peers. What helps it most is when teachers are familiar with our needs and learning styles, meaning they can easily pick up on when we are struggling in order to give us the proper support we need. It takes the pressure off of immediate understanding and refocuses it back to growth. I would now like to invite Dr. Mary Harrington,
041the assistant special education director, who will present priority area 2, educator capacity and continuous improvement. >> Thank you, Ezri. The multi-tered system of support is the core of our data driven practices and starts with the highest quality curriculum but also includes professional development for general and special educators to better use our systems to provide early evidence-based interventions with fidelity to reduce and in some cases even prevent the need for special education referrals. Our MTSS framework is the heart of excellence in learning. We are setting high expectations while building the systems that help students meet them. Student achievement depends on strong adult learning, common expectations, meaningful collaboration, and instructional leadership. Priority area two aligns with our focus on world-class talent, educator capacity, and continuous improvement. This is essential because student achievement grows when adult learning is
042strong, focused, and connected to classroom practice. Vision 2029 asks us to strengthen highquality tier one instruction, support differentiated learning environments, and build routines for collaborative inquiry. That means educators and leaders are not working in isolation. They are looking at evidence together, discussing student work, reviewing data, and identifying the next best instructional move. Personally participating and in the development and implementation of the Cheraho MTSS system across tier 1, tier 2, and tier three supports has been especially rewarding, particularly as student growth and progress becomes clearly evident. Equally meaningful has been the opportunity to collaborate onetoone with every single special education resource teacher from K to grade 12 through individualized student case conferences. Throughout the year, I partnered with certified staff to conduct in-depth reviews of student present levels of performance using multiple measures, including universal assessments,
043progress monitoring data, and formal evaluations. These conversations allowed us to draw upon and build the expertise of our educators to ensure students are receiving appropriate support within the least restrictive environment across the continuum of support that Cheraho provides. This collaborative process also strengthened our ability to align district resources strategically to maximize student growth and achievement. Some of the most meaningful moments came from deeply examining students strengths, needs, and learning profiles while identifying opportunities to strengthen programming and supports. My most rewarding outcome has been seeing students succeed and thrive in learning environments where some may not have previously believed it was possible. I'd like to now invite our special education director, Jennifer Durkin, to speak. I do need my glasses. Sorry. [laughter] So, just to extend a little bit about what Mary just shared. Um, a
044real example of this is the way teachers um our teachers use common planning time um inform and receive feedback from their uh school improvement teams, their curriculum work, the data review meetings that Mary just shared. Um, and those are all to improve instruction. [clears throat] This work is not compliance. It's about being it's about clarity to make sure we're all on the same page. It also provides educators um the opportunity to ask questions. What are students learning? What are they struggling with? What adjustments can we make? Um that's when improvement becomes a part of the culture in the teams with the general education special ed and the special um specialists. So, we're all working together. This also connects directly to our work about inclusive and learning environments for all our kids. Inclusive means students have
045as much access as possible to what they need within the learning environment. It means we design classrooms, classroom lists, routines, supports so students can participate in their learning environment, can regulate themselves, can communicate their needs and learn without always needing to leave the room if necessary. I know many of the administrators here that are here um and the staff um have always heard, you know, have heard me say this multiple times. All students are general education students. Special education is a service to students with special needs. It's not a place, it's a service. Okay. At this point, I would um love to introduce um Mrs. Cheryl Lighz who is our 2025 um teacher of the year. She is also a special educator at the high school and works with our postgraduate students and she and
046she's with Miss Mimi Cole. [laughter] Come along Miss Mimi. >> Good evening. I'm Cheryl Lighitz. This is one of our postgrad students, Miss Mimi Cole. um for our students. This priority also means building the capacity of all of our educators and staff with both support and accountability to ensure all students have access to opportunities to learn along their grade level peers. And in our program, we take our students out to the community. We go 5 days a week. When we started the Cheroo Transition Academy, we launched it two years ago. Mimi was one of our founding postgrads. We had 12 goals. I'm standing here with Mimi today. so proud to tell you that we have achieved all 12 of those goals and so much more. It is so so so much more. Um, and I'm
047just going to highlight a few of the things that your Cherokee postgrads have done and achieved. practicing self- advoc advocacy and self-determination skills, increasing their social, emotional, and communication skills across all environments. We are stopped now that we're in year two, we are stopped by pe people in places we are at year one saying, "I cannot believe the growth your Cherokee postgrads have. It's noticeable. It's it's it's out there." Increased independence. We have worked several job sites at Urri. They are working right alongside their age appropriate peers. We work in the dining halls. We work in the athletic department. We walk around campus. We go to job fairs. They are we are all with our age appropriate peers. We've made connections in the Ramston when we eat lunch with some students. We have a group
048that comes and has lunch with us now that we've met through that. They've also developed very very strong vocational skills which oddly was the goal one of the main goals of this program but the fact that their independence and their social emotional growth is so much more it's the vocational is just basically secondary to that. Um we recently had Mimi's uh IEP meeting this year and we had one of the uh headlies of BHDH which is the state department and she shared with me she said you and Mrs. Durkin created the best transition program in the state. Other schools should model after you. We're only in year two. So basically when leaders, teachers, specialists, and support staff are working from the same framework, students experience greater consistently consistency across classrooms and out in their environment.
049Priority area two, focus on young adults in the system learning together so the students benefit from stronger and more consistent instruction. And as I've done this for a couple years now, we also go to the middle school and we work with the middle school students. We go to the elementary school. We've done some activities at Richmond with Mrs. Martin. So it's a trickle down effect. The earlier we start this, the better our results are going to be. We are in a great place in our state right now. Thank you, Mr. Zen, for putting up with my crazy for many years. [laughter] I would now like to introduce Jerry Off, who is the principal and CTC director at Cher High School. >> Good evening everyone. Thanks for having me. Uh, as Cheryl mentioned, my name is
050Jerry Oth. I'm your career and tech director and your interim principal. Um, we have a little saying at the high school career and tech. There's only two types of days at Cheroo High School. Uh good days and great days. And the point of that being is we want you there. We want the uh we want to focus on attendance. We want to make sure the kids uh show up every day. Attendance attendance and graduation rates are more than just numbers. They reflect whether students feel connected, supported, and engaged in our school. Uh showing up is half the battle. I kind of feel like I'm a little bit of an example of living proof to this. Um whether I feel good, I feel bad, um show up to school. We try to reflect that in our
051students. Show up early, show up often. Um at Cherho, we try to identify attendance concerns with students. Uh we partner with families and we help students build strong connections to the school. through my uh lens uh through my career in tech lens. Uh I have the fortunate uh opportunity to connect with our business partners. Um over the past 15 years as a career and tech director in the state, I've had many opportunities to work with the local business community. Um and we hear their concerns about uh attendance uh and workplace readiness skills. And that kind of hit home with me as a career and tech director. um brought that mindset to the high school about um our attendance and how important it is. Uh most people will earn future employment opportunities because of the reputation
052uh of their current role whether it's at school or their current job performance and at school is where we establish those habits. So, we want the our students to learn that they're building a strong foundation through attendance. Uh, and we want to focus on attendance to make sure that they're in school every day ready to learn. Um, also creating positive school experiences matter matters for kids. Uh, we want them involved in activities. They're more likely to attend consistently when they feel successful, included, and connected to activities. So, whenever I'm up in front of the eighth graders or the middle schoolers, uh, I always have a a common speech that I give them about, get connected at the high school. We want you involved in our activities. We want you in our clubs. We want you
053playing our sports. We want you to feel connected to the school. Uh, and that's a pretty consistent message that I know Jean shares with her uh, middle school students and at the high school. Tiffany and I uh, also have that same message because we want you involved in the school. uh your high school high school experience will be much more meaningful if you're involved in a club or an activity and you're connected to the school because you'll want to show up. We want you in a career and tech program. We want you to have that positive relationship with our staff because we know when you look forward to coming to school every day, we're going to see positive results. Um, so I would now like to turn it over to Susie Scannipo, I believe, who
054is our STEM director, who's going to talk about I'm sure she's going to talk about something very important right now. Susie, [laughter] I I feel like it's going to be really important right now. Thank you. >> Good evening, everyone. I'm Susie Scan Piero um STEM specialist as Jerry told you um at the um school level. This work often really starts with the relationships we build with our students and the vision 2029 is going to offer us the opportunity to look at both data and have a team approach to the solutions to these relationships and how they make those connections happen at our schools. those connections that bring students to school every day, the ones that make them want to show up and do their very best. So that what will that look like? What um
055when a student is missing at school, whether it's because they're struggling emotionally or falling behind, the first question will not be what is wrong with the student, but what is the obstacle? What is the reason that they are not feeling success? and how we build those relationships allow us to pay pay deeper attention to that problem, that obstacle and what solution it will be. In some cases, that may be intervention in math and reading, the things we know are going to be at the forefront. But at other times, it may just be a comfortable place to come eat lunch or potentially it could look like having a club that you really feel connected to. And I know that that topic came up earlier today and those students have really done really their due diligence in
056coming to ask for that. And that was it brings me back to my very first task as STEM specialist 12 years ago. The very first thing that came to my door was Jordan and he came and said we need a robotics team. And it's funny enough that we now have a very solid robotics team that started at the middle school, went to the high school, stayed with the students, and it seems as if there might be a shift and an eagerness to have a science olympiad as well. And we will come to those relationships and build upon the needs of the students when the students expected and needed. And I appreciate that kind of support that the students are giving us. And that leads me to um inviting Elizabeth Rkowski up here who is part
057of our robotics team and has worked so hard to keep those programs running with our students. She's also involved in many other um art and um other clubs. And I hold on I want to say your whole list. [laughter] Art club, interact club, trouble choir, student advisory board. But I bring back the robotics because she might have known me since middle school. I believe on that robotics team. So it did come with them through to the high school and we will work with those students to build those relationships and in some simple ways where we just get to know each other over lunch or whether it's building a new club at our high school we will get those things done and it will because of looking deeper at the obstacles. and Elizabeth. [applause] >> Um,
058students come to school when they feel they belong and what they are doing matters. For me, the experience that makes school meaningful are those in which I can connect my learning to my future, my interest or my community. Whether it is a club, a project, a teacher who checks in, a CTE experiment, experience, a performance, athletics, or a leadership opportunity, those connections matter. They help students see themselves as a part of TRAO. Some of my most meaningful experiences at THRO have come from leading clubs and teams and organizing opportunities for my peers to help other students feel included. Through my leadership roles in robotics interact art club and the student advisory board, I have seen how involvement helps students feel connected to the school community. Whether students are interested in STEM, the arts, service, or
059leadership, having opportunities gives them a stronger sense of belonging and purpose within the school. These experiences have shown me that when students feel valued and included, they become more motivated to participate, learn, and succeed. Student support is not separate from learning. It is what allows learning to happen. I would now like to invite um Mrs. Hall, high school English teacher and our district human community specialist who will speak about engaging communities [applause] has quite the resume. Um I advise Interact Club with Jen Lyn Rooney and she is our social chair. So um just a side note about community engagement with Ellie. Ellie was um one of the students who started a we did an afterchool program at Hope Valley when you were in fourth grade, third grade, and you were in that. And over vacation,
060this past vacation, Ellie helped us run a three-day intensive with Charlestown Elementary students. On her vacation, took three days of her vacation to run a three-day um siege explorers camp with us. She was our vocal director. And I saw Deb there. Uh Char, we're I'm on the Charle Town 250 commission and and part of the Rhode Island um uh U America 250 initiative was we were going to write a um history play, [clears throat] a local history play and Holly Shallele, I don't know if Holly's here tonight, but she did this as her performing arts capstone and then um got a few of her peers and and you were one of them and spent three days teaching the kids from Charles Town Elementary School this this musical that we wrote and um and then had
061an event a few Fridays ago. I don't know if anyone went but there were about 200 people in that Charletown ele I don't think Charlestown Elementary School has ever seen such a thing on that stage and it was such a great experience. So when we talk about community engagement and students giving back, 200 plus stu uh people, some people didn't even know anyone in the play came to that school a few Fridays ago and um had the support of a lovely new principal. Is she here tonight? She and she and she even she was like what is and we so we brought the magic to that little stage in Charletown. So and you were part of that. So, I just wanted to add that to her resume because, um, we talk about how [applause] so,
062um, I'm going to talk briefly about, um, uh, engaging communities and then I'll be back again later. Um, [laughter] these goals focus on improving family communication and family engagement, um, through survey work. So, you can see some of the the data out there. This is an important priority because families are our partners. Strong schools cannot do this work alone. When families understand what we are working on, how students are doing and how they can be involved, the entire system becomes stronger. So, um here are some students to talk a little bit more about that. I'd like to invite Cheraho Senior FA Kasagloo to who will speak about um how our students think about ways to strengthen our um communities and engage our community members. >> Uh good evening. Uh a real chair example is the
063way that our schools communicate through newsletters, family events, parent teacher organizations, school improvement team survey works and student showcases uh show student showcases, performances, athletic events, and community partnerships. Engagement is not only about inviting families to meetings. It is about creating multiple ways for families to feel connected through the school's life. Uh it is also about communicating clearly and understandably. We are looking to build a system that enhances amazing opportunities that exist in Cheroo and that students in Cher uh are a great investment. Uh a real cherh example of this is our Instagram accounts that we have through the various CTE programs and our various clubs from the herd which is primarily for our athletics, our FBA account which recently we had a really good fundraiser. We had a Chris McCree fundraiser. our communicate our
064community had really good engagement with that because the outreach we did and our CTE programs. Uh one good example of it is our creative taste cafes which are senior uh senior culinary students and our hospitality kids who uh we have great engagement from all our students and staff. Uh we have really good feedback from our parents. you know, just all this uh engagement with our community through our social media is a really important way for us to really emphasize our accomplishments and what we do as a student body and vision 2029 gives us gives us a chance to explain this work, why it's important for all of us and how it can enhance the way we work with all the Cherillo Regional family uh Cher Regional School District families and community members. Uh, I would
065like to now invite Cherrow High School sophomore Silly uh Lily Hall who will speak about how our students strengthen our community as Cher represents three towns and Cherros High School also welcomes many out of out of district students. Tero High School serves multiple towns and students strengthen the school community by participating in clubs, athletics, and volunteer service. These programs allow students to contribute directly to both the school and the surrounding communities, reinforcing a sense of shared responsibility and school pride. When families in the community show up for students, we notice whether it it is at a concert, a game, a theater performance, a CTE showcase, a school event, or a volunteer opportunity. It shows students that what we are doing matters beyond the classroom. That support helps build pride in our schools. Engaging communities is
066about strengthening trust, communication, and shared responsibility for student success. I would now like to welcome back Dana Hall, who will share ways in which we will strengthen how we engage our communities. Okay, this slide is important because vision 2029 is not something the district does to the community. It's something that we build with the community. There are many ways to get involved. Family and community members can participate through school improvement teams, uh, parent teacher organizations, chill mentoring, chero boosters, hopefully soon, and arts boosters, um, the special education advisory council, volunteering, survey works in school committee meetings. A few aides, upcoming things if anyone is interested. the Interact Club on Memorial Day. We um tidy up historical uh graveyards in the local area. I've got Grand Prix Park across from St. Mary's Church if anyone wants
067to join on those. We'll have some of we'll be putting out the the graveyards that we'll be cleaning. We also work at our local um at Johnny Cake and Ryan. So, we're always looking for additional ways for community members to join um and engage with us in addition to the people who um usually come along and help that aren't that aren't necessarily employees of our school. Not every person will engage in the same way and that's okay. What matters is that every family and community member knows that there's a place for them um in this work. We are asking family, staff, students, and community partners to stay connected, offer feedback, celebrate progress, and help us keep improving. I would now like to welcome back Superintendent Bard to share how families and community members can be
068part of this work. So, as we close, I want to thank everyone. You all did an amazing job, way better than I could have done. Um, vision 2029 is a roadmap. Um, it's a reflection of who we are in Cheraho. It's uh strong schools do more than teach content. They create opportunities. They build confidence. They connect students to their futures. They strengthen our families, our communities, and we they help us believe what's possible. Tonight, you heard examples of what this work already looks like in action. You heard about the instruction, support, relationship, student voice, family engagement, and community pride. This work ahead will require focus, consistency, and partnership. It requires us to use data honestly, support our educators intentionally, listen to students carefully, and communicate with families clearly. But we are not starting from scratch.
069We are building from strength. Thank you to our school improvement teams, administrators, educators, families, school committee members, and community partners for helping shape this next chapter. Vision 2029 is a shared commitment to Cher's future, all kids, all the time, and we're happy to answer any questions. [applause] No questions. [clears throat] Well, thank you all very much. Very very much out outstanding work by our staff. Excellent support from the students. Wonderful job. Thank you all. >> I see. >> Yep. >> Yeah. So, uh team, I'd like to move F forward as our next agenda item. Can I have a motion to move F hold? Thank you. And a second. >> Thank you. Those in favor of moving it. >> Thank you. That's unanimous. >> Motion. >> I'm actually going to pitch it right over to um
070Mrs. Hall and Mr. Camila is going to begin and then I think we're going to see Mrs. Hall again. >> All right. Good evening everyone. I just um put together a brief presentation on the K to2 social studies um curriculum um this year uh RIDE adopted standards um back in 2023 around social studies. Um that significantly shifted um what we have done in the past. Um and so tonight um we we uh will be reviewing um for approval of the social studies curriculum. Um this is just a slide that briefly explains some of the um significant changes. Um so there were significant grade level changes um to the point where for example um there's more of a heavy emphasis for example in grade four on Rhode Island history. 8th grade now is exclusively civics. Um
071so there were significant changes especially um enough so that we are looking at a different resource for example for grades 5 through eight um and they shifted um to that point. Um there's also an increased emphasis um moving away from just strict memorization to more interdisciplinary thinking, more inquiry based thinking. Um so the standards provide that opportunity for students as well as a greater emphasis on writing and um sorry academic discourse. Uh and there is civics. So even though civics is uh intentionally placed at 8th grade, um it's also a graduation requirement. A project is a gradu graduation requirement through Rhode Island state law. um and it's also embedded um throughout K to2. Another significant change that we've done with all of our curriculum and materials is to actually make them more accessible um to
072the public. So we've gone from a straight document that's um current one I think is about 170 pages um to a document that's accessible that um lives in Google Docs that you can click by grade level. So we've separated um the standards so that you can clearly see what's being taught throughout each grade. Um we have a nice table. I want to thank Dana um Dana Hall, Susie Scanniple as well who does it on the STEM side um who create these documents that make them accessible and easier um to follow. Um aside from the new um uh standards that were adopted by RIDE, um there was legislation put in place um for the following areas uh to include civics education, genocide curriculum frameworks, Holocaust uh and genocide education, African and American history um and Asian-American,
073Native American and Pacific Islander um history, which all needed to be included um in the document that's presented tonight. So, this is just I won't go through each one. I'll just leave it here for a minute. Um, this is just a a grade by grade um difference that shows the change in standards that what we currently teach now to what we will be teaching um for the current for the next school year. And as I mentioned, the most significant shifts happened uh shifts happened in the middle school from grades 5 through eight. um high school largely remained the same um with some shifts in terms of what's being taught in terms of time um which was uh impacted I think believe at grade >> 10 um our uh history leaders at each school uh Mr.
074R.J. Whitaker at the high school, our department head, Miss Jess Wither Revard at the middle school are here tonight as well, along with Dana Hall, our humanities specialist. And so I'll take any questions at this time. >> I'm going to I am recommending approval of the social science curriculum as submitted. So moved. >> Second. >> All right. We have a motion and a second to approve K through 12 social studies curriculum. This is open for discussion. I've got go Karen Holly. >> I just want to say thank you to everybody. Um I've spent the last three years um deeply embedded in this curriculum myself and coming to um the understanding of the changes that have been made. And at first I was resistant and um after really getting into it, I can see the uh
075added value um with the changes that have been made. Um and personally the students that I've already started uh they they definitely like the changes that have been made. >> Great. Thank you, Miss Hopkins. I probably should have asked you yesterday, but when you were um going through this curriculum creation, I just want to clarify because it was my understanding that RIDE was going to provide options to curriculums that they pre-approved. >> so I could have been off with that or did they drop the ball on that? And >> no. >> Okay. >> So, there's what gets confusing is there's two different things. is curriculum which is really uh the alignment of standards >> right and what is taught at each grade level >> then so ride has provided that ride has provided the uh
076yeah the anchor standards right and those are what by law what we have to use and that's what you have presented to you tonight >> there's also resources >> so there's curriculum resources that support the teaching and learning >> so they um they provide suggestions um but it's a little bit different in math English and science where by law they have to provide um resources that only those resources we can choose in social studies we have a lot more flexibility >> that clears up for me >> you got it >> thanks >> thank you M >> yeah I just wanted to comment that um I appreciated reading through this curriculum um it's a lot of learning that the kids go through um I especially appreciate the concept and the practice of the student recognizing their
077role in society whether it's just their own family to the school and it it branches out to the broader community and the world. Um how that stepped upon um through the curriculum and I um find grade four's focus on Rhode Island historic history especially compelling. I'd hope it you know could coincide with some field trip opportunities as well. I know that Richmond does Rhode Island Day which is more cultural Dells pizza strip that sort of [laughter] thing. Um but that's really fun. Um, >> in in general with the the curriculum and the curriculum task force members, I think it would be helpful to see their position within the district listed underneath their name just because for me, I personally want to kind of see like there's someone um an educator in elementary, middle school, and
078I'm sure that there is, but I just think as far as suggesting edits to the document, that would be um what I would suggest. >> Okay, thank you. That's a great suggestion. And we did have um uh the curriculum task force members did include um uh representation K to2. >> Yep. And community members as well >> uh through through the district curriculum planning. Yep. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Excellent. Thank you. Any other questions? I'm going to go uh Laura first and then >> um Mike is the as far as the the resources that are available and the way that the curriculum is presented. you said that it's available for all parents to view and and whatnot. Sometimes what what I've had difficulty with um is the Canvas the way that that's that the data
079and the assignments are presented. So you can go on to Canvas and you can you know you can see what's being presented for the day, but you don't have the ability as a parent and this is just specific because you know my daughter's in high school. You don't have the ability to actually view the assignments. you need like special access or special privilege to those assignments. Um, so it makes it hard for you to have conversations with your child if they have questions about certain things. And I know that it's also different at the at the middle school level like they have a different program and these programs kind of tend to be in flux sometimes. So is there you know maybe it was addressed in in the in the outline. I didn't see it
080though as far as >> Yeah. So that's a that's a good question. And so Canvas is really like the learning management system that the high school has adopted. Um >> and we won't be using it for the next school year. Um so uh the middle school they use Google Classroom for example. Um and so it's just it's just the accessibility. Um you always have um the ability to email the teacher if you have any questions about the assignments. So I'm not I can't really speak to I don't use Canvas from my side. I don't so I um I don't under like I don't see its like capacity to whether how a parent sees it. Um I've been in the classroom and can view it from a student screen for example. >> Um and I know
081that's really the purpose of it. It's really just to be able to share the lessons in the classroom and have the students access access them. But if anytime you have a question you should always email the teacher about like specific assignments. >> Okay. Okay. So, there's not like a platform that actually that we're using currently where it's kind of posting >> No, it's really >> I'm sorry. Go ahead. >> It's not It's not posting the um you know, like responses to some of the prompts and things like that that your child >> No, that would really be like that's that's really like that lives in the classroom. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> I I wanted to ask a question first. you had made the comment that the anchor
082standards are required by law. >> Yeah. >> But I I read them a little bit differently in that I read that the standards were developed to comply with that Rhode Island general law. >> Yes. >> And it it left me with the impression that that the school district can adopt them or they can come up with their own standards. Um and that was in concert with looking at the um the Cheraho document that talked about curriculum development. Is that correct? Is this a choice? >> No, it's not a choice. So >> anchor standards are not a choice. >> Yeah. No, it's whatever. So the the law and no one knows it better than the superintendent but the law is um is pretty clear about um RID it gives RID the autonomy to choose and develop
083the standards. Um the LEA's part is that we adopt whatever standards RIDE adopts and then we have the ability as you see before you tonight to you know uh organize them in a way that we feel you know best meets the needs of our students. And so we largely organized them in the way that they were presented to us because they presented a pretty clear pattern um across the grade levels. And so um for example the shifts at K to 4 where you knowam um the the the prior standards focus on maybe self family community individually. Now they're uh really focused together and develop over time. So that's how we adopted them and we do are required by law to adopt the standards that ride adopts. And if you think about it, one of the
084reasons why at um when the state put in the state accountability um law, which prefaced the the math, science at ELA content, that's what the the testing, the state assessments are focused on. Um when it came with social studies, what you want to think about is um like we received many out of district students. If all of the state is doing something different, then students can never be ready if they're leaving. Oh, I want to go to a different high school or a different opportunity. So by ensuring that we all have the same anchor standards, we can we can think about how we want to map it out for our students. Actually, our students often will share with us in the ways that we organize that would be more helpful. But in essence, it gives
085uh the equity across the state and across um the ability so when students do want to take different opportunities, different partnerships there um there's a coherence so that they can have similar conversations. And a great example of that is our student ambassadors who go to the state house who I'm working with students from across the state. So they have the language and the coherence with it because they have those anchor standards that they can build from. >> And and another example of that is >> I would like to add >> Yeah. Go ahead. >> I just want to add a little too when we started when they started to write the standards we put a call out to our community and so we tried to get as many people from Cherro and our our our
086community to go be part of that process. So um I went as a parent and I went as an educator alone and um they were Sue Allen and um Steven Tranzy uh who's from the middle school. So and Mark Gardner from the high school went to some of them as well. So we tried to push into some of those conversations at the state level like we always do because sometimes the rural community doesn't have a voice um at that at those meetings. But we did put I remember us putting an invite out to the community a few times hoping to get a car load of people to come up but we went up alone. So just as a side note >> and I just wanted to provide another example around civics civ civics education. So
087there is a graduation project tied around that and we have autonomy around that. We decided as a district to to really to do that at 8th grade since the eighth grade um curriculum focuses so heavily on civics. We also developed a plan um for our incoming uh ninth grade students who come from out of district where other districts may not have built it into eighth grade. So we have a plan in high school as well for students to comply with that civics project requirement. One of the um one of the takeaways that I had from reading through those anchor standards is and and it's it's based on my un it's um I believe that the school not only has a has a primary responsibility to educate the students develop their skills in the areas you
088know the fundamental areas mathematics social studies in this case science and so forth but that the schools also have a responsibility to um transmit to the students a knowledge of our country's fundamental principles and the the freedoms that result from those princip from those principles and essentially a love for our country and I did not get that. My takeaway from those anchor standards is is a it's a critique of our country and I would prefer that our our um implementation of social studies include more in the way of an explanation of the the foundational principles of our country and um and allow the students to develop a respect and a knowledge a deep knowledge of those principles. how they how they reflect in the modern day. Um they're in in my opinion they don't they
089don't fundamentally change. Those principles don't fundamentally change but they're transmitted from generation to generation intact. and a knowledge and an understanding of them allows the student to, you know, embrace them and develop a much better understanding of who we are as a country, as a citizenry and and essentially develop a love for our country. Um my takeaway of the standards again is that it the approach or the proposal in those standards um does does not share that view and I would like to see our social studies um develop more and expressly you know adopt those concerns and address those concerns. Um I the the last the last point that I would like to make is that adopting these new standards because of their comprehensiveness is going to require an incredible amount of resources both in
090teacher training in um new resources such as um curricula itself and if this is to be implemented next year I don't think that we had that in the budget as a specific line item to incorporate this um in terms of the additional resources that were needed. Yeah, we uh we actually the budget that was passed um for grades 5 through 8, the only um the only areas we really needed to um shift resources were in grades 5 through eight. And so the budget did include um funding for that. >> Thank you. >> Is is the um but if the if the curricula is being adopted K through 12, why are resources only needed in that specific area? Yeah, it's a good question because the the most significant changes happened in grades 5 through eight. So,
091and when we looked at resources at the high school level, um we felt confident that the resources we had in place um could cover what we needed to teach. Uh at the elementary level, the real um significant change the teachers have been curating resources at the elementary level. The only area um we felt we were lacking in is the Rhode Island history piece. Um, but Ride has done a really good job of curating resources in Rhode Island history. Um, and uh um there's been a couple of uh local districts that have also curated that have shared those resources with us. So, we feel like we have what we need to to do a full implementation. Just want to add one thing. So, uh in our curriculum um uh our adoption process uh next year is
092considered a pilot year for us. So this is our writing year, actually two years, two plus years, uh we've been working on this. Um and so next year is our pilot year. Um and one of the transitions that we're making is that um we're going to continue with world his US history 2 as is just to uh it's kind of like a transition to ensure that kids get don't miss anything in the in the transition from grade 10 to 11. Um and then in the the following year will be like a full implementation. So really um next year being the pilot year allows us to make corrections. Um we've done this in all of our curricula in math and ELA to ensure that um you know as we implement it some things come across. Maybe
093the pacing's too short on some maybe the pacing's too long on others. Maybe we're adjusting some of the projects, some of the questions but um that's the plan for next year. >> Thank you. What? Just one final >> one final. >> Is this review of the draft um will you go back if we um to incorporate those comments that I made or consider those comments that I made or is this um is this vote at this time to accept as is? I think that's was >> the vote is to accept unless the majority of the school committee votes votes otherwise to make a specific change based on a recommendation from a school committee member. >> I understand. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Yes. And then one more. So then >> um Dr. Camila, just
094one more clarification. So you said that in 2020 for the 26 27 school year that is going to be a um a pilot year. Yeah, it's con so uh it's considered a pil meaning that um you know it's like rolling out something new right you kind of give it a test drive you see how it goes right you know we don't know so in and the things I mentioned it's really like are we you know is the pacing appropriate um one of the areas for example is uh Riot has already recognized that the standards may be too heavy in grade 10 for example so they're going to make some shifts and we're going to align with that um and we make make recommendations back to them about that as well um so that's and that's
095one of the reasons why it's really next year is a ced 10 roll out if that makes sense. Soft opening. >> A soft opening. I like that. Okay. So, um just to kind of make sure that um it you know we we uh even a review of the resources. Do we have what we need? Is it appropriate? >> Okay. Yeah, that's what I was wondering is if the resources that if you because it's being piloted for the next school year then that would that still gives you know parents, teachers, students the opportunity to provide feedback and say you know we should have more civics engagement at this or we maybe we could do something different and it it would allow for that piece and then it can be modified again after that is what you're
096saying. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. H that's a good idea. Yeah. Um, I I just had a question. The way that this curriculum is being delivered to the students because Laura used an example of Canvas. Um, I'm going to assume elementary schools mostly, you know, paperwork and maybe a couple things on the computer. Um but does it touch on all formats or are as as they're getting older you know because the concern with the computer usage that's where that's the angle I'm coming in from. >> Um >> so we don't have a dedicated resource at K4. So it's really teacher autonomy in terms of like the materials they use how they use as long as they align. So, middle school, are they going to get big fat social? >> They're going to get a combination
097of resources. They're going to get they're going to get L online licenses as well as workbooks. >> Okay. All right. >> Thank you. >> All right. Appreciate the discussion. We have a motion, a second to approve the K through 12 social studies curriculum. >> Mr. Chairman. >> Yes, sir. >> May I make an amendment to the motion? >> You can. I would propose to amend the motion to include cons more consideration for uh in these curriculum of I would like to consider I would like them to consider uh transmitting knowledge of America's founding principles a deep reverence for our resultant freedoms and a love for this country more integrally with the uh curriculum I don't I don't sense that that that focus is included there, but that's was that's what I'd like to make an
098amendment to the motion. >> Do we have a second to that amendment? >> Second, >> Diane. >> Discussion. >> We'll go into discussion next. So, we have motion and a second to amend the curriculum. It's open for discussion. Mr. lose on. >> Ed, I'm about as patriotic as any American [snorts] can be. I gave eight years of my life serving the United States military. Okay? And I went for the sake of being patriotic. Um, but you can't legislate patriotism. I hope all of our kids love our country, but our country still has warts and and you know, we have some imperfections that we can't neglect either. That's what makes us better. So, I I can't support your your amendment. Thank you, Mr. Luzon. Any other committee members? Then I'm going to take this to a
099vote. Those in favor of adopting the amendment >> more mayor can stop you. >> We have four those opposed. We have six. Amendment fails. Thank you, sir. To the original motion and second for approval of the K through2 social studies curriculum. Those in favor of adoption. >> Thank you. >> You're good. Hold them up. >> Thank you. Those opposed? >> Excellent. Thank you all. Appreciate it. Okay, we are on to B. I make a recommendation to approve the school resource officer memorandum of a standing as presented. >> So moved. Second. >> All right. We have a motion and a second. This is up for discussion. Any committee members? >> No. Okay. Thank you. I'd like to move this to a vote. Those in favor? >> I count that as unanimous. Thank you all. Appreciate it.
100>> All right. Business C. >> I make a recommendation to approve the NEA certified memorandum of understanding for the last day of work for school year 2526 as presented. >> So second. >> Thank you. We have a motion and a second. This is open for discussion. >> None. All right. Move this to vote. Those in favor hold them up. Anybody? >> Those opposed. Thank you, sir. >> That makes our last day for our educators. >> I'm sorry. Sorry. >> Those abstensions recusals. >> Oh, you you even reminded me. >> I know. [laughter] >> Thank you. um the last day for that would make the last day uh June 17th for our educators and then I make a recommendation to approve the ESP non-certified memorandum of understanding for the last day of work for SY 2526.
101>> So move second. >> All right, we have a motion and a second. This is open for discussion. No. Fantastic. Let's take it to a vote. Those in favor? That is unanimous. appreciate you. Thank you. >> Okay, this brings us to the next business item. Before you make any recommendation, so team, what I'd like to do because I'm I believe there's going to be a number of people who want to talk on this, I would like to leave this in general discussion at this point so we can hear from the public, which I know a lot of them have shown up and signed up to speak on. After the public has had a chance to speak, I'd like to move this to the committee by motion and a second. at that time and this doesn't
102preclude any committee members from engaging with the public but that way it's structured a little bit so we can focus on uh the feedback and then the vote >> awesome thank you all so without making a recommendation so thank you >> we are incredibly grateful for the dedication passion and care that our world language educators have brought to Cher students each and every day the relationships they have built with students and the opportunities ities they have created through French and Mandarin instruction have had a meaningful and lasting impact on our school community. We also recognize how deeply personal and emotional these decisions are for students, families, and staff. Due to decreasing enrollment and ongoing budget constraints, the district has been faced with difficult decisions. These decisions are never easy and do not reflect the value
103of our teachers, of our students, or the importance of world language education. Student voice throughout this process has been powerful and appreciated. We are proud of the respectful advocacy demonstrated by our students and our families, and we encourage continued civic engagement as our community navigates challenging educational and financial realities together. As part of our ongoing efforts to increase interest, we introduced a new Mandarin exploratory course at the middle school two years ago. We know that programs like Mandarin and French enrich our students lives in ways that go far beyond the classroom. Charo remains committed to exploring ways to strengthen and expand rural language opportunities for students, including efforts to partner with other districts, colleges, and schools to foster collaboration. We appreciate the continued partnership and support of our school community as we work through these
104complex decisions. >> Thank you. I'd like to open this up for public comment. I know a number of people have signed up, so I don't know the order in which So, is that Don Sears? shoes and actually when you come to the podium this is for everybody uh please state your name and your talent. >> Sure. Um Don Sears from Richmond. >> Thank you. >> Um and I do want to thank everybody for letting me speak on this subject. Um I am here uh to support the Chinese program. Um my son has actually asked me to come here otherwise I wouldn't. So he is really to thank for this. Um you know a few concerns that I have was uh at the end of last year he was told that he had to pick a
105different language. So he did so only to be informed this year that he was going to be part of the Chinese program and now we're being told that he can you know continue uh but it has to be with um through zoom which we know during co was not a success. you don't have that closeness, you don't have the personal interaction. Um, and I I feel for him it's not going to be successful. I I wish at the end of last year, um, when you did decide to bring back Chinese, you would have only done years 2, three, and four, not freshmen. Um so I am asking if uh you know you all to just urge you to continue the programs just allow years 2, three and four to continue. No freshmen be enrolled um
106at this time since participation is down. Um this way he is able to uh you know get his language certificate. Um really that's all I have to say at this time. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Okay. Um before I start to talk, I'd like to pass around some about our program. >> Thank you. Good evening members of the school committee and the community members. My name is Mley Lasher and I have proudly served the childhood school district for the past six years as the Mandarin Chinese teacher. I came to United States as an immigrant and one thing I deeply appreciate about this country is about America is built on diversity. Language is more than vocabulary and grammar. It is a bridge between cultures, people and perspectives. It help us communicate, understand one another
107and connect in meaningful ways. Today, artificial intelligence can replace many tasks, but genuine human communication, cultural understanding, and personal connection can never truly be replaced. I am deeply proud and grateful for my Chinese heritage. The language, food, art, traditions, and stories that belong not only to China, but to the world. through our Chinese program extu our students experience these things beyond the classroom walls. Over the past six years, I have worked hard to grow this program. We have organized annual Chinese dragon parades, Chinese cooking activities, afterchool Chinese clubs, cultural field trips, and community outreach events. This year, our students performed the Chinese songs at the local Chinese senior center and the school winter concert at the University of Rhode Island Chinese New Year um celebration. Our Chinese program has also been featured in the Wesley
108Sun newspaper five times this school year, highlighting the meaningful work our students are doing in the community. Our students are not simply memorizing vocabulary. They are experiencing culture, building confidence, and using language in authentic ways. Programs like this prepare students for a global future. They give students opportunities to study abroad, communicate across cultures, and become more competitive in college and future careers. Char is one of the few public school districts in Rhode Island offering multiple word language options and that is something to be proud of. However, I also want to respectfully point out building a successful language program requires long-term support. I proposed creating a midter midschool Chinese pathway in seventh and eighth grade so students could enter high school prepare for Chinese too allowing the program to invent eventually grow into levels three, four,
109and hopefully AP Chinese in the future. I also proposed a student trip to China to help increase student interest and enrollment. Unfortunately, these proposals did not receive meaningful followup or support. Currently, students only experience Chinese as a sure exploratory class in sixth grade, while Spanish is the only language pathway offered in seventh and eighth grade. As a result, many students naturally continue with Spanish in high school. Last year, some eighth grade students who wanted to take Chinese were mistakenly told that the class was already full and they enrolled in another language instead. These barriers make it extremely difficult for one teacher alone to grow a program. It is always easier to cut a program than to build one. But true leadership is not about choosing the easiest solution during difficult times. Visionaries district move forward.
110They do not cut back opportunities that prepare students for a global future. Cutting the childhood Chinese program does not allow align with our vision, our mission or our responsibility to pre prepare our students for the world behind us beyond our town. Tonight I ask you to believe in our students potential, their curiosity and their future. Please keep the Chinese program alive at Charal. Thank you. >> Thank you. My name is Bridget Dilma. I'm from Richmond. Um, good evening members of the school committee. I'm a taxpayer and a parent of a ninth grader. I'm deeply upset by the decision of the Chinese program um being cut um next year. Last year's Chinese was going to be cut. My daughter was very upset that the possibility that she couldn't take it in 9th grade. It was restored
111and she was finally able to connect with the class and the teacher. Next year it's being offered only by VHS costs or continue to continue or must start over with a different language. This is not equitable upon the students who have completed a full year in language. I approve for the increase in our budget and believed it would support programs for our children. Instead, I learned two language programs are being cut. Chinese is one of the class my daughter truly bonded with after a difficult year. um midyear changes her case manager, multiple schedule adjustments to meet her needs, having to give up band and other passion and family loss. Losing Chinese is another painful setback for her. Please can reconsider the decision. Students who enter a second year of language study deserves an in-person consistent
112program, not only an online VHS option or a disappoint or disappointment of starting over. I ask you to restore Chinese to the students can continue to progress in the SP the [laughter] need. >> Thanks for appreciate you. >> Hi, I'm Jester Kona. I live in Richmond and I am a sophomore at Cherho High School. As a student in the Chinese program at CHS, I believe this program should stay for many reasons. The first and most obvious reasons is that we need language programs for graduation. So removing this program throws off all the scheduling of students already enrolled in Chinese as their language. Students who have already started a year of Chinese like me will have to change around our schedules past the time while class selection is open. And while they have provided us online
113options for Chinese, it is simply nowhere near the same as being taught by the lovely Mrs. Lusher. In the Cherho Chinese program, we have students are taught the language, but we are also so often taught the culture and the customs, allowing us to feel more engaged in what we are learning. We've learned about their songs, their dance, their dress. We even get Chinese names. We also did a massive unit on the Lunar New Year. We learned about the food, the activities, [clears throat] the common phrases said during that time. We even got to go down to culinary to make fried rice and dumplings, two very common foods from the Lunar New Year. Earlier in the year, I also did a whole project on the island of Taiwan. Did you know that the Taiwanese are investing
114$250 billion in growing US chip manufacturing capability? The United States is going to need people who speak their language, which is Mandarin Chinese, if they're going to take advantage of that. Also, I was given the opportunity to participate in a song contest where I have to sing in Chinese and make a whole music video. An experience I really would not get anywhere else. There is another reason why the local chair program is important. It's that Chinese is a language program that guarantees students an opportunity to learn from a native speaker of that language. We are so lucky to have this chance as it does make a difference in the learning. This experience allows us to learn the language in more depth and more nuanced manner as a native speaker of the language would understand those
115details better than someone who learned the language they teach as a second language. For example, Chinese letters have different pronunciations from English letters. Having a native speaker as our teacher means that she picks on those mistakes better and knows to consider that pronunciations need to be learned and how to explain it in a way that an English speaker could understand. So I implore you to maintain Chinese as well as French as an option for world languages. The options for a variety of programs is one of the biggest draws to Cherokee. It's what makes many students want to come to school in the first place. They are so excited to come to Chinese. I myself just love being able to just walk down the hall, walk into the Chinese classroom and just feel the environment from
116the classmates and the teacher. Without these classes, students will lose their passion for learning and it limits their ability to truly see their full potential for future careers or schools. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Very well said. >> Be quick. My name is Silver Moon Larose. I'm a citizen of the Naragansa tribal nation and [clears throat] of from the town of Charles Town. This has been a very joyous occasion tonight. We've celebrated students success and I'd like you to consider the success of some other students. I know budgets are tight. I know tough choices have to be made. But cutting this program isn't just removing an elective. You're limiting valuable progress. Statistics show that students who study a strategic language like Chinese have a significant edge. Nine out of 10 US employers rely on
117language other than English and they're struggling to find qualified candidates. In a global economy, Chinese language is a superpower. China is the world's largest trading partner for over 120 countries. Here in the US, demand for Chinese speakers has grown over 200% in the last decade. A student leaving Cher with multiple years of Chinese language is not just college ready. They are career ready. However, all this potential is just theory without a great teacher. And we have that teacher in Mrs. Lusher. This teacher has gone above and beyond. Staying after school, creating cultural events, expanding their worldview, and pouring herself into our babies. Having a diverse faculty matters. When students see teachers from different backgrounds, different languages, and different lived experiences standing at the front of a classroom, it sends a powerful message. It says that
118everyone belongs here. It says that excellence is not limited to one culture. A faculty that reflects the broader world prepares students for that world. My son, Our found himself in Chinese class. Learning Chinese rewires the brain. Mandarin uses tones and characters which forces the brain to process information differently. The confidence he has gained from learning a complex language like Mandarin has been a revelation. We're now against it. Due to colonization, our language, the original language of this land, is no longer fluently spoken. My son took the linguistic concepts he learned in Chinese class, the grammatical structures, the phonetics, the logic of how a language works, and he applied them to our language. Because of that foundation laid in that Chinese classroom, my son is now teaching our language to younger kids at the Tribes Boys
119and Girls Club. He's bringing our ancestors words back into the present. He's healing our trauma. You don't cut a program that produces leaders. You don't cut a teacher who builds bridges between cultures. And you don't cut a program that puts our children on the cutting edge of progress. Do not let budget cuts in our children's progress be cut. Please consider this request. I'm hoping that the students will feel encouraged to get up behind me because we want to hear from all of your voices. Um, and just put a pause on this decision. Think about it a little more deeply after you hear everything that they've said and take a little time to consider restoring that Chinese language program. All right, get up here. >> Hi, my name is Aaliyah Doma and I'm from Richmond. Um,
120good evening members of the Cherho school committee and committee members. My name is Aaliyah and I'm here to speak about the removal of the Chinese and French language programs. The quality and variety of our choices do not meet our needs. The first is the first option is switching to an online program instead of learning from a real teacher. But language learning is based on interaction and communication and it is well known that students learn better in person than through a screen. I mean just look at corona virus. The second option is to stop taking a language entirely. But students need at least two years of a language for graduation and for many colleges. For a student like me who wants to be like a personally a seal vetinarian when I grow up that is not
121okay. Um, the third option is starting over in a completely different language. For many students, especially underassmen, there isn't enough room in our schedules to do that. It also means losing the progress we've already made in one language, thinking that we would be able to take it for the next four years. The Chinese program has been very successful. The average class grade was above an 80, showing how strong engagement and effort is. Students genuinely care about this class and the opportunities it provides. I also want to point out that the program was cut partially because of enrollment numbers. Even though the middle school program is strong, our teacher, Yang Laosi, has made a real impact and the district hasn't yet seen the full results of those students moving into the high school. Cutting the program
122now stops the growth before it has the chance to happen. Removing Chinese reduces diversity in our school. It is currently the only non-romance language offered and it gives students a broader cultural and global perspective. Mandarin is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and China remains one of the most United States top trading partners. Learning this language prepares students for the real world. Finally, cutting programs like this can push students to look elsewhere for opportunities which may hurt enrollment and funding over time. Instead of removing a program students are already interested in, we should be supporting it and helping it grow. This issue is not about a single class, it reflects something larger about the mindset of the chairho committee and raises concerns about the reasoning behind decisions that directly impact students.
123Sitting up there on that committee is a commitment and I thank you for that. At this time it feels as though that commitment is not being fully met though for the chairs of study of cheroo. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Klay Gryom and I'm a senior here at Cher High School from Richmond. I was a student of French for 5 years here at Cher and I received the silver seal of bi literacy last year. I also serve as president of the French club Juice Leair, a club where both French students and students of other languages come together to learn more about French culture, life, and cuisine. As you can tell, I am deeply passionate about the French language and culture. I can confidently say
124that taking French at Chera has truly been one of the most enriching experiences of my high school career. I believe that the low enrollment numbers that are cited as justification for the discontinuation of these programs do not tell the whole story. In many cases, students begin learning Spanish automatically in elementary and middle school, which naturally creates a pipeline into high school Spanish courses. By the time students reach high school, many feel pressure to continue that path rather than beginning a completely new language. As a result, programs like French and Chinese face enroll enrollment disadvantages long before independent decisions are made by students. Additionally, I believe it's important to recognize the value of smaller classes. Some of my most meaningful academic experiences came from French classes. Um, even when enrollment was small. Smaller classes allow students
125to delve deeper into the culture, receive more indivi more individualized instruction, have stronger participation, and have a closer engagement with the language and the culture. None of the benefits that I have obtained from my experiences with French would have been possible without Madamel. She's extremely intelligent, deeply passionate, and wholeheartedly dedicated to her students. Her classes are not simply about teaching grammar or vocabulary. She teaches culture, history, perspective, and genuine appreciation for the franophone world. She has organized pen, pow, and cultural connection um experiences. She's taken students on meaningful field trips and constantly finds way to connect classroom learning to real world culture and experiences. Her passion is infectious and makes her students want to learn. She creates an environment where curiosity is encouraged and where students feel engaged and inspired. Teachers like Madamel are rare
126and the value that she brings to the district cannot be overstated. While my personal experiences have been experience has been with French, I also strongly believe that Chinese should remain part of our curriculum. Mrs. Lusher's engagement and commitment to the Chinese program as well as the unique experiences experiences she facilitates like the annual dragon parade creates strong student interest and connection as well as cultural understanding. The decision to cut French and Chinese would not just affect our current students. I worry that once these programs are eliminated, future students will lose opportunities that they were never able to consider. And once programs like these are eliminated, rebuilding them becomes extremely difficult. This decision would shape the value of the education and the reputation of our district for years. The strength of our school district should be
127measured by the opportunities it is willing to provide for its students. I respectfully ask ask the committee to explore alternatives before making these permanent cuts to French and Chinese because a strong education should expand opportunities for students not limit them. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Thank you. Hi everybody. Um, I'm Ory LaRose. Um, that was my mother you guys just saw. And I am a mer member of the Naragansa Indian tribe. Um, and I'm here to speak in favor of Chinese. I'm from Charleston. So, I want to start by showing off a little bit of what I've learned. Um, Oil Rose against it. So, what I just said is, "Hello everyone. My name is Orya Lar Rose. I'm an American Indian from the Narroansa Inu tribes. Right now I'm 16 years
128old, but in October I turned 17. In addition to English, I can now speak two languages, Chinese and Narroansit. I am learning Japanese right now and I want to learn Thai. So more than 300 people came to see us at the Chinese program during arty and a lot of them enjoyed learning about Chinese culture. During Chinese culture club, it is common for every seat to be taken by a student. There is a lot of interest in Chinese culture at Cherho. The amount of work put in by Mrs. Lusher, the Chinese teacher, is outstanding for just one person. She not only runs the entire Chinese language program at Cherokee, but also manages to set up multiple field trips that enrich us. We not only learn Chinese language, but also learn Chinese culture. Just this year, we
129took a life-changing field trip to a local Chinese elder center and got the opportunity to connect with native Chinese speakers. Mandarin Chinese is one of the most useful languages to learn today. China is the second largest in terms of global economy. With the growth in tech, business, financial sector, and AI, there is a demand for those who speak English and Mandarin, two of the world's most widely spoken languages. There are more opportunities for Cheroke students in the world with the ability to speak Mandarin. Mandarin is a language that few other schools in Rhode Island provide and that shows that this opportunity is rare and valuable. Chinese means so much to me and to so many other of my peers, too. It's a class where I can feel comfortable enough to make mistakes and not feel
130embarrassed. I like to go down an advisory when I have work for that class because I feel comfortable enough to ask for help in that class. I've had so many positive experiences in that class and it's the highlight of my day on white days. I look forward to coming to school because of the Chinese class. I find it so eye opening to learn about cultures other than my own. I have put so much effort into learning Chinese and it would feel like losing a part of myself to see that class go. Thank you so much and goodbye. Hello, I am Kelly Drake from Hope Valley and this is what I have to say. Hello. I just said hello, my name is Kelly Drake and I'm doing very good. [laughter] So last year when the same
131topic was on the table, my sister came here and spoke about it too. And she I asked her, she said she did not mention me by name, but she said that her sibling was excited to take this program. And I'm that sibling. And let me tell you, whatever she had to say about this program, it was all the truth because it has changed my life 100%. This class is being cut due to enrollment numbers. And I have some things to say about that. Miss Lusher, or as we like to call her, Yang La started the Exploratory Middle School program, and I believe it's going really well. I see posts of all these kids all engaged and enjoying their time in the class, and it truly they're truly so interested in it. But she's only been
132working here since 2020, which to me feels like yesterday. I don't know about you guys, but that was really recent. And I don't think we've truly waited enough to see the benefits of what she's brought to the middle school. And I think we need to wait to see that outcome. Because I have people come up to me in the high school and say, "Wow, I wish I joined Chinese or I wish I knew about this." Because you just they just get sucked into Spanish because they are told it's the better option. But it not always is. It's up to everybody to make their own choices and I think that more people should be informed of it. Also, part of the charm of Shero is all of these different languages we have to explore. They're all
133so different and so diverse, but Chinese stands out especially to me. As um Aaliyah said, it's the only non-romance language, but also Spanish and ital and Italian, which are the two languages that will be left after this cut, share 80 to 85% lexical similarity, which means like that's how similar they are. They are such they're like pretty much the same language and I think [laughter] it is so important to keep this diversity in our schools >> and such an engaging teacher too for this program and also us children part of the Chinese program so many of them today you've heard from were given an ultimatum to either take the class virtually which is not going to work for us because you don't have the connection it's about the connection when it's such different languages. >>
134So that's not going to work for us. And then also top colleges require 3 to four years of languages which really won't work for us if we switch into another language which we should be striving for our kids to do the best that they can which is getting into the top colleges and making those important decisions in the world. And it's almost farfetched but we have someone over there FA who spoke earlier who got into Brown. These are the things we should be wanting our kids to do with the all kids all the time and that is done through having a program like Chinese that is so diverse. My sister who I mentioned earlier said no one at college does Chinese and it is so important and it is such a standout in these applicants.
135So especially doing 3 to four years of this language which I think we should be allowed to do what we were told we'd be able to do when we signed up for it is so important. So, not only all of this stuff, but also if you're not if that didn't change your mind and the Chinese culture we learn in the activities we do like making Chinese music videos or going and performing Chinese concerts and singing to crowds at URI and the nursing homes. If that's not reason enough, keep it for the kids whose lives have been changed. Some of these kids in here I like a lot of us would not have come up here and spoken but we are so passionate about this program and that it should be kept. We truly felt the
136need to come up here and share our opinions. So I hope that minds of the student body who you guys all should be looking out for. I hope it was enough to change your minds because Chinese is is an amazing program that should not be cut. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening uh superintendent Pakar, assistant superintendent Camella, uh members of the school community and community members. Uh I am Dr. Joyce Wu. I am from the University of Rhode Island. I am the director of Chinese Flasher program and there and also Chinese section head. So I am here tonight to strongly support the continuation of Chinese program at Cherry Hall High School. This program by far is more than just a language class. It represents an opportunity, global readiness and investment into the future of
137Rhode Island students, especially in the Cherhole High School. If this program is eliminated eliminated, Rhode Island will lose its only remaining active public high school Chinese program. So this is not only a loss for tero students but also for our entire state. Over the past several years, we have begun building a meaningful pathway between Cherhaho High School and URI Chinese flasher program. If you don't know, we are only one of the eight federally funded Chinese flasher program in the entire United States. Our mission is to educate future global professionals who can use Chinese in fields such as engineering, business, international relations, national security, healthcare, education, and all. At Urri, our Chinese students work closely with nationally recognized programs such as the International Engineering Program, International Business Program, International Studies and Diplomacy Program, and the Honors
138Program. Our graduates have gone on to work for the US State Department, the Department of War, international companies, including business here in Rhode Island, such as Techno Apex. Others have studied and interned abroad, gaining the cross-cultural communication skills and global experience that employers increasingly value. So students who are learning Chinese are not simply learning another language. They're developing adaptability, problem solving skills, intercultural communicative competence, and the ability to collaborate across cultures. Skills that are critically important in today's interconnected world and global economy. Just as important, this program gives students in a public public school district access to opportunities that are often available only in larger suburban areas or districts or private schools. Programs like this inspire students to think broader, bigger about their futures and help them prepare help prepare them to compete nationally and
139internationally. So programs like the Cherry Hall Chinese School takes years to build through dedicated dedicated teachers. In this case, I heard just one teacher. Um community support and student recruitment partnerships with universities. So once lost, they are extraordinarily difficult to restore. So tonight's decision really is about more than one language program. It is about what kind of opportunities we want to provide for the gen next generation of Rhode Island students. Cherry Hall already have something rare, forwardlooking, and deeply valuable. I sincerely hope you will continue to support this important program for the benefit of our your students, your community, and the future of our state. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Sorry, Miss Gri, before you start time check, I do want to be respectful of the committee. They have uh we
140have a hard stop at 10. How many more people are intending to speak? Show of hands, each of you. >> Oh, we're together. >> You're together. Okay, >> 45 seconds. >> Fantastic. I like that. Okay, those who are cued, I'm going to limit you to two minutes. Gryom, the floor is yours. >> Thank you. Uh Lorraine Gryom, I am a Richmond resident. I have four children. Um the young lady who spoke earlier, Khloe, is the youngest of four. All four have gone through the district from K through 12 and are going on to fantastic colleges. I will not reiterate everything that was said before me because it is all true. We're taking away opportunities. Top colleges require three and four years worth of language. It would be very difficult to get it back once it's
141gone. We know these things. These are facts. What I have problem with and I hope you really reconsider both French and Chinese is that we're This is when you have to make tough decisions. I understand the budget constraints. I'm an accountant. I get it. I have my own budget to contend with. I know we have tough choices to make. I don't think cutting languages from our world language program, which would then leave two languages in a world language program if we cut them. I don't think that's the answer. Um, I really think there are other places that we can do it. And I know maybe it's an unpopular opinion. I don't know that every eight-year-old needs a computer, but I do know that high school students need the opportunity to learn Chinese, to learn French,
142to learn Spanish, to learn Italian. I beg you, please reconsider. Do not eliminate these programs. These two teachers, and I don't know Miss Lesher other than what I've heard from her tonight and from my children, but I do know Madame L, they are passionate. They are, first of all, non-English-speaking as their first language. Think about how impressive that is. They have a world view, a world language, completely different view. It would be such a sin to lose these two professionals and everything that they do and that they could offer our children. and I hope that you will reconsider. >> Thank you for your time. >> Hello. Um I'm Michaela Castner from Jamestown. I went to ENK High School and I am currently a part of the Chinese flagship program and I'm ambassador for them. >>
143Hi, I'm Ariana. I'm from also from Rhode Island. I'm from Warwick. I went to Pilgrim High School. I'm also in the flagship program at URI. I forgot to mention my major is ocean engineering and and I'm biological sciences. So uh first we want to talk about how flagship um we've seen the chero students at our uh what is it called in English [laughter] >> um >> new year's new year >> new year's festival >> yes >> just recently >> and we were very very impressed by their proficiency in Chinese which you do not see at a lot of high school um students and that is because of our wonderful teachers out of all of the teachers the teachers at URI are absolutely wonderful and I could not. >> None of us, every single one of
144us that you ask in flagship will say that they are the best teachers ever and they motivate us to go to class every day just like they do for Cherokee. So >> yeah, um when I saw the tero students at URI, I was genuinely so impressed. Like I have never seen a high school program create such proficient students. Not only are they proficient, they're also so engaged, so passionate, so they have so much enthusiasm for Chinese language, for Chinese culture. And I was genuinely shocked. And then when we they came up to us later, we were promoting the flagship program and they were so interested. And I think being able to uphold this program will also help them being able to get future opportunities. Um, for example, the flagship program. If you uphold this program,
145then they can graduate and then they can transfer their Chinese skills into the Chinese flagship program, which I just know they would genuinely enjoy. Another part about the um small enrollment numbers which was mentioned before but the the small enrollment like smaller classes is what makes our community at URI flagship um so close. So we have our tutors from Taiwan and we have our teachers who all of us text on a regular basis like I'm feeling sick today. Are you okay? like can I just can I have a lot of exams I need to take it a little bit slower and they all are very accommodating and our favorite teachers and because of this small community that's what makes it so important to us and is the biggest part of our lives and it will
146be the same as we're both going abroad to Taiwan this summer for uh National Taiwan University that's the top university in Taiwan uh for two months and we will probably have the same connections there internationally. Yes. >> Yes. I agree with everything she said and I think what makes it really special our Chinese flagship program is the small community. So maybe there's a lack of enrollment at Teraho High School, but I think another important thing is also promoting the program. But even if it's a small amount of people that it kind of makes it more special, makes it more just special community and the teacher and just students have such a special connection with each other. And I think you can see that kind of transit at URI as well. Uh she said we instead
147of like typical emailing your professor it's like very personal connection just texting each other and just it's a very very special community and I think it's very important to uphold this community. >> Thank you. Hello. I am Sophia Cotton. I am from Ashawway and I am a sophomore at Jerro High School. I am currently in French 3 and I recently got my silver seal of biiteracy and I'm here to talk about the French program. French is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Over 300 million people worldwide speak it. Many of them as their second language. For example, in many countries in Africa, French is the language that people of different cultures use to connect when they couldn't if they were just speaking their native languages. And by learning French, we gain
148the ability to speak to all of these different people from all these different cultures around the world. And that's a really important skill in life. It helps us connect with others. It helps us get job opportunities that may involve these cultures and just overall a very useful skill. Additionally, getting rid of the French program would create massive difficulties for all the children in French 2 and French one. I know they offered virtual high school and for me that would be moving on to the AP level. However, virtual high school does not offer French 3, but requires French 3 to be completed to do the AP course. So, kids who are taking French 2 now cannot move up to the next level. And kids who are taking French one will be stuck after the end of
149next year. And for those who are looking to attend schools that require 3 to four years of foreign language, this could completely cut them off from taking those schools. And obviously, many of those schools are the highest in competition. We should be advocating for our students to go there and not creating barriers. Additionally, I know the main problem is low enrollment. When I was in middle school, there was a program for students in seventh and eighth grade to take French and then enter French 2 in high school, and I took that. But I know that the year after me, they stopped offering it. Now, I think a good portion of why there's low enrollment issues could be because in recent years, opportunities to learn more about the foreign language opportunities at Cherrow High School have
150kind of been limited from middle schoolers. And I think that if we just like teach middle schoolers about the opportunities at Char High School, give them a chance to get engaged with these programs, figure out that it's what they want to do at high school, then our French programs and our Chinese program could become much bigger and just a massive part of Cher High School, an even bigger part than what they are today. Thank you. >> Thank you. Hi everyone. Um, thank you for having me. My name is Rob and I am from Albero, Massachusetts. I am actually not a Cheraho alumni. I am from Mrs. Lusher's second ever Chinese class all the way back to September 2013. I ran into her a couple of years ago because I decided to join the Chinese Christian
151Church of Rhode Island to stay more engaged and active within the Chinese community. And since that, since joining, I am now the head of the English language department. I help teach newly, fresh off the boat Chinese immigrants English and help them integrate into American society. And I here tonight because I feel a very strong obligation to advocate for people and students that come after me to have the same opportunities that were forfed to me as a former um expensive private school student. And when I see this level of engagement from students, I can tell that Mrs. Lasher is having the same impact on her students today as she did 13 years ago. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> Hey, um I'll try not to take too much of your time. Um my name
152is Ella Tomlinson. I am from Charles Town. I recently graduated from Chero in 2025 and I'm currently an upcoming sophomore at the University of Rhode Island. Um when I first came to Charles Town, um it was in seventh grade and I remember when I joined the middle school, the choice they gave me was basically either Spanish or STEM class. That was like what they said to me when I was first transferring. Um and I remember Spanish wasn't exactly for me. So when I moved into the high school, I saw that Chinese was an option and I of course jumped at the opportunity because I wanted to try something new and I didn't realize that over the four years that I took it throughout Cher and even now at URI that it would become such a
153big part of my life. Um it has opened up so many opportunities and experiences that I genuinely would not have experienced at all I don't think if I didn't take it or if I chose to take a different language. Um, and I don't think I would have been this passionate about any other language either. Um, one of the things that this program gave me is confidence. And not only confidence in the language itself, but also the confidence to take on challenges and try new things and step out of my comfort zone, which learning a language is obviously very challenging, especially one like Chinese that doesn't use the Roman alphabet, which the other languages that we offer do. Um, and then over time I've gone from barely being able to introduce myself to being able to
154hold conversations and communicate with people that can barely speak English or that are trying to learn English. And it's really just it's really introduced new perspectives to me and traditions and communities that many students from Rhode Island will never be able to experience if I mean specifically the Cherho area as well if we cut this program. And I just think that would be a very great loss. Um, I was able to meet so many new people. Um, for example, I actually also go to the Chinese Christian Church of Rhode Island. And, um, over the summer of 2024, I actually went to Taiwan, um, for about 16 days. And I communicated in Mandarin with them, obviously, because it's Taiwan. They didn't speak much English. And it was an incredible learning opportunity. And I would have never
155had that chance if I hadn't joined the program here at Cherh when I was a freshman. And I actually loved that experience so much. It was very eye opening and I am planning on returning to Taiwan again this summer. Um it's given me skills that are so important to me um like the ability to see beyond stereotypes and to be more open-minded um to everyone to from like everyone around the world. It's just given me so much development in that skill. And I'm currently continuing my studies in Chinese at the University of Rhode Island. I plan on adding it as a major. Um and I love it. I'm I was in a flagship level class over the past semester and I agree with what they were saying. The teachers are absolutely amazing and I just
156think having a program [snorts] in this high school that gives you those opportunities is something that you guys wouldn't want to miss out on. So yes, thank you for your time. >> Thank you. >> Um hello, my name is Sierra Smith and I am from Richmond. Um, the Chinese program here at Cherho not only teaches the language but also teaches the culture and the people in which it comes from. The story is behind every character. Miss Usher makes every lesson engaging and fun to learn. And because of her teaching, I cannot wait for Chinese class because I know that I will be in an environment where the lessons teacher and classmates are enjoyable. Um, the Chinese program is more than just the language. It teaches the culture and the community. While the option to continue
157taking Chinese classes through VHS or CCRI is great, it only allows us to continue learning the language. Taking the online classes will never feel the same without her or the students. The whole class would feel entirely different. All the connections that students have made in class would be taken away from us. Miss Husher makes sure that each of her students are heard and that they understand each lesson thoroughly. She has brought us to field trips to learn about the culture such as the senior center at URI, the senior center and the URI Chinese New Year celebration. This built on our knowledge of the Chinese culture and brings us a whole new meaning to it that is beyond language. Going to the Chinese senior center helped us engage with the community um even though they all
158spoke different dialects. Um it brought us a whole new meaning and the program itself was on the newspaper five times and it also promoted Cherho High School and the chorus program. Um she has become like a mother figure to me and many of the other students and it would be devastating to lose her because I was able to confide in her with my personal life and school life. Um there has been many there has been many obstacles for her and us with the Chinese program being cut last year and this year. We didn't even get the option to take the third-year language of Chinese and I am wondering why we aren't able to take it again to continue taking the language as somebody who wanted to go in business and to continue taking the Chinese
159language at URI. Um, I agree with what everybody else is saying that this needs to be a language that has continued within the school and to make every to give cher more diversity. I think that this needs to be promoted to give cher more diversity with languages. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. All right. last speaker. >> Um, hi. Uh, thank you for, um, giving me a few extra minutes to, uh, add to a conversation. I probably don't have much to add to because everyone has said everything I've thought, but I wouldn't forgive myself for not saying it as well. Um, so when I heard that uh, Charo was offering Chinese, I was like, okay, Charo, okay, that's cool. Uh, Charo is progressive. It's global. this is awesome. They're preparing our students for a
160global future. Um, and then the year began and we as a family began to experience uh our daughter's stories of her time here uh with this teacher and she was baking for her classroom and wearing a dress she would have never chosen and singing in front of a lot of people and getting excited about travel and just really opening up to the high school experience. Um, and I thought, okay, this is this is way cooler than I already thought it was. Um, so hearing about the cut has really just made me lose sleep. Um, I think I'm more proud of Cher than I realized I was for this program, and I just don't feel ready to be disappointed. Um, I think that the teacher has woven such excitement into her students and she's just one
161woman and so look at what else she could possibly do. I don't think we should let her go. That's it. Thank you. >> Thank you everybody. I uh I just want to thank all of you for showing up. I want to thank all of you especially you students um for articulating your position. It's a testament, ma'am, to this the outstanding teacher that you are. Thank you so much. Uh, I'd like to take this time to just comment that tonight's vote is not to cut the world language. That vote has already been taken. These programs were removed from our budget. They were removed from our budget prior to that budget going to the voters. I I think that's a very important thing to understand because at this point in time, the reason the vote is cast
162tonight is because we needed the voters to weigh in on whether or not they would adopt the budget prior to coming to this position. So tonight's vote is actually on the approval of suspension of teacher contracts due to the budget and lack of enrollment. I'll take a motion to move this into committee. >> So move. >> Second. >> Thank you. Motion second to move this into committee. >> One of the things I'd like to say about this is that I truly believe that we should retain the language programs. I do. Um I mean exact testament to some of the comments made tonight. I hired a product manager last year. The number one requirement was that she not she well she or he spoke Mandarin. Now if you want to work in the semiconductor industry, especially
163now that TSMC has come to Arizona or Samsung to Austin, Texas, you need to be able to speak Mandarin or Korean. And I think those comments made tonight are very uh appropriate. That being said, I intend to vote in favor of the suspension of the teacher contracts because it has been put into our budget. The voters approved that budget and I do not think that we can now change that item in the budget without um damaging our long-term credibility to the voters. I'll open this up to the rest of the committee. I'm gonna say Laura. >> I think Karen either way you can go. That's >> all right. Laura Karen probably. >> So, thank you everybody for coming and speaking tonight. Um my I have a couple of questions. Um how many first of all,
164how many out of district students are currently enrolled in French or Mandarin? We had to check out a district, but there's 20 total students in Chinese and 38 in French >> and those are out of district students. >> No, that's total. >> I don't have it. I don't know off the top of my head. We'd have to go to get the numbers for out of district. >> Okay. And so, and then also, so I know that this came up last year as well. And last year when this was discussed, um, the the enrollment was also an issue. So is so you so the numbers that you just provided just now are similar to the ones from last year. Did enrollment go up or did enrollment go down compared to last year? >> It has not
165gone up. >> Okay. Thank you for clarifying that. >> Thank you. >> Um I just want to take the opportunity to say thank you all for coming this evening. Um, I truly appreciate the passion. Um, and you definitely showed a love for Miss uh, Lusher and Miss Leam. Um, and it kills me to have to make this vote. um because I see the value in this language and in increasing the languages here at Charo and I do feel that this is a disservice um especially after looking at vision 2029 and making connections to the community and making connections within our school. It's clear that Miss Lusher's made a great community within her classroom. Um and I apologize for having to make the vote that I'm going to have to make because of the budget. Thanks
166Mr. Holly >> say that um listening to all these comments u this is going to be very difficult for me as well [clears throat] but um you really highlighted another thing that makes chaho special and what we're doing we're doing something different so I just want to thank you for all that and all your comments um I want to make sure that um it's properly budgeted for the French and the Chinese students. I mean, I know virtual high school or those other options are not desirable, but are they properly budgeted to, um, help these kids get through whatever their three or four years of language, whatever they need? >> So, um, our team, Dr. Camela and our team, uh, work diligently. We also have students who want American Sign Language. We have, I think, Kyla
167here. Um, so we're working with out of district partners. I've been work I this is just, you know, those are one of those decisions. It's like Sophie's choice every day in in in our world, you know. I mean, if 20 kids, one kid, right? I mean, I think the students, the teachers did an amazing job of explaining uh the impact uh and Mrs. Lucer and just add she's also going to be you know she's starting her special education certification and I swear if I could figure out a way I've been talking to um different colleagues across the state at colleges at charter schools to be thinking about ways to maybe cross district opportunities um because I think we all see the value but it's not lost on me that our but our voters just passed
168the big the biggest budget that Cher has ever seen. Um, and that's with cuts that I think I told all of you in January were going to break my heart because I don't see the dollars. I see the faces that you all see just now, but there's more of them and I watched them cross the stages and I was here when Mley started and um, we were and she's done an amazing job trying to build the program in Chinese. So we I know trust me the virtual high school isn't for everybody and um opportunities. So while this you know I my my dad used to tell me sometimes when a when a door closes a window opens and I'm pretty good at trying to find windows open. So regardless of the vote here tonight I'm
169going to try my best to think through very innovatively with my colleagues across some county to see what we could do maybe as a county versus a district. But I don't know if you >> So, so we've play virtual high school. I know they don't love all the options really. It's virtual high school. It's um uh reaching out to colleges to audit classes to be able to get opportunities. We I've talked with Mr. O about um a a club that students could lead where we could get advisors so that we can continue the conversations with um community partners to be able to build language. We did a lot of that when I was in Providence where we would work with the communities. The difficult part in char is that we're rural and it's difficult to
170get the transportation sometimes but um students will have access to the opportunities to be able to complete. It's just not sometimes the access that they want. >> Um I I think it's truly amazing to see students who are engaged and interested in learning about the world through different languages, histories, and cultures. My older son was enrolled in Chinese at the middle school this year and he loved it. This is also the son who was one of the last students to have world language classes at the elementary school before they were cut for budget re reasons. My younger son welcomed 100 new classmates from Hope Valley Elementary School, which was closed for multiple reasons, one of which was budgetary concerns. I wish we didn't have to make difficult decisions that impact opportunities for our students, especially
171because I know how it feels as a parent. Unfortunately, at the moment, the Chinese and French options for world language are an unbudgeted expense. Typically, this type of expense relates to emergency repairs and operations. In the current fiscal year, the school committee has approved over $800,000 of additional spending with another request due to power outage later in this agenda. Some of these un unbudgeted expenses are unavoidable, but others are a difficult choice. The chair community just approved a budget for the next fiscal year that included reductions in teachers and teaching assistance in addition to the world language line item. Uh the world language reduction was discussed last year as well due to low enrollment levels. When I checked with the superintendent as she said um Chinese had 20 students, French had 38, Italian had 71,
172and Spanish had 325. I think some of the speakers tonight did a good job illustrating the reasons why these numbers could be so desperate. Um I really appreciate everyone's feedback. I you know the experience that our students have in these classrooms are not only budgetary and I really don't believe that students should be reduced to numbers on a spreadsheet but I think it's important that we evaluate the data that's available. Um and I would ask that Mr. Zenion provides some um figures on the amount of money that we're talking about while also highlighting the fact that as Miss Bard mentioned, the increase to the budget this year was $2.2 million. Um as a Richmond resident, we lost $330,000 of state aid, which made the increase to the local Richmond budget $1.2 million. So, I know
173that's a lot of numbers, but that's how as school committee members, that's one of the things that we evaluate and we just live through for the last several months during budget season. So, it's top of mind for me. And I um would prefer some um sorry, request some data on the um numbers this would require to keep these classrooms going. So, you would need to um find about $280,000 to keep these two teachers for next year. And you have not budgeted for it. >> Where would the um if um Greg, if the for the 280,000, where would that need to come from? Is that a fund balance thing or can you help me understand where that would possibly need to come from? I don't know where it would come from. This committee has spent $800,000
174this year that you did not budget. Um you you have taken your fund balance. There is um you have to start to make decisions. And then you have you you passed a budget. Um there was $2.5 million cut from that budget before you got it. You chose to cut nothing else from it. You did this last year. you you just kept adding to a budget that was already voted on. The money just does not appear. Um there will have to be cuts somewhere. Um I' I've said it repeatedly, your fund balance is extremely low. Your superintendent has repeatedly said you're one windstorm away from being broke. Um you you're there is a limited amount of funds. Your budget is what you budget. You you should not be going over budget year after year. >> Thank
175you, Mr. Zen. Committee members, Mr. Phelps, >> can you break down? >> Is it break it down the 280? Can you break it down to what what >> a certified teacher at top step with all benefits is approximately $150,000. 80% of that is 120. That puts you at 270. Those are rough numbers, so I go up to 280. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you. >> Any other from the committee members? >> Um I'm curious if there are any options we can discuss as like instead of one full-time equivalent or 0.8. Is there an option we could discuss at this moment for allowing students currently enrolled to continue but not enrolling new students? Would that require further negotiation? >> I I think we would drift off of what our stated agenda is. I mean, the line
176item's pretty specific with respect to But what you're talking about would be a special meeting that we would have to enact prior to or before June 1st, unless we took action tonight. Um, and I mean obviously that's something that we can discuss at the end of this meeting whether or not we want to take that out, but I I do not encourage us drifting off topic for this one. >> Okay. >> Yes, ma'am. >> So, we can't um we can't discuss possibly reducing that the the FTE. Is that is that what you're saying, Jess? >> The No, we'd have to set up a special meeting for that. This is that would be beyond the scope of what this motion is. Committee members, any further comments? Closing discussion. I'm going to move this to a vote.
177Those in favor? I have a motion and a second. >> Karen and thank you very much. >> Motion in a second to Second. >> Approve the suspension. Those in favor them up. We've got six, seven. Okay, those opposed. Four. One, two, three, four. Okay. Thank you. Now, thank you very much. Let's move on to the next topic that is going to be business G. >> I recommend approval of the grade 5 STEM course proposal as submitted. >> So move second. >> Is there a second? >> Oh, sorry. >> Oh, second. All right. Thank you. >> All right. Uh, approval of grade five STEM course proposal. Any discussion? Committee members, any discussion? >> No. I'm going to close discussion then. Let's move it to the vote. Those in favor. >> I'm calling that unanimous. Thank you.
178>> Did you vote? >> You You put your hand up in favor. Correct. >> No, I was actually abstaining. I didn't hear it hear the question. One of the students was talking to me. >> Okay. >> Sorry. >> But we've got 10 in favor. Abstensions. >> Abstension. I'll I'll abain. >> Thank you. accurate. Uh H >> I recommend approval of the request for transfer funds for the Charlestown power outage. >> Second. >> All right. Motion and second for approval of the request for transfer uh funds for the power outage. Discussion. Yes, sir. I'm I'm sorry. I'm going to go Mr. Low. >> Mr. Luzon. Mr. Rams. >> There was some original discussion that insurance may cover part of that. Um can you break down um what the cost is um what portion may be covered
179by insurance and what the resultant cost is going to be? >> Yes. So the um emergency work to have the power restored phase one included the excavation of of the underground service feeders from the new pole to the edge of the driveway. Um the removal of existing damaged conductors and conduit. Um the determine of what of the existing conduits could be reused. Extended circuits from driveway edge to the pole. Acquire and install new conductors. Provide terminal existing main breaker. And provide electrical permit inspections. The permit fee was $350. The labor was $15,400. The excavation was $1,500. and the materials was $13,989. So phase one cost you $31,244. Upon electrical review, the electric um the inspector determined that your um electrical main breaker was out of code with all the new um upgrades. So, um, that
180was another $13,000, which came to $2,565 in labor, $350 for permits, and $10,96 in materials. We know that our insurance will not cover um any of the e excavation. So, that $1,500 we know they will not cover because it's right in our policy. Everything else will be determined once we submit it. We are hopeful that most of this will be covered, but until we pay it and submit it, we won't have an answer. >> What did the what did the total um what was the total cost then? Greg, >> $44,255.91. >> All right. >> Thank you, Mr. Lon. >> Already answered. Fantastic. M. >> All right. Already answered. Any further questions? All right, let's take it to the vote. Those in favor? That is unanimous. I got it right this time. >> All right, thank
181you very much committee. That brings us through the business portion. We are now at the consent agenda items. Who needs what poll? Well, chair, assuming you and um Holly don't want to pull pay. >> Yeah, Holly, I think we should abstain. We're going to pull a uh let's see what else. Does anybody have anything that they want pulled other than Holly and I? Mors >> here. I'll make a motion to uh to move the remainder. But before I do, I want to acknowledge donations. And before I acknowledge donations, I'm going to start with donation three through six and then go back to one and two. I'd like to acknowledge. Thank you to Men's Warehouse for graciously donating two free tuxedo rentals for two junior classmen. Thank you to Ryan and Stop and Shop for their
182donations of snacks to Richmond Elementary School. Thank you to David Rivz from Mr. Pizza for a donation of $100 to the Cheraho FBLA. Thank you to the Bank Braftoft family for the generous donation of $150 to the Cher High School STEM student activities fund going to number one in honor of one of our former members here. Thank you to Sarah Eager and Michael Chambers who graciously donated the sum of $500 to use to present a scholarship to a graduating senior at Cherro High School who will be pursuing a career in education. The scholarship will be called the Donna Chambers Commitment to Education Scholarship. And two, thank you to Linda Lyall also graciously donated the sum of $500 to the Donna Chambers Commitment to Education Scholarship Fund. Hey folks, Donna and I did not agree on
183everything. >> There was things we actually kind of battled over, but I'm going to be honest with you, her heart was for all of our kids. Just wanted to say that. >> Thank you, Mr. Luzon. Thanks. Thank you. Can I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Motion and a second. Those in favor? Thank you. That's unanimous. All right. >> Chair, I would like to make a motion to approve a minutes of the Cherald School Committee meeting, April 14th, 2026, regular session. >> So move. >> Second. >> Thank you. We have a motion and a second. Those in favor. We're going to make 10:00. Stop it. >> Those abstaining, that's the rest of us. Okay. All right, now we are on to reports. >> So for the elementary capital plan update, we um have
184our unified campus uh conversation with the community Tuesday, June 9th at 4:30 uh here in the Teraho Regional High School Library. All family, staff, residents are welcome to attend where our architects and our product manager will discuss um where we are to date with the concept as we move forward for our stage two in September. It was also in our e update for those of you that need to go if you have to get a little reminder transportation audit update. So, uh we received word back that um good news is we want a very efficient transportation. Bad news is we want a very efficient transportation. So, there's no savings there. However, um I will be working with uh the superintendent in uh South Kingtown and Exit of West Greenwich to think through state statewide transportation
185to see if with uh revising some routes with statewide if we communicate together, we may be able to see some savings as as a group and um I'm also talking to the Wesley superintendent. There may be potential if Wesley may be able to take opportunities because they have their own buses too where we can maybe some coordinate some support supportive services. class of 2026 graduation. Probably one of my favorite events. Um it is why we're all here, the vision of a graduate and that's the culmination and it's one of of the exciting times. U members of the school committee u if you are going to attend, please respond and let me know if you need um to be if you'd like to be on stage. I need to know that as well so that I
186can tell Mr. author, Miss Cosalino tomorrow during my well by May 20th, we have to have a final uh count for the stage and then all of our community members are welcome to join us at the vision of a graduate. The nice thing about hosting graduation at URI is that we have enough seats for everybody. So you want to bring 20, 10, 100, go for it. You're all welcome to attend. We also invite our our youngest learners and our our middle schoolers who want to come see um that that vision of a graduate. We'll also celebrate senior week with our elementary um walks which is um reset and revised. When the Hope Valley school closed, I think um people forgot how many of our students are out of district that also don't have an elementary.
187So, it's not about going to elementary school. It's about the pride of getting to college um in your career for graduation. So, we will have a clap out of all our elementary students. as we send every uh graduate through their halls during senior week. And then so excited for this one, Menu for Success is happening Saturday. Charo officially has the food truck on the road. We did soft opening and they are ready to rock it at the uh menu for success event. I hope you can join us in East Providence is hosting this year uh at Riverside Car Crescent Park Carousel where I spent a lot of my time getting gold rings at the carousel. But um we will uh the event there is an admission to the event because it's run by the state
188but it all goes back to the student programs and we hope that um if not join us on the Instagram page. I will send out lots of photos of that event because I will be in attendance um for that wonderful opportunity and the rest of the coming events are are posted below and for more information you can go online and click on the e update. >> Thank you. Um, okay. So, we have, uh, yeah, just a side note, if you haven't attended the graduation, you should. >> This is the culmination of your work product. You guys spend hundreds of hours each year working for this district and seeing our kids walk across that stage. It's uh it's special. So, uh, if you can do it, do it. You you deserve uh the accolades for the
189hard work you did. Okay. school committee request for future agenda items. Now, Jessica, this would be your time. If you want to tackle the $280,000 problem, this is the time to make that happen. I don't know. We're not we're not dipping into a fund balance. You're cutting something you and most likely you'll be cutting something else, some other program which the voters already approved. So, I caution you about going down that path, but now would be the time to make that that request. And I'll take other requests as well, Mr. Lousan. Well, first of all, I I really appreciate this gift here. That was very nice. Um I think we all got one. Um but I've been meaning to ask that uh for a future not agenda item, but for for a future meeting that
190we were required to do five hours of education every year. 6 hours. It was fine, but six fine. Um, so maybe uh we get a another lesson in Robert's rules. >> Okay. Thank you, sir. Appreciate the recommendation. >> Request, not recommendation. >> All right. Others? If not, >> Yes, ma'am. Yeah, absolutely. And folks, um I appreciate the the the vote for chair. Reach out to me anytime, right? call me, reach out if there's something that you want to see on the agenda or you have a problem with anything, please. Right? We're all in this together. And at this time being 10:00, I make a motion to adjourn. >> Second. >> Those in favor? Thank you all. Appreciate it. That was unanimous. Let me just take a picture, sir. Good job.