001Good evening everyone. We're going to reconvene our open session. Um, welcome to the July 15th meeting of the Charo Regional School District. Gina, I'm going to turn this over to you for the closing and sealing of executive session minutes. So, closing and sealing the minutes of the executive session as they pertain to the privacy of students and their records. Executive session minutes from June 17th, 2025 and homeschooling requests. >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. Hi, Craig. Um, any discussion? All in favor? >> Unanimous. Thank you. >> Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see that. Craig. >> Um, so we have 11 yeses and one extension. Thank you. >> Okay. Disclosure of executive session votes. I'm going to hand that over to our clerk. >> Oh, you're good. Okay. >> Good evening everybody.
002There were two votes taken in executive session tonight. The first was to approve the June 17th executive session minutes. That vote was unanimous. The would Oh, I'm sorry. >> Still unanimous. >> Okay. Um, sorry. That vote was unanimous. The second vote that was taken was a vote to return to open session and that was also unanimous. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh next on our agenda is recognitions. I would like to recognize Vanessa Freel, special educator at the Charleston Elementary School uh for the Horus Man Crystal Apple Award winner for the 2425 school year. Congratulations to Vanessa. Um, we have several Crystal Apple award winners and in the annual report coming up next month, you'll have all of the recognitions for the year. Ah, I would also I I think it's coming up on the
003the rest of later in the agenda, but I would also recognize all the AP teachers and the administrators >> and everybody that has made an incredible incredible record for our AP classes. I am so impressed. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Donna. [Applause] Okay, public forum. So, we have looks like two people on the public forum signup sheet and um those folks who have signed up um you are welcome to speak about items that are not on our agenda tonight and please direct your comments to the chair. As part of the Charo School District's public forum policy, it states, quote, "Each citizen who makes a public statement has a responsibility to be accurate, present facts, present information based on personal knowledge, not hearsay, be considerate, and allow others to speak without interruption. Also, as
004chair, it's my role to keep decorum at our public meetings, and be respectful of our time management. With that being said, I'm asking the audience to refrain from cheering, clapping, booing, shouting, or disrupting the speaker who has the floor at the microphone. And it looks like our two speakers are from our district. Um, okay. So, I'm going to ask our vice chair, Laura Chapman, if um she can keep time. And thank you. Considering we only have two speakers tonight, um I will allow up to the full four minutes for your comments. And it looks like the first person is Joan Kent from Richmond. Joan, would you make your way to the microphone, please? Good evening, Madame Chair, superintendent, uh school committee, and the public. You may not like what I'm about to say, but please
005let me at least finish what I want to say to you. I have been living in Richmond for about eight years. The illusion is given by some people of this community portrays this town as a wonderful, caring, kind, tolerant, neighborly community to live and raise a family. Unfortunately, that's far from the truth. How I see it. I have observed great deal of hate, unkindness, intolerance, and division. That hurts. When did we stop respectfully listening and discussing and having a civil dialogue with each other? An issue is how to resolve our problems and how to achieve our goals. If you don't respect yourself and you don't respect others, how do you expect your children to respect themselves, others, and anything else? Sadly, I have observed and witnessed at school committee meetings, at town council meetings at
006the time of public comment, the action to try to suppress free speech, not only by committee members, but also by the public attending these meetings to cause disruption, interruption, shouting, rudeness, nastiness, comments against each other. to stop them from speaking. That's not right. What I have also seen heard read in words in an action through access to publications and by means of communication like the internet community page in the manipulation the misrepresentation by means of disinformation of facts and truth by opposing rival powers. Anger and hate reduces people to act out in both words and actions in the form of vicious campaign campaigns by shameful behavior for deliberate attempt in intention to assassinate and destroy a person's character, well-being, living and quality of life. Just one example of this of maliciousness, viciousness, brutality, slander, defaming
007an attack against a person. Madame Chair Louise Dinsmore, I suggest all of you to look at present and past years, the videos at school committee and town meetings, and you'll see all this happening. I recommend that you start with the school committee meeting the on the issue of Title N in March of 2025. How awful that meeting was. No one signs up for this kind of rude retaliation, retribution, and hate. A person signs up in hopes to doing something good and productive for everyone in this community. We may have different views, opinions, and ideas on how to reach our goals to gain the best quality of life for everyone in Richmond and our communities. After all, we are in this together. Let's do it with respect and dignity. I am far from being perfect. Believe
008me, sometimes I fail in trying to be patient, understanding, kind, and forgiving when things seem difficult and out of control. But I try to live my life with love rather than hate and believe in the hope of and rather than hopelessness and the goodness of people. Finally, I would like to read something to you that I strive to live by each day. Oftentimes it's difficult and sometimes it requires a great effort. This is a prayer and I don't know what your faiths are but I think this is a very good thing for people to look at or listen to. This is St. Francis of the Cisi. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me show love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is
009despair, hope. Where there's darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. Oh divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to consoled, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive. It is in the pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in the dying that we are reborn. I thank you all for listening to me. I appreciate your time, your effort, and everyone that's here. But I want you to unite. I don't want a division. You people are important. Your children are important. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, >> McKenzie Abdesian. Thank you. >> Hi. >> Hello. I wanted to use my time to bring up uh concerns from the last few months that I have. I
010don't think that it was right or democratic to deny the public uh to speak regarding Superintendent Peard's contract extension. Alleged people with alleged emails were given more say than the folks who showed up to speak in support. I question whether we would have been allowed to speak if we agreed with your stance on the matter. I also want to speak on the chairperson's five minute long statement about decorum and kindness. I've yet to see decorum or kindness from the committee and I reject the idea that we should be held to a higher standard than the elected officials here. I think it was an abuse of power to limit speakers but not yourselves and it was shameful to threaten the public with removal by an officer for simply supporting each other during public forum. There's been
011discussion of having a student be involved in the school committee meetings, but when I spoke with students about their thoughts on this that they said that they were scared because of the behavior that they've witnessed here. I just wanted to bring to light the fact that the committee is setting a poor example for the students of this district in how to share ideas and find common ground with each other. And I think we all need to do better. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. So that concludes public forum. Uh next policy uh transportation policy for approval Gina or anyone from the transportation committee. Did you want to give us any context on this? >> Actually this was the sub policy subcommittee. So this was previously tabled and then reviewed again by legal and
012policy subcommittee and we are I am recommending approval with an update to the effective date being July 16th 2025. So move second. >> Okay. We have a motion and a second. Discussion by the committee. Jess, um I just want to say, you know, we we've heard this policy previously and I think a lot of us, well, I don't want to speak for anyone else, but for myself, I was held up on the fact that it does restrict um bus usage to only one address, and there are families in our district that kids go to more than one home. Um, I would like to, um, I have a concern about that, but in my attempts to add more funds to the transportation line of the budget has not been successful. So, um, I will support this
013policy as written because I think that we do need to restrict transportation um, at this time. Okay. Thanks for that input, Jess. Anyone else? Okay, so we have a motion and a second. All in favor? unanimous. Thank you. Okay. Business discussion of healthcare insurance options and um Gina or John. Yes, there John, can you give us some context on this? Um sure. You know, we just had >> a little bit of uh discussion in executive session, but for the communities. >> Yeah. Uh um there have been uh various questions that have been asked about uh uh the school department the Tahoe Regional School District's options with regard to our third party administrator. Our third party administrator has been for some time uh WB Community Health. Um questions have been raised um about how does one
014go about um choosing a third party administrator. Um, what I wanted to happen here today and have why this is on the agenda is so that we're all working from the same framework as to how that process would work. And if the school committee so wished, the way that the school committee would do that would be to put out an RFP. the RFP um would give various weights to various criteria such as service, cost and so forth. Um uh prior experience um the RFP then would come back and be scored. I think it would I've talked with Mr. Zenyan at length about this. It would be very important that you had a consultant in the field of health care um who could give you expert advice, an independent consultant. Um the district has used independent
015consultants before. For example, in some of our energy contracts in past years. um our electricity. For example, we have used um independent con uh consultants to advise us in terms of buying electricity from solar fields um here in the state of Rhode Island. Um once the uh RFP results were scored and there was consultation with the healthcare expert um then this matter would come back to the committee and it would be a decision of the committee as to how to proceed. I just want everyone to understand. I don't know Mr. if you have anything to add to that. But >> the only thing I will say is um as I looked more into it um if we do not go with a consultant or a broker um the analogy was given to me, it would
016be like someone trying to try a case in front of the Supreme Court who has not attended law school. So, um, if we do move forward, you're going to have an expense to hire a consultant or a broker because I don't think anyone, um, at this table would have the qualifications to do what we would need to have done to make sure we're correctly rating the RFP. >> Thank you. Does anybody have any questions for me with regard to Again, I'm simply here to explain process and I'm explaining process in a public way so that everybody in the community understands what the process would be. >> Laura, so John, the um just for clarification, you're saying that if the if we were looking for a new administrator, then it would go out to RFP. >>
017Could you speak up, please? If we needed a new administrator, then it would go out to RFP. >> And the answer is yes. >> Okay. And but in order for that process to even happen, you're recommending that we need a consultant to do that process. >> Uh what I would recommend is that we had a consultant who looked over the RFP. I do have access to a form of RFP that was used by another community uh in the current calendar year, but I would like to have an independent person look at that RFP. Um that RFP was then turned borrowed from another I believe another municipality in the state. Um but I'd like to have someone who has as Mr. Zenyan indicated more of a knowledge of healthcare economics than I certainly do. And then
018when the results come back um because the RFP is very detailed in terms of you know historical experience uh um a track record uh service and things like that that there would be somebody far more qualified than myself um and no disrespect to Mr. Zenyion but someone more qualified than Mr. Zenyion to advise this committee which is a process that for example this school district to reduce its electric us um bought I'm going to use the words bought into loosely um but we get some of our electricity through solar fields here in the state and we used a consultant to match us with the solar fields so that we would get the best possible bargain um for uh the people of Char >> Karen >> sorry um approximate cost of a consultant or a broker
019do we have a ballpark figure >> no I called >> I called two and they um they would not even entertain what the cost would be. >> Not even an estimate. >> I did ask them. >> Thank you. >> And again, we would have to go out to RFP for that as well. >> We would have to go out. >> So, we have to go off that. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> The the one district that I'm aware of that has done this recently did not use a consultant. Um that's their decision. I'm telling you what my recommendation is and Mr. Zenyion agrees. So, this agenda item says discussion of healthcare insurance options. It doesn't say an RFP to analyze healthcare insurance options. >> I'm not I'm not asking I'm not asking you to issue
020an RFP. I'm simply trying to provide some clarification as to how this would work and so that everybody I believe in sharing information among all 12 of you and this is an information sharing download just like we had on a different topic in executive session an information sharing download. >> Okay. So with that being said because this is only information sharing we cannot entertain a motion to go to RFP because that's technically not what it says on the agenda. >> You are you are correct. This is simply to give you information and then it's up to you to decide whether you wish to put this on another agenda, how you want to handle it. I'm just trying to get everybody I'm you know, frankly, I was hearing different things from different people with different ideas
021and so forth. And I wanted to get it all in front of you in and Mr. Zenyan and I talked about this, the superintendent and I talked about this uh the three of us together that you all have the same information set. >> So, this is more about process. If you're interested in doing things, well, how do it work? >> This is a process conversation. >> Thank you for that clarification. Any other questions for John Craig? >> John, because I have um family members employed by the district >> because I have family members employed by the district uh and whatever I say could influence should I just recuse outright in reference to them? I need I need I I need to I Craig I need to think about that because I'm not sure that the
022fact that you have one family member out of who is our broker makes a difference as opposed to >> I'm just talking the whole kaboodleoodle. >> Yeah. And I'm not and to be honest with you I'm not sure I'm not sure about that standing here. Um, I'm happy to talk with you offline um about that and make some I make some suggestions with regard to that um issue. >> Well, for tonight I'll keep my mouth shut. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other input from the committee? Okay. Thank you, John. Next. So, this uh John, don't leave. Um >> that's why I'm here. >> Yep. So, this is an item for um the WB Community Health and our contract with WB Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island and the administrative services contract
023for approval. So, I am recommending approval of this uh that the committee approve this for signature as it will impact the million-doll prescription rebate for the district. Um just to to um remind the committee, this doesn't impact anything that you want to do. if there's any changes to brokers. This is just to continue our current contract Blue Cross provided to us to ensure we get the prescription rebates as um we had planned for in the budget. >> Okay. And then John can add anything else if you have a question. Um what you have in front of you is um the three-way agreement that we have uh with um that's being presented to you with Blue Cross and with our um third party administrator that is WB Community Health. Um uh the reason why I'm presenting
024this to you again because I don't want anyone to be surprised is that this is a three-year contract. The issue though is that the three-year contract runs from July 1st, 2024 to June 30th, 2027. And I'm sure that you're all sitting here saying, John, you know, where's this contract been? Um, why hasn't this been presented before? And I have with me tonight um Sarah Mangerelli from WB Community Health, answer questions. I also have Sue Henrikson from Blue Cross who is also here to um answer questions. Um the concern um that uh I have um I'm not thrilled about the fact that this contract um has taken so long. Frankly, this is the first time I've been involved in this particular issue. Notwithstanding my long tenure here um in Charo, the concerns uh that I have
025that I think are the most important for you to consider is that number one um we have a prescription benefit rebate writing on it and for the reason the superintendent gave I'm recommending it as well. Um, that being said, the contract is for the period June 1st 24 to July uh June I'm sorry, July 1st 24 to June 30th 27. >> And if we were to break the contract to go with another third party administrator, there are consequences in the contract. There are there is a liquidated damage um provision um in the contract on page 43. Um the liquidated damage provision for the administrative cost is is and I don't mean to be disrespectful not that much money. Uh with regard to that there is also the liquidated damage pro uh provision for the msk
026which is the muscular skeletal benefit that we have. I have not been able to quantify that because frankly that's a brand new program and I'm not that familiar um with regard to it. But the bigger issue is our prescription benefit um rebates. Um uh WB and uh Blue Cross um on our behalf uh negotiate with pharmaceutical companies. Um there are savings when they when Blue Cross for example buys in bulk. Um, when Blue Cross in turn buys in bulk, then who gets those savings? And our contract provides for us a rebate plan. And some of that some of those savings come back to this district. And in terms of planning your current budget for the 242 for 2526, we included that information. Um, uh, we built it into the budget. Greg, have I missed anything?
027>> No. >> Gina. >> Okay. Laura, and then Jess, you built in the 1.1 million. >> Let's defer to Greg. >> We have um when we did our increase, we were hope we were hoping to use um money from the rebate to go back into health care into the health care the healthcare fund balance. So, um I don't know if you remember, but um we were being told all along to expect double digits and they were saying 15 to 20% and we held it at 10 and part of their reason or holding as 10 was with the hope um we were hoping that rebate would be at least 600,000. Anything above that is just but that's how we if we didn't look at that rebate I probably would have asked for a 15% increase in
028healthcare. >> Yeah, I correct me if I'm wrong. I want to say it was FY23 where we had to use the or I'll say fund balance because that's what it is, but it's the healthc care fund balance to be able to manage the budget. >> It was FY24 and it was $780,000. And in FY23, this committee raised healthc care by 0%. So, if you look at a 0% increase in 23, in 24 I believe you had an 8% increase, but if you look at the $78,000 you took out of your healthcare to offset your budget, you really had no increase. So, um if you look at your last seven years, FY26 is the first time you see healthc care go into double digits. If you go back to FY20, it's 5%. FY21 is 6%. FY22
029is 4.15%. FY23 is 0%. FY24 is 8%, but you took $780,000 out of your healthcare fund balance. Basically, if you would incorporate that into it, you're at 01%. Um FY25 was 7.5 and FY26 was 10. Um if so if you take that um pharmaceutical and put it back in maybe FY you know 27 you you get off with maybe not seeing a double digit again. It's hard to predict right now but that was the um the reason behind 10 versus 15%. >> Um so Jess I know you had a question. I just had a question for John though procedurally. So, knowing that uh you recommended and Gina recommended um approval, should I ask for a motion to approve and then have a discussion on this? Okay. So, do we have a motion to approve? >>
030That that's what I was going to do. That's why I had my hand raised. >> Okay. Thank you. All right. And we had a second by Karen. >> Okay. Discussion. Um, Miss Sarah, would you like to come up and >> just I know there's a lot of information that um just went around. So, just to try and pull things together a little bit, I'm going to start at the pharmacy rebate revenue just so it's understood about how the working rate is calculated. So, as I've mentioned before, any pharmacy rebate revenue earned by Cheroo goes back 100% to benefit Cher Cher. So all of the rebates uh that Blue Cross receives are passed through directly when we're calculating what your working rate is going to be on an annual basis. We look at claims projection and
031we look at pharmacy rebate revenue as an offset to come up with the net working rate. So your working rate would have been larger if we weren't receiving um that rebate revenue. So, just to set that component aside and then just to talk about the contractual timeline of it and to give a little bit of context while I'm not um here to excuse or condone the delay in the contract and I'll start with saying that Blue Cross has agreed that on an annual basis because I do have annual amendments as well to the contract um which is typical to update for any changes in legal language or regulations that they've agreed to have that to me 30 days prior to the start of the fiscal year, which is a change. Typically, I would receive those
032contracts to start reviewing in November, October. This contract is a little bit different where it is for the three-year period. I shouldn't say different, it happens every three years, right? But we do have an annual amendment to sign. Historically, when Blue Cross would make a change to their contract, the amendment lived as a separate document. So one of the reasons that there was a tremendous holdup in this is that they took about eight years worth of amendments and put it into one revised complete document which is the 70page contract that we now have. In addition to that, um, we started a brand new pharmacy program which went into place July 1, which was completely new terms and they had to incorporate the language from the RFP which was, I don't know, like 134 questions and
033requirements to make sure that we received the maximum amount of rebate revenue we could and everything was spelled out. So, all of that had to be incorporated into the contract. And then we had Blue Cross legal, WB legal, and then the uh Traris, who is our pharmacy manager to make sure that WB CharO um is receiving what it should be and that Blue Cross is being held accountable. So, we had three different legal parties that all had to agree on this 70page contract that merged eight years together. So, um I would agree that there, as I started off, that it's not acceptable to have it on this timeline. However, there was no delay in coverage. Not one of your employees had any impact from having the medical coverage, the pharmacy coverage, same as now. That
034was not changed because it was um unfortunately a legal holdup in getting that through the process. So, but in order to continue in the remaining year and a half, the contract does need to be signed and executed so that um we can continue receiving the benefits and the care that's outlined. So, hopefully that kind of pulls everything together, but happy to answer any questions if you have them. Thank you. Does anyone have any questions for Sarah or Sue? Okay. So, we have a motion on the floor. We have a second. So, motion to approve the contract. >> What's the matter? >> We have a motion. >> Yeah, we have a motion for voting. Yeah. Okay. So, motion >> Oh, yes. I'm sorry, Laura. I didn't realize you had another question. Sorry. My bad. >> That's
035okay. Um, is there Sarah the Sorry, I'll wait for you to um the contract terms. So, the the delay that was in there, when is the when does this need to be signed by? Because obviously we all received this on Friday. So, I'm just curious when the when it would need to be signed by the school in order for us to continue to move forward. >> So, um as of now, Blue Cross has released the payments for Q3 and Q4 of 2024. So, there is 180day delay on those pharmacy rebate payments. So, I have received those. However, they did say that they are not going to pay um running my fiscal year quarters Q1 2025 until the contract was signed. So, it would start to delay. Um we do have a little bit more time
036because it's 180 days, but I would I would not delay. You know, we would all like to see this wrapped up this summer to keep moving forward, >> right? Yeah. >> Okay. Any other questions? All right. One more time. Motion to approve. >> Oh, they did the motion. >> I'm I'm sorry. All in favor? >> There we go. >> Unanimous. Thank you very much for coming. >> And um Mr. Luzanne abstains. Madam clerk. >> Thank you. >> All right. Next on our agenda, Richmond Elementary School playground need approval to fund 95,000 to this project using capital dollars. I'm I'm sure Gina and um Greg have some background for us on this item. I am recommending approval of using $95,000 from our capital dollars for the Richmond playground equipment. As a reminder, we have approval from
037RIDE via a stage 2 request for Richmond and Ash ashway playgrounds. However, they were not allocated in the FY26 capital plan of your budget. So, Ry typically does not allow any capital projects for schools that don't have a capital improvement plan, which are elementary schools are now going in year six without a capital plan. As you know, we're only allowed emergency expenditures, which we exhaust every year. Knowing the and it's you can't determine a playground as being an emergency because it's not required. However, they understood the sort of community investment. They they said, "Okay, we'll we'll provide you with the stage two because we not like a home. You can't just build a playground. You have to follow the stage. If you want reimbursement from ride, you have to follow the school building authority pro
038processes. So, we have we will get the $95,000 myself, Mr. Sullivan, Greg. What we do with the principles is review the current capital projects and then as you all know the projects we put forward sometimes get moved based on other things that come up. this being um an example of that we would get 61% of the 95,000 right will only allow when they gave us our stage two um they voted in June 24 if you recall they were supposed to vote in May but they had no quorum so June 24 we were notified that they did approve the playgrounds we are asking you to do the Richmond playground at 95,000 just for tonight and we are um we are currently have a $25,000 grant that we're going put towards that as well as um from
039the generous fundraiser from the Matty Pots Foundation. They're at currently 15,000 to also support that playground. So, right now I'm recommending approval to move $95,000 capital plan project so we can proceed officially have your approval to do the Richmond playground. >> Okay. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Okay. So, we have a motion by Jess. Sec. I think Tyler got you there. Seconded by Tyler. >> Discussion. Larry, >> are we planning on taking any of the >> Larry? Right in here. >> We taking any um equipment from Hope Valley to move there. >> Yes, we had for that the last meeting that anything that's that's deemed can be moved because it has to be reviewed by the playground safety adviser. Okay. And the trust, we will we are planning on moving to Richmond. >> Okay.
040>> So, my question is, do we have an estimate for what the playground would cost a ballpark? knowing that the Charles Town playground was just in the $150,000 range. >> So, what does that mean? >> So, you see what $150,000 got. Yeah. Charles Town um it's not much. Um Richmond would >> but it's appreciated, >> right? It's appreciated and it's right. That's definitely not a um a dig or a complaint, but um you don't $150,000 is not going to get you multiple pieces like what you're probably going to envision for a school with 550 students, you know, um grades K through four. >> So, but this is >> so but it's a starting point and then you're going to have to build off of that. >> And this is just for the upper elementary. So,
041they have we if you have been to Richmond and you've seen that they have different sections for different age groups. The one that had to be come down was for our third and fourth graders. >> Okay. And then my follow-up question is timeline. When if we approve this tonight, when would we anticipate Richmond having this playground? >> So, there are two companies that are on the MPA list. Um, one has given us um said, you know, if we if they can get their equipment in, they said late fall. Um the other one is um still working out some details before they give us a timeline. >> And so if it's not the MPA then the other option is to put on an agenda for an RFP. However, I'm going to let Mr. Zeni explain what
042the building committee has heard hundreds of times. What happens when you >> So if you go out to an RFP, the people that are on the MPA list will most likely bid it, but they're going to bid it at a higher cost than what you would get them for on the list. And from our experience in the past, for example, when we did it with boilers, um, you wind up paying more, >> okay? >> And you wind up hiring the same person, >> but you made them go out to bid, so you pay for it. >> Thank you for that input. So, Larry and Laura, >> so how much of the equipment from home valley are you going to take? I mean, I got a beautiful picture and it and it's about what was there
043before it got deemed. >> Anything approved by the playground? um advisor >> that they're going to just go to go by these certifications. >> So I can ask the trust because they're not here tonight. Those questions I don't determine safety of playground, safety of boilers, that's a separate individual because it comes with liabilities. >> Okay? >> So they have to do the review and if they say it's not safe to move because there are laws around playgrounds different than what if you would you did it at um >> you know your home because of the safety. just the playground now is game time, >> right? But you also have to keep in mind that um most of th those pieces at Hope Valley are grandfathered in for um for your handicap accessibility the ADA. >>
044Yeah. >> Um the minute you pull them out of the ground, you lose that grandfather clause. And the minute we pull them out of the ground, the company pulling them out of the ground, if they deem that they did not come out safely, will not put them back in. Okay. Now, are they going to stay there for the um town of Hington use down the road if they want to or >> Well, if it's not safe, we we have to take it down. Like, we're going to we're if if they deem it um that it's not safe, then it should come down. If they deem that we can take it down and then when they take it down, deem it's not safe, then we can't. So, again, this comes with beyond my expertise, I have
045to go with the because we can't put the district in a liability for an unsafe uh playground. >> So, it's a Larry, it's a gamble. You're also um you know when was the hole dug to put the equipment in. If depending on when it was dug, if concrete was cheap, they backfilled it strictly with concrete. >> If um they did it in years that concrete was more expensive, they used fill and then concrete. That's easier to pull out. But if you go to pull out a piece of equipment and it's got a 4ft base of concrete 4T deep, it's not coming out and then being reused. question. Actually, this is not we're going off the agenda a little round. >> Use use pieces of this equipment and just buy the the the red post that
046attaches to >> too. You could do it that way. >> So, we remember the school building authority will not reimburse us if we don't follow the guidelines from the state. Correct. So, we have to and this item is about the Richmond playground purchase of the capital plant. >> Yeah. We have to stay on the Richmond and not co-mingle it with Hopkin and >> Laura. >> So, is the process the same though? So, if we have um because you're saying that the playground can't be put in place until probably late October um you know, assuming that everything that there's no delays in shipping and all that other stuff. So, that's like a a perfect schedule that it would happen in late October. Is it possible to, you know, maybe utilize or see or maybe make it
047more of a priority to look to see if the one at Hope Valley can be used in so that the kids do have something >> that's not this agenda item, but yes, we've already done that. >> Okay. So, somebody's already looked at it >> where where the once it comes out for the movement. Remember, we still have pre-K there. We can't do anything yet. We still have students and until the first week of August. >> Okay. Diane. >> Um I guess my question is is um the equipment that was removed from Richmond. Okay. When that equipment was purchased, I don't know when it was purchased. Uh did it come with any warranties? Do you know any >> I don't know that we can discuss this because this is it's technically not the agenda item and
048I don't want >> to win playground, right? No, this is about um approving $95,000 from the capital plan specifically for this project, >> right? Specifically for a project. >> Well, you're asking I can't >> I I understand, but >> I don't know that anyway, but I >> I'm just saying that we're looking to approve 95,000, but if any of that equipment were warrantied, the 95,000 wouldn't be 95,000 is all I'm saying. >> If it was if it was still under warranty, it typically isn't because it's over it was over 35 years old. Okay. Well, that's basically what I'm asking is if that's >> But again, I'm not supposed to >> break the you know, I know. I get it. I get it. >> Polly, is this about the 95,000? >> Yes. I I'm wondering what
049we get for that money. Um, is this to be determined the configuration of the playground? Um, what are we purchasing with it? Because you say a playground, but >> is it still to be determined the design? And >> yes, that's that comes from the school principal. Yeah. >> Is anything outside of that like a gaga ball pit or is that all in the same scope? >> Not necessarily because we have other I there are a lot of things in play, but there's a I want to say we're moving a gaga pit, but again, that's not this agenda item. >> Highly recommended. I can't break it again. >> My My recommendation would be that you do not dictate how the principal spends the 95,000 on the playground. >> I never get an excar going on right
050now. So, we have a motion and a second. Is that right, Madam Clerk? >> Okay, >> Jess. >> Um, so because this is going through Ride, we get the 61% reimbursement as you said >> up to 95,000. up to 95 >> they will only reimburse you. So if the play structure is 150,000 you're going to get 61% of 95. >> Okay. So my question is somewhat related to that which is that >> if is it possible to spend only what we have based on this 95 plus the 25 plus the 15 which we know won't full won't necessarily fund the entire size of the playground we'd like for that school. Can we wait and use the what we get back from the 61% reimbursement to finish the playground so we're not overexpending now we're kind
051of waiting for the reimbursement and then >> I'm going to be honest with you I would >> I would be careful with any kind of movement especially with the federal funds and not understanding what's happening yet with education but it's a slippery slope >> you have not budgeted 95,000 in capital for a playground >> please keep that in mind >> but that's what this Yeah. >> So when you say to >> use what you budgeted to then put back in, you haven't budgeted anything for a playground and you have schools that we are failing to heat, >> right? We'd be moving other funds to do that. >> It's no one should ask if there's money to do it. >> Well, we we there money to do it. No, we No, you didn't that money. And
052if you remember at the March meeting, I shared that you instead of cutting all of the Hope Rally requests, we could have kept the 95,000 from the capital that we had for Hope Rally and moved it. But at that point, there was a lot of that was a very, you know, intense meeting. Um, so I think, you know, there wasn't necessarily an appetite at that moment because that we had just found out that think was that day that we had to take it down. >> Okay. So, we have a motion and a second. So, do we have all in favor of approving 95,000 to this project using capital dollars? I >> So, we have everyone except Mr. Luzon. >> I abstain. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Okay. >> Next on the agenda, out of
053state field trips. Gina, do you want to talk about this tournament? >> Yep. This is something they do every year and I recommend approval of this out of state field trip as presented. >> So move second. >> So we have a motion and a second I think by Tyler I. >> Um any discussion on this members? All in favor? >> I unanimous. Okay. Thank you. Say somethingou for approval. Um this has been reviewed by legal. I recommend approval of thisou as presented. This is our anonymous tip reporting and it c and it does not cost the district any dollars. >> So moved. >> Thanks. >> We have a motion and we have a second discussion on this. Hold on one second. Um Laura and Diane is Gina. Is this the one that was on the
054agenda previously and then was pulled? >> No, that was the Rhode Island student assistance counselor. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome, >> Diane. Um I'm just kind of looking for um statistical information, okay, on this program. Um you know, it just basically in in Rhode Island itself, not not nationwide because I know this is nationwide, okay? But in Rhode Island itself, statistically, you know, I'm looking for how many how many actual reporting how much actual reporting occurred and how much false reporting occurred um and and what what happened with all of that. I mean, this is an anonymous reporting situation. Okay? And unfortunately, when something is anonymous, bad things happen. And I have a concern. So, I'm basically looking for numbers. I'm looking for stats on on where we stand on on this this
055whole uh Sandy Hook Promise thing. So, while I don't have Rhode Island stats, I can tell you in Charo, um, it is it was brought in originally to districts after school shootings to ensure that there could be ways for students to report or families to report. Um, a concern with even, it's not about having all the information. It's about saying, I heard something and I'm worried or scared. Um, we had 23 students uh report at the beginning of this year that they were concerned about a friend who was going to harm themselves. And I I can tell you that even if it's one, it's we want to know so we can provide supports. Um, I can ask Chief Johnson to come and speak about this issue as he is a advocate. He spoke on it
056last time the committee reviewed this. Um he is our he had medical leave but I think he's back and I'm trying not to harass him right away but I can tell you that he is a strong supporter. Both chief and I have done um articles uh and we did our newscast last time this came up because um this this saves lives. This this was really about um students wanting to help their friends and being able to support them. So I can tell you in Charo we are really proud of the fact that our kids feel and sometimes it doesn't have to be anonymous. They'll tell us who they are so that we can continue to talk and investigate. Um, but they have a choice and as does as do their parents as it's online. It's
057ages 5 through 12. It's taught in our advisory classrooms to be able to, you know, if you see something, say something. >> grades, I'm sorry, grades 5 through 12. And overall, um, the number one use for cheroo is concerned about a f a friend in danger or harming themselves. >> Okay. And do you have the stats that show or the numbers that show out of out of those how many did you say were reported? >> And the four there was 23. >> There was 23. And out of that 23, how many do you do you are you aware were actually legitimate calls? >> I I would rather not say that >> because it's a small number, but I can tell you >> I I'm I am recommending approval because this is something that has saved
058our kids' lives. And as a district that has had suicide This is something that I feel strongly and passionately about to make sure that we protect because sometimes it's by not saying who they are, they're saving their friends lives because they don't want their friend to find out it was them, but they know that they're doing the right thing. >> I have a I have a Oh, go ahead, Paulie. Holly Jess. >> Um, on the practical side, I asked my kids who are all students here, um, if they knew what this was, if they had been taught it yet. And I'm going to rely on what my middle child said because he's probably the most vocal. He said, um, nobody uses it. And this is just I didn't put anything in his in his mind.
059asked him straight up. He he said no one uses it. They don't bother with it, but they feel more comfortable talking to the deans and the social workers. So, I think that's a big win when you have face-toface com, you know, comfort with the kids. My high schoolers said the same thing. They said they felt more comfortable telling somebody, an adult within the school, that they knew. Um, and this really didn't even register on their radar. I think um if you if we have something like this and we lean on this too much, we're going to lose that personal touch that the kids are clearly saying they would rather go that route and speak to or have the one-on-one with the deans or the social workers in the school. So that >> that was just
060my take from asking them, hey, do you know about this? what's tell me tell me all about it because sometimes it's good to have a kid reiterate what they learned from this and honestly none of them got anything out of it. >> So while that may be true for your family what I can say is that when we think about one it is reviewed at all the advisories at the beginning of the year. Um to that point, you you all were involved in a case where it was recommended to you by both legal counsel and families that you have an anonymous tip reporting for sports. Um and we've reiterated that we have it and we've asked our coaches as part of your handbook to make sure that they have that they review it with their
061athletes because it's not just for school, it's also sports, it's also things that are happening sometimes outside the community. We had a situation outside of the community and those go directly to the police. So it's not just a support for schools, it's a support for the community. And again, my recommendation is if um there's no cost to the district other than having and again the deans use the deans have access depending on the level like if it's a staff then it comes to me. If it's police related, it goes to directly to the police. Um and I can what I can tell you is that um it is a utilized support for our for our kids. It's utilized in other districts, but it has been integral in our work for mental health um since we've
062especially since we were a district that um suffered from not not just um a child who died by suicide, but also the fact that we also have students who have impacted and continue to be impacted by those needs. So I think while some we would always want our kids to go that's the best that's the number one if they can go to an adult a trusted adult that's the bar sometimes not everybody is is comfortable because they're more concerned not about the adult but about their friend finding out that maybe they were the one that exposed a secret that could be something that the that um they're worried about. So in the end um like I said it's my recommendation that you approve it. It's no cost to the district. It's about supporting our kids
063in a way to make sure that we have information. Um but if there's any doubt, I can tell you both um Officer Ellis, Chief Johnson, and I'm sure uh Chief Palota and Chief Carrier would would come and share that they've they've all um found it very successful. >> So Jess, and then um Dr. Camala, please. >> U my question is about the app itself. Is it on their Chromebooks or do they have to download it on their phone? >> No, it's actually on the website, too. So it's um they have access. It's a link on their Chromebooks. It's a link in their Google classrooms and it's also on our website. It's in multiple places because sometimes um and it's reviewed throughout the year for different reminders. Like anytime you go to a coaching, they're going
064to be talking about it. So at different opportunities, it comes up so students know how they can access if they if they have a concern. >> Okay. Thanks, >> Dr. Camela. And then Pat. >> Yeah, I just wanted to add I'm thrilled to hear that students are comfortable with our deans. I concur with the superintendent. Um, but we also get tips on the weekend. So, you know, it's an important, I think, um, piece for students to know that like when the summer and in the summer, so when they don't have access to an adult at the school, they can still make a a tip during the weekend. >> Point. >> Okay. Thank you, Pat. Um, this has come up twice before every year I've been here and I've been consistent way voted and how I
065feel about it is I'm not saying that there's not a need for a program, but I think a program that's more local. We have resource officers, we have social workers, we have local police department. It's this particular organization that I do not think is in the best interest of the school. That's my opinion. Karen and Donna. >> Yeah, I was gonna ask her to elaborate >> the the they are a political organization whose primary mission is to challenge gun laws in the country. So that's fine. They want to do that. I think that's well and good, but I just don't think being aligned with that with the school is in the best interest of the community as a whole. That's my opinion. >> Donna, did you have something that you wanted to add? >> I
066was I appreciate your explanation. I totally do not agree with it. >> Okay, >> Karen, I'm sorry you had your hand up. >> I think we have to provide students with as many opportunities as possible. And if we think of it as a toolbox or a first aid kit, you know, I think it's absolutely fantastic that some students feel comfortable going to deans or principles or teachers. Obviously, that's the first, you know, that's what we want. That's what social emotional learning is. It's making those connections with the adults in the building. But we need to be able to provide students, all students, with the opportunity to feel like they can help a friend, to prevent something from happening. Um whether it's a suicide or a self- hurt or a school shooting, standing in front of
067a classroom when you get the alert or you get a notice that there's been another school shooting is honestly the scariest thing as a teacher because automatically you go through everything I'm going to do to protect my students. We're just providing students with a toolbox with a plethora of tools so that something doesn't happen. >> Craig, did you have your hand up before? Um, Diane. Yeah. >> Um, >> okay. >> To be honest, folks, I don't care. I know I've been labeled a liberal. I consider myself more moderate. But with that being said, I would honestly, it wouldn't bother me if we did this with four different groups and we had a libertarian group, a conservative group. As long as their main goal was our kids, that's it. We had a suicide a couple years
068ago. Boy, I wish somebody had heard about that before it happened. I really don't care what group would do it. Okay. Thank you, Diane. >> I guess my question is, what would prevent um a student who decided they didn't like another student? Well, let me call in an anonymous tip and say this person is going to hurt themselves or this person is going to hurt somebody else and it ends up being false and vindictive. >> Let the member finish her comments, please. It ends up being just a a false accusation in a vict vindictive manner, which is a very huge concern. You know, if it's not anonymous, fine. But if somebody can do it and do it anonymously, there's no one to be held accountable for the damage they do to another family. >> Okay.
069>> Thank you, Karen. and Donna, >> I don't I I think whether it's the deans or the guidance counselors or an administrator or even the police department that they don't go in full force and start, you know, tearing families apart or, you know, they go in kindly and caringly to see and do an investigation to make sure that the child or the family is okay, that the student is safe and in a safe location. There's nothing vindictive on our part. I don't I don't see I see it's an opportunity for students to have a tool at their availability to help a friend or to report something. And it gives people the opportunity, whether it's the police department or the guidance department or the administrators, the opportunity to meet with the student and the family to
070make sure that that student is okay. That's it. >> Thank you. Um, Donna and Laura. And then I think >> just wanted to um I basically wanted to say what Karen just said, but I think we have to to Diane's point, we have to rely on the professionalism of our counselors, our police officers, they know how to do it appropriately. And if we don't honor their professionalism in this situation and just leave it like it's not going to happen, I think that's a huge mistake. They are professionals. They know how to handle this and if it's bo it's a bogus claim they will figure that out. >> Thank you Donna Laura. >> Um so I had just to Pat's point I I do realize that because I've been on their website as well just because
071I wasn't sure what this was when it first came across us. Um they do do advocacy work at the um you know and push for legislation and things like that but I think that this is something separate. um the Say Something app and things like that. I think it's it's almost like it's a separate um I I don't want to say branch, but like a separate department maybe that kind of is more focused on student mental health and you know, kids being able to to report things. You know, my daughter's in high school and I and she does know about the app and I'm guessing that um you know, a lot of girls because girls struggle with mental health a little bit more than boys do that sometimes there's variations there. But um you know,
072and she does have friends who have used this app before. So I think that you know it's that maybe that this company that is doing the administrative part of this for us it almost sounds like there's a different um like piece to it. Is that correct Gina? Like do you know if there's different departments within this company? >> So like there's there's different sort of outreach groups, right? So like you know typically um this part is about the student resource and and actionoriented. So when when we uh this all came out of the um Sandy Hook shootings, that was where it originated from and the idea of if we had if if someone had had said, I know of someone who knows this information, how can how do we make sure that students have access
073in multiple ways if they need to figure out how to access someone? And I actually I appreciate Dr. Camella's point of view as well where in the end we do I mean I I'll be in the middle of the market on a Saturday and get the and get the alert and um and I get the alert immediately if it's a life-threatening situation. So I know if I'm getting it it's it's labeled life-threatening and you know let's just say your heart sinks because now you're you're working to ensure that you can make sure that the student who is um and sometimes students self-report. We've had that happen as well where uh they do it anonymously because they don't know how to access help. And um I think for our families that have had those situations, it
074has been um it's that again, it doesn't have to be many. It just needs to be one. And I think you know, Chief Johnson, I would say if you're going to be a bad actor, you're going to do it regardless of technology. You're going to figure out a way, right, to maybe not be honest. And we we do that too, right? the students who report and it's not something that happened and they do that verbally but the idea is you know we're really proud our kids do a really nice job and I have to say I I'm going on you know year six with the this tool has been in place prior to me um and I can tell you that it it's one of the tools that the students I know that meet with
075me will anchor to our peer-to-peer students are constantly um providing our our students with information how to access not just the anonymous tip line but all kinds of ways to get the supports that they need in mental health. >> Um so Gina, my question is if in the fall there were 23 students um tips that you received and anybody from the administration can weigh in on this. Do you know if there were uh if there was any data on those 23 reports? Were there also overlap with local police departments for those 23 or we do we have not have any idea if that if that was sort of a dual overlap. >> So somebody could call the tip line and then they also called Richmond police or Hopkinson police or Charlestown police. >> So we
076would know typically that we have we don't have the overlap. Um but we do have coordination. So, I mean, by the time if um usually if I get the alert because we're all getting it at the same time if it's life-threatening, we're all on immediately on the app because we can see who because we can actually talk to each other via the app. So, like so Dr. Camila can say I'm looking up the address now. Um I can say I talked to the dispatch at Richmond. They're they've already put out a wellness check. So we or we're all can all in one app simultaneously communicate with each other without having to pick up the phone. >> Okay. >> And so and the police are also notified. So, we're getting a life like a tip. The
077police are getting a tip as well. >> Often times the dispatcher already sent the officers out >> and then we get a call from um their center ensuring that one of us like especially on the weekend that one of us has is aware like they're double-checking to ensure that. >> Yeah. The number one use for us has been um concerns of a child who who is considering hurting themselves. >> Okay. And then um is there any data from the year before? How many tips that you received? >> I can send that out. I I I'll go in and pull up a report. Okay. And then my other question is um the Chris Collins Foundation, isn't that another resource at the peertopeer? Um >> Okay. >> And yes, that's another foundation who advocates for anonymous tip
078lines like this to be able to um give kids access however we can. >> I'm sorry, I have a lot of questions about this, but is there overlap between the Chris Collins Foundation program and this Go ahead. >> I was just going to say the peerto-peer really is about uh bringing awareness around the situation where the reporting is really for allow students to like make the report. That's the difference. So the peer-to-peer group what they're doing in the middle and the high school is actually like making um students aware, you know, and trying to break that stigma of, you know, mental health. Um you know, we're trying to bridge the gap between mental and physical health that, you know, they're both, you know, vitally important. Um but the the app itself is about allowing students
079to report like an immediate concern in the moment. >> Okay. >> And the Chris Collins Foundation um the focus around the peerto-peer is to make sure that students help other students know how to find resources. So like hey did you know the counselors have this? Hey do you know that we have the Hey do you know? So they're making sure they get training at your at the University of Rhode Island from the University of Michigan to be able to learn how to make sure they can support because they're not counselors, but how to access help if it if their friends need it. >> Okay. There was somebody from the audience that had their hand raised. Um before you come up, Jess, >> sorry. Um I was trying to say um I appreciate the hypothetical situation
080that Mrs. Te brought up. Um, but for me, the hypothetical situations that I find terrifying or what would happen if a kid didn't have help when they needed it, um, I think there might always be a level of kids messing around, um, it's kind of part of the that part time of life. Um, and I also appreciate what Miss Chapman said about separating the goal of this app with the organization that's coming from. You know, at the last meeting, I believe we approved a grant from the NRA to improve school safety. that that's a perfect situation of approving something that you know that organization may have political lobbying efforts but the ultimate goal is to improve the school safety for our students and I know that's the ultimate goal of this app as well and
081we see data that it's being used I won't speak um you know I don't know if this is the correct number but I feel like it was 43 is what you told us last year the number of reports but I don't know >> I I know I I usually >> it was more than 23 I I think um well that was was the fall she I said I tucked my head I remember the number because I had it was just when um some of the things that we do is we look at the number of calls and then we we provide more preventative and advisory and we find that the calls tend to dwindle once students have access to understand how to access the resources. >> So the 23 that you gave us was just
082for the fall. So we don't have any data for the no what I could remember. >> Um did you want to come up? Okay. Thank you. And so if you can just tell us your name and where you from. >> Thank you. Amy Rodriguez, chapter chair of the Washington County chapter of Moms for Liberty. I'm here to represent myself and other parents and families and students who suffered because a student who lived outside of my child's district used the anonymous reporting system provided by Sandy Hook, which is on I would say every public school district's website. this child who was upset with several of my daughter's classmates the night of her birthday. I'll never forget it. September 25th, 2023 at 12:34, a policeman arrived at our door wanting to know where my daughter was. We
083were all at the door. We're all quite shocked and he wanted to know if she had a knife or if she was going to hurt herself or these other crazy questions. He did not have a copy of a police report. Wasn't even sure why he was there. just cited a anonymous tip on the Sandy Hook reporting system. He was dismissed because there was no reason to be there. We all went to bed. That morning was her 17th birthday. We were all excited. She went to school. I got a call from the Dina student saying that she was in uh taken out of class and was in with a school psychologist, not allowed to go to her classes. along with her several other peers were not allowed to attend their class and they were to be
084held and have to speak to a school psychologist and counselor without my permission. I would not allow that. I said I will be right down. Long story short, if I didn't allow my daughter to go through a psychal by their counselor of choice, she was not allowed on the school property or on the school premise. I had to take her out. I had to get my own counselor and she had to go through a psycho val week later and was then allowed to return to school based on a child who did not live in that district. I appreciate us all wanting to protect our children. That is all of our goal. I understand we want to promote and protect their social and emotional well-being, but our family will never forget that. I I'm biting back
085tears thinking about it while my thinking about how my daughter cried over her cake and ice cream that night. It might seem small and petty to some, but it's big to our family and it did not need to happen. There are school resource officers like Pat said and others pointed out, there are other resources that are not anonymous and that child suffered no consequences because I know who did it. We all do and nothing happened to them and nothing will stop this from happening again. My district has not insured me of anything that will stop this from happening. I doubt this district can do that. So I would encourage you all to vote against this and keep what is in place. Rely on the police officers, the counselors who you pay for and have and
086help these children. Rely on the parents number one and let the parents have the say. So my parental rights were completely violated and brushed aside and that should never have happened and it was done on a false reporting system. So I implore you all to not approve this. Thank you. >> Thank you. Is there anybody else from the community that would like to speak? >> State your name in the town that you reside. >> Greg Abdian from the town of Hopington. >> Um my feeling is this quite simply. Um if this saves one child, it's worth it. This, in my opinion, should be the least political decision this committee should make during their tenure. If you want to talk about um false reporting um and and how let's let's talk about the the saying what
087is how does it go um uh guns don't kill people do. I think if there's a will a child will find a way to strike out at somebody and it just seems that the benefits that this kind of a program makes available to the community um is more than worth it. Thank you. Yes. State your name in the town that you're from. >> Uh Simon Manlo, town of Hopington. Um I graduated from this high school in 2020. So I'm going to bring the perspective of someone who was very recently a student to this issue. I never used this particular program when I was a student here, but I know if I ever was in a situation where I felt I had credible information on something that threatened any one of my fellow students, I absolutely
088would have used this rather than any imperson reporting uh tool despite the fact that I felt that I had rather good personal relationships with the principal of the school at the time and possibly with the deans, I would not have gone and physically talked to them because particularly for a high schooler, that conversation is extraordinarily stressful. It is difficult to go up to somebody and say that you believe that there's a danger or that you believe that somebody's going to hurt themselves. And it's difficult for you to try to push yourself past what the social consequences of that might be because it's a high school. Rumors are going to fly around no matter what. and somebody is going to say, "I saw so and so go into the dean's office and then uh then a
089student was uh disciplined as a response to that." So, I absolutely think that there must be an anonymous reporting system because that's what I would have used and that's what many of my peers would have used over any other reporting system if we had ever felt that we had credible information of a threat. >> Thank you. Hold on, Goldie. Hold on. This this mo this this young woman. Thank you. your name in the town that you're from, please. >> Um, >> Lola Flechman from Charles Town. Um, my daughter threatened to hurt herself multiple times this year. I would be at my office, the phone would ring. I'd say, "Please don't be in middle school. Please don't be in the middle school." And it was the middle school time and time again because her peers reported,
090she would do it online. She would do it in her notebooks. She would do it in her Google sites and her emails that she was going to kill herself. And it got to the point where yes, I had to pull her out of school. I had to have an emergency intake assessment done. I was at my office in tears calling FID uh TID's family crisis to find out even how to get this done. I've never had it done before. Somebody from North Smithfield came down to Charles Town, assessed my daughter that night to make sure that she was safe to go back to school. And I am so grateful for every time those girls have reported my daughter for this. I am so grateful. I wouldn't know at all that this was going on if
091it wasn't for her peers reporting it, despite my checking the phone, despite my being involved in her life. And when people say, you know, well, let's do this in case there's one kid. Well, my kid very well might be that kid. And this is going to be something I'm going to have to pay attention to her entire high school years. So, don't don't take away a tool that might help my kid, please. >> Thank you very much, Goldie. Okay, hold on, Goldie. get to the microphone. >> Hold Williams. My son had the opposite effect. He graduated 2020, but at the Met cuz he didn't want to be a robot after being in the middle school. Um, he was helping people, his friends who were bullied and then he got bullied himself. Also, my other son
092got bullied at the rise program and there's still kids being bullied in the middle school and at Kala cuz I've gotten it told by parents when I've told my you oldest son's story and the stat the school psychologist was against my son when he >> Goldie >> what >> is this related to the Sandy Hook promise though? >> Yes. >> He had if when he would ever talk to her they used it against him in the >> All right. >> Well, it's a a meeting to have a plan and they took his plan away. >> All right. Thank you. Is is there anyone else from the community that would like to say anything before we Okay, Paulie. So when this came up on the agenda, I looked for anything alternative. And thank you for mentioning
093Chris Collins Foundation. I didn't find this. This is amazing. This whole setup. I just Why can't we explore this more? This was a local kid from South Kingtown. All of the resources for this foundation are local. They're >> it's in the district. >> We have we've had it for the last three years. >> Yeah. >> they don't do a house. >> They don't have an anonymous tip line. >> We have this is where our kids get trained for the peerto-peer. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, as I'm looking through this, um >> this is >> I know this I know and I shouldn't I don't I guess I shouldn't imagine. >> Hold on. Let me come full circle with this. I just t jumped on this and it they had worked with the University of Michigan
094which I guess is a hub for mental health. The University of Michigan put out an evaluation with um the evaluating the effectiveness of Sandy Hook Promise Foundations know the signs programs and they use the Los Angeles Unified School District. >> That's not the same thing. >> Is it different because It's the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation as not Sandy Hook. This is say something you're getting. That's fine. My bad. >> Okay. >> I was going off the agenda and what was >> Got it. Okay. >> Thank you, >> Laura. And then I think we we're gonna >> So I feel like there's been a lot of discussion and and I appreciate what you had said earlier about the circumstances that you encountered with um the anonymous anonymous tip line. Is it So Gina, I know that
095we've had this in place at the school for for a while. Me being a new committee member, I'm not as familiar. I know that some of the more tenered members are familiar with this app and all of those different things. Could we possibly have somebody come in and speak to the committee to, you know, kind of go over, okay, well, this is what we, this is how we've changed things since, you know, this time frame or these are things that we've experienced. This is how we don't we no longer maybe they no longer allow incoming messages from outside districts. Like, how does that piece of it get mitigated? More of like the um the administrative process of it. I feel like I'm very unfamiliar with. Thisou is specifically to continue utilizing the anonymous tip line.
096So if if the committee wants to dive into other things, then I would request that you put it on a future agenda item for the request just to make sure that we keep it clean because right now this is just about theou >> for the anonymous tip line, >> right? >> And we can't table theou till the next meeting. If that's what the committee want, the committee can do whatever it wants. But I'm just telling you that right now based on the agenda item, it's focused on theou and it sounds like some of you want different pieces of but we don't necessarily do all the pieces of Sandy Hook. We're just utilizing their anonymous tip line. Like Miss Hopkins said, we have Chris Collins. We have a variety of mental health supports. We're actually one
097of the dis the state leaders in mental health because of the number of grants the project aware you've all approved. So, we're actually um I think doing a really nice job in this arena. However, this specific agenda item is specifically to continue utilizing the anonymous tip line. That's it. That's the only thing the committee is voting on. >> Approve. The motion on the floor is to approve it, >> right? >> So, there is a motion to approve. So, if we were to table this, the person that made the motion would have to resend and then the person who seconded it would have to resend. Do do we lose services while we're waiting to address it in a future meeting? >> Um I I would think if it depends on why we're tableabling it because I
098would they would they already been asking it was held up in legal just because they had a they had a new lawyer too. So we had to have um our lawyer make sure the language matched um the current laws in Rhode Island because as people have noted there's some changes to different laws that we have to make sure are accurate. And then um I can't guarant I would have to ask that question. Typically they don't remove services because they understand that um our kids especially in the summertime with no access to adults. This is one of the only ways. Um I I actually just went on and I can tell you that the one of the last items Chief Johnson himself um communicated on the on the t on on on June 30th and there
099was no school. And he he I mean I would recommend that this committee talk to your local officials about how beneficial this is. Instead of focusing on the national, focus on the local and I can ask Chief Johnson to come in next time. >> Well, I think I made the motion so I'm not rescending my motion. >> I think I made the second. I don't want to resend. >> Okay. All right. So, we've had at least 30 minutes of conversation on this. Um, I just want to make a final comment that um I think I'm the only one at this table that has actually lost a child and um that's okay. Um so, it's a club that nobody wants to be in. Okay. I'm sorry. So, um this is this is something that um I've
100I've heard both sides. I've in I've you know um processed both sides and I think I'm ready to make you know we're ready to vote on this. Donna. >> Yeah. I just would like a roll call vote. I'd like to call for a roll call vote. I want to see who's for this and who's not. >> Yeah. >> No. Okay. Donna, would you like to start? >> I will. I totally approve this signing of theou. Okay. Thank you. >> Yes. G. >> Yes. >> No. >> Yes. >> Me. Um I'm in the middle so I'm going to abstain. >> Pursel. Yes. >> Lyall. Yes. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. Thank you for the discussion on this. All right, approval of fund balance transfer. I'm going to turn this over to I will recommend approval and
101I know Craig's going to make sure I say that. I recommend approval of $30,000 from the fund balance for Relay Hub and Mr. Denny will explain the background. >> So move second. >> So we have a motion. We have a second by Karen. >> Yes, Greg. So, um, if you recall before I started, um, we signed a contract with Relay, which is a company that, um, helps us get back, um, Medicare reimbursement. In doing so, they charge a 4.5% um, fee. So, um, in February, I had come to you looking for money because that's when we realized we had to, that's when they started billing us. Um, and then I came to you one other time because we actually did better than we thought we were going to do. And when you guys um when
102the budget was given to you, I told you that we did not budget for FY26 because when um the budget was already in your hands. So um at that point, you chose not to um elect to move money into it. Um based on what we've collected this year, I'm estimating we're going to need about $30,000 to pay them. So, I'm asking for permission to take it out of the fund balance and put it into an an account for um to pay um relay hub. >> I make a motion to move 30,000 from the fund balance to pay relay hub. >> You already did that. You already >> Sorry. >> I'm on it, guys. I know. Well, you weren't recognized, but that's okay. Linda, >> um Mr. Is that uh 30,000 from the insurance fund balance
103or the general fund balance? >> I didn't hear the first part of that. >> I'm sorry. Is that is that 30,000 from the insurance fund balance or the g the just health fund balance? >> The it's not from the health No, you >> will probably never hear me ask for money from the healthcare fund balance. >> Okay. Well, there's not much, right? Okay. >> And how long are we I mean I understand there's a payment for their services. Are we in the are we g are we in the blue? Are we in are we I mean are we getting more than what we're paying out in in >> Yes. So um I believe the year before we used relay we collected about $300,000 and last year we to date we collected about 430 for FY25.
104>> Okay, that makes more sense because it sounds like we're paying out but we're not getting back. So it sounds like >> No, we are. I mean for example like there's things around busing that we can be reimbured for that we were unaware of. They know all the ins and outs. So the 4.5% you're giving them you're get we've our return has been much greater. >> Okay, that's my question. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anybody else? Tyler. >> Yes. So that was my question, Greg. So based on a based on a 4 and a.5% fee, if you're looking for 30 grand, we're looking at collecting about 666K. >> Um >> that would be four four 30 grand is four and a half% of 666K. >> So I don't like coming back to you guys to
105ask for money more than once. So, um, >> so then what happens if we don't use it all? We gonna have to transfer it back to the general fund? >> No. When the year's over, it'll go back automatically. >> All right. Can you do me a favor? Can you keep track of what we pay them out out of this 30 grand so we can see that? >> Oh. Oh, yeah. There it's um >> I'd like I'm going to make a request that you keep track of that separately for me. >> Yeah, you can do that. >> I can do an agenda item. I got it, Gina. Thank you. >> Okay. This way, we can decide if there's not agenda item, we can just do the report. You know how we do. >> Got it. Yep.
106>> Thank you. Karen, did you have your hand raised? Is this going to change significantly with the changes that are happening on the national level? >> I know. I know. I know. >> You know, we may collect nothing. >> Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yes. It could change. Yes. But we have I have to >> plan based on what I know today. >> We have to get as much as we can. >> Yes. As quickly as we can. >> As quickly as we can. Thank you. >> So, we're doing it monthly instead of quarterly. And actually, Jen Durkin puts it in every two weeks. >> And it we used to do it quarterly. >> Yes. So that's how much we've adapted because of what's happening. >> It's a great idea. >> Thank you so much. >> Any
107other comments? >> Okay. So we have a motion and a second. All in favor of approval of the fund balance transfer. Unanimous. Thank you, Greg, and everyone for your input. Budget updates and budget transfers for approval. >> I recommend approval of the budget transfers as submitted. >> So move. >> Second. We have a motion and a second discussion. Okay. I have a question um in the paperwork if you would indulge me. Um the update >> bills. So Oh, is this not the part of is it am I did I did I jump ahead? >> No, you have the update. Okay. >> This is the out of the expense operating account. Okay. I'm looking at of the expense operating accounts when it goes through all of the line items and it tells you what your available
108budget is through June 30th, it's 1.533 million. So, does that mean that we have outstanding bills that are going to be potentially coming in to make that figure go lower? >> Yes. >> Okay. Okay. >> Every year. That's why we always want to look at the audit which will give you the final review. >> Okay. >> We have about $277,000 that we're waiting to see where it lands. >> 277. Okay. >> We also have um as many of you heard with the federal government. We're not sure. Right now we're uh we have received our title one funds but we um are on hold on title two, title three and title four as is the entire state which they're moving for litigation. But in the end, um the federal funds are are going to be um
109the first that that will be impacted and then obviously state allocations will change because if they're not getting their federal dollars, it means we're not getting some of our state allocations. >> Okay. I just had two more quick questions on this if you uh Medicaid reimbursement. >> Yep. >> So it was in the whole 250,000. Did we anticipate that? >> Where are you? It says page four and the SCFS rev. >> Yeah. >> Says Medicaid reimbursement 44202 is the code. Unless I'm not reading this correctly. >> How much did you >> negative 250,000 Medicaid reimbursement? >> Okay. I would have to >> Okay. No, that's >> I'm actually looking at >> um I actually produced one of these reports a little bit differently. >> Okay. >> So um I may share um at a future
110meeting because um >> you have to do the pluses um >> and the minuses. So somewhere there's probably the plus of 250 so it equals out. But um I think these reports are pretty cumbersome unless you really pay a lot of attention to them, use them all the time. So Lynn and I actually ran um the capital report a little bit differently. So we um we want to run it a couple times to see. But eventually I may share both with you and see if the if the committee likes one way over the other. >> Okay? >> Because that's not um a negative. It's someone else. >> It's kind of like in the budget where you can see an increase but if you don't know where the we and we share that with you like
111oh we had to increase this line but this is where the decrease is because the code changes. that happens sometimes where you'll have a negative but then something either didn't come through or on the other side it's plus someplace else. Okay. So they don't necessarily uh >> you can let me know offline if you'd like. And then my final question in this section is >> there were a number of clubs that I guess have their own budgets >> accounts. Yeah. >> They fund raise. Yeah. >> Okay. So I mean a lot of all almost all of these available budgets are overspent. No, SAF shows everything as a negative. It's really a positive. >> Okay. >> Like I said, the reports are pretty confusing. >> It's not operating budget. It's what they call it, >> right?
112None of that money is technically >> it's restricted, right? That money is restricted. You the district can't touch it, right? I know my graduating class has an FAF sitting here with like six grand in it. >> Okay, that is correct. I'm just trying to be knowledgeable. So >> on paper it is a negative because you can't spend it. >> Yes. >> So that's why we have to show it like that. But um they're not spending money that they don't have. >> Right. >> And when they don't have money they come and ask you. >> Right. >> Okay. And then um on the budget transfers. >> Yes. >> $4,300 to Did it cost us $4,300 to move copers? >> No. Um we are keeping that copier. >> Okay. So that's the the year lease. That's a
113>> we have to move it though. >> It says transfer funds to cover the cost of moving copers from >> moving it to the other code. >> Oh to from Valley the copy machine for the year is $4,300 for the lease. We were going we debated giving it back but we decided to keep it. It's going to Richmond. >> Okay. Thank you for answering my questions. All right. So we have a motion in a second. Were there any other questions >> besides me? Okay. All in favor? Unanimous. Thank you. Discussion of RFP for the football field maintenance requested by Polly Hopkins requesting to create an RFP that provides the cost of the field maintenance for the use of the football fields. Mr. Sullivan has has provided a draft example for our review and discussion. So,
114this is proving to be challenging because most of the schools don't have this in their budget. And let's just say the municipalities um when when you request information unless you app them which we're happy to do. Nobody loves when they get appered but we if that's what we want to do um so most of the schools use the DPWs. So the DBWs to maintain their fields as you know that doesn't happen um on any of our any of our schools nor for our fields. So um Mr. Sullivan did his best and I I know I I received uh communication from Mr. off it as I think the committee did and I'm not opposed. We just referenced the agenda item from Miss Hopkins which was about the focus on the football field. Um in the end
115I I don't think it's because it's a discussion or RFP. I think it is probably worth our while since we probably are going to have to appro municipalities to get the information in a timely manner because we have not been successful. Um and just to be fair, a lot of people have new uh a lot of people um losing superintendents, losing finance directors, losing assistant superintendent. Let's just say the workforce is um everyone's trying to just keep their heads above water. So um we try to avoid apping each other unless the committee you know says yeah we want we want to know because it actually is more of a municipality function. But in the end I do think if we are going to go out to RFP it probably is in our best interest because
116Mr. Moffett's not wrong. We have a very minimal field usage. It has been cut to the bone and it's not just the football field to be fair, >> but that's up to you guys. >> Thank you. And I just want to acknowledge that I believe Mr. Moffett who is in the audience tonight sent us copious um you know input on field maintenance and what it's going to cost and I just wanted to acknowledge that uh and thank you for putting that work into that. Steve, >> please come up because I can't because whomever's watching this can't hear you. >> Can I slide right in there and say Sully did a great job. I think he hit a lot of points in here that I wasn't even thinking about. >> Try his best. >> So, please
117let him know that this is greatly appreciated and probably more than what I was expecting, but apparently Mr. Moffet has something to add to it. So, >> no, I do. Um, so that RFP, uh, if you read it from beginning to end, it explains what what what I would consider would be a rebuilding of of the field. >> So that's not necessarily a it's not maintenance, right? >> But it's a whole kitten kaboodleoodle of that field, >> right? I mean, it gives some things about, hey, you got to do this afterwards, but it's not we're going to do this afterwards. It's you're going to have to take care of it and maintain it. So that's the long game, right? is is maintaining it. Um to go through that RFP, I can tell you that RFP
118is probably going to cost a quarter million dollars >> to do everything that was was said in that. So that RFP would just give you a new football field basically and then you would have to maintain it. So just for your information, you know, regarding that RFP, if you do send an RFP out, that's what you're going to get. It's not maintenance. It's not, you know, an arification program, top dressing program, all that other stuff. Right. That's why we have to um we're going to probably have to apper our municipality friends to get us information from their DPW maintain the fields because we were unable we were not successful in that piece. >> Yes, you can go online I mean any of you and you can pretty much look up any municipality and you can
119find what their budgets are for field maintenance and it's incredible how much money is is spent on on field. >> Yeah. I mean >> it requires human beings to do the work. It requires labor. Um it retire it requires trained people. Um the fields here I and I hate to say it because we are just in a maintenance mode with it. We're not in a a prep for sports field. I cringe as a you know professional turf grass grower manager. >> Um so but more importantly for me it's if we're talking about one field, we should be talking about all of our fields. The fields that we spend 90% of the time on where we practice the most, where most sports injuries occur. A lot of sports injuries don't occur during the game. they occurred
120during practice. So I just want to be look at the long range and not be shortsighted about this because there our student athletes make up a large population in this school. Um I know there's student athletes that come from other towns to play sports here which attracts children to the to the um career and technical center we have here. So um I would say take your time on it you know kind of feel it out you know and if you want to you know a question what I've presented to you I I am sure you you will get similar um feedback so >> thank you I appreciate that your email was very helpful yes >> madam chair before we go too much further down this road I don't think there's a motion on the table
121is there >> no no there is not >> okay I just want to make sure that we're having I'm glad to have given kind of like a preview of what >> I just don't want to go too far down the road with having too much discussion without a motion on the table. And I'm I'm still trying to understand what we're doing. >> You don't need a motion for this. This is a discussion. So, you're good. >> I'm I'm still trying to understand what we're doing right here. Are we going out to get an RFP to have a field redone? Are we just getting ideas of what it should look like? >> Member Hopkins, I'll give it to you. Well, some of our playing fields, this kind of came up as a topic with the Chaho
122Cowboys approaching us and I said, "Well, our fields already need help. They need the potholes filled in, the grass regrown, you know, leveled off between the football field, the field hockey field. They get torn up with cleats. So, can we put together a plan for maintenance?" I know it's tough because they're constantly getting torn up, but what's the plan for maintenance? So, one of our students doesn't get hurt on the field or a student from another town. Um, he's given us way more than I was thinking. I personally thought Sully could, you know, what's your plan, Sully? What's your maintenance plan for our fields? Well, he give it to you in his budget, but it gets he will tell you if he was here and I and we we don't make him come because he
123works very early in the morning, but I I can tell you on his be and I think I can say this and he would be fine with me saying this is that his budget gets cut every year and he has bare minimum and let's just say it's not an easy job because everyone's sort of yelling at the guy who's the director and he only has what he has and there's a lot of need around emergency repairs and so you know heat fields It's never safety. I mean, it's always coming down to that. But I think he would tell you he and Justin, he can give you his diamond plan, if you will. He can give you his, you know, gold. But right now, what you're getting is, you know, no frrills, no thrills, >> copper.
124So, as I'm as I'm reading through this, I want to keep this alive so we can get our fields the potholes filled in and some grass growing back in a good level of maintenance on them. It It seems like it should go to a subcommittee to discuss in more detail. >> No. >> Well, how I think Craig had some input, too, right? You had your hand raised. So, so hold that thought. Okay. >> But I'm going to take the question you were you were going with there. But but before I I talk about that, uh, you know, like Mr. Moffet, I I worked in this industry for about well over 40 years. >> Um, it it takes a lot of labor, takes a lot of money. Uh unfortunately, Chero uh years ago uh through pressure
125from surrounding communities to to to lower budgets uh we eliminated staff. Uh and what would you rather eliminate, a teacher or a maintenance worker? Our number one priority is education. So we eliminated more maintenance workers than teachers. Um and like I said, it takes a lot of money. I think 250,000 is a low ball number. It could be even higher. Depends to what degree you want to address. Now, we do have some programs here. Well, it probably wouldn't hurt some of the students to learn some aspects of the industry. >> Well, I don't disagree. How many kids from Cheraho leave here and start their own lawn business? >> Right. >> So, we have agriculture as you know. >> Yeah. >> And they discuss different kinds uh tariffs. So if but I would suggest if you
126go if anyone's thinking about artificial then you not do you not tap into our kids because they're they're build they're going to grow grass. I'm not I'm not telling them to. >> No, I'm just saying because I know there's been different conversations, but in the end, I think um Jason can provide right now what he's what he has in your budget is a is bare minimum and as you as you see the majority of even our transfers are going to maintenance uh items for the last few years and it's going to continue, you know, but again, you all determine where that investment is and and how we do that. And this came forward as a result of the resolutions that we were getting from the towns about the Cherokee Cowboys. And this was sort of
127like your next suggestion for attempting to keep this discussion going or coming to some sort of a collaborative collaboration to see if we can accommodate the Cowboys or am I am I not >> the state of accurately the state of our fields now and then if you're going to allow an an extra team to come on and play and they're going to tear the field up because they wear cleats. They're going to tear the field up when they play. What if it's raining and then our students have to play a couple days later? How is that going to logistically speaking, how is that even going to work? So, we need to really come up with a plan. I just backed it up and said our fields need work already. Let's start there. And I don't
128want any of our students to turn an ankle or just get hurt just running across the field. >> Okay. Thank you, Linda. >> Well, I'm glad that was mentioned because I'm sitting here very frustrated thinking that I mean, as well, I support youth sports, but we need to talk. We need to worry about our student athletes here at Teraho. And if the fields are not safe for them, they're not going to be safe for anyone. So I think our primary goal should be to try to improve the fields for our our our Turaho athletes, the the students that go to school here, whether it's a middle school, high school, career tech, calor whoever uses the fields. And secondly, I just don't understand that you want to spend more money. I I don't you we're cutting
129budgets. You and all of you, the ones like especially you, Miss Hopkins, you're a proponent of cutting budgets. You don't vote for the budget and now you want to add $250,000 to improve fields. I mean, I'm all for it, but I don't know where >> out of order like I >> $250,000 where I asked how can we make these >> Sorry, that was a that was a recommendation from Mr. Moffett, but I just don't it's going to cost a lot of money. I think I've heard from a lot of people that to m even to maintain the fields to a certain level is going to cost a lot of money >> and I'm not against that cost a lot more. >> Well, I understand that we don't maintain them. >> There's a whole point of
130order chair somebody that's >> fine to talk. I'm being interrupted. I'm >> okay. I'm sorry. >> No. Um, >> you're not sorry. >> I I am sorry. >> No, you're not sorry. >> Okay. I don't know where this is coming from, Linda, but I mean I think you don't speak that often and when I try to speak I'm being interrupted. >> Okay, I am sorry. I'm doing my best to um make sure that we have respectful dialogue and I'm doing my best to try to recognize everybody. So, I'm sorry that you feel that way, Linda. I hope you accept my apology, Laura. So, I think that the the challenge right now is that the at least from what I've understood from all of the conversations is that we don't know at this point exactly how
131much it does cost right now in order to maintain the fields. And I think that's what PI was trying to get to was she was just trying to understand >> how much it actually cost to maintain the field itself because we were told that the budget got >> point of order. She's talking Thank you. >> Um, so we were told that the the budget was cut and that things were moved around. I know that some money was used for the sprinkler system, etc. So I so I think that it's really just trying to figure out, okay, how much is it going to cost to maintain that specific field and the whole point also was that the Cowboys had, you know, said very openly, we are more than willing to help with this cost so that
132it's not so much of a burden on the school. So, I think that's really where all of it was kind of derived from. >> You got to know came out. >> Okay, hold on. >> Donna. Oh, Greg, were you next to >> say as far as >> as far as the Cowboys are concerned, I did attend that meeting and with Greg and I don't have any sympathy for them. They have a field that they play on and they practice on and they're not happy with it. The parents don't like the field that they're playing on. I don't I don't believe we owe the Cherokee Cowboys anything out of our budget or anything uh as far as our fields are concerned. That's my opinion. Okay. I don't think we owe them anything. >> Anyone else? >>
133All right. So, this was for discussion purposes only. So, we're going to we're going to move forward. Thank you everybody for your input. Okay. The um next I somebody's phone. Okay. Discussion to enhance the evaluation criteria for the superintendent requested by um Tyler Champlain. Tyler. >> Yeah. So, I just think um it it's I know it's time to formalize our evaluation process of of the leader of the of the school district. U I know we evaluate our teachers. Please don't shoot me if I get this wrong. How long? I think they're every three years they have a formal evaluation. >> Three, three to four depending on Well, actually to be fair, non-tenure, it's every year. >> Okay. >> Performance under performance review depending on where you're at, right? >> But all the admins are >>
134But I think that's important. I I don't know if the rest of the administration staff, >> yes, >> has that as well. So I think it's important that we do that for the superintendent as well. So my idea um before I go ahead and and make any type of motions uh my idea was to create a subcommittee to oversee this process, right? We need to put something together on how to do this in a in the right way, right? Um I actually spent some time this week and and pulled out various um rubrics and and different types of evaluations that are used around the country uh and looked through them. I like pieces of some, I like pieces of other. I think it's important that we find one that fits, not necessarily find one that
135fits, but create one that fits for our district to to have that formalized process, you know, that allows for for, you know, the subcommittee to work with the the administration and superintendent to to to develop those goals, to formalize those goals, to track those goals. um and at the same time give you know that subcommittee that charge and also give the rest of this committee uh a chance to weigh in in some way shape or form. Um I also feel it's important that we get staff feedback in some way. I'm not certain what exactly that way is at this point. Um I also think it's important that we get community feedback in an open meeting. Um, and we need to get the superintendent to to give her uh, you know, her perspective on things, right?
136I think it's important when, you know, when I have a review with my boss or or or my CFO, when I have a review with um, with my staff, it's a it's a give and take. It's a conversation, right? And I think it's important. It needs to be a conversation. Um, and then again, this all is a is a written scored rubric. Kind of like an RFP gets written and scored, right? This gets written and scored. and the superintendent has a review and we could move on year over year. Um I do think if if correct me again I do think Barry used to have there was a subcommittee that did this with Barry way back when years ago long time ago. >> Do you want to >> What was that? >> I was I
137don't know if you want me to respond. >> Is that is that true? Was there >> so I did call the historian Donna Scavage. Um, so there was a subcommittee and I she believes Andrew McCrau chaired it and then um this the process that I currently use was created by the that subcommittee and then when um Andrew left the f after his that term and Barry was the same superintendent, they just continued that same process. But this is a process. If it no longer works for this committee, this is exactly where you would then change it. But in the past, a subcommittee created this process. Yeah. >> Um and so I'm following the same process. actually was Jane Dailyaly that onboarded me to Barry's process so that I'd be prepared for my first evaluation. >>
138So that's that's that's my vision. Um you know again I'm I'm open to suggestions conversation. Um but I just wanted to have the start the conversation. >> Thank you. So Jess and Karen please. >> Karen was first. >> Tyler, go ahead. >> I'm sorry Tyler. I just have a quick question. Go for it. >> Is subcommittee to create the process and then the entire school committee would do the evaluation. >> So that's a wonderful question. Um I don't know. I'm open to I I I would think that we would want a subcommittee to create whatever we're going to use. Um I would think that subcommittee would help drive with the superintendent goals etc. Um but the the entire committee also needs to be involved in that as well, right? So maybe maybe it's the subcommittee
139is to create the process and then the the committee overall steers the rest of it after that. >> Okay. My second question, sorry. >> Yes. Yes. Um did you look at survey works on um the ride website to identify that teachers and staff and families already communicate information to the district? >> I I do know that they do. I don't know if it's directly related to the superintendent. >> Well, it's as a whole. >> Say that again. >> It's as a whole. So, you know, >> right? I think as as and and this may I mean this may be looking at the district in a bubble in a little different way but the way I look at it is is Gina you're the boss of everyone who works in these buildings right at the end
140of the day you're the head you're the top um I think it's a it's valuable now again you you get skewed uh views one way or another um you know I have some employees that love me I have some employees that hate me u and it is what it is but I think it's important to have that direct feedback not just on the district as a whole Karen as as a leader >> you can actually the uh the so the survey works has a function where the um the we just have to be able to know what that is in the fall so that when the survey comes out in March that's the month that um the district or the or school can we can add questions that are specific to what we want to
141find out in our strategic plan as an example so that's a new function that that that uh Ry just opened up to survey works for this upcoming year which is something I've been sharing with the principal so that we can plan on >> but it is a it is a way to be because obviously you want a valid and reliable tool because like you said >> the quantitative versus the qualitative >> correct I'm listen I'm a I think regardless of your superintendent this this is a very important function you want to be able the the question you all just want to ask is what does success look like for your superintendent in charo that's really the outcome I would think >> yes >> she was >> Jess and Craig >> I agree that the number
142One factor we want to evaluate is is the success of cherho and before we begin a process a discussion about a new evaluation process we should evaluate what we already did. So and hopefully also we should have the same shared goal of quantitative data that we can that can help us assure we're doing our job not as a subcommittee but as a full committee to evaluate the superintendent's performance. Um I agree that you're one person that but you lead the entire community of staff, students, and families um in a manner that's not only collaborative but legally compliant and responsive to immediate needs and thoughtful about future planning. Um so like I said, the current process and historic precedent I want that's what I use to determine the need um and reasoning for changes and improvement
143to this process. So at the March 11th meeting, the school committee was given a presentation by the superintendent which provided a number of metrics for our consideration. Graduation rate >> which has increased. High school has increased in state rankings from 11 to 10. Chero is recognized in the quad quadrant of success which shows that we're an effective district where students achieve and operations are fiscally responsible and increased attendant rates. Attendance rates. I don't believe we were given rycast scores at this um presentation, but we also we get those at other meetings and they're closely monitored by sits and we also get information about SAT and PSAT and as mentioned at the beginning of the meeting um we also receive data about AP exams. So all of these are quantitative data points that have been tracked
144by the district and shared with the school committee. These are things that we can use to evaluate the superintendent. At this meeting, we were also given updates um and actions taken on goals from vision 2026, which is a strategic plan developed by over 50 stakeholders. Um and then at the I think it was a different meeting. We were giving more information about this vision 2026 that was delivered by Cherho staff and students. Not broad brush strokes as described in Mr. Champlain's proposal, but specific updates from those on the ground every day in our schools. Um, speaking for myself, at every opportunity, I've provided feedback on my job as a school committee member to evaluate the superintendent, but not all members have done the same. All committee members have been encouraged to to provide direct feedback
145and questions to the superintendent who has also said she has an open door policy. I believe um as a member of the public based on my experience and a member of this body that the reason for any perceived dysfunction is not in the lack of a process or quantitative data data but rather in the lack of members who evaluate the data given. Um speaking about Mr. Champlain's past actions, he provided no feedback before he voted no on the contract extension in April 2025th. uh and he also had two previous opportunities to complete this charge to evaluate the superintendent. In 2024, he was absent for the performance review and the contract vote. I'm not sure if he read the minutes from that meeting, but multiple colleagues of the superintendent shared their perspectives, which is something that
146he mentioned as important in his proposal. In 2023, Mr. Champlain's feedback was about the timing of the strategic vision and plan that had yet to be released. That year, he voted in favor of contract extension. I think that actions speak louder than words and blaming dis dissatisfaction on others when the dysfunction is coming from within our body is misguided. I'm in favor of maintaining a clear process of data analysis, but I'm not in favor of some aspects of Mr. Champlain's proposal. Um, I can concede to a scoring rubric as long as each member scorecard is made public. And I do not agree with including soft skills as an important metric as this is completely subjective and open to personal interpretation. If we want to operate as effective and trustworthy managers in this role, our job
147is not to be judge and jury for a popularity contest, but to analyze performance-based data and measurable results that indicate strong leadership. We have to be leaders in the correct arena. I'm not in favor of adding special meetings for our regular business, and I'm not in favor of forming a school subcommittee. If we let a subcommittee manage one of our most important tasks, we risk relegating our responsibility as a public body and losing the trust of the public we serve. Thank you, Craig. >> I knew she'd do my homework for me. >> Um, first before I I I say what I have to say, Tyler, could you just answer me what you mean by soft skills? >> I'm just talking like communication. Um, and listen, I I'm not I'm not saying that I have an
148issue with the superintendent communication. Her and I have chatted at times at length about the way we communicate and the way she >> is. Is that a problem? >> No, I'm just saying. I'm just saying like, Gina, back me up here. You and I, you and I have had this conversation in the past. Um, I just think it's important that that it's captured any job, communication is paramount. And her job as the leader of the district, communication is unbelievably important. So, communication is a soft skill. >> So, so could you also explain what you mean by two people from each town for the subcommittee? the subcommittee. I think each town should have two representatives on the subcommittee. >> Nobody from the school committee. >> No, that's what I mean. You can't have >> You can't
149You can't have a sub school committee subcommittee without members of the school committee. >> Well, you can. >> Well, I guess so. All right. >> Necessity for school construction, but there is some members. >> Yeah, I would say two members from each town >> From the school committee. My apologies for not making that clear. >> Um, so after you Thank you for answering those questions. You know, believe it or not, we evaluate all year long. >> I agree. >> That's not a question. Now, now it's my statement. >> My uh we first of all, Chatty Kathy really having a problem communicating with people. Uh from what I've seen is and I'm really apprehensing Chatty Kathy or Gina >> talking to Gina. No. >> Okay. Well, >> nice. >> And I don't mean that she she
150knows. I mean that in a nice way. >> Um I'm apprehensive and I'm going to tell you why. >> The politics the last several months has been very contentious. >> All right. Uh I don't like how it played out when we had our other meeting in reference to her evaluation. >> I don't like that. I don't I don't like the meeting after that in reference to her. But with that being said, I'm just interpreting this as we're going to make the uh uh the hurdles higher and we're going to keep pushing the goalpost back and that doesn't sit well. No, I'm sorry. I'm apprehensive. >> Understood, Greg. And that's not my goal. >> Let him finish and then Tyler, you can respond. >> Okay. So, so I'm really really concerned about this. We look what
151Cheryl I 100% agree with every Well, you got the facts. I agree with everything. She's doing a great job. Why don't we all see it that way? I think it's politics. >> Just stick to the prospect, >> right? >> So, so evaluation, this happened with Barry once and I told a fellow school committee member at the time in there, you know, we evaluate all we have the opportunity to evaluate all year long. Do all of us do that? Don't know. But I'm I'm going to be apprehensive. So I I I'm I'm I don't know about this. So >> Okay. Thank you. Tyler, who would you like to respond? >> My my only goal here is if you look around the state, you look around the country, there are formalized evaluation processes that have scoring rubrics
152which are in my opinion are as uh nonpartisan as you can get, Craig. Right. And and this gives us a chance to put something in a personnel file. God forbid Gina wants to go interview somewhere else. What kind of reviews did your employee get? You have nothing to give. >> No, so we do get the written report in your So your minutes are the written report. So they are personel not public because they are my personal. >> That's okay. So they are personnel records but they are not public. >> According to Donna, that was done so that the committee could focus on the feedback and not the reporting. >> Understood. Understood. Um my idea was to just formalize the process and and make it more of a scoring based rubric, but it I mean listen,
153I'm happy to pull this if if I haven't made a motion yet. So, um, I just wanted to have a discussion. That was all. >> So, Laura, and then I I would like to weigh in on this, too. >> Um, so Tyler, I do think that you're, um, that bringing this forward, I do think it's a good idea because in all lines of work, I mean, people, whether you're the C CEO, the CFO, COO, doesn't matter. You, everybody has an a very specific evaluation process that happens. Um, I think there's a lot of moving parts to school systems in general and there's a lot to pay attention to. So, um, so I think it's a good idea. I think it allows for more of, you know, a collaborative type of discussion, you know, both with
154the other members of the committee as well as um, the superintendent. and it can sort of open up the door for a little bit more dialogue because I think that you know from my perspective um when we did have the that the meeting where there was the evaluation process um it was it you know from my point of view it was felt more like there was a lot of information that was given during that meeting and we're trying to process those things we're trying to understand you know what things are being presented which things we're you know looking at and saying yes or no to. I mean, there's there's just a lot going on. Um, so I think a a less formal type of uh discussion I think is a great idea. I don't, you
155know, I don't think there's anything wrong with that and I definitely don't think there's anything political about it. So, I've had my own business for 17 years. So, um, but when I worked in nonprofits, hospitals, the University of Rhode Island, I was evaluated in midpoint of the year and then at the end of the year, and I was evaluated by a couple of different supervisors. Um, and there was a rubric at the time based on I'm a fundraiser, so how much money I brought in and how many um, new donors I brought in. So there were lots of different categories where I was evaluated. I was also evaluated based on the the strength of my interpersonal relationships. So there were a lot of different factors that went into um if I got promoted. So I
156think for this process for me being a newer member of the school committee at the time that um the superintendent was being evaluated and this is about process. This isn't isn't about performance. The meeting that we had seemed very rushed and I did not and this is no disrespect to the superintendent and please don't take it that way, but I just I felt like there should have been um a more robust opportunity for the members of the committee to weigh in and ask questions. And it was a 90 minute meeting and I felt I think it was about 75 minutes of the 90 minutes were the superintendent giving giving a presentation about her goals and um it it just left us not a lot of time to ask substantive questions and have a thoughtful conversation
157about um about her goals. So this isn't about um for me this is about moving forward in a positive way because there was a lot of back backlash um you know over the last couple of months in the this evaluation you know discussion. So, I really feel like um yeah, I mean, for me, this is about everyone is is evaluated by their um folks that are um Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm having a I'm having a a brain freeze here. I just I feel like if you're going to be evaluated, then you have to be evaluated on a number of different factors, not just one factor. And that that's where a rubric a rubric would come in for for this an evaluation. Gina. Yes. >> So I just want to be clear. One, I am evaluated
158every year. So I I just want to be careful that there's an impression that the superintendent has not been evaluated. I'm evaluated every year and the process was determined by a previous school committee. While I understand members here weren't all involved in that. Actually, there are several members that that have been on since I've been here that were not involved in that. I just want I don't want the public to believe that the charost superintendent has not been evaluated. I am evaluated every year. However, this is the first year where the committee added my job performance. So when you added my job performance to my evaluation, you changed the agenda item. So I don't know if that caused confusion for people. I'm not sure because Tyler, I know you've been involved before. So I I
159just want to be clear. At the beginning of my job performance evaluation, I said this is not meant to be a presentation. But because my job performance was requested, I had to go back to share with you five years. I said, "Please know, stop me, ask questions." I handed everybody a form for feedback if you weren't comfortable speaking that you could write down your feedback. I then offered the entire committee open door. So I just I don't want anyone in the public to think that the school committee as a whole you did you are doing your jobs. You're evaluating me. Now I'm not going to disagree. I I could not describe what success looks like for Charho from the school committee point of view. For the first time as your superintendent I'm a little bit
160um unbalanced in that water which is fine because that makes me a better superintendent. I want feedback. I I everybody if if you hear an educator say they don't want feedback, they're probably ready to retire because that's how we grow. That's our whole job. It's, you know, I'm an educator and a teacher at heart. It's just I I think a scoring rubric may help others. Maybe it it's not what's best for everybody, but I do think that for me as your current superintendent, it's would be helpful to understand because there is some conflicting sort of thoughts about how this works to just sort of reset and say what does success look like? What are the areas? Um because like so Tyler when you say communication I we are evaluated as as administrators. So, as a
161building principles had a it's on the website for ride. You can go and see how all our building administrators. So, what what Barry um and the subcommittee did with Andrew was on it was they took that administrative rubric and they created a central office district. So, like Mr. any and gets evaluated with that rubric myself. But instead of putting it in a scoring rubric, it was it was now just they people wanted to give qu feedback in executive session to Barry or the superintendent and then the the clerk took the report so that those could focus on the areas that they wanted to. If it's no longer effective, then that's fine. But I think the most more important is that one, I just want to be clear that I have been evaluated. um whether you
162chose feedback or not actually um Chidensmore came in because it's my personal record. I could share it. I shared it with her. she asked to see the the the minutes and if anyone wants to see them I can happy to share um because I'm I'm proud of the work in Charo and I think that for me uh success is like you said if I can't if I'm the same superintendent I was when I got here then I'm not growing and I need to get better every year just like I would expect our kids to grow. You should always expect your superintendent to grow. So I think as I think what we're aligned in is knowing that there needs to be a thoughtful way that everyone sort of agrees to. But you're right, it's not a
163it's not a personal thing. It's it's about the work. So if we if we keep it focused on the work and the expectation and really just say what does success look like for this committee, I think you'll all come to an alignment. But I do think this is a good process. >> Jess, >> any of that work needs to be done with this full school committee at the table, not a subcommittee. And that's that's my personal opinion and I feel very strongly about that. >> And I think that if >> you're dissatisfied with the process, I think we also have to evaluate ourselves. What could I have done to better prepare for that process? What could I have asked in that meeting? It's not just about, oh, someone else didn't do a good enough job.
164You have to ask yourself what good job you're doing. Are you being a good leader? Are you being a good boss? It's not just about what other people are doing and providing for you. >> So, I appreciate that feedback. And I think for me, I was a a new member and >> and it wasn't directed at you specifically. >> I understand, but I'm going to respond. >> That's fine. >> Um, but it was the first time I was going through that process and you don't know what to expect when you're going through that process as a as a committee member. I mean, I just know from on the flip side as a professional being evaluated by supervisors in the past, I was I was looking at it from from a different angle. So I was
165being evaluated now I was being asked to evaluate somebody else. So it was it was a unique experience. Um you know so >> I will also say that was different than other times I had done it that that presentation that Gina gave was like you it was more of a performance job performance than it was just an open forum in the past. It was more and the the minutes are all unsealed. The I looked back at the minutes in preparation for this meeting. you can see her previous um the previous times that this was discussed and you can um there there was feedback in that meeting even though Gina presented a lot of information there was feedback there was questions not from every school committee member but from several of them >> okay Laura I
166think had her hand raised okay >> um Donna and then Craig >> he's had his hand >> okay I didn't see him Craig and then Donna >> so I just want to go back and reiterate make the point I'm apprehensive and I want to elaborate why. We have I asked about what you meant by soft skills. I remember see we have members of the school committee that uh have alter egos and they do stuff on Facebook and they go they go to radio shows and and they make statements and uh I've seen statements. >> Point of order, please. >> Okay. What's your what's your point of order, Pat? just to stick to the what the topic and not make it personal. Okay. >> Just I didn't make it personal because I didn't say anybody's personal
167name. >> No, but it's >> No, no. I'm sorry. I'm I'm going to continue on what I'm saying. >> But just make >> And if if you >> call me I'm I'm not making it personal. >> No, I just if you didn't let me finish, let's make it just pertinent to the discussion at hand. So, what is it that you want to add? >> Let me finish. >> Okay. But keep, you know, keep the embellishment out. So it was mentioned soft skills. Um I get a phone call. I I remember a school committee member basically posting on Facebook that the school the superintendent needs to work up on their their their social skills with the the the surrounding communities. And I also remember seeing uh the Richmond uh when she did her presentation to Richmond
168for uh building bond and the way she was treated. I mean, I I think that was kind of reversed there, but um I'm sorry you that just >> Okay, Donna, >> what I would like to say about this and I really appreciate Jessica you expounding on the beauty of that that meeting that we had on in March because what I remember after watching that and being so impressed with everything that was going on and immediately after that this group voted to nonrenew to whether to renew extend Gina's contract or not extend it and it was a block vote. I'm sorry. It was a block vote. Immediately the people that we could have called ahead of time voted no not to extend her contract. So there's no question in my mind that that was not political.
169It was appalling to me and I >> Yeah. >> Okay. Well, Pat, >> um I think what Tyler's proposal is is try to just condense and streamline the information because um Gina's presentation sometimes it's just too much information. It just doesn't target the um the important points. It gets too I don't I don't know how to explain it. gets like if you're writing something sometimes things get too wordy. You just need to condense it so you can focus. >> I'm sorry Don I was speaking. Um just make it so people can focus on these. >> So you want to focus on the >> the important points and I just think that's what Tyler's trying to just do. Make it streamline for everybody so it doesn't get so convoluted. >> Okay. Thank you Pat. Laura. Um
170actually pack. >> Okay. So this was a dis discussion item. So if we were to potentially move forward on something like this, we would this have to be now another agenda item to actually create a Yeah, because this was just for discussion. So we had a lot of input tonight from many people. I'm sorry. Did you have something else? We can't we can't make a motion to >> It doesn't look like it because it says discussion to enhance the evaluation criteria for the superintendent. It does it's not a it's not an agenda item that says create a subcommittee for the superintendent's evaluation, but somebody could put an agenda item at the end because we you know we have that um on the um as part of our process at the end of the of these
171meetings to put future agenda items. All right. Well, thank you everybody for Oh, Tyler, did you want to conclude on that? Okay. Thank you everybody for your input. Appreciate it. Okay, consent agenda items. Does anyone have anything that they need to pull? >> Okay. >> Oh, sorry. >> I just have a question that home instruction is now coming under the consent agenda items and not in >> No, you just didn't have any this month. >> Oh, we didn't have but we still discuss this in executive session. Thank you. >> You're welcome. Thank you. >> Okay. So, >> ready? >> Yes. >> I make a motion to approve the entire and this doesn't happen often. No, consent agenda items. >> Second. >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. Did I win that one? >>
172I don't know. Tyler did. >> All in favor? >> Jess, are you in favor? >> Yes. >> Unanimous. Thank you. >> Okay. So, that brings us to the superintendent report. In your packets, you have the subcommittee report for the necess necessity for school construction only. Um, and I would wanted to talk about the advanced placement. So, I'm thrilled to share that we had exciting news. I sent out a press release. The Westerly Sun had also done an article of the incredible talent, dedication, and academic excellence happening right here in Charo. Charo High School. Oh, yeah. [Applause] Charo High School's program. the the students have just achieved historic milestone in Charaho, one that truly deserves to be celebrated. So this year, 88% of our advanced placement test takers, now advanced placement means that they took college
173assessments to see if they're ready for college. 88% of our students and it is the highest ever number to take advanced placements. Over students took AP exams, an all-time high for Charo High School. [Applause] And not only did did our students outperform the state of Rhode Island, they also outperformed global averages. That includes English, US history, biology, chemistry, arts, calculus, physics, computer science. So all exceeding state and global averages. I want to thank our AP teachers who continue to set high bars for academic rigor because this success doesn't happen by accident. It is the result of school counselors who go above and beyond every day to support all the logistics and planning that go in with this work between scheduling, scoring, coursing, preparing and planning that that event for the for the month of May.
174And of course, our students whose hard work and perseverance speak volumes about their character and commitment and their academic excellence. So as superintendent, I couldn't be prouder of this collective achievement. It reflects the strength of our instructional core, our focus on academic excellence and growth and the results of the vision of a graduate. So this is what excellence looks like and it's happening every day in Charo. So definitely so summer updates and yes, I'm going to say the first day of school for students in K through 12 is Wednesday, August 27th. Mark your calendars. Our monthly newsletter for August will be sent out next week. Just a reminder, if you can't find it in your email, it's on the bubble, the first bubble on the website, e update gets posted. And um in those updates,
175please pay attention to our elementary school capital planning updates along with our bond project updates that will be coming out um which was recently supported for our Switch Road campus. We we still have students at Hope Valley Elementary through our summer pre-K program. That work continues through the beginning of August and then we will close uh officially to be able to finalize the movement into the the schools and the return for our school teachers and staff is Monday August 25th and our new teacher orientation those um coming into Charo will be August 20th and 21st for their new teacher orientation that Dr. Camila always does a wonderful job coordinating and onboarding our new faculty. So I want to uh thank you all and enjoy the rest of your summer. >> Thank you. Gina, I have
176one question about the um the AP results. It says score to three or higher. So, what is the what's the range from what to what? >> So, it's one to five and then what happens is for for you to receive for proficiency at the college level, it's a three. >> Excellent. Great job. Excellent. >> Okay. >> So, the it looks like before we adjourn, school committee requests for future agenda items or legal opinions. Does anyone have anything? Laura? >> Um, I would like to add Oh, actually am I allowed to add the You can add whatever you want. >> Okay. Um, I'd like to add a future agenda item for um Tyler's subcommittee for the the performance rubric, that whole process. If that's am I am I allowed to add that or no? You're you're
177a member. You can add whatever you want. Anybody else? Jess, >> I make a I'd like to request that we formulate a scoring rubric as a as a full school committee, not a subcommittee. >> Have a discussion. >> Okay. Anybody else? Hearing none. Do we have a motion to >> I make a motion to adjurnn. >> Thank you. Do we have a second? Second by Pat. All in favor? I. Have a great rest of your summer.