001Open the door. Sleeping child at the gate. This You got to go all the way to the back of the bus. It goes to the back of the bus. I mean, you can't leave somebody where he was trapped. I'm thinking that That's portable. It's a safety precaution. It is. Yeah, [snorts] cuz I was One time I woke up pulling in James Fricks's driveway. >> [laughter] >> I raised up, looked around. >> Yeah. James was backing into the property. Is that why they created that rule? >> No, I don't think that's why. I turned my legs wrong. Usually you see my legs in the aisle and we'd say, "Troy, time to get up, get out." That time I turned around the other way. So, I wake up and look around and he's backing in his driveway.
002Were you like, "You forgot one." Well, I didn't I wouldn't make any excuses. Fortunately, Carey had a car and he could take me home. All right, it's 5:00. >> Lock and ride, please stand and before we get our meeting, I'll have uh uh Daniel, will you lead us in a word of prayer? Becky, will you follow with the pledge? Let's pray. Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for such a beautiful day. Father, we are so thankful to see Norris with us here tonight. We pray that his healing continues and he has a full recovery. Father, we just ask that you also be with Stacy and her mother as they go through these troubling times together. We're so thankful that she's here with us tonight. Father, I ask that you be with us during this meeting
003that we may conduct ourselves in a manner pleasing to you, Father. Yes. We also come to you with a heavy heart. Father, we we mourn the loss of one of our own students. We we pray that you would continue to be with the Jared family and all his friends here at the school and our counselors that they may get through this troubling time together. Father, we also pray for uh uh Nolan and his sister in the loss of their father. And uh just be with all of us, Father, as we navigate the the hardships and the trials we go through here on this earth, Father. More importantly, we're so thankful that we have the hope of eternal life with you one day, and that's because of the sacrifice that you offered us through your son.
004And we pray all this in his name. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. This time I'll ask Mr. Killzer to please call the roll. Shane Connor. Here. Ben Cupples. Here. Brandy Cherry. Here. Becky Hutchinson. Here. Norris Frank. Here. Jim Scott. Here. Present. All right, there's a quorum present, so we'll officially call the meeting to order. And the first item we have tonight is a recommendation to accept the board agenda. I'll make a motion to accept board agenda. Second. All right, made and seconded. Is there any discussion about the agenda or adjustments need to be made? Okay, if not, all those in favor say aye. Any opposed?
005All right, the agenda is set, and come next to the consent agenda, which includes your minutes of our last meeting and those budget amendments. Is there a motion to approve that? I'll make a motion. Second. Second. Okay, motion made and seconded. There is no discussion on the consent agenda. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right, it is approved. Uh we start each meeting with a spotlight or celebration. Uh we've got you know, two or three tonight. A lot of things going on this time of year within our school system, and uh we'll begin with the Governor Lee's visit and a couple other things. I'll have Mr. Killzer kind of give us an overview. Well, as you know, as we aspire to have Chester County schools being recognized across the state, we're
006fortunate that we had a visit that was spurred by Governor Lee. For those of you who were able to make it uh for the event, um we were able to feature our vocational center uh with the four classes that meet over there. Uh but hearing Governor Lee speak about that to the classes, he had shared that as he's doing his state tour us in preparation for the July 4th celebration for the 250th anniversary that he had asked some of his leadership uh suggestions about what to do in Chester. And they said, "Go see the school system." So, it was very complimentary to hear him speak in that way. And it was people from higher ed. Uh I don't know exactly who he spoke with. He didn't mention that. But the fact that higher ed also
007supports the work that we're doing, especially at the high school where you have so many dual enrollment opportunities, dual credit opportunities for our students. Of course, uh the programs of study that he was able to visit, three of those four are uh very much aligned to the TCAT Jackson uh dual enrollment. And then James Carter's program or automotive, as the students complete their full term with him and receive their ASE certification for that certified technician in an automotive setting, there are hours attributed to those students if they decide to pursue a career or pursue further certification with the TCAT. So, again, those programs are really good. I was very pleased to hear him uh share with every class that he spoke with that you guys heard too that uh you ought to appreciate the fact
008that their school system has put these programs together for your benefit. So, it very complimentary to hear that and I appreciate his group and uh uh we were glad that he came to visit and specifically came with the purpose of visiting our school system. Okay, we want to recognize these other Yes, uh and and going back with I learned this earlier in the week that Amber Taylor, our junior at the high school, had submitted an essay. Course, that was the big deal back when I was in school too through the years of submitting an essay uh to get the hop- opportunity, hopefully get the opportunity to go travel to Washington D.C. So, it's an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. I know Ben and Jenna has gone before as chaperones. Yep. Uh It's an incredible
009incredible trip. I mean, you'll they'll do stuff that normal tourists aren't able to do. >> That's right. And And get to meet their their dignitaries, their representatives, their senators. >> Yep. And Yep. >> I mean, obviously, not many of us uh get the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. But, to have that opportunity to go and to be featured like what you're saying. Yep. I look forward to that and learning more from Amber for that success. >> They also uh each one of their essays is evaluated on a separate level and then I think uh they're offered a scholarship going into college beyond, you know, what Southwest offers through trip, what through TECA, but I think they're they do one winner of of the group and they get some money toward a scholarship at either
010Union or whatever Carson-Newman, whatever school represents that year's trip. >> Got you. So. Well, I learned this from Carolyn Williams. She shared with me earlier uh a week or so ago. So, I wanted to feature that. And also um Ginger McPherson uh had several of her students in HOSA that attended the conference in Chattanooga and here are two state winners. I say two groups. You got Alexis Kraus, who was fourth place in medical law and ethics. And then you have the team of Riley Trice, uh Layden, Laney, Pearl, and Anna Napoli, who were first place in the Medical Reserve Corps partnership. Uh routinely, Ginger has has many of her students and I say Ginger, I think if I'm not mistaken, Jessica was very much involved in Alexis's success. So, uh not to give all the
011credit to the to the McPherson. But, uh well, I can tell you this, I talked to Alexis the other day and she gave you the credit for the success that she had uh in that medical law and ethics. So, uh hats off to the work that our HOSA students do. And then, uh Ms. McPherson was also wanting to make mention that again, as routinely happens, the tradition has been set, the standard is extremely high for those ladies and I would assume there's been guys through the ranks through the years who completed their uh patient care tech certification. 100% success. So, that's a big deal. Uh that carries a lot of clout, especially if those ladies choose to pursue a medical career. I know some of our current school nurses started with that same plan years
012ago and went through the process of being a practical nurse, worked through the ranks to become a a registered nurse. Uh so, it's uh it's a great program. I know that those skills are not easy skills to learn, but the kids, the students who are in those classes have experienced through the years with the vocabulary and the competencies and plenty of practice with very quality people that deliver good content and obviously every year our nurse program or nurse ed program is one of the best uh participated in. So, very proud of their success. I'd like to add to that every student I've talked to really praises you and Miss Jindra. I mean, they love your class. So. And we got Mandy also, don't to leave her out. I mean, it's one of the programs that
013we do have three, Mandy [clears throat] Coats. I'm sorry, I just call her by her first name. I wanted to just to um the CCMA, it's the certified uh clinical medical assistant, I think is the name of it. Um it's the first year we've done that and she had three of her students out of the seven that uh passed that one for the first time. So. Very good also, too. A lot of things to celebrate. Yeah, absolutely. Uh well, from the celebrations we'll transition into our delegations. We have a couple of those tonight uh to approach and uh first um we have senior uh representation from the class of 2026 uh here to uh present for project graduation. Caleb, if you'll come up. Good evening, Superintendent Kilzer and members of the board. We are here
014tonight representing project graduation committee for Chester County High School. For the past 13 years, this district has invested in us, teaching us, mentoring us, and preparing us for the world. In just a few weeks, we will walk across that stage and get our diplomas. But as we all know, graduation night is unfortunately statistically one of the most dangerous nights of a young person's life due to high-risk celebrations. Our goal is to ensure that the district's investment is protected. Project graduation is a 100% drug and alcohol-free celebration that gives the senior class one last time together before everyone goes their separate ways. We are asking the board for your formal support this year in form of a donation. By supporting this event you are helping us to provide two things. Number one, safety. We keep our
015graduates off the roads and in a in in a secure environment. And number two, equity. We ensure that every single senior, regardless of their family's bank account, has a safe and first-class place to celebrate their achievement. You've spent over a decade teaching these seniors how to make good choices. We're asking you to help us provide the space for us to put those choices into practice one last time as a class. Thank you for your time and everything you do for our schools. So, I'll introduce you. I'm Rihanna. I'm part of student council. Um Well, he wrote everything for me, but >> [laughter] >> But, it would be greatly appreciated if y'all help out with Project Graduation. Um it's an awesome thing for all of us to ensure that we're very safe on graduation night, and
016everyone can just have a good time, and so we would appreciate that. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you for being And just to remind the board, in the past couple of years, the the investment has been $2,000 towards Project Graduation. So, that can be put in the form of a motion or further discussion. It's that's before the board to take from here. I'd like to motion that we give them $2,000. I'll second. The motion's made and seconded. Any discussion about that? Okay, if there's no discussion, the motion's made to continue the yearly donation of $2,000 to Project Graduation. All those in favor Say aye. Aye. Any opposed? No. You are approved. And be safe, and congratulations. Congratulations to all of y'all, and you, too. >> [laughter] >> Great job. Uh and then Dr. Stephen Maurice is
017going to share some work with us tonight and then our district improvement plan that's been submitted now, and just kind of an overview to the board about that. So, Stephen, you come. Good afternoon, folks. Good evening. I want to begin by saying how grateful I am for the opportunity to present to you tonight. It's [clears throat] an honor to bring this work before you because I think what you're going to be able to see is we've taken your vision for the district and we are running with that. I'm especially grateful for this board's leadership and your consistency in your vision for Chester County schools. Your focus on each student each day is not just a statement. It sets the expectation for how we operate as a district. What I'm presenting tonight is a direct reflection
018of that expectation. The district improvement plan is not separate from your strategic plan. It is built from it, aligned to it, and it is designed to move forward in clear and measurable ways. At its core, this plan is about making sure our work is aligned, connected, and working together across the system. I've provided you tonight the purple folder. Inside that folder are three separate um theory of action documents for each of our goals that line out really specifically where our targets are and how we plan to achieve those targets. And then I took um those three documents and created a graphic for you cuz it's easier for me to follow a graphic. What I want to first start by saying is that um I think it's important to recognize the success of our district. We
019are talking about a district improvement plan. That's required by the department, both federal and state. But I think it's important for us to note that three out of six of our schools are reward schools. You heard about all the success this afternoon. There is success at every school in our district and students across all domains are seeing the impact of teachers' work. And so, I want to brag on our staff and brag on our educators because the work that they do isn't is not easy. It is very difficult, but they are committed to it, and our students are being directly impacted by that. So, before I walk through the goals, I want to be clear about how this plan supports your priorities. First, focus on every student. We have identified specific areas of need in
020ELA and math, and we have established measurable targets through the year 2029. This is now a 3-year plan instead of the traditional 1-year plan. However, at midpoints throughout each of those 3 years, we will go back, revisit this plan, see where the data fell, and adjust as needed. Number two is invest in our people. This plan is built on a simple reality. If instruction does not improve, outcomes do not improve. And I'll tell you one of the um key things that I'm learning in with the National Institute for School Leaders is that adult learning for schools that see dramatic improvement and see sustained success, it all goes back to adult learning. Adults honing their craft, getting stronger each and every day with their practices. And we are in a place where our educators truly do
021value that, and they value the opportunities for feedback and that professional development. Finally is the partnership with our stakeholders. We are strengthening family engagement, especially related to early literacy, because student success does not begin and end at the school day. And and we we understand that, and we want to provide parents opportunities to engage with their children at home with content that supports their work at school. This work ensures that we prioritize at the district level what we prioritize is actually reflected in classrooms and in the experiences of our students. With that in mind, I want to walk you through the three priorities and how we're putting them into action. Goal one is third grade ELA, early literacy. We know that reading proficiency by the end of third grade is one of the strongest predictors
022of long-term academic success. So, this is a foundational focus. Here's what it looks like in practice. Teachers are meeting weekly in professional learning community teams. They're focused on essential standards. They're not throwing the other standards away, but they have picked those standards that they feel are most important to their academic year. What is going to give them the most bang for the buck and send that student most prepared to the next grade level. So, those essential standards. Analyzing student work and student work products and adjusting instruction in real time. Educators will tell us and they have told us for many years, we cannot wait a week after we give an assessment to intervene for a student. We have to do that as quickly as possible. And so, as a district, we are committed to providing
023those resources and the professional development so our educators are able to do that effectively. School and district leaders conduct learning walks using the state ELA framework, ensuring consistent expectations across classrooms. Those are the instructional practice guides provided by the department. We are increasing family engagement, helping parents understand how to support reading at home. And we are strengthening our tier one instruction and our intervention systems so that students receive support early and in a way that connects to what they are doing in class, their state standards. The goal is simple, instruction, support, and expectations are all moving in the same direction. And I'm sure this is is word Mr. Kilzer has said, but I'll I'll say it again, coherence. That is our goal for the district. Should not matter which teacher you get, should not matter
024which school you're assigned to, the expectations are the same that all students have opportunities to learn. This is about building that strong foundation so the students are prepared for everything that comes next. Goal two is ELA, specifically looking at grades four through high school. That second priority builds on the foundational success and it focuses on strengthening ELA instruction in grades four through high school. The focus here is on writing, rigor, and consistency across across grade levels. To accomplish this, again, our teams our PLC teams are centered on the four critical questions, ensuring clarity around what students need to learn and how we respond when they struggle. And those questions are, what do we want our students to learn? How will we know if they've learned it? What will that we do if they do not?
025And finally, what will that we do if they already know it? So, intervention and extension, planning for that initially. We are providing professional development tied directly to classroom data so that support is relevant and timely. We are strengthening our vertical alignment so that learning builds from one grade level to the next rather than teachers starting over each year. And we are using instructional walk-throughs and data tools to monitor progress and make adjustments. The expectation is that students experience strong instruction regardless of where they are in the system. In short, we are tightening the system so that instruction is consistent, intentional, and aligned to the level of rigor that students are expected to meet. Goal three is our final goal and it's math-related, specifically around algebra readiness. We are being very direct here. This is an
026area where improvement is needed. We have seen that data. We know that students struggle greatly with algebra one concepts. And so, we dug into that data to try and figure out why. And and what it boils down to, what we believe is that algebraic thinking is a struggle. So, we are building algebraic thinking across all grade levels, starting early and continuing through high school. Teachers are engaging in ongoing professional learning focused on understanding and reasoning, not just procedures. Uh Ms. Melanie Peel, our district math coach, has what she calls Math on Mondays, where she brings math educators in and they talk about strong math instruction. When you specifically think about teacher certifications at the 6th through 8th grade level, typically those are just a standard certification, and there's not a lot of math specialty. So,
027in order for our teachers to be successful as a district, we are committed to providing them resources to build their own mathematical understanding so that that translates to students. Leaders are using math instructional practice guides through their through their walk-throughs, creating a shared understanding of what strong instruction looks like, and providing teachers meaningful feedback. We are aligning instruction and intervention and IEP goals so that students receive support that connects directly to their grade level expectations. This is a dramatic shift from teaching isolated procedures to developing students who can think and reason and apply mathematics in meaningful ways. So, what are the systems that drive the work? All of this is supported by three pillars. The PLC at work process, ensuring that our teachers are consistently collaborating around standards, student learning, and results. This is the
028structure that ensures that teachers are consistently doing those practices. Data-driven learning walks providing ongoing meaningful feedback and insight into what's happening in classrooms. Leaders are in classrooms regularly, not just to observe, but to gather data, provide feedback, and support instructional improvement. And finally, is the focus on our high-quality instructional materials. We are ensuring that every teacher has access to strong standards-aligned materials so that instruction is consistent and rigorous across classrooms. The key point here, and the key point for the whole plan, is that we are not adding more initiatives. We are focusing on what we know works and helping our teachers get to that point where we are doing things over and over again very repetitively and getting that process right. In closing, by 2029, and I've I've given you several of those targets, it
029I didn't want to put a lot of them out here with words cuz numbers run together for me in my head, but by 2029, we expect to see measurable gains in achievement and growth across the district. But more importantly, we expect to see something that drives those results. Clear expectations, strong instruction, and systems that actually work together in every classroom every day. Because when that is in place, outcomes are not left to chance, they become predictable. This plan is move is is how we move from where we are to where we have said we expect to be. I appreciate your time tonight, and I'm I'd be happy to answer any questions. Anyone have any questions for Dr. Reese? It's a very good presentation. Thank you. Steven Yes, ma'am. We talked about at Pickwick that that
030goal number one focus on every student being each student. Yes, each student each day. Right here. Focus on each student. I see what you're saying. Yeah. Got you. Jill made a comment that kind of resonated with us. Um It didn't resonate too much. >> [laughter] >> At the moment. >> I mean, every encompasses sometimes a a group where each >> Holistic group. Right, where each >> We don't want anybody to fall through the cracks. >> Absolutely. That's what she said. So, if that goal could Yes, ma'am. could change to that. And And I'm curious about enrichment. Our high-quality instructional materials, it's my understanding includes Yes, ma'am. Uh It It was very interesting. I've not been in the materials as much because I'm not in the classroom, but I sat down with Miss Peel a few
031days ago and she showed me there is a book for intervention specifically. There's a book for extensions specifically and you match what standard the student is working on. You can turn right to the page in the book and it gives you supports for both of those, extension and intervention. >> Well, I know the instructional focus documents in math are very good to extend learning that way. Um I just it seemed and I don't know why it seems that way, but it seems like we've concentrated so much on providing intervention for students that that need extra help and and that's very warranted and we sometimes struggle um providing things for our um higher students that doesn't feel like we're piling on extra work for them. >> Yes. Meaningful work, not just busy work. Meaningful work. Yes.
032So, that's good that that's included in their materials. And and to your earlier point, one of the comments, I can't remember if it was Nathaniel Provencio or Jared Shumate that initially said this, but when we think about students, imagine that every student we interact with has your last name. Well, sure. And so, that's really that's my focus, and I think that's the focus of every teacher. When that student's in your classroom, it's just like they have your last name. You treat them the way you would treat your own child, and you work as hard as you can for each child in your classroom. And I'll say, we have phenomenal teachers in this district. We would not have three out of six schools as reward schools if we did not. I really like the PLC uh
033time where the the the educators can get together and collaborate. I know that's something that is new that Yes. that it takes some of time to adjust to, you know, you know, you and I may teach the same subject, but we [clears throat] come across the students a different way. Just like you mentioned, we don't want any teacher to be thought of as the teacher that nobody wants. Yes. Because we do have great educators, and and if they can collaborate, man, it's just going to help the the whole school system, you know, as a whole. >> And I know for me, I don't want any teacher to feel like they're alone. Mhm. What This is a community. We are all learning from one another, and if we can support one another, we should. We're not
034independent contractors sharing a parking lot. We are a school community. Unfortunately, that's not how we were taught to teach. That's right. We were taught in isolation, and we were expected to get the work done in isolation. It's not really new. It's just that perhaps folks didn't really want to buy in on it and it got shoved on the shelf. Because we've been doing PLCs and meeting and um trying to teach collaboration, trying to teach grown-ups this. Oh, yeah. Everybody gets set in their ways, especially in their profession, you know. Whether it be for the good or you know, the you know, not so good situations. But at the same time, man, if if you can encourage more to get involved to do that. To me, it would make my job as an educator easier. >>
035Sure. The content of PLCs, the very knowing the PLC program is excellent. All that content is excellent. It's that hard work that comes with I've also never been an educator, so Well, but I have been in charge of grown men that act like 5-year-olds. So, and you you do the same work. I mean, everybody that works collectively with others is having to do this type of work. Now, I would say it doesn't necessarily make it easier, but it sure makes it richer. Because the benefit of seeing kids grasp difficult concepts, and just like Steven said, a very consistent term that's used often is instructional coherence. Where whether you're working enrichment, like what we just talked about, or intervention, where they are tied in with your tier one instruction. So, that students who may be struggling
036are not being taught something unrelated, but a basic skill that's still lacking. It's still got to be connected to the what they're learning in the classroom setting. With a high-quality instructional materials, the the information's there. It's just we are not yet fully proficient with all the resources that are high quality instructional materials provide. And that's what part of that strategy to improve is to revisit what we already have and what accessible cuz we we turn to do what we've always done. And unfortunately, we don't get outside of the box sometimes, but if you learn how to depend upon your teammates, that interdependency leads you to explore in the resources you have and if you we use those resources more effectively, our students are going to learn more. Yeah. And be able to gain so much
037more. And and I will compliment Westchester. I did a research probe for NISL at Westchester focused on PLCs. The work that I saw happening at Westchester was impressive. Within the short amount of time that those teachers had to meet, they filled every bit of that time talking about individual students, where those students are struggling, okay, how are we going to get that student to where they need to be? It was truly impressive to see them work. So, it's working. It it has been challenging to get there, but but our teachers are doing quite well. I'd just like to reiterate what Kim said. >> [clears throat] >> We never want to see a student fall through the cracks. Absolutely. And I I think that we're working as hard as we can to keep that from happening.
038And that's our goal. I know. So, and it's that's very important to me. Absolutely. Thank you very much. Thank you, Steve. Thank you, Steve. >> [clears throat] >> Uh we're coming up on just the couple of the business and action items that we have. Before we do, is there anything on the public comment pin, Homer? No, nothing on it. Okay. So, there is a portion of the meeting allowable for public comment. No one has uh, that tonight, so we'll move right into the action of all items. And this time of year usually brings a large, um, number of policy revisions from the TSBA, Tennessee School Board Association, that helps us maintain our local, uh, school board policy manual. Uh, I trust in your packet you've had a chance to review these numerous policies and uh,
039say this in the onset, do you want to discuss these individually or just approve approve these as one after we have a chance to discuss? Mr. Chairman. Yes, sir. >> [clears throat] >> Since our superintendent has gone over each one of these and recommends them to the board I see no need to go over each one of them. We can vote on all together. Right. And that's been customary cuz they've also been, um, vetted by the TSBA. >> vetted by the TSBA, the Tennessee School Board Association. These are recommended policies. Uh, I can just hit the header so it's understood what we're going through. And then if there's any discussion about individual ones, that's absolutely perfect. So, uh, but these, uh, have to do with revenue which is about the [clears throat] use of pennies,
040uh, student wellness updates, alcohol and drugs in the workplace, our policy on that. Uh, there is a draft policy for a personnel file, uh, telework during emergencies addressing the way that would work, uh, separation practices for employees, sick leave, drug and alcohol testing, uh, political activities, uh, tutoring for pay. Uh, there's a policy on the director of schools, um, uh, the adopting the that well that's the actually revision of the revisions that have been presented to the board by the TSBA. Uh, Director Kilgore has also reviewed and that we reviewed together. So, is there any questions though about any of those individual policies that we need to discuss? Okay. If not, these do come from the TSBA, but we do need a motion and a second to approve those two implement into our current policy.
041I'll make the motion to approve them. I'll second. Okay, motion's been approved and seconded. Any further discussion? All right, if there's no discussion, all those in favor of approval say I. I. Any opposed? All right, and those will be updated into our online policy as soon as [cough] possible by the state uh board, so. Uh moving on from that, we do have, as I mentioned, the current textbook selections. There's a recommendation to adopt these. I think you have a list in your uh packet there about these specific textbook selections, and you want to draw uh attention >> to share, yeah, just uh briefly just to say that we have a the cycle, you know, it's a cycle of curriculum that's included each year in the adoption process. We have some CTE courses, plus STEM courses,
042and wellness. And you can see from the I think it's the uh I'm trying to remember. Yes, it's the one that's called the specific textbook selections. These are, again, ones that have already reached the state approval. And again, the acceptance is a board responsibility. It doesn't mean we're going to automatically purchase these, but it does mean that these are the ones that are recommended to us that uh Dr. Jill Faulkner handed me as uh as the textbooks that we would adopt if we did purchase. So, the recommendation is to adopt this current textbook selection. Is there a motion that we do so? I'll make a motion that we adopt. Second. Okay, any discussion or questions about any of those? I would say that the teachers at all those grade levels, middle school, for I mean,
043the junior high for the STEM designers, explorers, innovators, they were asked, questioned, and then our our wellness teachers were asked about the uh the final book that's included. The Live Well Well Foundations of High School Health and Wellness. The motion has been made and seconded. Is there any other discussion? All in favor of approval say I. I. Any opposed? All right, those have been approved. And then each year during usually this meeting in April we have to address the out of county tuition rate for the upcoming school year. And uh uh we have [snorts] a recommendation to leave it the same and I'll have Mr. Kilgore kind of address that. Well, and again um every year as our policy dictates that this is referenced and prior to us beginning this summer term when we share
044this information with families considering for out of county tuition for this 2026-2027 school year, I'm sharing with you some data. Again, the state is increasing the amount of what each student brings to the school district with our average daily membership. It's moving now to $7,530. Uh given that and the fact that you know, what these out of county students and families are asked to pay is fairly equivalent to our portion of our property tax value that we get as revenue with the local district. Uh but again, uh we have uh well over 100 plus each year choosing Chester County as a as the school district of choice and uh um we uh I feel like that the value of it in comparison to other opportunities for a more private school setting is a whole lot
045more expensive than $600 for the year for one or a thousand a year for two or more. So I think that's cheap. >> Very cheap. Um but again, the you know, we don't really count the revenue that comes from our families out of county as a significant revenue source. Our revenue source comes from our ADM. And when we add them to our student count, you know, other than graduation and other than the occasional one that when we check their academics, their attendance, and their behavior, they don't get re-invited back. The majority of the families choose to stay. And I had Mr. Al McKinnon, y'all may know him well. He made a point to talk to me even last night at the budget committee meeting to say, "We got a new family that moved into his
046uh, district and said, 'I came here.' This is what the family said, 'because of the school system.'" I've heard that multiple times in the past. So, hats off to our schools, the leaders, the teachers, the staff, and the board for that type of influence in our community. I just worry sometimes that out of county I don't know how you could ever I want Chester County people to get the first chances at going to school at Chester County. Yeah. Well, now, again, it's very uh, again, as of course the cycle of events are June 1 through June 30 or whenever the last working day in June is, is that the window for families to consider. We don't mandate that they choose to go to Chester once they start. Everybody has a year-in, year-out has to go
047through the application process, even the ones who've done it since kindergarten. They have to go through that process. We check every student's performance with the three that I just mentioned, academics, attendance, and behavior. And if they fall within that acceptable range as the policy dictates, we extend to them the opportunity. For all the news, the new families that come in, primarily kindergarteners, we do pay attention to the class size. Cuz we have, you know, again, you can't overcome one year, unfortunately, at East Chester, we overcame the number and we had to ship kids for the first 6 months or half a semester to Jacks Creek and West. So, uh very conscientious, very uh attentive to that. And there are some that do not get invited first timers because of that. But we are very aware
048of the number of students that we have, the number of teachers that afford that. Usually it's at the lower grades. Uh however, the state does allow a waiver to be uh submitted and earned each year that allows the average Excuse me. That yes, they the uh let me say it right, the average class size can increase over the maximum as long as the class, individual class size does not extend beyond. Like lower grades, it's you can't go higher than 25, but the average has got to be 20. You can ask for a waiver of the class average size for the entire school, but you can't exceed beyond the maximum class size for the individual classroom. So, we've been since we've been made aware of that waiver opportunity, we've applied for that every year and been
049granted every year. However, if you look at our numbers of student to teacher ratio, it's roughly 17 per one and the state average is around 16 per one. So, uh and when you look at that also in comparison to the average expenditure per pupil. I've had many school districts leadership say, "You are doing exceptionally well given the resources that you're spending for these kids and the success that you're having with your performances." So, it's uh we're always got room for improvement, but we're on a good track. Well, the recommendation is to uh maintain the current rates for the Alleghany tuition rates. Uh so, is there a motion that we approve this? I'll make a motion that we keep it the same rate. Second. I've made and seconded. Any further discussion? All in favor, say aye.
050Aye. Opposed? All right, it is approved. Uh that's the actionable items, but we do have a a course portion of our meeting for any updates that any budget or any board member would like to uh ask about or Mr. Kills, are there any that you want to draw attention to updates on the district? Well, I've added some pictures from the high school. If you've not had a chance to visit, I know we didn't go into the high school officially other than the vocational center, but using some resources from the innovative school model grant, the dollars that have been allocated to certain areas that we could spend down, we had not exhausted those dollars, so we were able to to revise our budget and put a lot of those resources to our capital improvement. And that's
051been part of the improvement. So, what you see in those few pictures are a resurfacing of the floors. Again, remember that those floors have been down since 1996-97, and especially around the door entryways where moisture comes in, if you've been familiar with uh the look of those tile uh floors, they have a tendency to pop up and and look lesser. Uh but this has walk-off carpet as it's described and the floor surface in the lobby space right now that extends from the main entrance side all the way around to the gym entrance side at the high school is a type of floor, it's a vinyl type of floor [snorts] tile that doesn't require stripping and waxing. So, it's a new more modern style of flooring that goes through. That's going to extend up the hallways
052because there's places in the hallways that have that same moisture issue that have been replaced. So, this uh color scheme will continue to go up the hallways. Again, as you know, the school high school had been repainted. The junior high has recently been repainted. Remember the innovative school model only applies to the junior high and the high school. So, of the innovation or excuse me, of the capital improvements that are allowable, it's only those two those two campuses that are part of this with those resources. So, there's potential flooring going to change at the junior high also. Don't know if it'll be the same style cuz we I say we uh Mr. Bobates allowed the high school administrators to pick the colors. So, I'm sure he will extend that same offer to the junior high
053leadership so that if there's somebody to blame, he can point the finger. >> [laughter] >> It says on here that he was meeting with the TCAT at the old vocational building. What are the plans for >> Well, again, as you know, as the transition has been, spring break was the window of time for James Carter to come clear completely clear out of his shop space on the automotive side. That's going to be extending to a a additional welding setup. I think it's eight more welding bays that will be set up. I think eight or 10. I'm not 100% sure with that. But now he has been talking to somebody regarding the flooring in the lobby space, in the hallways, in the bathrooms or resurfacing some of those floors, making it more presentable, more acceptable. Uh
054but uh again, that will be branded as a primarily TCAT function. Not just for our kids, but you know, in the evening time they have welding classes that start after school hours through the evening, three to four nights a week. So uh as I've shared with the leadership at TCAT Jackson, we we are supporting having their brand put on the outside of the AC Jones on the Highway 100 [clears throat] side to continue to perpetuate the partnership that Chester County is making with them. They have some additional resources themselves. They're putting the money in with the welding bays. We are not investing. What we are investing in is making sure that our shop space electrical can supply that extra need. As we did in the old ag shop space that is currently being fed by
055uh Cody Bowers' class. That's one of the more popular participated We've got a uh a guy named Kai Jones who's a graduate of Chester County schools is working as a part-time welding instructor with Cody. And his role will be probably doing the evening class and being more there during the school day for next year as we extend that to be more uh of a welding program. Which has a lot of uh of career wage success in the area. Anything else need to come before the board? You have anything else? I just Hey folks, we're getting close to the end of the school year. Notice that in your upcoming advance we've got Baccalaureate service going to be Sunday, May the 17th. That comes before our next board meeting. And your commencement exercises the following night. Both
056of those going to be at Dryden Auditorium. Both events start at 7:00. Pictures before. And the very next night will be our next meeting, May 19th. It'll be the Tuesday following graduation. That meeting will not be here at the board office. Just a reminder, that will be on site at Jacks Creek Elementary School. It will start at 5:00 p.m. on the 19th. Well, that's the end of the agenda. Being the end of the agenda, we can