001All right, the January GMSD board work session is called to order. First item on our agenda this evening is the revision of policies. First reading, Mr. Manuel. Okay. So, we have revisions of policies first readings. So, in no particular order, the I don't know if my packets in order, but uh we're going to talk about 1.704 charter schools. [snorts] Miss Speakman, you can help me with these two. Um, so as you can see, the proposed changes to this policy are the yellow highlighted sections. And so I'll read what it says. Lines 21 through 23 says that the GMSD superintendent/designate shall confirm receipt of the letter of intent and provide the prospective charter school sponsor with current federal, state, and local per pupil funding estimates within five business days of receiving the letter of intent. The
002other uh additions are on um page three of 8, lines 14 through 18. Uh it clarifies that within 90 cal calendar days of receipt of an application for a charter school within the school district. If G the GMSD board of education fails to approve or deny a charter school application within the 90 calendar day time period, the charter school application will be deemed approved. Oh, so it's so they're in a default status. Oh, that's great. Um, state law. And then line 20 says that no later than 10 calendar days after the approval. So, it just clarifies calendar days. So, these are all prompted by changes in state law. We can answer any questions that you have on policy 1.704. I can't speak to future boards, but I'm pretty certain this one wouldn't let one default.
003>> Okay, if there are no additional questions, we'll go to substitute teachers or actually I'll go in order. Sorry, uh 2.804. I'll go in order of numbers. This is a completely new policy and it was this was due to a change um I think from the coming from the comproller um about whether teachers can be uh reimbursed if they purchase something that sales tax was charged on it. Uh and they're saying that you can um but you have to have a policy in place in order to do so. So, you can see essentially what this policy says that uh if they're uh out and they're making a purchase, it has to be preapproved. Uh and then it limits the amount that you can um or it defines what you can reimburse for. >> Oh, it
004does limit it up to 20. >> And and also we're recommending that it just be limited to restaurant bills because it's too first of all, most purchases um they have to be preapproved anyway. And so, um, when they're preapproved, then the, um, sales tax exemption forms are provided and that sort of thing. Um anyway, and so really we're in in in checking the real problem has been for board members and for teachers and staff um when they're trying to go on a work-related trip and they get charged for tax on a restaurant bill um because they're paying generally paying for it with their own credit card as opposed to you know any kind of um district card or district preapproval. And so, um, what's happening is they're coming home, they're getting reimbursed for the restaurant
005bill, but not the sales tax piece. And so, we just didn't, you know, we thought that what the comproller was recommending in terms of that it being fair that people get reimbursed for that, including board members, that that was the better way to go. So, we didn't include other stuff because that didn't that really wasn't where the problem was for for us um in most boards. So for the restaurants, you know, there's the um I guess whatever through the the government, there's the PDM. So if they're within that amount, >> it's not really an issue anyway. Correct. >> It's not except that some people were exempting out the sales tax if it was close to that amount amount. Um so we just didn't want that to be an issue for anybody. Uh, >> and we
006picked we just picked $20 because out of the air. So, if you don't like that number, we can put whatever number in there. >> No, I guess because if you're going with the PDM amount, and they're they're pretty generous, honestly. Um, so I don't, you know, you would be looking 20%, just assume, we'll round up and say 10%, you'd be looking at $200 worth of expenditures. and I have a hard time believing they would go that much over the pdium. >> Um, one question and I don't know if we >> have it addressed elsewhere. >> Do we need to specify a time frame? And I it would apply to us as well for reimbursement. So, should we say like, hey, you need to have everything in submitted within a certain time frame, you know, from
007an accounting standpoint. Do we feel like that's necessary? >> We haven't had an issue. We haven't had an issue with that in the schools. I know in corporate world if we don't have ours within you know within a certain period of time then you have to then go up to like in our world we have to go up to a VP level to get it approved. So it's a pretty short I think for us we have 30 days to after the end of travel to get something in. So I didn't know from an accounting standpoint or anything if that was something that we've been dealing with or if that's something worth looking at but I'm I'm open to that um if you know if we feel like it's needed. it has not been an an
008issue at this time. So, I'm not concerned about that. >> And and I will say if you guys don't want this at all, this is completely discretionary. I mean, we can take it out at all. If you think that it's covered um because of the PDM, then you don't have to mess with it at all. It's just that the comproller, you know, brought this to all the district's attention in their new FAQs. And I kind of asked around and checked with some other boards, you know, to see if this was something that they felt that the staff felt should be addressed and they thought it was worth pursuing. But again, we don't have to do this. Now, in section in the first section and the second section, GMSD didn't have a policy at all regarding
009expenses and reimbursements. And so auditors generally believe that you should have the minimum amount there in terms of language. So I've put that section in to be, you know, and it's consistent with a lot of what a lot of boards have. But this last thing on the sales tax, you absolutely don't have to have it. So I just want to be clear. >> I don't I don't have any concerns about having in the policy. So then we will move on. >> I just want to make sure that because I do appreciate having it in place. I'm frankly looking back I'm a little surprised maybe we didn't. Um and so no time like the present by having the sales tax it doesn't hold us to anything. It just clarifies in the event I guess. And then
010as uh Chairman Curry was mentioning, if you're not putting in like an itemized receipt, then it really doesn't apply. So if you go over and you're not trying to get anything additional, then you just go with the PDM and that would just make it clean for people that turn their expenses in that way. >> Yeah, that's my understanding, too. So, >> thank you. We will move on then to uh policy 5.103 substitute teachers. And this policy just changes um the time that's required for you to have a licensed teacher. So, it previously said that uh under line 16 and 17 uh under certification that after the regular teacher has been absent and it used to say 20 consecutive days of approved leave, the person serving as a substitute must be licensed and hold the appropriate
011endorsement for assignment. So, this changes that to 30 days. >> And the general assembly changed that. We didn't. So, we're just codifying it. So, there are questions on 5.103. The next one I'm going to request for us to pull. Uh, we're not ready to talk about this time. We want to do a little more work in it. Um, we had some concerns um just considering practices that we have at our schools and and and how it reads. You know, the challenge that we have um with current state law around recess is I don't think that our legislators and people understand high school and and some of their um beliefs about recess time at the high school. I think we have to discuss. We talked some of those with Mr. White. You know, all of our
012students are taking credited classes. Um so we don't have built-in recess times. So, we've got to look at we've got to look at that in more depth before I think we're ready to act on this policy. So, uh we want our request is to pull that policy and we'll look at it next time. So, if you'all are good with that, uh that is the policies. That leads us to our next items which are the budget amendments. >> Yeah. So, uh, our miscellaneous FY2526 budget amendments numbers 4 through six. Miss Ael, >> good evening. I have budget amendment number four relative to the ISM grant, the innovative school models grant. And just to refresh everyone's memory on where this came from, this is a 4-year grant in which each school in Tennessee received $1 million. Each
013high school received $1 million and each middle school received $500,000 to spend over the course of four years. And we are in we're in the midst of our third year right now. And so each year we resubmit the application and this is simply the allocation for this year rolled over. So out of that when you combine Houston High and the two middle schools we have $2 million total. And so all the funds are combined into one pot even though we spend them separately. And so you can see that the allocation remaining is $1,492,433. And since, you know, we've been in this grant, like I said, for our third year, I'm happy to go over any part of what we've done so far with the grant funds or see if you have any questions. >> And
014just clarify again, this is just recognizing the allocation that we've just received, but this is something that we have discussed previously. Once again, it's what' you say, third year in a four-year grant. I think it's nice to note um specifically what's mentioned in the reason based on where some of this is going. We know we've talked about it repeatedly and it's a something we're really grateful for, but I think it would be nice just to read in some of the um programs that these funds are supporting. business management, digital arts, marketing management, and audiovisisual production. We've heard a lot about those over the past uh 12 months and middle school and high school. And just the benefits that these [clears throat] programs by this investment are uh feeling and parents and students and staff alike
015are benefiting from that. >> Absolutely. And I could talk about this grant for a long time because it's so exciting to have these funds. Dr. L Sharbonet, our CTE supervisor and instructional supervisor, has done an amazing job working with the teachers. The um teachers, especially for those four programs of study that you just called out, have worked so collaboratively to build the staying studios, you know, our print shop um to be completely student driven where they're developing the business plan. They're they're going to be running the the sales, the marketing, everything. It's going to be studentled. Uh totally a school-based enterprise. So, we're so excited to expand work-based learning as an in-house during the school day opportunity for students in addition to the out of the school day opportunities. So, that's um definitely worth calling
016out. And then, of course, we are transitioning nutrition to the culinary program of study. And so, that'll be exciting to see that work is going to start happening soon. So, we're excited about that process as well as well as increasing industry certification opportunities for students. So, these grant funds have provided numerous opportunities at both the middle and high school, not to mention Houston Middle's maker space library that's in the works right now. Uh, and Riverdale uh just renovated their TV studio. So, very good. Thank you. Okay, so we're ready for our next two budget amendments. I think Mr. Pausky, you coming up to Give us the lay of the land. All right. The first one on there is the intercom system at Houston High School. Phase two. Um, [clears throat] this one is being done
017through a purchasing co-op. for this. We've already done phase one had us replace all of the the brains of the system. Um so this is just coming through all new cabling, new call buttons, new speakers. Um I think we're adding a phone that we forgot on the first one. But the big thing is the cleanup of above ceiling. Um when the electrical inspectors come for to inspect, you know, any work that's done. So when we're changing the lights, when the electrical inspectors come, they want everything clean. Nothing can touch the grid. Nothing can touch other wires. Everything has to be in J hooks. Um so a lot of it also involves cleanup of the above ceiling area. Again, we've done phase one with the same company. So coming in with same equipment, um same functionality
018for phase two just to finish the rest of the building. And just clarifies, are we on budget amendment number six on this one or on >> We're on six. >> We skipped. >> Okay. I was just saying because No, I think they're related. >> Yeah. No, they are they are related. So, how we're paying for those two projects. >> Okay. [clears throat] >> Yes. So, budget amendments five and six and uh agenda items three and four when you look at them are for the intercom system and the cabling. So, as you know, um we were in a multi-year plan where we were redoing the ceiling tile and grid and the wiring at Houston High School. We did the upstairs uh we did the lobby um parts and so now this does the and and the
019auditorium I think >> and the annex is done. >> So, we're talking about the downstairs area. So, the two amendments uh that we're looking at five and six >> Five is for something completely different. >> That's where the confusion >> Yeah. Five is for looks like healthy students, strong. >> Oh, that's right. I'm sorry I missed five. So, this is six. Sorry, we we jumped the gun. >> I kind of got excited like all right, we're going to have healthy students. So, Mr. Powaskki. >> So, this is this is item number six that does those two projects. Yes. But it appropriates the funds. >> Got it. Okay, >> perfect. And I guess so. >> Just stay there. Just stay there. We'll come right back to it. Let's do let's do budget amendment number five first
020before we move on. Uh and I can I can go ahead and do that one. So budge amendment number five is a small grant. I think we're talking about $4,000 total and it sends uh some PE teachers to uh profession two PE teachers to professional development for this grant program. So it's a program called uh healthy students uh and the grant is the healthy students stronger learning grant. So this just recognizes that that money from that grant once again and it's specifically designed for travel for those two teachers. So that is number five. Is this something within the state of Tennessee? >> Yes, it's a Yeah, it's a state monitor grant. Yep. >> So, if there aren't questions other questions on number five. >> Okay. So, now now we're ready for >> now we're ready
021for we can we can jump into all all those. >> Yeah. So, next item is and I guess they'll probably go together, but we'll just tackle number three first. The intercom system project phase two at Houston High School. This is the continuation of phase one of the intercom system at Houston High School. [clears throat] Like I said, um the only real equipment purchase in this will need one rack. We're moving um where that goes. And then the speakers, call buttons, and cabling are the only equipment involved. The rest of its installation and setup. Um but this is a continuation of phase one with the same company so that we have continuity across those systems. >> Any questions for Mr. Picauski on this item? >> Glad to see the second second half underway. >> All right,
022that leads us to item number four on the agenda. Data reabling project phase two at Houston High School. Again, we have completed phase one, all of the downstairs annex um areas, but this really just brings us um you know, keeps us current. We get twice the bandwidth with this cable as opposed to the cat 6 that's in there now. um also get you know more so many of our devices now are power over internet instead of plugging in and having an internet connection. So this allows us much more capacity for those devices to be plugged in powered and have internet through the same cable. Um I believe this may be our last school to upgrade to this network. We've just done the other ones as we've been doing wireless access points and things like that,
023but this one's so big that um it really having the ceiling out makes it infinitely easier. Um and again, the clean up above ceiling is is one of the main objectives here. Again, >> I remember when Cat 5 was all the rage, right? And so now six cat six is out. That is wild is how fast it moves. So yeah, I think um yeah, it's one of the things we just have to keep investing in the technology and that's just the reality of our world. Even at home, you just got to, you know, if you're not investing in it, you're falling behind and then eventually just like your phone [clears throat] all of a sudden one day it says, "Hey, you're not able to take the security update and now you're uh now you're in
024trouble." So it's just one of those things. >> And I'm glad you mentioned that this, you know, part of both of these projects are safety related and security related. they just enhance our security systems, our camera systems, make them function much much better. Um, and obviously the communication across the school is always a safety issue. Right. Any additional questions for Mr. Pausky? All right. Move on to item number five, further business. I know I have some, but I will yield to anyone that might have some further business. All right. So, my further business is I just want to talk to the board and kind of let you know how or where my head is for how I'm going to be running meetings. Uh that way there's no confusion, you know. Um hopefully we get together
025next week, but I don't know whether it's gonna we'll see how that goes. Um so I I've discussed with Mr. Emanuel. Um I know like we'll just use these last two items that we discussed here. Those will be action items on our agenda. We've talked about them here, but in a board meeting, if someone hasn't paid attention to the work session, they come into the meeting and they don't know they might not know what we're talking about. So the way I'm going to handle these kind of action items, I'll say intercom system project phase 2 at Houston High School and then I'm going to give it to Mr. Manuel to provide just a brief kind of executive summary for everyone in the room. That also gives you as board members an opportunity to ask questions
026outside of a motion. So between now and whenever we meet again, uh you may have questions. Um, and then that will give you the opportunity to say, you know, go back and forth with dialogue with Mr. Manuel at that time. It also helps when we have items that are brought forward kind of last minute. When an item is brought forward, uh, if we if we do it during a motion, that's really not the you're supposed to handle the discussion and then get into the motion and then deal with either you're either voting it up or down. So, it's going to be I'll just say Mr. Emanuel, kick it over to him questions. If there's no questions, then we'll go for the motion and then go through the process uh that way. So, just a little
027bit of, you know, something different like so if you see it, don't don't be alarmed. There's there's a rationale to it. Uh what we'll do then when it comes to the motion, um so we'll just say uh Vice Chair Griffith makes a motion. I will ask Vice Chair Griffith, do you wish to speak to your motion? She's either going to say yes or no. And if yes, all right, you're recognized. Then then after that then we'll open it up for discussion and then I'll just recognize uh that um Robert's rules is whoever makes the motion gets to speak to it. So if you do make a motion just know that I'll call on you to say hey do you wish to speak to your motion. You don't have to. You can certainly just defer. Uh
028but if you do wish to speak to your motion then you have that you'll have the floor to do that and then we'll then we'll go and then we'll we'll proceed with the vote just like we always have there. Um, on the approval of the agenda and the consent, uh, I will probably just move those as a chair because it's already published. Everyone's seen it. I'll just move to approved as a chair. Someone second. We're going to do a quick voice vote on those two items only. So, all those in favor, I I those opposed. All right. And then we'll just move on only on the agenda and the consent. Other than that, the consent, I'll read all the items into the consent. Every other item, it's going to be just like we've always done.
029you won't notice any difference other than maybe some semantics of um you know like I guess the the part with Mr. Emanuel giving the executive summary. Um I think that will I think that will be good for those um that come in when it comes to the motion. So again we'll just like data reabling phase two when it comes to that motion if um you know he's going to talk about the amount if you wish to read into the amount and all that you can. If you want to say I just move to approve, you know, the proposal as presented, that'll be up to you. I don't I don't have a preference on either way. But my expectation is like for the data reabling project, Mr. Manuel will say this is for $211,900. That'll be
030read into the record. And then again, if you want to however you want to do the motion at that point, that that's up to you. Uh I think from a meeting standpoint, those will be really the main things. I just didn't want anyone to be shocked next week of, hey, why is he doing it this way? I wanted to give you some rationale on the front end. U I'm, you know, I'm happy to answer any questions on that, but I think that preserves kind of the integrity and tradition of what we've done. >> So, we can continue to pose our questions to the superintendent as usual and then use our time and discussion to reference that conversation. They don't have to be done publicly, but they can be based on what you're saying. >> Yeah.
031Yeah. So, like >> which is what we already do. >> Yeah. So like you'll have so I guess >> it does give an executive summary often especially when it's something that >> Yeah. But like like I think the way it has been like on the intercom system we just what we've been doing traditionally is we just it number three and then we just make the motion and that's it and he doesn't speak to it. So we'll give him the opportunity just to briefly say hey here it is. Then if there's any questions then that'll be back and forth. Then when you get into the motion, you're discussing your thoughts on why this is valuable or or or why you would approve or not approve. >> Right. But we would have typically and can still ask
032the questions prior to the meeting. >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This Yes, please do. >> Right. Right. Right. >> Yeah. No, we can give a lot more depth. >> No, no, this is not in lie of but this would be like if >> making sure as it's being said out loud that people understand that it's not to increase the >> No, no, no. Back and forth. >> No, no, but like you know I thought of like Yeah. like like a last minute >> often give context and so we're when we ask and that's it doesn't have to be on every single thing but when it's important he's the expert and should be able to speak to >> I do not anticipate based on what I've been on the board now five years I don't anticipate
033that we'll have questions on anything that we've brought up in a work session I could see something if it was a lastm minute addition that hey we've got to add this you know because of a deadline that was you know given to us then I could see where we might have you know the the basically the questions that we have here we would have at that point because that would be our time to discuss it other than >> which is when we've introduced him to speak to him at the business meeting of the past correct for that very example. >> Yeah. So no different. >> Yeah. So anyway but that's um that is the rationale there. So again I don't want to be a shock to the system but just you'll just you might wonder
034okay why are we doing it this way that I wanted to give you that on the front end. I hope I have the opportunity to do that here next Tuesday but the weather is uh it's not looking great. Do you want to consider a virtual meeting? Sorry. Do you want to consider a virtual meeting or do you want to just postpone if we have a weather delay? >> Um, I'll defer to my fellow board members. I mean, if there's nothing urgent um, >> and there's there's not. >> Yeah. I mean, I I prefer to meet in person if at all possible. I just think it's a better better for the community and and all involved. But I'm also safety's top of mind. So, you know, which again I'm not Tuesday right now. >> Looking looking
035at the weather, we that may be a questionable venture Tuesday. So, we'll we'll see what happens. But yes, if if we're cancelled, then the board meeting will be cancelled also. So, >> I think well, I'd certainly prioritize meeting in person if and we don't have anything on the agenda that would cause anything to be paused or delayed. So we could try to reconvene in the next couple of days. >> Yeah. And if it if if it ends up being Thursday or the following Tuesday or whatever, I think we you know I think we we'll we'll adjust. U but yeah, I think maximum flexibility is going to be needed here over the the next week or so. And the final item I wanted to show uh just for the board members uh here. Um so previously
036uh we've done emails. I'm going to I'm going to mail out the link to this form. Uh previously we've done emails uh to the chairman with the activities. I know that can be very cumbersome on uh on the part of the chairman trying to u collate all that and provide that in the report. Uh so what I have done is I have created a form. Uh this anyway it's this is my version of it but anyway I've created a uh a Google form. Uh you'll go in and you'll just enter in your name. You'll do the month and the pull down and you'll just enter in your activities just free form. You just whatever just hit enter and do that. Uh it'll you'll submit it. It goes uh to a spreadsheet. I've got an AI
037author to thanks to the power of AI was able to or an AI agent that will coalate those and do that for me. So it should be easier. You can just go in there and enter in the form um and send it in. So, I just wanted to show you uh you I'll I'll send you the link and I'll just say, "Hey," and you know, have this in by a certain time. That way, I can hit the button and let AI work its magic. And then you'll uh you'll hear the results of your labor in the in my chairman's report. That is all I had for >> Did you actually put that together or did your daughter >> No, I did. No, I actually did. I went and I sat down with AI and I
038said, you know, as a board chairman, give me and I used I learned all my prompts. It was great. And so, uh, the power of AI. Um, and I would have, and I'd be honest with you, I would have never been able to do this because there's so much coding and getting it to run. So, I've got it to run and collate and compare and do all this. There's all sorts of cool stuff. So, I I will say uh the power of AI, there's a lot of good that can be done. It can get someone who doesn't know how to code and be able to uh do a form, which is pretty amazing. >> I'm going back. Yeah. Sure. >> Already. Okay. In the event there is something of um extra excitement on our agenda
039at any point uh this year and we want to be on record as approving it individually whether uh an action item um >> so action items will all be roll okay consent you're going to read what's in like we've been doing. >> Yeah. >> That's that's the only change. >> Yep. For the consent and the approval. >> Don't want us to pull vote for consent. >> Yeah. Exactly. Yeah, for the for the consent and the approval of the agenda. I just want to just let's let's get to that. I mean, Ken, I just I feel like we can >> I just want to make sure because I don't want anybody saying, "Oh, they talked about something." >> No, we didn't. >> All action items. I want to know what >> All action items are going
040to be just the same as they are today. Yeah. No, >> we don't have to do that, but that's why I was making sure I understood what you're saying. >> Yeah. No change to the action items, >> but approving the agenda is what I'm saying. >> Yeah. So yeah for the agenda like just anticipate that I will move the agenda's been published uh it's available for the public the chair moves the agenda and then if there's a modification then I can say yeah and then we can do that and say all right hey now 9A is now 9C or whatever you know is there or the chair moves to approve as amended just to kind of just streamline that process >> and if we want to change it at the time we will change it
041at the time hopefully there's nothing to where we feel like we need to but in the event we are always open to Yeah, correct. Yes. >> I just don't want anybody to say that we were talking about anything and >> No, no, not at all. No. So, it's just it's just Yeah, those two. But on the action items, it's going to be superintendent executive summary, then opportunity for questions or clarification, then is there a motion, you know, and then just like it always has been. And I'll just recognize whoever because I because I have had where I've looked and like two of us have tried to speak at the same time. And so, um, you know, that's kind of awkward because then I'm looking at like who wants to go first and then anyway, so
042on those I'll probably just say, "Hey, Mr. Mr. Ellis, you're recognized." >> I just want everybody to to get their to get their comments and questions out there. >> Yeah. Everyone Yeah. Yeah. Just Yeah. structurally just >> I love your form because you're going to figure out who in this group doesn't turn their stuff in or >> No, I'm not pointing. I'm saying No, [laughter] I'm saying I'm saying you're right. I'm I'm pointing I'm like pointing. Sorry, I gave you a thumbs up. I should have said yes. We'll be flying by the seat of our pants getting a text when we're sitting down. So, you never know. It could be anybody on any given month. [laughter] >> And between this and the turning your reimbursements in on time, I feel like there's some personal some
043[laughter] >> there's a few few targets today. Yeah. >> No, just uh yeah, thank you for your flexibility and um it should go good. Um, again, I I truthfully I'd love for the kids to be in school on Tuesday and learning and doing all the things, you know, but I know the reality is is that uh I'm I'm always the guy that wants like no snow. Let's go, you know, let's keep it going. >> Exactly. Like I' I'll go out and hands salt the streets. Let's go. [laughter] >> Member Strain always blames board member Curry to his own children. But no, in the event that we are out and it if if we get what they're saying we're going to get um I think um we'll probably end up having a meeting on a different
044day and so you know we'll we'll take it from there. Uh that is all that I had. If anyone else has any further business um feel free to chime in at this time. All right, seeing none this meeting is adjourned.