001[Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] I'd like to call our meeting back to order. Mr. Lindon, would you please read this out of closed? Yes, Madam Chair. I move that the Renault County School Board come out of closed session for the following. To discuss the investigation of a student matter pursuant to the Scholastic Record exemption at 2.2-3711A2 of the Code of Virginia and to certify to the best of each member's knowledge only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements under this chapter and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard discussed or considered in the meeting by the school board second Dr. Sulttus Mr. Greenway yes sir Mr. Landon yes
002sir Mashani yes Mr. Hudson yes sir Miss Clemens yes sir item 2.03 03 action from closed. Madame chair, I would like to make a motion to allow students RE2025-2026 18 through 22 to be released from compulsory attendance pursuant to 22.1-254-B of the code of Virginia as amended. Second, Dr. Sulttus. Mr. Greenway. Yes, sir. Mr. Lendon. Yes, sir. Miss Vashani. Yes, sir. Mr. Hudson. Yes, sir. Miss Clemens. Yes, sir. Madam Chair, I motion that student EX2025-2026-004 be expelled from Rona County Public Schools. Second. Dr. Sulttus. Mr. Greenway. Yes, sir. Mr. Landon. Yes, sir. Vashani. Yes, sir. Mr. Hudson. Yes, sir. Miss Clemens. Yes, sir. Madam Chair, I move that the recommendation for expulsion for student 2025 26005 be held in obeyance and be placed in alternative education under the conditions of a contract as determined by
003the superintendent. Second Dr. Sulttus Mr. Greenway. Yes, sir. Mr. Landon. Yes, sir. Miss Vashani. Yes, sir. Mr. Hudson. Yes, sir. Miss Clemens. Yes, sir. Welcome everyone. Will you please stand for the pledge of allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Item 4.01, announcement of changes in the agenda. We do not have any. Item 4.02, approval of agenda. Do we have a motion to approve? Second. Dr. Sulttus. Mr. Greenway. Yes, sir. Mr. Lendon. Yes, sir. M. Vashani. Yes, sir. Mr. Hudson. Yes, sir. Miss Glendon. Yes, sir. Item 5.01, recognition of Sergeant Dan Walters for distinguished service to RCPS. And that's represented um by Dr. Jessica McClung. Good evening, members of the school
004board. Dr. Nicely and Dr. Sulttus. Tonight, I am honored to be here to celebrate celebrate you. We're going to honor an outstanding professional and a trusted partner to our schools and a committed advocate for student safety, Sergeant Dan Walters. After more than 28 years of dedicated experience in law enforcement, Dan completed his distinguished career with the Renault County Police Department this past summer. Most notably, he served as the sergeant overseeing the school resource officer unit, a role in which his leadership made a profound difference in our school division. During his tenure, he supervised a team of SRO's tasked with covering all of our schools. In media interviews, I snagged this. I I thought this was a great quote that you said. Um he explained that number one his job was to make sure officers came
005to work safe and that the students and teachers arrive at the school safe and that they all go home safely. And I can say he did that. Sergeant Walters also played a key role in advancing the training efforts in our region. He led active um threat scenario exercises with law enforcement and fire and rescue agencies um to improve our inter agency communication. And I have to say the partnership we have with you all has been tremendous and a real asset to Reno County schools. Under his direction, the SRO team did more than respond. They proactively engaged our students. They build trust. They serve as mentors. They create safer, more supportive learning environments. And in the words of the school district's um newsletters, as someone who work closely with their division and the SRO unit, I've
006witnessed Sergeant Walters impact firsthand. the calm professionalism, the willingness to listen, creative solutions to difficult problems, and above all, his unwavering focus that our staff and students not only feel safe, but really are safe. Sergeant Walters, on behalf of Reno County Public Schools, we thank you for your service, your leadership, and the legacy we leave behind. I'd like to present you with a certificate of rec recognition. Come on, Madam Chair. Can I say so? Before we let you run off, I got a couple stories about Sergeant Walters. So, Sergeant, so does assistant chief talk. I'm sure Sergeant Walters actually field trained me about uh I don't know over two decades ago. So, we're getting old, but I was going to tell him about that time at Tanglewood Mall. Do you remember that? There's several stories.
007I won't tell him. In all seriousness, uh I will say one thing and this showyely trues the heart of who Dan is. So I was at an all-time low in life. I I had a two-week old son and uh we were in the ICU, the Piku, and uh we had just had a conversation with the do a team of doctors and it could have went either way. And uh you know, shortly after that, I get um when you're in ICU, you know, you have to like ring in on a phone. And so the nurse comes around and says, "Hey, there's a guy out here named Dan that wants to come in and see." And I'm like, "Dan, who who is Dan?" And like I'm like, "Yeah, sure. Send him on back." Right. Who did I
008see? The smiling face of Dan Walters who came up and talked to me for about 30 minutes. Dan, that 30 minutes meant a lot to me and brought me out of a bad bad time there. So, I really appreciate you caring enough to come come see me during that time. And I appreciate everything you taught me on a professional level as well as the personal relationship we've had over the years. I'm definitely going to miss seeing you around the schools. But thank you for everything that you've done for us. Yes, sir. And I'd like to recognize the chief, assistant chief in the back, Lieutenant Pasco. All three of those guys work very hard to make sure our schools are safe. Chief, I know this from a professional level. These guys really put a lot of
009time and effort into making sure that we have what we need in the schools. Really appreciate you guys. Madam Chair, I'd like to say one thing, too. We uh when we started this program, we didn't know what it would look like. Um today, we know what it looks like and we thank you and we thank everyone that was behind uh the work to get these SRO's in our schools. And uh if anyone goes to our schools and sees these inter these SRO's interact and a lot of the credit goes to you Mr. Walters, but if you see them interact with our kids, you know, a lot of people say, "Well, do they just sit around? Do they just wait for something to know these are the most amazing folks that interact with our kids? I've
010seen them play with them in the hallways with maybe special needs kids I've seen over Mount Pleasant one time and different things they've at our various schools. They're always engaged and uh the staff love them and we can't thank you enough for what you've done and chief and uh even buddy of mine, the assistant chief. I'll even give him credit. Uh but everyone that uh at the police office and obviously Sheriff Orange who helped us get this started and off the ground. Y'all are amazing folks and we're indebted to you just like our teachers. We're indebted to you to a debt I'm not sure we can repay. But thank you. Thank you. You sir, Madam Chair, if I may, Rono County Public Schools have been so blessed to have that you helping us out and
011and the relationship that we have with both the police department and the sheriff's office. Your ability though, Sergeant Walters, to to select SRO's for these schools that were able to relate to children and and form that relationship with children was just tremendous. I see officer Maxi in the back who said decided to step away for a second for some reason. But you did just such a fantastic job of of selecting officers who could really relate to these students and and make them feel comfortable in our schools was was tremendous. So thank you and thank you sir. Really appreciate the job you did. Thank you sir. Thank you. So uh distinguished members thank you very much for this recognition. It was really uh quite surprised for me. I was very honored to be here tonight and
012um I'm very proud of the relationship I've been able to develop over the last 20ome almost 30 years. Um and I wouldn't have been where I'm at in my career if it wasn't really for the cooperation I've had from the board of supervisors but also Dr. Nicely. I've had a very good relationship with him for almost 15 it seems like years now and the rest of the administration the county schools. I started off as a just a lowly SRO at Northside Middle School many many years ago and then I went on to Kpring Middle School for another six years and then lo and behold I was given the gift to come back as a sergeant over the unit which was a blessing. Um and then I got to work with two my two of my
013closest friends Chris Kyper and then Pat Pascal behind me. So it's been an honor. Um, I always joke, I've said this before. I went to Rafford University and I had in 98 I went to I was I graduated from Raford, but right before I graduated, I did an internship with Rona County Police, which is how I found the agency. And uh, during that internship, you get an opportunity to go to the different units within the police department, whether it's uh, patrol, detective bureau, K9, SWAT, all the different things you get to do. Um, one of the things I got to do was was ride with the Eststerone unit. And of course, a young buck when you're in your, you know, your low to mid20s, the thing you want to do all the time is do
014the ride alongs. You want to ride the different shifts, midnight shift, you know, evening shift and have fun doing that kind of stuff. I rode with the SRO's and the guy I rode with is Ander Pasco right behind me there. And uh I said, "There is no way I'll ever do this job as an SRO. No way." And then uh lo and behold, almost 30 years later, it's my passion. And I think you guys know right now I've I've gone off into retirement and I'm now director of security at a private school in the area. So that is my passion, school safety. I'm trying to raise awareness not just with our schools but also our community uh with regards to safety and situational awareness and u something I'm very very proud of. I'm going to
015continue to do I'm going to continue to have a a good relationship with the school system here. I've been thankfully asked to stay on with the uh safety advisory committee which I plan on doing still. um and then also help out with several other things in the area. But I am very thankful for your time tonight. It's very very I'm grateful grateful for not just the friendships but also the professional relationships I dealt I've made over the last 20 years. So thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] You're not doing it. [Applause] Mark, I just want you to know I let you Item 5.02, school spotlight, Bonsac Elementary School, Leanne Lewitch. Good evening, school board members, Dr. Nicely and Dr. Sulttus. It's great to be here this evening and brag a little bit
016about um the school that we're at um and that we love. Um I'd like to introduce Stephanie Burus. She is my full-time assistant principal. Thankfully, she has been with me for seven years. Shared for part of that, but now she's with me full-time, which I'm very grateful for. So the basics of Bonsack, if you look at this slide, we opened in 1999, and believe it or not, I still have one person that has been there since the very beginning. Our enrollment is up a little bit. We have approximately 360 students, and we have actually about 60 um students that come to us that are in and out of county transfers. So that's quite significant. Uh Bonsack houses regional programs for preschoolers with autism, which we call PEEP. And then we also have a regional elementary
017autism program which we call REAp. And then we also have a preschool class. There are nine different languages spoken at Bonsack. And our goal is for every staff member, student and family to uh feel connected and grow from being a part of our school. Bonsack strategic goal of course reflect what we do here at Central as well. We have three main goals. Our first goal is that we stay on track with our so expectations. Uh the second goal is of course PBIS implementation that we make sure we continue that initiative. And then the third goal is to make sure that ele uh bonsai continue to seek um and investigate different ways to have deeper learning. Um the next part is about our SOS which we know is just only a piece of our um accreditation.
018So if you look at the bar, the orange is the state um the blue is um our division and the gray is all bonsack. So if you look at the reading, our third grade reading so pass rate was 88%. Fourth grade reading was 100% pass rate and they tied with only eight other schools in Virginia. Fifth grade is a 93% pass rate and that gives an overall 94% pass rate for reading. For math, again, the bar graph stays the same with the colors. For third grade, we had a 94% pass rate. Fourth grade, we had a 100% pass rate. Again, tied for only 10 schools in the state of Virginia. Fifth grade math was 84% and that is for a combined total of 93%. science. Only fifth grade students take science and 88% of those
019pass the science. Virginia studies that only applies to fourth graders and 100% um passed that test and the person that taught this may be related to somebody on the board and um that tied with six schools um in the division, excuse me, statewide. We also have the PBIS initiative. Every morning we read in our morning announcement our pause pledge. Um the students from our SCA come up and read it. And our pause pledge is we are patient and kind, acting responsibly, working together and safe and in control. Up in the top right hand corner, you can see slightly there is a large jar and the students are pouring marbles in that jar. Um it's a big two gallon jar and in each individual class we have quart-siz jars and they put marbles in it for
020um specific and positive praise. And then as they go up those jars, they get different rewards for their classroom. All the classrooms then fill up that two gallon jar. And when we fill that two gallon jar, we have whole school initiative prizes and rewards. The golden spatula is something that is new to us last year. Um the students really want to have the golden spatula and you can hear on Fridays when Miss Burrus announces the golden spatula um the cheers from the office um who won the golden spatula. that's based on who has the best behavior for that week. And so then they get in and during lunch and they get the pride of actually putting that outside of their door frame every week when they get it. And it's very competitive. They also have
021shout outs. So we get shout outs from student, staff, and also um parents if they so choose. Miss Burrus also reads those aloud in the morning. Um and it always ties back to our pause pledge. Our school on the daily, we have Bobby the Bobcat. He is quite the hero. He was named by our students a couple of years ago when we got him. Uh he shows up at PTO events, first day of school, and other celebratory events. Sometimes he'll just show up on a Thursday. You just never know. Um a previous parent at Bonsack still volunteers to be Bobby even though his children are long no longer at Bonsack. Um we definitely appreciate the community that supports our school. I mean, that's a pretty good gig right there. And then of course, we were
022just talking about our SRO officers. We have had um officer John Bowman now for two years um with us consecutively. Um you can look at this and see that he participates with us a lot. On the left hand side he is participating with an egg drop. He's up on a ladder and seeing which egg makes it to the bottom and which egg does not. Um in the middle he is doing dollar days. He is getting a tattoo. I don't know if that's allowed but he is. And then on the right, that is a birthday that he shares with a kindergartener that we took a picture and put it out on Facebook so that everybody could see it. We have Bonsack Buddy Days. Bonsack buddy days. What it we do is we pair a higher grade
023with a lower grade and they always have different activities to do mostly on our early releases like that we just had. Matter of fact, I've got pictures I need to put on Facebook of the things that the teacher shared with me. Um, so they have partner reading days, uh, fact family days for math, winter writing, and most recently this past Wednesday, they had STEM days. I mean, it was STEM glor. And it really helps us connect because if you've ever been in Bonsack, we're basically in three different pods, so they may not cross paths very much. So, it helps them have that interconnection. We have three specialized programs, as I mentioned before, the PEEP, reap, and the preschool classes. And you can see those pictures. If you ever want a moment of joy, just welcome
024those classes. It's a it's a class that has a lot of different behaviors and special needs, but it is also a class full of love and support by those teachers and they do a phenomenal job. Our PTO is also exceptional. If you look in the middle where you see the Bonsack Fund Run, um those are little Lego blocks that they showed how they raised the money and they raised over $15,000. Um they have a little um cart that they give the teachers. You can see the little boo card up above that they take it around and tell our teachers how much they appreciate them with a little snack. You feed us and we're happy. Um and then you see Bobby the Bobcat at our bingo night. Um a book fair. They made sure every student
025at Bonsack this year got a book. So they um provided the cost for anybody that did not um purchase a book. They provided the cost and the difference for those that did not get a book. And then also they do some community events. They had um the teachers in the class decorate wreaths and then they passed them along to um um elder care centers so they could have something um a little happy on their door. I also did not mention they also give our teachers an extra stipen which is really nice. We have many traditions at Bonsack that encourage deeper learning. Um, so the balloons over Bonszac, if you look, we see somebody that looks like um they are Charlie Brown and in between them is a little balloon and fifth graders do this every
026year. We do it the day before Thanksgiving break to kind of reflect Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. There's a book that goes along with it, a children's book. They have to make a balloon. They get to choose it. They get to decide how they want to do it. And they're only given so many things to make it with. So then it's it's a STEM project that they have to do. And it definitely creates some critical thinking because the balloons do pop. And then uh career fair. You see the children scrubbing some teeth there. We have people that come. Our school counselor um organizes this every year and it comes in the spring. And we have anything from dentists to community helpers to our SRO officer actually participated in this year. Last year we have student teachers.
027They participated in it and talk about becoming a teacher. We have had architects. We have had tattoo artists, actual tattoo artists come in. It's just a variety of things and so that helps them learn about citizenship. We have dollar days is in the upper um right hand corner. She's showing her nails because the first graders do things that um talk about consuming and producing and it is a collaboration day. Adopt a pets in the upper leftand corner. It it reflects citizenship. And then we have famous person's day which is on the bottom right. Um the students get to um have autonomy and choose a famous person that they would like to dress up as and then they make a PowerPoint or something that goes along with that famous American and then our students walk through
028the hallways and then they talk about those people and reflect on them deeper learning. Some other things that we do um we have studentled conferences uh we have the Lego spike kit which is really great. Um we have solar cards which is in the upper right hand corner and we have STEM cards for children's book which is a new initiative this year. We have some clubs. Um both of these clubs are run by staff. They volunteered for it. One even um came up with it himself. The the girls have had girls in the run for years, right? Y'all heard of Girls and Run. It's a very great organization. And the boys were like, "Hey, we feel left out. What's with us?" So actually an SCA member thought about having his own club. I said it's
029Boys on the Run, but it's actually Brave Boys. I was already called out by them when I told them I was sharing this. They're like, "We're not Boys on the Run. We're Brave Boys." So, I just wanted to point that out. Lastly, I would like to show a picture of our staff. I would say that our staff is extremely committed to help our students grow. We have students that come in with a lot of um knowledge. They have many things at their hands and that they can use and learn. Their families take vacations. And then we have some that are not as fortunate. But it doesn't matter where they come when they enter Vonsac. Our goal is always to make sure that they grow. Even if it's a little bit, we just want to make
030sure that they are growing and excelling and making sure that they reach their fullest potential. Each um individual that you see in that um picture cares for every child. Not one child is left behind because we want to make sure that they all succeed. That right there, that's my team. They're on my team and I'm on their team. and I appreciate everything that they do and we work together as a team. So I appreciate you allowing me to share a little bit about my team. Thank you. Thank you. If yes, Miss Left doing such a tremendous job over there and I'm glad you mentioned your staff because it see scores obviously prove that you're doing real well, but every time I'm in that school just so welcoming and inviting. Everybody's so friendly and happy and
031smiling. children when I come to back to school night. It's it's a situation where you could just feel the love in that school and and it's starts with the leadership, but you're doing just such a great job over there and I know you've got a great PTO that does a tremendous job for you. So, we really appreciate everything you're doing. Thank you. Um very similar comments, but have a my youngest daughter when you talked about 1999, I remember that school being built because she went to Bond. So she was in that school and my sister teaches there. One of my favorite people in the world, right? So um very close uh to that school and love all the people over there and there's such good people in there and I think Dr. Nicely has a
032special person in that school. I'm not sure but maybe. So, but yeah, we Yes, she is in the center. We thank you. You You've done a great job over there. We always try to incorporate you even though you happen to just be a few feet over into the Holland district. You're eventing school. So, we appreciate you and uh all the kids come to us and we thank you for everything you you and your staff and the teachers are amazing. We thank you for everything you do. Thank you. I feel very fortunate to work there. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] Item 6.01, report by student advisory council representative Bayer Tyrie. Good evening, Madam Chair, Dr. Nicely, Dr. Sulttus, and members of the board. Thank you for the opportunity to share updates from the student advisory council.
033Council held its annual retreat at Treetop Quest in the Explore Park on October 3rd. During the morning session, members participated in a series of team building activities and challenges as well as navigated the park's zipline course. In the afternoon, students worked in school specific groups to complete a guided reflection and questionnaire that will help help shape our goals and priorities for the year. This month, the council collaborated with the Special Education Advisory Council to promote disability awareness across the division. Our efforts included designing and decorating school bulletin boards, creating informationational handouts and newsletters, and delivering morning announcements. These are just a few of the examples of how students are helping to raise awareness and foster inclusion in our schools. Additionally, the council developed a social media handbook to assist middle and high school administrators in
034promoting a safe and positive school culture. Several members, Taylor Gr, Lily Browich, Parker Ray, and I presented an overview of the handbook and shared insights on social media use and engagement among teens at this week's secondary principles meeting. Our next monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 5th, and I thank you for your continued support of student leadership in our division. Thank you. [Applause] Item 7.01, hearing of citizens for agenda items. We do not have any item item eight consent agenda. Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda? Make a motion to approve consent agenda as submitted. Second, Dr. Sulttus. Mr. Greenway? Yes, sir. Mr. Lendon? Yes, sir. Miss Fashani? Yes, sir. Mr. Hudson? Yes, sir. Miss Clemens? Yes, sir. Item 9.01. Glenn High School naming a baseball field. Miss Tammy Nukem.
035Dr. Oh, sorry. Let me say that again. We've got Dr. Corey Franklin. Good evening, Dr. Nicely, Dr. Sulttus, Dr. McClung, and members of the board. Tonight, on behalf of the Glenver community, we would like to formally request to name the Glenver High School baseball field in honor of longtime coach and teacher, Mr. Larry Wood. In attendance with us this evening are coach Larry Wood, his wife Sandy, Mr. Jason Murray, former athletic director and current AP, and Mr. Troy Henderson, who is a ghs parent and was a player under Coach Wood on the state championship baseball team. Coach Larry Wood's legacy is unparalleled in Renault County schools. Since beginning his coaching career in 1971, he dedicated more than five decades to high school athletics, and 49 of those years are at Glimmer High School. His contributions
036to students, athletes, and the Glimmer community span across multiple sports, including 18 years coaching football, 15 years coaching basketball, 25 years coaching baseball, 14 years coaching softball, two years coaching gymnastics, and one year coaching wrestling. In addition, Mr. Wood taught health and physical education at Glimmer for 29 years. He personally taught me and Dr. Sulttus Health and PE, which is why we're as healthy as we are today. Um, he drove he drove athletic buses from 1971 to 2010 and he served faithfully on the football chain crew from 1988 to 2022. And he led the Glennour baseball program to his first and only state championship in 1994. In recognition of his extraordinary service, lifelong dedication, and lasting impact on countless students, athletes, and athletes, excuse me, I respectfully recommend that the school board approve the naming
037of Glumber High School's baseball field as Larry Wood Field in his honor. Thank you. I'll happily make the motion to name the field after Mr. Wood. If anybody spent any amount of time at Glenber, they've seen that face. And I really appreciate everything you've done for the community for so long. Thank you. You've touched so many kids' lives. It's amazing to think all the way back to 701, did you say? 70 197 1971. Wow. Thank you, Mr. Wood. That's a that's a lot of dedication and time. And thank you, Mr. Henderson, for being here as well and all the things that you do. We're going to recognize you and your father at upcoming meeting. I'll second. Do we have any other discussion? Well, I would like to say, Mr. Wood, that I think Miss Franklin
038left off one piece, unless I missed it. You also coached at Renault College baseball for a while and and my son was fortunate enough to Yes, sir. was fortunate enough to play for you and he loved it. Had a great experience. So, uh I'm sure that everything predisposed at Glimmer is just absolutely legendary from what we all hear. So, congratulations. Thank you, Dr. Sult, Mr. Greenway. Yes, sir. Mr. Lynon. Yes, sir. Miss Fashani. Yes, sir. Mr. Hudson. Yes, sir. Miss Clemens. Yes, sir. And before you leave, can we get a picture? This is a little out. Normally, we don't do that when we vote on action items, but I think this is a huge deal all the time. You want to say anything? It's an honor. Sure, we do. We want to hear some stories
039about Mr. Anderson when he played for you. No. Uh, you know, the kids, uh, at the end of practice, you know, coaches always talk to the kids. Well, they had to give me time limits. I only had two minutes to talk, so I had to talk fast. But, you know, Denver is my home. Ironically, 1966 was the first time I stepped into Lumber High School. I'm from Lynchburg, so I went to glass and we were playing PH in a uh playoff game for the district. We had to do it on a neutral field and it did neutral port and it happened to be glumber as the first time I stepped in glumber and then I started my teaching at West Salem Elementary which was part of the county then and I was also fortunate enough
040to be a volunteer for football and basketball at Glumber in the early 70s until whenever. And uh I live in Glimmer's backyard and every time a door is open, I'm in there. And I just love the place. The people are great. Uh the kids are just fantastic. And as corny as this may sound, uh, one of my reasons for getting up in the morning is to go to practice. I love those kids. I love doing what I'm doing and I love teaching fundamentals. And uh, I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do it. I'm approaching and uh people tell me I don't look that old. However, I feel that old but you know that's what keeps me young, keeps me going. And uh I couldn't think of a better place to spend
041my life. And I want to thank my wife for putting up with me for that long. Uh had it been for her, most people would have walked away a long time ago. But I appreciate this honor. Uh I never expected it. Uh I have spent an awful lot of time there, but I can't think of a better place I'd rather do it at. And the people I had to work with were just unreal, too. I have a lot to be thankful for. Don't believe everything you hear. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] Item 9.02 2 VOE security equipment grants. Miss Susan Peterson. Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of the board. At the last court session, we shared that the Virginia Department of Education awarded Rona County Public Schools $56,000 to the 2025 security school security equipment
042grant program for the purchase and installation of new interior and exterior surveillance equipment Herman Elhorn Elementary School. We requested the required 25% local match of 14,000 to be funded through minor capital Special Projects. Just last week on October 16th, VDOE announced a second award to the division of $45,648 through the 2024 school security equipment grant program reallocations. This award is designated for new external surveillance equipment at Cave Spring High School. We request a 25% required local match of $11,412 be funded through minor capital special projects. We're bringing the grant forward now uh rather than waiting until the next work session because it is the same grant that we just uh presented to you guys. It's just a different uh year and a different school. Um and the vendor also announced that they would be raising
043prices November 1st and so we wanted to get uh the price discounts of ordering it in the current year, current month. So, um, combined staff requests that school board accept both VDOE security equipment grants of totaling $11,648, 56,000 for Herman Elhorn and $45,648 for Cape Spring High School and approve the appropriation of these amounts from the grant fund special projects. In addition, staff request an appropriation of $25,412, 14,000 for Herman Elhorn and 11,412 for Cave Spring High School for the local match funds from minor minor capital special projects. I can answer any questions you may have. Do we have a motion to approve? Second. Any discussion? Dr. Sulttus. Mr. Greenway? Yes, sir. Mr. Lennon? Yes, sir. Miss Vani. Yes, sir. Mr. Hudson. Yes, sir. Miss Clemens. Yes, sir. Thank you. Item 9.03, appointment of next
044superintendent. So, I will start by reading our resolution. Whereas, there will be a vacancy in the office of division superintendent effective July 1st, 2026. And whereas the school board wishes to appoint Dr. Dr. James Sulttus as division superintendent for a term commencing July 1st, 2026 and ending June 30th, 2030. Now therefore, be it resolved that Dr. James Sulttus is appointed division superintendent for a term commencing July 1st, 2026 and ending June 30th, 2030. And be it further resolved that the chairperson and clerk are authorized to execute an employment agreement with Dr. result for a term commencing July 1st, 2026 and ending June 30th, 2030. Do we have a motion to I'll make that motion. I'll jump ahead. I want to be the first one to do it. I love Jamie. I'll second the motion. All
045right. So, discussion. Great news for us. I'm gonna leave mine in public comments. I got to say. Okay. All right. I'm gonna let Dr. Nicely call the role on this one. I'm gonna call the role. Just keep it on the upper. Yes. All right. Mr. Greenway. Yes, sir. Congratulations, Dr. SULT. [Applause] Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Nicely. First and foremost, I want to thank the school board for your trust and confidence in me. Being selected to serve as the next superintendent of Ron County Public Schools is truly an honor and a humbling one. As a proud graduate of Ron Oak County Public Schools, this moment carries special meaning for me. The foundation of who I am as an educator and as a person was built right here in the classrooms, hallways, and fields
046of this community. I was fortunate to learn some of the from some of the most incredible teachers and coaches. which you would thank you. Um, Coach Meyers is a is a special person to me. He's been my mentor and father figure throughout my life. Um, his belief in me, his guidance, and his example of servant leadership continued to inspire me every day. It was watching him and and Coach Wood and all the other coaches at Glenn pour into students, giving their time, their wisdom, and their hearts that made me want to be an educator. My deepest hope is that I can I can impact all the Ronut County students the same way he impacted or they impacted me. When I began my career teaching in Ronup County at Williamberg High School back in 1999 when
047Bonsack was apparently built, which they were acting like that was old. I never imagined that one day I'd be standing here in this role. Over the years, I've had the privilege of working alongside so many incredible teachers, administrators, and staff who make Ronup County one of the best school divisions in Virginia and in my opinion in the nation. We're blessed with people who are not only highly skilled professionals, but who care deeply about our students. Leading this dedicated and talented team is an honor that I take very seriously. I also want to take a moment to thank Dr. Nicely for his leadership, his vision, and his personal support throughout my career. I'll never forget when I brought you over to Glenber Middle and said, "Am I going to make it to the end of the
048year?" And you said, "No." It was the budget. It was the budget. He said uh when I joined the central office in 2018 after serving at Glenver Middle and Glumber High, Dr. Nicely shared with me his vision for what would become our opportunity ready uh philosophy to now have the chance to continue that mission to carry forward the innovative work that he began as both a privilege and a responsibility I deeply respect. And finally, and most importantly, I want to thank my family and friends, some of which are here tonight. Uh they have been with me every step of the way, supporting me throughout my career and encouraging me to keep growing. As I look ahead, I'm excited about the future for Ronok County Public Schools. Together with our outstanding educators, staff, families, and community
049partners, we will continue to ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed. Thank you again for this incredible honor. I'm proud to continue serving this community. uh the one that raised me, taught me and inspired me and to lead Ron Oak County Public Schools into its next great chapter. I make the commitment to all of you that I will work tirelessly every day to ensure that I leave no doubt that I and our entire organization have been given everything we have to the best of our abilities every day to make a difference for the kids like so many educators did for me. Once again, I just want to say thank you guys very much and I I'm truly humbled. So, thank you. CONGRATULATIONS, [Applause] DR. Let's see. Item 10, information items.
050We do not have any. Item 11.01, hearing of citizens for non-aggenda topics. During this portion of the meeting, citizens are invited to address the board members on matters of public concern and exercise of their First Amendment rights. In the interest of time, speakers must be either parents, employees, students, or citizens of Reno County. We ask speakers to be respectful and civil in their comments, observing due respect of the dignity and privacy of others who may be affected by public comments. Speakers should be aware that they may be held legally responsible if they make statements that violate the legal rights of others. For example, if statements are made that are defamatory or threatening. Complaints about specific school personnel should be addressed outside of the meeting to the appropriate school administration who will address those concerns as
051appropriate appropriate through existing complaint procedures. Comments likely to disrupt the board's work or prompt a breach of the piece are prohibited and the speaker will be called out of order by the board chair. Speakers must address the board chair rather than individual board members. Speakers have three minutes to make their comments and will be signaled by the yellow light and an audible tone on the podium. When the light turns yellow and you hear the first tone, please wrap up your comments and finish before the right the red light and the second tone. Please be aware that board members listen to comments but do not respond. Let's see. Our first speaker is Jade Carpin. Thank you. Uh, good evening board members, uh, Dr. Nicely and Dr. Sulttus. My name is Jade Carpin. I attend Hidden Valley
052High School and I also go to Burton on Adays. Today, I'm here to talk about the arts. The arts are one of are some of the most important programs that we have at our high schools. The I think I think many in this room will agree on that. And the arts programs at Burton performing and visual are some of the are some of our most talented students. At our high schools, most of our arts programs are, in my opinion, at least severely underfunded. But at Burton, it's different. At Burton, it's a place where people can express themselves. It's a place where people can go and it doesn't matter how they are. I've seen the plays from the performing arts. I've seen the paintings from visual. They're extremely talented. Now, recently it came to my attention
053that these programs as of next year when we move to the new building were being either removed to a different high school or cut alto together. And And honestly, I I I was appalled. Um, and I and in just a few days, I spread around a petition and it got around 210 signatures uh from concerned students, mostly from those at Burton. and and the 210 people who signed this petition, I would imagine, agree with me that this isn't okay. The the arts programs at Burton, as I said, are very important and this isn't just a petition. It's a call to action or or a call for justice, whatever you want to call it. I know it's not realistic for to expect uh the arts to come back next year or maybe even the year after
054that, but this petition and me coming here today is to urge the the board to reconsider this decision and in maybe a few years bring it back. I know. I did research on this and apparently this new building is 34,000 square feet larger than our previous and I see no reason to get rid of these arts programs that are so important to so many people. Thank you. If you would like this petition, I can give it to you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Holly Smith. Good evening, members of the school board. I realize that my questions I'm about to ask you will go unanswered tonight. So, please consider them rhetorical. It's becoming increasingly concerning how many coaches we are losing at Cavespring High School and at an alarming rate. Most recent Nick Sharp 21
055years coaching the Cavespring high school softball team. There seems to be a clear pattern at Cavespring. When a coach's standards, expectations, or approach are not agreeable to some, the issue is taken directly to the school board. The result too often seems to be the coach's contract is not renewed. In most workplaces, there is a chain of command, a process that must be followed. At Cavespring High School, that process appears to be bypassed. Rather than addressing issues at the school level, they're being brought straight to the school board and decisions are passed down to the administration whether they like it or not. When did it become acceptable for parents to dictate who keeps their job and who doesn't? And why are we not being held? Why are parents not being held to the same standards, accountabilities
056that we expect from our students, our educators, and our administrators? We have entered a dangerous cycle. One where if a student or parent doesn't like how a coach runs their program, they simply run to the schoolboard and have the problem fixed. This practice is not only undermining your coaches, it is setting a damaging example for our children. Why are we teaching? What are we teaching them when we allow this to continue? When did teaching conflict resolution become a lost art? As parents, we should be teaching our children to work harder, to understand that life doesn't hand you everything you want. There will always be someone out there who wants it more. And success requires effort, accountability, and resilience. Speaking specifically about the softball program, I can personally attest to the positive inst influence on of
057coach Nick Sharp and his staff. My daughter played in the program and still carries these lessons she learned from him and his staff into her college career. They are passionate about the game. They are deeply deep. They care deeply about their players, believe in them, hold them accountable, and they set high standards. Softball, like many other sports, is a game of failure. What defines an athlete is how they respond to that failure. They learn to pick themselves up, learn from their mistakes, and give their best effort next time. These are not just athletic lessons. These are life lessons. There's been some talk about low numbers in softball, but let's be honest, numbers are down across the county in almost every single sport. That's not the coach's fault. The coaches can't make the kids put down
058their phones and go outside to play. For these reasons, I am respectfully requesting a full and transparent investigation into why the softball coach's contracts were not renewed. Additionally, I am also requesting that anyone with a conflict of interest be recused from the involvement in this investigation. It's time we restore fairness, consistency, and respect for the chain of command. It's time that we start setting the example for our students, the next generation who are watching. Dr. Nicely, I would appreciate a followup on this investigation and my concerns. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Our last speaker is Amanda White. Good evening. Tonight, I should be in the stands watching my senior daughter play her last volleyball game. Instead, I'm here standing because I believe something deeply biased has happened to our school community. Tonight, we
059are not here to argue. Many of us are just upset about the decision itself. We are concerned about how it was made. From what we understand, the investigation, if there was one, was the one that led Nick to not allowing to renew his coaching contract. In this incomplete, inconsistent, and lacking transparency, the students are taught to be fair, to hear both sides, and stand by the truth. We expect the same from our leaders who got our school. An investigation that doesn't follow proper protocol and seek out all perspect perspectives doesn't reflect values. It weakens the trust between the students and the staff and all of you sitting right here in front of me. This decision doesn't just affect the current players. Numerous players past and present parents and community members have shared emails, text messages
060about how Nick posit positively influenced their lives. He taught them important life lessons and how he helped them grow on and off the field shows the kind of impact he had. The one that built and on trust, integrity, and character. The students are taught when a mistake is made, the right thing to do is own it and make it right. We are asking the same from our leaders tonight. Please take another look. Listen to the voices of those who have spoken up. reconsider this decision, not for the one person, but the message it sends to every student who is watching and learning what fairness, honesty, and integrity truly is. Thank you. Item 12.01, report by Reno County School Superintendent Dr. Nicely. All right. Good evening, uh, members of the board. Madam Chair, let me begin
061this evening by congratulating, uh, Dr. Sulttus on his appointment to be the next superintendent for Bernup County Public Schools. You as a school board have made an excellent choice and I could not be more pleased knowing that this incredible school division will continue the work of putting what is best for children first with decision-making, hiring and supporting the best teachers, principles, and staff and remaining committed to developing students who are opportunity ready with their skills, knowledge, and mindset. I was recently doing some uh research about our school division and realized that this year actually marks the 155th anniversary of the establishment of Vern County Public Schools as an organized system of schools under the broader state system. On September 9th, 1870, the new school division was inaugurated with Luther Holland as the first superintendent. There
062were a total of 23 school buildings serving 1,113 students with 23 teachers, which means one per school. So, you can kind of picture this. These school buildings were generally of the one room uh log cabin schoolhouse variety with benches for the students to sit on as kind of illustrated there. And only seven of the buildings actually had outdoor plumbing facilities, meaning outouses. I'm not sure what the the rest were doing. uh schools were only in session for three to five months of the year and student attendance was less than 50%. This was definitely, you know, still an agrarian economy. So, you know, a lot of the kids were out there working on the farms. Even 90 years later, by the way, um as late as 1960, only 60% of students entering the eighth grade actually
063graduated from high school with a diploma. So, that's pretty amazing. But back in 1870, teacher salaries, by the way, were $30 a month for men and $26.83 a month for women. I have no idea how they calculated or what the justification was for that difference. All that to say, we've come a long way. Verno County has a long proud history of providing an education for its children, and there have been many people who have gone before us and blaze trails. It's important to honor and respect the past as well as recognize that all of us are temporary stewards of the responsibilities and opportunities we've been given even as we during our time of service blaze new trails and keep the school system moving forward on a trajectory of e excellence for the children of Vern
064County. I'm excited about the days ahead ahead and all that will continue to be accomplished in Vern County public schools under Dr. Sultzus' leadership as the 16th superintendent. want to thank our CTE team and Morgan Romeo of the Greater Rono Workforce Development Board for once again organizing the career uh quest event that was held back at the uh Burgland Center a few weeks ago. This was this is for all seventh graders in all area schools. I want to thank all the businesses that committed to sending over staff for the two days and setting up wonderful hands-on activities for the students. These events are a great way to get students thinking early about career paths and the opportunities that exist in our region. The Renault County Navy NDCC program is under new leadership. Um it's housed
065at Weamberg High School. Of course, currently uh under uh the new instructor who is Senior Chief Shawn Wingle. The candidates or the I'm sorry, the cadets recently celebrated the 250th anniversary of the US Navy and showed off their discipline and drilling. I was so impressed with the student leaders, including cadet company commander Alexis Short and the youngest cadet president, Cadet Jose Santos Ortiz, who was honored uh um who was um honored and uh I'm sorry. And I was honored for the uh for them to surprise me with a special honor including a framed Navy flag. The most fun part of course was helping them cut the cake with an actual sword, which was apparently a Navy tradition. As you're aware, we've been honoring our staff members who have been part of our county public schools
066team for five or more years. This has been a great way of recognizing service along the way rather than just waiting until retirement. And I hope this new tradition will continue on well into the future. Believe it or not, we have two members of our RCPS team who have been with us for over 55 years. You heard me right, over 55 years, which means they started with RCPS around 1970 when the school division was celebrating its 100th anniversary. Congratulations and a big thank you to Miss Vicky Carroll at Williamird High School and Miss Joan Farley at K Spring Middle School for their over 55 years of dedicated service. They're both pictured there. Tomorrow, we'll be celebrating the next exciting phase in the renovations at Kundiff Elementary School as the new cafeteria and administrative areas are
067officially opened to make room for expanded classrooms in the main building. This brief ceremony will be held at 9:30 and of course, you're all invited. Our ongoing series of community information uh sessions about the real dangers of social media and smartphones continues with additional uh sessions scheduled. For a full listing, please see the RCPS website. But the next ones are coming up next week uh at Mason's Cove Elementary on Monday, and that that one will be at six o'clock. Um and then in Glenn Elementary on Tuesday, October 28th, and that will be at 6:30, a special time. All meetings, by the way, are open to all parents and families in the area. So, you don't have to be a parent uh in the school in which the uh sessions being held. Encourage everybody to come
068out. Speaking of the RCPS website, I want to thank Mr. Limeburger for excellent work in redesigning the new opportunity ready page which is now located prominently on the front page and highlights the two main components of the opportunity ready graduate program which are senior portfolio defenses and studentled conferences both of which are designed for students to showcase and demonstrate their development of the skills knowledge and mindsets needed to be opportunity ready and finally I want to invite and encourage all parents students and staff to participate in the culture and climate surveys that we'll be launching tomorrow. These and similar surveys are conducted periodically and are designed to provide parents, students, and staff um to give input uh and feedback to our school's efforts to provide safe and welcoming environments. And the surveys will be sent
069out by email and remain open through November 5th. Thank you very much. Thank you. Item 13.01, reports and inquiries of board members. Mr. Greenway, would you like to go first? Yes, ma'am. So there's there's a lot to talk about, a lot's been going on. Um, but first and and foremost, I want to thank Dr. Sulttus for for being a part of our team and for stepping up and taking the leadership role. We appreciate you. I want to go back to So you were here previously in my tenure and I'll never forget thinking there's a couple people that we've lost over the years. We haven't lost We lost a couple and I thought then I thought gosh that guy he he has something that a lot of people Dr. nicely. Actually, this is what I love
070about him as well. Uh has something that um he can identify with everyone. He can relate to u board members, he can relate to staff members, he can relate to custodial, he can relate to everybody. There's no parts of the schools that that you can't relate to. I've seen it in action. And I thought we need somehow to get that guy back here one day. And I'm proud to Today's that day and uh I remember I'll never forget when Mr. Hudson and I were talking and we started a little bit of the conversation about wonder if that wonder if Dr. Sus would come back our way. And so those those discussions started and and uh here you are and Dr. nicely is handing off a a football with we're up 75 to nothing. And no
071pressure. Yeah, no pressure. But I know you're the right guy to to take that and and and continue the the trajectory. You know, I'll even throw in the the part about um sometimes I think, you know, we've got these test scores and nobody likes I shouldn't say nobody, but most think we could revise the testing, some of the things we do and the way we teach to this to the test, the SOS and some of that nature. Um, but you know, we're sixth and seventh in the state of Virginia out of 131 districts in reading and math and and maybe I've got that backwards, math and reading, but um, you know, that's the that's the playing field we're on, right? And we have done an amazing job at Reno County Public Schools. nicely staff and
072uh just just amazing uh teachers and all the the folks the the folks to support folks that make that happen and bus drivers that get them there and SRO's that keep us safe and engaged and there's just so many facets but you know I'm proud of the fact that that we are six and seven I you know almost some of the stuff we've talked about in the campaign and different things you know you can't just score and you can't, you know, just measure by score. That's the measuring stick we've got and we're pretty good at and I'm proud of that and I will not apologize or or take a step back in in that respect. I I think we are doing well. I think Dr. Sult will be uh championing and taking that to the
073next level. Dr. nicely. We can't thank you enough for what you've done and we still got time with you. But I think Runup County Public Schools are in good hands, folks. They really It really is and and uh we're doing well. I think that's a testament to to our board members. So, uh we work well together and that's part of it. So, thank you. I'm sure we'll hear some more accolades. But then I also want to pivot to um my yellow ribbon here. Um we had the the pleasure of uh doing a early graduation for 2026 to a young man and it this is probably the worst kept secret in the world because everyone has been a part of it and been so uh gracious and helpful and accepting and participating. Uh we've got Cam
074and I never pronounce his last name well. That's not um and so uh but that that young man is someone that can teach us all something about life. Um when we walked across and and congratulated him for graduating. He's graduating a little early. You know, I've been over and the only thing I could say to him was that you're so inspiring to all of us. You know, you're He's teaching us when he's here in the schools to be taught. And just an amazing young man. He just put a video. I don't know if everybody's had a chance or saw it. Put a a video out today. I don't know how he does it. He's been in some pain. And uh just an inspiring young man. And if you have the chance uh to look him
075up, look him up. Cam's purpose is what it's called on on social media and he's just just uh inspiring on so many levels and north side I noticed took part of you know when we played over there that was I think y'all may have a young young person as well that's dealing with some issues but they you know welcomed uh Cam and our group and so anyway I won't say any more about it but look that up and if you need inspiration and how good people are. That's that's a place to look. Uh Dr. Nicely talked about years of service. Uh we did recognize a couple of folks. Uh I'm going to throw Miss Mullins in at her horn as well. Over 40, I think 42 years if I remember correctly. Uh 40 years of
076service, which is absolutely amazing. And everybody talks about you go in that school, you see that smiling face. That kind of starts your day off, right? I mean, that's that's what those kids get to come into. and that smiling face. And then I pivot up to William Bird High School and Miss Carol who uh we kid a lot of us kid at the school that she's actually the boss and she runs that place and she's been there 55 years. So she's an amazing young lady and she's just sweet as she can be. But boy, if you need something, in fact, I'll tell you a funny story. My son came to me and he coaches the basketball team over there and he came to me and said, "Man, we got something going on here and I
077thought I'd see if you could help out. And I said, "What do you need?" And he said, "Something about something in the concession stand area." He said, and I knew what was once I he said, "What he the question was?" I knew what was going on. He said, "Can you go front and ask Miss Carol if we can get access to I know some area." I said, "You got to be kidding. That is not gonna you go ask her because she's going to tell you no and you're gonna have to." So he was trying to get around the system doing it thinking I would I said she's gonna tell me the same thing she's going to tell you and that's the way it should be and she's uh just awesome. So she was there with
078uh with uh the last what three or four principles and uh just an amazing lady and so we've got some wonderful people in this school system. Um, want to say one thing. We're hearing about and and we get before us some of these uh situations with students that come up for expulsion or disciplinary issues and so forth. And and I'm just going to lay it out there and I wish the chief was still here and and the assistant police chief. This THC problem is absolutely off the charts. It's just grabbing our kids. It's addicting them. It's uh it's just it's it's just jaw-dropping to be quite honest. And the thing that I that sticks out in my mind about almost every case, my board members and and Dr. Nice and Dr. Sus several people in
079these close sessions, the thing that's just jaw drop jaw-dropping to this whole mess is that each kid says, It's just it's just easy to get. It's no problem to walk into one of these vape stores and walk out with what we need. And I'm and I'm not trying to pick on them, but they need to be picked on, I guess. But it's not only those, but we had one, and I quote this young person, any convenience store in Rono. Quote, my fellow board members heard it. Any convenience store in Rono, we can walk in and get this stuff and walk out. And then We hear about trying to get these kids rehabilitated, you know, and and from going to some of the programs that we've had. Uh there was protect your child online. I've been
080to that one when it was at Bird and and we've got uh Trip, which is an amazing young man that came out of Bird that will tell you about addiction and how he fought it and and and has beaten it now for many years. And we have got to find a way. Chief PO Dexter uh whatever uh Sheriff who whoever can help us. Somebody has got to take and I don't know what the answer is. I don't know maybe a an attorney or a judge. Somebody's got to take up this issue to help us not be so available to our kids. You know, they don't even mind if you confiscate this stuff. They It's so cheap to get now and so easy to walk into these places and walk out with it that it doesn't
081even matter if you confiscate it. I'll just walk down here because we've got 10 of them within a couple miles and I'll grab another one and I'll do it again and then I'll you know and and it's just awful. And somebody has got to take that plate and and I don't know who it is and I don't know who may you know but somebody has got to take that plight. We've got to figure that out. And you say, "Well, THA, you know, I hear it, well, it's uh it's legal." Well, it's not legal for a kid that's under 18 and it shouldn't be uh that easily accessible. So, I hope somebody hears this message. I know not many people listen to our board meetings, but I hope somebody it hits somebody and they and they
082take this and run with it. Um, we've just got to find somebody um that that'll do it. We've called and and where they're getting it at and different things, but we've just got to find somebody. Anyway, I'll let that go, but uh I hope somebody hears that. Um again, proud to serve with each one of you board members. Um you know, we're lucky with the board members you have in the other districts. um phenomenal people and and we work well together and um I'm proud to say that a lot of these issues we try to tackle and uh we try to keep our our children safe and we try to uh support all our teachers and staff and so I'm proud to work with each one of you. Uh want to say one thing about
083the courageous young lady on the arts. I don't remember your name but you spoke so well. Yep, that's you. you spoke so well and came up here to articulate your point and uh you know there's a lot of issues that go with it but I really appreciate you coming up here and having the the uh courage to stand before us and and and speak about that. I I truly uh applaud you for that and uh your message is heard and we'll talk and can't you know obviously can't promise you anything but things are you know we try to remember everybody but when a a child comes up here and does that has the courage, we appreciate you and appreciate all the speakers, but particularly when it's one of our students, it's just kind of phenomenal
084to to hear them speak. So, thank you for doing that. Um, and then last I want to just say tomorrow we dedicate the administrative week for for Condis and uh it's just looking so good and I'm so proud and you know when you get discouraged about some of the things that go on and behind the scenes and what you've been through to get those that school this point you're just ecstatic when you walk in there you can actually see the classrooms these kids closed classrooms and they're learning and you know for some of the the kids it it means the world you know with attention spans not as such and being in an open environment I remember that myself and being one of those kids there's a squirrel there's this what's happening over here what's
085happening over there uh it's amazing to have those closed classrooms so we thank I thank our board members for that also and I know I've talked a long time but I appreciate it thank you Okay. Thank you, Mr. Greenway. Mr. London, would you like to go next? Certainly, Madam Chair. Thank you. And uh as Mr. Greenway mentioned, it has been a a very busy month. Um I want to start with the most inspirational uh event that that I think we were able to go to in the last month, and that was Cam Cam Stepsong's graduation last Sunday. So, he's just such an amazing young individual. um he the community over there. You could feel the love and the support from the community. So, I just wanted to thank Evan Null and and Chuck Limeberger for
086doing the live streaming of that event. It was it was just such a a wonderful way to spend that Sunday afternoon and and I can't think of a more deserving and more amazing and inspirational young man than than Cam. So, appreciate that, Chuck. Uh as Dr. so nicely mentioned the career quest uh at the civic center. I thought that was uh truly an amazing event to see the engagement that those businesses were able to get from the students. Seventh graders sometimes they're they're kind of shy and not knowing what they want to do, but to go over and see uh how engaged they were. I just want to thank all those businesses that that took that time. It was a a wonderful event. So, want to quickly thank the ed education foundation for their golf
087outing last month. Um I know primary sponsor member one and and the education foundation committee. A lot of work into that event and um it was a nice day. So we beat Chuck. You I don't remember Chuck. I don't remember either. Did we beat him? Hopefully. I Yeah, I don't recall. We did not play real well, but we had a good time out there. So, want to thank Nancy Hans and the uh for the PCW event over at North Side last week. It was not as well attended as I would have liked, but as Dr. Nicely mentioned earlier, there are a bunch of other dates coming up for those events, and I strongly encourage the community and parents to get out and listen to the dangers that social media and the cell phones have. So,
088other than that, Dr. Sult, congratulations. Uh it's nice to be able to have a smooth transition uh to a new superintendent. Um building on that foundation that Dr. Nicely laid, as you mentioned, is is important for us as a board. So, you're going to follow an incredible superintendent who has the respect of uh people throughout the Commonwealth, and I'm certain you're up for that task. But Dr. nicely. You've been a tremendous uh temporary steward as you mentioned for Rona County Public Schools and look forward to your last eight plus months. So, congratulations Dr. Sulttus. Thank you, Miss Fashani. Yes. Thank you. Uh I had the opportunity to attend the Rono County All Choir performance at Hidden Valley High School and I have to say every single seat was spilled. Um, we could have been broking
089some fire codes because people were standing up only. It was an incredible event. I say that jokingly. Uh, the performance was exceptional and the students hard work and dedication along with the guidance that they got from their uh, choir teachers was was truly exceptional. So, I want to thank everybody who was part of that event on the uh, program at listed. There's too many people to list but it was very impressive. I also attended um another community family education meeting at H Valley Middle School like David mentioned. on the dangers of social media, smartphones. And I'll once again plug this event. Please go. It's informative. It's eye openening. And I I just really think that you don't have to be a Rono County Public School student to go. You can bring friends, you can bring
090cousins, it's uh family, anybody can attend these events. So, we just want people to get out there and hear what is being said. I want to offer a heartfelt thank you uh once again to Nancy Hans of PCW and Emily Harrison for their outstanding effort. uh they're putting a lot of time into these events and this import this initiative is so important. So, thank you. Uh the BCAT open house was a success. I attended that. We had more than 600 attendees. Mr. Kish uh shared an exciting video featuring renderings of the new building that was welcomed with great enthusiasm. It was so much fun to talk to all the students who are really excited to hear about all the programmings and um all the opportunities that are available at VCAT and the new opportunities that
091are going to be available. The topping off ceremony was a tremendous success. We had fabulous weather. Branch and our staff did a a truly wonderful job. I I personally enjoyed meeting a lot of the talented construction workers and thanking them. We had some really great speakers and just on a personal level, it's it's so amazing to think where we were just a couple of years ago into where we are now and to go up there and see that site. And I know when people see it in real life for the first time, they're just going to be blown away. And before we know it, the ribbon cutting ceremony will be here. Finally, last but not least, I'd like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Sulttus uh on his upcoming role of superintendent. You've been
092a wonderful addition to uh central office and I look forward to working with you in this next chapter as you square your circle, I guess. Where did you start, Jamie, at at Glenford? Was that I started teaching bird at Bird? A bird. Okay. We got him started. Okay. Bird. And what was the year again? 1999. 1999. That's what I thought you said. It was such a great year. But I hope you'll be here for many more years. So congratulations and I look forward to having you on. Ken, you will be missed. Thank you for everything you've done. Thank you. Good night. Thank you, Miss Vashani. Mr. Hudson. So congratulations, Dr. Schultz. It's been a long time coming. Uh I've known Jamie for a long time and I know I mentioned when you uh when we
093appointed you to the deputy position that um you know some of the biggest things I can remember about you from when I worked with you shopping for families in need at Christmas time, you buying food at Thanksgiving time for families in need and it clearly your heart is shown every day. Um you coached many kids I know I've witnessed them come up and hug you, you know, and things like that talking about how much you impacted their life. um much like Mr. or Coach Wood and um you know, Coach Myers that you mentioned, um it's hard to say how many countless people that you've had an impact on. I'm excited to have you in this position and I know that you're going to do some really great things. Um so, thank you for coming on
094board and uh really looking forward to what you're going to bring to the table and um I'll save all my great things to say about Dr. Nicely when we get a little bit closer because Dr. Nicely has done a great job for us and continues to do so uh on a daily basis. Um, you know, a big deal about Mr. Wood. Um, you know, he's a legend at Glenn. If you've ever been out there, you'll see him working on the field or you'll see him, you know, coaching the kids and making a difference. And, um, 1970s, I mean, that's amazing how many kids again has he impacted in all those years of being out there. And it's clear to see where his heart is when he's speaking about how that's why he gets up every
095morning. Uh, so it means a lot to me to be able to uh, get that done and um, go out and take some pictures of the field. I'm excited for baseball season when that comes around. Um, I know we've had several students speak about the arts. Um, you know, I will say that, you know, art's very important. It's a very important part of education. Um, obviously there is a labor market for arts and, um, by no means is it something that we do not value and something that we will look into uh, as in the future. And you know we have um we have space limitations but one of the things that we are um well we went through when we were going through the design phase of Burton is to make sure that we
096can expand because obviously as time goes on that would would definitely be needed. Um so not can't make any promises like Mr. Greenway said but I don't want anybody or any kids thinking that that we don't value art. Um and I really appreciate you coming out and speaking about it uh tonight because you did you did an excellent job. I know it's not it's not easy for me to stand here and talk or sit here and talk to folks. So you getting up in front of us is that's an amazing feat for a young person. So thank you for doing that. Um and one more thing um I generally don't really talk about politics up here because I don't feel like that's what the job's about, but um you know there's an election coming up
097here pretty soon and I have had the I've been blessed with the opportunity to work with some really great people. Uh Mr. Greenway, Mr. Lyndon, Mr. Vashny, and I'm proud of the things that we've accomplished, you know, over the last four years. Um, you know, back when, um, Miss Vashani and I came on, it was a a very tough time because we were coming off the heels of COVID and it was our goal to get the kids out of the mass and back into our classrooms. Um, and we we did that and we did it in a timely fashion. I think we were one of the first in this valley to get that done or actually first probably in the state um, to get that done once we could legally do so. And you know,
098one of the things that we uh, found out when we did that was well, student scores had really taken a hit from not being in the classrooms. So that leads to my next thing. If you know we appropriated a lot of money to implement after hours tutoring where kids uh had help with homework as well as uh additional tutoring programs that we contracted that kids were able to do during the school day and I think we're still doing some of those. Correct Dr. Nicely. So, I thought that, you know, was worth well mentioning because now you look at our scores and we've come out of co and we have really kicked it in high gear with those ideas and I know Cheryl, some of those were ideas that you actually brought to us. Um, you
099know, one of the big things too, we got three projects going on right now as everybody is well aware and I can assure you today that those three projects would not be happening if it were not for the three people sitting up here that was on this board with me at the time. Um, you know, that was a lot of fighting. um a lot of political battles. Um and I don't really want to get into that, but I do want to say that I can assure you as the chair of the board at the time, there is no way that we would have walls in the classrooms at Glen Cove right now and at Condiff and having the ceremony tomorrow and the ceremony we had at Burton if it were not for you three. So,
100thank you for standing beside me and getting those done. Uh it was much needed and I actually visited Glen Cove the other day and it's awesome to see these teachers in brand new classrooms able to teach their kids without fighting the noise of four classrooms in one big room. I have no idea who thought that was a good idea back in the 70s but believe me it is not. Um so um and one other you know big thing that that we've been through over the four years it's no secret is we fought side by side to keep political ideologies out of our schools. and I'm proud to say we've done that and it's been an honor serving next to you three and I really look forward to serving the next four years with you. Thank
101you. So, a few things that have um been going on in the last few weeks. Um we had an opportunity to continue to meet to look at the possibility of bringing the random drug testing. We've discussed um whether there's a need, what other districts have in place, and the cost and what the interventions would look like. Um the committee will meet again and make a recommendation. Um as Miss Fani mentioned, we did also have the the topping off ceremony. Um it is really incredible to see that building and just how big it is. Um last year at this time it was just a piece of land and here we are under roof and the completion is right around the corner and we cannot wait to open the doors. Um I also serve on the Reno
102Valley Governor School Board. So I attended their quarterly meeting. Reno County has 52 slots at um the Reno Valley Governor School and all 52 of those slots are filled. Um doc director Mr. Levy, he talked about the beginning of the school year um and that it's gone really well. Their focus is on critical thinking skills and collaborative problem solving. Um I don't know how much you know about the governor school, but it's pretty intense and um it's a it's the rigor is is pretty spectacular. So he talked about um some of the supports that they offer especially for first year students things like goal setting and time management strategies and they've also enhanced their efforts to support the college application process for seniors. Um let's see Dr. Nicely and I were able to make it
103to the remaining caves schools in the last couple of weeks. We were able to see um the students and staff in their classrooms. I'm always impressed. It's one of my favorite things that we do. Um as Dr. nicely mentioned, we did have the honor of recognizing Joan Farley, who is the um counselor at Casey Middle School and celebrating her 55 years of service, which is incredible. Um she Joan was my was the counselor for both of my children, but she also happened to be the counselor for my husband, which is pretty cool. So 55 years is a pretty long time. So congratulations to Miss Farley and thank you for your service. And um I also would like to say just as Mr. husbanded that we wish you all the best of luck in the next
104four weeks and we are supportive of all of you and um just want people to get out and vote for you guys. And then of course lastly, I cannot forget Dr. Sulttus. Um it has been a pleasure to work with you and get to know you over the last year or so and I just look forward to working with you further and I know that you're going to make an incredible superintendent and you're going to do a wonderful job. So congratulations. And if there is nothing else, meeting a jerk. [Music]