Stafford School Board 4 14 2026

001to order. Um we have nobody participating electronically. Can I get a motion? Motion to approve the agenda. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Okay, let's get with Head Start Head Start That's all the training. Okay, early childhood. Yes, all of the training and we have the lovely painting that was given to us last year and I'm so excited. Um Amanda and Stacy are here. I know they're the APs in case you But Amanda was instrumental in making this happen. Yes. It's my favorite program. Oh, it's why I want to be a early childhood student. Yes. And just play They do it all over again. I bet you had a lot of fun painting. Yes, it's been said. Um so, since a lot of you are new, I really kind of wanted to take it back

002to basics today and really just tell you about our program and what we do. So, we are Stafford Schools Early Childhood. Head Start is just one of our programs. So, our three programs are there at the bottom. We have Virginia Preschool Initiative, we have Early Childhood Special Education, and we have Head Start. So, all together that makes Early Childhood. We serve the students at Northstar Rising Star and together we have one vision, which is children and families building a successful future. So, I'll talk about each of those individual programs to give you a little snapshot. And first up is Head Start. Head Start um is a federal grant and it requires a 25% local match. So, thank you school board for that. We have 251 Head Start students that are three and four And we

003have 28 students in our early Head Start program. 16 of those are in the classroom and 12 of them are home-based. Those are the really engaging ones, just so you know. This is a full-day program and it aims to serve low-income families. So there's an application process for this. The classroom staff, so think teachers and parents supporting this program in particular is 40. We have policy council, which you all get our monthly um recap summary minutes of those meetings. And that is similar to what a PTO would be. We can't solicit any funds from our Head Start population. And so this is our way of having a parent, teacher, staff, and community kind of council. Next is Virginia Preschool Initiative. So this is our state grant and it also requires a 25% local match. So

004thanks again. Um we serve 83 full-day students and the classroom staff that supports those students is about 10. We also are able to serve our half-day ECSE four-year-old students. It's an automatic qualifier if a four-year-old has an IEP. So this program serves students with disabilities, students who speak another language at home, and low-income families. There's an application process for that as well. Similar to Head Start, we have the VPI steering committee. It's basically the same thing. Um and we just we call them all the policy council. But each each month, each quarter, we ask a specific VPI question in that forum and solicit answers from, like I said, parents and our staff and the community. And finally, our biggest program, which is more than half of early childhood, is our early childhood special education program.

005This year, we have 310 students. When I made this, this morning we had 327. This is our only program that grows. The others are locked in because we apply for that grant and that's the slots that we get. Early childhood special education, those students are found eligible through Childfind and it's required by law that we serve them. So, last year we had 420 kids. We could have just 200 next year. We could have 500. That number is variable. Um the number of classroom staff that we have supporting this program is 104. That is paras and teachers and hourly paraprofessionals. We also serve students in the natural environment through this program. So, a special education teacher travels to daycares or homes in order to deliver IEP services. There's a snapshot of the we take students as

006young as two. And we also have a peer model program that is an application. We're looking for students that are potty trained, are good language models, can follow directions, and they apply for this program and they fill out kind of the rest of our classroom. So, it's an inclusive setting. Okay? All right. So, as I said earlier, with our vision, families are the most important thing. So, we're the the very first entrance into Stafford County schools and we do not take that lightly. It is our job to um set our students and our families up for success and build those positive school habits. So, we have family service workers that support our full day students. Our case managers support our students that come for half day. So, these are another resource in addition to the

007classroom teacher that are just very easily accessible for our families. We have parent workshops. Our social workers do parent trainings like conscious discipline or about setting routines at bedtime, things like that. And a very like important part of our program is home visits. So, you'll also be looking at our school calendar, which we have green days, which are home visiting days. Home visits are required in IEPs and in the performance standards for Head Start. That is a really, really important piece of what we do. We visit the families in their home and we learn about what they do at home and they learn about what we do at school and it's a really good bridge to set our families up for success. So, I also want to give just a little academic snapshot here. We're

008doing great things, as I'm sure you know. But, a lot of our people have taken a training this year for um specifically around literacy. And so, it is our job to build that very strong foundation for kindergarten. These things are really, really small. But, the fall is at the top. That's the top bar and the mid-year is the bottom bar. What we want to see is we want to see that dark blue getting bigger. >> Mhm. And it is. So, um I put a little quote there. This is directly from our training. Letter name knowledge at the end of pre-kindergarten is highly predictive of later literacy learning. This trend shifts later in kindergarten when letter sound knowledge becomes a better predictor. So, I put letter sounds at the very first one and or letter names

009and then sounds and beginning sounds. So, we're doing really, really great. Part of what allows us to be great are our amazing teachers. So, I put two pictures on this slide specifically. Those are pictures The top one is our North Star PLC time and the bottom one is our Rising Star PLC time. Our professional learning communities really allow us to do great things for kids. We talk about our curriculum, we talk about our standards, and we work together to design lessons for our students that will meet their needs as we know we have a very diverse population. So, we also have class observations. So, this is the observation system that we use at early childhood. It's required by the state of Virginia. These are 2-hour observations of every single classroom. They get two per year.

010So, our administration and our coaches do these internal observations and about 75% of our classrooms get observed externally by the state every single year. The purpose of this is to monitor the quality interactions that are happening in the classroom. So, the Obviously, the instructional support, the academics, that's very, very important. Are we asking questions? Are we modeling good language? Are we teaching children to to make connections with the real world? But, also it monitors is our classroom environment a positive one? Are we allowing students choice? Is it organized and ready for learning so we're not losing any time? They're great It's a great observation tool. It is time consuming. But, it's great and it really does allow us to get a really good pulse of what's happening in the classroom. And so, finally I just

011wanted to share with you about our federal and state reviews. So, we are reviewed annually through that class system. And those external observers are coming today even. So, um So, that happens every single year. And um that's for the state. We also this year had uh a Head Start FA2 comprehensive services review. That was back in December. They were on site for 4 days. It was very intense. They look at every single facet of our program. And we were 100% compliant, which is phenomenal. And I'm really proud of our people. That's very hard to do. And that was really, really great. >> Congratulations. Thank you. Um and also this year we had a class review for Head Start. So, this is videos of our classroom. So, we're getting observed all over the place around here.

012But we had to upload videos to the Head Start server. I was going to tell you that we haven't received the information from that, but we just received it today. So, I haven't really had an opportunity to delve into it, but I will tell you that we did pass in all areas, okay? Um So, that really is the end of my little presentation here. Thank you so much for all the support you guys give us. And I'm happy to answer any questions if you like. Yes, sir? Yeah. So, uh going back to the early childhood special education, you said that you take as young as 2 years old. What's the oldest you guys take? Uh when they're ready for kindergarten, they go to kindergarten. So, it's the same um deadline, that September 30th. They have

013to be four um by September 30th. That's the the oldest that we take. Okay. And then my second question for your uh family partnerships, you guys said that you do home visits. How often do you do do those home visits? So, uh twice a year at least. That's the minimum. So, our family service workers team, they have once. And then our teachers have two required. Got you. Okay. Sometimes it's more based on the child's IEP. Okay. Yes, sir? Um so, uh bear with me because I am new to this school board, but I just want to make sure that I understand fully. So, Head Start and Early Head Start, you mentioned that that's more income based. So, what do we have uh students with IEPs in the Head Start and Early Head Start? Yes, so

014that is also a requirement of that program. 10% of our students must um served that have disabilities. So, some of our students are found eligible throughout the school year. And um just like any general education classroom starting kindergarten, and then some of them when they've come through our ECSE program, they're ready to make the leap to full full day, and so we do that. Okay. And then thank you. The the VPI, also special ed students in that? Mhm. IEP students? Yes. Um okay, and then obviously the early early childhood special education kids. >> Yes. Special. Okay, so my question is um just some quick and heavily rounded math. Um you have a 6 and 1/2 to 1 teacher to student ratio in Head Start and Early Head Start, 8 to 1 in VPI, and then

0153 to 1 in ECSE. So, what what dictates that? Okay. So, our um our Head Start classrooms, they typically have 19 students in them and we have a teacher and a para in that classroom. Um Virginia law says that the they set the ratio. So, think um like a child care setting, it's 1 to 10. And so, that's why we have two adults in those Head Start classrooms. Okay. Um same for for VPI. When it gets to early childhood special education, those classrooms are designed based on the level of need. So, if you have a classroom that may be self-contained, it is a much lower amount of students and a higher amount of adults. So, three two or three adults to four children. Okay. In some cases, sometimes it's it's not that, but typically the

016ratio is at least one teacher for eight with a parent. Okay. Awesome. Thank you. Yeah. Quick question. How how is the um the video How is that scheduled? Do they just show up out of nowhere or >> a It's a really fun time for me. So, what they do is they send me an email and with about 2 weeks notice and they say, "We're going to come and visit your um your classrooms at North Star from April 1st to April 17th." And they can come any day within that window and they can they don't tell us the classroom that they're going to until they arrive. Oh, that's fun. Yeah. It's a little nerve-wracking, but we just don't schedule any of our observations, so the teachers are getting kind of used to that. Do we still

017have a waiting list for Head Start? >> Yes, ma'am, we do. And how how big is that waiting list now? Um I don't know off the top of my head, um but I would I would estimate probably maybe max out at 20. Yeah, that's pretty good cuz we've had some pretty big ones in the past. Mhm. Of course that was before we added North Star and Right. And and students there were at capacity. Typically students that would be found eligible for Head Start can also be found eligible for VPI, so by adding VPI years ago, we added additional slots. And what Can you tell us a little bit about how you as Head Start secure funding for a lot of things that we use in the school system? You know, like I know we used

018to money for buses or if the roof was leaking, you know, the bond. Yes. >> They would put in for a grant. It's It's absolutely amazing and that 25% um isn't that funded a lot by in-kind, like the value of >> Yes. the building or it's not like we're really putting out cash for that 25%. They let us do it in kind. >> Exactly. So, um what she's talking about is like the facilities. We can use that as that local match. So, it's not like you're saying we're going to match you $100,000 or whatever. Um in the past, we have been able to apply for grants to purchase things like a school bus. I did that my very first year. What happens is if there's ever a surplus at the federal government or um that's

019allocated to Head Start, they will allow you to apply for one-time grant funding. The last time it was for health and safety and so we were able to tie students being on the bus and having shorter rides home to safety and that's how we gained that grant. So, when opportunities like that arise, we certainly look into all of those opportunities so that we can support them. I've always been impressed with the creativity Yes. that you all uh Yes. exhibit with respect to securing funding from the federal government. Yes, ma'am. And so those buses, when we purchase them, they are used by all of our students, obviously, not just Head Start students. Um in the county. Um how do you plan for staffing for the ECSE if it fluctuates? >> It does. So, typically, what we

020do is we take We look at different um different points of enrollment throughout the year. Typically, it grows about 35% from the start of the year to the end. So, it's not like Lionel's projection. Very different. Um this year, we actually had lower enrollment than last year, which I think was kind of county wide. I think it was pretty stagnant. Um, but what we had worked for the amount that we were expecting. So, based on that data, we didn't ask for additional spots next year. So, we're hoping We'll we'll find out. And then for VPI, um, I see how many students we have. How many spots do we actually get allocated and do we fill those every year? Yes, we do. We're actually over the amount that was allocated to us this year. So, um,

021the state allocated 103 spots to us and as of yesterday, we had 128 of them actually filled. So, those extra ones that those first five extra, we actually don't get money for them. But, they do record collections in October and March. So, what we have in October is kind of what they base the rest of the year on, which is kind of crummy because ECSE grows throughout the year. And so, those students are now four-year-olds and have a disability could qualify for VPI, but it's too late. We're doing that application now as well. It's due on May 15th. Do you have any questions? >> Nope. Um, I was curious when you said they get, um, a two-hour observation, uh, with one in the fall or was it one in One in the fall and one

022in the spring. So, are each of those the fall one is a two-hour and the spring one is a two-hour? Yes, and the external is a two-hour and they can get up to our twice externally. Okay. Yeah. And somebody else already asked mine, so I'm good. Okay. Have you seen any decline in the federal funding since in this past year? It is flat funded this year. So, no. We haven't lost any money. But, you didn't gain any money. We didn't gain any money, either. And kind of costs are going up, and what we're paying our staff is hopefully going up, and so So, how your level of student enrollment has had to remain flat then, as well, for the last couple years. Yes. Sophie had a question. Yeah. So, for the uh early childhood special

023education, you have uh same-age peer models. Do the families get any compensation for having their child in that program or not? They get to be in the program. They get free preschool. Okay. Taught by a Stafford County Schools educator. >> We don't provide transportation for the peer models, do we? We do not. >> No, so they have to provide their own transportation, as well. That's 100% worth it. But, I had a student years ago who was a peer model when he was a kid, not here, but in the and talked about how great it was. So. I mean, it's really great. Thank you very much. Any other questions? Anything else you'd like to enlighten us with? I don't know. Thank you so much for your support. Thank you, and for coming out. Ms. Blank and

024Ms. Bachelor. Thank them for their dedication to their students. It's It's one of my favorite programs, and I'm just so fortunate We're so fortunate in Stafford to have such a great program. Thank you all so much. Thank you. picture here. Oh. When it matters, right? It was fun night. That was fun. Thank you. All right. Moving on to the design update for the North Stafford High School Arts and Technical Center. Mr. Johnson here. All right. Thank you, everybody. Oh, is this a separate presentation? I see. Okay. All right, well, we're here to and I'll just introduce myself again. Jason Chief Facilities Officer. This is John Kramer, he's our director of construction. So, John is the guy who's out in the field everyday and sometimes every night depending on the nature of the project and that's

025a lot of nights. So, thank you all for letting us have a few minutes of time today just to get you up to speed on North Stafford renovation, the auditorium renovation and addition out there. Uh this and I'll present this slide at the beginning and the end just for an overview of what our timeline is here moving forward. Basically, we're in the design and permitting process right now for this project. We anticipate that we'll go through the summer and that we'll begin the bidding in on or about June. It may slide slightly to July and I'll talk about that towards the end, but we're anticipating that that bidding process will be about a month. This isn't as large of a project as some of our others, but typically we try to do a month minimum.

026It's about four four weeks and that we would then be receiving those bids in the July to August time frame. And then again with the hopeful notice to proceed contract approval in the August to September time frame. This is going to be a a phased project with the first part being the new construction of the where the new orchestra and band room are going to sit, which I'll go over here in a moment and then we'll move into the auditorium for some renovation work there during the summer and then the heavier renovation of the existing band, choral, and drama area over the course of the next school year after that. So, this um picture here, I think you all have seen before. This depicts the three areas. The area in red, that is the addition

027to and I'll show you um some close-ups of this here in a moment. The area in blue, when we're talking about obviously the auditorium renovation. Um mainly what we're doing in there is kind of lighter renovation. The heavier renovation is the area there in yellow towards the right. And this is just uh a top-down view of that. Everything essentially in the call it the dark blue purple color is areas that we're uh touching as a part of this project. Okay, so focusing in here on the band and orchestra addition. Um so this, again, phase one would begin with the construction of this portion of the building. This is the new orchestra and band room. You can see off uh we're also adding an instrument storage and band library, as well as um some practice rooms

028for the students so that have um the Winger uh practice rooms that I think you're all familiar with. You've seen them in the new high school now. And we have them in our other high schools. So that would be the first phase of this. A couple key notes, we've tried to align I'll see if I can point it out here. Align the the doorway here with uh from the uh proposed band room to be across from where the doorway is uh into the auditorium where the roll-up door that is currently there by the uh side of the building if you're familiar. We'll be extending that vestibule area out. So right now it kind of sits back. It would essentially be recessed if we did not extend it out. So we'll be extending that out and

029um enclosing that portion. And then this will allow for like a a concert or a show or something of that nature. They could will their band instruments straight out to the stage and straight back. So, that was intentional the way that we looked at that and felt that was a nice feature for them as we're going through this. Any questions about what this first phase will entail? Yeah. I do. So, uh they're still going to be able to enter in like you said the vestibule area from outside, correct? >> Correct. Okay. So, one of the concerns that and I was thinking and I was looking through this and the fine arts presentation, and so I don't know if they asked and answered, but with the um band and orchestra budding up against the library, are

030we concerned about noise? Because a drama and choral might present a little less than band and orchestra, plus if they decide to play their instruments in the hall, there's and you know, that echoing as they're warming up or small group or you know what I mean? Like they always move themselves in hallways. And so, I'm I'm just curious why we chose band orchestra on that side versus chorus drama on that side. Yeah, I'll touch on this and I'll let John jump in here, too, as he's a little more expertise on this sometimes. Um so, this was really the the biggest areas that when you get down to the other areas, they don't really have the correct footprint to be able to accommodate the band and orchestra needs overall that we have. And so, we were

031also very intentional, too, about putting this hallway here to help create, you know, a gap so that that naturally dissipates sound. But, do you want to talk a little bit about the sound? Sure. For the sound, we'll make sure that the acoustic values and materials are applied. >> Mhm. This exterior wall, so we will be applying different type of matting and things of that nature to help with the acoustics. And also the ceiling height in this area will be higher than the existing library. Mhm. And the floor to ceiling height is in line with what we're doing at the new schools. And that's why we picked this location other than the existing location so that in this rendering here you can see the clearstory windows. >> Mhm. So for acoustics you want to have a

032ceiling height that's a little bit higher than what's there currently. Okay. I mean I think you know, we had uh somebody at Drew send us a recording of what it sounded like in the band hall when the orchestra was playing next door and it was very disruptive. So I I I I appreciate >> a library. >> Right. I appreciate Ms. Randall's question and just hope that indeed we're not >> mindful of of that. >> Library, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and it's having that space and Yeah, and it's definitely I mean, it's not to say that there isn't going to be some potential bleed over and if we were to you know, start the school over from scratch, we'd probably locate things differently but within the overall footprint of the site and what we had to work

033with Mhm. this was the most effective solution So this just continuing to move forward is a a rendering and and I I've had some questions, well, are you going to kind of continue that blue around up here? This is really for conceptual right now and we haven't uh finalized, you know, colors or anything of that nature. But the the important thing here is to make sure that you understand we're going to um architecturally tie everything into the building so that it looks as one and it's not going to present as a oh, well, there's the addition, you know. Well, in the 3R though, you have like the isn't it the final envelope piece or something with North Stafford is We're finishing >> that going to be in in way in the way of this or

034We're finishing most of that um envelope stuff with the windows this summer or uh and so we're it yes to the final product anything that we're applying here in terms of windows and exterior will will tie in and match. We have actually held off on the window replacement in the library in anticipation of this renovation. Okay. Okay. So we didn't replace it and then pull them back out. Right, right. Yeah, the bathrooms where would they be? rendering So down Yeah, it's in the existing wing. I think it's off the page right now. Sorry. Probably a we should have Absolutely. extended that snippet a little bit further. Maybe it's on the next one. I'm just saying if I go back up right You see that there? This happens. In that gray spot? It's actually across the

035corridor from the new portal area. Okay. Down at the bottom left. Oh, you're talking to So right over there we'll be actually making those dressing rooms and restrooms more compliant to today's standards. Okay. So I recently got a tour of Parkway as well. So when you're referring to dressing rooms is it like the similar vibe as Parkway's backstage or is it going to be something different? It'll be similar it won't those are actually separate dressing rooms and the restrooms aren't attached to those but we'll definitely use them the same techniques. Okay. We will talk through yeah, so in terms of we'll talk through the dressing rooms here in a moment. Again working with the existing building footprint there's certain constraints but we're trying to align them as close as possible to students to get right

036out on stage. So this renovation um we put some money a couple years ago into auditorium lighting in the auditorium. Is that going to be torn out and replaced? Is that staying? Is that That's staying, yeah. And we'll we'll be up adding to it the the control box features back here at the back of the house. And again, that's really just taking where the existing controls are and more formally enclosing it and giving a little more prominence to that area, the control booth if you will. But no, everything that we did 2 years ago at this point is is kept and enhanced or added to. How much money did we spend on that project? It was about 1 I have to go back and double check, but I'm going to say about 1.2 or 200

037or was it No, about 1.2 1 to 1.5 million. ended up doing it in ourselves last We we saved a significant amount of money. How is the sound in there now? That was always a big problem at North, the sound in there. So, we've actually had a sound engineer come in for this renovation and do some studies of the acoustics. So, with the light renovation in the auditorium, we'll be doing some new acoustic panels around as long as well as, you know, new seats and things like that. But we do have an actual acoustic specialist who's working on the project. Because the issue with always was the comparison with the other schools and and the sound was you know, very much on the low end compared to the the other schools. So, we're going to

038We're studying that. bring it up. You want to make sure that learning from the engineer that when you're on the stage, no matter where you are, you should be able to hear the same thing from every seat. Right. The first step that we went through a year and a half 2 years ago was to just get working equipment. Oh, I know. It was bad. It it And some of was bad. Acoustical treatments and the lighting, right? Some of the acoustical treatments this this time around will focus not just on the aesthetic, but also on helping to enhance enhance the Will they have any additional storage space because when they Miss Randall and I were there and they were showing us how crowded it was in back of the theater where they had kept their Yes,

039so this is This is all right now tagged to be so the instrument band storage and band library over here. And I will demonstrate here in a moment where some of the other band storage and theater storage will be in a And I just wanted to go back to the toilet. That's That's the That's the toilet I think that he was referring to. So, the auditorium renovation, as I referenced earlier, again will enclose the control booth. That will kind of give it a little bit more prominence. And then again, updates to the finishes and acoustical treatments throughout this the auditorium. The dressing rooms, so Currently, I can't It's been five times dressing rooms right now are going to be converted to bathrooms and storage. So, over here the bathroom conversion, over here the storage conversion

040as you can see that. And then with the seating replacement, I think I We're we're taking a look to see what can be done with a lot of those seats out there to try and and get those replaced and enhance that at the best price possible. You're not going to increase the seating. It's just literally replacing one for one. >> Right. We looked at the cost of actually re-upholstering these chairs or replacing and actually for time and quality, it's about the same that you replace it. We're still weighing that part of the option out, but Okay, and then again, the the the the third area and this is where the heavier renovation is. This is where everybody is housed back here right now. You have the band and coral and everybody back here right now.

041So, this is going to be I'll call it gutted and and redone essentially. Um so, you can see where we end up at the end. We have a nice drama area back here, a much larger space for them to be able to to work along with um some planning space and and storage for them um as they uh have their classrooms and and everything. That would be their regular classroom. You can see we've obviously got a nice large coral space over here now with storage um and practice rooms for them as well. We have some additional band uniform storage um up to the top. The dressing rooms, as was um inquired about earlier, um are right here. So, not right in backstage, but right next to backstage. Yeah. Side of stage. So, um direct access

042out to the stage, which is just playing north of this. And then um the coral and band uh libraries and storage over here, too. Band has a lot of storage. I've I've I've Yes. I've I've And then between marching and regular and jazz and band uniform storage and Um so, uh any questions about the intention over here with this uh Is this purple space over here per- is it part of the renovation or the one to the right? Underneath it. Yeah, that section. Is that part of it or is it just No, I think that was just a Okay. I just was curious why it's the same color. So, can you tell can you kind of describe I mean, I see your timeline and what is the um the interruption of either class or space

043or whatever Right. for different students as that school year is going on. >> Yeah, so and that's why I put the timeline at the end because I wanted to come back after we talked through it so you can now envision how the timeline should unfold. So again, um finishing up everything and going to bid, we would look to be breaking ground we uh this fall. Uh so sometime between we'll say August to November and that'll largely depend on final contract details, pulling all the permits, and then finalizing everything with the contractor and then the notice to proceed. You could see depending on whether we start in August versus say October, we're anticipating that that would be completed late spring to early summer of next year. And what that would allow us to do then is

044move for example band and and um um sorry. I'm just seeing all the different band and orchestra. I wanted to say choral for a moment. Um over over uh to the new space uh for the new year. And then right now the intention likely be that drama would be using the stage area um for a few months, right? So we would come in over that summer and we would do all the work in the auditorium. Um right now we don't believe that the heavy part of the renovation would take much more than 6 months. So we feel that by midpoint of the 2027 to 2028 school year, we should be be about done with everything and be able to have drama and choral back into the now renovated space over here. So there will be

045a little bit of shifting uh but we would look to do that at like Christmas break. Probably moving them from temporary space that they would have for the first part of the year next school year into their permanent space. Does that help? Yeah. So January 2028 they would be back in If everything goes according to plan. Yes. >> would be That's and I think that that's on on longer end. We we may be done before then, but it's nice also just to do it over Christmas break. It's a cleaner point. chicken Yeah. Do you have any idea where those that temporary space would be for the choral and drama area? So, again, the drama would likely be on on in the auditorium just because it's a natural space for drama to probably hold classes temporarily

046or practice. We We got to take a look at the drama choral schedule and see if it makes sense to share that space or if we'll identify a a different classroom temporarily. The good thing is that this is all taking place after the redistricting, yeah. So, we'll have some flexible space so we don't have to worry about doing that. Um just for my choir student experience, um I know like sound kind of like they were talking like acoustics and things like that. Those are really important. Um and we, you know, we attend assessment which is essentially like a choir SOL for us. And so, um how do we accommodate kind of like that classroom when we're putting them in a temporary space? How do we say like, "We're going to give you the same things

047you had in your space before." Um so, we're able to compete at those levels and earn great scores and things like that. Yeah. Well, currently right now, actually, the renovation's slated from May 27th through September. So, a lot of that renovation could possibly be done throughout the summer with minimal impact. When are those assessments? In the spring. Uh in the spring, yeah. And we would look to definitely have them back into their space the new space by the spring, but it's it's possible that there's some disruption during the fall. Um we would look to minimize that time-wise as much as possible. Think of maybe going to a temporary space at one of the other high schools just for those assessments. back to Turner to work with, you know, maybe with Mountain View being so close,

048maybe to have you all utilize that space that you have the same um level of preparation for those things. Well, and North is going to be so under-enrolled that there may be other rooms and things like that. Yes. >> Yes. The plan for the addition, the reason for starting on that 6,000 square foot structure is outside of existing footprint. So, we can do the a lot of that work without a lot of impact to the inside functions of that. Good questions. So, inside Also, we've been working with the finance committee as well, getting a lot of feedback. Yeah. Great feedback. Yeah. Can you speak a little bit about, you know, you've done a lot of work at the school to get feedback from teachers and from the administration and the advisory? Can you just talk

049a little bit about how that's gone and your process? It's actually been good meeting with the committee. A lot of things came to our attention through the design process of getting equipment from the exterior of the building into the building. Uh before we actually had stairs and a smaller ramp on the exterior of the building. So, through working with the committee, we actually made the ramp larger so you can take the materials out of the doors and you can roll the equipment down the larger ramp to the vehicles. >> Right. So, feedback like that. Before the ceiling height of the actual new band and orchestra room wasn't as tall. So, we raised it a little bit more and we added the clerestory windows for some direction. And then That's great. A lot of this plan

050has you know, fluctuated back and forth with all the feedback from staff, students, teachers, and the committee. That's nice. Yeah, we've had a number of meetings with them, been back and forth, and tried to take all that input. I think the biggest constraints have just been in the building building itself and some of the footprint. Um but, I think we've overall it's this is going to be a really great addition. I think it's really going to benefit the school and students from the addition. >> Now, there's a bus loop where you're going to be doing new construction, is any of that traffic flow going to have to change then since you're putting an addition so close to where the buses are coming in? We'll try to limit that as much as possible. I had a

051rig out there Friday doing core drills. So, a lot of construction vehicles. So, during the day there's not a lot of traffic after the buses come. Yeah. So, during those hours we can bring equipment and do a lot of work, but we'll have to keep in mind with any That's the timing. Yeah. There may be the occasional, you know, day or week where we have to run things a little bit differently with the buses or students around that area as perhaps we're installing windows or something of that nature, but it wouldn't be a a regular occurrence. It's a live site, so we'll definitely have to be very Right. in tune with what's going on day to day. Yeah. And what's coming up Yeah. in the coming weeks. So, we don't want that to be disrupted.

052Okay. I see that. Is is there um a possibility we can share this presentation with we can do it in the PowerPoint, but share it with the supervisors? Because without Ms. Allen and Dr. Young, we would not be seeing this today. This was way off on the CIP. And they were very instrumental in pushing this forward to, you know, help bring North, you know, in line with um you know, with their other schools and you know, this the amenities that they they have. But I I I think they may be interested. It's it's I mean, it's very well done and self-explanatory. So, you know, perhaps if um you know, we have our superintendent send it to the administrator to the I'd be glad to I think that would be good. Add something to it. I

053mean, we have a joint meeting on the 16th. We can talk about it there just briefly. Take a couple minutes and >> Send them a memo. They don't They don't read memos. I'm You know, I mean, I think I think it's a very reasonable thing to Thank them for the investments they're making and this is one of them. Right. I mean, here we have a brand new high school and then we have our our old high school. It's amazing. When I moved to Stafford North, it was the new school. Right. So, now we've got the oldest school and we're you know, we're not neglecting the old and favoring the new. So, I just I just think it's significant because you It's a definitely thoughtful. This is what makes it down on the list. It was.

054It was and it would be nice to um share this with the whole board instead of doing it like in the joint schools working group where it's just three on three. So, what's the total cost when we add in the over 1 million that we put into the first part of the renovation in the auditorium and then this um uh addition and renovation. What's your estimate? Yeah, there's that. Um let me let me get back to you. I I need to go and take a look at what we spent in that original one and I can send perhaps just I mean, I I think what we did originally was serious band-aiding. It wasn't enhancements. It was just trying to keep it Yeah, well, it was trying to create functional pieces. And I'm glad that you

055were able to find a sound engineer that would help because I think that was part of an issue that we had when we were doing that project was we ended up having to do it because we couldn't find what we needed to get that job done. So, I'm glad you guys have been able to remedy that. I will I'm learning a lot off of the Harwood High School. So, some of the learning in that project >> Yeah, yeah. is benefiting this project. Good. Good. Right. And Harwood's a performing arts school. Yeah. That's I'm glad that we did just get our first set of cost estimates the other day from the architect and we're right right there in line with our budget. yeah. >> Okay. And this cost estimator is a little little high usually for

056us. So, Right. if it tracks like we have the last few times, it's just a little bit under where >> Okay. I'm just curious like with what we spent and then what we're projecting, what would that number look like? So, you maybe we can get a total of the cost of that envelope. I mean, that started with COVID. >> working on the envelope forever. That's That's like the cost that never stops. How many phases is there? Cuz that and the HVAC. They told us the bricks are going to fall on your head if you walk in the door if we don't spend millions of dollars to You will see an updated rendering of that as well with the presentation from the committee tonight. Oh, good. Any other questions? Thank you. Thank you. very much. All

057right, we are adjourned. You can go get dinner and then we will have the regular meeting. I'd like to call this meeting to order. And um please rise for the presentation of colors and for the pledge of allegiance. No. to the flag of the United of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. You may be seated. A special thank you tonight to Mountain View High School's Marine Corps JROTC, um Thomas Hall, Andrew S- C- Ciesena, John Harvey, and Caden Sierra. Thank you. Miss E, could you please call roll? Yes, ma'am. Miss Blackwell. Here. Dr. Chase. Here. Miss Davis. Here. Miss Migroll. Here. Miss Yalie. Here. Mr. Qureshi. Here. Miss Randall. Here. Mr. Reagan. Here. And Dr. Warner. Here. Madam Chair, you have

058a quorum. Thank you. Motion to approve the agenda. Second. Please cast your ballot. Motion passes unanimously. Motion to approve the consent agenda. Second. Please cast your ballot. Your vote. Passes unanimously. Thank you. Okay. Moving right along. Um Do we have any personnel announcements, Mr. Superintendent? Yes, ma'am. Board members, community members, I am pleased to share two different administrative personnel appointments this evening. First, I'm pleased to recognize Ms. Britney Bossio that will join Dixon Smith as the new principal for 2026-27 school year. Ms. Bossio, will you join us at the podium? Ms. Bossio currently serves as the assistant principal at Stafford High School and brings an impressive 12-year foundation in secondary education from Prince William County Schools. She's a highly regarded leader in instructional design and her influence extends beyond the classroom. She's presented at the

059national level, specifically at the Association for Middle Level Education conferences, and continues to be a vital resource for high school content development across our division. Ms. Bossio earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Ohio University. She also earned her Master's degree in Education from Marymount and her Educational Leadership Certificate from JMU. Congratulations, Ms. Bossio. Thank you, Dr. Smith, the chair chair, and members of the board for trusting in me and bringing me here tonight. It's been an honor to serve Stafford High School these last few years and I am very excited about the work that I'm going to be doing at Dixon Smith and continuing that legacy with our Stafford community. So again, thank you. I am thrilled to be here this evening. I am

060also pleased to announce that Mr. Cesar Maisonet will join the team at Phoenix Center as the new principal for the 2026-2027 school year. With a proven track record of success in school and district level administration, Mr. Maisonet is a strategic leader committed to driving excellence within our community. Mr. Maisonet joined Brooke Point High School as an assistant principal in 2023, bringing 11 years of classroom experience and a specialized background in special education administration from Prince William County schools. As a key member of the leadership team, he's dedicated to supporting professional growth, cultivating culture responsive relationships, and fostering high-quality instructional environments to support student success. Mr. Maisonet earned his Bachelor of Science degree in special education and history from the University of Miami and a Master's in Education and Educational Leadership from George Mason University. He

061is currently participating in the Statewide Communities of Practice for Excellence Scope 20 at the University of Virginia. Congratulations, Mr. Maisonet. Thank you Dr. Smith, chair, and school board members. Um I want to firstly thank Mr. Mergo, who without his guidance and expertise as a current principal at Brooke Point High School, I would not be standing here today. I also want to thank all the staff members and all the faculty at Brook Point High School as well. I look forward to supporting the phenomenal teachers that are currently at the Phoenix Center to make sure that we're continuing to support the community and support all the students to make sure they're reaching their post-secondary goals. I look forward to starting the school year, not too soon cuz we have summer coming around, but I want to make

062sure that we hit the ground running to support all the students in our division. Thank you once again. Madam Chair, that concludes the administrative appointments. Thank you, Dr. Smith. Board reports. Um we'll start with you, Ms. Randall. Do you have anything for ATI or legislative? Sure. Um ATI is actually having their meeting um coming up in 2 weeks. We did have our um a meeting Oh, gosh. End of No, we haven't since our last one cuz we approved the budget and then we have had a break from that. Um legislative, we are not having our meeting this month because we have our debrief with the legislators, and so we'll meet again in May. Thank you. Um Ms. Fingerhouts, would you like to talk about FAB-C? Sure. Um so, finance and budget, we just met not

063too long ago. Um and the topics that we touched on, one of them was the partial funding of bonuses um that's being offered from the General Assembly, which would require a match of us about 1.8, just short of 1.8 million. Um division has to certify that by May 1st. And that way we can choose to use it between this budget or a 2027 budget. Definitely leaning towards a 2027 budget. And staff will get back to us um on if there is any consequences if for some reason we promise it in that 2027 budget. However, um we are unable to reach it for some unknown reason. Although staff feels comfortable with it, depending upon the state's budget, we can we can make that happen. We also discussed the rise in energy cost and utility cost, especially

064fuel. So, the committee made a recommendation that we make an adjustment in the 2027 budget to account for any potential shortfalls that may happen cuz as it's stated right now, we would have a shortfall. But, it's a volatile thing. We don't know how that's going to go from there. So, and then we did touch on health insurance as well and some of the health care cost continuing to rise and staff is looking at um plan changes. Not not right now, not immediately where premium changes can happen from year to year. What we're looking out towards is actual plan changes themselves for Medicare B and for other health care plans, but those would not be until July of 2027 and 2028 respectively. So, that's where we're at. Thank you. You're welcome. Dr. Chase, anything governance? Yep.

065So, um you'll If you If you look at our agenda, you see in consent that we have two new policies related to student speech and student-led demonstrations. And tonight is our first review of those policies. So, if you're interested in those things, take a look at those policies and please reach out to us and let us know if you have any concerns or or where you are with that. And then, um Rodney Jordan from the Virginia School Board Association came to Stafford last Monday to facilitate governance training with the board. We ask everyone in the division to adopt a continuous improvement mindset. And I appreciate the willingness of the entire board to look at ways we can improve as a governing body. So, and then Head Start Policy Council, we met, but they gave us

066a presentation right before this. So, I think I think we're up to speed on that. Thank you so much. All right, recognitions and awards. Good evening, school board members and Dr. Smith. This evening we'll recognize groups of staff members that epitomize our values of students, integrity, respect, community, opportunity, and excellence. We'll also have a whole bunch of reasons to celebrate our students tonight. Very excited. We begin by recognizing students and educators for their outstanding achievement in spring visual and performing arts. The Colonial Forge High School Theater Department has achieved the highest level of success in the VHS Commonwealth District One Act Play Festival. To reach this level, student performers advance through the district, sectional, and regional competitions demonstrating excellence in acting, direction, and ensemble performance. We're proud to recognize these students and their teachers for

067earning the state championship title. Will you please join us at the podium and stay at the front for a photo as I call your name. Adrian Vigiani Ibrahim Nufio Isabella Alvarez Corraro Leilani Gaymu Jasmine Pounds Joshua Snead Michael Gukian Kate Murphy Caitlin Osei-Boateng Oliver Gavin Sam Ferdinandsen Sarah Gerardo Amelia Young Sophia Barquero Allison Rush Rylan Eaton. We're going to squeeze in everybody. We'd also like to recognize their teachers, Lisa Kovacucci and Jeff Clevenger. Daisy. Our next group of high school musicians earned a spot in the 2026 All-Virginia Band and Orchestra. The event will be held in Richmond on April 16th through the 18th. Their place was earned through a rigorous audition process that consisted of two auditions. First in December, students auditioned and earned a place at their the top of their instrument section at

068the district level and then auditioned again in February to earn the honor to attend All-State. Will you please join me at the podium and remain up front as I call your name. Please hold your applause until the end. Matthew Carter, Dean Williamson, Sophie C, Jonah De Souza, Nadia Wilt, Rex Sumadaio, Jacob Lubinski, Benjamin Maselli, Gavin Knudsen, Brooke Shimabukuro, and their directors Chris Mallory from Stafford High School, Austin Nicholas from Stafford High School. I'm sorry, Chris from North Stafford High School, Austin Nicholas from Stafford High School, A. Tyler Thompson from Brooke Point, Robert Gillette from Colonial Forge, and Austin Fairley of Mountain View High School. The next group of high school musicians earned a spot in the 2026 All Virginia Chorus. The event will be held in Richmond on April 16th through the 18th. This year,

06918 of Stafford County's finest vocalists participated in the state honor, earning their places through a rigorous audition process. In November, students auditioned to receive a place at the top of their section at the district level, and then auditioned again in February to earn the honor to attend All State. Out of the 32 slots allotted to district for All State, our singers earned over half of them. Will you please join us at the podium, remain at front until your name is called, and please hold your applause until the end. Rory Irish Sadie Barbieri Annabelle Marshall Isabelle Magaea Caitlin Tyler Nicole Richard Elizabeth George Carolyn Washington Jaden Weatherby Jackson Hall Calvin Eviler Nathan Yore Jaden Hilliard Alejandra Rios Rios Aaron Motts Charles Kurtgate Matthew Lee Bianca George We'd also like to recognize our choral directors Joe Eviler

070from Stafford High School Corey Gault from Mountain View High School Barbara Perry from Colonial Forge and Zachary Short from North Stafford High School. And now we recognize our middle school singers who earned a spot in the 2026 American Choral Directors Association All-State Chorus. The event will be held in Richmond April 16th and 17th. Almost 1,300 students auditioned for a place in this event and only 300 students made it through the process. Would you please join us at the podium as your name is called? Stay up front for a photo. Parents, will you please hold your applause until the end. Layla Garwood Taylor Yukica Chastity Garrett Ember Eubank Reyes Evelyn Miller Virginia Grogan Hazel Beverage Evalette Hahn Ava Reschke Rosalie Haas Rishabh Urs Liam Nathan Cabacar Scarlett Hussar Renie Lewis Abigail Ballard Avery Jansen Bridget Farley

071We also recognize their teachers, Molly Spangenburg from Dixon Smith Middle School, Carolyn Van Ness from Rodney Thompson Middle School, and Xavier Howard from T. Benton Gayle. The Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association Program of Honor recognizes high school and middle school band and orchestra programs that demonstrate sustained excellence. This distinction is earned through outstanding performance across multiple assessments showcasing a range of ensembles performing high-level rigorous musical literature. Will you please join me at the podium as your name is called. From North Stafford High School, Chris Mallory, band director. From Stafford High School, Austin Nicholas. From Colonial Forge High School, Robert Gillette. From Laura Laura O'Kinskey, orchestra director at Mountain View High School. Austin Fairly, band director at Drew Middle School. And Stephen Patterson. The Virginia Music Educators Association or VMEA Blue Ribbon School designation is

072one of the highest honors a school music program can receive. To earn this recognition, a school's top choir, band, and orchestra must each achieve superior ratings at their respective performance assessment, all within the same calendar year. This distinction reflects not only exceptional talent, but also sustained commitment, collaboration and excellence across the entire music program. Will you please join me at the podium as your name is called. Please, audience, hold your applause until the end. From Stafford High School, band director Austin Nicholas choral director Joe Evaler, and orchestra director Aidan Dingess. From Colonial Forge High School, band director Robert Gallette choral director Barbara Perry and orchestra director Laura Okinsky. From Mountain View High School, orchestra director Tom McDonald band director Austin Fairly choral director Corey Golts. And now we recognize the elementary students selected for the

073OAKE National Children's Choir 2026 through a highly competitive audition process. Representing fourth and fifth grade students from across the country, they dedicated three months to preparing seven advanced choral pieces. Their hard work culminated in a performance at the renowned Symphony Center in Chicago, showcasing both their talent and commitment to excellence. Will you please join me at the podium? Remain standing up here until your name are called. Audience, please hold your applause until the end. Amelia Fish Charlie Christiansen and their teacher Amy Christiansen from Hartwood Elementary. >> The next group of sixth-grade students earned selection to the OAKE National Youth Treble Choir through a rigorous national audition process. Chosen from middle school singers across the country, they spent 3 months preparing seven advanced choral works. They then performed at the Symphony Center in Chicago representing their

074school division with distinction on a national stage. Will you please join us at the podium and remain up front until we're finished and take your photo. Audience, please hold your applause. From T. Benton Gayle Middle School, Caroline Raska. From H. H. Poole Middle School, Ryan Christiansen. And the Heartwood Elementary School teacher, Amy Christiansen, who sponsored the event. Next, we recognize the middle school musicians who earned selection to the Virginia Band and Orchestra Director's Directors Association or VBOBDA Central Region Orchestra through rigorous audition process held in late September. The junior regional event, which includes students in grades 7 through 9, took place at Randolph-Macon College on January 31st. Selection to this ensemble reflects a high level of musical skill, dedication, and commitment. Many of these students will continue their musical journey by auditioning for the All-State

075Band and Orchestra in February, representing the next level of achievement in music education. Will you please join us at the podium? Audience, please hold your applause until the end. Nargis Yukubova, Laura Ruiz, Ningwei Zan, and directors Mary Binder from HH Poole Middle School and Rick Chapman from AG Wright Middle School. Congratulations to all our visual and performing arts students and their distinguished instructors. Moving on to our proclamations for the evening. Will Ms. Karen Keeney of North Stafford High School please join us at the podium? Tonight, we recognize the incredible impact of our school nurses. Every day, they support the physical and mental health of our students, helping ensure they are safe, cared for, and ready to learn. Their work is essential to both student well-being and academic success. We are grateful for their compassion, expertise,

076and dedication to our school community. Thank you. Would Shontel Washington and Zora Ashkavar Kaye, both of Stafford Middle School, please join us at the podium? April is recognized as Autism Acceptance Month, a time to increase understanding and support for individuals with autism. Autism affects individuals across all communities and early intervention plays an important role in helping students grow and succeed. In Stafford Schools, we remain committed to supporting our students and families through education, resources, and ongoing training for staff and caregivers. Thank you. Would Roman Ball, Davon Ward-Heholt, Michelle Parr, and Jason Pope, our current Specialty Center Coordinators, please join us at the podium. Workforce readiness is essential to ensuring our students are prepared for success beyond graduation. As demand for highly skilled careers continues to grow, it is critical that we strengthen collaboration with business

077and industry, higher education, and our community to expand opportunities for students. In Stafford Schools, we're committed to preparing every student for success in both school and life by supporting career pathways, real-world learning, and strong community partnerships. All right. Would Lead Librarians Dee Ryan of Mountain View High School, Ashley Welch of Rodney Thompson Middle School, and Jessica Remley of Widewater Elementary School, please join us at the podium. April is recognized as School Library Month, a time to celebrate the vital role school libraries and librarians play in student success. Our school librarians empower students to become effective users of information, foster a love of reading, and support learning across all subject areas. Their work helps ensure every student has access to resources that promote ac- that promote academic excellence. Thank you. Would Carrie Weir, military spouse, and

078Dr. Don Mathis, a retired Marine, please join us at the podium. April is recognized as the month of the military child, a time to honor the strength, resilience, and sacrifices of our military connected students. Here in Stafford Schools, we are proud to serve families who support our nation every day. Military children face unique challenges, including frequent moves and time away from loved ones, yet they continue to make meaningful contributions to our schools and community. We remain committed to supporting these students through strong partnerships, resources, and a welcoming school environment. As part of this commitment, we invite our community to join us tomorrow, Wednesday, April 15th, for a Purple Up Day in recognition of our military connected students. Tonight, though, we have the added opportunity to celebrate Love Stafford Schools Week and today's focus on Love

079Our Families by presenting this proclamation to two Stafford Schools families. Oh, Isabel, for our committee. Thank you. >> Thank you all for the hard work that you put into earning those certificates and working with our students. Um now we go on to our annual report and recommendations for the school board's visual and performing performing arts. Good evening everybody and thank you for this opportunity. I'm Jessica Stevens Torres. I'm chair of the visual and performing arts advisory committee. Let me Let me try to Okay. I'm pleased to share this presentation with you tonight which reflects the committee's ongoing efforts to support the school board in maintaining and strengthening fine arts programs across the districts in ways that are student-centered, efficient, and mindful of resources. We will review the three goals assigned to the committee highlighting how

080current processes, program development, and facility planning are being reviewed and refined through collaboration across stakeholders to ensure decisions remain aligned and responsive to student needs. Everything presented this evening is only a review and we have no recommendations at this time. Our first goal looks at the current inventory and replacement process including a focused review of band uniforms which are the only items currently on cyclical replacement for the performing arts. And our future considerations kilns, arts, and music equipment. This slide shows what we know such as replacement costs and item life cycles, to highlight where needs exist and support more consistent and sustainable planning for fine arts programs across the school system. These programs require specialized equipment to support student learning and performance. The cost of this equipment, including kilns for visual arts and a range

081of musical instruments, varies widely based on quality and complexity. In addition to instruments, music programs require supporting equipment like choral risers and acoustic shells to facilitate live student performances. Technology cost estimates are based on outfitting entire programs rather than individual line item replacements to provide a broader picture of potential program needs. This work remains in progress with the VPA coordinator continuing to evaluate where cyclical cyclical replacement structures make sense. But again, at this time we have no recommendations. All right, let's move to goal two. Goal two is a review of the design of the Heartwood High School Arts Media Production Specialty Center, which is set to open open this upcoming school year. It outlines the overall program structure, including four career focused pathways, elective offerings, and the phased rollout, of course, is beginning with the

082initial ninth grade experience. As a foundational component, all ninth grade AMP students will take a new shared anchor course, Arts, Culture, and Society. Program development is informed by the curriculum development team shown here. As our first group of students progresses through the program, fu- fur- course development will continue expanding pathway specific options in grades 10 through 12 over the next few years. As you will see in the next few slides, AMP pathways are designed to give students a real-world advantages. For example, pathways one and three include industry certifications. Here we see pathway one, the digital content production. And next, pathway two, live event management. These certifications, combined with the skills and knowledge gained through each pathway's culminating capstone project, will support students as they plan their next steps after high school. Audio engineering and production.

083And our fourth pathway, visual arts. This work reflects ongoing collaboration among instructional leaders to refine and align the curriculum and ensure continued support for these programs moving forward. And we'll move on to goal three, our final goal. Our third goal is to review the renovation and addition for the North Stafford High School Fine Arts Wing. It highlights planned upgrades to performance and support spaces, including the main theater, black box, and backstage areas, to better support instruction, performance, and the student experience. As part of the collaborative process, or excuse me, the design process remains collaborative with facilities and architects working together and taking input from the committee to refine key elements, including considerations such as ramp widths and accessibility to ensure the space is functional and aligned to program needs. Here's um a rendition of what

084it's going to look like. As part of this process, the director of facilities capital construction regularly attends our committee meetings to provide us updates and solicit input for renovation plans. In summary, this presentation highlights the committee's efforts in supporting the school board through informed recommendations and collaborative initiatives. We remain focused on providing thoughtful input that helps inform decision-making, supports effective use of resources, and ensures fine arts programs and facilities continue to meet the the needs of students across the county. This concludes the the presentation. Thank you for the opportunity to support the arts in Stafford County Public Schools. At this time, we welcome any questions you may have. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Um we were informed tonight that you did have quite a bit of advice on the input for the new

085Fine Arts Center, and we appreciate that. Um board members, any questions? Ms. Randall? Yes, thank you very much for that report. Um I have a question back when you were discussing goal one, reviewing the inventory process and cyclical replacement process, um you've got a list of the different categories and equipments, their costs, and their estimated life cycles, but I'm curious if we have any of those equipment pieces that are at the end of their life cycle or on life support that we need to be mindful of in um in uh replacing. Um you know, if how many kilns do we have, and which ones are like time's up. Or um even the risers or audio equipment, if there's any of those equipment pieces that we need to be more thoughtful about um putting into our

086budget for a a a life cycle replacement. We we have discussed that. I think that um Anne can provide a more context on that. That's her bread and butter. I'm Anne Watts, the visual and performing arts coordinator. Um we're currently taking a look at where all of our equipment is. There are items like kilns and risers that are at the end of their life cycle. Um Oh, certainly. Of course. Um there are kilns and risers, shells, things that are towards the end of their life cycle. I know with my given budget right now, I'm looking at replacing a kiln for uh Brook Point High School. Um and that's something right now that's within the capacity of my my position. But as you can see, a lot of these items are large and and as they

087come to the end of their life cycle, we'll need to be looking at what's needed to keep up with the needs of the schools. We keep sheets between the educators and myself where we keep track of when things were purchased, what condition it's in, when it was last maintained. We work with vendors who also help update that, our kiln repair person. Um so these are things right now that we're monitoring and as a committee, we're going to be weighing those options to see what's needed next. That would be great for us because when we take some of these suggestions and whatnot to our retreats or if we bring things to our Fab C, we want considerations to be um brought forward to the superintendent. It would help if we if we knew when these become

088um something that we need to be more thoughtful about. So, thank you. I appreciate that. Any other questions? Dr. Chase? Yeah. So, um I just had a a question. It may just be something about the slides, but um for certifications, I see certifications for two of the pathways, but I don't see any certifications associated with live event management or visual arts. Is that just they aren't on the slide or there are no certifications for those two pathways? At this time, and this is still being developed, um I'm hand-in-hand with our um career and technical education um directors. Excuse me. Um and we're looking at where we can expand things to be able to offer as many certifications as we're able to. Or um looking at SCED codes as the curriculum is being developed to make

089sure that if there are opportunities for our students that we can do that. At this time, to my knowledge, we don't have one in the visual arts pathway. Um again, right now we're just developing the curriculum for that ninth grade course, which is about foundational across all the pathways. Once we get into next year, we start developing pathway specific, that's when we're going to really dive in deep and see where we can get those kids those extra certifications. >> So, to be determined. Great. Thank you. Any Thank you. Thank you so much. I appreciate your your time and effort. Next, we hear from our military families committee. Good evening, everyone. I'm sorry you get me for a second year in a row. Um first of all, I want to say what an honor it is

090to serve on this committee with these uh team members and for Sandra's guiding light and mentorship through this. It's been a It's been a journey and uh you know, being a plank owner in this committee, it means a lot. So. All right. Uh good evening, everyone. My name is Dr. Don Mathis and I'm the vice chair of the committee. Joining me this evening is Ms. Carrie Weir the chair of our committee. On behalf of the Military Advisory Committee, thank you for the opportunity to uh provide an update on our work this year. Our focus has been in on strengthening how Stafford County Public Schools welcomes and supports military connected students by creating a more consistent and intentional experience across all schools. This year, the committee's charter centered on one clear goal to standardize the welcome

091experience for military connected students. We wanted to ensure that no matter which student a student enter which school a student enters, they encounter a consistent level of care, connection and support from the very beginning. This work reflects a commitment to both students and their families during times of transition. Our work matters. Stafford Schools serves a highly mobile military connected population. With each move, students are navigating new academic expectations new social environments and other often significant changes at home. These transitions can impact both learning and well-being. A strong, consistent welcome experience helps reduce that disruption and reinforces a sense of stability and belonging from the start. Our work builds on the strong foundation already in place. All Stafford schools are Purple Star designated. Demonstrating a division-wide commitment to supporting military families. Schools already offer access to

092counseling services, military liaisons, and extracurricular opportunities. Our goal was not to replace these efforts, but to align and strengthen them through a more consistent approach. Through discussion and observation, the committee identified variability in how students and families were welcomed across schools. While many strong practices existed, they were not always consistent. Families could have very different experiences depending on where they enrolled. This highlighted an opportunity to create a shared framework that maintains flexibility while ensuring key supports are always in place. So, what was our solution once we identified our need? In response, we developed a digital military welcome guide. So, you have a copy of this guide in front of you this evening for reference, but please note that it will be provided in a digital format for schools to families and families to access easily.

093This resource is is designed for principals and military liaisons to use as a practical tool, and it outlines the clear structure for welcoming students, connecting families to resources, and supporting students beyond their first days in a new school. While the framework is consistent across the division, there is flexibility that is built in. For example, sections such as school-based programs and opportunities are designed to be customized by each principal as well as to reflect their unique school community. Each school will update that guide and it will include its own logo, uh the brand, the colors, giving it the feel of their own building. So, just for them. Um overall, the guide is providing a balance of consistency and flexibility, ensuring that we have a reliable experience for families while allowing each school to highlight what makes

094them unique. Our guide includes several key components. They help to shape the student family experience. It begins with a structured welcome. Included in that is a principal letter and introduction to its the school community. It outlines the available student supports, including counseling and peer connections. It also highlights opportunities for involvement in activities and athletic school-based programs. That provides a clear pathway for family engagement and communication. Essential focus of our guide is building a sense of belonging. This includes establishing opportunities for connection through military peer associations and also having ambassadors along with those associations. And we also encourage the development of a military kids club. One was created at Margaret Brent Elementary School and we are going to be using that as a model to be able to create something for the entire division to follow.

095Um we also have besides those planned check-ins throughout the year to make sure that the students remain supported through the ambassador program. Um and basically, the efforts are designed to help the students feel seen, feel connected, and feel supported over time because everybody comes from all different backgrounds. The guide also emphasizes a clear and accessible communication for families. It identifies key tools such as Parent View and Student View and provides direct access to school divisional contacts. In addition, it connects families to local, state, and national military resources. The goal is to ensure families can quickly find information, navigate the system, and they get access and any kind of support that they need whenever they need it. The guide is going to be shared with principals and military liaisons across the division. The next phase of

096our work is going to be focused on implementation and consistency. We will continue to support the schools, gather feedback for the families and staff, and continue to refine the approach as needed. But our long-term goal is to ensure that every military-connected student that enters Stafford schools has experiences that are reliable, supportive, and it's a basically a welcoming transition. Um at this time, will any other members of our committee, please stand and also any other military members as well or family members? Thank you guys for all of your continued support. We really appreciate it. All right, together our efforts help ensure that every student who enters Stafford school is welcomed, supported, and positioned for success. We are grateful for the opportunity to share with you this evening, and I would also like to reiterate what um

097Dr. Matthews had mentioned about Sandra. Thank you so much for everything that you do for our committee. We really appreciate it. Okay, are there any questions? Thank you so much for your report. Um Ms. Blackwell? I don't have any questions. I just I just want to say that I actually sit in the meetings with the IMPACT and I will tell you that I've heard the presentation. I've seen the presentation before and I know that you definitely made Sandra and the committee very proud of your of your presentation and I also ask if you will share the information for the event on Friday. If you if everybody is there >> Oh, yes, absolutely. Yeah. So, we are having obviously Sandra had already mentioned about it's division wide purple wear purple tomorrow. And then also our Margaret

098Brent Elementary School is having a purple up breakfast. It's going to be at 7:00 in the morning. So, I do know that there are so many people that are allowed inside of our activity room and I know that they had that like all pretty much all planned. But there are going to be Isabel, would you like to introduce like the person who the speaker that we're going to have? Yes. So, and one of our big things too is working with the community partners like Isabel and myself are both members of the American Legion and the VFW post 3103 in Fredericksburg. So, I think it's really important to be able to have the community support to be in be out there. So, again, you know, we're going to be having our breakfast and we just want

099to continue to recognize our children. I know that even my son decided that even though he moved on to middle school and they're having a appreciation breakfast for him as well. He wanted to go back to his old elementary school to see his to see his old friends. So, he's super excited about that. So, thank you very much. Thank you. Any other questions? So, I just want to say how wonderful it is to to get such a fabulous product out of a committee and um just I really really hope that the principals will update it for their specific schools. Nothing is worse than getting something that says insert here. Um So, but yeah, it looks fantastic. Thank you so much. We try to do as much as we possibly can. So, we're just hoping that

100yes, they will continue to put their own feel on it as well. Yeah. Thank you. Ms. Fingerholt? So, I wanted to thank you. I know you guys do a lot of community stuff as well. And I love a good SOP. So, this is fantastic as a as an army brat, like you do. Your your whole life changes. The only thing that stays consistent is your toys. So, having something like this from school to school is is super helpful. So, thank you. Thank you. I think this is an excellent job and I do appreciate the especially the kids club and the opportunity for students to have that fellowship with other kids that are going through similar similar events and similar challenges. I appreciate the work of the committee and if are there any other questions? Thank

101you. >> All right. Thank you. Very much. So, now we'll hear from our co-student rep Talia Davis and Safi Qureshi to give their board report. Good evening, Madam Chair, Dr. Smith, members of the board and families. Over the past few weeks, we've been very intentional about strengthening the connection between student representatives and the students we serve. To us, representation isn't just about speaking on behalf of the students. It starts with truly listening to them. That's why we made it a priority to visit elementary schools and spend time connecting directly with young student leaders. We had the chance to meet with the student student council association at both Falmouth Elementary and Parker's Elementary. Surprisingly, T'Khaya and I were both former students at these elementary schools. The goal for this meeting was not only to connect with

102the younger student leaders, but also to hear firsthand what students feel is working at their school and where they would like to see some more improvement. These conversations meant a lot to us because they reminded us how early student voice begins to grow. Seeing their confidence, hearing their ideas, and watching them speak so openly about their schools was genuinely inspiring. It showed us that even at the young age, students cared deeply about their communities and want to be a part of making them better. In addition to listening, we were also able to give some of our own experience and offer helpful guidance. For example, T'Khaya and I were asked, "How are you guys so confident when speaking and presenting?" This truly warmed our hearts and it reminded us that what looks like natural talent is

103usually just a lot of invisible practice. We obviously had We obvi- We obviously had to help them out and we hope that with the guidance that we gave, we will encourage them to continue growing as leaders and to remind them that their true their voice truly matters. Beyond school visits, we've also been working with our student-based media team to improve how we stay connected with students across the county. We understand that communication is key and we can't and we want every student to feel informed, included, and aware that their voice matters in the decisions being made. Because of this, we are preparing to leverage our student representative Instagram account, which will serve as a platform to keep students informed, involved, and aware of the work being done on their behalf. Later this month, we will

104introduce Meet the Student Representatives, a video and a graphic. Our goal with this is simple. We want students to know who we are, feel comfortable approaching us, and see us as people they can genuinely connect with. Be sure to check out our latest updates on our Instagram at students of Stafford. We want students to feel comfortable reaching out, sharing their thoughts, and for them to know that they have a direct line of communication with us. You can reach us at any time at [email protected]. We've also been planning a division-wide leadership workshop that will bring students together from across the county. We're really excited about this because it creates a space for students to connect, share ideas, and grow not just as individuals, but as leaders within their school communities. Alongside that, we plan to reach

105out to every principal in the county with an introductory message including a request for dates and events where we can be present within their school communities. Through all of this, our goal is to better understand each school and make sure every student feels seen, heard, and represented. We want to make We want to make sure and continue to build real relationships, staying present, and making student representation something that truly feels meaningful and accessible to everyone. And additionally, a reminder to our high school students as we approach prom season, be sure you are safe and making responsible decisions. Thank you. Thank you so much. Okay, now we move on to citizen comments. Three minutes are allocated to each speaker or group. Speakers shall identify themselves by name and organizational affiliation if the spokesman represents an organization.

106Speakers shall also announce the purpose or topic of their comments. Citizen comment which is profane, abusive, or which threatens imminent physical harm shall be ruled out of order by the chairperson. Individuals who would like to address the school board during this meeting are required to sign up by 6:50 p.m. Miss Hall, could you call the first five? Yes, ma'am. Mary Beth Speight, uh Cambry Walker, Benjamin Maselli, Eric Hokanson, and Liliana Berlette. Please hold your applause. My name is Cambry Walker, and I attend Mountain View High School in the Heartwood District. Today, I will be addressing my comments and opinions on some of the uh programs offered at school, starting with the performing arts and expanding to other um programs such as cosmetology and languages. Theater has been an important part of life since, well, ancient

107Greek and Roman times. Doctors used to recommend someone feeling ill to see a play to feel better. Today, theater is just as important in our everyday lives. It can change how people view a worldly topic or how they appreciate storytelling in life. It is a place that allows people of all ages um to be entertained and express themselves, and studies have found that it can be in a way uh people can cope with emotions or mental health. The theater and acting entertains us in everyday lives. For example, watching movies, shows, watching arts perform, or even improvisation. Improvisation, also known as improv, is used in daily conversations and allows us to widen our imagination and how quickly we can react on the spot. Theater teaches important life lessons like public speaking, learning to work as a

108community, and how to deal with problems on the spot. Band and orchestra and choir are also used as large forms of expression and entertainment. They can be used in songs from our favorite artists. They have been a part of classical music for centuries and many famous composers would not be known for what they are today if it wasn't for the arts. Limiting the performing arts after putting so much time and money into it will have unforeseen and damaging effects. Taking away some of these programs or downgrading them would be hard on all the students who have already invested them and have chosen to base their career path on them. Personally, I really only go to school for the theater program as I plan to earn a degree in theater and music to use as a

109composer later in life. Many other students also have similar reasoning and only go to school for the program that they want to major in. All of these programs can help shape students' futures and they can allow them to help people around the world. Cosmetology, for example, um is very important in our life and having our hair taken care of is um also knowing how to take care of a part of yourself. Another example is languages. Everyone needs to know a few languages to communicate with people around the world. Taking away those opportunities can damage people's lives in the future, especially for example, if there is a person in the language class that doesn't know English very well and only feels comfortable in that class. All of the programs are highly important to the growth of

110our student body as a whole and can determine many students' futures. I'm not saying all these programs are more important than any others, but they are a large choice as a career path for students later on in life and are very important in today's society as they give people jobs and future experiences they can use in their lives. I hope that you can take my comments into consideration and thank you for your time. Hello, my name is Benjamin Masoudi. I was recently honored tonight as an All-State student. Recently, it has been proposed that classes with less than 15 students will be cut. As I'm sure you all know, this will negatively affect students who take anything like advanced IB courses, culinary, cosmetology, and a lot of the fine arts. However, I think I would only

111be reiterating what most of the student population is saying. A more pressing issue is our teachers' livelihoods. Stafford County Public Schools pays their teachers far less than most surrounding counties, especially since we are the fifth wealthiest county in the state, and we have just received $24 million budget increase for education. Our teachers, especially those certified in teaching CTE programs, the fine arts, and advanced IB courses, don't do it for the money. They do it to positively impact the next generation of students. The fact of the matter is that most, if not all of our specially certified teachers, can make way more money doing what they love instead of teaching high school students. So, why does Stafford County Public Schools insist on driving these teachers away by cutting their classes and potentially moving them to part-time?

112If Stafford County Public Schools does insist on cutting specially certified teachers' classes, and potentially moving them to part-time, they will have to leave. Not because they hate our administration, or because they hate their job, but because they will not be able to provide for themselves or their families. Stafford County Public Schools loves to tell our teachers to remember their why, and yet they push away most teachers that do. I find it laughable that you have invited me and my fellow students here to honor us at excelling in the very same programs that you intend to cut. Thank you for your time. Hello, my name is Liliana Berlet. I am currently a junior at Mountain View High School. I'm also a costumer for the Wild Ax, which is something that I very much enjoy. I also

113take German two with Frau Holly, Miss Edwards' Medical Assistant CTE course, and Theater two with Mr. King. I can attest for for myself and at least one or two other students that the only reason I come to school some days is for these courses. I have very severe anxiety and some days it is very hard for me to get out of my bed, but I go to school because I love these courses. I'm also a military brat. I'm Navy. But if I didn't have these courses, I wouldn't be able to feel connected to my school community as I do now. It is laughable that we are planning on cutting these programs if they have less than 15 students considering we have a nationwide teacher shortage. And if we cut these classes, we will have even

114less teachers as many of them will transition out of teaching. We will also lose out on economic on boosting our economics because we will lose taxes because people won't move to the county. We have some of the best schools for in the state of Virginia, especially Innova, but they will leave if we don't have our IB, DE, AP, fine and performing arts, and CTE courses considering that's half the reason my parents came to this county. Sorry, I'm looking at my speech. Shelly? Thank you for your time. I'm Have a good night. Thank you. I am very short. Good evening. My name is Eric Hokanson. I've been teaching in this county for over two decades and I don't say that very lightly. For more than two decades, I have done everything this county has ever asked

115of me. I'm at the beck and call. Whenever you call, I answer. I have installed lighting and sound systems, the repair of lighting and sound systems, the curriculum design, even the building design of when the Stafford High School build out, Hartwood High School, the Colonial Forge black box, the Mountain View black box, countless videos, hundreds and hundreds of videos I made for the county over the last 20 years. I care deeply about my students. I care deeply about my program. I care deeply about the content that I teach and the work that I do. Uh otherwise, I wouldn't have been doing it for so long. I'm here tonight with concerns about the minimum enrollment guidelines. Over the last 5 years, Stafford County has expanded the academies, the pathways, the elective options, and this expansion has

116value. But, it's also spread enrollment out over all these courses. Student Student enrollment has not increased uh at the level that the course offerings has. I mean, there are literally dozens and dozens and dozens of elective choices. And our policies aren't reflecting that growth. Instead, we have minimum enrollment threshold guidelines that are affecting my reality. Uh they're affecting the students' reality. Um Currently, advanced and specialized courses with fewer than 15 students enrolled are just being combined together, which, you know, regardless of whether they have different curriculum, uh whether they have uh different uh learning agendas, they're just being kind of smooshed together, you know. Advanced coursework is, by its very nature, going to taper as you move through a program. That's sort of the nature of progression. By taking an advanced course and putting it

117back in an introductory course, the students are compromised, the the content is compromised, the teaching is compromised. These guidelines also create a very serious staffing concern because what this means is losing one section means that teacher is now no longer full-time. I speak to this because it's currently happening to me. I am three students short of uh of making a class, and I was told today that three students, I will no longer be full-time. So, 20-plus years in the county and now I I'm running out of options because of three students which I've had five students tell me that they want to sign up for it, but they're moving to Harwood High School next year. So, if they weren't moving to Harwood, I would be fine. But, instead here I am wondering if I have

118to leave Stafford County to seek full-time employment. I don't want to. I love my students. I love working here. I love working in my building. I've I've I've built a life here. I've built a career here, and yet this is a a very real thing that's happening to me and to my colleagues. I would ask that these guidelines be revisited or at least tempered while we're opening a new school so that it doesn't affect people's livelihoods as they are me. Thank you so much for YOUR TIME. MADAM CHAIR, THE NEXT THREE NAMES WILL BE Rhone Furlong, Amy Filizetti, and Shamgar Connors. Good evening. My name is Rhone Furlong, Harwood District. I was born and raised in Stafford, Virginia, and I'm a student at Mountain View High School. So, the phrase that I hear most in

119school-related marketing is setting our students up for future success. However, the recent budget proposal looks like it will result in the opposite effect. The Virginia Department of Education website has multiple pages that go back to the five C's of learning, which are communication, critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, and citizenship. Every one of these life skills is taught by the performing arts in every lesson. Can you name me a single other field of study that goes as far as to simultaneously instill every single one of these in every lesson? I think not. So, why are arts and advanced specialized classes like specialized languages, CTE, IB, AP classes all being consolidated into multi-level classes, which Mr. Hogancamp made some great points about, when they or worse they could be cut. So, the school superintendent's association website has

120an entire section that is dedicated to defending classes of 15 or less students. This is the cut off. It is on your website that this is fantastic for students learning and advancement because small groups encourage students to learn the five most critical skills of Stafford County: communication, critical creative thinking, collaboration. These are the skills that set our students up for future success. So, I went ahead and I took a poll from 200 high school students across the county and here's some of what they had to say. IB classes and theater classes changed my life. People should have the right to take those classes if they please even if not many others do. Uh if they promoted the arts as much as they promoted academy pathways, these classes would not be in jeopardy. My son loves

121the culinary arts program. He's applying to attend the Culinary Institute of America now. So, I spoke personally with my principal, Ms. Stephanie Sullivan, and with the chief Stafford chief of schools, Ms. Robert Marcy Robertson, for over an hour and they could not name me a single benefit of cutting these classes for their budget cuts. Not one. If that does not say what my school's priority is, I don't know what does. It is not the students, it's that. And if you need to make budget cuts, please do, but here's an idea. Look at where the root of the problem. All of the developers that are coming to Stafford and building communities before the schools are built. Have them pay $500, $1,000 per residency to the schools so that they can fund their teachers before we get

122rid of the things that are important to the county. So, a student a teacher asked me for help earlier this year. I made a sign I made a post and we had 120 kids at our interest meeting. Lack of enrollment is not due to lack of interest. It's due to lack of knowledge. Thank you. Hi, my name is Amy Filizetti. I'm speaking as a mother of a freshman student. I've also been with the county for 10 years and hold a uh masters in education and instruction. Um so, it is a fitting night to speak about supporting the arts as we applauded many amazing students achievements. As a mom of a freshman starting his high school career, I hope that he has the same opportunities for him and his peers. My son is part of the

123Mountain View theater program, a school widely recognized in the community for its performing arts. A school you heard mentioned numerous times during awards tonight. Currently, there is discussion about reducing this program to half its capacity. Such a reduction would significantly limit the number of classes and productions the school is able to offer. This is not just an internal loss for student. It directly impacts the broader community, which was also mentioned tonight about collaboration with our communities. These productions serve as a bridge between the school system and community and the arts and a critical part of that connection. Additionally, the opening of the Heartwood High School, also mentioned uh this evening, has been positioned as the potential alternative for students interested in the arts. It has been suggested that students could transfer there to pursue these

124opportunities. However, a closer look at the curriculum tells a different story. The pathways, which we saw offered at Heartwood, though amazing, focus primarily on media arts and not theater arts. These are not interchangeable disciplines and they do not provide the same educational experience. Additionally, it is on a lottery system in which there is now unlimited enrollment. Um not only that, but students also may not have access reliable access transportation to the school, which is also cutting access to students who may not be able to make this transition. Beyond student impact, there's also implications for our educators. I get it. I am one. Reducing the number of classes offered means reducing teacher hours. This shifts highly qualified dedicated professionals into part-time roles. At a time where cost of living continues to rise, especially in this area,

125I live here. I know. Um we cannot expect to retain talented educators under these conditions. Once these teachers leave for a full-time opportunities elsewhere, often outside our district, it is highly unlikely we will get them back. Furthermore, students in theater learn about many life skills. I'm not going to divulge in this a whole lot as a lot of the children have already talked about this. But as an educator within this county, these are the aspects that we want to see within our students. I look at you as I say this because I mean it from my heart and soul because I teach in this district. We want our children to have the skills that I have seen my child grow with in middle school and now as I saw him in the latest production that

126was absolutely phenomenal and brought in so much community. I I just not written. Just feelings. Um Also, I just wanted to add very quickly the mental health in which this helps our students again, which is a very big problem within our population. Thank you. Whoops. Well, hello world. Shamgar Channel Hollywood District. One small step for man and one giant leap for school board meetings. Now that NASA's latest Artemis 2 space voyage has transpired. It's the perfect time to discuss NASA's deep involvement in our public schools. NASA education what what some play would call indoctrination is mandatory in fourth, sixth, ninth, 10th, 11th grade kids must learn the NASA engineering design process, the history and technology of space exploration ooh in the space race. NASA questions even appear on our SOL test. Today, I identify as

127a NASA whistleblower astronaut. My pronouns are Houston and we have a problem. I am according to policy 2420-B, you must respect my gender sexual identity even though NASA can't respect basic evidence. Now here's the big news. We never went to the moon. It's all fake. It's time to stop feeding our children lies, CGI and Hollywood basement production directed by Stanley Kubrick. NASA officially admitted they lost all the original telemetry telemetry data, formulas, videotapes from the first moon landing. Their excuse? They needed the hard drive space for other experiments they deleted humanity's supposed greatest achievement. If that's not the most expensive oopsies in history, I don't know what it is. The one job they were created for, they couldn't even save their streets. Pro wrestling has more believable storylines than that. Every single photo on Earth

128or planets, they're labeled as artist renditions at the bottom. Go look at them. They're all fake. Now meanwhile, NASA burns $73 million of taxpayer money every single day. What do they do with it? Well, not return to the moon obviously because in their own words, they lost the technology. Classic NASA. Billions to supposed to go to the moon then oopsies, we all forgot how. Now if we disbanded NASA tomorrow, that daily cash fire hose could fund health care for everyone and homelessness and help the poor and our schools overnight. Now as your friendly neighborhood whistleblower astronaut, let me confirm we never went to the moon. And speaking of recent space trips, that $23 million toilet in Artemis 2 broke right after launch. There's newspaper article about it. Now picture this. Here's what happened on Artemis.

129Four going adults locked in a space closet for 10 days, forced to handle business in their pants, complaining about a terrible smell as documented online on articles. Sleeping and floating around in fully loaded space diapers, that's official NASA term. Bumping into each other like a zero-gravity porta-potty nightmare. Dehydrated food that makes everything worse. Basically, astronaut chili that keeps on giving. They then they supposedly scream back in the atmosphere at 25,000 mph in a giant fireball at 5,000° F, half the temperature of the sun. They slow down with magical parachutes that magically don't burn up. Splash in the ocean, there's no steam, and then they step out. "Yeah, hey, look at us. We're smiling." Like they just got to Disney World. Look, nobody on Earth would be smiling after that. They dropped the castle from a

130plane. It's all fake. Even NASA's famous blue marble Earth it is admitted by its own creator, Robert Simmons, you can look it up, to be completely photoshopped. His words, documented, he said, "It's photoshopped because it has to be." You can spot the clouds copied and pasted like a bad wall picture paper job. Our kids deserve truth, not tax-taxpayer-funded fairy tales. Ban NASA from our classrooms, and then indoctrination. Also, wake up, sheeple, the Earth is flat. This spinning globe, I hate it. That's what it is. It's flat. Okay? The Bible says it's flat. Read it. Time's up. >> Thank you. I'm going to read the next three names, the last three names. They are Kelly Madis or Maddies, Molly Denham, and Chap Peterson. Good evening. My name is Kelly Madis, and I'm the German teacher at

131Brook Point High School. I'll be talking about the world the singleton world language programs here. I'm retiring this year, and so is the German program at Brook Point High School. It was decided This leaves Brook Point with only two world languages next year, and a half of a Latin program. This was decided apparently by mid-February. The position was posted in January. I know this because my counselors started to meet with my students who would come and tell me their only option was to take virtual Virginia. Your site-based management has allowed the principals to lay waste to the singleton languages in order to use the FTEs for classes they deem more important. The district only has to offer the classes, you don't actually have to staff them. This has led to the facts for next year.

132One Spanish teacher in each middle school and one lone German teacher at Rodney Thompson. The principals at the last two middle schools that were teaching French decided to eliminate the French program at their schools, although there is a dedicated experienced French teacher at those two schools. Student interest has not waned at the middle schools, but when you offer the classes and then you don't ever staff them, the kids get the point. It's futile to sign up. At Brook Point actually in the whole district, there will be no full German language programs this year. Our DE and AP classes are being canceled because they don't have the magic 15, a rule your central office staff made. You're opening a sixth high school. The numbers at every school were going to fall because of the redistricting. Did

133they and you not consider making adjustments for this? It will take a couple of years for the numbers to rebound, but wait, that's not going to happen, is it? There are no more feeders except for Spanish. There are no 4 by 4s allowed except at Mountain View. And high school teachers aren't they and can't pick up a middle school class because the middle school children schedules were changed so that that solution doesn't work either. So, you like to compare yourselves to Nova, but your overall world language program can't even compare to Spotsy, which has six years of four languages at its middle schools and high schools. Your principals blame all this on central office rules and your central office staff blame this the principals for their site-based management decisions. Our students are caught in the

134middle and the people who actually care for them and care about what happens to them and have the expertise to help you with this, our coordinator, which we've had 10 of in the last 20 years, are ignored. Are you going to let this continue? Are you going to be a district that is looks good on paper but has ever-decreasing substance? Molly Denham, Hartwood District. I have two topics tonight. First, I want to speak to the consent agenda item concerning approval of middle school mathematics textbooks. I think it's important to be clear that this is not a textbook adoption in the traditional sense. This is a purchase of primarily digital materials with only a single set of physical books available for each classroom. As a parent, I can tell you the digital approach to math does

135not work, especially for students who struggle like mine. When there is no consistent, accessible resource at home, it becomes extremely difficult for parents to help. That frustration builds quickly and for students, it often leads to disengagement, loss of confidence, and ultimately a belief that simply they aren't good at math, which is what I have heard recently from my kid. Math requires practice, repetition, and working through problems. When that process is shifted primarily onto a screen, it weakens how concepts are learned and retained. Um I urge you to reconsider this approach and ensure students have access to physical materials that they can use outside of the classroom. And while I'm on the topic of digital tools, I need to address Canvas. For a parent from a parent's perspective, quite simply, it sucks to use. It is

136difficult to navigate, it is not intuitive, and it does not provide clear real-time insight into what students are currently working on. It functions very well as an after-the-fact record-keeping tool, but is not meaningful for support tool for parents. I asked the district to take a hard look at both the cost and the effectiveness of this platform. My second topic is state testing. SOL season is once again upon us and rearing its ugly head, and I will repeat what I have said before. These tests do not meaningfully support students, teachers, or our schools. Instead, they consume instructional time, overtake what topics are taught, and place additional pressure on already overburdened teachers. For my fellow parents, you are not obligated to have your child participate in state testing and can refuse testing by simply writing a note

137to your school principal requesting removal from state testing. The school can then code the refusal as status five, and it will not be counted against the school. In addition, unless your child is in high school, refusal to take SOLs in no way affects them, their grades, or their progression. For the school board, as the governing body for our district, I urge you to consider saying no to SOL testing. Every single one of you up there knows that SOL testing is just a black hole time suck for our kids and our teachers with no real value. I would like to see you add this to your legislative agenda to ensure our state representatives knows that there is a desire by constituents to remove it as a requirement for graduation and ultimately get rid of SOL programs

138all together. Good evening. My name is Chap Peterson and I'm here actually on behalf of a client. I represent San Jose Construction Group and I'm not angry. I'm actually just here to talk a little bit about school construction and I want to introduce my client who had been a bidder on the Drew Middle School project and I did bring some materials which I would like to pass out if that's all right. Go this way. And let me just say that in a few minutes you all will take up the school construction project the contract for $78 million for the renovation of Drew Middle School and I know and I been elected official myself for quite a while. I know that you all are going to rely on your staff and and the information that they

139give you but I just wanted to fill in some gaps on that project. My client was a bidder on that project. In fact, they were the low bidder on that project. They were disqualified for being quote non-responsive and the details I've got into we've had letters back and forth with staff but I think one of the issues is my client is originally a Spanish company and did 61 projects or did 160 educational projects in Spain, 61 other projects internationally and has done projects in Fairfax County for example in Loudoun but did not have enough reference points according to the staff in order to be qualified. I'm not here to debate those details with you all again as I said you're going to rely on staff but my client would like to do business in this

140county. They have done a number of projects internationally the The in Abu Dhabi which is an addition to Paris, which apparently also has a Louvre, a Fontaine building in Galicia, and the Hilton family hotel in United Arab Emirates. I have some of those projects just so you can see those. These are beautiful buildings. They're very professionally done. And again, my client wants to do business in this county. So, even though we were not able apparently to win this project, it was worth it for us for the need to come down here and just let you know y'all know who we are and that we would like to keep competing in this county. And like I said, I'll just begin as I end that the last thing is we have been communicating with your staff and

141to the extent we did not qualify, I would appreciate if you all could articulate that basis to us pursuant to Virginia code. But other than that, I'm just here to say thank you. I know it's a thankless task and appreciate your patience and I'm going to go home and see my wife. Have a nice evening. Thanks. Is there anyone else? We'll close public comments and move on to our action item, the award of a contract in the amount of $78 million to Hask Construction for the construction of a new Drew Middle School replacement. I make a motion that we approve to award the contract to Hask Construction for the new construction of a new Drew Middle School. Do we have any discussion? I'm super excited. Drew has needed to be replaced for a very, very,

142very long time. Although I was recently in Florida and the school down there was parts of it from 1923. So, we aren't the only ones. Please cast your vote. The measure passes unanimously. Dr. Smith? Yes, ma'am. Board members, members of our community, a couple things I'd like to share with you this evening. First, we're going to start with mental health. Mental health matters here in Stafford, and since the launch of 20 March 2026, we've launched a mental health tele-support uh telehealth support initiative, and we've already received 22 referrals, 100 100 of which 100% of which were initiated by our families. The primary reasons for seeking support are students feeling sad, anxious, withdrawn. Uh they all We also have heard some concerns about exhibiting challenging behavior. Um and so, our communications have been sent, and intakes

143have already been scheduled for these students, and I just wanted to make sure that all of our families are aware of this. We've been trying to push it out anyway that we can to know that we have this free service for each of our students. Um it is available for you and your family to take a take advantage of. We have the QR code here on the slide. Uh it is easy to sign up, just a simple two-step process. It's also on our website. Just want to encourage our our students and families to please take advantage of it. I'd also want to highlight that Stafford schools now partners with Schoolinks. It's an academic planning and college and career readiness platform for grades 3 through 12, and is really helping to prepare our students for life

144after graduation. This program helps students discover their interests and strengths, explore colleges and careers, and create individualized academic and career plan that best reflects their post-secondary goals. Personally, I can say I've used this with my daughter, and it's been a great resource for exploration, information, and planning. For more information about Schoolinks, please to visit visit our website. Uh we have it posted there under trending now in the top right, and click on Schoolinks. Now, in terms of a budget update, our school division remains in the middle of our FY27 budget process. Uh there are critical funding pieces that we're still waiting to come together. First, we're waiting on the state General Assembly to reconvene and finalize the state budget. We're hopeful this will happen next week, providing us with more information to help build our

145budget. Second, the County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to set a tax rate and adopt the budget on April 28th. Prior to the county finalizing their budget, our school board and Board of Supervisors will hold a joint work session this Thursday to discuss the school's budget. To ensure we can release contracts to our returning team members and prospective new employees as soon as possible, our school board is a scheduled a budget work session on April 29th. Our goal is to reconcile and finalize the the budget promptly. And once the salary scales for next year has been finalized, our human resources and finance departments will collaborate to send out contracts as quickly as possible. Staff will receive more information as soon as we have finalized a timeline. I do want to take a moment and thank

146our incredible staff for the work you do each and every day to support our students, families, and communities. Yesterday, we kicked off Love Stafford Schools Week, and it's really a time to celebrate the people and partnerships that make our division so strong. Throughout this week, we've been highlighting staff, families, we'll highlight our military community, students, and the broader community. As we kicked off the week by celebrating love our staff, we want to recognize the incredible individuals who make our schools strong each and every day. They're at the heart of Stafford Schools, and the dedication is what drives our student success. Thank you, and this conclude my remarks for this evening. Thank you, Dr. Smith. Um moving on to school board member comments. Um Ms. Randall, would you like to start us off? Um I'll go

147a little later. Okay, Mr. Reagan. Yeah, thanks. Um so usually I give uh Ms. Finger Holtz a hard time about talking too much during board comments, but I'm going to uh uh speak for a minute tonight. Um the first thing I want to say uh I think the presentations by V pack in the military um committees were awesome. Uh I love the idea of having this resource guide for military families. Anybody that's moved uh frequently knows how hard it is to um you know, kind of inmesh yourself in a new place and I think having a guy like this is just a brilliant idea. Um and then we also had uh some information given us to us in the work session earlier about the North Stafford renovation. So, I'm super excited to see how that

148looks. Uh but the majority I want to talk about is to to you guys, to the theater the theater people. Um so, I uh I'm a varsity basketball coach. But when I was in high school, I played basketball, I played soccer, and I was a theater kid. And all of those things helped mold the person that I grew into. Theater, you guys are some of the most passionate people we have in schools. And passion is so important uh especially in this age of social media and uh and digital distractions. Uh I loved hearing what you guys had to say. It's it's important. We have passionate kids in Stafford. We have passionate teachers in Stafford. Um the teachers that spoke during citizen comments, really relevant, really important stuff. Passionate parents, um Ms. Denham, I think. Great

149great stuff you talked about. Really really important stuff. 91% of our speakers tonight had passionate relevant things to say. And that's really important for us to hear, right? Um the last thing I want to say and Dr. Smith just touched on it, the telehealth that we rolled out, take advantage of that. There's so many There's so many concerns now about mental health and and fear of speaking up if if you are feeling a certain way or you're not sure or you're anxious or depressed, but that's a resource for for you guys. And I would rather you take advantage of that than sit at home and not. Does that make sense? Yeah, I guess at the end of the day what I'm trying to say is that uh I care about you guys. That's why I

150do this. And and I'm speaking mostly to the students right now. I'm a high school teacher. It's my entire life. So, please take care of yourselves and use the the resources that we have for you. Thank you. Ms. Yulee? Thank you. I also want to uh thank all the speakers tonight. It's always a pleasure to hear from students. I mean, that's one reason why we're here. Um very important reason. Um but I I do want to note that this this 15 student minimum is is nothing new this year. I mean, this has been around as long as I can remember. Um in fact, you know, over 20 years it's been here. I don't know why it's I don't know become a problem this year because I think a lot of our schools work around it.

151And you know, we I I think you you mentioned the principal of Mountain View and I know I've seen many letters from the principal, you know, explaining, you know, how they're trying to work uh to make sure that the students, you know, are um accommodated and that we can work it out, but I also saw um you know, letters from from um Dr. Robinson that talked about the minimum versus the average class size. And I I think it's something to to keep in mind. It's certainly Ideally, we could have as many classes as we wanted for, you know, single digits. And in in the past, there have been classes for single digits. I mean, under 10 people. And that's when I recall it became, you know, a topic of discussion. And where do we you

152know, where where do we set a a target? And I I think that's what this is. This is a target. But for every class that is smaller, there's going to be a class that's that's larger. So, just, you know, keep that in mind um as well. But I I I think you make some really good points about opening of the new school and the redistricting. So, the good news is we have a new school. We're not going to have overcrowded high schools anymore. The bad news is we're spreading the students out. So, that's something um you know, I I I would suggest that we take into consideration in what I'll call a transition, you know, period because it is a unique year. With so many of our students that are moving, not just because of

153the new school, but with all the specialty centers that are coming into their own. And there's a lot of students are going to be going to schools outside their district as as well. And I want to thank the teachers that came. You have a very long day. And I'm appreciate you, you know, staying here and addressing us um I don't know. I see those buses out in the morning and think, "Oh my gosh, it's a early early early early day." And it it sometimes never ends. Um I I also wanted to um note to the board when we have our our budget uh work session later this month. Um I would ask if we could consider moving location so that we could attend if we choose the Mentor 360 event. That is a very important

154event for me because these are the the teachers that take their time working with our new teachers and there's so much recognition from the new teachers about the you know the the benefits of having a mentor and working for them and the whole reason we set this night up is to honor our mentors and because of the timing, you know, it's it would be very challenging uh to go there and then have a budget meeting at 6:30. And then I know time is of the essence and we have to have it on that night, but I would suggest that we either move it a little later, which is not my favorite, but or or move it closer to where the event's being held because we do have um Colonial Forge and um Thompson that are

155very close by to that event and it would at least give um us if we choose an opportunity to be able to to go and to to thank our mentors. I think that's very you know, important. And I will be stopping by there. So if I'm a little late for the meeting, you y'all feel free. Just if you finish before I get here, that's fine, too. But I but I will be uh I will be coming, but it it it's it's it's a recognition and we ask a lot of our mentors and it's uh it's a 2-year program, is it not? Ms. Randall, yeah, they commit for 2 years to work with a a new teacher and that the um you know, the the accolades that come forth are are pretty amazing and they they

156have very little compensation for for what they're doing. So I would ask that we consider that. We've got a couple weeks before that meeting. Thank you. Ms. Randall, are you ready? Sure. Um I would uh I would also like to thank all of our speakers that came this evening. Student voice is something that we really appreciate because we brought Talea and Sophie. We have two student representatives that serve on our board now. Um and have we've had a couple for the last few years. And so, it is something that they have been really a proponent of. So, we do appreciate you coming forward. It's hard for we can't respond and give you answers in this position like this. Um and you I know for those of you been writing um Dr. Schutz and Dr. Robertson

157has done a really good job of um communicating on the board's behalf. So, continue doing what you're doing cuz we need to hear your voice on any kind of subjects, not just this one. So, definitely thank you for coming. Um as well as to our teachers. You know, when we go into uh the schools, when we hear from teachers, it helps to uh give us a perspective that is um maybe not one that we have. Um I know before I got on the board, I read a book and it was called um know what you don't know. And one of the benefits of that um book that I really remember is go behind the gatekeeper. And I'm not saying anything like down, but our superintendent gives us information. Our staff gives us information. But sometimes

158they give us the information as Dr. Chase often says, from their lens. So, sometimes it's important for us as board members to go behind the gatekeepers and hear what other people may have to say from their lens, their perspective, and their experience. So, I appreciate getting that um information from others. And sometimes it melts exactly with what we're being told and other times there's a glitch that you know, we and then we get to have the one-on-one opportunities to say, "Hey, this is what you said. This is what I heard. I'm curious. Can you help me out?" And we can get more clarity. So, perspectives all matter. Your lens matters as well as our lens, his lens. So, we just definitely appreciate the different perspectives that we get in this. Um And and we want

159what's best for our students. We approved a program of study back in November that would offer opportunities, lots of opportunities. Yes, this is our challenge year because we've had overcrowded high schools. Now, we have lower numbers in our high schools and a high school that doesn't even have a senior class. So, it's going to take a minute for us to get it all leveled out again. Um and we may have to make some different choices or and/or we may have to, you know, consider highly a student perspective, parent perspective, teacher perspective and find a way to come to common ground. It's just the work we do. We don't all agree up here. We have to figure it out. We have to work it out and try to come to um a common ground. Um but

160anyways, I do want to thank also our staff for sharing out on our socials the production schedules in in like one place of all the middle school and high school productions. That is so helpful because it just even further showcases I mean, we've got we've been so lucky tonight. It's all about fine and performing arts. We had the talk about the North Stafford edition. We had the report from the fine and performing arts um advisory committee and we love our advisories. And um we got to hear from some of the students and teachers. And so um it and to now we have this great theater production schedule all over the county. How lucky are we? We have opportunities to see amazing talent. Um you can give a ticket for Mother's Day. You can give it

161for a teacher appreciation. You can go on a date with your friends, whatever you'd like. We just have a real wealth of um talent to showcase. And speaking of talent to showcase, I do want to remind everybody on April 25th, we have our 50th annual fine and performing arts um show and it is it always blows me away to see it. But even more is to come on Friday night when they're loading it in. When you realize how much time and detailed teachers have taken to label all these pieces of teach all these art things, label all of these art things, make a display that is just going to knock your socks off when you say, "How did they think to do it that way?" Um they're bringing in magnets and clips and I mean,

162they're literally like moving a house into these schools of art and it's absolutely amazing. But at the same time, one of my favorite classes at North Stafford High School, my alma mater, is the horticulture class. They're having their plant sale, 9:00 to 2:00 that same day on the 25th. And then, if you miss it because you can't be at two places Forge and North at the same time, I get it. They're going to have another opportunity on May 9th. Day before Mother's Day, you forgot her? Get there. You have an instant gift. I'm telling you that is is amazing class. I was very, very Dr. Warner and I both got to escort um Congressman Vinman there. And now mind you, his kid goes to Colgan. He already had a little tour of Colgan, and he

163was blown away. Wasn't he, Dr. Schutz? at North Stafford High School when he saw that. And the automotive, vehicles in the air were actually a teacher's vehicle. How about trust there? And a parent's vehicle. Even more trust. Up in the air, kids working underneath. It's really really some cool things we have going on. And I hope that you get to go and support that plant sale because they actually make the corsages and boutonnieres for the senior prom. And I'm not talking your prom, I'm talking the over 55 prom. Yes, I can go. But it is they make all the corsages and boutonnieres for all the participants that come. So, it's a really really fun uh thing to attend, and I hope you can um support Mr. Rossi and his students cuz they are phenomenal kids.

164Really phenomenal kids. So, um that's all I have. Thank you. Ms. Blackwell? Good evening, everyone. Um I want to say that if performing arts is what gives the students who spoke tonight the strength and the power to stand up here and speak with all the passion, then let's keep that keep that around. Um it's really good speeches tonight. Um speaking of which, um I want to just talk a little bit about some of the things I've been able to do during the last 30 since we've had the last meeting. And one of the one of the things I've been able to do is get out in the community a little bit more. I attended the Park Ridge Elementary um uh talent show. And um it was great. One of my favorite acts was a young

165man who had to be maybe the second or third grade who was a comedian, and he really knew how to work the crowd as a uh as a young eight nine-year-old guy um student. I also attended the Deer Basketball. Yay, staff. And um there was a gentleman on there for on the staff side um against the against law enforcement, but there was a gentleman on there. I think it was number seven, and I thought I was actually at a actual uh NBA game or something. This guy was unstoppable. So, if you all know who number seven was, then I would go and pay and watch him play LeBron LeBron James or someone. He was really good um at the free throw line. I don't think he missed anything, and he purposely was getting fouled on

166a regular. Um I also was able to meet at uh with the Hope Squad at Stafford High School um during the last 30 days, and those young people were excited about the mission and getting others excited about uh the mission itself. I attended two events at Embry Mill both time Embry Mill um both time participating in awarding a young lady each time um who were doing great things in the com- in the community. So, that was really good, and Liberty knows I participated in the Zumba. No, I don't have any rhythm anymore, um which was celebrating the life of a young man who lost his life last year. I think it was about 18 or 19 years old, but it hasn't all been fun and games. Um I attended VSBA orientation part two with Charlottesville

167with with um Ms. Fingerhose and Dr. Smith, and our focus was on ethics, effective boardsmanship, and essentially really understanding our roles and impact. Um we also had governance training as uh Dr. Chase mentioned earlier, and that was also facilitated by VSBA. And one lesson I was able to walk away with was we should make every effort to stop along the way um every now and then to assess whether whether or not um we are 100% focused on where our our focus is where it needs to be as we sit down as a group. And as a veteran, I would be remiss if I didn't say don't forget to wear your purple tomorrow. Um and that's all I have. Thank you. Ms. Fingerbolt. Thanks. Um there are also a ton of fun things I was able

168to do this month from training to site visits um to the listening session that I did. So thank you to those who came out to that. Um here are just a few of the thank yous and things. I put them all in a list. Mr. Reagan. Um I know I'm going to miss some though. The Embry Mill community St. Patrick's Day event, the Heartwood High welcome night and meeting with Dr. Kelly, the Dare basketball game that guy carried. The team was awesome. You were exactly right. Um several school board association trainings, the firefighter program parent teacher resource center student government spring luncheon um the shark tank presentations at ATI were so cool cuz the kids did a whole bunch of 3D printing products. Um the cup stacking competition that was held at Rock Hill this

169year. Um definitely congratulations to the winners there. I was able to move my schedule around where I didn't think I was going to be able to make the clockmaker's daughter at Mountain View and it was absolutely phenomenal. The orchestra um props, stage management, acting, all of it. It was just phenomenal. My husband is not a theater guy and afterwards he was like, "That was a good suggestion. I'm glad we went." So you guys are really good. Um I want to thank our families and staff for sharing their ideas. Um sometimes the reason we don't do something a certain way is simply because somebody didn't ask. We forget that we all kind of are in the the trenches of everything and forget sometimes the simple solution. So you're actually now able to filter on the calendar

170on our school calendar for budget specific meetings all because of one mom asked, "Hey, why don't you do this?" So thank you Marietta for for doing that and staff for making that adjustment. Um I also appreciate all the thoughts and experiences being shared on the topic of class size and class offerings. Um, it's it's critical that we hear that stuff. Um, there are lots of end-of-year fun and performances and field days coming up, but I do want to focus on something that's just a little bit more serious. On May 7th, um, there is going to be a town hall held by Daryl Delegate Stacey Carroll, um, from 6:30 to 8:30 at Colonial Forge on the North Anna Rooster Transmission Line, that's previously known as Kraken. Um, so kind of keep an eye out for some

171public information that should be coming out soon. Um, I'm hearing that Dominion reps will actually be there. So, please come, um, even if the lines are not placed near your home, the proposed path does go along several of our property lines for our schools, so like Brook Point, um, Crow's Nest, H. H. Poole, Rodney Thompson, and Mountain View could potentially be impacted by these. So, I definitely would love to hear from families. And then, on the budget the Board of Supervisors meeting on the 21st and 28th, their agendas are not out yet, um, but please go speak at their meetings as well. Just like us during public comment, you can speak about whatever you like, no matter what's on their agenda, you can go and say say your two cents, your ideas, your questions, and

172your comments there as well. And thank you for the cookies that we got, too, from the librarians. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Chase. Yeah. So, um, anyone follow the Artemis 2 mission to the moon last week? Um, I spent Sunday morning listening to moon music. Um, the dark side of the moon, blue moon, harvest moon, fly me to the moon, you saw the whole of the moon, I don't want to live on the moon, bad moon rising. Um, feel free to send me other moon, uh, songs if you come up with any. Um, something you probably didn't know about me um, is that when I was in graduate school in Houston, Texas, I had the opportunity to do an internship at NASA Johnson Space Center. And um, I worked with a group developing some of

173the experiment experiments carried out by the hundredth space shuttle mission. Um, but one of the other things I studied was how experts and novices differ in their mental models. A mental model refers to how you represent or conceptualize information internally. Um, I looked at subjects like physics and computers. But one example of how experts and novices differ is in memory. If you are a novice chess player and I show you a chessboard mid-game and let you study it for a few minutes and then later ask you to recreate the board, you might remember where three or four of the pieces go. If I show the same board to a chess grandmaster they are able to remember almost the entire board. Um, this is because as experts they use their mental models to think about things

174like strategy, who's winning, where are the weaknesses, etc. Same thing with basketball. Um, LeBron James has an unbelievable memory for basketball games. But much of this superior memory is supported by his personal mental model of basketball. And if you don't believe me, check it out on YouTube. LeBron James basketball memory. Um, you can see similar things in relation to expertise in music, mathematics, law, medicine. But most of the research on expertise stresses the importance of time spent working and learning to reach mastery. Some claims claim that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert. So, a question I have been pondering is what role, if any, can technology play in the development of mastery for our children? I would love to hear people's thoughts and experiences on this subject in the next

175month or two. And anyway, thank you everybody. Thank you. Well, I'm just going to mention that um to tonight in the consent agenda, we discussed the new mass school middle school curriculum. And um I just want the public to know that that has been on the website. There is a form for you to make comments. It's been up since March 27th, and you'll have 30 days to make comments to um to give us our your feedback on the curriculum. Uh the second thing I would like to say to our students is thank you. I know how difficult it is to get up and put yourself out there and to say what's important to you. And we do appreciate what you're saying. We're trying very hard to balance and juggle budget concerns and needs and and

176and we're I just want you to know that not everything is written in stone, and many of these rules are are much more flexible and a case-by-case basis, and I think that it's not always as as ironclad as it appears. Um I would like to mention that uh Ms. Ramble and I took uh Mr. Vinman to uh North Stafford High School, where we had an opportunity to listen to him. And um And and he was he's been a very strong supporter of our schools. And I I do appreciate his his attendance. Um I'd like to remind everybody that the 5K race, the mental health 5K race for the Stanford Education Foundation will be May 16th. And most of us, I think some of us will be participating in that event. Um, I do appreciate the

177VSBA uh governance training that we attended. I think our board does try very hard to learn how to work together more effectively and to try to remember that as a governing board, our primary focus is on student outcomes. And then I would like to tell everybody that the Artemis 2 astronauts were all educated in public schools. And I have a very deep interest in space. I once took 42 kids to space camp in Huntsville, Alabama. 36 of them were boys between the ages of 13 and 17 and six of them were girls. It was quite the experience, but the opportunities and the things that they learned were phenomenal. And um I think that one thing that is is really important about the way the space program is is not only are these extremely intelligent people

178that have dedicated their lives to learning and engineering the the processes to get there, but they have dreamed about doing it. And then they made it happen. And I think that that's something that we need to instill in students is that ability to dream something and make it happen. Um, I'm going to move on to the meetings coming up. The 16th, we will be have a joint meeting with the Board of Supervisors at 5:00 p.m. They will be talking to us about the tax rate and the potential budget. Um, we have a work session and on April 29th because we will finally have the budget from the county and the state. And then we have a legislative debrief on April 30th. And then the next monthly meeting is May 12th. I would like I would

179recommend that everybody find the performances and go to some performances at our schools because we have some amazingly talented students. Thank you. We are adjourned.