001Good afternoon. My name is Kathleen Brown, chair of the school board, and I call this administrative, informal, and workshop session to order. We are on the school board administrative matters and reports. I have a couple of things as we get to the end of the academic year. Madam Chair, can I just take role? Yep. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. President the school board chamber are Chair Brown, Vice Chair Williams, Mr. Bowensteel, Mr. Kalen, Mr. Co Pepper, Mr. Cummings, Miss Dwire, Miss Felton, Dr. Green, Miss Melnik, and Miss Rogers. Thank you. Um the first thing is we vote on our committee assignments at the end of June. So schoolboard colleagues, if you can, you know, review your committee assignments or look at the committees that are available and email Vice Chair Wis and I your
002requests so that we can get that together and bring it on for information at our next formal meeting and for action at the end of June there. That would be great. Um also you got Madam Chair, I'll remind you under appendix C, the staff members to the committees should also be sending information with their chair for that committee into the to the school board chair. They basically the meetings you had during the year and who attended them. That's one of your requirements under appendix C. And that that here is in my list um as well. So, chairs of those standing committees under appendix C, as uh our attorney just mentioned, if you could submit your attendance for those meetings, we need that uh here as we get to the end of the year. And then
003our clerk sent us a reminder about graduation attendance grids. Those are due tomorrow. So, if you could take a look at that. Just a reminder, we have the superintendent evaluation next week at 400 p.m. And then um also we have the retreat schedule here in front of you in your packet. There was a couple of there was quite a few last minute uh requests and I worked with Dr. Robertson and Vice Chair Williams to modify this retreat agenda. So it is here in front of you in your pocket. I think it's under this cover sheet. So anyway, I open the floor for any other. Okay. All right. Moving on. We are now on to our mental health services update. All right. Yes, ma'am. So, our superintendence evaluation is June 2nd, correct? Okay. And then our
004next formal meeting is June 8th. So for which is Monday, Monday, June 8th. Monday, June 8th. So, and thank you for that reminder as well, so that we can make sure everybody doesn't get their days crossed. All right. All right. Thank you. Well, before I get started, was just to say good afternoon, Chairwoman Brown, Vice Chairwoman Williams, members of the school board, and Dr. Robertson. My name is Robert Jameson, executive director for the Office of Student Support Services, and I'm here today to provide an update on the current mental health initiatives in Virginia Beach City Public Schools. I'm going to pause there because I'm not 100% certain that what's in your handouts of pack or your packet with handouts directly matches all the slides, but what is online is accurate. So, I'll make sure that
005you have access to what you need. We shall see. All right. For today's presentation, uh we will review current needs and challenges related to mental health, share information from the mental health task force, and outline several next steps. With May being mental health awareness month, it is important to note how approximately 23.1% of adults in the United States experience a mental health disorder each year, with half of all mental health disorders beginning by age 14 and 75% by age 24. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth ages 10 to 14 and the third le leading cause of death in young adults ages 15 to 24. As you see in the table, overall we are seeing a decrease in the total number of suicide risk assessments in comparison to the 23 24 school
006year. Although middle school will likely increase this year, we do not anticipate reaching the total number from the 2324 school year. We are making progress in this critical area and we'll continue working to meet our students and families needs. Many of the updates I share today come from the work of this year's mental health task force. This year, as in previous years, the task force is comprised of parents who are VBCPS employees, a school board member, Mrs. Rogers, community mental health service providers, community stakeholders, school administrators, counselors, psychologists, behavior intervention specialists, central office staff, as well as central office administrators. On the slide, you see the logos of the community organizations who are participating. And as always, I want to take this opportunity to thank all participating members. Their hard work, dedication, passion, and willingness
007to contribute continue to be phenomenal. The work of the mental health task force continues to serve as an extension of our Virginia Beach school safety task force led by Dr. Robertson, Mr. Jack Freeman, and city officials. In August 2021, the school board confirmed 10 recommendations for the mental health task force, which continued to shape the task force's organizational structure. The stigma team felt there needed to be more specific efforts towards family engagement and staff mental health. To honor this need, work teams were updated to access awareness, family engagement, and staff mental health for this year. For updates and accomplishments, we will begin with the access work team. And please note, all programs on this slide require parental consent. The division continues to partner with Child and Youth Behavioral Health Services of Virginia Beach to offer
008rapid response services to elementary students and their families. These services ensure families are connected with appropriate services that are available through the city of Virginia Beach. Since beginning of the school year, we have processed 53 rapid response referrals. We have expanded our partnership with Child and Youth Behavioral Health to include brief counseling. This program began in September 2024 at the Renaissance Academy and in January 2026 for elementary students. The Child and Youth Behavioral Health Clinicians provide 6 to 12 sessions of short-term solution focused outpatient therapy. And since the launch launch of this program, there have been 64 referrals, 44 at elementary level, and 20 at the Renaissance Academy. Additionally, we continue to partner with CHKD to offer a bridge program to secondary students and have expanded these services to some elementary students. This school year,
009we have received 58 bridge referrals through our Department of Technology. Sec, excuse me, securely alerts, well, they alert us when students submit content that suggests a threat to harm self or others. During school hours, these alerts are received and addressed by security and emermergency management and school staff. After school hours, security and emermergency management staff, excuse me, have responded to these concerns 24 hours a day on nights, weekends, and holidays. Security and emergency management have received 292 mental health security alerts so far this school year. And through our partnership, CHKD responded to 69 of these after hours school after school hours referrals leading to completion of immediate risk assessments, creation of safety plans, and referrals to emergency services. Of the 69 after hours mental health security notifications, 13 resulted in a referral to the bridge
010program. For the 202526 school year, BBCPS was awarded the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Grant for TEA Mental Health Services. The Virginia Department of Education provided school divisions with a list of approved providers and VBCPS selected UWL to be the the service provider. VBCPS chose UWIL because they offer an unlimited number of sessions and families do not need insurance to participate. This resource is only for secondary students. Again, parental consent is required and services are only available outside of school hours. Additionally, students can access UELP for direct connection to a licensed counselor for crisis support and U Rise, which is on demand wellness programming. On the next slide, we will review some of the participation data. Since launching UWL in December 2025, 108 secondary students have registered and 81 are currently engaging
011with you as of May 8th to address anxiety, depression, and stress. Again, all with parental consent. In a recent communication from UWIL to Dr. Robertson, one of their team members shared the following. There have been 184 instances where students actively search for a follow-up session within a week of their most recent appointment, which really underscores the need for immediate and accessible support given the reality of long wait lists elsewhere. Just as important, the VBCPS team has been exceptional to work with. The staff at both the district and school level have been incredibly collaborative, responsive, and genuinely wonderful. partners throughout this process. That level of engagement makes a real difference in how effectively students and families are able to access care. As a quick recap of the VBCPS mental health services landscape, rapid response is a
012three-hour intake process to connect families with services. Brief counseling services are for K12 students not at risk for hospitalization. You will provides telemental health for secondary students who need mental health support. And the CHKD bridge program is for secondary students at risk for hospitalization. With three hours for each rapid response referral, an average of six sessions for each of the students referred to the other programs, and at a value of $200 per hour, VBCPS provides two over $275,000 worth of services to our community. In addition to the direct services we just reviewed, Keros Solace helps BBCPS families navigate the mental health care and social services systems. Kasala staff help individuals find a provider, schedule appointments, and follow up after the first appointment to ensure their needs have been met. This resource is available to every
013VBCPS student and anyone residing with one of our students. In addition, Keros Solace provides I'm sorry, services are available to all BBCPS employees and anyone residing with an employee. This school year, Carales expanded its reach to also include social service components. And on the slide are data for the mental health requests processed through May 2026. On this slide are data for the social services request processed through also May 2026. This means Kasales received 224 requests for items such as food, housing, and healthcare and made 630 matches with local providers. For example, Kerasales may receive one request for food assistance and they may then match student or families with three agencies who could support its needs. So, individual requests can result in multiple matches. This has been a valuable tool for both families and staff, especially
014our social workers, when supporting our community. Here's where you may see some animations that you don't have noted in your handout. This slide, excuse me, outlines some of the key performance indicators in the form of requests from the community, communications from Kasolus, and warm handoffs. A warm handoff occurs when a school submits a referral for a family. Kasales receives the information from the school and Carousales successfully links the family with the provider from the table. BBCPS is seeing an increase in warm handoffs, total appointments into care, and anonymous searches. With more warm handoffs, we are seeing fewer family initiated services. Additionally, we expect an overall decrease in unreachable families and those who decline services. This table outlines demographics for those who access the site with 90% of requests aimed at supporting children and adolescence. and
015we're seeing a 2% increase in adults seeking I'm seeking care in comparison to last year. Please note that both for age and ethnicity, the breakdown is similar to previous years and closely matches the demographics of our school division. This table provides data on the presenting concerns leading to the need for support. And this is a continued trend over the past couple of years with anxiety and depression remaining as our top two reasons for which people seek services. As mentioned before, Kerosol has expanded its reach to include social service components and the top services requested in Virginia Beach are to address food scarcity, transportation, and financial assistance. And the resources Carales matches with requests include food pantries, food delivery services, and food assistance programs, transitional housing and shelters, and free or lowcost medical and dental providers.
016Here are the top 10 insurance providers coordinated through Career Solace. Please note the percentage of Medicaid eligible families using the resource. This is our third year in a row with Medicaid being the highest uh which is an indicator that our families who may have the greatest need are making use of the resource. The awareness work team is focused on providing a variety of activities for schools in the community. Throughout the school year, task force members shared mental health resources at various events such as the VBCPS indoor track meets, the Tide Parent Breakfast, the FACE family resource fair, new educator orientation, college night, the triple E fair, and title one family engagement events. At the Tide Parent Breakfast and FACE family resource fair, members of the team presented information to families about the available resources in
017our in our school division. For the second year, VBCPS partnered with the public library and GrowMart to co-sponsor the celebrating children event. This event was held on Saturday, April 18th, 2026. And I believe you've seen a video as shared by Dr. Robertson. This was out Mount Trashmore uh from 8:30 a.m. to noon and engaged the estimated 4,000 attendees with a variety of wraparound services. We look forward to continuing to partner with the public library and Grossmart to co-sponsor the event. Last summer, 10 BBCPS staff members participated in a 5-day train the trainer session to be able to lead applied suicide intervention skills training or assist workshops. This year, the team has delivered 12 assist workshops and will deliver two more in June. Over the initial 12 trainings, the team has trained 116 school counselors, psychologists,
018and social workers. This two-day training provides the participants with additional skills to assist those at risk of suicide or experiencing suicidal ideiation. Over the past two summers, six staff members have participated in a three-day train the trainer session so that they can teach youth mental health first aid workshops. This year, the team has delivered eight workshops and will deliver one more before the end of the year. And over the course of this school year, the team has trained 69 school and central office staff members. And this full-day training is designed to teach participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance abuse challenges in adolescence. The awareness team also worked throughout the year to develop content for the mental health corner featured in the BBCPS family newsletter and resources for
019schools to use to promote mental health awareness month. As previously mentioned, the stigma team has divided into two groups at the start of the year. Family engagement and staff mental health. The family engagement team focused on breaking down the stigma of mental health by engaging families in conversation and providing opportunities for families to learn about the mental health resources we have. The family engagement team reimagined the mental health resource document by dividing it into three tabs so families can easily find resources specific to their needs. So resources for families, BBCPS services, and students seeking support. The team has continued their work with the office of excuse me office of family community engagement to create a series of webinars on various excuse me various mental health topics. The second installment of the series is available this
020month and it discusses all the resources available to students. Terms of next steps, the task force and division include continuing the efforts shared today. We will continue to reinforce access to and the use of mental health resources, deliver professional development to staff, and report progress and outcomes to various stakeholder groups. In this next slide, it did make it. The first quote from the American Psychiatric Association that you see on the screen speaks to the under reporting that often occurs when researching mental health and mental health concerns. and give you a second if you are able. You are not. So, let me read part of that quote to you. More than half of people with mental illness do not receive help for their disorders. Often, people avoid or delay seeking treatment due to concerns about being
021treated differently. The public self and structural stigma in society related to mental health impacts whether people report experiencing concerns andor seek out the necessary treatment. And the second quote is from the Virginia Department of Education and they shared schools provide a natural setting for sharing mental health services including teleaalth services making them accessible and less stigmatized compared to external services. This comprehensive approach can lead to improved academic outcomes, decreases in discipline and improved in attendance. So it remains vital as this explains the why for our work for our school division to provide ample opportunities for students and families to access care with as few barriers as possible. So I thank you for your support of the task force and the opportunity to present today. This concludes the presentation and I'm ready to answer any questions
022you may have at this time. Miss Rogers, I just want to say thank you so much for all the work that you do. Um Mr. Jameson, I know that um working with all of the mental health task force individuals has been truly um an honor. Um there's just so much hard work that goes into this and really ensuring that not only our students have access, but our staff, everyone in the community uh as much as possible can have access to this um to these services. And if you really look at the data that is shown are uh the students that are looking for help with anxiety and depression, when you get help there, then you're not to the point of suicide. So it really does make a difference in our students lives and in our
023staff's lives. And so I appreciate all the work that you guys do. So thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Balensteale. Yes. Thank you for the presentation. I'm just curious the mental health security alerts. Could you just give me like a a little info on kind of what that is? So, and I can do both during school day or after school day. Um, so anytime a student, let's say we're in an English 11 class focusing on a research project, student may have selected a certain item to research and it could be mental health related. As anyone who's connected to our network or using one of our devices, we have securely software in the background screening that content. So securely we'll get a ping if you will of a potential concerning comment being entered or even
024searched by a student. On the security side they have an internal team that will then review that put it in context like is a student you know based on the school days it seemed like a research project are we getting multiple hits all at the same time for the same topic. If they do then we don't receive any information. If there's no additional context as to why the student might be searching for that, we then are alerted security emergency management and then we reach out to the school. School staff then ensures the student is safe. After school hours, as you can imagine, sometimes students are on devices doing some things that maybe we don't want them doing. Um, and at the same time, sometimes they communicate threats to harm themselves or others. And again, securely
025is filtering that. Now, in the evening, that's a little different. securely tends to immediately contact us no matter what. And then security and emergency management staff instead of calling the family themselves, they're able to work with CHKD staff who are trained clinicians to then speak with the family to provide any potential mental health support that they need right when they need it. Sir, Dr. Green, thank you, Mr. Jameson um for the information and how much this um mental health supports have expanded um over the last few years as well. And I also would like to thank our partners that you have coordinated with because with that coordination, it really defays the type of expenses and costs that typically come when implementing these type of programs. And I I think it should be noted that our
026students in need, a lot of them now are in a position to literally get wraparound services because of these partnerships and and what we provide as a school division. So, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Co Pepper. Hey, thanks. Thank you for the presentation. Um, I'm just trying to remember you will is uh is funded through a grant, correct? All right. Do you remember that what that line item is? Sure. But the line item or the exact amount Well, either either is fine. Sure. We were awarded up to $254,000 through that grant and we are using the full amount of $254,000. Okay. But that's through a contract, right? So, we're not paying per flat. Okay. Thank you. Vice Chairs, um, just to piggyback on that and when does the grant end and we have to reapply?
027We are actually awaiting the renewal contract to make that decision right now. I made a phone call today to to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to see if we could review the renewal because the cut off is June 30th and they told us we were supposed to receive it last week. So I checked in to see if we were going to receive it this week and then make that final decision. Okay. And then I mean obviously you had said earlier we went with you because of the unlimited amount of sessions and the no insurance needed. That is correct. Is that okay? um with a chart and I'm not sure I guess it's slide 11 the um carousol list key performance indicators so the total unreachable the student or staff member or family
028have reached out to us but we can't contact them what does that mean I'm not sure what that means so typically it's we have received a referral from the school okay on behalf of a family okay and when we and Carousales have tried to reach out to the family, they're unreachable. Okay. So, that was from a referral from All right. Okay. And it looks like these numbers like um have have declined some of them. So, that's good news, right? Correct. So, then I'll give you an example. Uh the family initiated services which I believe you have sitting you should see it's sitting at 65. We want that number to go down. Right. We don't want the burden to be placed on families to initiate the calls for support. We have staff who are trying to
029navigate that with them. So that's that's a good one. As well as we do want to see in some those total decline services to be decreasing as well as you could imagine. So as they see the value of what's being provided, they say yes more often and we do see and we hope that we'll remain below that number from last year. Right. Yeah. I mean I think this chart says that it's working. And so that's that's great news and um I like that you clarified that it's parental consent and so that's very important and I want to thank you also for all the work you do. I know how hard you work, Mr. Jameson. We appreciate you and your you and your team. Yes, I appreciate it. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr. Cummings.
030Yeah, thank you again for so much of your work and I know that we had some conversations before about you will and I think one of the pieces also to add in how many how many languages did you mention that they they're able to speak? 14. 14. Yes. And so I know as a diverse multilingual uh community I think that's a really strong aspect as well about uh I mean I don't know what the other vendors are like but I think that stood out to me when I was sitting on the commission. I was asked about um you know is that how many languages are represented uh with this with this particular vendor uh so that folks can receive the best service in you know their native tongue and so I think that's a great
031piece um walk me through so I know we're looking to see what round two looks like but walk me through what do you think like comm community what would communication and engagement uh to our you know our community for this tool look like as you know it continues to grow because I know this year is kind of like a launch. Correct. Um because I think it's such a a great, you know, there's parental consent. It's done after school. You know, kids get services pretty quickly and I know how important that is for someone to talk to somebody when they're facing an issue and not have to be on the backline for six months or three months. Like walk me through what would like the next phase look like for Well, three immediate things will happen.
032One, we're going to be sharing information at new educator orientation so that new staff or they know that this exists last year at that time. We didn't have a contract in place. Two, the back to school fair that will occur at the convention center again will have information. We'll have a table. It's already been established very similar to the table you heard me describe tonight. That will be present with everyone at least having the opportunity to receive a flyer for all of our resources. Okay. And then three, beginning of the school year, 26 27, there'll be school-based communications that go out in addition to school division newsletter and other communications that go out. So, they'll have direct access uh through those three means just to start out. And then, as you can imagine, college night
033will again be able to share information, which is always a very popular table at college night and other events throughout the fall that we didn't get a chance to have since we started the contract a little later. Yeah, I think it's fantastic, you know, hearing about how many of our students have issues around anxiety, depression, and then seeing the heavy amount of, you know, Medicaid users as well, how this is a free resource that meets people, um, and their needs. Uh, and so the other question I had was with some of the things that you mentioned about training the trainer, uh, specifically around, um, suicide intervention. And so that's something I'm personally passionate about. And so I applaud that efforts and I'm very curious, you know, with these train the trainer models, are there opportunities
034to expand that to our student body as well. Um, you know, I've seen some of the trainer trainer models for, you know, high school students or high school leaders and whatnot. Uh, has that something that's been done or something under consideration or thoughts? You teed that up beautifully. I teed it up. So if you've noticed, uh, we didn't even talk though. We didn't, but you still you did a great job. So, as I shared in the script, it said two years or two summers worth of six staff being youth mental health trained so that they can then be trainers. That's a requirement to then implement teen mental health first aid. I love it. So, in order for you to even become a teen mental health first aid trainer, you have to have been a youth
035mental health first aid trainer. And we now have staff who are in that position to where we can make that happen. Um, so that's one of our options to increase mental health literacy for students next year. We have a couple others that we're exploring right now, too. Awesome. That's great to hear. Thank you so much. Yes, sir. Miss Dwire. Yeah. I just have a quick question. Um, my heart kind of sunk when I saw the unreachable. And, um, what do you credit that to? Maybe the stigma. I do. um especially since it's school or even staff initiated sometimes you you don't you know but we we're going to work to build on that to where we can share more information those same channels I just mentioned for you will are also going to have resources
036related to care solace and we're going to have to build more trust over time uh and I think that with that time and staff continuing to support I guess dstigmatizing that feeling of there's nothing wrong we just want to better help your child I think we'll to see those numbers go down and then see access increase. Yeah. And to encourage while they're young, right? And to catch it now. Thank you. Good m. Thank you for your presentation. I do have a question. You know, my colleagues asked a couple questions about you and that was grant funded. Yes, ma'am. So that is there's another application for an additional grant related to that same grant. They're giving us the opportunity to simply renew. To your question, we have been told that this may be the last year
037that we get an automatic renewal and that we can expect in the fall to receive notification that we'll need to formally apply for the next round of renewable grants. Okay. So, we're anticipating that they will renew that grant then. Yes, ma'am. Okay. All right. Thank you. All right. You're welcome. We are now on to human capital management update and we welcome David Den, chief information officer, and Dr. Darnita Trotman, chief human resources officer, and Crystal P, chief financial officer. And I just want to u put this out there for the board. We will need to go into close session briefly. So, just keep that in mind as we're going through this conversation. Sounds good. Good afternoon, Chair Brown, Vice Chair Williams, members of the board, and Dr. Robertson. This afternoon, I am joined by Chief
038Financial Officer Crystal Pate, and Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Darnita Tropman to provide the board with an update on a major project that will improve the systems we use to pay and support every employee in Virginia Beach City Public Schools. This presentation isformational. We are not requesting action. Our goal is to ensure the board has full understanding of this initiative as we approach a critical procurement milestone next month. This work has been led by three departments since last fall. The Department of Technology, the Department of Human Resources, and the Department of Budget and Finance. Every employee in our school division uses these systems every day. Teachers, principals, bus drivers, cafeteria staff, and central office team members all rely on them. The systems support four main areas. Human resources tracks hiring and maintains employee records. Payroll
039ensures employees are paid accurately and on time. Benefits manages health insurance enrollment. benefits tracking and retirement services. Time and attendance tracks employee work hours and leave usage. In the technology industry, this group of systems is called a human capital management system or HCM for short. Our current system is called WISE and it is more than 20 years old. So the question the board should reasonably be asking right now is why now? The biggest reason is a hard deadline. The company that makes our current system has announced that they will stop supporting it on December the 31st, 2030. After that date, the system will no longer get security updates and we will not get any help if there if it breaks. Running a payroll system in that condition is a serious risk. There are other reasons
040too. Our system is more than 20 years old and was not built for how a modern school division operates. Our staff have to use spreadsheets and manual steps to do work the system should handle on its own. Different jobs are spread across many different tools instead of one connected platform. After 20 years of small fixes, this system is fragile and hard to maintain. And because replacing a system of this complexity is inherently a multi-year undertaking, the time to begin is now, not when we're one year from the end of support with nowhere to go. This slide shows the four freight the four phases of the project and where we are today. The first phase was planning. We did this from October to December of last year. We set the we set up the project, chose
041our advisor and met with staff across seven departments. This phase is complete. We are now in the second phase which is requirements and RFP. We have spent the past several months meeting with staff to learn exactly what we need the new system to do. We held 13 workshops to capture this. Right now, we are writing the request for proposals, which is the formal document we send to companies that sell these systems. The third phase is solution selection. We will release the RFP in June. Companies will respond and demonstrate their systems in the fall. We will choose a vendor between November and January of next year. The last phase is implementation. This is the big one. It will take about 2 years and will end with the new system going live on July the 1st, 2029.
042That date matches the first day of the next fiscal year, which keeps payroll and financial reporting clean. Now to the cost of the project. The total cost to implement the new system is approximately $22 million over the next four years. This investment includes the software platform implementation services that help us set the system up and support and guidance provided by our external advisor throughout the project. Once the system is fully operational, the estimated annual operating cost will be approximately $2.8 million. We want to be transparent with the board that this represents an increase over our current cost. Modern cloud-based systems typically require higher annual operating investments. However, they also provide enhanced security updates, regular system updates, support, improved reliability, and expanded functionality that our current system cannot provide. Funding for the project is being provided
043through the capital improvement program. To date, approximately $18 million has been set aside through reversion funds previously approved by the school board and city council. The remaining funding needed for the project will be added over the next two budget cycles using the same process. It is also important to address staffing needs associated with a project of this scale. Successful implementation will require involvement from staff in human resources, budget and finance, and technology. Some employees will need to dedicate substantial time to the project which may require temporary backfilling of operational responsibilities. A detailed staffing plan and associated cost will be presented to the board as part of our upcoming budget discussions. Our school division competes for talented teachers and staff in challenging in a challenging labor market. Every interaction employees have with our systems from applying
044for a job to managing their career in BBCPS shapes their experience and supports goal three of compass to 2030. A new system will provide five key improvements. First, improved payroll efficiency and integration. A modern system will streamline and reduce manual work behind the scenes. Second, less manual work. HR and finance teams will spend less time on spreadsheets and workarounds and more time supporting employees and schools. Third, one connected platform. hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and employee information will work together in one integrated system. Fourth, enhance employee selfservice. Employees will continue to access pay, benefits, and personal information through a more modern and userfriendly experience. Fifth, long-term sustainability. The new system will provide ongoing vendor support, security updates, and flexibility for the future. These improvements will strengthen daily operations and enhance the experience for thousands of BBCPS
045employees. So, here's what comes next. The biggest near-term milestone is the request for proposals which we release this June. The RFP is a public document that asks companies to show us how their systems can meet our needs. It will include specific requirements for Virginia rules around payroll and teacher licenses. After the RFP is out, vendors will demonstrate their products this fall after the school is back in session. So, we don't put any uh we don't pull staff away from the start of the school year. We expect to choose a vendor between November and January of 2027. From January through June of 2027, we will finalize the contract and get the vendor team set up. Implementation begins July 2027 and continues through June 2029. The board will receive quarterly updates on this project. As we wrap
046up, here are some key points to remember. First, we are replacing four core systems: HR, payroll, benefits, and time in attendance. Our current system stopped receiving vendor support at the end of 2030. Second, this is a three and a halfyear project. The new system goes live on July 1st, 2029. Third, the total cost is about $22 million over four years paid through the capital improvement program. Fourth, after the system is running, the annual cost is about $2.8 million. This is higher than today but reflects the value of a modern and supported secure system. Fifth, the RFP will be released in June. That's the next major step. And finally, the board will continue to receive updates for the life of this project. We're not asking, as a reminder, we're not asking the board for any action
047tonight. This update is just to make sure that you're informed as we move into the RFP process next month. And with that, we appreciate your time and are ready for any questions that you may have. Okay, Mr. Cummings. So, I got to know about what goes into a $22 million um implementation. You know, I know there's there's talk on you mentioned the detailed plan in upcoming meetings. Um so I'm just kind of curious just to unpack that number a little more uh just at a high level what we should expect over three to four years. Um and just yeah I'd love to hear just a little bit more about that. So and how that how do we come to that numbers are now? Yeah. So uh we're not the only one who's done this. Uh
048so actually Virginia uh city of Virginia Beach is actually going through the similar process right now. They're a little bit further ahead of us. uh because they started before us. But that estimate is based on organizations our size, them and other school divisions our size having gone through the same type of project uh and knowing how much that costs for an organization that size to go through it. So that is the estimate that was received not only through that experience from the city but I believe four other large school divisions in Virginia who have gone through the similar process. So, just help me understand. So, um you know, I'm excited about the fact that we're going to be getting rid of spreadsheets and tedious manual processes, and I know our staff are going to be
049excited about that, too. Um I think when teachers and folks get to no longer fill out their those spreadsheets, they'll be jumping with joy uh and and whatnot. Um help me understand then. So, are we looking to probably add some headcount then? And I assume with a new tech uh platform, I assume that there's probably going to be some form of support system admin. Are we looking to level up existing? What's that kind of look like at a high level? So, we we've received um advice from our advisory team that yes, that will likely end up happening. Uh we haven't gone through the specifics and details of that yet to know exactly how many that'll be in the department of technology, HR, uh and budget and finance in order to support the new system. But
050we've been advised that yes, at this point it is very likely that we will need to add additional staff to support the new system. As soon as we have determined exactly what that looks like, uh we will certainly come back to the board and let you know and you'll certainly hear about it in the fall budget process. All right, cool. Yeah, I mean I think like we are a big we employ a lot of folks. We're a big community. Um, and software definitely costs money to to the scale of the number of users that we have. So I I understand the the yearly costs and I understand how important it is to invest in a vendor that is probably going to and I know that we'll get different proposals, but to invest in a vendor
051that has longevity to them. Uh, because when you think about data security, you know, there's going to be a lot of personal information going into this system. And so sometimes you get what you get when you go super budget. You know, a lot of those companies do I know end up going under acquired and and whatnot. So I understand why this is such a an important investment and you know why there is a higher sticker price. Um I just was kind of curious just to hear more about the 22 million implementation and then maybe also consider what I'm doing with my life where I can get $22 million implementation. So that's all. Mr. Co Pepper, I had the same thought. Um, you mentioned 2.8 million was an increase in the annual cost. What is the
052current annual cost? We pay approximately, I believe it's about 200 uh, sorry, $860,000 a year for our suite of tools this uh, this fiscal year. Okay. Uh my only other question is um I take it that the 18 million that's been appropriated that's that's approved bonds. Is that what that is? That's debt. Okay. And then you're expecting the rest of it to be funded through a reversion. I see that. We are. And that will be where debt is issued and we've been putting that money, but it is reversion. So it's cash, but so there's cash that goes in there, but then it likely will have be some debt involved. And we hope to um it's possible you could do it in one year, but um since we have a couple years, we'll probably want to
053spread that out over the couple years that we have. Okay. So, just clarify what you said. 4 million in cash through reversion, 18 million in bonds through CIP. So, it's 18 million's appropriated. So, it's c it's reversion. So, that's cash that's actually gone into that project. Yes. 18 minus cash cuz when we do the reversion process and we come to you and say that we have that money that's unexpended out of our operating budget and we request that to be reverted and we have to go back to city council for reappropriation. Okay. I apologize but you're saying that in a way that's that's confusing me a little bit. I'm sorry. Uh so when we go through the reversion process Yeah. Let's let's stick to the uh CI CIP portion for a second. Yeah, it's cash.
054The CIP is cash. Okay. Thank you, Miss Rogers. Thank you so much um for all of your updates. So this 22 million that isn't a hard number just yet because we have the RFPs going out. Correct. That's that's correct. And then Oh, go ahead. No. Um so as you as the project progresses that amount will get more and more accurate. So that is the best estimate that we have today. Right. And so I I assume that our crack negotiators could possibly get us a great deal always including ongoing support. I my husband's been through this so I've had to listen to all of this. Um I guess one of my questions is when we talk about adding extra um employees. Is there going to be a need for temporary employees? Obviously when you're taking the
055system all of the data you have to then input it into the new system which is part of this cost. Um, are we going to be then employing temporary employees for this so that we're not hiring full-time employees long term? Um, and we can, you know, onboard the temporary and then offload them as the project continues. How's that going to work? So, what we've heard from other school divisions that have been through this is exactly that we will we will need additional help, temporary help, right, during the course of implementation, right? afterwards we will still we Virginia Beach City Public Schools runs a very lean shop in terms of support. Okay. Uh it is very likely that we will need to add to that number on a permanent basis for the ongoing solution for whatever
056product is selected. But certainly during implementation we will need some additional temporary uh staff. Right. Okay. Okay. And I just want to make sure that and and the reason I'm asking is because I I noticed that you know some of the financial data in here and some of this is going to be then automated. And so that's why I'm asking that if we do have automation therefore some of the tasks on some of our people despite the fact that we are lean could then uh adjust and so that you know that number of how many staff we need is is going to be um fluctuating depending on what we get. So hopefully we can get some good uh implementation here. I know as an employee having to log all of my my time on a
057on a piece of paper, what time you came in, what time you came out. And when you're trying to go ahead and make up your time for a flex day, everything was on paper. It had to go to the office. All of the office staff have to input that. It's very, very manual and manualheavy. And so this is great that we're not going to have that on our employees and on our office staff to have to do all of this manually. So this is good news. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. So a lot of my colleagues asked some of the questions that I had. Um, however, I I would be curious later and as we go through the process, I I know that you said we run a lean staff, but um I would think
058that given the cost more automation that we might not need to permanently have those extra employees. And so, of course, I'm I'm hoping to be wrong, but um that's just my my one addition. I was curious about how much the annual cost was, and I assume that would be an operating budget item. It would and that too is an estimate, right? So, we will get more accurate numbers depending on uh the companies that respond. Okay. Thank you. I look forward to making it easier and of course making sure that we have the support we need because not having access to assistance and security updates is a problem. So, thank you. Thank you. Great. Vice Chair Williams, I move that the school board recess into close session in accordance with exceptions to open meetings law set
059forth in code of Virginia 2.2-3711 parts A paragraph 7829 as amended to deliberate on the following matters. Seven, consultation with legal counsel and briefings by staff members or consultants pertaining to actual or probable litigation where such consultation or briefing and open meetings would adversely affect the negotiating or litigating posture of the public body. For the purposes of this subdivision, probable litigation means litigation that has been specifically threatened or on which the public body or its legal council has a reasonable basis to believe will be commenced by or against a known party. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to permit the closure of a meeting merely because an attorney representing the public body is in attendance or is consulted on any matter. Eight. Consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding
060specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to permit the closure of a meeting because an attorney representing the public body is in attendance or is consulted on a matter. 29. Discussion of the award of a public contract involving the expenditure of public funds including interviews of biders or offerers and discussion of the terms or scope of each contract where such discussion in an open session would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body. Namely to discuss a Princess Anne High School CIP project discussion RFQ for owner agent and design bill process B status of pending litigation or administrative cases. C. Consultation with legal counsel regarding probable litigation and pending litigation matters. Motion made by Vice Chair Williams, seconded by
061Miss Dwire. Any discussion? Seeing none, I call for the vote to go into close session. Vice Chair Williams, how do you vote? And Miss Mil. Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair. We have 11 eyes. The motion to pass to go into close session. Thank you. Whereas the school board of the city of Virginia Beach has convened a closed meeting on this day pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom Information Act. And whereas section 2.2-3712D of the code of Virginia requires a certification by the school board that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law. Now therefore, be it resolved that the school board of the city of Virginia Beach hereby certifies that to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted
062from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which the certification applies. And only such public business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard, discussed, or considered. Okay. Is there a motion moved by Mr. Cummings seconded by Miss Dwire. Any discussion? I call for the vote to certify close session. So, Madam Chair, we have 10 eyes for the certification of close session. Thank you. Vice Chair Williams, would you please read the first motion? I move that the school board authorize the superintendent or designate to revise or amend regulation 3-40.1 after providing the school board with a copy of the proposed proposed revision or amendment. Okay. Moved by Vice Chair Williams. Okay. Moved by Vice Chair Williams, seconded by Mr. Cummings. Any
063discussion? Seeing none, I call for the vote on the motion related to regulation 340.1. Can anybody vote? It says we already voted. I think you're going to have to take it by hand vote. Okay, hold on. Can you guys vote now? Yes. Okay. It's still saying you vote. All right. So, Mr. Kellen, how do you vote? Do you want to just Mr. Cummings, how do you vote? Hi. Mr. Co Pepper, how do you vote? Hi. Miss Felton, how do you vote? Hi. Miss Williams, how do you vote? I. Miss Brown, how do you vote? I. Dr. Green, how do you vote? I. Mr. Bowensteel, how do you vote? I. Mr. Wy, how do you vote? And Miss Rogers, how do you vote? I. So, Madam Chair, we have 10 eyes for the motion to pass
064for the regulation 3-40.1. Thank you. Vice Chair Williams, will you please read the second motion? I move that the school board extend the time period provided in its resolution student discrimination appeal of 512 2026 for the hearing officer to hold a hearing and provide the school board with findings fact and recommendations from June 3rd 26 until June 30th 26. The reason for the extension was the inability to retain a hearing officer and set hearing dates and sufficient time to meet the original date set by the school board. Okay. Motion made by Vice Chair Williams. Is there a second? Seconded by Mr. Co Pepper. All those in favor, please raise your hand. So, Mr. Gallen, how do you vote? One, two, three, four, five. And Dr. Green, how do you vote? I'm abstaining for personal reasons.
065Okay. Okay. So, Madam Chair, we have eight eyes, one nay, and one abstension. So, the motion did pass. Thank you. The school board will now recess and return at 6 PM for our formal meeting. This informal session is adjourned.