Regular Board Meeting - 4/21/2026 (6:00 p.m.)

001Good evening. Before we get started with tonight's meeting, our board clerk will be swearing in one of our new board members. Mr. Hankins. Oh, oh, Carol I'm sorry. Thank you. Carol two two new board members, a new incoming board member Dan Shoop and a returning board member Carol Fox. And if you guys [clears throat] could join Mr. Hankins at the podium. Just for the people at home and in the audience that uh uh Bill Johnson is not here with us. He it was predestined he was going to be somewhere else. Um and and just a brief overview Bill is filling a two-year role, not the normal three-year because he is picking up Juan's two years that are left on his. Just to make that clear. And uh I just wanted express that. But anyways, so

002we'll do one at a time. Ms. Fox. Ready? Ready. Okay. Yeah? [laughter] I I having been elected to this office of school board member having been elected to the office of school board member swear that I will support swear that I will [snorts] support the Constitution of the United States >> the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Wisconsin the Constitution of the state of Wisconsin and will faithfully discharge and will faithfully discharge the duties of said office the duties of said office to the best of my abilities to the best of my abilities so help me God. so help me God. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Mr. Shoop. >> [laughter] >> I I Dan Shoop having been elected to the office of school board member having been elected

003[snorts] to the office of school board member but have not yet entered upon the duties thereof but not yet entered upon the duties thereof swear that I will support swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Wisconsin and the Constitution of the state of Wisconsin and will faithfully discharge and will faithfully discharge the duties of said office the duties of said office to the best of my ability to the best of my ability so help me God. so help me God. Thank you. Good evening. It is 6:05. I am calling to order the regular board meeting of Tuesday, April 21st. Mrs. Mrs. Shoop, are you ready? Okay. When you're ready, a roll call, please. Carol Fox Here. Megan Miller

004Present. Brian Nichols Here. Tom Hankins Here. Jo Ann Rule Here. and Amy Leavy Here. and board president uh Tia Johnson Here. All members are present. Thank you. Megan, approval of the agenda and I'm requesting removal of 7B Medicaid billing a software as it did not move out of committee because there was more information requested. So moved. Second. Motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Amy Leavy. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor? I. I. I. I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Tonight, we have the honor of having Dean of students Mitchell Christman here to introduce the Hackett Hawks, the Girls on the Run program and they are going to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Ms. Mr. Christman. There it goes. All right, so we have four girls with us today. We have Kiki,

005we have Oakley, we have Lily and we have Janae. They are four of our 19 girls on our Girls on the Run team. We have uh six coaches and these four tried their best and they ran laps around our playground today. I heard somebody got 18. So, every practice, our goal is to do a little better than last time. And so we're working on it. We've had three practices. We've got seven left to go and then at the end of our practice in May, we'll go up to Verona for a 5K run. So, they're all looking forward to that. Ready? Mhm. Please stand. Let's say it together. Ready? 1 3. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible,

006with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Mr. Christman and our Girls on the Run team. We really appreciate you being here tonight and with all that practice you probably have run off enough calories to have a piece of cake next door. >> [laughter] >> So, help yourself to a piece of cake. Next item is the president board report. Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight. We sincerely appreciate your continued interest in and support of the School District of Beloit. Since our last regular board meeting, board members have engaged with staff and community members to listen to their concerns and gather input regarding the 2026-2027 budget. We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in small group discussions and to better understand the direct impact that proposed reductions may have on both staff

007and students. On Tuesday, April 14th, the board held a budget workshop. During this session, board member Carol Fox presented a document outlining the board's priorities and guidance for the development of the upcoming budget. We are hopeful that we will be able to bring this process and uh move this document forward. Ms. Fox and I also attended a meeting with district administrators to hear their recommendations and creative ideas for streamlining the budget. We appreciate the time and thoughtful input shared by all, particularly around strategies that support student success and foster a positive work environment. The more informed the board is, the stronger our decisions will be. Last Thursday, board members were invited to attend Aldrich Middle School Expo Night. Events like this highlight the impressive work of our students, the dedication of our educators and the

008strong partnerships we have with local agencies that provide additional services and opportunities for our students and family. A special thanks to Principal Joe Fraidags for the invitation and warm hospitality. It was an evening filled with positive connections and a strong sense of community and we all really appreciated the pie by Sophia's restaurant. It's never too early to plan ahead and reserve your spot for the second annual Academies of Beloit golfing outing, which will be held Thursday, June 11th at the Glen Erin Golf Club. Proceeds from this event directly support our students and enhance their academy experiences. For more information, please contact Beloit Memorial High School Principal Emily Pells or Career Academy Coach Brian Michaels. As this board's term comes to a close, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my fellow board members

009for your dedication and the many contributions you have made to the School District of Beloit. It has been an honor to serve alongside you and I will always value the time we have shared. I'm confident that we will all continue to support and uplift our students, families, and community, ensuring that everyone feels welcomed and valued in our schools. Looking ahead, we remain hopeful for the future. Implementing sustainable positive change is a long and often challenging process. This work must be carried forward from one board to the next with a shared commitment to upholding board policies and maintaining a steadfast focus on ensuring successful academic achievement for all students. This concludes my report. Thank you. Next we have upcoming events and announcements. Board Clerk Hankins. Thank you. Good evening. These are not These are the announcements

010for Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Tonight, just prior to this meeting, we enjoyed a reception for board members who will be leaving us at the end of April, Amy Leavy and Brian Nichols, and to welcome those who were elected and reelected to the board, Carol Fox, Bill Johnson, and Dan Shueff. A big thanks to Amy and Brian for all your years of service. Saturday Saturday, April 25, Gaston will be having an elementary school carnival from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. There will be games, prizes, and more. If you are able to volunteer, please contact the PTO team at 361-2300 as volunteers may still be needed. The Quarter Century Club banquet is being held this year on Wednesday, April 29th, beginning at 5:00 p.m. This banquet will induct 20 new employees who have served the district for

01125 years and celebrate others who have come before them. We want to congratulate and thank the new inductees for their years of service to the students and families in the School District of Beloit. Beloit Memorial High School will proudly celebrate its 2026 Hall of Fame recipient on Friday, May 8th at 1:00 p.m. This year's honoree is Tracy Piazza Salidar, a distinguished graduate from the class of 1992. Congratulations, Tracy. Will your child be 4 years old on or before September 1, 2026? If the answer is yes, then your child is eligible to enroll in the School District of Beloit 4K program. Come on in to the Kolak Education Center to enroll your student or enroll your student online at beloitschools.net. Don't delay, enroll today. Upcoming meetings being held at the Kolak Education Center include Monday, April

01227th, search firm interviews at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, April 30th, board organizational meeting at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, April 30th, ad hoc student success and support committee meeting at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, May May 2nd, board on board workshop at 9:00 a.m. Monday, May 4th, policy and HR meeting at 4:00 p.m. Monday, May 4th, search firm interviews at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 5th, business operations and finance committee meeting at 5:00 p.m. followed by the regular board meeting at 6:00 p.m. This concludes the announcements for tonight. And if Mr. Shueff or the Bill Bill Johnson out in Vegas, if that didn't scare you, it should a little bit. And welcome. Thank you. >> [laughter] >> Thank you, Mr. Hankins. Next up, we have recognitions and tonight I have the honor of recognizing two of our board members, Mrs. Amy

013Leavy and Mr. Brian Nichols. Mrs. Leavy, tonight we take a moment to recognize and thank a dedicated public servant, Mrs. Amy Leavy, for her 6 years of service to our Board of Education. Mrs. Leavy has served two full terms, contributing her time, energy, and expertise to the important work of this district. Throughout her tenure, she has been an active and engaged member of both the Policy Committee and the Business Operations and Finance Committee, two areas that required diligence, focus, and a deep understanding of how decisions impact our students, staff, and community. In addition to her work at the district level, Mrs. Leavy has also served as our representative to Wisconsin Association of School Boards, WASB. In that role, she has extended her impact beyond our local community, engaging in conversations and efforts aimed at strengthening

014public education across the state. Her involvement with WASB reflects her broader commitment to making education better for all students. Mrs. Amy Leavy exemplifies a commitment to excellence. She brings a keen attention to every detail, to every discussion and decision, ensuring that the work of the board is thoughtful, thorough, and aligned with our responsibilities. She has never shied away from asking the hard questions, the kind that challenge assumptions, strengthen proposals, and ultimately lead to better outcomes for our district. Her voice has been especially important in advocating for the issues and communities that are closest to her heart. Through her persistence and thoughtful inquiry, she has helped elevate conversations and improved results in meaningful ways. Public service, particularly in education, is not always easy. It requires time, sacrifice, and a willingness to engage in complex and sometimes

015difficult decisions. Amy has met that responsibility with integrity and purpose and grace. On behalf of the board and the entire School District of Beloit, we extend our sincere gratitude for her service, her leadership, and her unwavering dedication to students. While her time on the board is concluding, the impact of her contributions will be continued to be felt throughout the district and the community. Amy Joyce Leavy, please accept this gift as a small token of our appreciation for your 6 years of dedicated service and lasting contributions to our district. Thank you and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors. That was beautiful. Thank you. Megan? Mrs. Leavy, um I just want to thank you on behalf of my children and all of the kids in our district. You have just insurmountably like improved

016You were here in the thick of COVID. You did all the things. You held all of us, um you know, all of us to the highest possible standard. And I know I've said this to you before personally and I'll just like say it to you, uh you know, the worldwide web, that um you know, you have the standard and vision that you have is like the highest of integrity. You've made me a better person. You've made me a better mother. I mean, you have just You make everybody around you the best possible version of themselves because you hold yourself and all of us to that vision and like all of us and the entire community is better because of it. So, I just really from the bottom of my heart want to thank you for

017not only what you've given to our kids and to our community in your service, but to all of us as as people. Thank you. Thank you, Megan Ann Miller. Anyone else? Joanne? I will. >> Joanne? So, um this is my first year, I guess, on the board now fully and I have learned so much from you and I appreciate all that you've taught me and um I still remember long time ago sitting at the Road Dog with the Optimist Club when you first came in and I was so excited to hear what you had to say as someone who was campaigning and so um it's really wild for me to be able to have spent a year um up here serving with you. So, thank you for everything you've done and um everything that they

018said, yes, ditto. You're fabulous. Thank [clears throat] you. Next we have Brian Nichols. We also recognize and thank our outgoing vice president, Brian Nichols for his dedicated service to the Board of Education and to our entire school community. When I became Board President, I made a very intentional decision in selecting a Vice President. I sought out the board member who I felt was the most opposite from myself. In a time when the world feels increasingly divided and polarized, I believed that pairing two individuals with differing perspectives and in leadership would require us to rely on compromise, thoughtful dialogue, and mutual respect to to move our work forward. Brian Nichols seemed to be just about everything I was not. But over time, working side by side, I had the privilege of getting to know Brian beyond

019our roles on the board. What I found was a thoughtful, grounded, and deeply committed leader. Brian has been an excellent Vice President. He cares deeply for all of our students, and that care is evident in every conversation and every decision he approaches. His calm, unassuming demeanor has often served as a steady and centering presence, especially in moments when my own frustrations have run a bit high. His patience and acceptance have been so steadfast that he didn't even flinch during some of our more candid off-the-record conversations even when he was subjected to a barrage of my more color colorful language. While we have not always agree, and we never will on everything, but what has always been clear is that Brian leads with a genuine sense of compassion and a commitment to doing what is best

020for our students, staff, and community. He has never allowed differences in perspective to stand in the way of meaningful progress. A man of integrity, grounded in his faith and personal values, Brian leads by example. He consistently offers kindness, respect, and his full attention to anyone who seeks his time. That quiet leadership has made a lasting impact on this board and the community we serve. Brian has also taken on significant leadership responsibilities, serving as chairperson of the Policy and Human Resources Committee, where he has helped strengthen and improve our board policies and procedures. His willingness to take on difficult and sometimes complex challenges speaks to his courage and dedication. As Vice Chair of the Business Operations and Finance Committee, Brian has played a critical role in helping guide the board through challenging financial decisions. His work

021has helped ensure that even in the face of necessary reductions, we have remained focused on our core priority, providing the strongest possible academic experience for our students. Brian exemplifies a true commitment to excellence. Brian, thank you for your service, your partnership, and your steady leadership. On a personal note, thank you for reminding me that we are far more alike than we are different, and that it is only through working together that we can overcome challenges and reach our highest potential. Please accept this token of our appreciation for your service and your many contributions to this board and district. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Mr. Hankins? Well, I kind of uh spoke up last night at policy because I thought it was a proper forum because Brian has been my guiding

022force force in policy, and he was the chair. But I will kind of reiterate of the points that that I made last night. I've learned so much from this man to watch his grace and humility and in guiding myself. And through thick and thin, to even keep keeping a steady force, keeping to his principles. And and we haven't agreed or disagreed. I mean, we have agreed and disagreed a lot. Not a whole lot, but he's been through a lot of the controversial items that we've been through in the last my my two years here. So, and he's he's always unwavering, uh dedicated, and he always keeps in his back pocket, like he told me, students and what what benefits the students. And I was told that when I first before I got on board, you

023don't need to know everything. Just keep students number one. And I am so grateful and honored to have served with him for two years, and I'm really going to miss you. Thank you. You mean, Brian, we are going to miss both of you more than what you guys know. We really are. Next up on the tonight's agenda, we have public comment. Mrs. Shope, are there any public comments tonight? I do not have any in the room, but I do have um several emails. Okay. Um I will go ahead and read this. Members of the public are welcome to attend all open meetings of the Board of Education. Individuals attending board meetings are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and courteous manner that models appropriate behaviors for our students. Individuals wishing to comment are expected

024to comply with the norms found on the back of your comment cards and in board policy 187, Public Participation at Board Meetings. We ask that each of you contribute to maintaining a respectful and orderly meeting and prevent discussing confidential matters in a public forum by following these norms and public comments for public comments during board meetings. Thank you for your participation and courtesy. The first one I have is um from Shanay. My name is Shanay. This is my ninth year as a school counselor and seventh year as a school counselor in the School District of Beloit. I'm writing to express significant concerns regarding the proposal discussed at the March 30th meeting to cut elementary guidance, which should actually be written as school counselor positions from the from the district. I'm [snorts] deeply distressed that this

025is being proposed again after such clear concern was expressed from all stakeholders last year. It frankly disturbs me that cutting any members of our school su- superin- I'm sorry. Our schools' student services team would be considered as a budgetary cut. While I understand the SDB needs to make some difficult decisions in order to balance our budget, I firmly believe that these cuts would have a significant impact negative impact on our district and ultimately the students and families we serve. Our MLSS team looked at office referrals today at our weekly meeting, and here are some of our findings. So far this school year, Hackett has had 858 discipline incidents written in Skyward. [clears throat] This is important to note because not all discipline incidents are written up. If they were, we'd be writing discipline incident reports

026all day long. This is the second highest amount in the district behind BMHS. 213 of those incidents were coded as 130, safety violation minor, typically first offense. 160 of those incidents were coded as 232, safety violation second offense. 75 for 106, insubordination first or second offense. 62 for 105, horseplay. 50 for 210, physical aggression toward student. And 40 for 209, insubordination open defiance. Our elementary buildings are in a state of crisis due to extremely unsafe student behaviors, and it would be even worse without school counselors. The be- The behaviors we are seeing now are more disrespectful and unsafe than ever before, and responding to those behaviors takes up a significant amount of time for the principal, dean of students, school psychologist, school social worker, and myself. I often [snorts] feel like I cannot complete some

027of my other school counselor job duties because I'm spending so much time helping with students who are disrupting the learning of themselves and others. This is a second time second year in a row that my colleagues and I have had to fight to keep school counselors. What this says to me is that the people proposing this as a solution don't have any idea how important social emotional learning is for our students and how hard of a job it is to teach these skills to underprivileged youth. On any given day, here is what my day consists of. Supervision duties, arrival, recess, and dismissals. Small group SEL education, individual SEL education, classroom SEL education, paperwork and meetings, attendance tracking and improvement, parent phone calls, emails, text messages, behavior reporting, referral writing, data tracking, crisis intervention at any

028given moment. School-wide behavior and attendance initiatives, continuous problem-solving for myself, for students, for colleagues, providing emotional support and redirection all day long, supporting special education staff and students, serving on the building leadership team, volunteering my time before and after school for literally anything you could think of, being highly aware and observant of all happenings in the school building. We all know that by now that students cannot learn if they are not regulated emotionally. When I speak about SEL, I'm referring to social emotional learning. And for the youth of today, this looks a lot like teaching children how to share, how to walk and talk respectively, how to persevere when things are hard, how they don't always get what they want, how to accept the word no, how to problem-solve the most basic of issues, how

029to get along with other people, how to ignore others when possible, how to talk to adults and respect others. The list is endless. These are skills a lot of our students are lacking. However, I think a lot of people believe they are coming into school knowing these competencies, and it's just not true. I would like to reiterate that it is also very important to bring up the SDB has communicated greatly to the the desire to retain dedicated, highly qualified staff. Most student services staff I know rarely, if ever, take a full 30-minute duty-free lunch. We also never actually take a designated prep period. We all take some degree of work home or stay after hours to complete it. For myself and for multiple other student services staff I know, last year and now this year

030have been the most challenging school years of our careers. On top of all the student behaviors we're seeing, and we're seeing a lot. Most buildings are still not fully staffed. Last year, we were short-staffed the entire year, and now again this year. >> Yep. Um we're we're past 3 minutes. >> I'm happy to yield my time. Is is there anybody who's not a board member that would be willing to share to yield their time? Otherwise, I will accept Megan's yielding of time. Okay. Oh. Uh Mrs. Shoof is yielding her time. Okay. Thank you. Um We're 2 months away from the end of the year and still have openings. Everyone I work with has been doing more than their job for the past several years, but many of us sign our contracts and commit to returning

031each year because of our dedication to serving the SDB students and families. To cut staff who have signed contracts year after year and choose to be here after the toughest year of their career would absolutely not be a step in the right direction to retaining dedicated and highly qualified staff as the district claims. Not only would it send the opposite message, but it would send the message that our work is not valued and that we are highly expendable. I consider myself a deeply loyal and dedicated person. I have I have been nothing but happy and fulfilled while working at Hackett, serving Beloit students and watching them grow. It was my vision to stay at Hackett as long as possible because I love it that much. I know cuts need to be made somewhere, but to

032again hear the possibility that it may be myself and some of the most unwavering and steadfast people I have ever met truly breaks my heart. But specifically and more importantly, it hurts to think that these students will be losing more valuable resources and people that love them in a world where those are so limited. In closing, the district needs to retain all current elementary student services positions in order to be able to address the severe behavioral and mental health issues we are seeing in the buildings on a daily basis. If staff are not able to provide interventions, behaviors are going to continue to impact learning and we will not be able to improve our academic scores. We will never be able to fix the issues that continue to drive students and families away from the

033school district of Beloit. Thank you. The next one is um I have two emails um that came under Gisela, and it they're signed by two different people. I'm writing as a concerned father of two children. Um I'm not going to say the students' names, who both live with diabetes and require daily medical attention while at school. This is not just a matter of convenience for our family, it is about safety, trust, and making sure they are properly cared for throughout the school day. I also work within the school district, and I see firsthand how much school nurses are a part of the daily functioning of our schools. They are not just there for emergencies. They support students with ongoing medical needs, respond to healthcare concerns throughout the day, and help keep students in class and

034learning. Their presence makes a real difference every single day. Managing diabetes is something that requires constant attention. It involves checking blood sugar levels, giving insulin, recognizing warning signs, and being able to respond quickly if something goes wrong. These are not simple responsibilities, and they require someone with medical training and experience. School nurses play a major role in making sure children like mine are safe and able to focus on learning. I understand that the district is considering reducing or eliminating health staff. As a parent, I would not feel comfortable having a secretary or anyone without medical training responsible for my child's children's care. This is not about questioning anyone's character or willingness to help. It is about recognizing that my children's health needs require a trained professional. When it comes to diabetes, even a small mistake

035or delay can turn into a serious situation very quickly. School nurses do more than just handle emergencies. They help manage ongoing health conditions, make sure students are staying on track with their care, and provide support when kids are [snorts] overwhelmed or not feeling well. That consistency and and knowledge matters, especially for children dealing with something as serious as diabetes every single day. Taking away or reducing access to school nurses would put students at risk and create real concern for families like mine. I should be able to send my children to school knowing they are safe and that their medical needs are being handled by someone qualified to do so. I strongly urge the board to reconsider any decision that would eliminate or reduce health staff in schools. >> [cough] [clears throat] >> The next one

036is um concerned mother of two daughters who both live in with diabetes and require daily medical care while at school. As a parent, trusting others with your children, it's never easy, especially when their health depend on it every single day. Diabetes is not something that can be managed casually. It requires constant monitoring, timely insulin administration, and the ability to recognize and respond quickly to changes in their condition. These are responsibilities that require medical knowledge, training, and experience. School nurses provide that level of care and attention, and it gives me peace of of mind knowing my daughters are in capable hands while they're at school. I understand the district is considering reducing or eliminating health staff at Gaston. I want to be clear that I would not feel comfortable having a secretary or untrained staff member

037responsible for my daughter's medical needs. This is not about questioning anyone's willingness to help. It's about understanding that my children's health requires a trained medical professional. When it comes to diabetes, even a small mistake or delay can become very serious and very quickly. School nurses do so much more than respond to emergencies. They support students with ongoing health conditions, make sure care plans are followed, and help children feel safe and supported throughout the school day. For families like mine, that support is everything. The thought of sending my daughters to school without proper medical staff available is honestly frightening. Parents should not have to worry about whether their children can be safe during the school day due to a lack of trained health professionals. I know this firsthand because I am dealing with it at Head

038Start here in Beloit with my youngest daughter. It has been exhausting and extremely frustrating not knowing who would be giving my daughter the proper care and attention she needs throughout the day. Sometimes with me driving back and forth because of of lack of staff or their comfor- comfortability. I strongly urge the board to reconsider any decision that would eliminate or reduce school health staff. Our children's safety and well-being should always come first. Next, I have one from Haley. I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the proposal to eliminate the school health office and shift the responsibility of medication administration to non-medical staff. As a parent, this change is alarming. Many children rely on timely and accurate administration of medication during the school day, some of which are critical to their health and safety.

039A missed dose, incorrect dosage, or improper administration could have serious, even life-threatening consequences. Trained medical professionals such as school nurses have the knowledge and experience to manage these responsibilities safely. Expecting office staff who are not medically trained to take on this role introduces unnecessary risk. Beyond medication administration, the school nurse plays a vital and irreplaceable role in the well-being of students. The health office is often a safe place for children, not just when they are physically unwell, but when they are hurt, overwhelmed, or in need of someone they trust. School nurses build meaningful relationships with students and are often the first to recognize signs of deeper issues, whether medical, emotional, or related to a child's safety at home. Speaking of my children's particular particularly, the relationship that has been built between Lindsay at Gaston and

040my children is something beautiful. My children feel safe talking to her when they don't feel safe talking to other staff. Lindsay is often able to connect with them on a deeper level when they get in trouble or are having a hard time in the school day and just need a reset. Eliminating [snorts] this role would remove any essential layer of care and support that many children depend on daily. It is not simply about convenience, it is about safety, trust, and the overall well-being of our students. I strongly urge the board to reconsider this decision and prioritize the health and safety of our children in the district. The presence of a trained school nurse is not a luxury, it's a necessity. Thank you for your time and consideration. And the last one is from Nicole. I'm

041a school counselor at Fruzen Middle School. I have been a middle school counselor at Fruzen for 4 years. Honestly, I was pretty surprised to hear that counseling positions were up for discussion regarding possible elimination again. This is the second time in the last 18 months that I'm explaining why student service positions should not be on the chopping block. I understand that as a district we are short money. However, I believe cutting more from student services will be detrimental to the School District of Beloit for many years to come. On paper that might seem like a valid and relatively relatively easy solution to find some of the money to help balance the School District of Beloit's budget. It is not that simple. Student services is composed of school social workers, school counselors, and school psychologists. Each

042role is unique and vital to the district students and families. It takes all of us working as a team to provide the best support, care, and plans to help ensure that each student has a prac- appropriate services and supports to help them thrive at school. We work tirelessly with administration, teachers, nursing staff, family advocates, and paraprofessionals to implement interventions to help students academically and emotionally. We work daily with students and families. As a snapshot, last week I met with 55 students individually. The School District of Beloit currently employs 13 school counselors for the 10 schools that we have in our district. Cutting these positions would create a lot of frustration, chaos, and sadness among our students, families, and colleagues. We work extremely hard to build relationships with families. Eliminating counseling positions and shifting other counselors

043to a different school could make it difficult to keep moving forward with the positive relationships that have been established. It would also cause a shift in the workload for the student services members that are still employed. Will they stay with that extra workload? Will students get the services they need? I worry about the lasting impact this will have on our students, families, and community. Our [snorts] world, especially our little corner of Beloit, has seen an increasing number of mental health challenges in our schools. I believe that it is imperative that we prior- prioritize the well-being of our children and provide them with the necessary resources and services to support them mental health. I've observed a growing number of students struggling with anxiety, depression, suicide, and other mental health issues. These challenges can significantly impact a

044student's academic performance, social interactions, and overall quality of life. It is essential that our schools are equipped to address these needs and provide timely interventions. It can truly save lives. Looking at the state of Wisconsin specifically, here are some facts that were found on the website of the Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health. 51% of teens reported having anxiety. 35% of teens reported dealing with depression. 20% of teens have had more than one instance of self-harm in the last year. 18% of teens report that they are suici- suicidal or have had thoughts of suicide in the last year. I work with students who have parents incarcerated, homeless students, students who are victims of abuse and neglect, depression, anxiety, anger management, AODA, atypical preteen, teen dilemmas, and a variety of other issues that come up daily.

045I have had students and their parents or guardians come up to me and share that they don't know Miss Mrs. >> would have done without my help in their darkest days. We're we're at 3 minutes. I'm sorry. I We're at 3 minutes. Okay. the time limit. Thank you. Is there anybody else that would And and it's not that I I I know in the past we have, I think, just for um you know the board moving forward that we can um yield time prior to the reading of a public comment because that way then it takes away bias that the board may have. You know, if if at the end where the 3-minute time is up it may the perception that we have a bias one way or another. So, I'm just trying to eliminate

046bias at this time. And hopefully that's something that the next policy um chair can take a look at. Um but go ahead. Amy or um um Mr. Shoaf is yielding his time. Okay. There's not much more. Um My job isn't over at 4:00 p.m. I am there late many days connecting with outside counselors, going to IEP meetings, taking talking with families, and laying the foundation to help these students gain confidence and hopefully self-esteem during their most crucial years. I don't take it lightly that I have them during that time. I have the opportunity to help them grow. Some days are very heavy and weigh on my heart and mind. I'm thankful to have my student services team to rely on and brainstorm ideas. They help me problem solve and remind me to practice self-care. I

047work hard [snorts] to compartmentalize the heavy stuff because I have to constantly be that rock for students as well as for my own kids. I appreciate you listening to my comments. I encourage you to reach out to any member of student services and ask them about their job and the things they do on a daily basis. You will see how valuable we are to the district. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Mrs. Shoaf. What um No. I'm just having the public comment. No, we're we're moving on to the uh reports to the board. Oh, okay. I'll do my public comment. And the first report is the student board report. Student board representative McKenna Rounds is not here tonight, so we will move right into the superintendent report. Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Dr.

048Malat. Good evening. Um as you know, the school district continues to benefit from strong community partnerships that um support student achievement and school improvement efforts. So, with that being said, we are pleased to announce that the Hendricks Family Foundation has not just uh graciously um committed to funding one school, but two. They've committed to implementing um the cost for two of our schools, Converse Elementary and Gaston Elementary. Um they are fully funding the cost of one school and 3/4 of the cost of the second school. This investment reflects the foundation's confidence in our staff as they were particularly impressed by the enthusiasm, commitment, and willingness of both school teams to engage in meaningful efforts. The remaining portion of funding for the second school will be supported through Title I funds over the 3-year engagement period

049using ensuring for ensuring full participation and sustainability of the work. As part of this initiative, we are partnering with Open Literacy and Skyrocket Skyrocket Education Services. Sarah from Open Literacy will be on site at Gaston and Converse tomorrow afternoon to begin initial engagement and planning. Additionally, Michael from Skyrocket will be visiting both schools in May to support implementation efforts. We will be collaborating closely with the foundation and the BEA, Beloit Education Association, to address and align aspects of the compensation connected to this work. In addition to this work, we will be partnering with AmeriCorps Reading to expand tutoring opportunities for other students across the other elementary schools. This effort will provide additional targeted literacy support and help strengthen outcomes for students beyond the initial implementation sites. We have also partnered with the Hendricks Family Foundation

050and other Rock County school districts in the area in the Gold Beyond Grades website campaign. This is a free support resource that offers families and educators website in working together through clearer, more meaningful information about student progress. The platform offers tools, tips, and resources in both English and Spanish to help families better understand how their child is doing, take informed action, and build strong home-school partnerships that support student success. Again, this is free. At this time we have made several leadership adjustments to ensure stability and continue progress across our schools. Mrs. Regina McAllister, principal at Merrill Elementary, and Mr. Ultha Williams, dean of students, have graciously stepped in to support Robinson Elementary for just the remainder of the school year. Their leadership at Merrill has been instrumental in establishing strong systems, structures, and routines, and

051they are now bringing that same focus and consistency to Robinson. Mrs. Jasmine Hill is currently serving as interim principal at Merrill Elementary. She brings strong principal leadership skills and a solid background in school social work, and she is doing an excellent job as interim principal in maintaining stability and ensuring that daily operations continue to run smoothly. As you are aware, the district is facing a significant budget crisis. When questions arise about whether specific programs, positions, or initiatives will be reduced, the reality is that all areas must be considered. Anything is possible at this point. The 2026-2027 school year marks the beginning of what will be a multi-year process of budget reductions. While we will remain grounded in our commitment to students, it is important to acknowledge that every reduction will have some level of impact

052on student experiences. At the same time, we continue to actively explore strategies to minimize the impact of these reductions. This includes maximizing the use of grant funding, evaluating and adjusting technology platforms, keeping Chromebooks at school sites to reduce damage-related costs, and carefully assessing staffing needs based on enrollment trends. These efforts are focused on maintaining high quality learning environments while being fiscally responsible. This is a challenging time for school districts across the state and nation, and it is no different here in the School District of Beloit, and we deeply appreciate the continued support of our community as we work to serve our students and staff during this time. As we recognize transition in board leadership, we extend our gratitude to Brian and Amy for their service and commitment to the district. We also warmly welcome Bill,

053Carol, and Dan to the Board of Education. The strength of our district lies in collaborative governance and we are confident that this important work will continue. Finally, next week we will celebrate a remarkable milestone as we induct 20 staff members into the Quarter Century Club. This recognition honors individuals who have dedicated 25 years of service to education. This is an accomplishment that is increasingly rare and truly commendable. We are proud to celebrate their commitment, perseverance, and lasting impact on our students and community. As we continue to move move forward, our focus will remain on making thoughtful, strategic decisions that prioritize student learning, safety, and well-being while maintaining transparency and collaboration with our stakeholders. Thank you. Mrs. Levy. Thank you so much. Um, Dr. Malott, does the administration feel that expanding a pilot program that hasn't

054been approved by the board is premature? Oh, I'm sorry. Dr. Anderson was in support of that. Um, and so we were able to work with the Hendricks family and because they had supported the the first pilot. And so, um, we were able to go ahead with that movement. So, I'm assuming your answer is no. And And just so everyone is clear, the the board has not accepted the pilot program. We voted to move forward with a contract that if the contract comes back and it's accepted, then the district would move forward with the pilot program. So, So, just to be clear, the administration does not believe it's premature to expand a pilot program that has not been approved by the board. No. I I'm going to take that as a no. Um, that they don't

055feel that it's premature. Both uh buildings, Gaston and Converse, uh the teams, the staff were in favor of having these programs in their buildings. In fact, the the way it came about was it was so difficult for the decision to be made which school building would receive the services that um Lisa Furseth went back to the Hendricks Family Foundation board and requested this that we that they expand and offer more services. And um when the contract comes before the board, both buildings will be there on the on the contract. Thank you for the clarification. Much appreciated. Go ahead. All right. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for that report. Um, I am so excited to hear that we are working with Reading Corps. Um, can you just if if you have the information,

056can you talk me through a little bit more? And for those who don't know, yeah, the AmeriCorps reading program is um usually like local folks who are trained. It's usually 5 days a week. Would you mind sharing that with folks? Yeah, so we just had a preliminary meeting with AmeriCorps. Um, it was just a virtual meeting. Um, we actually have another meeting set up with them tomorrow and some of our principals. So, um they bring in volunteers um who are trained. It's very exciting and and they work with students. Um, the volunteers are vetted out um teaching experience and so they will be in to tutor our students, fully vetted um and working with them on literacy. It is is absolutely free. Um, if we were to use them for math tutoring, we would have

057to pay, but we're only looking at using them for literacy services at this time, but we're looking at using them across our other school buildings at this point. That's fantastic to hear. And yeah, I'm an AmeriCorps alum myself and it's it's a great program and it's it's it's the way that I've seen it um and so just please correct. So, it's like 5 days a week. It would be during like regular intervention time similar to what Open Literacy is doing. Um and I'm excited to to think of and I hope, you know, I know this is a bit jumping ahead, but as you know, we're talking later in the agenda about budgets envisioning, you know, could potentially be like a a pool of folks that could rise into the I know like um Rochelle Elliott's

058talked about like the early literacy para positions and things like that. Is that sort of Yeah, and it we're looking at doing anything that we can to improve our reading scores. So, and especially um now that we have Act 20 and we have students with PRP. So, it's a heavy lift for our school staff and our interventionists and literacy coaches. Everybody's feet on the ground. So, any additional help that we can get and, you know, free is free is how we like to spend money, right? And so, any additional help we can get um is is great and using volunteers is absolutely amazing. And AmeriCorps is is right there. And so, um we're excited to bring that to our principals tomorrow. Thank you. I just have so much gratitude that you're moving forward with this.

059Thanks. >> Thank you, Dr. Malott. Next is our Policy and Human Resources Committee Report. Committee Chair Brian Nichols. Thank you, Board President Johnson. So, we met uh yesterday afternoon and um we we uh what we took care of the uh exhibit A from the HR, which is in the is moved forward to the full board for approval later this evening. And then we spent the most of our time on policy 352 um about field trips. And uh we had a very great dis- discussion. Uh Mrs. Fox had worked on a uh uh and thank her thank you, Mrs. Fox, for on on a proposal and we we dissected it about 85 different ways, I think. And there's still more work to do on it, which uh the next policy HR committee will carry forward. Uh

060but uh I think we're on the right way right road and to make that policy look look good and cover all the needs of the district. So. And uh thank you and for that, I sign off. Thank you, Chairman Nichols. We appreciate your all of your work. Next, we have Teaching, Learning, Equity, and Pupil Services Committee Report. Committee Chair Joanne Rue. Yes, thank you. Um, so we met tonight and uh we had a presentation by Robin Stutt about uh student homelessness and the supports that we have in place. Um we talked about um donations that we get from different people and so um anyone that's wanting to donate, you can um let them know that it's for our homeless youth and it goes um to help support um Robin talked mostly um what helps the

061most is helping them before they actually become homeless. So, um any little bit helps with that. Uh we had a discussion about Medicaid billing billing software and um learned about two other ones that are available beside Compass Care. Um we're looking into which committee is actually the one that should be um deciding how we move forward, whether it's the TLE committee or the Finance Committee. And so, once we know that and have some questions answered, that should be coming to the full board eventually. And then Leah Malott shared about summer school and um all of the exciting offerings we have and the um it's open not only to School District of Beloit students, but also to any resident of Beloit. And that Is there something else, Megan? That was a beautiful report. Just because not

062everybody watches the committee meeting, do you mind if I just share what Robin shared about our homeless student count? So, she said that as of today, we have 544 students who under McKinney-Vento's definition are experiencing homelessness, which is staggering. And that really that amounts to 12% of Beloit School District students experiencing homelessness, which is about roughly one in eight students, which is per capita the highest rate in the state. Not to end on a somber note, but thank you. Is that it? Thank you, Chairperson Rue. Next, we have board action and discussion items. First up is budget guidance. And the purpose of this is to have the board provide guidance to the administration to develop a comprehensive written 2026-2027 budget plan. The background information is at the March 30th budget workshop, Dr. Anderson presented a

063tale of two budgets, the preliminary budget considerations for the '26-'27 and the '27-'28 school years. This included potential options for the '26-'27 budget and projections for the '27-'28 budget. Tonight's discussion is to decide what specific guidance the board wants to give the administration. Attached on BoardDocs is a document that was first drafted by Board Member Carol Fox and uh we have discussed this. I believe this is our third third time um having discussing it with the full board. Um and before I turn it over to uh Board Member Fox, Dr. Malott, is there anything that you wanted to comment on the on this? Um yeah, well, we have talked about this a a few times. Um we just uh the whole idea is to provide some direction to to our administration about what our priorities

064are and what kind of documentation that we're looking for um so that we can focus on those priorities, but look at um what is being provided um so that we can make some good decisions about um trying to balance that budget. Um there are going to be no good decisions. We kind of know that. Um, because whatever decision we make, what Dr. Anderson is saying is it's going to impact students and it and it's going to. So, we want to make the best decisions possible. Um, and to do that, um, we need to focus on our priorities. Um, and which are, you know, the three of the top maintaining the teacher pupil ratio, focusing on staff retention and recruitment, and prioritizing, um, some of our our district programs and initiatives that really help us drive

065our student enrollment. Um, uh, so, and then underneath there is just a list of some of the documents that might help us make the decision. Thank you. Are there any board member questions or comments? Megan Miller. Thank you. Um, again, thank you so much, Mrs. Fox, for putting this together. I think you've done a wonderful job really taking our feedback and distilling it into a really cohesive document. Um, I spent some time this weekend, as, um, Board President Johnson said in her, um, overview, you know, I'm sure we all have like head conversations with folks and listen to people, and I had a really like wonderful clarifying moment, and I wanted to just share that, um, for a little bit of feedback under priorities. So, I think it's it's there and it's not explicitly stated,

066but I think it would, and I mean one of seven, um, to me, based on conversations I've had with people, we really want to put this under the umbrella of like the overarching question of how do we best meet all of the needs of our students, and the specific feedback I got from having the conversation that I had, um, with a community member over the weekend was asking the question, like how do we place each of our students in instructional spaces that best meet their needs? And while I know, to the point that we're balancing out here, any cut we make is going to take something away from our kids. Knowing that, um, the best that we are able to, to me I'm reading prior, and I don't think any of the priorities you have

067listed on here contradict that by any means. I just wonder if we need to add sort of just like that overarching guiding sort of like essential question focus. Like the we're trying to answer the question, given the scarcity of the situation, how do we best meet, you know, the unique and diverse needs of each of our kids instructionally. So, that's just a little bit of feedback. It's not I don't think anything that needs to be changed. I don't think that contradicts anything. Um, to me that was very helpful to sort of like rethink your documentation through that lens. And to that end, I just think it I'm making a suggestion that if we do have sort of like a central question, that might help our community members, um, you know, engage really clearly and directly

068and kind of cohesively around this document that you put together. Any other board members? Brian Nichols. fish Yeah. It's my last night. Do I do I need to do it now? Um, uh, I think well, first of all, I think it's it's really good. Carol, thank you. And and and Megan's comments are good, too. I would like I would like to suggest a change to the name, uh, to board guidance for the 26-27 School District of Beloit budget. Um, I think that just that's that's our that's our role as a board to do that. So, I think that's just the just a suggestion. So. Thank you. Any other questions or comments? Mr. Hankins. Yeah, I just want to reiterate, uh, Mrs. Fox and all the hard work she's put into this, and I know it's

069this is right up her alley. That's why I defer to the educators, the professionals to weigh in on this, and it's, uh, I I really appreciate all the hard work that goes into it, and I do agree with Megan. I don't you know, we all know, and I disagree with the thing that these these decisions don't have to be we're trying to have the less impact. They're hard decisions, but they don't have to be bad decisions. We have to make sure we're making right decisions for the majority, and it's just a big colossal we have to consider every little student and how they are affected. So, I mean, it's a big broad thing, but we're all trying to do the best we can, and I appreciate all the hard work that's going into this. Thank

070you. Thank you, Mr. Hankins. Anyone else? Mrs. Fox, do you have, um, any objection to, uh, Mr. Nichols' proposed change name change? No. Uh, I'm going to No, I don't have I um, it was a draft, so that was why it was recommended. So, uh, certainly we can change that to to, um, board guidance. Um, if we want to add I think the I wrote Megan's question is how do we how do we put our students in the best possible or with the best possible educational environment? Yeah, and I I just I don't think I'm tied to the specific language. I think like if somebody at at Walmart asks you, "Hey, like what are you guys trying to do?" It's nice to have that like, "Well, we're trying to make sure each of our kids

071get placed in the best possible instructional space." Or or however you want to conceptualize it. I just think that invites constructive conversation. It helps build kind of, um, you know, just just common language and a common vision as we're working through this kind of difficult process. So, I I don't mind how you phrase it if if you're okay with that. Works for me. No, I I think we could, um, just say board guidance, and then under priorities, um, you know, you could say priorities, um, that will lead us to, um, the best educational environment for our students, and just make it a sentence that says that. And, um, and if we make those amendments, um, I would move that we, um, uh, what do we do? What do we move to adopt this, um, this

072document with those amendments? I'll second. We have a motion and a second to make the proposed amendments to this document, and Mrs. Fox, um, would you mind emailing those to Mrs. Schopf so that so that she has them exactly? I'd be glad to. Thank you. Um, and to to move present this to the administration. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor? I. I. I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Next on the agenda, we have a discussion of Fund 80. Presenting tonight, we have Stephanie Elwood, interim executive director of business services, and Dr. Liam Mallett. The purpose of this is to review previously board approved Fund 80 actions. The background is after reviewing the information requested by the board, the administration would like to clarify that on October 7th, 2025, the board approved many items

073discussed at the April 14th meeting. DPI has been very clear that staffing expenses must be tracked through payroll and paid on an hourly basis. Per board policy 830 and rule one, the use of facilities, excluding the pool, falls under the responsibility of the business office. Increased used of district facilities would likely result in higher costs to the general fund, which cannot be transferred to community service fund, Fund 80, per DPI guidance. At this time, costs beyond custodial fees cannot be passed on to renters due to policy language. Looking forward, if we if we are reviewing moving the programming for middle school sports to the community service fund, the business office will need a detailed plan to provide the auditors for review. Additionally, the Boys and Girls Club programming use in Fund 80 was previously presented

074as only being for transportation at a cost of about $7,000. Has this request changed? We would also need the details of this request to be reviewed by the auditors to ensure that it is eligible for Fund 80. Ms. Elwood and Dr. Mallett. So, I guess at this point, thank you, um, for reading my little, um, short summary. I guess at this point is is there questions regarding Fund 80 from the board? I don't know if there are questions from the board, but to provide the public kind of an understanding of Fund 80, can you and or Dr. Mallett explain what Fund 80 is and what some of the restrictions are? Because it seems like, oh wow, Fund 80, it's great, this community, you know, service stuff, we can throw everything we want in there because

075everything is so community service that we're doing, but it's a lot more complicated than that. It is a lot more complicated than that, and thank you. So, the Fund 80 is a community service fund that is taxpayer funded. So, every dollar that we spend out of Fund 80 is an additional tax levy to the taxpayers, in addition to the tax levy for general fund expenses. So, currently in fund 80, the board has approved the Even Start program out of fund 80 and additional community service um activities out of fund 80. So, use of the pool, um community use of our buildings, those types of things. Those types of things don't um excluding the pool, the use of the buildings for like the city of Beloit to come in and use our fields and things, we

076don't charge them a fee for those items unless there is on the weekend and there's additional custodial costs. Um and it is my understanding that um we are not currently charging the city of Beloit for the custodial costs for those either, but other community groups we do charge the custodial costs. Um so, outside of those things, those are the um items we currently have in fund 80. The restrictions on fund 80 are is that it has to be true community use, meaning it's not just the current students that attend the the school district of Beloit, but it's any community member in the taxpayer area of the school district. So, including children that may be going to um the Learning Academy or private schools. I'm sorry, the Lincoln Academy. Thank Thank you. And then there was

077also the um one of these is not permitted um under our policy, one of our policies. >> So, our current rental use of facilities policy is very um it's very open to the public. So, almost any group that comes in and uses our facilities is free to use the or able to use the facilities without a cost outside of um custodial fees. So, just about anybody that asks uses the facilities for free. Okay. So, is there a proposed change to the policy that the administration is recommending? Yes, we will be bringing the the use of facilities policy to policy committee. Okay. Thank you. Um Carol Fox, you have a question or comment? Um yeah, I was you know, we were presented with a this middle school athletics um you know, proposal for basically a a

078way to cut some of the athletic budget. Um but it was pretty much dependent on putting a lot of stuff into fund 80. And what I read or was in hearing you say is that that may not be a workable plan. Is that what I'm hearing? So, I don't know exactly what the plan is. I heard a lot of um having community partners run the middle school programs. So, currently we have the Rising Tide that is using um some of our facilities and they are running programs, but there is um no charge to the Rising Tide for using our facilities and there's no like additional cost that we incurred. So, we don't pay somebody to run those. So, to put that in the fund 80, there's there's no revenue and there's no expense to put

079there. So, that that wouldn't apply. Um it looked like there was some things that were in this budget that were that were already in fund 80 as well. Is am I hearing Well, you you said you didn't have the proposal. There was a proposal for a um a position and you were that cannot go into fund 80. Is that correct? >> So, the um recommendation from the DPI, Department of Public Instruction, was that any kind of position that is paid for out of community service fund needs to be an hourly position and time carded so that it can be tracked that the activity is directly related to a community service fund. So, um we need to go back and look at this athletic proposal a little bit more. But that's what I'm hearing. That it

080it's it's uh we may be able to do something different with the middle school program, but not necessarily with using fund 80 money. Correct? Okay. Any other board member comments or questions? Mr. Hankins. Yeah, I would just like if Mr. Gratz, I see he's in the audience, if he has anything to offer um to this conversation. I mean, this is tied up a lot of this is tied up into your realm and you presented it before. So, just to have your feedback on it, I think would be I mean, this is just general knowledge and we need to have this before we move forward. Thank you. And for the communities' awareness, Mr. Gratz had presented some information at the last um board budget workshop and that's what we're talking about. I think uh Ms. Elwood

081obviously has to be the expert on on the DPI guidance around community um based programming in fund 80 and what can be moved in and and what not what cannot be. Um we presented this proposal I I want to say four or five months ago to our district leadership um and trying to again, just trying to get creative. We have to start bouncing it everything possible off of um you know, to try to we have to try to start being creative and figure out what we can do. So, um it's worth exhausting every question. Um Ms. Ms. Elwood is is, you know, providing that guidance and um working through you know, with her what can be done. I think it would be the next steps. So, if the answer is not fund 80, how do

082we how do we continue to work this process? Thank you, Mr. Gratz. And or the other question could be is how do we massage this so that it works in fund 80? Yeah, again, I I think that yeah, I think it's just going to take you know, all the minds getting together and being able to solve the problem. Any other JoAnn Rue. So, how do we do that? Is that a workshop? It's like, you know, it looks like you know, like Dan's got great ideas, Stephanie's got the like the legalities of it, board has opinions. How do we make this happen? Well, it reminds me reminds me of when growing up when my siblings and I didn't get along and we're fighting, my mom would make us sit on the bed until we got along.

083>> [laughter] >> And I'm I'm with this budget, I'm kind of at this point where maybe we should just put all the administrators in a room until they get it figured out. >> [laughter] >> But I am open to suggestions. Megan. So, I'm going to piggyback off of that um Ms. Rue. So, I think um something that I that I was going to bring up anyway is you know, I'd really love to see and I I said this last couple times, too. Um you know, maybe when Dr. Anderson's back, like him invite in, you know, Mark Perry in addition to Mark Rand and the folks we're already partnering with, right? I'm sure there's a long list and you're nodding your head. I'm sure you've got plenty of community partnerships you're already working with. We heard

084at TLE that, you know, Ms. Stott has this great set of partnerships. I actually I agree. I think um and I'd like the board to be a part of that. I'd love for us to kind of sit down uh sit down and say like what's what's our most ideal vision and like what's currently available and how do we take the existing resources, organizations, institutions that we have and you know, reconfigure in such a way that we can best uphold, you know, the current services that we we do or would like to offer for our kids. And I mean, I think that that's probably not a conversation that you just like start with the board. I mean, certainly you guys are already like having those conversations and things like that. I I'm wondering, I guess my

085question to Mr. Gratz, Ms. Elwood, Dr. Malat would just be, you know, to what extent would it be feasible for you or is that already in the works for you to um to reach out to our existing partnerships with like Community Action, the Boys and Girls Club, everybody that you're working with, the folks we heard about from Ms. Stott earlier, et cetera, um and bring forward kind of like an overarching, you know, set of priorities. Like here's how we could kind of redo how we work together if possible for athletics. This is, you know, you know, and for each of those kind of categories. Because I mean, and I think like once there's once the people who are actually like doing the work have, you know, cuz we don't need to be in the weeds

086as the board. You know, if you guys wanted to work together and say, "Hey, here's some things that could be feasibly worked out." That sounds like maybe a board workshop to then align that with, you know, kind of our vision. Um does that kind of make sense? So, I guess like step one would be is there a willingness and it I'm sure there is, you know, and you know, capacity and time to have those conversations. I'm going to stop talking cuz you're nodding. Do you want to jump in? At this point, you know, this is a way to save some money, right? So, anything we can do to save money has to be explored. So, yeah, we would have to do that. Yeah, and I just want to make sure we're not leaving out potential

087partnerships. Like I love that we're talking about Boys and Girls Club. I just they're not the only folks that we need to be talking to. That's and that's the only reason I'm even interjecting that. So, again, Ms. Rue, I 100% agree. Like let's let's have a workshop. I would to to make sure that our administration, our staff has the opportunity to like kind of have those conversations and bring something to us because we don't need to be inventing the wheel with them, right? Okay, thank you. Any other board member questions or comments? Uh just a yeah, I I this needs to go back to the administration um and they need to work with partners and and figure something out and they can um come back to us uh that's one of the board directives that

088we just uh approved was that we got to comprehensive plan. So um sports and all of that stuff should be part of that plan. Anyone else? A question I have um Mrs. Elwood and I I don't know if you you have the answer off the top of your head or not, but I notice on the Boys and Girls Club so so the transportation was um what we thought we were looking at, but I see that they also have um personnel for um a couple different positions, supplies and related expenses. Are those things can we cover those under fund 80 and if it's personnel, but it's a Boys and Girls Club or or a different organizations personnel, can we cover that under our fund 80? That is a really good question and if the board wants

089me to investigate that, I will do that. I am not 100% sure one way or the other. So I would need to confer with the DPI and with um our auditors on that because yeah, it does make it a little more complicated cuz they're also talking about it not being on our site either. They're asking us to fund a program offsite. Okay. Yeah. Mhm. Okay. Um if there are any other board member questions or comments, we will move forward with the athletic co-ops for spring 2027 and Mr. Gratz since you are at the podium and the purpose of this is to consider athletic co-ops for the spring of 2027. The background is at the April 14th board workshop during the athletic proposal, the athletic director indicated there may be some sports for the following spring

090that could be part of a co-op. This would be a cost savings not only for Beloit, but for the other districts as well. Due to the meeting the May 1st deadline for WIAA, the only cooperative agreement to be generated was the Lincoln Academy for girls softball. Miss Director Gratz. Thank you. Um so you have three documents in front of you. We started the the WIAA co-op um agreement um and kind of walk worked through that process. That doesn't obligate us to anything. That's just kind of one of the steps that we have to go through um to trigger them the signature page. That's also um was also presented. Um I gave just based on some questions that were pre- presented to me, I gave put together a brief um one-page synopsis essentially of what um

091co-ops look like. Uh very very broad and and um just tried to be as much information in a short uh reading as possible. Um you know, I I one thing I wanted to reiterate, we we don't know uh I put I used hockey as an example here because that's been existing for quite a while. Um we don't know what the cost savings uh would be both directly or indirectly yet. Um we definitely could. We believe there are some athletes that are there um for this purpose with softball at at the Lincoln Academy um that would be interested and could then support um our program, be able to right now we only have a varsity team, you know, be able to um develop a um junior varsity team, which is more of a developmental uh team.

092So there there is that benefit. Um there's also on the other end um the negative of if even one of our students left the School District of Beloit that was a softball player to go to TLA because they still have the opportunity to play, um that's a pretty substantial cost uh a net negative for us um at you know, one student leaving the district. So I think it's it's weighing everything and and I think that's the the my role and and your role as well is to I think it could benefit us from a numbers perspective and I reiterate could. Um I think it could benefit us from a um financial perspective by decreasing costs if they have athletes and we're splitting the cost then. Um but I think it could also hurt us in

093losing students. One of the pieces that we have um is a strong um athletic and activities program um over all other options within our city. Um many of our students um I think you know, even hinting at potentially uh cuts or decreases to athletics um brought a lot of calls to my office and uh media requests and things um because it is so important um and and I'm we're grateful for that um and we use that very much to try to entice our students. So we know how important that is to the city. So happy to explore and continue to go through these options. I just wanted to make sure we lay out all the all the information prior to any uh board direction. Thank you, Miss Mr. Gratz. Board member Levy. Thank you. Um

094you said that you're unsure about potential cost savings. So are is there a possibility that the co-op could cost us more to house a team um ourselves? The percentage uh the chance is very slim. Um we very much know um what our program is likely to cost us. Um we're able to similar to what we do with hockey, we're able to kind of look at um addendums, operational costs, uh officials, you know, transportation >> Yeah, all the things. We can kind of put that in one nice package. We're already doing that for one team. Um if we were to add say a JV team, they play essentially on the same nights. Um so to answer that question, the cost wouldn't likely increase um for what that package currently looks like. So the only Go ahead,

095sorry. I saw you. No, no, no, you're fine. So just to reiterate my question, um you're unsure about cost savings, but it sounds like you're pretty confident that the co-op expenses will not exceed what it would cost us to run a varsity team, which is what we currently have on our own um or potentially have varsity and JV in the co-op. Is that accurate? That's yes, that's accurate. Okay. Um and then my other question, in the event that that turns out not to be accurate, um is there an option where one, what is the duration of the co-op? And if we find that for some reason participation in the co-op is more expensive than us having JV varsity or varsity alone on our own, um is there a way to opt out of the co-op?

096And if yes, will that cost us as well? So the duration I don't I don't know the answer about opt-outs. Durations are 2 years. We renew every 2 years for again, hockey as an example. Um so essentially we would be buying into a 2-year binding contract. Um the WIAA there would be some negatives. We'd be pulling a potential team out of another conference to participate in our conference in one if that makes sense as the host school and so a conference loses out on potential scheduled games um and so that would be that's that's why they try to go into year cycles so that it's not constant change to um year-to-year schedules. Okay, so in conclusion, um you're pretty certain that the co-op is going to cost less than us managing a team on our

097own and it would be a 2-year commitment with sounds like no opting out if we find that the co-op is more expensive. Correct. Yeah, equal to or less than what we're currently paying is my is my assumption. If we offer if players are coming from there, um the the cost of the program let's just for round numbers say it's 15,000 for 15 players. Two of them come from TLA instead of 15,000 being put on us, they pay two, we pay 13,000. Does that make Does that quick math make sense? No, it makes sense. I just hope that you're correct that the co-op is less expensive. Thank you so much. Director Gratz. The co-op when it when and if it becomes in in existence, is it limited to just the School District of Beloit and the

098TLA students or is it also open to home-schooled kids or the Rock County Christian School kids or any other students that live within the boundaries of the School District of Beloit? Um it it from a school perspective it's limited to TLA and uh SDB. Um home-school students that live in the district um are allowed to already play um with us. We have uh quite a few that are home-schooled um but choose to participate in athletics already. So Does that answer? Yes. So if the Rock County Christian School um obviously they they recently purchased the McNeal properly property. If they expand their enrollment and want to be part of this co-op, is that something that they can be a part of or is this what once this is done, it's just these two schools? For now,

099just these two schools. We can continue to expand um to any and all opportunities around us that want to be a part of it, but right now it's just between us and the Lincoln Academy. Okay, thank you. Any other board member questions? Megan Miller. Sure, just I mean just a comment. I mean I think like you know, we have really outstanding things to offer at our high school and and of course across our district. And I mean, if this is a way to be, you know, good neighbors, and frankly, um you know, having kids in other schools making friends with our kids, and seeing just the outstanding opportunities that we have could actually be a way to enroll students to the school district of Beloit. So, I mean, that's just something to throw out there.

100Um I mean, I think we're going to need to have a larger discussion at some point as a board. Um maybe maybe even in tandem with, you know, TLA to have a discussion about how do we rebalance that give and take to make sure that every child in Beloit has an exceptional education, and we're not, you know, robbing each other of opportunities. So, I'm in favor of a cooperative model. I think it's a great opportunity to showcase our outstanding school district and its offerings, and to, you know, foster good relationships. Mr. Hankins. Thank you. That was interesting. I didn't realize that fact that uh it was just us and TLA. So, Turner students who open enroll, I mean, excuse me, district students who open enroll at Turner are not eligible. Correct. Their home school is

101identified then as Turner per the WIAA. Do Okay. Um I Yeah, I I definitely agree with what Ms. Miller just said. I mean, let's build a community, and uh I know Turner doesn't offer the same offerings we do for sporting events. Um And that's not the point, but so, yeah. But I do know I guess on my other backside of this that uh there was a May 1st deadline for these collaborations, which is your back or your our back against the wall to do this for the spring sports of 2027. So, I don't know what you need from the board at this time. It is late in the game. Thanks. Any other board member questions or comments? Is there a a motion to approve the girls softball cooperative with the Lincoln Academy beginning in the

102spring season of the 2026-2027 school year? So moved. I'll second. Motion by Jo Ann Rue, seconded by Tom Hankins. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all in favor? I. I. I. I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you, Ms. Thank you, Director Gratz. Next up, we have the draft communication plan. Um And this is to The purpose of this is to review a draft communication plan. At the April 14th board workshop, a communication plan was requested uh prior to being able to determine whether a position should be added to deal with district communications, which would would in turn add to the amount that would need to be reduced from the overall budget. Um Was it last year or the year before we eliminated the communication department, and um it has been an area that's we've

103kind of been struggling with as as a district overall. Dr. Malat? Sure. So, we did uh Monica left our and um we have not had anyone in that position specifically since her departure. Um so, several people kind of under have taken on that under their wing. Um I know Missy Beavers does the Facebook piece and some of that marketing stuff, and then um Brett Berg helps keep our website up and moving, and then, you know, Brandy Grady kind of sticks in uh things and helps Brett with that. So, it's kind of a a collaborative effort that is that is taken on by uh multiple people here in the district. Um and, you know, everybody else helps get information to them to put out on various sources. So, it's just it's a collaborative team effort. So,

104um looking at um the the board's decision, you know, whether we do build in funds for a new communications director, or if we just continue to move forward with um it continuing to do our own communications, um the board was looking for some sort of a plan. So, I took some communication plans from other places, and um picked, you know, some critical pieces, and kind of pieced together a communications plan for our district, which you have in front of you. Um and this this communication plan, you know, whether or not we go forth with employing a new person in the communications role, or just continue using our own people, kind of lays out um you know, what we can expect from a clear communications plan um in either in either facet. So, if we were

105to have somebody in charge of our communications plan, this would be kind of how they would roll things out. And if they if we continue to operate in the capacity that we currently are, this is just kind of the um processes and procedures, and who does um kind of what um at moving forward, and um some some recommendations for processes moving forward. Um there is one page in the in the packet that you have that is um taken right from when Monica and Maria were in charge of our communications, and it is um with our branding. That is specifically um something that they had used. So, thinking ahead to if we are moving towards a referendum, um using that branding piece in our communications, and how that might look, where we would put those um

106communications out, and on what sort of um media sources we would put the our our brands out, whether it's flyers, whether it's internet um ads, radio ads, you know, we do use different media sources here in Beloit. So, it's the page that's titled managing our SDB brand. Um the part that says carousel 991, that's on our district TVs at the rotation that you can see on the in um right as you come into Kolak. Um so, lots of different ways that we communicate things out. Um and some of these have been a little bit lost since we don't have Monica and Maria, like the podcast. They were in charge of doing those, but, you know, it's not that we couldn't have somebody pick those things back up for us to help um get that communication

107back out, but just looking for ways to keep our communication effective, and strengthen our student engagement, and family engagement, and making sure that families understand expectations and resources, and ways to get our student um ways to get their student progress, um and making sure that families are able to get a hold of schools, how to reach out to schools, communicate with schools, um and making our um school district um able to reach other communities, too. So, um thinking, you know, Janesville south of us, um you know, cuz we we want to reach a an expanded area. Um some pros of having the um position in our district would be to provide more consistent, centralized messaging. Um right now our our folks are putting things out when they have a minute. So, um like Friday, for

108example, when we had uh the storms coming, um we were messaging Missy, and we were messaging Brett Berg, can you please put this message out for us, you know? So, they they do that on the fly. Um but if we have somebody in that position, they're able to kind of take that on, and and that's their actual position. Um another pro is, you know, just providing proactive communication, rather than rather than being reactive. Um the the position for communication is really kind of the leader in the crisis management. Um and if they free up administration to focus specifically on their instructional leadership and operations. So, um we certainly appreciate those who can are doing the communications piece right now, but it is taking time away from what they are normally doing. Um obviously, the cons

109for for having that position, it it is a big financial cost. Um the media people when Monica's position does a lot of heavy lifting, especially if we're in a referendum period. Um it's constant communication, constant updating. Um it's you know, this is kind of a perception that it's a non-instructional spend. If we do bring a communications person back, we're looking at really maximizing our student um our our in our money being used in the instructional capacity. So, um it's not a a student-facing position, you know, so that's that's one of the cons that we have there. Um you know, but having an in-house communication model is definitely, you know, more cost-effective than if we have to hire a firm to do communications. So, you know, there's a lot of things to consider there. Um but,

110you know, just in in considering communication as a whole, it's really important now that we have so many social media outlets out there that we do have a clear communication plan. What are we going to use to communicate to people? Who is going to do that communication? Um where staff should be looking to communicate if they need to communicate a need to us. Um and where where our families can look to communicate those needs to us as well. Thank you. Jo Ann Rue. Mm. Yes. Okay, if uh love this that we have something concrete. This is fantastic. Um I especially liked on page 16 the like who you contact next. I I love knowing who the chain of command is when I'm going to talk to someone, so that's very nice that we have something

111like that, so people know who they should be talking to first next then. I love that. Um the the part about social media and I lost my page, but it said something about that it shouldn't Uh yeah, it should not be a primary source of information. Um It is. For lots of people in our community and we're we are not controlling the narrative. And so um I don't know that we need necessarily a communications director, but we need someone because like the people who you listed Brandy and Brett and Missy, that's not part of their job really. I mean, we're making it part of their job, but I'm sure Missy could fill her day with lots of other things that have nothing to do with Facebook if we took that away from her and I

112I think um a person who can do social media communications doesn't necessarily have to be someone with one of the higher salaries. You know, like there are entry-level communication type people that could do a really fantastic job with this. Um I know back when I was in the classroom, each school had like point people for the Beloit Daily News, too. Um the year that I did it, I made sure that the Beloit Daily News was in our school every single month and we made the front page every month for something good. And so like I don't know if we still have those kind of things happening, but that would be um maybe something that we could uh encourage schools to do as well. And um uh I don't know. Like even at the building level,

113like who has who's in charge of like Facebook posts for buildings? Maybe we could um talk to them and have it be something where it's kind of a shared lift, maybe. I don't Those are just my thoughts. Thank you, JoAnn. Any other board member questions or Megan Miller? Thank you so much. Um I was curious to know Okay, so first of all, so JoAnn, I love the idea um too of just you know, it's like many hands make make light work. I mean, just being efficient like within our building, but in a way that doesn't put people over capacity. I think it's fantastic. Um I was curious about I it surprised me to hear you say that it was more cost-effective to have somebody in-house. And so here So here's what I'm wondering. In the

114spirit kind of what JoAnn was just saying, um how do we spread things out in a way that doesn't overwhelm people? It's certainly like much more authentic to have like a you know, somebody in the school be like, "Hey, look at all the great stuff we're doing." But also have somebody who's like a professional like manage that social media narrative, etc. Um Could we like I guess so what for me I it seems like it would make sense to like work out some kind of a third-party contract cuz then there's not like benefits and things like that. Like would would people be open to exploring I don't know if it would be like a formal RFP or not, but just we could do it that process to say, you know, take this this really thorough

115plan that you've put together and say like here are the spots that we feel would best be served by like somebody with professional expertise and put together a sort of like a package where we could say, "Here's what we can reasonably manage in-house. Here's what we would benefit from somebody's professional expertise." I would be interested just to see the cost on that versus like an in-house position. Carol Fox. Okay. Well, as as far as the position is concerned, $4.5 million. Just want to say. And then we just found out that the budget the bussing is going to cost us 500,000 more. So make that 5 million. Um so we have to work on figuring ourselves out as a smaller district and and figuring out how we can utilize our people in different ways. Um is

116kind of an important process. We we kind of also are kind of dumping jobs on people just because that's where it goes, but we need to figure out better ways to do that. Um as far as the communication plan is a really really good start. It's something that we really seriously need. Um and I I I think it's it's excellent. My concern is the implementation plan and not just the administration, but the board. I think we need to sit down at some point and talk about um what needs to be there because we need goals that are active and measurable goals. And we need some better strategies. I mean, um you know, the strategies are kind of goals. It's like we want to cultivate, strengthen um you know, the school district of Beloit community to

117engage them in the district vision. And my question is how are we going to do that? I mean, what strategy that's not a really a strategy. We need to come up with ideas of what we're going to do as a as a district, as administrators, as board members. Um you know, we talked and that plays into some of the referendum conversations. Um you know, Dr. Anderson was mentioning some of those you know, we will as a board go to every school and you know, have a meeting and whatever, but we need to sit down and come up with some strategies about how we're going to do some of these things. The chain of command and some of those other things that are in here are are excellent, but we really need to plan how we

118want to communicate, also. Um um with within that. Thank you. Amy Levy and then Mr. Hankins. I really like the idea of comparing um cost and benefits of having an in-house person um versus having a reputable third party um to handle our communications. I think in our district, like many others, communications is so critical, especially with the challenges that we face. We want to make sure that we're speaking with one voice, that the information is timely and accurate. Um and I'm sure that people are doing the best they can, but the way it has been described to me of having several people involved in the community is like having 17 people trying to drive a car at the same time. Um and I think a crash is imminent and that is definitely not what we

119need. Um so I I think it would be prudent to move expeditiously to either get an in-house person or to work with a reputable third-party contractor that can provide our communication needs. Thank you. Mr. Hankins. Thank you. And piggybacking on Mrs. Levy, uh I mean, there's to me there's two sides another side of this is there's technical uh communication that comes out. I mean, information that you know, facts that need to be shared. But in in a part of that, and it's not a novel idea, is the PR part of it. And that that person, the PR person, needs to know our community, our district and massage I like the word you used massage earlier, board president massage that information to the right sources and how to work it and working with the administration at

120Keck to make sure what we're putting out is what we want to say and to know how to go that and to represent us in certain uh functions. It doesn't always have to be the superintendent, but I think uh in-house is great where that person works directly with administration, but that person also needs to know our district and our uh community resources. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hankins. Any Miss Miller? Thank you so much, Mr. Hankins. I appreciate what you're saying and see and this is where my mind went cuz like I think you and her are on the same page at first that as as as I was looking this over, it's like it almost it like has to be in-house, but if we're going to hire an in-house person for for not a

121huge amount of money, we are asking way too much of someone who's like maybe fresh out of college, like who maybe doesn't And that's where like if we had if if we are able to handle it, you know, if we can make the budget work, I think like some of column A, some of column B, you're still going to have the superintendent or whoever's in charge of of whatever thing like building a very close like personal like, you know, relationship instead of knowledge and and institutional knowledge, right? With a third party. It I just feel like in reality, we're not going to hire another Monica at this point. Like we just don't have it in the budget. So I like I 100% agree with everything you said and that's but like because I agree with

122you, that's why I think we got to do find somebody from the outside, maybe a little on the inside, right? Right. Right. But yeah, same page. Thank you. Any other board member questions or comments? Dr. Malat, thank you for putting this together at this time. Do you want board members to email you feedback or set up meetings with you? Um how would you like to proceed with this? Either is absolutely fine. Keep in mind it is a draft. And on the page that it says with the board, we that's mostly blank with that intent because it's a draft. Yeah. Either way, you can email me, call me. Okay. Make a meeting. Okay. Thank you. We We appreciate the efforts that you and the administration have put forth in this. And speaking of communications, I am

123really excited about our next item. Uh Mrs. Shope, uh Board Secretary Shope called me the other day and um um shared a little bit of information. So this item is a monthly board newsletter. And the purpose of this is to discuss having a board newsletter. The background is this discussion is to determine if the board is interested in having a monthly newsletter that community members and families could sign up and receive via email. The newsletter would also be emailed to staff. This could be a great way to do outreach to keep the community and families up-to-date on many district and board topics such as a vice president stat chat that could be a status update on the past couple of meetings for the month an area for updates on the literacy initiative updates on superintendent

124search a referendum information when the board goes decides to go to referendum a president's short message. I like that you say short. >> [laughter] >> Maybe a school highlight or something great that occurred because there's always great things occurring. Highlighting the CTE program and certificates that students are receiving and much much more. Mrs. Schope, before I open this up to board members for questions and comments, did you want to add how you came up with this? Just that um this is the kind of thing that we pick up um when Donna and I go to our conference the Wassa conference twice a year or even when we go to the meetings we meet with our CESA two counterparts um four times a year twice at the conferences and then twice um other times of the

125year and we all share different ideas and things that we do and ask questions of each other like how do you do this and how do you do that and and stuff and this was one of the ideas that came up um we did like what they called speed dating for um topics and we sat at tables and went from table to table um for like an hour hour and a half um every 10 or 15 minutes and this was one of the topics that kind of came up for communications and and people were talking about doing newsletters for their boards and that community members sign up or whoever and I just kind of took the ball and rolled with it and threw some ideas you know Donna and I talked about some different ideas

126and um and then I kind of brainstormed some other ideas and then I called up President Johnson and said what would you think of this and started giving her some of the ideas that I'd come up with and she was like I think this is great so that's why it's on the agenda. And of course one of my first questions was would we need new software for this and found a and how much would that cost and the answer was no so we have in-house talent right here before us so is there any Megan Miller? Yeah, I agree it's a fantastic idea. I think you know I would say as a as a parent who receives you know like a weekly principal email like from you know like first and like our principals do a

127fantastic job and so I mean like there's like already highlights we could probably draw from you know work smarter not harder there. So as I was looking over the list I had a couple of things. I think stat chat might just be like confusing language cuz like I think when a lot of us hear stat we think like statistics but like I love that idea I think it's wonderful sorry to be that picky. A couple things that I thought we could even add to the list would be you know advertising volunteer opportunities. I think a lot of times people are like oh hey like I'd love to whatever this you know I don't know. I don't need to elaborate and then I'm sure. Um and like quick polls just to get like quick feedback from

128people or like you know if you know in a timely way like if we know for example there's a food service item I know board chair Hankins you guys had a really good discussion like last time around about some of the the fund 50 pieces so like if there's something timely coming up for a board meeting getting a little bit quick kind of pulse check kind of feedback piece um I think something we hear about constantly no matter like how wonderful of a job Ms. Elwood does and she does a wonderful job of of getting all of our budget things out there transparently and it's accessible on the website and all these things I hear all the time like we don't know where money is spent and we don't understand like how these like how

129is it that you guys don't have this money when it I looked up online that you guys get this money and it's totally understandable cuz it's super confusing. So what a great opportunity to do just like a quick little like budget snapshot it could even because it's a board newsletter you know could even you know reflect here's what's coming up on our finance report and just like a little quick little tidbit kind of thing. So I don't want to put any more onus on our administration like they're already doing a great job and spending I'm sure like way too much time like putting these board reports together. So just like little digestible pieces something that would be easy to kind of like rinse and repeat but I think really um that was just just a

130couple things that came to mind when I was looking this over so thank you so much for bringing that up. Mrs. Fox Um I think it's a great idea too. Um there's days I wonder if we should have our own Facebook page but >> [laughter] >> but um Can I weigh in? No. No, it's just a joke just a joke. Um I think uh there needs to be board communication definitely to the community. I think it needs to go to the staff as well. And I think that um one of the things that does need to be on there is committee committee upcoming agenda items right? We are you know we're we're discussing such and such a policy at the policy meeting uh if you have any input email us or come to the meeting

131kind of thing. We've had a couple of times where it it's uh well it was the cell phone policy right? We had a cell phone policy and then all of a sudden people are showing up and and saying well we're working on a cell phone policy. It's like okay we got to communicate better about some of those kinds of things but so yeah I think I think it's a really good idea but upcoming board um topics and agendas and that kind of thing also needs to be in there. Any other board members? Mr. Hankins Thank you very much. Yeah in uh as Dr. Anderson has been very diligent about and to me they're very invaluable the the weekly updates he he sends out on Sunday Sunday or whatever day I mean things that are coming

132up thing it's like a week in review coming up and those kind of quick snapshots I think is what we're talking about but to the public you know it's it's not detailed it's just a snapshot and I think it's very very cool. Thank you. Thank you. Any other board members? Go ahead. I guess I took this for granted in my brain but I'll just say it out loud. This would be available in Spanish as well. Awesome. Thank you. >> [sighs] >> So Mrs. Schope it looks like we have our work cut out for us and we can start um drafting our first board newsletter. Thank you. Sounds good to me. I just need input from the board. Okay. We will work on it. Our next agenda our next agenda >> [laughter] [laughter] >> Our next

133agenda item is the consent agenda. Item 7B was already previously removed. Typically there is no separate discussion of the items unless a board member so requests in which event the item or items will be removed from the general order of business and considered in their normal normal sequence on the agenda. Do any board members wish to have any of the consent agenda items removed? Hearing none is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> Second. Motion by Brian Nichols seconded by Carol Fox. Any discussion? Hearing none all in favor? I. I. Any oppose? Motion carries unanimously. Our next agenda item is the human resources committee report exhibit A. Are there any open session questions on exhibit A? Mrs. Levy Thank you. Bear with me while I pull this slide up. Um unless there is

134something I'm missing I'm a little concerned because at first blush it looks like we are stripping the leadership at Merrill to move it to Robinson and I'm wondering where does that leave Merrill? Um specifically the interim principal I just want to confirm that there is a principal licensure. Dr. Milot or director executive director Almendaris So upon being assigned to the position the district does um have the board sign off for DPI to issue that emergency license for Ms. Hill. So since licensure is not already in place which there was no need for it to be because the individual was operating as a dean. I want to be clear about that. Um will there be someone acting as a dean at Merrill? There will not be someone acting as a dean. However, both the former Merrill

135principal and dean are still providing support to Merrill. So several concerns. Um one I'm not [snorts] comfortable with stripping resources from one building to support another and leaving the initial building with less resources that are going to the the second building and two, I'm not thrilled about asking our administrators to support two buildings. Um Owen sounds like you said that the the principal and the the dean um if they currently at Merrill, if they move to Robinson would still be supporting Merrill? Well, essentially it's not as though they're not going to be there to provide support to the person who is there and wrapping up any loose ends, but they're not going to have dual reporting. I just wanted to clarify. Okay. >> [snorts] >> Um is the way I described the situation am am

136I off? Am I missing something or again are we stripping the leadership from Merrill to send to Robinson and leaving Merrill with less resources. So Merrill will have an interim principal without previous principal licensure and and a question embedded in that is if you don't have um a previously established principal licensure, will this individual be able to do evaluations or is someone from CAC coming to do that? Um and and do I have any of this wrong in my understanding? So, I want to clarify when we say stripping resources from Merrill. Yes, um so we were very mindful in how we went about the process as you know or you may know, um there is uh significant number of students at Robinson versus those who are enrolled in Merrill. So, there's a lot smaller enrollment

137at Merrill. Um and so it was important for us to establish some stability at Robinson not at the expense of Merrill, but Ms. McAllister has done an amazing job at stabilizing Merrill, at creating processes and procedures that allows for someone to be able to come in and continue that great work that she has already established at Merrill without it being as much of a disruption as it would be to not have leadership in place at Robinson for the time being. And then um final question I believe and then a comment. Um I believe I heard earlier that this was until the end of the year. Is this until the end of the year or if these placements go through, um at least the leadership team at Robinson would be there moving forward into next year

138as well? So, we as our goal is to have consistency. So, if we need to move into the upcoming school year with the same team, then that is something that we will assess, but right now again the priority was to stabilize the building with staff from a building that was already stabilized. Okay, so consistency at Robinson. Um and then to my colleagues, I'm I'm going to make a statement in no way meant to like curtail discussion, but when we're done discussion, um as a professional courtesy, I would like to have two separate motions if we get to that so that the position the principal and dean position proposed at Robinson and the interim principal position at Merrill could just be separate. And of course, board members can make whatever motion you would like. I am

139I am just asking when it comes time for a motion that those be separated out. Thank you so much. Any other questions? Megan Miller. Thank you so much. So, in Dr. Mallett's update we talked about and I think you just reiterated Ms. Almendarez like that the two transfer positions are are not intended to be permanent and I'm just wondering why there's not the interim on the position. So, like for example, under the assignment column for Ms. Hill, it's got interim principal. Why not interim principal and interim dean for the transfers? Because these individuals are already principals and deans and a person that has interim in front of the title is not currently a principal. So, it's just a transfer from one building to another. Okay, and and the reason I'm asking is cuz I want

140to make sure that we're being, you know you know, I guess just compliant with, you know, posting positions and things like that and that's why I wanted to clarify. Um I'm also I'm just wondering too like are there are there deans or others in the district who do have principal licenses that could step into that role? And the reason that I'm asking and and I don't know if this has to be a closed session thing is like I don't know Ms. Hill, I'm sure they're wonderful. Um in the past like we we've tried to not put administrators and adminis- in administrative positions without licenses and so like if this has to be closed session discussion, let me know cuz I I would just I'm a little uncomfortable, I guess, um supporting uh somebody without the

141licensure. So, it's kind of what came first, the chicken or the egg. So, we cannot ensure her licensure, her principal license unless she is going into a role for which she would require that emergency license. So, the board approval will allow the board president to sign off on the application for that license. Yeah, I'm aware of that. I I'm wondering if if there's somebody who does not have to be emergency licensed, like who works in the district that can step into that role. It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into the plan for the piece from Merrill to um Robinson, like moving that leadership team. I want to make sure we're doing our due diligence to Merrill, um that we have a a currently licensed administrator there. Absolutely and that's a great question

142and yes, we did look at the staff that we currently have throughout the district. The greatest consideration aside from capability uh was also what was the least disruptive to the environment. So, for example, moving the dean from Todd when we have an interim principal there would would would have been more destabilizing. So, we did give great thought to how do we go about filling this role because we want to make sure that Merrill also has resources available to them. How do we fill this role creating the least cuz no matter where you move somebody from, there's going to be some disruption, but what was the least disruptive and at the time that was the option that made the most sense to us and was least disruptive. Thank you. Before we continue, I will entertain a

143motion to extend the meeting. So moved. Is that a second? Motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Megan Miller. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor? I. I. I. I. Motion carries unanimously. Mrs. Almendarez, how many deans do I I know last year the board approved six dean positions. How many do we actually have? Um so, we have four and a half. Um we never well, three and a half. We never hired Converse and we never hired Robinson's dean. Okay. And do you I there excuse me. Are there any deans that have a principal's license? Um Yep, as I mentioned before when we looked at that possibility because of the structure in that building, it would have been more of a disruption. Dr. Mallett. Ms. Hill has completed all of her principal work and has submitted

144her license to the state. Thank you. That's very helpful. Do we know the enrollment for Merrill and Robinson? Ms. Beavers was kind enough to send an update, so I want to pull on that to give you the most recent calculations. Merrill 179. Yes. 476. Thank you. Any other board member questions? Brian, you're next. You're No question. I move approval of the 4 21 2026 employee recommendations exhibit A. I'll second that. I would like to make a an amendment to approve the employee recommendations A for 4 21 minus the principal and dean the proposed principal and dean position at Robinson and the interim principal position at Merrill. Second? Okay, so the original motion to approve was made by and please correct me if I'm wrong, Brian Nichols, seconded by Carol Fox and an amendment offered by

145Amy Leavy to remove the proposed um positions uh at Merrill and Robinson and that was seconded by Megan Miller. Okay, awesome. Can we have a roll call vote on the amendment, please? Certainly. So, we are voting on the Oh, I'm sorry. And And first we're going to vote on the amendment. Are there any questions or comments on the amendment? >> Yeah, no, sorry, you're fine. Uh just discussion, if that's okay. Yeah, um I just wanted to just to clarify to my colleagues that um you know, voting on the amendment doesn't stop us from voting on the entirety of the exhibit, and I think as Ms. Levy said, as a professional courtesy, um I'm That is why I seconded the motion, and I'm in favor of honoring the wishes of our colleague. Thank you. Any other

146discussion? Mrs. Schope? And I just want to clarify that we are um the the amendment motion was to remove both the principal and dean positions from Robinson, the proposed positions, and the proposed interim principal at Merrill, correct? All three? Yes, ma'am. Yes. Yes, ma'am. Okay. JoAnn Rule? I. Brian Nichols? Nay. Megan Miller? I. Amy Leavy? I. Tom Hankins? Nay. Carol Fox? Nay. And Tia Johnson? I. The motion carried 4 to 3. So, we are now voting on exhibit A minus those three positions, and then I will entertain a motion for those three positions. Is it Does anyone request a roll call on this? Is there any other discussion on this? Hearing none, all in favor? I. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Is there a motion for the administrative positions at Robinson and Merrill? I move

147approval of the positions at Robinson and Merrill as on the exhibit A. I'll second. Motion by Let me mic up. Motion by Carol Fox, seconded by Brian Nichols. Mrs. Schope? You Um right now we are just voting on the administrative positions at Robinson and Merrill. Yes. Okay. Okay, any other discussion here before we vote? Mrs. Levy? I'd like a roll call vote, please. Any other questions or comments? When you're ready, Mrs. >> Can I just re-clarify who made the motion and the second for the three administrators? Carol Fox and Brian Nichols. >> Thank you. Okay. Carol Fox? I. Tom Hankins? I. Amy Leavy? Nay. Megan Miller? I. Brian Nichols? Nay. Nay. I. Sorry. Sorry about that. >> yes. I was I was looking at my I was looking at my chicken scratching, that's what [laughter]

148got me. Okay, so just to clarify, that was an A? An I? >> [laughter] [sighs and gasps] >> JoAnn Rule? I. And Tia Johnson? I. I have that carrying 6 to 1. Thank you. Our next agenda item is executive session. Typically, the board meets in closed session per state statutes listed below to discuss the items in this section of the agenda. The public is excused from this portion of the discussion. A motion may be made and a vote taken to convene the Board of Education into closed session pursuant to section 19.85 {paren} 1 {paren} B of the Wisconsin State Statutes considering formal employee discipline {slash} right to hearing pursuant to section 19.5 19.85 {paren} 1 {paren} C of the Wisconsin State Statutes relative to employee employment, promotion, evaluation items, and section 19.85 {paren} 1 {paren}

149G of the Wisconsin State Statutes for conferring with legal counsel. Is there a motion? So moved. Second. Motion by Brian Fox, seconded by >> [laughter] >> Oh my gosh. Okay, it is late. Brian Nichols, and seconded by Carol Fox. Any other discussion? Mrs. Schope, when you're ready. JoAnn Rule? I. Brian Nichols? I. Megan Miller? I. Carol Fox? I. Tom Hankins? I. Amy Leavy? I. And Tia Johnson? I. Motion carried unanimously. Thank you. We are going into closed session for discussion on handling of personnel matters and approval of closed session minutes. The Board of Education may reconvene to public session in order to take any action, if necessary, on items discussed in closed session. Thank you.