Regular Board Meeting - 3/17/2026 (6:00 p.m.)

001minute break. >> Yes. >> Okay. Uh we'll we'll start in at 603. Mrs. Shopee, are you about ready? Good evening. It is 6:04. I am calling to order the regular board meeting of Tuesday, March 17th. Mrs. Schult, may we get a roll call? >> Yes. >> Joanne Rue here. Brian Nichols >> here. >> Megan Miller, >> present. Amy Levy here. Tom Henkins >> here, >> Carol Fox >> here, and Tia Johnson >> here. >> All board members are present. >> Thank you. May I get an approval of the agenda? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Brian Nichols, second by Carol Fox. Any discussion? >> Yes. >> Could Mrs. R. Could we move letter C of the consent agenda um outside of the consent agenda, please? >> Um yes. Would you like to move

002that to a discussion action item or do you just want to have it removed when we come to the consent agenda? >> Um well, I think we we just need to discuss it for a minute. I think really fast discussion. And so I don't know where you want to put it. >> Okay. >> So item 6D you would like to be moved to >> 7 C. Wait. >> Oh, you know what? How about this, Mrs. R? When we get to the consent agenda, you just ask to have it removed. >> Okay, perfect. >> Okay, thank you. >> I forgot we can do that later. Any any other questions or suggestions on the agenda? I >> Oh, Mrs. Levy, >> thank you. Um, I'm concerned that the funding request for the H.B.CU is not included on

003this agenda even after several requests. >> Point of order. >> Yes, >> that's not on the agenda. So, >> it it was taken off the agenda. So, if you would let me finish, I'll be very brief. Thank you so much. The superintendent, >> Mrs. Levy. >> Yes. It was never on the agenda. >> There were several requests to have it on the agenda and the policy was ignored. >> Thank you. That several requests does not make it become an agenda item. >> Thank you. We we can just we can discuss this after the meeting. >> I I'm just terribly disappointed that we're silencing students. >> I I responded to all of those emails. Thank you. Any other discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? >> I I >> I. >> Any oppose? >> Nay. >> Motion

004carries with one in the opposition. Tonight we have the p privilege of having Dr. Dr. Ryan Stingle, the principal of Fusen, here tonight to introduce his frozen falcons to lead us in tonight's pledge of allegiance. Dr. Stangle, >> there it is. Thank you for having us here this evening. Uh behind me I have Adoram Orta Canoa, a seventh grader at Fusen, and Brooklyn Fitzgerald, a seventh grader at Fuszen. And they are going to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. So everyone, please rise. You guys can step up to the mic and whenever you're ready, go ahead. One, two, three. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you so

005much. Tonight's president's report. Good evening and thank you for being here tonight. We appreciate your continued interest in and support of the school district of Boe. A special board meeting was held last Wednesday to review our current discipline procedures and how to learn from other districts approach to dis student discipline. The discussion included the potential advantages and challenges of al alternative practices. A follow-up session is planned for late spring or early summer to continue this important work. Board members were also invited to attend the Boet Memorial High School automotive center event that was held this afternoon. For those of you who were unable to attend, we are proud to celebrate the opening of this new facility on our main campus. Relocating the automotive center to Bo Memorial High School will result in annual cost savings

006by eliminating rental expenses. We anticipate discussing a potential future expansion of this facility as the pro programs continue to grow. We are excited to sustain and strengthen hands-on learning opportunities in automotive technology. Thank you to Mr. Michaels and Mr. Stenrews for their leadership in transitioning from the former Sears automotive location to our Blo Memorial campus. In addition, the board had the opportunity to tour the new robotics welding cell and the in the welding CNC classrooms at Bo Memorial. This project was supported through a fastforward grant from the department of instruction and will expand opportunities for students to earn industry recognized certifications. We are also encouraged by the growing partnerships between local businesses and the bo memorial high schoolmies. We invite our community to join us in celebrating the many positive developments at boy memorial high

007school and themmies of bo. Again, thank you to Mr. Michaels and Mr. Stenrews for your continued commitment to our students. The board of education has been invited to attend several upcoming events. The Gaston Elementary Glow Show is Thursday, March 19th and Tuesday, March 24th from 4:00 to 7:00 in the Gaston Library. Thank you to Elementary Art Department chair Katherine Buchanan. We have also been invited to the Todd Elementary Glow Art Show Thursday, March 19th and Tuesday, March 24th from 4 to 6 in the art room, room 130. Thank you to art specialist Mandy Kinshi and BLA is hosting a better together breakfast Friday March 20 20th at Bo Learning Academy. Thank you to BLA secretary Paula Hunt. 4K enrollment is now open. Our full day program taught by DPI certified teachers uses engaging hands-on learning

008to prepare students for future success. Daily instruction builds foundational math and reading skills while supporting language development and cognitive growth. Students also participate in art, music, and physical education and benefit from a strong social emotional curriculum that promotes positive relationships, self-confidence, and citizenship. Students must be four years old by September 1st to enroll. Early entry is not permitted. As we look ahead, the district faces the difficult but familiar challenge of addressing a $4.5 million budget shortfall for the 2627 school year. During tonight's meeting, we will discuss and make decisions aimed at maximizing our resources in support of student learning. At a recent meeting, our auditor advised that our fund balance is below the recommended levels. While the board of education is reluctant to rely on these funds, it may be necessary to do so in

009order to maintain certain programs, including spring athletics. The district has made significant financial reductions over the past several years. We are now at a point where we must consider reductions to studentf facing programs. Please know that these decisions are not made lightly. Our students deserve access to the same opportunities as students anywhere. Field trips, enrichment programs, and experiences that broaden their horizons. In a high poverty district, we work hard to stretch every dollar. But some opportunities require additional community support. We encourage families and community members to partner with us through fundraising, volunteering and participation. Every contribution, whether time, ideas, or resources, helps to ensure that our students have meaningful experiences that inspire confidence and expand their futures. Together, we are making progress and building momentum for our students, family, and community. Please have a safe

010and happy St. Patrick's Day. That concludes my report. Thank you. Next, we have upcoming events and announcements. Board Clerk Henkins. >> Thank you, board president. Good evening. These are the announcements for Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day, 2026. Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18th, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Kolak Educational Center will be a school board candidate forum sponsored by the GBEDC, the Greater Bite Chamber of Commerce, and Rock County First. If you are unable to attend in per person, you may watch on demand on Rock County First YouTube channel. The BMHS theater has prepared Mean Girls for the spring musical. If you did not see it this past weekend, you can still catch a performance on March 20th or 21st at 7:30 p.m. or a matinea on March 22nd at 2:00 p.m. Boy Memorial will be

011hosting semester 2 parent teacher conferences on Thursday, March 26 from 5 to 7:00 p.m. in the high school fieldhouse. Please enter the conferences through the fieldhouse doors. On Friday, March 27th from 8 to 11:30 a.m. The high school will also have parent teacher conferences by appointment only. Congratulations to our students, our BAC staff and visit polo for making history together. BMHS is officially the first high school in the entire nation to offer the destination internationals professional in destination management program. Our students along with BC BAC business teachers were the trailblazer trailblazers for this nationally recognized certification in tourism and destination management. They didn't just participate, they helped lead the way. This opportunity is made possible through the partnership, guidance, and belief in our students from Visibleoid and Celestino Rafini. Their support opened doors that didn't

012exist before. We're incredibly grateful to visit for having investing in our students and helping us create real world career connected learning experiences right here in Bo. When schools and community partners come together like this, amazing thing amazing things can happen. Will your child be four years old on before September 1st, 2026? If the answer is yes, then your child is eligible to enroll in the school district of 4K program. Come on in to the Colex Educational Center to enroll your student or enroll your student online at boyschools.net dot. Don't delay. Enroll today. >> Thank you, Chairman Henkins. >> Oh, I'm not done. >> Go ahead. >> There's more. >> Yay. >> Spring break for the district begins on Monday, March 30th. Students will resume classes on Monday, April 6th. During spring break, students aged 5

013to 14 can swim with the Purple Tide. Swim lessons will be given by our high school swim team from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in half hour shifts. The cost is $25 for 5 days of lessons. Sign up today by calling Brian Michaels or at 6083613164. Tuesday, April 7th is election day. We have can, if we didn't know, we have candidates on the ballot for the school board and for city council. Get out and vote Tuesday, April 7th. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Don't forget to bring your ID. Meetings coming up and being held at the Kolak Education Center include special board meeting workshop on Monday, March 23rd and Monday, March 30th, both at 5:00 p. a.m. Policy and human resources committee on Monday, April 6th at 4 p.m. Business Operation and

014Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 7th at 5:00 p.m. Followed by the regular board meeting at 6 p.m. Now, this concludes the houses for tonight, board president. Thank you >> again. Thank you, Chair um board clerk Henkins. Next, we have recognitions. Tonight the board is recognizing Maria Kano Akala. Dr. Anderson. >> Yes. And I'd like to do this recognition in cooperation with Dr. Ryan Stingle who is the principal at Fusen. And a little bit about Maria. Maria is a special education pareducator at Fuszen Middle School as well as a parent who has contributed significantly by helping with the National Junior Junior Honor Society at Fusen. She has donated supplies, time, and energy into making sure that the club runs well, not only for her own son, but for all of the students involved in National

015Junior Honor Society. Thank you for everything you're doing, Maria. And a nice round of applause. Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Uh I'll just add a few more words. You summed it up very nicely. Uh Maria's willingness to step in, lend a hand, and support our students is a wonderful example of the strong partnership we strive to build between families and schools. We are grateful for her dedication and the positive impact she continues to make at Fusen. So, thank you, Maria, for everything you do for our students and our school. Thank you, Maria. We really appreciate your willingness to take time and spend with our students and in the in the schools and be part of the school district of Bo. It means so much to us. Thank you. Next, we have public comment. Mrs. Shope, do

016we have any public comment tonight? Yes, I have several in the room and a couple emails. >> Okay. 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 behavior for our students. Individuals wishing to comment are expected to 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 for public comments during board meetings. Thank you for your participation and courtesy. Mrs. show. >> The first person I have is David and I have um

017Griselda yielding her time. Hello everybody. My name is David Ramirez uh from Boy, Wisconsin. Um, I came in today and I was sitting down and I was thinking about when was the first time that I came to a school district meeting. It was back in the Colex Center. And I've been in tune here and there since then. Um, from when teachers were trying to be told that they couldn't have their personal items in their classes. uh before we have the interpreter things out there. Um we didn't have enough Hispanic people to be that person between the family and the schools. I remember that. Um a couple years ago, our superintendent Dan Kezer, he uh they they tried to get away and do away with the Even Start program. Um, I was told by several members

018of the even start program while it was still at brother Den to come in because there were some things going on. They pretty much told the Even Star parents that the program was over with. There was ne never anything put out there to the public. There was never anything put out as a research. It was just uh we're here, it's over with. We're moving it to the MEO community and it's nothing you can do about it. uh the superintendent at that moment at that day and uh Moratech they got in my in my way at the door and told me that I couldn't be there. They were going to call the police on me. I had no reason to be there. My response to all that was to make sure that I threatened the school

019district of boy with a sue because there was nothing that said what an advocate should be or what it looked like. So all this you guys can go back and look at those dates and them times that really did happen and now we have a policy of what an advocate actually is. Um I'm here because I don't want you guys to do away with the dual language program. Um there's a lot of reasons why. One of the biggest things because that's my language. Um Amy, right away you went went into the H.B.CU. There's a passion about you that I see every time. When there's something that you want, something that you want to go after, you don't just sit there and you at least are your point. And I've always loved that about you. So,

020I'm here to fight for something that I believe and that's for the dual language program to stay. Uh, a lot of the times we can everybody's looking at me just blank stairs. If I asked if I started talking to you right now in Spanish, would you understand what I'm saying to you guys? Probably not. Maybe one or two. But if you would have been in a language program that taught you the Spanish, you'd be able to translate that in your own head and be able to have a conversation with me. I coach 7-year-old kids. Um, that's the age group of my kids. And I love seeing my kids speak in Spanish with other kids that are not Hispanic. There's something about that that I love and I enjoy it. There's that's a reason a way

021of communication between kids. Uh in the beginning of the uh the gentleman over here was talking about the alternative programs for the education and he said a word in there the continuum that piece in the middle where the child can learn it and then what happens in that middle piece and then they get to the high school and then they're going to start speaking it again. What's going to happen in in in that middle part? The practice is not going to be there. Um, I've heard that there's programs in other school districts that have high school kids come to the lower grades and have that communication and it's part of the linguistic program and all that, but like is that there's no I still haven't seen any research behind any of this. Like we keep

022talking about money and I get it. I come as a friend cuz man, since I've been starting these meetings, one of the biggest thing I've I've always seen is the money part behind it. It always comes back to a money part. So, if that's really the reason or your guys's reason to why this is happening, there has never been any research put out there as far as I know. The Even Star program, same thing. There was no research at all about any of that. And if I'm wrong, please correct me cuz I swear there wasn't. And it's like the same things happening over and over again. The Hispanic population is over 30%. We keep saying it over and over and over. what you guys doing away with the dual a language program, it's not going

023to be so much just a program that you guys are going to take away. The community is going to take it a certain way. And when the community takes us a certain way, if you guys don't do the right thing, I promise you there's going to be more people here. There's going to be more people out there on the streets. Somebody's going to end up saying something. Somebody's going to put something together. There's going to be more people that are going to come around. It's not going to just stop. I promise you that. So for me to you guys, I know it's a money thing, but please pay attention to what you guys are doing because the Hispanic population is a very big population in your guys' schools. So with that, thank you for your

024time. >> Thank you um Mr. Ramirez and for everyone here, just for clarification um and accuracy, tonight's proposal is not to eliminate the DI program. It is to reduce the DLI program. There is nothing put out there at all. So, we don't even know what this is for. >> There's no attachment for the DI program on tonight's agenda >> engagement. There was never anything put out to the community now that I can see. >> Yeah. Well, um well, this um it we'll talk about it more when it comes up later in the agenda. We are on public comment right now. So, Mr. Chop, the next um speaker, please. The next person is Rosio and uh Katherine is yielding time. Dear members of the Baloy School Board, my name is Rosio Buto. I work at Hake

025Elementary School and teach the Spanish side of the split class kindergarten and first grade. I have been working with a co-teer Jessica Wit for about four years. She teaches the English part of the split. We currently have 38 students. I would like to share my concerns regarding the new proposal for the next school year to 2026 2027. The proposal states the following to have two elementary sites. The model will include one section per grade level with teachers providing instructions in both English and Spanish. This structure ensures programs um program consistency support by literacy development, bridging and allows for a stronger alignment between content and language instruction while maintaining manageable staffing levels. The alli teacher will only instruct 22 and K3 and 30 students in fourth grade per day. However, at our school hacket, having a

026split class has led us to become a strong DLI team as we both educators possess significant strength in our respective native languages. Students physically move between classrooms. In doing so, they experience a clear and defined separation both physically and mentally which helped them to switch their brain linguistic linguistically. This allowed them to recognize that in one room only English is spoken and in the other one only Spanish is spoken. Consequently, they su successfully immerse themselves in the target language making the learning experience authentic by hearing native accents, idioms, and authentic cultural expressions specific to each language. The language acquisition in this 5050 model is more organic. As a result, their linguistic and academic skills prove superior to those of monolingual students. By having two teachers with different teaching backgrounds, the multicultural experiences provide provided are

027more enriching and authentic as the students are exposed to diverse teaching practices providing them with a meaningful bridging. Furthermore, my colleague and I share the responsibility of providing support for each students specific needs within the target language making precise adjustments to for to foster their intellectual growth. Additionally, whenever a concerns arisen a student's academic, emotional or behavioral development, two distinct perspectives are available to ensure the students receive the best possible support. As you see, there are many advantage and benefits in the 50/50 DLI teaching model. It has worked effectively within our building and we see no need to alter a system that has thus far proven successfully at our school. That is why I request that the proposals currently under currently under consideration be reviewed with great care. First and foremost, I earnestly implore you

028to allow us to allow those of us teachers who have been working in the elementary schools using the 50/50 split model to continue doing our jobs. After all, we are the ones on the front lines and we have learned what works in our community on the west side of Beloy. I understand your desire to ensure consistency and instruction across the elementary schools. But let us remember that a one-sizefits-all approach does not work for everyone, especially when the methods we have been employing thus far have have proven effective within our specific school population. Please allow individual school to determinate the best teaching methods for their students as every building has unique needs. For instance, at Hacket, Hispanic student population is significantly higher compared to the schools in the insert part of the district such as Todd

029and Robinson. Therefore, I propose that you allow this program to continue operating in at least two elementary schools, one in the eastern and one in the western part of the city, and that you would and that you retain the DLI program in at least one middle school. Please let our bilingual teachers continue specializing and acquiring the certifications required to continue supporting the DLI program given the substantial time and financial investment they have already made. If the program is preserved in at least one middle school, there will be a sufficient number of bilingual teachers available to pro to provide the necessary instruction, thereby enabling students to eventually earn the seal of literacy, an achievement that will open up better employment opportunities for them in the future as it was promised at the beginning of the DLI

030program. concerns. Your current proposals are placed many students as at a disadvantage as they call for the contential or bilingual instruction only through kindergarten to fourth grade. But somewhat leave out the b the program hanging for the rest fifth grade and above. What specific supports will be provided to bilingual students in fifth grade and at the middle school level? Has the district for gathered commitment to help students acquire their solo biiteracy? How do you intend to recruit and or retain families within our district? After all, this program is precisely what distinguishes our district from others in the area. Let's be realistic. For many families, the DLI program is the primary reason they choose to remain in this district. Please consider our feedback and suggestions. There is a high risk of losing many families as well

031as many valuable bilingual teachers. Thank you for your time, your service, and your attention to this matter. Thanks. >> Thank you, Mrs. Alberto. >> Next, I have Lori. >> Good evening. My name is Lori O'Ja and I have been a second grade Spanish teacher at Hacket for 10 years. I am speaking on behalf of myself and my co-teer Mary Champion who has taught in Hackett's DLI program for seven years. We are writing to advocate for maintaining Hackett's current instructional model within the DLI program. Our program is organized in a kinder with a kindergarten first grade team, one English teacher and one Spanish teacher, a second third grade team, one English teacher and one Spanish teacher, and two self-contained bilingual classrooms at the fourth and fifth grade levels. In total, our school currently has four bilingual

032teachers. The school district has proposed offering DLI instruction in grades K through 4 for the 2026 2027 school year. If Hackett were allowed to continue using the grade split model that we have in place, we could alleviate the challenge of hiring more bilingual staff. The district would only need six rather than the 10 Spanish teachers that would be needed if every grade level had a self-contained bilingual classroom. In addition, if Hackett were required to move to the one self-contained bilingual classroom per grade level, at least one monolingual teacher at Hacket would likely be displaced. Our school has already experienced significant difficulty filling vacancies and retaining teachers in recent years, which has affected the stability of the entire building. This unsteadiness has impacted the students education and emotional well-being. Based on my experience teaching both models,

033I believe that the self-contained bilingual classrooms present disadvantages for students. In that model, students who are dominant in Spanish have fewer opportunities or reasons to use English during the school day. Last year, for example, I had four Spanish dominant students who never spoke to me in English because they could easily communicate with me in Spanish during class. However, our current partner teaching model naturally encourages these same students to communicate in both languages. My now Spanish dominant third grade students whom I taught last year are now are now noticeably using more English because they must communicate with their English language teacher. There are many benefits to maintaining our grade level teaching teams. Students are exposed to two different teaching styles which supports learners with diverse needs. The students get the perspective and experiences of two teachers.

034Think of all the advantages that have been reported on looping. Additionally, our teams allow us to collaborate closely, share our expertise, and co co-plan instruction to better support student learning. Hacket Elementary currently has strong and successful teaching partnerships within our K1 and 23 DLI teams. This model is working well for our students and staff, and it helps address the very real challenge of hiring bilingual teachers. For these reasons, we respectfully ask the board to consider maintaining Hackett's current DI instructional model. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. O'Hada. Uh, next I have Jessica with Brian yielding his three minutes. Jessica, >> I don't know if it'll be six minutes, but thank you. My name is Jessica Weed and as we know um it's come to our attention that there's going to be a vote today about continuing

035the dual language program through fourth grade as well as changing the structure of the program to one teacher in classroom instead of the two-teer model with two classrooms that we are currently using right now. I'm here to express why having the dual language program and more specifically taught with two teachers, one Spanish and one English with a split classes model is essential for our students, families, and the district as a whole. Here's just a little background about myself. I'm in my 20 26th year of teaching at Hackett in the school district of Boit and have spent about 10 years in the dual language program where we have used the two teacher model with a classroom for Spanish language and a classroom for English language. For about seven of my 10 years in the DLI, I

036taught first grade using the two teacher structure, one Spanish, one English teacher. There were two sections of first grade dual language then and the students would learn in Spanish or English and then we would switch groups to repeat with the second group of students. For the past three years, I've taught a kindergarten first grade split with my co-teer Rosio Alberto using the 5050 model and a two-teer structure. I start with the kindergarten group first, teaching English, literacy, and math. And Rosio starts with the first grade group to work on literacy, science, social studies, and emotional learning, all in Spanish. Then we switch groups midday to work on these skills with the other grade. At times throughout the year, we get our classes together to bridge languages. We also bridge in our individual classes by discussing

037the cognate word pairs. I also studied Spanish as my minor in the university. So I am able to help the students who might need a few directions in Spanish. Anything I am not able to say in Spanish, I use Google Translate to help. Here are some key points to consider on the importance of the dual language program and more specifically taught with two teachers, one Spanish and one English with a split classes model. This is helpful for our students, families, and the district as a whole. Point one, before the dual language program existed, ELLL services were spread thin across many classrooms and grades. The dual language program centralizes and strengthens that support. It concentrates expertise and supports bilingual development and biiteracy. This program is also a draw for families who enroll in our district and

038a reason that many are choosing to stay. The 5050 model with two teachers provides equal instructional time in Spanish and English, promoting stronger academical academic language development in both languages. Having a classroom for Spanish and English reduces language fatigue and creates expectations for language use that are clear. When students are in the Spanish classroom, they speak Spanish, and when they're in the English classroom, they have to speak English. At Hackit, the K1 and 23 split class model with teachers switching students midday provides consistent targeted instruction in each language. With the two-teer model, teachers can leverage different strengths and teaching styles to better meet individual student needs. I'm on my like fourth point now, I haven't been numbering them. In the split K1 and 23 model, the English teacher would focus on English literacy and math

039for both grades, and the Spanish teacher would focus on the Spanish literacy, science, social studies, and subcurriculum. If we move to a single teacher model for both languages, that teacher would need to manage still two full reading curriculums, the English and the Spanish. Spanish of which one would might not be their dominant language in addition to reading groups in both languages, math, science, social studies, and social emotional learning. This would create instructional heavier demands and blurring the language time expectations for students because there wasn't a clear divide between time. Practically, the split model requires fewer bilingual teachers at the lower grades. For example, one Spanish teacher for K1, one for 2, three, and then a teacher for the fourth. Although this could lend itself to having a four or five split and then we would

040need just three teachers whereas a one teacher per grade approach would require more hires. So staffing implications the split model at Hacket currently would require three Spanish teachers overall. Moving to a single teacher model for both languages would increase staffing needs and require five Spanish teachers. This may prove harder to fill these openings while also increasing the planning and instructional load on one teacher. Excuse me. In addition, staff would be displaced. As we learned this year at Hackit, displaced teachers do not always stay in the district. The K123 model allows the teacher to know how each student progressed the year before and gives the looping teacher the ability to hit the ground running at the start of the next school year. So questions and concerns I asked the district to consider. Why have the DLI

041teachers not had a meeting to discuss the two teacher model versus a one-teer model? Are parents being informed about any proposed shifts to the model? And how will their input be gathered? Will the district hire additional ELLL teachers to maintain highquality services if the dual language program is not continued or not continued in certain grades? If this current model is working at Hackit, why would we want to upset the apple cart by changing it when there are more pressing issues to attend to in our district and our school? Isn't our successful hacket K123 model just another way to differentiate for students? >> Mrs. We your time is up. >> Okay. >> I'm sorry. Thank you. >> If it's not broke, don't fix it. >> Thank you. >> Please hear the teachers that are in the

042trenches. >> Thank you. >> Mrs. Sh. >> The next person I have is Barbara. >> Barbara. Hi, my name is Barbara Nunes. Um, our daughter here is a third grader at Robinson Elementary and she has been a participant of the DLI program since first grade. your proposition to eliminate the DLI program at Robinson will affect her directly. We chose Robinson solely because it offered the DLI program. You proposed that she be uprooted from her environment and that that she has known since kindergarten to an entirely new school where her class will increase to 30 students per class and her enrollment will not even be granted. You propose our child's future be potentially dependent on a lottery system. You do not offer to bust the children, but instead you create yet another barrier by passing on

043the burden of transportation to a school not within radius to the parents. Not only that, but you failed to communicate the potential major change to DI families. I found out about this proposal last night. Other parents that I spoke to had no idea this was going on. You try to pull the rug under us and make this change without speaking to all affected participants. The question is, how many more families is a school district willing to lose? You may not consider our kids, but consider the funding you will lose when we all collectively search for better opportunities for our children. I know we will. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Show. Next, I have Andrea. Hello, Buenardes. My name is Andreal Pesartga, resident of Boy, Wisconsin. The district plans to the elimination of the middle school

044dual language immersion program, including fifth grade, with the inference that the affected students may take exploratory Spanish courses. I would like the school district to please understand that an introductory Spanish class is an absurd alternative to a full DLI program. Imagine having to study sentences such as, "The cat is orange, my mom is pretty, where is the bathroom?" instead of reading the full text that your education has prepared you to access. This would be like learning the ABCs when you already know how to read. I say this as a multilingual person, former language educator, and parent. When I worked as a summer DI teacher, I was impressed to see that my very diverse class made up of newly graduated kindergarteners could understand Spanish regardless of ethnicity. Early DI is crucial. I would love my youngest

045child to benefit from the same resources that my now bilingual first grader had attending 4KDLI to first grade and beyond to obtain a seal of bi literacy. I also asked the district to be more transparent with the decisions that are being made. As a parent, I was devastated when last year I was informed at the very last minute that my students upcoming grade level would not be in DLI. This forced me to use the last Friday before the first grade of classes to try to move my student to a school that offered her DI grade, her DI grade. Additionally, I only learned about these school, sorry, I only learned about these current DL changes through a post made by a Facebook friend. I am unhappy but humbly ask the school district to respect the families

046who have chosen to stay with you. As parents, we expect to have a firm say in our children's education, and we ask you to not hinder our options by leaving important changes undisclosed up until alternative schooling options are much more limited. If a lottery is necessary to see who is lucky enough to secure a place in the DI program, please leave ample time for us to consider other options. Please, please provide current educators solid support to retain proper department of public instruction DPI licensing. Publish a detailed plan on how you aim to help as a way to attract potential candidates and to maintain accountability. If you haven't done so, I also invite you to explore the benefits of bilingualism by learning a new language. Thank you for your attention. >> Thank you, Mrs. Show. Next

047I have Cecilia R. Good afternoon. My name is Cecilia Ramirez and by my side I have J Himea Cardinas, my daughter in third grade and Robinson School and I'm here to ask the board uh to reconsider the the planning of this terminating the Spanish class or the the yeah the Spanish program at Robinson School. Uh for many students and families in our community, the Spanish program is more than just a language, a language class. It is important opportunity for the students to develop communication skills, culture, understanding and confidence in diverse world. Programs like this help prepare our children's for the future and encourage inclusion among students from different backgrounds. This Spanish program also supports students who come from Spanish-sp speakaking families by helping them maintain and streng their language while continuing their academic development. For

048many children, this program is a source of pride and connection to the culture. Removing this program may limit val valuable education opportunities for students and may also impact families who value bilingual education within our district. I respectfully ask the board to review this decision and consider the voices of students, parents, and community members who benefit from this program. Preserving the Spanish program at Robinson School will continue the support, diversity, inclusion, and academic growth for all our students. And since I have time, I'm going to say from my heart, please um like ask listen and um consider what um your decisions because these children are here like my daughter has been in the Spanish or in the bilingual program since she was in the as um Mr. Ramirez mentioned they've been a start program um since

049she was three years old. And so I have a I have two two of my children's today in the in the in the in the room and she's in third grade and she's she's reading chapter books in Spanish and my other child is in the university learning the same level that she is reading now. So this is um the real uh value of the program that we have in the school district of Aloy. So let's don't lose our students. Let's don't lose our families and let's keep the program and don't put our kids and Robinson on the waiting list because it will it will damage their learning as now and in the future. So they're going to forget what they're what they have learned now. And I I know as a parent I will try

050not to let her forget what she has learned, but it's going to be very difficult. So please please consider your your your decision. And thank you so much. Thank you for your work and everything that you do for us. >> Thank you, Mr. Shell. >> Next, I have Cecilia FM. Okay. Um, next I have Durales who's going to interpret for >> Yep. Cecilia Flores. Good evening. My name is Cecilia Flores. >> I'm a mom of two student for the school district of >> And one of the reason they are here at the district of is because the bilingual program They have developed the reading, writing and how to communicate with other people through this program. eliminate or reduce the program >> because I see that in the future this will advantage them to take a

051bilingual um certificate. So, and uh on top of that, I was in the other meetings with the previous superintendent >> and I always heard that one head of a child means money. So, if right now you're reducing this program because of money, So what do it mean if we move our children to another schools? >> So we will lose more money. >> Personally I'm here at the district of because of dual language. If we lose this program, more likely I'll move my children to Lincoln. children. They're already at the bis school district and I have another child is going to start 4K. >> She will lose this opportunity. And lastly, I want to say that the middle school is where the kid develop quite a bit. We we supposed to be that our ch childrens

052are the future. Please take this opportunities. So we will not have professionals in the future. Gracias. >> Thank you. Precio senor Flores Michelle. Next I have Eleanor. Hello. My name is Elanor Anderburn. I am a parent of two children in the school district of Boeit with the third registered for 4K next fall. My older child has been in the dual language immersion program at Todd Elementary since 4K now in fourth grade. and my middle child was in it for 4K and 5K before it was not offered for her grade this year, which we like Andrea um learned about at back to school night. For both children, learning Spanish has been an important and joyful part of their education. I believe that both of them learn to read in English more easily because of the phonetics

053of reading in Spanish. And I believe that both of them have had an enriched education by being exposed to a culture, language, worldview um broader than their own. For me and my husband, the DLI program was a reason to choose the school district of Boe. Learning Spanish and English from a young age is a benefit not available in nearby districts, public charters, or private schools. I understand the district is resource constrained and has some tough decisions. I'm glad the staff have found some way to keep the DLI program at least operational at some schools for 5K through fourth grade. I urge you to consider ways to extend it to fifth grade and middle school at the point in the future when resource and staffing allow you to revisit the conversation. I know you will face

054more tough decisions over the coming years and I appreciate your service to our community and being willing to deal with these challenges. Let me finish with some suggestions for the future with respect to the DLI program and to attracting families to the district. I urge you to continue to identify and preserve programs that give parents reasons to choose the school district of Blo in addition to DLI. I urge you to market the DI program to the community as a strength of the district to build demand for the district. Parents need to know about this opportunity before they make choices about enrolling their child in 4K at any school. I also urge you to carefully track what happens to families who do not get into the DLI program through a lottery or who are currently at

055a school where the DLI program is ending and keep track of whether they leave the district. I have very much appreciated the DLI program as a parent. My children have very much enjoyed it as students and I love to tell other members of our community that it's a great reason to choose the school district of polite. >> Thank you Eleanor. Mrs. show. Next I have uh Maria Elena. Uh hello um dear members of the board. My name is Maria Lena White. I've been teaching at W Whitewater for 20 years for different departments, communication, race and ethnic study program and world languages and cultures. So I'm here to give you my own perspective as um university teacher. So I have seen a lot of students coming from Boid uh to our classes and I have seen

056the difference the difference in our Latino students before they were involved in the dual language immersion. They were in my classrooms in other classrooms with a lot of lack of self-esteem. A lot of self-esteem. lack of self-esteem. They were worried about their language skills. They did not have any language skill thinking in professional level. No, they were not doing good in the schools. They in the classes they always had AS CSS or B minus and when they were able to speak the language. So because they never took a Spanish language, they grew up speaking Spanish at home, but they did not develop the language skills, writing and and speaking and comprehension and all those things that we see. So I now I have seen students coming from the program the dual language immersion and I

057can see a huge difference. They come and just like they are going to break their room and they come with a lot of confidence and they do well in this in the classes and there is a huge huge difference in all those students and now that's from one side but another benefit that I see about in this program is that this program gives the opportunity to other sectors of our community other children who are not coming from bilingual families, they are you are giving them the opportunity to learn a second language and that's something that is incredible healthy for our communities that those those children who are speaking English at home and they don't have any opportunity then boom you are giving them that opportunity and they become bilingual. So that's great. So another thing

058that we see from the university is is all those children that come from this system, this program, they have the opportunity to save a lot of money in the school because when they go to Whitewater, the first they can go to Rock County College and then they can go to Whitewater, they can save 16 credits. So they go directly and take the Spanish classes in the Latino community. University Whitewater has the only program in in the state that is for heritage speakers. So they just go there and then they work in griding griding griding griding because that's the the weakness. The writing skill is the highest skill in any language. and and then they just save 16 credits and they save a lot of money. Now um in the um for both the students all

059the benefits that we see and you all know because this program has been here for many many years and you know that they they become more competitive because they can find more jobs and they do local national or international if they develop the language skills professionally. They can do that and also they can provide translations in the community in the comm they can do that and increase multicultural awareness and that's something that we have to appreciate in this world because if we don't get along we are going to kill each other and then they no one is going to come and kill us but we are going to kill each others here in this room. So okay, we have to increase increase the multicultural awareness and to be able to to uh to be in

060this program that's that helps a lot in our community. So the only thing I have been listening we just knew all the community knew about what was going on yesterday. So the only thing I I know what you are trying to do with the elementary but what it worries me is the middle school. Oh, because if if there are not if if if you go with this decision and everything becomes real this the the students in the middle school are going to stop that development and that's the high risk that I see is going to stop and that could be detrimental. So I just please consider I just I'm asking you to consider that if you have to keep going with this process at least consider leaving one middle school in not to cut the

061program in two different middle schools just at least one just please consider that and keep one middle school open and that's it. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> I think thank you Maria and Mrs. Scha uh Megan board member Megan Miller yielded time for that. >> Okay. Um and the last one I have in the room is Christina. >> All right. Good evening everyone. My name is Christina Parente and get my notes here. Um, I'd like to express my concern about the proposed reduction of the DLI program specifically for fifth grade and middle school. My son is a ninth grader or a 10th grader now. No, he's in ninth grade high school. He went through DLI from kindergarten to 8th grade and right now he's currently getting an A in his Spanish language

062arts class. He there's no way that he would be able to succeed in the way that he has had he taken the last class in fourth grade and then jumped into it in in ninth grade. There's absolutely no way that he would have had the language proficiency at all. So just to say that um he has benefited in ways to understand other cultures, understand um other perspectives and languages and it's broadened his worldview and I would hate for that to be taken away from other students as well. Um the last thing I wanted to do is sort of think a little bit about that reduction for fifth and middle school. Um, without continued immersion, students lose the skills that can significantly impact their ability to succeed. As I've mentioned in higher level language courses, um,

063the proposed middle school language offerings are much weaker. It's a dilution. It's it's not in the spirit of DLI. And there is no way that a quarter unit of Spanish in sixth grade, a semester in seventh grade can even come close to what the DLI program can do and prepare students for. Um, this proposal really seems to come from people, and no offense, that don't understand language acquisition, right? They just don't. Language acquisition is a complex cognitive process that requires consistent exposure, meaningful interaction, and immersion. DLI supports this by engaging students mentally and socially, allowing them to live that language through experiences, through authentic experiences in interacting with fluent native speakers. Reducing this to a more traditional model undermines those benefits for both Spanish speakers and English speakers. And honestly, it's not worthy of them

064to the point that they've gotten to. Um so um furthermore while there was a mention of possibly reinstating DLI in 4K and fifth grade and when I say mention it was like a hope um there doesn't appear to be a plan to restore it at the middle school level and that's concerning because once you eliminate it then it's off the table. So I really really hope that there is a long-term vision to rebuild a full K to 8th or 4K to 8th pathway um or are we permanently breaking that? Um, so finally, I'm concerned, I've heard this echo, too, that services for ESL students now be may become once again diluted across the district rather than becoming supported through the strong integrated programming through DLI. I urge the board to reconsider this proposal and to

065preserve a program that supports it's like a lot of your academic achievement, bilingualism, and long-term student success. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Schul. I have a couple emails. The first is from Janet. Dear school district of Blo, my name is Janet. I'm a dual language and ESL teacher at Aldrich Middle School. I'm writing regarding the district's proposal to make cutbacks to the dual language program that currently serves kindergarten through 8th grade. Our school district has had a dual language program since 2012 and it is one of the main reasons my family choose many families choose our district. The proposal is for the 2026 2027 school year is to eliminate the middle school program and fifth grade at the elementary schools. The program would also go from three to two elementary schools. It is understandable

066to have only two elementary schools open due to enrollment and availability of teachers, but the proposal states phasing out the middle school program and truly it is just getting rid of it altogether. Areas of concern. We already have lost many families to neighboring school districts. If you cut the middle school program, some parents will send their children to another school. The school district of boy cannot afford to lose more students. You still have to have certified teachers to teach these students. They still will need a teacher or perhaps the class sizes will go up in the current monolingual rooms. You made a commitment to these families when they started their kids in kindergarten or first grade. They were told that they would have a program all the way into high school. The school district has

067already been unable to provide the dual language classes it imagined at the high school. Thankfully, the students can still take challenging Spanish classes. It would not be fair to then cut back four grades. It would make many parents, students, and teachers upset. Many dual language teachers, including myself, have invested their time into the program. Many teachers have spent countless hours making materials in Spanish and using their own money to buy to have bilingual resources available for the students. We already have teachers and students move around just two years ago with the closing of schools and changing grade configurations. taking away a program for four grade levels would be another huge adjustment for our students as the school district laid out a plan for the middle school dual language teachers for next year. They came to

068the district to help increase literacy skills for our families and have poured into creating supporting cultural events for the community. Some have come from other countries over the years. It is also mid-March already and there are only 11 weeks of the school year left. Educators have the right to know sooner than this what their job might be. We are always making decisions for the next year as we finish units. Has the school district tried more yet for next year? Uh no. CISA 2, an agency that provides support to local school districts, came in and observed our schools a few years ago. They talked to students and staff, examined policies and more. They provided excellent ways to maintain the program. In their blo program review findings board presentation document, it stated one way to help the

069dual language program is to have DI at just one middle school. The district has not tried doing DI at just one school yet. It is not professional to not It is not professional to not at least make an attempt at it. CIC2 stated in the findings listed above that data shows that academic growth for students within the DLI were on par with that of the district as a whole. The English language growth of English learners was higher relative to other programs and on par with the state average and a relative port proportion of students showed Spanish language proficiency at intermediate and advanced levels. This showed that teachers were making a difference and students were making excellent progress. In addition, there hasn't been a survey sent out to district staff asking for suggestions. Parents and community

070members have not been asked for their opinion as well. >> I'm sorry, the time is up. >> Okay, there's quite a bit more. If you want, I can forward it to you. >> I believe this one was sent to the board members. Did other board Yeah. Okay. Thank you. >> The other one I have is from Juan. Dear board members, I want to start by saying I understand the position you're in. I know firsthand the pressure that comes with budget constraints, staffing shortages, and making difficult decisions. I also believe the intent behind this proposal is not to harm the community. That said, I have concerns about the proposed changes to the dual language immersion program. From what I understand, the plan is to consolidate the elementary program and eliminate immersion at the middle school level,

071replacing it with exploratory and selective Spanish courses, I'm sorry, and elective Spanish courses. While something is still being offered, it's important to really note that this is not equivalent to immersion. Language acquisition requires consistency. Removing immersion in grades six through eight creates a three-year gap that disrupts the progression students have built since elementary school. That continuity is what makes pro these programs effective. This isn't just about the one-third of our population that is Hispanic. This affects the entire district. Before making a change of this magnitude, I believe two areas require more clarity. First, program effectiveness. What data is being used to determine whether the DI program is meeting expectations? If it is effective, why are we scaling it back? If it is not, then the community deserves to see that data. Second, financial due diligence.

072Before cutting any studentf facing program, where is the comprehensive finance financial review to ensure cuts are being made in the right places? We can't say a financial review takes too long while money continues to be spent every day. Finances don't slow down while we figure things out, which is exactly why that level of review is necessary. Have we conducted a true line by line analysis of spending? Have we have all alternatives been explored or are we defaulting to program reductions because they are the most immediate option? This isn't about being for or against one program. It's about transparency process and making informed decisions that impact students and families long term. Once you break a program like this, you don't just pause it. You risk losing it entirely. Rebuilding it later is far more difficult than

073protecting it now. I would strongly encourage the board to provide that clarity before moving forward. The board owes the community most importantly its students transparency, clear and wellsupported decisions respectfully won. And that's all the um public comment that I have. >> Thank you, Mrs. Shopee. I really appreciate your reading all of those for us. Next on the agenda, we have the student board report. Student board representative McKenna Rounds. Hello everyone. My name is McKenna Rounds. Um and I'm here to talk about uh what's going on at the high school the last what four weeks. Um, starting today we had a new tardy policy um where if you weren't in class on time, you get swept up and you had to go to the room across from AL and get a pass and talk to um

074administrators um and talk about why you relate to class and then how you can be present and on time to class. Um, the spring musical was uh started last week. Um, it's Mean Girls. Go see it. Sounds fun. A lot of my friends are in there. Please go support them. Um, our boys basketball team is um doing pretty well. Um, they made it to the third round of the playoffs. Um, and Amari Hurford is yet again doing amazing, who is really surprised he's the goat. Um, NHS is holding a baby supplies drive. Um, any items can be donated to Willow Willow Women's Center by dropping them off at any of the SDB schools. Um, we are also holding a blood drive on Friday and we have over 100 students signed up to give blood. Um,

075the ACT was last week and the pre-ACT is tomorrow. Um, hooray. Keep them all in your thoughts. Um, parent teacher conferences are coming up. Uh, I think it's next Thursday and next Friday morning. Um, that's all I have. Thank you. >> Thank you, McKenna. >> President Johnson. >> Yes, >> I made an error when I was calling names. There was somebody I thought wasn't here, but that's who um Durales interpreted for, but she has one that she's actually going to read for somebody. So, I had two cards, but I thought one of them wasn't here. Could we do her really quick? >> If if there's no board member object objection. >> Yes, please go ahead. Okay. So, Durellis is going to read for and I'm sorry I don't Is it >> Susanna? >> Uh, Susanna.

076And just as we get started to remind Fore. My name is Susanna. I'm in favor of the Li program because this is a way to learn. It has helped a lot of my child in this program that he has been since first grade to seventh grade. Today when he came home, he asked me what's going to happen if it's if it's eliminated. Thank you. >> So, thank you. >> Next, we have the superintendent report. Dr. Anderson. Well, the first thing I'd like to do is give an update on the Hendricks proposal is that this the recently we had Dr. Leia Malot, Benji Klatt, and Fonda Lewis attended an open literacy demonstration in Milwaukee. Um, we are also they were very impressed by what they saw that day. Uh, we also now have staff beanies coming

077up with both uh Converse and Gaston. Those are the two schools that seem to have the greatest amount of interest in pursuing this program. So, we're uh meeting with them over the next two weeks so we can help uh determine what would be the best fit for our school. Uh we are trying to work through the portions of the agreement so that we can have that all set. Um and of course the first one was where's the best place to uh put the program for the next year. So those are some things that are happening. Uh currently there was already the mention but I think it pays. We do have two special board meetings coming up that I want to make the public aware of. The first one is Monday March 23rd that is going

078to discuss several topics. Among them is the transition process for the superintendent. We're also going to talk the referendum process and we'll be talking about the impact that the expansion of the Lincoln Academy uh will have on the boy school district for the 2728 school year. A week following that on March 30th, we have a special meeting of the board to talk about the budget. It's already been mentioned that uh we are looking at cutting $4.5 million from next year. uh at that meeting uh will give us an opportunity to go over what we think are some options the board can take a look at as we try to reach that number. Um those are some of the major things that are going on at this point. Thank you. >> Thank you Dr. Anderson. Next

079we have the policy and human resource committee report. Chairperson Nichols. >> Thank you board president Johnson. Uh the policy and HR committee uh met at resources HR committee met at 4 pm this afternoon and we spent a lot of time discussing a a really challenging subject on uh assistant principal positions, dean positions in the uh in the school district and uh specifically Robinson. So uh we we did move that forward to the full board in the consent agenda and then we also uh approve the ex exhibit A from the HR report and it's uh forwarded to the board for action later tonight. That's it. Thank you. >> Thank you Mr. Nichols. Next we have the teaching learning equity and pupil services committee report. Chairperson Rue. >> Yes. Thank you. We um discussed the new alternative

080education programming that um we've been looking into. They were were looking to add a section at frozen as well as one at the one elementary site. Um we also discussed understanding the multi-level systems of support which um used to be known as RTI and lots of fun acronyms that go with that sit and how that's related to MLSS as well. And then uh we ended up with the summer school information for 2026. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Rue. Next tonight on the agenda, we have approval of Chromebook proposal for frozen and Aldridge for the 2026 2027 school year. The purpose of this item is is to replace the sixth and seventh grade Chromebooks on carts for court teachers, discontinue the practice of taking Chromebooks home to minimize repair and replacement costs, and to create

081a plan for a replacement cycle which includes purchasing Chromebooks for 9th grade students each year. Dr. Anderson and Mr. Jeff Stenrose. >> Well, I'm going to start. This is one of those discussions where we're talking about what do we have to cut from the budget and here's where I have to say we need to look at spending money. Uh one is for our Chromebooks. This has already been mentioned. If we look at buying Chromebooks um for sixth and seventh graders, which has already been explained, a change that we'd like to make is we'd like to keep these Chromebooks in the school rather than have them go home because we are finding we're having a great deal of loss um and have to repair. But in order to buy the devices about 720, that would cost

082us $347,000. Uh we also have to buy carts to store them in and charge them which could be another 29,000. And if we buy Chromebooks for our 9th grade students about 350 that is $168,000. So right there you're looking at over half a million in order to buy the Chromebooks necessary for the instruction of the use of Chromebooks at our middle school and our ninth grade. Now, what makes it worse is that if we don't purchase these uh by the end of the month, the cost is going to go up by 20%. So, that means that half million dollars just went up another$100,000 that uh you don't get any more devices, it's just the devices get more expensive. So, then the question always come to me, well, Dr. Anderson, how are we going to pay

083for this? Which is an excellent question. I wish I had an easy answer. It obviously isn't going to be from money that's already been allocated in the budget because there isn't that much money in the budget uh to make that payment. The only um new revenue that I can think of that we could tap uh to make that is we did sell the McNeel property um just recently. when that closes, that would bring in um enough additional revenue to cover the cost of these Chromebooks um and have a little bit left over. But that is the um that is the only feasible way I'm thinking of right now, we'd be able to afford that. But if we don't make the purchase now, this is not like we can't make the purchase later. It's just that

084that purchase is going to cost us another 20% more than it was was now. So now turn over to Mr. rooms. >> Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Um, as he stated, there's a proposal for uh sixth and seventh grade Chromebooks in the classroom and 9th grade Chromebooks um as an ongoing uh purchase. One of the issues is and you look at the proposal uh sheet that was put there is Brett Berg to date has repaired approximately 800 Chromebooks for middle school alone. students taking them home for whatever reason, going back and forth, throwing them in lockers, dropping them along the way has resulted in multiple repairs. Like I said, 800 almost 800 repairs to date um just for the middle school grades themselves, which is a significant amount. Also, our current Chromebooks, the uh insurance coverage

085ends at the end of this school year in June 2026. So therefore, the repairs um become our cost as a district. Uh and again you can see there's a significant amount of them except for uh some of the new Dell Chromebooks. Um with that additionally the group the Chromebooks we have after 2020 or in 2029 will no longer to be able to sustain updates. So that will be in in essence they become obsolete devices that cannot be updated with any current um software and as we using them for whatever testing that might be any other uh curricular programs they will not be able to receive the updates with that. Um so our solution is um that we get Chromebooks for the middle school students but we are keeping all Chromebooks at the middle school in

086core classrooms and so these will no longer so these devices would no longer be going home with students they would be staying in uh the classrooms for themselves. So there would be a cart uh that would be a part of that. So sixth and seventh grade would get brand new Chromebooks with what they are returning of existing Chromebooks from sixth grade, seventh grade and the eighth grade. we have enough to sustain classroom sets for the eighth grade ones. And it provides us with additional Chromebooks for repairs for the eighth grade models and any of the high school models that are still out there um that would need to be updated. So again, the this that provides enough to um make sure that we still have something for eighth grade as well, but also gives us

087some flexibility with the other devices once they've come off of um uh the insurance cycle that we are able to sustain some of that and save some cost because we have the uh extra Chromebooks to provide as backups andor parts for that. As Dr. Anderson said, um you know, it was a plan that we're looking at for next year. How do we how do we eliminate the repair problem and the significant use of those Chromebooks? And then in working with TC networks to come up with this, they informed us that the prices will go up and as Dr. Anderson 20%, we've also heard 20% or more um by March 30th, which is again very alarming. As you said, it's a significant number. These are things that we need to replace um if we're going to

088go ahead and maintain devices in our in our uh classrooms. One of the other pieces that it does is by our current policy of allowing students to take them home, we have a very inconsistent uh percentage of students who come to school having their Chromebooks and then if they have them, are they charged or not? So, we have some halves and have nots as far as curricular uses that there may be something that's utilizing a device for part of the curriculum, but we have a number of students who do either do not have a device, it's broken, um we're waiting for something to be repaired and or it's not charged at that point in time. So having a set classroom set, as long as a teacher is making sure they are in there and plugged

089in every day, when they go to have curricular use of them, they have the full set at their disposal for everybody to utilize. The same thing goes for when we're utilizing them for um testing throughout throughout the district. We have them readily available uh for every student and not having some and not others. Uh with that the additional part and kind of the hidden cost again is Brett Berg's um and TC network's cost of labor and how much time it takes them uh to do repairs and or get these recycled. Um it is hours per day with all of these repairs and that again is a hidden cost that's in there where Mr. Berg um could be uh doing other other work that that is needed instead of being a Chromebook repair person. those things

090will still exist, but we will vastly reduce this by not having the Chromebooks go home um and then replacing them. Now, with that, we've also talked about having a cycle or a plan for this moving forward. So, at the bottom of this, again, it outlines sixth and seventh grade for next year. 9th grade is going to be an ongoing year. Um and then later replacing third through fifth grade and then another year after that replacing the eighth grade Chromebooks. And so therefore, it is it is a cycle for those Chromebooks. Ninth graders would get a new one that would be with them for their four-year high school career. Yes, there are repairs for the high school grade levels, but at a significantly lower uh percentage than there are for the high school. So, that's our

091that is our proposal. Um and again, time is of the essence with this. If we're going to continue to have devices, the price goes up considerably um to the tune of over $100,000 if we wait until after March 3rd. And that that is the alarming part. So questions. >> Oops. Any board members have questions? Miss Miller? >> Hi, thank you so much for the presentation. Um, totally understand. They ask for this evening. Um, I just have a clarifying question. Um, can you help me understand the timeline for when an approval for you talked about phasing in um, ninth grade next and then you said third and fifth grade was afterwards. Is that correct? Yeah. So, 9th grade would need new Chromebooks every year starting, right? And they they would continue on. Uh third through fifth

092grade would be for the following school year, the 2728th school year, and then getting 8th grade the year after that because that's when the current ones we have are no longer able to receive updates. So, eighth grade will then need to be part of that cycle. >> No, that makes sense. And so can you help me like what when would you be bringing the um the third and fifth grade proposal to the board? And my question my reason for asking is that I know like there's a lot of moving conversations know Dr. Anderson his update mentioned um you know meeting to talk about the budget and some things right even next week and the week after. um if there were going to be like a systemic change in how we are utilizing Chromebooks um I

093just want to try to understand how that timeline would play into our uh decision making I guess um how we're utilizing the technology going forward. >> So that would be something we would want to make the decision by if there's going to be a change by next year somewhere in the middle of the school year. Again, not knowing what what time frame of price increases may be, but that would be a decision for next school year to make for the 2728 budget cycle. So whether we have to purchase them at the end of the year or into July of the 2728 school year, but that would be something within one calendar a year from now. There needs to be a determination of whether we're going to utilize devices at that age or what grade levels

094would have to be. Um, so that is you have a little bit of time, but not a lot. >> I appreciate that. So I'm just going to like summarize and conclude my my thoughts here. So, what I'm hearing you say is right now we have devices that are about to become obsolete and because we haven't had any meaningful discussions that I'm aware of of doing anything dramatically differently like for this next year with Chromebooks, the logical cost-saving thing to do would be to take this step, but it sounds like there might be um there's a bit of a bit of a runway for us to kind of make those future discussions before committing to, you know, different grade levels into implementation. Is that right? >> Correct. This this this would set us up for middle

095school and high school moving forward. And then the determination of what happens K through five, different grade bands is still up for debate and there is there is some time for that. >> Carol Fox. >> Um couple of quick questions. Um first I I'm um ninth grade we purchase it every year because they get a Chromebook and it's supposed to last them through the high school. >> Correct. >> Is that correct? Okay. Um I'm wondering um how much curriculum is on these Chromebooks and what is the plan for uh students who need to make up work or students who need to to be I'm assuming they they take their Chromebooks home because they're supposed to be working with their Chromebooks at home. And so if they don't have them at home, how are they supposed

096to access material for homework and other work that they're supposed to be doing or completing? So if if they are assigned homework on a Chromebook device, that does create a challenge. We did go ahead and create a survey and ask middle school teachers how much homework is being sent home, which of um how much of that is on a device and how much time is allotted or needed for that. Um and I don't have the numbers. Randy Grady, our um media specialist, is the one who brought that um to us, but but the number was quite small as far as the number uh that require homework in those classes and it's a small amount of time and we're looking at that that could be done within a classroom. We're looking at some alterations to the

097middle school schedule and obviously that would have to be some training of curricular use of time and utilizing it while you're in the classroom. If there is an assignment that needs to go home and it is on a device, we will have a pro a process or especially if it's select students um that we could do some checking out of Chromebooks, but it would not be done in mass and some of those extra Chromebooks that we have collected from sixth and seventh graders that would provide us some extra devices that we could send home from time to time as needed. >> So why are they take if if the they're not being assigned homework, why are they taking them home? And that's one question. And the other question is, is the damage really being done

098at home or are the Chromebooks being damaged at school? >> The answer to number one is I'm not sure how much is being sent home or you know that that they're doing and the damage. We don't know where. We just realize that that that's a a different factor from what we're seeing and the others in the K through five. The repairs are not there because they're not allowed to take them home. 9th grade, high school level, we're seeing students who are more responsible and we don't know. So, we debated whether we should have a classroom set or students can have them with them and walk them around the entire day. But what we found out is with the um the non-consistent use or non-ne for them, some classes do not require them to utilize them.

099Some classes utilize them, but not every single day. These students are walking around with them for eight periods a day, possibly using them for two or three, dropped off a table, thrown in a locker. And so, that's why we looked at the putting them and having classroom sets. We're also looking at these prolonging prolonging the life of them while there's a 5year insurance cycle. We're thinking we can get seven or eight years out of them, possibly longer, but we're only counting on seven or eight years um by preserving them and keeping them within the classroom. >> Okay. As long as there's a system that so the kids can who need to be doing work at home can manage to figure out how >> Right. Right. We will have a checkout system for those and we

100will have some of those older extra devices at this point in time. And as we cycle through, we will then have some other ones to replace that. >> Brian Nichols, >> put on my gonna put on my policy hat first. Um policy 6721 that we uh revised in 2014 November 24 requires that any expenditure over $25,000 gets three requests for proposals or ITFs and we have none. We have one. I know I saw your comments about, you know, this just we just heard about this May 4th D. We got to have them by the 30th. I understand all that, but did we know we were going to need these Chromebooks now? They're not even in the I'm I'm sorry, I'm asking multiple multiple question. These weren't budgeted then. If we don't have the money to

101spend for them, they we don't we didn't budget these. Dr. Anderson, do you know from Stephanie, did we did we not budget for these? It seems like since I've been here almost three years, it seems like we have bought Chromebooks every year and and here we are going to buy a lot more and we haven't gotten our done we haven't done our due diligence to see who's out there. I don't I did not recall that we bought Dell Chromebooks in 2023. That might have been before I got here. But um and they're, you know, that's good. It's good to hear that they're still good, but that's 890 of them. So anyway, back back to the policy. We're just going to ignore it. >> Can you can you repeat the what what your question was based

102on the policy, Mr. Nichols? >> It requires three three requests for proposals. Um every anything above $25,000. >> Yeah. Um Jake Slaybeck who is the um our TCI networks coordinator is is on this call. Jake he did provide a soul source piece of that Chromebooks we purchased with the help of TC networks. So they're the group that did the leg work on that. So Jake, is that something that you can weigh in on please? >> Uh yeah, we provided a soul source specification. Oh, I thought it was in the Yeah, it's in the board deck. >> There is a part in the policy that that gives an exception when it can be a sole source and one that's possible. And that was a justification that was written up by Jake Slayback on why as a

103sole source. he thought this was one of those exceptions that are allowed by the policy. >> Okay. >> So, the company that they're buying the um Chromebooks from also provides the warranty services and the support for those Chromebooks as well that we have the other Chromebooks that we already have. We're getting that service through them as well. >> Okay. Uh well either one of you or Jake then how did we end up with Dell's three years ago? What was the deal with that? I know we can't change the past but history can help us a lot going forward. >> Jake, I'm hoping that's something you can answer because that was that was a decision I was not a part of. >> Yeah. Are you guys able to hear me? >> Yes. >> Excellent. Um Xerox

104is actually the company we use. Um, and we chose them multiple years ago because of the warranty, the service that they provide. We actually do a drop off and pickup with them. So any of our repairs go out and get dropped back off to them. Um, the Dell one was a recommendation by the company because it had the least amount of problems and it has continued that least amount of problems and that's why we've gone with Dell. >> Oh, okay. Gotcha. Mr. Nichols, I I do know that in conversations um working with this that my understanding is and Jake has brought this up many years ago, there was a plan for new Chromebooks at third grade and a new Chromebook at 8th grade with a 5-year insurance cycle that that would allow them to cycle

105up and that would that would allow us to do and that plan was developed but never put into place. And so therefore, it was just purchasing Chromebooks as needed when needed in lump sums. And so that's one of the pieces of this is trying to put some sort of a cycle onto that and and keeping those repair costs and the need for a crunch at one time from happening. Unfortunately, that's where we at right now because that third through eighth grade third grade and eighth grade cycle did not occur. >> Okay, Joanne Root. >> Yes, thank you. So going back to um how we're using them, what ones we need to purchase. So have we so more and more research is coming out now about screens versus actual physical things in our hands. Have we

106talked to teachers about what they would prefer to have in their classrooms? Is this something that teachers still think is really important that each classroom has 30 of them or is it something that they aren't using every day and we could have a sign out system and not have as many Chromebooks in the middle school? >> So, the proposal would have them in all core subjects but not in the specials programs. So, so it's not in every single classroom. Um, because those are the ones that utilize them the most. uh there are there are pieces of their curriculum learning platform that is online and digital and a lot of things we're seeing now are not textbooks in hand. They are digital based so that fits the curricular need from those in those classes. The specialists

107less often um we also with the plan to have a couple of floating carts so that specialists are aren't excluded from that. They have the ability to have some from the extras that we would have um to use them. And you get with with state testing some of our curricular pieces and we're looking at you know some of our um intervention whether it's tier one or you know tier one resource or supplement tier 2 they are online and this provides access to all of those all the time. So it not every teacher uses them but the curricular at those core areas is a little bit more dependent upon them. At the lower grades that is still up for question but through at least starting at grade six and moving forward the curricular pieces are have

108more and more dependency upon the use of a device to some degree. So, could we possibly ask teachers in the future, like maybe start, I don't know, a study or something to see how much we're actually using them and if we really do need a a set for each core classroom cuz I I know there's teachers that have them in their rooms and would say that they probably would be okay with signing them out instead of having to have them in their room all the time. Yeah, we did look at, you know, do we need them only in certain core classrooms? Um, one of the pieces that we're looking at again is strengthening our use of academic lab time and utilizing some support programs and that would be across the board. So therefore, moving those

109carts from the core some core areas, others would not have that and when they have academic lab time, we're we're doing a lot of switching. So it it does mean that we are providing a few more sets of Chromebooks that might not be utilized all the time, but that intentional programming of providing greater resources and greater use of them necessitates them to have them w without having a super inconvenience. Minor inconveniences we can deal with and that's what we looked at with the specialists. Their checkout availability, they don't need them as often, but core core classes, core teachers will also teach all academic labs and therefore there is a need for it there. Amy Levy, >> thank you. Um, if we could circle back to the the RFP, it sounds like it wasn't issued, and

110I see the sole source justification, but that just means you're going to purchase it from one source. In my opinion, that doesn't eliminate the need to have an RFP to get options and determine which sole source you will purchase from. Um, so I am hesitant to support this when there hasn't been an RFP. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is one provider saying this is the cost and oh by the way, it will go up at the end of the month, but we don't have information about what other providers are offering. Is that accurate? >> Mr. Sbeck, can you address that? >> That is correct. We do not have another quote at this time, but I've heard from multiple sources that cost on Chromebooks are going up across the board. Um, almost all of

111them are hearing that 20% for the end of the month and then another 20 or 40% uh this summer. >> Jake, oh, I'm sorry. >> No, please. >> Jake, could you also speak to the warranty piece of the of the quote? >> Yeah, so the 5-year warranty that we give with them is only through Xerox. uh year-over-year when we've presented this uh no one has been able to touch that part and that's why Xerox has won every year or in the past it was TR or IT Savvy that's the same company if you look past in the past all the same company that's just been bought out um because of this service that they provide um so that is another reason we go with them is the 5-year and again that drop off and return

112they actually come on site with the truck drop off the repair pick up the next one to be repaired for us um and currently no one else does that >> again since it seems like the message we're receiving is this is the superior option it would have been nice to be able to confirm that by comparing it against other options as is stated in our policy. So again I have some hesitation. Um, my next question, uh, what is the current cost incurred by the district for repairing or replacing approximately 800 Chromebooks, which to me is I am unclear why we waited until it got to 720 before we considered a plan of maybe these shouldn't go home. Um, so one, what is the cost outside the hidden cost of of Brett's work? And two, is

113is there a reason that we allowed the tally to get so high before we entertained a plan to keep Chromebooks in the buildings? >> So Jake, at at the current situation, they we dropped or they pick them up and drop them off, but we are also doing internal repairs with with what we can, and that's what Brett is working on. Is that correct? >> Uh, we do have some internal repairs. Um, we have, um, anything under the 5-year warranty, uh, depending on what warranty we bought that year, everything should be covered. Either sometimes the battery is not or the screen is not. So, sometimes we have to pay a $50 for a battery or $100 for a screen replacement. And then we have been keeping any older Chromebooks aside, ready to order more parts if

114we need to start doing that in house. That's one of the reasons we did not bring this forward sooner is we were going to try to repair as many as we could for next year. Um, but with how many have been needing repairs and with the June 2029 for the last uh Google updates coming up and wanting to try to get back on that cycle, that's why this is brought forward sooner than later. Um, 20 2020 was when we bought basically all of them at the same time. not again not all of them but close to the majority of them and that's why so many are coming due in 2029. Um and then different years we've brought tried to bring third and eighth board we usually get one year approved and this is just kind

115of where we're at now. So again, my question that that unfortunately wasn't answered um is what is the cost incurred by the district for repairing or replacing almost 800 Chromebooks >> if they're under warranty. We're not we're not paying for that, Jake, other than if it's screen or battery. Um, and then then the internal cost is so while while they drop off and pick up with those repairs, Brett also then has to try to deal with replacements to cover that. So the student is not waiting for and isn't left without a device. So that's where the internal cost was. But as far as the cost of the actual repair, if they're covered underneath the insurance, we are not paying anything at this point in time. Correct, Jake? >> That is correct. So for screens and

116batteries that that is a cost. Do we have an idea how much we're paying in screens and batteries? And my next question is I know for my children that as a parent I signed that I will be responsible. Is that just something that we do or are parents and guardians getting a bill? So, if it's not accidental damage, that is when I believe the district charges for um a replacement. If it is accidental, that is covered on most of our Chromebooks. >> Okay. So, again, how much has the district paid in screens and batteries if that's the only thing we're responsible for because we have a warranty. Um, and I'm just going to assume no one is saying, "Yeah, I intentionally damaged my Chromebook." So, we can count that as moot. Do we have And

117it can be an estimate. I'm just curious. How much is the district paying for screens and batteries for these 700 Chromebooks? >> Um, I do not have that number right now. I'd have to get it. I guess my final question is um this cost that's over $300,000. Um I I just wanted to make sure I heard that correctly. This is not budgeted. >> That is correct. This was not in the budget as far as Dr. Anderson has told me. >> That is correct. There was no budget. So, so I'm assuming that we know I'm assuming that we know eventually these will need to be replaced because they're ending their life cycle. Um, and just out of curiosity, was this planned for maybe next year's budget and we're we just got there early or there have

118been no discussions for budgeting this amount and we just need to figure it out now. So from from the teaching learning aspect um coming up with with Brett Berg and working with TC networks and talking about the numbers of repairs that we need and changing our policy or our practice to keep the middle school Chromebooks in the classroom. That was the first piece realizing we had an inordinate inordinary amount of repairs. It was the at the time then when the cost came forward with the proposed increase that it was brought up now. we were actually looking at a plan for next school year and moving beyond that, but the price price increase was sort of the what do we do at this point in time to take advantage of that. So that's where was brought

119to the forefront now as opposed to saying we were going to put it into the budget for the next cycle. >> Thank you. Unfortunately, I don't have enough information. I don't think we've done enough comparison. We don't even know how much this is costing us in repairs. So this isn't something I'm able to support right now. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Ley. Tom Henkins, >> thank you very much. And thank you, Amy, for bringing that forward because I was going to ask the same question why it wasn't in the budget for this year. But getting back to the funding piece and uh since the sale of McNeel happened and I'm just trusting that our superintendent there has a priority list of how to spend that money since it kind of just fell in our laps.

120nobody knew it was coming and I want to make sure this is the best use of that x amount of dollars that the district's going to be getting. I I'm trusting that uh the priority list is where it needs to be knowing that what I understand the 20% increase but everything's going to go up and I don't know if you know I don't know what your your wish list is for the for the remaining three or four months but is this where you really want to spend it? Thank you. >> I'll tell you that in a normal year, we budget ahead so I can bring you a list of what I think are the potential expenses so that we can prove that it's a whole budget process. That's obviously not what I walked into. So,

121you know, right now what we're faced on is that if we're going to need to replace Chromebooks and they're going to go up substantially, do we look at doing it now? Because if I It's not that I can't build it in later, it's just that it's going to cost a lot more to build it in after this point, which means, as I always said, you can only spend a dollar once. So, if I spend it here, there's going to be some other place that I can't spend it. >> Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Are there any more Miss Miss Carol Mrs. Carolox? Um I too kind of agree that you know this seems kind of rushed. However, I do know that um the Chromebooks are necessary. We have to do standardized testing. We have to do

122that on Chromebooks. Whether we use it for curriculum pieces or not, though we certainly want to try to encourage people to use it less than we've been using it. I think um I think that's becoming clear. But we do need them. Um, and whether, you know, we purchase them now or wait and spend more money for them later, um, we're going to need to purchase them. Um, we also do have a history with this, um, company, and they provide a 5-year warranty that nobody else does. So, um, while I wish the process had been a little better, too, I don't disagree with that. Um, I think, you know, at at some point we're going to have to buy these. So, I guess the decision is whether we buy them now or we wait and spend

123more money for them. >> Megan, did you have a >> I did, but I think Carol pretty much represented my point of view. I'm wondering if um this is u the technology use is something that will be discussed in the budget special meeting we'll be having. Dr. Anderson >> this with a multitude of other things. >> Okay. Just just to clarify because yeah I you know I think there's more to say but I think for right now um I'm good. Thank you. >> Thank you. It sounds it sound it sounds like there are still a lot of questions that perhaps board members would like a little bit more time on. And although it's not my uh preference to delay things, we do have another meeting before the end of the month if um Mr. Stenrose

124can wait until the 23rd if board members um would prefer to wait. Board member Johnson, I'm going to ask Mr. slayback. If we if a decision is made um on the 23rd, is that adequate time to get what we need to for ordering and the process starting to ensure that price um and not sustain the increase? >> I would have to check with the vendor, but they asked me when our next board meeting was and I said it was today and they said they could were hopeful they could get everything to us before the 30th. Then >> because Mr. Slayback, just to my understanding, it's not just that we placed the order and that they bill us. There's actually another component by March 30th that has to take place. Is that correct? >> Yep. They

125have to have them shipped out. >> Thank you. Um the board clerk has just notice notified me that we are at our almost at our 2hour limit. Is there a motion to extend the meeting? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Brian Nichols, second by Carol Fox. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Uh board clerk Henkins. Did um Mrs. Levy? >> Yes. Um very briefly, uh I would be voting no tonight and I will still be voting no on Monday if we don't have information like RFP. I don't Help me. I don't think that can occur in a week. Uh you're shaking your head. No. So, thank you. And also, we don't know how much we have paid in repairs that are outside

126of our warranty. And I would like an understanding if we choose not to purchase Chromebooks for the upcoming year, what does a feasible plan look like? So, the that's some of the information I would be interested in receiving if we're postponing this. Thank you. Go ahead. N >> I have a simple question. How many How many Chromebooks do we have on hand today? >> How many do we need every single day of every single school day? Every single school day. >> To me, those are two different questions. How many do we have on hand? And how many are needed every single day? I'm not sure the same number. Okay. I guarantee they're not. >> Okay. The biggest number. >> Yeah. Um, so right now, uh, we have, I think it's on your sheet right here.

127We have approximately, um, total Chromebooks that are expiring in 2029 is 7,217 Chromebooks. >> 7,27 total count, >> our total count is 8,274 >> for 4700 students. Correct. Correct. I, you know, I'm not a math. I didn't major in math, but I did pretty good with it. So, okay, keep going. >> I will say that not all those are in uh use. 161 of the Samsung's are sitting on shelves or in buckets waiting to be repaired um if need be if we uh need to try to get older technology back into students hand. >> Thank you. Any other board questions or comments? Is there a motion for this agenda item? >> I move we postpone to March 23rd. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Motion to postpone this until the 23rd by Brian

128Nichols. Seconded by Joanne Rue. Any discussion? Dr. Anderson? >> Yes. Could I please if I knew in advance what information that you would need so we could start getting it and get it to you before the Monday's meeting, that would be greatly appreciated. >> Thank you, Mrs. Levy. >> Dr. Anderson, it's like you just read my mind. That was that was fun. Um, so what I would like to know is one, how much we are paying in replacement or repairs outside of the warranty. Um, I would love to get different quotes from the RFP, but it doesn't seem like that's feasible, which is disappointing. I would also like to know if this does not plan, if this does not pass, what is the plan uh for us to utilize our 7,000 plus Chromebooks to serve

129our students in the upcoming years? Thank you so much. >> Thank you, Megan Miller. >> Thank you. Um, is it possible? It sounds like we're not super sure that if we wait until this next meeting that this can happen anyway. When would we be able to find that out? Um, I mean, I realize that there's a motion on the table. It's going to go one way or the other, but is there is it possible for us to get some followup too about whether or not it's even possible to get the discount if we wait? >> Yeah, I will I will reach out uh first thing in the morning. >> Appreciate it. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Any other discussion hearing? None. >> May I go ahead? Thank you for bringing that up.

130Board member Miller, if we are too late to get the discount, I I and I'd love to hear from my colleagues. I think it's appropriate to do the RFP process so we know truly what is available. Thank you. Any other questions or comments? All in favor? >> I. >> Any oppose? >> Nay. >> Um I Who said nay? I just >> Okay. Okay. Motion carries with one in the negative. Our next item is the 2026 2027 new alternative education programming. Dr. Anderson. >> Yes. This is one of the things that um when I first came uh as I went through the schools um it became apparent is that though we have some alternative programs available at the high school level we did have a program at the middle school level uh with Aldrich uh we

131had no type of alternative programming for our students in the elementary school. So when I saw there was a concern I talked to Mr. Stenus and I said, "I need you to work with the elementary principles, middle school principles. In fact, they worked with all the principles to come up with an alternative education program where we could take some of our students that do not seem to be fitting well into the current educational structure at the elementary school to provide an alternative placement that would possibly better educate them uh to transition them back into the regular school and also take disruptions out of the um the school itself which would improve the learning atmosphere for others. Uh Jeff has been working with the all of the principles, high school, middle, and elementary and bullet um

132learning academy to come up with a proposal that we were presenting tonight u that we'd like to put into um practice for the next school year. This was already previously explained at the committee meeting, but Jeff, I'll turn over to you again. >> Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Um as he stated, we have two different uh programs here. One is a middle school program. We already have one at Aldrich. This would um kind of mirror that. It would be a step below that. Uh the current program at Aldrich is in lie of um an expulsion. This one would be a step below uh in lie of a hearing would be the referral process for this. So sort of taking the place of where uh current behavioral contracts start with students. Um this would be something that

133uh we would uh go through either the MLSS process um or an administrator referral for this. It is a t a tier three intervention like the Aldrich program. We would look at 10 students maximum. We'd model it after that. We would use one FTE. It's an abbreviated day. uh we would alter the uh times of movement of those students um during the course of the day so that they're not transitioning or moving about when the rest of the population is to try to limit um the number of some of those triggers or possible behaviors. Again, it is focused on an academic behavior, social emotional focus that is individualized knowing that we have sixth, seventh, and eighth graders um in that. And this one we would house in the frozen school. So, it wouldn't be exactly

134the same. It's one that may be a step lower and uh preventative from them possibly moving up the chain and moving into um a a something that would be a hearing type um advice or advancement. And we would look at a time frame that being consistent with what we do with uh the hearing ones um at this point in time where they're placed in there essentially for the duration of the school year unless we've seen levels of success that are that are different. In some cases, we've had students placed in September and October and we have seen that we have moved them during at the end of the third quarter, moving into fourth quarter back into some regular uh uh general education classes andor possibly the movement back into the full general population school. Um

135but usually usually it is a longer duration for uh this middle school one. So again, patterned after the Aldrich one, but with a little bit of difference. The other program is the elementary one. Um, this is an MLSS referral. It would be a tier three intervention. Uh, the criteria would be that after other tier three interventions have been attempted and there's not been a significant change in behavior that this would now be a part of that recommendation cycle for it. We're looking at three FTE um realizing that these students are are a little bit different of a population. Um, a regular ed teacher, a special ed teacher, and a pair professional support specialist. We're looking at a group size of 10 to 12. We are looking at two different sessions, modifying their their day. One

136group in the morning and one group in the afternoon. We would like gradeb them as best as possible. The the determination uh referral process will kind of dictate that. Um my early indication or thoughts was that we probably would be more of a grades three through five focus. And in talking with elementary principles, I was completely wrong. The focus is at K12. Um, so that that would be the that would be the uh their primary. They still have three through five, but it we we would look at the breakup because we do not want kindergarteners and fifth graders within the same program. So we we would look at how we separate them as best as possible. Um, and it could be a K1 program and we're going to have to deal with two, three later

137and maybe there isn't four or five. So it's very individualized. We're looking at a 12-week format which is kind of the consistency sweet spot for a tier three intervention. Um, but again, that's just the recommended format. The idea is we don't want a student to be placed in this program and say that you're in the program either number one for the remainder of the year, nor is there an expectation that they're going to continue if they're put in first grade that they're going to be in the second grade. This is not a placement or a spot that would be continuous. We want to work on those behaviors and then try to put them back into um the general population uh for their classes again. So, there will be core curriculum. Um but again we're really

138looking at behavioral seal components. Um looking at adding support services such as stateline mental health we would look at the needs for those um making trauma informed having supports and attention to that because we want this to be individualized. How do we allow the student to make progress to become um to become a student again and can focus in on learning because some of these they cannot focus in on the academics at this point in time because of behaviors that are occurring. So this program would allow for um some continuum of services because currently we have the general education or expulsion. We do have bloit virtual school in between. Um but the virtual programming is very younger kids find a hard time to be successful in that and that really provides academics and not the

139behavior seal uh components that this program would be focusing on. Um again in addition to curriculum we we we don't leave that behind but we recognize that the focus is on their behavioral um social emotional supports while we're touching on uh academics but then to reintegrate them back into um the classroom is is really the intention of this. So location site uh to be determined. Um we have one school that has expressed interest in um Merrill School uh with through Regina Mallister. Um I'm going to do a walk through with that. Again, looking at a spot where it can be um set aside makes it easy for the transitions of other folks not to interfere with this or be distractions and having the masses walk past that classroom. Um students interacting uh as much as

140possible. it still provides the opportunity for, you know, access to an outside door, getting outside a couple of classrooms that are that are in a certain spot. Um, and again, we look at the shortened day, uh, partly because some of these students have a hard time coping with a long day and being intentional about a shortened service. Um, again, making it it it is alternative, making it a true alternative. And I know Miss Fox had brought up um earlier and I I did look back up again on the DPI website, if it's been approved program, alternative program through the school board, um there is the exception for DPI um time requirements. We are not held to that. They have a recommendation of uh 15 hours um a week with that, but it is we are

141not held to any certain number. And if the idea is that we're putting the students back into uh the the general population and their regular school day over the course of the school year, they will have had that again and once they resume with the regular schooling, they will be a part of those minute calculations. They don't differentiate if you spent part-time here and part-time there. It's about your program. Um so we do have that if it's an approved um alternative program within our school district. So that's what we're recommending that again. Um I I've heard this for since I've been here in 2021 uh from middle school program from the four middle school principles that existed at that time and there was some extensive work before I even got here with this but also

142hearing from the elementary principles that there is a need for these students um asking I asked the question how many students are we really looking at if you took a snapshot today what does this look like um each building said two to three students which you know that some may be five but it's not that we have 20 um it not just a discipline piece. This is for students through the MLS's process. They're not all special education. That's not a criteria to be a part of this. They could be special education, but it's not a criteria for this. Um, so, so the need has been there and they've been asking for some sort of program to provide an option for these students because currently if they put them on behavioral contract, they have nothing else

143to do with them but put them back into the classroom setting um, at this point in time. And as as Dr. Anderson uh discussed when we started convening about this. I met with the middle school principles about their program specifically but the elementary program I brought every principal in um from elementaryaries middle schools both high schools um to be a part of this discussion seen that the middle schools and high schools have already had experience with the referral process and selection process and to provide some insight as to what's gone on in the past with alternative programming so they could provide some recommendations or support for an elementary program. So again, it involved more than just the elementary principles um in this in this grouping. >> Thank you, Mr. Sten. Mrs. Levy, >> thank you.

144Um so a few questions for each program just for clarification um for the the elementary program specifically if we can start there. Uh the slide says in lie oh nope that's the slide for middle school. So my question for elementary um is this in lie of a hearing and if yes is that an administrative hearing or an expulsion hearing? >> Um we're actually looking at this as coming through as an MLSS referral beforehand and so it would be a part of that process. Could it be one for a student who's had a hearing whether it's administrative or expulsion? We could include that. We just didn't want to set that as the high bar. We want to set the bar a little bit lower for us. it it could incorporate those students. >> Okay. Um and

145not to get too far in the weeds, if it was for an expulsion hearing, do you envision this as being part of potential reentry if an expulsion occurs? >> Could this program be a part of the the expulsion re-entry process, >> reinstatement? >> Um I don't know. We didn't have that discussion with it. It it there there is a possibility if that's uh I mean we we could explore that. We we were not looking at that avenue back necessarily, Miss Levy. No, no problem. Um, is there flexibility if a student needs to be in the program for longer than 12 weeks? >> Yes. >> Okay. And then what is the budget impact? >> It should be relatively budget neutral. We can use on our AGR we can shift. We have about 40 positions that are

146eligible that we are funded through grants and this program would allow us to use some of those staff members. So there may be some cost, but I think basically we should be able to hold it pretty much budget neutral. >> So if I'm understanding correctly, we're going to needed a separate classroom space and and we're currently underst staffed. So we would be removing an educator from an existing classroom and putting them in this new space and everyone believes that that is okay. >> Are you talking about the space first of all? Because we do have we do have the space. So, so, so that is one piece. >> So, I'm I'm not talking to about this space with respect to cost because our buildings have the rooms that they have. But what I'm saying is

147we are currently understaffed. So, if we are doing this at costneutral, that means we're pulling an existing educator from a classroom and putting them in this new classroom to run this program. And we seem to believe that that will be okay even though we are understaffed. I'm saying we have staff positions right now that are allocated through AGR and title one, but basically in this AGR in which we have we can use them for different purposes. So we're looking at maybe where we have I'm just going to say maybe we take one of the coaching positions, we can turn that into a regular classroom position through AGR. So it allows us to use some of those grant positions in a different way to staff this school. Now this doesn't I mean we right now still

148have teachers we haven't hired the regular. We have to that's a different issue trying to basically find the number of qualified teachers to have them um in the positions for next year. But remember we're also 200 students less next year than we are this year. So that is also going to give flexibility with the number of teachers we need and how we want to allocate them. >> Okay. And then for the middle school um I see that the capacity there is 10 and it's 4 hours and you stated thank you that DPI we have some flexibility with hours. Um, was a discussion had to double the capacity by reducing the hours slightly and like the the elementary school model that's being proposed to have a morning shift and an afternoon shift or is there a

149reason that that 4 hours is important in that capacity of 10? >> Um, there isn't. both options were on the table as we looked at this, but we really uh looked at the success of our Aldrich program and tried to model what we had at that point in time. Um, again, part of it was also the the starting times of the day for middle school is different than elementary school. And so we looked at having, you know, them the middle school students be a part of that day. We've extended the day when students have shown success. We've put them so they've extended their day from four hours to possibly 5 hours because we've put them into other classes. We have some flexibility with that at the end of the daytime. Um we you know could

150we run for a shorter period of time and do two sessions? The possibility is there. Um we don't feel that we have uh the the number of students needing that that would that would exceed the 10. First of all, I mean, if we were looking at 15 16 students, yes, two two different sessions might be warranted, but at this point in time, we feel those that fall underneath that tier would still be in that 8 to 10 range, which we found has been a uh about the tops, but a manageable level and being able to focus on the sports that are needed. >> Perfect. And then my final question for the middle school portion is, what is the proposed duration for a stay in this middle school program? And I get that there there may

151be some exceptions, but >> what we talked about was in that case it's it's a longer duration than the elementary ones. So the in the Aldrich program currently a lot of them are till the end of the school year depending when they're placed. We've always looked at that and those are recommendations so they're not mandated. We've always looked at a semester long in being there to really look at those behaviors. Again, can that be longer? Can that be shorter? Um, that was sort of our our guideline and we didn't want to get locked into it's got to be this. I know I know we put 12 weeks for the elementary one because we don't have anything to model that after. In in the Alders program, we've looked at semester is about the minimum that we've

152had some students go through. So, that is our suggestion. Again, it depends when they're placed. If they're placed in May, we're probably going to look at moving them into that the following school year as we do with the Alders program. if they're done in September or October, we can look at semester change or January, February, March to see what kind of success they've had if we move them along. But semester is sort of our framework of of our viewpoint for that. >> Thank you so much, >> Megan Miller. >> Thank you so much. Um really appreciated your presentation earlier at the committee meeting and just because we're at a fresh meeting, I just want to re uh iterate, I guess. Um just two things. one um and I think like I said I think you've

153done a really nice job in this proposal framing this around the needs of our kids. I just feel that like in conversations um when we're not careful about how language dictates reality. I just want to make sure that as a as a board as well as as a district we are avoiding normative language because like our kids all people do develop asynchronously from each other. Um, I'm a parent of three children, all who have a very wide range of different needs. And if I were a parent whose child needed this program because that's really what's what's in the best interest of their kids, I just would be really careful particularly at the elementary level that when we talk about what I what I see here as as a potentially wonderful opportunity for families uh for

154kids who um will benefit directly from this program or from classmates um of those children. I want to make sure that we're framing this around we're meeting the needs of kids and not vilifying children. And in no way am I suggesting that you are. I just know that I've heard, you know, just some of the ways I've heard people talk over the years about other alternative programming. I just wanted to kind of get ahead of that in this discussion. Thank you so much for being so receptive to that. Um, one question I forgot to ask at the committee level is um, and you all touched on this too under the when we talked about MLSS. Is there is there like to what extent I guess is there already a practice in the district in terms

155of I mean auditing is kind of a strong word but like how do we get a pulse check in terms of accountability for classroom instruction as well as like behavior intervention that is equitable for our kids. So for example, if you have a child who is um you know who has some some different needs and some some excessive needs maybe in helping to regulate for example to what extent do we know are we already following best practice or like what are the um barriers that teachers are reporting that stop that from happening and the reason that I'm asking I'm not asking you to answer that right now but I think as we have these future discussions because I know Miss Fox did an extremely and commendably thorough job of of providing you with with some

156here's some more stuff that we need. So, I won't get into all that, but I what one thing that I would like to see as part of that um continued conversation is like to what extent are we able to grow in our capacity to bring those best practices into universal instruction because like I'm always trying to think about how do we be proactive? Um I believe that teachers come to work every day fully with the intention of doing the absolute best for all of their students. I think kids come to school every day trying to do their absolute best and and there's always going to be a lapse. So any of those things that are preventable barriers, I would just love to hear more about in this conversation and um just getting a a check

157to see like if something is working in these alternative programs to what extent can we maybe do better getting that more into universal instruction, how can we support that as a board? >> Sure. Um, so just to respond real quickly, we we are we are trusting the MLSS process and that that's what what it should be. We when we set this up, when Dr. Anderson talked to me, I want to make it very clear that this was not a principal or an administrator being able to select a kid and moving a kid into another program that have have other interventions been tried and are we not seeing a significant change in behavior? very clear about the criteria for the student to move in there because again we don't want it to be just a you

158did this and now you're moving to that. Um there also is you know we we have to bring the families along you know even with our our middle school alt ed in lie of expulsion program it is not mandatory that when the hearing officer has told you to go to this that that automatically placed in you we still do need this the parents to be a part of that decision and agree to do that. What's the alternative after that in that program? you go to a hearing and then you let somebody else decide what's going to go on. We frame it in we want you to learn how to love school. Again, we want this to be a successful piece of it. Um and some of those pieces again we we we develop them as

159we go based upon individual needs. What has been successful uh again in Kathleen Woodman's program as the example it is the small class size, the attention to the social, emotional and behavioral pieces. um they have contracts that are signed and we look specifically at what were the items or criteria or pieces that recommended you for this program. How do we address those things directly? So it's it's usually three or four. It's not a list of seven or eight things. It is just a few that we take a look at to address and it is a small size the contained piece of that teacher the staff member is going to be key. I will in any of these programs I will put that out there that we can have the best intentions and if we don't

160have the correct staffing for this the best plans can fall apart. Um again that's an incumbent upon us to make sure that we are hiring the right staff for this but th those pieces of the smallalness the focus in on what were the behaviors that were the issues or concerns for this. Um and again the idea is this is not a forever piece. This is a spot to try to help you discover who you are and be able to regulate and modify behavior so you can be a successful student. >> Thank you so much. And for the record, I do think we have an exceptionable an exceptional multi-level systems of support program. So, thank you so much for that, >> Mr. Henkins. >> Thank you, Bar President. Uh my question and maybe it was addressed

161in TLE. So if you have this uh school within a school at building A and at building B there is a student who this would definitely qualify for. Is this is some something where that that student from the other school could be transferred into the school where there is one where >> none of these programs are school spec they're located in a building but they are not they are not school specific. They they are meant to serve for the elementary one all students from all across and actually even the middle having a middle school at frozen and a middle school at Aldrich depending upon the level of where they're at frozen student could be put placed into the Aldrich program. An Aldrich student could possibly be in the frozen program because they're not going to

162be identical. They are going to be slightly different in their levels of classification. >> Okay. So, but the school that it is at the school specific do they get the first priority and then >> No, it's just by need then. >> It it is is strictly by need. Correct. >> Wonderful. Thank you, >> Carol Fox. Um I just want to reiterate um this is this is a a good basic start. Um but we need a comprehensive written plan. Um, and I think you need to broaden your planning group. I think you need to include social workers and teachers and as counselors and psychologists um to really to really take a look at this and come up with um some of the things that you need. You have a list of of all of the things

163that I want um but that I think we need um and we talked in TLE about that um all those things and but and we talked about the need for flexibility. I get that we can we certainly can be flexible but we can't be flexible with a plan when we don't have one and this this is a very basic outline and not a plan. So um go forth and write us a big plan so that we can move forward with it further. Um and then like I said, I think you definitely need to broaden the planning group so that it you are including um um all kinds of different people, but certainly the support staff, classroom teachers, special education teachers, teachers who would might be asked to work in some of these programs because um

164um we need to to have a much clearer idea of of how this is going to work. Um and then you know putting in those piece pieces about um what is the legality of shortening the day and um how we're going to do the the logistics of transporting and then all of those things. There's just so much that needs to be clarified before we can move forward with a program. So that's my take on it. >> Thank you. Do any other board members have questions? Dr. Anderson, would was there anything else you wanted to add? What I would be looking for is permission from the board to move forward. Um, we may I mean this uh you know to answer Carol's questions, but we'd at least like to know that the board is in favor

165of going forward with this concept or idea knowing that we need to flesh it out more. >> Thank you. And um I'm just going to add I'm assuming also for uh budgeting purposes so you know what we're expecting. >> Budget's going to impact all of the things but I think even just our staffing so we can start taking a look at who would be the best staff because one of the key things that I've noticed about our alternative programs now is you need a certain type of a staff member if it's going to be effective. So, we need to take a look to make sure, you know, who might be those individuals so we can start looking and planning for it now. >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Henkins, your hand is still up on Okay.

166Okay. Megan Miller. >> Yes. Uh, Dr. Anderson, so are you looking for like a motion to move forward with planning? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, I would like to make a motion that um the administration continue to uh create a a comprehensive plan, >> my apologies, a comprehensive written plan uh with the continued input of uh staff members. >> I'll second. We have a motion by board member Miller to continue to create a comprehensive written plan. Um oh sorry I can't read my own writing now. What was the last part of that m Megan? >> That's okay. I didn't write it down either. Um that's it's okay. I mean I just Mr. Stenders do you have any objection >> with continued input from staff members? Do you have any objection with just I mean you're

167going to include staff members anyway, right? >> Yes. And and actually when Dr. Anderson brought this forward, this is and to Miss Fox's questions, there is a lot of people that came along when we built the Aldrich program. We started with the framework and we built it as we went through and brought lots of stakeholders in. Um so the answer is absolutely yes, we would do that. And to Dr. Anderson's point knowing that we can move forward with this now to provide staffing because trying to find somebody in June to be a part of this program and your pool is a lot thinner. Again, the staff members are going to be key to this. My only question that I ask is this for both programs or are you looking are you separating the two out?

168And that that would be my only my only question that that goes along with this. >> So, um and and thank you for thank you so much for the context. I just I just wanted to check in with you because I didn't I'm just trying to be fully representative of the feedback that I heard from the board. I in no way suggesting that you would be against including including staff input. So I guess I just wanted to clarify and then to clarify for you um for both programs. So that was really verbose. Um Michelle, do you need any of that repeated? >> No. What I have is to continue to create a comprehensive written plan with continued input of um from staff members for both programs. >> Works for me. Thank you. >> There is

169a motion and a second on the table. Any other discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. It is 8:31. I would entertain a motion to continue the meeting another 30 minutes. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Megan Miller. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? >> I I >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Our next item on the agenda is the boy memorial athletic departments or school district of boy's athletic department's 2026 budget overage. The purpose of this is to discuss the budget shortfall and overage for the athletic budget at the high school and the middle school's athletic budget. The background on this is at the March 3rd business operations and finance committee meeting, administration presented a spreadsheet outlining addendum

170pay for middle school sports. It has since been clarified that the addendum budget used to compensate coaches is not part of the athletic department budget. Coaches will be paid for their spring service. However, it has been also been communicated that the athletic department is currently projecting a budget shortfall of approximately $100,000 by the end of the 2025 2026 school year. This follows a significant budget overrun in the previous year. Tonight's discussion I would like for us to focus and for the purpose of this discussion is to ensure appropriate board oversight, transparency and identification of corrective actions. This is not intended to assign blame but rather to understand and address the issue. Key questions uh for considerations should include what factors contributed to the budget overrun? Were there any breakdowns in internal controls or financial monitoring?

171What steps can be taken to prevent similar issues in the future? If there are recommendations from administration, finance, or the athletic department regarding improvements to board policies, procedures, or financial oversight practices, the board should consider appropriate just adjustments to prevent future recurrence. Dr. Anderson. >> Obviously, you know that budgets are one of the things that I probably look at more than well, I like to look at budgets. So, in looking through, of course, as we're preparing for the 2627 budget, one of the questions that we always take a look at is how are we doing on 2526? Are we in the black? Are we going to be able to finish in the black? Are there areas in which we're not going to finish in the black? And of course in looking at that, our athletic

172budget will be uh basically totally spent before the spring season ever starts. So trying to go back and take a look at why did this happen? Um one in the 2425 budget, you basically budgeted $255,411 for your athletic budget. that year you over spent that budget by $70,000. So in the 2526 budget, you put in exactly the same dollar amount, $255,411, knowing that it was over spent the first year or the year prior by $70,000 and that the cost would continue to go up. And yet you made you I mean there were no cuts made to any of the athletic programs. So there is no logical way that you could not understand if you are in budgeting that this is not going to go over. In other words, if you went over 70,000, you made

173no cuts to any of your sports programs. you put in the exact same amount for the following year knowing that just your that everything is going to increase in cost. It was to be expected that this was going to overrun again. Now if you ask me why did they put in the same amount that they did after you know the 25 26 this school year when it went over by 70,000 the year prior knowing the costs will go up. The answer is mismanagement. I have the Vegas idea. It doesn't make any logical sense to me. Um, so I did sit down with Dan Gratz and I said there's not much I can do because now we're not going to drop spring sports. So it means that that amount is going to go in the red

174again. He did prepare a sheet that we provided to all the board members saying that he had requested $350,000 for the budget but 255 was put in but there are still no cuts made. So one of the understandings that for this year's because this is a budget that I will be responsible for is that I need accurate cost for the cost for our athletic projects. And if we're going to make cuts, we are actually going to make program cuts. In other words, the amount of money that we'll put in the budget will be the amount of money that we expect uh it to cost for the programs that we are going to offer for the 26 27 school year. So, I mean, like I said, I like I like budgeting. It makes sense. It fits

175my type A personality. But the bottom line is is that there was no way that a person could put this budget together and not realize it was going to be substantially over budget if you even paid attention to it. >> Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Mrs. Leafy. >> Yes. Quick question. when when we look at process um if I am in charge of a portion of a budget and I make a request for X but I get why is the level of accountability for you didn't give me what I asked for but I'm going to continue to spend as though I have those additional funds like what mechanisms are there mechanisms in place that should have caught this before we got to a projected $100,000 or do we have no mechanisms in place? I'm just trying

176to understand like what we're working with when this budget was created and presented to the board. There should have been any discussion of saying that there was no way that this >> course >> right that this portion of the budget he couldn't realistically pay for all the things that you wanted to pay for there had been there should have been some discussion prior from the get-go of what are we not going to have now maybe that you weren't going to cut baseball or softball or basketball maybe it was going to that for a year there will be uh no uniforms or but even that wouldn't I mean there was no way for this budget to come in without the without the elimination of certain sports activities. It just wasn't feasible. So that's the discussion should

177have been held before it ever got to the board level. It should have been held um it should have been held at the administrative level to say if this is the amount then what are the things that we're going to have to cut so that we can when we bring it to the board the board knows that in order to stay within the $255,411 we are going to have to do without X Y and Z those sports we don't have the ability to operate if we want those and this budget amount has to change to the 355,000 Okay. So, one of I just want to clarify and then I have one final question. So, if I'm understanding you correctly, there are currently no mechanisms in place to prevent us getting a March surprise of we're

178projected to be about $100,000 over unless we eliminate spring sports. >> You're not going to eliminate spring. What I'm saying is that the processes are all in advance. >> Yep. The processes aren't for now. The processes are putting together a budget that's realistic. Unless there's something that you know catastrophically happens, that's why you have your fund equity. These are what I'm saying is the issues that are leading to this should have been addressed before you ever approved the budget. >> Got it. But my question is let's say we do this moving forward. we create a realistic budget for this item and along the process there are things that are causing overages. Are there currently no mechanisms in place to alert the board of that until we're closing out the year or are we going to

179do and if no that I mean it is what it is and we're going to do both of those things. We're going to responsibly budget and we're going to put mechanisms in place to alert the board when there are significant overages. No, there's already process to make sure that you're going to be every one of the buildings can look at their own budget. We look at the district's budget every month, actually every two weeks to take a look to see how we're doing and whether or not there's any particular area that's going to be, you know, that's um that looks like they're projected to go over their budget, you know, in some areas. So we already and each one of the building principles can look at their budgets. Each of the departments can actually look

180at their budgets. So there are ways to find out what is it that um you know if something's close, what is it that I maybe am going to have to not purchase or wait longer in order to purchase it so that I can do it. So no, there's a regular process we take every couple weeks. What I'm saying with this particular one is that Dan Gratz knew from the very beginning that his budget was going to be over spent. The very first date was put because there had been no programs that were cut and the amount that he the amount that was allocated in the budget hadn't proved to be sufficient the year prior. It wasn't going to prove sufficient, but yet there had been no cuts. So he knew before this year ever started

181he was going to be he was going to be in the red. >> Got it. And then here's my question. On May 3rd we received a handout from Mr. Gratz that looks to me um so it breaks down the the athletics and it shows like projected funds available. Um, and then a a few of those are negative, but overall it looks like we're projected to end with $9,000 and some change. And my understanding that this document that we got on March 3rd is kind of moot because it doesn't include addendums. And it it this is the addendums. And if director Lwood would would perhaps just confirm the addendum pay for coaches is not considered a component of the athletic budget. >> Okay. And if other context is being provided, thank you. But while that is

182happening, so when we say we're over by about $100,000, that does not include addendums. >> Correct. And from my conversation with director Elwood, my understanding is that we are in good standing in the addendum pay budget that we if you are a co spring coach, don't worry. There's money for you. You will figure it out. Yes. >> Okay. I I lied. This is my final question. Moving forward, could we get a comprehensive athletic and activities budget? So everything is under one house. So addendums, transportation, uniforms, like all the things that are related to athletics and activities because if if things are stored in different buckets, it's difficult for me to get a realistic picture of what this costs the district. So it's just my request. Thank you. >> Thank Thank you, Mrs. Levy. One of

183the recommendations I would um ask of the business operations finance committee is to review our current policies and um perhaps meet with the finance finance director Elwood um athletic director grads and principal pels as to um um receive recommendations on how to make this a better process and if we don't have any um um internal controls throughout the year. What can what you know what do they suggest? Any other board members have questions or comments? Mrs. Fox. Um I just remember we talked a lot about addendum contracts when we were talking about budget cuts and there were some addendum contracts that were cut, but they were mostly at other levels and there was no sports wanted to be cut. So, I mean, I don't know where the disconnect came, but I do know we talked

184about the addendums and then people uh didn't want to cut those addendums. So, if you're not cutting those addendums, then you're keeping the sports and then you need to have the budget for the sports to match that. And obviously, that didn't happen. >> But I will what may not have happened will happen. I mean there when we meet at the end of this month, there are going to be some serious decisions that the board is going to have to make. You're not going to have to go into detail, but we are going to have to make we are going to put out basically as a preview pots of money that you can take a look at at where we can help make this $4.5 million balance. Some of those pots are going to be in

185athletics, middle school athletics, high school athletics. At least once we know the pots of money that we are going to be allowed to look at and make negative changes to, we'll be able to then start fleshing out a budget to bring to you in May and June that reflects some of these buckets. And I will already be transparent. If you tell me that if I say we need to look at cutting sports programs at the high school level and you tell me Wayne nope that's you can't do that then I'm the question is going to follow up so you can think of your answer is if not that pot what pot of money should we look at? >> Any other board member questions or comments? >> Thank you. Oh, Brian, >> only comment is I

186don't I do not recall, and if I missed it, shame on me, but I don't ever recall seeing a specific athletic department budget in the whole budgeting process. >> Anybody agree or disagree or >> um I I'm never mind. >> I don't remember what I had for breakfast. >> Is that okay? Um I think yeah to your point um and I think that's kind of the point that Miss Levy is making too um Mrs. Levy is making too because like we get you know how like they break down all the funds. >> Oh I know. >> Right. So we we do I mean we see that um and I think that given how surgical we're going to need to be in the current fiscal situ like I don't like to be in the weeds typically

187I think and I think that and I think that was an appropriate way for us to receive that. So I don't think anything wrong was done. But I do agree going forward we're going to have to be very precise. >> Thank you. Next up is the consent agenda. We have a request to have item C 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 the business and considered in their normal sequence on the agenda. Are there any other board members that would like any items removed other than C? Mrs. Levy, >> item B is in boy and D is in dog, please. >> Okay. Any other? Okay. Can I get an approval then

188of the items E, F, and G. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Joan Rue, seconded by Amy Levy. Any discussion hearing? None. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. >> Point of order. Could I get moved and seconded on that motion? >> Joan Rue, Amy Levy. >> Thank you. >> Our first item up is the assistant principal positions at the elementary level. Mrs. Levy, >> thank you. Okay. So, a few questions. Um, one is the plan to keep an because the the proposal talks about the dean position at Robinson hasn't been currently filled. If it's not filled, possibly having an AP through the end of the year. Is the plan to keep an AP at Robinson beyond this school year? Yes, it would be what the part of the

189recommendation was is if we had elementary um schools that had populations over 450 um and we looked at that starting for the next school year. I did ask for the exception for Robinson since we have not been able to uh find a dean throughout this entire year that we look to post that as a dean. So that would be deemed hopefully we would find a candidate that we could hire to be that position for the remainder of this year and then for next year the question had come up about our contracts. The contract can be so it fits with all the other administrative contracts to be for two months for basically a year and two months. >> Okay. Okay. And then my my concern if 450 is the cuto off then that seems like correct

190me if I'm wrong moving forward we would have an AP at Robinson an AP at Todd. I would argue that Hackett is so close it would make sense to have an AP there as well. And then my concern with Mel because there's such a disparity in enrollment with 181. Have any discussions been made to have either a full-time dean there or are we looking at need um because there may be a need to have an AP especially someone who can help with evaluations even though enrollment is lower or we just looking strictly at enrollment? If I thought I could find the money in the budget, I would have asked to have assistant principles put back in all of the buildings. I don't know that that's going to be financially feasible. And I know that you

191went away from the assistant principal to the dean model in order to save money. I think the we'd probably look at probably at this point um going to assistant principles for the next year for two of our largest elementary schools. That would be a cost difference of around 60,000. that I do think is feasible in the budget. As I said, if I could make it work, I would put assistant principles back in because they can do more than deans. I just don't know that that's I don't know that financially I could bring a recommendation and make that balance. No, I completely hear you and I was in support of keeping APS and my concern is an equity issue if we I I can't justify supporting having an AP at Robinson and Todd and not having

192one at Hackit when there's six students under this kind of arbitrary cutoff. So where I am leaning is we do APS at the elementary level or we stick with deans. And I guess my next question is um embedded in this proposal is there the understanding that we will artificially cap salaries? It sounds like no, but I just want to confirm like we would potentially be looking at APS for some of our elementary buildings and whatever the the appropriate candidate who is recommended, they will make what they will make with respect to credentials and years of experience. Is that accurate? That is what I would like to see for the administrative when we take a look is that right now I had a candidate that I looked at hopefully to be the dean at Robinson from

193one of their current staff members. When the staff member basically took a look at it, they would only make $29 more a day as the dean than they are as the classroom teacher. and that just that amount was insufficient to want them to make a change. So right now um as we did talk a great deal, money is an issue. Um so and I don't think we can put an arbitrary cap on it because sometimes you're going to get the qualifications of a candidate that are I don't think they should be capped. I think we should hire them based on the um qualifications and the need that we have. >> So, just a couple more things. The dean contracts, I'm assuming, are are in one-year increments, or are we going to run into issues where

194according to this new proposal, we may want to have an AP at Todd, but the dean contract is not up. Where do we stand with that? So the theme contracts would not be up just because they're on their teacher contract and they were not nonrenewed. Um, so if we make that change and bring in someone as a dean, unless we make it a temporary teacher agreement, a limited term contract essentially, and then bring them to the board to be placed as an administrator, if that's the direction that that goes. Did I understand your question? >> I think you understood my question, but I don't think I understood your answer, but I'm sure we can figure it out. Um, if I understood you correctly, the deans are not yearly because they're on the teacher cycle. So,

195let's just use Todd for an example. If the dean position has another year on the contract at Todd, but they're above that 450, so we want to bring in potentially an AP. We wouldn't have an AP and a dean. with that dean still be making their contract at as issued for at least till the end of that contract but be serving in a different role in that building or somewhere else. Well, I think the um the goal with the upcoming uh diminished enrollment is that we would likely not see an increase at our buildings that would bring more buildings to the AP need basis. So that I will defer to Dr. Anderson, but you are correct in your line of thinking. you will have someone with a contract and perhaps not the qualifications to switch

196from a dean position to that of an administrator AP. >> So they may be serving as an educator in the district but earning that dean contract that is has not ended. >> And quite frankly at that point if I am that dean I'd probably be making more as a teacher. I would prefer to go back in the classroom but that's neither here nor there. but they would still have a contract that we would have to honor because we could not honestly say that we'd be um removing them from their contract due to economic reasons if we're bringing so I I guess the other thing that I need to understand like we have numbers here now and the cut off is kind of 450 as to where whether the administration is proposing an AP or we

197keep a dean but these numbers in all likelihood are going to change. So if these numbers reduce then is it contingent like if the and then I'm just picking on Todd. Love you Todd. My kids went there. Um so if it's at 452 now and we say yep we need an AP there but as we get ready to approach the school year it's at 380. So it's like nope we don't need an AP there. I'm just wondering like does it make sense to make a decision tonight when we don't have the numbers that would fulfill kind of the cut off and whether or not we have an AP? Not that this is a good practice. However, if there is um diminishing enrollment, then that would be a way out of that administrator contract. Not a

198good practice, but again, it is in our within our contracts with administrators. There's a number of reasons why we would say we no longer need you as an administrator. And so that will be part of budgetary cuts. That will be part of student enrollment reduction. Um again, not a good practice to bring someone on for a few months and then anticipate we're going to have dwindling enrollment and see them off. I I would not recommend that practice. >> So you're not recommended, but that's what is being proposed. All right. I I think I have what I need. I I cannot support this because I am not for kind of yo-yoing people with their livelihood and and using projections. So, thank you. You help me understand this better, >> Mr. Henkins. >> Thank you, board president.

199It kind of piggybacks on what Mr. Levy was talking about and you know with the talk about DLA and per TLI, excuse me, DLI and moving it from let's say not at Robinson and people shifting to another school. So we have a sudden decrease at Robinson and here we went through this whole exercise and got an AP there and the ones who wanted to shifted to a different school. I I I I that's my question. How much flexibility do we have in this? And I'm sure Dr. Anderson has thought of this, especially with the DI on the forefront and with so many DOI students at Robinson. How does that all play into this? >> Well, as administrators, you're not hired for a specific building. And so if you saw that student population move from that

200building to another, then looking at the numbers um right now you could see where that administrator would travel to the school that would increase their enrollment numbers as a result. >> Thank you. That was going to be my answer to Tom. >> I'm I'm so happy there's a common sense approach to it. Thank you, >> Carol Fox. Um, I just I I agree with Amy and on many of those points, but I I do think it's too it's premature. We we just were talking about the special board meeting we're going to have in a couple of weeks to go over the budget and all of those kinds of things and all of the difficult decisions that we're going to have to make. Um, I don't think we should be making the decision about whether or

201not we're going to have an assistant principal anywhere until we've had that discussion. Um that I I think I said that at committee meeting too. >> Thank you. Megan Miller. >> Um just a clarifying question. Um I'm looking over the information. What is the situation? It looks like Converse has nobody. >> So Dr. Anderson, can you help me or or whomever, can you help me understand as part of this proposal that is on the agenda for this evening? What would be the plan for Converse? Because they're at they're it looks like they're at 445 which I guess to Amy's point is just just a hair below that 450. >> Well, currently um Converse I mean once Dr. Mallet came here then of course um um Benji Glut became the interim principal. He was serving in

202a quasi dean role. I thought he was the dean but I was corrected. So I'll say the quasi dean role. So right now they don't have one. I do know that we have a potential dean candidate that's going to that's looking at that position for the next year because remember we are actively trying to get all our positions filled for the next school year in advance. So I know that there there's already been conversations with somebody to potentially take that role on for the next school year. That doesn't solve it for the rain this year, but it does for next year. For Robinson, what I mentioned at the committee is that we have not been able to have any assistance in that building throughout well there wasn't any before I came and we have tried

203as many ways as feasible to try to find a dean for that building. We couldn't find it. My recommendation was is try to have one potential option to if I can't get a dean to maybe try to get an assistant principal since it is our largest one and there's been no we've been not been able to find any administrative help for the principal throughout this year and I certainly don't want to go in two years in a row. >> So just so that makes sense. So the idea would be regardless so I kind of to the point that Mrs. Fox just made about you know we're going to have this larger budget discussion regard unless something dramatic changes regardless of how that goes. Converse, for example, we're going to be posting for a dean for

204next year. If that population goes up, let's say we hire a dean for next year and a bunch of students, which for whatever reason they end up with 452 students, is the person that we're hiring like are we preparing to budget for the possibility of like deans converting up to APS? In that one specific case, I know that the individual that um at least looks like could be the feasible candidate would have administrative lensure. So they could be changed from a dean salary to a assistant principal salary because they do have the qualifications to be an administrator. I can't say that with everyone. Like you said, what I am trying to do is come up with some way to make sure that all of our principles have um administrative assistance in their buildings, which currently

205we do not have, and I have had absolutely no luck in trying to secure that for Robinson. >> No, I appreciate that. So, I I 100% appreciate where you're coming from with Robinson. Um, and while I do agree with the opinions that have been put out there about, you know, that there are many pieces to this that require probably a larger conversation and have budget implications for next year, like personally I can support this for Robinson for right now because of the situation that you've you've described. I do think that what I'm hearing what I'm hearing you say just now again and I think what Mrs. believe he was saying earlier too regarding equity, it would almost be it would have to be prudent then to budget as though each elementary school were going to

206have an assistant principal. And I realize that like I, you know, looking at some of the populations in some of these buildings, I realize that that's not probably super realistic, but if we're going to be conservative um and you know, in terms of what our budget looks like, it's probably not a bad idea. Uh just to to budget for that as like a just in case scenario because again like if you have a school like who has a dean, I mean a lot of these schools like Hackett is really close to that 450. um you're you're making a proposal to kind of give us you're asking for some wiggle room with the budget and the positions this year, which I 100% I mean, I'm in support of that, but it's based on the needs. I

207mean, what if I mean, Merryill has 181 students. We don't know what the population is going to look like next year. What if there's a needs driven situation where we have to do something more to support Mural for the best interests of those students and staff? I just think that my one of my takeaways from this discussion is that when we talk about the budget, we really probably should budget like we're going to have a full AP position at each building and if we don't, we don't. Thank you. >> As I mentioned earlier in the conversation, I I know full board over at the committee, I would love to be able to budget for an AP at every building. I just don't think that's feasible. I mean, it might be feasible to say I used

208an arbitrary number looking at the numbers we currently have, realizing that we'll probably lose 200 students. Um, I mean, our numbers will go down. They're projected around next year. if I could budget for two elementary principles because populations will move around and then I could at least move those two to the um the two elementary buildings that had the highest student population or needs to it would give me some flexibility and I think I could budget for two. I don't know that I could budget for more than that. If I could I certainly would advocate for that. >> Thank you so much. It >> is 9:07. Is there a motion to extend the meeting? So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Brian Nichols, second by Carol Fox. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? >>

209I. >> Any oppose? Motion carries unanimously. >> Mr. Henkins, Mrs. Fox. Um, again, this we discussed this in committee, but it's it's like even if we could um hire an assistant principal, I mean, we're going to have to post it. We're going to have to wait. We're going to have to do all of that stuff. And by the time that person gets in position, it's going to be May. Um, and and I think it's since it's we're really not ready to discuss next year's budget or figure out what we want in next year's budget. I I just think this is really the wrong time to be trying to make this decision and and put this on the table. >> Thank you, Mrs. Levy. All right. Out of the box and brief, have there been any

210discussion? Well, one, let me back up with a question. is the the perceived need for the AP to help with day-today behaviors and awesome stuff in the building or is it mainly for evaluation? Like what is going to be the the greatest benefit to our building principles? Well, the greatest benefit to building principles would be to have someone who would be able to assist them with the evaluations of staff as well as carrying on the day-to-day needs of discipline and attendance. That would be the optimal. So, I mean, so if I'm looking at how I would optimize, I would do that by assistant principles because they can then share an administrative task that a dean can't. But like I acknowledged earlier is that I know that you made these reductions for budgetary reasons. We're going

211to be cutting more and I just don't there's I do not believe I could bring back a budget that would be able to financially support assistant principles in all of the buildings. If I could, I would. >> No, I hear that. So, here's the out of the box part. if we kept deans at buildings um with those artificially cap salaries that make me so uncomfortable to help with the day-to-day and we had a couple district level evaluators and their sole job is to evaluate at the elementary level and maybe elementary middle school maybe you know however we can juggle that um that may give us the flexibility to afford the deans that we already have allocation for and then bring on maybe one person that would assist in evaluations and they would be at multiple

212levels. Just an idea. Thank you. Any more discussion? Hearing none. Is there a motion? Hearing none, we will move on to the DLI programming. Joanne Rue. >> Yes, thank you. So, um I wanted to uh just speak a little bit about the program. Um the dual language program is a valued part of our district. It is supported by dedicated teachers embraced by many students and families. It provides meaningful opportunities for students to develop bilingual skills, cultural understanding, and it is something that our community has taken pride in over more than a decade now. This is the third time that the board has brought this to discussion this month about what we need to do next year. And this discussion has not happened at all because of bud budget constraints or lack of interest from families.

213I've heard from people over the last year how awful it was last August when all of a sudden sections were collapsed, closed. People were being asked to move from one building to another. And we want to make decisions that will sustain the program fully staffed so that these kind of situations do not happen again this next August. So the only reason we're making difficult decisions about the program right now is the ongoing challenge in fully staffing the program. And to be honest, this has been a pro a problem that we have had for as long as I've been part of the program. This and now they've made recent changes to bilingual lensure requirements and it has made recruiting and retaining qualified licensed educators even more difficult. So it is important that the program is staffed

214by licensed educators so that students create are receiving highquality instruction and the program remains strong and sustainable. So because of the shortage of certified bilingual staff, we may we have to make difficult decisions about the program scope. And at this time, we are prioritizing maintaining the program in kindergarten through fourth grade through the direction of of educators that have been in the program for many years. So this decision again is not due to a lack of student interest or a way to try to balance the budget. Has nothing to do with funding. If we are able to recruit additional licensed bilingual educators, I would absolutely welcome the opportunity to look at expanding the program back to additional sections or grade levels. There are many models for implementing dual language programs, each with its own strengths.

215Regardless of the model, strong instruction in both languages and intentional bridging between them are essential to supporting students long-term bilingual development. So having said that, I believe it is reasonable that the language around the implementation at the elementary level allows schools some flexibility in how they choose to staff the program. This would enable each school to organize the program in a way that best supports their students. Um, will help us to retain staff and will maintain the integrity of the dual language model. >> Thank you, Mrs. Rue. Mrs. Levy, >> thank you. If if someone could help me understand, is this a we don't have enough money problem, a we don't have enough staff problem, or both? >> Can I? >> It is not a money problem, not a money problem, not a money problem.

216It is solely only a staffing problem. It is. They are unicorns. Biiterate by biiteracy certified teachers are unicorns. They are impossible to find right now. And we have tried recruiting them many different ways. We've we've had um lovely educators from Puerto Rico, from Spain and and now they have this extra layer of certification and it is it is very difficult to find those people. That is the only reason why we are are shrinking our program. It's why it shrunk this last fall, too. It's not a money problem. >> I am just so not used to hearing it's not a money problem. I just want to soak that in for a moment. >> All right, moving forward. then then I think we need to be creative because I it does not make sense to me for

217us to reduce to the point of elimination a program that that one I think our demographics and our mission demands. >> Can I speak to that? >> Hold just let me let me finish my thoughts so I don't forget it again. our demographics and our mission demand. I think this is a non-negotiable like we have to have a strong DLI program and hearing that it's not a money issue. Yay. Then I think we need to get creative about recruitment and just like we worked with Hadley to help with the referendum, which is a separate topic. Um, there has to be some niche educational recruitment pro firms that don't cost a arm and two legs that we can partner with because if we have this beautiful program, there are bilingual educators out there and we just

218need to connect those dots and if it's beyond the capacity of our current HR team, I think that we need to work with someone that that is their niche and their experience because it's not a money problem and we get the educators in here so that we can have a robust DLI program. My my other recommendation and then I'm done. Um I think we may need a like a literacy not a lit a language ad hoc committee and I feel like we already had one of those because it hackit thank you for showing up and educating. I'll just speak for myself, me personally, they seem to have a beautiful system and they loop and they need fewer teachers, but they're still meeting the needs of students. Like, I don't know why we're not duplicating that

219in all of our buildings that we want to have DLI programs. And I cannot understand why parents have not been more engaged. So if that takes an ad hoc committee then so one we need a language ad hoc committee to explore this and two somebody needs to explore working with a niche educational recruitment fund because it's not a money problem and and we need to restore the DLI program. >> Can I Okay. So all right we are not shrinking the pro program anymore at the elementary level um from what it was this year. All we are doing is consolidating it into two schools rather than three because Robinson has part of a program and Todd has part of a program. And so we're taking both of those two and putting them together under one roof.

220So it it makes it easier for teachers to do vertical alignment, all of that great stuff. So the problem already existed last year and the year before and the year before and actually honestly before we added Converse when when they talked about adding Converse people within the program said we can't do this we don't have enough teachers right now for myself I did not my partner was not a certified teacher in the years that I taught and and it it's it's it's it's not right you you need certified teachers in the classroom, you know, right? I I know I'm talking to the choir here. So So it is it is not and and here's here's the other part. So these are unicorns and and when you find a unicorn, you keep them. And so we

221need to keep the ones we have. And so if it requires a little bit of flexibility on our part, hey, you know, we're giving we hear you. This is what you want. We can work with them. Maybe if we can get Todd on board, maybe we can, since Hackett's figured out how to do more with less, maybe we could expand the program back through fifth grade. I would love to see it through the middle schools. everything that all the people spoke about tonight, minus the money and minus the lack of interest, that's all the rest of it, the the culturalism, the community building, the the benefits far beyond the classroom, far beyond even in academics, all of that is true, but we we don't have the people. And so we've tried over the years lots

222of different ways. And I don't know, I right at this point, my biggest concern is if we're going to do it, we got to do it well with the kids that are in the program. We need to do right by the kids. And it hasn't always been that way. >> So if I'm understanding you correctly, like this can happen. This is doable, but it sounds like some of our students may be displaced from their building, which is hard. I would say for the most part that like right now because what what levels do we have at what buildings? I don't remember who's where, but like there's there's like grade levels at Robinson and there's grade levels at Todd and they don't overlap. >> I know. Careful what you wish for. >> Come on, Jeff. go

223into part of this too. >> I'm not the center. >> Okay. Uh I see kindergarten DLI at Robinson, first grade, second grade, third grade at Robinson. >> Todd, second, third, fourth, fifth. >> All right. So I was wrong >> and not entirely. >> Hacket is kindergarten through 5th. >> Yeah. >> And currently at Kinder or at Hacket and Todd or not Hacket, excuse me, Robinson and Todd, the biiteracy coaches are in place in the classroom. So the biiteracy coaches are not doing their coaching duties. they are teaching in the classroom in the DLI classrooms. So they are filling in in place of the DLI teachers in their biiteracy role is not being filled by by literacy staff. >> May I ask another question? Okay. So if if we followed the hacket model which it sounds

224like they are utilizing fewer teachers but servicing more grades. If we did that at Robinson and Todd, could we have Don't shake your head yet. Could we reopen at least one middle school and have a middle school option with the remaining teachers? >> No, I'm going to say no. Um, so when Michelle and I looked at this, we looked at how many teachers we have that are properly licensed for this. And then we looked at those who are on one-year emergency license. Some of them who have been on one year emergency license for many years now and looking at are they on the verge of cusp of do we feel that is responsible that they can possibly get this lure for next year with our current staff that we have we can fully do one

225school that is it >> elementary >> one one one you you pick I mean I tell you >> one elementary >> we can do one elementary school if we have the other staff we can do about 70% of them with currently licensed staff and we're confident that some of the other folks are going to earn that this year. So then we could go ahead and f and and fill two elementaryaries but only five grade levels. We were originally planning one through five and when we cons consulted with some of the DA teachers at some of the other schools they were saying no we really need to start lower. So that's why we did K through four and we wanted to provide a continuity of because right now there could be gaps in it. you have

226K1 and all of a sudden we don't have year two and we've got somebody else filling in. So we we looked so five grade levels at one school fully staffed the other one was pretty close and we feel that with the the lure earning of these other folks we can get 10 staff members to do this that did that does not um in kind of the hacken model where they were they were teaming that still covers five I personally whether it's one person that works at one grade or if they have two that double up we still look at the same staff members and following that hacken model. Oh, so >> not quite cuz cuz cuz one site is English then and one side is Spanish. So you can find you can find more of

227the English speaking teachers. So So you had you have one teacher that's that is on the Spanish side that's doing kindergarten, first grade, >> one teacher doing >> Spanish and then one Spanish teacher doing second and third and then you have two other ones. So then you have four teachers covering kindergarten through fifth grade. So I guess my my final question is and I get scheduling needs to happen before the school year starts. So what is our like hard deadline for when we need to have this figured out to know what DL looks like in the fall? I would say >> and can we simultaneously like get some pricing on working with an outside group that can help us recruit in ways that we haven't been successful in. >> So, I'm going to answer each

228question separately. Number one, I think that we need to determine what we're doing. My opinion, um, before we start our enrollment process this summer because it is very disheartening for our families to enroll their students in one school and then have to change everything. But that's only one opinion of many. Um I will say the issue um when you talk about a recruiting firm, we have utilized our same um network of uh staffing agencies to help us uh find these DI teachers. What what I think needs to be understood is it's a DPI issue more than it is a staffing issue. The DPI issue is what's feeding the staffing issue with DLI. And I say that because our primarily Spanish-speaking teachers cannot pass the fort test. Therefore, they can't get a tier 2 license. Therefore,

229they cannot add the biiteracy bicultural license to that. Can I explain fort? Okay. So, this is a reading test for teachers that teach in English. And so, you're taking a test on how to teach reading in English. But if you never teach reading in English, which teaching reading in Spanish is very different, especially at the lower levels, then the test really doesn't pertain to what you're doing. Can we work with a firm that it sounds like may need to be outside of our network? And we only want to look at a pool of educators who have passed the Fortest. Like I don't want to get someone and fall in love and then you don't pass the test. Like I want that as a screening criteria and I just and I get where I have to

230pay for it. >> I don't think that that's the issue. I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt. >> No, no, you're good. And Dr. Anderson, you won the night with you can only spend a dollar once. Um, so even if it's going to cost us a little bit more, again, I think our demographics and our mission demands this. Can we work with a firm? Can we identify a firm where the hurdles that DPI or whatever has presented like that's pre-screened like that has to exist. >> Well, I defer to Dr. Anderson. >> The the assumption that the firm has to exist >> has to >> the answer is done. It may, but it may be no way that I don't know that we I don't know that I don't know that your request is something

231that we can feasibly do. >> Look into it. >> Thank you, Megan Miller. >> All right. Thank you so much. Um, couple of things. Um, since this has been brought up twice now, once by a public comment and once by Mrs. Levy. Um I will just quickly say that we have um we have had an ad hoc committee on um bilingual outreach and I can't even remember it was a longer name. Uh it was requested by our speaker this evening and it was chaired by Dr. Galindo who has since moved on to Jainsville but was a staff member at the time and it produced I think our biiteracy code uh family liaison and some other um important pieces in the district. So we we have um within the last 10 years I think made some

232strides. There are many things yet left on the table and I think that the nature of my question has to do with trying to respect everything that you know was I think very beautifully presented and I think put together very conscientiously by our staff and also you know perception is reality right like what we're hearing in the community. So, a couple questions then from that point. One, the other thing I just need to clarify. I love you Joanne. I just want to understand because like in the in the presentation that we received and it's like on the first page in the first paragraph like second second sentence from the bottom, it literally says due to budget constraints, we will not be adding ELFT. So, I was I was confused while I like my heart was

233just like all rainbows and sunshine when you're like it's not a funny problem. I'm like, I want that to be true. So, I just need some clarification on why, you know, in my notes and in the notes that were presented, it does say like due to budget constraints, we will not be adding ELFTTE. Um, so I I just want to put that into the conversation. My specific question that I have is as a teacher, I really like the idea that there is not like a one-sizefits-all model. And I don't want to undermine your your presentation because again I think it was put together very conscientiously. If something is working well at Hackit and we let it lie at Hackit and and comma and if we were to re-emergency license what is it like would it

234be like three teachers to do one middle school like a sixth, seventh and eighth or or would it be fewer? I'm not sure cuz I know like my daughter who's at Okay. It would be three cuz yeah, I know like Janna's at FRS and I'm sure she's had the same teacher a couple years. I'm not sure if they loop or not. Okay. To what extent would it be possible to do um to do the I'm going to say the terminology wrong. I'm sorry. Just like the one grade level model at Todd the the approach that was advocated for tonight at Hackit. What are there are there three emergency licensable people left on the table? And I want to clarify by saying I agree that we need people who are licensed. The Ford exam is um

235is a mess. I passed it. I'm very proud of that. But it it's it's a mess. Humble brag. No, I'm just kidding. Thank you. No, but I mean it was it it's it's sad and I'm just saying having taken it like I'm as a parent if I have a student um who is a teacher who has everything but that like I am I am fully okay with that. I mean this is this is a political requirement. This is not a oh this person isn't able or I mean this is an absolutely tedious politically messy requirement. That's the only reason I brought that up. You said Mr. deners that we have people who for years and years and years. I mean, that makes me believe leads me to believe that we have these are teachers who

236have who have years and years served our children and I'm I'm probably very well. So that's my very verbose way of asking, can we do the thing you guys want to do at Todd, the thing Hackit wants to do at Hackit, and have like three emergency licensable teachers to potentially put into one middle school? >> I I'm going to say I'm going to echo Dr. Anderson's view. This this is not a lack of numbers of students. It's not a lack of interest in continuing the program. uh you know from our side in as many grade levels as possible. I do recall at one of the committee meetings where a parent had shown up and said they had it at kindergarten and first grade but they didn't have it second grade because we didn't have a

237parent. And that was disheartening. >> That's not the proper way to run a program. We you want to make sure you have continuity. And so you know to me I was looking at strictly from the question of how many certifiable staff members do we have? How many then can we put into classrooms to provide service for the DI program? And then the question was, is this a one-year problem? And it's not been a one-year problem. This has been for years, as I asked um Miss Almondas here when Tony Bosow, who's here before, you know, went to drive and pick up people from airports to come in and they were on guest lure and I didn't understand again that wasn't part of my wheelhouse at that point, but what what was this the status of those?

238we we couldn't get them and continue on as a g they're a guest license they can't continue on in that capacity. So, you know, when we look at years of history of peacemealing this together and putting band-aids in there, well, it it has all the merits in the world. I would love if we could find staff members to do this K through 8 all the way pre-K through 8. >> The reality is we have not had that for a number of years. So, what can we do to provide the best programming? And we again we've looked at we have we have enough for five grade levels. we can sustain in two. I mean, if you would say, look, we want to do one elementary school and do a middle school so we have K through

239eight, we could do that. But, you know, to stretch it any further than that, I don't know. And I I wish there was some magic agency that you'd think there would be something for this. But when when we look at the history of where we've been for staffing and and that's a reality that that that's where I'm coming from. I'd love for there to be more, but that's really what we have in place at this point in time. So, that that's where our recommendation came to. we could do K through four in two buildings. >> And if I can just add to that, we lost three amazing educators um just over the past year and a half now, two years. And solely because the only way that they can remain in a DLI classroom is

240if they were to go through a pathway to lensure to get a tier 2 so they can add the BLIT bicultural uh add-on to it. And so they ended up going back to their country because they were seasoned teachers, 15, 20 year teachers, and came here to help us out with our DI program. They're like, we're not spending the money or going back to school to to be a teacher again just because this is what DPI wants us to do. So, this is a very um I don't know, it's very disheartening that with the population of Hispanics and the success of any type of EL program, whether DLI or traditional, that DPI would be putting us through hoops just to be able to provide that to our students. So to echo um Miss Rouge, I

241think also that is that it is sad that we have a community who wants this. We have students who want this. It's not sustainable for for the first time. It's not money for the first time. It's for reasons that are well beyond our control. >> So is it possible? Um, I know that like, okay, so there there are things that DPI says and then there are schools that get waivers for things. For example, I know a couple years ago, I know like Edertton got a waiver to start school before Labor Day and things like that. I guess my my curiosity there comes from like to what extent are we able to I mean like you can get an emergency license as a teacher while you're getting you know and I realize that's a one-year thing

242like to what extent have we worked with DPI that's a very unique situation that we have I know specifically of one um she was a a teacher and when I was at Converse wonderful wonderful teacher we lost her because of the DPI requirement She went back to Spain to be a teacher there. She wanted to come back so bad. She did come back and now she's teaching with no problem in Belvadier. Illinois took her with no problem with her licensing. So, it's a DPI thing. >> Um, we tried to work with her all summer on that requirement, but they just would not budge on that. >> And Dr. Anderson, >> DPI is not going to wave those. DPI will wave the calendar requirement to let you they won't wave the number of days, but they

243will wave when you can start, but they are not going to wave lure requirements. They've already provided as much flexibility as they're going to do that by the emergency license. >> Thank you. It is 9:36. I will entertain a motion to extend the meeting. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Megan Miller. Any discussion? I have a discussion. I am viewing administrators falling asleep and board members falling asleep. So, let's please be conscientious of the time and um uh move forward. Thank you. All in favor? >> I >> guess just the last point I just wanted to actually just to because there were so many comments tonight on staffing. I just I also want to say because we talked at the committee meeting um you know the district is already

244doing it sounds like an absolutely amazing job providing uh lensure support and for exam preparation support to our to our staff. Um so I just want to get that out there. And I guess lastly I think this is kind of in the spirit of what Miss Rue was saying. Um many years ago um there was a community group that I was like loosely involved with that had come looking for um improvements to recess time and and at the time the the board took action on it but the board took action on it in a way that ended up costing Gaston more recess minutes because like not every building is the same. So I will just say that in the spirit of you know one size fits some um I am I am in favor of

245supporting um you know if if if the entire DLI facing population at Hackit really feels like that is a model that is working and it's something that doesn't preclude us from just executing the current proposal. I would just be in favor of allowing that flexibility um at the very least. Thank you. Yeah, Miss Miller, I agree that um again, we're looking at how many staffing positions do we have. What the model is in in implementing it is not the focus area whether we continue or not. Um and to address Miss Levy's point about time frame, um again for staffing for next year, trying to find those candidates like if we go ahead and are searching for some and we find six, seven, eight, 10 wonderful candidates who want to come here, that would be a

246discussion for Mr. Anderson to say, can we expand the program to fifth grade, sixth grade, wherever that may be? That's not been the reality. But pushing the decision down the line means number one, we're not actively seeking candidates as because we don't have positions, but also making the decision of do we have enough to support K through 4 fully because we said if we do not, we're not going to wait until beginning of school starts and say, "Oh, you wanted a you know, we were hoping to have a fourth grade program. We don't have a teacher now. We're going to pull that back." and a family was planning on that. Those decisions need to be made as early as possible so that families do know what we do have and what we don't have. >>

247No, I appreciate that. And so, as I'm yielding the floor here, it sounds to me like just a way to contextualize this for folks um many of whom came and expressed their opinions this evening. What we would be moving to approve this would be like a minimum and I think you guys did a nice job of of making that point. I'm just going to make it again. we would be approving this as a model at minimum and if like you know heaven willing we get a floodgate of t you know there's nothing stopping us from back from going 4K through 8 this is like kind of what the district is agreeing in terms of like how do we sustain um and have a program we're passing this but it's that's not a ceiling it's a

248floor right okay thank you >> Dr. Somehow I think we got lost in why we're doing this at all and that we were asked to come up with a program that we could support for three years. So we were basically our charge was we want you to bring something back to the board that we can adequately staff for three years and there was some discussion if that couldn't happen do we drop DI altogether. So that's what we did. We looked at the staffing that we have. We brought back a proposal that we think that we believe that we can sustain for three years. That's how this started. >> Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Carol Fox. >> Yeah, I was going to sort of comment on that. We're here because basically the programs in Todd and Robinson

249are falling apart and if we don't do something, we won't have any program at all. So, I think we just need to move forward on this. Um, yes, I think we can give flexibility to Hackett if they think they can come up with something else. I don't see any reason why not. Hacket is self-contained. Uh, over on the west side. We need to be focusing on the east side program and trying to get that going and we need to do that now because parents need to be informed. Parents need to be able to make choices about where they want to go and, you know, if they want to apply to go to a different school. Um there's a lot of decisions that need to be made and if we keep waiting for for this um

250then then we'll be in the same place we were where the people are like getting informed just before school starts. So we need to make this decision now. That doesn't mean we can't move forward with a a committee that might look at things and look at some other options. We can we can do all of that. Um but we need to move forward on this and and and make it happen. Thank you, Joanne Rue. So the last part of it that I think is important for people to know is that um the middle school decision was made um not only because of staffing but when looking at the staffing across the levels when we talked to middle school principles the students that were hurt the most by this peacemeal um process were our ELLs our

251our MLS which we we go by lots different acronyms now. So, but our our multilingual students, they they were not receiving the what used to be called ESL services that they used to be able to get because of, um, the needs of the program, the dual literacy or dual language program. And so, um, we do need to put their needs, um, at the forefront, too. Our students that are coming from other countries as sixth graders, seventh graders, and eighth graders deserve to be able to be be serviced, have the have their needs met in a way that is um valuable and useful for them, too. >> Thank you, Amy Levy. >> Thank you. Did I hear you correctly in that we have the current staff to support one elementary and one middle school? on a

252numbers basis. Um it would it would be possible to do that. We could do one one elementary and one middle school. >> That's what I support. >> It it is not ideal. >> Yeah. So, Miss Ley, yeah, I I guess I would I would check for >> licensing on >> who can go elementary, middle. >> Okay. So, this is what I recommend. I recommend that we hold off a beat to find out if this is a viable option. And it sounds like it's just a lensure check, which shouldn't take long. If we have the capacity with our current staff, and this doesn't bar ad hoc and exploring other things to make it more robust, I support the continuity, not ideal, um, but of having one elementary school and one middle school for the DLI program

253so there's not this gap. I just want to add that we do have at the middle school level sufficient licensed staff to cover all three grade levels at one middle school. Okay. So we don't need a lens or check. We are able to to sustain one elementary school and one middle school. The one middle school I can vouch for. I would have to look into the elementary, but at least we don't have we have sufficient elementary level teachers perhaps to cover that gap, but at least we have the middle school. That's all I can vouch for today. >> So, if middle school is taken care of and the proposal now is to have two elementary schools, then unless there's something I'm missing, then we have the staff currently to cover one elementary school and one

254middle school. But the way that the license overlaps, if you had to use those three middle school teachers to cover like a fifth grade level DLI, you still could. So what I'm saying is for sure we have three teachers that could teach at the middle school if you wanted to go that route. However, I haven't checked everyone's license to say we don't need them at the middle school. We don't need them at the elementary. They can stay at the middle school. just wanted you to know that we have three middle school licensed ones. >> Okay. So, it sounds like we're closer to this being a viable option, but we need to confirm. I would like for us to wait a beat because if there is an option to fully staff one elementary and one middle

255school, again, not ideal, but that's that's what I support. >> Thank you, Joan Rue. >> I have a question for Dee. So is that is that what is at Aldridge right now? Are three >> um two two um we have two at Fusen and one at Aldridge. >> Okay. The only concern with that when you have one in one is what side of town is benefiting from the program, which I believe is why we strongly recommended having one elementary school on each side because then once again we're going to be disproportionate in where we offer services. Well, and it doesn't necessarily mean we can neat and tidy do one elementary and one middle because we still need to have uh EL teachers in all of these places too. And we have lots of students at

256Hackit and Todd and Robinson. So, we would need it. It would be a few of our numbers that would be moved to a different just a different label then. to to your point, we have um close to 400 students in the elementary schools in a DLI program and we don't have anywhere near that in the middle school program. So again, if you're if you're if you're if you're looking at the numbers of people that you're serving, not necessarily grade levels, Miss Levia, I hear your point of a continuity all the way through, which would be ideal, but being able to serve more, we would be able to do it with the the two elementary models as opposed to one middle school and one high or one elementary and one middle school model. Carol Fox. >>

257Um, my understanding too is that a lot of these services, the reason you are going to kindergarten instead of first through fifth, this is the the more there are more benefits when the kids are younger. >> That is correct. >> Any other questions or comments? >> Any questions or comments from administration? Is there a motion? >> I move approval of the plan for providing DLA services for 4K kindergarten through fourth grade at Todd and Hackett Elementary with the program at Robinson and the middle schools being eliminated. >> I'll second. >> Motion by Carol Fox, seconded by Brian Nichols. Any discussion? >> Can we have a roll call vote, please? >> Sure. Um, Megan Miller and then Joanne Rue. >> Thanks. Um, I would actually like to offer an amendment just in the spirit of what

258we just discussed and let me just make sure I have too many tabs open here. So, let me just go back to the motion language. No, no, no. You're fine. So, like, okay, so um, Mrs. Fox. Um, let me see that I have the right Sorry, my computer is being a Okay, so the motion right now says move approval of the plan for providing DI services uh K through fourth grade at Todd and Hack at elementary schools with program at Robinson and the middle schools being eliminated. Um, the amendment I would like to offer would just be like until such time that we have staffing. Um, and and I don't want to like I don't even want to be prescriptive about staffing for Robinson for the middle school. I just want to kind of leave

259it open-ended because I I really agree it needs to be needs driven. Um so that was the amendment that I Yeah. So that's the amendment I wanted to offer, but I don't know if if that's something we need to formally vote on or if you and um whoever seconded are okay with that. >> I'm okay with that. >> So just checking on procedure, Miss Ch. >> Okay. So, um, the amendment was to add the phrase until such time that we have staffing. So, uh, Mrs. Fox and >> we could just re rewrite it or restate it. >> Mrs. Fox and Mr. Nichols both agreed to accept the amendment. So now the motion is to move approval of the plan for providing DLI services for the four for for K through fourth grade at Todd and

260Hackett elementary schools with the program at Robinson and the middle schools being eliminated until such time that we have staffing. Got you you good with that? Okay. Okay. Okay. >> No, I'm not. >> No, you're not. I feel like it's hanging. >> Yeah, >> there's it needs a little bit >> word smmith away. Somebody help me out. >> Until such time that >> staffing allows for >> reexpansion as >> here. Turn your mic on. >> Would it be helpful to revisit this at like a time that makes sense in order to make a different decision if we have different resources? So to approve this until a certain date when it can be revisited, would that help? >> Dr. Anderson, what would a if we put a time frame on this, what would be a reasonable

261time frame? >> Well, I think the issue you're going to have is if you're leaving it open, how are we going to let parents know? I mean, if the original motion that Carol Fox just made, then at least we have something that we can go to parents and we can start saying, "Here's what's going to be offered for next year." You know, they can move. If for some reason we find that we all a sudden have more educators so we can do it, expand it. Then I'd say a year from now, take a new motion to expand it. you know, whatever we're going to do now, give us the time to notify parents and staff. Now, if we do end up having, you know, the resources and the staffing to expand it, then in the

262next I would say next year, then expand it if you have the availability. But right now, this is availability that we have. let's, you know, put it in the schools we can have it and then notify parents so they can make the decisions they need to make. If the longer you push this on, one is I do not believe we're going to find any more teachers. So, I don't think because if we could, we would have brought that recommendation already. What's going to happen is that parents are going to be squeezed tighter and tighter. They're going to come back. You didn't get you didn't notify us until the last minute, which is what we just criticized for. >> Megan Miller, >> thank you so much. So, Dr. Anderson, I 100% see what you're saying, and

263I don't have I have zero problem with communicating what you just communicated. My problem that I have with the motion language that was originally um put in into the um agenda is that that the message then is like it's it's eliminated that we're taking a board action to like fully eliminate but that's not the spirit of what's happening here. And in fact um Mr. Sten and um Dr. Millet just explained that this is like this is like given what we have this is the best recommendation for how to move forward until we get additional stat or something changes. So, for example, it's like, you know, if we're filling it, you know, we think we have one teacher to teach like we're choosing between like AP gov and AP world and we're like, okay, we're going

264to offer AP gov, but then we hire somebody in August and we can open up, but we're not going to say, no, sorry, you can't take a section of a class. Like, things do change. But I do respect 100% what you're saying. We don't want to pull a fast one on parents. So, I think is there a way that we can make a motion that makes sense to how we move forward operationally as a district that also allows us to to accurately and truthfully communicate to parents to set the what you're saying is a fairly realistic expectation that this is what it's going to be. I just don't want us to accidentally remove an opportunity um from from students. We also don't know. I mean, licensing happens in July. like for all we know someone's

265lined up to take the Ford exam in April and like you know I mean I'm just saying things can change. >> You could always just put for the 2026 2027 school year we will be offering DLI at our two elementary schools grades 1 through K through four. 26 27 school year. Sorry. I >> Well, the motioners and the the and the board member with the amendment. What do you guys want to do? >> I like Dr. Anderson's suggestion. I think I think we could just add on at the at the end. We could add on for the 26 27 school year. Megan Miller, is that what your intent was? >> I think that's a good compromise as long as we're willing as a group if we get if we get the staff I mean I

266fully believe that our our administration who's here presenting like nobody is against us expanding to the middle school obviously. So, um, with the understanding that this is a a right now thing, can we expect like I guess like when can we expect an update? And I guess just to give people who are following along at home and people who will find out on social media or whatever after tonight a realistic sense, when would we get some kind of like update or communication like I you know what I'm saying? Like if something were to change? Um >> well for right now we have to build a schedule based upon staffing. So this decision impacts building the schedule going forward. Um a a decision to move forward and expand would have to be we find somebody tomorrow.

267I mean it has to come and and I agree. I don't think we're going to find extra teachers. However, that doesn't mean that next year we won't or somebody doesn't come through. But I think the position is now to plan staffing scheduling and then by the time we get to we we've sort of looked at saying at the very beginning of August if we have an unfilled position that's when we start like trying to give as much time and again that we that was just an arbitrary date but then to say if we don't have enough to even fill K through four we're going to peel back from fourth grade and go down to third because we do have to give our family we we have to plan from this side. We also have to

268give our families enough time that if there is a change from this plan to go ahead and and react to it. Um, you know, adding and going forward. Again, we're not against expansion, but at this we have to plan for the 26 27th school year like now. And so, how do we do that? And if there's this ambiguity out there, are we planning extra sections? Are we not planning extra sections? And then you do so and you don't have a staff member, then you're pulling back from parents. So, I'd rather make sure that we are, you know, responsive into this is what we have and can do and then make adjustments as we move forward with as much timely decision-m as possible. >> Okay. And I I think that you know that satisfies my concern

269and I I am just about to send an email to Miss Rue requesting that we have an agenda item to talk about putting together an ad hoc committee because I think part of the function of that would be to to help facilitate that communication um both with families, the community and obviously with our staff. So because of those factors like I would be comfortable with saying that for the school year because I do understand the importance of having to like function you know functionally plan. I I just I really appreciate your message and I I hope that we can amplify it appropriately that this isn't like it's buried and done. You know, this is where we are right now. This is the next step. So, thank you. >> So, let's add for 20 for the

27026 27 school year and with the understanding that if any changes, they can always come back and we can add and change and do whatever we want. We're the board. So, so let's go with that with it in being eliminated for the 2627 school year. Okay. Uh Mr. Nichols, you're okay with that amendment? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Okay. So we have the motion is to move approval of the plan for providing DI services for K through fourth grade at Todd and Hackett elementary schools with the program at Robinson and the middle schools being eliminated >> for the 26th and 27th school year. You got that Mrs. Schul? Okay. And when you're ready, there's a roll call request >> Carol Fox. >> I >> Tom Henkins. I >> Amy Levy. >> Nay,

271>> Megan Miller. >> I Brian Nichols. >> I >> Joanne Rue. >> I >> Tia Johnson. >> I. >> Motion carried 6 to1. >> Thank you. Our next item on the consent agenda is approval of minute meeting minutes February 17th. Amy Levy. >> Thank you. If we go to section seven. So, thank you, Miss Schop, for clarifying the ambiguity that we had the last time we looked at this. But section seven, right above 8 says that two things happened. It says one, the the amendment to postpone the vote with respect to the Hendricks grant um passed and it also says that we we move to approve um the grant pending a contract. And both of those things can be true. Mrs. Levy, can you repeat where? Yep. It's in section seven, right above number eight.

272And so it says move to amend the motion to postpone the vote for two weeks, so March 3rd, and conduct a final board workshop. And that motion passed. And then right under it, it says move approval of accepting the Hendrickx Family Foundation proposal. Um, and then, you know, pending the contract. And it says that that motion passed as well. So, it's my understanding that that motion was voted down. We had some technical issues, so I wasn't on the line and able to hear everything, but I know that both motions could not have passed. And since we had the workshop, I'm assuming that second motion was defeated. >> Mrs. Schul, do you have any insight into this? >> Can we just table it? Yeah. >> And get it fixed. >> I guess I would prefer to

273go back and listen because I know that there was concern about voting it down. >> Okay. So, if if the if there's no objections, we will >> Yeah. Let me just go back and and and relisten and and check my notes again and everything because I know there was concern about voting it down and it being considered a no vote. And yes, we were having technical difficulties and stuff too. So, I would prefer to double check it and have it be right. So, I'll bring it back. >> Okay, no problem then. And then that's the last of the agenda items. Next, we have the human resources employment recommendations. Are there any open session questions? Are there any close session questions? Is there a motion? Uh, I mo I move to approve employee recommendations exhibit A

274as presented. >> Second. >> Motion by Amy Levy, seconded by Joanne Rue. Any discussion? All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Our last agenda item tonight is executive session. A motion may be made and a vote taken to convene the vote board of education into close session pursuant to section 19.85 parent one parent F of the Wisconsin state statutes or for the purpose of reviewing the expulsion orders of the independent hearing officer pursuant to section 120.13 parent 1 parent E4.H H dot of the Wisconsin state statutes the board of education shall upon review approve reverse or modify the orders and pursuant pursuant to section 19.85 parent one parent of the Wisconsin state statutes relative to employment promotion evaluation of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises

275responsibility. >> So moved. Second >> motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Carol Fox. Any discussion? We will be going into close session to discuss handling on personnel matters, interimm superintendent evaluation, review of independent hearing officer, expulsion orders, and close session meeting minutes. A roll call vote, please. Mrs. Sch. >> Joanne R. >> I. Brian Nichols >> I >> Megan Miller >> I Amy Levy >> I >> Tom Henkins >> I >> Carol Fox >> I >> and Tia Johnson >> I >> motion carried unanimously. >> The board of education may reconvene to public session in order to take any action if necessary on items discussed in close session. Thank you.